Fingerprints in Frost Book Release

Hello dear reader,

It's release day for Fingerprints in Frost!!

Ah, I am so excited for what God has done to get the book to this day and for how He will use the beautiful stories to delight and encourage readers!

I got to be one of ten contributing authors to this homey, wintery collection of short stories, and somehow, reading the tales with varying genres, characters, and styles, it was so clear: God hand-picked these stories. Their truth-theme is the exact same.

So to celebrate, here's a peek into the heart behind the stories! ;)

Fingerprints in Frost is a Christian short story collection featuring nine cozy stories of seeking God in the messy joys of homemaking and family. This anthology contains touching stories from contemporary and historical fiction authors with a mix of different subgenres—all written to the glory of God!

Back in the summer, I sat with a fellow writer-sister, and, with wide open hands, we talked about writing a story together...

And God gave us one, but it was on heavy subjects of church division and family upheaval which we hesitated to write. How did one gracefully write about the real, raw brokenness of life and God's hand in it?

Six months later, I opened the PDF to read our first completed book copy of all nine stories, and the tales spilled out as if every one whispered the same promise:

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

I am so humbled.

I'm humbled that God enters our messy, broken, confused life and invites us into His family--daughtership. I'm humbled He doesn't only see us in our various plights, but He also provides, loves, and is present with us!

He is our refuge, strength, and present help.

Fingerprints in Frost is by authors from four countries, and the stories span from one about life for Norwegian immigrants to America, a Deaf family celebrating Christmas, a tale set with castles, dukes, and heirloom secrets, among many others, but it declares that God is near in time of trouble:

in loneliness and weakness... God is a very present help.

in marriage issues... God is a very present help.

in struggling with lack of finances... God is a very present help.

in family and church upheaval... God is a very present help.

in infertility... God is a very present help.

in unexpected disasters and questions... God is a very present help.

in overwhelm during parenting... God is a very present help.

in haunting heaviness of loss... God is a very present help.

in failing health... God is a very present help. 

That's why I'm so excited for Fingerprints in Frost!

Because the Easter season approaching isn't just a two-millennia-old tale that came and went; Jesus' cross transforms our today, and His return defines our forever.

For the disciple of Jesus, we get to live with His Spirit right in this moment... regardless of the messiness. That's worth being excited over. ;)

And it's crazy that He worked this theme through authors from multiple continents, drawing us and our stories together. ♥

I hope this book makes you laugh and cry, sit back with a smile and let your heart heal, and ultimately, seek Jesus with your everything.

Available on Amazon or the Wild Blue Wonder Press website!

And meet the lovely authors here!

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Psalm 46:10-11

~♥~

valentine in a sunset || a poem

valentine in a sunset  ||  a poem

i thought this day to be a sad, lonely ordeal:

no lover's pink note

nor romance's words,

but how when there's gentleness of You?

for i stood encircled by Your family, sweeter than blood,

in the Chapel – circle of bricks like a castle tower

extending upward so high

and glass roof arching.

i saw night’s sky and the start of the heavens,

beyond which i know You are,

heavenly throne, heavenly One.

we sang, and You echoed back;

cathedral beauty of ancient truths, still fresh on my lips.

we voiced notes, and You returned romance’s words

in reverberating echoes

i cannot describe.

and pink lover’s note?

ahh, i saw that too, as i trudged up a hill wearily

to be sealed in a sunset:

fuchsia, magenta, violets

sweeping the sky in vibrance that sliced like a sword,

and i could dance or laugh or stare

as a heart in love.

girlish giggling

that no man could give me a sunset as a token of love,

a lover’s pink note like this,

save You.

oh yes, there’s dreams in this heart –

satisfaction in You, God.

i’ve never been more in love.

if surrender ever hurts, may i tear my eyes off my wounds of self,

remembering

You invite me into sublime sweetness and whisper:

                    for I so loved...

