The 3rd Covenant at super low prices

For those of you who have wanted to get my book but didn't want to shell out $25 (and I don't blame you) there is good news. Read on:

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CFRB Tours Stephanie Reed

Saturday - Amanda "Mandy" Kephart is yet another character who we've mentioned already from time to time and is vital to this story. Both Lowell and Johnny Rankin had crushes on this girl-next-door. As I'm moving through the first book I'm getting an even better understanding of Mandy. She goes out of her way to make outsiders feel welcome and stands up for what is right. Even when the 2 brothers get into a tiff over her she finds a way to fit both of them into her life. She marries one and becomes a close confidant and friend to the other.

Although I haven't quite gotten as far through the first novel as I'd like yet, I suspect that Many's parents may have died in an outbreak of cholera. After losing her parents, which is what it seems is the case, Mandy's gentle kindness has not decreased. If anything she has realized how hard life can be when you lose someone you love and is therefore determined to make other's lives more bearable. As incredible as this may sound, I have actually met people like this. I remember one woman telling me about the death of her father. She was really broken up. I shared the fact that 2 other people I knew also lost family members. Her reply was that I make sure they know that she would be praying for them. Now that's Christian love.

Life is not easy and to make believe it is would be a tragedy. Instead we should realize the darkness and evil that causes the pain in this world and, like Mandy, determine to bring light into that darkness. Or like Rev. Ranking who determined to do something to dispel some of that darkness. As Jesus said, "You are the light of the world," this is what He has called each of us to be in our own way as He has created us. Whether we encourage, go out and bring others in, teach those who are here, whatever our function, know that it is important to God that we do so with a willing heart. He will bless us and we will see our efforts thrive because of it. We will rejoice over others who come to know Him, those who cross that wide river of doubt and sin into the love and fellowship of Jesus Christ.

Be sure to check out Stephanie's site here.









You can purchase LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER AT:

Christian Books

Amazon

Target

And Yahoo.


Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

CFRB Tours Stephanie Reed

Friday - Lowell Rankin, Johnny's brother, is another key player in this story. If you are reading them out of order, as I have, you will not particularly like Lowell in the beginning. Reed portrays sibling conflicts in a very real and natural way. He appears overly harsh on Johnny and not aware that his younger brother has been smitten with Miss Amanda "Mandy" Kephart. I suppose it is natural that two brothers should have strong feelings for the same young lady. In Johnny's case, we might call this "puppy love" or a "crush", something that people have on others too old to have an intimate relationship with. Lowell, closer to Mandy's age, not only is in love with her but has something he wishes to share with the family. He's just trying to find the right time. Johnny undermines this, unwittingly, and Mandy, who also wants to share this same knowledge lets the cat out of the bag during one dinner.

We see Lowell as a hard person, almost someone to be avoided. As time passes we find he has a true depth of character that he keeps well hidden. His love for Johnny is great for he sees in him something of himself, not many years earlier. He provides Johnny with some needed encouragement during a particularly difficult time. For Johnny, the boy who couldn't keep a secret, is beginning to learn just how well his brother Lowell has kept a family secret, even from him. Now as they are working in the same manner the elder brother shows the younger that he will always be there for him.

There are times when we are called upon to keep a secret, to maintain a confidence. For some of us this is easy, or rather we have been so scared in a situation that doing so seems quite easy. We have the tendency to upbraid people like Johnny for their unguarded tongues. We are not to condemn the younger in the faith, but to encourage them in their walk. We should let them know of our struggles to do what is right, and let them know that we are there for them whenever they may need us. These are activities which prove our love for one another, and loving one another is something Jesus commanded us to do. No matter what path God leads us in, let us be teachable in His hands, and a help to our other brothers and sisters in Christ. If we do not, then helping the lost find their way to safety and freedom will be impossible.

Be sure to check out Stephanie's site here.









You can purchase LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER AT:

Christian Books

Amazon

Target

And Yahoo.


Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

CFRB Tours Stephanie Reed

Thursday. As terrible as it may sound every good story needs a bad guy. In this case the bad guy is one Laban Biggerman. The interesting thing about Biggerman is that while he is a slave holder, hunter and torturer, much of Biggerman's hatred seems to be directed towards Rev. John Rankin. This guy has the guts to cross the Ohio and even enter the preacher's home looking for slaves. Like every other kind of sin it begins small and grows. At first he was content to beat on the slaves in his home in Kentucky and rub Rev. Rankin's face in it. Then, as he became more aware of the fact that the preacher was involved in helping these people to freedom, he sent people on his behalf to harrass or enter the preacher's home, usually when he was away, to try and find slaves. Finally Biggerman comes over himself. His hatred was the only driving force in his life.

