Friday, November 22, 2013

WHAT ABOUT ME, GOD: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God?" by Lorilyn Roberts



When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
—John 21:21



You’re unique. If you were the only person God created, he would have sent Jesus to die for you. God has given you many talents. These gifts were not given to make you great or famous. They were given to you for one purpose: to glorify God.

*~*~*~*~*~*

From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:
Why would the king want to heal him? My life hadn’t changed. What about me? A voice spoke to me, “Don’t let others steal your joy. Don’t be jealous of others or concerned about not receiving their blessing. Think about the good things the king has given you.”

—Shale Snyder, chapter thirty-two

*~*~*~*~*~*

Instead of comparing yourself to others, thank God for the blessings he has given you. Envy is considered one of the seven deadly sins. A person consumed with jealousy is angry and dangerous. Covetousness kills—more than once I have captioned the news where a person was murdered by a maniacal person filled with rage, often fueled by jealousy.

Someday all the material possessions we claim we can’t live without will come to an end. Hollywood stars decked out in glittery jewelry will be long forgotten. So will worldly fame and fortune. Heaven has no need of those things. In fact, gold is so “worthless” that the streets of heaven are paved in it.
Will you be there? Remember: God doesn’t create junk—he creates beauty—despite the sin that so easily entangles. That’s why we need to be redeemed.

Do you know who you are in Christ? Have you forgotten something God did for you? Have you taken your eyes off of the king of kings?

As long as you have a beating heart, you have time to change direction. Don’t delay. Today 150,000 people will die. You only have this moment, this second.  Act now.




Help me, God, to listen to that voice inside of me—to allow your joy to touch my soul and melt my hardened heart. Help me to see your face and let go of all that holds me back. Help me to know you more and more.
Thank you, Jesus, for giving me second chances and third chances and seventy times seventy chances. Thank you for never giving up on me—as your daughter, your son, your child. 






Get your copy of this great devotional book for teens that accompanies the Seventh Dimension - The Door.









Saturday, November 16, 2013

GUILT: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God?" by Lorilyn Roberts



 GUILT


Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
—Romans 12:2


Guilt is feeling responsible for a wrong, real or imagined. If we have committed an offense against someone, the Bible tells us we need to go to that person and ask forgiveness.

*~*~*~*~*~*

From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:
After the accident, the closet became my friend. I wanted to avoid Judd, who came over to visit Chumana. She was not my sister but we lived together.
Guilt overwhelmed me.
—Shale Snyder, chapter one

*~*~*~*~*~*



Guilt will keep us from experiencing a close relationship with God. Sometimes it’s difficult to know if our feeling of guilt is justified. Satan wants us to feel guilty—all the time. As long as we feel guilty, we’re self-absorbed.



First, determine if the feelings are from God. Ask God, did I commit an offense against you or another person? Ask God to forgive you and/or help you to go to the person you offended and seek forgiveness.
 
In Shale’s case, she did something wrong. While she made a partial confession to Rachel, she never apologized to Judd.
 
The guilt grew and became like a cancer, allowing hate to fester until God miraculously healed her—when she confessed.
But suppose you are stricken with false guilt? Someone or something is making you feel guilty when you shouldn’t feel that way.
 
Guilt can draw you towards a loving God or drive you away. How does guilt affect you? If it’s making you feel distant, go to God.

 
Sometimes our pain is so great we can’t get past it without counseling. Find someone you can trust and talk to him or her. Have someone pray with you. God never intended for you to walk the Christian life alone. You have a whole body of believers who are the discerning eyes, the patient ears, the loving arms, and the caring souls who want to help you.
 
Remember, you have an enemy who wants to destroy. He is real and powerful, but God is more powerful than he is. Allow Jesus to take control of your life. Don’t give the devil a foothold, lest the small foothold on the side of the mountain becomes the whole mountain. Allow God to set you free from guilt. No sin is so great that God can’t heal you from its effects—and even use your story of redemption to glorify him.



Only you, God, can set me free from guilt. Please help me to accept your freedom, and to let go of those things that are not from you.
Help me to let go of false guilt and be set free to accept your forgiveness. Help me to be renewed and filled with your perfect peace.




Use a free QR code AP to watch on your iphone.









Friday, October 25, 2013

THE DOOR: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God?" by Lorilyn Roberts

 THE DOOR

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me.”

