Only the River Runs Free

Bodie & Brock Thoene captured me in another of their excellent novels, Only the River Runs Free. The story is set in early-to-mid-19th century Ireland, complete with Mad Molly, the eccentric old woman of Ballynockanor who lost her marbles when her employer and his son died on the same day. But she kept the secret of their demise locked away for years, later slipping the mysterious key to a young lame boy and his wee sister.

When a stranger comes to Ballynockanor on Christmas Eve, Mad Molly proclaims a miracle will come to the town through this young man. His intention to become a priest is thwarted by his secret love for Kate, the widowed (and scarred) daughter of town drunk, Tom Donovan. In typical Thoene fashion, this novel is woven together by a well-designed plot. I sailed through it in a week and found myself lamenting at the end, not because the ending was unhappy. Oh, no. The happy ending makes it all the more worth the read. I lamented because I wasn't ready to leave Ballynockanor and its colorful characters. I'm looking forward to reading Ashes of Remembrance, another masterpiece in The Galway Chronicles.

Highly recommended.

Buy two - one for yourself, and one to give as a gift.

Heavenly Humor

"I shared an apartment with my tuxedo cat, Sammy. Aside from not kicking in his share of the rent, he had all the attributes of a roommate anyone could want. He didn’t borrow my clothes, leave dirty dishes in the sink, or take long showers depleting the source of hot water." - Excerpt from Silhouette on the Shade I'm very excited to announce Heavenly Humor for the Cat Lover's Soul is available for pre-order, either through Barbour Publishing (www.barbourbooks.com) or Barnes & Noble. I haven't checked with LifeWay or other book stores yet. In this anthology, you'll find my story, Silhouette on the Shade, about sharing my apartment with Sammy, my first cat (often referred to as my first love). He was a delightful little guy - black & white with soft amber eyes - who never complained about frequent relocations, and accepted other animals into our home with aplomb.

(Note of appreciation to: http://www.i-love-cats.com/catgraphics.html for the above image)

Barbour is working on another anthology, Heavenly Humor for the Mother's Soul. I wrote seven stories for that book and pray they'll publish all of them. Looking forward to sharing more good news with you as blessings find their way to me.

http://www.intouch.org/resources/140-days-of-prayer

http://www.intouch.org/resources/140-days-of-prayer Take the challenge. I did!

My Novel Makes the Finals in RPLA

What exciting news! April 29, 2010: I entered my novel in the Inspirational Romance genre of the Royal Palm Literary Award Contest, hosted by the Florida Writers Association. It was a last minute effort that almost didn't happen. Every time I've attempted to enter this contest, something--an important event, unexpected company, or toppled by a common cold--always got in my way. This time, I knew I had a trip to Alabama planned in early May, followed by my husband's birthday celebration, and we received happy news that his daughter and her family were relocating to Tampa. I read the contest entry details and discovered that by entering before May 1st, I could actually save money. So, with a quick prayer, I downloaded the pages I needed, printed them out, and shipped my entry via USPS. Over Memorial Day weekend, I needed to check my e-mail for research on another writing assignment. I bumped my husband off his laptop, promising to be brief. There it was...the e-mail from RPLA saying, "Congratulations! Your novel Obedient Heart has made it into the finals..." Now, I have to compile all my chapters into one document of 97,742 words, and ship the entire manuscript to be judged in its entirety. This is heart-pounding excitement for me. When I first wrote this novel, I knew nothing about writing. I attended the Florida Christian Writers Conference, where I studied under Gayle Roper (whom the RPLA cited as an example for Inspirational Romance). A few years passed and I continued to gain more knowledge and grow in the art of writing. I rewrote, and rewrote and rewrote this novel, using the tips I've learned from Gayle, Mark Mynheir, Jeanette Windle, Cecil Murphy, and all the wonderful writers in FWA and Word Weavers. So, please keep me in your prayers as I prepare to send the completed manuscript to RPLA. And thank you, Jan Powell, for all your encouragement, as you repeatedly said to me, "This could be the year..."

Review Of Raymond C. Hundley's Book

My friend in law school wrote on her FB page, "If I get my law degree, and the world ends in 2012, I'll be really mad!" Dr. Raymond C. Hundley's book, "Will The World End in 2012?" is a quick read with only 184 pages, including a well-written study guide at the end. He begins with a review of the film, "2012," which I opted not to see. Dr. Hundley introduces each prediction with a believable scenario, then takes the reader through the pros and cons of the chapter, and ends with his scientific opinion as to whether or not the catastrophe is feasible. My only critism is his overuse of the word "relationship" in the last chapter. I'll say no more so as not to spoil the ending. This is a book I would recommend, especially to my friend in law school (haha). I intend to read it again with the study guide in mind. I'd like to get 100% on the questions he asks at the end.

