I know this is crazy, but yes! You can get both book 1 and 2 for the low, low price of $20. Consider it my contribution to a tough economy. Unlike Amazon.com that charges $26.13 for both books, at http://www.ryannwatters.com/ you get both of them personally signed by me and two commemorative bookmarkers as well!
THE SUPPLY IS LIMITED!!!
Between now and Christmas, the goal is to sell out of the first run of books so we can go for the second printing. Take a few minutes to think of the following before you order:
1. What parents do you know that would like a safe, engaging story for their kids to read?
2. What kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, cousins, do you know that would enjoy both books for Christams?
3. Does your school library or church have copies? What better donation to impact a lot of kids in a positive way.
4. How about donating a set to your local public library?
5. What about using them as a give-a-way for a prize in your youth group or children's Sunday School, homeschool group, or Awana store?
Please forward the sale to as many people as you can on your e-mail list, Facebook, post on blogs, or your website!
This is a question that gets lots of opinions. Some well-meaning, some under grace, some seem legalistic, others divisive. The bottom line if you have kids is that this issue will come up and you should have a reason for how you react to it. You shouldn't act out of guilt or superiority, but it should be based upon the Bible and the Holy Spirit acting in your life. I liked the following summary that our pastor presented last week in church.
There was a time where I felt like we needed to leave town if we wanted to take our kids trick or treating due to the condemnation from other believers we worshiped with. Now, we take the approach our pastor does and feel it's the right one for us.
Eric
“Pastor’s Point of View: Finding the ‘Hallow’ in Halloween” By Joel R. Breidenbaugh, PhD
Well, that title alone is enough to cause some of us to begin to get a little “hot under the collar.” Why in the world would I, as your pastor, argue for taking advantage of a pagan holiday like Halloween? Has the world influenced me so much that I no longer argue for a distinction between the Christian and the non-Christian? Not hardly. Please read on.
Historically, Halloween has had something of a mixed message—both as a time to sacrifice to false gods and later as a time to remember special Christians. You may know about the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain built around their commemoration of the New Year on November 1st (the beginning of winter in Ireland and just after harvest season). This winter season symbolized death and the Celts believed that the evening of the New Year saw the boundary between the living and the dead dissolve. They believed spirits were present and that the presence of these spirits enabled the priests (druids) to predict the future, so they built bonfires and offered crop and animal sacrifices. The Celts further celebrated this festival by wearing costumes of animal skins.
"My son (Kyler) checking out all the 'loot.'"
In the early 7th century AD, Pope Boniface IV declared an “All Saints’ Day” in May (something like a spiritual memorial day), a time for Christians to honor saints and martyrs (similar to our political Memorial Day when we remember men and women who have given their lives in service to our country). The festival was transferred to November 1st by Pope Gregory III in the 8th century. This holiday (literally, holy day) was also known as “All Hallows,” for “hallow” and “saint” both refer to that which is set apart or holy. The day before “All Hallows” was naturally “All Hallows Eve,” and eventually it was shortened to “Halloween.”
In addition to this history, Protestants do well to remember October 31st as Reformation day, for on that day in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, Germany. Luther’s work challenged Roman Catholicism, primarily over the issue of the sale of indulgences. Years later, historians have recognized that this moment sparked the eventual Protestant Reformation, ushering in such doctrines and practices as justification by faith, Bible translations in the language of the people, religious liberty, and more.
Much of the spiritual connotation for Halloween has been lost in our current observance of spooky themes, trick-or-treats, and the like. Some Christians, seeing little harm once a year, have completely adapted to this form of Halloween. Other more Fundamentalist-minded believers ridicule anyone for associating with this day.
I prefer to take more of the middle-ground by seizing the opportunity and redeeming the time (cf. Ephesians 5:17; Colossians 4:5) to teach others about the Protestant Reformation and the grace of God at work through Christ in turning sinners into saints. Even though Halloween is largely celebrated in a pagan fashion today, I don’t believe Christians should sit back in idleness. We can put a Christian spin (back) into Halloween—we can emphasize the “hallow” in Halloween.
