Funeral Announcement

My mother-in-law's funeral will be on Saturday, December 27. The viewing will be at 10 am, and the service will be at 11 am.

St. Peter's Catholic Church
2900 Sandy Spring Road
Olney, MD 20832
(301) 924-3774

If you live in the area and want to join us there, please feel free to do so.

A Joyous Season Spiced with Sadness

Since today is our 28th wedding anniversary, and since Christmas is coming, my wife and I usually have a lot to celebrate this time of year. But this year brings sadness. This morning my wife's mother died at the age of 88.

My wife was blessed to be there, holding her mother's hand as she passed. She sang hymns to her mom during the final hours and reminded her of our blessed savior's pierced hands, the same hands that would lift her up and take her to glory.

I will be traveling to Maryland with my family tomorrow to attend the funeral, which will likely be at the end of next week, so I would appreciate your prayers for safe travel and divine comfort during these days.

I probably won't post here for a while, so I leave you with this poem, one I wrote several years ago for the Christmas season.

Rachel's Tears

I hear the call
Weeping, wailing;
Rachel for her children

She cries for babes
Never suckled
Taken from the barren

They breathe no more
River’s plunder
Cast away in darkness

Cruel hands of blood
Eyes of pride
Sweep aside the promise

King Herod’s sword
Rips through her heart
The plundered mothers cry

Lament the lost
The infants slain
Bethlehem’s bosom dry

I hear my child
Her numbered tears
Held firmly in my hand

I promise truth
Children come to
Fill my promised land

The scepter’s lord
A shepherd king
Born to crush sin’s stronghold

He came to rest
Upon her knee in
Mary’s humble household

Oh praise His name
All you who know
The name above all names

For now is born
In Bethlehem
The one our God proclaims

The King of kings
And Lord of lords
The Prince of lasting peace

He dries her eyes
Dear Rachel’s eyes
And makes our sorrows cease

Progress Report

I finished the first draft of The Bones of Makaidos, and now I will work on the polishing phase. The draft is rough, and since the book is so long, this step will take quite a while. When I'm done, I think it will be at least as long as Eye of the Oracle. We'll see. The book is supposed to come out in April, so I have to finish all the edits by the end of this month.

I also finished the line edits for Nightmare's Edge and turned them in to Zondervan, so that book is completely done.

In January I will begin work on a new series tentatively entitled Riders of the Apocalypse.

Motiv8 Authors Series - The Miller Brothers

As a bonus for the Motiv8 Authors Series, I present to you the Miller Brothers, Christopher and Allan, authors of Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow.

These two up and coming authors didn't join us on the full tour, but they proved to be a great addition to our events in the first two cities, Abbotsford, BC, and Seattle, WA. They are friendly, generous, amazingly helpful, and very knowledgeable about new ways to market their book. The other authors definitely took notes about their creative ideas.

I haven't read their book, but my youngest daughter enjoyed it very much. That's good enough for me!

Click Here to get to their website where you will learn much more about this exciting new series.

Memphis Book Signing

I have a book signing tomorrow in Memphis, TN. If you're in the area, please come out and see me. Tell me that you saw this post, and I'll give you a free poster.

Saturday - December 13
1 pm to 3 pm
Davis-Kidd Booksellers
387 Perkins Road Extended
Memphis, TN 38117

Extract the Precious from the Worthless

I was reading in the book of Jeremiah this morning, and this passage seemed powerful, yet enigmatic.

You who know, O LORD, Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach. Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, Nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation. Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable?

Therefore, thus says the LORD, "If you return, then I will restore you-- Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them. Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, they will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you and deliver you," declares the LORD. "So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent." (Jeremiah 15:15-21)

For me, the phrase that stuck out was this, "If you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become my spokesman."

Is this a worthless group of people from which we are to extract a few precious ones? Are we to extract something precious from a worthless individual? A precious truth or lesson from a worthless situation? All of the above?

This phrase also caught my eye, "They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them." What is this "turn"? Is it loyalty? Reverence? Adherence to principle?

I have some ideas about what these things mean, but I thought I'd put this out in the blogosphere to see if anyone out there has any ideas.

Christmas Shopping?

With a little over two weeks left before Christmas, I thought readers might be interested in getting something unique at a great price. Do you want to introduce family or friends to a series without breaking your budget?

