Pratap Divyesh's Blog, page 5
October 29, 2018
The Family Freeloader : A Biblical Answer for Sob Stories, Con Games, and Never Having to Get Off the Couch
We’re all familiar with the stereotypical freeloading relative. He’s usually depicted in the movies as an able-bodied but unkempt bum, who lives with mom or a more responsible sibling, refuses to get a job, and spends his days lying on the sofa, drinking beer, getting potato chips all over the carpet, and watching cartoon marathons. But in real life, few family freeloaders are so obvious.
OUR freeloaders are professionals. They’re subtle. They’re versatile. They run complicated scams and convoluted cons on us. They always have their antennae up for any little clue they might find useful. Like the predators they are, they’re constantly sizing us up to see what they can get out of us. They’re looking for personality traits they can use against us, like gullibility, kindness, a trusting nature, or a soft heart. Even our pride is useful to them-because then they can employ flattery, or “gratitude,” to get what they want.
If you’re susceptible to guilt, it makes you an easy target. If you’re a sympathetic person, quick to feel sorry for those who are going through tough times, or if you easily empathize with others, then you’re an even better target. If you’re concerned about other people’s opinions and want everybody to think you’re nice, that’s like a flashing neon “Sucker” sign over your head. To a con man, if you have trouble saying “No,” that’s a sign of weakness which he can exploit. If we’re efficient, or pride ourselves on being “problem-solvers,” then the freeloader will give us a problem to solve for him. If we have a “rescuer” mentality, our freeloader will help us satisfy those urges. Freeloaders and con men are looking for “people pleasers.”
Is it important to you to give others the impression that you’re a “good Christian?” Or to prove to YOURSELF that you’re a good Christian? We presume that “good” Christians give to charity, but how do you define “charity?” Do you think you have to give to every hard luck case who asks? Does your chronically unemployed cousin qualify as a legitimate charity cause in your mind? Would it make you a “bad” Christian to say “No” to the sister-in-law who constantly imposes on you? If you equate agreeing to every request anybody ever asks of you, or giving money to every person who seems to need it, with being a “good” Christian, then once a freeloader gets a hold of you, you’re in for a long night……..
Written with humor, wisdom, and a healthy dose of common sense, The Family Freeloader teaches us 21 Ways To Spot A Con, the various ploys that freeloaders use to scam money or favors out of us, how they observe and test us, and which personality traits make us seem like easy prey. We will systematically debunk their most common sob stories and surprisingly sneaky tactics, study what the Bible REALLY says about giving to the poor vs. supporting a bum, and learn step-by-step effective strategies for letting go of the guilt and saying “No” to our family freeloaders. This book is an invaluable lesson for all kind-hearted, generous folks who love their families, on how to avoid being taken advantage of by the unscrupulous among us.
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October 26, 2018
Ten Thousand Walks A Legend Is Born
They are people throughout history that stand, casting a shadow on everything and everyone around them. They leave a mark on the world around them for good and sometimes for evil. As the years go on their names become a thing of legend known to all becoming more infamous as the ages roll by.
Now welcome to a universe where the words Ten Thousand echoes across the fields and mountains of every planet, the airless moons, and the ships flying between star systems. Bring hope to those that are hopeless, instilling fear into the hearts of those that are evil and ruthless. This story tells the journey of what it takes to go from a regular unheard-of explorer to become the most powerful hero man in the universe.
But this is just the begging.
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Stone Dead in Rio Vista
The over 55 community in the Rio Vista Country Club are used to fellow members passing. Of natural causes. Not being bludgeoned to death! Once the killings start, there is a lot of gossip around the golf pro shop, and the adjacent restaurant. A fun book with a surprise ending, you’ll be hooked from the first page.
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October 20, 2018
The Truth You Didn’t Know
This book is about my life and the struggles I went through as a child, as a teenager, and as an adult. This book will make you cry, and it will make you laugh. This is a great book to read by your fireplace with some hot chocolate eating a bagel.
