Did you know?

Did you know that CHOSEN ONES not only profiles the issue of sex trafficking but other issues as well?

My protagonist Yvonne struggles to come to terms with her infertility, then miscarriage. Based on my own experience, Yvonne's account reflects the heart of thousands of women who have faced the reality of infertility and miscarriage.

Not only does CHOSEN ONES paint a realistic portrait of this often misunderstood loss, but it also provides supplemental information about miscarriage at the end of the novel.

According to Hank Pizer and Christine O-Brien Palinsik, authors of Coping with a Miscarriage, "A miscarriage is a sudden, unexpected, and shocking loss of life. It shatters your hopes for children and fills you with doubts about the future . . . it is normal to have many strong and unpleasant emotions associated with it."

If you or someone you know has suffered or is suffering from this special kind of loss, you may find CHOSEN ONES a valuable read as you walk this healing journey.

Tell About Your Favorite Vacation and Enter to Win a Copy of Tranquil Moments

May is right around the corner! This gorgeous Virginia weather makes me think of vacation time.

One of my favorite vacation spots is Maui. I enjoyed it so much I returned home and wrote a book about what I saw and experienced.

What's your favorite vacation spot?

Tell us about it and automatically enter to win a copy of Tranquil Moments, Spiritual Refreshment from the Island of Maui.

Winner announced June 1st!

Can't wait to read your vacation ideas!

In the Night Watches

IN THE NIGHT WATCHES

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

Psalm 63:6


Over 73 million Americans experience difficulties either falling asleep or staying asleep. One in six adults recognizes that a sleep problem is a prominent issue affecting their lives.

A good night’s sleep is crucial to a person’s overall wellbeing. Many reasons exist for sleep disturbances, some physical, others emotional, mental, or spiritual. If disrupted sleep is negatively influencing your daily routine, then you should seek medical attention to discover the underlying cause.

Job performance, relationships, and health are all negatively affected by lack of sleep. Certainly, our heavenly Father desires that His precious children enjoy a good night’s sleep so that we can serve Him with full energy and enthusiasm. Psalm 4:8 says, “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

How then can we assure that when we lay our heads down on the pillow tonight we will wake up refreshed in the morning?

☼ Adequately prepare for sleep.

I always prided myself on being able to sleep any time, any where, all the way through the night. Until perimenopause. Now I snap awake, typically at least one or two times during the night. Thankfully, on most occasions, I fall back asleep quickly. Knowing that sleep has become somewhat of a challenge, I now give thoughtful care to preparing myself for a sufficient night’s rest. I find that I sleep better if I don’t eat anything after 7:30 p.m. Taking a relaxing bubble bath or soak in the hot tub, then going to bed around 9:00 p.m. while listening to soothing music has been a great help also. Sometimes I read a few pages in a book to provoke sleep. Furthermore, eliminating television consumption at night aids rest. A friend of mine has discovered that taking a calcium supplement before bed assists sleep.

In addition to preparing physically, I also prepare spiritually by talking to the Lord. I once saw a church marquee that said, “When you have trouble falling asleep, don’t count sheep, talk to the Shepherd.” I shared that with a friend who responded, “Yeah, I like that. By the way,” she commented, “I was wondering, when sheep can’t sleep, do they count people?” Anyhoo….

Praying for the people and situations that pass through my mind sure beats worrying about them and gives me something productive to do while I fall asleep. I view my “wake-up calls” later in the night as divine appointments to invest in the Kingdom through prayer. Rather than fighting periods of sleeplessness, I work with them, turning them into opportunities to worship and reflect.

Quoting Scripture is a great way to relax in the Savior’s arms and allow Him to soothe me mentally and emotionally. I often picture Him holding me and rocking me to sleep. Sometimes, I focus on a place of serenity, such as the quiet waters or green pastures of Psalm 23, or the warm sand and ocean spray of the beach. I spread out in the waves and let them buoy me along, completely and totally relaxed.

Other times I think of all the things I have to be thankful for. I choose to focus on what is true, good, right, lovely, and excellent, as Paul urges me to do in Philippians 4:8. Sometimes when my mind is working overtime, I couple praise with a deep breathing exercise, slowly inhaling through my nose as I lay there in the dark, and then releasing the air slowly through my mouth.

Am I a hundred percent consistent in these practices? No, but I’m growing in my portfolio of ways to manage sleep so that I can function adequately during the day. Speaking of the day, I also try to catch at least a ten-twenty minute power nap after lunch before jumping back into work. If you work outside the home, you can do this on your lunch break by closing your eyes and laying your head on your desk or retreating to an employee lounge for a few minutes of down time. While you’re at it, take a one minute vacation, picturing yourself in a pleasant place of your choice. Then follow that mental exercise with a few deep breathing exercises.


Eileen Hinkle Rife is author of the Born for India trilogy. Her devotional book, Tranquil Moments provides spiritual, emotional, and mental refreshment through both scripture and the island of Maui. www.eileenrife.com

Priceless

American photojournalist Stuart Daniels on assignment in Russia unexpectedly steps into the world of organized crime via sex trafficking. At first a reluctant participant in a rescue operation, Daniels discovers he is compelled to help these children who are being exploited by a system he never dreamed possible. In the process he finds his own faith in God.

Priceless effectively captures the dark and demonic world of trafficking tied in with old Russian roots of communism and religion, an unlikely mix, but chillingly portrayed in this haunting novel.

Priceless reverberates in the soul long after the last page is read and the cover closed.

