Julie Arduini's Blog, page 90
December 21, 2016
Jean Ann Williams: Christmas After A Loved One’s Suicide (GIVEAWAY)
My son, Joshua, died by suicide on March 16, 2004, and I will never be the same. Nor do I want that old person back. God has given me His strength as I journeyed through the most difficult time in my life. And, I’m not a novice to loss. I began losing important loved ones by the age of ten, with the mental illness of my mother, and the death of my dear Nana and my baby sister Maria.
During the year of firsts in noted celebrations after Joshua’s suicide, Christmas was indeed the hardest after Joshua’s birthday in November. My husband and I felt tossed about in waves of denial, pain, and just plain not-caring-to-recognize the traditions part of Christmas.
As the celebration of Jesus’ birth came closer, our eldest granddaughter, Morgan Ann, age ten at the time, found out our plans to skip Christmas traditions. Below, is a chapter from my book, God’s Mercies after Suicide, and how Morgan Ann helped us, her nana and papa.
***
“Nana, please, we have to bake cookies, and you need a Christmas tree to decorate.”
Our eldest grandchild, Morgan Ann, would not quit on the topic of Christmas. I did not want to bake. The idea of a tree saddened us; Joshua had always been involved with the choosing. When Morgan pleaded more than once with us, we relented.
Morgan and her two sisters, Lynsey and Carley, came over early one morning. My heart’s desire was to hang only handmade ornaments on this year’s tree.
Our granddaughters created a mess with glue, glitter, and construction paper. We decorated cutout egg cartons for bells and strung cranberries and popcorn on strings. The girls hung the ornaments on a three-foot-tall tree.
A welcoming inspiration, Morgan insisted we make Joshua’s favorite cookies. We baked thumbprint cookies, and hand-decorated snowmen, Santa Claus, and angel-figure sugar cookies with pink, red, and green frosting. The colored frosting got on the table. My granddaughters howled with laughter over smeared frosting on their faces. I snapped oodles of pictures which I shall always cherish.
***
If you’ve lost a loved one recently and don’t feel like celebrating, it’s really, really OKAY. The only reason we went ahead and acknowledged the traditional part of Christmas was to not disappoint our granddaughters.
In return, we did everything on a smaller scale this first Christmas after Joshua’s death. And at the end of the season, my husband and I looked back and smiled at what one little ten-year-old had accomplished in an otherwise confused and difficult time in our lives.
Twelve years later, we still talk about what Morgan Ann did for us.
And even if we had not participated in a tree and the baking, we still would have celebrated Jesus’ birth and life during the difficult Christmas of 2004.
Jean Ann Williams grew up with a parent who suffered from mental illness. Her son died by suicide at age 25 in 2004. From 1996 to the present, Jean Ann has written over one hundred articles & puzzles for youth related magazines, which included a healthy eating column. She has published articles in eight book anthologies. Currently, she writes a column for Putting on the New blog & Book Fun Magazine on the topic of suicide loss. Her first book “Just Claire” is an upper middle grade novel which touches upon the topic of mental illness of a parent. Her second book, “God’s Mercies after Suicide: Blessings Woven through a Mother’s Heart” is her memoir devotional about the loss of her son, Joshua, to suicide.
Purchase GOD’S MERCIES AFTER SUICIDE HERE
Julie’s note:
Christmas time is a season when suicides increase. Please, if this is something you are considering, talk to someone you can trust. A member of clergy, or Suicide Prevention at 1-800-273-8255. There is also an online chat from Suicide Prevention.
Jean Ann would like to gift a copy of her book, God’s Mercies After Suicide. Please leave a comment and I will choose a random comment. Make sure you leave a working email in case you win.
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Saturday Confession: Walking with Whoppers Life is Like---A Christmas Tree and Lindsay Lohan Being Thankful in Grief by Sara Nelson Saturday Confession: Outflanked Sabbath Sunday: Even in the FogCopyright © Julie Arduini [Jean Ann Williams: Christmas After A Loved One's Suicide (GIVEAWAY)], All Right Reserved. 2016.The post Jean Ann Williams: Christmas After A Loved One’s Suicide (GIVEAWAY) appeared first on Julie Arduini.
