Wily

The Bible has some wily characters, but the chief of the bunch might just be our old friend Jeremiah.

 

He is tenacious, witty, and quick with a comeback. He was frustrated with a weak and waffling disobedient king, who simply would not heed the clearest warnings that he needed to surrender to the enemy in order to save the temple, the city, and the nation. So to get his point across, he came up with this line to stress the inevitability of defeat.

"Even if you were to destroy the entire Babylonian army, leaving only a handful of wounded survivors, they would still stagger from their tents and burn this city to the ground!" Jer. 37:10 NLT

There are tons more of these.

Josiah - Chain Breaker

The first eBook by Christian Books Melanesia is now available through Kindle, iTunes, Nook and Kobo (and some others). Yippee! The title: Josiah - Chain Breaker. Price: $1.99.



Kindle:

iTunes:

Nook:

Kobo:

De-isolate The Events and People

How many Bible readers know where and how the Prophetic books (Isaiah - Malachi) intersect with the historical books(1 Kings - Esther) and with the other prophetic books. This is a gold mine of study and facinating.

Author Training Industry

There are a lot of people and organizations that make a living off of peoples' dreams to become a published author. There is nothing wrong with the dream, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to help people fulfill their dreams. But promises are made, by individuals and organizations, that they may not be able to deliver on. So the aspiring writer needs to use discernment when spending money on developing their trade.

One very good resource is this book:  Planning out a book from front to back is not everyone's way of writing, but it is good to see how it can (and reasons why is should) be done.

I Found It

I am a firm believer in the value of historical fiction. It is an effortless way for the reader to learn some valuable history and its attendant lessons. This learning is effortless because the story is captivating in itself and perhaps worth reading even without the true parts. But the historical settings and events and people make it that much more worthwhile.

I gained a lifelong interest in the modern nation of Israel (and even made a trip there) by reading The Zion Chronicles by Bodie Thoene. My best friend learned her US History by reading The House of Winslow series by Gilbert Morris. And now I have found some good historical fiction based on Biblical history (I have been disappointed by many other attempts). I was able to download to my Nook a free eBook by Lynn Austin, the first of a five book series called Chronicles of the Kings.

 

Mrs Austin weaves a captivating storyline while informing us about a whole lot of historical, Biblical truth. She did her homework and got things right. Learn about King Ahaz. Learn about King Hezekiah. Learn about Prophet Isaiah. Learn about Prophet Micah. Learn about ancient Judah and Jerusalem. Learn about the Arameans and Assyrians, about water and sieges and vassals and treaties. More than that, learn about the way God dealt with his wayward people. What he expected and how he responded to the choices of his people. Learn about sin, repentance, forgiveness and restoration. Learn all these things without even trying to. That is what good historical fiction can do. Thank you, Lynn Austin, for giving a good example of what I am looking for.

Reggie H.

Below the surface

 

Are we satisfied too quickly in our study of the Living Word? Do we note most of the surface features of a story but not look deeper to find its full purpose and message? If so, this is a grave loss (and failure) on our part.

The following is a study on the very familiar story of Jesus at 12 years old. Have we caught the point (or points)? We need to do better.

Hard Work

Writing, at times, can be hard work. Especially when it is audience oriented rather than self-expressive oriented. I would love to write about the three girls in my life. To know these girls well is to know that there is an incredible creator who has instilled life and vitality and imagination and a myriad of other good qualities in his creatures. I am too busy, too distracted, too worn out to do justice to the subject of describing these three. Maybe some day.