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On The Road to Saying Bye to Autism
I told autism in my family these vitamins and juice and muffins will help my son’s brain get on the right channel it is supposed to be on. I told autism that you will not win in my family. I told autism that my son will make it. He will graduate high school and go to college. I told autism in my family my son will play sports, he will talk, he will be on the same level as his peers. I told autism in my family I said “Bye, Felicia.”
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A Steele Heart
Stella Steele and her horse Pandora are rodeo superstars. They’ve been out on the road constantly, winning rodeo after rodeo, but Stella wants something more in her life. She’s always told herself she doesn’t need a man, but after succumbing to a handsome cowboy’s charm, she can’t get him out of her head.
Cash Lawson is searching for a new path in life. He no longer feels content at home, and when the Steele family give him a chance for a new life in Grizzly Bend he jumps at it. He’s hoping that along with starting a successful new business, he can convince a certain cowgirl to give him a chance.
Can Cash and Stella break down their walls and learn to trust each other? Or will demons from their past, plotting against them, burn their new life to the ground?
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October 13, 2018
Breaking the Bonds of Adult Child Abuse
***FIRST PLACE READER VIEWS LITERARY AWARDS***
***WINNER READER VIEWS REVIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD***
Breaking The Bonds Of Adult Child Abuse:
A Biblical Textbook On Abusive Narcissistic Families, How They Operate, And How To Deal With Them
Adult Child Abuse
-The Only Form of Abuse still tolerated, accepted and condoned in our society.
-The Only Form of Abuse in which it is considered okay for a competent adult to be controlled, exploited, or damaged by someone else.
-The Only Form of Abuse in which the victim is expected to continue suffering indefinitely, criticized for trying to protect herself, judged for escaping from her abuser, and openly discouraged from standing up for herself, talking about it, or revealing the abuse to others.
Where do folks get the idea that Christians have to be meek and mild, silently enduring mistreatment, tolerating anything anybody else does, and timidly standing by while abusers trample all over them and other innocent victims? Since when is it a sin to take a stand and speak out against evil? This is what our abusers want us to believe, and it is nothing but misconceptions and lies.
Do you know that God wants us to confront people who do evil? That he tells us to have nothing further to do with those who will not listen to rebuke? That there is no biblical requirement to forgive the unrepentant? In this book, you will learn about family abusers and their Silent Partners, why they abuse us and why we let them, setting and enforcing limits, godly confrontation, The Law of Sowing and Reaping and letting abusers suffer the Natural Consequences of their own behavior, how to tell if a comment is really a criticism, family jealousy and how to detect if a relative is jealous of you, recognizing and cutting ties with reprobates, improving your family holidays, how to forgive and what forgiveness really means, and what Jesus would REALLY do. Filled with helpful dialogue, this book offers many valuable lessons, including:
-107 Examples of abusive behavior and betrayal
-6 Major No-Nos for mature, independent adults
-26 Reasons why they abuse us, and 55 questions to help us understand why we allow it
-27 Ways to respond to a critic
-35 Empowering Statements for declaring your boundaries and enforcing consequences
-10 Simple Steps for learning to say no and 8 responses for those who aren’t happy about it
-40 Off-Limits Subjects
-38 Signs of a meaningless apology and 17 signs of a meaningful one
-The 21 Rules of No Contact
-102 Questions to ask yourself when you’re trying to decide if you should end a toxic relationship
-5 Strategies for more pleasant holidays with your relatives
-The 7 Biblical Duties of a proper parent
-11 Steps for getting over a lost relationship
Written with empathy, wisdom and understanding, and loaded with scriptural references, this book is an eye-opener that will help you claim your freedom and change your life.
AMAZON Barnes & Noble Goodreads
The post Breaking the Bonds of Adult Child Abuse appeared first on Being Author - Book promotion & authors BLOG.
