Ada Brownell's Blog, page 63

How Do You React to Conflict? IMAGINE THE FUTURE YOU.

To kickoff IMAGINE THE FUTURE YOU, all Ada Brownell's e-books are on sale for .99
HOW DO YOU REACT TO CONFLICT? Excerpt from Imagine the Future You4. IMAGINE YOU AS AN OLDER ADULT Your really big show!
The decisions you make now help to form your adult character and mold your personality (and even your body) in ways that are difficult to change. The real “You” peels off the mask when you become an adult and who you are is revealed.You might be surprised yourself. People who do great things often look back in awe, because when they were young they had no idea how God would use them. On the other hand, I’ve met people who don’t like who they became. One old man told me he wished he could live his life over—as somebody else. As I’ve said before, many people assume they became the person they are because of their parents and other outside influences. Sure, what happens to us and around us affects our lives, but it is how we react to our environment that determines what kind of person we become.
HOW DO YOU REACT?
Reaction: This word in a sense could be similar to nuclear reactors, which can power a city. A nuclear reactor produces heat a million times greater than an equal mass of coal. A coolant is used, thus producing steam. The steam creates power.What I’m saying is you might have a heated reaction to distressing circumstances, but if you “cool it” with common sense and love for God, yourself, and others, you emerge a more powerful person. Your reaction to the events in your life decides your character as much as environment and outside influences. Yes, if your mother or father is an alcoholic, your genes may make you more susceptible to alcohol. But you can decide whether or not you will take your first drink.When I started as a reporter at a fairly large newspaper, I was about the only one on the news staff who didn’t drink intoxicating beverages. At a staff picnic one year, a photographer who had been drinking poured beer on me. He said he did it so I’d smell like I had a good time when I got home to my husband.Another time when I was young, a man tried to force me to taste beer. I just clamped my mouth shut, and although he was bigger than I, he didn’t get it open. I never did taste beer or take a first drink of an alcoholic beverage. Every time I see an alcoholic or a drunk, I am thankful I never succumbed to peer pressure.
HOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS YOUYour environment affects who you are as much as the genes that held the pattern for your nose and ears. Often environment determines whether or not you use foul language. If family, friends, and your entertainment speak filth, those words pop into your mind. But that doesn’t mean you have to say those words.If you have been abused, that could affect the kind of person you are and might help determine what kind of parent you become. It’s a generational thing, where the sins of parents are visited into the third and fourth generation. But children who have been abused are successful people, successful Christians, and good parents who don’t abuse their kids. If you know someone in your home has had sex outside of marriage, that knowledge could affect your behavior when you date. Yet, young people whose relatives committed sexual sins can go into marriage as virgins and remain faithful to their spouses for life.It is not easy. It’s a matter of the will.Your “will” is an integral part of who you are. Many theologians define the “soul” as the “mind, will, and emotions.” You also have a “spirit” and a “body.”Understanding the will is simple. It’s the part of you that says, “I will do something” or “I won’t.” But what kind of person you become goes beyond even that. In many situations it is only the  power of God that can give you strength and determination to be all you can be instead of stumbling into temptations that could destroy your future.We can never be good enough in ourselves. That’s why Jesus came. The Bible says, “It’s not by works of righteousness we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5). Because of His mercy, Jesus bled out so sinners could be clean and live forever (John 3:16).
YOU CAN CHOOSE TO BE A MASTERPIECE OR A GARBAGE RECEPTICLEYes, we were formed with some of the same gene clay that runs through our heredity, but we can become a masterpiece or a garbage receptacle. If we allow just anything in life to influence us, we’ll probably end up a trash can. But if we submit our lives to the master potter, the Heavenly Father, He will mold and shape us into something beautiful.
©Copyright November 14, 2013



  IMAGINE THE FUTURE YOU SUMMARYBy Ada Nicholson Brownell

Will you be the person you dream of being—or someone from your nightmares?
You don’t need a fortune teller to reveal your future. You are the person who determines who you will be, what your life will be like, and how your hopes and dreams will be fulfilled.
            Today is the time to IMAGINE and to create an action plan for your future.
·         How harnessing your will can make you a champion·         How to make valuable deposits into your mind, detoxify harmful information in the brain, and avoid brain washing·         How to look and be your best·         How to connect with Someone who will make a difference in your life·         How who you marry changes everything·         How to avoid traps that jeopardize your future·         Where you want your name to appear·         Why you can believe God is there and interested in your tomorrows·         Examples of people who grabbed their future and held on
This book will show how to make the right connections, how to grow you talents, and how to begin believing in yourself and things greater than yourself—for a wonderful Future You!
A Motivational Bible study available in paper or for Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/1489558284Ada Brownell’s author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06
Five-star review on Amazon:
Ada Brownell pens a book challenging young readers to imagine themselves in the future based on the choices they're making today. In 13 thought-provoking chapters, Brownell writes in a way that not only resonates with her teenage audience, but also encourages them. Giving insights into her life as a teen and providing timely morsels of truth about God's Word will leave any reader (adults included) inspired and dedicated to living a life for Christ and growing in their walk with Him. Highly recommended! ~ Penny Zeller, Christian Author and Speaker


Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the CatapultBy A.B. Brownell
Enter an area where people are missing and radicals want to obliterate Christianity from the earth. After Joe Baker’s parents mysteriously disappear, he finds himself with a vicious man after him. Joe and an unusual gang team up to find his mom and dad. The gang is dedicated to preventing and solving crimes with ordinary harmless things such as noise, water, and a pet skunk instead of blades and bullets. Joe reads the Bible hoping to discover whether God will answer prayer and bring his parents home. In his dreams, Joe slips into the skin of Bible characters and what happened to them, happens to him—the peril and the victories. Yet, crying out in his sleep causes him to end up in a mental hospital’s juvenile unit. Will he escape or will he be harmed? Will he find his parents? Does God answer prayer?
 No fantasy. No wizard, but Suspense. Christian payload. Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult http://buff.ly/XeqTvH or https://www.createspace.com/3962829 The book is also available at Barnesandnoble.com, and is listed at Goodreads.com