December 19, 2016
Katheryn Maddox Haddad: Joseph: The Other Father
Joseph
Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father who raised him, had to be a lot of things: Spiritual, quick minded, strong physically, fearless.
Can you imagine taking on that assignment? I wonder if God chose Mary partly because of who she was betrothed to.
Jesus was born into a violent world. When He was probably about a year and a half old, the king of the land sent his soldiers out to kill him. Because I do not like to write the predictable, but to stretch the reader’s mind, I had them escape the shortest route, that being the Mediterranean Sea. Joseph leads Mary and the toddler across the desert in a run, and he does not stop until they arrive.
Of course, Herod’s soldiers are smart and would have spread out in all directions to find them. Just as Joseph gets them to the harbor and finds a ship bound for Egypt, here come Herod’s soldiers. He shoves payment into the ship officer’s hand, lifts his wife and child on board and personally pulls up the anchor so they can make a quick getaway.
The captain is dumbfounded at his brashness until they see Herod’s soldiers climb off their horses and lunge at the ship, trying to board it, just as it gets a hand-breadth too far for them to reach. Some fall into the water while others get out their bows and shoot arrows at the ship.
Once they are out of range, the ship captain just smiles and says, “Looks like that King Herod is after you. Well, any enemy of ole Herod is a friend of mine.”
Another surprise in my book is that I do not have them settle in Alexandria where everyone speculates they went because of the large Jewish population there. For crying out loud! There were large Jewish populations all over Egypt!
Joseph cashes in one of the gifts the magi had given them back in Bethlehem and they get on board a river boat to head down the Nile to find a place to settle. They go through many adventures, but eventually end up in southern Egypt at Thebes, the reason of which you will have to discover by reading the book. Thebes in the first century is almost a ghost town, but the palace and main temples still stand. That’s where Joseph settles them. They move into the old crumbling palace and more adventures follow.
Time passes and they eventually end up in Nazareth. Joseph could hardly have made a living there since archaeologists tell us it was a village of only about five hundred people. But never fear: Sepphoris is only three miles away—the capital city of the Galilee Province where one of Herod’s sons—Antipas—has his palace.
Young Antipas manages to get the Syrians and Arabians so mad at him (according to Josephus), they arrive with one hundred thousand soldiers to attack and burn the city. Remember, little Nazareth is only three miles away. These guys need a place to sleep at night while the trenches are dug and mounds of dirt piled up at the walls for their attack.
Joseph knows he has to protect his family against the soldiers who will put up tents in the valley between Nazareth and Sepphoris, but some will not bother with tents and crash into unwalled Nazareth, kill home owners, and move in. Mary runs to the market to get as much food as she can. Joseph uses his stockpile of wood to create a high wall on their roof so the soldiers cannot get to then that way. Once Mary is back, he nails their gate closed and puts his cart and other heavy things there so it cannot be crashed through.
These are just two situations of many in my book on what Joseph must have gone through in protecting the child Jesus as he grew up. I promise you many more tense moments throughout the book as now and then when things sometimes look hopeless, Joseph calls out, “Father God! Help me protect our Son!”
Katheryn Haddad was born in the cold north, but now lives in Arizona where she does not have to shovel sunshine. She enjoys hot weather, palm trees and cacti in her yard, and a computer with the letters worn off.
With a bachelor’s degree in English, Bible and social science from Harding University and part of a master’s degree in Bible, including Greek, from the Harding Graduate School of Theology, she also has a master’s degree in management and human relations from Abilene University.
Her newspaper column appeared for several years in newspapers in Texas and North Carolina ~ Little Known Facts About the Bible ~ and she has written for numerous Christian publications.
Currently she teaches English over the internet every morning, using the Bible as a text book. Most of her students are Muslims. She has taught some 6000 thus far, and has former students, now Christians, in hiding in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Palestine. “They are my heroes” she declares.
