GUEST POST BY SIDNEY W. FROST: Chapter One From His Newest Book, ”Love Lives On”

CHAPTER ONE OF NEW RELEASE

LOVE LIVES ON 

by Sidney W. Frost

CHAPTER ONE

Karen Williams was fifty-four and divorced for so long she'd given up hope for that special marriage everyone talked about, but few probably had experienced. Then, a year ago, her life changed. Her college sweetheart charged back into her life, acting as if he'd never stopped loving her. He was waiting for her at the altar now as she touched up her makeup in the bride's room of her church.

She hurried to apply mascara, but her right hand wouldn't be still. The pencil hit the table with a soft clunk. Tears followed. Tears from nowhere. A glance into the mirror showed mascara running down both cheeks. What was happening?

Was it that feeling of unworthiness that crept in when she least expected it? Couldn't be. God had forgiven her long ago, but she would never forget what had happened. Second thoughts? Definitely not. She loved Brian and he loved her. He would never do anything to hurt her. Not again.

***

Brian Donelson looked at his watch again. She was now officially late. The buzz in the congregation meant he wasn't the only one who sensed something was wrong. All his friends and Karen's friends were laughing softly, but he knew there was no reason to be concerned. Not yet. Surely she'd walk up the aisle in a few minutes.

Perhaps he should announce a delay. Ardis Twiss stared at him from her perch on the organ bench as if asking what to do. He shrugged and she kept playing.

All the turmoil he'd endured the past thirty years came back to him now. His sin. His self-loathing. His unhappiness with his life. He accepted that God had forgiven him for what he'd done, so why was he thinking about it now? He feared she'd changed her mind about marrying him.

Phil was all decked out in a tux with his gray hair complementing his caramel-colored skin. He took his best man duties seriously. He whispered to the pastor, just loud enough for Brian to hear, "We're checking on the bride." He then gave Brian a questioning look.

Pastor Jim Dunlap merely nodded and waited patiently. He didn't seem flustered at all. Maybe this was nothing new to him.

Brian had a sudden image of Karen driving away from the church with a corner of her long white wedding gown sticking out from under the driver's side door. He remembered she'd told him she wasn't wearing a traditional bridal gown. His imagination adjusted to show her in a suit, but still in her car speeding away from the church. He saw himself running after the car holding the bride's bouquet high in the air, yelling to her that she'd forgotten to get married so she could toss the flowers to all the single women. His legs were like rubber as he moved them faster and faster without going forward.

He took in a deep breath, tested his legs, and shook his head to erase the vision. Could their relationship survive one more difficulty? He hoped so.

***

Karen was glad she'd picked a dress she could wear again instead of a bridal gown. She'd worn a long white one when she married Steve only to have their marriage end in divorce.

"Well, is there going to be a wedding today, or not?" The question came from a large, some say full-figured, woman standing in the doorway. The floral dress she wore wasn't much different from her everyday attire at the library, but it appeared to be newer.

"I'm glad you're here, Liz," Karen said, standing. "I need your help."

Karen knew Liz was a hugger. Still, she was caught off guard when Liz put her arms around her and held her tight.

"What can I do, darlin'?" Liz asked as she let go of Karen and moved back to look into her eyes.

Karen's hands quivered ever so slightly as she gripped them together in front of her chest. "I need to talk to Brian."

That was all it took. No questions asked. Liz was heading out the door when she called back over her shoulder, "I'll get him."

He entered the room soon afterwards.

"Oh, Brian. I'm sorry for holding up the wedding, but I have to tell you something."

"What?"

"First, let me say I love you deeply and I hope what I have to say doesn't change your mind about marrying me."

"Nothing could do that," he said.

"Don't be so quick to answer. Remember all the little and not so little surprises we had for each other during the past year? Well, this is one I wanted to tell you. I just didn't know how to say it."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It doesn't make a difference to me. I love you and want to marry you. No matter what."

She smiled and hugged him. "I'm glad you feel that way. But, after so many years of keeping this secret, I didn't know what to do."

"Why are you bringing it up now?"

She gazed at those eyes she loved so much and kissed him. "Because I told you there were no more secrets."

Brian smiled as he took her in his arms and held her close. "That's all? No problem. Let's get married." He kissed her back. "Of course I want to hear all about it later. Okay?"

They turned and left the room, walking hand in hand down the hall toward the sanctuary.

***

Phil's father George was the only one ready to go when Karen and Brian got to the narthex. Brian's daughter Amy was talking on the phone while her own daughter Julie played some game on her smart phone. Karen's best friend Cathy was stretched out on the couch with her eyes closed. George stood at attention at the door to the church waiting to walk Karen down the aisle and give her away.

He turned to the bridal party. "Let's go, ladies. It's show time."

The three women came over and hugged Karen and got in line to walk down the aisle.

Brian handed Karen's arm to George in a gesture for him to take it from there. "I guess I better get back to the altar before everyone leaves," Brian said.

"Not to worry," George said. "No one left. Ever'body wants to know how this soap opera's goin' to turn out."

Brian smiled. "Everything is just fine."

Karen nodded.

Brian walked down the hallway on the right side of the sanctuary to reach the altar while Karen looked into the church from the narthex. The organ music was nearly drowned out by the many voices all talking at once. The buzz from multiple conversations died down when someone noticed Brian was back and asked loud enough for all to hear, "Did you find her?"

Everyone chuckled as Brian smiled and gave a thumbs up. A rippling of applause began and quickly grew to a roaring accolade as he moved in next to Phil. Ardis sat up straighter on her bench and started shuffling the music on the stand.

Karen pulled George closer. "I think you're right. Everyone's here, and they're pulling for us."

"Amen," he said. "Ever'body here loves you two and wants you to be happy."

