Davis Bunn Writes a Stunning New Novel

Davis Bunn has done it again. He has plowed new ground in his latest novel, The Turning, an April 1, 2014, release by River North Fiction. Where others have written books of theology on the Lordship of Jesus – the scriptural basis, the aspects of, and rewards of it, Davis Bunn has demonstrated the operation of Lordship.

Five people from different locations in the US, with different family histories and different financial bases, have been directly moved upon by the Holy Spirit. With nothing in common other than their basic surrender to Jesus in salvation, these five people have heard from the Holy Spirit and now must choose the Lordship of Jesus over their own desires and understandings. Not knowing the reason or outcome of any action they are moved upon to make, they must choose to obey the Lord from a basis of faith alone. Through them, the Lord has begun a campaign to call America back to him. Unknown to them, at first, the devil has also mounted a powerful attempt for the hearts and souls of the younger generation.

The book is a novel – with a novel idea; and regardless of how the story plays out, it cannot help but pull on the hearts and consciences of true believers who take time to read it. Be prepared to question your own standing with the Lord in the matter of Lordship. Be prepared to hurt deeply with what you may see about yourself. And be prepared to renew your understanding about/and desire to be involved in true Lordship.

At the end of the book, you will find a rather interesting invitation that can greatly affect your future. Enjoy!

Here is a video trailer about the book: http://youtu.be/oIP6FhBjgOI

Here is the link to read the first 3 chapters for free: http://statictab.com/fvrrsxz (Like his Facebook page to start reading.

(I received a complimentary copy of The Turning from River North Fiction in exchange for my honest review.)

Onward to South Africa

We just keep plugging along toward South Africa. The one thing that has kept me sane in all of this is to remember that God called us to do this. And it is his responsibility to get us there, all we have to do is follow in His footsteps every day. "The steps of a good man/woman are ordered of the Lord..." The chorus to the song Footprints of Jesus says: "Footprints of Jesus that make the pathway glow. We will follow the steps of Jesus where'ere they go." That is what we are doing.

God sends people along who want to "partner" with us in this venture - either through prayer, one-time gifts, or monthly support. We are always amazed at the who, when and what of the encounters.

I always have to match myself to His yoke, because he says "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." When my soul gets stirred because things don't seem to be happening right, or fast enough, or at all (stark impatience on my part), I have to remind myself that this is His quest first and foremost. When I relax, the yoke doesn't chafe anymore.

We have been able to attend a reunion with our first church after some 40 years, and see our grandchildren. And we are going to see Judy's dad, who turns 92 on Thursday. It is a busy time, a fun time, and we try to remember to laugh along the way.

If you don't know about our move to South Africa, please see my Victory Ground blog.

Until my next blog, remember to "look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." We love you.

Strait of Hormuz, Davis Bunn's Latest Thriller

Full of romance, thrills, dangers, intrigue, high speed, and dark alleys, Strait of Hormuz does not disappoint. Davis Bunn is a masterful writer. From the explosive first chapter to the unexpected ending, you are in for a hair-raising good time.

Strait of Hormuz finds Marc Royce in Geneva, Switzerland, for some unknown reason - unknown to Marc and to Ambassador Walton who sent him there. Marc struggles throughout the whole book to determine his reason for being in Geneva, and the struggles not only define his skills, but highlight the matter of US security.

In every situation in which he finds himself - and he finds himself in some unbelievable situations, he does not seem to know how or why he is where he is. But being the astute man that he is, Marc collects all of these happenstances as clues to some bigger puzzle. He does not so much stumble into situations as he marches purposefully into them. He believes that eventually he will know the purpose, and that it will lead him to the desired end, which he is sure he will recognize when he sees it. Now that is trust with a capital T.

His trust in God, his Ambassador boss, and his country, along with his positive, optimistic attitude of life, seem to keep him afloat and upright. It is tempting to reveal the plot in order to make the point, but you will just have to read the book. And just know that those who have already read the book are looking over your shoulder, eager for you to discover what they have discovered along the way.

         I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany 
         House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Another Great Christian Fiction Book by Davis Bunn - Unlimited

I love to read, as I know many of you do. And I love letting others know of great Christian fiction books. So here is my review of another new book by my favorite author, Davis Bunn;

Davis Bunn does it again. Another great book, Unlimited, is now available in the bookstores of America. The title should warn you that there is far more to this book than meets the eye – or the mind, for that matter.

Unlimited is about a little-known power source not yet defined that will bring great relief to the people. But here is the conundrum. What unknown power source is the real focus of Davis Bunn’s book? Is it the one that has to do with electricity, or is it the one that has to do with the man who is working on the electricity? You’ll have to read to find out. But don’t think I have given anything away. Oh, no. There are other messes to find and straighten out. You might ask, “How many messes can one author put in one book, and work them all out simultaneously?” Be sure to count as you read.

Unlimited is an age-old story told in a modern day setting. Everything is in a mess, harder to untangle than a wad of yarn. The country is in a mess, the town is in a mess, the orphanage is in a mess, and the one person who seems to chosen to fix everything is a mess. The whole story is reminiscent of the fallen creation, or Israel enslaved in Egypt, or Israel under the judges, or most any Old Testament story. In Unlimited – like the Old Testament – the person God has chosen to bring order and victory out of chaos is in a mess. Simon doesn’t know what he wants in life, why he does what he does, or how and if he wants change and another chance.

