If you're around tonight at 6:00 pm PT , 9:00 PM Eastern

Come join me in a live chat and enter to win one of my books free!
Here's the link. I think you have to join Gather in order to participate. There's a link to do so on the webpage. Please come if you can... I don't want to sit there all alone. LOL

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979529613

Wordless Wednesday!



Anchored for the night. But Beware!



First professional review of Surrender the Dawn!

Just released from Romantic Times.  Just to whet your appetites!  And remember, Surrender the Dawn month starts this Friday!!



4 stars!!  ****

A good old-fashioned historical packed with rich, beautiful details launches the Surrender to Destiny series with pirates, swordplay and lots of romance. The characters are so much fun, readers will not want the book to end. Tyndall is a gem, and her characters are bold and believable.

Summary: Cassandra Channing will do everything within her power to support her family The only thing she can think of is hiring Luke Heaton as a privateer with the last of her money. She knows if he gets captured or the ship sinks, she is out of options and time. Luke has his own problems: the British are blackmailing him into selling his bounty to them. With war raging around them, Juke and Cassandra will have to work together to survive. (Barbour, Aug., 320 pp., $12.99), Patsy Glans

Is Hell forever?

Would you be surprised if I said No?   I was pretty surprised to find this out too. Yet it's right there in Scripture.
First of all, what is hell like? Is it just a big pit of burning fire?  Well, that's not how the Bible describes it. Jesus gave us a clear view of hell in Luke 16 when he describes how a man in hell who was rich and happy on earth speaks to Abraham and another man named Lazarus who are both across the void between hell and what used to be paradise.

(On a side note, paradise was a holding tank before the cross for the souls of the righteous departed. When Jesus died on the cross, Ephesians 4:9 says He 'descended into the lower parts of the earth'. Then in John 20:17 and Hebrews 9:23-25, we see that the ressurrected Jesus ascended to the Father and led those who were captive in paradise to heaven)

But what do we learn about Hell from this story of Jesus's?  We see the following:

• The man is hot and thristy
• He's not in a great deal of pain or he wouldn't be able to carry on a conversation with Abraham
• He could reason
• He had full memory of his life on earth
• He didn't want to be there.

So, hell appears to be a bad place. An unhappy place. Actually it's a place where God is not. And since God is love, joy, peace, friendship, loyalty, goodness, comfort... then none of those things are in hell. I would imagine there's also no good food or drink, no homes, beds, entertainment and no friendship--since everything good that we enjoy on earth that isn't sinful comes from God.

But hell is just a holding place. Just like Paradise was. It's very clear from Revelation 20 that after Jesus's millenial reign on earth, there will be a great judgement. ...death and hell gave up the dead in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hell were thrown into the lake of fire...Anyone whose name was not found in the book of the living was thrown into the lake of fire

So, hell is thrown into the lake. Hell is gone at this point. But what about all the people. Some are obviously thrown into the lake as well, but there are some scholars who believe that only the worst of the worst will suffer that eternal demise.  Others believe that those people will cease to exist at that moment and will not have to suffer eternal torture. We don't really know. This is one of the mysteries God has not revealed.

Why do I mention it? Well, I know many people think God is cruel for sending people to be miserable forever and ever. I don't personally think that because God is just. He gives people what they ask for. If he wasn't a just God, He wouldn't be God. But, I'm bringing this hell issue up because for me, it made me realize that there is so much we don't understand or know about God or how He works or His plan for eternity. We may have a preconceived notion about how things are going to be in eternity, but we have NO IDEA.  People who you thought were lost forever may end up being pulled from the fire at the last minute! We don't know.

And because of that, we must trust in the goodness of God. How Good is our God? And how important is it for you to believe that He is Good?  Tune in next week....

Casual Fridays

Congratulations to Greenduckie13 who won the drawing for a free download of K. Dawn Byrd's new book, Mistaken Identity!!  And thanks to all who entered here and on facebook!

It's been really hot here in Northern California this week. (Wasn't I just complaining about it being too cold?)  Anyway up in the 90s is no picnic, especially when one doesn't have air conditioning and is trying to sleep at night. But who's complaining?
Picture left is of the Bougainvillea in my front yard!