The music started softly as the bridal party walked down the aisle, but the volume quickly increased. Soon everyone was quiet and on their feet looking toward the entrance where Karen and George stood. Two photographers stepped into the aisle between them and the front of the church. One was the woman Karen hired and the other was a young man she'd never seen before. They both snapped photos then jumped out of the way.

When Karen and George reached the altar, the pastor asked, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

George was resplendent in his tux. His glasses sat so low on his nose he gazed out over the top of the wire rims. His curly black hair speckled with gray glistened from perspiration or hair oil. As usual he stood erect with his head held high. Today, though, when the pastor asked who gave this woman, he seemed taller. "I do," he said in his booming voice as he handed Karen to Brian.

She smiled as she moved into the position next to her fiancé and prepared to take her vows. Her mind stayed on the unknown photographer and the doubts she couldn't explain. When she faced the congregation she turned toward George and mouthed a "thank you." Her father walked her down the aisle when she'd married Steve, but both he and her mother died a few years ago. They would have loved Brian and been pleased she was marrying him.

The room was silent as George returned to his seat. Karen nodded at Phil who stood next to Brian.

"Who is that young photographer?" she whispered to Brian.

He looked around then shrugged.

Pastor Jim focused on Karen. "Is everything okay?" he asked, speaking softly.

"Yes. Sorry for holding up the ceremony."

He didn't seem upset that she'd kept him waiting. Standing here in front of her friends reminded her what a huge step they were taking. She took a few breaths to calm her body. Brian squeezed her hand. Was he nervous, too? Probably. He blinked more than usual and his forehead was covered with perspiration.

"Brian, face Karen and hold her right hand in yours," the pastor said. After a pause and in a voice all could hear, he continued. "Now, repeat after me."

She saw only Brian.

"In the name of God, I, Brian, take you, Karen, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

After they both repeated their vows, the pastor nodded to Phil and Cathy for the rings. "Bless, O Lord, these rings to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

They placed the rings on one another saying, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of God."

The pastor joined their right hands and said, "Now that Karen and Brian have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder."

When the ceremony ended and they turned to be introduced to their friends as Mr. and Mrs. Donelson, Karen saw more than friends. Another unknown person stood on the side of the sanctuary, staring at her. He seemed angry with his arms crossed. She should acknowledge those happy faces in the crowd, but she couldn't take her eyes off the frowning one. As they walked down the aisle, she scanned the area for other strangers. She didn't see one until they reached the narthex. The young photographer pushed his way past the woman Karen had hired.

Brian went with the pastor to sign papers while Karen hung back with the photographers. The same negative feeling she'd experienced before the wedding came over her again as a man she didn't recognize approached her.

"Karen Williams Donelson?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry to bother you at this occasion, but I must give you this." He handed her an envelope.

She took it, holding it away from her body as if it could harm her. "Who are you? What is this?"

"Ma'am, you're being sued. I don't know why. I only deliver the papers. Like I said, I'm sorry."

"Sued? Who's suing me?"

"I don't know that either, ma'am. You'll find all that information in the envelope." He nodded and turned around to leave. Before he got far, Liz had him by the arm and walked him to the exit.

Brian returned and stood by Karen's side. "Who was that?" he asked.

She held the envelope for him see. "A process server, I guess. He gave me this. Said I'm being sued."

She pulled out the document and scanned it quickly before returning it to its envelope. "We'll look at this later," she said, holding the envelope next to her hip. "Right now all I want to think about is our wedding day."

The rest of the wedding party moved in closer after the stranger was escorted out. Karen held Brian tightly and smiled at their friends. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder about what she had seen in the envelope.

***

Love Lives On is available on Amazon in Christian romance: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Lives-Sidney-W-Frost/dp/0983070849/.

  ***

Sidney W. Frost is a Stephen Leader, a Stephen Minister, and a member of his church choir at First United Methodist Church in Georgetown, Texas. He has served on the session at a Presbyterian church, and has been on the vestry at Episcopal churches.

While singing with the Austin Lyric Opera Chorus, he was in 42 productions. He and his wife, Celeste, sing with the San Gabriel Chorale and have been in several Berkshire Festivals.

He was an Adjunct Professor at Austin Community College where he taught computer courses for more than thirty years. He received the adjunct teaching excellence award in 2005.

While attending the University of Texas in the 1960's he worked part-time at the Austin Public Library driving a bookmobile after completing service in the U.S. Marines.
He is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Writers League of Texas, and the San Gabriel Writers' League.

BOOK MARKETING: “Which Are The Best Book Covers? And Why?” by Lorilyn Roberts

Nothing like comparing book covers side by side to see how much difference a good book cover makes in the overall impression of a book. This video includes three cover makeovers for my books.




 

 One of the challenges of leading a network of Christian authors is convincing members to spend the money to hire a really good book cover designer. As you can see from the video, I hired some less expensive book cover designers, and while the covers were okay, they didn't “sell” my books. With book marketing becoming more competitive every day, the one thing you shouldn’t skimp on is book cover design. Hire a good designer. These improved covers were all created by Lisa Vento. 

You can check out her website at Lisavento.com

BOOK REVIEW OF CHILDREN OF DREAMS, by Amazon Reviewer/Author Steve Corley

A beautiful review by Steve Corley of my memoir of adoption for Mother’s Day.

Children of Dreams by Lorilyn Roberts 

 Adoption has always been important to Lorilyn Roberts. She herself has been adopted twice. The first time was by her earthly parents and then by God. Ms. Roberts is the mother of two adopted daughters. Her book, Children of Dreams is the story of all those adoptions, but mostly about the adoption of her daughters. She begins the gripping story at about the time she was thirty years old.