SWALLOWED BY LIFE: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal http://amzn.to/Jnc1rW
                                          By Ada Brownell
Do you know evidence shows we’re more than a physical body? The author, a prolific religion writer and retired medical journalist, talks about the evidence; the wonder of life with all its electrical systems; the awesome truth about cell death and regeneration; mysteries surrounding the change from mortal to immortal; where we go when our body dies; resurrection; and a glimpse at what we will do in heaven. Questions and answers make this non-fiction inspirational book a great text for group study. It’s written for support groups, religion classes, people with chronic or terminal illness, individuals who fear death or are curious about it, the grieving, and those who give them counsel.An excerpt from Swallowed by Life was featured in the June 2, 2013, “Reading for Spiritual Health” edition of The Pentecostal Evangel.
Where you can find Swallowed by Life:Amazon: http://amzn.to/Jnc1rWBarnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/JnbKVLBooksamillion.com http://ow.ly/cJmx8 And you can see reviews on GoodReads http://ow.ly/cJmMeChristian Publishers Outlet also has the paperback

CONFESSIONS OF A PENTECOSTAL
                   By Ada Nicholson Brownell

Described as a "great look into another person's faith."
When Ada Nicholson Brownell was a child, a faithful Christian neighbor witnessed to her mother. Not just once, but almost every day. “The family did everything to get rid of the woman,” the author recalls, “but she came to our house, her Bible tucked under her arm, an enthusiastic smile on her face.”Then Ada’s older sister attended a Pentecostal service at the invitation of a teenage friend. One by one all 10 members of her family were saved and received the Pentecostal experience. Ada’s brothers worked their way through college and dedicated their lives to serving God. Dr. Virgil Nicholson became a respected educator in the Assemblies of God and he was the force behind Evangel College’s great accreditation. Dr. Joe Nicholson headed the Evangel College music department for many years, was academic dean for Berean College, and served in a number of foreign missions tours with his wife, Jo Ellen. Everette Nicholson became a minister and pastored and preached 50 years, mostly in Montana. Ada, the baby of the family, an author and newspaper reporter, and most of her sisters were involved in music, teaching and other ministries.
Confessions of a Pentecostal was listed in 2011 and many other years among 10 recommendations on Pentecostalism by The Library Thing.The book first was published in 1978 by The Assemblies of God’s Radiant Books from Gospel Publishing House, and recently became available for Kindle on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088OP460

How Do You React to Conflict? IMAGINE THE FUTURE YOU. Get four books for 99 cents.

.99 centsIntroductory price for Imagine e-book                  And three other Ada Brownell books on sale for .99





 Excerpt from Imagine the Future You4. IMAGINE YOU AS AN OLDER ADULT Your really big show!
The decisions you make now help to form your adult character and mold your personality (and even your body) in ways that are difficult to change. The real “You” peels off the mask when you become an adult and who you are is revealed.You might be surprised yourself. People who do great things often look back in awe, because when they were young they had no idea how God would use them. On the other hand, I’ve met people who don’t like who they became. One old man told me he wished he could live his life over—as somebody else. As I’ve said before, many people assume they became the person they are because of their parents and other outside influences. Sure, what happens to us and around us affects our lives, but it is how we react to our environment that determines what kind of person we become.
HOW DO YOU REACT?
Reaction: This word in a sense could be similar to nuclear reactors, which can power a city. A nuclear reactor produces heat a million times greater than an equal mass of coal. A coolant is used, thus producing steam. The steam creates power.What I’m saying is you might have a heated reaction to distressing circumstances, but if you “cool it” with common sense and love for God, yourself, and others, you emerge a more powerful person. Your reaction to the events in your life decides your character as much as environment and outside influences. Yes, if your mother or father is an alcoholic, your genes may make you more susceptible to alcohol. But you can decide whether or not you will take your first drink.When I started as a reporter at a fairly large newspaper, I was about the only one on the news staff who didn’t drink intoxicating beverages. At a staff picnic one year, a photographer who had been drinking poured beer on me. He said he did it so I’d smell like I had a good time when I got home to my husband.Another time when I was young, a man tried to force me to taste beer. I just clamped my mouth shut, and although he was bigger than I, he didn’t get it open. I never did taste beer or take a first drink of an alcoholic beverage. Every time I see an alcoholic or a drunk, I am thankful I never succumbed to peer pressure.
HOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS YOUYour environment affects who you are as much as the genes that held the pattern for your nose and ears. Often environment determines whether or not you use foul language. If family, friends, and your entertainment speak filth, those words pop into your mind. But that doesn’t mean you have to say those words.If you have been abused, that could affect the kind of person you are and might help determine what kind of parent you become. It’s a generational thing, where the sins of parents are visited into the third and fourth generation. But children who have been abused are successful people, successful Christians, and good parents who don’t abuse their kids. If you know someone in your home has had sex outside of marriage, that knowledge could affect your behavior when you date. Yet, young people whose relatives committed sexual sins can go into marriage as virgins and remain faithful to their spouses for life.It is not easy. It’s a matter of the will.Your “will” is an integral part of who you are. Many theologians define the “soul” as the “mind, will, and emotions.” You also have a “spirit” and a “body.”Understanding the will is simple. It’s the part of you that says, “I will do something” or “I won’t.” But what kind of person you become goes beyond even that. In many situations it is only the  power of God that can give you strength and determination to be all you can be instead of stumbling into temptations that could destroy your future.We can never be good enough in ourselves. That’s why Jesus came. The Bible says, “It’s not by works of righteousness we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5). Because of His mercy, Jesus bled out so sinners could be clean and live forever (John 3:16).
YOU CAN CHOOSE TO BE A MASTERPIECE OR A GARBAGE RECEPTICLEYes, we were formed with some of the same gene clay that runs through our heredity, but we can become a masterpiece or a garbage receptacle. If we allow just anything in life to influence us, we’ll probably end up a trash can. But if we submit our lives to the master potter, the Heavenly Father, He will mold and shape us into something beautiful.
©Copyright November 14, 2013



