What Happens When You Fall Apart Emotionally and Spiritually

Suite T wants to introduce you to Father David W. Peters. He served as an enlisted Marine Corps and Army Chaplain, deploying to Iraq in 2005. He is a graduate of Missio Seminary (M.Div), Erskine Seminary, (D.Min), and Seminary of the Southwest (MAR). David has taught as an instructor at the Army Chaplain Center and School and Seminary of the Southwest. Currently he is the vicar of St. Joan of Arc Episcopal Church in Pflugerville, TX. David is the father of three sons and one cat.

Father Peters has written a new book titled Post-Traumatic Jesus: Reading the Gospel With the Wounded.


After twenty years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a global pandemic, protests against racial violence, and frequent shootings, more Americans than ever are living with the effects of trauma. The good news is that Jesus was born and died in a traumatized world, and his story speaks forever to wounded people worldwide. Army veteran and Episcopal priest David Peters explores Jesus’ life story through the post-traumatic lens with which the Gospel writers first wrote it—as people who had seen their leader executed by the same oppressive government that had already shrouded their whole lives in anxiety and fear. Meeting the post-traumatic Jesus—the only Jesus the world has ever known—can be a balm to the wounds of modern Christians and spiritual seekers.

I have put a link here from NPR where you can read the story about Father Peters and what happened to him emotionally and spiritually in Iraq and coming home. I think you will agree with me it is heart touching.

Click here to hear the story on NPR

Reach him on twitter or tiktok @davidwpeters.

A Delicious Story ~ You Must See!

I love reading a book by a debut novelist. There seems to be an excitement in the air wondering about the author, his or her style of writing, how the plot will play out and what if any emotions will the story bring out as I read along.

Becca Kinzer's debut novel is Dear Henry, Love Edith. There seems to be a hint of "You've Got Mail" in that neither party knows who the other is. They both have misconceptions...and living under the same roof! How is that possible?

Well, Becca weaves it together as you find out this is an author you will definitely want to read more of. Becca lives in Springfield, Illinois where she works as a critical care nurse. When she’s not taking care of sick patients or reminding her husband and two kids that frozen chicken nuggets is a gourmet meal, she enjoys making up lighthearted stories with serious laughs. She is a 2018 ACFW First Impressions Contest winner, a 2019 Genesis Contest winner, 2021 Cascade Award winner, and all-around champion coffee drinker.

Now here is an brief description of her book.

He thinks she's an elderly widow. She's convinced he's a grumpy old man. Neither could be further from the truth.

After a short and difficult marriage, recently widowed Edith Sherman has learned her lesson. Forget love. Forget marriage. She plans to fill her thirties with adventure. As she awaits the final paperwork for a humanitarian trip to South Africa, she accepts a short-term nursing position in a small Midwestern town. The last thing she needs is a handsome local catching her eye. How inconvenient is that?

Henry Hobbes isn't exactly thrilled to have Edith, who he assumes is an elderly widow, dumped on him as a houseguest for the summer. But he'd do almost anything for his niece, who is practically like a sister to him given how close they are in age. Especially since Edith will be working nights and Henry works most days. When he and Edith keep missing each other in person, they begin exchanging notes―short messages at first, then longer letters, sharing increasingly personal parts of their lives.

By the time Henry realizes his mistake―that Edith is actually the brown-eyed beauty he keeps bumping into around town―their hearts are so intertwined he hopes they never unravel. But with her departure date rapidly approaching, and Henry's roots firmly planted at home, Edith must ultimately decide if the adventure of her dreams is the one right in front of her.

A delightful new romantic comedy. Mistaken identities, second chances, and finding love in unexpected places. Doesn't it sound delicious?

https://www.beccakinzer.com/

Do You Have Thoughts About What's Done?

When We Are Asked About Our Poetry (Part 1)

Sara Robinson

Recently our Suite T publisher asked me to select one of my published poems and write about what inspired me to pen that particular one. This caused me to stop and think about my poetry in a little bit of a different way. I didn’t want to create a brain cramp by struggling to decide which was my favorite poem, but I did want to choose one that affected me in several directions. So, I have picked two poems from my book, Needville, and I will include them here with my thoughts.


