Are You Convinced?

Let Christmas come alive for you this year in a breathlessly exciting way! Do you believe that Jesus really walked this earth and lived and breathed just like we do? Do you think He ever got weary, angry, happy or sad? Do you think He played like other children or would He have piously strode around with His head tilted just so so that His halo would remain at the perfect angle?
If this book doesn't leave you enthralled with what an incredible Man Jesus was then let me know. If you can convince me that you truly weren't impressed and aren't just pulling my leg, I'll refund you the money.

Oh, by the way, if you hurry you'll still get a chance to win a free night at our Bed and Breakfast. (You choose the date.) Check out the details on my website.

www.marilynshistoricalnovels.com

Ivory Palaces by Charles Smith and Greg Gray

Do You Want to Ride a Cheetah?

Have you ever wondered why God planted a tree in the Garden of Eden and then told Adam and Eve not to eat of it? Did He really expect them to obey Him, and if not why did He test them like that? 

Let's picture that garden for a moment. It must have been vast, really huge to hold all the vegetation and animals known to man and many others that have since gone extinct. We come across pictures from time to time of some artist's lovely concept of what Eden may have been like but at the best, they are such a tiny glimpse. 

Hey, all those majestic animals and happy-go-lucky creatures needed plenty of room to roam, for example, they certainly weren't fenced in. If someone would have been wandering around for a week, or a month even making a movie of all the splendid sights and showing us how marvelously, intelligently and yes, playfully the various creatures got along then we would begin to understand what an incredible gift that first earthly home was.  

So why did He plant one tree with forbidden fruit? I wonder how long it took them to find it, or if they would have even bothered if that Serpent hadn't whispered the suggestion to them. I don't think we can begin to imagine how interesting, and yes fun it could have been in that garden, then at the end of the day they would run to their Father-God and tell Him about another new discovery they had made while He smiled benevolently at them and explain, oh this that and the other thing, or maybe they would just chat. 

So why did He plant that tree? Well, why shouldn't He have? He delighted to see them make choices: "What shall we do today, Adam, race across the meadow on the back of a cheetah or see if any more of those striped eggs have hatched?" Have you ever noticed how good it feels to make the right choices? For example 'I'm glad I took the time to listen, really listen to the children today and read an extra story or two when they asked.'  

  He did not make it easy for them to eat of the ‘apple’ by starving them or plunking them in a dry and barren environment. He gave them plenty of alternatives to chose from but He loved them too much to just create them as robots so after a warning not to do one, and only one forbidden thing, He let them loose to enjoy His beautiful gift which included happiness, beauty, fun, fellowship and an opportunity to bond with Him forever.

It was their choice. We all suffer the consequences of our decisions but He still tries to draw us back into that beautiful fellowship with Himself.

www.marilynshistoricalnovels.com

Shaking, Slipping or Cursing?

Some of us are safe, but sure don’t feel like it at all times. The night is dark and the storm raging all around, white, frothing waves are lashing against the rock where we have found shelter and some of the spray hits us causing me to tremble. I am afraid; the storm is terrible will it sweep me off the rock? I hope not, but I see others clinging onto little jutting out areas and wonder how they will ever hang on.

               Those up higher have found a sheltering cleft. No, it doesn’t keep us completely dry and although the wind reaches us, we needn’t fear being swept off the rock, but what about the others lower down? Why didn’t they get as close to the top of the rock and find a hiding place?

               The answer is sad: they found it too boring, it had been exciting, before the storm came, to be as close to the waves as possible, some even leaped in and swam around for a short while. But what about now? They were hanging on for dear life.  Someone was calling to them but the voice was faint, tossed around by the mighty gale. Some of them looked up and reached for the rope offered and found safety, but I knew once the storm died down they would be soon dabbling in the ripples once again.

               As a shout came across the waves, I braced myself and leaned forward: was it a shout for help? No, someone, no, a whole boatful of passengers were cursing and shaking their fist at the rock. They were blaming the rock for the trouble they were in!

               The rock is Jesus, the sea is the world; there are many storms all around us. Where are you?

www.marilynshistoricalnovels.com

Comfort and Inspiration

Are you finding it draining how the enemy bombards you? Here is a video that should soothe your spirit. If you're still feeling down why don't you check out the next link for more courage and inspiration?
I'd you the link 'button' but it doesn't want to work on my blog.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPsgIhlYQmM

www.marilynshistoricalnovels.com

What’s Your Favorite Number, 100 or Zero

New International Version
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Matt 13: 8

I survey the field with wondering eyes:

Did Jesus Play Catch?

Can you picture the scene: a sunny day, perhaps very early in the morning because there doesn’t seem to be too many people around.  The sun is gleaming off the white washed stone dwelling nearby and on the rocks at our feet. We are observers, onlookers and unwilling to get too involved. Jesus is walking on Solomon’s porch and we can hear Him well enough.

Hecklers who want to pick a quarrel with Jesus show up and we back up a little, sensing that trouble is fermenting.

Just a moment before you were getting this warm cozy feeling because the Master had said: “I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

A picture popped into your mind of the great, big, cupped hands of God. As long as you wanted to stay there, you were perfectly safe even if you were restless and easily distracted, He wouldn’t dump you.

Wait, those religious leaders were objecting---to that? Yup, they didn’t like the implication of power, of being one with God that Jesus is declaring.  They don’t want to listen, let alone obey him, and so what do they do? ‘Then the Jews rushed over to where you were standing and picked up stones again to stone Him. John 10:13.’

I got this warm, little image in my mind of Jesus catching the stones hurled at him and casually dropping them while He continued talking. “Many good works have I showed you from my Father: for which of those works do you me?”

He didn’t let the stones hurt Him, and He didn’t take credit for His ministry of healing in love.

When insults are hurled our way whether real or imagined, let’s just catch the stones and toss them aside (NOT BACK!) and continue going about our Father’s business.

www.marilynshistoricalnovels.com