Angel Time winner and Win a used copy of The Silent Governess!

The winner of Anne Rice's Angel time is Sara Coulas!  Thank you everyone for entering and for your comments about angels. 

I just finished The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen.  For those of you who enjoy British Regencies, you'll love this book. Here's my brief review.



Ms. Klassen certainly has done her homework! Every night as I curled up with this book in bed, I found myself transported to Regency England enduring the struggles, fears, and hopes of a English governess. The characters were real and endearing and I desperately wanted things to work out for all of them. I wouldn't classify this as a romance, but more of women's fiction with a romantic twist. The end of the book brings many twists and surprises but leaves the reader with a satisfied sigh. This is the second book I've read of Ms. Klassen's and I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

I'm willing to give my copy away, but I have to warn you, I foolishly marked in it while I was reading. It's a habit of mine to mark phrases that stand out to me, so this is a used book with a tiny bit of marking in it. If you'd be interested in winning it, please leave a comment with your email address.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

LOST, the final season starts next week!

Okay, I'm going to admit something that may shock you. I'm a total LOST junkie. I love the show! I've watched every season twice now and would watch them again if my husband wouldn't have me committed!  For those of you who know my writing, you know I love the sea and the tropics and deserted islands, so when this show came on, I couldn't wait to try it. But after the first season,  it wasn't the setting that brought me back, it was the characters and the intense plot.

As a writer, I find this show fascinating. What a study in quirky characters! I mean, we have the overweight guy who works at a fast food restaurant who becomes an instant millionaire in the lottery; we have the hero doctor battling his identity under his alcoholic father; the murdering, convict beauty with a heart of gold, the conman who loves to read romances and cares about little babies; the X-iraqi torture expert; the paralized man who can suddenly walk; the man who's been on the island for years and never seems to age.  This list goes on and on and I haven't even told you the good stuff about these people yet.

Then you put this great cast of characters on this bizarre island that seems to have a life of its own and you add a plot that keeps your heart in your throat and one that you could never predict, and you have a great, great story.   I spend hours studying LOST for these very reasons, hoping to be able to convey such techniques into my own writing someday.

Bravo to the writers of LOST.  If you are a LOST fan, who is your favorite character and why?

The Book of Eli

This weekend, I went to see the movie, The Book of Eli.  I was most curious to see this film because I heard it had Christian themes and rarely do we see a big Hollywood movie with Christian themes.  Hestitantly, I entered the theater, hoping that the movie did not, like most movies, make Christians out to be weak, annoying, oddballs who try to cram the gospel down people's throats. I was pleasantly surprised. Very pleasantly surprised, indeed.

Set in the post-apocalyptic future after a major world war that the characters describe as "the flash", the scenery is filmed in a sepia tone, very bland grays, blacks and whites, which perfectly portrays the mood of the story. Sorrow, Loss, despair. This is not a "feel good" type of movie, nor is it a romance, not is it a action movie. This is a movie about destiny and the Bible. This is a movie about the battle between good and evil, darkness and light.

Denzel Washington plays Eli, a man who has heard from God. God showed Eli where the last remaining copy of the Bible was buried and then instructed him to take it west. Eli is so convinced that he has heard from God that he immediately obeys and begins on a harrowing journey that will last him the rest of his life. A journey in which he will suffer from thirst, hunger, and the violent acts of men. We meet Eli 30 years into this journey. He has almost reached his destination. We soon discover that along the way, during those 30 years, Eli has made a habit of reading the Bible every night. We see hints of his knowlege of the Holy Scriptures when he quotes passages from the Bible at opportune moments. We see that he is moral man who hates violence and refuses to polute himself with the things of the world. He has a peaceful strength and confidence about him that draws people.

But Eli is no whimp.  When attacked by those seeking to do him harm or steal "The Book", Eli defends himself with great ferocity. He is a mighty warrior who dispatches the enemy with so much skill and strength that he leaves people in awe. But where does his strength come from? Might I suggest that it springs from his conviction and belief that he is doing God's will and that God has promised him that he will make it. Dare I also suggest that his strength comes from his knowlege of the Bible, for in those 30 years, he has no doubt read it over and over multiple times.

I must admit that throughout the film, I was tempted to believe he was a mighty warring angel.  But I was glad to find out he wasn't. He was just a man, just a human, like you and I.  Like Moses or Abraham, or Joshua or David. Just a man, but a man with a firm faith, a deep conviction, and the power of the Word of God on his lips and Holy Spirit in his heart.

