Receiving Healing and Help from God — Mustard Seed Faith for the Struggling Writer

Luke 9:37-42, Mark 9:14-28, Matthew 17:14-20

Receiving Healing and Help from God — Mustard Seed Faith

Answers to our prayers bring conflict, division and opposition. “When Jesus came to the other disciples, he saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them (the other nine disciples).” Our attempts to believe in the power of Jesus will always lead to conflict, division, and opposition. Nine other disciples had tried to heal one boy. They had failed. Earlier these nine, plus Peter, James, and John, had gone out in pairs and healed all they met. They had driven out demons. Now their failure to help one boy threatened the reputation of Jesus. If his disciples proved to be frauds, then the Scribes’ argument that Jesus was a false teacher would carry greater weight.

Answers to our prayers includes humility. “A man came and knelt before Jesus.” In contrast to the nine disciples and the Scribes, the father moved passed arguments and acknowledged that he needed Jesus’ help. Casting blame hinders our ability to draw close to Jesus. Forgive, be reconciled, and draw near to him.

Answers to our prayers include repentance for both us and others. The father said, “Lord, have mercy on my son.” James declares that the prayers of righteous individuals are powerful (James 5:16). Even though none of us are righteous on our own, through the blood of Christ we are made righteous. Before we make our requests to God, repent, confess our sins, and in humility come before God with our prayers lists of petitions.

Answers to our prayers include clear and detailed descriptions of the affliction or situation. “My boy has seizures and suffers greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. He is possessed by a spirit that robs him of speech. Whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him into convulsions and onto the ground. He foams at the mouth. He gnashes his teeth. He becomes rigid. He suddenly screams. This spirit scarcely ever leaves him. This spirit is destroying him.” Effective prayer includes specifics. Not because Jesus needs to know, but because we need to be able to testify later of all that he did. In listing details of the affliction we give weight to the power of Jesus’ healing and help. But we should be careful not to glorify the affliction or situation. Do not claim it as yours by saying, “My ____ (disease, problem).”  The affliction or situation is not ours. It’s of the devil. He came to steal, kill, and destroy and Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.

Answers to our prayers often include a recap of past attempts at healing and help. “I brought my boy to _____ but they could not heal (help).” Before Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, we learn that she had spent all she had on doctors but none could help her. In fact, she grew worse. The contrast of failed attempts at healing and help reveals our need for God in all situations. We should be careful, however, not to blame on those who tried to help us and failed. Blame and shaming can block the flow of healing and help from God.

In our next lesson on healing and help we will look at the importance of pure faith.

Pirate Gospel

COVER REVEAL COMING SOON!

Pirate Gospel: The Adventures and Tales of John Mark

Being a lass or feller be both fun and scary. Fun on account of ya have tha freedom ter sail yer own course. Scary on account of tha world be rife with monsters and demons in caves of blackness whar poor souls be held hostage by dark thoughts.

If ya be drowning in a sea of worries and fear, anxious ’bout what tomorrow ‘ill bring, no worries, mate. Climb aboard Skipper’s vessel and follow his Sun as we sail towards paradise whar thar be good news, hope, and life fer ever.

Sample Pirate Gospel ―The Adventures and Tales of John Mark for FREE at Pirate Preacher

★ COVER REVEAL COMING SOON! ★

Skull Creek Stakeout Wins 2021 Purple Dragonfly Award

Congratulations to our 2021 Purple Dragonfly Award Winners!

Skull Creek Stakeout by Eddie Jones takes

2nd place in ebook Middle Grade Fiction

Skull Creek Stakeout Wins 2021 Purple Dragonfly AwardA murder . . . A mystery . . . A monster . . . Is there a vampire killer running loose in Transylvania, North Carolina. ★ 2021 Purple Dragonfly Award Winner for Middle Grade Fiction ★

Last summer, Nick Caden became an Internet celebrity for almost a whole day when he discovered Billy the Kid’s killer in the “living” ghost town of Deadwood. (Not the real Billy the Kid — he’s been dead for years.) When the owner of the Cool Ghoul Gazette learns of Nick’s super sleuthing skills, he hires Nick to investigate the death of a vampire. In Transylvania, North Carolina, Nick finds a corpse with fangs, bite marks and a stake driven through its heart.

But once he begins to peel back the clues surrounding the murder, Nick finds his new job is not only dangerous but could suck the life out of him.

Features:
* The Monster Mysteries are Award Winning Middle Grade Novels
* Each story involves a “monster” from the Bible: ghost, vampire origins, walking dead, man turned to beast, phantom
* Short, fun, fast read, spiced with humor and illustrations
* No profanity, sexual overtones or glorification of evil
* Book report / criminal report questions for each case

Benefits:
* Encourages readers to list suspects, follow clues, question motives, and look for half-truths and lies in alibis
* Reinforces the Golden Rule
* Honors family
* Middle Grade audiobooks series / audio books for teenagers
* A good boy book for boys who like to read

★ Help teen sleuth Nick Caden solve a vampire murder in Transylvania, NC ★
Complete the Skull Creek Stakeout: Official Criminal Inquiry: Write a Book Report – Catch a Crook to see if you have the makings of a homicide detective. With this easy-to-follow “homicide detective” worksheet, you can fill in the answers to the questions while you read. When finished, your book report should be thorough enough to convict a killer! Check out the book report questions on this page: amazon.com/dp/B088VL152Z/.