Despite the heat, I've managed to get nearly four chapters of Veil of Pearls done this week and am about to embark on a sea battle between the hero's merchant brig and a British Privateer. Oh, be still my heart!  I know it must seem weird to you all that I'm working on a completely different book than the one that hasn't even released yet, Surrender the Dawn, which releases in August. Well, it seems weird to me too!  However, that seems to be an author's life. I'm editing one book, marketing another and writing a third. So, how do I keep all my characters and plots straight? I have no idea! Must be the grace of God because I'm already a bit skatter-brained! Just ask my husband.

As you know Surrender the Heart went on sale for FREE this past week. It remained the #1 free book on Kindle for 4 days straight!  My author friend, Camy Tang, warned me, however that although many people would be reading my book (a good thing) many of those people would hate it and write scathing reviews, either because they truly hated it (hard to imagine. LOL)  or because of the Christian message, or perhaps just because they are mean people. Though I certainly don't always expect glowing reviews (good thing, cause I don't always get them), I had to brace myself for the onslaught of hatred spewed my way. We authors are a sensitive breed by nature, so a harsh review can be quite painful.  So much so, that I've decided not to look at any more reivews. (Please keep my hands off the keyboard!)

All this to say.. that God came through in a marvelous way and reminded me that none of my books or my writing career is about me. Newsflash!  It's not about me!!  It's about getting the message He gave me out into the world.  My purpose is not to draw attention to myself, but to God. Jesus didn't even make His ministry about Him. He always avoided the accolades and directed the crowd's attention above. Oh, that we could all follow His example! 

Consequently my entire attitude has changed. The more people who read my book, the better. They can call it trash and preachy and horrible all they want but the Word of God, the seed of His Word was placed in their minds. Oh, Lord, let it be fed at the proper time!

I pray you all have a blessed weekend!!  And REMEMBER, next week starts SURRENDER THE DAWN month! Every Friday I'll be posting something about the book and giving away a free copy. So, don't forget to drop in!

Wordless Wednesdays!

Pirates hiding in a cave!

News Flash: Satan isn't after you!

Nop. Believe it or not we are not Satan's target. Yes he hates us because we are made in the image of God. Yes, he'd like to kill and destroy us. But not because of us. It's because of God's Word living within us. He doesn't bother people who don't know God, who don't know His Word. It's only because we have God's Word in us (through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit) that Satan attacks.

Remember the garden of Eden? How did Satan go after Eve?  "Did God say.....?"  He questioned the Word of God. He did the same thing when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. If Jesus had done what Satan asked: throw himself off a building, bow to Satan, he would have been essentially saying I don't trust God to do what He says He's going to do. He would have been denying God's Word.

What about you? How does Satan attack the Word in you. Perhaps by telling you you're worthless, telling you you'll never find that special someone, your children will never return to the Lord, you'll never do anything important, you're weird and weak, and nobody really loves you.  All attacking what God says about you.

If we look at the parable of the seeds, it's clear that Satan is after the Word. The seeds are the Word of God, and in each case, Satan attacks the Word.  Only the Word that fell on good soil prospered.
We can see in each case, how Satan attacks the Word.

• Persecution
• Affliction
• Cares of this world
• Deceitfulness of riches
• Lust for other things

 What is the solution? How can we withstand these attacks. The answer is simple. It is to have a heart of good soil. A soil where weeds and thorns cannot grow. A soil fertilized by God. His presence, His Word, His Love. If you've allowed weeds to grow in your garden, repent and pluck them out. Then just love the Father, the Lord Jesus, and your neighbor as yourself. Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Let Him add, don't try to get in your own strength. Allow your heavenly dad to be good to you. He wants to!

And don't worry about that old guy with horns. There's nothing he can do to harm good soil!

Welcome back, K Dawn Byrd and win a free download!

Please welcome K Dawn Byrd today and her new book Mistaken Identity!!! 
Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for a gift card for a free download of her latest release!

Eden Morgan makes a list of six goals to accomplish in order to have the best summer ever. Getting a boyfriend, which is perhaps the most important goal, becomes complicated when she and her best friend, Lexi, fall for the same guy. Since Lexi is popular, gorgeous, and always gets her guy, Eden thinks she doesn't have a chance.

Channing Johnson is everything Eden's ever dreamed of and she can't believe he just moved in next door. When he starts showing interest in her, she's overjoyed...until she sees him out on a date with Lexi. He says Lexi talked him into it to repay her for tutoring him. Lexi says they're in love.

Eden doesn't know who to believe and is forced to choose between her best friend and the guy of her dreams. Nothing is as it seems and no matter who she chooses, someone will get hurt.



