New Release from Tule Fog Press

Excited about this announcement - I just edited and published Revathi Selwyn's Biblical novel, Ruth: A Journey to Faith. With this novel, I'm launching a new line of books at Tule Fog Press - Christian fiction. I hope to add two more titles to this category this year.

Amazon Link (affiliate)

From the Back Cover...

Ruth is a Princess of Moab. Naomi, her mother-in-law from Israel, shares with her the love of Yahweh. Naomi’s God and people become Ruth’s God and people. As Ruth learns to trust in the God of Creation, the Lord honors her faithfulness. Her journey to faith in Yahweh is rewarded, and she becomes an ancestor to kings!

About the Book

This creative imagining of Ruth’s story is based on Biblical history and the truth of Scripture (especially as found in the Book of Ruth). Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons move to Moab due to severe famine in Israel. Ruth meets Mahlon and marries into the Israelite family. Naomi loses her sons and, in bitterness, decides to return to Israel. Ruth is determined to cross the Jordan and follow her mother-in-law to a new life.

In the city of Bethlehem, Ruth meets Boaz in the barley fields. He becomes her kinsman redeemer. She marries him and becomes the ancestor to the kings of Israel. Ruth has come a long way from being a little princess of Moab. She enjoys her final days spending time with her great-grandson, David, teaching him to play the tambourine and to worship the God of Israel.

About the Author

Revathi Selwyn is a family practitioner, poet, and author. She loves writing and her books are fun to read. She’s written a series of short stories that encourage children to be kind to one another, to animals, and to nature. In Created for a Purpose, her stories emphasize that God has a purpose for everything He has created.

Titles within this children’s series include Josh-Posh, Little Hug-Me and the Avocado; Josh-Posh, Little Hug-Me and Izzy Busy; and Josh-Posh, Little Hug-Me and the Spotted Dove. Her first children’s book was published in 2014, Tsip the Little Sparrow.

Revathi lives in Hyderabad, India, with her husband; they have two grown children. She loves nature, birds, and animals. Her favorite pets are her two labs, Amy and Teddy. She also enjoys writing poetry and has posted several of her poems online. You can find all her books here on Amazon.

New Series on Kindle Vella

Are you a Kindle Vella fan? Are you into "The Chosen" streaming series? (Season 3 drops soon!) 

Then you might like my historical fiction series on how Matthew the Tax Collector became a Follower of Jesus. 

I've published 6 are 21 episodes with new chapters coming out every Sunday and Thursday. Click "Follow Story" (link to Amazon's Kindle Vella) to be notified when a new episode drops. Read the first 3 episodes for free. (artwork by Jacob Aybara, btw)

Matthew's Story - Show Me the Money

Matthew's Story by Lyndon Perry

Chapter 1 – Show Me the Money

One sunny morning in the region of Galilee…

Matthew: Hey, hey. Hold up, there. You have to pay your obol to enter Capernaum.

Visitor: What’s an obol?

Matthew: A sixth of a drachma, of course. You must not be from around here. Entry tax, my friend. Entry tax.

Visitor: What’s going on today, some special holiday? Seems pretty busy.

Matthew: No, there’s no festival that I know of. Oh, you mean the crowd down by the lake? Yeah, the man sure has a following. He’s pretty hard to miss.

Visitor: Some entertainer?

Matthew: A teacher. I’ve seen him around, heard him tell a few stories. Likeable guy. Folks just seem to flock to him.

Visitor: How do you mean?

Matthew: Well, if he’s out teaching by the Sea of Galilee, crowds show up. When he’s at Synagogue, the place is packed. Visiting one of his friends at home? Standing room only.

Visitor: Wonder what his appeal is.

Matthew: I’ll tell you. People around here are pretty convinced. The word is, he’s God’s agent. Know what I mean?

Visitor: Nope.

Matthew: You don’t? We might be talking about the Messiah here. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of Jesus! Oh my, first an obol, now this. He’s headline news, friend. You’re certainly a strange one.

Visitor: Sorry.

Matthew: Anyway, a lot of people knew who Jesus was even before he started teaching. Worked as a carpenter and craftsman around the area. Born and raised near here, in Nazareth.

Visitor: Can anything good come from Nazareth?

Matthew: I know, right? By the way, what’s your name?

Visitor: Jordan.

Matthew: Like the river? Very cool. I’m Levi. Tax collector. Now, you gonna pay that obol or what?

Later that day...

Matthew: Hey, good to see you again, friend. Jordan, right? You get settled someplace in town?

Jordan: Yeah, I’ve decided to spend a few days here. Take a look around, maybe go fishing.

Matthew: Very nice, but If I’d known you were staying, I could have recommended an inn. I’ve got some pretty good connections.

Jordan: That’s okay. But I am a little curious about this man, Jesus. Everyone seems to be talking about him.

Matthew: You got that right. And you won’t believe what happened to me after you left. When Jesus finished teaching down by the lake, he came this way. You just missed him!

Jordan: That’s disappointing. Tell me what happened.

Matthew: I was right over there in my booth, busy collecting tolls, when he joined the line. He waited until it was his turn, and when I said, “Next,” he looked me in the eye and said, “Follow me.”

Jordan: What? Like, leave your booth and take off after him?

Matthew: Exactly! I did one of those ‘who me?’ moves and shot a glance behind me, but nope, I was his audience.

Jordan: That’s pretty wild.

Matthew: You’re telling me. I asked Jesus, “You sure about that?” You know, me being a tax collector and all.

Jordan: I’m not following.

