Archive for the ‘Letter from Our Publisher’ Category

Is Christ in Your Christmas?: A Letter from Our Publisher

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For many adults and children alike, Christmas truly is “the most wonderful time of the year.” Families come together, gifts are exchanged, and plenty of food is eaten. But with so much going on, we can find ourselves so wrapped up in the business and blur of the season that we miss what Christmas is all about. We become so enveloped in trying to find the perfect Christmas tree, sing the perfect Christmas songs, and find that perfect gift for loved ones that we forget that these minor things are not the true meaning of Christmas. It is so important for us to realize that we need to slow down and be reminded of our Savior’s birth and the story of the first Christmas.
 Author Karen Straszheim shares her experience and thoughts about Christmas in her book A Sanctuary in Our Midst. She walks readers through that first Christmas night, shares of the events leading up to it, and explores what it means to us today. She reminds us not to get caught up or strung out in the midst of the holiday madness and rush. Her book helps place the focus where it should be during the busy Christmas season: on Jesus.

“People in the Bible were glad for what they learned about God from prophecy. At Christmas, we also can be glad for what we learn about God from Scripture. One day, we will enter heaven with everlasting joy. For now, we can enter Christmas with singing, gladness, and joy. He came so we can know Him.”

“If God had not loved and protected Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, what would have been the outcome for them? In Matthew, it says that “Herod gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under.” There was heard among the people “weeping and great mourning . . . Parents weeping for their children . . . because they [were] no more” (Matt. 2:16,18). But Joseph and Mary returned to Israel with their child still living. God’s love was shown to them through the protection of their child’s life.

“Some people feel unloved or abandoned throughout the year and these feelings are noticed even more in the Christmas season. Our culture says this is a time to be with family. But for some, the people they’d like to be with are absent. A parent hasn’t been there for them as a child or an adult. For others, an important person has left, quit, walked out or died, leaving them feeling deserted, cast off, or rejected. A person who has been abandoned can feel lonely, forgotten, forlorn, or sometimes hopeless.
”God, however, says, ‘I will live among the [people] and won’t abandon my people’ (1 Kings 6:13). Jesus had a Father who loved Him and didn’t abandon Him to permanent death. We have the same Father who gives the same love and care to us He gave to His son Jesus (John 17:23, 26). We have hope in a love that is unfailing (Ps. 147:11). He shows us His love with the forgiveness He of­fers us. His compassions are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). He is merciful and faithful to us (Heb. 2:17). God is a parent who is there for His children. He listens to us attentively: ‘ . . . You will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jer. 29:12-13).

“If you are feeling lonely or forgotten this Christmas, call on your heav­enly Father. A Sanctuary in Our MidstPray and let Him know how you are and what you need. He will be there for you.”
“God is both supremely above us and with us. Jesus, He who saves, is also Immanuel, God with us. He is a king who is a servant to His people (John 13:1-16). God gave me a banquet of knowledge about Himself and then proclaimed a holiday. He “distributed gifts with royal liberality,” which included the gift of rest (Esther 2:18). This idea changed my thinking about Christmas.

“Christmas, for me, now isn’t the usual, a time to be busy. It has become a time for understanding what rest is: rest from sin and rest from work; a time for having joy in who Jesus is and what He came to do. Ezekiel 37:28 says, “The nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy when my sanctuary is among them forever.” As a sanctuary, God shelters His people. He watches over us and takes care of us. He is in our midst to help us in the ways we need. This Christmas, may you, too, find Him doing the unexpected in your life in ways that show you He is a sanctuary.”

To learn more about Straszheim and A Sanctuary in Our Midst, visit HERE.

Eternal Healing: A Letter from Our Publisher

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Brooke Bartz

While September may feature pumpkins, football, and the start of fall, it also highlights and is recognized as Pain Awareness Month. At some point in life, we all experience pain on some level, whether it is physical, emotional, or spiritual. It is the one thing in life that cannot be avoided no matter how hard we may try. There are many individuals who battle pain on a daily basis due to chronic illness, and they fight every day to live a normal life.

Author Brooke Bartz discovered she had rheumatoid arthritis and gastroparesis early in her life. But she didn’t let her illness stop her from sharing the love of God with those around her. In her book, Chronic Love, Brooke points out that suffering is inescapable in this world, but the pain of our trials are not the end. She gives readers the Biblical encouragement that is needed to help overcome the daily battles many face while living with a chronic illness.

“To My New Friends,

In the following pages, you’ll discover an open book of carefully chosen words, penned in the quiet nooks of my heart’s journal and now, putting pen to paper, offered as hope-filled letters to you. If you’re a woman with a disease or disability, or if you’re a caregiver of one with disease, please know you’re not alone.

The disease or disability you’re enduring is God’s chosen will for you, and it may be gone tomorrow, or you may carry it with you for the rest of your life. I find comfort in the apostle Paul’s divinely, inspired words, “…in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Like me, your life may be enmeshed with disease or disability – but your life doesn’t abound in it. If you’re a believer in our Lord, Jesus Christ, then experiencing a disease doesn’t ever change the fact that you’re an heir to the King and kept by the merciful and consuming affection of a Father who cares for you. He doesn’t turn His head in disgust or ignorance or dismiss your disease and the trials you face; but He has ordained it.”

“I know disease can deflate your heart at times. I know the suffering you go through yanks, jerks, and pulls your body like matchstick-thin shoelaces ripping through the loops of beaten up sneakers. Disease is like a stainless-steel faucet pouring out water upon you, cold and relentless, and the resulting tears you cry could fill the infinite ocean. I know your prayers to end this trial could fill a best-selling memoir, and your pain from suffering could overwhelm a skilled and strategic army, yet though you feel vastly outwitted and outnumbered, you have no reason to fear disease or tremble at death if you’re in Christ.

