Wednesday, November 14, 2018

2019 Animal Calendars for Sale!

We still have some 2019 Animal Calendars left over from our fundraising banquet that we need to sell. The calendars were donated, so except for the shipping, all the money donated will go directly to African Outreach Ministries. These calendars are 8.5 x 11 with premium glossy card stock.


One Calendar: $23 including shipping 
Two or more: $20 each plus $5 total shipping

You can pay for the calendars via check, Pay Pal, or credit card (via Pay Pal). These make great Christmas presents and are some of our best animal photos from over the years!

**Due to shipping costs, we are only able to ship within the US. For large orders, let us know so we can ensure we have enough. I will update this page when they are gone, so please order soon!




HOW TO BUY THE CALENDARS:

ONLINE:
There is a link at the very bottom of our website home page where you can link to AOM (click on the yellow donate button) and make your donation there, then email me the address where you want them shipped! 

CHECKS:
If you would prefer to send a check, you can make it out to African Outreach Ministries and earmark it for AOM Calendars. Be sure and send an email so we can watch for the check. 

Mail to:
African Outreach Ministries
5401 E Hwy 287
Midlothian, TX  76065

Once your payment is received, we will get the calendars in the mail. 

Thank you for your support of African Outreach Ministries!

Scott and Lisa




Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #19


Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’re just joining us, the hunt begins at www.LisaBergren.com, with Stop #1. If you complete the loop of 26 stops, writing down the clue on each author’s site, you can enter to win all 25 books
as well as Amazon gift cards, an iPad and more! 

Without further ado, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my guest for the Scavenger Hunt, Susan Sleeman! Not only does Susan write fantastic romantic suspense, she also runs a great website for suspense readers, TheSuspenseZone. If you love romantic suspense, she should definitely be on your go-to list of authors!



Here’s her professional bio:

SUSAN SLEEMAN is the bestselling author of over thirty-five novels with more than one million books sold. She writes romantic suspense novels that are clean with inspiring messages of faith. Readers love her series for the well-drawn characters and edge-of-your-seat action. She graduated from the FBI and local police citizen academies, so her research is spot-on and her characters are real. In addition to writing, Susan also hosts TheSuspenseZone.com.

Here’s the summary of her latest book:



Fleeing from her dangerous ex-boyfriend, on-the-run single mother Nicole Dyer takes refuge in a cabin—and is discovered by the ranch owner, Deputy Matt McKade. It’s easy to fall for the handsome lawman and his kind family, but staying at the ranch endangers them all. When everything Nicole loves comes under direct fire, can Matt keep her—and her heart—safe?

You can purchase her book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD, Apple, or your local bookstore.


And here’s her EXCLUSIVE content that you’ll only find in this hunt!




Christmas Memories and Traditions
My most recent book release, Christmas Hideout is—surprise, surprise—a Christmas themed book. I have now written six books that occur at Christmas time, and I have to say it’s fun to add the Christmas element to a story. It’s such a wonderful festive time of year that adding those elements to a book give me great joy and readers love the holiday themed books. 
However, I also have to say that it can be challenging to make the Christmas part of the story unique and interesting. So as I was thinking about the book, I started thinking about Christmas traditions and memories. 
My fondest Christmas memory is the birth of our youngest daughter, Emma. She was born on December 20th, and she was so tiny that she fit in her Christmas stocking that a friend made for her. I love this picture and cherish the memory.
As for traditions, one of my favorites was going to church on Christmas Eve where the Sunday School classes did their Christmas program. Santa arrived at our house while we were at the service. My grandfather was in charge of putting out the presents, and we always thought he was habitually late for church. When we got home, we celebrated Christmas with my dad’s family. Christmas Day was always celebrated with my mother’s family, and I knew that during the year my grandmother was busy knitting sweaters for all of her grandchildren. We all loved opening that package, putting on the sweaters, and posing for the annual sweater picture. I knew these things would happen every year. No question in my mind.
Another favorite was that my mother always made cut out sugar cookies. My sister and I helped decorate them, and I remember playing with the last bits of dough with my child-sized rolling pin. 
But as an adult, these are not traditions I could carry on except baking the cookies and going to church on Christmas Eve. I bake the cookies with my children’s help but our Christmas Eve was a bit different. You see my hubby was a church music director so his responsibilities always came first, and we had to find a way to celebrate Christmas around his busy schedule. The only time he had available on Christmas Eve was an hour between services and after the late service which was often a late-night candlelight service—way too late for children to be up. 
So a tradition of eating appetizers and Christmas cookies during that one hour of free time was born. All the prep work was done in advance. The appetizers were quick and refrigerated, and the meal could be pulled out at any time he arrived home. He would rush home to have as much time with us as possible, and we would share this meal along with opening one present. Here’s one of our favorite recipes.


