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Gone South, by Meg Moseley: A Review

When I heard that Meg Moseley’s second book, Gone South, was coming out, I jumped at the chance to review it. I’d read her previous novel, When Sparrow’s Fall, and loved it, so I knew this one would be great as well. I was not disappointed.

Gone South is about a young woman named Tish who, on a whim, buys the house once owned by her great-great-great grandparents. She dreams of making a new life for herself, filling it with friends and putting down roots, something she never had growing up in Michigan. Tish’s life hasn’t gone the way she’d planned, and this impulsive move might be just what she needs to start over. It isn’t long before she discovers that her family name isn’t exactly welcome in this southern town and she feels completely out of place. Old grudges die hard, and there is a long-remembered family story that surfaces upon her arrival. The only person who seems willing to take a chance on friendship with her is George, a local antiques dealer, who just happens to be single and attractive. This is my kind of story, people. Give me a romantic interest and I’m into it.

Arriving right into the middle of the mix is the town outcast, a girl named Melanie. Tish takes her in, which doesn’t help Tish’s chances of being accepted by the community. Melanie has problems of her own and must sort them out with the help of Tish and George. Will the two young women find acceptance in a town that has so firmly rejected them? And will Tish deal with her past so that she can open her heart to George? Well, I won’t give any spoilers. You’ll have to find out for yourself.

I truly enjoyed reading Gone South. I made pots of tea, propped myself up on pillows and made my little self comfortable as I slipped into this story. It has a sweet, southern pace, which caused me to slow down and savor. I loved “getting off the fast track” and letting the story unfold. This town could make a whole cast of characters in a series, if the author wanted to build on what is started here. The characters are delightful.

Meg Moseley is a gifted writer who can tell a great story. I appreciate that she brings an element of faith to the characters, but uses restraint so that it feels believable. You never have the sense that the story is there to prop up a virtuous lesson, and I like that in Christian fiction. Gone South has a theme of grace and second chances that is both satisfying and refreshing. I finished it with a smile on my face. 

I believe Gone South will be available May 7 (you can preorder it now) - I recommend you go get a copy for yourself, and then make a pot of tea. Put your feet up and enjoy.

 

Disclosure: I received a free copy of Gone South, but was under no obligation to give a favorable review in return. The opinion is my own. 

His Unfailing Love

Psalm 33:22

"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:22

This is my prayer for you today, my sweet Company Girls. 

Thinking of you during my "blog break!"

Love you, Rachel

Welcome, Joy.

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Matt. 10:29-31

Good Monday morning, Company Girls! This little nest is in the rosebush right outside my front door and I couldn't resist sharing it with you today.

Know that God is with you and is watching over you with great delight. He is covering you with His grace and keeping you safe in his care.

You are in my thoughts and prayers today. I'll be back to my regular posting schedule in just a couple of weeks.

Love, Rachel

Why should I feel discouraged,

Why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely,

And long for heaven and home,

When Jesus is my portion?

My constant friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

I sing because I'm happy,

I sing because I'm free,

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

"Let not your heart be troubled," 

His tender word I hear,

And resting on His goodness,

I lose my doubts and fears;

Though by the path He leadeth,

But one step I may see;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted,

Whenever clouds arise,

When songs give place to sighing,

When hope within me dies,

I draw the closer to Him,

From care He sets me free;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

~Civilla Martin/Charles Gabriel

Finding God's Extraordinary Purpose in our Ordinary Events

God uses ordinary events to reveal His extraordinary purposes. Just when you think you're going in circles in your everyday life, He can intercept your plans and make His ways known to you.

 

From my desk today...

 

In 1 Samuel 9, a story is told of a young man who is engaged in ordinary family affairs. His father's donkeys have gone missing, and he is given the task (along with a helper) to go and find them.

The young man's name was Saul...and he had no idea that his search for a band of renegade donkeys would start a chain of events that would eventually make him king of Israel.

