ŷ������

My nine year old daughter came downstairs after ‘going to bed��, her eyes red from crying. I expected the occassional bad dream explanation but instead she told me that a little girl at school had shared a scary story with her about dolls coming to life and hurting a family.

(Ugh��.not my favorite scenario)

Anyway, her words were “I can’t get the scary out of my head.��

I pulled her up on my lap and she cuddled up against me, a hold I appreciate more and more the older she gets (because she’s doing it less and less). I said an internal prayer for help and wisdom before speaking to her.

“I’m sorry somebody told you something scary. I’m afraid because this world is so broken you’re going to see lots of scary things in your life, so the best thing to do is figure out how to deal with them right now.��

She nodded and sniffled.

“What does the Bible say about our thoughts, Phoebe?��

“I don’t know?�� she shrugged.

“Well, the Bible tells us what things to think of first of all. (Philippians 4) Some of the things it says is to think on things that are true and lovely. Is the doll story true?��

She shook her head.

“It definitely doesn’t sound lovely, does it?��

“No,�� she whimpered. “But it’s still stuck in my head.��

Yep, I knew that feeling. I’ve been strugg

ling with my own brain spinning fears lately.

“Let’s both try two things. What do yousay? First, the Bible says to take every thought captive.��

“What does captive mean?�� Thankfully, she’d stopped crying by this point.

“You know when a knight or a soldier captures an enemy? What does he do to capture them?��

“He grabs them?��

“Yep. Captive is kind of like ‘grabbing��. God tells us to grab those thoughts and see if they fit God’s types of thoughts to think. If they do, we keep them. If they don’t, we toss them. And if those bad thoughts get sticky to our minds, we have to put good thoughts in to push away the bad until there’s no room for the bad.��

We talked a little longer about some thoughts she could think instead and off she went. When I checked on her twenty minutes later, she was asleep with her Jesus Storybook Bible on her chest.

I got the opportunity to remember my own words later that night as my mind filled with sticky thoughts. They spun with worry and fear, sending my heart into a patter.

Were my thoughts true? Maybe some of them.

Were they lovely? Definitely not.

But they were not excellent or praiseworthy because they brought fear with them.

Taking my own advice, I began to fill my mind with prayers for others instead of continuing to spin my fears. I caught those thoughts, looked at them, and measured them against the truth.

God is good. Faithful. Filled with compassion. Powerful.

And I am His.

No matter what.

Did I fall asleep right away?

No, sticky thoughts aren’t always easy to remove.

Did I fall asleep eventually?

Yes �� and hopefully next time I will even faster.

Because in those moments I desperately need to remind my heart about what my head knows. Who is in charge and to whom I belong.

It’s a good reminder from one traveller on this life-journey to another.

Blessings,

Pepper

As we continue on our whirlwind trip to the UK, today I’m going to take you on our excursion to Oxford.

OH what a fun day- but the best parts happened outside of the actual college area. Of course, there are wonderful photos to share of the historic university and all of its many buildings, but some of our most interesting and humorous adventures today happened on the ‘fringes�� of our plan. Isn’t that how things usually go, though?

Again, our morning involved leaving our hotel and boarding the Tube during the crowded London rush hour, but this morning we rode from Monument to King’s Cross train station (you know, like King’s Cross in Harry Potter! And yes, there was a Harry Potter store AND a 9 3/4 �� to which Lydia fan girled a little bit. I think I have a video for you about that)

The train took us to meet our guide for the day, Peter. He picked us up in his car and we drove toward Oxford. What a fun ride!! Truly, everyone needs to experience of riding on the other side of the car on the other side of the road!

Our first stop, and one of my favorites of the day, was a visit to author, speaker, and theologian, C.S. Lewis�� house, aka The Kilns. This place was lovely, as you can see. Flowers in the garden and a resident cat named Warnie (C.S. Lewis�� brother’s name). The house is used for college students to study and visit, as well as ‘groups�� to stay, so it was occupied while we were there, but one of the guests came out and talked to us about her studies and the house.

We also walked behind the house to Lewis�� little haven in the back. The pond, bomb shelter, and wood surrounding The Kilns�� in which he, Warnie, and Lewis�� wife, Joy, walked and talked. It was a lovely little space in the middle of an otherwise crowded subdivision. The quintessential English cottage. Seriously. Lovely windows, rose covered ways…beautiful.

