THE RAPTURE

What is it? When is it? Do you know?  

by Molly Noble Bull 
http://www.mollynoblebull.com/


The Rapture is a future event mentioned in the Bible but not by name. It is merely described.
At the Rapture, true believers in Jesus Christi will be resurrected. Soon afterward, all believers alive on earth at that time will disappear from sight in the twinkling of an eye. And both groups will reappear in Heaven to live and reign with the Lord forever. 
Some say that the Rapture of the church will take place during one of the three fall Feasts of Israel, also called Feasts of the Lord.

The Fall Feasts are....

The Feast of Trumpets 

Also called Rosh Hashanh

Sunset Setptember 28 to Sunset September 30th 

2011

Day of Atonment  

Also called Yom Kippur

October 8th 

2011

Feast of Tabernacles  

Also called Feasts of Booths and Sukkot 

October 13th for seven days 

2011

To understand what I am about to say next, you must first know that trib stands for tribulation or as some might call it—really bad times for folks living on planet earth. In the Bible, the Book of Revelation has a lot to say about the tribulation period.
But according to the Bible, nobody knows the day or the hour when the Rapture of the church will take place.
Nevertheless, some believe they know the season, and there are three possible times or seasons. They are Pre-trib, meaning the beginning of the last seven years of earth's existence, mid-trib, meaning the middle point of those last seven years, and post-trib, meaning the end of the seven last years.
At this point, I'm not sure what I believe regarding the Rapture. All I know for sure is that there will be a Rapture of the church because the Bible describes it. 
However, I just found a 4 minute video that puts a unique slant on what is called the pre-trib Rapture. I cannot say that I believe the premise on the video completely, but I can say that the findings are interesting.
The video mentions Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, as a possible season of the year when the Rapture might take place. The Feast of Trumpets is one of seven feasts mentioned in the Book of Levities, chapter 23.
In 2011, the Feast of Trumpets began at sundown on September 28^th and ended at sundown on September 30^th. To learn more about the Feast of Trumpets, scroll down and read my article titled Rosh Hashanah.
And when you’ve finished, please leave a message. I want to know what you think
Click below to hear the 4 minute video. 

http://youtu.be/sVQr-a8nJtI 

ROSH HASHANAH: Feast of Trumpets

September 28^th to September 30, 2011 

Article by Molly Noble Bull 

www.mollynoblebull.com

Many if not most Christians have heard of the last trump--also called the last trumpet. However, some never heard of the Feast of Trumpets mentioned in the Bible or if they heard of it, know little about it.
Yet at sundown on Wednesday, September 28^th, Jews from around the world as well as Messianic Jewish Congregations will gather to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets. The feast of Trumpets is mentioned in the Book of Leviticus chapter 23 and verse 24, noting the Jewish New Year with the blowing of a ram’s horn called the shofar. Click below to hear a very short blowing of the shofar.

http://youtu.be/lIHMf30IQEY  

The Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, falls on the first and second day of the Jewish month of Tishri and is the first of three feasts held in the fall of the year. This year, the Feast of Trumpets ends at sundown on September 30^th and is a time of reflection and prayer.

The actual date when Rosh Hashanah begins on any given year is determined by the new moon.
Since in times past nobody knew the day or the hour when the new moon would appear, Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration instead of a one-day feast.

Click below to hear "Blow the Trumpet in Zion," a song that made me think of Rosh Hashanah.

http://youtu.be/tcsDdGI19_Q 

And don't forget to leave a comment.

Do Men Read Romance Novels?

Over the last couple of weeks, I've received correspondence from two men about my Love Inspired title, First Mates. Both men said that they enjoyed the story and they wanted to know if I had other titles available. One of the men is thirty years old and the other is in his seventies. This recent correspondence gave me the idea for the topic of this blog post.

Do you know any men who read romance novels?

When I think of romance novel readers, I picture women of various ages engrossed in the pages of romance paperback novels. I realize this view may be a bit out-dated so I'd like the opinions of others. If you know of any male romance readers, tell us about them. What do men find appealing about a romance novel? If you are a man who reads romance, please respond and tell us why you read it.

Leave your responses in the comments! :-)

~Cecelia Dowdy~

ACFW conference 2011--I'm not ready!!!!!!!

