Monday, August 29, 2016

GOD'S LOVE REVEALED IN A CAT: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

Kenobi 2016, double hip surgery


Recently my two-year-old cat had a terrible accident. We became aware something was wrong when we couldn’t find him. We searched all over the house and looked outside, although he’s not an outdoor cat. Perhaps he ran out without us noticing. No matter how many times I called his name, he didn’t come. I started moving the furniture around to see if he was hiding. When I pulled the sofa away from the wall, he popped out.

Our excitement at finding him dissipated when we noticed he was limping, but I had no idea of the severity of his injuries. My daughter then remembered seeing something white flash behind her when she was vacuuming. We then realized he must have run to escape the vacuum cleaner by hiding underneath the sofa.

That night, Kenobi rested in the corner of my bedroom on a rug with his hips propped up. I noticed he was breathing heavily, but when I approached him, he hissed at me. He felt feverish, and the next day I took him to the vet. X-rays revealed he had broken both hind hips.

The vet prescribed some pain medicine, and we elected to try the conservative approach first – bed rest for two months in a crate. Follow-up X-rays revealed his hips had not healed, and the left hip was actually more displaced than before. He didn’t appear to be in as much pain, but he walked with a noticeable limp and couldn’t run or jump up on the sofa or bed.

The right hip didn’t seem symptomatic, so the vet recommended we just do surgery on the left hip, but there was another problem. He had a heart murmur. Who heard of a two-year-old cat having a heart murmur? Surely that couldn’t be anything serious. 

Our vet recommended we take Kenobi to the University of Florida Small Animal Clinic to diagnose the cause and make sure he was healthy enough for surgery. I set an appointment, realizing the costs were mounting for his treatment and questioning how much money was too much to spend on a cat.



The results came back from the heart tests—Kenobi had heart disease. As the vet described it, if you have to have heart disease, his is the best kind to have. It was somewhat treatable with medication, and the doctor felt he should be able to survive hip surgery.

I packed Kenobi up in the van and brought him home. How difficult would it be to give a cat a tiny pill twice a day? Maybe giving Kenobi his medicine would help me to remember to take my blood pressure medicine. 


We scheduled Kenobi for surgery, but then he did something to his other hip. He couldn’t walk at all, and he was in as much pain as when he originally broke both hips. It was Saturday and our vet was closed, so I took him to the Small Animal Clinic at the University of Florida. They sent me home with pain meds to make him comfortable until our vet did the surgery on Tuesday.

I dropped Kenobi off at the vet three days later, informing the doctor of the recent change in his other hip. They did X-rays, and the doctor called me on the phone and said Kenobi needed surgery on both hips. He believed both hips should be done at the same time because of Kenobi’s heart murmur, but he couldn’t do both hips that day.

Arrangements were made to have the surgery done the next day by an orthopedic specialist. He also arranged to have an anesthesiologist to assist with the surgery because of Kenobi’s heart disease. The costs had become steep, and several well-meaning friends suggested I should put him down.


“Never,” I told them. God would provide the money, even if it meant working a lot of overtime to pay for it.

The next day I took Kenobi in for surgery and prayed. Matthew 10:29 came to mind: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” Kenobi as well as my seven other animals have all been rescued, and each one brings me joy.

The night after Kenobi’s surgery, I called the vet and asked how Kenobi was doing. 

“He’s doing okay,” the nurse said.  “But he’s not eating or urinating on his own.”

“Can I come down and see him?” I asked.

She put me on hold for a few minutes before replying. “If you make it brief,” she said.

I drove to the vet and arrived within minutes. Not many people are awake in the wee hours of the morning. The nurse took me to Kenobi where he was resting in a small crate. As soon as he saw me, his eyes lit up. The tech opened the cage and I reached in and stroked him gently on the head. Sweet purrs filled the air. I smiled. He just needed to know I hadn’t forgotten about him.



The next day I took Kenobi home and made him comfortable. The vet prescribed morphine and he wore a small fentanyl patch on his back. Eventually, the pain faded, and he became his old self again. As I write this, he is even starting to play with toys and walk at a brisk pace. He can now get up on the sofa using cat stairs I bought at the store.

