I feel a tinge of sadness as this Black History month comes to a close. As an immigrant, I knew nothing about celebrating black history until I came to this country, and the fact that a month was set aside to remember the achievements and struggles of black people in this country filled me with excitement.

Black History month was a time when we focused on the achievements rather than the struggles. We listened to and marveled at the eloquence, of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the bravery and courage of Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, and others like them.

The White House, Washington, D.C. USA”Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC-BY-SA

We wore our beautiful African dresses to church and sang our favorite negro spirituals, and some of the young people would read poems by Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and others.

Then came 2020 and along with all the mayhem taking place in the world — the Jan 6 insurrection, climate change, mass shootings, COVID-19 — things began changing. Later came the banning of books, mostly those written by African American writers, and now comes the shocking pronouncement that the teaching of African American history in schools has “no educational value.”

No educational value? The history of a people who were brought here over four hundred years ago, forced to work as slaves, beaten and humiliated at the whim of their masters and literally treated like animals has no education value? But despite the harsh conditions under which they existed, these enslaved people built some of our iconic landmarks, among them the White House and the US Capitol.

Then once freed, the slaves went on to use their God-ordained creativity and skill in every area of American endeavor. They became lawyers, doctors, singers, dancers, writers, pilots, astronauts, and inventors to name a few. They fought in wars to defend this country at home and abroad and some, like Frederick Douglass, even became abolitionists.

These accomplishments were by no means painless. With emancipation came Jim Crow, a nefarious legal and social system of segregation designed to separate white and black and literally keep “blacks in their place.”

Through “blood, sweat, and tears,” African Americans overcame these horrendous conditions, but the struggle never ended completely. African Americans still have to fight for equality in healthcare, for equal pay, and even for voting rights. And now even our history is in danger of being wiped out.

In the beginning of this post, I said I feel a tinge of sadness as Black History month comes to a close, but judging from the tenacity and resilience of the former slaves and all they have overcome, I feel a sense of hope. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, I believe “we too shall overcome.”

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This Black History Month there’s a lot of focus on the polarization taking place in our society. Racism seems to once again be rearing its ugly head in many areas. Even our school system is coming under attack from right-wing politicians who began by banning books they consider inappropriate for our children to read and are now banning the teaching of African American studies in schools. And all of this happening against the backdrop of the killing of black men by police officers.

If ever there was an attempt to exclude African Americans from the mainstream of society it would appear this is it. So where does Love, Lies, and Grace, a novel fit into all this?

Pat, Grace’s best friend, has been living in Grace’s house for a few years and therefore thinks she has some authority to say who should share their home and who shouldn’t. But as Grace later realizes, Pat is only afraid that the strong friendship she and Grace have built up over the years may be watered down by having a third person living with them.

However, there’s one other factor to consider: Milli, the newcomer is white. Pat is biracial and Grace is black. Grace, who does not have a prejudiced bone in her body, looks beyond Milli’s color and sees a fellow human being in need of help. She doesn’t think Pat is racist; she has white friends and was even dating a white man when she first came to live with Grace.

Martin Luther King said in his famous I have a Dream speech, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Dr. King was referring to his children who are black, but this line can be taken generally to refer to everyone. Jesus taught, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22).

 Pat would certainly agree with all this but like most of us, she chooses to do as she pleases.

Is Pat justified in thinking they should not take Milli to live with them? How can you look for similarities in others rather than differences? Leave a comment in the box below.

Have you ever shown hospitality to a stranger who turned out to be an angel? In my next post, I will deal with the religious aspect of showing hospitality to strangers.

Angela Joseph is the author of Love, Lies, and Grace, a Christian women’s fiction novel showing how life’s challenges help the relationship between three strangers evolve from friendship into family.

Angela is a blogger and author of Christian women’s fiction. Her latest release is Love, Lies, and Grace.

 


Women’s Christian Fiction and  Romance 

Date Published: March 7, 2023

Publisher: Jess Mo Books


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Sometimes genuine love requires uncompromising sacrifice.

 

It’s easy to make an idol of routine—finding comfort in the boundaries set before you. Something About Ruth is an intricately woven, magnificently crafted story about three ordinary strangers, who, after Katrina, are plucked from their own securities and set against unordinary circumstances. But fate brings them together.

 

Ruth, an outsider.

Naomi, a wounded mother.

Boaz, a no-nonsense man of character.