 At the age of thirty, Ms. Roberts’ world was torn apart by an unfaithful husband and the subsequent divorce. Her dream of being a mom seemed to be on the burn pile. With no husband, how could she ever hope to have children of her own? Then, the idea for adoption. And, while that sounds simple enough, she chose to move forward with international adoption. The story takes us to Nepal where she encountered life in a third-world country. Her writing style is warm and personal, so the reader experiences in some small measure the fear, doubts, and other emotions she went through. The international adoption process is full of reasons to generate a multitude of emotions. She recounts her relationship with God during this turbulent ordeal. Ms. Roberts never holds herself out to be some “super Christian.” In fact, I thought she was rather forthcoming in expressing her spiritual doubts.

After some years, life seemed to be at a point where she could consider adopting a second child. Then her daughter developed some serious health problems. If you've ever wondered if its possible for an adoptive parent to feel the same love for their child as biological parents do, read about the terror Ms. Roberts went through. Read how God prevailed and made it possible for her to go to Vietnam to adopt her youngest daughter. Vietnam was another place where the reader gets to take a white-knuckle ride. 

Through all her “adventures,” Ms. Roberts comes to parallel the story to God's adoption process. She finds her faith at the critical moments, but not before the reader either wants to give her a comforting hug or shake her and say “get a grip on yourself.” In the end, God prevails and the reader is uplifted. I think you will enjoy getting to know Lorilyn's heart and those of her two "children of dreams."

     Children of Dreams is available on Amazon in paperback, hardback, or kindle ebook

Visit Steve’s Website: 

Steve Corley’s Thoughts - A Sometimes Weekly Blog: Children of Dreams by Lorilyn Roberts - A Review

To purchase Children of Dreams, click here

WHO MADE YOU AFRAID: Devotional from ”Am I Okay, God?” by Lorilyn Roberts

Are you afraid are rejection? Are you afraid your boyfriend will leave you? Are you afraid you will let your parents down? Are you afraid that no matter how hard you try, you’re going to fail anyway? Are you afraid of being bullied at school? Are you afraid you won’t pass that Algebra test—God just didn’t wire you to do math?

Are you afraid you’ll say the wrong thing at that party and make a fool of yourself? Are you afraid of losing your friends? Are you afraid that you’ll never finish school, or you won’t get accepted into the university you want to attend? Are you afraid for others to know you deep down, that if people knew the real you, they wouldn’t like you?

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

The dog stretched and cocked her head enjoying the rubdown.

I laughed. “Is your name Much-Afraid?”

“I was always afraid until the King healed me.”

In The Donkey and the King, Much‑Afraid was terrified for Baruch to leave her behind at the stable. During the time while Baruch was gone, the King helped Much-Afraid to conquer her fear. When we meet Much‑Afraid again in Seventh Dimension - The Door, she has overcome her fear. God could then use her to help Shale.

I John 4:18 states, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”

Do you know that the opposite of fear is love? Shale, too, had many fears until she embraced the King’s love. Every time you are afraid, that means you are not allowing God’s perfect love into your heart. God’s perfect love will cast out your imperfect fear. In fact, your imperfect fear is made perfect in weakness. In your weakness, God can help you. Once you recognize your weakness, you won’t rely on yourself and your own abilities. You will rely on God to help you.

Begin with prayer. Most of us struggle with fear at some level because we don’t love perfectly. We aren’t able to receive God’s love fully because we are sinners. Still, God never gives us more than we can bear. Just as the King helped Shale to overcome her fear of rejection, God will help you to overcome your fears, whatever they might be. Pray to your heavenly Father, cry out to Him—He won’t reject you, even if it seems like everybody else who is important to you has. 

The King told Shale, “I love you more than you will ever know.” In the same way, God loves you. Someday when we meet the King face‑to‑face, we’ll truly know how much He loves us.

Every time fear threatens you (and I do believe there are demons of fear), remember the words of the King. Let His perfect love fill your mind and your heart. Let every cell within you find intimacy in your heavenly Father. Find all your strength in Him. Don’t just be a fan of Jesus Christ, like on Facebook or Twitter, be a follower. Make Jesus your King of kings and Lord of lords. Let His love conquer any fear that creeps into your heart. Then you will be able to love others in the same way God has loved you.

Again, focus on the King’s love. Believe. Your heavenly Father is waiting on you to surrender to Him. He is never too busy, and I guarantee you, He is not sleeping. Imagine touching Jesus’ scars with your hands.  Remember, the King died to defeat every fear Satan will tempt you to believe. Don’t be seized with a knot in your stomach and crippling doubts.

Let God’s love indwell you. Put aside every anxious thought. You must choose to trust in the King. There is no other way. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Don’t wait. Begin with reading Scripture and pray for God’s help. Take captive every fearful thought, and give it to Jesus Christ. Meditate on God’s Word. If you do this every time you become fearful, you can claim victory over this in your life, but it will take time, especially if you are prone to being fearful. Old habits die hard, and Satan is relentless. But God will help if you are faithful in prayer and read your Bible.

To purchase Am I Okay, God? click here.

BOOK REVIEW: “Seventh Dimension – The Door: A Young Adult Fantasy” Five Stars from Readers' Favorite Reviewer Maria Beltran

Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers’ Favorite

Five Stars

Seventh Dimension - The Door: A Young Adult Fantasy by Lorilyn Roberts is a young adult fantasy novel about the adventures of Shale Snyder. Bullied at school and a product of a broken family, she finds herself in an unusual situation when she is transported to a garden paradise. She meets a donkey and a rabbit there who inform her that she is in the garden of the king himself. There is trouble in the garden, however, and Shale escapes to the seventh dimension together with a dog. More adventures await her in the amazing place where she finds herself. And in facing them, she is forced to look inside her heart. Hungry for love, will she finally find it here?

What is surprising about this young adult fantasy book is that although it is a fantasy story, it manages to deal with the issues that confront our young people today. Shale Snyder, the main character in the story, personifies many of the problematic young people in our present society. This makes her a real person to me. Because of her background, she longs for real love and she looks for it subconsciously. The talking animals make this story a fable and I can imagine that it will be an entertaining read for young people.