Cave

The morning the first hole was blasted

dust was blown into the air

& a thousand bats were hurled

awake, thrown out of the dark.


A million squeals we heard. In their

jammed radar they rushed into

trees dump trucks coal haulers

before to the ground, stunned.


Like soldiers trying to make it back

to safety, they struggled & dragged

broken arms & torn skin, never to fly.


A scooper came along, picked them up

in three moves & dumped all

into a trash bin. No one said a word.


Like no one speaks when they see lesser evil

trample over perceived great good.



This poem is one of witness to what happens when coal mining takes over. My whole book is about the effects of coal mining on SW Virginia, and by implication, anywhere else mining takes place. Poets write about nature and how we feel when it is harmed. So this poem for me spoke volumes about what mankind is doing to nature. Someday maybe we will think more strongly and actively about saving our planet. This is how poetry also helps us toward a greater understanding of living.



Another thing I witnessed was the terrible drug addiction problem in that same region. And again this problem was mightily influenced by coal mining. Life can be short and painful for coal miners.



Life and Death



My feet stay cold

in black water


like some blood’s trickling

in hard rock veins


I’ll die too young

to see my age



In Part 2, I’ll explore other thoughts about “our” poetry



Until next time…

Sara M. Robinson, founder of the Lonesome Mountain Pro(s)e Writers’ Workshop, and former Instructor of a course on Contemporary American Poets at UVA-OLLI, was poetry columnist for Southern Writers Magazine and inagural poetry editor for Virginia Literary Journal. She has served as guest lecturer at UVA’s College at Wise, Wise, VA. Her poetry has appeared in various anthologies, including We Grew Wings and Flew (2014), Scratching Against the Fabric (2015), Virginia Writer’s Club Centennial Anthology (2017), Blue Ridge Anthologies and Mizmor Anthology (2018). Journals include: Loch Raven Review, The Virginia Literary Journal, vox poetica, Jimson Weed, Whisky Advocate, and Poetica. She is poet and author of Love Always, Hobby and Jessie (2009), Two Little Girls in a Wading Pool (2012), A Cruise in Rare Waters (2013 Stones for Words (2014), Sometimes the Little Town (2016), a finalist for the Poetry Society of Virginia’s 2017 Book Award. In 2019, Needville, her poetry about effects of coal mining on SW Virginia was released and in 2020 debuted as play in Charlottesville. Her most recent publication is Simple River (2020, Cyberwit).

https://saramrobinson.com/

Her Life Is A Book!

Pam Jenoff's background reads like a book itself.

Pam was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England. Upon receiving her master’s in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and attending ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor.

Following her work at the Pentagon, Jenoff moved to the State Department. In 1996, she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Jenoff developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community.

Having left the Foreign Service in 1998 to attend law school at the University of Pennsylvania. Jenoff practiced law at a large firm and in-house for several years. She now teaches law school at Rutgers.


Pam is the NYT bestselling author of The Woman With The Blue Star, The Lost Girls of Paris, The Orphan’s Tale, The Kommandant’s Girl, The Diplomat’s Wife, The Ambassador’s Daughter, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach, The Winter Guest, The Things We Cherished, Almost Home, and A Hidden Affair. She also authored a short story in the anthology Grand Central: Original Postwar Stories of Love and Reunion. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband, three children, dog, cat, lizard and bird.

Coming Soon, (February 7th). Her new book, Code Name Sapphire is an historical fiction that I am sure we will not want to lay down. 

A woman must rescue her cousin's family from a train bound for Auschwitz in this riveting tale of bravery and resistance, from the bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris.

1942. Hannah Martel has narrowly escaped Nazi Germany after her fiancé was killed in a pogrom. When her ship bound for America is turned away at port, she has nowhere to go but to her cousin Lily, who lives with her family in Brussels. Fearful for her life, Hannah is desperate to get out of occupied Europe. But with no safe way to leave, she must return to the dangerous underground work she thought she had left behind.