After visiting the Kilns we traveled down the road a short distance and parked. Down a narrow lane through the wood, we came to a lovely and small old church called Holy Trinity Church in Headington, Oxford. We weren’t able to visit the inside of the church (which has stained glass windows representing Lewis�� Chronicles of Narnia), but we did see Lewis�� grave. What a lovely, green, and quiet setting for this amazing man’s resting place.

From there we traveled to Oxford for lunch. As we walked through the streets, Peter told us about the Martyrs memorial in the middle of the street. A powerful statue memorializing the men who were burned on that spot for their faith.

To keep with the amazing historical trapse about Oxford, we ate at the Eagle and Child �� meeting place of The Inklings! And we happen to get there early enough to sit in the actual booth amazing authors like CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, sat in as they discussed literature, theology, and fantasy!!

The kids enjoyed Fish & Chips (their usual fare for the trip) and then we went off to explore the university.

Magdelen College was my favorite of the ones we visited. The cloister was beautiful, filled with blooms. In back was New College (new meaning built in the late 1700s

You guys know I love any excuse to party! And today I have a great one!!!

The third installment of the Penned in Time series (my very first series EVER published) has a cover! The Thorn Healer!!

And you all know that I’ll wait to the very end of the post to show the cover, right?��.(okay, how many of you scanned down there early? Are you the same ones who read the last page of a book first?)

So I’m back to give more account of our UK2k16 trip and day #3 was a beautiful tour of Cambridge. We stayed in a hotel that was near London Bridge, so we took the Tube at Monument each morning on the days we ventured out from London. It was a crowded ride during rush hour.

Cambridge was a beautiful city �� small. After being in London the previous two days, Cambridge provided a nice reprieve for this country girl’s heart

Oh it seems way too long since I returned from my ‘heart home�� in England, but I love getting to revisit the memories and pictures of the trip.

Today, I’m taking you with us on day #2 �� London.

It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep and a great English breakfast can do for energy levels.[image error] And boy, did we need the energy for THIS day!

��

We started our morning with a 25 minute walk to St. Paul’s Cathedral to meet our Christian Heritage Tour guide on the steps.

Peter Greyling was such a wealth of wonderful knowledge, taking us on a two hour walk through some of the quieter streets of London to learn more about the less popular stories of Christianity.

We walked in areas where the Wesley brothers had walked and hear their stories. Learned of martyrs, world war veterans, and early Christian fathers �� all who walked along the same paths we walked. It was pretty spectacular.

We visited the church where the Wesley brothers preached, saw the remains of the 2000 year old Roman wall, touched WW2 bomb marks on the walls of buildings, and even stubmled upon the street where “Sherlock Holmes�� died (in BBC’s/Benedict Cumberbatch version). (Note Lydia’s ecstatic expression about this little discovery)

��

��

Then we toured the gothic and historic Westminster Abbey. Being among the tombs of so many powerful people of history was an interesting and humbling experience. The architecture, age, and overall beauty only enhanced the awareness of memories painting the walls. At noon, a clergyman addressed the group to engage in corporate prayer for the nation and world. I was glad to be a part of the prayer, because despite the fact that some in the crowd may not have prayed at all, I knew to Whom I prayed��.and that He was listening.

After a brief chat with a very nice policeman in the giftshop of Westminster (I tend to talk to EVERYBODY), we went to lunch at St. Martin’s in the Crypt. Yes, you read that right. THE CRYPT. We had lunch in a crypt. (and not creepy). We met another tour guide here, a guy who became an instant friend, Keith Berry, historian and past of New City Church in Hammersmith[image error] Keith took us on a tour of the British Museum, where we focused particularly on some Biblically significant ancient history. Assyrian, Persian, Egyptian��.all these priceless artifacts were housed in this building and many were thousands of years old.

Of course we saw the Rosetta Stone, mummies, and even some fashions of different times, but the ancient wall carvings and paintings were my favorites. Why? Because they told stories[image error]

We headed through St. James Park where hundreds of people enjoyed the balmy day with by having picnic lunches on the grass, and of course we spied Buckingham Palace along the way. We also saw beautiful window boxes filled with flowers (I have a weakness for lovely window boxes).

And then we traveled to the British Library to check out the “Treasures�� Room��.filled with manuscripts from centuries old to more modern (you know, 1600s ), just kidding �� it had handwritten lyrics from the Beattles

Hi everyone,
In celebration of the Pinned in Time blog Hop and Giveaway, I thought I'd give you all a sneak peek into book 3 of the Penned in Time series. This is Jessica's story and is a little different than the previous two books since the whole story is set in NC 1918.

