The Luke Devotionals: As part of my Bible study in the book of Luke, I started writing devotionals for each passage, and decided to post them here. I also will have the devotionals translated into Japanese, so if you know of any Japanese-speaking women who are curious about Christ, please do point them here! English is at the bottom. *** ルカ３章１節〜１４節 ８年生から９年生に進級するときの夏休み、わたしの心はとても悲しかったのです。わたしは、とても恥ずかしがりやで人とうまく話すこともできずに、クラスのなかで友達もいなくて孤独でした。そのようなことから、わたしはだんだん人を避けて一人になり、その孤独感から逃避するために小説を読むようになりました。本だけがわたしの友達だとよく思っていました。 大学で心理学を専攻したあと、今となるとわたしは鬱病だったと思います。一週間に何回か自殺を考えるようになっていました。家族が精神科医にいくようになったのですが、その中で弟がADHD　（注意力不足活動過多症）だったので、わたしが精神科医と話す時間はあまりありませんでした。わたしは一人の少女の短編小説を書きました。その少女は自分の存在は無意味であり、すべては無駄であり、自殺を考えている少女でした。 神様の恵みにより、そのころ教会に行くようになりました。唯一、自殺願望を阻止していたのは、毎週教会の牧師が罪の悔い改め、キリストにある喜びの説教でした。わたしは、個人的にその罪の悔い改め、キリストにある喜びを経験していたわけではないのですが、頭では、そのことを理解していました。 何が原因だったか覚えていませんが、ある晩、クライマックスが来たのです。わたしは、泣き崩れ、神様に自殺しないように助けを求めて祈ったのです。その時、何があったのかわかりませんが、わたしは罪を悔い改めて、「良いクリスチャン」になることを決心しました。 わ...

I’m posting my Regency romance, The Spinster's Christmas , so all my blog readers get a chance to read it! It’s the Prequel novel to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . A Christian Regency romantic suspense Spinster Miranda Belmoore has become a poor relation in her cousin’s house. She determines to escape a life of drudgery and disdain from her own family members, who are embarrassed by her straightforward speech and unconventional behavior that does not match with proper society. She is beginning to believe what they tell her—that she doesn’t matter to anyone, not even to God. Former naval captain Gerard Foremont is having difficulty adjusting to life back on land, bitter that his career has been cut short by his severely injured knee. A Christmastide houseparty with the Belmoores reunites him with his childhood friend, Miranda, but he is appalled at the verbal abuse she endures and wants to help her. The festivities are disrupted when a cloaked intruder attacks Gerard, wi...

MastersTeas (owned by Adagio teas) asked if I’d like some tea samples to review, and since I’ve enjoyed many of their teas, I of course said yes! Plus I was really excited to brew the tea using the gongfu method with my new tea set up. I started with the Rohini First Flush Darjeeling tea. From the website: The 'first flush' tea of the spring in Darjeeling is famous for its lively bite and abundance of fresh flavor. These rare teas look almost like green teas, but they are actually black tea. Our Spring Darjeeling is a spirited embodiment of these qualities. This year’s DJ1 offers a fresh bouquet of bright fruit blossom notes. Silky texture with white grape, floral, and sultana notes with a hint of minerality and a soft finish. This tea comes to us from the Rohini Tea Estate located in the Kurseong valley of Darjeeling, India. Its elevation of roughly 4400 ft imparts complexity to the infusion. Our 2020 first of the year, super early, late February harvest is a rarity th...

I’m posting my Regency romance, The Spinster's Christmas , so all my blog readers get a chance to read it! It’s the Prequel novel to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . A Christian Regency romantic suspense Spinster Miranda Belmoore has become a poor relation in her cousin’s house. She determines to escape a life of drudgery and disdain from her own family members, who are embarrassed by her straightforward speech and unconventional behavior that does not match with proper society. She is beginning to believe what they tell her—that she doesn’t matter to anyone, not even to God. Former naval captain Gerard Foremont is having difficulty adjusting to life back on land, bitter that his career has been cut short by his severely injured knee. A Christmastide houseparty with the Belmoores reunites him with his childhood friend, Miranda, but he is appalled at the verbal abuse she endures and wants to help her. The festivities are disrupted when a cloaked intruder attacks Gerard, wi...

I made this as a casual skirt for wearing in the summer with T-shirts and zori (flip-flops). I wanted something loose and comfortable, so I made it with a little positive ease and only slightly flared. I also opted for a drawstring waist rather than elastic because, since this is a comfortable skirt, I wanted to be able to loosen the waist on my fat days. This pattern/recipe is for my size, but there are instructions at the bottom for customizing for your own measurements. To fit waist: 32”, hips: 43” (hips were measured about 7” down from top of waistband) with 1” positive ease Unstretched measurements: Waist: 36" Hips: 44.4" Hem: 46.2” Yarn: Knit Picks Planetarium Comfy Worsted Exact amount of yarn used: 284 grams = 619 yards Needles: US 6 for waistband US 7 for skirt US 5 for i-cord Gauge:  4.5 sts and 6 rows per inch in stockinette stitch and US 7 needles CO 144 sts in the round tubular cast on with US 6 needles. k1p1 until 0.75” from cast on. (k1...

