Times of Refreshing

by Andrea Renee Cox

Have you ever found yourself tired and weary and in need of a good rest? Last week was a busy one for me, and it seemed like it caught up to me over Easter weekend. I was exhausted and had to sleep in pretty late a couple of times.

He is risen!
Happy Resurrection Day!

Yet, on Sunday morning, I found this gem as I was reading in the book of Acts:

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,"

Acts 3:19 NKJ

Need a Short Read?

by Andrea Renee Cox

This month, as you might know, is a Camp NaNoWriMo month. That being the case, I am hard at work this morning, working on a novella. I'm already on the eighth chapter, and I'm just starting the second week of camp. Needless to say -- but I will anyway -- I have a secondary project to work on for later in the month. I'm hoping for just as much success on that one, but I still have to finalize my outline and finish up the last three chapters in the novella before I can start on the next project.

Since I'm working on a novella right now, I got thinking about a couple of novellas I've recently enjoyed. This past weekend, I read the Lynette Eason one I'll share in a moment, but it's been a few months since I read the Cara Putman one, and I'm hoping to be able to reread it soon. It's a quick read, so I think it will fit into my schedule one of these weekends.

Do you like novellas? Why or why not?

Grace and the Preacher by Kim Vogel Sawyer

by Andrea Renee Cox

What an amazing story. It's going to be hard to narrow down my thoughts and not give anything away, but here goes...

The themes of this story really captured me more than anything else, though there was a ton more to love about this book. From vanity, greed, and fear, to trust, serving Jesus, Good Samaritan, and putting God first, this novel was filled to the gills with lessons that were thoughtfully woven into every detail. None of them seemed over the top or preachy to me; rather, they were subtle and sweet and brought just the right touch of grace to the story line.

A Bittersweet Friendship

by Andrea Renee Cox

Easter is just around the corner, and this time of year always has me thinking on Jesus’s great sacrifice in order to save me from eternal death. It is with deep gratitude and a humble heart that I recall the immense suffering my Savior went through in order to fulfill His Father’s will. I am forever in His debt and want to always remember His finest hour.

Yes, I believe it was, up to today, His finest hour. I believe He will have an even finer one when He returns to fetch God’s children home, but until then, Jesus’s death on the cross, burial, and resurrection will remain, in my view, His finest hour, for it was through those three events that He conquered death for all eternity.

 

Jesus has conquered death.

The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller + GIVEAWAY

by Andrea Renee Cox

When I first saw this book, I was immediately intrigued by the beautiful cover and the back cover copy. The story within was clearly inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, yet it holds its own flavor and style. I particularly enjoyed how circumstances pushed the characters to examine their behavior and make changes to improve themselves. The theme of controlling women losing the people they tried to control came through quite well, and I found this to be a direct reflection of real life.

Prayer Requests

by Andrea Renee Cox

It's late, late, late Sunday night (or way too early Monday morning!)... and I am not yet happy with the article I've been working on for you. So I'm scrapping it for now and will come back to that particular one for another week. For now, though, I leave you with a beautiful verse which has often been a comfort to me.

Camp NaNoWriMo + a Sneak Peek!

by Andrea Renee Cox

Hey y’all! How are you this fine Monday? I am busy as a little bee, working really hard on an outline for the project I’ll be writing for Camp NaNoWriMo in April. (Stay tuned for a fun sneak peek!)

Ever since my friend Hannah invited me to participate in Camp last April, I have loved and looked forward to it. Camp NaNo is a one-month writing session online (CampNaNoWriMo.org) where one may join a cabin of writing buddies. I like Camp better than regular NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) because of the cabin atmosphere and being able to set one’s own goals rather than being mandated to do 50k words. Sometimes I only have time for 20k or so; other times, I fly to 60+ thousand words before the third week of a month. Either way I go, the words build up into something amazing.