Alan W. Harris's Blog, page 7

2 -The Wild Man of God

“Hey, friend.”
The startled traveling merchant jumped at the words. He had worked hard to get all of his pack animals to the Jordan River, and they had used the last of their energy to cross it. He was tired. His donkeys were tired, and they needed to rest before they made the push to get to Jericho.
The merchant turned to face the speaker, and the fear immediately escalated. Standing before him was a bare-chested, wild man! He was a thin, powerful-looking fellow with long, shaggy hair, an equally long, unkempt beard, and piercing dark eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul. With some rags wrapped around his waist and standing closer than the merchant considered a safe distance, the stranger was holding a large, dripping pile of honeycombs in both hands.
The merchant wanted to say, Hello, what can I do for you? But the best he could do was, “Huh?”
“I’m trading this honey for one of your feed sacks,” the wild man said bluntly.
The merchant noticed that it wasn’t a request. Totally intimidated, the merchant pulled an almost empty bag of grain from the donkey beside him and dropped it at the man’s feet.
With a smile, the wild man shoved the honey at the merchant and began licking the sticky residue off his fingers. Snatching up and untying the bag, the stranger emptied its contents on the ground in front of the donkey, who began rapidly consuming the snack.
“Mind if I borrow your knife?” the stranger asked as he drew the blade from the merchant’s belt and began cutting a hole in the bottom of the rough, camel hair sack. Then he sliced a hole on each side and slid the knife back into its owner’s sheath. The stranger pulled the rough sack over his head and slid his arms through the holes. Snatching up the leather strap he had dropped, he quickly tied it around his waist.
“That’s better,” the wild man announced as he appraised his new clothing. He turned and walked with energy to a cluster of boulders nearby. Bounding onto the top of the rocks, the stranger looked down on the twenty or so merchants and servants camping beside the Jordan and began addressing them in a loud and powerful voice,
“All of you, stop what you’re doing and listen to me! I have news!”
The wild man stood tall with his hands on his hips and waited for the people to gather closer. With the boring nature of their tedious and mundane existence, proclaiming something new was always a sure way to get people’s attention. “My name is John, and God Almighty sent me to tell you that things are about to change!”
“What?” several in the crowd asked with concern. “What’s going to change?”
“Everything!” John laughed. “The kingdom of heaven is coming! It’s close at hand right now!”
There was much animated discussion among the listeners at this news. One cried out, “Are you the Messiah?”
“Me? No, I’m only a messenger. But when I’m done One is coming Who is stronger and more powerful than I am. He will bring the kingdom of God, and when it comes, each of you needs to be ready!”
Everyone was excited to hear these words, and there was much cheering and slapping each other on the back. The merchant to whom John had traded the honey held his knife in the air and shouted, “What do we do to get ready?”
“I’ll tell you what you do!” John shouted back fiercely. “You repent! The kingdom of God is a place of righteousness and holiness. Only those with broken, humble, repentant hearts will be able to receive it.”
“What do you mean?” the merchant asked, putting his knife away. “Won’t we be fighting the Romans?”
“You’ll be fighting alright,” John shot back. “You’ll be fighting like warriors as you confront the sin in your lives.” John saw the confused looks on their faces and added, “Stop cheating people in your business dealings. Don’t withhold pay from your laborers. Don’t abuse your servants, and you servants, don’t steal from those you serve.
“Look at all of you! You’re busy trying to put gold in your pockets while you let the treasure God has already given you slip away. Teach your children to know and love God. They are the God given treasures you already possess. Don’t turn your hearts to pursue gold. Turn your hearts to God and teach your children about Him! And if you’re really serious about getting ready for God’s kingdom, then be sure you bear the fruit of genuine repentance.”
“What fruit?” someone asked.
“True repentance changes you,” John returned. “It moves you to action! Your first action is to be baptized…right here, right now! Being baptized requires a soft, broken heart, and it will be putting your inward repentance into action. You’ll be taking an outward step of commitment to God and showing Him you are serious about being ready when His Holy One comes. That’s the kind of heart He’s looking for and the kind of heart that will recognize Him when He comes. Unless you change your proud and arrogant hearts you’ll be blind as cave crickets to what God is doing. The Coming One is on His way to bring you salvation. I am here to get you ready to receive it.”
John then hopped off the boulder, walked confidently through the small crowd, waded out into the river, and turned, looking expectantly at his audience.
Slowly, one by one, these rough men threw off their tunics and waded out to get ready for the coming One.
Over an hour later John waded out of the Jordan and moved past the group of happy converts. “I’ll be here tomorrow,” the wild man of God called over his shoulder as he walked away. “Tell folks!”
As the baptizer retreated into the wilderness, a large grasshopper flew up from the weeds beside him, and like a snake striking, the wild man’s hand shot out and snatched the large insect in midair. He popped the creatures head off with his thumb and quickly ate the rest of it, licking a remaining smudge of honey off his wrist as he did so.