In Seventh Dimension - The Door, I think the author Lorilyn Roberts intends to give young and rejected kids some hope that they will find what they are looking for someday and hints where to find it. And the reader also gets the extra bonus of going through a very entertaining book that will surely tickle their imagination. There is no doubt that this book is a must-read for people of all ages.

FREE on Amazon Kindle and across the web.

BOOKING MARKETING: New Book Cover for Memoir Children of Dreams

To purchase click here.

BOOK MARKETING: HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE IN SALES DOES A GREAT BOOK COVER MAKE? by Lorilyn Roberts

Original cover on the left.   Lisa Vento designed the cover on the right

How much difference does a great book cover make when it comes to selling books? The one on the left is my original book cover of Seventh Dimension - The Door. I found the photograph at http://shutterstock.com and bought the license to use it. I then hired a professional to design the book cover. There is nothing wrong with my original cover on the left, but compared to the one on the right - what do you think?

How about some numbers to compare how many copies I sold of Seventh Dimension - The Door with the two different covers?  From October 2012 through February 2013, I sold 118 books. From March 1 through March 17, with the new book cover, I sold 374 books. Seventh Dimension - The Door reached number one in Christian Fantasy, Christian Futuristic, and Religious Science Fiction & Fantasy on Amazon (Kindle version). 

As you can see in the screenshot below, Amazon is now labeling Seventh Dimension - The Door a "#1 best seller." The only significant factor I can attribute the increase in sales to is the book cover. The number of reviews didn't change dramatically. I had three more reviews added in March (If you would like to review my book, let me know in the comments). 

Who is the miracle worker that designed my new book cover? Her name is Lisa Vento.  She was recommended to me by Jerry Jenkins. 

Why settle for a mediocre book cover when you can hire someone to design a great book cover? I had no idea that an excellent book cover made that much difference in sales, but it does.  If you would like to contact Lisa Vento or look at other book covers she has designed, her website is LisaVento.com

YOUNG-ADULT CHRISTIAN FANTASY NOVEL OFFERS HOPE, INSPIRATION FOR BULLIED AND TROUBLED TEENS: Press Release for “Seventh Dimension - The Door: A Young Adult Fantsy,” by Lorilyn Roberts

Young-Adult Christian Fantasy Novel Offers Hope, Inspiration for Bullied and Troubled Teens GAINESVILLE, Fla., March 7, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- For every child who struggles with doubt, for every kid who has been bullied, for every teen who comes from a broken home, and for every young adult who longs to be understood - there is hope. Best-selling author Lorilyn Roberts shares once again the power of redemption in this Christian coming-of-age novel. Written in first-person, Seventh Dimension - The Door reads like a first-hand account by a young girl, Shale Snyder, who is treated unfairly by her family, school, and classmates. Fear distorts her sense of self-worth and she is enveloped with guilt because of a secret from her past. While on a sojourn similar to Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, Shale discovers talking animals and a handsome young man with whom she falls in love. Her journey is one of self-discovery as she battles personal demons, family conflict, and wicked underlings, and comes face-to-face with a personal decision she must make - bound up in the king she meets in first-century Israel. “I spent two years developing the plot,” says Roberts, “as part of my Masters in Creative Writing. I love the classics, particularly books by Charles Dickens, Fydor Dostoevsky, Emily Bronte, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. I hoped to provide an entertaining story that would evoke deep spiritual longing.” Roberts adds, “I was a troubled child from a broken home on the road to juvenile delinquency - until I met the king.” From March 1 through March 16, Roberts is offering the Kindle version of Seventh Dimension - The Door for 99 cents. Order from the launch site and enter the drawing for a Kindle, a $50 Amazon gift card, and a $10 Starbucks card (no purchase is necessary for the raffle). About Author Lorilyn Roberts lives in Gainesville, Florida, with her two daughters from Nepal and Vietnam. Manisha’s and Joy’s adoption stories were told in her bestselling memoir “Children of Dreams.” Part of her family’s memoir was featured on Discovery Channel's “Monsters Inside Me.” You may learn more about Roberts by visiting her website at lorilynroberts.com. Roberts can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/LorilynRoberts and Twitter at twitter.com/LorilynRoberts. Seventh Dimension - The Door A Young Adult Christian Fantasy LORILYN ROBERTS February 2012/Mass Market Original/Fiction $11.77 ISBN 9781480153905 Author Hometown: Gainesville, FL 32606 "Seventh Dimension - The Door, A Young Adult Christian Fantasy" (Create Space, $12.95, 230 pages, 35 reviews 4.7 stars 6 X 9, paperback, ISBN: 978- 1480153905), is available at Amazon. For more information, visit lorilynroberts.com To book radio appearances, see the number below Author Lorilyn Roberts Christian Newswire

GUEST POST BY TEENA STEWART: The Treasure Seeker: Finding Love and Value In The Arms of Your Loving Heavenly Father

Guest Post by Teena Stewart

One of the toughest women's issues is that many women, even the most outwardly self-assured ones, wrestle with feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness. Though women want to believe they have value, messages bombard them daily, telling them that if they don’t look a certain way, dress a certain way, drive a certain car, weigh a certain weight, or work in a certain type of career, they have little value..

Stewart casts God in the role of a heavenly Treasure Seeker who knows every woman’s true value and will stop at nothing to recover her, His cherished one. He longs to come into a close, loving relationship so that she can not only feel cherished but also cherish Him, the greatest treasure of all.

 

Through practical truth this Christian Living book will draw women closer to the Treasure Seeker who takes on the role of Master Jeweler and lovingly shapes, refines, polishes, even incorporating her flaws, to transform her into a jewel of stunning beauty. He will help her find her remarkable true worth so that she becomes the dazzling gemstone she was meant to be.

