Spirituality – Page 2

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:

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A Further Introduction to The Murder Rule, With More Coming

And here is a “more rigorous” part of the Introduction or Preface to The Murder Rule, which I had stated contained three parts. Here is why there are three parts—the characteristics of the three most important character-types in each of the three parts: entertainment industry celebrities, music industry fans who are heavily influenced by their celebrity idols (and which can apply to any fan of any industry, such as sports, fashion, artwork, novels and books, nature, religion, cults, politics, ideologies…you name it), and industry handlers and controllers, both good and evil (or any handler or controller of a any industry or nation or NGO…you name it). So I am dealing with so-called “influencers” (I wonder who came up with that term!), those influenced, and those handling the “influencers.” These characteristics can apply to nearly anyone on Earth: the masses (the influenced), the controllers (the so-called “elites,” most of whom are simply IMHO parasites), and those that the controllers use to influence the masses (the celebrities and other idols).

Now, The Prodigal Band Trilogy also had these types but is mostly focused on the “influencers” (the prodigal band Sound Unltd) and the controllers (Swami Negran, Cole Blessing, Mark Besst, Torquay and his bankster buddies, and one good guy from the elites who sided with the band, not the controllers—Joe Phillips, a key character in Part Three of The Murder Rule), but does not key in on “the masses” so-to-speak, with one exception—Bobby Jones, a fan and roadie and creator of a song the band will perform in order to aid in their “mission of God” given to them by the forces of Good. Further, while these “forces,” which are spiritual—the Tooters angels and the “witch” Morwenna—play key roles in the trilogy, they are barely mentioned in The Murder Rule. Why? Because The Murder Rule is more “physical world” focused. While the evil that rules this world heavily influences those who carry out the Evil’s missions of death and destruction of what the Almighty God has created, The Murder Rule (while still spiritually inspired) is mainly about exposing the Evil and its minions and their agendas. As Ephesians 6:12 states: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” And part of my mission is the “wrestle” against the spiritual wickedness in high places that controls the “controllers”—the “flesh and blood” the Evil uses to “control” the world so as (it thinks) it can ascend into heaven (Isaiah 14-style, the so-called “five ‘I wills’”). And I hope the reader of this novel will carry out similar missions to expose the Evil and its minions.

Remember: the Evil and its minions will lose, for God—the Creator and the Almighty—not the Evil or its minions, is in control!

My next post will likely be in mid-July. Like I said, more “introduction” info is coming. And the editing of each of the three parts is completed. Next is putting it all together, and the cover art…

Random Trilogy Snippets of Random Events That Lead to Climactic Events, Part Two (from The Prophesied Band)

In terms of what most would call a “climactic event” within a novel, this snippet scenario in this post might not classify as a climactic event in strict terms, but for the band members that witness this event, it should be, seeing as how they react when they find out a secret they had no knowledge about.

Note: I removed the “spoiler alerts” in these snippets.

The climactic event to finish Battle of the Band, where singer Erik and bassist Keith are in comas at a local private hospital in their home city of Walltown and encounter good vs. evil in their spiritual voids as their fellows watch over them and as the evil Swami Negran attempts to capture their souls for the satanic Corion (thwarted by God’s angels, the Tooters, and their agent, the ‘witch’ of the Hovels), gets recounted within Chapters Four and Five of The Prophesied Band.

In this snippet, it turns out that Swami couldn’t capture their souls, as hard as he tried. So Corion, the devil character, punished Negran by causing him to disappear from the hospital. Negran was in fact taken by Corion into Corion’s abyss where the Creator had placed him in Chapter One of Battle of the Band as punishment for Corion’s rebellion against God. But Negran wouldn’t be the only one Corion takes into the abyss. In 50 AD, Crynnwagg, high priest of the cannibal Crag-Dweller cult, was also done that way. Why? And then he escaped the abyss. Why? Hmmmm…. From Chapter Five of The Prophesied Band:

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Random Trilogy Snippets, Part Four: The Biggest Battle is Spiritual (Part Four)

Welcome to the fourth The Prodigal Band Trilogy snippet post dealing with spiritual battles between the forces of good vs. evil, and between good or evil forces and the characters, notably the band members. This post isn’t really a spiritual ‘battle,’ though this action, where the Tooters, angels of ‘the Almighty,’ speak directly to each member of the prodigal band Sound Unltd—simultaneously—brings about a battle of sorts later! And what these angels speak is each band member’s ‘mission of God’ that the ‘witch’ of the Hovels, at the behest of the Tooters, informed the band about at a recent meeting, which took place across from the Tooters statue in Victoria Park in the band’s home city of Walltown, early June, 2000.