Breaking the Bonds of Adult Child Abuse : A Biblical Textbook On Abusive Narcissistic Families, How They Operate, And How To Deal With Them
***FIRST PLACE READER VIEWS LITERARY AWARDS***
***WINNER READER VIEWS REVIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD***
Breaking The Bonds Of Adult Child Abuse:
A Biblical Textbook On Abusive Narcissistic Families, How They Operate, And How To Deal With Them
Adult Child Abuse
-The Only Form of Abuse still tolerated, accepted and condoned in our society.
-The Only Form of Abuse in which it is considered okay for a competent adult to be controlled, exploited, or damaged by someone else.
-The Only Form of Abuse in which the victim is expected to continue suffering indefinitely, criticized for trying to protect herself, judged for escaping from her abuser, and openly discouraged from standing up for herself, talking about it, or revealing the abuse to others.
Where do folks get the idea that Christians have to be meek and mild, silently enduring mistreatment, tolerating anything anybody else does, and timidly standing by while abusers trample all over them and other innocent victims? Since when is it a sin to take a stand and speak out against evil? This is what our abusers want us to believe, and it is nothing but misconceptions and lies.
Do you know that God wants us to confront people who do evil? That he tells us to have nothing further to do with those who will not listen to rebuke? That there is no biblical requirement to forgive the unrepentant? In this book, you will learn about family abusers and their Silent Partners, why they abuse us and why we let them, setting and enforcing limits, godly confrontation, The Law of Sowing and Reaping and letting abusers suffer the Natural Consequences of their own behavior, how to tell if a comment is really a criticism, family jealousy and how to detect if a relative is jealous of you, recognizing and cutting ties with reprobates, improving your family holidays, how to forgive and what forgiveness really means, and what Jesus would REALLY do. Filled with helpful dialogue, this book offers many valuable lessons, including:
-107 Examples of abusive behavior and betrayal
-6 Major No-Nos for mature, independent adults
-26 Reasons why they abuse us, and 55 questions to help us understand why we allow it
-27 Ways to respond to a critic
-35 Empowering Statements for declaring your boundaries and enforcing consequences
-10 Simple Steps for learning to say no and 8 responses for those who aren’t happy about it
-40 Off-Limits Subjects
-38 Signs of a meaningless apology and 17 signs of a meaningful one
-The 21 Rules of No Contact
-102 Questions to ask yourself when you’re trying to decide if you should end a toxic relationship
-5 Strategies for more pleasant holidays with your relatives
-The 7 Biblical Duties of a proper parent
-11 Steps for getting over a lost relationship
Written with empathy, wisdom and understanding, and loaded with scriptural references, this book is an eye-opener that will help you claim your freedom and change your life.
AMAZON Barnes & Noble Goodreads
The post Breaking the Bonds of Adult Child Abuse : A Biblical Textbook On Abusive Narcissistic Families, How They Operate, And How To Deal With Them appeared first on Being Author - Book promotion & authors BLOG.
The Christian’s Guide to No Contact
Does God really expect us to put up with a lifetime of abuse from the bullies, liars, manipulators, abusers and users we know, just because we were born into a toxic family or were deceived into befriending a narcissist who hid his true self from us at first? Christians often feel stuck in abusive relationships with narcissistic or psychopathic friends or family, either haunted by guilt or plagued by Holier-Than-Thous who think they have the right to judge us for finally getting away and staying away. In this book, you will learn about going No Contact from a biblical perspective. You will find effective, step-by-step strategies for deciding when it’s time to go No Contact, how to go No Contact, how to stay No Contact, how to deal with estranged friends and relatives, their Flying Monkeys, and even strangers who have the nerve to criticize you for going No Contact, how to resist attempts to Hoover you back in, and how to begin recovering from the loss of your relationship and healing from your abuse. Loaded with scriptural references that will support you and may even surprise you, The Christian’s Guide to No Contact will teach you that the Lord does not want his children to be in bondage to the wicked, and will help you to end unhealthy friendships and family relationships while staying true to what the Bible teaches. You will find everything a Christian needs to know about No Contact in one enlightening and accessible resource.
