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Tuesday, September 26, 2017
NEW BOOK RELEASE: “Seventh Dimension - The Prescience: A Young Adult Fantasy,” Book 5
Monday, September 18, 2017
BOOK AWARDS: “SEVENTH DIMENSION - THE CITY: A Young Adult Fantasy,” Wins Three More Awards
I am excited to announce Seventh Dimension - The City is a finalist in the 2017 International Book Awards in the visionary category, won silver in Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards for religion/faith fiction, and won bronze in the Florida Authors & Publishers Association Awards for religion.
I will be releasing the next book in the Seventh Dimension Series soon, Seventh Dimension - The Prescience, and will be discounting Seventh Dimension - The City to $2.99 on Kindle for a limited time.
If you are a homeschooling mom of teens, I hope you will download the first book in the series for free as an ebook Seventh Dimension - The Door.
I have combined contemporary issues with historical fact and woven in Christian fantasy to create a tale of truth based on Scripture. There is no sex, only mild violence, and no offensive language. But there is suspense and mystery. The Seventh Dimension Series so far as won twenty-five awards.
Monday, August 28, 2017
PODCAST: “How God Has Helped Me to Finish My Latest Book While Battling Breast Cancer,” by Lorilyn Roberts
Recently Dr. Charles W. Page hosted me on his Spoonfuls of Courage Podcast where I discuss my battle with breast cancer and finishing my latest book, Seventh Dimension - The Prescience: A Young Adult Fantasy, Book 5.
The Podcast is about 25 minutes long, and I hope you will enjoy hearing my testimony. I don’t know how people go through the hard things in life without Jesus Christ. Please take a listen and be blessed.
Monday, August 14, 2017
BOOK EXCERPT: SEVENTH DIMENSION – THE PRESCIENCE: A Young Adult Fantasy, Chapter 3: “Sneak Peek”
“SHIRA, GO BACK to sleep,” I whispered. “Jesus is here.”
The guards eyed Shira and lowered their guns. What danger could we pose with a small child?
Daniel and the uniformed men conversed in Hebrew. Because they spoke rapidly with heavy accents, I wasn’t sharp enough to catch most of it. My year and a half of Hebrew earned me an “A” but didn’t make me conversant with Israelis.
The taller man motioned for us to follow. He punched a code into the keypad of the heavy steel door. After a few seconds, the door opened.
We entered a small vestibule. The ominous shadows that flickered over the walls from the emergency lighting felt cold and calculating—walls that I knew were an illusion.
I expected bright floodlights to illuminate our surroundings and to see the impressive command center humming with computers and TV screens. Cameras set up in strategic locations around Jerusalem monitored hotspots and beamed back photographs and video. But no one was here.
The uniformed officer pushed open a hidden door on the opposite side. As we entered, a cool breeze poured in, probably from an air conditioning vent. The guard said nothing, and I found the silence unnerving.
We followed him through a narrow hallway. My anxiety increased. I’d never remember how to get out if something went wrong. I reached for Daniel’s arm. He shot me a reassuring glance.
The guard flipped a light switch as we entered through an unmarked door. “Jacob will be here shortly,” he said. Then he left.
Once the door was shut, I tried to relax.
“The guards are all business,” Daniel said. “They have their orders. Even when they know we’re one of them, they won’t deviate.”
I held Shira close to me. “What did the guard say? You talked so fast.”
“When you told Shira Jesus was here, their demeanor changed. Up until then, I don’t think they believed I was Jacob’s brother. They thought we were spies.”
“Oh.” I glanced around the room. A black leather sofa filled up one wall with matching chairs on each side. Three photographs above the sofa highlighted historical Jewish landmarks—the temple mount, Masada, and a third location I didn’t recognize. I pointed to it. “Where is that?”
Daniel eased closer to the photo. “That’s Petra, in Jordan.”
I knew it as Bozrah, spoken of in the Book of Isaiah. I edged over. Off to the side of the room was a small kitchenette and bathroom. On the kitchen counter was a well-used tea kettle stained from previous use. White plastic cups and an assortment of herbal teas filled a straw container. A square refrigerator took up the rest of the counter space.
I noticed an open Bible on the coffee table. I started to walk over to see what page someone had been reading, but Daniel picked it up and commented.