For she had already instructed the band leader Jack as well as drummer Tom that the band must perform at the upcoming Walltown Music and Trade Festival that would take place July 15-16, as headliners. In other words, the band had roughly six weeks to get the festival set-ups ready for hundreds of thousands of festival goers, including setting up bleachers on either side of the park as well as large video screens and television and recording crews—and the band would pay the entire costs of the festival, and would perform for free!

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Random Trilogy Snippets, Part Four: The Biggest Battle is Spiritual (Part Two)

To heck with waiting until next week to post this ‘spiritual battle’ part two, The Prodigal Band Trilogy, snippet post. While looking through the novel for snippets relating to spiritual battles between spirit entities or between the band characters and these entities, I found a long snippet that shows why one spiritual side or the other cannot always carry out their assigned task of winning over the people (real or fictional) the spirits are supposed to win over. In other words, there are spiritual battles among the group of people themselves, which hamper the spirit forces’ tasks. In the entire trilogy, it just might be the best example of this spiritual ‘tug-of-war’ among the band characters. All of them—singer Erik, drummer Tom, guitarist-band leader Jack, guitarist-producer Mick, bassist Keith, and keyboard-synthist Bryan—are featured. The long snippet is within Chapter Eight of Battle of the Band.

Having just completed a special ‘World Unity Day’ concert in San Antonio, Texas, the two main song composers, Erik (lyrics) and Jack (music) fall asleep in a limo headed to Houston for another gig as well as an appointment at a recording studio to track a new song. While asleep, the satanic character Corion’s minions called the Demons (Gold, Silver, Bronze) ‘give’ the two a new song, not only to be recorded, but to ‘seal the band’s oath’ to the evil as part of the band’s ‘pact’ with Corion explained early in this first novel of the trilogy. Later that morning the song is recorded, but questions arise as to the origin of the song, a song which has an historical context for both the good and evil sides. The song is called “Song of the Demons” (and I will not post the lyric words in this snippet). Eventually, the six discuss the ‘why’ of being ‘given’ a song ‘of demons’ when one of them brings up a previous event as the band several years before began their nationwide contest-winning tour, when Jack ‘prayed’ for success. Then drummer Tom, the ‘channeler’ of spirits within his entourage of new agers, arranges to channel the spirits to find out the truth of this situation. Also mentioned in the snippet are the Tooters, the good angels opposing Corion and his Demons.

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Random Trilogy Snippets, Part Four: The Biggest Battle is Spiritual (Part One)

Folks, I called my first novel in The Prodigal Band Trilogy ‘Battle of the Band’ for a reason. Not because there are contests called ‘Battle of the Bands.’ But because the ‘battle’ the prodigal band Sound Unltd undergoes is truly a spiritual battle whereby the spiritual forces of good vs. evil wage war to get this band on their sides—while the evil side ‘wins’ the band early, rewarding the band with fame and fortune as long as the band complies with the will of the evil side, the ‘war’ is won by the forces of good: the Creator, the angels known as the Tooters, and the human/spirit being, the ‘witch’ of the Hovels aka Morwenna as the band undergoes their assigned ‘missions of God’ and accepts Christ as Savior.

This snippet set on the spiritual battle features the battles between the Tooters and the satanic character Corion and his Demons (Gold, Silver, Bronze) along with two evil characters possessed by the evil, fake healer and new age cult leader Cole Blessing and his replacement, Mark Besst. The snippets are short. The first one is from Chapter Eight of Battle of the Band; the middle ones follow each other and are within the final chapter of The Prophesied Band, the final two are from Chapter Seventeen of The Prodigal Band. Some of these snippets are featured in previous snippet posts, such as https://omegabooksnet.com/2019/10/30/snippet-of-the-prodigal-band-trilogy-spiritual/

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Timeline Construction Within The Prodigal Band Trilogy

This post will not be a ‘snippet’ post, but a post about the creation of the three novels within The Prodigal Band Trilogy–the fact that this trilogy does not follow the usual timeline construct. Most trilogies have the first novel representing the beginning time period, and the time moves forward in line into the second novel and then ends the timeline within the third novel. This is how Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as The Hunger Games trilogy and the Divergent trilogy are fashioned—beginning, middle, end. And many others as well…and also series novels such as J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. The Prodigal Band Trilogy certainly does not follow that scenario!

