Put yourself in the scene for a moment. You are sitting in a crowd staring longingly at Jesus. He has just said His followers should be glad when they are persecuted because they will receive a reward in heaven. Then he says, “…if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” Keep in mind being involved in a rebellion against Roman rule is no small thing. Many rebellions against the Romans have been squelched as the leader and followers are murdered. In those moments, could we possibly have a sense of the magnitude of what Jesus…
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YA Book Review: Freerunner
A book review for YA novel—Freerunner Set against the backdrop of the sport of freerunning, Kia must decide whether she will continue running or face her past abuser in order to save another child. Learn more: Night is Kia’s favorite time, when she freeruns to outdistance the memories of abuse she suffered as a young child. But when former reality television star Terrence Jones arrives at their school as the new head track coach, things begin to change in unpredictable ways. Kia tries out for the team to fit in, but just as she’s gaining a new sense of normal,…
Where Do Faith and Technology Intersect?
Behold, I will do something new— Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? Isaiah 43:19 As I sit on my screen porch, luxuriating in my Wisconsin summer morning ritual, coffee at hand, dog at my feet and a cacophony of avian praise in the background, I cultivate ideas for my new book. Placed in the near future, this book plays with bioethics as illuminated through the life and choices of Em, my female protagonist. Facing her own mortality in the guise of a terminal disease, vexed with arthritis and the quotidian irritations of aging, she…
A Chat with Author Darlene Franklin
Greetings from Colorado. Davalynn Spencer here, enjoying summer’s green carpet and evening rains in the high country. It’s my pleasure today to welcome author Darlene Franklin. Darlene has just reached an amazing milestone of 1 million books sold! That’s an incredible achievement. Darlene is visiting with us today, sharing about her featured book, New England Courtship. Darlene, tell us a little about your book. New England Courtship is the first book in the “Darlene Franklin Primer: the ABCs of Romance” series in which I delight in telling the stories of my native state, Maine.
With Thanksgiving
Anxiety is running high these days—riots in the streets, political confusion, and a silent virus infecting the world. It’s enough to make anyone lose sleep. But Jesus reminds us to cast all our cares on him (1 Peter 5:7). He also invites us to ask for anything in His name (John 14:14), and He will grant it. In a world that seems hopeless, Jesus is our hope. In a world that seems helpless, He is our helper. In a world of anxiety, He is our peace. As I’m reading Bible verses and devotions to help me listen to God,…
Book Review: Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors
Book Review for Editing Secrets of Best-selling Authors by Kathy Ide Kathy Ide’s book, Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors is a writers’ helps book containing tips from professional freelance editor Kathy Ide and numerous best-selling authors on how to edit a fiction or nonfiction book manuscript. Aspiring, beginning, and intermediate writers will learn how to polish a manuscript to get it ready for publication. Established authors can use these tips to edit other writers’ manuscripts, either in a critique group setting or as an editorial freelancer. Here’s a review, reprinted with permission, from Denise Loock, General Editor, LPC Books:…
A Chat with Author Eddie Jones
Hello from Marti Pieper! We’ve just finished the hottest week of summer (so far), although “hot” in Seneca, South Carolina, doesn’t feel anything like it did in Mount Dora, Florida (near Orlando) where I lived until this past November. And I don’t imagine it’s any hotter where today’s interviewee lives in North Carolina, either. I’ve known Eddie Jones for, well, a long time now! We first met when we were both teaching at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference, and we’ve continued to see each other at similar events here and there along the way. Today, I want to welcome…
Living in the Kingdom of Heaven
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Have you ever stared into space with nothing but your very own eyes and been in awe? Have you ever witnessed firsthand such a phenomenon as the Aurora Borealis? Or seen a shooting star? Have you ever stood on a beach and marveled at the beauty of the ocean? Have you ever been astonished by power of the waves? The curiosity of its depths? Have you ever stood on a mountainside and had your breath taken away by the valley below? To be high…
Book Review: Fighting for Your Marriage While Separated
Linda Rooks’ book, Fighting for Your Marriage While Separated, is a winner of the Golden Scroll Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award in 2019. Fighting for Your Marriage While Separated guides a person step-by-step through the complexities of a separation. Dispelling the assumption that a separation will inevitably end in divorce, Rooks shares practical insights, biblical wisdom, true stories of reconciled marriages, and her own reconciliation story after a three-year marital separation. Through Scripture-based truth, practical wisdom gained from eleven years of ministry to marriages in crisis, and her own personal experience, Rooks demonstrates there is hope for reconciliation…
What is the “Vine of Sodom”?
As I studied the questions God asks in the Bible in preparation to write God’s Intriguing Questions: 40 Old Testament Devotions Revealing God’s Nature (co-authored with my husband, Larry), I came across a fascinating reference to the “vine of Sodom” (Deuteronomy 32:32) God gives as an example of how His people have sinned and why they deserve justice and judgment. “For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter.” (ESV) Some commentators have varying ideas about the “vine of Sodom” which the Bible refers…
