Sunday, January 24, 2016

Joshua's Mission

Please welcome my fellow author/friend Vannetta Chapman.



Thank you for allowing me to visit your blog today. I’m very excited about the release of Joshua’s Mission (2-1-16), which is book 2 in my Plain & Simple Miracles series. I’d like to share with you the “story behind the story” – or what inspired me to write this book.

Cornerstones of our faith. My husband is probably my biggest critic—which is a good thing. He keeps me on my toes, professionally speaking. He’s also very supportive in every way. One night we were talking about an upcoming proposal that was due to my publisher, and he challenged me to think of a deeper plot line—something that would touch on the cornerstones of our faith. Wow! That sent me back to the drawing board. I started wondering what makes us, as Christians, different from everyone else? Certainly our faith in Christ. But how do we show that? The answer I came up with was …

1.      We believe in miracles. I did a poll on my Facebook page. We had an outstanding response and the vast majority (close to 98%) said they do believe in miracles—not that they always happen when we pray for one, but that God does still intercede in the lives of believers. That idea gave birth to Anna’s Healing, book 1 in this series.
2.      We participate in missions. As believers, sometimes we send donations, sometimes we pray, and sometimes we actually go and participate in missions. We don’t do this for an award or because our photo might end up in the paper. We do it because God told us “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” He told us that when we do this to the least of those around us, we do this to Him. This commandment to care for others, led me to write Joshua’s Mission, book 2 in this series.
3.      We care for orphans. We’re also commanded to “look after orphans and widows in their distress.” In our society, it’s sometimes easy to overlook those in need and to assume that some governmental agency will take care of them. Sarah’s Orphans, book 3 in this series, addresses the plight of the orphans in our day and age, and how we can make a difference in their lives. This book releases in December of this year.

There are certainly other ways that we live out our faith. Miracles, missions, and orphans are three that stood out to me, and they certainly inspired me to write the three books in the Plain & Simple Miracles series. I hope that you will pick up a copy of Joshua’s Mission and learn about the wonderful work that churches are doing across our nation and abroad to help those in need.


Joshua Kline travels from his farm in Oklahoma to offer aid to an Englisch town on the gulf coast of Texas after a category 4 hurricane has ravaged the area. What will Joshua find when he arrives in Texas? A budding romance? A call from God? A possible healing of his relationship with his brother? Joshua’s Mission is a story of love, forgiveness, and the grace of God that carries us through even the worst situations.


Now it’s your turn. What do you consider to be a cornerstone of our faith? And would you like to see a book written about it? Or would you like to write one yourself? I’d love to hear from you.


Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her novel, Falling to Pieces, was a 2012 ACFW Carol Award winner for best mystery. Chapman was a teacher for 15 years and currently writes full time. She lives in the Texas hill country with her husband.

http://www.amazon.com/Joshuas-Mission-Plain-Simple-Miracles-ebook/dp/B018676F02/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


ATTENTION:
Vannetta is offering a free book to one commenter. Please comment or answer the Now it's your turn question or questions from above. A commenter will be randomly selected to receive a copy of Joshua's Mission.




7 comments:

Vannetta Chapman said...

Thanks for having me on your blog, Paula!

Unknown said...

Paula, this is a great post! I love reading Vannetta's books -- and it's wonderful hearing about how she participates in missions and caring for orphans -- and writing about it, to encourage others!

susanlulu said...

New blog for me - yeah! I love Amish books, and this one sounds fantastic. I'd love to read it!
Susan in NC
susanlulu@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I was a homeschool mom. My church supported missionaries in Bolivia. They cared for kids. The children lived with their mothers in prison. The cornerstone of our faith. Well now I have a couple answers. Jesus Is the cornerstone. But that said we learn more about him through books of the Bible. So the Bible also is a cornerstone. Looking forward to reading Joshua's Mission. May we each be a seed for another. Tammy O'Daniell-Howell. momoone96@yahoo.com

Paula Mowery said...

Thanks for stopping by everyone! Few more days and we'll see who gets a free copy of the book.
I've always been involved in missions, here and other countries. Right now the church my hubby pastors is trying to reach out to the people in our immediate area since we sit right in the middle of a very needy neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

I think also one of the cornerstones of our faith is to honor the aged. It breaks my heart to see how many people in the nursing homes never have any visitors. They are virtually forgotten by relatives and family.
Amish fiction is my favorite genre to read. I know the Amish take care of their elderly family members and relatives at home.
marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
Merry

Debbie said...

I always said I wanted to do some missions when a young lady reminded me that I am involved right here at home, working with children. A lot of these kids are "love starved" and for a few hours I get to love on them and tell them Bible stories. This being at home and not some far away land, it just never occurred to me. I'm glad it did and I'm grateful that my sister-in-law prayed for me to help with this!