Tuesday, May 10, 2016

NINE REASONS WHY I’M VOTING FOR DONALD TRUMP: Christian Blogger Lorilyn Roberts





I’ve heard too many friends and people I respect say they won’t vote for Donald Trump. I don’t need to rehash them here. Instead, I’m going to tell you why I will be voting for Donald Trump.

For those who don’t know me, I’m an evangelical Christian and single mother by choice. I am self-employed and provide closed captioning for television when I’m not blogging or writing books.

I’ve been deeply troubled by the 2016 presidential race and am thankful much of the riffraff of the Republican nomination is over. I’ve painfully watched the name calling, accusations, and personal attacks and wonder where proper decorum has gone.

Is there no decency left in America? What kind of future awaits my daughters? Of course, because they are so young, they will never know what has changed. They will never know the glory days of America. Those days are gone. I feel liberalism breathing down our necks, massive debt burdening our families, world instability threatening global peace, and out-of-control, illegal immigration overwhelming our country’s infrastructure. Is it too late for America?


As a voter, I want to believe my vote will count when I go to the polls. I want to believe it is not too late. Voting is a sacred trust given to us by the men and women who have died for our freedom. Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and render unto God the things that are God’s.” In this one statement, God commands us to render our voting rights to the president.

I’ve heard some people say they aren’t going to vote because they can’t support Trump or Clinton. I cringe when I hear that. This election isn’t about you—it’s about the future. We must do our duty before God and man and render what is due to both Caesar and God. 

However, I must admit, I am disgruntled. At times during the debates, I wanted to scream at my television. “Candidates, can we talk about the issues?

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the presumptive nominees unless Sanders pulls off something magical. Even though I don’t care for either choice, I hope an election actually takes place. I would not be surprised if some “natural disaster” happens between now and November and the elections are canceled. Another year of Obama might make me consider packing up and leaving this country, although I have no idea where I would go. I can guarantee you, I won’t go to London.


I have to remind myself in more depressing moments—and there have been many affecting our country during the last few years—God isn’t mocked. He is not sitting in heaven wringing His hands worrying about the United States.

In the grand scheme of things, we’re just a small blip on the radar, but God chose us to lead the world for the last two hundred years. We’ve been the bastion of freedom, a great experiment by our forefathers, but I believe as moral decline continues, so does our favored place (aside from Israel) in the heart of God. Judgment is surely coming.

Whatever God wills, it will happen. If I were a betting woman (which I’m not), I believe Trump will win the election in November. Why? His spectacular emergence as the frontrunner seems almost supernatural. For a man who has never held public office, it’s unprecedented. I can’t think of a parallel for his success anywhere in history. I don’t believe he could have wrapped up the Republication nomination the way he did without God’s help.

I recently read an article where scholars have said the Bible Code points to Hillary Clinton winning. Since the code usually validates events after they happen, I’m not sure how much credence it deserves, but one thing is for sure: If the same twenty-five million Christians who didn’t go to the polls in the last election choose not to vote this November, the outcome will be the same. Hillary Clinton will win. Christians hold the trump card. They will determine the next president.


Before I give the reasons why I’m voting for Trump, let me say why I won’t vote for Hillary Clinton. As a woman, I’m tired of the “stereotypical rhetoric” that most women will vote for Hillary. I can tell you, she won’t get my vote. Her role in the Benghazi attack is shameful. If she had confessed to what really happened and come clean, it would be different, but she hasn’t. That’s all I’m going to say about Hillary Clinton.

Here are my reasons for voting for Donald Trump.

First, Donald Trump will stand up to Putin, ISIS, or anybody who crosses him. There are far too many bullies right now on the world scene. We need a strong leader.

Second, Trump isn’t beholden to special interest groups. I’m tired of the interest of the few outweighing the interest of the majority. You may not agree with everything Trump says or does (and I can tell you I don’t. Sometimes I don’t even like him), but I think he will clean up Washington. The Republicans have failed miserably to accomplish anything worth remembering in the last eight years. I’m tired of hoping for change. I’m tired of the rhetoric. I’m tired of being tired.

In eight years, look at what has happened in America—we now allow men in women’s bathrooms, have legalized same-sex marriage, and racial tensions have escalated. I thought Obama was going to fix that.