We would try to fix Simon before Simon can fix the situation. But in God’s special way, he does both simultaneously. We would do step one, and then step two, etc. But then, we can’t begin to figure out how to untangle a wad of yarn, so we usually toss it and get more yarn. Not God. He just happens to think that Simon is not irretrievably lost – nor the orphanage, nor the town, nor the country. So, God sets about to untangle each situation at the same time!

Here is my standard warning about any of Davis’ books. He seems to get behind the reader and push him through the book. So don’t get too rushed. Take time to find the great little nuggets hidden along the way.

I received a complimentary copy of Unlimited from B&H Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.

Click here to read the first 3 chapters of Unlimited for free: http://on.fb.me/1c5lyCS

Click here to view the YouTube movie trailer of the movie Unlimited: http://youtu.be/ZLd5MCOR3rg

YOU CAN WIN YOU OWN COPY OF THE BOOK PLUS MORE. Click on this add, and enter as many times as you wish. You don't have to Pin to enter, and you could a win $50 Fandango gift card, as well.

IFTTT

Today, I want to give a shout out to a free internet service called IFTTT (ifttt.com). It stands for If This Then That.

I also use Evernote, a free web based service for collecting and remembering everything (evernote.com). It, for me, is essentially a cloud-based filing cabinet. So anywhere I am, I can access my Evernote account from PC or tablet/ipad or android/mac phone. It has helped me to go paperless in my office, and at home. Check it out, too; I highly recommend it.

Anyway, back to IFTTT. This free service allows me to collect things automatically from another web service I may be using, and deposit it into my Evernote account. Example: I have two blogs: one for Victory Ground Ministries, and one for my personal thoughts. Through IFTTT, anytime I write a blog, it automatically is deposited into the appropriate Notebook and Tag (File folder) in Evernote.

It is a way-cool service, and everyone ought to check it out: ifttt.com.

And don't forget to check out Evernote (evernote.com). Doctors, lawyers, landscapers, photographers, homemakers, etc. use it every day for keeping track of important things.

My Birth - 65 Years Ago

     Although I don't remember my birth on July 16, 1948 (I was born at an early age), at 3:50 a.m. on a Friday, I do have some interesting pictures and stories that go along with the event.
     I was born in my mother's bedroom, in a two-room house on Division St, in Greenville, Texas. One room was the living room/kitchen, the other was the bedroom/bath. Here is the house (though in better shape and painted white when we lived there).

     My Grandmother Gilmore was in attendance, as she was with most of her grandchildren. She was a mid-wife/office keeper for Dr. H M Bradford. She also kept a "Nursing Book", which I happen to have (a very treasured keepsake). Here is a page from that book detailing my birth, and the $5.00 she made for helping Dr. Bradford.

     The interesting thing about my doctor is that he was 79 when he delivered me. AND, I remember being at his house in Dallas when he was about 90 and I was about 11. He still stood ramrod straight, wearing a suit and tie. I will never forget the visit. Here is a picture of him and his wife in later years.

     I also have the two earliest pictures of myself; one as a baby, and one at about 1.5 years old. Here they are.

     My mother said that July was very, very hot; and the day before my birth, a Thursday, my brother Weldon (14 months older) was determined to have a piece of a big Black Diamond watermelon. So mother picked it up and set it on the table to cut it -- and I was born early the next morning.

     And that is the end of my story.

How I Met Judy, My Wife

In my sophomore year at college, I was visiting with a lady who worked in the Admin Bldg. She asked me, "Don't you ever date?" I replied, "Nope. Study is the big thing for me right now." She asked, "Are you going to ever get married?" I replied flippantly, "Sure! I'll meet her in my Junior year and marry her in my Senior year."

At the beginning of my Junior year, I said to my roommate, "Let's go over to one of the girls' dorms and watch the new crop come in." So we went to one of the dorms, sat down in the lobby, and began to watch. With every new girl who came in, I would teasingly say, "What's your name and where are you from (poor English)?" She would answer, and I would say, "I'll put you on the list and let you know in about 2 weeks."

This went on for quite a while. Then a girl with the most beautiful brown cow eyes came in. Wow! Those eyes you could swim in. I made my spiel, she answered shyly, "I'm Judy Vernon and I'm from Lebanon, MO.", and I threw the list away. I fell in love with her instantly and knew that I was going to marry her, which I did in my Senior year.

One humorous side note to the story. Judy and her family were returning from a vacation in Big Bend, TX. Her family dropped her off at the dorm on their way home to Lebanon, MO., intending to drop the luggage off and come back to see her into her dorm. The last thing her dad said to her was, "Judy, remember you're here to study, not meet boys." She walked through the dorm door, and I was the first person she met.

I have loved her for almost 43 years (March 28), and I have never looked at another person, nor ever wondered about my decision. Other that trusting in Jesus, it is the only decision I ever made that I am totally sure about.