Revelation 3:20


Is God standing at the door to your heart? If he is, it’s because he wants to come in and be your friend. He brings heavenly food that has eternal value, food that will feed you spiritually. God knows your needs before you even ask.  

*~*~*~*~*~*

From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:

The door creaked as I turned the handle. I held my breath and peered through the tiny slit. Moving shadows darkened the room.

—Shale Snyder, chapter one




*~*~*~*~*~*


Sometimes doors are closed and padlocked. Experiences from our past haunt us, making us afraid to open them. We want to be healed, but our sorrow and fear may prevent us from taking that leap of faith. We must all face our worst nightmare, but God promises even if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he will be there.

Shale was hiding in a closet, afraid of people, haunted by her past and afraid of her future. She was a prisoner of her foolish mistakes and insecurities.

Allow God in—open the door of your heart to the one and only one who can heal you.


Thank you, Jesus, for standing at the door and waiting for me to open it. Thank you that you know all my failures and mistakes and don’t hold them against me.

I invite you into the secret places that no one else can see. Help me to accept your love and receive your forgiveness. Thank you that you’re trustworthy and true, a father and a friend—my Savior.





includes 26 more devotionals like this one and is a companion book

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

DARK SECRETS: Devotional "Am I Okay, God?" by Lorilyn Roberts













DARK SECRETS

Would not God have discovered it since he knows the secret of the heart?


—Psalm 44:21

Do you have a secret hidden in your heart—something that is so horrid you wouldn’t share it with anyone?


*~*~*~*~*~*

From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:

“I hid in the closet underneath the stairs—my safe house. Nobody would find me in here.”

—Shale Snyder, chapter one

*~*~*~*~*~*

God knows everything about you. Every thought and every deed you’ve ever done or will do is not hidden from his watchful eyes.
Including secrets. Satan will use anything he can to prevent you from experiencing God’s grace. Secrets are among his favorite weapons. The devil derives great pleasure using blackmail. You will never win playing his game. All he has to do is threaten to expose your secret sin—pornography, abortion, cheating, thievery—you name it.

My worst fears from the time I was young involved secret sins. I would convince myself if anyone knew “this or that” about me, I would be on the front page of the New York Times.

Seriously, in the past, when I was plagued with guilt, I would lie in bed at night and ponder what would happen if someone told something about me that was slanderous. Many poor souls have committed suicide to escape the judgment of others. Secrets of the heart can imprison you in a living hell. Is that how you want to live your life?


God doesn’t want you to live in fear. Bring your hidden sin to your heavenly father, confess it, and receive God’s unconditional forgiveness. Remember:  God died on the cross to heal you from all your sins—past, present, and future. 


Thank you, Jesus, that I no longer want to hide in a closet—or behind a façade. I will seek you in the morning, noon, and night so you can set me free from secret sins. 



Am I Okay, God? Devotionals from the Seventh Dimension

includes 26 more devotionals like this one and is a companion book

to Seventh Dimension - The Door, a Young Adult Fantasy




 

Monday, October 14, 2013

GUEST POST BY MICHAEL W. WEBB: What Inspired Me to Write “Infernal Gates”?


    
Ethan Freeman, ex-Special Forces Ranger, wakes up to discover he is the sole survivor of a fiery commercial airline crash that killed his entire family.  His nightmare is only beginning when he becomes the FBI’s prime suspect.  Only Ethan knows he’s not a cold-hearted murderer, but he has no idea what happened to him--and why he alone survived.


He finds an unlikely ally in Sam Weaver, the NTSB Chief Investigator.  An ex-military pilot, Sam senses Ethan is innocent.  She tries to remain dispassionate in her investigation of the crash even as she finds herself attracted to the man who may be Americas worst homegrown mass-murderer.


Neither Ethan nor Sam realize that shadowy spiritual forces are at work which will alter their lives forever.

A monstrous evil, imprisoned since the time of the Pharaohs, has been released by The Nine, a sinister group of powerful men and women who believe they are the direct descendants of the Anunnaki, ancient Sumerian gods. The demon they have unleashed intends to free The Destroyer from The Abyss, the angelic prison referred to in the Book of Revelation, and unleash a worldwide reign of terror and annihilation.

Facing impossible odds, time is running out for Ethan and all of humanity as he is drawn into an ever-deeper  conspiracy--millennia in the making--and learns that he is the key to stopping The Nine.

