TRIAL RUN PUZZLE #4!
Friday, July 31, 2015
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
HOW ARE YOU DOING ON YOUR PILGRIMAGE? READ DAVIS BUNN'S LATEST NOVEL TO DISCOVER THE MEANING OF PILGRIMAGE!
WITH THAT IN MIND . . . HOW ARE YOU DOING ON YOUR PILGRIMAGE? THE IDEA OF PILGRIMAGE HAS BEEN DRIVEN HOME TO ME THESE LAST FEW DAYS. FIRST DAVIS BUNN'S BOOK, THEN THE LATEST NETFLIX MOVIE THAT ARRIVED IN OUR HOUSEHOLD, THE WAY. FINALLY, THE MESSAGE I PREACHED ON SUNDAY MORNING LOOKED AT SEVERAL PILGRIMS. HEBREWS CHAPTER 11 RECORDS THE HEROES OF "THE HALL OF FAITH." HALF OF THEM SEEMED TO "MAKE IT THROUGH" IN WHAT THE WORLD WOULD CALL "SUCCESSFUL FASHION." OTHERS EXPERIENCED PERSECUTION AND PAIN IN VARIOUS DEGREES THAT ARE NOT PLEASANT TO CONTEMPLATE. I'LL LEAVE YOU TO READ THAT CHAPTER FOR THE DETAILS.
BUT HEBREWS 11 CLOSES WITH THIS FINAL THOUGHT: THE "WINNERS," AND THE "LOSERS" ARE STILL WAITING TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE. THEY ARE WAITING FOR THE OTHERS WHO ARE STILL RUNNING THE RACE. IN GOD'S ECONOMY - WE ALL CROSS THE FINISH LINE AT THE SAME TIME. WE ALL WIN!
BETWEEN THE STARTING GUN (BIRTH) TO THE END OF OUR LEG OF THE RACE (DEATH), WE ARE ON A PILGRIMAGE. ALONG THE WAY, WE MAKE ACQUAINTANCES. THOSE ACQUAINTANCES SOMETIMES JOIN US AS COMPANIONS. CIRCUMSTANCES FORCE COMPANIONS TO BECOME COMRADES . . .AND OVERCOMING THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES TOGETHER FORGES FRIENDSHIPS.
UNLIKE THE WORLD'S VIEW OF "FRIENDSHIP," A TRUE PILGRIMAGE PRODUCES FRIENDS OF A DIFFERENT CHARACTER. THOSE FRIENDS MADE ON PILGRIMAGE REMAIN FRIENDS FOR LIFE. ALL IT TAKES IS AN E-MAIL, A NOTE, A POST-CARD, OR A PHONE CALL . . . AND THEY WILL MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH TO BE AT YOUR SIDE BEFORE YOU CAN TAKE YOUR NEXT BREATH.
Author Davis Bunn
SAMPLE THE PILGRIM: THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS ARE FREE!THE WORLD KNOWS LITTLE OF PILGRIMS. MAYBE, IF THEY GOT TO KNOW THEM BETTER, THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE.
HOW ARE YOU DOING ON YOUR PILGRIMAGE?
Saturday, July 18, 2015
THE PILGRIM . . . HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT DAVIS BUNN'S LATEST NOVEL?
THE PILGRIM by author Davis Bunn
Helena – the consort of Emperor Constantinus, from which union came Constantine The Great – is on a pilgrimage. Abandoned by her husband, in danger because of her faith, Helena nonetheless presses forward. In so doing, she impacts history as no other woman has done. Miracles seem to follow her as she wins many over to the faith. Lives are changed forever, including her own.
Her faith provides the necessary courage, strength, and zeal necessary to begin the journey. . .
Will it be enough to see her through?
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE? HERE'S THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS!!!
THE PILGRIM Chapters 1 - 3
Friday, July 17, 2015
In Memory of Dr. W. Wilbert Welch, Christian leader, statesman, and author
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
THRIVING IN BABYLON by Dr. Larry Osborne . . . EVEN IN BABYLON, GOD IS IN CONTROL!
Dr.
Larry Osborne has served as a senior pastor and teaching pastor at North Coast
Church – one of the ten most influential churches in the country – since 1980. Dr. Larry Osborne is a pastor who recognizes
truth . . . and has no compunctions in administering it.
How
refreshing!
In
his work, THRIVING IN BABYLON, Dr.
Osborne takes a fresh look at the book of Daniel. Discarding the “typical” interpretation of
Daniel as a book of mystery, disregarding the “popular” interpretation of
Daniel as a book of encouragement, Dr. Osborne engages the text with
scholarship and wisdom, and opens up the eyes of those who will see. Along the way, the author explores:
- Why panic and despair are never from God
- What true optimism really looks like
- How humility disarms even the greatest of enemies
- Why respect causes those who would otherwise have nothing to do with God, to listen
- How wisdom can snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat
But
be warned . . . as an old proverb counsels us, “Truth can sometimes wear a wry
face.” Are you prepared to handle the
truth?
