Stephen was Full of Faith and Power

Read Acts 6: 8-15

Let's dissect a single verse, verse 8:

Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.

Stephen is full of grace (many translations have faith) and power. There are 2 Greek words here: pistis and dunamis. You know me, I love, love getting to the root of these words. Pistis means faith. It also refers to Christian doctrine – all that Christianity stands for – the Gospel and especially reliance upon Christ for salvation.  And it also means persuasion (to be persuaded, to come to trust).

Faith (pistis) is a gift from God, and not something that you can produce. There's a difference between belief and faith. Faith is "God's divine persuasion" – and therefore different from human belief. The Lord gives faith; it is the persuasion of His will (read 1st John 5:4).

"Give Unto Caesar" What Does That Mean?

Paying taxes to Caesar

Examining Matthew 22: 15 – 22 “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.”

On the last week of Jesus' earthly life, he rode into Jerusalem and was hailed as the Messiah. The people thought he was the conquering hero who would overthrow the Roman oppression. However, the day after they hailed him as Messiah, instead of overthrowing the Romans he overthrew the Jewish religious system, throwing the money-changers out of the temple. They didn't know quite how to take that, but the next day Jesus was back in the temple, teaching on the kingdom and preaching the gospel to a huge crowd of people.

The chief priests and the elders challenged Jesus’ authority, but then when Jesus asked them a question they had to admit they didn't know where John’s baptism came from. They must have been irate, humiliated, and incensed. They started looking for a way to arrest Jesus and probably fumed quietly while Jesus told another parable. Then they went out and laid plans to trap him (snare him, entangle him, literally).

The Most Hated Men

During the time of Jesus in first century Israel, there were publicans and tax collectors who could walk up to a man and tax him for what he was carrying! These tax collectors were hated and despised - well, yeah - but not just because they had their hands in others' pockets (or pouches in those days), but also because the tax collectors were usually fellow Jews who worked for Rome. There were lots of taxes needed to administrate the Roman Empire. The taxes paid for roads, law and order, security, and other benefits.

Facebook Q & A with Authors Tonight

Facebook Event: Q & A with Authors Jamie Canosa and Debra Chapoton

Tonight, July 14, from 7 to 8 Eastern time Creative Prose Publishing is holding an online author event through Facebook.


Come and join in as we answer questions about writing, publishing, and whatever questions come up.

Jamie Canosa is a full time author of YA literature, which she absolutely loves! When she's not writing or spending time with her family, she can usually be found with her nose in a book. She currently resides in Upstate, NY, with her wonderful husband and three crazy kids . . . plus the dog, the bird and the rabbit. Dissidence is Jamie's first full length novel and a bestseller on Amazon.

CPP Summer Blastoff!

Creative Prose Publishing is excited to announce our Summer Blastoff!

Throughout the next few months we will be launching several new books as well as reintroducing you to some of our current releases. All of this will culminate in a giant, blow out party at the end of the summer. Refer back here often to keep up on what's coming up. Here is the schedule:

• June 30: Cover Reveal of Tifani Clark's Shadow of a Life (see it here)
• July 7: Cover reveal of Rachel Stiber's Elise's Choice
• July 14: Q&A with authors Jamie Canosa and Debra Chapoton (hey, that's me!)
• July 28: Launch party and release date for Beginnings, an anthology based on famous first lines*
• August 11: Launch party and release date for Tifani Clark's Shadow of a Life
• August 25: Launch party and release date for Rachel Stiber's Elise's Choice
• September 8: End of Summer Launch party and giveaway, featuring all of our authors

*Beginnings features stories from our writing contest winners, authors: Laurie Treacy, Jamie Canosa, M.M. Roethig, and Candace Gleave

Thank you for stopping by,

Creative Prose Publishing

When God Gave the Apostles a Green Light

Acts 5: 17 - 33 tells the story of Peter and the Apostles standing up to the Sanhedrin (the authorities) because they knew they were better off obeying God rather than men.

Here's a powerpoint I used in Bible study to get the point across that even if the authorities put up stop signs, threats, and obstacles, if God has given you a go-ahead to proceed, then rest assured that He will switch your enemies' red lights back to green.

