My Very Own Book and a Linky ~ Amanda's Books and More

Friday, February 16, 2018

My Very Own Book and a Linky

Happy Moms, Happy Homes

I have exciting news for you today.

I have my very own book for sale on Amazon!

Happy Moms, Happy Homes

Empowering Moms to Live in Victory

About the Book:

Title: Happy Moms, Happy Homes | Author: Christina A. Morley | Cover Designer: Les German | Pages: 111 | Genre: Christian Non-Fiction

Book Description:

Feeling Stressed-Out, Left-Out, or Maxed-Out? Don't Miss-Out!

During times of stress, loneliness, financial difficulty, or whatever troubles life may bring, moms can still lead a victorious life in Christ. This book is sympathetic to moms and the challenges they face, offering tools to overcoming their obstacles.

With heart, wisdom, and understanding, Happy Moms, Happy Homes offers mothers of all stages advice and direction as they walk with God and share his love with their children and others.

Purchase on Amazon

About the Author:

Christina A. Morley

CHRISTINA A. MORLEY and her husband were married in 1995 after meeting on the mission field. Currently, they live in South Africa with their four kids, two dogs, and two cats. Together, missionary work has always been a big part of their lives, but Christina also became a volunteer reader at the Blind Institute in 2010 and a blogger in 2012. Her blogs include Amanda’s Books and More, where she and her youngest daughter review books, 1camera1mom, which celebrates her love of photography, and Real Church Life, where she and her husband continue to spread the gospel across the world.

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Here's an excerpt from my book:

CHAPTER NINE:

JOY AND A

THANKFUL HEART

We have an enemy called the devil, who goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour (1Peter 5:8). We ought not to underestimate his craftiness because when our guard is down he’ll try to blindside us. Whether we like it or not, the truth is that we are engaged in a war twenty-four hours a day.

Every team wants to know its opponent’s strategy so that it can win the game. That is why I may mention the devil’s strategies now and again – not to give the enemy glory, but to expose his game plan.

When God gave Adam and Eve authority over creation, life was good. However, when they disobeyed God they lost that authority. They didn’t just eat “an apple.” They took hold of something much bigger than just a piece of forbidden fruit. They took hold of the knowledge of good and evil, which had far-reaching consequences. In fact, everything was affected negatively in that we died spiritually, as God had warned. We no longer lived with God as our source, but tried to live apart from Him. We all failed at this miserably, but God had a plan to rescue us.

Jesus came to put things right. Through His authority, we have the advantage and the victory over sin and its consequences. The devil doesn’t want us to walk in that authority so he cons us into thinking that we don’t have it. He tricks us into thinking that we are losers and failures.

In Ephesians 6, the Bible talks about putting on the whole armor of God. Interestingly, the armor covered only the front of the person. The idea was that the soldier wearing the armor would be safe as long as he continued advancing, fighting head-on without considering retreat.

In sports, we speak about offensive players and defensive players. Those on the offensive would be the ones fighting head-on. Offensive players have the chance to taste the victory. We must not only hold our ground but also gain new ground by moving forward in our spiritual lives. As we submit our lives to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7).

Those who remain in defensive mode may feel like failures and give up trying to experience a victorious Christian life. Remember, the devil wants to keep us thinking and feeling that we are defeated. When we feel defeated, we lose our joy. Satan wants us to lose our joy. Without the joy of the Lord, we have no strength and our light grows dim like a tiny flame without proper fuel. We can’t have a positive impact on anyone if we don’t stay stoked with joy. It’s time we started taking back stolen territory by taking back our joy.

Joy is not a feeling that just comes and goes like natural happiness. Natural happiness is gained by the ups in life and not the downs. Joy, however, is supernatural. You can have joy even in the midst of great trials.

All believers are meant to have the joy of the Lord consistently operating through them, but this is often not the case. After taking a quick look at regular Sunday morning churchgoers, we might conclude that this joy is present, but if we were to look closer we might be surprised to find that many are just doing a good job of role playing. All the smiles and nice clothes hide the turmoil, the depression, and the loneliness. God’s joy doesn’t hide these things, but acknowledges them. He gives us the grace to live joy through it all. Life can be hard. If that is the case, then how can we maintain our joy? Joy is maintained by nurturing a thankful heart.

It’s easy to be thankful when everything is going right, but what about when adversity strikes? How do we react then? The ultimate test is to see if we can be thankful while experiencing difficulties. It takes courage to trust God no matter what, and it takes even more courage to thank Him in the thick of things. Thankfulness is a Kingdom principle that protects a person from getting knocked off course.

I chose to marry in my husband’s country of South Africa and settle there. Moving to a new country didn’t bother me much because I had lived a good part of my childhood outside of the United States. Once I started having children, though, I became more housebound and isolated. It was during those long, lonely hours that I often didn’t feel like being thankful.

I missed having a decent conversation with another female. When I did get the chance, those conversations were few and far between. I did try building some new relationships, but the ladies I met mostly had their own friends and families. Cultural differences also made it harder to connect. Missing out on meaningful relationships made raising children that much more stressful.

We may not always be able to change our circumstances, but whatever our disappointments, there is still one thing that we can change and that is ourselves. It’s usually during the tough times that we grow most. As long as we maintain the right attitude, we’ll continue moving forward; however, if we have a bad attitude we’ll just get stuck in the situation we’re in and never pass the test.

When Moses and the Israelites had to flee Egypt, how did they respond to adversity? Perhaps you have heard that story or read it several times and concluded that they were an unthankful and ungrateful people. After all, they had God performing miracles before their eyes. Why should they grumble and complain?

Actually, it’s easier to point out their faults while ignoring our own. In the next chapter, we’ll take a closer peek into their lives, which will offer us a greater understanding of them and, consequently, ourselves.

Father, thank You for the love that You give

The only love which helps me live

I would be nothing without You

You are sweeter than honey and refreshing as dew

When the world becomes too great

And I find myself in a terrible state

You lift me up with Your tender hand

And I realize that You understand

When the weight of my burdens become too much

And I feel discouraged as such

You remind me that You’re there

To take my burdens, because You care

When everything seems to go wrong

And I think I won’t last long

You fill me with Your staying power

And make me strong as a fortified tower

And when my troubles reach their peak

And I realize that I am weak

You cradle me in Your loving arm

To keep me from any more harm

Then I realize the love that You give

Is the only thing which helps me live

You are sweeter than honey, refreshing as dew

And because You first loved me, I can love You

Chapter and Poem by

Christina A. Morley

If you purchase a copy, please write a review. Authors need reviews to help promote their books. Also, please consider telling others about my book. I think it would make a great baby shower or Mother's Day gift too!

Purchase on Amazon

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I want to give a special shout out to C.S. Johnson for helping me see my dream come true with Happy Moms, Happy Homes! She gave me lots of advice, helped format my book, and more! In case you missed it, check out my blog post: Books by C.S. Johnson.

About the Author:
C.S. Johnson

C. S. Johnson is the author of several young adult novels, including sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles series, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family.

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Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #256!

Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...