Author
Dr. Larry Osborne can deliver it.
5
stars for a refreshing, reflective understanding of the life of Daniel
THRIVING IN BABYLON
Larry Osborne
ISBN 978-1-4347-0421-4
Religion / Christian Life / General
David C. Cook
199 pages
$15.99 U.S.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
THE PILGRIM by Davis Bunn Is Officially Released Tomorrow!
http://www.davisbunn.com/book/the-pilgrim-by-davis-bunn.htm
IT'S OFFICIAL! THE PILGRIM by author Davis Bunn is officially released tomorrow. Here's a sneak preview (the first three chapters) as well as advanced notice of a FACEBOOK One-Day-Only Book Giveaway! The link is below, but will not be active until tomorrow. Also, if you have problems with reading, or prefer audiobooks, I've included links to the audiobook version of THE PILGRIM. This is a short novel (165 pages) that packs a huge punch! Happy Reading!
FACEBOOK One-Day-Only Book Give Away
A preview of THE PILGRIM by Davis Bunn
Audiobook Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MdGhGD
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
THE PILGRIM . . . Q & A With Author Davis Bunn
Davis
Bunn: The period when Constantine became the first
Christian emperor is one about which so much has been written, and yet so
little detail is known. No one knows for certain where his mother, Helena – the
main character in The Pilgrim – was born. There are three main legends, and I
used the one that has the greatest sense of historical resonance, that she was
British, and her father ruled one of the provinces taken over by the Romans.
Her husband was a general who met Helena in the local market and fell in love
at first sight.
Q:
What is the appeal of writing about a historical figure? What was one special
challenge you faced in doing so?
First and foremost, Helena is a saint in the eyes of
the Catholic church. Her son, Emperor Constantine, was the first Roman leader
to convert to Christianity. His death marked the moment when Christians were
freed from persecution. Constantine was led to faith by his mother. The Pilgrim
is her story.
While I am a fervent evangelical Protestant, my wife
is Catholic. My mother is a Catholic convert. As is my sister, who has raised
her two daughters as Catholic. So part of what I wanted to do here was to grow
closer to the heritage that these dear people treasure. Their faith has had
such an impact on my own life. It was important
that I use this story and this opportunity to create something that would honor
their perspective on faith. I also wanted to share with readers the enormous
life lessons we can learn from the lives of the saints.
So many, many different issues came up as a result
of this quest. It proved to be a beautiful and intense growing experience.
Although this book is not particularly long, the actual writing took as long as
some of my much bigger books. Part of this was honing the story so their faith,
and their history, was honored, but done from a foundation that reflected my
own personal walk in faith.
My hope, my fervent prayer, is that the story will
resonate with readers from both faith communities.
Q:
The end of The Pilgrim leaves the reader wanting more. Will you revisit this
story down the road?
I am working on a second book, The Fragment, which
is scheduled for publication in the spring of 2016. The Fragment carries some
of the concepts from The Pilgrim into the early twentieth century, when the U.S.
came to possess a reliquary with a supposed component of Jesus’s cross. It ends
in a vignette that happens today, when a couple travels to Rome.
THE PILGRIM by Davis Bunn . . . Sometimes, re-visiting the past can change your future forever!
THE
PILGRIM
Davis
Bunn
ISBN
978-1-61636-865-4
Fiction/Christian/Historical
Franciscan
Media
165
pages
$14.99 U.S.
“Helena
stood on the ship’s deck and surveyed the army sent to kill her.”
In
my opinion, author Davis Bunn is the reigning champion of “opening sentences.” In fourteen words, he has managed to capture
my curiosity, my attention, and my heart.
And it just gets better, from that point on!
Helena
– the consort of Emperor Constantinus, from which union came Constantine The
Great – is on a pilgrimage. Abandoned by
her husband, in danger because of her faith, Helena nonetheless presses
forward. In so doing, she impacts
history as no other woman has done. Miracles
seem to follow her as she wins many over to the faith. Lives are changed forever, including her own.
Her
faith provides the necessary courage, strength, and zeal necessary to begin the
journey. . .
Will
it be enough to see her through?
The
greatest compliment that I can offer to author Davis Bunn is simply this; he
cares.
He
genuinely desires to “get it right,” to be true to the authentic details of the
time of which he is writing. This latest
novel, THE PILGRIM, is no
exception. And the necessary work that
Davis Bunn had to have done in order to attain this authenticity, this
faithfulness to the facts of a time so far removed from our own, is a testimony
not only to his desire – but to his abilities as a researcher, a scholar, a
quintessential student of history.
His
ability to take the gleanings of his study, and weave them together into the
rich fabric of a novel that will gently lay hold of the reader’s attention, and
never let it go, is just the frosting on a beautifully baked cake.
For more on this wonderful novel, I've provided some links below! You can read the first three chapters, visit THE PILGRIM page for more info on the background of this book, and get to know the author a little better!
The-Pilgrim-Sampler-Chapters-1-3.pdf
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Franciscan Media in exchange for my honest review.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)