The mission takes the pair of young men all over the countryside. I'm sure they were thinking, "where on earth could these pranksters be?" They would have been familiar with the inquisitive nature of the animals, and probably realized just how much ground the sure-footed creatures could cover.

After three days of looking high and low, they finally give up and decide to head back home. Without cell phones to use to check in, Saul knows his father will be worried. In one last-ditch effort to find the donkeys they seek out the prophet Samuel, who just so happens to be in the area, in order for him to inquire of the Lord of the their whereabouts.

Unbeknownst to Saul, God had spoken to Samuel the day before, preparing him for their encounter. He told Samuel exactly what would happen and how the young man would come looking for him, and that this tall teenager was the one He'd chosen to be king. The scene unfolds just as God described it. Samuel invites Saul to feast with him and then just before they part ways, he anoints Saul's head with oil. This sacred action marks Saul for God's purpose in a tangible way. Saul, however, is still concerned about his father's donkeys, to which Samuel reassures him.

"Those donkeys? Pssh, don't worry about them. They've already made it safely home on their own."

The donkeys didn't even really need to be found. Because God had had something else in mind.

You see, the real purpose of Saul's journey was not to find a group of runaway animals. It was to get him to a place of encounter with God. The task he was doing for his father was simply a means to move him into the right place at the right time. It was when he was out of his comfort zone, his familiar surroundings, that God brought him face to face with what would be his true mission in life. He was anointed for kingship right then and there.

I wonder if you, too, are on a seemingly insignificant journey?

Maybe your job is one that feels like it is going nowhere. You're wandering in circles, looking for your purpose, and yet somehow you know this is where God wants you. It all seems like such a waste of time and you're tempted to give up.

 

Perhaps God is moving you to place of encounter.

 

Perhaps, like Saul, God is moving you to place of encounter. A place where your vision and purpose will suddenly come into full view. Let me encourage you. Watch and see: His purpose WILL unfold. People and events will cross your path through divine appointments as you journey onward....things that would never happen unless you just keep going. Keep taking that next step.

God uses ordinary events in extraordinary ways. He is able to take a "seemingly insignificant" job and boom! use it to put you right where you need to be. Proverbs 16:9 tells us that a person can think he's planned his ways, but God is working behind the scenes to direct each step.

I love that.

Thank you for your notes of encouragement this last week as I embark on a journey of my own. I'm believing that my "chance" devotional reading of 1 Sam. 9 is a confirmation that God can use renegade donkeys for a greater purpose - and that my simple "Flash" stories will come together in a book that He can use for His glory. I love and appreciate you all so much.

Tell me: have you ever encountered God's purpose in the midst of the regular affairs of your life? Have you ever said, "so THIS is why I've been on this journey!" ? I'd love to hear about it.

Do you feel like you're going in circles today, trying to follow God's leading but can't figure out what His purpose is? Let me pray for you, that you'd encounter Him in a way that will clearly show His care and design for you.

March Winners

Hi Company Girls!

I promised I would announce the winners of March's friendly little point competition yesterday but hit a hiccup in my plans.

{Drumroll}

There was a five way tie for Most Points:

rxkatie

Sandra Munden

Kim Hershey

Rebecca McNew

Anne Porteles

Wow, you ladies did every single thing! Amazing! I am so impressed.

I had said at the beginning of this year that "in case of a tie, a winner will be drawn randomly from the tying participants." I thought that seemed like a pretty fair and objective way to handle it.

Problem is, I cannot be objective about this. Everyone worked so hard and it seems unfair to just pick one! My heart is broken at the thought of disappointing anyone. So I'll be honest with you....I'm trying to figure out how I can award each one the prize of a room consultation and it may take a bit of creativity on my part.

Here is what I will do: This week, I will send each winner an email. We will talk about what you are trying to accomplish with your room and then I will look at my schedule and see what is possible. Each of you is deserving and I want to honor my offer to help you with your rooms (within reasonable limits!) This is a fun reward and I think we can all have fun with it - especially if you'll give me some flexibility and time to work it all out.