Matthew: What? You don’t know about tax collectors? Well, let me educate you.

Jordan: Educate me.

Matthew: We’re despised by Romans because we’re Jews. And we’re despised by our fellow Jews because we work for the Romans collecting money. Get it?

Jordan: Ah, a collaborator! A traitor to your people. Scum of the earth. A sinner.

Matthew: Hey now! Watch your language. Anyway, Jesus waved me out of my chair. Said, “I’ve not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jordan: See there?

Matthew: I won’t deny it. So I left my booth. Just like that! I’m one of his followers now.

Jordan: Wow! That’s incredible. Why aren’t you with Jesus, then?

Matthew: I’m throwing a party tonight in his honor and I’m off to invite a few friends over. I’m going to introduce all of them. Hey! Why don’t you swing by tonight?

Jordan: Are you serious? I can go to your party and maybe meet this Jesus?

Matthew: Sure you can! You’d be welcome, I know it. There’s always room for one more sinner!

<><

You just read the first chapter of my story about Matthew, a disciple of Jesus. The rest of the story can be found in our free app called Faith Journeys. Once you download the app (free from Apple Store and Google Play), you can read Matthew for free as well as the story of Adam for free. Other stories are available for purchase (cheap!) and there are no advertisements! I invite you to check it out. Artwork is by Jacbo Aybara. We're excited about this new project. Please spread the word! Thanks!

~*~

"Tip a buck, get a book."

(via PayPal.Me - an e-book from Tule Fog Press.) 

This blog is reader supported. Thank you for your support!

Hymn Stories - Amazing Grace

On Wednesday nights at our church, I lead a Bible study discussion. For the next 10 or 12 weeks we'll be looking at "Hymn Stories" - we'll talk about the lyrics, the Scripture the hymn is based on, and the circumstances of its origin.

Last week, we started with an easy one - Amazing Grace by John Newton. It was very well received and so I think we're going to have a wonderful series. You can join us on FB here each Wed at 6:30 PM (CST).

Regarding AG, you can search engine the story behind this great hymn, but the basic background is that Newton was a slave ship captain and when he got into a terrible storm, thinking he wouldn't make it, he cried out to God for mercy.

When he made it through the storm alive, Newton gave his life back to the Lord and eventually gave up slaving and started advocating for the abolition of this evil practice. 

Newton was a forceful writer and speaker and influenced William Wilberforce, another Christian, who finally convinced the English Parliment to give up the practice. They passed the resolution a few weeks after Newton had died.

(Definitely watch the movie, Amazing Grace, 2006, starring Ioan Gruffudd as Wilberforce. Excellent!)

The hymn, Amazing Grace, is a testimony to God's saving power, then, of a man who was a wretched sinner (as are we all) but who was bestowed salvation. Just...wow. 

I remember going to a funeral once, and the pastor had us sing AG but changed the lyric from "wretch like me" to "one like me." Because, he said, we are not wretches - God loves us!

Pfffft! Without Christ, we are wretched! We're lost and no better off than a slaver. In fact, in our hearts at this very moment, we would readily enslave anyone who doesn't think like us, act like us, look like us, believe like us. That's the nature of sin.

But praise God, Christ has freed us from this wretched state. I'm still a sinner, but now I'm also forgiven and am a new creation. Thank you, Lord. 

Such is the nature of great hymns. They convey powerful theological truths and transforming Biblical teaching. Really looking forward to this series!

~*~

"Tip a buck, get a book."

(via PayPal.Me - an e-book from Tule Fog Press.)

This blog is reader supported. Thank you for your support!

Find me on Facebook where I post nerdy memes and share about my writing projects.

New Stories at Faith Journeys

Excited about four new stories coming online at Faith Journeys - our app project that "delivers short biblical fiction daily." 

What is Faith Journeys? I'm glad you asked!

From our website: Faith Journeys is an app for reading entertaining and inspirational stories based on biblical characters and events. The stories are fictional. Our authors have added additional characters and story lines to create an encouraging tale of how their characters grew in their understanding of and faith in God.

Our goal is to add new stories on a regular basis. (And we're looking for writers, as well. This is paid gig, y'all. Contact me for details.)

What's new? The following stories are now available (or soon will be) in our Faith Journeys app (for phone or tablet). 

Can you tell which character goes with which story? By the way, the wonderful artwork is by Jacob Aybara. (He's actually my son-in-law as well! So I may be biased, lol.)

Here they are:

• Daniel and Ezra - Standing Strong by Laura Ware
• Absalom and King David - A Shakespearian Tragedy by Jeff Chapman
• Naamah, Noah's Wife - Navigating Life's Perilous Flood by Karen Hollowell
• The Story of Ruth - A Journey to Faith by Revathi Selwyn. 

Other stories already available include: 

Adam, Methuselah, Abigail, Barabbas, Matthew, Naomi, Rebekah, Samson, Zacchaeus, Phileom & Onesimus, Edud, Mary the Mother of Jesus, Joseph the Carpenter, Barnabas, and Paul the Apostle. 

We'll have Michal and Isaiah coming in the next month or so.

What Bible character do you want to read about? With Faith Journeys you can travel with them in your imagination and discover a possible backstory and find out a little bit more about their context and culture.

Look for all of these on our Faith Journeys website and in the app, which is available as a free download in the Apple and Google Play stores.

Now that you've taken a look (at our website with all that artwork), which characters do you like the best? Who else do you want to read about? Let us know! 

Oh, and be sure to like and follow our Facebook page to keep up with news and new stories. Thanks for dropping by!