My hubby may now be retired, but we still have appetizers and Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas without them. So how about you? Do you have any interesting or unique Christmas traditions at your house or favorite memories?

***
Thanks for stopping by on the hunt! Before you go, make sure you WRITE DOWN THIS CLUE:
Secret Words: and now

Got it down? Great! Your next stop is # 20, Susan Sleeman’s site. And if you get lost, a complete list of the loop with links can be found on Lisa Bergren's website.

***

BONUS GIVEAWAY!!!
My book for this scavenger hunt is A Secret To Die For which is a stand-alone romantic suspense novel set in Texas. Because of the setting, I'm giving away a Texas mug right here on my blog as an extra bonus! 

If you're already signed up for my newsletter, just leave a comment below with a way for me to contact you. Let me you're signed up, and that you'd like a chance to win the mug. 

If you're not signed up for my newsletter, there's a link on this blog (right hand, side bar toward the top) where you can sign up. Not only will you get updates on my book releases, you'll also get a free ebook copy of Blood Ransom, a Christy-nominated suspense novel! Let me know you've signed up and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you!

Enjoy the hunt!

Lisa Harris

BONUS RULES:

1. Only one entry per person per giveaway is allowed.
2. Giveaway open to residents of the 50 United States and D.C. Void where prohibited.
3. Winner provides shipping address.
4. Giveaway ends on October 28th, 2018 at midnight mountain standard time.
5. One winner will be selected at random by random.org to receive the Texas mug pictured above.
6. The prize winner will be notified by email on October 29th, and posted on this page after they respond to my email notification. If I do not receive an email response from the winner within 48 hours of notification, another winner will be drawn.
7. You must have access to the Internet and a valid email address in order to enter or win.
8. Your chances of winning depend on the number of entries.
9. No purchase is necessary to enter.








Wednesday, October 17, 2018

You won't want to miss this. . .

And there's less than a month left! 
No. . .it's not my next book, but it is something very close to my heart.
We're getting super excited about our upcoming Banquet and Silent Auction where we will be sharing about our ministry in Mozambique. If you're in the Houston area and would like tickets to the event, be sure to check this out. There will also be an online auction that anyone can be a part of!
It's going to be a wonderful evening, and I'd love to see you there!
African Outreach ministries is a 501 (c) 3 organization serving Southern Africa since 1990

For more information, please visit our ministry website.
If you have any questions, please email me or Jennifer.



Thursday, October 04, 2018

The Therapy of Story

No matter who we are or where we come from, we all have at least one thing in common. At different points in our lives—maybe even right now for you—we experience loss. It might be the loss of a job, of a marriage, or of a dream. It might come as a phone call in the middle of the night, or the exhausting reality of watching a loved one slowly slip away. It has a way of making us vulnerable, and yet it’s also what makes us human, because no one is untouched by loss. 

While I love a happy ending in a story—and of course just as much in real life—our journey is not only full of different seasons, it’s also rarely void of pain. The first book I wrote was from a deep place of hurt while dealing with infertility. The characters I wrote about helped me deal with that pain and was a catalyst in helping me heal. As a reader, this can also happen when we pick up a book. Readers have told me how they’ve connected with a character because of similar circumstances they’ve faced, and in turn have been challenged spiritually. And it makes sense. When we connect with a character because of something he or she has gone through, the story impacts us and stays with us long after the last page is read. 

