August 22nd, 2012
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I wanted to let everyone know that both Simply Prayer and Fear Not: Discovering God’s Promises For Our Lives are now available on Kobo.
August 15th, 2012
August 8th, 2012
August 1st, 2012
July 18th, 2012
July 11th, 2012
July 4th, 2012
January 19th, 2012
There are a multitude of ways to study scripture. One of my favorites is to choose a favorite verse and meditate on it word by word. With each word added to the sentence a new layer of meaning is revealed. Let me show you what I mean using Psalm 46: 10, Be still, and know that I am God.
Be…
We spend so much time doing, we sometimes forget what it means to be. The sense of being is to rest in the hand of God. In this one word, we can feel God’s call to stop and enjoy being alive.
Be still…
Not only does God call us to enjoy the simple fact that we’re alive, but to enjoy time just doing nothing. There’s also the subtle reminder to listen to God, to others, to ourselves.
Be still, and…
From a call to quiet listening, God is adding something. What, we do not know and perhaps that is the point. We cannot see all God has planned for us. All we can see is this moment, but we can rest our hopes on God’s love of us.
Be still, and know…
At some point, the promise God has made will be fulfilled. We can know what was previously unknown.
You get the idea. It’s a simple way to find new meaning in scriptures you’ve read and heard a thousand times.
What different methods do you use to gain new understanding in God’s Word?
September 14th, 2011
In the Aeirie of the Wold available at Amazon.com
I love to request free books to review. In fact I subscribe to two review sites: Book Crash, which is where I found In the Aerie of the Wolf
I’m usually pretty selective, too, because I don’t want to leave a ho-hum review for a book simply because it’s not in a genre I particularly enjoy. This time, however, I read the book description without paying attention to the genre and the result was… interesting. Here’s the description that sold me on In the Aerie of the Wolf by Leonora Pruner:
Set in 18th century England, our heroine Anne is betrothed to a man she’s never met and must leave behind her girlhood fantasies. When she arrives at the home of Lord Wolverton, Master of the Wolf’s Aerie, the mysteries and challenges of her new life cause her to seek Biblical wisdom and guidance concerning honor, integrity, and faithfulness. In this story of the discovery of true love, there is also danger, betrayal, and sword fighting and it all takes place in a castle complete with secret passageways.
I’m a sucker for mysteries and sword fights. I wish I’d realized before I started that this was historical romance. (Note to self: ALWAYS check the genre before requesting a review copy.) That being said, once I figured out what I was reading, it made actually enjoying the book a lot easier.
The beginning is somewhat slow as far as mysteries go (the dead body doesn’t show up until chapter 2) and easy to figure out, which is why I was confused from the start. Again, had I realized this was a romance and not a mystery, as the description seems to indicate, I certainly would have enjoyed the beginning more.
In the Aerie of the Wolf is a standard historical romance. The romance itself is quite touching from the start. The historical elements were added with precision most of the time, though I thought the descriptions of objects could have been a little less detailed. And the end was just what was hoped for from the beginning. In fact, I, who abhor emotional displays, found myself reaching for a hankie as I read the end.
It’s important to me to review as many Christian books as I can because I write Christian books. I want to support my fellows and I want to learn what’s out there. What I’ve discovered thus far is a continuum from books that are thinly veiled attempts of Bible thumping (on the left) to books where Christian themes seem tacked on at the last minute (on the right).
In the Aerie of the Wolf swings between the two extremes, beginning at the right and swinging almost completely to the left by the end of the novel, with an extended dialogue between the two lovers where they quote scripture to each other. I’m all for using scripture in a Christian novel — sparingly. In the end I skimmed those parts.
If you enjoy a good romance, one with strong Christian elements and a touching story, you will thoroughly enjoy In the Aerie of the Wolf
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Prayer can be as complex as we want or as simple as we need, but sometimes we need a little help getting started. In Simply Prayer you’ll discover the basics of: what prayer is, why we pray, how to pray, and how to know your prayers are answered. If you’re looking for ideas and examples on simple ways to pray you can find them in Simply Prayer, available in print
Virginia Ripple, Christian fantasy author
