Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Reporting the News at the Car Window



The young man pulled his polished black car onto our front lawn, the loud double tail pipes of his sporty vehicle announcing his arrival.

He didn’t go to the door but waited in the car. The most beautiful redhead in our family, however, still was getting ready. Four of us five sisters had red hair, and three of us were covered with freckles. Joan didn’t have a freckle on her—and she had blue eyes!

So it wasn’t all that unusual for her to have a beau, but this fellow must have had a lot of confidence. Even I, the youngest of the eight siblings in our family, noticed his cockiness.

About age 9 or 10, I peered into his car window. “Hello,” I said, watching his fingers dance on the steering wheel.

“Why hello!” he said, probably seeing a chance to rise above the boredom waiting for his gal. “How are you this fine day?”

“Good,” I said with a smile. “Sorry Joan isn’t ready yet. She takes for-ev-er to get ready to go anywhere.”

“That right? I was beginning to worry she had a problem.”

I laughed. “Oh, she has problems all right.”

The guy began asking me riddles, and then he told two or three simple jokes.

I laughed and laughed. “You are really funny. You know what my Daddy calls you? “Tee Hee, and I don’t think Joan likes that name. She said you’re too silly.”

His smile disappeared, but then Joan slammed the screen door and ran to the car.

Years later I confessed to Joan what I said.

“He never asked me out again,” she said. “I always wondered why.”

She wasn’t that surprised that I’d passed on the negative things she said about the guy, and she wasn’t even surprised I passed on what I heard, because I was the family tattletale.

No wonder when I became an adult the career I chose was reporting for a newspaper. I’d been a reporter all my life!

DO REPORT THE NEWS?

 Every Christian has good news to share. Acts 1:8 says when we're filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be His witnesses. Having the opportunity because of Jesus to live forever is good news! But others need to know so they can accept Him.


Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Nike Chillemi: What on earth is Christian New Adult Fiction?




By Nike Chillemi

New Adult fiction has emerged as its own category or sub-genre under the Young Adult genre. College students, grads, and twenty-somethings in their new jobs would like to read fiction featuring characters like themselves. Until recently there hasn't been many novels delving into the issues this age group faces as they try to navigate in the adult world.

It's been said that New Adult is basically YA with obscenity and sex thrown in and it's certainly a relatively high number of these books are just that. However, that is not what Christian New Adult is all about. In its finest form, Christian New Adult depicts main characters with complex issues who are on a personal journey into adulthood. At its best New Adult depicts characters solving difficult personal conflicts while stretching into new and possibly uncomfortable possibilities as they approach adulthood.  

Blurb:


Corey Jones had been the man in his house since age twelve, when his alcoholic dad abandoned him and his mom. Once in a while, his dad showed up trying to extort money from them using threats. Then his blue-haired, self-centered cousin Ava came to live with them and the way she treats his mom enrages him.

Ivy is thrilled when she meets an upper classman from a neighboring college and thinks he might be 'that guy.' When she is horribly betrayed, her world is thrown upside-down, and she plunges into a depression.  In a steady and kind of clumsy way, Corey is there for her during her worst moments. But his family is plagued with alcoholism, the life she had with her mom, the life she ran away from. What's wrong with her that she attracts the wrong guys? As if that weren't bad enough, there's an arsonist terrorizing their tiny village.



Nike Chillemi bio:




Nike is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and its Chair, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She has been a judge in the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories; and an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category. Her four novel Sanctuary Point series (out of print), set in the mid-1940s has finaled, won an award, and garnered critical acclaim. The first novel in the Veronica "Ronnie" Ingels/Dawson Hughes series HARMRUL INTENT won in the Grace Awards 2014 Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller/Historical Suspense category. She has written book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and John 3:16 Marketing Network.  http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/


Nike on Twitter @NikeNChillemi


Saturday, October 21, 2017

Pity Party and Peach Blossom Rancher .99 sale


One my gifts: A granddaughter

NEWS FLASH: On Thursday, Oct. 19, Peach Blossom Rancher will be .99 on the first day of a Count-Down Deal offered by Elk Lake Publishing Inc. The price will be .99 until Oct. 24, when the book will be $3.99. Get e-book or paperback on Amazon now at http://amzn.to/2arRVgG

Fall 2017 newsletter

One day I had a big pity party for myself and I was the whole guest list. I cried out to the Lord with my complaints while I wept. I’ve made a habit of telling Him all my troubles since my youth, and I’ve felt pretty good about it.

Yet that day I felt God throwing out the goodies I’d placed on my pity party plate. He jerked the back of my collar and I heard Him speak into my spirit: “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”

Those words recorded in John 16:33 begin with “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.” Then he goes on to say, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

How long has it been since you knew God loves you and can turn what you’re going through into something good?

How long has it been since you’ve looked at the past to see the amazing blessing of the Lord in spite of difficulty?

Are your children and grandchildren losing their faith in God and the importance of His work in their lives?

Are you discouraged spiritually and going through a hard time?

Do you believe God is working in your life today and in the future?

God can turn miserable moments into jubilant joy. That’s what happened when I spent five years in a Utah town, population 100, three bars, no church, zero Christian friends. I never would have been a writer or a newspaper reporter if I hadn’t gone through Thompson, Utah. I also would not have discovered the wonder of God answering prayer when I asked the Lord for a helper and within a week He sent a beautiful Baptist gal my age to help create a Sunday school in that town. We had the joy of telling 16 children who had never heard about Jesus, and because of Jesus they can live forever!

Perhaps that’s why my writing brand is “Stick-to-your-soul Encouragement.” From my first book Confessions of a Pentecostal and my other non-fiction books, Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal; Imagine the Future You; and Facts, Faith & Propaganda; to my fiction books, Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult; The Lady Fugitive; and Peach Blossom Rancher; I’ve hoped and prayed readers feel encouraged spiritually when they go through the conflict, suspense, humor, romance,--and turn the last page.

 I hear from many readers that they enjoy the books and the truths shared there, but they also are encouraged! I was blessed recently by a friend who told me at church she wanted a paperback copy of Joe the Dreamer so she could share it at a library. “It’s the best book I’ve read in years and even though it was written in 2013 it’s similar to what’s occurring in our country today,” she said.”

I enjoy letting you get acquainted with my characters, and sharing things I’ve learned over the years. It’s is all about you—my readers.

I cherish knowing you, giving you a glimpse of my life and my Lord – and even recipes.

FYI: Paperback copies of my books will be available at Central Assembly’s Holiday Expo on Nov. 3. Or order anytime on Amazon.



Recipe

PUMPKIN GINGER SQUARES

1 cup flour

½ cup oatmeal

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup margarine



Combine until crumbly. Press into 13 X 9 pan. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

FILLING:

2 cups or one 16-ounce can pumpkin

2 eggs

½ teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 (10-ounce can) evaporated milk



Beat well. Pour over crust and bake 30 minutes.

TOPPING

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons margarine

½ cup nuts



Crumble. Sprinkle over filling and bake 30-40 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean.









WATCH OUT FOR WOLVES!

By Ada Nicholson Brownell



A young couple, newlyweds, and very much in love, enjoyed the freedom they gained when they got away from their parents.

One example of this new freedom was Sunday mornings. Although the young husband and wife were good Christians, they enjoyed not having Mom or Dad yell at them about 7 a.m., “Hey! It’s time to get up and get ready for Sunday school!”

At first they attended Sunday school once in a while, and then it became easier to sleep in an extra hour. Besides, they didn’t really fit in with the other young married couples anyway. Most of them had children.

A year later they still had no fellowship in the church. Their closest friends were not Christians. Now instead of missing only Sunday school, they eliminated Sunday evening and Wednesday evening services and were spasmodic in their Sunday morning worship attendance.

Even though they witnessed occasionally, their personal devotions suffered. It seemed there was never enough time. Their circle of unsaved friends became closer.

Things they used to regard as sin suddenly appeared harmless. They began drinking socially. Then they used the Lord’s name in vain, and their consciences didn’t even wince because almost everyone they knew talked that way.

In a few months both had committed adultery. They planned to repent. They even made an appointment with a marriage counselor. But they didn’t live to keep it. They both died in a car accident.

This young couple separated themselves from the Lord’s flock, and Satan, like a wolf, found them an easy target.

When a wolf attacks a flock of sheep, it first makes a swift wild approach. If all the sheep stay together as they run away, the wolf ends the chase. If, however, one of the sheep gets cut off from the rest or falls behind the wolf pounces on it, snarlingly rips open the throat, and begins to eat the flesh.

“Behold I send you forth as lambs among wolves,” Jesus told His disciples (Luke 10:3).

The apostle Paul also warned against wolves: “After my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29).

Satan uses some of the same tactics as a wolf. That’s why he hates Christian fellowship so much. He’d rather get the Christian off alone so he can come in for the kill.

Those who have studied wolves say that endurance, not speed, is the wolf’s secret of success. The wolf can travel for hours at a fast dogtrot. It lopes at 20 mph across the miles, but can go twice that fast when it comes in for the kill.

Satan also is known for his endurance. He travels on the Christian’s heels, waiting for the right opportunity to move in. No matter how far we go with the Lord, Satan is still ready to come at our throats when we least expect him.

Domestic animals are their most likely prey, and because of this bounties have been placed on wolves. One of the most famous wolves, called Custer, avoided capture 10 years with a $500 bounty on his head. He was blamed for destroying $25,000 worth of domestic animals!

Domestic animals are easy victims for the wolf because they lost their native agility and ability to defend themselves when they no longer had to hunt for their food.

Some Christians likewise have become pampered domestic pets with no ability to fight against the devil. These Christians insist that the pastor or someone constantly attend to them. They don’t search the Word for spiritual wisdom and guidance, but insist on getting their spiritual food from the hand of another Christian.

These spoon-fed Christians become confused when Satan attacks because they haven’t put on the believer’s defense. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10, 11).

The Christian can stand in the face of the enemy. The howl of the wolf in the dark hours should not strike terror in the hearts of the Good Shepherd’s sheep who have the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit.

Even though the Lord Jesus Christ has gone away into heaven, He gave us power to meet the snarling attacks of Satan.  For “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Discouraged? Pity Party or Renewable Energy?


Ada Brownell Writing Ministries



NEWS FLASH: On Thursday, Oct. 19, Peach Blossom Rancher will be .99 on the first day of a Count-Down Deal offered by Elk Lake Publishing Inc. The price will gradually increase each day until Oct. 24, when the book will be $3.99.  Get now at http://amzn.to/2arRVgG

Fall 2017 newsletter

One day I had a big pity party for myself and I was the whole guest list. I cried out to the Lord with my complaints while I wept. I’ve made a habit of telling Him all my troubles since my youth, and I’ve felt pretty good about it.

Yet that day I felt God throwing out the goodies I’d placed on my pity party plate. He jerked the back of my collar and I heard Him speak into my spirit: “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”

Those words recorded in John 16:33 begin with “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.” Then he goes on to say, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

How long has it been since you knew God loves you and can turn what you’re going through into something good?

How long has it been since you’ve looked at the past to see the amazing blessing of the Lord in spite of difficulty?

Are your children and grandchildren losing their faith in God and the importance of His work in their lives?

Are you discouraged spiritually and going through a hard time?

Do you believe God is working in your life today and in the future?

God can turn miserable moments into jubilant joy. That’s what happened when I spent five years in a Utah town, population 100, three bars, no church, zero Christian friends. I never would have been a writer or a newspaper reporter if I hadn’t gone through Thompson, Utah. I also would not have discovered the wonder of God answering prayer when I asked the Lord for a helper and within a week He sent a beautiful Baptist gal my age to help create a Sunday school in that town. We had the joy of telling 16 children who had never heard about Jesus, and because of Jesus they can live forever!

Perhaps that’s why my writing brand is “Stick-to-your-soul Encouragement.” From my first book Confessions of a Pentecostal and my other non-fiction books, Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal; Imagine the Future You; and Facts, Faith & Propaganda; to my fiction books, Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult; The Lady Fugitive; and Peach Blossom Rancher; I’ve hoped and prayed readers feel encouraged spiritually when they go through the conflict, suspense, humor, romance,--and turn the last page.

 I hear from many readers that they enjoy the books and the truths shared there, but they also are encouraged! I was blessed recently by a friend who told me at church she wanted a paperback copy of Joe the Dreamer so she could share it at a library. “It’s the best book I’ve read in years and even though it was written in 2013 it’s similar to what’s occurring in our country today,” she said.”

I enjoy letting you get acquainted with my characters, and sharing things I’ve learned over the years. It’s is all about you—my readers.

I cherish knowing you, giving you a glimpse of my life and my Lord – and even recipes.

FYI: Paperback copies of my books will be available at Central Assembly’s Holiday Expo on Nov. 3. Or order anytime on Amazon.



Recipe

PUMPKIN GINGER SQUARES

1 cup flour
½ cup oatmeal
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup margarine
Combine until crumbly. Press into 13 X 9 pan. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

FILLING:
2 cups or one 16-ounce can pumpkin
2 eggs
½ teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (10-ounce can) evaporated milk
Beat well. Pour over crust and bake 30 minutes.

TOPPING

½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons margarine
½ cup nuts

Crumble. Sprinkle over filling and bake 30-40 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean.

PEACH BLOSSOM RANCHER SUMMARY

Peach Blossom Rancher, an historical romance

The sequel to The Lady Fugitive; Book 2 in the Peaches and Dreams series.

Suspense, romance, humor, murder, insanity, hope

 For Christians who love a great book they feel good about reading.

By Ada Brownell

A handsome young man inherits a ranch in ruin and a brilliant doctor is confined to an insane asylum because of one seizure. Yet their lives intersect.

John Lincoln Parks yearns for a wife to help rebuild the ranch and eyes Valerie MacDougal, a young widow who homesteaded, but also is an attorney.

Will the doctor ever be released from the asylum? Will John marry Valerie or Edwina Jorgenson, the feisty rancher-neighbor he constantly fusses with? This neighbor has a Peeping Tom whose bootprints are like the person’s who dumped a body in John’s barn. Will John even marry, or be hanged for the murder?

Ada’s Qualifications to write this book

The author is a journalist who spent a good chunk of her life in the newsroom at The Pueblo Chieftain. She has a little experience with horses, but even more experience with the mentally ill. The Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, a former asylum, was on her beat. Ada grew up in peach country. Picked fruit, worked in a peach packing shed  inspecting peaches.
Get e-book or paperback on Amazon now at http://amzn.to/2arRVgG








Friday, October 13, 2017

Defense: A SWORD IN THE NIGHT


Our grandchildren at play defending Aslan

By Ada Nicholson Brownell

Shouldn’t I say something to defend my Lord?

Much changed in the world between the time I was employed in the 1960s and when I reentered the work force recently.

Filthy language assaulted my ears then, but not to the extent it does now. Gutter talk has been elevated to everyday conversation, and it appears no words or subjects are off limits.

Even though I cringed every time I heard God’s name taken in vain, it seemed every dirty word clawed at my flesh, I managed to smile and go about my work.

But there was one thing I could not ignore: the deliberate, sacrilegious mockery of the Lord Jesus Christ.

One evening at work a young man who was brilliant and likable—despite an obvious bitterness toward God—was reading something that pertained to Jesus. He was the office clown, and his outburst of profanity and strange twists of wit usually brought gales of laughter from those around him.

Suddenly that night he began acting as if he were praying. He called upon Jesus in mockery, trying to feign sincerity.

Since I was busy, I thought I could ignore him; but the tumbling forth of his mockery assaulted my ears.

I had been subjected to such things before at the secular university I attended. Open attack on the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ seems to be popular among non-Christians today.

Previously I coined my own phrase about it: “Atheism is the opiate of the sinner.”

But as the young man pretended to pray, I found myself growing angry. I felt an intense desire to say something—to shut his mouth. I felt I should defend my Lord.

At the same time, I was hurt and wanted to cry. The Lord Jesus Christ is my life, my all. How could I continue to allow such profanity in my presence?

At other places where I had worked, people noticed I was different, and slowly the atmosphere changed. But this fellow seemed to take particular pleasure in attacking the Lord when I was present. And I said nothing.

For the next three weeks I wept at every church service I attended. After working in   such an ungodly atmosphere, when I went to church I felt as if I’d gone to heaven. As uncontrollable tears ran down my cheeks and I basked in the love and presence of the Lord, I felt I had failed miserably in the office. Shouldn’t I say or do something in defense of my Lord?

The third week I was still having trouble with tears as the minister preached. During his sermon, he mentioned how Peter had tried to defend the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus.

As the soldiers seized Jesus, Peter drew his sword. The weapon flashed in the darkness and evidently he soldier ducked, for Peter cut off the soldier’s ear.

“Put away your sword,” Jesus said. “If I wanted protections, I could call ten legions of angels to assist me.”

Then Jesus touched the soldier’s ear and healed him (Luke 22:51).

Even though I had studied the incident many times, suddenly it came alive with new meaning. It made me realize how much God loves sinners! His love goes beyond my anger and desire to retaliate.

He doesn’t want my defense. He doesn’t need it. He wants me to show others His love—not anger; not a sword!

In spite of a sinner’s rebellion against Him Jesus still loves that sinner. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” Jesus said (John 15:13).

The supreme act of love already has been given for me and for the office clown. I began praying more earnestly that he would accept that love— and that he would see that godly love in me.

THE PENTECOSTAL EVANGEL, July 22, 1984


Saturday, October 7, 2017

WHAT'S YOUR REASON FOR NOT GOING TO CHURCH?


WHAT’S YOUR REASON?

By Ada Nicholson Brownell



The man was about 60. He was dirty and missing a few teeth.

“I haven’t been to church for about 30 years,” he said. Last time I went, I had a brand new hat. I hung it in the vestibule. When I went to get it after the service, it was gone, and a dirty shabby one was left in its place. I vowed I’d never go to church again. I never have and I never will.

(Jesus once lost a garment too, for it is written, “And they crucified him and parted his garments, casting lots…”)

“You want to know why I don’t go to church?” a young fellow responded. “The last time I went I tore a hole in a brand new suit. The pew had a nail sticking out of it. I’ll never go again.”

(There were some nails in an old rugged cross, too, for the Bible says, “I shall see in his hands the prints of the nails…”)

“Every time I go to church someone asks me to get saved,” a teen complained. “I’m tired of it. I’m not going anymore.”

(When the thief was dying on the cross, he did not wait for someone to invite him, but said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom…”}

“They’re always asking for money,” grumbled a well-dressed gentleman. “That’s why I don’t go.”

(Some people, like the rich young ruler who talked with Jesus, would rather die rich but unhappy, it seems. “And he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions…”}

“I know a deacon who is a crook,” a thin middle-aged man said “My wife couldn’t drag me to church with her.”

(Eleven of Christ’s disciples could have offered this same excuse. Jesus knew this and said, “Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”)

“They’re too strict,” a coed said of her parents’ church. I want to find out what goes on the world. I’m through with church.”

(If she would have been living when Jesus was on earth, she would have considered Him too strict, for He said, “Enter ye at the strait gate…because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life…”)

We must recognize churchgoing doesn’t make a person a Christian—only the new birth can do that—but not one of these people professed to be serving the Lord despite the imperfections of the church. Not many people do.

If you don’t go to church or serve the Lord, perhaps you have your own favorite reason. Of course, you know it should be a good reason because it will be all you have to tell God when you stand before Him and try to explain why you didn’t serve Him.

It should be a good reason because it will have to show why you didn’t accept Jesus’ sufferings for your sins. He knows the imperfections of His church better than you do, but He does not forsake it. His love for us is enough to bind Him to us.

Whatever your reason for avoiding God and not associating with His people, ought to be good enough to comfort you for a Christless eternity.

Wouldn’t it be better, though, to recognize that excuse for what it is—a flimsy device to justify your rejection of Christ by the visible rejection of the church—than to face up to it when it’s too late?

Don’t let your excuses keep you away from God for another hour. You’ll find many good reasons for serving God in this life, and more in the world to come.



THE PENTECOSTAL EVANGEL, January 15, 1967