  IMAGINE THE FUTURE YOU SUMMARYBy Ada Nicholson Brownell

Will you be the person you dream of being—or someone from your nightmares?
You don’t need a fortune teller to reveal your future. You are the person who determines who you will be, what your life will be like, and how your hopes and dreams will be fulfilled.
            Today is the time to IMAGINE and to create an action plan for your future.
·         How harnessing your will can make you a champion·         How to make valuable deposits into your mind, detoxify harmful information in the brain, and avoid brain washing·         How to look and be your best·         How to connect with Someone who will make a difference in your life·         How who you marry changes everything·         How to avoid traps that jeopardize your future·         Where you want your name to appear·         Why you can believe God is there and interested in your tomorrows·         Examples of people who grabbed their future and held on
This book will show how to make the right connections, how to grow you talents, and how to begin believing in yourself and things greater than yourself—for a wonderful Future You!
A Motivational Bible study available in paper or for Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/1489558284Ada Brownell’s author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06
Five-star review on Amazon:
Ada Brownell pens a book challenging young readers to imagine themselves in the future based on the choices they're making today. In 13 thought-provoking chapters, Brownell writes in a way that not only resonates with her teenage audience, but also encourages them. Giving insights into her life as a teen and providing timely morsels of truth about God's Word will leave any reader (adults included) inspired and dedicated to living a life for Christ and growing in their walk with Him. Highly recommended! ~ Penny Zeller, Christian Author and Speaker


Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the CatapultBy A.B. Brownell
Enter an area where people are missing and radicals want to obliterate Christianity from the earth. After Joe Baker’s parents mysteriously disappear, he finds himself with a vicious man after him. Joe and an unusual gang team up to find his mom and dad. The gang is dedicated to preventing and solving crimes with ordinary harmless things such as noise, water, and a pet skunk instead of blades and bullets. Joe reads the Bible hoping to discover whether God will answer prayer and bring his parents home. In his dreams, Joe slips into the skin of Bible characters and what happened to them, happens to him—the peril and the victories. Yet, crying out in his sleep causes him to end up in a mental hospital’s juvenile unit. Will he escape or will he be harmed? Will he find his parents? Does God answer prayer?
 No fantasy. No wizard, but Suspense. Christian payload. Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult http://buff.ly/XeqTvH or https://www.createspace.com/3962829 The book is also available at Barnesandnoble.com, and is listed at Goodreads.com


SWALLOWED BY LIFE: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal http://amzn.to/Jnc1rW
                                          By Ada Brownell
Do you know evidence shows we’re more than a physical body? The author, a prolific religion writer and retired medical journalist, talks about the evidence; the wonder of life with all its electrical systems; the awesome truth about cell death and regeneration; mysteries surrounding the change from mortal to immortal; where we go when our body dies; resurrection; and a glimpse at what we will do in heaven. Questions and answers make this non-fiction inspirational book a great text for group study. It’s written for support groups, religion classes, people with chronic or terminal illness, individuals who fear death or are curious about it, the grieving, and those who give them counsel.An excerpt from Swallowed by Life was featured in the June 2, 2013, “Reading for Spiritual Health” edition of The Pentecostal Evangel.
Where you can find Swallowed by Life:Amazon: http://amzn.to/Jnc1rWBarnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/JnbKVLBooksamillion.com http://ow.ly/cJmx8 And you can see reviews on GoodReads http://ow.ly/cJmMeChristian Publishers Outlet also has the paperback

CONFESSIONS OF A PENTECOSTAL
                   By Ada Nicholson Brownell
When Ada Nicholson Brownell was a child, a faithful Christian neighbor witnessed to her mother. Not just once, but almost every day. “The family did everything to get rid of the woman,” the author recalls, “but she came to our house, her Bible tucked under her arm, an enthusiastic smile on her face.”Then Ada’s older sister attended a Pentecostal service at the invitation of a teenage friend. One by one all 10 members of her family were saved and received the Pentecostal experience. Ada’s brothers worked their way through college and dedicated their lives to serving God. Dr. Virgil Nicholson became a respected educator in the Assemblies of God and he was the force behind Evangel College’s great accreditation. Dr. Joe Nicholson headed the Evangel College music department for many years, was academic dean for Berean College, and served in a number of foreign missions tours with his wife, Jo Ellen. Everette Nicholson became a minister and pastored 50 years, mostly in Montana. Ada, the baby of the family, an author and newspaper reporter, and most of her sisters were involved in music, teaching and other ministries.
Confessions of a Pentecostal was listed in 2011 and many other years among 10 recommendations on Pentecostalism by The Library Thing.The book first was published in 1978 by The Assemblies of God’s Radiant Books from Gospel Publishing House, and recently became available for Kindle on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088OP460

Is it possible to hear no evil? From Guest Mary Hamilton

Hear No Evil
“Hear No Evil” by Mary L. Hamilton is Book One of the ‘Rustic Knolls Bible Camp’ Series.
Summer camp is no fun for Brady McCaul. The girl with the cute dimples thinks he’s immature and childish. The camp bully targets him with cruel taunts and teasing, and flips Brady’s canoe to keep him from winning the race. But worst of all, his mom won’t let him come home. She doesn’t want him living with her anymore. Brady wonders if even God cares about him.  Can Brady figure out what he did to earn Mom’s rejection and change her mind by week’s end? Or will he have to live with his workaholic dad, the guy who left when Brady was seven? All seems lost until a surprising secret changes everything.