She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers of the West, and is also an energetic public speaker who can touch the heart of audiences.
Website: http://inspirationsbykatheryn.com
Purchase JOSEPH: THE OTHER FATHER HERE
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Free Gift for You: Crumbs and Embers Word Full Wednesday: No Condemnation Character Confession: The Hidden Pain Character Confession: Happy to Teach the Professionals Daniel Darling: What Pro-Life Really MeansCopyright © Julie Arduini [Katheryn Maddox Haddad: Joseph: The Other Father], All Right Reserved. 2016.The post Katheryn Maddox Haddad: Joseph: The Other Father appeared first on Julie Arduini.
December 18, 2016
COTT: Barbara M. Britton TV Interview
It’s common knowledge that authors find their muse in many
different places, but one author found her muse while teaching Sunday
school.
Author Barbara M. Britton recently was featured on the Books of the
Month TV program. Today we host the episode, now available online, on
demand, courtesy of Preach the Word Worldwide TV Network. Learn how
teaching Sunday school to children helped to spur Barbara’s story ideas
for her now-popular Biblical fiction series “Tribes of Israel.”
Purchase Providence:
Hannah’s Journey today
Pre-order Building Benjamin: Naomi’s Journey
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His Best by Teresa Pollard Book Review: Secretly Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter COTT: Salsa and Speed Bumps by Susan M. Baganz Book Review: Heather Munn/Lydia Munn Deliver with How Huge the Night Sunday Sabbath: The Duck in the LakeCopyright © Julie Arduini [COTT: Barbara M. Britton TV Interview], All Right Reserved. 2016.The post COTT: Barbara M. Britton TV Interview appeared first on Julie Arduini.
Book Review: Jesus Was a Green-Eyed Brunette by Max Davis
Book Review: Jesus was a Green-Eyed Brunette
If people saw less of us and more of Jesus, it would make a radical and significant impact on those around us. Read this exciting perspective on experiencing the sacred in the ordinary and loving others as Jesus loves us.
When Jesus Was a Green-Eyed Brunette weaves heartwarming and miraculous stories of Jesus showing up in ordinary people, revealing that He knows us and is fully present in our everyday circumstances, especially in our difficulties. As best-selling author Max Davis puts it, When we are born again, Jesus lives inside each of us. He is very much alive today and still does incredible things — sometimes supernatural things — through us!
Davis’s own life was dramatically altered when he first came face-to-face with Jesus living inside a green-eyed brunette. That encounter started a forty-plus-year journey where Jesus became his best friend. When we see others as God sees us we will love them as God loves us.
Those hurting and weary from worn-out religion are longing for a fresh touch from the living Jesus. By letting Jesus live through us we become a conduit of His love. Authentic Christianity is not about religion but a relationship with Jesus. Davis challenges us to do more than simply receive His grace — we need to allow grace to soften, change, and shape us. As you read this book, you will laugh, cry, and come face-to-face with the living Jesus.
This book definitely had me curious, simply by title. It didn’t take long before I was completely captivated by the author’s story, and the testimonies included. They are all inspiring, but I think the one about the man who was crushed and lost his intestines—wow. That’s all I’m going to say. Wow.
If you aren’t sure what the big deal is about Jesus, or, if you tend to view Him as a stern guy who is mad at you, read this book and realize Jesus is mad FOR you. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
To purchase Jesus was a Green-Eyed Brunette, click HERE.
I received this book in exchange for review.
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Sabbath Sunday: Hope Character Confession: Fighting Words Book Review: Connie Arnold's A Symphony of Seasons COTT: The Amish Clash Winner Is... WFW: What Paul Taught Me (After Reading His Story in Beth Moore's Reflections Series)Copyright © Julie Arduini [Book Review: Jesus Was a Green-Eyed Brunette by Max Davis], All Right Reserved. 2016.The post Book Review: Jesus Was a Green-Eyed Brunette by Max Davis appeared first on Julie Arduini.