There is no fear in death when we have Christ as our Victor, Christ as our Reward. Death takes us into eternity, either with life and love eternal or with weeping and gnashing of teeth and separation from God. One day we will die, and when we take our last breath, we will either be in Heaven in serene rest or with Satan in eternal torment. As believers, we get to choose to die with knowing Christ as our Lord, our Forever Healer; we will die with confidence in His Truth. As a believer, you choose to live life in the confidence and faith that God is in control and that you can trust Him through the pain. You can choose to live with the choice of goodness and righteousness, being blameless like Christ who chose the Father’s will to be done. You can choose to live for the Father, to be content and wait; even with your earth-bound body in the throes of disease or disability, you can say, ‘Not my will, Lord, but thy will be done.’”

To learn more about Brooke and Chronic Love, visit HERE.

How Do We Define Love?

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What is Love?

A Letter from the Publisher

Valentines Day. Love.

These two words seem go hand in hand. Every year we take a day to appreciate that special someone in our life by buying flowers, chocolates, jewelry, or a nice, fancy dinner. We take an evening out of our busy schedules to slow down and focus on each other.

But what is love?

Society tells us that love is a feeling. It is how you feel when you think about someone or even look at someone. But in my experience, feelings fade and change with our current emotions. I have seen couples who were so in love end up leaving each other with nothing but hate after years of marriage. So where did the love go?

In order to answer this question, we must look to the creator of love, God, and see what He has to say about it in His Word, and what better chapter to look at than 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 to tell us!

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

To me, I do not get the sense that love is a feeling after reading these verses, but instead, it is a choice.

A choice to be patient with your spouse, a choice to be kind, a choice not to be envious or boastful or proud! These are all choices that we have to consciously make, they don’t just magically happen. This is why it is so important for our foundation in any relationship to be built on Christ and His Word. When we do this, we can display many types of love: the love for a spouse, the love for a mother or father, the love for a child, and then there is the greatest love of all, the love of Jesus to us. 

Author Celeste Hawkins in her newest release Always Been Loved: Discovering God’s True Feelings for You, she focuses on the love that Jesus has for us. How do you think God feels about you – right now? Just hold still. As that soul-searching question sinks in, let yourself admit what you really thought the last time you closed your eyes to pray. Maybe you’ve come to believe that God feels angry with you?  Or disappointed. Or, worst of all, completely unconcerned.

And yet the reality we forget—or maybe never even heard during years of church services—awaits discovery, hidden away in some of the unexpected places in our Bibles like treasure buried for too long. Always Been Loved unearths forty specific truths that demonstrate what’s actually in God’s heart for us: genuine, unconditional love. This book captures these acts of love in the form of personal letters, as if God Himself had written them right to you.

God’s ready to show you His true feelings, once and for all, to tell you how much He loves you. You’ve always been loved.

 

Karen Ferguson follows this theme of God’s love for us in her book Guess How Much God Loves You with a similar message but geared toward children. Guess How Much God Loves You is the story of seven-year-old Lucy Lu, a colorful, creatively curious first-grader, who is starting to have serious questions about God.

How old is He? Does He sleep? What does He do all day? And the biggest one of all—does God love me?

After one particularly hard day of being bullied by her classmates at school, Lucy feels like she doesn’t matter. She sits with Papa Joe, who has promised to answer her questions about God, launching them onto a journey to discover God’s never-changing, never-failing, never-ending love.

What follows is a wild adventure through the Bible, where Lucy and her papa find themselves in the middle of each page of the exciting story of God’s love and faithfulness for all people throughout all of history.

I Know the Plans by Jennifer BosmaIn I Know the Plans, author Jennifer Bosma seeks to show God’s love for us through the perfect plan He has for each and every one of us. It is so important for children to have a firm foundation to build upon. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path(Psalm 119:105). This children’s book, with its beautiful illustrations, points children to that plan.

God has a plan for each child before they are even created. But in this noisy world, it’s easy for our children to not hear God’s voice and forget who they were created to be.

I Know the Plans presents God’s promises to young children with a fun, engaging rhyme, planting the seeds of Scripture into their hearts to help them grow in their love for Him. With vivid illustrations accompanying each passage, I Know the Plans captures a little one’s attention from start to finish and should be the first book in every child’s library.

Each of these books examines the happiness that can be found with love, but there can also be sorrow.

Shelly Calcagno explores this love and sorrow in The Longest Goodbye: A Family’s Hope-Filled Journey Through Alzheimer’s. How do you love someone who doesn’t even remember your name? How do you continue to let them know you are there for them when they no longer remember you are their child? How do we say goodbye? And more importantly, are we ever ready to say goodbye?

Shelly tells readers, “I wasn’t prepared for her to go. To have her sit right beside me, yet be so far away. My mother and life-long best friend who doesn’t even remember my name. It’s been the longest goodbye. And I keep asking this question—how do we love through the hardest of days? Through the pain and the loss? Listening to the slow ticking of the clock, as we sit watching everything slip away. Most of the time we don’t have a choice. I didn’t have a choice. So we look for glimmers of hope, reach for deep grace, and collect precious memories into a big pile of legacy love. We treasure each goodbye like it’s the most important moment we’ve ever had. Because it is.” 

Alzheimer’s disease affects almost fifty million people worldwide. It touches people across every walk of life. So, how do millions of people figure out how to love as they let go? The Longest Goodbye is a collection of stories and moments not just about the clinical side of memory loss–but the emotional heart journey. It is a story that shows how joy and grief are often intertwined and wrapped up together in the glorious mess of life.

The Longest Goodbye encourages readers to remember the ones they love while they are still here and to intentionally celebrate and live through the pain and hard days. It’s filled with tears, hope, and bitter-sweet moments all held together by the beautiful love of a mother and daughter holding onto a life filled with memories, while learning to let go and say goodbye.

Caitlin Smith examines how sometimes we have to relearn what love is in her book Love’s Lost Star.