I address this comment to Paul Ryan, the current Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives: Why aren’t you supporting the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee? If you are convinced you can’t, can you keep it to yourself, please? You are a good example of what’s wrong with Washington. I guess President Obama has taught you well.

Let me digress. I worked as a court reporter for over fifteen years, and at the end of each trial, the judge gives the charge to the jury where he tells the jury what laws apply to the case. The charge always concludes with a variance of the following statement: “You may not like the laws as I have given them to you, but you are bound to uphold them.”

The nominating process has rules, Speaker Ryan. I hope the Republican Party does its duty under the law and carries out that process according to the will of the people. The people have spoken (those who call themselves Republicans).

Trump has financed his campaign to this point and that has kept him from being “bought.” If at some point he accepts campaign contributions, I hope he doesn’t cross the line. We all know what that line is.

The third reason why I’m voting for Donald Trump isBen Carson endorsed him. I have great respect for Dr. Carson. He was my first choice for president, and when he bowed out, my vote went to Ted Cruz in the primary. Now that Mr. Cruz is no longer in the race, I’m embracing Carson’s endorsement. I’m sure Dr. Carson gave a lot of consideration before his announcement, knowing there would be backlash and criticism. If Donald Trump is “good enough” for Dr. Carson, a born-again Christian, he is good enough for me.



The fourth reason I’m voting for Donald Trump is he supports Israel. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. God has made it clear He will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be blessed by God than cursed. Donald Trump has said he’s a “big fan of Israel,” and Netanyahu is a “great prime minister.” You can read his comments in the Jerusalem Post.

We’d better be Israel’s staunchest ally or we risk God’s wrath. Don’t believe me? Check out The Israel Omen by David Brennan.


The fifth reason why I’m voting for Donald Trump is because he has said he will repeal Obamacare. Enough said.

The sixth reason why I’m voting for Trump is he has made it clear he doesn’t like abortion. I know he has vacillated, but repeatedly, he has said he is uncomfortable with the procedure. Let’s hope he presses forward and makes all abortions illegal. And yes, I agree with Trump’s initial comment before the media lambasted him, if all abortions were made illegal and a woman had one anyway, I believe she should be prosecuted. No one is above the law.



My seventh reason for voting for Donald Trump is he wants to do something about immigration, even if it means building walls around our borders. I support legal immigration—I have two daughters I adopted from other countries, but if people want to live here, they need to assimilate and not expect us to change our laws to fit their radical idealism. Yes—I am speaking of Sharia law. It has no place in America and is a threat to our way of life.

Trump seems to be one of the few willing to give a voice to the dangers associated with radical Islam. Don’t believe me—watch this video and get informed. We must wake up and see what is happening in Europe. It ain’t pretty.

The eighth reason why I will be voting for Donald Trump is this:  I think we need to consider the implications of a woman president. If we elect Hillary Clinton as president, what Islamic leader will sit with her at a table and negotiate anything? Women don’t negotiate with men in Muslim society. They are chattel, good for one thing—making babies.

You think Muslim countries in the Middle East hate us? Think how much more they will deride us if a gentile woman is a president—unless she promotes their agenda and ideology.


My last reason for voting for Donald Trump is an observation made by a prominent pastor in Australia, Steve Cioccolanti. You can watch the full video here.

http://discover.org.au/bookshop/home 

 While he makes several statements that are thought provoking, the only one I will mention here is a quote from I Cor 15:52: ... In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. .”


Could this quote from the Bible have more significance than just the blowing of a trumpet? Could God be inferring a double meaning? Of course, Trump has children, so we can’t know, but it’s worth pondering, isn’t it?

*~*~*~*

Feel free to leave comments.


Saturday, May 7, 2016

GUEST POST BY ANNIE DOUGLASS LIMA: “The Collar & The Cavvarach”

I'm (Annie Douglass Lima) excited to announce that my young adult action and adventure novel, The Gladiator and the Guard, is now available for purchase! This is the second book in the Krillonian Chronicles, sequel to The Collar and the Cavvarach


First Things First: a Little Information about Book 1: 


Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire's most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie's escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time.  With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?



What is the Collar for, and What is a Cavvarach?