December 17, 2016
About Gumbo Weather Author Marian Merritt
About Marian Merritt
[image error]Marian grew up in south Louisiana in a small community south of New Orleans, Louisiana. Her love for the written word began reading books while sitting on her grandparent’s front porch swing. The stories allowed her to meet interesting people, took her to far away places and challenged her to think beyond her own world.
Her desire to write about the south keeps her grounded in her roots and the hope that one day she can do for someone what many of the authors of her childhood did for her.
Marian has a Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy and an accounting certificate from the University of South Alabama.
She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She hones her writing skills by attending writer’s conferences/retreats and reading many books on the craft of writing.
Marian writes from her new Texas home which she shares with her husband and a labradoodle, named Chili.
This bayou girl is glad to be back in the south because she loves her Southern roots. While she doesn’t wear white after Labor Day, says y’all, and can make a killer roux, she can’t help but miss living in the mountains with it’s low-humidity air and white Christmases! That’s why you’ll find a Louisiana/Colorado connection in each of her books.
(From marianmerritt.com)
Ten things Marian likes a lot:
Jesus
My Family
Sunshine
Rain
Snow – only when it’s falling
Baby Giggles
Puppies (who doesn’t love puppies?)
Optimism
Vintage Sports Cars
Saints and Broncos Football
Marian Dislikes:
Negativity
Shoveling snow
Dull knives
Feeling helpless
Burrs in my dogs fur
Flies in my kitchen or soup!
Bullies
Insincerity
Painful shoes
Liver
About Marian:
I cried when I saw Michelangelo’s David.
I drive a truck.
I’ve climbed Diamond Head in Hawaii.
I’ve owned two Harley Davidson motorcycles – A Sportster 883 and a Road King Classic.
I believe in pursuing your dreams.
I can shuck an oyster.
I graduated with a degree in physical therapy at thirty-four.
I’ve walked on the Great Wall of China.
Most of my childhood was spent running around barefoot.
I “kinda” speak Cajun French. (I can understand a lot and speak a little.)
Learn more about Marian and sign up for updates HERE.
Purchase GUMBO WEATHER on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Pelican Book Group.
Tags: About Gumbo Weather Author Marian Merritt, author, Bayou, contemporary romance, Julie Arduini, Marian Merritt, Pelican Book Group, Southern Fiction
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Comments: 0 (Zero), Be the first to leave a reply!Take a look! WFW: What Paul Taught Me (After Reading His Story in Beth Moore's Reflections Series) The Argument with God by Pat COTT: Until the Harvest by Sarah Loudin Thomas Annual Thankful Submissions Needed Check It Out: Social MomsCopyright © Julie Arduini [About Gumbo Weather Author Marian Merritt], All Right Reserved. 2016.
The post About Gumbo Weather Author Marian Merritt appeared first on Julie Arduini.
Don’t Miss This: Gumbo Weather by Marian Merritt
Gumbo Weather by Marian Merritt
Gumbo Weather: A Bijou Bayou Christmas Novella
Colorado sports reporter, Noel Winters heads to Louisiana after finding love letters in her deceased mother’s belongings. When her car breaks down near Bijou Bayou, a handsome, struggling pitcher and part-time mechanic comes to her rescue by fixing her car, and offering to help her find her father. Only problem? As her alias, Micki Barrett, Noel wrote an article criticizing Justin Gravois’s big league debut. Now she’s fallen for him, can she ever find the courage to tell him the truth? Justin Gravois, professional pitcher, wanted to make his uncle proud. When he finally got his shot, his dream turned into a nightmare. It didn’t help that sports reporter, Micki Barrett, wrote such terrible things about him. Now, Justin wants to forget about the past and move forward to next season. When he falls in love with Noel he wonders if she’s an answer to his prayer.
Purchase Links:
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COTT: Pick Your Favorite Read Thankful for Teachers by Paula Mowery A Writer's Thanks by Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers Sabbath Sunday: Did you Hear Your Invitation? Thankful Guest Bloggers NeededCopyright © Julie Arduini [Don't Miss This: Gumbo Weather by Marian Merritt], All Right Reserved. 2016.The post Don’t Miss This: Gumbo Weather by Marian Merritt appeared first on Julie Arduini.
