On The Wings of the Wind: On Sale, Amazon

On the Wings of the Wind

Here now is the third and final installment of the Wind series that began with Where the Wind Begins.  In that volume character and narrative were used to describe and contrast the two approaches to life depicted in Ecclesiastes and Philippians.  This was accomplished mainly in the persons of one multi millionaire-- Malcolm Richardson--and one religious refugee from Iran—Dr. Morv Areed (Moreen) Hassani.

  In the series we witness the dark, cynical epitome of the worldly and wealthy aristocrat of Ecclesiastes (Mr. Richardson) meet up with the joy and hope of the Epistle to the Philippians (Mrs. Hassani).  And in a process that travels through all three books and beyond, Malcolm is transformed from an apathetic, agnostic, and detached father to a more relational position in both the spiritual and the familial aspects of his life…all this resulting from Moreen’s joy and hope assisted by Malcolm’s discovery of great works of literature.  Three of these works (King Lear, Paradise Lost, and The Confessions) are dealt with at length in each volume respectively. 

 Wings of the Wind will continue to explore the ongoing relational conflicts inherent in a large family.    Malcolm is thrice divorced with kids and grandkids from all three marriages.  He and His ex-wife Sybil’s relationship closed with a kiss in the second installment, Where the Wind Will, and continues to gel in this volume as does his previously strained relationship with Todd, his youngest son.   The relationship between Malcolm’s stepdaughter, Dana, and Moreen’s  only surviving son, Omid will move forward.  And the marital strain between Malcolm and Sybil’s oldest daughter, Alicia, and her husband, Tom, will continue to plague as those two deal with their financial success inadvertently following in her father’s footsteps.

Another exploration continuing from the first volume is the liturgical journey upon which the characters continue to embark as they experience God through the traditional and ancient patterns of worship initiated by God through Moses, adapted by the synagogue, carried over into the first century church gatherings, and preserved for centuries in the high church traditions.

Suffering in general and the persecuted church specifically is also an area that the Wind series looks into.   The second book closed with a harrowing hostage development in Columbia, which, in the third book (the volume before you) will affect the entire cast of characters,  deeply challenging their ideas of security, comfort, and even God’s goodness.

Who Gives This Woman: On Sale Now-Amazon

Who Gives This Woman

 

Christianity is replete with paradoxes—give to receive, sacrifice to gain, die to live.   It is how God set up His eternal economy and established it as the means by which He would rescue the Universe from its fallen state.  Indeed, He willingly submitted Himself to this system for it was His love, surrender, commitment, and sacrifice that established forever our way of escape from the misery of Adam’s error now and on into that great city meant for our habitation when God closes the door on this era. 

Randal Simpson, a divorced Dad who has (as much as humanly possible) done everything right.  Still, he loses custody of his adopted daughter, Amber, to her manipulative mother who abandoned the family for six years searching for fame and fortune.  The ex-wife succeeds in completely severing father and daughter for almost two decades.  Randal, under the direction and encouragement of Christian community, comes to understand that his first and foremost responsibility is to provide for and protect the child who carries his name even if he is forced to do so in absentia. 

In Spite of the poison dished out by her ever vindictive mother, Amber is haunted by the natural desire to discover the man whose name she bears.  This desire eventually takes her on a transforming (and trying) journey over a three month period that takes her (resistant all the way) back in time and across state lines.  In the end, though, it will be her father’s love, surrender, commitment, and sacrifice that brings about healing, reconciliation and renewal.

 

 

On Sale: Where the Wind Begins

On Sale: Amazon

WHERE THE WIND BEGINS

Book 1 of 3

 Where the Wind Begins is the first of three installments (Where the Wind Will—2^nd installment—is available on Amazon) where I have taken the sentiments of these two books and placed them in two characters.  Morv Areed (Moreen) Hassani is a lady in her mid fifties who has suffered great losses—family and fortune--as a result of the bloody conflict between her home country of Iran and that of Iraq.   She was forced to leave a promising international medical career and her country as a result of religious persecution….she is a Christian.  In the states she lives out her faith as part of a local Eastern Orthodox fellowship.

Malcolm Richardson (Ecclesiastes) is a multi-millionaire (in his late fifties) who had retired early.  He has everything he can buy and is board with it all.  The man has made tremendous mistakes with his family throughout the years and is now suffering the consequences of those relational mishaps. 

The title comes from Solomon describing life as a “chasing after the wind”.  Malcolm Richardson feels that his life is as Solomon describes it.  Moreen, who runs a café frequented by Malcolm, informs the millionaire that this may be true for him, but she knows where the wind begins. 

The story contrasts these two outlooks on life as the two main characters, their families, their friends, and their struggles interact.  

Note: An appendix allows readers to connect characteristics drawn from those two books to the characters in the story.

See into in previous post.

On Sale at Amazon:Where the Wind Will

Here is the second installment concerning the life and times of one Malcolm Richardson, a thrice married, thrice divorced multimillionaire, who is struggling with the unexpected death last month (November) of his friend Morv Arid (Moreen) Hassani who he had met the previous spring.  She was a former prominent, ground breaking Doctor in her native country of Iran, a survivor of the Iran/Iraq war,  and a refugee from religious persecution.  An organic product of their friendship is a developing and quite startling spiritual transformation that is proving to be addictive and frustratingly confusing for the wealthy former business tycoon having little to no religious background.  With Moreen’s passing Malcolm must rely on the growing faith of his first (and he knows to be his only true) love, Sybil Richardson who he left almost three decades earlier for wife number 2.  His need for guidance concerning this mysterious new pull also creates a serendipitous romantic opportunity for the two middle aged divorcees.  This opportunity is complicated by the struggles and interactions of a very large blended family which includes—from Malcolm’ perspective—3 ex wives, 4 natural adult  children (3 from Sybil), 2 adult step children, 1 fourteen year old step son,  6 spouses, 1 adopted 20 y/o daughter (and boy friend),  4 grand children, and Moreen’s remaining 2 adult children.   One major conflict that Malcolm must resolve is the severe bitterness his youngest son (by Sybil) over Malcolm’s abandonment of the family so many years earlier.  All this will play out across an international plane as Malcolm is forced to continue to deal with the deadly reality of religious persecution around the world….a reality that eventually will hit the Richardson family very hard close to home.  

See the author’s other book, “Suffer the Slings and Arrows: Dialogues With Job”.