“Someone underlined this passage in red. Ezekiel 38:14-16: ‘On that day when my people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company, and a mighty army. You will come up against my people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.’”
“Someone underlined this passage in red. Ezekiel 38:14-16: ‘On that day when my people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company, and a mighty army. You will come up against my people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.’”
I stepped back from the table and sat on the sofa. Shira readjusted herself in my lap, clutching my shirt. “Whoever was in here must have believed Israel was facing the Ezekiel 38-39 war.”
Daniel sat beside me.
I glanced at the closed door. “Is your brother coming?”
“I hope.” Daniel leaned back, nodding off.
He had to be as tired as I was. Shira had closed her eyes again. Suddenly, a crazy thought swirled in my head. “Daniel, what if we went back to the seventh dimension?”
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
BOOK EXCERPT: SEVENTH DIMENSION – THE PRESCIENCE: A Young Adult Fantasy, Chapter 2: “Sneak Peak”
SOON NUMBNESS CREPT up my arms. Even though Shira was light, I wasn’t used to lugging around a small child.
Daniel offered to carry her, but she clung to me.
We walked past shards of glass and building fragments that littered the ground. The inferno had grown. Dead people covered the ground like ghosts. I couldn’t keep up with Daniel. “How much further?”
He adjusted our backpacks he’d slung over his shoulders. “Not far.”
I sighed.
The missiles had stopped, but the suffocating smoke burned my eyes. Sheets of flame shot up everywhere. Was there any place that was safe?
Daniel pulled out his iPhone. “Let me see if I can reach my brother.”
I started to call my mother, but my cell hadn’t worked since I left America a few weeks earlier. How long would the EMP attack in the United States keep communications down in the West?
I leaned against a stone pillar beside the road littered with debris and switched Shira to my other side. Jumping from one worrisome thought to another, I couldn’t focus. Even though I knew time was an illusion, how long had we really been gone? Could it be more than a few weeks?
Daniel interrupted my musings. “I can’t call or text.”
“Did the camera work?”
“Yes, I have the photo of her parents. Hopefully that will help us to locate relatives.”
I sat on a nearby bench with Shira. When had I last slept?
I ran my fingers through the child’s curly, brown hair. Soot covered her angel-like face. The only sign of the conflagration she had endured was the singed edge of her light-colored jumper.
“How old do you think she is?” Daniel asked.
The little girl held up three fingers.
Daniel cocked his head. “I spoke in English. She understands English.”
“Don’t Israelis understand English?”
Daniel eyed her curiously. “Not that young. Kids learn English in elementary school. Her parents might be American or British.”
“She understands Hebrew also,” I added.
“God must have sent us—or you to rescue her. What else did the dog tell you?”
Shira had closed her eyes, but I knew she wasn’t asleep. “Shhh. I’ll tell you later. Let’s get to Jacob’s first.”
As Daniel led us through Jerusalem, I tried to shield my eyes. Corpses littered the city. Those few who were alive walked aimlessly in circles. Frozen cars sat motionless on the roads, now probably driven by dead people. I had never seen such carnage. How long would it take Israel to recover?
Why God? I remembered what Jesus said when he lamented over Zion. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”
The almost full moon rose higher into the sky. As we approached the Old City, intermittent flames offered a brief reprieve from the darkness. The ancient bulwark was a stark reminder Jerusalem would survive because God willed it.
My excitement at making wedding plans evaporated as I thought about what lay ahead. I wanted to run, but I was too tired. Shira must have fallen asleep in my arms because she was like dead weight.
“Can you carry her?” I managed to hand her to Daniel without waking her. How could I broach with Daniel what the dog said?
I moved in closer. “I didn’t want to say this when Shira was awake, but the dog told me she has no other family.”
Daniel slowed down. “She must have somebody. We could have a DNA test done.”
I hadn’t thought of that. “Yes, we could. I’m telling you what the dog said. He also said God had chosen us to take care of her. For how long, I don’t know.”
“She’s so young.”
I could sense his concern—how could we provide for the needs of a three-year-old? We had just turned eighteen and weren’t yet married. What did we know about parenting a child barely out of diapers?
More smoke blew in my face, and another round of sirens pierced the silence. I wanted to sleep and wake up to a different reality. 
“Do you remember how to get to the underground bunker?”