December 16, 2016
Don’t Miss This: Gumbo Weather by Marian Merritt
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A Walk in the Valley, Christian Encouragement for your Journey through Infertility, Now Available for Pre-Order Booksneeze Book Review: Max Lucado's Max on Life Book Review: John Ward and Rene Gutteridge's Heart of the Country Book Review: The Promise of ProvisionCopyright © Julie Arduini [Don't Miss This: Gumbo Weather by Marian Merritt], All Right Reserved. 2016.The post Don’t Miss This: Gumbo Weather by Marian Merritt appeared first on Julie Arduini.
December 14, 2016
Star Song by Katheryn Maddox Haddad
From Julie:
This is an excerpt from Katheryn Maddox Haddad’s Star Song, Book 1 of her 8-book series “THEY MET JESUS”. Look for places where you can “talk” to the characters.
Star Song by Katheryn Maddox Haddad
“Mary…” Gabriel grows more serious. “Mary, you are a very favored lady, for the Lord is with you and has decided to wonderfully bless you in a special way.”
Silence. What is he talking about?
He continues.
“Very soon now, you will become pregnant and have a baby boy.”
“Well, very soon now I will be married. But a boy? How can you know that?” she responds, momentarily forgetting her fear.
Gabriel reassures her. “Remember, Mary, I’m an angel. God has told me everything. Furthermore, you are to call your baby Jesus.”
“Jesus? But my husband will be Joseph. I plan to name my first son Joseph.”
Gabriel continues as though she has not responded. “He shall be very great and shall be called the Son of God.”
The words grab hold of her heart and will not let go. Son of God…of God…of God…
Mary’s mouth opens, but in speechlessness. She does not understand.
Oh, Mary. Listen to what he says. Really and truly listen.
The angel continues. “He shall govern this nation forever; his kingship shall never end!”
His words echo through her mind and are trapped there in a confused abyss. She sits on a bench by the wall, her trembling hands grasping its edges.
“The child will not belong to Joseph. You will become pregnant miraculously before you are married. Remember the prophet Isaiah saying a virgin will bear the Son of God?”
Indeed, Mary does remember. Her father had been talking about it just the day before.
Gabriel continues. “And when I said his nation would never end, I was quoting from the prophet Daniel. Daniel even predicted exactly when he would be born. His birth year, Mary, is next year. Do you have a scripture scroll? I will show you.”
Mary, he’s offering you proof now. He’s helping you believe.
He quotes from Daniel. “Pay attention! It will be 49 years—that’s seven weeks’ times seven days in a week—plus 434 years from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until the crowned One comes!’”
“That’s a total of 483 years,” he explains. “Mary, it has been 452 years since our capital city was rebuilt. The descendant of David is due to be born next year and become priest-king when all priests are eligible—at age 30. That will be the 483rd year.”
Grasp what he’s telling you, Mary. Can you do it?
Mary tries with all her heart to believe him.
He has proven himself with scripture, with the Word of God. The final proof is yet to be given.
“But I’m a virgin. How can I have the baby? How can I conceive?”
Okay, Mary. Can you handle it? Can you comprehend what he’s about to tell you? Try, Mary. Really try. Don’t let the moment slip by, Mary. It’s. dynamic. It’s spiritual.
Gabriel remains seated and smiling. He stands now, and walks slowly toward Mary, then kneels in front of her so he can look into her eyes. Full of excitement, he whispers as though telling a special secret.
“The Holy Spirit shall come upon you!”
“The Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit helped David write his psalms.” Then, thoughtfully, she adds, “He does other things too?”
Gabriel’s exhilaration swells. His words trip over each other in excitement.
“Mary, the power of God will overshadow you.”
Come on, Mary. You’re almost there. Don’t stop now.
“Therefore,” Gabriel continues, “the baby born to you will be thoroughly celestial.”
“Celestial?” she manages to say.
What is happening?
Hang on to your seat, now, Mary. Here comes the rest of it. You didn’t get it when he told you before. Grasp it now.
