Summer Indulgence

This Saturday:

The author Barbara Ellen Brink is preparing a series to savor in the Fredrickson Winery Series. As her daughter, I've had the opportunity to create all her cover art and advertising materials. 

This weekend, she is having a book signing at Cannon River Winery where she will be selling print copies of the first two books Entangled and Crushed, and taking pre orders for the third book Savor which will be available October 1st. 

Please come by the winery this Saturday between 10am-5pm to indulge in wine, live music, and products from various talented vendors. There is more information about the event at the bottom of this post and at http://cannonriverwinery.com/

If you can't make it to the event, you can purchase in paper back or ebook form any of Barbara's novels here: Barbara's Books at Amazon.com

Here's a little bit about the Fredrickson Winery Series books:

 One lost summer is time best left forgotten...

When Minneapolis divorce attorney, Billie Fredrickson, inherits her uncle's small California winery, she has no intention of actually moving to the west coast and starting a new life. Her only thought is to get it off her hands as quickly as possible. But her return to the winery after an absence of twenty years opens up more than the reading of her uncle's will. Childhood memories, long-buried, begin to surface, prompting more questions than anyone is able or willing to answer. 
A late night prowler, a break-in at the winery, and an unearthed box of shocking photographs is someone's way of pulling the Welcome mat out from under Billie's feet, but it only makes her dig her heels in deeper. More secrets lie buried beneath Fredrickson Winery's innocent facade and Billie intends to get to the root. But disturbing the past lays bare the skeletons of others, including her mother's. Can she live with the consequences of full disclosure or will she run home where everyone is Minnesota Nice?

 Creating the perfect wine can sometimes be murder... 

When Adam Fredrickson shows up at his sister’s California winery, footloose and carefree, looking for a temporary job and a chance to play his music, he doesn’t expect to find the winery struggling financially, or that the girl next door might just be the girl of his dreams. 

Margaret Parker, a single mom, newly hired as Chief winemaker at Fredrickson's, finds her simple world put to the test when her father is unexpectedly released from prison, and the man who got her pregnant at fifteen, shows up from Italy wanting to play daddy nine years too late. 

It's crush time at Fredrickson Winery and everyone is working feverously to get the grapes in and ensure a great vintage. No one expects murder to be part of the joyous harvest season.

Savor the moment, cause it just might be your last…

Newly married and trying to keep the romance flowing along with the wine, Billie and Handel find themselves knee-deep in another mystery. Defending a wealthy San Francisco businessman against capital murder, Handel soon discovers that media attention brings more than fame and fortune. When Billie’s life is threatened and someone starts vandalizing winery property, he believes it’s connected to the case.

Across the vineyard, Margaret has problems of her own. Davy’s Italian grandfather comes to town and starts right in where his son left off. Throwing the weight of his money around, and using the rash of vandalism as a weapon, he tries to prove that Davy would be safer and better off living with him in Italy.

This Saturday is the Summer Indulgence at Cannon River Winery

in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, 10am-5pm.

Check out the following news about the event from cannonriverwinery.com

SUMMER INDULGENCE

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

Join us for a day of indulgence on Saturday, August 24 from 10 am to 5 pm!

Summer Indulgence is a delightful annual event complete with locally handcrafted jewelry, clay pots, art, artisan soaps, wine inspired gifts, clothing, and more!

Bring your friends, sisters, moms, aunts, and grannies. Enjoy a glass of our award-winning wine while you shop local!

Reservations are not required and there is no fee to attend. 

*Wine by the glass only.

Enjoy free live music by Brooke Ellis from 1 pm to 4 pm. 