Check out Priceless by author, Tom Davis.

www.amazon.com

America Meets India

Why I Wrote RESTORED HEARTS

My burden in writing Book 2 RESTORED HEARTS in the Born for India trilogy:

1. To present a mix of conviction and compassion, truth and grace. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 reveals both of these aspects when it addresses the issues of homosexuality along with a list of other sins the Corinthian believers had been delivered from.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Yes, homosexuality is a sin, but it is a sin no worse than any other sin.

2. To show that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The ground is level at the foot of the Cross. Jesus invites us ALL to come and find cleansing through His shed blood.

3. To show that we can be delivered from all manner of sin through the name of Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor.6:11).

4. To provoke believers to show compassion to the person who may be sitting right next to them in the church pew and struggling with same-sex attraction, but will not speak up for fear of being pounced upon.

As a Christ-follower, I desire to reach out to people with healing words. Prayerfully those words will always be a mix of biblical truth and grace, welcoming the sinner home into the arms of Jesus.

Roanoke Writer Not Afraid To Tackle Tough Subjects | News Roanoke

Roanoke Writer Not Afraid To Tackle Tough Subjects | News Roanoke

Meet Me at My Blog Celebration Party!

Yep, you've come to the right place!

From April 6 to April 15, I am hosting a celebration party, complete with two drawings.

Leave a comment and automatically enter. Two prizes:

A signed copy of CHOSEN ONES

Or

A gift certificate to Starbucks

Invite your friends to the party!

Book Club or Bible Study Questions for Chosen Ones

In Chosen Ones, Eileen Rife has highlighted what may be the worst human rights violation of the 21st century – human trafficking. As part of an organization that is working to stop child prostitution, I have seen countless real-life cases just as tragic as the story Eileen has told in her most recent novel. Change the name, age, city and country, and you have the story of millions of children who are trapped in a life of abuse. Eileen paints a tragic but true picture of a victim of forced prostitution, but also gives hope in telling of the dedicated men and women who risk their lives daily to rescue these children. I pray that all who read this book might be moved, not just to tears, but to action. Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people. Ps. 82:4

Barbara Everett, Director, Destiny Rescue USA, Inc.

Each of my novels comes with discussion questions at the end of the book. I post them here to wet your appetite. Perhaps your book club or Bible study group would enjoy reading CHOSEN ONES and interacting with the questions. I'd love to hear some of your responses!

In fact, if you contact me and mention that YOUR group has read and discussed one of my books, I will GIFT you with a complimentary book of your choice.


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1)How does the happy picture of Maggie and Gavin’s family life upset Yvonne?

2)How does Yvonne handle her feelings?

3)Read the account of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 15-18:1-15.

4)In what tangible way does God assure Abraham that He will fulfill His promise?

5)How does Sarah take matters into her own hands?

6)Who appears to Abraham and Sarah and assures them that God will indeed give them a biological son? What is Sarah’s reaction?

7) What situation are you facing right now in which you need to trust the Lord? Ask yourself the same question Abraham’s visitor asked him in Genesis 18:14: Is anything too hard for the Lord?

8)Read Genesis 29:31-30:25. How did the sister-tag team deal with infertility?

9)Read 1 Samuel, chapter one. Describe Hannah’s reaction to infertility. How did her husband respond?

10) In what ways has God equipped women for motherhood? What feelings are created when a woman can’t have a child? How can a woman put her mothering instincts to good use?

11) Maggie shares 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 with Yvonne in an effort to encourage her to use her pain to comfort others. What difficulty are you currently facing? How has God comforted you? In what ways can you use that comfort to minister to others?

12) How might a woman view her infertility as a gift?

13) What symptoms might an abuse victim exhibit?

14) Dan and Gavin suggest posing either as clients or traffickers to rescue Geetika. Is it ever right to deceive in order to do God’s work? For further study, read Exodus, chapter one and Joshua, chapter two.

15)) When Dan meets Randy, he is surprised by Randy’s positive attitude. Randy tells him that he chooses to dwell on the good, right, and lovely. Can you think of a passage of Scripture that supports that idea?

16) When Dan arrives at Hope’s Doors, Randy tells him that Vladimir Hochek brings in a quarter million dollars per month per brothel. Why do you think the sex industry is such a profitable undertaking? How does Satan use sexual perversion to distort the gospel message?

17) While Maggie and Yvonne sort through baby clothes, they discuss how a loving God can permit such evil to occur in the world. How would you explain this dilemma to someone who might ask you?

18) Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be more desired than great riches.” What do you think that means? How might this story illustrate that truth?

19)Dan admitted to being one of those who would like to ignore human slavery. What changed that attitude for him?

20)What characteristics of a sexual abuse victim might be good to know in order to help her?

21)List the six “I am” statements that can help a girl solidify her true identity.

22)Miscarriage is a loss that is often misunderstood. According to Hank Pizer and Christine O-Brien Palinski, authors of Coping with a Miscarriage, “a miscarriage is a sudden, unexpected, and shocking loss of life. It shatters your hopes for children and fills you with doubts about the future . . . it is normal to have many strong and unpleasant emotions associated with it.” With this in mind, how might you minister to a woman who has experienced a miscarriage?

23)Someone once said, “The sun is still shining even when we can’t see it.” How might that thought help someone whose grief has distorted the face of God?

24)Read Proverbs 24:11, Ecclesiastes 4:1, James 1:27, and Matthew 25:31-46. How might these passages motivate you to get involved in helping others?

25)What can you learn from Genesis 50:20 about forgiveness?

26)Read Ephesians, chapter one. Label all the wonderful words that describe you as a chosen one of God.

27)Which character(s) do you identify with the most in this story?

28)Has this story prompted you to gain a deeper appreciation for the needy in our world? How so? What will you do about the new insight the Lord has given you?

29)What would you like to ask the author if she were sitting across from you?