 

The path that brings them all together is scarred with the pain of loss, the bitterness of starting over, and the faith that sustains them.

 


Spotify Playlists

(Ruth–Bounce)

(Ruth–Rebirth)


About the Author

JC Miller is a freshly anointed, faith-based author who uses her childhood experiences in the Bronx, New York, to capture the soul of inner-city living. As a former student of Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute and a graduate of the Te’Hillah School of Urban Ministry, Miller utilizes her studies to intertwine pop culture with divine accounts of biblical characters. Through sharing these stories, her goals are to encourage people to study the bible and not make it complicated, to view themselves through the lives of those characterized, and to find healing in Christ.

JC Miller recently co-founded a publishing company, Jess, Mo’ Books, with her childhood friend, M.R. Spain. Together, these ladies are creating fresh content to uplift, educate, and motivate women through blogs, social media groups, and a yearly online magazine.


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The Cavendish Family Series, Book 4


Regency Romance, Historical Romance, Victorian Romance, Steamy Historical Romance

Date Published: February 10, 2023

 

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In this sizzling Regency romance by USA Today Bestselling author Charlie Lane, a lady with a secret runs from the gentleman who loves her.

 

She’s not who she says she is.

Shadows, secrets, and Jackson Cavendish—all things Miss Gwendolyn Smith runs from. She’s determined to live a life of obscurity, studying dusty tomes. Better that steady present than her haunting past or a future she cannot have. When a letter arrives that threatens her secrets and Jackson tells her he’s done waiting, she must choose—face her past and gain a future? Or continue running from both.

He fell first, but he’ll win at last.

Mr. Jackson Cavendish has chased Gwendolyn for six years but only caught her once. In Paris at midnight. He’ll never forget what she felt like in his arms. And he’s determined to repeat the experience. Every night for the rest of their lives. But how to convince the woman he loves to trust him with her secrets?

He’s tried seduction.

He’s tried retreat.

Now he’ll have to reveal his own fears and secret guilt.


When these two scholars must dig into their own pasts, they’ll learn how to build a future from it or lose each other forever.



About the Author

 USA Today Bestselling author Charlie Lane traded in academic databases and scholarly journals for writing steamy Regency romcoms like the ones she’s always loved to read. Her favorite authors are Jane Austen (who else?), Toni Morrison, William Blake, Julia Quinn, and Maya Rodale.

Charlie writes unique stories with unconventional characters who push against the rigid restrictions of their society. Officially, Charlie has a Ph.D. in literature with a focus on the nineteenth-century novel and children’s literature and answers to Professor. Unofficially, she’s a high-flying circus-obsessed acrobat. She lives with her own Colonel Brandon, two little dudes, and a furry fella in East Tennessee.

 

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Logline: Two worlds collide when a young Amish girl discovers she was adopted by a wealthy family.
As she seeks her birth mother, she must overcome the obstacles of a lost fiancée, a shunning and a crafty
gold-digger who seeks the fortune of her birth mother.


Synopsis:
Katie Lapp, a young Amish girl, discovers her parents have been keeping a secret from her… she is
adopted. Katie decides to seek her birth mother, defying the rules of her Amish village and risking a
shunning. Meanwhile, her wealthy birth mother, Laura Mayfield, battling an illness that might take her
life, begins a search to find her long-lost daughter to bequeath her inheritance before it is too late. Secretly
plotting against her is the gold-digging husband Dylan (played by John Schneider), who is scheming to
make sure it is he who inherits her fortune. With the help and prayers of her Christian maidservant
(played by Chonda Pierce), they try to foil Dylan’s plan and reunite Katie and Laura.


Production
“The Confession Musical” is based on the New York Times best-selling book series “The Heritage of
Lancaster County” written by Beverly Lewis and written for the stage by Emmy-Nominated
screenwriter Martha Bolton. Filmed in front of a live audience and brought to the big screen, the film
combines drama, mystery, faith, and spectacular songs and sets. A clean film the entire family can
enjoy or perfect for a spectacular “girls’ night out!” Mystery, intrigue, and romance are woven together with Broadway-caliber music under the direction of award-winning producer Dan Posthuma and film
director Stephen Yake with Yake Films. Wally Nason’s songs are dramatic, and Emmy-nominated
scribe Martha Bolton sprinkles in comedy as the screen is filled with over 20 actors and dancers,
supported by spectacular visuals. Produced by BLUE GATE MUSICALS.

