Last Sunday at church, we sang “Above All,” a modern hymn written by Lenny LeBlanc and Paul Baloche, and popularized by Michael W. Smith over twenty years ago. When the congregation reached the chorus and hit the word “crucified,” a lot of things went through my mind.
As I sang the word “crucified” aloud, it sounded to me like this should be the season of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, but actually, leading into the Christmas holiday season, I was reminded yet again why I need to have a heart of Thanksgiving first before I can sing “Joy to the world! The Lord is come!”
What are you most thankful for?
As we know, the Thanksgiving week I’m writing about next week is generally an American holiday. Canada and South Korea celebrated Thanksgiving way back in October. However, I believe that as a Christian, I need to be thankful all year round, dates on calendars notwithstanding. I think I’ve said it before that to me, everyday is a day of thanksgiving.
What are you most thankful for?
I am forever thankful because God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
My life verse is John 3:16, but it’s not the only verse in the Bible that talks about salvation in Christ.
“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
What do you like best about the InspyRomance blog?
Oh, there are so many people whom I’m grateful to God for. And so many things too!
On this InspyRomance blog, I appreciate the leadership team’s hard work in making everything run smoothly. We can see evidence of this. For example, there’s a wonderful blog for all of us to read every day. I do believe that the authors who are blogging here are meant to be here, and each author writes something different every time. So a big round of applause to the leaders, Valerie Comer, Elizabeth Maddrey, and Narelle Atkins, for putting everything together. Ladies, you rock!
What do you like best about the InspyRomance blog?
For me, one of the fun and refreshing things abut this blog site is the variety of blogs every day. When the daily dose of blog arrives in my mailbox, I never know what it’s about until I read it. I hope you’re getting notifications daily so that you don’t miss our blog posts, including mine. You can also check out the blog calendar to see when all the authors are posting each month.
Since I’m so busy writing my own books, I hardly have time to keep with all my author friends’ new releases, but I can see a whole list of books coming soon on the InspyRomance website that I need to add to my to-be-read pile of books (it’s about seven years high now). And the annual birthday bash is especially fun with many book giveaways.
Speaking of books to read, if you’ve never heard of me or haven’t read any of my books, how about checking out my free contemporary Christian romance ebook, Time for Me (A Vacation Sweethearts Prequel), that’s available to readers all around the world via BookFunnel?
Don’t forget to comment on the two questions above:
- What are you most thankful for?
- What do you like best about the InspyRomance blog?
If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving this week (or all year round), I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and may God bless you always!
USA Today bestselling novelist Jan Thompson writes clean and wholesome multiethnic contemporary Christian romance with elements of women’s fiction, Christian romantic suspense with an air of mystery, and inspirational international thrillers with threads of sweet Christian romance. Join Jan's mailing list for her latest book news: JanThompson.com/newsletter
What a wonderful post. Thank you
I am thankful we will be together for the holidays
I love the positivity, the willingness to tackle what can be confronting issues and all the time and effort the authors commit to making the blog a ray of sunshine at the end of the day for me
Hi Jan! As a German American, my family embraces Thanksgiving as our favorite American holiday and Christmas is a blend of German and American traditions. Today is Day 18 in Oma’s Gratitude Month ABCs. R is for Rest, Restaurant and Roads. This retiree is so thankful to have health to enjoy backROADS travel to Restaurants and being able to Rest when needed. Love my after lunch naps. LOL. Yesterday Hubby and I took a back roads trip to Amish country – Middlebury, Indiana to Das Dutchman Essenhaus for their buffet lunch and annual Tour of Trees – 20 beautifully decorated trees. The trees inspire me in my holiday decorations.
I have been following Valerie Comer and reading Inspy Romance blog for a decade. The highlight of my morning is reading the blog and interacting with authors and readers. As a retired high school German and English teacher over the years I have interacted with authors at conferences and through email. What I appreciate about IR is the diversity of authors and troupes. Learned much about the eBook publishing business and more.
Best wishes! Happy Thanksgiving. Celebrating with oldest son and his family this Sunday. A month early for my youngest grandson’s 16th birthday. His birthday is always overshadowed by Christmas, so Oma is innovated this year by celebrating early. Thankful for the freedom to do so!
Good morning and thanks for sharing today!!
1. What are you most thankful for? I have so much to be thankful for. I agree with you that it should be all done all year long. I am so thankful for my family who has really been a rock for me for all those years that my Epilepsy was not under control. Even now they are still a rock. But Jesus has kept me going and rejoicing with Him
2. What do you like best about the InspyRomance blog? I love the variety of the authors. They are all clean and christian, but their writing and where they come from is very different and that makes all of their writings so wonderful and I can be thankful to Jesus for leading us all on our paths for Him.
I try to be thankful all year round, not just on Thanksgiving!! The thing I’m most thankful for is my salvation through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I love this blog for many reasons, not the least of which is getting to know each of the authors that blog here! And, through them, I’ve found (and read!!) so many great books, and have enough books on my kindle for the next 40 (at least!!) years! I read over 200 books a year, I’m already up to 213 for this year (which I should finish and start 214 today!!).
Hi Jan!! I do follow you and love your newsletters, also. I like what you say about being thankful year round, not just in November when we Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Years ago, I heard or read that you should lead off your prayers with thanksgiving. Ever since then, that is what I do. This morning when I was praying I realized so many things that I was thankful for. I guess the thing I am most thankful for is Father God whom all blessings flow. Followed by family, friends, and so so many blessings.