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 1:14-15, Mark 1:4-8, and Malachi 4:5-6)

The Wild Man of God

“Hey, friend.”
The startled traveling merchant jumped at the words. He had worked hard to get all of his pack animals to the Jordan River, and they had used the last of their energy to cross it. He was tired. His donkeys were tired, and they needed to rest before they made the push to get to Jericho.
The merchant turned to face the speaker, and the fear immediately escalated. Standing before him was a bare-chested, wild man! He was a thin, powerful-looking fellow with long, shaggy hair, an equally long, unkempt beard, and piercing dark eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul. With some rags wrapped around his waist and standing closer than the merchant considered a safe distance, the stranger was holding a large, dripping pile of honeycombs in both hands.
The merchant wanted to say, Hello, what can I do for you? But the best he could do was, “Huh?”
“I’m trading this honey for one of your feed sacks,” the wild man said bluntly.
The merchant noticed that it wasn’t a request. Totally intimidated, the merchant pulled an almost empty bag of grain from the donkey beside him and dropped it at the man’s feet.
With a smile, the wild man shoved the honey at the merchant and began licking the sticky residue off his fingers. Snatching up and untying the bag, the stranger emptied its contents on the ground in front of the donkey, who began rapidly consuming the snack.
“Mind if I borrow your knife?” the stranger asked as he drew the blade from the merchant’s belt and began cutting a hole in the bottom of the rough, camel hair sack. Then he sliced a hole on each side and slid the knife back into its owner’s sheath. The stranger pulled the rough sack over his head and slid his arms through the holes. Snatching up the leather strap he had dropped, he quickly tied it around his waist.
“That’s better,” the wild man announced as he appraised his new clothing. He turned and walked with energy to a cluster of boulders nearby. Bounding onto the top of the rocks, the stranger looked down on the twenty or so merchants and servants camping beside the Jordan and began addressing them in a loud and powerful voice,
“All of you, stop what you’re doing and listen to me! I have news!”
The wild man stood tall with his hands on his hips and waited for the people to gather closer. With the boring nature of their tedious and mundane existence, proclaiming something new was always a sure way to get people’s attention. “My name is John, and God Almighty sent me to tell you that things are about to change!”
“What?” several in the crowd asked with concern. “What’s going to change?”
“Everything!” John laughed. “The kingdom of heaven is coming! It’s close at hand right now!”
There was much animated discussion among the listeners at this news. One cried out, “Are you the Messiah?”
“Me? No, I’m only a messenger. But when I’m done One is coming Who is stronger and more powerful than I am. He will bring the kingdom of God, and when it comes, each of you needs to be ready!”
Everyone was excited to hear these words, and there was much cheering and slapping each other on the back. The merchant to whom John had traded the honey held his knife in the air and shouted, “What do we do to get ready?”
“I’ll tell you what you do!” John shouted back fiercely. “You repent! The kingdom of God is a place of righteousness and holiness. Only those with broken, humble, repentant hearts will be able to receive it.”
“What do you mean?” the merchant asked, putting his knife away. “Won’t we be fighting the Romans?”
“You’ll be fighting alright,” John shot back. “You’ll be fighting like warriors as you confront the sin in your lives.” John saw the confused looks on their faces and added, “Stop cheating people in your business dealings. Don’t withhold pay from your laborers. Don’t abuse your servants, and you servants, don’t steal from those you serve.
“Look at all of you! You’re busy trying to put gold in your pockets while you let the treasure God has already given you slip away. Teach your children to know and love God. They are the God given treasures you already possess. Don’t turn your hearts to pursue gold. Turn your hearts to God and teach your children about Him! And if you’re really serious about getting ready for God’s kingdom, then be sure you bear the fruit of genuine repentance.”
“What fruit?” someone asked.
“True repentance changes you,” John returned. “It moves you to action! Your first action is to be baptized…right here, right now! Being baptized requires a soft, broken heart, and it will be putting your inward repentance into action. You’ll be taking an outward step of commitment to God and showing Him you are serious about being ready when His Holy One comes. That’s the kind of heart He’s looking for and the kind of heart that will recognize Him when He comes. Unless you change your proud and arrogant hearts you’ll be blind as cave crickets to what God is doing. The Coming One is on His way to bring you salvation. I am here to get you ready to receive it.”
John then hopped off the boulder, walked confidently through the small crowd, waded out into the river, and turned, looking expectantly at his audience.
Slowly, one by one, these rough men threw off their tunics and waded out to get ready for the coming One.
Over an hour later John waded out of the Jordan and moved past the group of happy converts. “I’ll be here tomorrow,” the wild man of God called over his shoulder as he walked away. “Tell folks!”
As the baptizer retreated into the wilderness, a large grasshopper flew up from the weeds beside him, and like a snake striking, the wild man’s hand shot out and snatched the large insect in midair. He popped the creatures head off with his thumb and quickly ate the rest of it, licking a remaining smudge of honey off his wrist as he did so.

