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Where Is Our Hope?

May 21, 2020 by Carey Jane Clark

Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.
Psalm 62:5

It has been a long haul. We are weary and we are ready for change. We see a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe just a glimmer, but it’s there.

And on social media, I’m starting to see a different kind of post. There’s hope.

And trust, me, I think hope is just what we need right now. For many of us, hope is all we’ve had for months. At the home of Hope-Filled Fiction, I’m going to be the last person to tell you not to hope!

But be careful where your hope is placed. The kind of sentiment I’m seeing champions the power of the human spirit. We can do it. We will rebuild.

But take a moment and consider how we got here. What we all said this was about. For many, like me, this forced rest has been about re-focusing our attention on God. For taking time to get our priorities straight and to center our attention on the one who is our Help, our Hope, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8).

So let us not forget then as we emerge from this crisis, that our hope must remain in Him. Our hope cannot be in the power of the human spirit. That may well be what brought us where we are!

Take a look at Isaiah 9:10 from The Passion Translation. This verse has often been quoted as our society emerged from a crisis. It was, in fact, quoted after 9/11.

Our brick walls may have crumbled,
but we will rebuild them with dressed stones.
Invading armies may have cut down our sycamore trees,
but we will plant cedars in their place!

Sounds encouraging, doesn’t it? The champion cry of a downtrodden people, refusing to be put down. But it was arrogance.

Examine the context. Read this verse together with the verse before it (emphasis mine).

And all the people of Ephraim and Samaria knew of it.
Their hearts filled with pride and they arrogantly boasted,
“Our brick walls may have crumbled,
but we will rebuild them with dressed stones.
Invading armies may have cut down our sycamore trees,
but we will plant cedars in their place!”

A few verses later, in verse 13, we see why.

For the people did not repent and turn to the one who struck them
or seek the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies.

I want us to rebuild. I want new life to spring up where the old has died. I want us to be with our families and our friends again. Trust me I want that! And I want to see our economy thrive once more.

But our hope must not be in our own strength, abilities, wisdom, or intelligence. It must not be in the “power of the human spirit.” That power, after all, was placed in us by our Creator. Our hope must be in the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.

If there must be a new normal, let it be this: hope in Him.

Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin: After the Snow Falls

December 9, 2019 by Carey Jane Clark

Merry Christmas!

Welcome to my stop on the Christmas Round-Robin blog tour! If you missed the beginning, and are looking for where to start, please visit Hallee Bridgeman’s blog.

At each author’s blog post, you will find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Provide the answer at this Google Form. Note: You must answer the questions for every author in the round-robin to be considered to win an Amazon gift card. The first prize card has a value of $300, second place has a $150 value, and the third prize card is worth $75. At the end of my post is a link to the next blog, who will provide a link to the next blog, and so on, to the very end.

I’m excited to tell you about my book After the Snow Falls. It is Book One in the Journeys of the Heart series, and you can read it without having read its prequel.

Celia Bennett is a dedicated mom. Every detail of her life is organized, including her son’s soccer fundraiser. But her whole world spins out of control when Caleb lands face-first in the grass and can’t get up.

After doctors deliver a stunning diagnosis, another unwelcome surprise awaits her. Her father walks back into her life after a thirty-year absence. When he offers an answer to Caleb’s problem, will she reject it, along with him? Or can she open her heart and embrace hope?

After the Snow Falls was my first novel. The story and characters are very close to my heart. The story is loosely based on some events from my childhood. As a mom, I relate closely to many of Celia’s struggles.

Let’s continue the scavenger hunt! Go to the book on Amazon at this link. What major landmark do Adele and Alfie visit? When you have the answer, fill out this form and head on to the next blog!

Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Julie Lessman, who is telling us all about her Christmas book A Light in the Window. You can find it at this link. Remember that the round-robin will end on December 16th at 11:59 PM EST!

Truth and the Tepawani – Discussion and Activity Guide

December 3, 2019 by Carey Jane Clark

Truth and the Tepawani, the first in the Amazon Adventures series, has been released! The idea for the story began after watching the video “Dinosaurs and Dragon Legends” at the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. It began the way every good story begins, with the question, “What if …”

What if someone found a real living dinosaur today? How would the scientific community respond?

I couldn’t let the idea go. It followed me all the way back to Canada, where we’re from, and then to China, where we live.

When I did a little research, I discovered that these kinds of creatures have indeed been spotted in remote areas of the world. I read about missionaries in different countries who had seen these creatures themselves and lived among aboriginals with elaborate stories of their interaction with their people.

To make sure the details of Derek’s story were realistic, I read the blog of a missionary whose family had lived in the Amazon, just like the Haywards. My children and I also read some biographies of people who worked and lived in these kinds of cultures.

This is the first in a series of blog posts with behind-the-scenes information about the book as well as discussion questions and activities parents and kids can engage in together to accompany the novel. If you’re homeschooling your kids and are looking for extra educational experiences to supplement the book or just want to enrich your reading experience, you’ve found the right place.

When the blog series is complete, I’ll be publishing the entire series as an ebook, available for free to subscribers to the Adventure Club Newsletter.

To buy your copy of Truth and the Tepawani, click here.

The First Step to Victory

February 12, 2018 by Carey Jane Clark

It seems like the whole world is talking war: from conflicts in the Middle East, to skirmishes with Russia, to the threats from North Korea. You don’t have to know very much about current events to be aware of it.

It’s interesting, then, that in our everyday lives we tend to act as though we have no enemies.

It wasn’t always that way. By my count, there are about a hundred references to “enemy” or “enemies” in the Psalms. While we think of the book of Psalms as a songbook or a book of worship—which it undoubtedly is—there are many psalms filled with laments by King David appealing for divine help and salvation from adversaries.

He was certainly aware of his enemies! Okay, so we don’t find ourselves in the same kinds of situations as he did. I don’t remember ever spending a night in a cave hiding from danger, for example.

But have you ever felt that way? I definitely have.

The Bible is pretty clear that we do have an enemy: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

But most of us go through our days completely unaware of any strategies aimed against us. This doesn’t stop the enemy from attacking! We’re often ambushed by an enemy we didn’t see coming.

Just as the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, the first step to victory is admitting there is an enemy—and there is a battle going on.

On the face of things, this is pretty bad news. So where is hope?

Hope is in the fact that our Commander has identified our enemy for us. He’s the one who told us to stay alert. And he’s been studying the enemy’s tactics for a long time now. He tells us the enemy doesn’t need to outsmart us. Indeed, we can be “familiar with his evil schemes” 2 Corinthians 2:11.

Take heart. We have weapons and we can understand how to use them (Ephesians 6).

No matter what you’re facing today, take the first step to victory.

Leave a comment and let me know. Are you aware of an enemy at work in your life?