I so enjoy Inspy Romance. I have met so many awesome authors and love the books they write. I enjoy the variety of the blogs. And, of course, all of the generous giveaways. I have been the recipient several times. Another thing for which to be thankful. 😊
I hope you have a joyous Thanksgiving leading into this holy holiday season. ❤❤
I am thankful for my family, my job and my home.
I think the InspyRomance blog is great, thank you so much to you and all the other writers for all the content, I really enjoy popping in each day and seeing what is being discussed. I love hearing from all the different posters too, I don’t really know anyone who enjoys romance novels, let alone CCR and it’s so nice to hear from others who do, and hear about bits of their lives from all over the world. I thank God for all of you.
Thank you, Dianne.
Good points about the IR positivity. Good way to put it re: “ray of sunshine”
Have a wonderful weekend in the Lord!
Thank you for your comment, Renate!
What a wonderful blessing and creativity to celebrate a birthday early. Sometimes I’d like to think of Birthday Months instead of just one day. Yes, it’s hard for December birthdays but that’s a great idea to have it early.
Ooh love your Oma’s Gratitude Month ABCs. Another great idea there. You’re so creative! I do miss the back roads into the countryside and mountains now that we live at sea level and every year the hurricane “renews” the landscape LOL. Glad you had a good brunch. I haven’t taken out the Christmas decorations yet.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving week!
Thank you, Lori!
Praise the Lord that your family is supportive of you. God takes care of us, doesn’t He? I am always in awe at all the times that God protects when I don’t even realize it until afterwards or much later.
Yes to the variety at IR. Shout out to the leaders of this blog for inviting authors who write differently from one another, but all still contemporary romance. God is good!
Have a blessed weekend in the Lord!
Thank you for your comment, Trudy!
Yes to thanking God all year round. I’m constantly amazed that God is so good!
I know, right re: 40 years of Kindle books. Wow that’s an incredible number of books that you read a year. Glad you’re an avid reader and that you support Christian authors!
Have a blessed Thanksgiving week!
Thank you so much, Bonnie! Glad you’re enjoying my newsletters also.
What a wonderful reminder to start prayers with thanksgiving. It’s so easy for me to ask God for things right away, so I do constantly remind myself to thank God for three things before I ask for one thing. Sometimes I forget, so I’m glad you reminded me of this.
Yes indeed re: “so many blessings.” Praise the Lord!
I’m glad you’re enjoying the IR blogs. I hope to do more giveaways next year. Can you believe there are only 44 days to 2024!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!
Thank you for your comment, Ruthie!
There are very few people whom I know in my in-person local church or community here who read CCR, so I hear you about readers online and worldwide who do read CCR. Isn’t IR a nice community here!
Have a blessed Thanksgiving week!
Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the Lord’s love and forgiveness. I am thankful for my husband who has become my full time caregiver. Even though he is also disabled, he makes sure to help me in things that I cannot do. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
I am grateful for my family and friends and the good performance I have had in college without God I would not have achieved.
I love that there is a site especially dedicated to Christian romance. Before I discovered it, my only source was sites like All About Romance where not all of their reviews or topics interest me, The general romance market is increasingly moving further away from what God considers correct. Even the definition of “clean” in some places is no longer really completely free of sexual content. It is only “clean” because it is not explicitly seen on screen. So sites dedicated to general romance are not always a good refuge for me…sites like the romance books reddit where there are many young girls my age going for even stranger things.
So it’s good to have a site like this where there are many authors publishing content and commenting on topics and books, many of you are independent authors too! I would love to find a site like AAR dedicated exclusively to clean or Christian romance of all the subgenres out there, a girl needs to find her people hehe.
Also thanks to this site I started using Twitter and discovered the beautiful floral verses that Toni Shiloh uploads. I usually share them on my social networks or my WhatsApp statuses, my university classmates like them!
Thank you :)
I am thankful for my husband by my side, for living in a country where early retirement is possible, for having the possibility to write and publish.
Happy Thanksgiving, Debra!
Praise the Lord that you and your hubby are taking good care of each other. God is good!
May God bless you this Thanksgiving week and always!
Thank you for commenting!
Thank you, Lilly!
I hear you about content and what’s out there. Yes, “clean” has varying definitions. You might find some variety under the “Clean & Wholesome” category on Amazon, but even there, it’s up to the authors and publishers to categorize their books that way. That is, they are not necessarily religious fiction, let alone Christian, YKWIM.
Yes, IR is only for CCR, so it’s a niche list of books. Some of us authors write in multiple genres (I do), but not all our books are mentioned here on IR. Until there’s an equivalent site like IR for other genres, perhaps you might consider signing up for your favorite genre authors’ mailing lists. That way, you can get their newsletters and keep up with their next new releases. For example, this is my own mailing list for Christian romance and suspense books that I write: JanThompson.com/newsletter
Thank you for supporting indie authors. Glad you’re enjoying the books!
Yes, to Toni’s Bible verses on X/Twitter. Love reading them too!
Thank you for commenting.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!
Thank you, Marina, for commenting.
Yes, praise the Lord for what you mentioned. It’s always nice to be able to “retire” and do what you really wanted to do for the longest time. Have fun writing and reading!
Have a blessed Thanksgiving week!