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 1:14-15, Mark 1:4-8, and Malachi 4:5-6)

1 -The Secret Light

Let me tell you a secret. It’s not supposed to be a secret, but there are lots of people who don’t know it. So here it is. Before there were birds, or trees, or flowering plants, or even skies and seas, there was One who is the very expression of God. He so clearly and perfectly reveals the divine nature that God Himself refers to this person as the Word.
Obviously God and the Word like each other a lot. Why would they not? They both possess limitless quantities of love, and both are the source of all the joy and beauty we experience in this world. It makes sense that they would absolutely love the intimate fellowship they have with each other.
They share everything. When God decided to create the world, He revealed His desires to the Word, who spoke it all into being…all of it! And because He loved God so much, the Word made it exactly the way God wanted it. We know this because when the Word was finished, God looked at the sun, moon, and stars, the sky with its clouds and birds, the seas teaming with amazing shapes, sizes, and colors of fish and sea creatures, the plants and trees with their glorious flowers and fruit, the stunning array of insects and animals, and the man He had created, and God, Who cannot lie, said, “This is very good!”
God was well pleased with the Word, and the Word felt the same toward God. There was nothing to interfere with this amazing relationship they share. In fact, it turns out that the sweet bond of intimate fellowship that the Word has with God is the very definition of what the best, highest, and greatest life is. Life doesn’t get any more wonderful and beautiful and fulfilling than this! And what is even more amazing is that God sent the Word into the world he created to reveal to the people what this wonderful, best-of-all-lives was like. The Word manifested that highest, most perfect life to the people of the Earth, but it was so stunning and so unexpected that it was like light to people in darkness.
But that wonderful life was so far beyond the people’s comprehension it was like they were blind to the light God wanted to reveal to them. To help the people, God sent a man named John the baptizer to be a witness to the light. He pointed to the Word and said, “Hey, everybody, look! Do you see that person right there? That is the true light that’s come from God!”
Sadly, most people wouldn’t believe John. They looked at the Word and said, “You’re crazy! That ain’t no light. That’s just a guy.” But a few did believe John and received the Word as the true light of God.
The Word was so pleased with those who believed and received Him that, as a gift, He gave them the right to become children of God and to experience this best-of-all-lives of intimate closeness with God. And because of their faith in the Word, pockets of radiant light began to shine in the midst of all the darkness and blindness…and still do.

by Alan W. Harris
(From John 1:1-14)