The first novel, Battle of the Band, begins (after the ‘before time’ spiritual part) in 1986 and ends in 1996. The second novel, The Prophesied Band, begins in 1982 and ends in 2000. The third novel, The Prodigal Band, begins in 1976 and ends in 2004. So that while each novel itself starts in an earlier year and ends in a later year, the time frame is not continuous from the first novel to the third novel.

Before I state why this is the case let me say that I didn’t exactly plan it this way. The second novel was supposed to take up where the first one left off. But the first one didn’t play out as originally planned either, and the first book wasn’t even supposed to spearhead a trilogy.

Then an inspiration came to me to subtitle Battle of the Band with this subheading: The Saga of the Prodigal Band Begins (as can be seen on the original book cover). In other words, the ‘Parable of the Prodigal Son’ within Luke 15 of the Biblical New Testament had to seal this burgeoning trilogy’s fate, as the first part of this parable is about how the son takes his inheritance, leaves his father, goes far off into another country and spends the fortune on ‘riotous living,’ leaving him financially and spiritually destitute. While the prodigal band isn’t financially ruined they are ‘destitute’ spiritually but discover there is a way out of this ‘poverty.’ So I had to re-do the novel with this theme in mind, which changed pretty much everything, including the time frame construction.

When beginning the second novel, The Prophesied Band (subtitled The Saga of the Prodigal Band Continues…implying this would be the second book in a likely trilogy), I had to construct a scenario whereby the band in question, Sound Unltd, would be ‘the prophesied band.’ So I began this novel (after a spiritual part in what would be the prologue in the original book) with a rock band from the same city, Walltown, as the prodigal band, and the narrator, pop culture pundit Jay Elliot seeking that particular career upon high school graduation in 1982, interviews the creator of the song—which was given to him by angels called the Tooters for the purpose of ‘announcing’ a future band of prophecy. The band of prophecy that would carry out a ‘mission of God’ as the novel ends at a trade and music festival headlined by this prodigal band.

Thus the timeframe of the first novel is wrapped within the time frame of the second novel: 1986 to 1996 falls between 1982 and 2000, correct? Further, for the final novel, it made sense to begin that one in a year prior to 1982 and end it in a latter year after 2000.

The final novel was originally going to be called ‘Band of Glory,’ as indicated on the back pages of The Prophesied Band, which was supposed to have the subheading The Saga of the Prodigal Band Concludes. But that was not to be. If it would be called ‘Band of Glory,’ it would have to end in Heaven with God, somehow. But again, inspiration had other ideas…for one thing, what would happen to the entity allied with evil, Corion? And would the band, carrying out the mission given to them, deserve to be in Heaven? Would they stick to the Plan, so to speak? And what events would cause them to choose to stick with this Plan?

The Parable of the Prodigal Son ends with the errant son returning home to his father, feasting on ‘fatted calf’ and being ‘found.’ His brother, of course, questions the sincerity and worthiness of his ‘lost’ brother—just like many Christians today question the efficacy of a wealthy rock star even coming close to accepting Christ a Savior (since they are all ‘devil worshipers,’ right?). Thus, not only did I have to author a novel as to how and why the prodigal band converted to belief on Christ and carried out their missions, but I also had to explain how and why the band was even formed in the first place, including parental and otherwise guidance: how and why were these six band members able to develop such talent and songwriting abilities in the first place? Since these boys grew up beginning in the late 70s, that is why the third novel begins in 1976, into 1980 and 1982 and 1985, with two new band members. Aspects of the first part of the parable and then the second part where the band discovers the way forward into the final ‘found’ part are focused in the first six chapters of this third novel. The ‘way home’ final part of the parable is the focus of the rest of the third novel.

So, thanks to inspiration and keeping to a script based on a biblical parable, this time frame construct of The Prodigal Band Trilogy doesn’t follow ‘the usual trilogy script.’

The next post here will take place in a couple of weeks. Next week’s focus will be on updating my blog with links to newer snippet posts here, since I have not updated the blog in months and this blog is an easy way to link to posts here without constant scrolling down the site to find them. Plus the main menu here also needs updating somewhat. Plus I need to figure out a new ‘snippet category’ to ‘snippet’ about! And more…

Cheers!

