Flaws, Pride, and the Love that Conquers

I recently read To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer and was enthralled by the simple beauty of Levi and Eden's story, as well as the deep truths embedded within. *spoiler alert* Please don't read if you are planning to read this book and don't want to know details.

While the romance between blacksmith Levi Grant and librarian Eden Spencer was heart thumping and sigh worthy, what I loved about this book was the theme of grace and forgiveness.

Levi Grant had served time in prison for involuntary manslaughter. He is now a Christ follower, living a life of peace and trying to start life anew. Sure there are time when he struggles with his vow to remain a peaceful man, but he has a heart for God and wants to live right. But when his past comes to light, he is judged by his past instead of the way he has lived since....judged by hypocrites who are hiding their own secrets.

Eden Spencer is basically a snob. She has lived her life above reproach and doesn't want any associations with people who might tarnish her reputation. So when she is asked to take in a kitchen maid from the saloon/brothel, she is appalled...what would the town think? To her credit she takes the girl and suffers for it - the town all but shuns her.

The wonderful thing about this book is how God's love is spread through the actions of Levi and Eden. They take on the shunned ones who want a better life, but haven't been given a chance. They stand up for them, no matter the cost. They stand firm until others begin to see God's love and respond in kind. That's true love.

Another thing I loved was the pastor and his wife. They are non-judgmental when it comes to Levi and are the ones who help him to get a job. While Eden is upset when she learns of his past, his gentle ways and his heart shine through to reveal a man covered by Jesus's forgiveness.

We all have flaws. We all have things we aren't proud of. But God is a God who forgives. He loves the unlovable. He stand up for the weak. He lifts up the downtrodden..just a we should.

When have you stood up for what is right, no matter the cost? When have you befriended someone who has been shunned because of appearances or environment?

Let's open our eyes and look for those we can share God's love with. Kindness will make the difference.

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is wife to "Pastor John" and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

Lessons from Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Photo by njaj at freedigitalphotos.net

I just finished reading Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer, may I just say, I was enthralled. Karen wove a beautiful story with such AWESOME (hear me in a sing-song-voice!) romance. Seriously, the romance in this book was tangible and swoon-worthy, and kept me turning the page awaiting for more.

But what really struck me was the underlying lesson to be learned through Karen's story.

First, let me tell you a bit about the story. Travis Archer and his four brothers were sworn by a dying father to protect their land at all cost. In doing so, the Archer brothers become recluses, never stepping off the land, and striking fear to any and all trespassers. It's when Meredith Hayes comes to deliver a warning that things go awry and she becomes the bride of one of the Archer men. It's a story of budding love and trust in one another.

What stood out to me was the whole idea of the Archer men not leaving the land. EVER. They had a friend come to them to barter for supplies and food, but they never stepped off the land. So once Meredith entered the picture, Travis is forced to deal with her wanting to go to town and teach at the freedmen's school. Travis fears for her safety, for he cannot protect her beyond the borders of his land. What's interesting is that he could have gone with her as her body guard, but he doesn't. He doesn't leave the land, because he must protect the land. He ends up trusting her to God as she goes to teach, which is great, but the thing is, he still doesn't trust God enough to step off the land himself.

Not only do the Archer men not leave the land, they do not tolerate trespassers. They carry rifles and shoot at those who come on their land, hoping to scare them off and leave them alone. They live in fear, really. It is only when a friend of Meredith's comes looking for work, that they give in and allow them to stay. It isn't easy, but because they trust Meredith, they allow the newcomers in. (and are eventually blessed by that!)

As these men meet more people through Meredith's influence, they step out of their comfort zone and step off the land. They are met with others who come to their aid. They are supported. They didn't have to fear, for they found friendship.

And this is a message for us today. So often the busyness of life keeps us in our own little bubble. When we do have free time, all we want to do is hole up and be at home. We want to bury our nose in a book, or a movie, or lose ourselves in the stories we weave, ignoring the world around us.

But that is not what God wants from us. Look at Jesus and His ministry. He was with people a lot of the time. He ate with sinners, healed the sick, cast out demons, and cared for the people around Him. Sure, he had time alone, praying by Himself, praying with his disciples, but He spent the majority of his time loving people.

We need to be with others. Yes, writers must have time alone to write, but Jesus has a mission in this world and it is to love. To love Him and to love others. We need to connect with others and live life outside of our bubble. It's in this reality that we experience life...life you can write about!

Have you been living in a bubble? How have you made the effort to get out of your bubble and live life? How will you, if you haven't already?

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is wife to "Pastor John" and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

What's Up the Street For Next Week?

Happy Weekend, everyone!

We have a party going on here at The Writers Alley because....

CINDY WILSON FINALED IN THE GENESIS!!!!

