A Love Like Carmen's

T. N. Bradford

Description

Carmen is a young Christian woman who keeps falling for toxic men, but her passionate search continues, as she believes God has created someone special just for her.

Carmen is a young woman in her twenties who keeps looking for love in all the wrong places. She’s also a Christian struggling to integrate her religion into the confines of modern dating. Over and over, Carmen chooses the wrong guy. In her journal, she acknowledges that she fears abandonment and is afraid of being alone.

She longs to find the right guy to start a family, and she is lucky to have her faith to lean on. She truly believes God has a man waiting for her. She believes she has a divinely ordained match out there somewhere, so she asks God for guidance as she is shaped into the person God wants her to be.

Carmen has moments of doubt, however, as she sometimes thinks God hates her due to some of her past decisions. She eventually finds her way back into His loving arms, though not without strife. She must go through a lot of Mr. Wrongs to find Mr. Right, but Carmen will not give up. She looks forward to the day when she finds a true love of her own.

Sujets

• Christian
• Romance
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 25 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665726023
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

A LOVE LIKE CARMEN’S
VOLUME I
 
 
 
 
 
 
T. N. BRADFORD
 
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2022 T. N. Bradford.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-2603-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-2601-6 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-2602-3 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022911990
 
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 8/24/2022
CONTENTS
Wednesday: October 16
saturday: October 19
Sunday: October 20
(One Year Later) Saturday: October 25
Tuesday: November 18
Wednesday: November 19
Thursday: November 20
Monday: November 24
Tuesday: November 25
Wednesday: November 26
Friday: November 28
Wednesday: December 17
Thursday: January 1
Thursday: January 15
Friday: January 16
Sunday: January 18
Sunday: January 25
Sunday: February 1
Sunday: February 8
Sunday: February 15
Sunday: February 22
Sunday: March 1
Sunday: March 8
Wednesday: March 11
Sunday: March 15
Wednesday: April 8
Tuesday: April 28
Friday: May 15
Sunday: May 24
Monday: May 25
Thursday: July 2
Saturday: July 4
Sunday: July 5
Tuesday: July 7
Wednesday: July 8
Thursday: July 9
Friday: July 10
Saturday: July 11
Sunday: July 12
Monday: July 13
Tuesday: July 14
Wednesday: July 15
Thursday: July 16
Saturday: July 18
Sunday: July 19
Tuesday: July 21
Wednesday: July 22
Thursday: July 23
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 16
Good morning, Lord!
You heard me and answered. My Lord, You never cease to amaze me. Thank You is all I can say. Now, I know why You haven’t given me a relationship yet. It’s because I’m not ready. Whoever he is, though, he will be waiting for me when I graduate with my bachelor’s degree. I saw the vision. I remember him being handsome and somebody that looked familiar. Thank You, Lord, for molding me into the woman You want me to be, so I can have a lasting relationship versus desChamberlaining it and tearing it down.
It’s amazing because Joyce Meyer’s devotion today talked about insecurities and approval from God. You give grace and mercy to everyone, and I see it now. Thank You for the revelation. I understand now.
I studied Proverbs 31 today.
“The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message,[ a ] which his mother taught him.
O my son, O son of my womb,
O son of my vows,
do not waste your strength on women,
on those who ruin kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine.
Rulers should not crave alcohol.
For if they drink, they may forget the law
and not give justice to the oppressed.
Alcohol is for the dying,
and wine for those in bitter distress.
Let them drink to forget their poverty
and remember their troubles no more.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those being crushed.
Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
and see that they get justice.
A WIFE OF NOBLE CHARA CTER
[ b ] Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She finds wool and flax
and busily spins it.
She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.
She goes to inspect a field and buys it;
with her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She is energetic and strong,
a hard worker.
She makes sure her dealings are profitable;
her lamp burns late into the night.
Her hands are busy spinning thread,
her fingers twisting fiber.
She extends a helping hand to the poor
and opens her arms to the needy.
She has no fear of winter for her household,
for everyone has warm[ c ] clothes.
She makes her own bedspreads.
She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.
Her husband is well known at the city gates,
where he sits with the other civic leaders.
She makes belted linen garments
and sashes to sell to the merchants.
She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness.
She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness.
Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
but you surpass them all!
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
“When I do get married, I want one of my wedding colors to be purple. Lord, Genesis 2:21–23,
“So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. At last! the man exclaimed. This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman’, because she was taken from ‘man’,”
really, explains what is going on in my life right now. You have caused my man to fall into a deep “sleep.” While he is “sleeping,” You are making me into the woman who can be with him, his helper, to love him, encourage him, build a family, and to be a Proverbs 31 wife for him! That way I won’t mess my marriage up, because, Lord, I don’t just want a beautiful, fairy-tale wedding. I want a beautiful, fairy-tale marriage.
(8:16 A.M.)
God,
At church today, the minister said to let go of past hurts. Let go of Bryce, Telvin, Reginald, Lorenzo, and even Ace. Oh, Ace. I nicknamed him Ace because of where he stands in my life. That one is dangerous. That connection, that tie was a dangerous one. Without the influence of any illegal or legal substance, he took my body to heights and places that left me tingling and numb, all at the same time.
When I met him, I wasn’t at all interested because I was engaged and “shacking up” with my fiancé, Reginald (Reggie). But I saw how Ace interacted with the other women, and something in me became intrigued. It was like the forbidden fruit; I wanted to try it. I had to try it and have it. Ugh, I feel myself getting drawn back in. Let me stop thinking about that ASAP. I’ve got to let that go. Lord, can You please show me how to let that go?
I’ve also got to stop communicating with Telvin. Yeah, he’s another one. He’s the one I got pregnant with and had an abortion with two years ago. I’m still trying to heal from that. What is wrong with me? It’s like I keep running into the arms of men, hoping to find love, and opening up my body and soul to them, only to be left bruised, battered, broken, busted, and disgusted. I have to stop communicating with Telvin because I know he doesn’t want anything except sex from me anyway.
I’m so sick of that. All of these guys are coming at me, but we’ve determined that I’m not ready yet. In my eyes, they are considered randoms! And they do not need to be looked at any further. I don’t want to go to dinner with them, text them, or hang out with them. No! It’s like something down in my spirit just doesn’t feel at peace with any of them. I just want to wait on You, Lord.
I know that You have my man out there, but maybe we’re just not ready for each other yet. Lord, I want to know what it’s like to feel loved without giving my body away. I don’t know what that’s like. I’ve always equated love to sex and sex to love. What is it like to really be in love?
(8:24 A.M.)
SATURDAY OCTOBER 19
Lord,
I woke up again in the middle of the night, but I’m glad I did! Thank You! It was a huge water bug crawling up the wall above me. Also, I gave Samson and Oden some water. But I also killed the waterbug—I think. Something was on my mind too, though, and I think that’s what woke me. I read about the visions that God gives people. I know that I prayed about Ace, and God told me, “No. You’re not ready yet. I don’t want you to hurt, so just wait. Let me get you together. Your ‘Adam’ is in a deep sleep. There is so much purpose an