The annual ACFW conference starts this week. I’m leaving Wednesday. Wednesday. Where has the summer gone? I can’t believe it’s time already. What I can believe even less is how ill prepared I am. One sheets? Do editors really look at those? Proposals? At this point I can barely remember what my book is about, let alone be ready to pitch it to a publisher.

Did I mention my travel plans have sort of fallen apart in the last three days and I’m not sure how I’ll get to St. Louis?

Sigh. To say I'm a little freaked out at this point is an understatement.

To prepare--or perhaps bluff my way through how little prepared I am--here's how I’ll spend the next two days before I leave for conference.

Get real. I won’t have as many stories polished and ready to go as I had hoped when I registered for conference earlier in the summer. I’ll be happy if I remember to pack my shoes. But I have a project or two I hope to talk about. I will do what I can and not sweat—at least not too much—over the things I simply don’t have time for.

Saturate every moment in prayer. I can’t stress this one enough. I’ve been so overwhelmed and frustrated over what I won’t finish before I leave—in two days—I haven’t had time to get excited about the opportunities awaiting me and my career. In fact I dread Wednesday and almost wish I could stay home. But I want to enjoy myself. I want to learn and grow as a writer. I want to network with other writers and spend time with people who understand the doubts, joy, and frustrations of creating another world through my words.

Expect the unexpected. The only thing I know for sure about this year’s ACFW conference is that God enabled me to go by providing the financial means to make it possible. As soon as I realized I could afford to go, I believed God had a purpose for sending me. So I’m going to make the most of the experience, have fun, make friends, and grow in my writing.

Hope to see you there.

CONTEST FINALIST: Published Author Category

Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote

Reviewed by Molly Noble Bull

www.mollynoblebull.com

Remember Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman? If you liked that TV series, you will love Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote.

In 1868, Dr. Mercy Gabriel and her adopted black daughter, Indigo, travel to the Idaho Territory to practice medicine and find themselves in the middle of a cholera epidemic, and when they try to help, using their doctoring and nursing expertise, the intolerance of the townsfolk regarding woman in the medical field becomes obvious. Mercy and Indigo are God-fearing medicine women with hearts that matched their amazing healing skills, and the last thing they expect is for Lon Mackey, a carefree gambler, to come to their aid. Lon admires Mercy’s determination and courage under fire, but he also thinks she is an attractive woman. Will this unlikely couple resolve their differences on the wings of faith and find a love that lasts? 

With many published novels under her belt, it is not surprising that Cote’s Her Healing Ways is a finalist in a major contest for published authors. Her writing is strong and sure, and her plotlines are well thought out and believable. Besides the other things just mentioned, I especially like her settings for this novel. She made me feel that I was actually living in the town of Idaho Bend and knew these characters personally.

Way to go, Lyn Cote.  

Award winning novelist, Molly Noble Bull, from Southern Texas, introduces The Overcomers–her first non-fiction book. Besides Bull, authors Margaret Daley, Ginny Aiken, Jane Myers Perrine, and Ruth Scofield will reveal how they overcame learning disabilities and became successful. Westbow Press will publish The Overcomers in 2012.

   

  

WHO HAS GATHERED THE WIND?

Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name? Surely you know. 
Proverbs 30:4. 

True Christians love Israel and the Jewish people because they gave us the Word of God, the Bible. And Christians pray for the peace of Jerusalem as scripture says to do.
The Bible warns us not to divide God's land, and many are praying that the UN will not divide Israel or Jerusalem. 
Yet the Jews and others need to read Proverbs 30:4 in the Old Testament because it proves that God has a son. As Christians, we know His name.
It's God Almighty -- our Heavenly Father.
We also know His son's name.
It's Jesus.

A Free DVD Movie: DEJA VU

By Molly Noble Bull

http://www.mollynoblebull.com/  

Did you see Denzel Washington in Deja Vu when it first came out? Now you can watch the entire romantic mystery-thriller movie by clicking below. Just read this article and scroll down. 

ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) is investigating the bombing of a New Orleans ferry when he begins to suffer from a mild case of Déjà Vu. He senses that there is something familiar about this case—as if he’s been there before.  

Déjà Vu, the movie, came out in 2006. However, you can still buy it from Amazon and/or rent it from Netflix.
Better yet, you can watch it for free right now by clicking below.
The movie stars Washington and Paula Patton, and we rented it not long after it came out in DVD. My husband and I saw it together, and then we watched it again on the same night—more about that later.