Oh yes, wonderful news! We are snoopy dancing for her. Easy there, Casey!

To see a list of the other Genesis finalist, visit here.

So what do we have planned for you this week?

Monday- Pepper takes the fabulous lessons she learned from Susan May Warren at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and teaches you a few tips on storywriting.

Tuesday - Sherrinda talk about the First 5 Things To Do When You Don't Final (come for encouragement...I think chocolate might be in order)

Wednesday - Mary continues her series on Why Writers Should Read: Inner Voice Tips

Thursday - Casey finished off Sherrinda's post with the NEXT 5 Things to Do When You Don't Final (more chocolate, I'm sure...and maybe dancing. Casey is known for her dancing)

Friday - Krista has author Karen Witemeyer on today. It's another fabulous Krista interview so make sure you stop on by.

Inspiration comes from many different places, but I've inserted pictures in the post from one of the places that inspires me most....HOME in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

What is something or someplace that inspires you in your writing?

What's Up the Street Next Week?

Spring days!
Aren't they wonderful?
Blossoms, breezes, long walks and refreshing bicycle rides.
Planting flowers and having picnics.
Love it!
Apart from Autumn, it's my favorite time of year.

What about you? Do you have a favorite season? Are you inspired to write during a certain season? or about a certain season? :-) Most of my novels take place in the Fall. I didn't realize this until I was working on the weekend blog post. What about you?
Leave your answer for a chance to win Karen Witemeyer's wonderful novel, A Tailor Made Bride.

Okay - we do have a winner for Rachel Hauck's fabulous book, Dining With Joy.
SUSAN ANNE MASON

Haven't you won enough in the past few weeks ;-) LOL
Congrats, Susan. Please send me your snail mail at pepperbasham (at) yahoo (dot) com.

This week some special posts are coming up.
Check them out!

Wednesday help us welcome our fabulous new Alley Cat, Karen Schravemade as we post a very fun interview so you can get to know her better. We are so glad to have her as part of the Alley.

Thursday, Ashley has a brow raising for us. How to craft the Hero and Heroine of your audience's dreams. Woohooo! Bring. IT. ON! I'm all for hero-talk :-) Go, Ashley!

Friday, Cindy starts a series about Knowing your Reader. This week she'll be chatting about Know Your Reader, Know Your Character.

Looks like there's a lot of character development going on this week, so don't miss it.

And - don't forget to stop and smell the roses.
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pictures are available courtesy of Pepper's trip to England which happened 4 years ago in May.
Lovely trip it was too!

What's Up the Street For Next Week?

The results are in.

Genesis semifinals were announced yesterday.

Now whether we were going for the gold, or just wanted to get some healthy feedback, we all were waiting for the ‘call’. Right? Come on – admit it.

Well several of the Alley Cats are getting to wade a little deeper into those Genesis waters, and we’re going to share some contest tips, clues, experiences, and learning curves this week to help you too. So we’re celebrating. Come on in and enjoy our Party - a Think-outside-the-box party, because as writers, that's what we do :-)

Read on to find out more about our celebration….

But first – we have WINNERS!!!

This weeks’ winners are:

Monday’s winner of The Healer’s Apprentice is Diane Shaw.

Tuesday’s winner of Lady in Waiting is Faith Hope Cherrytea and Joy Tamsin David is the winner of Petra.

Jennie Coughlin is the winner of Wednesday’s Margie Lawson packet.

The winner of Ruth Logan Herne’s novel Winter’s End is Patsy Houston.

Winner of Surrender Bay is lgm52

(contact Pepper at pepperbasham@yahoo.com with your snail mail)

Congrats to all the WINNERS!!!

So What’s our news here on the Alley?

Sherrinda & Angie are semifinalists in the Genesis in the Historical Romance category

Krista & Pepper are semifinalists in the Contemporary Romance category.

We’re so excited for our Alley Cats! And for all the other semifinalists.

For those of you who didn’t get a call yesterday, we send our encouragement. We’ve ALL been right where you are now. (Stop by on Monday & Tuesday to hear more)

Coming up this week?

Pepper, Sherrinda, and Krista are pretty sure their posts will be about contests. The joys, the tips, the disappointments, and the critiques, but to be REALLY sure – you’ll need to stop by on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday to find out.

Mary’s talkin’ about the Rest of Sally Stuart's story on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Casey’s welcoming author Karen Witemeyer who will blog about how she crafted a RITA finalist novel.

NEWSTAND

Wendy has Carla Stewart, author of Chasing Lilacs on her blog.

Siri Mitchell is the author in the spotlight this week on Words Seasoned With Salt.

Mark Your CALENDARS - The Writers Alley is coming up on its 1 YEAR Blogiversary. On Monday, May 2, the Party will begin - so celebrate with us. You know how much we like parties :-)