Parable from Luke 15: Prodigal Son Meets The Prodigal Band (Part Four)

We have come to the end of this sub-set of episodes of Biblical References snippets within The Prodigal Band Trilogy where The Prodigal Band meets the Prodigal Son (from Luke Chapter 15). Part One is here; Part Two is here, and Part Three is here. This Part Four finishes this set and is based on the verses from Luke 15: 20 until the end of the parable. Having spent his inheritance on reprobate living, then having spent it all until there was nothing left, the prodigal son is forced to eek out an existence feeding pigs, wishing he was back home and not literally starving while his father’s servants have plenty to eat. So he decides to return to his father as a ‘hired’ servant. From Luke 15, the Parable of the Prodigal Son:

{15:20} And he arose, and

came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his

father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his

neck, and kissed him. {15:21} And the son said unto him,

Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and

am no more worthy to be called thy son. {15:22} But the

father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put

[it] on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on [his]

feet: {15:23} And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill [it;]

and let us eat, and be merry: {15:24} For this my son was

dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they

began to be merry.

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Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy: Biblical References Series, Episode Four: “Born Again”

The Gospel of John Chapter Three makes clear what Christ meant by “being born again”—that is, not physically, but spiritually. I need to make this clear because many folks take this whole “born again” theme as similar to Hinduist “reincarnation” or that Christianity practices a “murder” of sorts in order to be “born again.” After all, those who hate Christianity are going to make whatever excuses they can to claim it supports the notion of “murder” in order to be “born again,” using the fact that Christ Himself was crucified so that He could shed His own blood for the sake of taking on the sins of the world…He died so all believers could be born again, which some claim means Christians support murder! Seriously. I watched a video that actually made that claim, and it was not an atheist who made the video! (I have no idea what this person’s religion is….as for me, I do Christ, not religion, the hand, not the glove, and I let him know that in the comment section!)

But one does know Christ arose from the dead, soooooo…. Was He too “born again”?

Anyway…. John Chapter Three, when Christ is speaking to the Pharisee Nicodemus, tells him that ‘ye must be born again,’ to which Nicodemus answers how he’s supposed to do that since he is already old. Christ tells him it is a spiritual rebirth. It is not a matter of physical rebirth, or Hinduistic reincarnation.

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Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy: Biblical References Series, Episode Two—Gnawing of “Bones Forever.”

I had originally called this post “Episode One.” Sorry about that, it is Episode Two.

The previous Biblical Reference post here about “weeping and gnashing of teeth” was used to point out that the evil satanic character Corion would mete out retribution onto those he commanded if they did not carry out his will. But Corion never says anything about ‘gnashing’ of teeth on the bones of those wayward minions—he uses the term “gnaw” and “gnawing.” While both ‘gnashing’ and ‘gnawing’ mean pretty much the same thing—teeth scraping on bones or whatever—I used the term ‘gnaw’ because it is more commonly used. Everyone knows about the gnawing of rodents on wood, on nuts, on gardens, on leftover food such as dog or cat food; gnawing is why rodents have those sharp fanged front teeth that they have.

There are only two references to ‘gnaw’ or ‘gnawing’ used in the Bible; I learned this by using Strong’s Concordance, which defines both in a similar way as it defines ‘gnashing,’ which is only found in the New Testament referring to Christ’s “weeping and gnashing of teeth” quotes in Matthew and Luke Gospel verses. But both ‘gnaw’ in Zephaniah 3:3 and ‘gnawing’ in Revelation 16:10 make the same connotations, except that while in Zephaniah the ‘gnaw’ is on bone, in Revelation the ‘gnawing’ is on the tongue ‘for pain.’ Zephaniah’s ‘gnaw’ on bone refers to evil leaders within Jerusalem that “are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.” (KJV) One could compare the evil Corion to these evil leaders in Jerusalem. So one could say that Corion’s ‘gnaw on bones forever’ has the same connotation as Zephaniah’s use of the word. However, in Revelation 16:10, the gnawing is on the “tongues for pain” and the ones doing the ‘gnawing on their tongues for pain’ are likely those who refused to repent of their deeds in the Revelation time-frame, which could mean either Corion’s minions had their tongues gnawed on by Corion or the evil minions gnawed on their own tongues. In The Prodigal Band Trilogy, the connotation is that Corion or his Demons did the ‘gnawing,’ but not one tongues, but bones. Forever.

The term ‘gnaw on bones forever’ is used several times in all three novels that make up the trilogy, and all refer to Corion’s gnawing on bones of either wayward minions or on the forces of Good, such as the angels called The Tooters who work for The Creator, God.

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