GIANTS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD?

by Molly Noble Bull

http://www.mollynoblebull.com

Did giants once walk on earth? Were the giants mentioned in literature as well as the Bible real? And did you know that giants were also called the Nephilim?

I didn’t know any of the above until I read a book titled The Omega Conspiracy by I.D.E Thomas. Other books were written after this book came out and on the same topic, but I like this one best.

If you like mysteries, science fiction or Bible prophecy all neatly packaged under one cover, perhaps the Omega Conspiracy will interest you. It might even change your thinking as it changed mine. 

The Bible says—

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.  Genesis 6: 4 KJV  

But who were these sons of God? 

Who were the daughters of men?

Were they the daughters of Cain as some think? Or was something else going on here? And why were the men called “sons of God” while the women were called the “daughters of men?” If they were all humans, wouldn’t they have been called the sons of men and the daughters of men? 

And where did the giants come from? 

King David killed a giant named Goliath, and according to the Bible, giants lived in tribes. The tribes had names, and later in the Bible, God told His people to kill every man, woman, child and animal in certain tribes. Why—when God also said “Thou shall not kill?” Why did God tell His people to kill members of certain tribes?

To learn the answers to these and other questions, buy and read The Omega Conspiracy. To read about the book, go to Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Conspiracy-Satans-Assault-Kingdom/dp/0978845358/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327724238&sr=8-1

Or visit Prophecy in the News (a fantastic website) and learn about topics like this.

http://prophecyinthenews.com  

I promise you will not be bored or disappointed.

Please leave a comment. We want to hear from you.

SPEAK UP

by Molly Noble Bull

http://www.mollynoblebull.com/

Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless. Speak for them and be a righteous judge. Protect the rights of the poor and needy.  Proverbs 31: 8-9. 

Two important events in American history took place on January 22, 1973. Do you know what they were?

I’ll give you a hint. One was about the life and death of a man. The other was about the life and death of millions.

I remember that day well.

By 1973 I had been a pro-life Christian for some time and was a member of a group called The Ad-Hoc Committee in Defense of Life. On January 22, 1973, I was watching our black and white television set when a TV commentator announced that the United States Supreme Court issued a landmark decision, stating that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman’s right to have an abortion. I was devastated.

I needed to talk to someone—share what I’d just heard. In my rush to phone Alice, my pro-life friend, I didn’t even bother to turn off the TV set. I just dialed her number, weeping as I explained what had just happened—that Roe vs. Wade was now the law of the land.

Suddenly, the TV newsman said something like, “I have another announcement. Former President Lyndon Baines Johnson has just died at his ranch near Johnson City, Texas.” 

The stories about the death of the 36^th President of the United States were on the front pages of every newspaper in the country the next morning. Roe vs. Wade was considered of lesser importance and was pushed to perhaps page ten. However, the future death of millions of unborn children was the big story for that day and any day.

As a result, I helped start two pro-life organizations, marching and speaking up for life. According to the Bible, when we speak up for those that cannot speak for themselves, we will be blessed.

Heaven Father, give us ears to hear the cries of those who cannot speak for themselves and the hands and hearts to protect the rights of the poor, the needy and the helpless. In the blessed name of Jesus. Amen and amen.

Accountability--that elusive business partner.

posted by Teresa Slack, a super busy writer with a 9-5 job, a growing direct sales business, and a mad passion to get a book contract by the end of the week.

All these recent posts about settings has really got my creative juices flowing. Most writers agree that those first moments in the planning stages in a book are the most exciting. It's like falling in love. You're still learning about your characters. You might not even know the hero's name yet or why the heroine is afraid of the dark. You are just embarking on your journey and you can barely contain your excitement long enough to sit still at your desk.

Of course you must also choose a setting that works with the story. I once did a book signing in Fleming County, Kentucky. The other writers around me started talking about all the local legends and stories they'd heard growing up. My favorite was the haunted jailhouse. I can't remember where the jailhouse was, but I definitely wanted to check it out.

All the way back to Ohio, I could barely keep track of the story ideas stirred up by listening to those other writers.

Here's my question--once you get your idea and you've chosen a setting and you figured out a few of your hero's quirks and insecurities, what keeps you writing? Do you have a crit group that demands you produce a certain amount of words before the next meeting? Do you belong to online writers' groups? Or are you your best taskmaster and won't cut yourself a break until that daily goal is met?

I recently joined an accountability group on FaceBook called 1K1HR. The point is to announce to the group when you plan to start writing. There is always someone online to join you so you keep each other accountable. At the end of your hour--or writing session if you go beyond an hour--you let the group know how you did. It also works if you're in the editing or research stages of your book.

I need accountability. Someone breathing down my neck. If you are the same or just like connecting with other writers, check out the group. 1K1HR is a closed group so you have to ask to join. Or you may decide to start a similar group with friends.

What works for you? What keeps you writing? Please share. I need all the accountability I can get.

LOOKING FOR A GREAT SETTING?