  
 *~*~*~*~*~*

It was a dark and stormy night . .
Ooops.  Not really!
J  Sorry Snoopy.

I regularly drive long distances and have a great deal of time to think.  One morning, as I was headed to an appointment, the opening lines from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities scrolled through my mind unexpectedly:  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”
         

As I meditated on those powerful words in terms of the present condition of our fallen world, a fascinating thought popped into my head.  What would happen if my wife and I were on a commercial airliner that crashed within a few minutes of takeoff killing everyone on board—except us!  We awaken exactly 24 hours later, at home, in our bed, dressed in the same clothes we’d worn to the airport.  How would we explain what happened to us?

This is how all of my novels are born. A vivid opening scene, generally an action-filled, pulse-pounding sequence of events, but sometimes several lines of riveting dialog from a character I have yet to meet.  In the case of Infernal Gates, the opening line was “Less than ten minutes before we’re all dead, thought Ethan Freeman, and there is nothing I can do about it!


I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer.  I’ve never done an outline.  All of my stories begin as movies in my head.  I have a general idea about plot, but it morphs into something bigger than my imagination over time.  My characters are born, grow, and mature as I write.   At some point, they take control.  Then, all I do is transcribe as fast as I can whatever I see and hear.

Unbelievable fun—and I get paid to do this!


But I digress.  Back to the “inspiration” theme.


Most of us, sadly, see the world three-dimensionally.  But, as Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone was fond of saying: There is another dimension--a fourth dimension. A dimension not of sight or sound, or taste or touch, or hearing, but one that overlays the one we accept as the “real” world. A parallel universe layered over the terrestrial realm like a gossamer veil. In order to “see” into this realm and interact with it we must use gifts given to us by God that transcend our fleshly bodies—and our souls.


The realm of Spirit.


I’m inspired by God to write about this realm and explore the consequences of ignoring, denigrating, or misrepresenting its power to impact our lives for all eternity.


I hope you’ll take a chance on an “unknown writer” and join me in my world.


             Michael J. Webb graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida and obtained his J. D. from the same university.  Over the past forty years he has travelled the world in search of adventure.

            He is a history buff, both ancient and modern, and is fascinated by the intersection of the scientific, supernatural, and Biblical world views, and has studied and taught from the Bible extensively for more than twenty-five years. He is also intrigued by recent discoveries in quantum physics that are now providing extraordinary insights into the reality of the spirit realm, especially as it relates to the study of Light.  He incorporates all of the above into his supernatural thrillers.

            Michael and his wife make their home in North Carolina.  
Books by Michael:  The Master’s Quilt, The Nephilim Parchments, The Song of the Seraphim (Giants in the Earth trilogy), The Oldest Enemy, Infernal Gates.  He is currently working on Devil’s Cauldron, the sequel to Infernal Gates.  He also authored a non-fiction work entitled In the Cleft of the Rock: Insights into the Blood of Jesus, Resurrection Power, and Saving the Soul. 

   


Saturday, October 5, 2013

I DON'T WANT TO FORGIVE: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God?" by Lorilyn Roberts










Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
—Matthew 18:21



Everyone agrees forgiveness is something we should do until we are confronted with the unforgivable.


*~*~*~*~*~*

From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:

I stood frozen as if shot with a stun gun. How could he be here? Memories hijacked me—the curse he put on me two years ago, the attack in the hallway, shaming me with the worm, and all the things too numerous to mention. He had made my life hell. I hated him. How dare he follow me here! I began to hyperventilate, feeling my way behind me with my hands.

“Don’t come near me or I’ll kill you.”







D
id Shale have the “right” to hate Judd? After all, he had molested her and made her life hell.
How about Judd? Was he justified in how he treated Shale? Shale had hurt Judd when she accidentally killed his puppy. Do two wrongs make a right?

I have been a Christian since I was twelve years old. At thirty I rededicated my life to Jesus Christ when I read the book of Romans in the New Testament. My desire to read the Bible was prompted when my husband left me for another woman.

At the core of my struggle was the fact I didn’t want to forgive him. I wanted to hold on to my pain because it was familiar. I had been in a lot of pain for a long time. I didn’t know how I would live without him and I didn’t feel like he deserved to be forgiven.

Besides that, I was grieving. Emotionally I was too distraught to be rational about the concept of forgiveness. Its stranglehold on me was relentless.