May 1918
Wounded soldiers returned from war as heroes. Wounded nurses returned as old maids.
Jessica Ross gripped the handle of her purse a little tighter, and peered out the dusty train window, eager to catch the first glimpse of her hometown in two years. Home. The word swept a sweet balm over the ragged edges of her memories, rife with the devastation of a world at war. For two dark years, loss and fear crowded light from the shadowed spaces of Jess�� mind, but, now, those dreadful moments could rest in the past. The Great War, as some called it now, held nothing ‘great�� within its muddied trenches and dying breaths, except the weight of its sorrow and its forever-swell of hopelessness.
Her eyes drifted closed and brought visions of her mother and brother to mind, stilling her grin. Home couldn’t be the same without their presence. During her last visit to Hot Springs, she buried her mother. German gunfire took her gregarious baby brother a year and a half later, his remains interred on a battlefield in France, and her only surviving sibling, her older brother, had almost been killed by a German spy.
The hardened fist of hatred tightened around Jessica’s heart with a deeper grasp. Trench warfare, treachery, Kaisers?
She was finished with all of it �� especially Germans. She hated them. Even German food was out of the question from this point on. She’d suffered enough from the Huns barbarous hands. Too many nightmares.
“Next stop, Hot Springs!��
The clarion call of the train whistle followed the conductor’s announcement with a glorious exclamation. A waft of mountain air breezed through the window, dampening the unusual May warmth and Jessica’s darkening thoughts with the scent of honeysuckles and fresh rain. Hope tickled a dangerous longing, fragile and as broken as she was, but she grasped its promise. A smile bloomed awake. Even if she was damaged beyond the use of war or the makings of a wife, even if nightmares stole her sleep and fear ripped at her peace of mind, one place always promised a sense of belonging. The Blue Ridge Mountains.
The pale summer sky painted a faded backdrop behind the blue-hewn mountains lining the track. As the train curved and slowed its pace, those precious mountains opened in grand theatrical style to unveil the moss green roof of her hometown’s pride and joy: The Mountain Park Inn. People travelled from all over to benefit from the waters bubbling from Painted Rock Mountain and the extravagant hotel set the stage for a first class experience. Not that Jessica had ever benefited from the massages or treatments �� or even seen the inside of the marble-pooled bathhouse. Only the rich.
The white clapboard depot edged into view, and beyond it the vast lawn of the exclusive inn. Her breath caught with the lurching halt of the train. Were those barracks? She leaned closer to the window, blinking to clear her vision. Rows of long wooden buildings littered the lawn. She stood, slow, hand steadied against the window and gaze transfixed. Men, hundreds of them, moved upon the anomaly of barracks and barbed wire. Had the war followed her home?

As some of you know, I just came back from a quick trip to the UK with my husband and two of my kids. What you may not know is that this was a ‘celebration�� trip for our eldest son, Benjamin, who graduated in June and has received a substantial scholarship to a small liberal arts college. As a reward for him, a ‘memorial�� for his Grammy who passed away in January, AND an introduction for Ben to the world of travel, we embarked on his fast and furious adventure.

Our 16 year old son, Aaron, didn’t want to come along, so we took our 14 year old daughter, Lydia, instead. The three other kids stayed with my parents who were so gracious to take them for 8 days. (Btw, the kids had a BLAST)

So, I’m going to give you guys a little bit of the ‘behind the snaps�� look at our trip. Of course I’ll share pics, but I’ve posted all of them on FB. Here is where I tell a little bit MORE about the trip.

We were grateful to have two wonderful guides for this week. Peter and Ilona Greyling are part of a wonderful group known as Christian Heritage Tours, where they take you behind the basics and help you explore the historical Christian threads running through so much of the UK (and beyond). ��Their website is here:��

Arriving at 7am in Heathrow, we spent the next hour and a half making it through customs, getting our bags (Lydia’s did not arrive), and exchanging our money. Benjamin brought money he’d saved just for the trip with the sole purpose of purchasing books.

Ilona met us outside baggage claim and it was off to the city. We checked into our nice hotel (Premiere Inn Monument) and Ilona made certain they gave us a family room. One thing of note �� England is NOT prepared for bigger families[image error] The cars are small and the hotel rooms are too. If you plan to travel with 3 or more kids, definitely plan on finding a guesthouse/rental house of some sort. Estate cars will travel 5 fairly comfortable, but to travel with more people you’d have to hire a 7 seater or an MPV (but if you hire a 7 seater you may not have room for luggage since the last 2 seats fold out from the boot of the car). A MPV is our version of a minivan, basically.