Actors’ bios: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1veiii6eFFhekrUpF6fbt4bssyX9bVn18/view?usp=share_link

Website: https://www.fathomevents.com/events/The-Confession-Musical
Movie Trailer: https://youtu.be/nJb6JHIbpRI
Website: www.confesionmusicalmovie.com
Website: www.bluegatemusicals.com


MEDIA CONTACTS:
The Confession Musical Movie
Lori Heiselman
lori@biscuitmediagroup.com
Fathom Events
Colette Carey
ccarey@fathomevents.com

Order your tickets now to see The Confession Musical Movie with John Schneider and Chonda Pierce. You will Sing, Dance, Laugh and Gasp in this new film from Blue Gate Musicals! ONLY IN MOVIE THEATERS ON FEBRUARY 20

Purchase here: https://confessionmusicalmovie.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_id=frontgatemedia&utm_content=blogger

Giveaway link: https://www.blessedfreebies.com/the-confession-musical-film.html

My devotional reading a few days ago focused on the phrase we hear ever so often about surrounding ourselves with “positive people.” As I read the term “positive people,” I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly did it mean. Did it mean people who always speak positive things, or people who share the same views as you do? The writer did not explain the meaning, but he went on to say that if we only surround ourselves with people who are just like us then we would not be living in a Christlike manner.

Image by 🆓 Use at your Ease 👌🏼 from Pixabay

I agreed with this totally since the Bible cites many instances where Jesus cautioned His followers that they shouldn’t only be nice to people they know, but they should greet strangers and others who were not in their normal circle. He even went so far as to tell them they should love their enemies (Matthew 5 : 43). In today’s world, Jesus’s teaching would be labeled inclusive.

As I pondered on the devotional, I thought about my newest release Love, Lies, and Grace, a Christian women’s fiction dealing with the friendship of three women and how that friendship impacts their personal relationships.

In the beginning, Grace, the protagonist is about to move Milli, a young white woman into the house she shares with her best friend Pat. The young woman seems down on her luck and Grace thinks it a nice gesture to allow the woman to stay with them until she can stand on her own two feet. However, Pat immediately thinks Milli might not be a Christian and therefore they should not have her living with them.

This may seem like a highly prejudiced, bigoted way of thinking, but unfortunately, that type of thinking is all too pervasive in our society today. While I felt that Pat’s character might ruffle a few feathers, and it did, I stuck with my guns, especially since I knew that Pat would later evolve into a very likable person. I think that as writers we should not shy away from topics that may seem insensitive or discriminatory. To do so would be to pretend that such insensitivities do not exist and therefore should not be portrayed in literature.

As I write this blog post, I invite you to take this journey with me on the pages of Love, Lies, and Grace. I hope it will encourage you to take a critical look at what diversity and inclusion mean to us and how it is reflected in our society and in our books.

In my next blog post: Is Pat justified in thinking that Milli does not belong in their home? How can you look for similarities in others rather than differences?

 

Practical Reflections on Honor and Shame in Scripture


Christian Devotionals, Christian Personal Growth, Christian Spiritual Growth

Co-Author: Ryan Jensen

Date Published: September 27, 2022

Publisher: Lucid Books


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Honor and shame influence every major aspect of life, whether in relationships, politics, or social media. It’s not surprising, then, to find that honor and shame shape the biblical message and all that Christians are called to be. Unfortunately, many leaders and laypersons do not grasp the theological and practical significance of these concepts for the church.

Therefore, this book provides an accessible entry point for engaging these topics in everyday Christian living. Seeking God’s Face contains 101 practical reflections on honor and shame taken from across the pages of Scripture. It presents honor and shame, not as abstract concepts, but as compelling issues that affect evangelism, spiritual formation, and discipleship. Seeking God’s Face equips readers to interpret the biblical text faithfully and apply its message meaningfully.




About the Author


Jackson Wu (pseudonym; PhD, SEBTS) is the theologian in residence with Global Training Network. He worked in East Asia for almost two decades, teaching theology and missiology to Chinese pastors. His books include One Gospel for All Nations, Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, and The Cross in Context. His blog is jacksonwu.org.

Ryan Jensen lived in East Asia for five years while he taught at a university. He earned a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Biola University, and he holds an MA in Intercultural Studies and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Wheaton College. Connect with Ryan at drryanjensen.com.