Once I reached the point I knew I needed to forgive, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I felt like I had died a thousand deaths and there was no way I could forgive anyone who had hurt me that badly.

Has someone done something to you and you can’t seem to let go? Have you ever done something to someone else that caused that person immense pain?

Over the course of time, the raw memories will fade. The pain may ease, but will probably always be there. Despite the hurt, forgiveness brings acceptance and peace.

Hate is one of the strongest emotions of the human psyche. Martin Luther King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

How did Shale’s hatred toward Judd  spill out into other areas of her life? Do you want to be like Shale?

When you harbor unforgiveness, it’s toxic. You can’t compartmentalize it. Being unable to forgive will eventually take over your entire personality. Have you ever met an angry person?

Thoughts, emotions, and actions will be affected. Just like cancer invades a person’s body, hatred knows no boundaries.

Preoccupation with hate can become a full-time job. It takes a lot of energy to stay angry—energy that could be used for more constructive purposes. Satan is the only winner when you refuse to forgive. Is the price of unforgiveness worth it?




                                          *~*~*~*~*~*



Dear Jesus, I want to forgive, but I don’t know how. Help me to let go of my pain. Help me not to hate. Even if I was willing to forgive, it wouldn’t change what has already happened, but I don’t want to be separated from you. Please help me to forgive.




Thursday, October 3, 2013

MR. PRESIDENT - PLEASE TELL US THE TRUTH - FOX NEWS AND NEIL CAVUTO SPEAK OUT: Christian Blogger Lorilyn Roberts


How about some truth, Mr. President?

My premiums and deductibles have tripled since Obamacare.

You have done nothing for me or my family. As a single mother, you have hurt me. More money comes out of my pocket for insurance than I could have imagined only a couple of years ago. If that's what you want to do, please be honest about it. Don't stand up there and tell the American people lies. I am more worried about my health insurance now into the future than I have ever been in the past. I am not stupid, Mr. President.


 
MORE FROM FOX NEWS (Neil Cavuto):


“President Barack Obama: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period.

“Mr. President, tell that to tens of thousands of retirees at IBM and Time Warner and dozens of others, who've been dumped from their coverage and told to find their own coverage. Fox News didn't break that news to them, Mr. President. Their companies did.

“Fox News didn't push more of those firms to hire part-time workers. Your healthcare law did. Fox News didn't incentivize fast food restaurants to scale back their benefits. Your healthcare law did. Fox News didn't make doctors want to opt out. Your healthcare law did. Fox News didn't make insurance premiums skyrocket. Your healthcare law did. Just like Fox News didn't grant hundreds of exemptions to companies that needed them. You did. And Fox News didn't delay one key provision after another, including online enrollment for those small business exchanges. You did.

“Just like it wasn't Fox News that said we had to pass this to see what was in this. You did. Or was that Nancy Pelosi? Sometimes I'm confused. But of this, I am not. Fox News didn't re-do basic math. Sir, you did. 

“Fox News didn't say you can cover 30 million more Americans and not see a hit in premiums. You did. Fox News didn't say you could throw in those with pre-existing conditions and not have to pay for it. You did. Fox News didn't all but say you could get something for nothing. You did. Fox News didn't come back years later and say, oh yea, we did raise some taxes. You did.

“Here's where you are right about Fox News, however, Mr. President. We can do math. And did. You cannot. And did not. We said it and proved it. You didn't. And we're all suffering for it. Take it from the numbers guy at Fox. Numbers don't lie. The number of Americans working part-time and nervous. The number of retirees days away from being dumped on exchanges and anxious. The number of company bosses with any news to pass along on those exchanges, but still clueless. The number of doctors who want out. The number of congressmen now opting out. No, Mr. President, none of those numbers lie.

“But with all due respect sir, I can only conclude you do know; I know, I know you hate us at Fox. But please take a look in a mirror, and fast. You think we're the skunk at your picnic. But that doesn't mean we're the ones that stink. Because that smell isn't coming from the folks reporting on your law. Mr. President, that smell is your law.”

Thursday, September 19, 2013

JOHN 3:16 MARKETING NETWORK GUESTPOST: Lorilyn Roberts Interviews James Scott Bell About Creating Steady Income Publishing your Own Books


I recently met James Scott Bell at a writer’s conference and share this interview with him about his indy book Self-Publishing Attack! The 5 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws for Creating Steady Income Publishing Your Own Books.


