As a baby Christian I strode into my newfound faith
with confidence, certain I loved God enough to always listen to Him. Yes, I was naïve, but passionate about God
and His great love. It’s not always easy to place the situations of life and
tough decisions in God’s hands. Years ago, I walked to the front of my church
and asked God to mold me and shape me. And I pledged that I would accept
anything He allowed. When I look back I realize I didn’t fully know what I was
getting myself into, but if given the opportunity to do it again, I would.
I was confident that I would be pliant to His will.
And though well-intentioned I was also young and inexperienced. It didn’t take
long to let myself and my heavenly Father down. After all, I am only human.
Through the many years of my Christian walk I have
failed to be obedient, and I’ve been triumphant in obedience. The amazing thing
is that in both circumstances God has blessed me.
Thirty-seven years ago, my husband and I were certain
God wanted us to move from our home in Washington to a little farm in Southern
Oregon. We were right, but our timing was off. We realized after the fact, that
we’d spend too little time in prayer and even less time listening for God’s guidance.
We needed to have our way and so we moved. What a
year we had—one of the toughest in our married life. But we learned so much—our
faith was tested and we discovered the importance of prayer and listening. All
that we gained was worth the suffering we endured. In spite of us, God used the
experience to feed our growth.
We made a bad choice, but He is merciful and God
wastes nothing.
One of the beautiful things about His perfect love is
that when we misstep he is still looking to the greater good, watching out for
us, and teaching us even while we are in
the midst of the sorrows we brought upon us by our own pour choices. If we
allow Him to lead, He will take us to a place of beauty and rest.
In my new book, Return
to the Misty Shore, Luba falls in love with a handsome, but brooding native
man whose lifestyle can’t be more different than hers. Luba is native, but she grew
up in the white culture of nineteenth century Alaska and learned to walk in the
Christian faith. Nicholas lives in a primitive Alaskan village on the Aleutian
Island of Unalaska. He believes in the old ways and trusts in many different
gods.
Luba is blinded by her attraction to Nicholas and is
convinced that if she marries him she can change him. When her parents refuse
to give their blessing Luba runs off with the man she loves, hoping God will
bless their union even though she has refused to listen to God or to her
parents and has gone her own way.
Luba and Nicholas live out an adventure, but it comes
at great cost. And there is no promise of a “happily-ever-after” future for
these two. As readers cheer for them, pray for them and even yell at them, I
hope they will remember Hebrews 12:11, which says, “Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it
produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it.”
God is good
all the time. He never abandons His children. And no matter our circumstances,
we can be confident that His love
will never waver.
About the book:
In the spring of 1885, Luba Engstrom
meets Nicholas Matroona, a strong, brooding Native from the island of Unalaska.
Against her parents’ wishes, she elopes, believing love will be enough to
bridge the gap between the civilized world of Juneau and the primitive culture
of Nicholas’s small village. After all, before Luba was born, her mother lived
on a wild Alaskan island until she was forced to leave when a tsunami destroyed
her people. But from the moment Luba arrives at Nicholas’s home, she struggles
to adapt and learn the village ways.
Will the conflict between her husband’s belief in ancient gods and her faith in Jesus Christ the Redeemer destroy Luba and Nicholas’s relationship?
Return to the Misty Shore—the third book in the
Northern Lights series.
Bonnie is very graciously offering to giveaway a copy of her new book Return to the Misty Shore to one reader. Please leave a comment to enter - and include contact information.
Thank you for joining us, today, Bonnie! A pleasure to hear about your new book. I can't wait to read it!
Thank you for joining us, today, Bonnie! A pleasure to hear about your new book. I can't wait to read it!
About the author:
Bonnie Leon is the author of twenty-two
novels, including the recently released Return
to the Misty Shore, the popular Alaskan
Skies and bestselling The Journey of
Eleven Moons.
Bonnie’s books are being read
internationally and she hears from readers in Australia, Europe, Poland, and
even Africa. 4
She enjoys speaking for women’s
groups and teaching at writing seminars and conventions and especially delights
in mentoring young authors. These days, her time is filled with writing, being
a grandmother and relishing precious time with her aged mother.
Bonnie and her husband, Greg, live
in Southern Oregon. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.
You can find bonnie at:
9 comments:
I haven't read any of Bonnie Leon's books but had heard about Return to Misty Shore. Her testimony shows God's great love and mercy to His children. Thank you for featuring Bonnie Leon on your blog. I'll have to add this book to my never ending TBR list. Thanks Bonnie for the giveaway. The winner will be blessed to read this heartfelt inspiratoinal story.
marilynridgway78[at]gmail[dot]com
I really lije books that are enjoyable, but also use story lines about life and different cultures, and especially how ones faith is challenged and grows. Thanks for comining all of the above! Thank you for the generous giveaway offer, too!
janice
pjrcmoore(AT)windstream(DOT)net
I really enjoy books like this, with an entertaining element while having an interesting story, along with a character's challenge to their faith and resulting stronger faith. Thank you! Thanks also for the giveaway!
Janice
pjrcmoore(at)windstream(dot)net
Marilyn, so happy you stopped in. I hope you'll have a chance to read the book.
Many blessings to you.
Hi Janice.
Those are the kind of book I like, too. Thank you for your encouragement.
Peace to you.
Wow, I love the premise of this book! Thank you for sharing and for the opportunity to possibly win a copy--well done, Laura and Bonnie. kf1928(at)telus(dot)net.
Oh, goody. Another book set in Alaska! I've read two of Bonnie's books in the Alaskan Skies series and loved them. I'm also passionate about the First Nations People and their culture, so when I saw this giveaway, I had to enter.
~Linda
lindastrawn (at) yahoo (dot) come
An interesting premise and setting. Sounds like an excellent read. Thank you for sharing, Bonnie.
Congratulations to Linda
Post a Comment