Life can get lonely, but cat lovers know their four-pawed friends are always ready to console them, make them laugh, and lead them to empty food dishes. Cats are blessings from God, and  people of all ages form deep and lasting bonds with them.

Cats seem to know that God created us to love and be loved. They sense when we’re sick, anxious, or in need of some extra head bumps, showing us God’s way to faith, loyalty, hope, forgiveness, and love.

“Perfect for anyone navigating the often-tumultuous journey of prodigals. This will bring solace and much-needed hope.”—Mary DeMuth, author of Healing Every Day

Where to Turn When You Love a Wayward Child

You know what your child needs most is love. And you’ve given it to him over and over again. You’ve done all you can to train up your child, and yet you’re left brokenhearted as you watch her choose a different path.  

Parents who love their prodigal no matter what, know that watching their child walk away can cause overwhelming guilt, frustration, and sadness. Whether you’re still waiting for your child’s return or are navigating your relationship after he or she has come home, this collection of topical prayers offers God’s comfort, wisdom, and compassion. Find encouragement in your journey with heartfelt prayers for

• faith
• hope
• forgiveness
• trust
• courage
• peace
• miracles
• grace

As much as you love your prodigal, you can rest in the blessed assurance that your heavenly Father loves your child even more.

Fiction writers often struggle to improve their craft
And the biggest challenge comes from the inability to see what isn’t working. The prose feels off. The scene isn’t gelling. The dialogue sounds stilted or clunky. But they don’t know why or how to fix it.

This book lays it all out
5 Editors Tackle the Twelve Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing demonstrates the deadly dozen pitfalls on the road to a strong story, along with revisions that show writers exactly how to avoid novel failure.

No other writing craft book offers such detailed instruction in how to spot and remedy the major flaws of fiction writing.

In 1951 Phoenix Arizona, a widowed Lakota Indian, Frankie Chasing Bear, has traveled with her young son Harold from the Pine Ridge, South Dakota Reservation to start a new life.

She’s desperate to help Harold succeed in the white man’s world, but she’s wary of past “assimilation” practices. She also wants him to know and appreciate his Lakota heritage so she’s sewing him a Lakota Star quilt.

But when Frankie meets half- Lakota Nick Parker, she must decide if she and her son can stand tall in both the Lakota and the white man’s world without losing themselves in the process.

(A Quilts of Love novel, Abingdon Press 2014) Historical fiction.

When legally separated Muri Pond, a librarian, hauls her kids, teenage Nova and eleven year-old Truman, out to the tiny town of Murkee, Oregon, where her father, Joe Pond lived and died, she’s confronted by a neighbor’s harassment over water rights and Joe’s legacy: a fence made from old oven doors.

The fence and accompanying house trailer horrify rebellious Nova, who runs away to the drug-infested streets of Seattle. Muri searches for her daughter and for something to believe in, all the while trying to save her inheritance from the conniving neighbor who calls her dad Chief Joseph. Along with Joe’s sister, Aunt Lutie, and the Red Rock Tabernacle Ladies, Muri must rediscover the faith her alcoholic dad never abandoned in order to reclaim her own spiritual path.

(Abingdon Press 2009) Contemporary Women’s fiction.

Twinkling lights, the scents of cinnamon and pine, family gatherings, favorite carols from the heart. In the spirit of these cozy Christmas traditions, Guideposts is pleased to present A Cup of Christmas Cheer, a two-book set brimming with heartwarming fiction stories of faith and family set in Christmases past and present.

You are invited to enjoy two uplifting Christmas fiction collections that will flood you with the Christmas spirit and bring a smile to your face. As you delve into each well-crafted story, you’ll be swept away on a wave of glad tidings and good cheer as you are reminded of God’s unconditional love and ever-present care at Christmas and all throughout the year.

Affordably priced so you can easily give the set as heartfelt gifts, the messages of hope and faith in these extraordinary works of fiction deliver the truest gifts of the season. They will inspire all who read them as they bring home the joy of God’s presence at Christmastime.

(Guideposts Books, 2013)

My friend and coauthor, Kristen and I wrote this book as a result of the many theological questions and discussions we’ve had about our spiritual lives. We alternate essays about faith and ask hard questions in some dialogues between the essays.

Unfortunately the book is out of print but I hope to bring back at least part of the book in electronic form. Meanwhile, you can find a copy on Amazon or used book sites.

Kristen Ingram is an award-winning author who has written extensively for literary publications such as Weavings. She’s taught me so much about writing in general and writing about my faith in particular. I’m so thankful to have written two books with her.

(Revell, 2005)

This book, also with Kristen Ingram, is out-of-print now too. We collaborated with several well-known authors to put the book together.

At the time we wrote, we were sure we could add some much-needed female voices to the faith conversation. We wanted to call the book Transformations, after the ways in which God changes us as we give him purchase. Somehow it all got slanted into a far more commercial book. The airwaves were full of makeovers and Revealed was supposed to be like God doing a makeover on your spiritual life.

While I’m sure the book was not a commercial success, it has some excellent essays and poems by writers whose faith is far more transformational than the book or the title suggests. You can find one through used book sites or by contacting me.

(Revell, 2004)

This was my first published book. I co-wrote this book with two very successful authors who have hundreds of published books between them and we’re still all friends.

At the time, we each had at least two “wayward” sons. Some were a little more wayward than others—mental illness and addiction being the prime form of waywardness. We tried to showcase all sorts of scenarios parents might be dealing with—from the same issues as ours to gangs, learning difficulties and even the loss of a child to murder.

An accompanying journal was sold and I’m told the book itself did fairly well.

(Waterbrook, 2002)