“Your baby will…your baby, Mary, will be the Son of God!”
That’s it. That’s the final thing you’ve got to believe. Do you believe it, Mary? Can you? Try hard, Mary.
Divine truth descends to her mind. Dazzles her soul. Ignites her spirit. “I want to believe you. Somehow I do believe.”
Day dawns in the mind, soul and spirit of Mary. And of Mankind.
…. Yes. It is night. But Satan has been silenced. Now it is indeed silent night. Indeed, holy night. The dawn comes. And with it all that is calm and all that is bright.
Katheryn Haddad was born in the cold north, but now lives in Arizona where she does not have to shovel sunshine. She enjoys hot weather, palm trees and cacti in her yard, and a computer with the letters worn off.
With a bachelor’s degree in English, Bible and social science from Harding University and part of a master’s degree in Bible, including Greek, from the Harding Graduate School of Theology, she also has a master’s degree in management and human relations from Abilene University.
Her newspaper column appeared for several years in newspapers in Texas and North Carolina ~ Little Known Facts About the Bible ~ and she has written for numerous Christian publications.
Currently she teaches English over the internet every morning, using the Bible as a text book. Most of her students are Muslims. She has taught some 6000 thus far, and has former students, now Christians, in hiding in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Palestine. “They are my heroes” she declares.
She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers of the West, and is also an energetic public speaker who can touch the heart of audiences.
Website: http://inspirationsbykatheryn.com
To purchase STAR SONG, purchase HERE.
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COTT: Katie Ganshert Wins Clash by One Vote COTT: Congrats to April's New Release Clash Winner--Sharon Hinck's The Restorer's Son, Expanded Edition COTT: Mary Ellis and Her New Amish Fiction Release Living In Harmony Book Tour: Review of Melissa Foster's Chasing Amanda COTT: Vote for Your Favorite New ReleaseCopyright © Julie Arduini [Star Song by Katheryn Maddox Haddad], All Right Reserved. 2016.The post Star Song by Katheryn Maddox Haddad appeared first on Julie Arduini.
December 12, 2016
MICHEL: The Fourth Wiseman by Katheryn Haddad
MICHEL: THE FOURTH WISE MAN
That star! You know—the one over Bethlehem. We are so easily influences by what other people tell us, or sing to us. What do they tell us? The wise men (magi) were really kings, there were three of them, and they followed the star all the way from the orient.
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts, we traverse afar.
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
Not! Centuries ago, someone came up with three names, one of which was similar to the king of northeast India at the time, King Gondophores. So, that’s how they decided the magi were really kings. In reality, Magi was the name of a Babylonian tribe of priestly wise men. They were not kings.
Three? Have no idea where that came from except people seem to think that each gift was brought by one man. What if each gift was brought by ten magi? Or five? How come it had to be just three men involved?
And the star. They did not follow it all the way from the orient. It appeared when Jesus was born. The Bible says that, after the wise men left Herod and were on their way to Bethlehem (which was where he told them to go), they saw the star again. It reappeared just for them.
Did you ever see a manger scene with the shepherds and wise men and goats and pigs and cows and Jesus and Mary and Joseph all crowded into the barn or cave or where ever they were? That did not happen either. The wise men were now “beamed up” to Bethlehem from the Orient the night Jesus was born.
Herod had all boy babies age two and under killed. It apparently took the wise men a year to figure out the meaning of the star, and several more months traveling to Bethlehem. If they started out in Babylon (in today’s southern Iraq), the would have travelled the common route going north to the edge of Turkey, then down along the Mediterranean coast to get there.
How did they figure out the meaning of the star? They probably searched through the writings of their gods, but could not find the answer. In the royal archives where Daniel had served centuries earlier were probably the writings of Daniel, often the second in command to the emperor. Later, Queen Esther would have made sure they stayed safe in the archives.
In the book of Daniel is an account of the exact year the Messiah would begin his ministry. Since Jews were considered fully mature at age thirty, if you take 30 from the exact year given in Daniel, you will see it is the exact year Jesus was born. The wise men surely saw that. And elsewhere in Daniel, he mentions wise men leading to a great light. Of course, there are other prophecies they probably read.
