Speak Boldly


The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1).

In the Old Testament, men like Elijah spoke boldly for the Lord. Peter was such a man in the New Testament. Elijah didn't worry that Ahab wanted to destroy him. When God sent him with a message for the corrupt king, Elijah stood before Ahab and spoke boldly. 

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they tool knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

Peter showed his boldness over and over again, especially when he was with Jesus. He walked on water until he took his eyes off his Lord. He was ready to build houses for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. He told Jesus, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God." When Jesus started to wash Peter's feet at the Last Supper, the disciple said, "'Thou shalt never wash my feet.' Jesus answered him, 'If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.' Simon Peter saith unto Him, 'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head'" (John 13:8-9). Then, in the garden when the men came with Judas to take Jesus, Peter drew his sword (it's telling that he carried one) and cut off Malchus' ear to defend his Lord.

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).

Yet, bold Peter lost his boldness in the High Priest's courtyard and denied Jesus three times. Again, he had lost sight of his Lord. However, he would be restored and gain even more boldness after the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost. Peter would speak the gospel without fear, win thousands of converts to the Lord, and be crucified for his faith. Prayer and the Holy Spirit are keys to faithful service.

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me (Hebrews 13:6).

What the world desperately needs today is for Christians to speak out boldly. We don't need to do this alone, and we shouldn't. God will direct us; all we have to do is follow. Why have we not done so before now? We often complain about the state of affairs. Why don't we do something about it? We all are called to share God's message. The time is now; the place is right here or wherever God sends us. Go and speak boldly.

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word (Acts 4:29).

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Party Results

I held my first facebook release party this past weekend. I think it was a learning experience for me and some of my readers. My publisher had put all my books on sale due to the release of my Civil War novel, Uprooted by War, so I thought this would be a good time to try the party. I had seen other author's do this, and I wanted to give it a try.

I was surprised by how many readers didn't understand to attend the party all they needed to do is go to the facebook page. Many of them thought I wanted them to come to a physical address. I was also surprised that many of the authors, whose facebook parties I attended, did not come by mine at all.

I had a little over a hundred participating, which is not bad. However, most of these did not really take part in the contests for free prizes, make comments, or answer questions. Perhaps it was all too new to them. I'm hoping for even better results next time. However, I did enjoy the time and had fun holding it. Here are some suggestions I'm making to myself:

• It might work better to join with some other authors so that we all pull in our fans.
• I need to work on a better system to notify fans individually.
• I should shorten the time of the party to only a couple of hours.
• Saturday seemed to work better than Friday.
• Prizes other than books worked best, because most of my readers and fans already have my books. However, I would like to pull in more than just my loyal fans. Joining with other authors would also help this.
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I don't know when I will hold another party, but I'm planning to do so. I'm sure they will get better and more successful as I continue to learn. Thanks to all who came to this one, and congratulations to Glenda Austin who won the grand prize of a T-shirt. I hope all of you will come back next time and bring some friends.

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Dueling Politicians

We often get the idea that politics is getting more and more contentious, but I'm not sure that's true. I guess it's all a matter of opinion. Take the long-standing rivalry and hatred between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, for example. Their verbal battles culminated in a duel held on July 11, 1804, in New Jersey.

The two men's conflict started heating up in 1791, when Burr, a Democratic-Republican, won the senate seat formally held by Philip Schuyler, Hamilton's father-in-law, who was a Federalist like Hamilton. Then in a close election in 1800, Hamilton manipulated events in the Electoral College to get Thomas Jefferson named president and Burr became only vice-president. These problems continued to escalate, until they ended in the duel.

Philip Hamilton

Their hatred of each other was well-documented, especially in the letters Hamilton wrote to friends. In addition, Hamilton's son, Philip, had been killed in a duel with George Eacker in 1801 over derogatory remarks Eacker had made about Philip's father. In the Hamilton-Burr duel on July 11, three years later, Burr critically wounded Hamilton so that he died the next day. Burr was charged with murder in both New Jersey and New York, but both charges were dropped before the case reached trial. However, in the controversy, Burr's political career ended.