I like romantic movies, and Déjà Vu is. While my hubby doesn’t like what he calls chick-flicks, he liked Déjà Vu because it is really more of a science fiction action thriller with a twist. Therefore, this is a movie that husbands and wives can watch together—a rare find. 

.   Why did we watch the movie twice in one night?

It’s a great movie, and there are clues at the beginning of the story that we missed the first time. We watched it again because we wanted a better understanding of how this amazing plot came together. 

I am a novelist and a very picky movie watcher. Many movies and books bore me. This one kept me on the edge of my seat.

.   I gave Déjà Vu four stars. I would give it five, but there is a brief nude scene near the beginning of the movie that I didn’t like.

Yep. You can watch the entire movie for free on your computer, if you click below, all two hours and six minutes of it.
http://youtu.be/KTC3KYAYRwA ,
Then please leave a comment.

Simple Pleasures!

What's your favorite dessert?

When I write my stories, I notice that I habitually tap into the senses of smell and taste - especially taste! I've had a number of readers to say that they get hungry while reading my stories. I love writing about different foods, but I'm very passionate about sweets. I love eating them, describing them, making others crave a nice piece of buttery pound cake, or a dense slice of cherry-coated cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes with you today. I've had at least two people tell me that this is the best pound cake they've ever eaten. It's simple and it's oh-so-good! When you bite into this pound cake, the tart lemon glaze is a stark contrast to the buttery lemony pound cake, and it'll just make you close your eyes and enjoy bite after bite! :-)

If you try this pound cake, let me know if you enjoyed it. I know I shared this recipe with one of my former co-workers and she said when she made it, it didn't taste as good as mine...not sure why?

So, what's your favorite dessert? Leave a comment and feel free to share the recipe with us!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

OLD FASHIONED LEMON POUND CAKE

1 ½ cups butter (3 sticks)
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Fresh lemon juice from one lemon (I use one of those bulb-shaped, cheap plastic juicers that people use for orange juice in order to juice my lemon. You get more juice that way. Be sure to remove any seeds. )
Grated lemon rind from one lemon
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup evaporated milk

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan. Beat butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add sugar ½ cup at a time, creaming well after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lemon extract, juice and rind. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir thoroughly after each addition. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 70 to 80 minutes. If cake is not done after 70-80 minutes, bake longer, until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes; remove from pan.

GLAZE:
Sift one cup of confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Squeeze juice (or use a a juicer - mentioned above) of one lemon into a separate bowl. Remove seeds from the lemon juice. Mix lemon juice with confectioners’ sugar and drizzle over cooled cake.

Enjoy! :-)

Writers' Rest: MEET YOUR WRITING STYLE TWIN

Writers' Rest: MEET YOUR WRITING STYLE TWIN: By Molly Noble Bull www.mollynoblebull.com Ever wondered if your writing style was like that of a famous fiction author? Read on, to f...

MOTHER OF THE GROOM

by Teresa Slack

September 4, 2011

                       That's me, Teresa Slack, Mother of the Groom

Weddings are on my mind a lot lately. Not only am I a writer hoping to contract my first romance in several years, my son is getting married next week. Just about every proposal, wedding, and falling in love scenario has been done more times than a writer can count. In movies we've seen prospective grooms propose in airports, on the Jumbo-Tron at any number of sporting events, in skywriting or over a candlelit dinner where the groom either catches something on fire or the bride gulps down the engagement ring hidden in her wineglass.

My question is: Does this ever happen in real life? Did it happen to you or someone you know? My son proposed very romantically to his then-girlfriend last year on her birthday. He popped the question at a spot on the Ohio River in Cincinnati where they like to picnic and hang out. It has beautiful memories for them, and now the most beautiful of all.

My husband proposed to me while I was cooking dinner at the tiny stove in my mobile home kitchen. I shrieked yes before he could even get out the entire proposal. I was never good at curbing my enthusiasm. What about you? Was your proposal wildly romantic? What moment from the wedding stands out in your mind? Is there anything you wish you would've done differently? Besides picking a different bride or groom that is...

Please share and let's see if we can get those romantic creative juices flowing. 

You've met the mother of the groom, Teresa Slack. But did you know that she is also a published novelist? Scroll down to see the covers of her books, and then if you would leave a comment, that would be great.