I’m posting my Regency romance, The Spinster's Christmas , so all my blog readers get a chance to read it! It’s the Prequel novel to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . A Christian Regency romantic suspense Spinster Miranda Belmoore has become a poor relation in her cousin’s house. She determines to escape a life of drudgery and disdain from her own family members, who are embarrassed by her straightforward speech and unconventional behavior that does not match with proper society. She is beginning to believe what they tell her—that she doesn’t matter to anyone, not even to God. Former naval captain Gerard Foremont is having difficulty adjusting to life back on land, bitter that his career has been cut short by his severely injured knee. A Christmastide houseparty with the Belmoores reunites him with his childhood friend, Miranda, but he is appalled at the verbal abuse she endures and wants to help her. The festivities are disrupted when a cloaked intruder attacks Gerard, wi...

I’m posting my Regency romance, The Spinster's Christmas , so all my blog readers get a chance to read it! It’s the Prequel novel to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . A Christian Regency romantic suspense Spinster Miranda Belmoore has become a poor relation in her cousin’s house. She determines to escape a life of drudgery and disdain from her own family members, who are embarrassed by her straightforward speech and unconventional behavior that does not match with proper society. She is beginning to believe what they tell her—that she doesn’t matter to anyone, not even to God. Former naval captain Gerard Foremont is having difficulty adjusting to life back on land, bitter that his career has been cut short by his severely injured knee. A Christmastide houseparty with the Belmoores reunites him with his childhood friend, Miranda, but he is appalled at the verbal abuse she endures and wants to help her. The festivities are disrupted when a cloaked intruder attacks Gerard, wi...

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

I’m posting my Regency romance, The Spinster's Christmas , so all my blog readers get a chance to read it! It’s the Prequel novel to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . A Christian Regency romantic suspense Spinster Miranda Belmoore has become a poor relation in her cousin’s house. She determines to escape a life of drudgery and disdain from her own family members, who are embarrassed by her straightforward speech and unconventional behavior that does not match with proper society. She is beginning to believe what they tell her—that she doesn’t matter to anyone, not even to God. Former naval captain Gerard Foremont is having difficulty adjusting to life back on land, bitter that his career has been cut short by his severely injured knee. A Christmastide houseparty with the Belmoores reunites him with his childhood friend, Miranda, but he is appalled at the verbal abuse she endures and wants to help her. The festivities are disrupted when a cloaked intruder attacks Gerard, wi...

I’m posting my Regency romance, The Spinster's Christmas , so all my blog readers get a chance to read it! It’s the Prequel novel to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . A Christian Regency romantic suspense Spinster Miranda Belmoore has become a poor relation in her cousin’s house. She determines to escape a life of drudgery and disdain from her own family members, who are embarrassed by her straightforward speech and unconventional behavior that does not match with proper society. She is beginning to believe what they tell her—that she doesn’t matter to anyone, not even to God. Former naval captain Gerard Foremont is having difficulty adjusting to life back on land, bitter that his career has been cut short by his severely injured knee. A Christmastide houseparty with the Belmoores reunites him with his childhood friend, Miranda, but he is appalled at the verbal abuse she endures and wants to help her. The festivities are disrupted when a cloaked intruder attacks Gerard, wi...

Photo credit: lalalime.blogspot.com I asked God to make me a prayer warrior, and I realized I was missing out on the chance to pray for all of you, my online friends! So how can I pray for you? I will try to remember to post this at least once a month so I can pray for you. Prayer requests can sometimes be private things, so to keep your privacy, I’ve made a form you can fill out that will keep your requests just between you and me. Also please be sure to fill out the form again to update me if you sent me a prayer request in the past. I’d love to hear how you’re doing. Loading...

I’m posting my Regency romance, The Spinster's Christmas , so all my blog readers get a chance to read it! It’s the Prequel novel to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . A Christian Regency romantic suspense Spinster Miranda Belmoore has become a poor relation in her cousin’s house. She determines to escape a life of drudgery and disdain from her own family members, who are embarrassed by her straightforward speech and unconventional behavior that does not match with proper society. She is beginning to believe what they tell her—that she doesn’t matter to anyone, not even to God. Former naval captain Gerard Foremont is having difficulty adjusting to life back on land, bitter that his career has been cut short by his severely injured knee. A Christmastide houseparty with the Belmoores reunites him with his childhood friend, Miranda, but he is appalled at the verbal abuse she endures and wants to help her. The festivities are disrupted when a cloaked intruder attacks Gerard, wi...

I’m posting my Regency romance, The Spinster's Christmas , so all my blog readers get a chance to read it! It’s the Prequel novel to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . A Christian Regency romantic suspense Spinster Miranda Belmoore has become a poor relation in her cousin’s house. She determines to escape a life of drudgery and disdain from her own family members, who are embarrassed by her straightforward speech and unconventional behavior that does not match with proper society. She is beginning to believe what they tell her—that she doesn’t matter to anyone, not even to God. Former naval captain Gerard Foremont is having difficulty adjusting to life back on land, bitter that his career has been cut short by his severely injured knee. A Christmastide houseparty with the Belmoores reunites him with his childhood friend, Miranda, but he is appalled at the verbal abuse she endures and wants to help her. The festivities are disrupted when a cloaked intruder attacks Gerard, wi...