focuses
on grieving as a normal and necessary process for those dealing with a
recent death. Kolf explains the stages of grief and offers practical
advice to those in need.
celebrates the diversity of the human race that God has created. This is a collection of 28 thoughtful and challenging essays written by 28
different Christian voices plus an introduction by Philip Yancey.
Frank
Peretti is looking for men and women who will stand up against teasers,
abusers and bullies. Men and women who see people as "priceless, precious,
and miraculous creations of God."
Short Thought!
Life is not easy. Each new day brings new challenges.
Christ-followers have inside information on the
future which helps put the todays in perspective.
'Only God knows, Aquila,' Nicolaus said. 'But I believe so. Her left arm is broken and she has many small wounds on her arms and legs; but it is the injury to her head that is most worrisome. She has not so much as stirred since I arrived.'
Aquila looked down at the woman, but her face was hidden, both by the bandages Nicolaus had applied and by the shadows cast by the dim light. 'I shall continue to pray,' Aquila said.
'That is the thing she most needs,' Nicolaus said, 'but she would benefit also from the services of a doctor.' Aquila nodded as he heard his father wakening in the chair behind him. Enoch stood awkwardly and strode over to stand alongside his son, looking down at the injured woman.'
'We must find out who she is,' Aquila said, speaking more to himself than to either Enoch or Nicolaus. 'Her relatives should be notified; they may have their own doctor.'
Enoch looked at him curiously and said, 'You do not know who the woman is?'
'No,' Aquila replied, surprised by his father's unexpected vigor, 'she was unconscious when I found her, and Nicolaus says she has remained so.'
Enoch took Aquila's arms in a firm grasp and led him out the back door. In the workshop, Enoch turned and faced Aquila squarely gripping him with a hand on each shoulder.
'Aquila,' Enoch said, 'it is Prisca.'
Aquila did not immediately grasp Enoch's meaning and thought perhaps he had mistaken madness for increased competence. He struggled to understand the significance of Enoch's words--why was he now thinking of Prisca after not even speaking her name for three years? What was Pris. . . and it hit him like a runaway wagon. 'The woman?' he asked. 'The woman inside. . . is Prisca?'
Enoch returned Aquila's look of shock and dismay with one of tender empathy and nodded very slowly. Aquila scrambled back into the house and knelt beside her, pulling back the long black hair and carefully examining the face. Ugly bruises of various shades of black, purple, and red obscured the features. Where it showed, the skin was pallid. The lips were dry and cracked, bulging hideously at one corner; the hair dull and lifeless, knotted with balls of dried blood; but it was nevertheless unmistakably Prisca.
The realization could have driven Aquila to immobile despair, but instead it provoked frantic contemplation as he instantly analyzed the situation. The two doctors in the Jewish community were among the strongest opponents of the believers--they were not likely to respond to Aquila's pleas, no matter how urgent.
'Her father!' he thought. 'Demas is wealthy--he will surely be able to secure the services of a doctor.'
'I will find a doctor,' Aquila told Nicolaus as he sprinted from the house.
SoAmazing Review:
Filled with twists and turns, multiple story lines, rich characters and great dialogue, the story of
Aquilla and Prisca, leaders of the early church in Ephesus and Rome, makes Richard
Soule's Peculiar People an example of historical fiction at its best.
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