I am selling autographed copies of the first book in each series for $7.50 plus shipping.

To buy Raising Dragons for $7.50, Click Here

To buy Eye of the Oracle for $7.50, Click Here


To buy Beyond the Reflection's Edge for $7.50, Click Here

You can also buy the entire Dragons in our Midst series for $40 plus shipping, Click Here

The entire DioM audio book set is also on sale for $40 plus shipping, Click Here

And one more sale price--You can buy the two books in the Echoes from the Edge series for $15.00 plus shipping, Click Here


For any of my other books, please see my complete shopping page by clicking here.

I usually fill orders within one day, so if you order in the next week, you will get it before Christmas. If you order later, you can opt for priority mail shipping.

Also, if you want an autograph personalized, be sure to include the details in the order, or email me at bryan (at) dragonsinourmidst (dot) com.

Another Nail in our Nation's Coffin?

I just heard that the Supreme Court denied Mr. Donofrio's election stay request.

Click here for the order.

When I get more information, I will update this post.

Update:

Click Here for an update from Mr. Donofrio:

His hope that another case might still be approved for a hearing is interesting, but I am not optimistic about its chances without a miracle.

There are also still many other cases around the nation that we can pray for.

One fact remaining is that Obama still hasn't proven he was born in the U.S. Many Obama supporters claim that he is eligible because he was born in Hawaii, but that claim has never been proven.

Update #2:

There is still some confusion regarding whether it was just the stay of the election that was denied or rather the entire writ.

Update #3:

If you read the entire order, you'll see there is no statement that the certiorari has been denied. The stay was denied, but not the cert.

When you look at the SCOTUS list of denied certs (starting on page 2), Mr. Donofrio’s case isn’t on the list.

Notice the first two cases in the document denying stays, Domantay and Donofrio. Domantay is also later in the list of denied certs (Page 6), but Mr. Donofrio’s is not on that later list.

Does that mean that the stay has been denied but not cert? If anyone can shed light on this, I would appreciate it.

Update #4: Here is the latest that is going around.

First, the only thing the SCOTUS did was to deny a stay of the election. Since Mr. Donofrio's original case requested a stay of the November 4 election, the SCOTUS had to deny it. That election had already passed.

The court did not yet refuse to hear the case. It is officially still pending, contrary to what the media is reporting.

The SCOTUS has added a similar case to the docket to be handled at conference this Friday, December 12.

So, the case has not been denied at all. It is still in process, and apparently the SCOTUS is adding to it.

Update #5:

The docket for the Donofrio case shows that it has been denied. Since the SCOTUS order said nothing about denying cert, maybe the original request asked only for a stay and nothing else. I don't know. That doesn't make sense to me, but I don't understand the inner workings of that court.

Motiv8 Authors Series - Jonathan Rogers

The Motiv8 tour authors series continues with Jonathan Rogers, author of the Wilderking Trilogy. I had the opportunity to get to know Jonathan on the tour in an unusual way. On three occasions we arose early and ran together before our events of the day. It was great to have someone to run with, because when I'm on tour I find it hard to run in unfamiliar places, especially when it's dark and cold outside. It really helps to have someone at your side, not only for safety reasons, but just to help pass the time and distract from the pain of running.

It was a pleasure to get to know this friendly, dedicated, and self-sacrificing gentleman. It was especially fun to hear him read from his stories. I will never forget his imitation of his "feechie folks." He had everyone laughing every time he read those sections at our events.

Although I have not read his books, they are highly acclaimed by people I trust, so if you have a pre-teen or younger teen reader, give them a look.

Raising the Flag

I have been dwelling on this topic, but since so few Americans know about it due to the media blackout, I want to keep it front and center. It's interesting that media in England and Russia have been reporting it, but the American media have been either silent or inaccurate.

Today the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will review the merits of at least two cases that, in one way or another, request examination of Barack Obama's eligibility for the office of President of the United States (POTUS). The SCOTUS could dismiss the cases, which would leave our nation as one under mob rule rather than the rule of law, or it could move to hold formal hearings, which could mean a delay of the real election on December 15. (Most people don't know that Obama is not the president-elect, because the media have, for an entire month, been inaccurately proclaiming that he is president-elect.)