The villian in the movie wanted the Book Eli had so much, he spent years looking for it. When asked by one of his henchman why, he said "Because it's a weapon."  He couldn't have been more right.

Maybe I'm reading too much into this story, but it left a deep impact on me. It gave me a glimpse into the spirit realm and into the power of one person who knows God and knows His Word.  And it also convicted me. They treated this one Bible so reverently, so preciously, it brought me shame. Even the bad guy when he finally got his hands on the Bible, kissed it and held it to his bosom. Do we do that? Do we cherish the Word like that? Or do we toss it aside after church only to find it in the same place next Sunday? When we open it to read, is it more out of obligation, or are we desperately hungry to read its precious words and hear from God Himself?

Might I offer you a challenge? One I intend to take up myself. I'm going to read my Bible more. Not just a couple of chapters a day.. I'm going to leave it open on my kitchen counter and every time I pass, I'm going to stop and read. And I'm going to start memorizing it too. As much as I can. I'm going to look at the Bible as a doorway into the house of God where I can meet with Him and hear His voice. I'm going to cherish it. I'm going to fill my spirit with its Words.  Why? What else is more important? The church needs to wake up! We all have such a short time here. I want to be an Eli, an Elisha, a David. When you stand before God, what you did with His Word and His instructions is the only thing that will matter.

(Warning: This movie is rated R and has some bad words and lots of violence.  Please do not let that deter you. Please, Christians, do not avoid this movie because of that. Its message is too good to pass up. And I, for one, hope that Hollywood makes many more movies like this!)

Win a copy of Angel Time by Anne Rice

Happy Friday everyone!  I purchased Angel Time by Anne Rice last month and recently finished it. So, I thought I'd give away my copy so that others can enjoy it. This is my first book by Anne Rice. I picked it up for two reasons. One, I was fascinated by her story of salvation and her encounter with Jesus that changed her life. Now the author that used to write about vampires, writes about the Lord!  Second reason is I've always been fascinated with angels.  I mean, they are real and they are all around us. It's really cool when you think about it.
I liked this book. It isn't at all what I expected. But that may be a good thing! It's not a romance. It's actually about a serial killer. I enjoyed Ms. Rice's deep characterization, especially with her darker characters. Though it isn't the normal type of book I would read, it kept my attention and always kept me wondering what was going to happen.

Here's a blurb about the story:
Toby O'Dare, a contract killer of underground fame on assignment to kill once again. A souless soul, a dead man walking, he lives under a seris of aliases. Into O'Dare's nightmarish world of lone and lethal missions comes a mysterious stranger, a seraph, who offers him a chance to save rather than destroy lives. O'Dare, who long ago dreamt of being a priest but instead came to embody danger and violence, seizes his chance. Now he is carried back through the ages to 13th century England, to dark realms where accusation of ritual murder have been made against Jews... In this primitive setting, O'Dare begins his perilous quest for salvation, a journe of danger and flight, loyalty and betrayal, selflessness and love.

In order to enter your name for the contest, you must leave a comment (email address included) and say something about angels. What you think of them. Have you ever met one? What do you think they do? Quote a verse from the Bible about them. Anything like that.

Have a great weekend!

Another cover preview for Surrender the Sea

Yesterday, my publisher sent me the next version of the cover they are designing for Surrender the Sea. They felt it was too dark and too harsh so they wanted to lighten it up and soften the writing a bit. What do you think? The new version is the top one. The old one is at the bottom.

I will be on the radio today!

M. L. Tyndall will be our guest on "Kingdom Highlights" Tuesday 1/19 at 11:30 am, PACIFIC, 2:30 pm EASTERN discussing her new book, "The Raven Saint" book 3 in The Charleston Belles series. We will broadcast live on the net on "Kingdom Airwaves at


http://www.kingdomairwaves.org/

I hope you can drop by and listen for awhile.

Signs and Wonders

The Bible is full of miracles: healings, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the lame walking, people being delivered of demons, prophecies, seas dividing, battles won against overwhelming odds, lion's mouths closing, and people being raised from the dead.  They are all great stories, but are they just stories?  Just fables of a time long ago? Why don't we see any of these things today?  Perhaps, as some believe, God just isn't in the miracle business anymore. I mean, He does some miracles here and there, but He just doesn't do those mind-blowing ones anymore.  Really?