In A Secret to Die For, Grace Callahan is a psychologist. On a day to day basis, she deals with the pain and loss of her patients, but she also understands grief on a very personal level after the death of her little girl four years ago. Detective Nathanial Quinn has recently experienced trauma with the loss of his partner in an explosion and is dealing with PTSD. When Grace is thrown into a life and death situation with Nate, she finds herself able to relate to him on a deeper level because their shared understanding of loss.

While loss and trials are never easy, God has reminded me over and over throughout the years that he never promised us a life free from pain. In fact, the opposite is true. John 16: 33 tells us that difficulties will come. But there’s another promise he’s given us as well that we can hold onto when hard times hit. Isaiah 43: 2 says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” 

Did you hear that? We are not alone. He will walk through the pain with us.

He also asks us to put our trust in him—not in our circumstances. Is that always easy? Definitely not. But though him we can find hope no matter what is happening around us. In the story, Grace discovers this same profound truth in her own life.
  
Somehow, though, in the middle of feeling as if no one understood, she’d begun to discover there was One who did understand this journey of grief. Sometimes she’d hear God’s quiet voice in the wind. Feel his presence in the words of a song. She realized that he could feel her pain and that he understood the depth of her loss. Because he’d watched his own Son die as well.

For Grace and Nate, their losses play a large role in bringing them to a place where they discover unexpected love with each other, and together they are able to help each other find peace through Him. It’s not a peace that makes any earthly sense. Instead, it’s a peace that “exceeds anything we can understand.” Philippians 4:7 (NLT)

May you find peace in Him!

Lisa Harris

(This blog post was first published on the MTL blog.)


Grab your copy today!


Tuesday, September 18, 2018

It's finally here!!




It's finally here! Yeah!! Happy release day for A Secret to Die For! You can grab your copy wherever books are sold, including the audio version! Happy reading!!







Psychologist Grace Callahan has no idea she has a secret - one worth killing for. But when she finds out one of her clients has been murdered, she quickly realizes the computer security specialist wasn't simply suffering from paranoia. 
Detective Nate Quinn has just been cleared for active duty after a bombing killed 18 people, including his partner, and left him dealing with PTSD. His first case back on the job involves the murder of Stephen Shaw, and his only lead turns out to be an old friend, Grace Callahan - and her life is in grave danger. Someone believes Shaw gave his psychologist information before he died. Information for which they are willing to kill. 
With her signature pulse-pounding suspense, Lisa Harris takes listeners deep into the heart of fear in this race against the clock.


Grab your copy today!!

                Amazon                                             Barnes & Noble                                          Christianbook.com

Saturday, August 25, 2018

A Secret to Die For Teaser!

Hey readers!

Next month brings my newest release! I'm super excited to share Nate and Grace's story with you. in the meantime check out this short teaser. 

Pre-order today! Available September 18th!

Amazon                                        Barnes&Noble                                      Christianbook.com

Saturday, August 04, 2018

What do pineapple, pigs and palm nuts all have in common?




We've just returned from a ministry trip to west Africa, where we learned how Laté and Minen Lawson are working to lift up their community and churches through farming. Watch this video to see how you can pray for our ministry as we seek wisdom in how to do a similar project in Mozambique.








Looking ahead ~ African Outreach Ministries from S & L Harris on Vimeo.

Tuesday, July 03, 2018

Don't miss 'Man vs Women's Chores'

Don't miss this hilarious, yet very accurate look at life in the African bush! 

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Into the Bush. . .

The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity. Lots of teaching, ministry, writing, traveling, and company!

Here's a short video of some highlights we took while taking guests through Kruger.

Enjoy!!


Kruger May 2018 from Scott Harris on Vimeo.