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Walking with God

And Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:22a).

Elijah and Enoch - the 2 men who didn't die

Genesis 5:18 - 24 tells us what little we know about Enoch. Twice in these verses it says that Enoch walked with God, a way of saying he had a close, personal relationship with his Lord. It's not likely he led a congregation or preached inspiring sermons. We're not told that he witnessed to others or had numerous converts. He didn't write scrolls that became part of our Bible or hand down prophecies or messages to be remembered through all generations. But he walked with God.

Draw night to God, and he will draw nigh to you (James 4:8).

Our service to God is important, but it must include a close, intimate relationship with our Creator; in fact, it should stem from that. God is more concerned that we are totally His, that our hearts and souls long for Him, and that He is the most important part of our lives. When that happens, we will serve Him in obedience out of love and thankfulness.  This is really the ultimate achievement of any Christian.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7).

"Walking with God" in this way doesn't require any special talents or conditions. It's something everyone can choose to do, but it's a journey that gets more precious and rewarding all the time. Once started, it becomes extremely important and crucial to our well-being. It brings true peace, happiness, and joy. Seek and you shall find, so choose to walk with God over everything else today.

And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him (Genesis 5:24)

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A Contemporary Novel

My first love in writing and reading is historical fiction, but I read quite a bit of contemporary too. I also have four contemporary manuscripts out of the original seventeen. It's good to take a break from all the research required in a historical now and then. I don't mind the research, but it is time consuming. I even look up every questionable word to make sure it fits into my time period. English through the Ages by William Brohaugh is always beside me when I'm writing something set in an earlier time period.

The next novel I'm publishing will be the first contemporary I've brought out. Transplanted to Red Clay, the fourth and last novel in my Appalachian Roots series, has been delayed in the editorial process with the publisher, and I'm going to self-publish With Summer's Song in the meantime. I'm guessing I can have it out in less than two months.

This one has a connection with my indie, When Winter Is Past, the historical set in colonial Pennsylvania. It's unusual to have a contemporary connected to a historical, but I like the unexpected sometimes. It's not a sequel, however, and I consider them both stand-alones, although there will be a mild spoiler in With Summer's Songs, if you read When Winter Is Past afterwards. I'll talk more about the plot and characters in With Summer's Songs at a later time. Right now, I'm having tons of fun with all this writing.

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July 4th

Of course the United States Congress proclaimed America's Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, to begin the celebration of Independence Day. But other events have happened on the day throughout the years. in 1802, West Point Military Academy officially opened. In 1803, government leaders announced the Louisiana Purchase to the American people. After 48 years of U.S, rule, the Philippines received its independence on July 4, 1946. On this day in 1959, another star was sewn on the flag to represent the 49th state, Alaska; and, in 1960, Hawaii became the 50th.

Writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, and President Calvin Collidge was born on the day in 1872. Three Presidents of the United States died on the day: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in 1826 and James Monroe in 1832. Let's celebrate the day and its remembrances. 

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True Freedom

Americans value their freedom, but few of us are truly free. Many times we're weighed down with worries, responsibilities, and a life far from ideal. Often people try to make things better by working harder, accumulating more possessions, or finding people who will love them.

Yet, the only real freedom is found in Jesus Christ. He not only died in order to free us from our sins if we will only believe on Him, but living a life surrendered to Him is how to be truly free. When we follow His Word and will and act in a Christ-like way that is the antithesis of what we would normally do, we experience a unique type of feeling that is almost impossible to describe. But how freeing it is!

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another (Galatians 5:13).

Just this week, for example, a friend that turned her back on me and wouldn't even speak for almost a year, called me. She tried to blame her actions on someone else and said I had done nothing wrong. I didn't hold a grudge, didn't treat her in a similar way she had treated me, and I opened my heart up to her again. I knew right away this wasn't coming from me but Christ working in me. How freeing!

Finding Christ, letting Him have His way in you and with you, is the way to true happiness, true freedom. Let's recognize this today and act on it. On this Fourth of July week, let's help lead our country back to actually being "one nation under God," so that we all can be truly free.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:36).

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