Caitlin follows the stories of the main characters Cece and Jason. Cece Burbin thought she knew what love was—people using you to get what they wanted. Until she met Jason Porter. But on what should have been the happiest day of their lives, Cece wakes up on a riverbank cold, alone, and in pain. After realizing she lost her voice, Cece becomes desperate to find a way to communicate with someone that she needs help. Freeing herself, she sets off in search of the only man she has truly loved. But as she struggles to find her way back home, her past quickly begins to creep back. The gang she thought she had left behind was never that far away, and the crimes she has committed are coming back to haunt her. Can God truly love and forgive her for all she has done?

Jason is just as frantic to find his missing bride. But when he receives a note saying she left him for another man, his world is shattered. How had he missed her change of heart? Jason struggles to trust God in this heartbreak, battling uncertainty about the future he thought he had. But when he meets a strange woman who claims to be a private investigator, he discovers a clue that could change everything. Unaware that time is running out, the abandoned bridegroom sets off in search of love’s lost star.

Something that seems so simple turns out is actually quite complicated. Love.

My prayer this Valentines Day is that we would each understand how to love those in our lives a little better, a little longer, and a little stronger. I pray that we would each experience the life-changing love given to us by our Savior, and show that love to everyone we meet. I pray that we realize what it means to truly love before it is too late. 

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”

Colossians 3:14-15

 

Rebuilding After Hurricane Ian

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Like so many, over the past few days, we have been keeping a steady eye on the unfolding events of Hurricane Ian.

Florida holds a special place in my heart, as it was my first home in the United States, and in the hearts of some of our staff members as a place where they have taken many family vacations over the years. To see the destruction that has been caused (and is still being caused) is truly heartbreaking.

We are seeing bridges collapse, flooding of homes, many with no home to return to, continued power outages, and no internet or phone service in many parts of Florida. Some areas in Florida have seen flooding of up to 10 feet high. Cars are underwater, boats have been run aground or sunk, and planes have been destroyed all by one storm.

Hurricane Ian hit the western coast of Florida on Wednesday as a category 4 hurricane with maximum, sustained winds at 155 mph. Places such as Clearwater, Tampa, Sarasota, and Fort Myers Beach have experienced some extreme weather. They are now predicting Ian to hit the South Carolina coast as well.

Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that the “amount of water that’s been rising and will likely continue to rise today, even as the storm is passing, is basically a 500-year flood event.” Damage reports and rescue attempts continue on in the wake of such devastation.

A Florida Author Chimes In

And yet, even in such dire circumstances, we are not without hope.

Sara Jewell (one of our authors who lives in the Florida area) after checking in, pointed us to the song Eye of the Storm by Ryan Stevenson which says
in the chorus, “In the eye of the storm, You remain in control. In the middle of the war, You guard my soul.
You alone are the anchor when my sails are torn. Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm.” These
words can bring us comfort and peace. Jesus did not promise that we would never go through trials or hardships in life, but He did promise that when we do, He will be right there beside us.

If you would like to support Sara as her community (Naples, FL) rebuilds, please consider purchasing a copy of her book for yourself or a loved one, especially as her in-person opportunities are now limited.

 

For the Children

So, what now? What do we do in the wake of such damage and devastation?

 

Children’s author Tina Hebert shows how a community can rebuild and come together after a storm in her book Rebuilding the Cajun Way. Many children who have experienced a natural disaster are left in a state of misunderstanding and confusion.

Rebuilding the Cajun Way offers an opportunity for children to be enlightened and taught how important it is to keep a positive outlook in the midst of the struggle.

Although the setting is in Louisiana, this book is for any child who has experienced a natural disaster.

The story follows three little Cajun animals as they plan and host a party for their friends that will have all of their favorite food and music. Their plan takes a devastating turn when a storm comes along, and they are forced to deal with the circumstances. They face many struggles, are forced to adopt new attitudes and
outlooks, and are able to experience many victories by the positive choices they make.

Below is a brief expert from the story.

When they awakened the next morning, a mess was what they found! Branches, logs, and neighbors’ things
had floated all around. They sought shelter for those in need and helped as many as they could… cooking… cleaning… even Jacques did all that he could!

Together they rebuilt, and things were even better than before. They learned more about one another and valued each other more.

 

Truth in the Tempest

We certainly hope and pray that these words ring true to all of those affected by Hurricane Ian– that each community is made stronger than ever before.

After devastation such as this, we are familiar with the tempest and all of the trials and
hardships that it brings and carries along with it, but do we also know the One who calms the storm?

Faythelma Bechtel focuses on how we can find truth and comfort, even in the midst of the storm, in her devotional Finding Truth in the Tempest. We may be asking “why?” or simply struggling when life doesn’t make sense, but even in these moments, God’s Word is always sufficient to answer our questions.

There is no sequence or special order for trials and afflictions in life. Challenges may slip in through the open window or crash in through the roof when you least expect them. While you are focusing mostly on hard things in life, never forget to search for and acknowledge the blessings God sends along with His
teaching, training, and stretching exercises. God’s goal is to conform [us] into His image that we might live for the praise of His glory.

Why the tempest? There are many reasons for a tempest to arise. When my will clashes with God’s will, it is like the hot and cold air colliding and creating a storm. At other times, there seems to be no possible reason for the tempest other than a lesson of trusting in the Lord. But always, there is some lovely gem to be extracted from every tempest.

A tempest has many ways of building character and developing Christian graces. But we humans do not like the tempest. A tempest brings fear, insecurity, dismay, and disappointment. The disciplines of the Christian life are often difficult, and I prefer to have problems that work out easily, painlessly, and quickly. But I must remember, God is more concerned about my character than my comfort.”

Whenever you feel confused, hopeless, irritated, or like the battle is lost, be assured that your focus is on the battle and your inability to handle it, on the pain, and on the temporal present. It is a must that you refocus! Focus on God, His power and love, and the eternal future. Refocus by reading and digesting the truths of His character. Get a fresh view of who God is and move ahead in faith.