LORILYN ROBERTS:  You made the statement in your book Self-Publishing Attack! The 5 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws for Creating Steady Income Publishing Your Own Books, “And, you are going to face those who want to criticize you as having ‘taken the easy route’ without submitting your work to traditional publishers and agents for their concurrence that you have what it takes.”

I have found that many who are traditionally published are very judgmental and condemning of those who POD or self-publish, even to the point of not reviewing books by indy authors, not recognizing them as “real” authors, casting dispersions on their books sight unseen, and not promoting their books on blogs and websites. 

My philosophy has always been, “Does God really care how books are published?” We have a world full of souls that are literally going to hell if they don’t hear the truth of God’s Word. We have the opportunity to publish and spread a Christian worldview in a way never seen in history. God’s prophets wrote the Bible by hand on parchment and clay tablets and walls and papyrus. My question to you is, how can we change the consciousness of publishing, particularly in the Christian community, and embrace the idea of “one in the spirit” when it comes to marketing and publishing books?

JAMES SCOTT BELL:  I think it’s going to change on its own. The die is cast. We are in a new era and books will come in different forms, from the traditional side and the self-publishing side. Eventually, there will be no room for judging, except on the merits of a work. Which is how it should be.

LORILYN ROBERTS:  You made the statement in your book Self-Publishing Attack! The 5 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws for Creating Steady Income Publishing Your Own Books, “And you are free to write about any subject that interests you, that you think you can sell.” In the John 3:16 Marketing Network, we have lay authors writing on Biblical topics that are selling very well in ebooks. I used to think I would love to tackle some deeper subjects in the Bible, but I am not a pastor nor do I have a seminary degree or a scholarly platform. But it seems that ebooks allow anyone to write on anything that interests them and make money? Why do you think that is?

JAMES SCOTT BELL:  Well, to “make money” requires providing a product that has value. This is the way markets work. With self-publishing, that can be put to the test. For writers, it means putting out the best quality book possible (Law #2 in my book). And then repeating that, over and over.
A writer certainly ought to write what interests him, that’s where the passion is. But you should also expand your interests! Writing can be just as much about growth as it is making lettuce.

LORILYN ROBERTS:  I have found in the John 3:16 Marketing Network that the single most challenging issue for writers is technology – how to set up and manage Twitter and Facebook, how to create a landing page for book launches, how to resize jpegs and format files into ebooks, just to name a few.  Writers quickly get discouraged, daunted by the amount of time it takes to learn it all, not counting the actual process once you master the basics. Do you have any practical ideas on how to tackle the seemingly endless changing landscape of I.T. and balancing that with the creative side of writing?

JAMES SCOTT BELL:  The nice thing is that these functions can be farmed out at a reasonable price. Simply pay for those things you are not comfortable doing. Especially when it comes to editing, cover design and formatting. You can find an almost unlimited number of freelancers in each area. Get recommendations, check portfolios and client comments. Do a little homework.

LORILYN ROBERTS:  A follow up question to the previous one is this: I find it difficult to switch back and forth from marketing to writing. Once I am in one mode, I tend to get stuck there emotionally and mentally. Do you have anything you do to help you switch gears and maintain that sense of balance on a daily basis?

JAMES SCOTT BELL:  I put both my marketing and my writing on “automatic.” For my writing, I have a quota of words to complete each week. I break that down into days, and then I schedule my time. As for marketing, I make plans and then work the plan. This, again, can be scheduled.

Dedicate part of your week to studying marketing. Even if it’s just one hour. Read books and blogs and take notes. Eventually, you can put together a plan. I go into more detail about strategy in my book.

LORILYN ROBERTS:  You write both fiction and nonfiction. Do you have any thoughts on which sells better—if you are capable and enjoy writing both, which would you recommend a new author write to “break into the e-market”?

JAMES SCOTT BELL:  There is no rule here. Fiction and non-fiction can both sell, if done with excellence. Regarding non-fiction, I always start by recommending William Zinsser’s classic, On Writing Well. Study the heck out of that book before you write anything.
For fiction, I spend a lot of time teaching writers, including 2 day seminars. I have two more scheduled for this year.

LORILYN ROBERTS:  I took a peek at your ebook on Amazon, The Year of Eating Dangerously (Mallory Caine, Zombie at law) that you publish under the name K. Bennett. I couldn’t find a link to your name James Scott Bell anywhere. Why did you use a pen name for this series? It seems contradictory to use a pen name when you are trying to build a reputation and following as a writer. Would you recommend less well-known authors use a pen name for divergent content?