Wednesday, March 07, 2018

Behind the Scenes: Writing as Therapy



Writing has always been like therapy for me. I wrote my first book over two decades ago after suffering from a miscarriage. I felt shattered and lost and completely alone. I ended up writing the fictional novel of a couple and their struggle through infertility as well as a non-fiction study guide stemming from my own search for God in the midst of the pain.

A lot of good came out of that writing therapy.

Like any family, we’ve had plenty of ups and downs over the years. We’re now coming up on the two year anniversary of one of our worst when our family was attacked by armed intruders in our home. Believe it or not, I was actually in the middle of writing a hostage scene for my heroine when the robbers broke in.

Here’s what I wrote about that experience in the Dear Reader letter in the back of the book just a few weeks after the attack. (The letter was later condensed.)

While I was in the process of finishing Desert Secrets, everything changed. Three armed men walked into our house, tied up myself, my husband and my daughter—gave me two black eyes and a mild concussion in the process—and robbed us, including the wedding ring off my finger.

The experience changed how I felt about a lot of things, including writing suspense. Before I could continue, I had to rethink why I write what I write. I was eventually able to move forward and pour my emotions from the attack into this story, which ended up bringing me healing.  I knew that I wanted my readers to never forget that the God who created the universe loves us and wants to be our strength no matter what is happening in the world around us. Jesus came to heal the empty and broken hearted, and those searching for freedom and hope. Psalm 91 says that He is our refuge and fortress. That no matter what we are going through, He will cover us with his feathers and it is under His wings we will find refuge.

I truly believed what I wrote.  But still, after the attack, I found myself seeking answers about God, and pain. Sin and the fallen world we live in. In the next book I wrote, Vanishing Point, I tackled the question that we’ve probably all asked at one time. Where were you, God? I worked through this question in my own life as I was writing conversations between my characters who were responding to their own string of tragedies they were dealing with.

Here’s part of a conversation between. Detective Garrett Addison and Special Agent Jordan Lambert.

“We ask that question—where were you, God?—as if we’re surprised when evil surfaces. We ask it because we want to know why he didn’t show up and stop what happened. We wonder what’s wrong with our world when we watch the news and hear all the tragedies happening around us. We forget that we live in a fallen world. We forget that God gives us the freedom to make choices. We wouldn’t like it if he forced us to follow him. But that means we have to suffer the consequences of our bad choices as well as enjoy the consequences of our good ones. God doesn’t give us free will, then stand over us and fix everything. Does that make sense?”
“It does,” Garret said. “Think of all the times in the Bible when people cry out to God for something. They beg him to rescue them from their enemies or give them something they want. Sometimes God intervenes and steps in dramatically, but it seems like more often than not, he doesn’t.”
“Exactly. And what I’m realizing is that when he doesn’t intervene, it doesn’t mean he isn’t there. I think it means just the opposite. He decided not to just sweep down and fix our problems every time something goes wrong. Instead he chose to redeem us eternally by sending his Son.”
“Immanuel,” Garrett said, feeling a chill go through him. “God with us.”
“Yes. I have to believe that he’s here with us. That he understands what we’re going through and feels our pain far more than we do ourselves.”
“It’s hard for us to understand why a loving God would allow such horror to exist among his creation,” Garrett said. “It doesn’t make sense to us. But God’s intent was never a fallen world. That was man’s choice.”
“But even though he never promised us we wouldn’t feel pain, he did promise that we would never be alone.”
Tragedies like the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and Sandy Hook flipped through Garrett’s mind. The reality of a fallen world was clear. And yet like Jordan said, wasn’t God’s plan really a plan of redemption? Yes, he believed that God was capable of fixing our problems, but he chose instead to rescue and redeem humankind permanently.
“When we suffer a loss,” he said, trying to put his thoughts into words, “some people say that everything happens for a reason. But I don’t think there’s always necessarily a particular ‘reason’ for something to happen. Maybe the truth is that things happen because we live in a world where pain, death, and loss are all naturally a part of life. No one is immune.”
Jordan nodded. “But instead of believing that hardships are the norm, we say that we deserve being showered with God’s blessings. And yet Jesus told us that in this world we’d have many troubles. Sometimes we do experience God’s blessings, but he never promised us that everything would be perfect in this world.”
“Only in the redeemed world to come,” Garrett agreed.
“What he does promise is to walk with us through the bad times. As crazy as it seems, somehow, when bad things happen, we start to see God’s grace. We start to dig deeper. Sometimes it takes trauma to get someone searching for God.”   ~From Vanishing Point