The Random Drawing winner for the small print is Michelle Jarvis.

Congratulations to each of you - and to everyone who participated last month. It is so gratifying to see how each Small Thing makes a difference in your homes and families.

Winners, I'll be in touch this week!

Rachel

My Plans for April

{Deep breath}

OK.

I haven't really said anything about this to anyone, so I'm a little nervous about bringing this up.

Oh boy. Here goes: Girls, I am in the process of writing a book.

Well, actually I'm writing a book proposal, which is not quite the same thing but hopefully it will be the precursor to a book.

I've wanted to do this for a long time, but y'all know how I am about multi-tasking. I can barely focus on one thing at a time, let alone several. Needless to say, progress on my manuscript has been slow. By the time I put in a day of work and add activities like grocery shopping, cleaning and "life" stuff, PLUS blogging in the evenings, I've been plum out of energy and inspiration to work on my writing project.

I started looking ahead to the coming months and have come to the realization that I really need to carve out dedicated time to accomplish this - and the sooner the better. I feel like I need to get my first chapters and proposal polished and perfected before summer rolls around, so I can then focus on finding a publisher and/or an agent. This is all new territory for me and I am honestly very unsure of the process.

SO.....

What I'm going to do is take a break from posting daily Small Things for the month of April. This will free up 1-2 hours a day that I will put toward my book goal, and give me some freedom to let my imagination run. Now, I LOVE LOVE LOVE writing blog posts each day so it kills me to step back for a few weeks....but I need to get some creative control and this is the only way I can see to do it well. sigh.

I have two favors to ask of you.

1. Will you pray for me? This is new territory for me and frankly I don't know what I'm doing. I need divine intervention.

2. Will you stick with me? I need some cheerleaders and encouragers that will tell me it's ok and that I can do this. And I don't like feeling needy and insecure...but that's the truth. I need you. The end.

I can't tell you how much I would appreciate you doing these two things for me!

Now, I guess you might like to know what my book is about since I'm asking YOU to sacrifice for it?

Well first off, it is non-fiction, taken right out of my own experience.

My book is about motherhood and life and survival...and a stray donkey named Flash who interrupted everything and became a catalyst for life-changing discoveries that rocked my world. Right when I was in the middle of a big fat failure, this stubborn, buck-toothed character landed in my driveway and showed me that God speaks in unexpected ways and is infinitely mindful of His children...you and me. Oh, Flash has charmed me with his two-inch eyelashes and soft brown eyes, but more than that, he's reminded me that God uses ordinary things in extraordinary ways, and that when we open our eyes to the simple truths in front of us, He can do something spectacular in our lives.

Even as I write this, I am listening to Flash bray obnoxiously in the pasture. Please remind me to tell you about his latest girlfriend/baby mama...a very cute little pony who showed up last week and fell in love with my shabby guy. Yes, if nature holds true, there will be a mini-mule arriving next spring. But that story is for another day.

Please pray for me and stick with me? At the end of this month I want to have the first three chapters done and a sparkling proposal to show for it. Then will be up to God to do the rest.

I'll post some updates here throughout April, and as always, you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Love you, Rachel

PS Is there something YOU are working on that has a high possibility of failure, just like mine has? I'd love to walk the high-wire with you....let me know how you are working through your fears and what gives you courage! {shameless plea for hand-holding}

 

Prize Winners

Hey there, Ladies!

I said I would announce March's winners today, but I hit a bit of a snag:

We have a five-way tie! Yes, FIVE people who tied with the most possible points. Wow!!

I'm sitting down to figure out how to BEST reward each of our winners, so please bear with me!

I've got a full day of work away from the computer today, so if you don't mind giving me until tomorrow to make the announcement I will be ever so grateful! What a wonderful "problem" to have - so many winners to reward! :) I want to be creative and flexible.

Blessings today,

Rachel