IMAGINE THE FUTURE YOU by Ada Brownell

Motivational Bible Study for Youth (Self Help)

Will you be the person you dream of being—or someone from your nightmares?

You don’t need a fortune teller to reveal your future. You are the person who determines who you will be, what your life will be like, and how your hopes and dreams will be fulfilled.

Today is the time to IMAGINE and to create an action plan for your future.

• How harnessing your will can make you a champion
• How to make valuable deposits into your mind, detoxify harmful information in the brain, and avoid brain washing
• How to look and be your best
• How to connect with Someone who will make a difference in your life
• How who you marry changes everything
• How to avoid traps that jeopardize your future
• Where you want your name to appear
• Why you can believe God is there and interested in your tomorrows
• Examples of people who grabbed their future and held on

This book will show how to make the right connections, how to grow you talents, and how to begin believing in yourself and things greater than yourself—for a wonderful Future You!

EXCERPT:

From chapter eight: Imagine God Changing Your Future

IMAGINE OUTDATED TEXTBOOKS

One psychology professor openly ridiculed Christians in one of my university classes with more than seventy students. As the instructor made sarcastic remarks about Christians in the news and preached his atheistic ideas, I wondered why no one challenged him. One day I raised my hand.

“You said this textbook will be outdated in ten years,” I began. “So what you are saying today might not be true in ten years?”

The questions flowed.

“Can you prove evolution? Isn’t it true you accept it by faith? Are you aware that many scientists have thrown out missing links because they couldn’t find them? Did you know scientists are even putting forth the idea that man might have fallen from outer space?

“How did creation turn out so perfectly without a Designer? Why aren’t monkeys turning into humans now?”

He admitted that, yes, the textbooks and the theories and knowledge in them would soon be outdated; that he didn’t have all the answers; and, “Yes, we do accept some things by faith. But when something is universally accepted, we treat it as fact.”

I should have asked, “Then because the God of creation and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ are universally accepted, that should be treated as fact?”

A few weeks later, I asked a science teacher if the first and second laws of thermodynamics violated evolution. The teacher had opened the class on the environment by stating everything would be based on evolution.

No more than thirty-five pages into the text, Living in the Environment, by G. Tyler Miller Jr., the class was studying the law of energy degradation, also known as the second law of thermodynamics. The law states that matter, if left to itself and undergoing physical or chemical changes, will always change in the direction of decreased order and decreased energy content. The entire universe obeys this law, and this includes every chemical reaction.

In words plain and simple, the law means anything left to itself will slowly fall apart. Every time you see an old barn with the roof sagging and the walls falling in, you see demonstration of this law. Despite galaxies thought to be expanding (are they expanding, or are we increasing our knowledge?), scientists will tell you the entire universe is slowing down, growing old, and, as the saying goes, is running out of steam.

The second energy law also tells us energy tends to flow or change spontaneously from a compact and ordered form to a dispersed and random, or disordered, form.

“No one has ever found a violation of this law,” Miller states.

When the teacher read that, I put up my hand. “Isn’t evolution a violation of this law?”

In order for evolution to occur, many complex chemical changes must take place, and they must all be in the direction of increased order and energy to move from the simple to the complex.

The teacher paused a moment, cleared his throat, and said, “Well, evolution is the only violation.”

The theory of evolution also violates the first law of thermodynamics, which simply says energy (or matter) neither can be created nor destroyed.

A story goes that God and Satan were having a discussion.

“I can do anything you can,” Satan said, stretching his puny body so he looked taller.

God smiled. “OK. Make a man.”

Satan bent over and began scraping up dirt.

God grabbed his shoulder. “Use your own dirt.”

AUTHOR BIO:

Ada Brownell, a devoted Bible student, has written for Christian publications since age 15 and spent much of her life as a daily newspaper reporter at The Pueblo Chieftain in Colo.   After moving to Springfield, MO in her retirement, she continues to free lance for Sunday school papers, Christian magazines and write books. She is author of three non-fiction works, one novel, and is critique group leader of Ozarks Chapter of American Christian Writers. Among her books: Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult, released Jan. 15, 2013; Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal, released Dec. 6, 2011; and Confessions of a Pentecostal, published by the Assemblies of God’s Gospel Publishing House in 1978, out- of-print but released in 2012 for Kindle; Imagine the Future You, a motivational youth Bible study, became available October 23, 2013.  All the books are available in paper or for Kindle.Ada’s Blog: http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com

