"The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." – Psalm 118:14
There’s something different about the way the clouds look here in the early evening, hinting of autumn…and the weighty feeling in the air, nearly indescribable, but so reminiscent of last year at this time, and the year before that. You get the picture. Here in Colorado’s high country, aspen gold will soon dazzle the foothills, daylight will shorten, and fall will be upon us.
And…so will be my Fall 2017 Book Tour to the Carolinas where I’ll be autographing The Proving and The Beverly Lewis Amish Coloring Book! I’m thrilled for this opportunity to return, after six long years, to this beautiful part of our country.
Many of you have been reading my novels since the release of The Shunning twenty years ago this summer, and I’ll be looking forward to meeting you and getting acquainted at bookstores and library events between September 7 through 16! You can view the entire tour schedule right here.
My fascination with The Proving has to do, in part, with its setting on Leacock Road—very close to the area where I grew up in Lancaster County. And considering that the story revolves around an authentic Amish B&B, what could be more appealing? Think: hot homemade fluffy-light pancakes with real whipped cream, topped with hand-picked blackberries.
Mandy Dienner, formerly Amish, in order to claim her inheritance, is required to run her deceased mother’s B&B for an entire year…all under the scrutiny of the Amish ministers and her once-beloved twin sister, who betrayed her. Tall order, jah? (Hint: The betrayal is the reason Mandy ran away five years ago.) Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself!
On another note, if you’re also curious about my writing schedule: I just finished The Road Home, available April 3, 2018—another intriguing stand-alone novel set deep in Amish farmland (two settings: St. Joseph County, Michigan and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania).
I wish you many blissful hours of reading ahead.
May our dear Lord Jesus be your Joy and your Song!
Beverly Lewis
“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:6
Are you ever tempted to move forward on your own, instead of waiting for divine wisdom? The truth is, taking one small step at a time, in His time and way, is the better way. Then, He alone will guide you on the path you are to walk.
On a different note, my fall 2017 book tour will run from September 7 through 16. I’m looking forward to meeting my wonderful reader-friends at bookstores and libraries in North and South Carolina, and signing personalized copies of The Proving, my new stand-alone novel set in Lancaster County Amish farmland.
A very happy August to you!
Beverly Lewis
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. Blessed are the people he has chosen as his own.” —Psalm 33:12
The Fourth of July was always the high point of my long, hot summer, while growing up in Lancaster County, PA. My sister and I could hardly wait to attend the large family gatherings with our Buchwalter clan. It was a day to reconnect with aunts, uncles, and oodles of cousins. There was plenty of fun, too—all sorts of outdoor games, including croquet, badminton, and hide-and-seek for the younger children. And, oh, the sweet corn-on-the-cob! I still remember that first bite, and the butter dripping onto my chin.
But always there was time set aside for prayer, and we joined hands to thank God for the blessing of freedom in this land called America.
Yes, I enjoyed having seconds of strawberry pie with real whipped cream, and I cherished the best fellowship ever till long after dark when all the kids ran around catching lightning bugs in jars with holes punched in the metal lids. And sparklers and fireworks to top off the day.
But it was the knitting together of extended family, combined with our "most holy faith" that lifted my young heart. And still stirs precious memories even now.
I wish you a happy and inspiring Fourth!
Beverly Lewis
“What we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from our children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, His power, and the wonders He has done.” —Psalm 78:3-4
I grew up hearing this verse quoted to my sister and me (from the KJV) quite often. My parents believed it was important to pass the baton of faith to their girls, so that we, in turn, could speak “the truth in love” to our own children and grandchildren one day.
My father was a man of the Word. He studied it; he based his Sunday sermons on it. And he taught me to quote from memory whole chapters from the Bible, from the time I was in primary school, and even earlier. He believed that if you “train up a child” in the way he or she should go, the living, breathing Word of God would form and shape that child’s entire life.
I remember my father inviting the neighborhood children that my sister and I walked to school with, encouraging them to join us in memorizing Scripture each week day. These are precious memories to me…this Daddy of mine, so eager to spread the joy of the Gospel to everyone he met. So enthusiastic about making friends with people, in order to introduce them to the Savior.
So, this Father’s Day, I will miss my dad very much, but I will count my blessings because the Lord chose him to be my father for all those wonderful years!
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads…and happy summer to everyone,
Beverly Lewis