Unique accompaniments: 

• Intriguing treasure stories
• A study of the "Lost" parables including the lost coin, the lost sheep, the prodigal son, the treasure hidden in a field, and the pearl of great price
• Points to ponder at the end of each chapter for reflection and discussion
• A chapter highlighting gemstone attributes allowing readers to determine which gemstone they are most like
• A Treasure Seeker Jewelry line created by author/artist Teena Stewart available at a discount through her website when you purchase the book.

Enjoy an Excerpt from Teena Stewart's New Book

The Treasure Seeker

 Chapter 5

Viewed Through Expert Eyes

Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him [Jesus]. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testing we do, yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:14–15 NLT)

            God acts in the role of Treasure Seeker while searching us out, but He also is a gemologist and master jeweler. Gemologists primarily concern themselves with a gemstone’s characteristics. In what condition has the stone been found? What are its attributes and inclusions? A gemologist also may sell gemstones and provide appraisal services. Jewelers, on the other hand, focus primarily on the settings and design in which a gemstone is placed. Some jewelers also study gemology to become familiar with the properties of the gemstones they handle.

            A jeweler typically serves in an apprenticeship while learning the craft. The Jewelers of America require jeweler apprentices to pass written and “bench” tests on four levels, with certification being obtained on each level. The fourth level of certification is the Certified Master Bench Jeweler (CMBJ).¹ The master jeweler is a skilled artisan who is an expert in his or her field. He or she appraises, sets or resets, cleans, designs settings for unset stones, redesigns old settings, sizes, and even custom designs pieces upon request.

            An artist has a trained eye to see space, color, texture, and groupings to know what is aesthetically pleasing. A woodworker values the grain and characteristics of the wood and knows how to shape, turn, and join the wood together to make a beautiful piece. So it is with the Master Jeweler. God delights in our makeup, much as a master jeweler appreciates the gemstones and jewelry with which he works.

God Releases Our Radiance

            Just as a master jeweler holds a stone under his scope to see its clarity and beauty, our Master Jeweler can look into our hearts and see our true nature. When we first come to Him, it is of a dark and cloudy composition. But when we enter into a relationship with Him, the murkiness is replaced with brilliance and clarity.

Our gemstone nature is much like a mirror. A mirror cannot create its own light source; rather, it bounces back light reflected into it. God designed us to reflect God’s glory. When we do, sin is no longer obscuring the beauty God instilled in us.

One of the best examples of God’s glory literally being reflected is the story of Moses on Mt. Sinai. He had been on the top of the mountain in God’s presence while the Ten Commandments were being transcribed. How anyone even could bear to be in the presence of such divinity and majesty and live to tell about it still baffles me. Surely the Lord had to hold back His true essence in order for Moses to be able to withstand it.

When Moses descended the mountain, his face still reflected God’s holiness. His countenance shown so brightly that the Israelites were afraid to come near Him. The Scriptures describe his face as “radiant” (Ex. 34:29). The word used here for “radiant” is the Hebrew word qaran², which means to shine or send out rays. If you ever have tried to look at a bright sky with unprotected eyes, you know how painful it can be. You can’t stand to do it for long. Moses’ face shone like the sun.

David recognized the amazing transformation that comes from abiding in God’s presence. He wrote, “Those who look to him are radiant. Their faces are never covered with shame” (Psalm 34:5). In the King James translation, the word is “lightened.” It comes from the Hebrew word nahar³. Who better to understand transformation than a humble shepherd boy who had been made into a great king? God had raised David up from a humble status and made him a brilliant jewel to shine before Israel.

Though David made mistakes, he never lost his sense of awe regarding God, and David felt humbled by how God covered up David’s shortcomings. One could turn to God without shame, illuminated by knowing that He is a compassionate, loving, and forgiving God.

            Paul, in Hebrews 1:3, wrote about Jesus’ radiance: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purifications for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” In this case, the word “radiance,” which is listed as “brightness” in the King James, is the Greek word apaugasma⁴, which means reflected brightness. It can also mean shining forth as rays shine forth from a light source.

            Phillip W. Keller, in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, talks about radiance, which should shine forth from Christians’ inner light. He says, “Almost every day I am literally rubbing shoulders with men and women ‘on the other side of the fence.’ What is my impact on them? Is my life so serene, so satisfying, so radiant because I walk and talk and live with God, that they become envious? Do they see in me the benefits of being under Christ’s control? Do they see something of Himself reflected in my conduct and character? Does my life and conversation lead them to Him—and thus into life everlasting?”⁵

            Just as Jesus is an exact representation of his Father, reflecting His radiance, we become an exact representation of Christ when we commit to a relationship with Him. When we allow the Master Jeweler to take us into His hands and begin transforming us, we take on His nature. The more we imitate our heavenly Father, the source of this light, the more radiant we become.

             Matthew 5:14 speaks about this light, calling us the light of the world and a city on a hill. Our radiance hurts the eyes of a darkened world. It draws some people to the beauty they see. Others can’t tolerate its presence and seek to snuff it out.

He is Captivated by Our Beauty

            My love for books began when I was a young child. My father, whose formal education went no further than high school, was a self-educated man who loved to read. His books and children’s books lined our enclosed back porch. I grew up in the era of Dr. Suess and P. D. Eastman.

I fondly remember my older sister, Vicki’s, and my excitement when a new children’s book would arrive in the mail. My mother, never one to be extravagant with money, had for some reason determined this particular splurge to be a good investment, and for that I always will be grateful. I recall one particular children’s book series we had on our shelves. These rather thick books contained fairytales, fables, and children’s stories. Countless times I thumbed through them, reading and rereading favorites from these beloved stories.