Interview with Mary HamiltonQ. Where did you get the idea for Hear No Evil?I grew up at a camp where my dad was the director, so I knew I wanted a camp as the setting for my story. Then when my kids were young teens, two friends of their friends from different families experienced their mothers sending them away. They didn’t want the kids to live with them anymore. These were good kids—I would’ve taken them into my home without hesitation, so it disturbed me to imagine the depth of their pain. One day, the two ideas came together. I could write stories of kids who bring their “baggage” from home to camp where they gain a different perspective, and learn better ways to cope with the issues at home.

Q. Is this a book to help kids heal from the hard knocks they often receive in life?I certainly hope so. The two ideas I want kids to take away from this story are that God knows what they’re going through and cares deeply about them, even if He seems distant. And secondly, that many times they will be impacted by things happening in the adult world that they know nothing about, and for which they are not to blame.

Q. Tell us about the Rustic Knoll Bible Camp? What kind of place is it? How does it compare with secular and church camps?

Rustic Knoll is like any other secular or church-supported camp. It has cabins and a lake and activities for kids. What sets Rustic Knoll apart is the quality of the staff, from the director on down to the counselors. They all have a passion for the Lord that’s demonstrated in their passion for the kids who come to camp. Zeke, the director, communicates the Bible message on the kids’ level through his artwork. Janie, the cook, is everyone’s substitute mom. Nurse Willie doesn’t put up with any foolishness but her caring still shines through.

Q. Do you believe church camp is helpful in youngster’s spiritual journey? How or why?I’ve seen lives changed at church camp. Just like adults, kids need time to get away from the pressures and distractions of their daily lives. At camp, they can get one-on-one attention and mentoring from a counselor, someone a little older and more experienced. They’re encouraged to seek God, to listen for His voice and learn to recognize it. For many, it’s the first time God becomes real and alive to them.

Q. Does your character, Brady, experience some of the pranks that plague camps?Not so much pranks, but he is taunted and teased by a cabin mate. Unfortunately, bullying happens even at church camps, and counselors especially need to be aware and involved.

Q. Who in your story helps Brady find peace and love?Brady discovers a lot of people care about him. Steven, his blind cabin mate, is an upbeat encourager. Matt, his counselor, takes a personal interest in him. Nurse Willie, Janie, Zeke—nearly everyone has a part in helping Brady see that God cares about him. But it takes a crisis before Brady can recognize that love.

Q. Does Brady find good friends?He does make some lasting friendships with Steven and Claire. And you can look forward to seeing them all in the following books in the series.

Q. I don’t want to ravage your story, but does his mother ever repent of being unloving?That’s a surprise, but I will say the book has a happy ending.

Q. How does God fit into Brady’s life?Brady develops a new awareness of God’s reality in his life. Through all Brady’s struggles at home and at camp, God seemed so far away. Almost non-existent. But at camp, God reveals himself to Brady as a loving presence in life’s darkest moments. Convinced that God is real, Brady can now begin his journey of faith in learning to know God personally and trust Him.
Q. Have tweens been blessed by Brady’s story?Absolutely, and what amazes me is that even adults who read it say the story has been a blessing in their lives, too.

Anything else you’d like to share?
Only my thanks to you, Ada, for giving me the opportunity to talk about Hear No Evil. I pray God will use it to minister to kids and adults who need to know that even in our dark moments, when the enemy speaks lies into our hearts and minds, God is there and He cares deeply.
Hear No Evil is available through Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/kl5bovo            Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/kw2xmtr
Connect with Mary:Website/blog: http://www.maryhamiltonbooks.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/maryhamiltonbooksPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mhamiltonbooks
Twitter:@mhamilton122

NOT MY SON! A TRIBUTE TO VETERANS WHO FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

 By Mary Hamilton
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
My son was 18 years old when he enlisted in the Marine Corps at the height of the Afghan and Iraq wars. Of course I feared for his safety, but God provided a special assurance for me that this was His will for my son’s life. I rested in that assurance. Most of the comments I received from others were supportive and prayerful. But a few mothers expressed their shock and fear by saying they’d never let their son or daughter serve in the military.Some said, “Not my son!”Though I know they didn’t mean it to sound this way, it always struck me as a backhanded way of suggesting I must not love my son as much as they love theirs. On the contrary, I knew my son would never be satisfied with anything else. I had no choice but to let him go, especially when I sensed the Lord telling me this was His plan.How thankful I am that God never withheld his son from us. His love stretches in every direction—height, length, width and depth. He loved us—his adopted children, you might say—so much that he willingly sent his own son into a hostile environment, knowing he would suffer and die a horrible death to redeem us, to free us from sin’s bondage, to save us from the tyranny of a hopeless death.Today is Veteran’s Day. When you see a veteran, thank him or her for putting their life on the line for you. Find a veteran’s mother or father and thank them for letting their son or daughter serve. But most of all, give thanks to God for his redeeming, saving love. Love that never said, “Not my son!”

Bio:Mary L. Hamilton grew up at a Christian youth camp in southern Wisconsin, much like the setting for “Hear No Evil.”  She now lives with her family in Texas and is active in her local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).  “Hear No Evil” has won several awards, including Third Place at the 2013 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference, and Second Place at the 2011 Category Five Writing Contest.  It was also a semi-finalist in the 2012 ACFW Genesis Contest.  Connect with Mary at www.MaryHamiltonBooks.com

Book blurb:“Hear No Evil” by Mary L. Hamilton is Book One of the ‘Rustic Knolls Bible Camp’ Series.
Summer camp is no fun for Brady McCaul. The girl with the cute dimples thinks he’s immature and childish. The camp bully targets him with cruel taunts and teasing, and flips Brady’s canoe to keep him from winning the race. But worst of all, his mom won’t let him come home. She doesn’t want him living with her anymore. Brady wonders if even God cares about him.  Can Brady figure out what he did to earn Mom’s rejection and change her mind by week’s end? Or will he have to live with his workaholic dad, the guy who left when Brady was seven? All seems lost until a surprising secret changes everything.