Once again, my writing was therapeutic for me and something I hoped as I wrote it would minister to those who read the book. But there has still been something that has always bothered me. My family and I walked away from the attack on our family. We saw miracles that night, so many we made a list. We saw how things could have turned out so much worse. To this day anxiety that sometimes still lingers, but my family was okay. We were alive. And I was grateful.

There was a moment that night, though, when I didn’t know how things were going to end. When I ran around locking up the house after the robbers fled and didn’t know where my husband was. I remember as clearly as it was yesterday, sitting down in the hallway with my daughter, believing I was facing my new reality. Life without my husband. I was now a widow. They'd made threats and now they’d killed him. And at that moment, I truly believed he was gone.

Not long after that, he arrived back with the police. Little did I know that his leaving to get help was what saved us and scared them off. But what if God hadn’t saved him that day? Would I still be able to praise him? Would I still trust?

A scene from Daniel keeps repeating in my mind.

O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.  But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18 NLT

Even if He doesn’t we will still serve You.

I suppose I’m a glutton for punishment, but I’m writing a book right now tentatively called Before You Leave Me. It’s centered around a man who loses his wife during a home invasion. I know. What was I thinking? But the spiritual thread of the story is one that dives into that very question. And it’s one I wanted—needed—to explore. What if God doesn’t say yes? What if He doesn’t heal my loved one? What if He doesn’t move mountains or save me from the fiery furnace?

Jesus said very clearly that we would have trouble in this world. Later Peter said: “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”  I Peter 4:12-13

What if my husband had been killed that night of the attack? What would my response to that have been? Would I have blamed God? Left the mission field? Turned bitter? Honestly, I don’t know. I hope I wouldn’t have. I hope that I would have seen God even in the midst of my pain.

Here is what I do know.

He has promised to be our strength when we are weak, to give us hope when we are hopeless, and to love us when we feel unlovable. It’s never relying on our own strength to get us through difficult times, but leaning on the mighty arm of God and being continuously filled with His Spirit. Isaiah 41:10 says not to fear, because “I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

So what is my response today? Right at this moment. It might not be a crisis, but what about when I have to deal with a rude cashier at the store? A difficult boss or client? Someone who bullies my child, cheats me, or cuts me off in traffic? Like the song below, whether I'm facing tragedy or just a bad day, may my life be filled with His strength and mercy.



Tuesday, February 06, 2018

Never good-bye, just see you soon

It's hard to believe that our time in the US is over for now. We've been blessed to connect with so many wonderful people, including churches, friends, and family, literally all across the entire US. And we gained a daughter-in-law in the process who we already love like our own. I'm so grateful for the time spent together, and for the encouragement we received. God is so good!

We're packing up now, with the reality that our immediate family will be spread out and in four different time zones. Scott and I will be, for the most part (except for school breaks--already can't wait!) empty nesters! Yes, that's still sinking in. And yet for the most part, I feel at peace, though there are definitely those really tough moments as well!

But God has done so many amazing things these past few months and I know He's not done yet. So grateful for everyone who has hosted us, fed us, prayed with us, encouraged us, and simply loved us. Going home with a new excitement for our ministry despite the tears, and especially knowing it's not good-bye, just see you soon!



Friday, November 03, 2017

Next Up: Vanishing Point!