 How did this story come to you?

Sometimes I get the strangest ideas! I wondered what would happen if a not-as-pretty good Christian girl and her gorgeous non-Christian best friend fell in love with the same guy. Who would get the guy?

MLT: Oh, I love that premise!! I'm sure there are many girls who can relate to that !

Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.

I had already published several book with Desert Breeze Publishing when they opened a young adult line. I'd been writing romantic suspense and thought it would fun to try my hand at a young adult novel. It was so much fun that I'm signing a contract for a young adult mystery series that will debut in January.

Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.

I own two hairless Chinese Crested dogs.
I love sour things....pickles, lemons, sour candy.
I used to ride a Harley, but gave it up in order to have more time to write. (My husband always wanted to stay out way too long and take the scenic route home. He still has his bike, but I don't miss mine at all.)

MLT: Well, I never would have guessed the Harley thing! An interesting hobby for a woman
What are you working on now and what's next for you?

I'm editing my October release with Desert Breeze. This Time for Keeps is an inspirational romance.

Parting comments?
Thank you for hosting me! For those of you who love Christian fiction, please check my blog for weekly book giveaways. I interview 3-5 authors a week who give away their books. http://www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com/

Where can fans find you on the internet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geWeGQ6Ueu4
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-178/K-Dawn-Byrd-Mistaken/Detail.bok
http://www.kdawnbyrd.com/
http://www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com/

I'm also on Twitter (kdawnbyrd) and facebook (K Dawn Byrd.) I am the moderator of the Christian Fiction Gathering facebook group ( http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444 ) If you join this group, you'll get reminders about the weekly book giveways.

Thank you K, for joining us!!!

Surrender the Heart is free on Kindle through July 31st!!!

If you own a Kindle or know someone who does, the first book in my Destiny series is free for the next month!  Please pass the word!

Wordless Wednesdays!

Haul away anchor! We're going ashore!

Got shallow faith?

Has God told you something, or promised you something, either directly or through His Word, but you feel like you just don't have enough faith to believe it will come to pass?   To make matters worse, you've probably heard a dozen or so sermons on the topic telling you that if you don't have enough faith, God can't operate. You remember the myriad stories from Jesus's life where he praised someone's faith and then healed them completely or granted them their request. And the times when he walked away, unable to do any miracles because of unbelief.

Funny how the enemy will bring up all those "faith" stories and pound you over the head with them until you feel like you're the biggest Christian loser out there. A complete failure. I mean, why would God help someone like you?

Faith is important, but it doesn't stand alone. There's something else vitally important, equally important and something that must come before faith.

I was reading the story in Luke 5 last week where Jesus first meets Peter. He uses Peter's boat to preach to the crowd. Afterward, He tells Peter to row out and cast his net into the deep. Now, Peter had been up all night fishing and not caught a thing. He knew full well that you can't catch fish during the broad daylight. What Jesus was asking him to do was crazy.  Yet, Peter only hesitated a second before he said "Nevertheless, at your Word, I will let down the net."

As it turns out, when Peter did so, they caught so many fish, the nets nearly broke. Now, I ask you, did Peter have faith that he would catch fish? No. He told Jesus as much. Then why did the Lord bless him with so many fish?

I believe it was 2 things: Obedience and Reverence.  I don't know what Peter believed about Jesus at this point, but he must have believed Jesus was either a prophet or some Holy man, perhaps even the Messiah. Because of that belief, he feared Jesus as one would fear God, in a reverencial, awestruck way. And because of that, Peter obeyed.

There are so many other examples of this in Scripture, but I urge you to search for those moments when Jesus healed or delivered. Some may have had the faith to believe Jesus would grant their request, others may not have. But I assure you all of them worshiped Him and obeyed Him first.

What are your thoughts of Jesus, of God? Do you revere Him, worship Him? Are you living in obedience? If so, then that is true faith. It is what astounds the angels as they watch us. That we simple humans can worship a God we've never seen and not only that, obey His Word. That is what faith is all about.

So, don't let the enemy tell you that you have no faith or weak faith. The fact that he's even attacking you with those thoughts prove that the opposite is true. Faith is not a feeling. Believe that God Loves you and that He is a good God, and a rewarder of those who seek Him. In Peter's case, that was enough.

So shove out into the deep, cast out your net, and see if God doesn't fill it with fish!