“Yes, but how will we get inside at this time of night? That’s what I’m worried about.”
We passed through the Old City Jaffa Gate and the Muslim and Armenian quarters. Stores had closed hours earlier. I followed Daniel down several flights of stairs.
Fortunately, the Old City had been mostly spared during this attack although much cleanup remained. Endless stairs and dark corridors brought us to the bunker door. No one would imagine that behind the steel door was a secret command center and star gate to the seventh dimension.
Two watchmen stood at attention. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but at least somebody was here. Shira woke up and Daniel passed her to me.
The guards, dressed in typical Israeli fatigues, held menacing guns and blocked us from entering. Daniel spoke in Hebrew. “I’m looking for my brother, Jacob Sperling.”
*~*~*~*
Monday, July 24, 2017
BOOK REVIEW: Seventh Dimension - The Door: A Young Adult Fantasy: Reviewed by GABixlerReviews
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Friday, June 23, 2017
BREAST CANCER: PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR HEALING - 12th Taxol Treatment, by Lorilyn Roberts
At 1:30pm today I have my 12th and final Taxol treatment. I so appreciate everyone's prayers. I've gone through three months of chemotherapy with normal cell counts, worked full time, and have had so few side effects that I can only attribute it to God. The Adriamycin may be far more difficult, but for now, I’m praising God.
The best part is that I’ve been able to make a lot of progress on the editing of The Prescience. I finished chapter 35 last night out of 49 chapters.
I want to thank Manisha for all her help. Every day she comes over and cleans the litter boxes for me, and each Friday she takes me to my infusion. She has been such an encouragement in so many ways. Thank you, Manisha. I have the most wonderful daughters in the world. Joy has been in Alaska now for over a month working at a Bible camp. Two more months to go. Miss her lots and can’t wait until she comes home.
Please keep praying for healing and that all this poison does its job.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
BREAST CANCER: TENTH TAXOL TREATMENT AND GOD STILL HAS MY BACK: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts
I had
my tenth Taxol treatment today and all my numbers were normal! The PA said up
to 85% of patients have neuropathy, and is amazed I haven't had anything. I
continue to praise God and give Him the glory. I think the cold gloves are also
helping, although, to be honest, it's torture wearing them.
Food
still tastes good also, which is a bonus. I'm wearing the arm sleeve through
chemo treatment as the physical therapist said it would help to prevent
lymphedema. I use it with captioning - most of the time. It's very hot to wear
in Florida. The radiation will increase the risk of lymphedema, so I need to do
what I can now to prevent it.
Only
six more chemo treatments. Two taxol followed by four Adriamycin and Cytoxan.
The Ariamycin doesn't cause the neuropathy, so I should not have to worry about
that once I finish the Taxol until I start radiation. But Adriamycin can cause
LOTS of other problems.
 |
| Joy drew this for me for Mother's Day during chemo treatment |
In the
meantime, I feel attacks in other areas. I've had major on-air tech issues
while captioning -- things becoming strangely unplugged, communication issues
with printer and computer, that suddenly start working after many many
attempts, icap issues with audio (I heard I'm not the only one with this one),
incredibly slow issues with my internet provider, computer lock-up, captioning
software lock-up, and I've had disappearing files (never happened) requiring me
to rewrite shows that I've cleaned for repeat shows. and a couple of brain
freeze things.
I came
back from the infusion today and went to sleep for three hours, turning on my
alarm to wake me up before MLB captioning. I woke up, looked at the clock, and
it said 7. I thought it was the morning and didn't remember why I set the
alarm, so I turned it off. I woke up ten till 8pm. I went on the air at 8.
Well, that's a terrible thing to do. So I worry about stuff like this.
My car
is also on the fritz. I'm pretty sure it's the transmission. I had it repaired
once which cost $3,000 about five years ago. How much more money should I put
into it with 230,000 miles? Last year I lost a few thousand because a company ripped me off. I was fixing to file a lawsuit with their corporate
offices when I was diagnosed with beast cancer, so I ended up settling out of
court with their corporate offices for $2,000, but I gave half that money to a
retired lawyer friend that got my car fixed. Otherwise, I would have been
forced to buy another car because of the shop's malpractice. The worst part is
my car was unreliable and broke down all over town the entire summer as we
tried to figure out what the store did to it. We did find everything they
screwed up and fixed it, but I just can't go through the stress this summer of
a unreliable car when I'm dealing with cancer treatment.
