Scripture and a Snapshot - Happy Canada Day!

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us."

~Acts 17:24-27~

God showed me this passage from Paul's speech in Athens shortly after we'd moved from western Canada to south Jersey. We wondered why were there. God's hand in moving us there was obvious (and it's a story for another time!) but the purpose for our being there didn't seem clear. But God had marked out our time in history and the boundaries of the lands we'd live in, and he did it so we - and those we came in contact with - would seek him and find him. No matter where I live or where I travel, it's no surprise to God. And the main purpose is always to glorify him and seek him, and help others to draw closer to him too.

Happy Canada Day!

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - A Brush With Shadows

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A Brush with Shadows (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber - Lady Kiera and her husband Sebastian Gage barely finish solving a murder case in Ireland when Gage receives a letter from his grandfather, Lord Tavistock, summoning him to the family home. He hasn't been to his childhood home for fifteen years, but his cousin - the heir to the title and estate - has gone missing. Gage and Kiera don't receive a very warm welcome as his aunt and younger cousin seem to resent their arrival, but Lord Tavistock is gravely ill and cousin Alfred is still missing.

They dutifully begin tracking down any clues to Alfred's whereabouts, while being subjected to the scorn of Gage's aunt and the changing whims of cousin Rory. Since Gage grew up in the house, he knows about some secret passageways and blocks access to their bedchamber, but Kiera's dreams of someone standing over them while they sleep prove to be reality. Who is stealing into their room and trying to harm them? And is Alfred missing due to foul play, or has he disappeared of his own volition? Is there any connection between the story of a family curse and the disappearances?

Gage must face his difficult memories and find the truth before harm comes to Kiera or to other members of the family.

By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts, A Grave Matter, A Study in Death, A Pressing Engagement, This Side of Murder, As Death Draws Near

This book is a 4 Word Title for the Full House Reading Challenge 2018 hosted by The Book Date.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - Good News

Like cold water to a thirsty soul,

so is good news from a far country.

~Proverbs 25:25~

When this proverb was written, news took a long time to travel. Even the most urgent messages for kings and princes. Even a few hundred years ago, news from a far country could take weeks or months. When the first European settlers came to North America . . . when pioneers first started traveling west . . . news still traveled slowly, and often only the most important messages were sent, and in the most economical way. Then came the telegraph, and the telephone, and these inventions continued to be improved. And today we can send an email or an instant message and it really travels almost instantly to that far country. We can call far countries on our cellphones and speak to our loved ones in real time. Do we even appreciate how easy it is to communicate and to share good news? 

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Wordless Wednesday - Lanterns

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I recently got a couple of lanterns for my deck. I wish I'd bought one or two more because I really like them. Although the kids say they look "ominous" at night. They are solar powered LED bulbs, so I haven't been able to get a decent photo of them lit up.

This post is linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life at Rossmont; and at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea's Scribble Pad.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

What I'm Reading - June 18, 2018

This post contains affiliate links. 

This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next!

I finished reading . . .  

Nothing this week!

I'm currently reading . . .

Delilah: Treacherous Beauty by Angela Hunt - I'm finding myself sympathizing with Delilah as I read this novel based on the Biblical story!

 


A Brush with Shadows (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber - Lady Kiera and Sebastian Gage are at his childhood home searching for his missing cousin and trying to unravel the possibly related mysteries.




The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective by Gina Ferguson - this is an art history text I'm reviewing for the Homeschool Review Crew.

Next on the stack... 

A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden
Together Forever (Orphan Train) by Jody Hedlund
Treacherous Is the Night (A Verity Kent Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber
Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi (Experiencing God) by David Crowder


   


   

On my blogs recently . . .

Here on Just A Second:

Scripture and a Snapshot - Praise the LORD
Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - A Brush With Shadows

And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Homeschool Highlights - Summer School Edition, June 15th, 2018
Flag Day 2018
Virtual Refrigerator - Pure As Gold
From the High School Lesson Book - A Year-End Summary

What are you reading?

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - Praise the LORD

Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens

and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for at his command they were created,

and he established them for ever and ever --

he issued a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle,

small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all natison,

you princes and all rulers on earth,

young men and women,

old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for his name alone is exalted;

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

And he has raised up for his people a horn,

the praise of all his favored servants,

of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the LORD.

~Psalm 148~

Scripture & a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

Sunday Scripture Blessings is hosted by Peabea Scribble Pad.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - A Brush With Shadows

This post contains affiliate links. 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My heart kicked in my chest at the prospect that my dream had been real. That someone had stood over us in our sleep.

~A Brush with Shadows (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber, page 53

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by I'd Rather Be At The Beach. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading.

JULY 1831

DARTMOOR, ENGLAND

The first time I laid eyes on Langstone Manor, I could not blame my husband for over fifteen years. I'm sure it didn't help that the weather was far from hospitable. Heavy gray clouds filled the sky, releasing sheets of rain that obscured the horizon, all but concealing my view of the infamous moors rising to the east. But even on a bright, sunlit day, I struggled to imagine the house being more inviting. In truth, it appeared downright foreboding, even without the painful memories that plagued Gage.

Memories I could see weighing on him now. They were written in the tautness of his brow and the deep pools of his eyes as he stared up at the stone manor through our hired carriage's window. Sebastian Gage had conducted dozens of precarious inquiries, had faced down Turkish warriors in the Greek War of Independence, and had most recently been winged by a bullet fired by a temperamental Irish housemaid during our last inquiry only a week before, but this place somehow still troubled him.

Here's the blurb:

July 1831. It's been fifteen years since Sebastian Gage has set foot in Langstone Manor. Though he has shared little with his wife, Lady Kiera Darby, about his past, she knows that he planned never to return to the place of so many unhappy childhood memories. But when an urgent letter from his grandfather reaches them in Dublin, Ireland, and begs Gage to visit, Kiera convinces him to go.

All is not well at Langstone Manor. Gage's grandfather, the Viscount Tavistock, is gravely ill, and Gage's cousin Alfred has suddenly vanished. He wandered out into the moors and never returned. The Viscount is convinced someone or something other than the natural hazards of the moors is to blame for Alfred's disappearance. And when Alfred's brother Rory goes missing, Kiera and Gage must concede he may be right. Now, they must face the ghosts of Gage's past, discover the truth behind the local superstitions, and see beyond the tricks being played by their very own eyes to expose what has happened to Gage's family before the moors claim yet another victim . . .

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.