Surprisingly, a few days ago, my back started bothering me. Maybe it was from leaning over taking care of Kenobi. Maybe it was from some heavy cleaning I did and hauling away dozens of books and donating them to a local bookstore.

I went to the doctor and got some muscle relaxants, and now I’m taking lots of walks, hot baths, Ibuprofen, and Tylenol.

As I thought about the coincidence, I wondered if God had something He wanted me to remember. Jesus Christ, when He died on the cross, died for our infirmities. He took upon Himself the weight of the world— our sins, our pain, and our hurts, and suffered an inhumane death on the cross. Isaiah 53:4 states: Surely He (Jesus Christ) has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”


Perhaps God was showing me once again when we care for others deeply, we feel their pain. We hurt for them and with them.
Did God use Kenobi, a two-year-old kitten from the Human Society, to draw me near to Him? I feel God’s love when I love Kenobi, knowing without my sacrificial love, he wouldn’t be alive. I saved his life because I esteemed his value even if others didn’t. I saw a greater lesson, a greater message, and a greater story of love. Just as God cares for the sparrow that falls from a tree, God revealed His eternal love for me through Kenobi’s brokenness and healing.

Kenobi's hair is already growing back.


Saturday, July 30, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: SEVENTH DIMENSION - THE KING: A Young Adult Fantasy: “The Series Appeals to Old and Young Alike”

Having enjoyed the first novel in this series I was enthusiastic to read this book, the second novel in the series. I adore young adult novels (despite being far older than a young adult!) and this novel did not disappoint. The novel is a wonderful, and intriguing, mix of historical, spiritual, and supernatural, all merged into an imaginative story. 

The story moves at a fast and engaging pace, and the plot is full of adventure, fantasy, history, and interesting settings and characters. For those who have not read the first in the series, this novel can be read as a standalone, as the reader will have no trouble understanding what is going on (some parts at the beginning may be a little confusing, but if you persevere the story comes together). 

If you love fantasy novels and enjoy elements of time travel, history, and spirituality mixed into a coming-of-age, creative plot then I am sure you will also enjoy this novel.~Amazon Reviewer




Sunday, July 24, 2016

LATEST FROM LORILYN ROBERTS – Testimony of God’s Grace, Audio Books, Book Quotes, Book Reviews, and More



Two days before my 30th birthday my ex-husband left me for another woman. The house was cold and empty and I thought I would never be happy again. I didn’t want to live anymore and seriously considered ending my life. 

However, life keeps moving forward just as God’s kingdom advances unceasingly. I now have two beautiful internationally adopted daughters, I work at home providing broadcast captioning for television, and I just published my ninth book as an indy author.

Never give up on your dreams—commit your ways to God and He will give you so much more. If anything, I believe we make God too small. We try to create Him in our image and then when our puny dreams aren’t answered, we’re disappointed. Maybe we ask with the wrong motives at times, but more often than not, God wants to give us something better.

Destroyed in the Earthquake, 2015 -Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal


Recently I took a mission trip to Nepal with my younger daughter, Joy. We delivered a hundred pounds of books to orphans. God renewed my spirit on the trip, giving me a more positive attitude toward life and hope that no matter how wicked the world seems, His kingdom is moving forward. The gates of Hell will not prevail.

God put writing on my heart at a very young age—but without great grace, we can’t have great redemption. God surely had a lot of grace He needed to pour into me. I was a wounded spirit.

The hard things in life God used to make me teachable. Only when I came to the end of myself did I realize God really is everything He claims to be—and much more. I am thankful for those dark, fearful, waters almost thirty years ago. Without them, God couldn’t give me the books He wants me to write today.

I am now working on the fifth book in the Seventh Dimension Series where all the events from the first four books will culminate in a dramatic ending to surprise and hopefully satisfy the reader’s desire for a good story.