The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences.  One is that slavery is legal there.  Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone.  Any slave attempting to escape faces the dilemma of how and where to illegally get their collar removed (a crime punishable by enslavement for the remover).  


Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil.  It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with "have a rack"), a weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge.  Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades.  You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.






Click here to order The Collar and the Cavvarach from Amazon 

for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through May 30th!



And now, The Gladiator and the Guard, with another awesome cover by the talented Jack Lin!






Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?










Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and
later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her
husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at
Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since
her childhood, and to date has published twelve books (two YA action and
adventure novels, four fantasies, a puppet script, and five anthologies of her
students’ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially
fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.



Connect with the Author Online:






Now, enter to win an Amazon gift card or a free digital copy of The Collar and the Cavvarach!




Or find the giveaway at this link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ad2fd99a3/?





Friday, May 6, 2016

A MOTHER'S DAY STORY: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts





A Mother’s Day Story

“Ms. Roberts,” I believe your new daughter is blind in her left eye.”

“What?” I exclaimed. We had just arrived from Nepal less than twenty-fours earlier. Now I was being told my three-year-old daughter was half-blind. How could this be? 

Jetlagged and sleep-deprived, I struggled to understand. Experiencing for the first time the blessedness of motherhood had turned into a nightmare. This just couldn’t be true.

The doctor tried unsuccessfully a few more times to get a pupil response to his penlight. I studied my daughter who had grown tired of being examined and lashed out at the doctor.
A few months after arriving in America

“I can give you a referral to an ophthalmologist for further evaluation,” she suggested, “although I don’t know how long that will take.”

“Yes, let’s do it,” I said.

The doctor left the room to set up a referral, and I struggled to remain calm, once again crying out to God for yet another miracle. “Please don’t let my daughter be blind,” I prayed.

Until now, I hadn’t noticed any difficulty in her seeing. Could what the physician said be true? My thoughts raced ahead to how her life would be with a sight impairment—playing sports, driving, reading, and general safety. I didn’t want to think about how she would be compromised.

The physician returned a few minutes later and handed me an appointment slip. “I was able to get you an appointment in just a couple of hours with an eye specialist who works specifically with children.”

I thanked her profusely—the wait and worry would be short—and we left to go eat at a Wendy’s restaurant outside the medical complex.

After getting hamburgers and fries, we sat by a window overlooking a busy highway. Manisha played more with the free toy than eating, and I sipped on the coke filled with anxiety. As I watched cars zoom down the road, my sudden claim to motherhood hit me like dynamite. 

Insecurity crept into my thoughts. Was I prepared emotionally to raise my daughter without a husband? I had imagined life would be easy once we arrived home. All I wanted was normalcy when we were in Nepal, but now, I worried. Had I made a terrible mistake?

I poured my heart out to God, and soon peace filled my anxious thoughts. God was my husband. Whatever happened, He would never leave me.
I cast my worries about Manisha onto my heavenly father and husband, as best I could, and praised God that here in America if she was half-blind, she would have access to the best medical care she would need to live the life God had given to her.

A few hours later, we arrived for her eye specialist appointment, and the medical tech dilated Manisha’s eyes for a more extensive examination. My new daughter cried out in fear. Why hadn’t I waited a few days to allow her to acclimate to America before forcing her to endure so much trauma? Motherly guilt crept in, and once again, I doubted my ability to be a good mother.

Soon the ophthalmologist finished his examination and his words soothed my aching heart. “Her eyesight seems to be fine out of that eye. I think the reason her doctor couldn’t see the reflex is because her eyes are so dark, but her eyesight, as much as I can tell, is normal.”

Manisha was so uncooperative, I was amazed he could tell anything, but all that mattered to me was she could see out of that eye. I breathed a sigh of relief and praised God that her eyesight was normal.

I’ll always wonder if Manisha had a miraculous healing that day, but I went home no longer doubting that I could be a good mother—God would be there for me through every trial and tribulation.

Twenty-four years later, Manisha has the best eyesight of anyone in the family. She is the only one who doesn’t wear glasses.


May 8 is the day we arrived home from Nepal—May 8, 1994, which was Mother's Day. Manisha Hope has grown into a beautiful young woman and is on her own now.

