La Belle Design

       Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Collection is complete for 2023! This year collection week started off with a bang when I found out the community nearest us (and much larger) had no collection site because of some last minute changes. After heading up the collection center for my county for the 11 years previous, I thought I was well prepared for the week. When our first day collections were way above normal, I knew I had to reevaluate things. At first I felt overwhelmed and the task seemed impossible. I knew I would have to find more workers and set up more trailer deliveries, as well as collect more packing cartons and tape. Thankfully the Holy Spirit nudged and reminded me that this was not my project, but God's and He can and will do all that is necessary to see that His purposes are accomplished.      I had friends join me in prayer and posting for help, and God quickly filled in all of the gaps. Some of the large churches took their shoeboxes to another collection ce

The Bookish Bandit is a faith-filled dual point-of-view romcom by Erica Dansereau and Britt Howard. Charlie is a small-town girl arriving in NYC. I won’t say how she meets Andrew, so you can be surprised. It’s a perfect setup for comedy but it is never too much and is nicely balanced out with more serious topics and faith. I love the way faith is interwoven in a meaningful way — not just mentions of the characters praying or going to church, but some in-depth conversations that made me ponder things of God. I also enjoyed the characters sharing the hard parts of their lives and that they both had flaws but worked on them throughout the story.  The romance in the story was sweet and tender and I liked that they both had to face their issues before they could get their HEA.  It was a fun and touching story that pulled me along like fall leaves on the sidewalk, straight through winter, into spring, and beyond. But you can read the story to see for yourself.  This is the book description

In The Politics of Love , Drew Taylor has pulled together a number of tropes and meshed them into a compelling and touching story. It has the romcom vibes, with the added tension of real world hurt and brokenness, in a setting that is decidedly not real world for most of us. I have definitely never been the campaign manager for a billionaire presidential candidate. But she has done it in a way that feels organic.   Marriage of convenience, workplace romance, enemies to love, plus the addition of Pride and Prejudice vibes — it was beautifully done.  Hayden and Darcy’s romance was a very slow burn, which was fitting because of where their relationship was at the start. It also seemed that Darcy was mildly on the autism spectrum, though that was never addressed. That alone makes a relationship breakthrough take time to seem realistic.  A couple of things I especially loved about it were the spiritual message and the twist that made their relationship so much more perfect. Both main

     Have you heard of Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Collection by Samaritans Purse? They collect shoeboxes filled with school supplies, hygiene items, and toys/crafts for children in impoverished areas around the world and deliver them in Jesus' name.     When the shoeboxes are delivered, area churches and pastors host events where the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ is shared, then the children are invited to follow up with a 12 lesson discipleship program. This ministry impacts not only the children receiving the boxes, but entire communities as the parents, friends, and siblings of the box recipients hear about the gospel through the recipients.      You can participate in this special ministry by packing shoeboxes and dropping them off at local collection centers. I f you have children in your life,  they will love to help with the shopping. This year collection week for the boxes is November 13-20. You can find all of the specifics, including nearby drop off loca