            One of my favorites was The Plain Princess by Phillis McGinley. The king and queen spoiled and pampered their only child, Esmeralda, the story’s main character. She had everything a royal child possibly could want: a beautiful palace to live in and charming dresses and toys. As Esmeralda grew older, her parents struck an agreement that she should marry a certain prince. But the prince took little interest in the princess because she lacked one thing a princess should surely have—beauty.

Physicians and wizards attempted a variety of remedies to improve her looks, but none of those with whom their royal majesties consulted were able to change the princess’s appearance. In desperation, the king and queen placed an ad in the paper, offering a generous reward to anyone who could help.

A widowed mother with five children answered this ad and brought Esmeralda home to live in her house. She soon put the princess to work, having her help clean the house and care for the children. The more the princess learned to take the focus off of herself, the more attractive she became. By the end of the story, Esmeralda had been transformed from plain to beautiful. The transformation was not merely a surface alteration, but one that came from the inside out. She learned to care for others besides herself.

By the time Esmerelda returned to the castle, she was a lovely, changed woman. The obvious moral of the story—beauty comes from within.

Exterior beauty doesn’t impress God; it is what is on the inside that matters. Like the Master Jeweler who sees the exceptional beauty of a stone, He is enraptured by us. He wants to have an intimate relationship with us. Like a lover captivated by his beloved’s beauty, He can’t take His eyes from us.

The issue of whether Song of Solomon, written by King Solomon to the Shulamite woman, is merely a sensual love poem or something much deeper, describing the intimate and exciting relationship the Father longs to have with us, has long been debated. I believe that the book, like many other Scripture passages, holds a two-fold message. First, it details the very intimate relationship between two lovers, and second, it details the intimate we relationship God desires to have with us.

Chapter 4, verse 1 reads, “How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead.” Much like Solomon and the Shulamite, our beauty so captivates our lover that we take His breath away.

In the movie Shallow Hal, the male lead character played by Jack Black falls madly in love with a woman played by Gwyneth Paltrow. He is smitten with her and, like the writer in Song of Solomon, gushes to his friends about this woman’s beauty and lovely attributes. His friends can’t make him see that the woman is actually grossly obese, and their judgment, which is based on external appearances, causes them to view her as both ugly and worthless.

Some days I’m rumpled and bone-tired, with dark circles beneath my eyes. My face is lined with age and fatigue. At my age, the beauty that once may have been there now has faded considerably. And yet Jeff still will call me “pretty lady.” Sometimes I think he needs to see an optometrist because I don’t think he’s seeing all too clearly. He looks at me through rosy lenses.

True love is like that, looking into the heart and holding the other person as dear and lovely. This is the type of remarkable relationship the Father has with us.

He Recognizes Our Elegance

Dictionary.com defines “elegance” as an elegant quality or a refinement. People who exemplify elegance are in a class all their own. Culture, sophistication, beauty, and charm together culminate into a unique aura called elegance. Women like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Princess Diana come to mind.

On the other hand, I can think of many famous, beautiful women who do not embody elegance. Some women, despite their looks and wealth, are actually very crass. We read about their often-embarrassing exploits in the papers. Proverbs 11:22 cautions us, “Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”

Stanley Marcus, in his book Quest for the Best, defines elegance in this manner: “Elegance, to me, is a summary word denoting the ultimate in beauty, craftsmanship, and quality—all put together with taste. Elegance suggests selectivity, fitness, and authority—whether in decoration, personal adornment, or manners.”⁵

Master Jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé is renowned for designing elegant, golden jeweled eggs for the household of Czar Nicholas of Russia. Each egg is an incredible work of art in itself. The eggs’ beautiful, ornate exteriors are covered with precious metals and enamel and are encrusted with priceless gemstones. Inside of each egg is a surprise, often a masterpiece in miniature. Fabergé and his team of craftsmen carefully designed and selected precisely the right gemstones to adorn each unique egg. Each had to be fit for royalty. The care, craftsmanship, and selectiveness Fabergé used when crafting each egg made his name synonymous with luxury and elegance befitting royalty.

The Master Jeweler sees in us exquisite elegance. He carefully hand-selected us, His gemstones, as an adornment befitting a palace, and the king’s palace is precisely where we will remain, a shining tribute to Him, magnifying His glory for all eternity. Let us remember, then, while we remain in these fragile, earthly vessels, always to conduct ourselves with restraint and refinement so that others will be captivated by our unique aura of elegance and be drawn to Him.

He is Convinced of Our Quality

 “Your friend in the diamond business,” reads the slogan for the Shane Company, a national jewelry chain. For a number of years, the company’s slow-talking owner has appeared in radio ads promoting the business’s quality and service. The company set itself apart from the average jewelry store by claiming to avoid gimmicks, coupons, and sales. Instead, they touted excellent everyday prices, quality, and service. Today, the Shane Company has successfully branded itself as a trustworthy jeweler, a name synonymous with superior gemstones.

John Ruskin wrote: “Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort. It is the will to produce a superior thing.”⁶ Quality results from intentional, carefully-thought-out production and design.

During the building of Solomon’s temple, King Solomon (1 Kings 5:17) decreed that only the most costly stones were to be used for the temple’s foundation. The Hebrew word yaqar⁷, which is used in the passage, means costly. By dictating that only the most expensive stones be used, Solomon knew he ensured that the selected stones would be the best of the best. Every item that went into making the temple of the Lord was to be of superior quality, making the structure of the temple itself an act of worship to the heavenly king.

Like the retail buyer who hand selects the fabrics and merchandise to be carried in his chain of stores or the jeweler who insists on only purchasing the superior grade of gemstones, God hand selected us and chose us from thousands of others. He is confident that He has made an excellent choice, and well He should be, for He is the one who designed and ordained our purpose from the onset.

