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Biblically Speaking – Ways of Men (vs. God’s way)

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Part 20 in my study on what is abomination in the sight of God.
Recap:
Many believers have fallen into accepting that which is abomination in the sight of God. Unless we study God’s Word to learn His Mind on what is abominable, how will we know to purge ourselves from abomination? Lord willing, I will be posting the fruits of my study on the word “abomination,” but feel free to leap ahead of me and study it for yourself. What is an abomination to God?

Ways of Men (contrary to ways of God)
Luke 16:15 – And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
In context, this verse follows Luke 16:13-14, No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

The Pharisees had their list of rules of “right and wrong” however Jesus reminded them that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways. We can refuse to listen, but that does not change God’s laws and His ways.

Shapes and Swirls | Graphics Design

Published on by Amanda Tero6 Comments

Last week, I pushed all of my fonts on you. This week, I’m going to introduce something that I have SO MUCH FUN with! Some are under the category of “Dingbat,” others are just swirls and designs. All of them plug into your fonts on your computer.

Some of the dingbats/swirls I have on my computer and use often are Kfon, Nymphette, WW Floral Corner. 

For example, here is the banner I created for Orphan Journeys:


You can see it on the top of Journey to Love.


Compare the new Orphan Journeys series banner to my former thought (which was…no banner).


How did I create the new and improved? Let me introduce you to my favorite “font,” Nymphette. I probably overuse it, I like it so much!

First, I kept “Orphan Journeys” in the font Cinzel. Then, using good ol’ font Times New Romans I placed a line on top and on bottom of my text (yeah, I could have just drawn a line, but this is just how I do things the hard way).

THEN, the fun part! I used Nymphette letters KL (capital, yes) to create the double swirl. Then, I copied those, flipped them horizontally, and here ya go.


It is simple, but adds so much! Here are a couple of other designs in which I’ve used Nymphette to embellish:

What do you use to embellish your work?

Do you have a link to something you’ve designed? Share it in a comment–I’d love to stop by and see it!

A Dream Not Imagined | Book Review

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

I read A Dream Not Imagined a few months ago…but it is one of those sweet reads that I highly recommend and, as I had an empty “book review” slot, decided that it’s a great option to fill in for today.

About the Book

A Maid, a Prince, and a Duke. A Gardener, a Stepmother, and a secret… 

Ellie Abbington, a beautiful yet unassuming young woman, quietly longs for her life to change. Too privileged to associate with the servants—too underprivileged to associate with her own family; she dreams a dream of a prince and a happily ever after. 

But it could be that her own stepsisters, conniving Dezmarie and easily-influenced Adelaide, are dreaming the same dream…of the same prince. 

In the end, are dreams even all they’re made out to be? Especially with deep and long-hidden secrets about to be unearthed? 

A Dream Not Imagined is a non-magical fairytale novella based loosely on the classic tale of Cinderella.

My Review

I thought this was such a sweet, innocent story. For a Cinderella retelling, there were a couple of surprising plot twists which I thoroughly enjoyed. In a way, it kept me guessing, but at the same time, I could still figure out what would LIKELY happen. There was a sense of mystery with Lady Abbington’s actions–and I did figure out what that mystery was a little bit before it was spilled. 😉

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t overly romantic. In fact, I don’t even think they kissed–“the man” (which you’ll have to read to discover who HE is ;)), just kissed her forehead, from what I remembered.

I greatly appreciated the concept portrayed in this book–which this quote does so well in summing up:
“There comes a time,” Lottie went on gently, “when we need to stop and let God write our love stories. In that moment, something will happen; you’ll stop ruining your life.” She chuckled softly, then went on with steady eyes, “And a dream will come true. A dream you’ve not imagined.”

Buy the Book

Find the book on Amazon

About the Author

Shantelle Mary Hannu was born in the mountainous west, spending her golden childhood years there. Since then, she has relocated time and again with her parents and seven siblings, making cherished memories in both the South and Central United States.

A Christian homeschool graduate, Shantelle has a passion for writing and all things books. From a young age she’s been penning tales with a hope of sharing with the world adventurous and soul-stirring stories that bring glory to God.

A Dream Not Imagined, a fairytale novella, is her first published book. She’s currently preparing a full-length fantasy novel for publication as well, and working on its sequel.

Shantelle blogs at A Writer’s Heart:  http://shantellemaryh.blogspot.com/ about her stories, favorite books and movies (with reviews), healthy wheat-free recipes, and hosts fellow authors, among other things. One of her joys is connecting with fellow writers and readers! You can also find her on:

Facebook: Shantelle Mary Hannu, Author (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shante…)
Twitter: @shantellemary (https://twitter.com/shantellemary)
Goodreads: Shantelle Mary Hannu (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show…)
Google+: Shantelle H. (https://plus.google.com/1017721315637…)
Pinterest: Shantelle H. (https://www.pinterest.com/h0160/) 

Word Wednesday #99

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. 
Numbers 11:23
The Lord’s hand is not slack–but it must be according to His promises. We must be careful to not guarantee that God will do something that He has not promised in His Word. He is able to do the impossible, but that is according to His promises–not ours.
~*~*~

Share a verse that God has given you today or copy the button if you’d like to join in Word Wednesdays with your blog! Did you post on your blog? I’d love to see — share your link in a comment!

 
 

Biblically Speaking – Prayers of the Rebellious

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Part 19 in my study on what is abomination in the sight of God.
Recap:
Many believers have fallen into accepting that which is abomination in the sight of God. Unless we study God’s Word to learn His Mind on what is abominable, how will we know to purge ourselves from abomination? Lord willing, I will be posting the fruits of my study on the word “abomination,” but feel free to leap ahead of me and study it for yourself. What is an abomination to God?

