“Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me.
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!”
~ Psalm 103:2-5
Last month I was delighted to spend some much-longed-for time in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, my beloved homeplace. Dave and I welcomed this opportunity to visit with dear cousins, longtime Amish friends, and research consultants. We also worshiped with our Mennonite friends at the Strasburg Mennonite Church, where my own precious grandparents, Omar and Ada Buchwalter, are buried in the historic graveyard.
We stopped in at the Old Candle Barn in the Village of Intercourse, where a scene from my new book, The Christmas House, takes place. I was fortunate to talk with the manager, Melissa Hurst, and even took a picture with her! Now she knows how fond I am of her incredible store.
The next day, while visiting with my Amish friends Rachel and her husband, Sam, and their family at Smucker's Quilts in New Holland, I spotted a handmade quillow on the shelf and immediately purchased it as a surprise birthday present for my sister, Barbara. Rachel's little preschool-age granddaughters—five of them, all dressed in pastel-colored dresses and with their braids wound around their little heads—came out to the store, stood side-by-side in a row, and sang five songs about Jesus for us. Oh, I wish you could have been with me that day! One of the many sweet memories I cherish!
Now . . . you might be wondering: What is a quillow? If you’ve never seen one in an Amish shop or elsewhere, it is simply a lap quilt with a reversible pocket, the fabric placed in such a way as to be folded to fit inside the pocket, which forms a plump pillow. So, quilt or pillow, you can have both. Quite creative, I must say!
Like that Amish quillow, giving gratitude to God offers us so much more than we might expect. It is about more than thankfulness. Gratitude is a form of worship, too, and it builds up our faith while drawing us ever closer to Jesus, making it possible to receive more of His blessings. Prayers of gratitude inspire our mind, enhance our outlook, and fill our heart with joy. Gratitude can turn into a blessing!
This season of Thanksgiving, let us unfold the quillow of gratitude as we worship our heavenly Father, and in so doing receive all that He has for us. Perhaps, far beyond our dearest hopes and wishes.
Blessings abundant!
—Beverly Lewis
1) It touches my heart the way you show up again and again for each of my new book releases, friends. Your enthusiastic response to The Christmas House is inspiring and delightful, and I am so thankful. Here are the retailer links:
Baker Book House (30% off and free US shipping )
2) My sister, Barbara, and I have created a new, handcrafted card to help you spread encouragement and cheer this Thanksgiving—$2.75 each or 5 cards for $12.50. Order yours at: www.amishcheer.com/seasonal
3) What a surprise to see The Christmas House top the ECPA Fiction bestsellers list! Thanks to all of you, and to many who purchased several copies for Christmas gift-giving. You continue to amaze me, dear reader-friends!
“When you are harvesting in your field, and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”
~ Deuteronomy 24:19
If you’ve had the wonderful-good opportunity to visit the Amish farmland of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, during the harvest, I hope you’ve had time to explore the backroads to see Amish families working together in the fields. Amish wives and daughters work alongside their husbands and fathers—a family affair, to be sure.
Perhaps if you’ve gone, you’ve stopped at a roadside vegetable stand to purchase a “punkin” or gourds of all colors and sizes. And what a thrill to choose from a variety of sweet potatoes, too, and carrots, spinach, and artichokes, all fresh and still in season.
The harvest is a busy and important time for the farmer, the culmination of weeks and months of planting, cultivating, and toil.
In Matthew 9: 36-38, our Lord compares the work of sharing the Gospel to the harvest when He says to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the LORD of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Yes, the work of reaching out to the people around us with the Good News about Jesus and serving as His hands and feet in the world takes time and energy. It can also be discouraging when those most in need of Christ reject Him. Yet He calls us to be faithful and continue laboring for the spiritual harvest of souls. We must be persistent, never giving up. We are those laborers Jesus refers to, working together—a family affair.
So, let’s continue to labor together cheerfully without wavering, striving ever onward to share God’s great love with the lost around us.
Blessings for a beautiful autumn and October!
—Beverly Lewis
1) Now is a good time to begin stocking up on Christmas gifts, and my latest book, The Christmas House might just be the perfect choice for someone who enjoys a sweet romance set in Amish farmland. Here are the retailer links:
Baker Book House (30% off and free US shipping )
2) My sister, Barbara, and I have created a lovely new card, "Harvest Blessings," which is ideal for Pastor Appreciation Month. Order yours at: https://www.amishcheer.com/product-page/harvest-blessings
3) I want to thank you for helping make The Christmas House #1 in the categories of Amish Romances and in Amish and Mennonite Romances at Amazon.com right out the gate in early September! So many of you have also reviewed on Goodreads, BookBub, Amazon, and other outlets, which I truly appreciate! I hope you have the chance to enjoy the autumn colors, as well as some cooler weather, friends!
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. . . .”
~ Colossians 3:23
I still remember hearing my mother recite this verse as my sister, Barbara, and I were growing up—although from the King James Bible—encouraging us to do everything for the glory of God.