Unfortunately, many of us have difficulty believing we are indeed a quality gemstone. It is one thing to be told we are an exceptional product and another entirely to actually to believe it. Many women suffer from poor self-esteem. It only takes one callous word or one seemingly insignificant incident for us to descend into self-abasement. When we fall into these depressed patterns of thinking, we really are lying to ourselves.

Self-loathing grieves God, who wants only the best for us. Instead of self-abasement and self-loathing, He envisions affirmation and joy. Our challenge, then, is to remember that it’s not within God’s nature to make junk; therefore, we cannot be what we often think we are.

Just as God has instilled in us the best of the best, He also expects only the best from us. First Corinthians 3:13 says, “His work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.” Does our work and our walk reflect the Master Jeweler’s fineness? We should never forget to continue striving for excellence.

He Sees Beyond Our Flaws

            The Master Jeweler examines us with the eye of an expert. He clearly sees all of the lovely attributes that make us so desirable: our radiance, beauty, elegance, and quality. But He wouldn’t be an expert unless He also saw our weaknesses, including our flaws.

Though the words “oversight” and “overlook” seem to hold nearly identical meanings, they differ considerably. “Oversight” is when someone examines something but misses a key factor. The person might have been distracted or careless when doing the initial examination.

An excellent example of this is the clearance rack at your local clothing store. Many of us love a bargain, and you can’t beat the end-of-season clearance deals. But you also have to be very careful when selecting clearance items. For instance, you might find gads of one specific style and color in a blouse. (What? You mean you don’t want that chartreuse size three blouse?) Or mixed in with quality merchandise are sometimes irregular or damaged items. There have been times when I’ve thought I’ve found a great bargain, only to arrive home to find a pulled thread or missing button. Those instances were oversights on my part. Great sale prices temporarily blinded me enough to make me overlook the flaws.

But God actually sees our flaws, and He purposely overlooks them. We’ll talk more about this in a later chapter, but I think it bears merit here, so we will examine why God overlooks them—why the one who is without flaws is willing to overlook ours (Psalm 19:12).

First, God overlooks our flaws because He doesn’t want our shortcomings to stand in the way of our having a deep relationship with Him. Second, He knows that many of these flaws have come about because of tough knocks we have been through in life. They are a part of what makes us who we are.

J. B. Yeats wrote, “Personality is born out of pain. It is the fire shut up in the flint.”⁸ God knows our tough life experiences have an integral part of our formation. They add to our beauty and can be used to glorify God. He does not demand that they be eliminated because He knows doing so will cause irreparable damage. Instead, He wants us to trust His gentle touch and expertise as He works to make us into the treasure He knows we can be.

{Call-out Box:

Treasure and Gemstone Trivia

England passed a law in 1283 that made it legal for only those of noble birth to wear jewels.⁹}

Points to Ponder

1. How does it make you feel to consider God as a Master Jeweler?

2. Can you think of any other scriptural examples of God’s glory and radiance being revealed?

3. Have you ever met someone who reflects God’s radiance?

4. How does it make you feel to know that God sees us as beautiful no matter what we look like on the inside or outside?

5. What are some examples of Jesus reflecting His Father’s radiance?

6. It is not in God’s nature to make anything lacking in quality. How does knowing God made you make you feel? 

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To purchase The Treasure Seeker from Amazon, click here

THE DEMONIC DEATH KNELL: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

There should be a funeral for dead marriages. There isn't.

At first the rain fell softly outside my bedroom window. Soon it increased in intensity. What began as a light mist quickly turned into a torrential downpour. The closed blinds could not shut out the lightning bolts that pierced the darkness. Thunder rocked my already frayed nerves that kept me up most of the night. Light finally arrived but the rain continued to pound relentlessly.

I dressed and ran out the door. I didn't know where I was going. Part of me believed I would never return. I wanted to run away from everything—life; Tim, my husband; the future, the past, the present—mostly I wanted to run away from myself. I wandered down the street through the pouring rain soaking through my clothes. I was a bad wife, I convinced myself, and deserved to be punished and sentenced to a life of misery. I walked around a fenced-in retention pond and headed down a pathway into the woods. I was ready to end my life of thirty years—a life that I saw no value in—wasted.

“God, why have you abandoned me,” I cried out. “Where are you?”

Lightning imprinted and disappeared across the angry sky. I felt fearful and fearless, in control of my thoughts, but my emotions spun out of control.

A stream bordering the woods near my house caught my eye. I approached the crest of the hill and was surprised to see it rambling on in the distance; I climbed down the slippery slope as raindrops seeped into my cold, waterlogged clothes.

As the rain fell harder, the sides of the creek turned to mud. I lost my balance and stumbled down the embankment as the cold water oozed into my shoes and socks. I smeared the slimy mess over my arms, legs, face, and into my blonde hair. The smell of the rancid water sickened me. I continued to cry out to a God I wasn't sure I believed in anymore, but if He did exist, I was angry with Him.

“Where are you?” I cried out. “Why don't you save my marriage?”

Over the seven years of marriage, I had kept my faith hidden because Tim couldn’t or wouldn’t relate to that part of me. If anything, he had belittled my search for understanding of the deeper things in the Bible, much like others had bullied me as a child. Anything from the Bible always stirred up controversy. I dragged Tim to church despite his protests because it was too hard to go alone. All Tim’s promises of a wonderful life as a doctor’s wife and supporting me so I could return to school had vanished—the way of  everything else in the marriage.

The religion classes I took at Santa Fe State College had given me an academic understanding of the Bible, but not the kind of heart knowledge that reached down into my soul. With the resignation of the pastor a few weeks earlier at the church we attended occasionally, Tim vowed never to go back. Rejected and feeling unloved, I’d given up.

The limestone from the muddy creek burned my eyes and scratched my skin. How many creepy, crawly things filled the water that now covered by body? I rolled over and stared up at the darkened, gray sky. Is this all there was? Was there nothing more to live for?

