The Shattered Vase
By author Gracie Lynne
The Shattered Vase is an award-winning novel, which has been called a masterpiece by literary critics.
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Best Selling Book
The Shattered Vase
Susie Whatley has an idyllic life. She lives out in the country with her husband, Joe, and their three children.
This picture of idealism shatters when Joe leaves her for another woman.
Soon, the forces of evil start a battle for the life of Susie. The evil entities of Deceit, Betrayal, Rejection, Arrogance, Envy, Adultery, Doubt, Insecurity, Condemnation, Bitterness, Fear, and Despair meet for one strategy meeting after another to defeat this wretched single mother. If they could just get her out of the way, they then could feast on her children. Why won’t she give up?
Susie is not alone in this fight. Hope, Faith, Joy, Grace, and Mr. Mercy are in the battle too. With each attack, they draw Susie into their compassionate embrace, which is full of Godly wisdom.
As Susie continues to draw near to the wisdom of God, her destiny is revealed.
Will she be strong enough to fulfill her destiny, or will she succumb to evil?
Gracie Lynne
Gracie Lynne
Author
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AN AWARD WINNING BOOK!
This book has been called a masterpiece by literary critics. The Shattered Vase was nominated for the Best Christian Fiction novel in the 2019 Christian Literary awards and won the Firebird award for Christian Fiction in 2021.
About Me
Gracie Lynne
Gracie Lynne’s writing journey started with Christmas letters when her children were young. Her family and friends enjoyed the lively letters written from her children’s point of view.
Unfortunately, soon after her third child was born, Gracie Lynne and her husband divorced.
Because of this change in her life, Gracie became involved in a Church Single’s Ministry. She started writing, directing, and acting in plays for this ministry.
Soon Gracie felt led to write a novel. The Shattered Vase took Gracie eighteen years to complete. While working on this award-winning novel, she also worked as a registered nurse and raised three amazing children as a single mother.
She lives in Texas with her Maltese dog and two Calico cats. She values every moment spent with her children and their families. Gracie also cherishes the precious time spent with friends.
Recent Blogs
Blogs by Gracie Lynne
Latest Post
May 20, 2023Being a single parent and dating is a very treacherous path to tread. For you not only have to consider your own needs but also the safety of your children.
Children are highly perceptive, and I think it is always wise to consider their opinion, but trust your gut more than anything.
Besides that, I think it is important to listen to the Holy Spirit and also Christian friends. In the following story, I did everything wrong, and yet, I was assured of endless love.
I met the man when I was nursing. He was an editor for a nursing magazine. I loved to write about my walk with Christ, so I figured I might like to write about my occupation.
So, I met with him and found his sense of humor to be charming. I love to laugh, and this man could get me doubled over with laughter.
However, I heard counsel from the Holy Spirit about this man. He said, “He was toxic, and he didn’t care whether or not I was successful.” Anyone who knows me knows I am very driven to be a success as a Christian author.
At the time, I was dating several wonderful men, but I chose to be exclusive with this man. The one whom God had warned me about. I walked away from God and, in doing so, walked right into the embrace of toxicity and rejection.
Soon, I realized there was something wrong. He was like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. During the day, when he was working, he was fairly nice and fun. In the evening, when he started drinking, he turned into a monster. He didn’t think he had a problem with alcohol because he didn’t drink while he was working. Alas, the joy of denial, which deludes so many into thinking they do not have a problem with alcohol.
I would share with my friends the hurtful things he would say, trying to figure out how I could change the dynamic of this relationship. They all encouraged me to walk away from him. Somehow, I couldn’t.
I even lost a cherished friend because of this because she could not suffer for me to be treated in such a horrible manner.
My family members were concerned as well. I could not break the bond that this man had over me. I kept going back to him as if I was addicted to the rejection and toxicity, which was so prevalent.
Then the dreams started coming. I dreamt I found a rattlesnake in his yard, and instead of running away from it, I approached it. The venomous snake reared its head and infused its poison into my leg.
I had another dream. He lived off of a lake and the lake had dried up and become a barren and cracked wasteland. I knew this was symbolic of what would happen to my Christian ministry if I continued to date this man. And yet, I continued on.
I don’t remember this man saying anything positive to me, even when I had written a stellar piece for his magazine. It was just one insult after another, and my self-confidence was diminishing rapidly. I was told I was evil and selfish.
Then one night in the still of the night, I heard a voice say, “You are good.” The whisper of the Holy Spirit gently invading my sleep with a love so powerful it could break the stronghold of rejection, which had haunted me from childhood.
But that was not all. By nature, I am a clean person. I am very hygienic, but I normally have a slight bit of clutter in my home. This man could not understand why I was like that because apparently, his mother was not like that.