Here's my theory. We have two problems here in America. One is a lack of faith. We've grown up not seeing great miracles so we don't believe in them. We don't expect them. And two is that we are not on the front lines of the battle. If you think back to all the miracles in the Bible, they happened when God's people were moving forward and pushing back the enemy lines. From the parting of the Red Sea to the walls falling down at Jericho, to David and Goliath in the Old Testament to Jesus Himself healing and delivering and raising the dead, to the disciples and apostles who spread the gospel throughout the known world in the New Testament--All of them were pushing back enemy forces, either physical forces or spiritual.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."  ¹⁹After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. ²⁰Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it  Mark 16:16-19

I've heard reports from the mission field that would blow your socks off. Of people being healed, delivered of demons, and even rising from the dead. These things happen today. God never changes and He promises us that He will confirm His word with signs and wonders. But that means we need to get out there and spread His Word. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to become a missionary. But it does mean you have to use what God-given talents He has given you to help bring as many people to Him as possible.

As a famous evangelist once said. "If you don't have any wolves, I doubt you're a sheep."   In other words,  Satan's not going to bother you, if you're no threat to him. You're only a threat to him when you join the battle and begin forcing back the enemy lines. And when you do that, watch out! God will make Himself known to you like never before, and He just may preform some grand miracle that will blow your mind! 

Don't follow after signs and wonders. Follow God onto the battle field and the signs and wonders will follow you.

Founding father's principle number 2

Principal 2:  A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.

Consider the writings of Benjamin Franklin: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."

George Washington proclaimed that the American Constitution could survive only "so long as there shall remain any virtue in the body of the people."

Our fathers knew that in order be a self-governing people, we must be a people with morality, integrity and honor. They defined morality by the Ten Commandments and mandates of God in the Bible.  When people lack virtue, when they steal, lie, cheat, take bribes, and are more concerned with their own selfish pursuits than others around them or their country, how can they make good choices in government? How can they choose worthy leaders? And what happens when those leaders become corrupt and only look out after their own power, wealth and success?  (Does the word, Congress, come to mind? But I digress)

Here the words of John Adams: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

And finally James Madison:
"Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks, no form of government can render us secure. To suppose that any form of government will secure lilbery or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical (imaginary) idea.  If there be sufficient virute and intelligence in the community, it will be exercised in the selection of these men; so that we do not depend upon their virtue, or put confidence in our rulers but in the people who choose them."

Our founding fathers knew what they were doing, and I believe they'd be rolling over in their graves if they saw what happened to their precious republic.  I'm not talking about Republicans or Democrats. I'm talking about corruption and an attitude of self serving power and greed that seems to have taken over Washington.

The more I study the founding fathers' wisdom, the more I realize we've strayed. Next week I'll talk about the strenght in virtuous leaders and how people in office were never meant to be paid huge salaries!

Have a great weekend!

Win a free copy of The Raven Saint!

If you don't already own a copy of my latest release, The Raven Saint, I've just been informed about three more giveaways at the following blogs where you can also read interviews with me.

http://anotherdayforhim.blogspot.com/
http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2010/01/raven-saint-m-l-tyndall-free-book.html
http://wordvessel.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-review-raven-saint-by-m-l-tyndall.html

Please drop by and leave a comment and tell them MaryLu sent you!

Also, please keep Haiti in your prayers throughout the week. As some of you may know, part of the story of The Raven Saint takes place in Haiti. It was then known as Saint Dominique and was a French colony.  During my research, I learned a lot about this great place and my heart goes out to those who are suffering. If you feel led to assist these precious people, I recommend donating to the Red Cross or The Salvation Army, or another great reliable organization is Samaritan's Purse, run by Franklin Graham at:  https://www.samaritanspurse.org/

The movie Avatar creates depression?

Look what I just found on a CNN article?
On the fan forum site "Avatar Forums," a topic thread entitled "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible," has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope. The topic became so popular last month that forum administrator Philippe Baghdassarian had to create a second thread so people could continue to post their confused feelings about the movie.
Here are just a few of the ways people are coping on Avatar-Forums.com :
"I just watched avatar a few weeks ago and I'm feeling depressed and sad. It's like I want to reach out and be in Pandora. I'd do anything to be in Pandora. I've tried so hard to dream about me being on Pandora but it hasn't worked."

"Ever since I went to see 'Avatar' I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na'vi made me want to be one of them. I can't stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it. I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in 'Avatar.'" 