 

Verses for Rebuilding

As many seek to move ahead and rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Ian, I pray that God will grant strength to those who are weak, that He would give peace to those who are troubled, and that He will provide for those who have experienced loss, that He would comfort those who mourn, that He would bring healing to those who are hurting and broken, and that He would give hope to those who are feeling hopeless, overwhelmed, or defeated. May we all continue to show love to those around us and do what we can to help those who have
been affected by this storm.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. – PSALM 46:1-2

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. – PSALM 91:2

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. – ISAIAH 43:2

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But
take heart! I have overcome the world. – JOHN 16:33

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. – JOSHUA 1:9

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. – 2 THESSALONIANS 3:16

 

Browse Ambassador International Books

As a Christian publishing house, we are once again reminded of our mission to encourage and point all to Christ through our books.

We would be honored and encouraged if you would browse our books for the purpose of encouraging your heart, another’s, or perhaps supporting an author who is suffering the impacts of Ian.

With eyes fixed on him,

Samuel Lowry, Publisher, Ambassador International

To Love a Child…: A Letter from Our Publisher

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As families come together to celebrate Mother’s Day, we must painfully remember the children who are without a mother.

Mary Sandford explores life for children in an orphanage in her book titled Unwanted. Mary follows the life of Debbie Spencer. She is like most children her age, she has friends who she cares about, she loves to play and laugh with them, and she has no fear praying to her Heavenly Father. However, unlike most children, she lives in an orphanage…even though she is not technically an orphan. Mary Sandford shows how Debbie, and many of the other children in the orphanage, felt not having a family there with them to comfort and love them.

*****

       “I didn’t know what made me more embarrassed, wanting Daddy or being scared over a silly commercial in the first place. After I was back in the dormitory, thinking about the awful music kept me awake for hours every night. That’s when longing for Daddy was the worst. He should have been alive to protect me from scary commercials and bad dreams.”
“For weeks I’d cried myself to sleep. I’d hoped and prayed and waited. My mother never came to see me. Not once. Not even when I had the mumps. After that, I had stopped thinking of her. I’d made myself stop, and now, I never did and didn’t want to start.
Patricia [one of the members of staff at the orphanage] led me into the office and closed the door behind me. My mother stood next to Miss Ritz and her desk.
“Thisss isss my daww-ter.” My mother’s voice was loud but might not be heard over the singing. She wrapped her arms around me and clung to me like she needed me, if only to stay upright. I wanted to step aside and watch her fall. I wanted to pay her back for all the times I’d longed to be needed and wanted but never was.
I pulled away from her arms.
She gave me a bleary-eyed gaze squinting like she couldn’t see clearly. “Ssstill looksss jusss like her Daddy.”
Miss Ritz went around the desk to her chair as if my mother wasn’t there bent over and crying into her lap.”

*****

       “Concentrating on the chairs worked only for a moment. Everything that happened before I came to the home bombarded my thoughts.
I remembered waking up to find a cake on the table with “Happy Birthday, Debbie, 12 years old,” written in blue letters across the smooth white frosting. I’d swiped a taste off of the side and ran into Gram’s room to thank her. But Gram wasn’t there. Before I could figure out why, Uncle Lloyd came bursting in.
“What are you doing in here?” he’d asked. “My mother is gone. Her heart gave out, and it’s all Carol’s fault.” He grabbed my arm and added, “And yours.” Then he shoved me out of the room and slammed the door.
Ever since Uncle Lloyd came home from the war and he’d had to sleep on the orange velveteen davenport, he’d been mad. Mad at Gram for letting us move in when Daddy went back to Korea. Mad like he wanted Gram all to himself to take care of him and his wounded hip without my mother and me there, too.
My mother never even tried because, ever since Daddy left for Korea, all my mother did was lay on Uncle Lloyd’s davenport all day with the brown and yellow afghan spread over her. Until the day after my ninth birthday when she got the telegram.
She had started to read it out loud. “We regret to inform you…” but she stopped, and no one ever told me what else it said. No one told me why my mother ran out of the house without a coat or even shoes. No one told me where she’d been before Uncle Lloyd found her. I heard him tell Gram he’d taken her to the hospital, but I didn’t know why until Gram had tucked me into bed with tears in her eyes.”
Just before all of the chaos with her mother coming to visit her in the orphanage, Debbie’s heart was lightened by some much-needed good news.
“An outing. Folks who cared for orphans were coming to take us out? Folks who liked children and maybe wanted a child. My chest swelled up with hope. Was God answering my prayers for a new family?
No matter what I knew, telling Sharon and Noreen wasn’t a good idea at all. I wasn’t telling anyone. It was supposed to be a secret. A secret that could make my biggest wish come true. I was just sure of it.
Gram would have been proud of me thinking of someone else’s feelings like she’s always told me, a sure sign I was starting to put others first or at least for a quick second.”

*****           Mary E. Sandford

It is important to recognize the children who spend holidays in an orphanage or alone, and if we are able, to show them the love they need and deserve as shown in Mary Sandford’s book, Unwanted.
We also want to thank and show gratitude to those who have opened their doors to children and embraced them as their own with loving and outstretched arms. Thank you for sacrificing your time and energy in order to invest in a life. Thank you for being Jesus to these little ones and saying, “let them come unto me, and do not hinder them” (Matthew 19:14).

To learn more about Sandford and Unwanted, visit HERE.

The Father’s Love

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A Letter from the Publisher

The month of June is one of excitement! For many of us, we welcome the coming summer months in anticipation of upcoming vacations, retreats, and some much-needed rest. I believe we are looking forward to summer even more so this year than in previous years after so many dark months. It is during the beginning of our R&R that we have the opportunity to celebrate those in our lives who have stepped up to the plate to fill the role of Father Figure. Whether they be a father by blood or a father by choice, they serve equal importance and give ample love and advice. For those who do not have an earthly father to celebrate this year, let us not forget that we all have a Heavenly Father who will never let us down, who will never leave us nor forsake us, who is always there for us, and who loves us more than any human father ever could.