Seeking help, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line, a secret resistance network led by a mysterious woman named Micheline and her enigmatic brother Mateo. But when a grave mistake causes Lily’s family to be arrested and slated for deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah finds herself torn between her loyalties. How much is Hannah willing to sacrifice to save the people she loves? Inspired by incredible true stories of courage and sacrifice, Code Name Sapphire is a powerful novel about love, family and the unshakable resilience of women in even the hardest of times.

https://pamjenoff.com/

Trust Is A Funny Thing!

Lisa Phillips is a USA Today and top ten Publishers Weekly bestselling author of over 50 books that span Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line, independently published series romantic suspense, and thriller novels. She’s discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after.


Lisa is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London and attended Calvary Chapel Bible College, where she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody’s perfect. It wasn’t until her Bible College graduation that she figured out she was a writer (someone told her). As a worship leader for Calvary Chapel churches in her local area, Lisa has discovered a love for mentoring new ministry members and youth worship musicians. Lisa loves high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after. Lisa leads worship with her husband at their church. They have two kids and an all-black Airedale.

A search-and-rescue mission turns into a deadly wilderness escape

When a plane carrying a federal witness crashes in the Montana backwoods, Officer Kelly Wayne and her K-9, Nico, track it down—and discover Ethan Harrigan injured with amnesia. Now with the mafia on their trail, Kelly must protect the man she thinks ruined her career. But nothing’s as it seems, and trusting the wrong person could get them all killed.

I had no idea I would love reading about a K-9. But Lisa Phillips wrote Wilderness Hunt, book seven in her K-9 Search and Rescue series and I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. Needless to say I was hooked, thank goodness there were six more in the series.

I think you will agree, it is one you don't one to put down either.

https://authorlisaphillips.com/

Who or What is Stealing Our Focus?

Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again

So why did the Amazon team name this book one of the best for 2022? 

Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor says, "The book is filled with life-changing tidbits that you’ll think about every day as you stare at your phone, scroll social media, and hover over your kids. Hari’s epic journey to ditch his devices (which included a three-month tech detox that I envied) and reclaim his sanity is deeply relatable, at times funny, and truly eye-opening. There’s no shame or blame here, just ideas about how we can better prioritize what’s important and be more present in the moment against the onslaught of alerts, pings, and interruptions that are part of normal life today."

Adam Grant, author of Think Again, says, “The book the world needs in order to win the war on distraction.”

Susan Cain, author of Quiet, says, “Read this book to save your mind.”

Johann Hari's book . . .

In the United States, teenagers can focus on one task for only sixty-five seconds at a time, and office workers average only three minutes. Like so many of us, Johann Hari was finding that constantly switching from device to device and tab to tab was a diminishing and depressing way to live. He tried all sorts of self-help solutions—even abandoning his phone for three months—but nothing seemed to work. So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention—and he discovered that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong.

We think our inability to focus is a personal failure to exert enough willpower over our devices. The truth is even more disturbing: our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces that have left us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. Hari found that there are twelve deep causes of this crisis, from the decline of mind-wandering to rising pollution, all of which have robbed some of our attention. In Stolen Focus, he introduces readers to Silicon Valley dissidents who learned to hack human attention, and veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD. He explores a favela in Rio de Janeiro where everyone lost their attention in a particularly surreal way, and an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore workers’ productivity.

Crucially, Hari learned how we can reclaim our focus—as individuals, and as a society—if we are determined to fight for it. Stolen Focus will transform the debate about attention and finally show us how to get it back.

I believe this is a book needed for just this time.

Johann Hari is the New York Times best-selling author of 'Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs', and one of the top-rated TED talkers of all time.

https://johannhari.com/

Laurie Polich Short on Faith, Doubt, and God's Mysterious Timing

 

Faith, Doubt, and God's Mysterious Timing: 30 Biblical Insights about the Way God Works. A Must read!

Laurie Polich Short, trusted Bible teacher reveals 30 Biblical insights for when God's plan is unclear · Short is a rising Bible teacher with a vibrant speaking ministry · She is the co-creator of She Grows, a national women's conference.

Jim Daly, president of  Focus on the Family said, "Laurie's reflections into each of these passages of Scripture provide powerful insights and meaningful application as we walk out our faith."