Turning a pagan day into something different is nothing new to Christianity. We’ve set aside a day in December to compete with ancient Mesopotamia’s worship of false gods. The birth of Christ was celebrated annually as early as AD 98, but Julius I of Rome didn’t choose December 25 until AD 350. Today, virtually the whole world has secularized Christmas into gift-giving materialism, but Christians still remember the importance this “holy day,” when God fulfilled His promise in sending His Son into the world to redeem sinners.
"Yes, the one on the left (Kara) is an 'Air Head' and my other daughter on the right (Kaylyn) is a 'Smartie.'
Or consider Easter as another example. Though it celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, it replaced a pagan practice of honoring the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre (“Easter” was a common word that then became applied to Christ’s resurrection). Though worship of this goddess was dying out by the time of Christ, we have no evidence that Christians celebrated Christ’s resurrection annually till the end of the 2nd century. The current date, however, wasn’t established until the First Council of Nicea (325), which set Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox. Far too many people associate Easter with a bunny and eggs, but that doesn’t stop people from entering churches in greater mass that day than other day of the year in remembrance of Christ’s victory over death.
Even the very days of the week have been handed down to us from a pagan background. Whether you trace the names of each day of the week through Latin, Roman, or German origins, you cannot escape the fact that our days are named after false deities (Sunday, for the day of the Sun god, Monday for the Moon god, Thursday for the day of Thor, the Norse Viking god, Saturday for the Roman god Saturn, etc.). Though we have retained these names, we should use any and every day to honor our Lord.
Just as Christians have turned special pagan times of the year into holidays, like Christmas and Easter, and just as we live out each day of the week for Christ, so we can redeem the time with Halloween by focusing on that which is hallow (holy). We carry a hope-filled message about God’s faithfulness, and I believe Christians can reform Halloween into something positive for our children and our community.
How do we do this? Maybe we can give out candy with a message for people to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). What about jack-o’-lanterns? Perhaps you could carve a “Christian” version with a cross-shaped nose and underscore the candle as the light of Christ shining through His people. What about dressing up in costumes? As long as the costumes don’t promote evil or aren’t gory, I don’t see any harm in these things. Kids (and adults) have fun playing dress-up, so why not let them express themselves for such an occasion You may want to dress-up like a Bible character or wear an innocent costume and teach others that though we may try to change into a different character, God’s character never changes.
Does that mean that everyone will come to see a message of spiritual hope and that which is hallow in Halloween? No, but neither does everyone understand the significance of Christmas and Easter. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be separate from the world, while seizing the opportunities around us. I would rather redeem the time (and the day) for Christ and put hallow back into Halloween.
Author friends of mine, Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper, have a great contest going on to promote their new book, Curse of the Spider King. Follow this link and check it out!
As you may recall (or not if you are new to my blog), I went on the Fantasy Fiction Tour this time last year with 7 amazing authors: Wayne, Chris, Donita K. Paul, Jonathan Rogers, L.B. Graham, Sharon Hinck, and Bryan Davis. The tour took us from Vancouver, BC down through Seattle, WA, Portland, OR and the Coast of California to our final destination - San Diego. The Miller Brothers joined us for the Northwest portion of the trip and it was an amazing 9 days of 3-a-day visits to schools, churches, and bookstores. If you haven't seen the videos, check out my archives from Oct. and Nov. 2008 or find them posted on Youtube under "the Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour 2008.
I'm excited for Wayne and Christopher and their co-authored series. I recall them working furiously on their lap tops as we bounced down the highway in the 15 passenger van, periodically yelling out, "does anyone have a good synonym for ________?" These guys are crazy fun... so I'm sure it will be reflected in their joint effort! Get in on the contest and be a part of promoting Curse of the Spider King to all your friends!
If you want to see there zany side right now... check out the video below.
The winner of the book drawing for a copy of Scott Appleton's "Swords of the Six" is a new blog follower who goes by the name of "Evergeena." Congrats! For those of you who did not win, do not despair... keep following my blog and we will have more give-a-ways and contests. In addition, if you are on Facebook, look me up under Eric Reinhold or the Ryann Watters Book Fan Club.