 

Daniel Burkhart’s Hopes for His Readers

Daniel Burkhart illustrates our Heavenly Father’s love and forgiveness so vividly in his book, Prodigal. He tells the story of his own life and how he turned away from his Christian faith in order to pursue a lifestyle that he thought would be more fulfilling only to discover that without Christ in his life, it was empty.

I believe many of us can either relate to Daniel from our own experiences or from watching someone we love go through this. His story, found within the pages of Prodigal, serves not only as a message of caution, but also as a message of hope and forgiveness. Redemption is for all people. We can always find rest within the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father.

Daniel tells readers that the goal in writing this book…

“Is that the reader can see how easy bad decisions happen, how we justify them with our reasoning, and how even though people may look like they are having a great time, many people have an empty, hollow feeling living deep within them.

I also want readers to take away from this story the love and forgiveness we have in our Heavenly Father. No matter who you are or what your background is, God loves you and wants you to be part of His family. Once we are part of His family, we need to look at our relationship with Christ as a father-to-child relationship. This means we can serve the Lord out of love for Him, not out of a sense of obedience to your Master as a servant.

The change in this dynamic is key for all Christians. I serve my Father because of my love for Him; I serve my boss due to a sense of fear of losing my job. My Father forgives me no matter what I have done; my boss will fire me if I do not do what he says. My Father yearns for a stronger, richer relationship and wants me to be successful, to have peace, and to have joy. My boss desires only for me to serve his purpose, my success in life is not his main concern for me. Obedience is his main concern for me.

God has always and will always be the same, we just need to see Him more clearly. I hope [this book] inspires you to have a deeper relationship with the Lord. No matter what your past is, God can give you a bright future.”

 

The Prodigal Son

“The parable, or story, of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 is one most people hear as a child. The story begins with a rich man who had two sons: the oldest son was faithful to his father and would stay busy working in the fields tending to the crops, while his youngest son was curious of what the world would be like to explore and what adventures he had yet to experience. The father told his sons that when they were older, he would give them their inheritance. His younger son, wanting to experience more of the world, came to his father and asked for his portion immediately instead of waiting. The father loved both of his sons very much and wanted them to be happy, so he gave the younger son his portion as the son had wished.

The younger son began his journey into life recklessly squandering his money on the new friends he had made and the sinful lifestyle he had acquired. He quickly lost all his riches and money and soon he was left with only the clothes he was wearing. All his friends disappeared once his money was gone. In order to live, he began to work for a farmer and took care of the swine. He was famished from hunger, even eating the slop for the pigs. He sat in the mud, miserable form the lifestyle and choices he had made. He thought that it would be better to be a servant in his father’s house than to eat the slop with these beasts. He thought that if he went back to his father and begged for forgiveness, his father would grant him this wish.

The younger son embarked on the long journey back to his family. He smelled of pigs and his clothes were dirty and tattered. The rich man looked out from his fields and saw someone coming toward his house. When the father realized it was his prodigal son, he ran to meet him. The younger son begged his father for forgiveness and asked him if he could be a servant for his father. The son was willing to live in the servants’ quarters and not be considered part of his family anymore. The father, hearing this, replied, “My son who was once lost is now found. He was once dead but is now alive.”

The father had his servants take the younger son and bathe him. They clothed him in the finest apparel and prepared a feast to celebrate the return of the prodigal son.”

 

Forgiveness for the Sons: The Tender Embrace of the Father

Through Daniel’s own journey of rebellion (much like the prodigal son in the Bible), God, his Heavenly Father, showed him what true life, love, and forgiveness really are. In his own words he says…

“In the story of the prodigal son, the most disappointing character in the story was not the prodigal son, but the older brother. The older brother was faithful to his father and worked in the fields. When he saw that his father gave the fatted calf to his younger brother upon arrival after years of rebellion, he was upset and frustrated instead of overwhelmed with joy. The older son did not know how to receive grace freely and became upset when his brother received it so easily. The older son failed to realize that the only qualification for him to receive his inheritance was to simply be a child of the rich man.

I had felt the pain of both sons. I had walked away from the comfort and security of my Father, and when I returned to the Lord, I did not feel worthy of receiving my inheritance which was rightfully mine – His peace. Once I remembered that I was a child of God and part of God’s family, I saw myself differently.

I lost my desire to live in this world without living fully in the will of my Father. I now had freedom to live in peace through Christ. This prodigal son shared the same struggles as both of the brothers in the parable and came back to the tender embrace of his Father. I truly felt that it was well with my soul.”

 

Extending and Accepting Forgiveness: The Father’s Love

It is easy to be swept up in the cares and sinful desires of this world. It is easy to hold onto grudges and never forgive. But this is like us drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. The only person that it hurts is us. If we are to live like Christ, then we have to forgive and love in the same way He has forgiven and loved us.

However, before we can ever extend this forgiveness, we have to accept it, just like Daniel did in his own life. We have to accept that we are children of God. Our Heavenly Father will always be waiting to receive us with outstretched arms and no condemnation.

So, on this Father’s Day, whether we have an earthly father or only our Heavenly Father, let us be thankful for them and make sure they know how much we appreciate them in our daily lives. And to every father out there, Happy Father’s Day.

“Whoever hears my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:21

“Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.”
Proverbs 4:1–2

To read the previous letter from our publisher, click here!

From the Publisher’s Desk: A Month to Remember

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Honoring the Past, Present, and Future

A Letter from the Publisher

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May is a month of celebration. We take a day to celebrate women of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life as we show the love our Mothers deserve. We then transition to the end of the month to remember and honor all military personnel who have died while performing their military duties in the United States Armed Forces on Memorial Day. Then, as May ends and we head into June, many students are completing their studies for the year and moving into the summer break. I feel that each of these celebrations deserves to be not only mentioned but also highlighted with a work of literature. And so, this month I have decided to choose various titles for each celebration.

 

Mothers work so hard each and every day supporting, caring for, and raising their children to the best of their ability. One mother, in particular, has gone above the call of duty and has risen above many hardships and obstacles that have sought to bring her down. Author Vanna Nguyen has recently published her novel, The Life She Once Knew, which chronicles the deeply spiritual and emotionally powerful journey of her own escape from Vietnam and her daughters fight for survival after a brutal attack outside of a library which led to a traumatic brain injury.

