Thursday, September 29, 2011

Welcome Author Mary Moore!


But without faith it is impossible to please him…
Hebrews 11:6


            The very first time I was confronted with faith in my new found faith, I didn’t have a clue! 

            I was twenty-eight years old, and maturity-wise, a baby Christian.  I was busy planning my October wedding in August of 1984, when my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.    She was given two weeks to live and my whole world was turned upside down.
           
            I had faith in God that was not the problem.  I didn’t know how to apply my faith.  I knew He would hear me when I prayed, but what should I pray for; what was I allowed to pray for?  Could I ask Him to heal her or must I pray exclusively for His will?

For we walk by faith not by sight.
2 Corinthian 5:7


            I was raised Catholic.  We weren’t expected to read the Bible; we were expected to listen to the priest read the Bible and then listen as he gave his sermon, his take on what he read.   I believed in God, but I was scared of God.  I pictured Him ready to throw lightning bolts when I sinned, and if I didn’t get a jolt, I guessed I just hadn’t sinned badly enough yet.  I can remember not wanting to waste prayers on the little things, because I knew I was going to need them for much bigger things.  I just hadn’t realized how big.

            I did know what faith was, because my mother lived her faith.  Somehow my mother got through all of the ritual and liturgy and works and believed in His love for us through Jesus Christ.  

            So when I became a Christian, I knew there was no more “middle man;” having to confess to a priest instead of straight to the Lord.  There was no more “holding cell;” a place called purgatory for those who died with sin on their soul.  And I learned that I could pray for anything, it didn’t matter what size the request.

            But when my mother was given a few short weeks to live, I didn’t know enough about my faith to know what to pray for.  In the end, I prayed for a miracle because I knew now that there were no lightning bolts, even if it was the wrong thing to pray for.  

            There was no miracle healing, but I believe my faith grew by leaps and bounds because I didn’t need to question Him anymore; I got my first lesson in trusting Him, that “without faith it is impossible to please him.” 

            Fast forward twenty years.  It is 2004, and I had been driven to the Lord so many times and in so many ways over the years, that after each trial, I could see how a little more faith would have made many of the processes of growing a little less painful.  I began to understand that because of the way I am, He had to use hard situations in my life to teach me to keep Him close and to stay in His Word. 

            And I finally understood the depth of faith God wants when l got my own diagnosis of cancer.
           
            Oh, I was scared, but I knew that I had to trust Him with my life.  I knew it was OK to ask for that miracle, because I had faith my God could do miracles!  And I knew that others, with the same faith, were asking Him for the same miracle.  I knew it was OK to be scared and to fear the unknown because I had faith that my God knew everything and nothing was taking Him by surprise.  There were still times when I didn’t know exactly what to pray for or even how to pray, as when my mother was sick, but I knew God knew my heart anyway and was listening to the prayers of others when I couldn’t. 


Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  Hebrews 11:1


            So, here I am seven years later and cancer free, only able to explain one-thousandth of the ways God has been faithful to me, wishing I could word it better or explain it better because it sounds so…not enough.  My husband and I have really learned that without faith it is impossible to please Him, and I know now that I really want to please Him!


Mary Moore has been an avid student of the Regency era since the 1970s and is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers' historic fiction community as well as a member of Faith, Hope, and Love and Beau Monde chapters of the RWA. She has been writing historical fiction for over fifteen years. Mary had to put her writing on hold due to some health issues, including a bout with breast cancer. She is now even more excited about her writing as she incorporates her struggles throughout her books, dedicated to encouraging others in the Lord and using her talent to His glory. A native of the Washington D.C. area, Mary and her husband now live in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia, with their black lab, Darcy. When not writing, Mary enjoys time with her husband, watching romantic movies, reading, and weekend getaways. Mary would love to hear from you. You can reach her by visiting her website here and on Facebook.
 
Mary's first novel, The Aristocrat's Lady, is now in stores. Here's a peek:


An Unexpected Encounter...
For a few moments on a moonlit balcony, Nicole Beaumont was just a beautiful woman catching the eye of the handsome Lord Devlin—but she knew the illusion couldn't last. If the enigmatic aristocrat knew her secret, he'd realize that her disability left her unfit for love. So who could blame her for hiding the truth a little longer?

Devlin had never met a woman like Nicole. Her unique combination of innocence and wisdom left him utterly intrigued. Yet what was she hiding? For a man who did not trust easily, discovering her secret was devastating. Overcoming their pasts and forging a future would take faith, forgiveness and trust. And second chances could lead to new beginnings… 


Would you like to win this book? Mary has generously offered to give a copy to one lucky commenter, to be chosen at random. Please leave a comment by midnight tomorrow (September 30) Eastern Time, including your email address (spaced out to protect you from spammers) within the body of the comment.

To double your chances of winning and to learn Ten Things about Mary, visit Susanne's blog here. The same rules apply--please leave a comment with your email address by midnight Friday, September 30.

19 comments:

  1. Welcome, Mary! What a wonderful faith post to share with our readers.

    I wanted to check in early as I'll be out of touch all day. Congratulations on your debut and thank you for such a thoughtful, honest story about your journey of faith.

    Have a great day everyone. I'll see you all later. I know Susie has an appt but she'll be checking in whenever possible.

