Monday, June 29, 2015

Musings on First John (5:6-8)

Wordle: Musings
6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry he was baptized by water. At the end he was crucified and shed his blood. Then the Holy Spirit descended, dwells within us, and testifies to Christ’s sacrifice.

Actually verses 7 is quite controversial and translated differently or even omitted from some Bibles. I checked the original Greek and the text is quite clear, and there is more than appears in verse 7 of the above NIV translation. Here's the original:
7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

Okay, then, that takes our study of this passage to a new level and also gives proof to the concept of the Trinity. I like that the Father (God), the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) bear record (of the Truth) in heaven. And these three are one.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

EXODIA and OUT OF EXODIA Both Launch Today!




By 2093 American life is a strange mix of failing technologies, psychic predictions, and radiation induced abilities. Tattoos are mandatory to differentiate two classes, privileged and slave. 


Dalton Battista fears that his fading tattoo is a deadly omen. He's either the heir of the brutal tyrant of the new capital city, Exodia or he's its prophesied redeemer. Shy, handsome, smart and in possession of powers he doesn't yet realize, he escapes an order for his execution by fleeing the city with the help of Lydia, who quickly captures his heart. But can he escape a destiny that will force him to marry another girl and return to Exodia as its liberator?

In this sequel to EXODIA, Dalton Battista takes on his prophesied identity as Bram O'Shea. When this psychic teen leads a city of 21st century American survivalists out from under an oppressive regime, he puts the escape plan at risk by trusting the mysterious god-like David Ronel. With Ronel's ulterior motives under suspicion, Bram's loyalties questioned, and a mutiny imminent, this large group of outcasts faces multiple problems. What should have been a two-week journey lasts for months as they engage in battles against new enemies. Bram's unusual abilities and a special weapon supplied by Ronel help them overcome obstacles but can they reach the "Promised Land" before time runs out?

Special Launch Day Prices for EXODIA




Special Launch Day Prices for OUT OF EXODIA




Also available in multiple digital formats from



Based loosely on the ancient story of Moses, this two book dystopian journey (EXODIA and OUT OF EXODIA) crosses genres, combining young adult, new adult, sci-fi, magical realism, and speculative fiction for an adventure full of symbolism, hidden codes, and thematic imagery.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Musings on First John (5:1-5)

Wordle: Musings

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Please answer yes. Now, spoiler alert for those of you who are pessimistic about the direction this world is taking: We (those of us who believe) will overcome the world. John even tells us not to be concerned about all those “commands” of God’s that we are to obey. Hey, they’re not burdensome, he tells us. We can overcome the world.

Love God, carry out His commands. Love one another.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

EXODIA Excerpt


Chapter 1 The Red Slum

From the first page of the Ledger:
The black voice said, “Live in fire, wild, souls howl here.”
There are two paths to every man’s life. Some choose hell …

IT’S AS IF I too am running for my life.
I sit transfixed by the scene outside the smudged window. A scrubby looking boy races away from a statehouse guardsman barely out of reach of the angry soldier’s whip. I clench my fists, press closer to the window, and let the pounding in my ears cover my idiot tutor’s droning voice:
“… after the Eurasian Nuclear War of 2049 when North America united into 90 states and declared trade independence from the rest of the world …”
The kid reaches the fence and scrambles up the chain links. The frayed end of the guard’s whip catches him on the ankle. Two small oranges spill from his pockets as he lurches to scurry over the top unfazed by the lashing or the broken barbs. He casts a casual, nonchalant glance over his shoulder and disappears out of sight.
My posture relaxes and my pulse returns to normal, but then my eyes fall to the words the tutor has scrawled on the wallboard: Eurasian Nuclear War. The letters jump around in my head and rearrange themselves into I aware casual runner. My heart skips a beat. I’ve been having more of these strange distractions lately. Words change in my head and I miss several minutes of time.
I slump down in my seat and glance at the three other boys forced to sit through this drivel with me. Not one is paying attention. We’ve heard it a thousand times.
“… post-apocalyptic immigration changed the culture of our new nation. Tattoos on the left elbow, red or blue, were given at birth to differentiate the two classes. Intermarriage is punishable by death and so is killing or breaking the bones of someone of the opposite tattoo.”
I fight the urge to cradle my left elbow even though it doesn’t matter since I’m wearing a long sleeved shirt. I can never draw attention to my fading tattoo. As grandson of the most powerful man in the nation, Executive President Bryer Battista, there should be no doubt that I am a Blue.
But I have a doubt. Something isn’t right. No one else’s royal blue tattoo has purpled like mine. For months now I’ve secretly dabbed blue dye on my skin, as much to hide the suspicion from myself as from anyone else, that maybe, just maybe, the tattoo I was given sixteen years ago was red. And maybe I, Dalton Battista, grandson of the cruelest tyrant ever, am not a true member of the elite ruling class. That maybe I belong to society’s religious outcasts–those poor hoarders, low class rejects, slave labor.
It takes a moment before the silence registers on my ears. The tutor is no longer speaking. Four sets of eyes are turned on me, watching, waiting.
“Excuse me? Could you repeat the question?”
“Certainly,” the tutor smirks. “What is the name of the resistance leader who tried to claim all of Exodia for the Reds?”
“Um,” I clear my throat. I love history actually. Half my life I was raised by a Red nanny whose tales of Ronel captivated me. “Ronel, David Ronel, he, um …” I run a hand through my hair, long by current standards, and simply stop talking. My fear of public speaking muzzles me even in this small group.
And now my mind swirls around the fact that this morning I ran out of blue dye.
*   *   *
AVAILABLE on AMAZON

Friday, June 12, 2015

Musings on First John (4:17-21)

Wordle: Musings

17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
What’s your idea of the Day of Judgment? Is it scary? Do you have fear or confidence in it? The whole idea—my mental picture—of that awesome day had always, for me, been quite overwhelming: everyone’s sins on display, instant damnation for some, wailing, screaming, God’s wrath. But wait, that’s all wrong. As it says in John’s letter above: we will have confidence on that day, not fear; fear has to do with punishment and we won’t encounter any of that. Our sins are covered, cast away as far as the east is from the west. My new understanding is that I will be able to appear confident before the throne of judgment. There is no fear in love.

The second part of this passage has to do with our loving one another. Easy to love some people, but really difficult to love that guy who keeps attacking us, or that person who _____ (fill in the blank). Yet, God commands us to love our brother. Got to do it.

You might ask: How can we ever get to that point? Answer: Love God. As we love Him and experience His love for us, He will bestow upon us that love for others.

Friday, June 5, 2015

Musings on First John (4:13-16)

Wordle: Musings

13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can give your testimony without sounding obnoxious, self-righteous, or holier-than-thou, then take a lesson from the Apostle John who gives us in these few verses a concise, succinct way to state the facts. There’s no arguing, no pontificating, no loud shout-down. Fact, fact, conclusion.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Goodreads Giveaway of OUT OF EXODIA



Goodreads Book Giveaway

Out of Exodia by Debra Chapoton

Out of Exodia

by Debra Chapoton

Giveaway ends June 13, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
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