As dirty as I felt, it wasn't enough. There had to be something more I could do to become the ugly, dirty, unloved person that I was. I climbed out of the creek and headed back to the house. The rain had let up but not the seething pain that lashed out at me. When I returned to the house, I washed off the dirt in the shower knowing I had not accomplished what I wanted.

Then I remembered the pills in the medicine cabinet. I tried to dismiss the thought but I couldn't. I wanted my torment to end. Rejection consumed me. I longed to be loved, held, and needed. I felt like God had abandoned me. The lies were deafening.

I opened the medicine cabinet and searched for pills—anything I could find. I pulled out several bottles—an assortment of Tylenol, Bayer, and other things accumulated during our marriage. Not concerned with what they were, I opened each bottle and threw the contents on the table.

I sat for a long time staring at the scattered pills that threatened to end my life. They spoke my name, called out to me, and taunted me. I was in a trance. I took them and made a face—my face, with a mouth contorted into an upside‑down smile. Nobody could hurt me anymore. I took pleasure in the fact that the last act in my life was mine, not something somebody did to me.

As I reached for the pills, I was stopped by something far bigger than myself. A voice spoke to my heart out of the recesses of time and space, a word‑thought that was not of this world. It was not an audible voice, but it was as real to me as if it had been.

I saw myself standing in front of Jesus, outside the gates of heaven. He was waiting for me. From his lips came a question I had no answer to.

“Lori, how can you do this thing when I died for you two thousand years ago? How can you throw your precious life away?”

I stopped. The words were said in a gentle, pleading tone, spoken in a language I understood. I was in the presence of Goodness, even as I sensed a spiritual war waging in the unseen world around me. I felt fallen angels battling against the armies of God.

Demonic beings wanted my soul and unseemly forces beckoned, “Take the pills and end your suffering. You belong to us. Nothing in the world of light will ever change you because you are unlovable.”

Evil is relentless, especially when it thinks it can win. The clamor would have been deafening if my earthly ears could have heard it, but the battle belongs to the Lord. He knows His own and I was His. The choice was mine, though, to choose life over death. God's unconditional love lets us choose who we will follow, a love that does not condemn or control. Would I allow love to conquer hate or would deception convince me that despair was the only answer? Could I accept forgiveness as the path to freedom? Did I believe Jesus loved me, would never leave me, and had forgiven me?

I closed my eyes and prayed for deliverance from the darkness.

Jesus stood before me, His eyes seeing through to my soul. Hope would emerge if I could believe in His healing power. The Risen Savior created a sense of calmness where chaos had existed. An overwhelming sense of peace enveloped me. Love pierced the darkness and Hope raised His scarred hands, reminding me of the price it cost Him. The shadows began to lift, grudgingly at first, refusing to accept defeat. A veil of light embraced the dark surroundings and the demons fled. They recoiled because they could no longer see. They were lost—lost in the darkness because the light had blinded them.

I knew at that moment, that I couldn't do this heinous thing. I no longer believed the evil—an evil that tried to hurt me. I had been deceived. The fallen angels knew they had lost their hold on me—at least for the moment. The screams of hate by the demonic powers slowly trailed off as the darkness dispersed, leaving behind a cat-o’-nine-tails reduced to whimpering.

They would go in search of their unsuspecting next victim. For the moment, I was free from their taunts. An overwhelming sense of love caressed my soul. A deafening silence waited on cue for the celebration to begin. God’s angels began to shower me with grace.

The Immortal Being of the universes cast out my despair with His perfect love and covered me with mercy. No longer fettered with chains in a dungeon of defeat, I was free. For the first time, I felt loved.

I was now at one with “The One” who knew my greatest need. He embraced me as I had never been held, loved me as I had never been known—unconditionally. I was given another chance at

life. Poor in spirit, I had seen God.

I quickly cleared the brightly-colored pills off the table and threw them away. Their enchantment had lost its magic. No longer condemned, I was a new creature, a new person, redeemed by the Redeemer. Exhausted but renewed, I had seen a great light. Jesus had won—life over death. A celebration was at hand. If the rocks could have cried out, they would have.

Jesus said in Matthew 15:7, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” 

“God, please show me the way,” I begged. “Please forgive me."

For the last twenty-six years, God has never left my side, but I will never forget the day He delivered me from that demonic death knell. I thank God for reaching down and saving me, the wretch that I was. Little did I know then the great plans He had for my future.

By the grace of God, since that experience, God has restored by life many times over. I finished college and obtained my Master of Arts in Creative Writing. God brought me two beautiful daughters from the ends of the earth that are now fourteen and twenty-one. I was blessed with a job that allowed me to stay home and even homeschool them. I have published four books and lead a network of Christian authors from around the world. 

Most of all, my relationship with Jesus Christ has never wavered. Even though at times I’ve made mistakes and disappointed Him, God has been faithful and provided for all of my needs. I feel blessed for the doubts I once had because God showered me through those dark days with His perfect love and gave me hope. God is sufficient to meet every need, even when I am weak; and for that, I am thankful.

To check out Lorilyn’s latest book, Seventh Dimension – The Door, a YA Christian fantasy, you can purchase it at the following websites:

To buy Seventh Dimension – The Door at Amazon:  http://amzn.to/UBE1Mr

To buy Seventh Dimension – The Door as an audiobook:  http://bit.ly/11YrzMI

To buy Seventh Dimension – The Door at Barnes & Noble (Print):  http://bit.ly/WRkUha

REMEMBER: There is no pit so deep, no hurt so painful, no secret so horrid that God can’t cover it through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Open up your heart to the infinite possibilities of living a life of love, no longer warped by bullying or scarred by deceitful words. Where there is life, there is hope—and healing!