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In the quiet chill of a wintry dawn in medieval Germany, Hildegard, a seer, is troubled by ominous signs gathering in the dim and snowy light. A dire warning fastened to the limb of a pigeon comes to the monastery of Disibodenberg. It foretells of a plotting nobleman and his fanatical obsession with the ancient Book of Noah, a powerful relic guarded for countless generations by a mysterious Jewish sect, the Essenes. Volmar, Hildegard''s trusted scribe, and the librarian Cormac flee Mainz after finding the dead body of a stranger with irrefutable ties to the brotherhood of the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem. As more fragmented clues unravel, Hildegard and Volmar are plunged into separate investigations unearthing a seething plot to stir up another brutal uprising against the beleaguered Jews of the region. From Leper''s Island to a haunted monastery, Volmar and Hildegard once again face the specter of Death. Wrestling with prophecy and forbidden love, the two sleuths forcefully challenge the powerful and the greedy with clear reason and stalwart faith.  "Dyrek draws readers into the world of medieval monastic life with a keen knowledge of the era and an eye for compelling characters. Opening the book will feel like stepping back into a long ago world of mystery, murder, and faith."~A. LaFaye, award-winning author of Worth.

I don''t think I have ever known anyone who experiences joy the way James McReynolds does.Jim is my friend. I have known him many years. He seems to breathe joy in the way most of us inhale the air around us, naturally and continually. And the best thing is that he writes about it.Jim lets us in on the sources and products of the joy in our lives all the time. He writes with a lightness and beauty we would not otherwise know. He permits us to experience some of the rarefied enjoyment that he himself actually lives with all the time.It is wonderful that Jim has written a book about the seasons of joy in our lives-how joys morph and reemerge in new forms throughout our lifetimes, and how paying attention to these joys can enrich and bless the human psyche at every stage.Jim has peppered his chapters with stories and illustrations that will charm, enrich, and truly enlighten his readers. This is the gift God has given him. The very concept he is working with, talking about the joys of life in the various seasons of our lives, has already caused me to think about the multiple joys in the seasons of my own life.I recall my general happiness in childhood, the springtime of my life, and how wonderful it was to grow up in a quiet, lovely neighborhood in a small town and have my early schooling under some wonderful, kindhearted teachers. In those early years, when the weather was good, I especially loved playing for hours at a time under a big, overarching bush outside our house and pretending a lot of things that I know helped to deepen and enrich my whole life.Then came the delights of going to college, making new friends, and finding my way into the work of the Christian ministry. I recall with pleasure the small country churches I served during my summer years, and the simple, warm-hearted goodness of the farmers and laborers who attended those churches. The joys of those little churches eventually gave way to a whole new set of joys as I pastored other, larger congregations, and as I do sometimes, left my ministerial job for a few years to teach in a college or a university. It was while I was teaching at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville, in fact, that I first encountered young James McReynolds, then an employee of the Sunday School Board. I enjoyed his friendship both inside the classroom and in the halls and extracurricular life of the university.What were the special joys of my autumn years? At this point, I was being given incredible opportunities to travel abroad, offering seminars to Air Force chaplains in other parts of the world, and my growing family often enjoyed the benefits of journeying with me. I also had the pleasure of publishing a number of books about a lot of things that I hoped mattered to other people as much as they did to me.Now I am in the winter of my life, and, wonder of wonders, the joys still abound. My greatest joys are the active exchanges I continue to have with former students, parishioners, and professional acquaintances-people like Jim. I am grateful for the Internet, and the ease which I can communicate with all these wonderful folks. I approach my computer eagerly each morning, looking forward to seeing who has written since the day before. I am grateful to share in many friends'' lives not only all over the United States, but on foreign shores as well.I am sure, from what I have already read in Joy in the Seasons of Life: Walking Each Other Home to God, this beautifully written book will remind us of joys we haven''t thought about.Dr. John Killinger | Warrenton, Virginia 

Rarely in the life of the church has a school of thinkers arisen as brilliant, devoutly faithful, and God-honoring as the Princetonians. The excerpts from their works presented here should be welcomed in the church today with gratitude. Here we are led into their world through the rich treasury they have left behind.David F. Wells - Distinguished Senior Professor of TheologyGordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryGiants cast long shadows. The Princetonians possessed a gigantic faith, scholarship, and service to Christ and His Church. Come and be refreshed in the cooling shadow of biblical truths well-stated and deeply-believed.  GW Fisher - Senior Pastor - Tacoma BPC/Western Reformed Seminary Board VPDr. Gross'' gathering of leaves from Princeton''s oaks reveals a warm orthodoxy, rooted in the highest scholarship and the toughest faith. Erik Larson - Pastor - Pilgrim PCA, Philadelphia, PAAmidst a time of deep uncertainty in our contemporary world, we often struggle to find clear direction among our peers. The quotations will surprise you by what is said ... and what is not said. Prepare to have your heart stirred in greater love for God and your mind informed in rich ways to think about God and His Word.  Rev. Carl T. Martin, D.Min., Ph.D., - Palm Harbor, FL.  