In her book Short brings us to the question: What in the world is God doing? She says, "It's easy to wonder this. We are living in an unfolding story, and it's almost impossible to know the plans God has for our future. No wonder our faith can wane. It's hard to hold on when your deepest prayer hangs in the air unanswered. Or when circumstances you desperately wish would change drag on.

"Thankfully the Bible is filled with people who experienced the same thing. They had to learn to trust God's ways and timing--and their stories give us insights to live that way too."

Mining the often-overlooked passages of Scripture, Bible teacher Laurie Polich Short unearths 30 practical, encouraging gems of wisdom found in the faith and lives of biblical heroes. She helps you discover when to wait and when to move, when to hold on and when to let go, and how to have hope in circumstances that previously felt hopeless. Here is your compass to living your story well when the way forward is unclear.

Laurie Polich Short is a popular speaker, author, and part of the teaching team at Ocean Hills Covenant Church in Santa Barbara, California. A graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, Laurie has spoken to more than 500,000 people at conferences, colleges, churches, and denominational events around the country, and she has been featured on PBS, Focus on the Family, World magazine, and more. 

Find out more at laurieshort.com.

How to Thrive in the Unexpected!

 

Author and Disability Advocate Shows How to Thrive in the Unexpected · Author is regularly featured in media such as TODAY, Good Morning America, Yahoo! News, ABC News, The Huffington Post, Her View from Home, Scary Mommy, and more · Benfield is an active leader and member of both the National Down Syndrome Congress and National Down Syndrome Society Network. Benfield reaches over 100,000 social media followers.

When a 20-second phone call shattered Jillian Benfield's life, she never dreamed it would be her greatest gift. With raw honesty, Jillian weaves her riveting story with biblical teachings and scientific and social research to offer incredible hope for others living in their unexpected moments. She shows how God uses these moments, if we are willing, to show us who we are-- and who he dreams of us becoming. She'll help you break down the false constructs you've built around God and your identity, truly feel your pain in a healing way, and turn your internal transformation into external purpose. We were never meant to overcome the unexpected and remain the same, but instead, undergo it so we can be transformed.

Jillian Benfield is a former journalist and news anchor. She holds a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Georgia. As a freelance writer, her essays about living an unexpected life have appeared on sites such as TODAY, Good Morning America, Yahoo! News, and ABC News. Jillian regularly advocates for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in her writings, community, and as a part of the National Down Syndrome Congress's National Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition. Jillian and her husband, Andy, and their three children make their home on Florida's Space Coast. 

For more, visit jillianbenfield.com.

A Journey of Discovery, Healing, and Friendship

Poignant Women's Fiction from 2021 Christy Award Winner · Nelson's novel The Way It Should Be won the Christy Award for General Fiction · "Readers who are looking for faith-based women's fiction will be drawn into this powerful novel."-- Booklist starred review of More Than We Remember · Recommended for readers of Karen Kingsbury, Lauren K. Denton, and Liane Moriarty.

Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne has made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy--but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. But all that changes when she's asked to spotlight her childhood best friend's missing person case on her podcast. Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her, and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case. As the investigation moves forward, the two women uncover desperate secrets, and Faith and Dora must face the long-hidden truth before they can begin to move forward.

Christina Suzann Nelson is an inspirational speaker and the award-winning author of five books, including More Than We Remember, Shaped by the Waves, and the Christy Award-winning The Way It Should Be. She is the mother of six children, an advocate for children in foster care, a substitute teacher, a conference director, and the wife of her partner in this crazy adventure. Visit christinasuzannnelson.com to learn more.

A Highstakes Tale

 

If you love historical novels, especially those set in the gilded age of America, you will not want to miss this new book by  Elizabeth Camden, Hearts of Steel. This is book three in her series The Blackstone Legacy. 

 Camden wraps up this dramatic series in a highstakes tale with themes of corruption and injustice alongside humor, romance, and a heartfelt sense of community.

Maggie Molinaro survived a hardscrabble childhood in the downtrodden streets of Manhattan to become a successful businesswoman. After a decade of sacrifice, she now owns a celebrated ice cream company, but when she offends a corrupt banker, she unwittingly sets off a series of calamities that threaten to destroy her life's work.

