Chapter Three of Talent For A Mission (© 2023 Deborah Lagarde) is posted in its entirety in this post since it is a short chapter and is based on the Gospel of Luke Chapter 15 Parable of the Prodigal Son that my The Prodigal Band Trilogy is based upon. Below is the entire Chapter Three of Talent For A Mission:
Category: Spiritual fiction
Talent For A Mission, Chapter Two (Part Three)—My Personal ‘Why’ Continued—Why Fiction?
In this continuation of Chapter Two of Talent For A Mission (© 2023 Deborah Lagarde), I explain why I have used fiction to carry out my own ‘mission of God’ instead of non-fiction…with this non-fiction ‘guide’ being an exception, so far. Below is Part Three of the ‘why’ scenario in Chapter Two:
Talent For A Mission, Chapter Two (Part Two)—My Personal ‘Why’ Continued, A ‘Born Again’ Event
I know this post is a bit late, but things happen. Below is a continuation of the previous post from Talent For A Mission, Chapter Two, copyright © 2023 Deborah Lagarde, which tells why I chose to believe on Christ.
Talent For A Mission, Chapter Two (Part One)–My Personal “Why”
This next post from Talent For A Mission (copyright 2023 Deborah Lagarde) is from Chapter Two and goes into some detail as to why I chose to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior–and Redeemer. Why redeemer? Because as with all humans beginning with Adam and Eve having been tempted by “the serpent” aka Satan to commit sin, that sin or sins–and remember, all humans fall short of the glory of God except for Christ as human–provide a “debt” so-to-speak that must be repented, then pardoned or paid-in-kind in order to reach Heaven to be with God. When Christ shed blood on the cross as a sacrifice, it was to REDEEM all sins of all people who repented of their sins and accepted Christ as Redeemer along with Savior. And, in this part one of Chapter Two, I explain some of the sins I did that had to be redeemed through repentance. And these weren’t typical sins, either, but serious ones in my opinion! But here is the weird aspect of this–while doing these sins, God STILL had my back and saved me from some possible death scenarios! And one wonders why I accepted Christ? Hmmm…
Below is the first part of Chapter Two, which is rather long and will be posted in three parts over November.
Continue reading “Talent For A Mission, Chapter Two (Part One)–My Personal “Why””
Talent For A Mission, Chapter One (Part Two)…The Why, Continued
I am posting the rest of Chapter One of Talent For A Mission today, Saturday, October 28, 2023 because my area will experience sudden winter-snow-freezing weather the last three days of October, and the power or the internet may go out. Further, it seems that the so-called “end times” are approaching faster and faster what with the Israel-Hamas-Middle East war and rumors of wars…a saying within the Bible Book of Revelation and also Gospels. Thus perhaps–folks, I do not trust the media, legacy or alternative anymore–the time is fast approaching where true believers on Christ must decide to ‘make disciples of all nations.’ And I must get this treatise or guide or whatever completed soon and then post on this site. From Chapter One of Talent For A Mission, copyright © 2023 by Deborah Lagarde:
So, below is the rest of Chapter One:
Continue reading “Talent For A Mission, Chapter One (Part Two)…The Why, Continued”
Talent For A Mission, Chapter One (Part One)…The Why
I am only providing, in this post, “the why” for this “guide” or “manual” as to why I think it might be a good idea for authors who claim to believe on Jesus Christ to use their writing “talent” to try to convince others of their own free will to repent of whatever sins and accept Christ as Lord and Savior–to be “born again.” That is, having been born of water (in the flesh), to be born “again” in the Spirit. And now is the time for me to present this “guide,” for it seems more and more as if the world has gone crazy, especially now with wars and rumors of wars in the Middle East. To the point where many preachers are now claiming we are either in “the end times” or fast approaching “the end times.”
Maybe. Maybe not. But whether we are coming close to “the end times” or not, it is still a good idea to follow what Christ told His Apostles upon His resurrection return (before going up to Heaven): to make Disciples of all nations (as said in Matthew 28:19–“Go ye therefore and teach all nations…”). A “mission of God” so-to-speak. From Chapter One of Talent For A Mission, copyright © 2023 by Deborah Lagarde:
Continue reading “Talent For A Mission, Chapter One (Part One)…The Why”
Coming Next: Talent For A Mission
I am still working on completing Talent For A Mission, which is a manual or guide or encouragement…call it what you will…for Christian authors of (mostly) fiction novels or stories or short novels to use the “talent” God gave them to get the Word out about why one should consider or choose or ‘re-choose’ accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. To do what Christ (after His resurrection) told His apostles to do–make disciples of all nations (at the end of the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 28, for one).