Hear No Evil is available through Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/kl5bovo            Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/kw2xmtr
Connect with Mary:Website/blog: http://www.maryhamiltonbooks.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/maryhamiltonbooksPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mhamiltonbooks
Twitter:@mhamilton122

Peace in the Family despite secrets

Book Summary
Korean War widow’s difficult mother dies before revealing the identity of her daughter’s father and his cultural heritage. As Dee sorts through what little her mother left, she unearths puzzling clues that raise more questions. The Sheep Walker’s Daughter pairs a colorful immigrant history of loss, survival, and tough choices with one woman’s search for spiritual identity and personal fulfillment. Dee’s journey will take her through the Northern and Central California valleys of the 1950s and reach across the world to the obscure Basque region of Spain. She will begin to discover who she is and why family history matters.

Making Peace
By Sydney Avey
My mother kept secrets. As she lay dying, eyes firmly closed, mouth set in stoic acceptance, my sister and I sat close by working a jigsaw puzzle at a table in her room.  Looking back now, I realize that Mom was a puzzle we had been working all our lives. I wrote The Sheep Walker’s Daughter to explore the theme of why parents keep secrets from their children. Not guilty secrets that children have no need to know, but secrets about family heritage. Does knowing your ethnic identity and cultural background matter? 

My main character, Dee, benefits from the spiritual guidance of an Anglican priest, Father Mike. As I worked on the scenes that took place in Father Mike’s office, I found myself bringing some of my own concerns to this wise counselor, and getting answers!
When Dee tells Father Mike that Leora was not a good mother, he replies that she wasn’t a bad mother either. He tells her:
“Dee. You have a litany of grievances against your mother. You tick them off religiously as if you were saying the rosary, but it brings you no peace. Ask your question.”
     “What do you mean? What question?”
     “Just assume there is a God. What is the one question you would like to ask Him?
     “Why did my mother…”
He stops me right there. “Not a question about your mother, a question about you.”
     I think about that for a minute. What is it I really want to know?
Dee wants to know who she is. But only God can tell her that. In Ephesians 2:10 Paul explains “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
In His wisdom, God placed us in families. Sometimes (not always) our work is to make peace with our family members, living or dead.
Once Father Mike gets Dee refocused, her spiritual journey begins. As her heart softens, she becomes more receptive to the truth and willing to receive the blessing that God has planned for her.
Once I stopped fretting about why my mother hid her father’s Jewish heritage from her daughters, I was able to take that journey with Dee and make peace with my mother’s decision.


Are you puzzled by family secrets? Ask God to reveal what is good for you to know and to give you peace about what remains hidden.


Bio:Sydney Avey earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and did postgraduate work in mass communications at San Jose State University. She lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Yosemite, California, and the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, and has a lifetime of experience writing news for non profits and corporations.  She speaks on spiritual maturity at Christian Women’s Conferences and blogs at sydneyavey.com about the themes she explores in her writing: relationships, legacy, faith and wanderlust. 

The book is preorder The audiobook is on sale now
Both here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1938708199/
Sydney blogs here
Sydneyavey.com  

MEDITATION FOR SPIRITUAL PROFIT--Guest Elizabeth Maddrey

MEDITATION FOR SPIRITUAL PROFIT
By Elizabeth Maddrey
Psalm 119:11 I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.
I recently stepped up at our church to become the Commander for our AWANA club. For those who might not know, AWANA (which stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed from 2 Timothy 2:15) (www.awana.com) is a fantastic children’s program that focuses on helping kids (ages 2 – 18) memorize Bible verses, learn about God, and grow in their faith.
In a previous AWANA club where I worked, the leaders also spent time memorizing verses and I knew that was something I wanted to implement. So from the very beginning, I started encouraging our leaders to memorize Psalm 1. And, because I think it’s important to lead by example, I started working on it myself. I participated in an AWANA program when I was growing up, and many of the verses I learned are still with me, immediately accessible – so I was excited to have motivation to challenge myself with Scripture memory again.
With Psalm 1 firmly in my brain, I’ve found pieces of it coming to mind at opportune moments. One of the big challenges to me was verse 2 – a reminder that the righteous man meditates on the law of the Lord day and night. This was driven home again by the Community Bible Study I’m participating in right now. We’re studying Deuteronomy. Over and over as Israel is preparing to enter the Promised Land, Moses reminds the people to keep God’s laws at the forefront of their minds. They’re to bind them on their arms and foreheads (Deuteronomy 11:18) and train their children to follow and obey His commands (Deuteronomy 11:19). This is how we show that we love God – we obey His commands (Deuteronomy 11:1). And we can’t do that if we don’t know them without looking them up. We need to hide His words in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). Then we can “be like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” (Psalm 1:3)
Bio:Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity.  Elizabeth is a member of ACFW and lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys.  Visit her website at www.ElizabethMaddrey.com


About “Serenity to Accept”:Contemporary Christian Romance.“Serenity to Accept” by Elizabeth Maddrey is book three of the ‘Grant Us Grace’ series.Is there an exception to every rule?Karin Reid has never had much use for God. There’s been too much pain in her life for her to accept that God is anything other than, at best, disinterested or, at worst, sadistic. Until she meets Jason Garcia.After his own mistakes of the past, Jason is committed to dating only Christians. He decides to bend his rule for Karin, as long as she comes to church with him.As their friendship grows, both will have to decide if they’ll accept the path God has for them, even if it means losing each other.
Release date: September 9, 2013.Paperback ISBN 978-1-938708-23-7
Ebook ISBN 978-1-938708-24-4