The night after the whisper, I had another dream. There was a piece of paper before me and a pencil, which wrote, “You are who you are.” I believe that was written by the God who said in Exodus 3:14,” “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'”
I had walked away from God. I had disobeyed him in so many ways and yet, this wonderful being whom I consider my heavenly Father has only one thing to give me. His endless love. Soon after, I broke up with this man who was toxic and walked back into the loving embrace of my wonderful Father, wondering why I had ever walked away. [...]
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March 5, 2023
I have realized, as of late, that I have been measuring my self-worth by a precarious standard of success. This measuring rod I have been observing is on my sales page on Amazon. I have recently released the second version of my novel, The Shattered Vase. https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Vase-Book-Life/dp/B0BLK6ZXLP
As a Christian author, I find it imperative that I constantly examine my desires and motivations to make sure they align with my faith. If reaching lost souls for Christ is the aim of my writing, then wouldn’t fabulous success be in line with my faith? Yes, it would be…but not if success becomes my idol.
As I continue on my journey up this elusive mountain called fame, I must be conscious of my motivation.
Is my motivation to gain followers, influence, and money? Or is it to glorify God, even if I do not gain followers, influence, or money? I have said in my author bio that the book I released could not have been written without God in my life. Is this God who I worship and adore impressed by followers, influence, or money? Or is He impressed by a gentle and humble spirit?
I am grateful for the humble beginning of my journey.
When you are an unknown author, every person who reaches out to give encouragement and praise is highly valued. I have learned to appreciate my friends and family for the support they have given me. I feel as if I value them more because my struggle has been challenging. If I had gained fame immediately, I may have become proud and elusive, shielding myself from those I love.
Last week at a birthday party for one of my friends, the birthday girl introduced me as an author and stated that she had bought my book and was looking forward to reading it. She so sweetly gave me center stage for a moment, when really the stage should have been all about her because it was her birthday party, not mine.
Just yesterday one of my sons spent two hours working on my website fine-tuning it. I am sure he had plenty of other things he could have done with his time, but he made my website a priority in his busy day.
These are the memories I cherish and hold dear to my heart.
Success may be a treacherous platform to stand on, but with my eyes set on Jesus, it needn’t consume me.
The greatest gift I have received in this life is not being on the bestseller list but having an intimate relationship with God. The sacrifice of Jesus made this possible. If I gain success and lose that, I have lost much more than I have gained.
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December 2, 2021Cussing is an easy thing to do. In 2020, we have had experienced some tough times. A pandemic which has caused people to lose their jobs, their lives and limit their social engagements. A year like this can lead to plenty of cussing.
Is cussing a bad habit learned from others?
When I was a little girl I was very careful about what words I used. I remember telling others not to use bad words. However, as I got older I lost that edge.
I had some family members who had a bad habit of cussing. My mother was temperamental, when she got angry she would not use uplifting words to express her emotions. She also had a very harsh tone of voice. So it was a double whammy when she got angry! lol
In my novel, The Shattered Vase, I allowed my main character, Suzie Whatley, to endure this character weakness.
My ex could swear like a sailor.
I was married for twelve years. Although it wasn’t a daily occurence, my ex did have a tendency to use words which were not proper English. He too had difficulty with anger explosions. I am not blaming him for my problem. However, if you are surrounded by people who cuss, it is easier to pick up the bad habit.
I soon became comfortable with cussing.
There have been times when I feel as if I have been treated unfairly. When I repeat this story to others I can cuss. There are other times when someone has treated me badly. I want to call them a name when telling the story to a friend. Sometimes things break or don’t work correctly. That can lead most people to cussing. The other day a man pulled out in front of me and a string of unsavory words erupted from my mouth.
There was one time in particular when I was tempted to cuss. I blogged about this experience on my other blog. https://singleparentssurvivalguide.com/that-surgeon/
I find that when I feel victimized, I make the choice to use profanity.
What emotion leads to cussing?
I believe cussing may be linked to anger, bitterness, helplessness and victimization.
One of my favorite passages in Scripture attacks this problem head on. It is found in Ephesians 4.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
What is the effect of cussing?
Is it building someone else up?
Not usually. Sometimes we do it for effect. We think if we put a cuss word into our conversation that it gives the story more emphasis. However, I have heard that profanity is the result of a weak mind trying to make a strong point. So, using profanity to make your point may reveal more about your mind than about the emphasis you were trying to relay.
In the scriptural passage above the Bible says we should only use words to build others up. But what if they are tearing you apart with words? What if they are constantly criticizing you?
In that instance, I would suggest that you walk away from the situation. There were times when Jesus did that. It is not necessary to put up with verbal abuse from others.
When someone cusses me out, I end the relationship.
I think profanity is a fruit of anger, bitterness and wrath.
In Ephesians 4:30 the core of unwholesome talk is revealed and it says we are to get rid of it. . 1 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
There are many ways to get rid of every form of malice. In my following posts I will give some suggestions on this.
Do you sometimes use unsavory words? When do you use them? What things could you do differently to choose words which uplift others? [...]
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