Today, I will be praying many times for the judges of the SCOTUS, because if they deny their responsibility to preserve the Constitution, then this nation, this republic, will have died, and we would then be under the tyranny of the masses.

As Alan Keyes said in his excellent article:

If Barack Obama is allowed to assume the office of president without positively establishing his eligibility under the Constitution, it will set a precedent for exempting the allocation of executive power from constitutional restrictions on the pretext that majority support overrules constitutional authority, popularity supersedes the fundamental law. Obviously, this is a recipe for the establishment of democratic dictatorship, like that which characterized the revolutionary first republic in France and licensed its murderous excesses. It is the counterpart of the "democratic people's republics" in whose name countless millions were imprisoned and killed by oppressive party dictatorships in the Soviet Union, Communist China, North Korea, etc.

It is essential that this issue be decided in an open and public manner now, before Obama is allowed to assume the office of the POTUS without revealing his true background. Again, as Mr. Keyes said,

In an era when the insecurity implied by the threat of terrorist attack already overshadows our liberties, only one thing may be more dangerous to our freedom than such a precedent – the fact that it comes about because of the ignorance, fear, or selfish ambition of those sworn to uphold the Constitution. If they lack the character to do so now, before abuses of executive power create an environment of physical fear and intimidation, what must we expect once those abuses produce their inevitable effect? The people mesmerized by his tinsel rhetoric may expect Obama to resist the temptations of demagogic tyranny, but if he assumes office knowing that in doing so he has already successfully set aside the Constitution, no reasonable person could agree with them.

If this masquerade is allowed to continue, and a usurper, a pretender-in-chief, is allowed to trash our Constitution, then "We the people" must stand up and do whatever it takes to restore the foundations of our republic, including standing against the corrupt government we would have in place, just as our forefathers did.

As our Declaration of Independence says:

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

(For another outstanding article on these issues, go to the TD blog here.)

I trust that you will be in prayer today and ask for God's mercy upon this nation. As a culture, one that kills its unborn, mocks God's design for male/female relations, claims that He did not even create this world, and rebels in countless other ways, we don't deserve His hand of protection. That's why our prayers for mercy might need to come with torn sackcloth and heaps of ashes, for the government a nation gets is often one it deserves.

May God have mercy upon us all.

Pray for the United States Supreme Court

On Friday, December 5, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will meet in a closed session to review at least two cases that challenge former Senator Barack Obama's eligibility to be President of the United States (POTUS).

It's astounding that the mainstream media has largely ignored one of the most important legal events in U.S. history. Why? I don't know. I would be guessing and suggesting conspiracy theories, so I would like to stick with the facts and explain very briefly why this is happening.

The Constitution states that only a natural born citizen is eligible to become POTUS.

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

So it stands to reason that Obama should prove that he is a natural born citizen. He has never done this.

There is no doubt that Barack Obama was born a British citizen. A supposed impartial fact-checking site admits it. Click here to see it.

This site also claims that Obama was born in Hawaii and therefore had automatic U.S. citizenship as well. As I have written in the past, the birth in Hawaii is in doubt because Obama has steadfastly refused to produce a long-form (vault) birth certificate that proves it. He has shown a short-form version, but the laws in Hawaii around the time of his birth allowed registration for people born out of the country. Only the long-form certificate would reveal his true origin.

Some people claim that the Hawaii state health department verified Obama's true birth certificate, but they only stated that they had it, not that it showed he was actually born in Hawaii.

Obama admits his birth British citizenship himself on his own website. Click here to see the page where he produces his short-form certificate. At the bottom, the page quotes the "fact check" page.

Yet, even if he really was born in Hawaii, that would not make him a natural born citizen of the United States. He would be "native" born, but he wouldn't be natural born because of the dual citizenship status. Because of his father's Kenyan citizenship, Obama would have been a native-by-statute citizen, not a natural born citizen. Notice on Obama's on website, it calls him a "native" citizen, not a natural born citizen. There is a difference, a crucial difference.

So even if Obama magically comes up with a long-form certificate that proves he was born in Hawaii (something that he has spent a great deal of money to keep hidden), he still wouldn't be a natural born citizen.

