I Want New Flooring - Loree Lough

"The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up." 1 Samuel 2:7

The floors in my house are about as low they can get, and oh, what I wouldn’t give to lift them all up . . . and toss them into the nearest dumpster!

Built in the early ‘70s, every room in my house reflected the styles of my least favorite decade. Picture a dull-black slate foyer, faded indoor-outdoor carpeting on the sun porch, scratched white kitchen tile, lackluster oak in the living room . . . connected with cheesy aluminum strips held in place by clunky screws that scrape the soles of my shoes, snag my socks, and draw blood when I’m barefooted.

Every time I see the Lumber Liquidators commercial on TV, I drool. The very sight of Brazilian cherry hardwood makes me sigh. One seamless material, flowing from room to room. I didn’t get that giddy the first time I fell in love!

It won’t surprise you that I recently asked my husband, “When the income tax refund gets here, how ‘bout we spend it on new flooring?” Imagine my surprise when he said, “In this economy? Are you out of your ever-lovin’ mind? There is absolutely nothing wrong with these floors!”

Sez you, I wanted to counter.

But I didn’t, because ours has always been an old-fashioned marriage. He’s the boss, especially when it comes to finances. He’s the guy who pinched pennies until Lincoln cried, who held dollar bills so tightly Washington winced. But the result is an itty bitty Rainy Day Fund that helps me sleep peacefully at night and, considering what he endured to make it possible, I don’t have a problem with letting him make the money decisions.

God has always given my husband the confidence and common sense to lead our family wisely – to provide for us properly. I just had to learn to trust that his frugal ways would be best for us in the long run. And they were. His trust in God to provide adequately for his family has always been successful. They (God and my hubby) protect us like that.

So I guess I’ll just keep on imagining the day when I’ll head for the coffeemaker in the early morning hours, a blissful smile on my face as I glide across an expanse of smooth new flooring that flows like a gleaming river from room to room.

Well, a girl can dream of walking on walnut . . . if she’s walking with the Lord!

At last count, Loree Lough had 68 books, 59 short stories and more than 2,500 articles in print. She's written fiction and non-fiction for kids and adults (with one novel optioned for a TV movie). Her work has earned dozens of awards and at least as many five-star reviews, and several of her novellas have appeared in collections that made it onto Christian Booksellers Association bestseller lists. Her next novel, “Love Finds You in Paradise, Pennsylvania,” is in stores now and two more Summerside Press novels, “Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska” and “Love Finds You in Folly Beach, North Carolina,” will be available in the fall of '09 and the spring of 2010. Loree lives in Maryland with her husband and a rescue dog named Cash.

Publisher: Summerside Press
ISBN-10: 1934770663

Tune into WGOD -- Loree Lough

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven." Luke 6:37

I received a rather harsh and judgmental message yesterday (from a man who visited my website), telling me how writing Christian fiction is bad for my soul and will lead my readers to certain damnation. He made it clear the only book worth reading is The Good Book. And while I wholeheartedly agree there's enormous value in the pages of God's Word, I disagree just as heartily with the writer's attitude toward other books.

As gently as possible, I pointed out that each of God's children expresses love for Him in different ways. I shared that when God called me--former 'hard news' writer--to write inspirational fiction, I eagerly answered that call. God knew I couldn't travel the world spreading His Word, that I wasn't educated in theology and never attended a seminary. Yet because He knew me, He understood that by joining thousands of other faithful Christian authors, book writing could become my ministry.

Every story I tell is put into my heart and mind by the Father, Himself. He knows precisely which of His children need to hear the messages woven into those stories. Perhaps readers are hurting after the loss of a loved one, or worried over the loss of a job. Maybe they're sick, lonely, afraid, or even dying...and blaming God...and as the characters overcome life's struggles through prayer and faith, readers recognize what can happen in their own lives.

I'm sure you'll agree that when people determine to harden their hearts against God, they're tough to reach. Fire and brimstone sermons only add height and breadth to the walls they've built to separate them from the Lord...and self-righteous, judgmental missives only add to imagined "proof" that He doesn't care about them or what they're going through. The Bible, at that point, is the last book they'd pick up.