The Prayers of Rebellious
Proverbs 28:9 – He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

This goes along with Psalm 66:18, If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: We cannot live however we please and expect God to hear our prayers. 1 Peter 3:12 guarantees, For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. God, being the just and holy Savior that He is, cannot mar His purity by looking on and condoning our sin. One cannot rebel against the Lord and expect Him to hear our prayer.

Font Craze! | Graphics Design

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Part of the fun of graphics designing is playing around with different fonts. Your computer will not have the explosion of fonts that you need to be creative. It just won’t. And Times New Romans won’t get you much of anywhere.

Here is a list of the fonts that I have on my computer. And honestly, it’s a really small list for a graphics designer. I’m getting there slowly.
A couple of things you want to watch for before cramming your computer with thousands of fonts. If you’re designing things to sell, you need to be sure that you’re getting commercial free fonts. This is why I have a list–so that when I need a font, I can look to make sure I’m using a free font (and not just grabbing one from my computer which may be intended for personal use only). Secondly, beware of where you’re downloading them. You can get viruses on your computer by downloading anything from just anywhere online. I use fontspace.com. I’m not saying that you can’t get viruses from them, but so far, I’ve not had a problem.

Here’s a list of the fonts you see above if you want to copy and paste in the search option.
Abase
Ablution
Alex Brush
Allura
American Text
Anglican Text
Aspire Demi
Blackletter
Blackletter embossed
Blackwood Castle
Blackwood Castle Shadow
Bootle
Brock Script
Canterbury
Cardif
Cardinal
Cardinal Alternate
Carnival Freakshow
Carnivalee MF
Champignon
ChopinScript
Cinzel
Cinzel Decorative
Cinzel Decorative Black
Circus
Circus Ornate
Clicker Script
Cloister Black
Coffee Tin
Constantine
Dancing Script
Dearest
Dearest Open
Dearest Outline
Deutsch Zierschrift
Egyptienne Zierinitialien
English Gothic
English Towne
Fancy Card Text
Fancy Text
Forum
Gabriella
Garineldo
Garineldo 01
Garineldo 02
Glametrix
Great Vibes
HD Corners
HFF Young Wanna
HFF Young Wanna Plain
Hilda Sonnenschein
Holy Union
Italianno
Jenna Sue
Josephine Slab
Kirvy
Kleymissky
License Plate
ManuskriptGotisch
Marcellus
Mattresses Font
Montez
Mutlu
Monarchia
Nashville
Oregon
Oregon LDO black
Oregon LDO black sinistral
Oregon LDO book
Oregon LDO black Sinistral
Oregon LDO condensed
Oregon LDO condensed black
Oregon LDO demibold
Oregon LDO black sinistral
Oregon LDO extended
Oregon LDO extended black
Oregon LDO vanishing
Parisienne
Playball
Precious
Print Clearly
Print bold
Print dashed
Rawengulk
Redressed
Resagorkr
Resamitz
Rochester
Romantiques
Royal
Royaltwo
Ruthie
SchneidlerInitialen
Scriptina Pro
Shadowed Serif
Stalemate
Trajanus
Wild West Shadow
Wild West USA
Wild West Wind
Windsong

For the fun of it, here are some of the fonts I’ve used for my newest book covers.

Orphan Journeys, Amanda Tero – Cinzel
Marie’s Story, 1901 – Cinzel in italics
Journey to Love – Redressed

Debt of Mercy, Amanda Tero – Trajanus
a short story by – PoorRichard

Peace, Be Still – ChopinScript
Amanda Tero – Cinzel

What are some of your favorite fonts? 
Where do you get your fonts?

Room for Hope | Book Review

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Some books just have a happy, cozy feel to them. That was totally the case for me with Room for Hope. Ms. Sawyer tackled a tough case with the Shillings–unfaithfulness, adoption, forgiveness, thievery, rejection, acceptance, and trust. Wow, so much skillfully portrayed in one book!


Ms. Sawyer had a very good balance with the romance in this novel (for my preference). The theme of the story was definitely more about family and their trials than one finding their “happily ever after.” I can honestly say that I enjoyed practically every minute of reading this book.

I did find it a little strange with the pastor and his visions–it was just a hint of strangeness.

Younger readers might want not want to read this book because of the very circumstance that threads the story together. Ms. Sawyer was very discreet as she dealt with the dad’s unfaithfulness, and even in occasions when someone called the children a vile name, she never wrote what the word was.

Beautiful quote from there:
“I can’t look at year’s and weeks. I have to look at souls and sales. What would God have me view as the most valued?”

*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review*

About the Book

In a desperate time, can Neva find forgiveness for a grievous wrong—and make room for hope?

Neva Shilling has a heavy load of responsibility while her husband travels to neighboring communities and sells items from his wagon. In his absence, she faithfully runs the Shilling Mercantile, working to keep their business strong as the Depression takes its toll, and caring for their twins.

When a wagon pulls up after supper, Neva and her children rush out—and into the presence of the deputy driving a wagon carrying three young children. The deputy shocks her with the news that Warren and his wife have died, insisting it was their last request that the three children go live with “Aunt Neva.”

Neva’s heart is shattered as she realizes that Warren’s month-long travels were excuses for visits with his secret family. She wants nothing more than to forget Warren, but can she abandon these innocent children to an orphanage? Yet if she takes them in, will she ever be able to see them as more than evidence of her husband’s betrayal and love them the way God does?

About the Author
Kim Vogel Sawyer is the highly acclaimed, best-selling author of gentle stories of hope such as What Once Was Lost and Through the Deep Waters. With more than one million books in print, Kim has garnered numerous awards including the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. She lives in central Kansas with her retired military husband Don. She enjoys travel, quilting, and spending time with her daughters and grandchildren.

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