It is this assertion (Obama's British birth citizenship means that he is not natural born) that makes up the primary argument in the cases being reviewed by the SCOTUS. To me, this should be an open-and-shut case. The framers of the Constitution, citizens born as British subjects, had to grandfather themselves in in order to be eligible for the office. They knew that no one born a British citizen was natural born.

Another interesting fact is that the case being reviewed also claims that Senator John McCain is not a natural born citizen. Since he was born in Panama on a U.S. military base to U.S. parents (but not on U.S. soil), he is a citizen by statute, but not natural born.

This shows that this is not a partisan claim. The lawsuit seeks to disqualify both major candidates, as well as a third party candidate, Roger Calero, who was allowed on several ballots though he admits to being born in Nicaragua. It seems clear, especially in the Calero case, that elections officials were not bothering to check on a candidate's eligibility. In fact, no one "in charge" has bothered.

I ask you to pray for the SCOTUS today and tomorrow, for wisdom as they review these cases, for impartial thinking, for courage as they realize that a decision either way could cause great public unrest in our nation. If they decide to grant a stay on the election and ultimately invalidate Obama's candidacy, we might have an uprising from the majority who voted for him. If they dismiss the case and allow an ineligible candidate to take the office illegally, we will have thrown away the foundation of our laws, the Constitution, and every act he takes part in will be invalid.

I'm praying that the SCOTUS will uphold the Constitution. If Obama is ultimately elected president and assumes the office, he will be a usurper, and our nation will no longer be a nation of laws. It will be a nation of popular opinion. If that happens, the United States of America will have died.

Please also pray for the attorney who has brought these suits, Leo Donofrio. He has suffered tremendous harassment, even death threats through this ordeal.

May God help us all.

UPDATE: I'm adding a link to a fantastic article written by Alan Keyes, the man who ought to be the first black president: Click Here

Obama's Disregard for the Constitution

Barack Obama announced today that he will appoint Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State.

This is another clear example of his disregard for the Constitution of the United States.

First, he has never proven that he is eligible to be president. His status as a natural-born citizen is in great doubt, and he is spending a huge amount of money in the courts to make sure no one ever finds out the truth about his past.

Second, as you'll notice in the photo, he has invented the "Office of the President Elect." There is no such office, but he is already using taxpayer money to fund it.

Third, he is not even the president-elect. In November, the states held elections to choose electors, and they will meet on December 15 to vote for the president. Still, Obama ignores the facts that are clearly presented in the Constitution.

Finally, Hilary Clinton is not qualified to be the Secretary of State. Article one, section six of the Constitution states:

No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.

Emoluments are payments for employment. Since the salary for this cabinet position has increased during Senator Clinton's term, she is not allowed to be Secretary of State.

This has happened before, and the cure was to lower the salary to the previous level, but that still violates the Constitution. It doesn't say that the level has to be the same; it clearly says that if the level has been increased during the term, the senator cannot take that office.

Still, since Obama has no respect for the Constitution regarding his own qualifications for office, he will ignore it with regard to this office as well.

Obama's disregard for the Constitution means that he cannot be president. He cannot take an oath to preserve, protect, and defend a Constitution to which he has already thumbed his nose.

If he never proves that he is qualified, then, oath or not, he will not be the true president, no matter how many people proclaim him to be. He will be a usurper, and his decisions while pretending to be in the office will be null and void.

Motiv8 Authors Series - Eric Reinhold

I would like to introduce you to another author from the Motiv8 tour, Eric Reinhold. I met Eric via email contact about a year ago and then later at breakfast in Apopka, FL. He is an investment manager who has taken the first steps into the author's journey.

When I met him, he had heard about our tour in 2007 and wanted to see how he could become a part of it in 2008. I had never read his book, but with his knowledge of business and finance, I thought he could be a beneficial addition. So we signed him up.

And we're glad we did. He is a personable, hard-working guy who definitely helped us out with his experience in his charitable foundation, Character 4 Kids. He set up our tour corporation and checking account, and became our bookkeeper. And he also proved to be a great addition as an author with his ability to speak with conviction at our school meetings and his friendliness at every book signing.

Eric is the author of Ryann Watters and the King's Sword. I haven't read it, but if it reflects the author's character and passion for telling great stories that honor a Christian world view, then it will be a good read.

My impression is that the story is suited for pre-teens and younger teens, so if you have readers in that category, check it out.