Sunday Devotional

Unconditional, undying, unchanging…love.

If ever there were an example of such pure and unmitigated devotion, it would be the affection Max expresses toward me every day. No matter the situation, he positively jumps for joy every time he sees me, regardless of whether or not I’ve had to punish him recently.

Take, for example, last weekend. I had gone shopping for shoes, something I hadn’t done in quite some time. After many hours, I was finally able to locate a pair I liked. They were a bit pricey, but I figured they were worth the extra cost since the brand I’d purchased was well known for their durability. I don’t reckon they took miniature dachshunds into consideration when they made that claim.

I wore my shoes to church once, and then left them on the floor of my closet. Much to my dismay, I returned home from work the following Monday to find that Max had completely demolished one of the shoes. Leather lay everywhere! To add insult to injury, the other shoe lay just where I had left it, perfect, untouched, and completely unusable.

“Max!” I yelled. “Bad dog, Max. You don’t chew on Momma’s shoes.”

Realizing he’d done something wrong, Max crouched down on his belly and crawled over to me, cowering at my feet like some wayward Isrealite seeking repentance.

“No, Max,” I said, still angered over the loss of my shoe. “Go lay down. Momma’s mad at you.”

He obeyed, but about an hour later, I felt a gentle nudge at my elbow. I looked down into a pair of gentle brown eyes, filled with regret and pleading for forgiveness. How could I help but relent?

“Okay, Max—”

I got no further. Overjoyed to see I was no longer angry, Max leapt into my lap and proceeded to lick my face, hands, and ears.

It was then that I realized just how deeply Max loves me. Despite my anger or any chastisement I might dispense, he loves me, and he can’t wait to show it.

Do I love my Master that way? Despite any chastisement He might have to give, do I hurry to show my affection to my Heavenly Father?

Lord, help me to grow in love for You. Let my devotion be unconditional, and my heart’s desire always be to exercise my affection in a way that is pleasing unto You.

Joshua 23:6-11 (New International Version, ©2010)

6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now.

9 “The LORD has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the LORD your God.

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Winners!!

It's always so much fun to give away great books!! Congratulations to this week's lucky winners:

Cindy W. - Book of Days by James L. Rubart

Sharlotte - The Titus Mandate by Ted Bigelow

Winners of this week's books, please use the button in the upper right side of this page to email me with your mailing address so I can forward your information to the authors. Then, sit back and wait for your book to arrive.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book and thank you, James L. Rubart and Ted Bigelow for your generosity in providing books!

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Join me in wishing Lisa a Happy Birthday!

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Weekly Drawing

Entering our weekly drawing is easy:

1. Leave a comment on Fridays or...

2. Sign up to follow The Borrowed Book. Followers will automatically be entered for a chance to win that week's drawing!

This week, The Borrowed Book is giving away:

Book of Days by James L. Rubart ~ "… in Your book all my days were recorded, even those which were purposed before they had come into being." —Psalm 139:16

Young Cameron Vaux’s mind is slipping. Memories of his wife, killed two years earlier in a car accident, are vanishing just as his dad predicted they would. Memories he knows he has to remember.

His father tells Cameron that to save his mind he must find "the book with all days in it" —the past and future record of every soul on earth.

When an obscure clue leads Cameron to a small central Oregon town, he meets enigmatic Taylor Stone, a possible guide to finding the book who seems to carry secrets far deeper than anyone imagines. Local hotshot TV personality Ann Bannister thinks the legend of the book is a farce, but she has her reasons to join Cameron’s search anyway. Finally, there is fanatical New Age guru Jason Judah, who will stop at nothing to find the book of days before Cameron does.


The Titus Mandate by Ted Bigelow ~ It sounds like a spy novel... only its biblical...

Thousands of real churches - perhaps yours - have been infiltrated by dangerous men. Your only biblical escape is The Titus Mandate, the apostle Paul's timeless rescue plan for you and your church that brings spiritual safety, blessing, and unity.

As detailed in the New Testament book of Titus, if today's Christians will be rescued they will need to understand what happened on the Mediterranean island of Crete back in the days of the apostles. There, Paul directed his protégé Titus to go toe-to-toe with the wolves, carrying out God's very public mission that rescues Christians and the churches they love from spiritual danger.

Through The Titus Mandate, you'll be equipped to spot the wolves and protect yourself and those you love from Satan's most prolific -- and least discussed -- form of spiritual danger.

Winners will be announced on Saturday, 02/05/11.

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Good News for Authors of Christian Romance

It’s February, and love is in the air. Publishers of Christian fiction, however, are hoping they can fill the entire year with romance as they expand their inspirational romance lines. This is welcome news since it comes at a time when publishers are cutting back on other titles. With sales for Christian romance steadily climbing and the critical acclaim it’s garnering, readers’ demands are being acknowledged. That’s good news for those of us who write inspirational romance with the desire to see faith-driven romance presented for readers who are hungering for an alternative to other choices available in today’s market.