REVIEWS/NOTICES/AWARDS:

Ada Brownell pens a book challenging young readers to imagine themselves in the future based on the choices they're making today. In 13 thought-provoking chapters, Brownell writes in a way that not only resonates with her teenage audience, but also encourages them. Giving insights intoher life as a teen and providing timely morsels of truth about God's Word will leave any reader (adults included) inspired and dedicated to living a life for Christ and growing in their walk with Him. Highly recommended! ~ Penny Zeller, Christian Author and Speaker

Ada, Why did you write IMAGINE THE FUTURE YOU?

I wrote this book because I love young people, and Satan convinced opinion leaders in the world to try to eliminate Christianity everywhere and keep the young from believing the Bible. The Ten Commandments are outlawed, and immorality expected and almost mandated. Teens and young adults already are challenged by their broken homes, wicked-living role models in Hollywood, and often churches don’t teach and preach the whole gospel such as “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23), while schools indoctrinate them with atheistic teaching. Too many youth believe the church is irrelevant. But truth is, Jesus is the only way they can achieve abundant life here and for eternity.

TELL US SOMETHING TOPICAL, INTERESTING, FUNNY, OR SOMETHING WE WOULD NOT EXPECT ABOUT YOUR THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS.

I am the youngest of eight children and we always used to get together for holidays. Since many were from out of town, we met for breakfast, too. Well my brother-in-laws, who complained about their eggs at home, put their heads together and decided to have a contest to see which Nicholson girl could do the most damage to an egg. My insulted sisters (I had four) took on the challenge. Wonderful eggs began appearing on the tables, so the brothers-in-law upped the contest to biscuits. I was one of those from out of town, and as I watched my sister, Marjorie, pour Bisquick into a bowl, she threatened, “Don’t you dare tell anyone I use this!” It was all in fun and no Nicholson gal became Best Egg Destroyer. Our real times of thanksgiving came during prayer time during reunions. Often we wept with one another as we testified and thanked God for our blessings. Then we brought our needs before Him. Our family, since my oldest sis became a Christian the year I was born, has been blessed.

My roots in a family of achievers who served God contributed to the woman and writer I am today.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/dp/1489558284

Kindle store http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GDCYD4I

Amazon Ada Brownell author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06

CHARISSE by Fay Lamb

Contemporary Romance

Charisse Wellman’s husband has been gone a year, and she’s about to lose the only home her son, V.J., has ever known. She’s quit law school but the money just isn’t there. Her only option is to work as a law clerk for her ex-friend, Gideon Tabor. The only problem: Gideon is the judge who let her husband’s killer go free, and Gideon doesn’t know the connection.

Gideon Tabor can’t believe that the woman interviewing for the job is the girl he loved in high school. Charisse is hesitant about accepting his job offer, and when she does, Gideon makes every attempt to apologize for his relationship-ending blunder in high school. Charisse accepts his apology, but she keeps him at a distance. When Gideon learns that Charisse’s anger actually stems from his release of the man who ran down her husband, he tries to explain, but Charisse doesn’t want Gideon’s excuses or the love he has to offer. She wants her husband’s killer to pay.

EXCERPT:

Charisse stepped forward, peering around the corner. An unexpected sight drew her into the room like a chance glimpse at a beautiful painting.

Gideon and V.J. were sprawled on the floor with a large sketch board and the cars and trucks used in courtroom testimony to depict accident scenes. Together, they’d created a city of streets and buildings, and on the roads they rolled the miniature vehicles. V.J. laughed and rolled in hysterics as Gideon’s car hit the drawing of a tree and flipped over, complete with Gideon’s dramatic sound effects.

Charisse had to turn away. Her heart raced. With eyes closed, she took a steadying breath. V.J. didn’t see his father die. Gideon’s antics wouldn’t hurt her son.

Not the way they cut into her soul.

She concentrated on V.J.’s continued laughter and then Gideon’s chuckle, but still, she could not face them.

“There’s your mommy,” Gideon said.

Another deep breath and Charisse turned.

V.J.’s laughter stopped and only a trace of his carefree happiness remained. “Mommy, do we have to go now?”

“In a few minutes.”

“Judge Tabor?” He turned his attention to his new playmate.