But God knows us intimately. He knows exactly when we need to hear His loving fatherly messages. And isn't it glorious that He designed so many channels to ensure we'd all find ways to 'tune in' that are on a wavelength...just for us! That's why the Almighty blessed all of us with varied and unique gifts. (For some, it's writing poetry. Others sing or paint or preach to glorify His Name. My God-given gift devises characters whose lives echo those of my readers.) So the poems, songs, sermons and stories He called us to create can--and do--reach those who might otherwise be forever lost. What a plan! What a God!

If our minds are ever open and our hearts always listening, He will speak to us in amazing and wondrous way.


Loree Lough is a successful Christian Romance writer and teacher, having authored over 60 books, her newest release, Love Finds You in Paradise, Pennsylviana hits bookstores in the spring of 2009.



For as long as anyone can remember, tourists have flocked to the quaint town of Paradise, Pennsylvania, where Amish buggies are as common as shops selling handcrafted goods. But to attorney Julia Spencer this town is anything but a paradise. Raised in foster homes, Julia has succeeded in life only through steely determination and independence. The close-knit Amish people are a mystery to her, but local veterinarian Simon Thomas knows them well and is fiercely protective of their simple ways, which are increasingly threatened by the outside world. When Julia agrees to defend a local teenager charged in a case involving an Amish boy, she and Simon find themselves on opposite sides of an intense and emotional legal battle. Just when it seems they will never understand one another, God has something to teach them both about the power of forgiveness and the joys to be found in Paradise.

He is Whom I Trust -- Loree Lough

"He is my loving God and my fortress,my stronghold and my deliverer,my shield, in whom I take refuge....." Psalm 144:2

Just about everybody knows.....I’m crazy about wolves. My favorite sanctuary spans acres of tree-lined hills where nearly fifty wolves, rescued from abuse and neglect, were brought to live with as much dignity as can be achieved.

You’d think my first stop, during visits, would be the cubs. While they’re cute and more photogenic than The Gerber Baby, the creatures that lure me closest are the lone wolves.

Each wolf pack is led by strong, capable Alpha males and females. At any time, at least two lone wolves pace the outskirts—wishing for welcome that will never come. They crave inclusion among four-legged counterparts, but it’s simply not tolerated. Meals consist of what’s left after the others are full. Affectionate pats from caretakers are allowed.....if the actions go unnoticed. Mostly, they skulk away, starving for food and friendship.

Loners can’t join ‘wolfie’ games. Can’t nestle for comfort when thunder clashes, for warmth when cold winds blow. Living this way—always watching, never participating—teaches them a powerful lesson:

No one can be trusted. Not your father or your sibling, not your mother. You’re on your own, and trying to change pack hierarchy might would be costly.

How like us—who’ve suffered the death of loved ones, divorce, job loss—the lone wolves are. And how unlike us.....Each visit, I watch helplessly as loners dash in to steal biscuit crumbs and meat scraps. Though they rarely succeed.....

.....they keep trying!

They don’t trust their own kind, and that lack of trust drives them deep into the forest. It drives us into hiding, too, though we call our forests ‘work’, ‘alcohol’, ‘drugs’, the Internet. We hide from spouses, neglect our kids. Stop doing good deeds, give up walking the dog.

We’re afraid to ask for help, even from God!

If only we’d remember that, in times of greatest need, we’re cradled in His loving hands. “He is there, to protect and shelter us, no matter how dark the nights or how stormy the seas of our lives. “Again I will put my trust in Him.”

Yes, my heart aches for the sanctuary’s lone wolves, unable to trust their own kind. But those I pity most are the lone wolves of the wilderness, for they’ll never know the kindness of human caretakers.

The Lord is our caretaker, and His promises is that we never have to live that way. Isn’t that a miracle? Isn’t it a blessing! He will provide perfect peace.....if we trust Him.

I wish all lone wolves had access to The Father’s word. Maybe then, their hearts would calm and their spirits could rest, knowing “.....he is my goodness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield.....and he is whom I trust......” Perhaps then, they’d never feel that death is preferable to a trust-less life of isolation.

The Irish have a saying, quoted when visitors depart: “I pray you’ll never miss a sunset or a rainbow because you’re looking down.”

I pray your days will be filled with the joy that’s sure to come…

.....when you put your trust in God.


Loree Lough is a successful Christian
Romance writer and teacher, having authored over
60 books, her newest release, Love Finds
You in Paradise, Pennsylviana hits
bookstores in the spring of 2009.
Visit Loree at www.loreelough.com