Alway on the look-out for good Christian fantasy books for youth, I stumbled across Scott Appleton the other day and so far we've hit it off. Scott is a freelance writer living in the northeast corner of Connecticut. He's the author of such published short stories as Moses & the Lamb, The Woodland King, and Splintered Sacrifice. Swords of the Six is his first novel and he lives happily with his wife in their small appartment (his words).
TO ENTER THE BOOK GIVE-A-WAY, JUST BECOME A "FOLLOWER" OF MY BLOG AND YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED!
Here's a short summary of the first novel in Scott's series: "Swords of the Six."
In ancient times the dragon prophet was betrayed by his choicest warriors. One thousand years later he gave the traitors' swords to six human daughters that he hatched out of eggs and sent them on a mission to find the first of the traitors that escaped retribution. Weilding rusted swords the dragon's daughters set out to find that first traitor . . . with an offer for him to repent.
Now a few questions for Scott:
Q1. What made you choose to write?
Six years ago I was a student missionary in Thailand. While there I wrote down the first ideas for a fantasy story (though at the time I'd never read fantasy) and when I returned to the States I started expanding that story. I worked various jobs, but disliked working for companies and doing tasks that took no imagination. During this time I expended my frustrations and joys into my developing storyline. From that point on the stories grew in my head and I couldn't help but write; I loved it.
Q2. Where do you write best?
Definitely at home sitting down listening to movie soundtracks, but location is dependant on the time of day. I find if difficult to write when a lot of activity is going on around me. Most of my writing for the first The Sword of the Dragon novel was typed into my laptop between 10 o'clock at night and 3 o'clock in the morning.
Q3. Is there a topic you've always wanted to write about?
Yes. I want to delve into the life of Moses through extra-biblical writings and create—what I know could be—a galvanizing novel. It will take years to accomplish, in part because I want to visit Egypt as part of my research.
Q4. How do you get your ideas? Do you use real events in your novels and if so, can you describe one?
I don't use real events in my novels, though my books do (sometimes) mirror my life-experiences. I have to sit and ponder for a while before the stories come to me. Then I ask myself a series of 'What if' questions to determine how far my imagination can take the plot. So, in a way, I guess you could say the ideas just come to me.
Q5. How many The Sword of the Dragon novels will there be?
My series is titled The Sword of the Dragon and I am hoping to fit all the material I've created over the past few years into seven novels. The first four titles are Swords of the Six, Offspring, The Key of Living Fire, and In Search of Dragons
Q6. Are all the books written? If not, do you know plot points for all of them?
The books are not all completed. However, I have a manuscript from which I am working and it tells the entire story from novel one Swords of the Six to the final one, Sword & Savior. I have a couple thousand pages of material for this series and some for a series that I will do afterward called The Death Knight Chronicles. It will take a lifetime to finish them all.
Police are dumbfounded. Last night, on what should have been a typical lazy, end of Summer Sunday, downtown Mount Dora came under what one resident called, "an attack."
The lone eyewitness was a drifter named Noah Johnson, who admitted he sleeps on a park bench out behind the First Presbyterian Church. He was awakened by the crashing sounds of metal trash cans and newspaper boxes smashing on the street. After extensive questioning by police, the rattled homeless man could only say that he saw what looked to be
"enormous spiders racing down the street."
When he got up to take a closer look, he said they "jumped" up on buildings at Dora Drawdy Way and headed down the alley way past the Goblin Market and Mount Dora Coffee Shop.
Police confirmed that the rooftops along the route mentioned by Mr. Johnson had indeed been badly damaged. They followed the destruction to where it ended and taped off the area as a crime scene.
After not being able to get any further answers from police, I walked around the perimeter of the yellow tape and saw a local boy, Ryann Watters sneak out from the far end. Ryann appeared visibly shaken and when I asked him about what he had seen he told me he’d rather not talk about it, but he had taken numerous pictures of the remains they left behind. I asked him to show them to me and as we clicked through his pictures on his cell phone, strangely only one of them had turned out.
Ryann indicated that he’s friends with Mr. Johnson and that when he talked with him, the drifter described the encounter as some sort of attack, even going so far to call them "warspiders."
The idea of this sleepy little town coming under attack by giant spiders seems a little far-fetched to this reporter.