The Prodigal Band Trilogy is based on the Luke 15 Parable of the Prodigal Son. Talent for a Mission is based on another parable, the Parable of the Talents, from the Gospel of Matthew 25: 14-30 (from the King James Bible PDF version):
{25:14} For [the kingdom of heaven is] as a man
travelling into a far country, [who] called his own servants,
and delivered unto them his goods. {25:15} And unto one
he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to
every man according to his several ability; and straightway
took his journey. {25:16} Then he that had received the five
talents went and traded with the same, and made [them]
other five talents. {25:17} And likewise he that [had
received] two, he also gained other two. {25:18} But he that
had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his
lord’s money. {25:19} After a long time the lord of those
servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. {25:20} And so
he that had received five talents came and brought other five
talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents:
behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
{25:21} His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and
faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the
joy of thy lord. {25:22} He also that had received two
talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two
talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
{25:23} His lord said unto him, Well done, good and
faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the
joy of thy lord. {25:24} Then he which had received the one
talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard
man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering
where thou hast not strawed: {25:25} And I was afraid, and
went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, [there] thou hast
[that is] thine. {25:26} His lord answered and said unto
him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that
I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not
strawed: {25:27} Thou oughtest therefore to have put my
money to the exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should
have received mine own with usury. {25:28} Take therefore
the talent from him, and give [it] unto him which hath ten
talents. {25:29} For unto every one that hath shall be given,
and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not
shall be taken away even that which he hath. {25:30} And
cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness
In other words, if God gave an author the talent to author for His purpose, then that author ought to use that talent in writing, to “make disciples of all nations,” and for other purposes promoting good as opposed to evil, or for the purpose of exposing evil (using fiction or non-fiction). That is the purpose of my writing a ‘manual’ so-to-speak, to promote the idea that if an author believes on Christ, then that author should perform that ‘mission’ that God gave him or her.
The next post will be the first chapter of Talent For A Mission, which tells why a Christian author should take that ‘mission,’ and why I was inspired to write this ‘manual’ in the first place. Cheers!
Excerpts from The Murder Rule, Part One, Chapter One
I have completed my new novel, The Murder Rule, to be published by OmegaBooks likely in either September or October, 2023, and to be copyrighted by myself, Deborah Lagarde, and to be registered at the Library of Congress soon. The genres it will be registered under will be Adult Fiction, Drama, Suspense, Spiritual, and perhaps one other. Unless I change my mind and decide to sell it through an online platform (such as Amazon), The Murder Rule will be posted as a FREE PDF download at this site, as with The Prodigal Band, which has well over one thousand downloads since stats have been recorded starting in 2019.
During this month, August, 2023, I will be posting excerpts (© Deborah Lagarde) from Chapter One of each of the three parts to The Murder Rule. In subsequent months I might post excerpts from other chapters from Parts One, Two and Three. With the excerpts will come necessary details regarding these excerpts and how these excerpts play into the parts as a whole or stem from the three novels that make up The Prodigal Band Trilogy of which The Murder Rule is a “spin-off” novel. However, I will not post entire chapters–they can be read by downloading the entire FREE PDF of The Murder Rule, if one so chooses.
The first excerpt begins Chapter One and features Part One’s victim, rocker Denny Spradlin of the fictional band Wolfin, a ‘friend’ and ‘advisor’ that is visiting him, and the Part One narrator, pop-culture pundit Lloyd Denholm, who writes for X-Zine, a magazine edited by an editing team known as ‘Cal.Edit.’ All of the characters in this chapter (and most in Part One) are British, including the writer of the mentioned ‘hand-written letter.’
Continue reading “Excerpts from The Murder Rule, Part One, Chapter One”
“The Murder Rule” Has Been Completed…with Final Edit Upcoming.
I have just completed the preliminary edits for all three parts of The Murder Rule, with a final edit coming soon–and then ‘splicing’ all three parts into one whole novel, and, of course, creating the cover art, copyright pages, and the Preface which I am composing now. The novel will be published by OmegaBooks and will be available as a FREE PDF. For one thing, I do not need the income from book sales, and to get the novel in print form I’d have to pay a possibly large price to get print editions. I could put the novel on Amazon Kindle or another platform, but then I’d have to follow their guidelines as to formatting that I really don’t have the patience to perform just to earn a bit of income from e-book sales and/or royalties…it’s not worth the effort when it is the MESSAGE imparted within the novel, not income, that matters to me. And the MESSAGE is this–the world is ruled by evil! This evil must be defeated!
The next post, which contains parts of the Preface (or Introduction) to The Murder Rule, will be posted later this week. Then the Foreword, which sums up each part, will be composed and partially posted before the end of June, 2023. Cheers!
Note: The picture shown above (that I took with a camera, not a smart phone, back in 2009 while in Washington, DC) may be featured within the cover art.
When Bad Events Lead to Good Outcomes: Snippets from The Prodigal Band Trilogy and The Murder Rule, Part Three
Sorry about the lack of a ‘Happy Resurrection Day’ (aka Easter) post, or Passover, or Ramadan, or whatever other religious holidays are happening these days, but various events took place I had to deal with, vehicle or other issues, and there are other issues forthcoming. Which is why now is the time to post the next ‘When Bad Events Lead to Good Outcomes’ snippet post—and what with all the bad events going on in this world these days (inflation, various divide and rule agendas involving race, gender, politics, economics, the ‘pandemic treaty’ and digital currencies and whatnot the powers-that-shouldn’t-be are trying to force on the rest of us), good outcomes are what we need, and not just from the realm of spirituality.
Believe it or not, but physical reality can bring about good outcomes even when truly evil events occur, because just as God controls the spiritual realm, He also controls the physical world. And years ago, I heard a story from a friend that shocked the heck out of me, thinking such an event could never happen because—it just seemed impossible! I heard part of this story at a snack party after Christmas caroling about a week before Christmas in the early 2000s, led by a pastor of the local non-denominational church I had just joined a year or so ago.
I and some others were sitting at a dinner table near where snacks were served at another table in the home of one of the carolers, eating the snacks. This friend and a couple of others were discussing something I wasn’t really paying any attention to, and then this friend, who was clearly Asian, said this:
OmegaBooks 