Hi all! I just put together a short video with an update on my very soon to be released, VANISHING POINT, plus a teaser about a fun giveaway that my wonderful publisher has put together. Giveaway will start Tuesday morning at midnight on my author FB page--release day. I'll post the link on my author page and here on Monday so you won't miss it! Happy reading!!


Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #14

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you have just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through the 25 stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 3 grand prizes!

  • The hunt BEGINS with Stop #1 at Lisa Bergren's site.
  • Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
  • There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt--you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/22 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books.
  • Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the clue on each author's scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at Stop #25. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!
Lynne and I are so excited to be able to host our long-time friend Elizabeth Goddard. The three of us have been friends for years--since we were each starting out as writers. Here is a brief summary of Elizabeth's newest book Wilderness Reunion. 



MOVING TARGETS

After stumbling on a drug operation, Alice Wilde races through the woods as bullets whiz past, using her skills as a wilderness guide to elude her pursuers. But she doesn't stay safe for long once one of the armed men recognizes her...and starts stalking her. When the sheriff asks her to guide his men and photojournalist Griffin Slater--her ex-boyfriend--to the crime scene, though, she can't refuse. Alice knows Griffin's just there for a story, but after the two of them are separated from the rest of the group, he's the only person who can save her. And with someone willing to do anything to hunt them down, Alice must put aside their past if she wants to survive.







SETTING AS CHARACTER, by Elizabeth Goddard

Wilderness Reunion is the fourth and last book in my Wilderness, Inc. series set along the wild and scenic portion of the Rogue River in southwest Oregon. The epilogue tied up all the characters in the series and was great fun to write. I lived on the Rogue River for five years and spent time hiking trails and admiring the gorgeous scenery.

For me, it's all about the setting, which is almost always a character in my stories. When a location inspires me, I set my story there. Characters and plot come later.

In Wilderness Reunion, wilderness guide Alice Wilde is hiking public lands when she stumbles across an illegal marijuana crop guarded by armed men. She flees for her life. Though some might not believe this is a likely scenario, as I began researching and digging deeper, I was stunned to read just how dangerous public lands can be for forest visitors. Innocent hikers have been killed for coming across such a garden. Stakes are high when we're talking about significant money. What makes it worse is the destruction to the forest and wildlife. 

Knowing this danger exists in the forest shouldn't prevent you from hiking and enjoying God's creation, but always make sure you know what signs to look for. If you come across a marijuana grow the Forest Service advises: Be Quiet and Leave the Area Immediately!

Alice Wilde tried, but danger followed...



ELIZABETH GODDARD is a bestselling, award-winning author of more than thirty romance novels and counting, including the romantic mystery, The Camera Never Lies--a 2011 Carol Award winner. Four of her six Mountain Cove books have been contest finalists. Buried, Backfire and Deception are finalists in the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, and Submerged is a Carol Award finalist. A 7th generation Texan, Elizabeth graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and worked in high-level software sales for several years before retiring to home school her children and fulfill her dreams of writing full-time.









Here's the Stop #14 Skinny:
You can order Elizabeth's books online or at your local bookstore! 

Clue to Write Down: eager
Link to Stop #15, the Next Stop on the Loop: Elizabeth Goddard's own site!

BUT WAIT! Before you go, Lynne and I are offering a fun prize from Africa! Coffee from Ethiopia and two soapstone candlesticks. (US addresses only) All you have to do is sign up to get both of our newsletters (top left of the page, yellow box) or note in a comment below that you are already a subscriber. Winner will be drawn at the close of the Scavenger Hunt.

Happy Hunting!!

Lisa and Lynne

(Fun prize from Africa is for US Addresses only. Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.)



Monday, October 02, 2017

Where are you, God?

It seems as if tragedy after tragedy continues to rock our world. This morning as I was watching the news about Las Vegas, I couldn’t help but be reminded about the night our family was held by gunpoint in our home last year and beat up. It brought up the question that I know people are asking today. Why? Why could God let something like this happen? Because every time tragedy, loss, and evil surfaces, so do the questions.