Gideon stretched. “Yeah, Veej.”

Charisse shook her head. He’d started calling V.J. by that name on Saturday. A fallback from his football days when the players gave each other nicknames, she guessed

“We have show-and-tell day at school. We can bring a person, a place, or a thing. Will you come tomorrow as my person?” V.J. picked up the cars.

Gid packed them away and lifted the sketchpad, tearing off the drawing. “Mind if I keep it here for your next visit?” He snatched tape from the roller on this desk and stuck the drawing on his wall with his diplomas and certificates.

She wished with all her heart he hadn’t pasted it there where she would see it each day.

“I can come back?” V.J. spun toward Charisse.

She wrenched her gaze from the drawing and shrugged.

“Whenever you want, but next time no missing school, okay?” Gid moved to the personal calendar he kept and flipped a few pages. “So what time tomorrow?”

“We have show-and-tell at ten thirty and then go to lunch. Show-and-tell people can stay and have lunch if they wanna. Do you wanna?”

Gideon hesitated, studying the page in front of him. He flipped it over and back. Charisse held her breath. He had a special hearing. She’d scheduled it for him. V.J. was in for another dose of disappointment.

Gideon looked up. “I’m all yours, Veej.”

V.J. ran to her and threw his arms around her hips. “Mommy, he can do show-and-tell.”

“Thank you,” Charisse mouthed her gratitude.

Gideon nodded and picked up his phone. “Marlene, I need you to reschedule the eleven o’clock hearing on tomorrow’s calendar. Just tell them something very important has come up and give them my apology. Thanks.”

AUTHOR BIO:

Fay Lamb’s emotionally charged stories remind the reader that God is always in the details. Fay has contracted with Write Integrity Press for three series. Stalking Willow and Better than Revenge, Books 1 and 2 in the Amazing Grace romantic suspense series are currently available for purchase, as is Charisse the first releases in her The Ties That Bind contemporary romance series. Future Write Integrity Press releases from Fay are: Everybody’s Broken and Frozen Notes, Books 3 and 4 of Amazing Grace and Libby, Hope and Delilah, Books 2, 3 and 4 from The Ties that Bind. Also, look for Book 1 in Fay’s Serenity Key series entitled Storms in Serenity. Fay and her husband, Marc, reside in Titusville, Florida, where multi-generations of their families have lived. The legacy continues with their two married sons and six grandchildren. Fay’s website is www.faylamb.com.

REVIEWS/NOTICES/AWARDS:

I love Fay Lamb's books. She has mastered the art of inspirational romance, and CHARISSE is no exception. ~ Anne Baxter Campbell, Christian author, multi-published of children's books

This was an enjoyable read--a well-written and compelling story which held my attention until the end. There's a strong Christian message inherent in the character development which seemed realistic and not just tacked on so it could be labeled "Christian" fiction. This novel would appeal to teens as well as adults. I purchased this book at a writers' conference after attending an excellent characterization workshop taught by the author. ~ Rose Chandler Johnson, Christian writer

Lamb's usual mix of humor and love, suspense and spiritual growth play well together in her latest release, Book One in the Ties that Bind Series. Her characters come alive on the pages, making this book difficult to set down. But I'm used to that, having read two other novels authored by Fay. Betty Thomason Owens, Christian writer

FAY, WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS NOVEL?

I wrote this novel as an answer to a call with five other authors—my critique partners. Each author took a character from a fictional Bible study and wrote a story about that character. Then we combined it, and we sent them off to a publisher, who liked the story, but didn’t like the fact that none of us were published. So, when we got that rejection letter, we decided to take our stories back and each of us do what we wanted with our characters. I kept Charisse a novella for a number of years, but then I decided that she had more of a story to tell. This novel is the result. 

TELL US SOMETHING TOPICAL, INTERESTING, FUNNY, OR SOMETHING WE WOULD NOT EXPECT ABOUT THE WRITING OR RESEARCH FOR THIS NOVEL.

Charisse (and all the gals in The Ties that Bind series) are close to my heart. They live in my little area of the world, Central Florida. Each girl struggles with issues that I’ve had over the years: showing grace, lack of self-esteem, lack of home, and pride. And one of the gals is me, except she’s kinder, stronger, and more courageous than I have ever been.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon/Kindle. http://amzn.to/17EiACZ