In my book—MICHEL: THE FOURTH WISEMAN—accompanies a total of eight wise men as they tour famous sacred libraries that existed in the world at that time. They travel to northern Indian, then across the Indian Ocean to Ethiopia and up the Nile to Edfu and Alexandria, both famous libraries at the time, to read the writings of their gods. Then they go up to Athens and Rome to check the sacred writings of their gods. Next, they go to a famous library in Pergamum in Today’s Turkey, then over to Antioch in Syria. Finally, Michel convinces them to read the Jewish sacred writings in Ecbatana, Persia, and they finally find the meaning of the star.
There is an intriguing sub-plot in my book about the Garden of Eden which at that time was under the flooding waters of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. But I’m not going to spill the beans and tell you what it is. I challenge you to read the book. And put new meaning in your understanding of Christmas.
Katheryn Haddad was born in the cold north, but now lives in Arizona where she does not have to shovel sunshine. She enjoys hot weather, palm trees and cacti in her yard, and a computer with the letters worn off.
With a bachelor’s degree in English, Bible and social science from Harding University and part of a master’s degree in Bible, including Greek, from the Harding Graduate School of Theology, she also has a master’s degree in management and human relations from Abilene University.
Her newspaper column appeared for several years in newspapers in Texas and North Carolina ~ Little Known Facts About the Bible ~ and she has written for numerous Christian publications.
Currently she teaches English over the internet every morning, using the Bible as a text book. Most of her students are Muslims. She has taught some 6000 thus far, and has former students, now Christians, in hiding in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Palestine. “They are my heroes” she declares.
She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers of the West, and is also an energetic public speaker who can touch the heart of audiences.
Website: http://inspirationsbykatheryn.com
To purchase MICHEL THE FOURTH WISEMAN, click here.
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Join Me As I Make a HUGE Faith Step Through Cyberspace Guest Blogger Carla Anne Coroy: Emotions of a Married Mom, Solo Parent COTT: Andrea and the 5 Day Challenge by Cindy Green Wins Clash Music Review: Exhale by Plumb Character Confession: FreedomCopyright © Julie Arduini [MICHEL: The Fourth Wiseman by Katheryn Haddad], All Right Reserved. 2016.The post MICHEL: The Fourth Wiseman by Katheryn Haddad appeared first on Julie Arduini.
December 11, 2016
COTT: Kara Issac Wins Clash with Can’t Help Falling
Congratulations to Kara Isaac, with
Can’t Help Falling
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Barnes and Noble
A funny, heartfelt romance about how an antique shop, a
wardrobe, and a mysterious tea cup bring two C.S. Lewis fans together in a
snowy and picturesque Oxford, England.
Emelia Mason has spent her career finding the dirt on the rich and famous. But
deep down past this fearless tabloid-reporter façade, there’s a nerdy
Narnia-obsessed girl who still can’t resist climbing into wardrobes to check
for the magical land on the other side. When a story she writes produces tragic
results, she flees to Oxford, England—home to C.S. Lewis—to try and make amends
for the damage she has caused.Peter Carlisle was on his way to become one of Great Britain’s best
rowers—until he injured his shoulder and lost his chance at glory. He’s
determined to fight his way back to the top even if it means risking permanent
disability to do so. It’s the only way he can find his way past failing the one
person who never stopped believing in his Olympic dream.
When Peter and Emelia cross paths on her first night in Oxford, the attraction
is instant and they find common ground in their shared love of Narnia. But can
the lessons from a fantasyland be enough to hold them together when secrets of
the real world threaten to tear them apart? Cobblestone streets, an
aristocratic estate, and an antique shop with curious a wardrobe bring the
world of Narnia to life in Kara Isaac’s inspiring and romantic story about
second chances.
What Voters Had to Say:
These authors are all a blessing! Please keep writing…You encourage us all!
The cover alone makes me want to read the book, which sounds
like a wonderful read.