Awards for the Monster Mysteries series

  • Winner of the Selah award for tween / teen mystery series
  • INSPY Award nominee
  • Moonbeam Children’s Book Award nominee

Praise for the Monster Mysteries series

“This series has the same longevity and wholesome quality as “The Hardy Boys” and “Nancy Drew” but the author writes for today’s youth.” ~ Amazon review

“I enjoyed reading this fun, suspense adventure. Great book for middle school. Teen boys and girls will enjoy it, too!” ~ Amazon review

“I would think it would be for ages nine and up. A good Christian book for boys.” ~ Amazon review

“I was guessing until the end of the book. I did not know who it was. Even adults will enjoy this book.” ~ Amazon review

Parents can trust the Monster Mystery Series. There is no sexual dialogue or situations, violence, or strong language, only positive moral values.


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No Good Stede Goes Unpunished By Eddie Jones – 2021 Selah Finalist for YA Literature

Books for Boys Who Like to Read

Would you risk your life to go back in time to the golden age of piracy?


No Good Stede Goes Unpunished - AudiobookAt the conclusion of a seminar on, “Trances and Visions: Exploring the Out-of-Body Experience,” the wealthy daughter of a prominent physician approaches Ricky with an offer. “If my father could fix things so your mother would receive the best cancer treatment for free, would you go back in time to clear my ancestor’s good name?”

Ricky explains that he can’t simply will himself to have an episode and take a time-travel trip.

“Absence seizures don’t work that way. Even if I could go back, I can’t control when and where I end up.”

But Ricky also knows there have been instances where someone claimed they slipped into a trance and saw past and future events.

  • John, the Apostle of Christ.
  • Saul/Paul, also an Apostle of Christ.
  • Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter-day Saints.
  • Black American slave Nat Turner who led the only effective, sustained slave rebellion.

“They saw things,” Ricky says to the rich girl, “but didn’t change what happened in the past.”

Then, for the third time since last Christmas, Ricky experiences a short period of “blanking out” — of staring into and sailing through space and time.

Moments later Ricky finds himself in pirate land with Stede Bonnet, a rich sugar plantation owner who thought becoming a pirate might be a fun way to live out the rest of his life. And for Bonnet it was a Yabba Dabba Doo good time right up until the moment Ricky stepped aboard the Revenge.

Set sail from Barbados with Bonnet’s crew as they slant west towards the North American coast, and run afoul of the British Royal Navy, the good citizens of Charleston, and the pirate Blackbeard.

Will Ricky swing by the neck or die on the deck?

Would you risk your life to go back in time in order to save your mother?

Features:

* Historically accurate fiction (as close as possible)
* Short, fun, fast read
* Spiced with humor
* No profanity or sexual overtones
* No glorification of evil and wickedness

Benefits:

* Reinforces the Golden Rule
* Honors family
* Encourages readers to wonder “what if?”
* One of the best books for boys who do not like to read
* Also one of the best books for boys who like to read

Phantom Gunslinger Audiobook – 2021 Selah Awards Finalist

Books for Boys Who Like to Read

In Deadwood, you may lose your life. In Old West World you could lose your soul.


Phantom Gunslinger (Monster Mysteries) AudiobookSomeone is coming for Nick — and maybe his sister and all the girls who ever helped him solve a case. When Nick, Wendy, and Kat get trapped in Old West World on New Year’s Eve, Nick realizes someone is gunning for him. But who is this masked man and why does he want to face Nick in a show down on Main Street?

Chased by a psychotic wolf dog, Nick finds trouble at the Graveyard Gulch Gold Mine, tumbles into a crypt at Digger’s Undertaker, and becomes trapped on a train trestle with the Black Beauty’s cowcatcher bearing down. With a group of teen girls hiding in the Holy Ghost Church, several of whom prefer Nick drop dead, he summons all the courage he has and flunks pew plate target practice. Out of options and time, he walks into town to face the mysterious man dressed in black.

Will he learn why the phantom gunslinger wants him dead before Nick leaves Old West World in a pine box? In this middle-grade mystery suspense, award-winning author Eddie Jones takes readers on a Wild, Wild, West ride to the peak of a snow-covered Georgia mountain. In Old West World, doing the right thing may leave you on the wrong end of a tombstone.

The End of Calico Jack Wins 2020 Selah Award Winner for YA Literature

Adventure Fiction Books for Kids,Novel Series for Teen Boy, Novel Series for Teens, Pirate Fiction

 

2020 Selah Award Winner for YA Literature

In this YA pirate tale, award-winning author Eddie Jones blends action, adventure, and humor into a fictional retelling of the pirate exploits of Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read.

While searching for rumored treasure in a cave on Coffin Cay, a small island off the southwestern tip of Haiti (Hispaniola), Ricky suffers an absence seizure. During his last trance-like episode, Ricky uncovered a treasure from the Nuestra Señora de Riqueza, a vessel in an armada of ships sailing the Spanish Main. Now back on Coffin Cay with his parents, Ricky hunts for the treasure he found in the cave over three hundred years earlier during his trip back to pirate land.

The End of Calico Jack is a fictional retelling of the pirate escapades of Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read. The story is based on historical research of the life of “Calico Jack” John Rackham. Some liberties have been taken in the telling of the story, but many of the events reflect what historians believed happened to Jack, Mary, and Anne. Also, in real life those who suffer absence seizures may appear to be in a trance but cannot recall what happens during their episode. The book includes a PIRATE MAP of Calico Jack’s sailing routes and the ports he visited.

Features:

* Historically accurate fiction (as close as possible)
* Short, fun, fast read
* Spiced with humor
* No profanity or sexual overtones
* No glorification of evil and wickedness

Benefits:

* Reinforces the Golden Rule
* Honors family
* Encourages readers to wonder “what if?”
* One of the best books for boys who do not like to read
* Also one of the best books for boys who like to read

Readers Are Leaders!
The Caribbean Chronicles Series is a popular book series for boys who don’t like to read.
Written for the General Market (G) (I): Contains no; sexual dialogue or strong language.