Vendors attending:
Author Barbara Brink

Brie'sBoutique-Dawn Quist

Bella Mi Jewlery- Samantha Hurd

Sun Catchers-Pat Barsness

Touhl Jewlery-Grow Touhl

Creative Confectionaires Chocolate-Dave & Cindy

Pam's Pepper Jams-Pam Hoepner

Touch Awakenings Massages-Kathy Shaw

Bubbles by Brooks-Amy Brooks

Lucero Jewlery-Sally Lucero

Bijaux by Cindy-Jewlery-Cindy Spreiter

My Sister & Me- Hats-Denise Ellingson

Day Brightner Bakery-Mary Shepard

http://cannonriverwinery.com/events/summer-indulgence/

Big Catch

First day of fishing, second time out. We were trolling for something big. Although I grew up in Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, I had never been fishing until that day. I had my poll over the right side of the pontoon, waiting and hoping I was doing this “fishing thing” correctly. All of a sudden, I felt something pulling hard. “Uh, I think I might have something.” I said as I stood up and started trying to reel in the line. Jim hopped over beside me and began coaching me through it. The excitement in his voice made me believe this was going to be the best fishing experience of my life. “Keep it tight. Keep reeling!” he said. “Oh man, it’s a huge one! Look at your arms. Your muscles are really working! This is a really big one!” I wondered if his heart was healthy. The shock of a fish this big could give a middle-aged man a heart attack. Jim was totally freaking out, but I was too inside. I was putting all my energy into reeling in this extremely heavy “fish” instead of wagging my jaw. Also, I didn’t want to say anything stupid if it turned out to be a boot or a tire. This lake doesn’t have boots and tires though… We were all at the corner of the pontoon, and Dwayne was hunched down ready to scoop up my catch with the net. After reeling my “big catch” in for what seemed like 5 minutes, I brought it to the surface. It was the “biggest” catch of the day, the “largest” catch of the day, it was even the “longest” catch of the day. It just wasn’t a fish. We all started laughing as Dwayne grabbed it out of the lake and held it for all of us to see. It was a tree branch as tall as me. For all the excitement, adrenaline, and laughing this turned out to be my favorite fishing experience of the weekend.

Success

Lately I have been overwhelmed with the fact that I’m not succeeding. Basically failing everything, I let my stress, worries, and fears take over. Failings in my job, career search, art, relationships, living arrangements, finances. I felt judged and lost. Crying for my future that seemed to be so clouded. I just wanted to run away from it all. So I went to a friend's place where I didn't feel judged, and hid from the world for a while. The thing that pulled me out of my pit of despair was the truth of the gospel. My friend read some verses, I don't even remember what they were, but they were about Jesus. I had been so stressed over these things in my life, that in the end, won't even matter. My selfish heart longed for praise from people instead of desiring to please God. I needed to give my hearts desires up to God. I thought I had before, but my concern for the way the world measures success had gotten in the way. The world, culture, my family, school, they all perceive success in getting what you want, being on top, being the best, being known in the world. But God doesn't measure success like that. 

^"15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[d] is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of Godlives forever." -1John 2 15-17 NIV

A long time ago, Jesus saved my soul through his death and resurrection. When I believed in him, I also gave my life to him. I'm here for one purpose, to further the kingdom of God. Success in God's eyes is following Jesus Christ and following the Holy Spirit's promptings. Regardless of the outcome, because my expectations are from my earthly point of view. Simple obedience is the starting point. 

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord." -Isaiah 55:8 NIV

¹⁷ 
My career of choice has nothing to do with it unless God sees fit that I can share Jesus with the people in that place. I have heard many times that as Christians, we should be different from the world. The Bible tells people to act a different way from their culture. I need to act and think differently for God. I need to stop chasing after success of this world and start chasing after success in my Saviour.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." -Romans 12:1-2 NIV

Since I have hope in Jesus Christ, repentance and giving up everything, is the most freeing feeling ever. It is followed by praise and thanksgiving flowing from a joyful heart. I have thanked God for showing me this so much in the past few days. I wish there were more words for thank you. 

^"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:4-7 NIV

If you want to check out something in the Bible that relates to this, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart on this subject through James 4, but really it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that is the point.

^"16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." - John 3:16-18 NIV

To Know One's Self

Benjamin Franklin once said, “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.”

Benjamin Franklin was not the brightest bulb. Pun intended. His well documented stupidity of electrocuting himself with a kite lives in infamy. So why do we listen to his quotes. Knowing one’s self is not hard, you’re just expecting more of yourself than what you are.

“Who Am I?” This is a question that seems to plague young people these days. Like we’re supposed to know our special talents and what we want to do with our lives. We’re supposed to have a “vision” for our future and make “life” goals and reach for the stars, but we end up grasping at straws and mixing metaphors.

Wake up already! “Know thyself? If I knew myself, I’d run away.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). I know I’m a mess just like everyone else, and if you think you’re not a mess, you’re lying to yourself. Stop worrying about the mess and start cleaning it up.