I have carried that verse in my heart all these years, dedicating my writing, researching, and polishing of manuscripts to Him, desiring God's blessing on everything I do. That includes, of course, nurturing my children, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, entertaining guests, and studying Scripture.
When the start of school comes around each year, many moms talk about how hectic things get, gathering the required list of classroom-related items, school clothes shopping, etc. While it can indeed be a very busy time, in the midst of all that, it’s important to give ourselves a little grace and remember that preparation for anything worthwhile can be taxing.
If you’re like me, you crave order. With school schedules and work routines often comes a comforting sense of predictability that can also help to ease stress.
My Amish friends certainly understand this. Their lives run on the track of predictability connected to the changing seasons. Their daily work is dictated by the crops they raise. They know that September brings harvesting field corn and filling silos for livestock feed, and picking pumpkins and apples, among other crops. A lot of canning takes place, too, the best way to preserve the abundance of tomatoes and peppers and various kinds of delicious produce they grow. Everywhere in Amish country, there is the joy of families coming together to work.
On a completely different note, this September 2 marks the official release of The Christmas House, my new book, with the setting being Hickory Hollow in December—my first ever Christmas novella! I’m thrilled to tell you that Ella Mae Zook is a part of this story, and in spite of her advanced years, her wisdom has not waned one iota. The book features Liz Lantz, a delightful young Amish woman who shares her unique perspective on the holidays and on day-to-day life while giving people tours in her Amish buggy—including a drive past the house a new-to-the-area Englisher family have decorated to the hilt, to the dismay of some of their Amish neighbors. Naturally, Liz’s buggy tours have to end up at Ella Mae’s for Christmas cookies. And accompanying Liz on these tours is the handsome young man who, on the recommendation of her father, is filling in as her assistant for several weeks.
Well, that’s enough of a sneak peek! I’ll let you read all the rest. :) I think you’re going to love this sweet romance and experiencing the Old Order Amish Christmas traditions, too. If you’d like to order a copy for your own festive reading or to give as a gift, see the UPDATES below for retailer links.
My heartfelt thanks to so many of you for requesting a Hickory Hollow Amish Christmas story. The Christmas House is for you!
Autumn blessings,
—Beverly Lewis
1) The launch of a new book is always an exciting time! Here are the retailer links for The Christmas House.
Baker Book House (40% off and free US shipping through September 1)
There are also other retailer outlets, if you wish. Here are a few of them:
2) On another cheerful aside, my "Just A Note" card is brand new and available at:
3) I'm enjoying a steady pace of writing this summer--yes, a new story is in the works, but top secret. Enjoy the rest of September's warm days, soaking up the sunshine, and spending time with family and friends. Thanks, too, for your ever-kind and delightful comments about my books. You are the best reader-friends, for certain!
"...Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."
~ Ephesians 4:32
Recently, I've sadly come to realize how very divided we are in our churches when it comes to differing points of view. The chasm of discourse is deep and wide and as sharply split as our country. Yet, we who are in Christ have been knitted together in God’s great love. What would it look like if we could set aside our differences like gracious and loving brothers and sisters do, growing together in a family?
As Ephesians four says, we must do so by being kind. When we demonstrate kindness, we encourage one another. And don’t we, each of us, appreciate an uplifting comment from time to time? Don’t we sometimes need it? Kindness increases empathy and compassion, and often improves one’s mood. I’ve read that it can even reduce blood pressure! Isn’t that amazing?
My Amish friends are excellent examples of kindness. Amish folk are hospitable and generous; they freely give of their time and resources—and money—to assist other church members in times of need. (Because of biannual almsgiving, they don’t even need health insurance. What a beautiful thing!) But they show that same kindness to outsiders who do not share their old ways or traditions. Last year, a group of sixty-two Amish constructed twelve tiny homes in North Carolina to help families who lost their houses in Hurricane Helene. And all out of the kindness of their hearts. In fact, Amish folk are often the very first to offer help after a tornado or a flood in states far from their own homes and farms.
Now, I’m not suggesting we all become Amish, but through these actions and others, they seek to live lives that reflect the Fruit of the Spirit and that live up to these words in Ephesians. Kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness can certainly go a long way in quelling strife between two opposing sides. I pray we might all practice this essential instruction from this verse. What if we tried doing so for one week, then one month, and so on? What if we made it a habit?
Thinking of others and their feelings shows maturity in Christ. Abiding together in unity is a blessing for any church community or country, whether we see eye to eye or not. It is precious in God’s sight.
In Christ,
—Beverly Lewis
1) Time is flying by and very soon The Christmas House will release on September 2nd. If you haven't preordered and would like to receive 40% off the retail price, as well as free shipping in the US, you have until September 1 to cash in on this amazing savings, friends!
Baker Book House (40% off and free US shipping through September 1)
There are also other retailer outlets, if you wish. Here are a few of them:
2)I hope you're enjoying summertime outings and some delicious food, while making new memories with family and friends. And spreading kindness, too! Thanks very much for your thoughtful and enthusiastic remarks about my writing, as well--always a lovely encouragement!