Picking up the Pieces by Cherie Harwell Matthew 27:9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken Jeremiah the prophet, saying. “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced. (New King James Version) Love is a key element in the deliverance process. Love is picking up the pieces; writing picking up the pieces is like writing an enchanting love story. Picking up the Pieces is stories of ups and downs, highs and lows, a fight about gathering up the pieces of your life and holding it altogether. Picking up the Pieces is unlike any other love story, picking up the pieces features love at a new level of understanding. Knowing what endurance means, remembering loves hides a multitude of faults, loving unconditionally, being submissive, and becoming one with your mate, in the spirit. What is love? Love is a deep and tender feeling of affection for, or attachment or devotion to a person or persons, an expression of one’s love or affection. Love could be a feeling for brotherhood and good will toward other people. Love is a strong liking or interest in a person, place or thing. Love is sometimes expressed as God's way of showing tender regard and concern for all human beings, as well as devotion or desire to worship the Supreme Being, God. Love is to embrace, delight and gain benefit from it. I can talk all day on love, God is love and he loves us enough to help us gather up the residue in our lives and continue to live again. Just like most love stories, love is sometimes blind or hides the most obvious. Although, we are intelligent people for the most part, we can’t get past some mistakes. Picking up the pieces involves dealing with the entire dumping process, which causes one to completely forgive one's self and others. Love is precious, and God is love, he sacrificed his only begotten Son for our freedom. Love is true, and it is frightening if there is not an understanding from both parties. I have heard several people and seen many literary reviews which comment on how you can love your way back to health. This is simply what picking up the pieces presents to us today? Website: http://www.latterhouse.org Email: womenofgodministri@sbcglobal.net While It Is Day, Words Of Hope And Praise by Betty J. Banks ISBN: 0977634507 Foreword When the Lord created the world, He made man in His own image to love and worship Him. After Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden ‘in’ Eden, they began to offer sacrifices to God as a method of atoning for their sins. (God Himself had covered their nakedness with animal skin; this was the first sacrifice.) Later, man began to worship trees, and anything that they could make for themselves. As time passed, idol worship increased. In the United States today, some worship the god called money, sports and even people. The sixty-six books of the Bible inspire me to compose words that express God’s love and declaration to us all. By my own actions, I should have died in my youth. The poem called: “Foundling” is a reflection of my early life, and that was before the mirror cracked. It was not until everyday was cloudy, that I surrendered my life to Christ Jesus, and accepted His offer of redemption. I am an ordained minister (Crossroads Christian Ministries International), B. A., Theology. I believe God commissioned men and women to go out into all the world and spread the good news. The Preachers cannot reach everyone from the pulpit. God has given me the desire to understand His Word. My ministry is in the ‘field,’ the place where lost sheep wander. “Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:37, 38 “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4 Help! A part of me has died today, What evil man can do! A herd of cattle ushered in, To histories dark view; Hold my hand don’t let me go, You see, I cannot swim! Thank you sir, God bless you sir. Tonight I’ll die again. Dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina Synopsis: Knowing which road to tread requires foreknowledge, something no man can access. We do the best we can, and then one day we see our own tracks in front of us, warning, that we are traveling in a sphere and getting nowhere fast. Many are searching, hoping to stumble upon truth and peace of mind. God created us to love and worship Him. Since Adam and Eve, man has been trying to find, and reclaim paradise. We want to live forever, but on our own terms. God made us to live perpetually. After the fall physical death entered the world, yet our spirits never die. So the question is not will you have eternal life! The question is, where will You spend infinity? Many are being deceived by outlandish fiction and religions created by man. The LORD made us, in His own image, and He gave us guidelines to live by. He even sent His (ONLY) Son to pay our death penalty (after the fall); yet there are those who 'aspire' to save themselves by 'being good.' Works will not save you; good deeds are what the saved does. While It Is Day, is a book about the BOOK. A compilation of commentary, poetry and prose. Websites: http://www.rhymingbibletruths.com/ http://www.bettyjbanks.com Renegotiating Kayla by Natisha R. Williams Williams offers a tale of survival via her main character, Kayla Ross. Stuck in a dead-end relationship for nearly three years (with Taye), Kayla visits a palm reader who tells her she needs to let go of a few things. Kayla has low self-esteem and at times indulges in "reckless sexcapades" while Taye is absent from the relationship. The palm reading experience forces Kayla to search deep within herself and release some of the dark secrets of her past. A victim of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her father, Kayla has a virulent relationship with her mother which only adds to her frustration. Her mother never acknowledges the abuse, and never apologizes to Kayla for dismissing her allegations of misconduct by her father. Kayla, a successful businesswoman, spends time with friends Aisha, Camie, and Ketly, who enjoy brunch every Thursday. The girlfriend relationship become strained when Aisha falls in love with Tony, a man from Kayla's past. Tony is not just any man, he is in fact the one who left Kayla a few days before their planned wedding. One day Kayla bumps into her father who informs her that she has a younger sister. This presents more drama for Kayla, who feels she must do something to make sure her sister is not being molested. Williams makes the reader care about Kayla, but more importantly she makes Kayla care for herself. Great read! http://www.tisharenee.com Trippin' by Michelle Buckley What happens when a disenchanted housewife decides to add spice to a faltering marriage. Meet Dr. Madetra Price, who with the help of twin sister Kaylantra Ellis (an Internet website porn operator) starts a travel club. The sisters, along with five other wildly impractical, twenty to thirty-something professionals make up Destination: Anticipation Travel Club, simply called DAT Club. The club