By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Authors are always asking themselves what-if questions. Such a habit seems contradictory in the lives of those who believe the Lord will provide their every need.
As one of those believers, I’ve learned it’s highly unproductive to plague myself with questions like, “What if something goes wrong?” “What if I fail?” “What if I don’t have enough money/time/energy/patience?”
I’ve also learned that 99 percent of the things I worry about never happen.
But as an author, it’s my job to make such things happen in the lives of my characters. (Can you see me rubbing my hands together and grinning?)
So here’s the what-if question I asked while working on my newest Western romance:
“What if the child of a widowed father wrote for a mail-order bride but didn’t tell dear old Dad?”
For some reason, that question evoked instant emotional fireworks in my head. Possibly because I’m a parent.
So there you have it – the premise for my new book that releases tomorrow, Sept. 3, Mail-order Misfire.
I hope you’ll read it and find out what happens to the little girl Gracie, her papa Bern Stidham, and a recently widowed seamstress named Etta Collier.
And if you simply must ask what-if questions in your own life, try asking these:
What if, after everything goes wrong, it all goes right?
What if the good guy wins after all?
What if I really am loved?
Answers to these and other questions are found in a little book called Revelation in the back of a bigger book known as the Bible. Enjoy!
For a chance to win an e-copy of Mail-Order Misfire, comment on the following question (in bold):
Etta did not know what lay ahead, but God did. Of all the things she might ask for, His peace was what she needed most. Can you share about a time in your life when God’s peace saw you through a difficult and unexpected situation?
~
What-ifs and a giveaway. Share on X
In spite of working up a sweat and sore muscles, Bern slept little that night, asking himself over and over if this predicament had God’s fingerprint on it. Had God finagled this whole mess or just allowed it? What happened to Bern’s free will? ~Mail-order Misfire
Mail-order Misfire is Book 2 of a six-book collection titled “Thanksgiving Books & Blessings” with authors Mary Connealy, Caryl McAdoo, Samantha Bayarr, Liz Tolzma, and Allison Pittman. See the collection here.
*Thank you, blogger and reviewer Phyllis Helton of amongTheReads.net, for the great meme at the head of today’s post.
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I used to ask myself what if our house ever caught on fire? What would I do? I found out the hard way. My daughter was upstairs in her room, our youngest son was outside and I was talking to a friend on the phone when I saw a stranger heading to our door. I didn’t hang up as I didn’t know this person. I answered the door and he told us our townhouse was on fire. There were six townshouses in a row. I told my friend, called my daughter, and grabbed my purse with the car keys so I could move the car before the firetrucks got there, I was still moving it when they got there. I had always planned to grab this or that, but there wasn’t time. I was standing outside and looked up to see the firemen in our bedroom where I had my sewing machine and was working on dresses for my sister’s wedding and started crying. Why didn’t I go get those dresses? The Lord provided by helping us save two of the dresses and Walmart provided more material free of charge. I do not ask what if anymore. I don’t want to know. Lol
Wow, Barbara. I think we all wonder what we might do in such a dire situation. Thank God for His provision!
I got epilepsy when I was 13. I grew up in Christ. But when I was in high school I just wanted to be “normal” like everyone else. So on my own, I went three days with out medicine. And needless to say I also didn’t drink much either. So, on the evening of the third day I had four grand mal seizures in three hours. And I was extremely dehydrated. I wound up in the hospital for a day. I was so weak. All I could do was lay in bed and cry and pray. I was in bed for three days. My mom would pop in all day. But when my dad got home from work, he would sit with me and talk and read the bible. It was in those evenings that I felt the peace of God in my whole being. I learned several huge lessons then. One is that I need to listen and obey my doctor and parents with my medicine. They were there to help me. But most importantly, I learned that I needed to trust and obey God himself. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I got the messages clearly. I am now 60 and still have epilepsy, but I will never forget those lessons.
What amazing trust, Lori, and an amazing experience. Thank God for sending His help when we need it.