Search

Previously published with the subtitle "Devotions for Hidden Illness." Some believe those who are sick just need more faith. My experience is that it takes a lot of faith to endure chronic illness and pain. We learn more faith through our maladies, especially when no one else can see it, because then we are alone with God. I have endured Lyme Disease and several other kinds of largely unknown, invisible maladies, often wondering where God fit in but knowing He was there. Having gone through a lifetime of unexplained pain, depressing fatigue, and odd symptoms most people have never heard of, I pulled out of the worst symptoms with a stronger faith and a few insights to share. This book contains over fifty inspirational short stories from a believer who has been chronically ill in ways that most others don't see or identify with. During each episode, I found answers, hope, and assurance that God is there, plus scriptures to uplift the soul that is suffering in the midst of ongoing hidden illness.

Living in the shadow of her beautiful sister, Amy grows up hidden away by her mother due to a large birthmark covering the right side of her face. Amy looks for an office job in the rapidly changing technical era of 1980, hoping to make her own way in the world. When she meets good-looking Zach on the job, Amy can't help falling for his attentive, friendly manner. Her gorgeous sister is a more compatible and attractive companion for this man, so Amy can't blame him when he obviously comes to the same conclusion. As friends, Amy and Zach uncover plans to embezzle money from their employer but are not able to find out who all is involved or how to prove anything will come of it. When their amateur investigation leads to a catastrophe, the result is devastating for Zach but brings out the best in Amy.

Breaking through fear and tradition.... Dealing with corrupt officials.... Struggling to understand the truth.... They must reveal the truth in time, or all will be lost! Imagine living in two worlds at the same time-the physical one around you and another one inside you that no one else can see. Once these valley dwellers go through their process of "Understanding," they begin an unseen life in their hearts, where anything can happen. Some hearts dwell in cozy, peaceful places, while others are assaulted by fearsome powers. Like their ancestors before them, these people remain locked away in their secret valley for 400 years, with none going in or out. The abundant rocks inside provide natural light and heat, as well as workable metals and building materials, while a spring waters their crops and herds. But the people know their hearts are susceptible to a dark power that seeks to destroy them. To keep their hearts safe, they rely on their leaders, who prohibit leaving the fortification or hearing unaccepted music, assuring the people they will remain safe if they follow the way their ancestors have taken. When Gwenla led the original group to safety, she also foresaw the future. Unable to safely pass on what she knew before she died, Gwenla wrote down her knowledge in riddles, so that only those who sought the truth would understand. Julyiah's adventurous heart wants to find Gwenla's secrets and understand them; but when pressing to know the truth, Julyiah sees wonderful places outside the walls and hears forbidden music, disrupting her world and relationships. In spite of several obstructions and evil forces trying to stop her, Julyiah discovers the truth and realizes she alone has the answer that will free the valley from deception. Yet her friends need urgent rescue as well. Can she accomplish both missions at the same time? In a whirlwind of twists and turns that involve a severe time crunch, Julyiah must make connections from one end of the valley to the other, or she and those she loves will die, and the Secrets of Gwenla will remain hidden for all time.

After the fortress walls of Victory Valley fall, Julyiah and Delwyn Sarroll travel on their disappearing horses, encountering new dangers and wonders on the Outside. Coming back to the valley with exciting opportunities, the Sarrolls find their home fraught with turmoil. Valley dwellers are again divided over how to hear the Music, while young women are disappearing, presumed taken by the evil Underground lord, Darse. Leader Zuriel urges all to listen for the true Music, but a popular new leader, Lansel, teaches how to hear music at will and remain in good places. Zuriel's good friend, Dawnli, keeps remembering her wretched childhood in the Underground, so she follows Lansel's tempting ideas to find joy. But when Zuriel organizes a group to help the Underground poor, Dawnli feels drawn to the effort, which brings her under Darse's watchful eye and her own personal danger.A few valley men and Underground residents scramble to rescue the missing girls from the lower realm, but conflict grows as Darse targets those who betray him. Worse, the dark lord carries a weapon that gives him extraordinary power no one else has. When key members of the community also disappear, additional valley forces must gather to wage a battle in the Underground, but who will lead the inexperienced men in real combat, and will they succeed?

If you find yourself in severe personal trials, wondering where God is, this book is for you. Do you have a pile of insurmountable problems, a tragedy about to happen, or maybe a pattern in your life that goes on and on, never seeming to change or improve? It's another trip around the mountain, and the mountain is getting steeper and rockier every time. Huge obstacles keep blocking your way; death lurks around the next bend; a black cloud follows you wherever you go. What are we willing to endure in order to be changed by God? While the disciples expected to see greater victory, comfort, and excitement from their Master, Jesus talked more and more about dying, giving all, and taking up your cross. While they wanted to celebrate and make Him king, He told them He was going to suffer and die, and they were too. Why? Because suffering is the scriptural price of drawing closer to Him.

This study on the workings of the inner heart, understanding, and wisdom is intended to go with the allegorical book, Secrets of Gwenla, but can be used by itself, since most of the questions are unrelated to the book. In Secrets of Gwenla, the characters live in their hearts as much as in the world around them. This Bible study was written to see how much God uses the symbol of the heart in the scriptures and to learn how much we need to pay attention to the understanding of the heart.