~~~~~
This is a story of the amazing power of the Word of God. It contains all the elements of a Hollywood script: drama, conflict, good vs. evil, angry crowds, and a single righteous man willing to speak the Word of God.
It took place several years ago in Palo Alto, California, at a time when Ray Stedman was the pastor of Peninsula Bible Church, the largest church in the community. A few weeks earlier a local developer had filed an application for a liquor license. He wanted to build a liquor store only blocks away from both Peninsula Bible Church and the local high school. The application was accepted, posted, and the zoning board set the date for a public hearing.
In the days leading up to the hearing things were relatively quiet. It appeared as if this proposal was going to easily slide through the approval process. Later the developer would tell the local news outlets that it looked like he was going to be able to walk out with his license in less than fifteen minutes.
The day arrived. The developer and his attorney were a little early, so they took their assigned seats at the front table. Occasionally one of them would glance back at the entrance and watch as the room filled until it was standing room only.
At the posted time the meeting was called to order and it began in a businesslike, calm fashion. But that didn’t last for long. Tension, yelling, interruptions, even red faces all slowly built up. Citizens expressed their outrage, citing the need to protect their youth from the temptation to buy and drink alcohol. The developer argued that if the students wanted alcohol, they would get it even if his store were located farther away. It was the parents’ responsibility not his to keep the kids away from his store.
Just when it looked hopeless, a solitary man sitting in the back who had remained quiet during all the arguments stood and raised his hand. At first no one reacted to this man but as the whisper circulated that it was the local pastor, Ray Stedman, people quieted down. He walked up to address the zoning board and asked for permission to read a short passage of Scripture. The board agreed.
Pastor Stedman opened his Bible and turned to Luke 17:1-2. As he read the words aloud, a hush fell over the crowd.
He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
Without a comment, Pastor Stedman closed his Bible, turned, and walked back his seat. After a few moments of silence, the man who wanted to open the liquor store stood up and withdrew his application.
Just as Christ used the Word to rebuke the enemy, Pastor Stedman had used the power of the Word to set things right in his community.
Since most of us are readers, writers, or both, this is a story we can take to heart. When we write our books, especially when those are Christian works, we need to understand that even if our book is a romantic historical piece, an adventure, or a cozy mystery, as soon as we put God in it, it has the potential to become powerful. We have a responsibility to ensure that the way we involve God in our stories is Holy Spirit led.
To that end, I pray, and I ask you to pray with me, that we will always keep Christ at the center of every word we pen.
Words are powerful, especially when our books include God. #amwriting #Christianfiction
~~~~~
Now that the threat from Abdul Ba’ith
has been eliminated, Lazarus and his team at SOAR hope to help Ricki
discover the secret in his journal. That hope is dashed when he
discovers that the UDs have even bigger plans in the works—plans that
threaten the stability of the entire world.
North Korea is ruled by a UD who has
overseen the development of a deadly airborne disease. The virus is on
its way to the Middle East by boat where ISIS will use it to destroy
Israel on October 10th. Lazarus joins a team sent to North Korea to
eliminate the UD responsible for the program while another team searches
for the virus in the Middle East, hoping to destroy it before it can be
used.
The odds are stacked against both teams
as twist after twist arise to impede their progress. Will Lazarus be
able to free North Korea of its dictatorial leader? Will Shiri’s team be
able to locate the virus and neutralize it before it is released on
Israel? It’s a world-wide hunt with more that the existence of Israel at
stake, because the virus will spread from Israel to the rest of the
world.
~~~~~
Richard Spillman has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and has taught Computer Engineering for over 30 years. After his recent retirement, Richard took up his life-long dream to write novels. His first novel, The Awakened, was a Genesis Semi-Finalist and a Cascade finalist. Richard is active on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Wattpad and LinkedIn. You can learn more about Richard at his website: spillmanrichard.com