starts off innocently enough, but somewhere between the trip to the Mall of America in Minnesota; a visit to Lake Tahoe, and the buck-wild outing at a nude resort, things are totally out of control! In August, just before DAT's one year anniversary, the group starts to fall apart and Madetra plans to disband; Las Vegas will be the last trip. So many things are going wrong; her sister and her boyfriend are being harassed by a deranged woman; her husband is cracked-out; and Madetra has fallen in love with Gerald, one of the club members. Things really get crazy when Madetra is blackmailed by E'an, a doctor who is also a DAT Club member. Madetra really trips out when her sister dies in a traffic accident. Set on revenge she goes on a killing spree! In this tale of betrayal, lust, and love, Buckley takes the reader on a wild ride they won't soon forget. Excellent! Dreaming Of You by Francis Ray Francis Ray, probably one of the most prolific writers of our time, is back with another Grayson novel. Santa Fe restaurateur, Brandon Grayson, is doing all he possibly can to avoid the marriage trap he’s sure his mother, Ruth Grayson is baiting for him. She’s already played match maker to his older brothers, Luke and Morgan, who are now hitched. Now there are two sons and one daughter left. Determined to remain single Brandon has stopped dating altogether; he only goes around Faith McBride, the younger sister of two of his childhood friends. What Brandon doesn’t realize is that Faith has loved him for years and has tricks up her own sleeves. Brandon lives upstairs over his restaurant (the Red Cactus), and when a plumbing problem arises he goes to Casa de Serenidad, an establishment run by Faith. Truly a close-knit family the Graysons do all they can to make Faith feel welcome at family functions. After a while the Brandon and Faith fall deeply in love; then Brandon discovers Faith hasn’t been perfectly honest and he feels betrayed. Will Faith’s carefully laid plan back fire? Or will Brandon become snared by the trap? Read this compelling tale of love, romance and friendship! http://www.francisray.com Instant Message (IM) by Steven Jackson Meet Malik, an African American real estate broker in New York, who meets Elizabeth (Liz), a southern disgruntled white housewife and mother of 3 young children. The two meet in an online chat-room and are drawn to each other. Elizabeth’s husband, Herbert has no idea what’s going on. After fifteen years Liz’s marriage holds no romance and she feels Herbert isn’t even a good father to daughter Maria and twin sons Jeremy and Nicholaus. Although Liz’s parents support her as she arranges the romantic, her brother is outraged that she wants to date an African American. Liz confides in niece Lilly and sister-in-law, June both of whom are excited for her and encourage her to follow her heart. Throughout the day there are text messages sent back and forth and later Liz gives Malik her phone number. Once Liz’s husband has gone to his night job and her children our in bed the cyber lovers spend long hours talking on the phone. The online romance heats up and Malik and Liz decide on a rendezvous near Liz’s home in Cullman, Alabama, a hot bed of KKK activity. Based on true events, the refreshing tale of, “Instant Message (IM)”, shows how easily people can become “caught up” on the Internet! Authors Steven Jackson and Barbara Jones allow others to share their Internet experiences in the back of “Instant Message” (IM). http://myspace.com/stevenjacksoncelebrity Afroetry by Linda Mayfield-Hayes Mayfield-Hayes uses, Afroetry, to teach black people their history. One piece, “Oklahoma Bombing”, mentions nothing of Timothy McVeigh, but instead speaks of the nations’ largest massacre of black businessmen. After a white woman falsely accused a black man of rape, the Ku Klux Klan went on a murderous rampage. “Second Class Citizens” explains how immigrants are given grants, while blacks are given Nothing. It even raises the issue of reparations. “Modern Day Slave” takes a look inside the penal institutions, uncovering facts about private companies, and how they’re profiting from inmates. Afroetry has poems such as, “Mother Is Calling” and “African Family Reunion” which pull the heart strings and others such as “Dreadlocks” and “Inventions” which instill racial pride. Mayfield-Hayes has done an excellent job with “Afroetry,” and her devotion to her people shines through every poem in this collection. Talking Drums Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Hear the African drums Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Understood by all tongues; Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Slaves from different tribes Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Sharing musical vibes; Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Getting in the groove Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Soon we’ll make our move; Biddy-bop, biddy-bop When you hear the beat Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Start to move your feet; Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Master never knew Biddy-bop, biddy-bop What our drums could do; Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Using secret code Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Our plans unfold; Biddy-bop, biddy-bop When the sun goes down Biddy-bop, biddy-bop We’ll head out of town; Biddy-bop, biddy-bop You just follow me Biddy-bop, biddy-bop Soon we’ll all be FREE! Website:  www.afroetry.ws Lavina by Author O. Wright Lavina is a wonderfully written novel of an African princess from the coastal plains of Guinea. Captured from the marketplace, she along with her espousal, Rabboni, is thrust on a slave ship bound for America. When the couple arrive in Virginia, Rabboni is sold to a hard task master. Eighteen year-old Lavina is purchased by the Finnley's, an elderly highly religious couple. The Finnley's go so far as to adopt Lavina, and try their best to communicate with her, but it is difficult. Lavina was raped and brutalized on the voyage to America; she misses her parents; and her heart longs for Rabboni. She does eventually open up to the Finnley's and accept their love. After a few months in the Finnley home Lavina's adoptive mother discovers Lavina is pregnant. When her daughter, Alexis is born she fills a void for Lavina, who feels she finally has something of her own, still she never forgets Rabboni. Rabboni never loses his desire for Lavina and prays for the strength to find her. When he is sold for the third time his new master agrees to allow him to purchase his freedom. Lavina and Rabboni live relatively close, yet it takes ten years for them to reunite. During this time Lavina's adoptive father dies, and her mother warns her of going out alone. Throughout this tale the reader sees the faithfulness Rabboni and Lavina feel for their, "Almighty Protector" and for each other. This is an honestly brutal tale which begs to be read!! Email:  authorwhatever@msn.com