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Merlin Parnassus
Merlin Parnassus was a Real Magician, a Navigator and a herbalist. He was the wizard at King Arthur’s Court. According to Legend, Merlin’s existence ended when he was trapped by Morgana Le Fey in the Crystal Cave. It didn’t end there. This biography shows Merlin has lived for two millennia and is still alive today. This is a work of fiction based on real places and notable historical people.
Merlin was born in the glades of Mount Parnassus. His natural mother died in childbirth. His adopted mother became a Sibyl, a wise woman skilled in herbs and medicine; these were gifts from Gaia, mother Earth. Sibyl was invited to work at the Oracle of Delphi. She became a Pythia, a priestess who made predictions as the Oracle of Delphi. Life for a Pythia was dangerously short due to the heady vapors beneath the Omphalos; Merlin believed these vapors triggered the predictions. In her dying breath, Sibyl prayed to Gaia, “Let my child receive your gifts and become your servant.”
When Merlin returned to the Glades to cremate his mother’s body, he dedicated his life to Gaia, and she accepted, promising him “a long life learning Real Magic”.
Five steel rings, the size of headbands, were donated to the Oracle; they were used in the crowning wreaths of the champions of the Pan-Hellenic Games. Gaia blessed each ring, with permanent magical essence, to aid the champion in their new role as a Judge or Teacher. The Games had been designed to find the best candidates for the top jobs in the community.
The priests fled, with the rings, when the Romans condemned all religions outside of Christianity. Four pairs of priests and priestesses left as bridal couples to unspecified destinations. Merlin fled to Britain with a small group of priests and priestesses. They landed at Camulodunum (Colchester), and moved on to Caerleon-upon-Usk, where they settled down to run a farm, an Apothecary, a Guild of Masons and document copying service.
Merlin received a message at Caerleon, delivered by a monk. The message was from a Lady Ygerne Del Acqs asking for medical help; he must be discrete. When he arrived, the Lady was in great distress. Her husband, the Lord Gorlois, was away fighting usurpers. While Lord Gorlois was away, Uther Pendragon had raped Igraine and left her pregnant. Igraine gave birth to Arthur in 559AD. Igraine rejected Arthur; she refused to breastfeed him. A wet nurse, Eve, was drawn to Arthur like a magnet. Igraine asked Merlin to protect Eve, Arthur and her reputation.
On Arthur’s sixteenth birthday, Merlin ran into the clutches of Morgana at Tintagel. She drugged him and carried his paralyzed body into the cave below the castle. Merlin was buried in the back wall of the cave and suspended in time and space by the most powerful of Morgana’s spells.
Merlin escaped Morgana’s trap; (If you want to know how then buy the book) and fled across the notorious Bodmin moor.
Merlin became friendly with Captain Marsh, a Greek-Cypriot, who owned the ship Andromeda. Merlin paid for his passage with gold coin that was 500 years old but looked brand new. Captain Marsh was prepared to take the risk; it was the first of many risks that he would take on Merlin’s behalf. The Captain helped Merlin set up a new life as an Apothecary in Paphos, Cyprus.
Merlin spent a lot of time in the local Taverna chatting with the proprietor, Nico Gregoriou. His wife’s name was ‘Thea’ but everyone called her ‘Tee’. She ruled the kitchen as the family Matriarch. Nico and Tee had four sons Alex, Brygus, Cole and Demetri; and three daughters Callia, Maria and Georgia. It was a modest size for a Greek family.
It was two weeks before Merlin had a chance meeting with the daughters. They were formally introduced when he first met Nico, but they didn’t get much free time. Callia was the first to approach; she was keen to discuss my knowledge of herbs and spices. She was a bubbly person and became quite excited when Merlin said he would discuss recipes with her.
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