Dissecting Psalm 100

Dissecting Psalm 100

¹Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
²Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs,
³Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Who is this psalm for? ALL THE EARTH

What are the commands? SHOUT! WORSHIP! COME! KNOW! ENTER! GIVE THANKS! GIVE PRAISE!

How should we do these? WITH GLADNESS, WITH SONGS, WITH THANKSGIVING, WITH PRAISE

What would your shout be? (personal answer here – mine would be HALLELUJAH or HE IS RISEN or PRAISE GOD or JESUS IS KING or THANK YOU, LORD!)

Why should we shout and praise and worship and give thanks? BECAUSE THE LORD IS GOOD AND HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER! (verse 5)

When should we do these things? WHEN WE ENTER HIS PRESENCE (church)

Share at least two things for which you are thankful to God. (personal answer here – mine would be FORGIVENESS and MY EYESIGHT)

Who Decided Which Books Go in the Bible?

In 90-95 AD there was a Jewish council called the Council of Jamnia which met to revise the Books of the Canon, i.e., the Old Testament. The word “canon” comes from the root word “reed”. The reed was used as a measuring rod and came to have the added meaning of “standard”. Hence the word “canon” implies that for a book to be added to Scripture it had to meet the standard.

The next question would be: what are the standards for a book, say Lamentations, Job, Malachi, etc., to be included in the Old Testament?

1. The books had to conform to the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch means the first five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 
2. The books had to be written in Hebrew. 
3. The books had to be written in Palestine.
4. The books had to be written before 400 B.C.

Wouldn’t you like to know how many and which books didn’t make it? I’ll tell you: fourteen books, known as the Apocrypha were removed. The books in the Apocrypha were never quoted by Jesus, or any of the New Testament authors.

Jesus gave divine endorsement to the Old Testament Canon in Luke 24: 44:

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 

Cool Stuff in the Bible

There are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. You know what’s cool? There’s an amazing relationship between the 22^nd book, the 44^th book, and the 66^th book.

The 22^nd book is Song of Songs, the last of the Wisdom Books.

The 44^th book is the Acts of the Apostles, the last book of New Testament History.

The 66^th book is the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible.

The theme of Song of Songs is the King receives his Bride and he is set as a seal upon her heart.

The theme of Acts is God seals His Bride the Church.

The theme of Revelation is Christ receives His Bride the Church. An angel comes with the seal of the living God; he who sits on the throne holds a scroll sealed with seven seals.

Oh, and about that 22^nd Hebrew letter that lines up with these books … it’s the last letter: tav, which has the symbolic meaning of mark, sign, or cross. Tav represents the ideas of consummation, completion, covenant and sealing. Rabbinic tradition calls the letter Tav the “Seal of Creation” and the “Seal of Truth”.

Cool, huh?

ALL AUTHORS BLOG BLITZ

Guest Post from Y. Correa

Hello one and all,

I am so happy and honored to be here visiting with you all.

For all of you who do not know me, I am Y. Correa, author, literary advocate, professional reviewer and

CEO/Founder of All Authors Publications and Promotions, which entails:

• All Authors Support Group

• All Authors Magazine

• All Authors Publishing House

• All Authors Graphic Design

• AND, the All Authors Blog Blitz

I have authored a hand full of short stories, some of which include, “A.L.O.M”, “The G Particle”, “Ryan”

and “Loving...them!” At this current juncture, I'm working on the second and final installment of

“MarcoAntonio & Amaryllis” as well as a stand alone Sci­Fi Romance which I've titled “Genesis

Ellipses...”

Today in celebration of the All Authors Blog Blitz, I've opted to give everyone a taste of MarcoAntoino

and Amaryllis. Following is an excerpt:

Finding My Inspiration, part 2

Like Edge of Escape, my next two YA novels, The Guardian’s Diary and Sheltered, were set in suburban high schools and I also loosely based some of the characters on my students. But for A Soul’s Kiss my inspiration came from – this is going to sound strange – STD’s.