Sometimes when we ask--Where are you, God?--we ask it as if we are surprised about the evil we see. We wonder what’s wrong with our world when we watch constant news coverage of tragedies without any answers. We ask it because we want to know why God didn’t show up and stop what happened.

The truth is that sometimes God does intervene and dramatically steps in.

But sometimes he doesn’t.

As I began searching for myself after the attack, I was reminded that we live in a fallen world, and that God gives us the freedom to make choices. And what I begun to realize is that while most people wouldn’t like it if God forced us to follow him, we still want help when things go wrong. And here’s what really struck me. With freedom comes choice, but it also means we often have to suffer the consequences of bad choices—both ours and other peoples. God doesn’t give us free will, then stand over us and fix everything that goes wrong.

Maybe that sounds like a cliché, but for me, it struck a cord.

Because here’s the other thing I was reminded of. When God doesn’t intervene, it doesn’t mean he isn’t there. I think it means just the opposite. Because he decided not to just sweep down and fix our problems every time something goes wrong. Instead he chose to redeem us eternally by sending his Son.

Immanuel. God with us.

Tragedies like right now in Las Vegas and recently the hurricanes demonstrate the reality of a fallen world, and it’s pretty clear that none of us are immune from suffering. But God’s plan has always been a plan of redemption. While God is capable of fixing our problems, but He chose instead to rescue and redeem humankind permanently.

There are no easy, pat answers. Nothing that will fix what happened. But what He does promise is to walk with us through the bad times. As crazy as it seems, somehow, when bad things happen, we start to see God’s grace. We start to dig deeper. Often it takes trauma to get someone searching for God. And hard times give us compassion toward others, deeper love, and more courage.

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NLT)

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Behind the scenes with Lynne and Lisa

Things on my end have been a bit crazy (and thus quiet online) with one kiddo starting university and a second joining the Army and shipping off--all within three weeks! In all the craziness of life, Lynne and I managed to catch a few hours together and made some short, behind the scenes videos about Ghost Heart and writing together. Be sure and sign up here for our brand new YouTube channel and catch a new one each Friday!


Tuesday, August 01, 2017

Happy Release Day!

I'm so excited to be able to officially announce that today is the official release day for Ghost Heart! This has been such an incredible journey for Lynne and I as we wrote this book together, something we'd never done. But we are excited to finally be able to share this story with you. To learn more about behind the scenes, visit our Ghost Heart blog!

Ghost Heart Book Trailer from Lisa Harris on Vimeo.


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Saturday, July 01, 2017

Happy Release Day!

Destination. . .Italy!

I have absolutely loved the chance to write romantic suspense novels for Love Inspired Suspense, all set in international locations. So far, I've been able to write stories set in South Africa, Paris, islands off West Africa, the Sahara, and today, Fatal Cover-Up, set in Italy, officially releases today.

One of things I loved about writing this story was that I was able to do research in Italy. (Yes, I LOVE research!) Two years ago, on our way back to the US, our family stopped in Italy and visited Rome, Pisa, and Venice as part of my research for the book. Here's the set up for the story that's set primarily in Rome, Florence, and Venice.

Talia Morello moved to Rome for a fresh start—but instead finds herself at the center of a deadly art smuggling ring with everything to lose, including her life. Someone's dead set on retrieving three priceless paintings believed to have been stolen by Talia's late husband. And when his unsolved murder is linked to the bullet that killed FBI agent Joe Bryant's brother during a museum heist, Joe is determined to find out all of Talia's secrets. When she denies any involvement, Joe's gut and heart tell him to trust her. But with the target on Talia's back only growing, there may not be time to uncover the whole truth and save the woman he's falling for…

I've been going through our photos from the trip and thought I would like share some of my favorites with you. And BTW, if you enjoy the international suspense, watch for my next book with LIS will be set in Amsterdam and releases in January, and I'm currently working on Brazil. . .Rio and the Amazon!

ROME











PISA



VENICE










Happy reading!!

Lisa