Vanna shares her story about being a mother to her girls and how her journey of motherhood changed so drastically. She went from being the average, American, working mom to becoming (as she says in her own words), the “fierce defender of my daughter’s quality of life. After she was brutally attacked one night, Queena suffered a severe traumatic brain injury causing her to need continual care. Decades earlier, I had survived my own trauma, escaping to America to raise my family. I worked hard to make a home for my girls that was safe and secure. Before the attack, the daily routine of our family life felt normal – rhythmic. I focused my time and energy on my business in order to support my two girls. As a single mother, my desire was to set my two daughters on a healthy path in life and protect them from danger. I encouraged them to be responsible, independent girls. As they grew, I felt as though my hopes and expectations for them – which I’d focused on since their births – were coming to fruition. My daughters had become young adults. Ordinary life felt fabulous.”

This is the ultimate desire for most mothers, to protect their children and see them grow up into young, independent, and strong adults. For Vanna, this wonderful course of life for her and both of her daughters changed forever the night Queena was attacked. This was a devastating night that created many obstacles Vanna and her family had to overcome. For any mothers or families striving to make it through hardship, Vanna offers the following advice from one mother to another, “Through the past decade, my family has learned many lessons. One of which is to focus on making the best of each day rather than allowing fear to guide our thoughts about the present or the future. With God so close to us in our heartache, we learned that the impossible is truly possible. To other people who may be traveling with me on a similar path, I humbly offer the following words of wisdom: To parents: I can’t help but think that if Queena’s attacker had experienced understanding and love in his own life, this tragedy could have been avoided. Listen to your children, not just with your ears but with your hearts. Tell them they are loved and wanted and that there is a special place for them. If your child has a friend who is not receiving this at home, show them the same love. Show love to everyone, even the ones who are difficult to love. We must all reach for the fruit that hangs on our collective tree of victory.”

What an encouragement for mothers to continue on in their work of loving and caring for their children. Even if you are not a mother, you can learn from Vanna’s words and be a mother figure by showing love to someone in your life who may be struggling.

 

As we celebrate our mothers this month, offering encouragement, we also celebrate and honor those who have served our country giving the ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure we continue to have our freedom. In Nuggets of Truth by Dr. John Mannion, we see that we can have peace each day as we spend time studying God’s Word. Although we may experience pain, suffering, and the sorrow that accompanies the loss of loved ones, we do not have to mourn as those with no hope.

In Nuggets of Truth, Dr. Mannion explores the Bible on a deeper level in a day-to-day format. This work examines scriptures and how we can apply them in our daily lives. On Memorial Day it is important for us to look back and appreciate the sacrifice so many gave in the service of our nation and give honor as one nation… to be at peace. Our religious freedom is one of the greatest freedoms we can appreciate as we celebrate the lives of those who have died. “The people of God are described metaphorically as ‘God’s household’ (Eph. 2:19). It is ‘household’ (singular) and not ‘households’ (plural). Division can only exist amid plurality. You cannot divide ‘one.’ There must be at least two tribes for ‘tribalism’ (division, discrimination, and prejudice) to exist. One tribe cannot discriminate against itself!

 

In Ephesians 2:14, Paul writes about making ‘both groups one’ by breaking ‘down the barrier of the dividing wall.’ In the early church, they needed to realize that Christ came to break down the wall between them. We, too, must allow Christ to break down any walls that divide us. Those walls might include denominational walls, racial walls, ethnic walls, and social class walls. These walls, and any other ‘tribal barriers’ that stand as walls, must be broken.” Dr. Mannion is addressing Christians in this passage; however, I believe we can apply this in our everyday life as a nation as well. As we move into Memorial Day, we should strive to remember that just as the church is to be united as one so we should also seek to be united as a nation being thankful and honoring the sacrifice given for our freedoms.

 

After giving so much love, support, encouragement, honor, etc. many students look forward to the opportunity to take some time off from studying, take some time for themselves to unwind, and move into their summer break. A good book can be the best escape from everyday life and can offer the ultimate adventure. D. K. Doulos offers a thrilling ride in his latest novel, WoE is Us. It follows the story of Lyrian Wallace. She “was only ten years old when the Malevolence struck on October 10, 2056. She thought the next decade had numbed her to the grief, the death, the bots, and the daily struggle for survival. She lost her parents when they became Sleepers, but like everyone else, she had pieced together a new family. Lyrian was almost content when the Alliance began taking them… The world always took things away from her. She could only live for today and never dared to hope for any heaven. But when her circumstances change, Lyrian must choose how she might live for both this life and the next.”  WoE is Us offers an exciting look at what could be with many adventures.

 

However, if Science Fiction is not your cup of tea, Jasmine Fischer paints an entirely different picture in her novel, The Sword in His Hand. Jasmine decided, while writing her literary work, that she wanted it to be written as “a testimony of [her] own faith journey and would be written with the primary purpose of glorifying God.” The Sword in His Hand is “the result of that firm conviction.” Her hope is that “you can see this humble story as part of a much greater one: a Story which has been and is being lovingly and skillfully authored since well before we were breathed into existence, and by an Author with far finer penmanship than mine.” Her story follows the lives of Torsten and El: two individuals from vastly different worlds. Yet, they may have more in common than they think.

“For hundreds of years, strange things have been washing up on the shores of Darcentaria. But when a young foreign woman named El is found unconscious on the beach amidst the burning wreckage of a strange metal craft, the villagers of Odessa are immediately suspicious—is she an agent of the Dalriadan Empire, their cruel oppressors for as long as they can remember? Or does she come from the Outside, the vast and legendary lands beyond their borders from which no man or woman alive has ever returned?