Casual Fridays!

I never know what to blog about on Fridays, so I thought I'd just make them "Casual Fridays" from here on out. This is where I will blab on about something I've been doing or thinking about, give movie reviews, books reviews, etc.  And anyone out there is free to comment and/or leave me a question about anything they'd like to know. About me, about my books, my opinion on anything.  Or feel free to converse with each other!

First some business. If you aren't a part of my Motley crew then you may not have heard that  I've just signed a contract with EChristian publishing to have my pirate series put back in print (In case you haven't noticed you can only buy used copies online and stores no longer carry them) EChristian will also have the books placed in E-book form on ALL the popular venues, including just reading it on your computer. As you may also have remembered, my last publisher, Barbour, took the pirate books out of print shortly after The Restitution was released. They told me sales had dwindled and they didn't feel pirates were popular any more. At the time, it broke my heart because I didn't feel the books had run their course.


Anyway, as a result of this contract, I've been re-editing the books... going through them and tightening up the writing a bit as they were the first books I wrote and the writing was a bit scraggly, if ye know what I mean. But, I've enjoyed the stories all over again! In fact, they've given me a taste for pirate tales again. Unfortunately, I have 4 more books to write before I can head back to the Caribbean. But I hope to do so in the future.

My road to good health!
Many of you may not know that I'm a bit of a health freak. Well, let's just say it was forced upon me due to my body being so genetically incapable of handling stress or junk food.  After I turned 50, I started having all sorts of problems, not the least which was a rapid weight gain.  I went to several nutritionists, a homeopathic doctor and a real doctor, but no one was able to help. So I did my own research. I changed my eating habits and I lost 10 pounds so far as well as helped some other things, such as insomnia and hot flashes. I know many of you are young out there, but it's not too late to take care of yourself.

Here's a brief summar of what I did.

• Each morning I make a protein shake from Pumpkin seed powder, but you can use any good quality protein shake powder. I add Flax seed oil, Kefer, a scoop of Green Vibrance (An excellent green food with lots of vits and minerals), Coconut milk, hazelnut milk and frozen pineapples. (Yum!)
• For lunch: Tuna, almond butter and jelly, or a salad with some kind of protein: nuts or chicken or shrimp
• Snack: Every day I always eat 1 apple, carrot sticks, and raw nuts
• Dinner: The important thing here is to have a protein and a carb. And always add fresh veggies
• As much as possible, always eat organic veggies and fruits
• As much as possible, purchase organic free rannge beef and chicken and fresh fish
• Eat your veggies and fruit raw instead of frozen or canned or cooked.
• Every day eat 1/2 of a large red beet. I steam them and add butter and salt. Yummy
• Avoid sugar. Eat a minium of dairy.
• Eat as much salt (Celtic sea salt is full of important minerals) and real butter as you want.
• Sweeten drinks and food with raw, organic honey. Honey is really good for you!
• Stay away from processed foods and high-glycemic carbs

The hormones that most farms inject into cows and other animals and spray over your vegetables and fruits are what is causing so many women to suffer from hormone problems these days. Purchasing orgainic is more expensive but worth your health in the long run.  I don't know why but eatting an apple, a beet and some carrots each day seem to have cleaned out my liver and made my digestion much better

Anyway, I feel great! I'm sleeping better. And I'm continuing to lose weight. Oh, I also might mention that I do exercise. Not much.. but I do walk about 40 minutes a day. I don't think you can really lose weight and feel good without some sort of exercise.

Anyway, I thought this might help someone out there. Hope it does!

Wordless Wednesday

Debbie Mitchell kindly sent me some ship pictures.. Here's one of them!

There be pirates in these waters!

Can we ask for whatever we want from God?

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will, ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7

Have you ever wondered about this verse? I have. It sounds so simple, doesn't it. Believe in Jesus, pray, read the Bible, maybe even memorize Scripture, and you should be able to ask for whatever you want and get it, right? 
Hmm.. But that doesn't always work out, does it? I've often wondered about this Scripture and questioned God on it. I mean, why didn't He say something like, If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will, ask what you desire, and if it fits into my plan for you and for the world, I'll grant it.  Because isn't that what many people will say when their prayers don't get answered? Well, I guess it wasn't God's will.

It seems like such a cop-out. Before you start throwing things at me, let me explain. Of course I understand that we can't get everything we want. That our plans are so limited an selfish compared to what God has for us, and that like children, if we received everything we wanted, we would become spoiled and complacent. I understand that God often allows troubles and doesn't deliver us right away because we need to mature and grow and become more like Him. Okay, but having said that... this verse still troubles me.

Until I learned that the word for 'words' in the verse was Rhema. Now Rhema in the greek means spoken word. There's another Greek word for word, logos, that refers to the written word. But Rhema refers to something God has spoken directly to you. Here's some examples from Scripture

Abraham received word from God to leave his country and travel to a new land. This was Rhema. His response, he stepped out in faith and whatever he needed was provided along the way.

Noah received word that God was going to destroy the world with a flood. He believed it, then stepped out in faith and built an ark.

Joseph received word that he would rule over his brothers and he never gave up on that revelation, still trusting in God over 15 years later when his dream came true.

God told Moses to go to Egypt and set the Israelites free. He asked God if Aaron could come along. They ended up being a very successful duo!

Joshua received word from God that he would conquer Jericho. He obeyed, did what the Lord said and it came to pass.

Paul was told he'd be a witness to the Gentiles. God provided everything he needed to do that. Money, means of travel, companions, a platform, etc.. I'm sure Paul had many prayers along the way.



This is my point. This verse doesn't mean you can ask God for anything you want. What it's saying is that if you've received a direct word from God about something, you can ask Him for whatever you need in direct connection with that word. For example. If God says you're going to move to San Diego next year to start a ministry, then you have the right and the power to ask God for what you'll need for that move. Lord, I need a house in certain neighborhood, I need a car, I need money...etc..

In other words, God will supply you with everything you need to carry out His will.  First, you discover His will and then you have the right to ask Him for what you'll need to do that will.  The provision for everything you need is embedded in God's spoken word to you. 

You could go on and on through Scripture and see a multitude of situations where God gave a word and in that word existed the power and the provision to do whatever God asked.

The key is to be abiding close enough to Jesus to actually hear His Words when He speaks them.

My trip to the Naval Academy

As you all know I spent 4 days in Annapolis Maryland and also in DC for the United States Naval Academy Graduation. We had a grand time.  Our first night we ate dinner at this restaurant on the Severn River (which feeds out into the Chesapeake. You may remember the Chesapeake from Surrender the Night. It's the massive waterway that the British blockaded.)  Anyway, I can't tell you how wonderful it was to sit there, eat crab cake, and smell the salty ocean air. Right across the river stands the Academy.

Below is a picture of me, my hubby and our daughter,Christine



The Chapel at The Naval Academy



We spent the next day walking around the Academy. My mother and my husband's parents joined us. Plus Christine, of course.

Bancroft Hall - this is the dormatory for all the Midshipmen

"The Yard" - which is the open area between classroom buildings

Inside Bancroft Hall

Inside Bancroft Hall

Above is a plaque in memorial hall which is inside Bancroft where they list all the men and women who graduated from the Academy who died in the service of their country. My grandfather's name is there. I hope you can read it.

They had a naval history museum. I was in heaven!!

The Commissioning Ceremony

After the Graduation ceremony

Me and my Mom!





A cake for our new Ensign!



We also visited Washington DC!  Just for a day. It was very crowded, but we managed to see part of the Smithsonian-the American History part, visit the Lincoln Memorial, and the WWII Memorial. Large groups of motorcyles (Mostly Harleys) drove through the streets with American flags flapping from their masts due to Memorial Day. It was very patriotic!

President Lincoln!



Tradition has it that Captain James Lawrence said these heroic words after being mortally wounded in the engagement between his ship, the U.S. frigate Chesapeake, and HMS Shannon on 1 June 1813. As the wounded Lawrence was carried below, he ordered "Tell the men to fire faster! Don't give up the ship!"
Above is a picture of an old flag partially destroyed in a ship battle.
Anyway, as you can see we had a marvelous time. It was also a momentous time. A time to honor those who serve our country and to celebrate this great nation! I'm so proud of my Step-Daughter, Christine!

Great quotes from Thomas Jefferson!

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe .

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.
 
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.

Wordless Wednesday!

Ahoy, I'm back from Annapolis and my step-daughter's graduation from the Naval Academy. Tune in Friday for the details of my trip and a ton more pictures. But for now, and in honor of Memorial Day, I thought you'd enjoy this picture I took from the WWII Memorial.