Mysteries of Mental Illness and Demon Possession

       MYSTERIES OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND DEMON POSSESSION“You know these people are out to get us,” the young patient said, his eyes squinting and glaring with anger. “They let us swim in their pool, and give us games to play, but we need to be careful. Did you know they have a graveyard on the grounds?”
As a reporter who worked the medical beat for the local newspaper, I rode with a public relations guide, guards, and a group of mentally ill youth on the grounds of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo.
 “Is that so?” I said.
He nodded and continued sharing his delusional thoughts as the driver delivered the load of disturbed kids to the pool.
I met and interviewed a number of mentally ill folks in the seven years I spent on that beat. In addition, I picked the brains of the amazing people who work with these patients—some of them killers.
Not all murderers were on the forensics unit which housed criminals who had been ruled “not guilty by reason of insanity.” There was one kid rumored to have killed his parents. A woman on the general adult unit killed her children. Another woman beat a guard nearly to death with the metal turn handle from a window.Yet, most patients were more a danger to themselves than to others. One teenager cut her arms trying to get rid the wickedness in her. In addition to the stitched new cuts, scars showed tracks of agony—from  her wrists to her shoulders. I saw a middle-aged woman with the same problem.
At the turn of the last century, these types of people were thought to be demon possessed.  When knowledge of the brain expanded, doctors at psychiatric institutions, often called insane asylums or lunatic asylums, began to diagnose the causes of mental disease. Often perfectly sane people were housed with the severely disturbed.
The 1899-1900  Board of Lunacy Commissioners reported among those admitted with obvious mental disorders were a number with epilepsy, Down’s Syndrome (labeled idiocy then), paralysis, kleptomania (a compulsion to steal,) sexual paranoia, alcoholic paranoia, religious excitement, ill health, intemperance.I asked nurses who worked with the patients today if they thought some of their patients, admitted because they were a danger to themselves or others, were demon possessed.
“The patient who escaped recently who had murdered someone in Denver and stabbed him about 70 times, seems to qualify,” one said.
After escaping, the gal was free only about a week, then was caught and returned.
“She goes into a rage if she requests a movie and the store doesn’t have it,” the nurse said. “You never know what will set her off.”
I was told no matter what treatment used, nothing helped some of the patients.
A psychiatrist who had recently become a Christian said, “It’s difficult to tell whether a person is mentally ill or demon possessed. I do my best to counsel them, then I pray for them all. God knows what they need.”
I learned mental illness is a disease like diabetes—it’s often caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. Even a brain tumor or injury can cause adverse changes in behavior. So mental illness is a physical problem.
In contrast, demon possession is a spiritual problem and I think Satan takes over the part of brain reserved for God. From what we read in the New Testament and hear from missionaries who encounter it, demons need to be cast out in the name of Jesus--who gives power greater than man's.
I don’t believe a born-again Christian lives in obedience to God can be demon possessed, because scripture says “greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
The goal is to stay close to Jesus, watch what we put into our minds, and shun even the appearance of evil. We’re told, “Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil and he’ll flee from you (James 4:7).
May that thought give you joy at Halloween, when people often dwell on evil.©Copyright Ada Brownell Oct. 31, 2013

Can We Overcome Our Passions? Guest Justina Prima and The Pawnbroker's Ring

A ring washes onto Salem’s shore in the year 1830, a bottle is its boat, a note its blanket and the address has long since faded. THE PAWNBROKER’S RING follows its journey in Salem.
Zachariah prays most earnestly for the people of Salem. He acts different, looks different, he is different, and he’s found the ring. Loving God above all, the money he receives from pawning it will support anonymous aid to others. He is also in the employment of Adela Seward and more than aware of upper class prejudice for this successful single mother. Mrs. Blackburn, who believes it’s her duty to purge those not deserving of high society has made Adela her cause and will oust her at all cost. Discouraged and angry, Adela falls into the dregs of those who scorn her. Further, she shuns the attentions of the pawnbroker Eldon Canfield, who could provide respectability with marriage.
As he watches the ring touch many lives, Zachariah has been keeping a secret: someone has stolen the ring…and he knows who it is.

I wanted to write about how God changes lives, helps us to overcome our failings when we reach out to Him. In order to accomplish that, the key is what takes us away from Him.
If we turn off all the sounds around us, we can hear when God speaks. The entertainment that fills empty spaces within us for a brief moment would be filled for eternity with the love of God. We wouldn’t need anything else.
Back in 1830, there were no TVs, radios, smart phones—all the distractions that take us further from God. But just because they didn’t have all the present-day diversions doesn’t mean that God’s voice was any clearer. It may have been easier to remain close to God, but didn’t automatically take away their failings.

People throughout time have experienced age-old passions, those that block our ‘vision’ of Heaven. The Pawnbroker’s Ring deals with jealousy and envy, two self-destroying evils that plague many. Mrs. Blackburn embodies both, jealousy of Adela Seward’s love for her long lost husband and envy of the things she has attained by the Ships Chandler, a business she nurtured for the last eighteen years. But what the eyes see and the ears hear are not always truth. Is Adela to be envied? She had raised her son alone, waiting for her husband to return from the War of 1812. This story unfolds the difficulty of overcoming a passion, and success with God’s help.



Justina Prima lives with her husband in Colorado, a full-time hospice nurse and writes as much as possible the rest of the hours of the week. She has a son and daughter in Chicago and three young grandchildren. This is her first published novel, now working on the second.

http://justinaprima.weebly.com

On A Summer Night Author: WHY BE A CHRISTIAN?