It's hard to see the Biggerman's in our lives and remember that "...we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The truth of the matter is that anyone who opposes God has allowed the minions of Satan to mess with their lives, sometimes to the point of becoming demonically possessed. I'm not saying Laban Biggerman was demonically possessed, and I don't think it is Stephanie Reed's intention to do so either. What I am saying is that Biggerman had allowed hatred to control him just as though he were demonically possessed. You don't have to have a demon inside to act like a demon, especially if you choose their ways. For this reason we are constantly warned against giving in to the desires of our flesh. They lead to death. Satan knows this. He will use Biggerman, and other's like him, maybe even religious minded Christians who have forgotten the love of Jesus, to pull down and torture others.

Our response the the Biggerman's in this world should be to love them, while at the same time provide an escape for those being pursued by these people. We must be the Rankins of this world, or to put it even more precisely, we must be Jesus to the world around us. Will it affect us? It did get Jesus killed, didn't it? Although His death brought us life, we should always remember that our death, if others bring that upon us and if we are in God's will, may also lead others to that place of freedom. Our life can't become so valuable to us that those trapped in sin cannot find their way across a different kind of river, to freedom and relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If we value our freedom too much, then we probably aren't as free as we think.

Be sure to check out Stephanie's site here.









You can purchase LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER AT:

Christian Books

Amazon

Target

And Yahoo.


Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

CFRB Tours Stephanie Reed

Wednesday. Rev. John Rankin, Johnny's father, obviously, is another key figure in THE LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER. You can actually visit and tour the old Rankin house which sat on a hill overlooking the Ohio River and Kentucky to the south. This is where the book gets its name. The Rankins kept a light burning for slaves to make their way to the safety of their home. It was only a small light, but in the darkness of night it was a true beacon of freedom. In Stephanie Reed's previous book, ACROSS THE WIDE RIVER, we learn a lot about Rev. John Rankin. Seems he kept moving away from the problem of slaver until the Lord made him stop. At least that's how it seems to me. From Tennessee to Kentucky and finally making their home in Ripley, Ohio, Rev. Rankin finally set up his home as a lighthouse of sorts, a shelter from slave catchers and the first stop for slaves on their way to freedom in Canada. He'd move his family from one slave state to another until finally he could run no longer. Now in Ohio, a free state bordering Kansas, Rev. Rankin took up what he considered a divine calling; be a beacon of light to them who seek freedom from slavery. He had to stop running. He had to take his stand.

Each of us deal with the political situations differently, but in the end we find we can run no longer away from the evils of society. We must make a stand for Jesus. If we do not, then many people will be lost. We may be part of a victorious army, but if we don't make a stand as victorious warriors, others will suffer. Jesus made His stand for us at Calvary, where He shed His blood for us, that we might find our way to Him, and in Him eternal life, love, hope, joy and peace. He leaves this task up to us, that we might be the light of the world, shedding abroad His light wherever we go, taking a stand in Him against the evils that surround us so that others may find their way to Him, and in Him, safety and freedom at last. Or we can hide our light and let those in darkness stumble around until they come to an ultimate and eternal death. What are you doing? Have you finally found, like Rev. Rankin, you can no longer keep running, but must take your stand against evil, or are you still running and hiding? The thing about running and hiding is you really have to question your freedom. Free people don't need to run and hide. Free people stand firm on the land that is theirs. Free people will die to defend what is theirs. Free people do not lose their freedom in such situations, but find the full expression of freedom in those times. We are willing to die because Someone first died for us.


Be sure to check out Stephanie's site here.









You can purchase LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER AT:

Christian Books

Amazon

Target

And Yahoo.


Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

CFRB Tours Stephanie Reed

Tuesday. The other key character in THE LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER is Eliza. Eliza is a slave with a husband, daughter and grand children. Although she endures great pains under slavery it is her love for her family that prompts her to seek freedom. The first to go is her husband George. She helps him across the Ohio River before Laban Biggerman can harm him further. The interesting thing is that she returns. She later flees herself, only barely making it alive, only to return again to help her children and grand children make their way safely to freedom.

Outside the fact that Eliza was a real slave that Harriet Beecher Stowe used in her book, UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, the character of Eliza is one of beauty and self-sacrifice. We see in her a kind of Christ-like quality that maybe we should all be putting into practice. The idea of putting others above yourself is central to her thinking, which is founded on love. We should be motivated by love to put others first. I think we really miss the boat when we put ourselves above our brothers and sisters in Christ, even before the unsaved around us who are in bondage to sin and don't realize it. They need the freedom that can be found only in Jesus Christ. There is no better way to exhibit this than to free one's self and then return to help others find their way to freedom.

There are plenty of people out there who do this I'm sure. One of them is a former prostitute named Annie Lobert. She found herself wrapped up in the bondages of the sex industry in Las Vegas. When Christ pierced her heart and she fell in love with the One who died for her, she went BACK to the streets of Las Vegas to help other women who were like her. She founded the ministry "Hookers for Jesus", which may sound a bit crude, but then you have to remember who she was reaching out to. Just as Eliza returned to Kentucky to help her family to freedom, Annie returned to the streets with the message of the Gospel of Freedom in Christ Jesus. As I've said, she isn't the only one, but she is one who sticks out in my mind because it takes a lot to walk back into the same place that pulled you down in order to, by the power of God, pull people out. If you are a Christian this is what you are called to do. You aren't called to sit on the sidelines and wait until Jesus returns. Even Johnny Rankin knew that. Do you?