The process of writing puts me in the seventh dimension – where God reveals Himself to me in ways I don’t understand. The mystery of God keeps me from making God too small. If we don’t have hope that God can give us our ultimate dreams, then we have made God a stingy God. My hope, satisfaction, and supreme joy are wrapped up in my Lord and Savior. If ever I start to doubt God’s grace, I’m the one who has moved, not God.

I returned to college at the ripe old age of fifty-five and received my Master of Arts in Creative Writing. In the last three years, I have won over twenty awards for my writing. My prayer now is to be able to write full time and make a living from my books. In the meantime, I’m thankful for all the opportunities we have to get our books into the hands of readers. Currently, I am working to get my books into libraries. If I am successful, I’ll share in a future blog post what I did. If I’m not successful, I’ll share anyway—no need for others to repeat my utter failures, but I am optimistic.

I hope you will check out my new website at http://LorilynRoberts.com.



If you haven’t checked out my audiobooks, you can sample them on my website at http://LorilynRoberts.com



Enjoy this quote from my newest book Seventh Dimension – The City. 


“How far Lucifer had fallen—from the throne room of God to the bottomless pit. Once the most beautiful of God’s creation, now he embodied everything God hated—evil to the core.

“A snake-like tail protruded from his torso. The dragon’s grotesqueness was magnified when he occasionally shapeshifted into the golden angel as God made him in the beginning, if only for a fleeting moment, long enough to remember the magnificent splendor he once had. Now a fallen angel, he was the devil.”



Friday, July 15, 2016

PRESS RELEASE: SEVENTH DIMENSION YOUNG ADULT SERIES: “Wins 18th Book Award”




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Lorilyn Roberts, 352-359-XXXX 

Seventh Dimension Series Wins Eighteenth Award
 

GAINESVILLE, FL — July 14, 2016 —The Seventh Dimension Series brings together historical, contemporary, prophetic, and multicultural elements into an apocalyptic classic for today’s readers.

As the world teeters on the brink of war, The Seventh Dimension Series casts Yeshua front and center in a provocative battle between good and evil.

“When I began writing Seventh Dimension – The City, Book 4, I asked God to show me the conflict between good and evil,” says Lorilyn Roberts, “and God opened my eyes to unbelievable horror. Yeshua is the only way, the only truth, and the only answer to today’s problems in an increasingly hostile world.”


The Door Book 1, $14.95, ISBN 978-0-9891426-0-1; The King Book 2, $14.95, ISBN 978-0-9965322-3-5; The Castle Book 3, $14.95, ISBN 978-0-9965322-1-1; and The City Book 4, $14.95, ISBN 978-0-9965322-4-2 (The Mashiach, Book 5 will be released in 2017) are published through Lightning Source/Ingram as well as CreateSpace. For more information, visit http://LorilynRoberts.com.

Roberts is available for phone interviews, speaking engagements, and personal appearances.

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CONTACT: Lorilyn Roberts, authorLorilynRoberts@gmail.com, 352-359-XXXX


Wednesday, July 13, 2016

BOOK MARKETING: “Has Your Experience with CreateSpace Been a Positive One?” By Lorilyn Roberts




Recently, I received this question from William Burt, a YA Christian fantasy author, and a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network.

I’m curious: Has your experience with CreateSpace been a positive one? New authors are asking for recommendations.

📘📘📘📘📘

My initial reaction was another question: Do you need to have an account with CreateSpace if you load your book at this new Ingram Spark website:  http://www.ingramspark.com/

I’m in the process of helping a traditionally published author make the transition to indie, and since this is a new Ingram/Spark website, I’m looking into this as I write.

This is a complicated question — short answer, yes, I have been happy with CreateSpace. But Lightning Source is of higher quality, and if you can get author copies as cheaply through Ingram Spark as you can through CreateSpace (at the above website), you may not need to publish through CreateSpace.

My books are on Lighting Source through a different platform, much less user-friendly, the original site, so that’s why I have my books on CreateSpace — it’s free and convenient.