I thank God for both my daughters, Hope and Joy. I have been blessed beyond measure by God’s tender mercies. I wouldn’t have either of my daughters if God had not done the impossible.


Joy getting her driver's license

Isn’t that the kind of God we have, though, a God who is in the business of doing the impossible? As Psalm 113:9 states, “He puts a sterile woman in a household, and she is a cheerful mother of children (Aramaic Bible in plain English).


If you haven’t read my memoir, Children of Dreams, it is FREE through the weekend on Amazon Kindle. If you have not subscribed to my email list, sign up today at LorilynRoberts.com, where you can also receive Children of Dreams for free as an eBook in multiple formats. 


Family trip to Nevada


Children of Dreams is also now available as an audiobook on iTunes and Audible for those who like audiobooks.




I have recently re-edited Children of Dreams, and if you already have the original version on Kindle, you can download the newest version from Amazon. Just go to your Kindle downloads and re-download.

In addition, please consider leaving a review. Because Amazon has removed so many of my reviews (for no apparent reason), I’m now asking people to consider leaving a review on Goodreads instead of Amazon. Click here for the link.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

PAYING IT FORWARD - THE AMAZING GIVE: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts



Last week when I went to Starbucks, I had something unusual to happen. When I pulled up to the drive through window, the cashier said, “You don't owe anything. The person in front of you paid for your drink.”

I watched as the car pulled out onto Newberry Road. I couldn’t see who it was, and I will never know. As a broadcast captioner, I had heard about such stories. They call it “paying it forward.” 

As I sipped on my latte on the way home, I asked God, “How could I pay it forward for someone else?”

I awoke early this morning at four a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. Sometimes that happens because of the crazy hours I work. At six a.m., I decided to get up and make the most of the day. I have updated two of my books, Children of Dreams and Seventh Dimension – The Door, and I wanted to donate the few remaining first editions I had, but I didn’t want to give them to just anybody.

Immediately the Ronald McDonald House came to mind. I’m not sure why—after all, I haven’t been to the House in over thirty years. I volunteered there from 1983 to 1987. The House had a small library of donated books, and families would often take books with them to the hospital to read.



As I approached the entrance to the Ronald McDonald House, my anticipation grew. When I walked in, Carla Sly greeted me and took me into her office. As I shared with her my experiences from many years ago, fond memories returned of the families who were at the house during that time. 

I soon realized my involvement with the House ran deeper than just being a volunteer. The House was like a sanctuary to me. While I was a volunteer, my husband, a physician at Shands Hospital, had left me for another woman. Fay and Pete Armes, the managers, took me in with open arms that night—just as they had done for hundreds of other families. I spent a lot of time at the Ronald McDonald House over the next few months, and the families at the House became like extended family. I had no other family in Gainesville.

That Thanksgiving, as the families gathered in the dining room, thankfulness filled the House. How could I be depressed about my marriage when others were dealing with things so much worse? Knowing I was not alone was like a taste of heaven. In the Ronald McDonald House, love overflows, poured out in abundance.

Through the years, the volunteers have changed and the staff is different, but the goal and purpose of the House remain the same. When you walk through the front doors, you feel it. The Ronald McDonald House is a House built by love.



Many families come from faraway places. While I was a volunteer, one family came from South America. A little girl about seven had a large tumor on her chin. She went home a different child than when she arrived. Doctors can do miracles for children in the medical arena, but if families are worried about where they are going to stay in a city where they have no friends or family, the crisis becomes even more magnified.

No one is immune from unforeseen medical emergencies. Faye and Pete Armes lost their daughter to a rare blood disease while they were the managers. Pete died about a year later. Through all of this, Faye stayed on as the manager—strong, courageous, and steadfast. I probably learned more from Faye and Pete about how to live than I've learned from anyone else.

Life goes on, and there came a time when I was no longer able to be a volunteer. A few years later, I became a single mother by choice and adopted two daughters, the first one from Nepal and the second one from Vietnam.



When I received a letter from Faye that she was retiring from the House, I knew I wanted to attend her going away party. We brought balloons and celebrated with the extended Ronald McDonald House family this new season in her life as she made plans to return to her home in Jacksonville.

What I didn't know is one week later (see the photos), my 7‑year‑old daughter from Nepal would be rushed to Shands after becoming unconscious from a partial complex epileptic seizure.


I spent nine days in the hospital with an inconclusive diagnosis. I remembered the families who had gone before me, families I had comforted, families like me who were overwhelmed with anxiety and fear.  Even though I had been a volunteer, now I knew personally the real depth of their pain. I don’t think there is any pain deeper than seeing your child suffer, especially when you aren’t sure they are going to make it.

I didn’t go home the first seven days of Manisha’s hospitalization. Even though I live in Gainesville, it was too far to travel. I wanted to be within walking distance of the hospital in case she needed me or if something happened.

During Manisha’s hospitalization, I met other families with sick children. For those from out of town, the Ronald McDonald House was everything. I saw once again how much the House meant to those families.

Because the doctors at Shands were unable to come to a definitive diagnosis for my daughter’s medical emergency, I took Manisha to Yale for a second opinion. I knew there must be a Ronald McDonald House near the hospital, and upon doing a little research, I found one. We booked our reservations to stay at the House. Upon arriving, the House put us up in a hotel because of renovations, so we didn’t stay at the House, but they paid the costs for us to stay at a motel across from the hospital.

Life is like a merry‑go‑round, isn't it? When I arrived to deliver my books to the Ronald McDonald House, I had no idea I was going to share my story with the House staff. Sheri Houston, the executive director, said I was her Godwink. The House is in the process of raising donations to expand. Too many families must wait on a waiting list because the House is always full. Ms. Houston asked me if I would be willing to be an ambassador and share my story of how much the Ronald McDonald House meant to me. I didn’t tell her this, but I knew this was my opportunity to pay it forward, as I had asked God to show me. My trip that morning wasn’t just to deliver books. It was to share my heart.



I’m thankful to say that Manisha, who is twenty-five now, is healthy and seizure-free. The doctors determined she did not have a tumor and diagnosed her with neurocysticercosis—a parasitic infection of the brain caused by a tapeworm lavae, something she contracted before I adopted her from Nepal.



I am convinced life is full of Godwinks and divine appointments. If I have piqued your interest, I hope you will take this opportunity to learn more about the Ronald McDonald House. Many opportunities abound, including volunteering, cooking a meal, donating money that will go toward the expansion—even learning more about how the Gainesville community is helping families and children from around the world.

The storms of unforeseen medical crises hit hard and when least expected, but at the Ronald McDonald House, families don't have to walk that road alone. A volunteer, staff member, or friend is always nearby ready to help and offer hope.



Do you think you could make a difference? You bet. Click here to learn more about the Amazing Give 24-hour Fundraising Campaign.



 FEEL FREE TO MAKE COPIES OF THIS ARTICLE!

Monday, March 28, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: “Seventh Dimension – The Castle: A Young Adult Fantasy,” Five Stars from Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Paula Tran




Seventh Dimension - The Castle: A Young Adult Fantasy by Lorilyn Roberts describes a Jewish man, Daniel, who has been sucked into a seventh dimension. Traveling between different time periods, he is a wanted man by the Roman soldiers. In order to escape persecution and live in peace, Daniel must flee to Jerusalem, but not without complications. He constantly has to look behind his back for Roman soldiers, and has lost God's gifts and many of his possessions. Most of all, he is being tormented by a demon, who tries to make his life as miserable as possible.

This novel will definitely be a treasure for readers of all ages. While it has a bit of a fantasy element to it, time travel and dimension traveling is always a classic page turner. However, this book is written in a more serious tone, dealing with some adult issues, problems, and ideas. The Castle also puts a whole new spin on time travel and dimension travel, with religious and cultural aspects to make it more dramatic and emotional. This book has elements that children and adults will love equally. 

I also like the way the author portrays the setting, action, and characters throughout the novel. Even in the beginning of the novel, the details are enough to allow readers to paint a picture in their minds, but not too much to bog them down. The characters are also realistic, dealing with problems that readers are able to relate to. In addition, the amount of suspense in the writing is amazing, which keeps the reader interested and turning the pages.


📙📙📙📙📙

Five Stars from Readers' Favorite Reviewer Paula Tran