Resurrection in Review Part 2 - Andy Woods

Here is, at long last, the second part of Andy Wood's message on Resurrection. According to the Bible, everyone will resurrect; some to eternal life, others to a judgment of disgrace and contempt. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. - John 5:28-29 ...having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. - Acts 24:15

• In Luke 16;19-31, Jesus relates the agonies the unrepentant man suffers in Hades.
• In Luke 23:43, the thief on the cross goes to Paradise with Christ because he believed in Him.

God's plan consists of two general resurrections after Christ's. Andy's chart indicated that one resurrection is of the believers in Christ. In his graph (which I am unable to draw in this medium) under the believers' resurrection line, the chart lists three different times of resurrections as in the harvest cycle described in Leviticus.

1. First Fruits (Christ) Leviticus 23:10 ("...you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.")
2. General (at the Rapture) Lev. 23:1-12
3. Gleanings (at the beginning of the Millennium) Leviticus 19:9-10 (...you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, ...you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger.)

Gleanings were for the poor. In the resurrection, Rev. 20:4-5 includes the Old Testament saints and tribulation martyrs. (And I saw the souls of those who have been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.) The Unbelievers' resurrection line goes directly to post-millennium (after the thousand year reign of Chris). Daniel didn't see the thousand years between the last two resurrections when he predicted the resurrection in the verse: Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. - Dan. 12:2 Andy explained it is like viewing a mountain range from afar. You see only the peaks, but not the valleys that span between them. Christ's resurrection is attested by witnesses in 1 Cor 15:1-11. ...Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

His resurrection is the heart of the gospel.

Psalm 16:10 is one of many Old Testament predictions of the resurrection. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

The mystery is the rapture - a generation of Christians to be spared from death, instantaneously at the last trump of God. Revelation 20:4-5 describes the first resurrection in a series, not the first. Rev. 20:12-15 gives the bad news for unbelievers: And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Hades is a place of conscious torment, awaiting final judgment just as post-conviction inmates await transport to prison. Unbelievers are not written in The Book of Life, but they will be judged by the deeds written in them. The Deeds books determine the level of punishment in hell. Another way to view the timeline of the resurrections is the Order of Tagma. When the king welcomed his army back from war, they were specifically positioned for the march.

1. Conquering General: Christ (1 Cor. 15:23) But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end.
2. Officers: Believers at the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:13-18) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
3. Soldiers: Old Testament Saints and Tribulation Martyrs (Rev. 20:4) ...and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
4. Captives/Slaves: Unsaved from all the ages of the world (Rev. 20:5) The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This life is like a grain of sand on a seashore. Our choice for or against Christ determines our eternal destiny.

In summary, everyone will be resurrected. The question is: where do we spend eternity?

Born once, die twice.

Born twice, die once.

Resurrection in Review

Dr. Andy Woods, an associate professor at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, Tx, blessed us with his pearls of theological wisdom on Sunday, April 4, 2010. I always look forward to his sermons/lessons when he appears at Bayside Community Church. Here is an overview of my notes: Andy presented his Resurrection in Review in three parts:

1. 1. Define Resurrection
2. 2. Demand for Resurrection
3. 3. Description of Resurrection

1. Definition: Reunion in Glory God created us in two parts - material and invisible. When the body dies, the material and invisible parts separate. So resurrection is the opposite of death. Lazarus was not resurrected when he came out of the grave. (John 11:43-44) Jesus brought him back to life after four days in the same body, therefore, he was resuscitated. The many who came out of their tombs after Jesus on that first Resurrection Sunday (Matthew 27:52) may have been resuscitated, as well, instead of resurrected. The physical body dies, but the glorified body, which we get at the moment of resurrection, never dies. 2. Demand for Resurrection: We have a cursed physical body Why do we need to be resurrected? Because Heaven is eternal, and our physical bodies are temporal. Sin has tainted us since Adam, leaving us to bear his curse. As such, we are not fit to enter God's presence in our physical bodies. Heaven is both a physical and spiritual experience. Although we have an obligation to be good stewards of our physical bodies, 1 Peter 3:3-4 tells us "our adornment must not be merely external... let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." We must have our glorified bodies to come into His presence in Heaven. 3. Description of Resurrection: The perishable becomes imperishable In 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, Paul tells us we are "sown a perishable body, but will be raised with an imperishable body; sown in dishonor, but raised in glory; sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ...sown a natural body, ...raised a spiritual body." And "just as we have borne the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the heavenly." Jesus, in His resurrected body, walked through walls and closed doors, (John 20:26) yet he ate a plate of fish with His disciples on the beach (Luke 24:43), proving that He was not a spirit, and not a physical man. The Resurrection is both. The scars Jesus bears on his hands, feet, and side remain as a constant reminder to us of the exorbitant price He paid for our sins. Stay tuned for the second part of Andy's message, regarding who will be resurrected, and when?