There are many unanswered questions, but my plan is to find a place to get comfortable behind the church tonight and see if the arachnids return.
ATTENTION: I this is the one picture that was developed from Ryann's camera. I finally got a copy and am able to post it today - Oct. 18, 2009!
And the lessons that can be learned. There is a trio of songs I was listening to today as I washed my cars (my wife's and mine... what a great husband!). Anyway... they all dealt with the same theme of how we view ourselves. While it's true that 'All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,' Romans 3:23, it's also true that Christ's attoning sacrifice has paid for our sin and that we are a new creature. God now looks at His Son in us.
Do you ever feel down? Do you ever hate something about yourself? It happens to the best of us and while the motivational speakers say to repeat positive things in your head, or the drill instructors and coaches say, "pick yourself up by your bootstraps and get going," (what are boot straps anyway?)... as Christians we can find solace in knowing the God loves us. How do we know? You know the verse... John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."
I've reprinted the words and a music video of the songs I listened to below. They all speak to us not having to focus on the imperfections in our life. God doesn't save perfect people... He reaches out to those who are crippled like me.
NATASHA BEDINGFIELD'S "FRECKLES"
I used to care so much about what others think about Almost didn’t have a thought of my own The slightest remark would make me embark On the journey of self doubt But that was a while ago This girl has got stronger If I knew then what I know now I would have told myself don’t worry any longer it's OK
[Chorus:] 'cause a face without freckles is like a sky without stars Why waste a second not loving who you are Those little imperfections make you beautiful, lovable, valuable, They show your personality inside your heart Reflecting who you are
Who you are Who you are Who you are
I wondered if I could trade my body with somebody else in magazines With the whole world full at my feet I phantom worthy and would blame my failures on the ugliness I could see When the mirror looked at me Sometimes I feel like the little girl who doesn’t belong in her own world But I'm getting better And I'm reminding myself
[Chorus]
Reflecting who you are Reflecting who you are Hmmm Whoooooo whoa hmmmm oooooo
FUN CASUAL RENDITION OF "FREE TO BE ME"
At twenty years of age I'm still looking for a dream A war is already waged for my destiny But You've already won the battle And You've got great plans for me Though I can't always see, 'cause...
I got a couple dents in my fender Got a couple rips in my jeans Try to fit the pieces together But perfection is my enemy And on my own I'm so clumsy But on Your shoulders I can see I'm free to be me
When I was just a girl I thought I had it figured out See my life will turn out right And I'll make it here somehow But things don't always come that easy And sometimes I would doubt, 'cause...
And you're free to be you
Sometimes I believe That I can do anything Yet other times I think I've got nothing good to bring
But You look at my heart and you tell me That I've got all You seek And it's easy to believe, even though...
And you're free to be you
GREAT MUSIC VIDEO BY JOHNNY DIAZ SINGING "MORE BEAUTIFUL YOU"
Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine Says she wants to look that way But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake And she’s always felt overweight
Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see That beauty is within your heart And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair Are perfect just the way they are
There could never be a more beautiful you Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do So there could never be a more beautiful you
Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already done Anything to get ahead And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan Only wants what you will do instead
[ Jonny Diaz Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ] Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come You starve yourself to play the part But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is true And he’ll treat you like the jewel you are
So turn around you’re not too far To back away be who you are To change your path go another way It’s not too late you can be saved If you feel depressed with past regrets The shameful nights hope to forget Can disappear they can all be washed away By the one who’s strong can right your wrongs Can rid your fears dry all your tears And change the way you look at this big world He will take your dark distorted view And with His light He will show you truth And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl
Book 3 in the Annals of Aeliana Series Ryann Watter's and the Belt of Truth Estimated Release Date: Fall 2010 See http://www.ryannwatters.com/ STONE 3 for more details! Word Count: 100,000
I'm a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served as an officer in the Navy for 6 years before transition into a career as a financial advisor. While I write extensively for financial magazines, this is my first work of fiction - designed as a fantasy trilogy for kids ages 8-16.
Office: Academy Wealth Management, 1900 Summit Tower Blvd, Suite 230, Orlando, FL 32779. Securities and Advisory Services Offered Through Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser
