Jesus Cares

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply for mirth and song;

As the burdens press, and the cares distress, and the way grows weary and long?

O yes, He cares; I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief; 

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares. 

Does Jesus care when my way is dark with a nameless dread and fear?

As the daylight fades into deep night shades, does He care enough to be near?

O yes, He cares; I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief; 

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares. 

Does Jesus care when I've tried and failed to resist some temptation strong;

When for my deep grief I find no relief, tho' my tears flow all the night lone?

O yes, He cares; I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief;

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares. 

Does Jesus care when I've said "goodby" to the dearest on earth to me,

And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks - Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

O yes, He cares; I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief;

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares. 

I just love these pensive words of this sweet hymn. In Hebrews chapter 4, the writer says "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we, yet without sin."

Isaiah 53:3 tells us that "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
Jesus came to earth as a man, and he experienced sorrow, pain, distress, and grief. How comforting is the thought that Jesus is touched with the feelings of our infirmities, and He knows what it feels like when our hearts are grieved, when a loved one dies, when we find no relief for our deep grief, and when the days are weary and the long nights dreary. Our loving Savior, Jesus, always cares. But not only does He just care about what you're feeling or going through, He also takes care of us and has promised to never leave or forsake His children. 

May you be filled with the peace of knowing that Jesus always cares for you.

Baby Raccoons // Happy Birthday Lauren

Good morning and a happy Monday to you all! 

A few days ago on March 16th, Lauren and Deborah found three tiny baby raccoons by a tree. Their eyes and ears hadn't even opened yet and they were making the cutest little whimpering noises. After feeding them, mamma and the girls took them to the wildlife hospital. Later, after daddy came home, he and Deborah found two more babies, one of which was almost frozen to death. After feeding and warming the babies up with a hair dryer, we put them in a box in the garage on a heating pad. The poor little things had fleas. The next morning, Animal Control came and picked the babies up to take them to the animal hospital. Here are a few pictures of the baby raccoons I thought you would enjoy seeing.

On a different note, today is my sister Lauren's (sweet) 16th birthday! If you'd like, leave her a happy birthday wish in the comments below.  :)

Also, today is Free Cone Day at Dairy Queen so if you live by one, stop in for a free cone.

Proverbs 22:1
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. 

London In The Dark Book Review and Blog Tour

Hello friends!
Today is the first day of Victoria's blog tour for her brand new book, London In The Dark, and I'm thrilled to help spread the word about her book! 

About the Book:

London, 1910.

Budding Private Detective Cyril Arlington Hartwell has a conundrum. London is being ravaged by the largest run of thefts in recent history. His hunch that it is all tied together may put him and those he loves in more danger than he could have reckoned. 

Olivia Larken Hartwell, just home from boarding school for the summer, is anticipating time with her adoring parents. She misses her absent brother, Cyril, hoping for the day he will finally come home. But tragedy strikes, causing upheaval for all concerned and changes her life in a way she never could have imagined. 

Olivia, Cyril, and their friends must bring the hidden to light, seek to execute justice, and dispel the darkness that hovers over London...and their hearts. 

 My thoughts:

In December, I had the great privilege of reading Victoria's new book, while it was still being written, when she asked me to be a beta reader. Since then I've read it two times, the last one after it was published. Let me just say Victoria has such a lovely way of writing. One minute everything is calm and everyone is happy, and the next minute you find yourself in the middle of a dangerous scene.  Though this is a very action packed book, Victoria did a fabulous job of adding a touch of humor here and there. She also did an excellent job of creating the characters in such a real, relatable way.  
After Olivia Hartwell's parents die, she goes to live with her brother, Cyril, who is a private detective. He has been absent for such a long time, his heart is cold, and he refuses to show or allow any emotions, even when his heart is full of sorrow. Cyril is involved in a mysterious case that keeps growing as time goes on. The villain ends up being someone no one expected. I won't say anymore about the plot now. You'll just have to read it for yourself.  :) 
 Even though I immensely enjoyed reading this whole book, there were a few parts that were especially good. ;) The villain ends up getting saved, Olivia, one of the main characters, gets married, and three members of a family reunite and now share a true bond of fellowship in Christ.  London In The Dark is a book of mystery, suspense, sorrow, joy, hope, and salvation. I highly recommend this book to ages 13+ and gladly give it 5 stars! 

Thank you, Victoria, for allowing me to beta read your book and be a part of your book tour. :) Congratulations on all your hard work! 

Giveaway!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

London In The Dark

by Victoria Lynn

Giveaway ends March 17, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

If you're on goodreads, you can enter the giveaway above to win a copy of London In The Dark.

Victoria is having two giveaways! The first winner will receive a signed copy of the book, a tote bag, and a mug.  

The second winner will receive an e-copy of the book and a mug.

Everyone is invited to enter. Just click here -  on this link  where you'll find instructions on how to enter. 

About the author:  

Victoria Lynn is in her 20s and if she's not writing, she is probably sewing, singing, playing the piano, washing dishes, creating something with her hands, or learning something new. She has a passion for serving her Creator, encouraging others and being creative. She blogs at www.rufflesandgrace.com about writing, fashion, modesty, her walk with God and life. She lives in Michigan with her parents and 8 siblings. 

Martin Hospitality - Book Review

Good morning friends! 

I am so excited to share this book review with you all. I hope you enjoy it! 

Gemma Ebworthy is eighteen, pregnant, and alone. Now that she's been evicted, she spends the night in a barn, never dreaming that tomorrow could bring kindness of a life-changing magnitude. 

The Martins aren't a typical family - even for rural Kansas. With more kids than can be counted on one hand and a full-time farm, Gemma must make a lot of adjustments to fit in. But despite their many differences, Gemma finds herself drawn to this family and their radical Christian faith.  

When Gemma's past collides with her yet again, she must begin revealing her colorful history. With every detail Gemma concedes, she fears she will lose the Martins' trust and the stable environment she desires for herself and her unborn child. Just how far can the Martins' love and God's forgiveness go?  

My thoughts: 

 Martin Hospitality is an amazing book written by Abigayle Claire, who blogs at The Left-Handed Typist. 

As soon as I started reading, I was captivated by the characters and by the story. Even though this book is not a mystery, I just couldn't stop reading after one chapter. 

The Martins are a family of 12, and Gemma Ebworthy finds herself sleeping the night in their barn. Mrs. Martin shows great hospitality to 18-year-old Gemma and allows her to stay several nights in their house. However, when Mr.Martin arrives home from a business trip, he is a little on edge about Gemma spending so much time with the family. Gemma had a really sad and troublesome life up until she met the Martins. She hung out with gangs, got involved with the wrong type of people and now has a little baby to care for.  With all of her misfortune, Gemma is one of my favorite characters. Josiah Martin, age 19 and the fourth oldest of the Martin children, is another of my favorite characters. When Gemma arrives at the Martin household, she is introduced to who Jesus is for the first time. After much reading of the Scriptures, she has quite a few questions, and Josiah is the one who helps answers them. He is a hard-working guy who tries to do what's right and has his mother's hospitable and kind heart. 

When Gemma's old boyfriend and father of her little baby appears on the scene and has captivated the heart of Evangeline Martin, she struggles as she tries to keep Evangeline from getting deeply hurt. 

 I appreciate the way Abigayle created the characters. They seemed "real" - especially the Martins. They were not just a "perfect Christian family" some authors portray. There was a lot of details in every single chapter, especially about the characters. You can see each person's own personality come out and there's even some parts that will make you laugh.  Closer to the end, Gemma accepts the Lord as her Savior which I was so happy about. :) 

Martin Hospitality is a beautiful story of love, hope, and forgiveness in Christ.
I give this book 4.5 stars. 
I would recommend this book to those age 15+.

Thank you, Abigayle, for sending me your book and allowing me to review it. I highly enjoyed it (I will be reading it again sometime:) ) and hope you write a sequel soon. :)