Author Photos // Pick Your Favorite

Hey y'all!!!

I'm trying to decide on an official "author photo" for the back of my book but I'm having some difficulties! :) So, I thought I'd post my favorites and let y'all give me your input! 

Please leave a comment and let me know which one is your favorite!!

#1 Down by the Creek

#2 In the Breeze

#3 By the Fence

#4 In the Hay Field

Photos taken by my awesome cousin Kelsey.

Divine Confidence // From Psalm 138:8

Good Morning!

I don't have anything to share about my book this morning, I just wanted to post the devotional that I read today. It comes from "Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon. I was very blessed by it, and I hope you all are too!

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me."

~Psalm 138:8

Most manifestly the confidence which the Psalmist here expressed was a divine confidence. He did not say, "I have grace enough to perfect that which concerneth me -- my faith is so steady that it will not stagger -- my love is so warm that it will never grow cold -- my resolution is so firm that nothing can move it"; no, his dependence was on the Lord alone. If we indulge in any confidence which is not grounded on the Rock of ages, our confidence is worse than a dream, it will fall upon us, and cover us with its ruins, to our sorrow and confusion. All that Nature spins time will unravel, to the eternal confusion of all who are clothed therein. The Psalmist was wise, he rested upon nothing short of the Lord's work. It is the Lord who has begun the good work within us; it is He who has carried it on; and if He does not finish it, it never will be complete. If there be one stitch in the celestial garment of our righteousness which we are to insert ourselves, then we are lost; but this is our confidence, the Lord who began will perfect. He has done it all, must do it all, and will do it all. Our confidence must not be in what we have done, nor in what we have resolved to do, but entirely in what the Lord will do. Unbelief insinuates -- "You will never be able to stand. Look at the evil of your heart, you can never conquer sin; remember the sinful pleasures and temptations of the world that beset you, you will be certainly allured by them and led astray." Ah! yes, we should indeed perish if left to our own strength. If we had alone to navigate our frail vessels over so rough a sea, we might well give up the voyage in despair; but, thanks be to God, He will perfect that which concerneth us, and bring us to the desired haven. We can never be too confident when we confide in Him alone, and never too much concerned to have such a trust.

God bless,

     Keri Nicole

Meet the Characters // Jill

Hello!

The second character in my book that I'd like y'all to meet is:

Jilleen ("Jill") Williams

Excerpt from Chapter 5~

 Jill, who hadn’t said a word yet, could hardly contain herself now. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth and turned her head away in an attempt to keep from giggling, but her shoulders shook in suppressed laughter.

         David noticed Jill’s struggle and grinned, cocking his head slightly. “Gonna make it?” he asked. A look of amusement spreading across his face.

         Jill forced herself to look at him. “Sorry.” She said, trying so hard not to laugh.

         “Don’t apologize to me!” he paused. “Or were you laughing at me?”

         Jill didn’t answer but just shrugged her shoulders and smiled, despite the fact that she knew she was blushing.

The elegant young Jill is a good friend of David's. She has a fun-loving, bubbly and outgoing sort of personality, and talks in really long sentences when she's nervous. She's very much a peacemaker and doesn't like conflict, though she does have a bit of an independent streak that shines through from time to time. In the first book, Jill gets caught up in an "adventure" with David as they try to uncover the mystery of the Old Man's Path. But when David has a change of heart and dares to stand up against false and deadly teaching, she finds herself caught between wanting to avoid conflict and what she knows is right. 

Jill will become more of a main character in the second book. I have not titled it yet, but God really helped me bring the outline for it together in the last week or so, and I'm excited to see how it will turn out! Look for more info about it in the near future!

Meet the Characters // David

Hello!

I would like to introduce you to some of the people in my book, so over the next few weeks you will be getting acquainted with a couple of the main characters. Today I would like you to meet...

David Joseph Riley

"David had thick brown hair and green eyes that twinkled with his every smile."  

"He was a lively young man of sixteen with a kind heart, a strong character, and a broad smile just like his Pa." 

In Paths of Righteousness follows the life and struggles of this adventuresome farm boy whose delightful personality will be sure to capture your heart. The story finds him growing up in the midst of a culture where the Christian faith had become dead, empty and devoid of hope. He tries so hard to be a good person, but watches with horror as all of his efforts fail and God shows him the depth of sin in his heart. Believing that if he can just obey everything that the Bible commands him to do he will be righteous enough to gain eternal life, David is devastated when he discovers that "There is none righteous, no, not one:" (Romans 3:10). Meanwhile, a local wives tale demands his attention when David sees with his own eyes the mad man who had supposedly died many years before. As he seeks to uncover the mysteries that continually play over in his mind, God works a miracle in David's heart and life. But it doesn't come with out a cost. 

I loved creating the character of David because I was able to express what Christ has done for me and some of the ways that God has worked in my life through the events in David's life and the struggles of his heart. I love his smile, and his sense of humor; and sometimes I can even hear him whistling a cheery tune.