Try Berkeley Springs, West Virginia 

by Lillian Duncan—Guest Blogger

http://www.lillianduncan.net/

Many years ago, I worked for the Morgan County Schools which included Berkeley Springs, Great Cacapon, and Paw Paw, West Virginia for a short time. My career there as their Speech Pathologist didn’t work out, but I loved the area.

So, it wasn’t surprising when I decided to include it in my book, PURSUED. I wanted an area that was rural but still not too far from Washington DC—since one of my characters works for the government in an agency that will remain nameless. (I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you—read the book if that confuses you.) 

Berkeley Springs and surrounding area has it all—history, natural beauty, warm mineral springs, good neighbors, communes when I lived there in the 70s, near Washington, DC, and a castle!  

Yes, that’s what I said. Berkeley Springs has a castle. Built of local stone, the castle has 13 rooms plus a basement dungeon. The original owner known as Queen Rosa was evicted from it in the 1920s. Queen Rosa was known for her extravagance and outrageous parties—which certainly contributed to her eviction.
But the area has much more than castles to boast about. Some of the most famous warm mineral springs in the country are located there. And in fact, the original name of the town was Bath, the name given by George Washington and his cronies when they formed a town around the springs in 1776 (according to Berkeley Springs’ website).

But Berkeley Springs isn’t the only party in the county, so to speak. Take route 9 and you’ll end up at Great Cacapon located on Cacapon Mountain. National Geographic lists it as one of the top 5 panoramic views in the east. Having seen it in the fall, I promise you it is spectacular!

Keep going south on route 9 and you’ll eventually end up in Paw Paw. How can you not love a town called Paw Paw? I once got lost when I was working there and ended up in three different states before I found my way back to civilization.

I’m beginning to wonder why I ever left the area.

And then there’s the Apple Butter Festival.

To learn more about Lillian Duncan and her books, visit: http://www.lillianduncan.net/ To celebrate her newest book, DECEPTION, there is a contest with a NOOK as the grand prize. 
Click below to enter the contest.
http://www.lillianduncan.net/contest.html 

LOOKING FOR A GREAT STORY SETTING?

HOW ABOUT JEROME, ARIZONA? 

by Jeff Reynolds -- Guest blogger

Jeff Reynolds 

 “Have you ever been to Arizona?” I asked a fellow summer missionary.

“No. I don't like the desert.”

I resisted laughing out loud. Arizona is a stereotypical place for westerns; after all, it's the home of Tombstone, site of the gunfight at the OK Corral. Having lived in northern Arizona, particularly in Verde Valley of Yavapai county, I knew better.

Yes, Cottonwood (where I lived) is dry and gets temperatures of 100+ in the summer. But if I took the main road, Highway 89A, north 50 miles, I'd go through beautiful Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff, altitude over 7,000 feet, snowed in every winter. Or I could go south 40 miles on the same highway, over Mingus Mountain, and arriving in the county seat, Prescott, mile high (same as Denver).

If you're a writer, you can find a lot in Yavapai county. Now, I currently live in Indiana, where the average county has less than four hundred square miles. In comparison, Yavapai has over eight thousand. From the red rocks of West Sedona to Indian ruins like Tuzigoot and Montezuma's Castle to Prescott National Forest, there are several sites of interest, places that can inspire the writer.

But can any compare with Jerome, Arizona? Home of the traveling jaihouse? It's just off the main road, but the side it sat on depends on the year. It crossed the highway and is close to a cliff?

Matthew 5:14 states a city built on a hill cannot be hid. Could Jesus have been referring to Jerome? If you drive down Mingus Mountain toward Cottonwood, you'll see what appears to be nice one story houses on the left side of the road. After you take a hairpin turn, you 'll see the back side. How'd you like to live in a two story house built on the side of a mountain?

Why did Jerome get built up in the first place? Gold? No, copper. As our country celebrated its centennial, this community got its start. By the 20's, it was a booming mining town, but by the '50's it became a ghost town. Wouldn't it's transformation make an interesting novel?

Or how about it's rebirth in the late '60's, when hippies discovered this town? No, I'm not talking about Hell's Angels. I'm talking about the artistic type, who restored the town to a tourist trap. But the town had a reputation. Can you imagine where else a mayor would be busted for smoking pot and it's not considered a scandal?

What would I do as a writer? Currently, I'm writing mysteries – I have one I'm seeking publication for that takes place at an apologetics conference. The ones I'm working on are in Indianapolis, but maybe I should consider Jerome. What better place for a murder mystery?

But a quarter century ago I had an idea I never followed through on, when my interest was in adventures. That idea was to have a chase in Jerome, where the hero wore roller skates and the bad guys borrowed bikes and skateboards. How'd you like to roller-skate down a mountain with curves and cliffs?

Jerome. Plenty to write about, plenty to capture one's imagination. 

Leave a comment. We want to hear from you.

And if you want to see a fantastic video on Heaven based on Bible scripture, scroll down.

HEAVEN AND LONDON BRIDGE

What do they have in common? 