Please see my review of Avatar earlier today.  Do you know what people are longing for? Heaven. Paradise. Eden. Just like I said in my review. This awesome world created by Cameron and technology is like a glimpse into Heaven, into what's awaiting God's children. And naturally, it would make us long and yearn for such a place and would also make our own world a bit gray by comparison.
But don't get depressed!  You can go to this great paradise when you die!  Don't despair.  Seek God. Believe in His Son, Jesus, and you too can live in Heaven for all eternity!!

Avatar and the new Eden

It was with great anticipation that my husband and I went to see a showing of the movie, Avatar. After all, I loved Terminator (I know, I'm weird) and Titanic is one of my all time favorite movies. James Cameron directed both of those and Avatar looked to be just as good.  Let me premise the next statement with a fact. I'm very critical of movies. I love movies. Always have. Maybe that's because I love "story". but that makes me also very critical. So, if you loved Avatar, please do not be offended by my opinion.  

Despite the fantastic special effects and the incredible world Cameron created, I found my mind drifting during the film (not a good sign). The characters were so flat and one dimensional, I could predict everything they said before they said it. Sterotypes all the way. The good guy was all good. The bad guy was pure evil. The tree-huggers were stricktly tree-huggers, the military guys were blood thirsty mongrels. The plot was almost as predictable as the characters. Plus, I resented that Cameron or Hollywood or whoever forced their political and spiritual views down my throat in every scene.  If you're into New Age philosophy and oneness with nature and mother earth, and if you hate the military and think we are ruining the planet, then you will love this movie.  Unfortunately, I believe in none of those things. I went to the movie to be entertained, not have a political agenda forced upon me.

However, I will say that the creativity in this film was magnificent! The world of the Avatars was fascinating, unpredictable and exquisitely beautiful.  One thing it did for me was stretch my own imagination far beyond its tiny bounds and make me realize that if man can think up something so beautiful, then surely God has a world in store for us beyond anything we could imagine or hope!  This world gave me a glimpse into the Creator's mind and into the beauty of the New Earth He will create someday.  So, if you're going to see this movie, see it for that. As you view the Avatar world, consider it a peek at Heaven and at the new Eden, and I guarantee your problems in this age will diminish in size by comparison.

Exceedingly precious

The story goes of this pastor who boarded a train in Africa. As he sat looking out his window at the mob of people clamoring across the train station trying to make their connections, he asked God. "What do you think of these people?"  God's answer came quick. "Some are wicked. Some are foolish. Some are blind. But some are exceedingly precious."
For some reason, that story always stuck with me. It's not that God favors certain people. It's that God Knows His own. He begs for the foolish, the wicked, the blind, to know Him, but it is ultimately their choice. In the meantime, those people who are His children are "exceedingly precious" to Him.

I love that term. Can you imagine what would happen to the world if everyone believed, I mean really believed deep down that they were "exceedingly precious"?  How many problems are caused by people who grow up in unloving homes, who feel like they never measure up, who feel they are weird, unloved, unwanted. Who believe they evolved from an ape and therefore are just a batch of molecules, an accident with no purpose or meaning, who feel as though they are just another face in a sea of faces far more important then they are?

I don't know about you but I still have trouble believing I am exceedingly precious to God.  But there have been those moments, brief and awesome, when it sinks in just a little bit--those times alone with God when I truly can feel His love and the light touch of His hand on my forehead, His kiss on my cheek. Oh, what sweet bliss. For it is in those moments when I know that I am safe, that nothing can touch me, nothing can harm me outside of my Father's will.  It is in those moments that I feel loved beyond measure, like I have truly come home.

Here's some other things in the Bible God calls precious

God's wisdom is precious                   Proverbs 3:15
God's thoughts are precious                Psalms 139:17
Jerusalem, God's holy city is precious  Micah 4:8
Jesus is precious                                 Isaiah 28:16
Jewels and gold are labled precious many times in the Bible
The truth is precious                           2 Tim 1:14
Faith is precious                                 1 Peter 1:7
The blood of Christ is precious           1 Peter 1:19
God's promises are precious              2 Peter 1:4

I don't have trouble believing those things are precious. But me?  

In Daniel 10:19, the angel, Gabriel spoke to Daniel and said:
“Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!”

Now before you tell me that Daniel was some kind of spiritual stud. No way! He was no better than you or I. In fact, Jesus himself declared that of all the men born to women, John the Baptist was the greatest, but those of us in the Kingdom of God are even greater than he was. Who's in the Kingdom of God? His children. Those of us who believe.