The Secret Light

Let me tell you a secret. It’s not supposed to be a secret, but there are lots of people who don’t know it. So here it is. Before there were birds, or trees, or flowering plants, or even skies and seas, there was One who is the very expression of God. He so clearly and perfectly reveals the divine nature that God Himself refers to this person as the Word.
Obviously God and the Word like each other a lot. Why would they not? They both possess limitless quantities of love, and both are the source of all the joy and beauty we experience in this world. It makes sense that they would absolutely love the intimate fellowship they have with each other.
They share everything. When God decided to create the world, He revealed His desires to the Word, who spoke it all into being…all of it! And because He loved God so much, the Word made it exactly the way God wanted it. We know this because when the Word was finished, God looked at the sun, moon, and stars, the sky with its clouds and birds, the seas teaming with amazing shapes, sizes, and colors of fish and sea creatures, the plants and trees with their glorious flowers and fruit, the stunning array of insects and animals, and the man He had created, and God, Who cannot lie, said, “This is very good!”
God was well pleased with the Word, and the Word felt the same toward God. There was nothing to interfere with this amazing relationship they share. In fact, it turns out that the sweet bond of intimate fellowship that the Word has with God is the very definition of what the best, highest, and greatest life is. Life doesn’t get any more wonderful and beautiful and fulfilling than this! And what is even more amazing is that God sent the Word into the world he created to reveal to the people what this wonderful, best-of-all-lives was like. The Word manifested that highest, most perfect life to the people of the Earth, but it was so stunning and so unexpected that it was like light to people in darkness.
But that wonderful life was so far beyond the people’s comprehension it was like they were blind to the light God wanted to reveal to them. To help the people, God sent a man named John the baptizer to be a witness to the light. He pointed to the Word and said, “Hey, everybody, look! Do you see that person right there? That is the true light that’s come from God!”
Sadly, most people wouldn’t believe John. They looked at the Word and said, “You’re crazy! That ain’t no light. That’s just a guy.” But a few did believe John and received the Word as the true light of God.
The Word was so pleased with those who believed and received Him that, as a gift, He gave them the right to become children of God and to experience this best-of-all-lives of intimate closeness with God. And because of their faith in the Word, pockets of radiant light began to shine in the midst of all the darkness and blindness…and still do.

by Alan W. Harris
(From John 1:1-14)

How to Spend More Quality Time With Your Children

How much quality time do you spend with your children?
Even with spending so much more time at home now a days, it can still be difficult to get everybody together for some fun family time that has a positive impact on your children. That was one of my big desires as a father to my six children. It took work to accomplish, and even then it, many times, resulted in simply playing games together. That was fun, and provided family interaction, but it seldom resulted in impacting my children’s character or spiritual growth.
Okay, so here’s my solution. Read exciting stories to your children! It gets them out from in front of the computer or TV, and it engages everyone in the same adventure. Now, here comes the real exciting part. Each time you finish a chapter or a thrilling part of the story, while your children are still excited, ask them questions about the character of the people in the story. Did they show good character or bad character and what were the consequences? What spiritual lessons can be drawn from the adventure? Did anyone see the influence of Jesus anywhere in the story? How could the person in the story have handled the situation differently? Have you ever experienced anything like that and how did your respond?
By using exciting stories to teach you will not only have a fun, interactive family time but, because the emotional centers of your children’s brains are engaged in the discussion, what you are teaching goes straight into their long-term memory! And THAT, my friends, is AWESOME!
God’s blessings to you all,
Alan W. Harris

My Greatest Parental Fears and God’s Answer

Parenthood is both an amazing and terrifying adventure. When I first became a parent, my wife and I were so excited at the opportunity to shape these innocent little lives into mature, responsible, caring adults. Like all parents I felt a huge responsibility to teach my children the important lessons of life, but as my children grew, I became frustrated at their poor attention span and their lack of interest in the things I was trying to teach them. I couldn’t seem to get the lessons I wanted them to learn to stay in their heads! I was afraid that I wasn’t preparing my children for life and I felt like a terrible parent.

To have more positive interaction with my children, I wrote an adventure story I thought they would like, and would read some of it to them as I finished each chapter. I even made up voices for the characters to make it more fun. When I realized that the children were really engaged in my tale, I began to ask them questions to make sure they understood the character and spiritual lessons I wanted them to get out of the story. Over time I did notice that the character of my children was improving but I attributed that to my wife’s and my persistence.