More than you might think.

by Molly Noble Bull

http://www.mollynoblebull.com/

At one time, I “sort of” believed that Heaven existed but that hell probably didn’t. But according to the Bible, both these very different locations are real and as different as light and darkness—as dissimilar as good and evil.

As a child, did you ever play London Bridge is Falling Down? To brief you, two children join hands, lifting them high above their heads to form a bridge, while the rest of the children line up in front of them. The children waiting in the line are expected to go under the bridge, one-by-one. Once a child goes under, he or she is imprisoned in the middle of the bridge and then expected to make a choice before being set free.

I remember two of those choices from my childhood days. Did I want to be a golden apple? If so, line up behind Mary. Or did I want to be a golden pear. If so, line up behind Tom—in preparation for a tug-of-war at the end of the game.

Golden apples or golden pears were nice choices. But what if one of the choices wasn’t nice? What if one was wonderful while the other was terrible? 

What if one of the bridge-makers was Jesus (Yeshua) while the other was Satan? Now there are clear choices. To choose Jesus meant spending all eternity in Heaven where people lived forever in mansions on streets made of gold and ate from the Tree of Life. But to choose Satan meant constant thirst and burning in hell. 

Some might say, “I don’t believe in God or Satan. So I don’t have to choose either one.”  

But according to the Bible, to not choose the Lord is to choose Satan.

How many people would actually choose Satan if they really knew what that decision meant? How many would refuse to choose if they knew the outcome of not choosing? 

The beautiful eight-minute video below is titled “A Place called Heaven.” Turn on your sound system, click below and take a quick tour of heaven according to the scriptures. 

http://youtu.be/jGRx8-SANW8  

When you’ve finished watching, decide who you will stand behind on Judgment Day and tell others to do the same. If Jesus, follow him. If Satan, follow him.

But don’t decide not to decide. To not choose could send you to hell.

So decide—right now. Repent while in prayer and ask the Lord to save you. He will if you truly mean it, and you’ll be glad forever.

# 

Molly Noble Bull is a published Christian novelist. However, her newest book is non-fiction and written with four other Christian novelists. Titled The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities and written by Molly, Ginny Aiken, Margaret Daley, Jane Myers Perrine and Ruth Scofield, the book is designed to encourage others with similar problems. Learning disabilities never go away completely, and Molly should know. She is a dyslexic. The book tells how with God’s help all five authors discovered how to go around their learning problems and become published writers.

The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities is available in paperback and as an e-book. Click below to learn more.

http://www.amazon.com/Overcomers-Christian-Conquered-Disabilities-ebook/dp/B006BU95EU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325915575&sr=8-2  

Please leave a comment. We want to hear from you.

  

         

What you should've done differently in 2011.

Disappointment—if you’ve been writing longer than a couple of weeks you know all about it. Never is disappointment more prevalent than during the last few weeks of a year. I don’t know about anyone else but as November winds down and the cold, dreary days of December with all its distractions stretch ahead of me, I wonder what happened to the year and all the big plans I had for it.

2011 was no different. I had a lot of plans, a lot of dreams.

Last week (pre-2012) I was talking to my supervisor for my regular (the paycheck thing) job about the upcoming year. In a moment of honesty I admitted to her I didn’t feel like I’d accomplished a thing in 2011. She said, “You completed a lot of cases.”

That’s true. I did complete a lot of cases. So much so that my part-time federal government job became permanent. But is that what any of us desire to look back on at the end of our earthly journey? We completed a lot of cases. Closed a lot of deals. Made a lot of money. Or whatever.

My supervisor meant to encourage me. Instead she made me think of all the things I hadn’t done. Don’t get me wrong. 2011 was great. Not only did I attain success at my day job, my Scentsy business has taken off more than I ever imagined. I even earned a trip to the Dominican Republic next summer! (Shameless plug alert: Call me if you ever want to know how to make it work for you.)

What didn’t happen were all the writing goals I set at the first of ‘11. I didn’t complete the final edits on any of the books I wanted to submit to my agent. I didn’t get a contract. I didn’t start a new book. Any other accomplishments mean very little in light of that.

So like most years I didn’t want to see the last one end. Just one more month, one more week to make something happen. If only life came with do-over’s.

Then as always happens, just as I was about to lose the first month of 2012 to self-pity, my pastor’s wife put it all into perspective with one scripture verse.

“…this one thing I do, forgetting these things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Philippians 3:13

Scripture tells me looking back with regrets and disappointment goes against everything I believe in as a woman of faith. It doesn’t say I can’t look back and wish I’d done the year differently, just that I shouldn’t desire to.

I can’t get back 2011. I can’t un-watch TV when I should’ve been writing. I can’t reclaim time wasted with phone calls or hours on FaceBook. It’s over. All I can do is “…press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14.

That’s all that matters in the grand scheme of things. Not cases closed or deals made or millions earned. Not even lucrative book contracts.

So I’ll press on. God created in me a purpose. A calling for this day and this hour. May I work harder this year, grow ever closer to achieving those goals, but not waste one precious moment in disappointment, wishing I’d done things differently in the past.