The one time I had issues with CreateSpace, they made it right.  I had ordered 30 books for an event, and two days before the event and long after they promised delivery, I called them because I hadn’t received the shipment. They sent those books out expedited free of charge through a different printer.  They have more than one printer.

I eventually received the first shipment and CreateSpace gave the books to me for free.  Sometimes a book isn’t printed properly, but in my opinion, having grown up in a family business that published maps, I know that is to be expected. There will be some that need to be thrown out.  When I was a child, that was one of my jobs, to cull out those that had any kind of issue — and CreateSpace will reship those books for free. I’ve done this in the past.

Also, I saw on one website where authors were complaining that CreateSpace wasn’t free and they would try to sell you all their other products — covers, editing, et cetera.  That’s YOUR CHOICE.  I felt like that was misleading and unfair.  
 
The site where the article was posted was also a competitor, and they had stirred up the fires to generate more business for themselves—what I consider very deceptive advertising. Authors had simply jumped on the bandwagon with complaints, some of which were unfair. I have nothing to gain or lose with this statement. This is my opinion based on years of being an indie author and having published my books with multiple publishers. 

I have never paid a dime to CreateSpace to publish my books, and I have nine books published through them. Those extra paid services are there for those who need them.  AND — I have republished the same book through CreateSpace when I have found mistakes or done revisions, and I have never been charged for those updates. 

That is VERY DIFFERENT from Lightning Source or any POD publisher. There is a fee for everything. I would recommend new authors learn the ropes with CreateSpace (for free), and then once they know what they are doing, add on Ingram Spark. Why? You will never get your books into bookstores and libraries in any significant way without returnability. CreateSpace doesn’t give you that.

Also, one final comment on CreateSpace: Your books are almost immediately available through CreateSpace once they have been vetted. That process might take a couple of days. You can also use their online program to check your book before giving the final approval to CreateSpace — for things like margin placement, and you can start the process over as many times as you need FOR FREE until you get it right. CreateSpace gives you a free template to use, and they have phone support FOR FREE.

I don’t think you will find any publisher that gives you this level of support FOR FREE. 

Great question, William. If you have more questions, send them my way, and I will try to answer them through blog posts.

To learn more about Lorilyn Roberts, the founder of the John 3:16 Marketing Network, visit LorilynRoberts.com

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: “Seventh Dimension – The City: A Young Adult Fantasy,” Five Stars from Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Emily-Jane Hills Orford



Reviewed by  for Readers’ Favorite

“Time is an illusion until God’s appointed time.” This is oft repeated, stressed, in fact, in Lorilyn Roberts’ aspiring young adult novel, Seventh Dimension: The City. And what is the seventh dimension? Mathematically, it is quite beyond our simple expectations, but if we think in God’s perspective, it is all consuming, everything and beyond. 

Shale and Daniel are off on another adventure, one that takes them into the realms beyond this world: the underworld and Hades. Evil forces are set upon luring the young couple from their blossoming faith in the Messiah, King Yeshua. Shale has spoken out about her faith at school, to her mother and her friends, even to her father, Brutus, and his frighteningly mystical wife, Scylla. 


Not all have listened, but when she’s sent on a treacherous mission across the ocean to Israel to find the scrolls she had buried in another time, another dimension, she continues to share her belief even when she feels her own faith challenged. 



It is a difficult time with her home country of the United States blacked out by some mysterious force, and the world and within Israel erupting in chaos. 

But once she meets her old friend, Daniel, whom she met previously in another time, another dimension, she is set on her course to follow him and find his father who is being held captive somewhere in Nepal. To what end? Well, that’s the adventure and it’s a real end-of-the-world thriller with all the evil forces rising up. Armageddon is nigh, but will evil prevail?

Lorilyn Roberts captures the reader’s attention from the very first line and carries the excitement to a compelling climax and resolution. Her sense of adventure parallels the adventure of learning and accepting our Messiah, in living our faith to its fullest. 


The story is one of a series, but it can and does stand alone as a powerful witness to the supremacy of our living God. An exciting read, but also a deeply emotional and thought-provoking one.



To learn more or to purchase, click here.