One publisher who is already experiencing growth is Harlequin’s inspirational division, Love Inspired (formerly Steeple Hill) which recently doubled its Love Inspired Historical Series. The division includes three faith-driven romance series: Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense, and Love Inspired Historical. The three lines now publish 168 titles a year. Senior Editor Tina James says the increase reflects the tremendous growth of inspirational fiction in the United States.

Thomas Nelson is another publisher who is looking to increase their romance titles. Presently they are publishing twice as many romance titles as they did four years ago. The company’s expansion of their romance line came about because of readers’ requests. As a result of this input, they announced the signing of four leading romance writers—Kristen Billerbeck, Colleen Coble, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter—to collaborate on Smitten, a collection of novellas that will release around Valentine’s Day 2012.

With good news, however, sometimes there is a downside. As authors of Christian romance, many of us have struggled to find the right publishing house for the stories we write. One only has to look at the growing numbers of members in American Christian Fiction Writers to know that many new authors are hoping to launch their careers in the inspirational market. Even with the growth of titles printed each year, there may be stiff competition for the number of spots available. Authors would do well to familiarize themselves with the types of stories that each house purchases before choosing who they should target. Then read books released by the publisher to get a feel for how the books are written.

What about you? Pre-published authors, who are you targeting? Multi-published authors, who do you write for? I’d like to know.

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Book Spotlight ~ The Titus Mandate by Ted Bigelow

The church is supposed to be the safest place on earth for Christians, so why is it often a place of deep dissatisfaction? Many Christians suffer from difficult church situations and are unsure how to live and worship with such stress, let alone grow in the midst of it. Much of this pain comes from being under poor church leadership. According to Ted Bigelow, if your church doesn’t follow God’s mandate for leadership as set out in the book of Titus, it is almost certainly headed for disaster.

All Christians want to be a part of a safe and godly church so that they can invest in its ministries and mission without fear or compromise. Yet thousands of real churches, perhaps yours, have been infiltrated by dangerous men. Many Christians have been so hurt by these wolves that they have left church, vowing never to return. Other sheep, unaware of what they are witnessing week by week, pay the wolves to preach their error.

In The Titus Mandate, readers will follow Paul’s special attaché Titus on his treacherous mission to the Mediterranean island of Crete. You’ll learn for yourself what Titus experienced as he went toe-to-toe with the wolves, carrying out God’s very public mission to rescue Christians and churches from danger. Paul’s journey will teach you to spot the wolves and protect yourself and those you love from Satan’s most prolific form of spiritual peril.

Through reading this book, Christians will be equipped to:

· Understand the biblical reasons for most negative church experiences and gain scriptural wisdom about their church trials.

· Trust in the Lord whose wisdom brings such trials into His children’s lives, enabling them to move forward in their walks with Christ.

· Discern safe churches from unsafe churches.

· Participate in church in a way that draws them closer to the Lord.

Taking the truth from Scripture and applying it in the church is easier said than done, so The Titus Mandate provides specific instruction on how to live out God’s principles that make church a secure place. One’s confidence in church will be restored as God’s ways are explained, applied, and contrasted with those ways that bring danger. The Titus Mandate is a rescue plan for Christians and their churches. Readers will be able to feel confident that the leadership they have chosen will be trustworthy shepherds for their families.

About the Author

Ted Bigelow is the Senior Pastor of Grace Church in Hartford, CT. He has been in full-time ministry since 1997, serving in both established and new churches. He has taught and preached in the former Soviet bloc, Western Europe, and Central America. Prior to entering pastoral ministry, he worked in marketing and sales, project management, statistical forecasting, and consulted for the U.S. Government, Small Business Administration, and has taught Business at the college level. He has three post-graduate degrees:

Master of Divinity, The Master’s Seminary, 1996
Master of Theology, The Master’s Seminary, 1997
Doctor of Ministry, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005

The Titus Mandate by Ted Bigelow
CreateSpace/January 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4538-3127-4/352 pages/paperback/$14.95

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Introducing Author and College Student, Amber Stokes!

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the newest member of The Borrowed Book team!

Amber Stokes is a college student at Corban University. She is an English major who loves to write poetry, short stories, novels (her first manuscript is still a work-in-progress), and, of course, blog posts. Amber says it is her desire to follow God's will for her life, wherever He leads her. We're so glad He led her here!

From being valedictorian of her graduating class (McKinleyville High School, class of 2009) and graduating with an International Baccalaureate Diploma, to earning her black belt in Jujitsu, Amber has worked hard to excel in life. She has participated in choir, her high school's Key Club, and Corban's production of State Fair (Fall 2009). Her favorite activities include reading Christian fiction, writing, and spending time with family and close friends.

Beginning next Monday, Amber will post articles dealing specifically with her writing journey. In addition, she'll post occasional reviews, give insight into her publication trials, and give us a glimpse into the life of a full-time college student/full-time author. To find out more about Amber and her work, visit her at Seasons of Humility.

Please help me welcome Amber to The Borrowed Book. We look forward to working with her for many years to come.

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