Showing results by narrator "Adriel Brandt" in All Categories

If we ask ourselves what it means to disobey God, we can recall many references to his cruelty and relentlessness in punishing those who refuse his word. These punishments go very deep and Bonar takes this biblical theme as a launching pad for discussing the frivolous nature of the so called human remedies. How we are a race of diversions and entertainments, façade and masquerades, in short, creators of a superficial and temporary solace.

Sharing his analysis of the phrase ‘go and possess the land’, Horatius Bonar reads deeply into the meaning of ownership. In some ways this entails a reflection on the biblical sense of nationalism. The Israelis, first wanderers and to some extend forced nomads, are told to settle and identify with this one place, one land, one city.

Balaam looks around at the Israelis who have suffered and wandered, but are now so close to glory. Horatius Bonar describes a man overlooking the encampment and feeling a certain conflict rise within himself. We see, along with him, the weary Israelis on one side and on the other, the land of milk and honey within their grasp.

Horatius Bonar allows us to learn more about his interpretations of God as a father to all the people. The phrase ‘Oh that they were wise’ laments humanity and its inability to choose a path of constructiveness and righteousness. Bonar reflects further on these characteristics that shapes human nature in a manner that is, in his mind, unteachable.

Horatius Bonar shows himself as a very passionate hymnist in this sermon focusing on the Fig-Leaves Adam and Eve use to cover themselves after acquiring the knowledge of shame. He shares his views on how a fig-leaf, a pure and beautiful form of vegetation, can’t possibly shield Man from his loss of innocence. In Bonar’s mind, the one thing that can save us from the anger and wrath of God, is the rituals we now associate closely with the Catholic faith.

When a young man squanders his inheritance and scornfully refuses the help of a family friend, he descends into miserable fury. At his lowest point, upon a jagged beach overlooking a sea suddenly violent with storm, he encounters a twisted deity that offers him wealth and revenge...for an unconscionable price.

The New Science of Living and Healing by the New Thought author Wallace D. Wattles examines various aspects of mental and physical health from a unique perspective and with some unorthodox conclusions. The book discusses diet, nutrition and fasting, the source of strength, the nature of sleep and how to make the most of it, a scientific way of living and healing, the power of the mind to cure, nature and the development of will power, suffering in sickness, and new light on immortality.

Horatius Bonar’s exegesis of the Old Testament is a voluminous work of 84 chapters. It deals with passages from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Malachi, covering themes like sin, despair, holiness, blessing, and deliverance.

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola are a set of Christian prayers and meditations written by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish priest, theologian, and founder of the Society of Jesus. The work is divided into four thematic "weeks" of variable length, designed to assist the worshiper in acts of devotion.

Frank Grouard was an army scout associated with many of the most notable events of the Indian Wars of the Great Plains. Grouard had lived among the Sioux for six years, first as a prisoner and later as a Sioux warrior. During this time he acquired an indepth knowledge of the Northwest. As a government scout, he served as an interpreter, performed despatches, and tracked war parties. Grouard was present at the battle of the Rosebud in 1876 where government forces were fought to a standstill by Crazy Horse.

The narrator introduces himself as being 228 years old and goes on to document his interactions with Dr. Samuel Johnson. Being older and in a time when respect for elders was everything, the narrator expects Dr. Johnson to appreciate his writing, which the man does not. While the tale goes on to document other awkward meetings with Dr. Johnson, he ultimately dies younger than the narrator - who goes on to continue writing and living an unfulfilled life.

Randolph Carter begins the story telling the harrowing tale to those who found him stumbling through the swamp. Carter and his friend, the occultist Harley Warren, went to investigate the location of a supposed portal to the underworld - near Big Cypress Swamp in Florida. Upon discovery of a tomb with stairs going deep into the earth, Warren decides to descend them. Only after waiting for what seems an eternity does Carter call down into the tomb, only to be returned with a voice that does not belong to Warren telling him that his friend was dead.

In this fictional account, James both looks up to and is perplexed and annoyed by his older brother, Jesus. Throughout his childhood, James witnesses amazing things but wonders why Jesus can’t just follow the rules like the rest of them.

Daniel’s meteoric rise in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court is a two-edged sword. Yahweh has greatly blessed Daniel and his friends, and they have found much favor in the eyes of the Babylonian king, but it has come at a cost. Daniel has made powerful enemies who seek to destroy him and any influence he has over the king of Babylon. Dark forces are moving into position around Daniel. Envious men want nothing more than to see him and his friends dead.

Book three of the Rise of Daniel follows Daniel, Jeremiah, and Nebuchadnezzar through the dark period of the Babylonian Captivity. Daniel has gained favor within Nebuchadnezzar’s court, but this creates envy in those who resent his rise to power. An array of evil spirits arises against him, threatening to destroy him, his friends, and his people. Daniel walks a thin line of survival where a single misstep could see him consumed by the evil spirits seeking his life. Such is the danger that even his friendship with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah is in jeopardy.

Cecil is a vampire desperate to find a way to redeem his soul so he can finally rest. He’s told the way to redemption is to save the American Empire by finding the prince and putting him on the throne. The only problem? That prince was murdered years ago. Upon mentioning the dead prince to the royal court, Cecil is accused of being a spy and sentenced to prison. Ezekiel, a prisoner of the Château d’Oubli, has been surviving through the politics of the prison. When a vampire appears with a plan to find the dead prince, escape, and put him on the throne, Ezekiel sees his chance.

May and four other children lead normal lives, until on their 13th birthday, which they celebrate on the same day, they receive a present that is about to change their lives forever. From that moment on, they become the five shields of the world. As the fate of the entire world comes to rest on their shoulders, they are catapulted into a thrilling adventure for which they were hardly prepared. They know that time is running out and that only they can restore the balance between good and evil.

In a world where aesthetics is simply an expression of the human soul and there is no differentiation between internal and external beauty, a kindhearted businessman struggling over a difficult breakup decides to join a unique beauty pageant, which will grant the beauty king the prize of a lifetime—tickets to the Beatles’ reunion concert. This is the story of a man who embarks on an adventure—a mental and emotional journey in pursuit of the concept of internal beauty, which will change the way he sees the world and his place in it forever.

When Roman Anderson, a renowned professor, is invited to a weekend retreat at a remote hotel with the Hollywood actors set to star in a new movie based on his book, he feels like he is living the dream. But Anderson is unaware that his enchanting weekend is about to take a sinister turn. Staying at the hotel with them is a group of women from a public relations firm, one of whom, Amy Rogers, accuses Anderson of rape. Anderson immediately pleads his innocence, but the evidence is stacked against him and the noose around his neck tightens as the days go by.

Bitter Lips, Sweet Heart is a unique collection of romantic poetry first assembled by a group of young male college students who got together to read poetry and drink tea every week, thinking themselves spurned romantics and talented poets. Most of the original selections have been forgotten, and the collection has been updated for this simple release with a sense of irony and sheepishness in mature adulthood. May its angst, irony, lust, and innocent affection amuse and entertain you today, just as it did the four nerdy boys who assembled it to communicate.