Almond Tree combines his talents of writing, art, and love for scripture to provides us with this colorful, artful, and fresh look at family Bible stories and other episodes.You will enjoy the freshness of Almond Tree''s creativity.

Encouraging Angels is the fourth novella in a series that documents the sabbatical journey of Michael Lattimore, a middle school social science teacher who travels to the dairy farm regions of his home state - Wisconsin. He wants to see how the changes of the past three decades have affected the average family farmer. Whereas Entertaining Angels is a story of change, loss and healing; An Angel Among Us addresses change, brokenness and reconciliation; and Angels in Disguise deals with change, loss and new beginnings; Encouraging Angels explores change, fear and encouragement.

I am writing this short story of myself for two reasons. The first, is that my children and grandchildren might know me better. They may see something of themselves in my story. They may learn from my successes and my failures. I write it for them because I love each one.I am also writing this for me. I hope to see where I have come from and where I have gone. I hope to understand better who I am. But mostly I want to see where God has been at work in my life-whether I mention Him or not.The title is very intentional. It is not simply "my story", but my story as I remember it. The two cannot be exactly the same. Our memories are faulty. They color events with shades that can confuse the details. I do have journals to fall back on beginning in 1977 when I was 29 years old. But those journals only record part of my story-the part, perhaps, I wanted to remember.

Every project is a team effort. No doubt the writing of Mark''s Gospel was the result of many storytellers and a few writers before the emergence of the final text attributed to an unknown "Mark." This is certainly true of this lectionary commentary. I give thanks for my parents, Everett and Loretta Epperly, from whom I learned to love scripture and One whose love gave birth to Jesus of Nazareth and the early Christian movement. I give thanks to my spiritual and theological teachers: John Akers, George (Shorty) Collins, John Cobb, David Ray Griffin, Bernard Loomer, Jack Verheyden, Richard Keady, and Ben White. I have learned much about scripture from courses I''ve taught at congregations: First Christian Church, Tucson, Arizona; Palisades Community Church, Washington D.C.; and Falls Church Christian Church, Falls Church, Virginia. I give great thanks to South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, whose generosity of spirit has allowed me to be not only pastor, teacher, and spiritual leader, but also a writer. The beauty of our Cape Cod village with its ponds, beaches, streams, and beaches has inspired my writing, preaching, and teaching. It is a daily joy to be part of a community that seeks to learn, love, and live the word of God.I am grateful to Deborah Arca of Patheos (patheos.com), who encouraged me to write a weekly lectionary commentary for this forward-thinking spiritual website. As always, I give thanks for my companion of over 35 years, Kate, whose partnership in ministry, parenting, grand parenting, and family life has been at heart of my spiritual journey. Finally, I give thanks for you and your quest for faithful excellence in preaching. May these words be an inspiration and creativity in responding to God''s word and wisdom in your life. 

God is always with you. He never leaves us. The deceiver will try to trick us, saying He has left, but in truth, it is usually we who have strayed. Start the new year knowing He is with you no matter what, and do not deviate from that truth. Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched,Nor will the flame burn you. 

How very easy and natural it is to become absorbed in the problems that bombard us daily. These difficulties may range from personal turmoils, heartbreaks with our children or marital conflicts to world dilemmas in general. Such distresses are real. They can hurt despicably and require and deserve answers and solutions.Time, energy, and general wear and tear can be saved if we learn to look straight through our immediate circumstances and behold our God as reigning King, working everything for our good as we learn to respond to Him rather than to situations or people. We can look beyond the immediate to the real reason we are on Planet Earth. We see that our Lord wants to use everything that enters our lives to get us ready to live with Him as His bride forever. Our sorrows and everyday experiences are no longer wasted, but they are used to draw us into a vital love relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in which we receive and display His very life.