Be sure to check out Stephanie's site here.









You can purchase LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER AT:

Christian Books

Amazon

Target

And Yahoo.


Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

CFRB Tours Stephanie Reed

Monday - The first person we meet is Johnny. I personally like him a lot. He reminds me of myself in a lot of ways. He likes to be alone, likes to help out, and has a keen sense of justice that causes him a lot of pain. When his brother Lowery accuses him of spying on him and Mandy it must have really hurt. After all Johnny was trying to find a place away from all the other brothers and sisters, a place all to himself. It was Lowery who invaded his privacy, not the other way around. To make matters worse Johnny had a crush on Miss Amanda "Mandy" Kephart, the girl literally next door. At eleven I guess we all have these impossible crushes, but to have it shattered by your own brother who is holding her hand, well, to Johnny that just wasn't right. At dinner when Johnny defends himself against Lowery's accusations of spying Lowrey retaliates by saying Johnny can't keep a secret. This Johnny seems to prove when he tells everyone at the table that Lowery and Mandy were holding hands. The phrase sticks in his mind, "Why everyone in Ripley says if you want to hear the news, go ask Johnny", is perhaps the most hurtful remark of all.

Brothers and sisters, Johnny was only eleven, and he didn't seem to have much contact with a whole lot of people, especially kids his age. He was just being a little boy, and I for one would grant him that opportunity. What about the rest of us? Are we like Lowery, who trying to avoid an embarrassing moment offers his brother up to bear the guilt? Are we to point our fingers at our other brothers and sisters? Doesn't Jesus say, "By this shall all men know you are my disciples, that you love one another"? In Hebrews 13 I do not find anywhere where it says "Love points the finger at the less fortunate." Instead I read, "Love bears all things." Quite a different picture than the one we have here.

Now before we start picking Lowery apart, who goes on the the ministry, let's remember we should love him in the same way we love Johnny. That is, we should love all out brothers and sisters, regardless of their faults. We should pray for them (another commandment from God). We must never allow ourselves to be used by the enemy either by being a tattletale, or by pointing fingers. Instead we must learn to love, fully and completely, without researve. How can we do this? As Johnny and Lowrey both learn, we cn only do this when we let Jesus work through us.


Be sure to check out Stephanie's site here.









You can purchase LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER AT:

Christian Books

Amazon

Target

And Yahoo.


Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

CFRB Tours Stephanie Reed

Sunday - Welcome to July's tour. This month we are touring two books by Stephanie Reed. The first is ACROSS THE WIDE RIVER and the 2nd is THE LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER. There was some mix up as to the scheduling so some of us will be posting for ACROSS THE WIDE RIVER, others will be posting for THE LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER, some will post on both books, usually on different days, and you'll even find an interview or two tucked in there someplace. This is what we call a Tag Team Tour, meaning we will tag you here and you will have to search the button links below to find out who is posting on any given day. Here I'll be focusing mostly on THE LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER, which is actually the sequel to ACROSS THE WIDE RIVER, so you may want to scout around and see the other excellent posts about both of these great books.

THE LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER. One country, two states. The Ohio River separates Kentucky in the south and Ohio in the north. For many this great river also separated their life in slavery and a new life of freedom. The River is wide and unrelenting, especially during the first thaw of Spring when the vast expanse of ice breaks up becoming a torrent of ice. No longer able to hold up the weight of a human the chunks of ice not only plunge the unsuspecting to a watery grave, but pummel them with floating chunks of ice from the swollen river. But what happens if one puts their faith in God and tries to cross anyway. This is one of the things you will find out in LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER.

This book turns out to be a fictional account of some very real people during a time when America was split over the issue of slavery. We are shown two simplistic views of how slavery must be wrong, primarily through the eyes of Eliza, a slave who seeks freedom, and Johnny, the son of a minister in Ohio that helps runaway slaves reach freedom. As her booktrailer states, Johnny believes that simply making others aware of how wrong slavery is will be the end of this terrible practice. He doesn't realize that things aren't as simple as they seem, and must learn to keep a watchful eye on his tongue, something he hasn't been known for.

There is another river, the river of doubt, that separates mankind from the slavery each has placed themself in and true freedom that can be found on the other side of this river. Payment has been made for each of us to be free, but we need to board the skiff call "faith" in order to cross this river of doubt. When we do, we find that the light that marked our path is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. So what does one do when they find themselves freed in Christ? They are filled with His love so that they will cross back over this dangerous river in order to bring others back with them to safety in Christ. If nothing else, we become safehavens for those crossing the river of doubt, conductors along the long road to freedom in Christ. In short, this story is not only about a historical event, but about something more current and spiritual, something more desireable than freedom from physical bondage. It is about following Christ into true freedom found only in Him.


Be sure to check out Stephanie's site here.









You can purchase LIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER AT:

Christian Books

Amazon

Target

And Yahoo.


Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.