Diane Dean White started her writing at an early age, but it wasn’t until her husband’s work took them to a small southern town she wrote her first column, “Yankee Viewpoint’s” for a local newspaper. Returning to her home-state of Michigan, she did stringer work over the years, ancestral history, and donor appeal letters for non-profit organizations. Diane self-published two books in the early 2000’s, and she became a columnist for a weekly magazine, for four years. She is the author of over three-hundred short stories, and her book On a Summer Night was released in October. She and hubby, Stephen, have been married for forty-one years, and they are the parents of three grown children and three grand-gals.Visit Diane on her website at www.DianeDeanWhite.com Her blog page at http://simplepleasureswithdiane.weebly.com/To order her book, visit Amazon below:On a Summer Night: Diane Dean White: 9781936746682: Amazon.com: Books Please friend request Diane on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/diane.d.white.75?ref=tn_tnmn
Youtube video, click below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gBYBDf5jm4


DIANE WHITE INTERVIEWIf you meet me and forget me, you've lost nothing. But if you have the opportunity to know Jesus Christ and choose to forget Him, you've lost everything.When did you become a Christian? Why did you make that decision?
 I never knew I wasn’t one. I attended church all of my life, was very active in youth activities and the rhythmic choir; we prayed at home, and I prayed often. I was a summer counselor at church camp, taught Bible school, Sunday school and later rhythmic choir. I believed in Jesus, but it wasn’t until I was in my early twenties and my husband led me to the Lord, and I made a personal commitment; making Christ Lord of my life.
What happened after that?
I was so excited I called my mother-in-law to come over the next day and asked her so many questions. Steve had been raised in a Bible centered home and knew the plan of salvation. My church in a major university city was very liberal, and I wasn’t taught that. She sat for three or four hours while I just bombarded her with questions. It was like a light bulb went on.
Tell us a little about your spiritual journey.
I got a hold of all the books I could and started to read about others and how knowing the Lord changed their lives. Steve had been taking evening courses at an area Bible school, and I went with him, and started attending women’s courses. During this time I gave my testimony for the first time in my life. It was such a wonderful time in our lives….like being fed a bite of chocolate, for me, and wanting the whole chocolate bar! My church activities took on a new purpose and our life together became beautiful…..something I didn’t know could get better. I thought it was pretty great already!
How did other people react to you?
I spoke with my parent’s first, one at a time, and each told me about their conversion experience. That made me feel good, and yet I realized they thought I had been taught about salvation at church. I made the decision then, our children, who were babies and toddlers, would learn at an early age about the Lord, and Steve and I followed through on that promise. Our youngest son serves on the mission field in Sochi, Russia. Our daughter and hubby have three young girls who are being raised with Christian values and our oldest son is a believer and shares about God’s love.
I think talking with people is important, and knowing where they’re coming from is, too. My experience living in a major university city next to the state capitol of Michigan gave me a wonderful venue for writing, but also to understand where people are with their walk and why many don’t want to believe. It’s very sad but it’s not popular to be a Christian in some liberal areas. Having seen this during my life I’m able to combat their objections and ignore their excuses when they speak. And then ask them questions, knowing they’ll squirm. I can be truthful and kind when sharing my testimony, and blunt. J
Is writing an outgrowth of giving your life to the Lord?
Witnessing to others is something we do as Christians….God commands it. And it’s natural for me to take that into my writing. I won’t write for magazines or books that don’t honor that. Yes, I believe God gives us gifts and I can see where a simple fall in 2000 has limited me to activities I used to do, and God has used my love for writing, and given me the desires of my heart. I may not have wanted it to happen like it did, but he’s replaced other dreams, and some were very worthy, to give me what He wants me to do. I’m up each morning by six to check in with my computer. I also have a ministry, Seeds of Encouragement, which is reaching hurting people, often by phone, a snail card or emails.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing in 6th grade on an old black, Royal manual typewriter. I wrote stories and then poetry, and had a short book of poems published just out of high school. It’s something that seemed to come natural to me. I was a secretary at Michigan State University and didn’t get serious about writing until we moved to a southern town in Georgia and I applied for a position as a newspaper reporter. Little did I know I’d soon have a weekly column. I named it “Yankee Viewpoints”…probably not the best choice in the late 70’s in a small southern town, but I loved interviewing people for feature stories, attending school board meetings and city council wasn’t as much fun. And writing police blotters wasn’t at all!
Did you start out pursuing novels?
No, I started writing short stories, and in 2001 after my fall when I began having back problems, I had a number of my stories featured on mailings that went out over the World Wide Web. I got so much feedback from people I decided to make a compilation of short-stories and I self published a book called Beach Walks. Many of those stories were picked up by Christian magazines and other books, and next I wanted to write a novel. Carolina in the Morning was a reality two years later, and again I self published. I loved doing the research for that story. We’d moved to Hilton Head Island, SC and I made a number of trips to Charleston, where my book is centered. Little did I know in 2004 how much I had to learn about writing novels.
How long did it take to write On A Summer Night?
I wrote for a magazine and had a weekly column for several years. In 2010 I decided I wanted to write another book. I was on Facebook and got to know a number of authors. I wish I’d known about ACFW, but it wasn’t until another year in 2012 that I joined. I’d been working on and off on my book when I joined the Scribes. I paid my dues big time, trying to change old writing habits and learning how to show and not tell, got rid of weasel words and back-story, and finally POV. I learned so much after being on the critique loop for a year, and then having critique partners to work with. I still critique and I especially try to reach out to new writers.
Is it a Christian historical romance?
No, it’s contemporary romance/suspense. It starts out in 1966 with two eighteen year old girls on a senior trip to Florida, to stay at one of the girl’s uncle’s winter home. They come in contact with something that at that time period, and probably still is, more popular in the south. They went through an experience they had to turn over to the Lord, and pray hard about forgetting.
What is your character’s biggest problem?
My main character, Kate, could never really give the experience from the summer night completely to the Lord. Like many of us, she kept taking it back. The story jumps to present day after a few chapters. Her hubby and she leave for Florida and he takes an early retirement; Kate’s uncle leaves her the Florida home. Memories haunt Kate and through a hard lesson she has to learn to let go.
What do you like about the leading lady?
She’s active and has a loving relationship with her husband. Kate has the opportunity to share God’s love with younger women she comes into contact with during their first year in Florida. They’ve raised two great kids and have grandchildren in their home state of Michigan. She also has to face her past, and the Lord brings that about in a fabulous way when they take a trip to Montana.
What you don’t like about her.
That she finds it so hard to forget and forgive this particular past, and that she didn’t share it with her husband.
What do you like and dislike about the leading man?
Well, I have two leading men in a way….her husband is a man of God and is always there for Kate. I think he’s a strong personality in the story….also her Montana friendship becomes a strong personality, and I can’t think of anything that is bad about him, other than his past, which is forgiven.
What is the spiritual takeaway?
Definitely to give God our burdens, otherwise they can hang on too long when we don’t. But also, when we forgive, it can’t just be for us or one person, perhaps for the entire situation…and allow Him to guide us through it. His plan works out far better than ours.
Do you have a sequel in mind already?
Yes, my critique partners suggested I do a spin-off from one of the young women Kate witnesses to. She’s in a protection type program with two young children when she meets Kate. We follow her into rural Georgia, and that’s where my book This Side of Heaven starts out.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The name “Kate” came from my dad’s sister, Katheryne, my favorite aunt. She never said an unkind word, and with four children, she could have. J She was a blessing to me and confined to her bed the past few years. At age ninety-five, a few weeks ago, she went home to be with the Lord. I sent her my chapters to read, as her mind was very alert. I wanted to name my main character after her. Her laugh and walk with God was contagious~
Also, a big thank you for sharing your time and readers with me, Ada, and to allow me to be part of your active and interesting blog site. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss my story with you.