I challenge you this week to write the words "Exceedingly Precious" on a sticky note and put it somewhere you will see it often. Maybe some bad things have happened to you recenly, or perhaps God has not answered an important prayer, and lately you haven't felt very loved or important to Him at all. Ask God to show you how precious you are to him. Remember it. Believe it, and allow God's love to melt away all your fears, your reservations, your despair.

28 Principles of our Founding Fathers

When I don't have a book review or giveaway planned on Friday, I thought I'd post about what the Founding Fathers of our great country believed in and hoped for as they laid the foundation of our nation. I'm pulling this info from a great book called The Five Thousand Year Leap. I highly recommend it! It has certainly opened my eyes to how brilliant these men were and how desperately they loved America and God.

Anyway, the First Principle is this:
"The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law."


By Natural Law our fathers mean the Creator's order of things. Or as Jefferson put it, "The laws of nature and of Nature's God." This natural law is eternal in it's basic goodness. It is universal in its application. It is the code of right reason from the Creator Himself, and it can be found in God's Word and His commandments. Much of our Constitution is based on Natural Law.

This is precisely what Thomas Jefferson was talking about when he wrote in the Declaration of Independence,

We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

A cover preview for Surrender the Sea

A preview of the cover of my next book:  Surrender the Sea
(Although I'm told by my publisher that they intend to change it a bit!)

Personally, I really like this. We'll see what else they come up with.
Opinions?

If you'd still like to try and win a copy of The Raven Saint...

There are two giveaways today on two different blogs
http://sandirog. blogspot. com/  and  http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/


Also on the 2nd blog, you'll find a list of the blog owner, Casey Herringshaw's top ten books of 2009. She's taking votes from this list of your favorite book. (And The Blue Enchantress just happens to be one of them) So, if you'd like to vote for that or one of the other books, please do!

So what will 2010 be like for you?

 Will 2010 be just another year for you? Another year more of school finished, another year at your job, another year attending your church, raising your kids, hanging with your friends?

Or will it be a year you look back on and say: 
"That's the year my life changed. That's the year I stepped out of the boat and actually dared to believe God at His Word. That's the year, the miracles began. That's the year I found my purpose."

The older I become, the more I realize how short life is. We really don't have much time here in this age.  Yes, there's things we have to do like work and go to school and raise a family. But what are we going to do with the rest of our time?

My New Year's resolution is to know Jesus more. Pure and simple. I want to really get to know Him. And to do that I've got to spend more time with Him, read His Word, and abide in His presence. That's where it all begins. We can do Nothing apart from Him. The more we know Him, the more we are like Him and the more impact we will have on others and the world. And that's what it's all about, isn't it? Nothing will matter when we stand before Him. Not our level of education, not our job performance, not how many books we've written, or kids we've raised. The real question will be, what did we do with the Holy Spirit living within us? Did we push Him aside? ignore Him? Grieve Him? and go about our own agenda? Or did we give Him full reign over us. Did we believe Him and allow God's power to flow through us to a dying world?

I don't know about you but I could use a miracle this year in the lives of some of my loved ones. And it just so happens I know a God who's in the business of miracles!  This year, I'm going to know Him more and in the knowing, I'm going to believe Him more, and in the believing is where the miracles happen!

Want to join me in the adventure?

Here's a statement from a pastor who was martyred in Zimbabwe Africa. I pray it encourages and blesses you. 

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed! I have the Holy Spirit's power! The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made-I'm a disciple of His! I won't look back ,let up, slow down, back away ,or be still. My past is redeemed ,my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished with low living ,sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams ,tamed visions ,worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence ,position, promotions ,plaudits ,or popularity. I don't have to be right ,first ,tops ,recognized, praised ,regarded ,or rewarded. I now live by faith ,depend on His presence, walk by patience ,am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. That's what it means to be a disciple of Jesus!!

Happy New Year!

The winner of the final Raven Saint giveaway is Michelle F! 

Thank you all so much for leaving your great comments and for your interest in my book!  It means a great deal to me. 

If you didn't win and you'd still like a copy of the book, today is the official release date!  So, stop by your local book store or you can find it online at the following links:

Order from Amazon
Order from Christianbook.com


And I wish all of you a Happy New Year!

May the Lord make Himself more real to you in 2010 and may you come to know His all-healing, all-consuming love!