Torsten Eiselher, a talented young swordsman, has spent the last nine years of his life wrongfully imprisoned by his uncle, the Empire’s ruler. Betrayed and deceived at every turn, Torsten has survived by keeping a firm grip on his sword—and by staying well away from anything to do with the Outside. But when his young sister is murdered, Torsten finds himself irrevocably drawn to El despite her Outsider heritage—and he begins to question everything he has been told about her world.

Intrigued by the existence of a powerful and dangerously advanced world within his reach, the Empire’s ruler, Jurien Arminius, launches a hunt for El and the two Outsiders that arrived with her—the ones who could help him win his war against Torsten and the rebellion that threatens to topple his Empire.

Suddenly, Torsten is forced to choose between defeating his long-term enemy or saving the woman he has come to love . . .”

 

Whether you are looking for an escape into a different world or encouragement from day to day, these works of literature have a unique way of changing our perspective of our current circumstances and helping us look outside of ourselves. As we continue to celebrate our mothers, as we honor the memory of those who have given their lives by living united, and as we look towards the upcoming summer with excitement and determination, let us strive to remember that the piece of truth which unites these titles is the message of love. Let us strive to live a life of love for others.

 

“Jesus replied: `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Matthew 22:37-39 

 

 

God’s Incredible Love

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From our Publisher’s Desk

As the seasons change from summer to fall and the air becomes cool and crisp, I am reminded of Ecclesiastes verse three, chapter one, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” During the past months, we have seen and experienced things none of us could have imagined or predicted. There has been much fear of the present and the future. But as Believers in Christ, we can be at peace. This verse reminds us that there is a time, place, and reason for everything…even sickness and unrest. Although this year has taken many of us by surprise, we would be foolish to think that God, in all of His glory, did not see it coming. And even though the seasons and everything around us may change, God “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). We cannot blame Him for current events because the Bible clearly states that, “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows,” (1 Chronicles 16:11-12). If God is the same and gives good and perfect gifts, and there is a time for everything, then even in the year we have experienced, we can be at peace and at rest in Him. We can find comfort in His Word by searching out and memorizing the many truths that it offers us. Malinda Fugate’s book, The Other Three Sixteens, does precisely that. Many of us can recite John 3:16 from memory with no prompt. However, were we to be asked to recite Genesis 3:16 or Romans 3:16, we would be at a loss. Throughout Malinda’s book, she dives into each book of the Bible and expounds upon each chapter three, verse sixteen to show the numerous truths that can be found throughout the God’s Word and not just in John 3:16. She shows how a loving God and His mercy are woven throughout each chapter and verse of Scripture in seemingly unexpected ways.

***

“John 3:16 is a central sentence, one of many anchors we find in the pages of Scripture. But every single chapter and verse has eternal value, from the eloquently poetic to the seemingly mundane, historical details. The words of the Bible weave a tapestry of love, particularly the love that our Heavenly Father has for His children. A love so deep and so wide that it cannot be contained in one memorized phrase. It takes multiple authors of sixty-six individual books to begin to explore the mystery of God’s care for us. I propose an adventure. It will be an expedition through the living and active Scriptures we hold in our hands and yet can’t truly contain. If every phrase in God’s word connects us to His love, then there are gems to uncover wherever we dare to seek them. Let’s take a cue from John and look at the third chapter and sixteenth verse in each book and see what we find. Now, it should be noted that “3:16” is not a magic code. The books of the Bible were written as individual documents and letters, only to have chapter and verse notations added after for our reference purposes. 3:16 will be the guide we choose for this particular quest.”

“Genesis 3:16 is one piece in the first story we read when we open the Word. Almighty God has masterfully created an entire universe and then concentrated His efforts on planet Earth. He carefully crafted sky and sea, mountain and tree, and creatures beyond imagination. Then it was time for His most precious creation – human beings – specifically, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve.

The devil, as a serpent, offered Eve the very fruit that God previously told His children to avoid. After brief hesitation, Eve decided that the serpent was on to something. She took the fruit and shared it with a willing Adam. There was no avoiding the consequence of sin.

Jump back to Genesis 3:16: “To the woman he said, ‘I will make your pains in childbearing very sever; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’” Where is God’s love in these harsh words to Eve? We must remember the subtle differences between punishment and discipline. Punishment seeks to somehow even a score, answering a negative action with another equally bleak negative action. Discipline allows for necessary consequences, but it makes way for growth and redemption. Relationships are damaged by punishment, but they mature through discipline.

On the surface, the curse of Genesis 3:16 appears to be nothing but pain and suffering. Yet, it is rooted in the care of a loving God who refused to cast aside His daughter, Eve, despite her disobedience.
We know for certain that the Lord disciplines His children because He loves them. He loved Eve. He loved Adam. And He loves you.”

***

“’For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice’ (James 3:16). A heart focused on self is toxic. We have only so much energy and effort available to us, and if we focus it all on ourselves, little to nothing is left for others and God. Few things are more destructive to our souls than selfishness. God knows this and will not tolerate anything that is harmful to His children.

Envy is another beast that needs to be tamed. If we allow jealousy to consume us, it will destroy us from the inside out. It transforms our hearts from caring for our neighbor to viewing our neighbor as a competitor.

Because God loves us, He wants to protect us from the toxins of envy and selfish ambition. First, He calls attention to the problem with Scriptures like James 3:16 and Romans 2:8. Once we recognize that our heart is poisoned by selfishness and envy, we are moved to do something about it. We must reach out beyond ourselves to the One who is able to break that cycle and bring us into freedom.

God lovingly designed this world and our existence. His gifts are good and for our benefit. He is not about to allow even one of His precious children to waste away in the desert of selfish ambition and envy. He loves us far too much for that.”

***

“So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). The Laodiceans thought they were rich but didn’t realize they were in poor shape. They needed to return to the Lord once more. Jesus reminded them that He disciplines those He love and that He is figuratively standing at their door and knocking. He was available to them, but they needed to welcome Him into their church and into their hearts again.

