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Friday, March 01, 2013

Guest Blogger Elizabeth Baker and JaKobe's Assignment

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ELIZABETH BAKER is an author and retired counselor drawing on thirty-five years of experience helping individuals apply biblical principles to real-life situation. She holds Bachelor and Master degrees from Liberty University and a Doctor of Religion and Society from Oxford Graduate School. Currently retired, she lives in Pittsburg, Texas where she concentrates on her writing. A widow since her mid 30's, Elizabeth has four grown children, fifteen grandchildren, and six great-grands.

JAKOBE'S ASSIGNMENT
by Elizabeth Baker
Published by EBB Publishing

ABOUT THE BOOK

Pastor Jonathan Phelps has always believed in angels. Yet, the idea of unseen beings actually roaming the halls of Grace Community Church never entered his mind. Angels had some kind of purpose somewhere but the thought of a warrior showing up in his office would have shaken him to the core! Angels never did things like that. Did they?

It’s been 700 years since JaKobe worked on earth, but when his curiosity is piqued by Rachael’s strange request, he finds himself once again on assignment doing the very things he once thought were behind him forever. Serving Adam’s offspring and advancing the Kingdom while enemies multiply on every side is all in a day’s work. And, this specific assignment is one job JaKobe is determined to finish before midnight.

Readers, buy your copy of JaKobe's Assignment today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

Does Your Guardian Angel Tell Jokes?

According to a recent AP poll nearly 8 out of 10 Americans believe angels are real. But how these beings operate, what they look like, and exactly how they impact our life is wide open for anyone’s guess. Some believe good humans become angels when they die. Others see them as frequently manipulating matter—such as turning a car to avoid an accident. Medieval theologians debated how many could dance on the head of a pin and some modern Christians wondered if they can read minds.

Yet for all the curiosity surrounding them, angels seldom make their way into Christian fiction. A few classic works, such as C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, feature spirit beings and modern authors sometimes offer them minor roles. But if you want the scoop on angels, chances are you will end up wading through dusty, non-fiction tombs. This is a bit strange for according to the Bible, angels are sent by God and commonly take part in the daily life of Christians.

I’ve always been curious about these heavenly beings and their scarcity in Christian fiction added fuel to the flame. The possibility of using angels as fictional characters became a challenge that was simply too tempting to pass up. Could I remain biblically accurate and at the same time give imagination free reign on details not found in scripture? I thought so.

However, if I had realized all the convoluted twists involved in the research, I might have given up before the first word was typed. Angels often leave more questions in their wake than answers!

The first hurdle I had to clear was the fact that most popular ideas about angels are either blatantly wrong or woven of more speculation than biblically revealed truth. For instance, while we might bend over the crib of our newborn and coo, “Mamma’s little angel,” the truth is angels and humans are totally different creations. Angels are not, and never have been, human in any form. While the Bible sometimes describes them in human terms and apparently they look a bit like us, angels are as different from humans as dogs are different than turnips.

Many popular ideas about angels are based on medieval art rather than scripture. You will seldom find a picture, figurine, stain glass window, or tomb stone with a wingless angel. Wings and halos are considered basic angelic necessities, but none of these things are true. Although the Bible states Seraphim, Cherubim, and Living Creatures have wings, when angels are described no wings are mentioned. Angels move through the air, but wings are evidently not a necessity.

Yet despite all the challenges, writing JaKobe’s Assignment was at times pure fun. Once I separated biblical truth from popular opinion, the field was wide open to let my imagination roam. For instance, the Bible states one angelic task is to evaluate both humans and situations, but no mention is made about how they accomplish this. Could they use some kind of high-tech tool? Why not? We know good angels fight against bad angels, but the methods used in warfare are not identified. Filling in the gaps and blanks with colors of my own choosing was delightful!

JaKobe’s Assignment is not a book for every reader. The plot has a “thoughtful” feel rather than high drama. No shoot ‘em up bang-bang or thriller car chases. The romantic element is a tender view of marital love rather than boy-meets-girl while the slow pace of small-town living is woven with quirky characters, humor, and a surprising glimpse of what reality might look like if we could see the spirit beings surrounding us.

I suggest readers sample the book first by reading a few pages on Amazon or Barns & Nobel. Also, for a free, brief Bible study and scripture references that inspired specific statements/plots in the novel, check out, “The Truth About Angels,” http://tinyurl.com/cv8a88w. Or, download a fun quiz for kids of all ages, “Your Angel IQ.” It’s free at http://tinyurl.com/a6dh7sa.

This brings me back to the beginning. Does your guardian angel tell jokes? Mine does. If you want to know more, JaKobe’s Assignment is available for Nook, Kindle, and print.

Reader Question:  Do you, personally, believe in angels? Leave a comment telling me why or why not. One lucky responder will receive a free copy of JaKobe’s Assignment.

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Thank you, Elizabeth, for sharing with us today.

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name [at] domainname [dot] com) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a free autographed copy of the book featured above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the drawing is open to US/Canada residents only.

3 comments:

squiresj said...

I would love a free company to read and review. In 2003 bith my daughter and I were wrapped in angel wings when our car flipped upside down. Otherwise my daughter's neck would have been broken. We both crawled out and glass shattered but not one piece fell out of windshield.

squiresj said...

I forgot my email - jrs362 at hotmail dot com

Elizabeth Baker said...

Wow! That sounds like a memorable event! Glad you are still with us! God does, indeed, work in mysterious ways. Angels? Maybe!