Liam Blackstone is a charismatic steel magnate committed to overhauling factory conditions for the steelworkers of America. Standing in his way is the same villain determined to ruin Maggie. What begins as a practical alliance to defeat a common enemy soon evolves into a romance between two wounded people determined to beat the odds. A spiraling circle of treachery grows increasingly dangerous as Liam and Maggie risk their lives and fortune for the good of the city. It will require all their wit and ingenuity to navigate the dangerous waters ahead, but their crusade could cost them everything.

Return to New York City for another dramatic and romantic story from the enchanted pen of bestselling author Elizabeth Camden.

"A sweeping saga of a historical romance, enhanced by complex characters and riveting period detail."-- Mimi Matthews, bestselling author on Written on the Wind.

Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in gilded age America featuring clever heroines and richly layered storylines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won the RITA and Christy Award, and she lives in Florida with her husband who graciously tolerates her intimidating stockpile of books.

Experience Strenth and Beauty of Friendship!

Bestselling author Kimberley Woodhouse, invites us to experience the strength and beauty of friendship, family, and love in this grand historical tale in her new book, A Mark of Grace, book three in her Secrets of the Canyon series.

Ruth Anniston survived an injury that left her physically scarred, broken, and angry at God. Now she finds herself working behind the scenes as a kitchen supervisor at the El Tovar Hotel, hidden away from curious eyes. When money begins to disappear from the hotel, Ruth's entire livelihood is put at risk. Frank Henderson has at last succeeded in obtaining his dream job as the head chef at the El Tovar. But with the continuing thefts at the hotel, and his growing affection for Ruth, Frank's career--and his heart--are in jeopardy. As tensions run high, Ruth and Frank must work together to save the El Tovar and forge a new path for the future together.

ECPA Bestselling Author Wraps Up Her Charming Arizona-Set Series · Woodhouse has sold half a million books · Author has won the Reader's Choice Award, the Carol Award, and the HOLT Medallion.

Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 25 fiction and nonfiction books, including The Heart of Alaska series and The Treasures of Nome series. Kim and her incredible husband of 30- plus years live in the Poconos, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandbaby, and research all the history around them. You can connect with Kimberley on her website, kimberleywoodhouse.com.

Feeling Weary, Wandering, and Wondering?

Hope for the one who is weary, wandering, and wondering where things went wrong.

In the wake of the culture wars of the 1980s and 1990s, many young evangelical Christians found themselves untethered, disillusioned, and–ultimately–orphaned as they grappled with the legalistic, politically co-opted churches of their youth. Perhaps you are one of them. Perhaps, like Sara Billups, you have felt alone, misunderstood, and maligned in the American church, longing for a more loving, more biblical expression of the faith and discipleship taught by Jesus.

Part spiritual memoir of an apocalyptic childhood and part commentary on growing up as an evangelical kid during the culture wars, Orphaned Believers follows the journey of a generation of Christian exiles reckoning with the tradition that raised them and searching for a new way to participate in the story of God. Because for all the baggage, we still belong, and a bigger, more beautiful story awaits.

Endorsements:


"As American Christianity changes, and as we change along with it, we need guides to remind us who we are and who we're not. Sara has been one such guide for me. She's brutally honest and hilarious, and her heart is wide open to the radical possibility that belonging to Jesus is identity enough for Christians. I couldn't be more grateful for her."--Jon Guerra, singer-songwriter and producer.

"Billups reminds us that no matter who we are or where we come from, God can move us from a place on the margins to a community of faith."--Foxy Davison, educator and activist.

"Sara helped me feel more 'found' than I did before--orphaned but also anchored in a much better story than the one the world's been selling me over the past decades. I needed this book more than I knew."--Chuck DeGroat, author, therapist, and professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary.

Sara Billups is a Seattle-based writer and cultural commentator whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Christianity Today, and more. Sara is completing her Doctor of Ministry in the Sacred Art of Writing at the Peterson Center for the Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary. She works to help wavering Christians remain steadfast through cultural storms and continues to hope for the flourishing of the Church amid deep political and cultural division in America.