Kate and Vanessa hadn’t planned on the summer night that changed their lives. Could they have imagined the darkness that descended and how awful fear could be? The area with beauty and sweeping moss, gentle palm trees and Florida breezes was wrapped with the memory of the awful evening. They played at being cheerful and returned home to yet another sorrow. Times steals away from the 60’s, and the memory of what happened was hidden in the recesses of Kate’s mind. She and her husband, newly retired returned to the winter home where so many memories were stored. Can she trust God to help her find forgiveness? Will her husband understand? She knew he needed to hear her story.

Visit Diane on her website at www.DianeDeanWhite.com
Her blog page at http://simplepleasureswithdiane.weebly.com/
To order her book, visit Amazon below:On a Summer Night: Diane Dean White: 9781936746682: Amazon.com: Books
Please friend request Diane on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/diane.d.white.75?ref=tn_tnmn
Youtube video, click below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gBYBDf5jm4

In Case of Fire: EVEN WHEN WRITING BOOKS-- KNOW A WAY TO ESCAPE

Meet James R. Callan

After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing.  He wrote a monthly column for a national magazine for two years, and published several non-fiction books.  He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mystery/suspense, with his fifth book released in 2013.
              James R. Callan www.JamesRCallan.com www.ATonofGold.com   www.cleansedbyfire.com includes book trailer Book trailer for Murder a Cappella at:  http://www.vimeo.com/38414180  Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel   at:  htt



 Maybe the Debate Started with ShakespeareBy James R. Callan
Shakespeare had Hamlet ponder, “To be, or not to be. That is the question.”  I believe it was a line William often said – in slightly different form. I think before Hamlet William had said, perhaps many times, “To outline or not to outline. That is the question.”

Recently I was at a gathering of writers of various levels of experience, and one of the questions going around was: Do you outline?  Writers like to debate the “Outline or Don’t Outline” question.  And generally, the two sides of this debate never get any closer together.  Why should they?  What works for them, works.  Perhaps they have tried the other method and it didn’t go all that well.

There are many famous writers on each side of the fence.  Naturally, some of those who say they outline may do a lot, and some may do very little.  Likewise, those who say they do not outline, may actually do some.  They may not even know that they do.  It’s not on paper or on the computer, but in their mind.  They lay out the story, select their main characters, and just possibly know how the story might end.

You see my bias right there.  I think the great majority of writers outline. It may be detailed and it may be a collections of thoughts.  I’ve met some writers who make up an index card for most of the scenes in the book.  They may shuffle those around, change the sequence many times before actually beginning the book.  And they might do a reshuffle of remaining scenes when the book is half finished.  It’s similar to the story boards often used by screen writers.

Many writers make detailed bios for all major characters, and shorter bios for minor characters.  There is an advantage in some sort of a written bio for your characters.  If you take many months to write a book, there is always a chance you might forget what color your protagonist’s eyes are.  Or perhaps what food he likes or hates.  A bio gives you a quick reference.  If that bit of information is not there, you can easily and quickly add it.  This is particularly helpful if you are going to have a continuing character over several books.

While bios are not specifically “outlining,” knowing how your character reacts in various situations can be considered a type of outlining.  If your bio is extensive, it can help keep your characters true, real, honest.  You know how they will react to a situation, what response they will make, maybe even what words will come out of their mouths first. This very knowledge might direct the course of the novel.

On the other side, I know writers who select a protagonist, an antagonist, and a setting.  That’s all they need.  They begin to write and the characters help dictate the direction of the story.

Personally, I can’t do that.  I need to know the problem and a possible solution before I start.  That does not mean it will turn out that way.  In the course of the book, as the characters grow and takes on a lives of their own, that solution may change.  But, I like to have something to encourage me to begin a months-long project.  I would say that in most of my books, the outcome haschanged, either completely, or in its nature.  The solution might be the same, but it is arrived at from a completely different direction than I had first imagined.

But many writers have told me they have no idea how it will turn out when they start.  I applaud that approach.  Let the chips (or words) fall where they may.  I can do that as the project progresses.  Still, I like to have some way out when I start.  For me, it’s like having an evacuation plan in case of fire. When the fire happens, I might take a very different path.  But, I had an escape plan, knew my options. 
Okay. I admit it. I’m a wimp.


www.ATonofGold.com