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

Psalm 86:15

~♥~

Of Advent and Stories

As I write stories and pen novels God puts on my heart, I accidentally discovered... (spoiler alert)

Every story finally ends with wickedness punished and the good rewarded at last.

But I never noticed this theme until studying Advent on a dawning morning of December. This is why.

I remember writing the end of The Way of the King, my fantasy-allegorical novel, and pausing with a heavy question in my hands:

How can this story portray the hope, mercy, and grace of God our Father... while also not ignoring His righteousness, anger at sin, and position as Judge?

I felt the heart-rending tension and hurt of even the vilest characters in my book and wanted them shown mercy alongside the "kinda bad" sidekicks... yet at some point, it was too late. Their decision was made.

Every person eventually had to receive their just due.

As I penned the end of the story, heart aching, I saw God's mercy even in those terrible moments of just wrath, because His goodness cannot allow any sinful thing to tarnish His coming Kingdom.

But in that moment, I saw other broken, humble characters—unlikely heroes—receive the sweetest of endings to their story, not because of their perfection but because they gave their lives to their King, allowed His mercy to cover them, and He was their trust.

Today, I saw the same themes in Advent.

The word "advent" means "coming" or "arrival." It's the season of days leading up to Christmas as we anticipate Jesus' first coming. 

It's a beautiful time to remember! God-made-flesh—Emmanuel—came as a beacon of hope and tidings of comfort and joy! He fulfilled prophesies from loyal prophets who believed God 700 years before!

What struck me was one of the first messages of the Gospels after the nativity story:

At that time John the Baptizer appeared on the scene, proclaiming a very important message in the Judean wilderness. “Repent,” he declared, “for the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near!”

Matthew 3:1-2

And the response,

 

... people from Jerusalem and all Judea and the entire region along the Jordan kept going out to him and were being baptized in the Jordan River by him, openly acknowledging their sins.

Matthew 3:5-6

Advent is done, Jesus is on the scene, and the messages begins with repentance.

Then Jesus begins preaching with the same message:

From that time Jesus began proclaiming this message: “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near!”

Matthew 4:17

Advent opens the stage for the first step of salvation. Jesus' message of salvation, hope, and mercy begins with a call for honest repentance. Then His cross and resurrection made all the difference for the ending of our stories—we can receive full forgiveness and be partakers of His coming Kingdom!

So I'm entering the Advent season enjoying the beauty of white lights, floppy Christmas hats, anticipation, carols (!), but I'm also beginning it with a heart crying out to my Father in repentance and asking Him to reveal any sin in me first.

Because Advent means "coming"... both His first coming as a babe to bring hope of salvation, but we also eagerly await His second Advent when Jesus will reign as King. That Day will be one of justice, punishment, of the wrath of God being poured out because no sinful thing may enter His Kingdom.

But for those who confess their sin and put their trust in Jesus, the second Advent is pure restoration. Ah, that's also tidings of comfort and joy!

For if you acknowledge your allegiance with your lips by professing Jesus as Lord, and have faith in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

If we are willing to confess our sins, however, God is faithful, yes, and true to his name, and so will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from every kind of wickedness.

1 John 1:9

Today, in the middle, we're invited to "come to the Jordan" in a sense, and that's a joy of Advent! We have an open invitation to forgiveness... just like the villains in my story are invited to repentance, change... until it's too late.

And that's part of the huge love of God: He is waiting, giving every soul time to follow Him!

Sometimes I wonder how much the waiting—while people suffer—hurts His own heart.

That's why I love writing the endings of books, because at last, the character walks in truth and sees the reward of the hardships and trials that wove through their story, and there's reward, rest, restoration!

But their middles determine what their endings are.

I feel Jesus calling me to examine my life and receive forgiveness. To get serious about sin and not let it linger. To come to Him in repentance and walk in a life of forgiven, powerful grace. And then embrace Advent.

That's a beauty and hope as we start Advent.

So happy beginning of December, friend! ♥ May we walk in peace, humility, and unity with our King Jesus until the Day He comes home.

~♥~