Years later my oldest son admitted, as I had feared, that he remembered very little of what we taught him as we homeschooled him and the others, but he said that he still remembered everything (his words) that I taught him using the stories. It turns out that if you engage the emotional center of the brain with an exciting story when you teach, a fascinating action takes place in the brain. The lesson you are teaching bypasses the short term memory and goes straight into long term memory. What an “AHA” moment that was! Think about it. As a parent, grandparent, or teacher, what would you give to know that when you taught your children or grandchildren, they would remember it forever? Using engaging stories to teach has been proven to consistently do that!

If you want to know more go to: https://storieschangehearts.com/teaching-through-storytelling/

FINALLY. . .IT’S HERE!!!

          After months of annoying delays, the AUDIO VERSION of the first book in The Flintlock Sagas series, The Young Frontiersman, is finally available. This is an exciting Christian adventure story about surviving the wilds of Kentucky in the 1770’s. If it were not difficult enough to survive the inhospitable wilderness and the war-like native tribes, also the British agents were trying to destroy every American settlement they could get their Indian allies to attack. Full of adventure, fun, and important character and spiritual lessons, this story not only makes history come alive, but also draws the reader or listener closer to God. Check it out here. God’s blessings to all of you during these difficult times!

In His Service,

Alan W. Harris

Written for Girls but Exciting enough for Boys

My newest Christian adventure book that was written for girls but is exciting enough for boysClick to Tweet I am excited to announce the newest book in The Flintlock Sagas series: THE MAKER’S MEDICINE GIRL!

With three daughters and seven granddaughters, it is high time that I wrote something specifically for them and here it is:

Terrors and dangers filled the Kentucky wilderness in the 1770’s, and no one knew this better than sixteen-year-old Remember Warren. After her village was burned and her family and friends were violently murdered by savages, the girl finds herself the slave of a renegade trapper and his Shawnee squaw. Bitter and resentful, Ember rejects God as she tries to find a way to survive the oppressive captivity.

Though she doesn’t believe it, God has not forsaken her.  He begins to work on her hard heart, using creative ways to reveal Himself to her and to show His love to her and to those around her.

Can Ember look beyond the hardship? Will she listen for God’s higher purpose for all her suffering? Could God redeem such horrible experiences? The story reaches its climax as Ember is forced to make a desperate run for her life that will put her new faith to the extreme test.

To read more or to order this exciting new book go to StoriesChangeHearts.com.

Please spread the word about this thrilling Christian adventure story that was written for girls but exciting enough for boys!

In His Service,

Alan W. Harris

NOW AVILABLE FOR FREE DELIVERY

 

The first book in my new series The Flintlock Sagas, The Young Frontiersman in now available for FREE SHIPPING to almost anywhere in the world. People all over the globe who are eager to read exciting adventure stories that glorify God and encourage the reader can order The Young Frontiersman through The Book Depository and have it shipped to them FOR FREE!

To my American readers, I encourage you to send this information to anyone you know living in another country. It would be a special blessing to missionary families.

TURN THE QUARANTINE INTO A BLESSING

Would you like to turn your social isolation into positive memories and great discussions?

 

Alan Harris the author of the Tales of Larkin and the Flintlock Sagas and his family want to do something to encourage you during this difficult period in America.  To provide entertaining and character-promoting diversion during this unprecedented time, the Harris family is making a FREE audio version of Alan’s exciting first book available. Enhanced with voice characterizations and read by Alan, old and young alike love the action-packed adventure of Hawthorn’s Discovery.

Just email Alan at StoriesChangeHearts@gmail.comfor a code and web address for the free download. Totaling about 13 hours, spend your evenings listening together, laughing together, and talking through challenging thoughts together in a Christ-honoring, bonding experience. For families, these stories create teachable moments that instill truth and challenge the enemy’s lies. You will also have access to discussion questions that emphasize godly character qualities and help you and your children process and apply the truths revealed. Some of the most cherished memories of the Harris family are the evenings spent experiencing the five books of The Tales of Larkin together. Find more details about the stories at StoriesChangeHearts.com. Jesus made some of His most memorable points within the context of a story. Learn how you can do that too!

You can share this offer with others and we will send out the codes until we run out. Blessing to all and be safe!