I love family. They inspire me to learn more about our ancestors. I thought I would show off my kinfolks. Pictured are Jared's first cousins from my side of the family on Thanksgiving. There were three missing links: one niece, a nephew and my daughter. I am sooooo honored to be their aunt and act as a role model in the importance of family and faith.

A week before Thanksgiving, the Simmons family gathered to remember Uncle Jim Simmons who lived to be 84 years-old. My cousin-in-law, Pastor Mark Simmons, said it best. There were two lives of James Simmons---before Christ and after salvation. Uncle Jim's grandchildren shared amusing memories of time spent with their grandpa from picking cotton to fishing. The obituary listed 8 children, 39 grandchildren and 33 great-grands. They are our next generation. Check out some family photos.

Our youth today are facing unthinkable challenges and some are not winning the battle. Yet, I am encouraged by Joel 2:28: 'And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.'

In my newest release, The Guilty Generation, I tackle some of the issues teenagers face with 17-year-old Kami Jamieson and her first teen crush. It's a heartwarming story of bridging the gap between a wise generation and an inexperience one. I hope you will take the journey with Kami as her Christian faith is tested when she tries to fit into a world with no regard for consequences. 

As many of you know, I like to write stories of hope, and thank you for reading them!