Throughout time, God has gone to extreme lengths to actively love His people. He is a passionate God. When His love fills the hearts of His dear children, we display His zeal in our own lives. Enthusiastic, exuberant love spills over onto everyone we encounter. It is not like any earthly love and is immediately recognized by anyone who experiences it. The Laodiceans were missing this love, and many of us miss it as well. It wasn’t too late for them to turn back to it, and it’s not too late for us. When we ask the Lord to pour out His fiery love on us, He is happy to fulfill our need. When we ask for anything in the name of Jesus, the Lord will provide. The passionate love of God is intended to overwhelm us, and it is limitless. Like a blazing fire, we are consumed by love. It is a love that cannot be tamed and a love that will satisfy our deepest longing as we constantly cry out for more. A love so extreme is beyond accurate description, but we can know it intimately. It is alive and crashing over us like unrelenting ocean waves.”

***

During these trying times, we need remember who we serve. We serve a God of second chances, a God of restoration, a God of forgiveness and peace, a God who disciplines those He loves for their benefit and growth, and most importantly, a God of love. If we are to be imitators of Christ, then we need to have a character like His. We can do this by accepting His peace in the place of the fear the world tries to tie us down with, by forgiving even when we feel wronged, and by accepting God’s love so that we, in turn, can show that same love to our neighbor instead of putting them down when their views or ideas are different than ours. We need to remember the other three sixteens in the Bible and how they show the love and mercy of God. Then, as Melinda Fugate states in the closing remarks of her book, we can “rest in the promise of His love that is faithful from generation to generation. Amen.”

To learn more about Malinda and The Other Three Sixteens, visit HERE.

The Truth Will Set You Free

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From our Publisher’s Desk
In a world full of white lies, fibs, exaggeration, near truths, and stretching of the truth, it can be hard to know what is fact and what is fiction. In the past few months, we can see this firsthand if we look closely at our politicians, media, and especially posts and pictures on Facebook from those we know. Everyone wants that picture perfect family appearance, that impeccable dinner picture, that cause worth sharing, and that Instagram worthy outfit and pose to photograph. In fact, that is all we see. Life is filtered through a camera lens so that only the perfect moment is captured, while the tantrums, tears, trials, and hard work are left off camera…behind the scenes. This filtered, idealistic living is so prevalent in today’s culture that it is hard to know who, and what, to believe.
   Christine Paxson and Rosemary Spiller address the fact that the Bible has all the answers, not just for the past, but for present circumstances as well in their book and study guide, No Half-Truths Allowed: Understanding the Complete Gospel Message. It is important that, as believers, we know the truths found within God’s Word so that we can share those truths with others and not get caught up in what society thinks of us and how they perceive us. They explore what Jesus has done for you and me. With society’s ever-changing cultural standards, we have to be rooted in the truth… God’s truth. We have to let Him reign in our hearts and lives so that we can bring glory back to Him by not compromising what is right and true, by reflecting that truth in and through our lives. We can do this by standing up and saying, “No more half-truths are allowed in my life!”
***
    “A person’s experience with the Gospel can be a lot like quilting. The beauty and seemingly simplistic message of the grace and love of God displayed in His only Son dying for us can draw our longing hearts in like moths to a flame, but if we do not take the time to study and understand the full message of the Gospel, we are selling ourselves – and God – short. The Gospel is the Word of God and the main message of the entire Bible. It is the saving power of God! Its power is not contained in the eloquence of the messenger, but in the message itself. That is why we need to get it right.”
“Most of us have asked basic, fundamental questions about the Gospel – and others like them – and have had them run through our heads at one time or another. For some of us, the Bible has been taught in a way that makes us believe many things are right. For others, culture, other religions’ ideas, and even TV commercials have planted ideas firmly in our minds. But we need to know what the Bible says about [the questions we have]. Remember, the goal for this book is to make sure that by the end, you have a clear understanding of what the full Gospel message is – not only for yourself, but also so that when you share it with others, they fully understand what they are either accepting or rejecting.”
“The bottom line is, if we emphasize that God is remaking or renewing the world but do not include how He is redeeming people to be in it, we have not proclaimed the Good News to them. We have left them ignorant of the saving message of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Why does the Church, the Bride of Christ, want to shove sin, and death, and the glorious message of the cross out of our vocabulary? Have we tried to become too relevant? Are people so self-centered that even the Church has to make their focus all about people and no longer God? Is it because our good deeds make us feel good about ourselves, but we find it hard to bring up the Gospel to someone? Are we believing some of these half-truths ourselves? Are we more intent on what God can do for us than we are about studying His Word? Is it because we just don’t know any better? Christian, it’s time for that examination, and we start with the question to ourselves, ‘Am I really a Christian?’
If you are a Christian, as we’ve described over and over again in this book, then the next questions should be, ‘Am I sharing the whole Gospel message?’ ‘Is my church sharing the whole Gospel message?’ If not, then what do we do about it?
Let’s make it our aim to glorify God by taking the message of the cross and making it central to everything else. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).” (Text taken from No Half-Truths Allowed book)
***
    “As God’s chosen people, we need to make sure we are doing what we were created to do – glorify Him and enjoy Him forever! To do that, we need to know His Word, and we need to follow it. We need to spread the Gospel message, and we need to do it correctly! Will it be easy? Sometimes. Will it be hard? Sometimes. But it needs to be done. Therefore, let’s make it our aim to glorify God by taking the message of the cross and making it central to everything else.” (Text taken from No Half-Truths Allowed study guide)
***

    When we are tempted to get caught up in making our lives look perfect over Facebook or Instagram, or when we are unsure what to believe about our friends, neighbors, leaders, pastors, or politicians, let’s try to remember that we live in a fallen world, and no one is perfect. Let’s try to focus on showing our reality, and not a watered-down version of it. But most importantly, let us remember that  we are here to glorify God and help lead others to do the same. Be an example to those around you, don’t compromise, and don’t settle for sharing any half-truths!

To learn more about Christine and Rose and No Half-Truths Allowed, visit HERE.