Another
prayer request. In my last post, I loaded an excerpt from "The
Prescience" and sent a copy of it to a good author friend in Indonesia who
is involved in Muslim-Christian relations as a missionary. He pretty much
ripped apart my chapter, and, to be honest, I think he's right. So I spent
hours reworking it, and then got another email from a good author friend in
England who loved it. So then I questioned if maybe I should rethink
everything. Both authors had great insights, and they aren't necessarily
mutually exclusive, in some respects, so please pray for me to find the balance
I need in this chapter.
I
continue to keep my eyes on Jesus, knowing He is the Author and my Redeemer. I
have to remember that all redemption may not occur in this life. But I also
know Hope never disappoints, and the Comforter's ways are better than mine. So
with prayers and God's wisdom I hope to beat every attack on me and give God
the glory. He is teaching me many things though all of these struggles, and
that brings me supernatural joy.
Saturday, June 3, 2017
BOOK EXCERPT: SEVENTH DIMENSION – THE PRESCIENCE: A Young Adult Fantasy, “Did Jesus Really Die on the Cross?”
Since the Jewish festival of Shavuot and the Christian religious day of Pentecost is upon us, I decided to share this excerpt from Seventh Dimension - The Prescience, which takes place on Pentecost in the first century. The question I asked myself before I wrote The Prescience was, what would happen if a Muslim convert from Hinduism heard Peter at Pentecost? What would be his reaction?
God continues to encourage me with the editing as I finish my chemo treatments. I pray that this excerpt will help you to think about how you would witness to a Muslim. The excerpt includes one of the common questions that Muslims have about Christianity.
So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. 11Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well.
God continues to encourage me with the editing as I finish my chemo treatments. I pray that this excerpt will help you to think about how you would witness to a Muslim. The excerpt includes one of the common questions that Muslims have about Christianity.
The Berean Study Bible admonishes us:
So we aspire to please Him, whether we are here in this body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. 11Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well.
EXCERPT FROM THE PRESCIENCE
**********
Love motivated Jesus. He died for all of us. We deserve death, but Jesus died in our place so we could spend eternity with him.”
Nidal glanced down at his sandals and pushed a loose stone aside. “You know, Islam tells us that Jesus didn’t die on the cross.”
Daniel scooted up closer. “Do you know that no one in history, out of the thousands who were crucified by the Romans, survived the crucifixion?”
“What do you mean?” Nidal asked.
“There isn’t a single recorded case of anyone ever crucified by the Romans who came down off the cross alive. Every person who was crucified by the Romans died. Don’t you think that if one person, especially someone as controversial as Jesus, had managed to survive, it would have been widely known and reported? Plus, think of the eyewitnesses who saw Jesus die. The scriptures also tell us the Roman guard speared him in the side to make sure he was dead.”
Nidal reflected on Daniel’s words but remained quiet.
“Crucifixion is torture,” Daniel said, “and if by some chance Jesus did survive the crucifixion, do you think he could have made a full recovery based on the crude medical methods of this time period?”
“But how can you be sure?”
“As far as I know,” Daniel said, “there is very little dispute among most historians that Jesus died on the cross.”
“I wish I had a computer. I’d search it on Google, but I have a counterargument.”
Daniel brushed his hair back from his forehead. “What’s that?”
“I heard an Imam claim that Jesus’ body was replaced with the body of Judas.”
Daniel shook his head. “That would be impossible. Judas had already died when Jesus was crucified. The betrayer’s entails spilled out on the ground. That’s why the Jews had to sell the land. His blood had defiled it. Besides, dozens of people witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, and Roman guards were present at his crucifixion the entire time.
“They took down Jesus’ dead body and gave it to his friends so they could prepare it for burial. They would have declared Jesus dead before they delivered his body to Joseph of Arimathea and the women.”
Daniel added. “Believe me when I tell you this. There is no way the Roman soldiers could have removed Jesus from the cross alive, retrieved the body of Judas that had been ripped wide open when he hung himself, and then nailed Judas to the cross in place of Jesus. That contradicts the historical record, and there were many people who stood by and watched. History would have recorded events differently.”
*~*~*~*
Saturday, May 20, 2017
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