Comma Llama is faced with a sign that temporarily turns his world upside down. He panics at his interpretation of the warning and requests assistance from his other punctuation mark neighbors. He soon discovers that his overreaction originated from one grammatical mistake!
Loving Your Neighbor: A Practical Guide to Keeping the Second Great Commandment explores what God actually means by the word "love." Often, in our culture, we use the word "love" to mean "like very, very much," as in, "I love pizza!" But then there are Bible verses that command us to love our enemies; clearly, the Lord cannot be asking us to like them very much.
This book looks first at the heart of love, as evidenced by God and others. From these scriptural records, we can see that spiritual love really means a selfless caring for the other. When we love, we must start with a motivation that focuses solely on the well-being of the other and not on any benefits to self.
Next, as this is a practical guide, this book examines "pictures" of love, words that give the reader a picture of how this love might actually practically work in our lives. Often, these biblical words have both a physical and a figurative usage. The physical usage gives us the picture, and the figurative usage shows us how to practically apply this in loving our neighbor.
Finally, the author shows that God has given us tools in the Bible to help us get better at loving our neighbor. God gave us the commandment, but then He was loving enough to help us love and to help us grow in loving our neighbors.
This book is intended to introduce life situations which many of us experience. Some are very serious and others are more lighthearted. But all of them are intended to induce the reader to think about what they might do in these circumstances and how to apply the Christian guiding principles to them. This book is intended to help the reader to read, think and grow into a more mature Christian.
Esther is a young Jewish woman living in the Persian Empire many years after her people were exiled there from the land of Israel. Although she has never seen the promised land, she knows God will take her there someday. For now, she has more pressing concerns. Daily life consists of working at the bakery and taking care of her dear uncle Mordecai, who has never been the same since the grisly murder of Esther's parents and grandparents sixteen years ago. They were killed for being Jewish, and Mordecai tells Esther to never tell anyone she is a Jew.
Esther loves God and knows He is with her at every moment. She also loves her uncle but sometimes wishes to find her own happiness, that kind of love she imagines between Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. One night, soldiers arrive and take her to King Xerxes's harem since he is looking for a new queen to replace Queen Vashti, who had displeased him. To Esther's surprise, she and Xerxes feel a sense of trust with each other, and he decides to make her queen. Over time, they fall deeply in love. There's just one thing missing. Xerxes doesn't know Esther is Jewish. Esther wants to tell him to share her whole heart with her beloved husband, but she has always been taught not to speak about being Jewish, not to anyone.
Will Esther and Xerxes's love for each other be enough to protect both Esther and her people? Will she be able to speak and reveal her true self to her husband and the kingdom? When an evil plot to destroy the Jews is concocted by Haman, Xerxes's second-in-command, Esther must decide to speak up or not. In doing so, she risks her life, as it is against the law to approach the king without being summoned. Will Xerxes's love for her be more powerful than the law? Which will win, love or law?
My first youth book, Aria, was fun to write, and this book is a continuation of Aria's journey as an angel of hope. This book is for a slightly older audience. It was interesting to research places of good and evil for this story. The demons got what they deserved! I am sure you approve. Free will is a gift from God, but he does allow us to make mistakes. Aria has me mesmerized. I hope you have enjoyed her! She may show up again with a new adventure. God bless your day.
After moving to Minnesota, Aria Richards tries to start a new chapter of her life…behind her parents’ backs. She makes some friends and an enemy too, but even her enemy isn’t the biggest challenge in her life. Her parents, behind their strict, filthy-rich fronts, aren’t acting the same. Aria knows something else is going on. Something they would protect with their lives if necessary. Something beyond the surface.
Sixteen-year-old Jeremiah Thomas, all-star football player and MVP, had helped lead the Parkview Pacers to their first state title in twenty-one years. Now a new season of football is about to start, and his training has made him the strongest guy at Parkview.
Jeremiah's life revolves around faith, family, and football. He's handsome, strong, witty, a captain of the football team, and owner of a state championship ring. And to top it off, The Girl, his childhood crush, likes him. Friday Night Lights, the giant floodlights high above a football field, are shining on him. Jeremiah's life seems perfect.
Until the day he feels a marble under his skin.
When his minor sports injury turns out to be an aggressive bone cancer, Jeremiah's dreams are sidelined. College football, and a life of ministry like his dad, seem further away than ever. Things couldn't get worse.
Until they do.
Jeremiah has a 10 percent chance of surviving. While the game clock ticks down on his life, Jeremiah realizes life isn't about him. Life is about dying. And the greatest game he can win is won within.
To reach the end zone, Jeremiah will need a different kind of strength that can only come from God. As Jeremiah's strength is tested, his family shares his heartrending experiences on social media, inspiring the world to be "Jeremiah Strong."
