Refining Fire ~ Tracie Peterson

/ Gail Johnson

Book Blurb

Purchase Link

Twenty-two-year-old Militine Scott is in training at the Madison Bridal School in Seattle, yet she has no intention of pursuing marriage. What respectable man would have her? But she has found the school provides the perfect opportunity to keep her unsavory past hidden.

Thane Patton, though fun-loving and fiercely loyal to his friends, hides a dark secret, as well. He finds himself drawn to Militine, sensing that she harbors a haunting pain similar to his own.

Will they allow God to make something new and beautiful from the debris of their past?

My Review

This book reads like a mini-series. The second in the series, Refining Fire, is Militine Scott’s story or so you think when reading the first chapter. However, Abrianna Cunningham is the engine that moves the story along. Nothing wrong with that, if you are aware of it at the beginning of the series. Personally, I like the fact there are multiple POVs. I enjoyed learning about everyone at once. And the conversations? Wow. True to the character and filled with scripture. Often, I laughed out loud as I envisioned the actions of the character.

The heart of Refining Fire is the residents of the Madison Bridal School in Seattle Washington during the late 1800s. The owners, Miss Selma, Miss Miriam, and Miss Poisie instruct young ladies in the art of homemaking. Unfortunately, Militine Scott has no desire to become a wife. A runaway, Militine is hiding from an abusive father. She doesn’t trust anyone, including God. Then, Thane Patton asks to court her. A flame of hope kindles and Militine must choose between her past and Thane. Can she find the courage to trust God with her future?

Militine’s friend, Abrianna Cunningham has no time for romance either. Her days are spent taking care of the homeless. If she had a mantra it would be, faith without works is dead. The problem? Her idea of “works” usually gets everyone in trouble!

As Militine, Thane, Abrianna, and Wade go about their daily lives helping others, we watch relationships change as they discover their love for each other.

Ms. Peterson packs her story with historical facts of the Seattle fire. She addresses the subjects of feeding the hungry, women in leadership, human trafficking, abusive authority within the church, forgiveness, healing from past wounds, and finding the will of God for one’s life.

Although I would have liked a little more from Thane and Militine, I loved this book.

If you are a fan of Anne of Green Gables, Cranford, or Lark Rise to Candleford, you will enjoy reading this series.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Change Me

/ Gail Johnson / 2 Comments

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

dying squash-1The leaves were slowly losing color. Green was fading to a sickly yellow. No matter how much I watered or didn’t water, how much I fertilized or didn’t fertilize, nothing seemed to work. If something didn’t change, I was going to lose every squash and zucchini plant in the garden.

After a Google search, I found a gardening site with the information I needed. The owner told me to check the bottom of the plants. If I saw a substance, that looked like sawdust I had vine borers. But, what the article said to do next was unheard of, or at least to my ears. But I had no choice.

And you know everything you read on the internet is true. 🙂

I strode back to the garden where hubby was weeding and told him what I had found. We went in search of the plant murderer. Sure enough, we found the evidence explained on the site. I asked hubby to give me his pocket knife. I located the spot I thought the vine borer was lodged and slit the vine in the direction of the capillaries. Chewing away the life of my plant was a fat white grubby worm.

Warning: If you are sympathetic to pests then you may want to stop reading. The gardening expert suggested I take a toothpick and impale them. I didn’t worry with the toothpick, I used the knife to cut them apart. Yes, I am a mean woman when it comes to a pest eating my hard work.

dying squash2-1Then, I pieced the vine back together the best I could. Unfortunately, a couple of plants died. But the rest lived and produced delicious squash. You can see the new growth in the picture.

I couldn’t help but compare that to a heart in need of spiritual surgery. A heart filled with unhealthy, life-draining pests is sick. It doesn’t matter how much we read the Word or how much we pray, until we allow the Holy Spirit to remove the  problem we are fighting a losing battle.

Too many times, we avoid spiritual surgery because we don’t want to let go of the hurts or go through the pain. Yet, without the operation, we are doomed. We can’t allow unhealthy things to stay inside us. Anything that isn’t of God needs to go, or it will eventually kill us.

…for out of it are the issues of life.

Bitterness in the heart will leak into every area of life. It rears its ugly head in our tones and actions. The sad part is that we can’t see that we are the infected one while the other person isn’t affected at all. The vine borer didn’t disturb the tomatoes, cucumbers, or peas. Only the squash—the infected plant itself.

Create in me a clean heart David prayed. That is my prayer too.

 

 

Maple Pecan Ice Cream

/ Gail Johnson / 5 Comments

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV).

With July coming to a close, I’m trying to make every minute count! Seasons change. That’s an undeniable fact.

Children growing up is another fact. My kids are twenty-three and eighteen. These are precious days to me. And when they decide it’s time to leave and make their own way—maybe miles away—it will still be a precious time, but not like now.

So I cherish this season. And in the midst of all the changes, I hold to the Creator of all seasons. For no matter what the season holds, there is a purpose only He knows. And so, I will trust Him and show my love to all those in my care while I have the chance.

For who knows what tomorrow will bring?

 Today, I’m sharing my favorite. I warn you, this stuff is addictive. Again, this is half a canister. If it were doubled, I would eat it. 🙂 Not good for Gail!

ice-cream-2334323_1280Johnson’s Maple Pecan Ice Cream

2-14 ounces condensed milk

4 ½ cups whole milk

1 can evaporated milk

½ teaspoon Maple flavoring

1 cup pecans, chopped and roasted (place under broiler)

 

Directions

Mix condensed milk, cream, milk, and maple flavoring in the canister. Stir well. Add pecans. Place canister into the ice cream churn. Lock into place. Turn on the machine. If you wait, the ice and the salt can freeze the canister in place and it won’t turn. If this happens, you have to work until you get it to turn or start over. Bummer! So, turn on the machine and begin to layer ice and salt—1 part salt to 8 parts ice according to the salt box.

Layering is an art you learn as you go along. I like to add thin layers of ice with more salt. That way, the ice cream can be eaten when the churn stops.

If you like hard ice cream, drain the salt and ice when the churn stops, repack and allow to harden 1 hour, or pour ice cream in a freezer container and freeze.

This recipe makes half a canister because we like it fresh, not frozen. So we make enough for one afternoon and eat it all day long! If I were making a full canister, I would just double everything.

 

 

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