Here’s the thought pattern: I wish I knew what other people were thinking … I wish I could be that person for a day … What if your body could release your spirit and you could inhabit their body? Yes, I know, that's been done a dozen times – body swapping. Freaky Friday, Disney movies, etc. Now for the inspiration: What if my main character didn't swap bodies? What if she just left behind others’ thoughts and dreams? Like an STD.  Ooo, think of the implications: she'd pick up their secrets and unknowingly drop them off in the minds of those who shouldn't know those secrets. The novel evolved from there with sub-themes of bullying, hidden crushes, and even racial tolerance. 

I wonder where I'll get my next inspiration from ... oh, wait ... got it.  You'd be amazed at how one tiny little fact can grow into not one, but two complete novels. More about that when I finish.

Finding My Inspiration, part 1

Every time I read a book with a great theme I think wow, why didn't I come up with that? After all, there are roughly forty billion novel ideas floating around in the air just above our heads, right? Well, I’ve written almost twenty books in various genres and have plucked those themes from said air. The tricky part once I grabbed a theme was getting my muse to cooperate. Let me give you an example of how I get my inspiration.

For my first young adult novel, Edge of Escape, the idea came to me as I sat in the passenger seat staring at a green line of trees. My husband and I were heading home from a weekend in the quiet woods of northern Michigan, aiming the car toward the traffic-crammed streets of suburban Detroit where we both taught in a large high school. The idea struck: What if a misunderstood teen set his sights on a popular girl and took her to the woods we just left? Well, that wasn’t quite earth shattering enough. Here was where the inspiration fairy needed to do her thing.

And poof! I thought of a particular student I had: tall, dark, handsome, but with some emotional problems. He didn’t interact with the other kids; he ate lunch with the special needs kids; and his mother had arranged for individualized treatment from his teachers, including me. She was a bully and I didn't believe that her son needed all the pampering or the individualized quizzes and tests she demanded. The kid was smart; his real problem was that he was a social misfit. So I thought: What if his simple crush on a girl developed into a plan to kidnap her and make her like him back? Aha, almost there.  

I observed this smart but emotionally impaired individual and actually spied on him in other classes and in the cafeteria. He was the perfect inspiration for innocent adoration that escalates into stalking and abduction - Edge of Escape.

Excerpt from A SOUL'S KISS

"A SOUL'S KISS delivers the right balance of romance, suspense, and the paranormal."

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Jessica thinks high school would be perfect if she could win over Hannah’s boyfriend, Michael, but a horrible accident changes everything.  Jessica’s physical body falls into a coma while her spirit splits off to invade the thoughts and dreams of those around her, including Michael, Hannah, and even Tyler, who has a crush on Jessica.

As she harvests slivers of others’ souls she also learns everyone’s secret memories and starts to suspect that Michael isn't as wonderful as she thinks he is. 

When she invades Hannah, she has a chance to be with Michael, but now Hannah is interested in Tyler. 

Excerpt:

I think about Michael, but Hannah’s face keeps interrupting every memory. I think about Rashanda and Tyler, but again Hannah’s voice splits my thoughts in two. Her voice. And what I last heard her say as I sat behind her in her friend’s car. Last night: “We could make Andrew the next victim if you want.”

“We could make Andrew the next victim if you want.”

It echoes. I can remember the entire conversation. And more. I can remember touching my forehead to the back of her head. I got inside, but she would not acknowledge me. I could not get past the boxes of darkness that litter her head. It was like there were doors and more doors, all of them closed, and I didn’t have the keys to open any of them.

And now I'm stuck. There’s no pulling back out of her mind. Last night I felt her nausea, her migraine. I heard Brittany’s voice, took in their conversation, their good-byes, the walk into the house. I saw her father, felt Hannah’s disappointment – a mixture of repulsion and love as she sneaked past the snoring hulk sprawled on the living room couch. I remember her, us, getting ready for bed.

And then this blackness.

My heart, or maybe it’s Hannah’s, stutters to life in a race to beat my mind to a horrible conclusion: I am stuck in Hannah and Hannah is waking up.

(A SOUL'S KISS is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.)