JAMES SCOTT BELL:  My agent and I decided to use a pen name simply to distinguish the content. In the books themselves the author bio states that K. Bennett is a pseudonym for James Scott Bell. This was for traditional, print-world purposes. I’m not sure a pen name is necessary in the digital world. You don’t have to worry about bookstore buyers and self space. But I like having the K. Bennett brand for paranormal. I will probably do other stories in that genre, and use this name for them.

LORILYN ROBERTS:  Under the heading “What About Paid Positioning,” I appreciate your comment: “Don’t go into debt.” One of the reasons I started the John 3:16 Marketing Network was I believed with the combined knowledge of many authors, we would be better informed and protected from expensive marketing techniques that produce few sales. Do you have any thoughts on how much an author should set aside to promote a newly published book?


JAMES SCOTT BELL:  Just use discretionary funds and be wise about it. In that section of my book I talk about what seems to work best, and most of the time it’s not something that you pay for. That’s the good news. The challenge is to write great books and gain attention. It can be done, but it takes time.

LORILYN ROBERTS: To be quite honest, you are on the cutting edge of thought in your book Self-Publishing Attack! The 5 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws for Creating Steady Income Publishing Your Own Books. Given what you have written, what would you tell a new writer to do—go the traditional route or indy and why?

JAMES SCOTT BELL:  It’s no longer either/or. I was just at ThrillerFest in New York, where I had the honor of being the first writer to have a self-published story up for the ITW award. There will be more of this.

And while I was there I met an author who has just signed a multiple book contract with a traditional house, after having his self-published novel come to the attention of an editor there.

The world is now the writer’s oyster. Follow the 5 Laws. The last one being to repeat the strategy I lay out, over and over, for the rest of your life. Why not? We’re writers. It’s what we’ll do until we drop.


LORILYN ROBERTS BOOK REVIEW: “The Power and the Glory,” by Graham Greene





 
I initially had a tough time getting into this book—couldn’t find anything to enjoy about it. I came to the conclusion about midway through The Power and the Glory that this wasn’t a book to be enjoyed. It was a book to ponder deeper meanings of faith, politics, humility, commitment, sin, and consequences.

The protagonist, the priest, who is never named, is the only priest left in a certain state of Mexico where priests have been outlawed. He has spent the last eight years running from the police to evade capture. He is an imperfect archetype of a savior/martyr, haunted by his past failures and yet still struggling to remain committed to the priesthood. 

The priest is a conflicted individual, but his character grows; at the beginning of the story he tries to escape on a boat, but at the conclusion, he goes back to the state where priests have all been shot. Knowing he will be caught and killed, he returns to hear the confessions of a dying murderer.

There were many characters in this book representing “types,” such as the antagonist, the lieutenant who hated the clergy; and the mestizo, a type of Judas. The many children represented hope, as poignantly shown in the final few pages when the young boy lets the priest into the house to hide him from the police. I most identified with the priest and his internal struggles. Greene did an excellent job of showing the priest’s outward struggle to avoid capture as well as his inner turmoil of sin and unrepentant spirit with reference to his illegitimate daughter. All the characters were real, deep, and memorable.

The takeaway from this book to help me be a better writer includes:

            1. Make every character in the book count for a purpose and a deeper meaning than just “another person” to fill up the pages.

            2. Include qualities even in the antagonist that make him a sympathetic character—the story will be more believable. No one is all good or all bad.

            3. Be willing to tackle a controversial position—a protagonist that is severely flawed and that falls short of the standard can still be redeemed, changed, and become a hero.

            4. Think of ways to use people or animals or locations to enhance symbolic meanings that grow the story. For instance, the priest’s fight with the dog over the bone; the references to the dentist’s equipment and working on teeth;  the numerous beetles bashing themselves against walls—symbolizing pain, the fight for survival, the baseness of human depravity, and loss of dignity.

            5. What you write will linger later in the mind of the reader—shine a light of hope; i.e., the priest who knocked on the door and was met by the young boy.

            6. Not all books are to be necessarily enjoyed, but perhaps serve a greater purpose. Do you want to only entertain, or are you willing to probe the deeper meaning of life and leave the reader with significant ideas to grapple with and ponder?