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Stories About God’s Love


Children’s Inspirational Books, Children’s Christian Books

Date Published: January 31, 2022

Publisher: Lucid Books

 

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This is a sweet little book about how much God loves His children and some of the promises He makes to them: He promises to always love them no matter what, to take care of them when things are not the way we want, and to always be there when it seems He is not.

Dear Child: Stories About God’s Love will snuggle generations of children in its heartwarming message of God’s Love, promises, and protection. These stories show that all love comes from God and that He wants us to love Him too.

In these touching stories and beautiful illustrations, the author wants every child to know they are truly loved, no matter their circumstances.



About the Author

Terri Comer grew up in beautiful East Tennessee and now resides in gorgeous Daytona Beach, Florida, with her husband Roy, her younger son Grayson, and two balls of fur named Louie and Darby. She also loves to visit her older son Zane and daughter-in-law Lulu at their home in New York City. Terri considers herself a lifelong learner and has been an early childhood educator for over twenty years. Over those years, Terri attended Midway Elementary and High School and loved teaching and sharing her gifts with thousands of students in the following schools: Tusculum View Elementary, Bowers Elementary, Coalfield School, Bennett Elementary, Beachside Elementary, East Tennessee State University, University of Tennessee, and the University of North Florida. She continues to cheer them on and loves to acknowledge them in subtle ways throughout her work. When she isn’t teaching, Terri loves chasing rainbows, listening to music, going for walks on the beach, and spending time with friends and family.


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Fiction, African American Fiction

Release Date: August 23rd, 2022

Publisher: Motina Books


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There comes a moment in everyone’s life when everything finally makes sense. You know that where you are is exactly where you’re supposed to be.

It’s 11:59, and Rob Jackson is reflecting on his life – the domino effect that each event had on the next throughout the years of his life. During his childhood in a small town in Mississippi, he learned how it feels to be an outsider, and the love for his mother, books, fishing, and his grandmother, are what kept him full of hope.

Although Jackson strives to build a relationship with his biological father, the constant search for his approval only results in heartbreak and tragedy.

Throughout this journey, he discovers nothing is ever as it seems. He tries to overcome his bitterness, loneliness, and disappointments, with the help of the women he meets along the way. Octavia, a mentor and guide, Dolores, a friend and partner, and then Nora, the woman he believes to be his soulmate.

When the final domino falls, Jackson is staring at the clock, with time being his ultimate nemesis.



About the Author

Marlon S. Hayes is a writer from Chicago, Illinois, who loves his family, his three dogs (even Polly!), his friends, traveling, cooking, and the Chicago Cubs. He can be contacted at marlonshayes@gmail.com and followed on Amazon and Marlon’s Writings on Facebook. He is the author of seven books, and his stories have appeared in multiple magazines and anthologies.


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Some time ago, a woman from Canada told me she was unable to purchase my newest release Love, Lies, and Grace from Amazon. Surprised, I contacted Amazon to try and sort things out. I don’t recall exactly what Amazon said, but their response didn’t quite satisfy me. Since then I began toying with the idea of “going wide” as authors call it, meaning having my books in places other than Amazon.

Book 1 of the Egypt series

Don’t get me wrong, I still love Amazon. In fact, although I did move Coming Out of Egypt, the first book in the Egypt series, over to Draft2Digital, I have yet to get sales from that source and am keeping a close eye on it before I move other books to D2D. I have since learned that it takes a while, like anything else, to build a presence on D2D, so I’m hanging on to see what will happen.

Meanwhile, if you are an international reader, like the lady from Canada, you can access Coming Out of Egypt on Kobo.

For Nook readers, you can find me on Barnes and Noble.

If you are using an Apple device, you may want to access Coming Out of Egypt here.

If you are always on the go and require offline access, you can download the Scribd app and read to your heart’s content. You get instant access to ebooks, audiobooks and even music, but it comes with a monthly subscription.

Of course, if you are an American reader and prefer to shop on Amazon, here’s the link.

Not sure which link is right for you? Simply try Books2Read and you will see all the retailers where the book is available. If you enjoy reading paperback you would be pleased to know that Coming Out of Egypt is now available in the library, but only here in Florida in the county where I live. However, you can request it through your local library and they will make it available to you.

Want to know more about my other books? Just click on this link: https://angelasfreelancewriting.com/my-book/

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