Here is a copy of my September 12, 2024 E-Newsletter, “Love Through the Eyes of Faith”. (It’s a bit blurry because I enlarged it for this post. However, when you receive it, you should be able to enlarge it to read, if you need to, without any issues. I haven’t had any complaints from those receiving it.) It is a monthly newsletter that I send out the 12th of each month. If you’d like to receive a copy of my newsletter in your email inbox on the 12th of each month, click on my email address under “Contact Me” on the right sidebar and send an email to me so I can add you to my list. This post will remain easy to find under the tab: “My Books & Publishing News”.
I met a new friend this week. As you can probably tell from my posture in the photo above, I immediately wanted to play with her. To Mom’s surprise, she was not afraid of me and she wanted to play with me too. Mom laughed when she playfully growled at me.
My new friend’s name is Daisy. She is a Cavalier King Charles puppy. Mom was finally able to capture a shot of her cute little face in this photo. After we played for awhile, the lady who owns Daisy decided to walk with us, and Mom thought it was so cute how Daisy followed after me. I like my new friend!
Inseparable (Shards of Sevia Book 6) by E. B. Roshan is now available. It is the final book in the “Shards of Sevia” series. Each of the books in the series can be read as stand-alones, but there are connections to characters and/or events in each book, so I suggest you read them in order.
The Shards of Sevia is a series of books about characters who live in a country ravaged by war. In the final installation, the characters, Radoslav and Dunya, were brought together by the war. Now, they are trying to live a peaceful existence, with their adoptive son, in a fishing village far from the conflict zone. Or are they? They may not be near the brunt of the fighting and violence of the war, but they still face conflicts – the main one being Dunya’s brother’s reaction and opinion of Dunya’s marriage to Radoslav. As they attempt to adjust to a new life, they soon receive news that requires them to travel to a town near the fighting. During their journey, more trouble comes.
Inseparable is filled with danger, trouble, and suspense. E. B. Roshan keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as they hope all will turn out well for Radoslav, Dunya, and their little boy. Roshan does a great job of portraying life in a war-torn area and portraying the troubles between two groups of people and the government.
As the dangers and problems ramp up, the reader continues turning pages, sometimes holding their breath and hoping for a happy ending. This story is intense and the ending bittersweet, making it very realistic and leaving the reader with the realization of what it’s like to live in a place where war, if not in your immediate vicinity, is all around you and has an effect on your life that could be detrimental in one way or another. But, Inseparable also touches on the internal struggles and emotions that, not only face people in a war zone, but that face people from anywhere in any stage of life. Dunya’s internal struggles are realistic, making her a very relatable character.
I have read all of the books in the “Shards of Sevia” series by E. B. Roshan and I highly recommend them to readers who enjoy realistic stories that include love stories. No, not romance, but love. There is a difference. I have enjoyed these books, but I have to say that the first book and this last book are my favorites. I also recommend these books to both men and women. I look forward to seeing what E. B. Roshan comes up with next.
Hi, it’s me again, Harper! Mom and I are happy for cooler temperatures. Mom now takes me out in the backyard once or twice a day, not just to do my potty, but to play and to run! I love to run!
I want to give you an update on Mom. She really has tried to faithfully post five days a week here and she’s accomplished it a couple times. However, it’s more than she can possibly do at this time. She has a lot of responsibilities: she takes Grandma to all her medical appointments because Grandma is alone and has some health issues; she takes care of me, which means feeding me breakfast and dinner, lunchtime treats, and after dinner, she gives me glucosamine treats to keep my joints healthy, and she walks me three to four times a day and I already mentioned our time in the backyard — yes, she goes out with me and plays with me. She takes care of our household, which means doing four or five loads of laundry every week, cooking dinner for two to four people, depending on who is going to be home, and cleaning the house. She also is an author and an editor, so she has to spend most of five days a week working on her current novel, doing what she can to market her book to make sales, and as an editor, she works on editing other author’s upcoming books for them. Therefore, I have to tell you that Mom will let me continue to post here every Wednesday. Other than that, Mom will post what she can, when she can, as far as the other days go.
Now let’s talk about squirrels!
See the squirrel in the photo above? Well, this is the largest yard in our neighborhood and there are always lots of squirrels in that yard. I used to want to chase them all the time, but soon realized I’m always on a leash, so I can’t chase them. So, now I will often stop and watch them. That’s what I did when I saw this guy, but I must have made him nervous because he started to move toward a tree.
The photo above is the same squirrel. Partway to the tree, he got curious and stopped to watch us.
We saw the squirrel in the photo above a day or so later in the same yard. He was enjoying a couple acorns and was startled when he first saw me, and he ran to the foot of the tree. Then he stopped, picked up another acorn and the two of us stared each other down for awhile. These little guys fascinate me. They move so fast I’d really like to know if I could catch one if I wasn’t leashed.
It is important to read the word of God, the Bible, daily and to ponder what it says. It is also important to be sure you do not take it out of context, and it is helpful to discuss Scripture with someone who has studied it in depth and is older and wiser in the Word of God than you are.
I enjoy digging into the word of God, and I am blessed to have a very wise Sunday School teacher who served as a pastor many years, ministered to men in prison and in drug and alcohol rehabilitation ministries. He teaches a book of the Bible, verse by verse, and in an hour long Sunday School class, we often only get through 3-5 verses because of how deep he leads us to study, pointing out other verses in other books of the Bible that confirm the verses we are looking at. In addition, he digs into the history from which the verses come and teaches us that history.
Today, I want to look at Scripture that deals with driving out demons. There are quite a few Bible verses where Jesus drove demons out of people. However, in today’s world, there are some people who claim they can and do drive demons out of people. Is there Biblical scripture that confirms that?
There are only two places where I find anything about people, other than Jesus, driving out demons:
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them, “Take nothing for the journey–no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about? ” And he tried to see him. (Luke 9:1-9 NIV)
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, you go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
“Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depth.
“Hewho listens to you listens to me; he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10: 1-20)
These things happened during Jesus’ ministry on earth, before his death and resurrection.
Some churches still believe that people can have the power to cast out demons. However, looking at the two scriptures above, Jesus gave that power, first to his twelve disciples, and then to seventy-two of his followers. These are the only places in scripture where Jesus did this and both times, the ability was given to a limited number of people.
Now, look at the following scripture, especially the second paragraph that talks about prophesying, casting out demons, and performing miracles:
This is Jesus speaking: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheeps’ clothing but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannnot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Matthew 7:15-23 NIV)
Our Sunday School teacher pointed out that Jesus did give certain commands to certain people or groups of people that also apply to us, such as, the commands he shared with the rich, young ruler in (Matthew 19:17-19 NIV):
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” “Which ones? the man inquired. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.
And in (Matthew 22:35-38 NIV) when one of the Pharisees, an expert in the law, tested Jesus by asking the question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all you soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
These commands that he gave are meant for us as well, as is the Great Commission, which can be found in Matthew 28:16-20, for there is nowhere in Scripture that tells us we will be punished for doing these things. Unlike Matthew 7:15-23 (above), which clearly tells us we must not do the things this Scripture speaks about, such as driving out demons or Christ will deny us.