BUT��.since we had escorts, we didn’t have to hire a car. London was our base of operation for most of the trip. Our sites for our first day were a City Cruise of London down the Thames, The Tower of London, ending with evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The streets were crowded, construction slowed the city buses, and the temp rose to a sweltering 87 (super high for London). Pair that with no sleep for over 24 hours, and the crew was wilting by 3pm[image error]

The Tower of London and evensong were the highlights of this day. People do not use the wonderful guides at tourist sites very well. These people are a plethora of knowledge and REALLY want to share. I asked the first guide at the Tower one question and he took us basically on a private tour of the armory at the Tower, giving us detailed information we might not have gotten otherwise.

A women’s choir brought the music at evensong at St. Paul’s. Oh my goodness. The buildings is pure artestry. Vibrant colors explode from the enormous domed ceiling high above, lined with such gold it’s almost glistening. It’s certainly set an ‘awe’struck scene.

Needless to say, Ben and I took on the challenge of mastering the Tube by the end of the week �� and the four of us were grateful to collapse for sleep after our first day.

A few notes:

Londoners are posh dressers

The Tube is surprisingly quiet

People were friendly �� super friendly. They don’t usually initiate the conversaionts (like we do in the south) but once the conversation starts, they’re fantastic.

For some fun videos from our first day, check out these links[image error]

Hey hey all!! What a great summer! And more is still to come!

My friend and alleycat, Laurie Tomlinson, started up this great idea of having a little pre-conference mixer for the American Christian Fiction Writers conference that takes place each year in the ‘fall��. This year it’s actually more of a ‘summer�� time, but it’s a wonderful meeting of the creative minds of Christian fiction.

Laurie’s designed this little link up of questions to answer to people going to conference can learn a little more about each other and people who ‘drop-in�� to the conversation can also get a little snapshot of various authors[image error]

So��.below you’ll find my answers to the mixer. Hope you enjoy!

Name:��Pepper Basham

Location:��Asheville, NC

What you write/tagline/trademark:��I write contemporary and historical romance / “Blue Ridge romance peppered with grace and humor��

Place in the book world:�� I’m a multipublished author in both historical and contemporary romance. My debut novel, The Thorn Bearer, is a Carol finalist for the debut category!! My fourth novel comes out in November and I have a very busy publishing year coming up in 2017! I’m agented by the wonderful Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Literary Agency.

On a scale of hugger to 10-foot-pole, please rate your personal space:��Have arms. Will hug.

Something VERY serious: How do you take your Starbucks?��Not a coffee drinker but I love tea!! Hot tea, iced tea (as long as it’s southern sweet

I have an article that is very near and dear to my heart. Stop by and be encouraged with this note today.

��

Words are powerful things �� and words forged into encouragement produce remarkable results.

I think that’s why I’ve always wanted to provide positive influences into my kids lives through words. I’m not saying that we don’t have hard conversations, that I don’t lose my temper, or that I fail to use ‘no�� or ‘wrong�� in my vocabulary, I’m simply stating that the power of encouragement soaks deep in children.

Can you think of someone who spoke into your life at an early age? Someone you respected who took the time to help rustle your dreams to life?

I do.

I’ve mentioned before about the influence my Granny Spencer has had on my life and writing. She exuded a gentle charm, kind of like a welcome fire on a chilly night complete with a cup of hot chocolate. Just sitting by her brought a comfort and warmth all the way through your skin to your heart. She had the ability to draw stories out of people and spark your thinker without you even knowing.

When I was almost ten, she bought me a second-hand type writer because she said “A writer needs one.”��WRITER.��That’s what she called me. She spoke into my dream and breathed another breath of life into it.

When I started middle school, I was not only introduced to a new school and new kids, but I met a new teacher. Mrs. Utt. From the first class with her to my last, she encouraged my love for writing by constantly urging me to stretch myself. She believed in me. She told me “I plan to see your books in the bookstore some day.�� And another breath of life swelled my little dream.

There are others who, in large quantities or small, breathed into this dream to bring it to life �� and it took a lot of breathing, because there were years when all that kept this dream alive was the faith of others and the raw belief that God wanted this dream to come true one day.

But it took a whole lot more than me. It took others taking time to not only to look, but SEE a gift and then use words to give that encouragement power.

Have you done this for a child? Have you had someone in your childhood breathe a dream to life in you?