Everyone wants something to change in their lives; whether it be, a different job or you just want to start buying more absorbent paper towels. The trouble is, you know the thing you want to change but you don’t know what to change it to. The fact is, it’s not that you don’t know yourself, it’s that you don’t know the options. So get out to the store and see what paper towel brands are available in super absorbent.

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” (fortune cookie) When I was growing up, if I didn’t know a word that my parents used I would ask them and they would say, “Go look it up.” I am ignorant because I rarely followed their advice. But I never thought for a minute that I know what the word means when I was never enlightened to the meaning. You can’t know something you never knew. You can’t forget something you never heard. Stop thinking you don’t know something about yourself. You’ve spent your entire life asleep and awake with that person. 

Be Still and Know

“Be still and know that I am God.”

This is what I heard from God today. I started praying out loud and it just poured out, my worries and fears of now and the future. I didn’t even know I was so worried. So that’s why I’ve been breaking out this week. When I was finished with my little rant, I thought about asking God to cure my zits, but I decided to go a bit deeper and asked him to make me content in my circumstances. He spoke to my heart and said, “Be still and know that I am God.”

This phrase is not new to me. I’ve read it plenty of times somewhere in Psalms, but I couldn’t remember exactly where so I looked it up. Thank you biblegateway.com!

Psalm 46:9-11

New International Version (NIV)

⁹ He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields^[a] with fire.
¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹ The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

God is my defender and my fortress! “Be still and know that I am God.” No matter what happens God will defend me, and keep me safe. God is so mighty and he knows where I need to be, I don’t need to worry, just be still and know.

Broke, Single, White Girl

When I came home from college, I felt lost. A broke, single, white girl living in her parent’s basement. I thought my identity was nonexistent because of my lack of worldly things. My not-so-stable job or jobs combined with my failing internship search was making me feel like a failure in my field. My status as “single” was making me depressed. While it seemed like so many people my age or younger were getting married, I was still waiting to get asked out for the first time. My church was no help in my identity search, I felt completely out of touch in my home church.

I was being consumed with the way culture and people around me perceived things. I could either go on and hate my circumstances or ask my self the question I knew would take me to the answer. “What is the greatest thing in life?” The Sunday school answer to this is correct, but whenever I ask that question, this verse comes to mind.

“’Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment…” (Matt 22:36-38 ESV)

I realized, I had not been following the greatest commandment faithfully. I was leaving God out of my new identity, but that only leads to failure and doubt. Something I was fully aware of when I was focusing on an identity apart from Christ. Remembering who God is and what Jesus had done let me take a look at the identity I already had. A woman saved from hell by faith in Jesus Christ, A follower of Jesus and a sower of this good news of Christ.            

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”(2 Corinthians 5:14-17 ESV)

This is my true identity. Jobs, relationships, money, friends, they can’t define my identity because I am a new creation in Christ.

Swift Kick

 Sometimes God just needs to give us a swift kick in the butt to get us to stop and smell the roses. In this case, it was my butt and the roses weren’t so much flowers as they were answered prayers. I had been unfocused and uncertain about everything in my life. Lately I just started drifting. You know the drift. The one where you just do what you have to do and not really care about anything. I was so bored I couldn’t even keep that up for a week. I was so unfocused I couldn’t even focus on not caring about focusing. So as the Holy Spirit was urging me in my heart to do, I went to the Bible to get my focus back. And guess what I found. A passage about who God is and how he wants us to seek him, (When talking about who God is Paul says, "God did this so that men would seek him & perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:27), which brought to memory other verses I know about seeking God. God was reminding me that he wants me to continually seek him.

Part of my unfocusedness was because I was worrying about certain things I didn’t have, so in seeking God, I thought about what he has blessed me with lately. I found that many of my prayers have been answered in the last couple months. I am amazed.

1^st a few months ago I prayed that God would lead me to a church where I could connect and serve and learn more about him. Prayer answered!

2^nd I asked God to put someone in my life who I could be close friends with to share our hopes and struggles. Prayer answered!

3^rd I needed income. He gave me two jobs.

4^th I asked God to use me. He led me to a class to teach me how.

5^th I asked for understanding, and he showed me how quickly life can change.

6^th I asked for wisdom, and I keep seeing how stupid I am.

7^th I asked God to keep his Holy Spirit nagging on me when I’m not doing what I should. It was coming in loud and clear.

I see that I don’t need to be unfocused and uncertain about my life. God has a plan. I just need to seek him and he’ll lead me when and where he wants me to go.