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  2. I'll echo Deb's welcome--not that we like echoes, so I hope lots of our readers leave a comment for a chance for the book.

    I can relate to the cancer scare. My hubby had colon cancer the first year we were married--and it really can build faith and alter your priorities in life.

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  3. Good morning, ladies! Mary's testimony sure blessed me. What an encouragement.

    My mom survived breast cancer, and she was a powerhouse during her battle. But it was a difficult, dark time, and I *thought* I'd grown a bit in my faith through the experience. Since then we've had a scare or two, and they took me right back to square one. I had to remind myself that God is good, powerful, and loving through everything.

    Thanks so much for your post, Mary! And Mary shares ten things about herself over on my blog. Mary, what do you have against apples?

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  4. Good morning ladies!

    Sorry I'm a little late, we've been having a scare with our dog and just gotten through all of the veteranian things we had to do.

    Isn't it amazing that when you mention trials, you learn so much about each other. You've all had your scares, whether health, loss of a loved one, no matter, but the good part is we can use what we learned from the last one to help through new ones. (I try at least :)

    I want to thank you for allowing me to share my story and hope I get to meet lots of your followers today. I may be on and off because of the upset of our schedule, but I'll be here.

    Thanks ladies!

    In Him,
    Mary

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  5. Thanks for sharing your story, Mary. And your book sounds great. We were just talking about romances yesterday. I personally don't read many category romances, but I find usually really enjoy the ones set in England. Sounds like that's the case with yours. And her secret sounds intriguing.

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  6. Hi Dina,

    I saw your discussion yesterday. And I loved your conclusion. You love a love story that is not a romance, and a romance with a love story but has to have a twist! You covered all of your bases!! :) I'd have loved to be part of that debate!!

    Thanks for the encouraging words on the book. It's been a whirlwind year, but a good one. Thanks for coming by!

    In Him,
    Mary

    p/s there seems to be something wrong with my gravatar so my picture is not coming up...it's not personal :0)

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  7. Thanks for sharing with us, Mary. Your faith is inspiring!

    And your book sounds wonderful. :)

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  8. Mary,

    Thanks for sharing your journey into faith. Sounds like it's been a rough one. I love to hear how people grow and how God touches their lives. He is amazing!

    Your book sounds wonderful. I would love to read it!

    Candy
    canapple7@cox.net

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  9. Thank you for sharing Mary and her faith journey with us. I am actually in the process of reading Hebrews; it is such a wonderful book.

    Thank you for offering the giveaway.
    Happy weekend,
    Karen
    klange61(at)hotmail.com

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  10. Thanks for coming by, Candy! You're right, it can be so encouraging to hear about how God has worked in others' lives.

    I've got you entered into the drawing!

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  11. Hey Karen! I've entered you into the drawing, too.

    Are you reading Hebrews as part of a study?

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  12. Hi All,

    As I mentioned earlier, we were in crisis mode this morning with our dog and we remained in crisis mode most of the day. I'm so sorry I missed your comments as you made them.

    I appreciate your encouragement, I know everyone struggles with life's journey, I just thought with faith as the inspiration, that one mostly helped mine.

    I've been able to put a little in the book, but having gone through some trials, I hope I was able to make the characters a little more relatable.

    Thank you all for your kind comments and encoragement, I especially needed it today!

    In Him,
    Mary

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  13. Hi, Mary!

    Thanks for sharing with us today. Your post really blessed me. :)

    Congratulations on your book. It sounds quite intriguing.

    I hope your dog will be okay!

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  14. Hi Suzie,

    I'm glad the post blessed you. I think my mom would like to know how much she meant to me, stuff I didn't have time to tell her. So it blesses me too!

    Thanks for the wishes for Darcy. She's having some serious breathing issues and sometimes you can see she is not getting enough air. My husband and I have been holding vigil all day. She's sleeping now and breathing perfectly normally! Maybe she psyched herself out. Thanks for asking, though, she's our baby.

    In Him,
    Mary

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  15. Hey Mary, your testimony is very inspiring.

    My mom has cancer (4 tumours) and firmly believes God will heal her when He's ready. She's lived for several years now without treatment except for prayers. She doesn't walk the miles she used to and gets dizzy sometimes, but she's holding fast to her faith of healing.

    Thank you for sharing with us at the Inkwell. I hope you'll come back and post with us again soon.

    Anita Mae.

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  16. Oh Mary, I hope Darcy is ok. I'm so sorry.

    Anita, that's amazing about your mom. What a prayer warrior she must be.

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  17. HI ladies,

    a wonderful posting...and thanks for the chance to read mary's novel :)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

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  18. Karen, I've got you entered into the drawing! Thanks for coming by.

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  19. Congratulations KarenK! You won the copy of Mary's book. I'll be in touch to get your address!

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How Our Giveaways Work: The Official Rules

We, the ladies of Inkwell Inspirations, would love to give free stuff to everybody. Since we can't, we will often have a giveaway in conjunction with a specific post. Unless otherwise stated, one winner will be drawn from comments left on that post between the date it was published and the end of the giveaway as determined in the post. Entries must be accompanied by a valid email address. This address is used only to contact the commenter in the event that he/she is the winner, and will not be sold, distributed, or used in any other fashion. The odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. NO PURCHASE, PLEDGE, OR DONATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

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