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Hello! I know I normally post on Fridays, but I have a very special post for you today. As you probably know my family represents the Fundamental Broadcasting Network (You can see a post here and here about FBN!) and March 18-23 is our Share-a-thon! It’s when our listeners call in and donate to keep the network running. The preachers (my dad being one of them) talk and preach live on air, sometimes groups will sing and prayer requests are taken. It’s a wonderful time! So today, I thought I’d give you a behind the scenes look at what happens at FBN Share-a-thon!  Share-a-thon begins at 7:00 a.m. EST at 520 Roberts Rd, Newport, North Carolina. My dad and I usually get there early to meet with others for prayer. Then, I head to the kitchen to talk with Mrs. E., our breakfast lady. I’m good friends with her daughter and I always enjoy getting Mrs. E. to myself for about half an hour. I get my breakfast (decaf coffee and a bowl of the best ever grits with bacon!) then prepare to head in for my shift. Most of the time, I at least start out answering phones at 8, but sometimes, others volunteer for that shift. Now, I’m what I like to call a floater! I have phone shifts of my own, but I hang around to fill in for people who have to cancel or need to get something to eat or may just be running a little late. We have three phones used to answer calls. When they ring, you can hear it on air! We answer, “Hello, FBN Spring Share-a-thon, may I take your promise?” People tell us the amount they would like to promise our station and whether it’s a onetime amount or something they want to give over six months. Then we collect their name, address, how they listen and any prayer requests or testimonies they would like to share. I’ve had the privilege to talk with many people over the years and hear amazing stories first hand. There is a woman who I’ve talk to three times who gives in memory of her son. He was a Navy SEALs and died in a helicopter crash. We’ve cried together over the phone and once she called me back so she could read me a letter a buddy of his wrote to her after her son passed. He told her that there wasn’t a day go by that her son didn’t witness to the guys on his team. What a testimony! Another lady calls every year to give and she told me about a young couple she was witnessing to, helping the young man get employment and transportation, plus talking them out of aborting their baby! She’s working hard to reach them! What a blessing! I don’t know about you, but I get nervous praying in front of others. I was on the phone once with a woman who was struggling with several situations trying to discourage her in her walk with God. She began to cry, asking us to pray for her. I was about to pass the phone to my mom, who was on shift with me, so she could pray with her. Lo and behold, the other phone rang! I would have to pray with her! So, I did! God helped me overcome my fear and the lady seemed truly grateful. I hope she didn’t hear how shaky my voice was! This is what FBN is about, helping others in their spiritual lives, whether it’s encouragement they need, or salvation! I was on the phones with my dad one day and a man called asking about being saved. I transferred the call to my dad, since it was a man. He was very upset, afraid God hated him because of a specific sin in his life. Dad explained that God didn’t hate him, just his sin. After about fifteen minutes, my dad was able to lead him to the Lord! He talked with our pastor and he asked if we could send him “a King James Bible,” because he had heard that was the good one! We sent it to him along with some literature for new Christians. Another time, a young Marine from New York dropped by, asking if he could donate some Sweet Potatoes they had left over from a party. He knew lots of churches had food closets. (I’m curious as to what kind of party it was, lol! I haven’t thought of Sweet Potatoes as party food!) Anyway, he drove past several churches on his way to our church. His family were Baptists, so he decided that’s the kind of church he wanted to deliver the food to. But there were other Baptists churches on his way, yet he came here. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Mrs. Robinson, our secretary, got my dad off the radio to come talk to him. Long story short, the Marine got saved! We never saw him again, but we know that one day, we will see him again. I don’t know what ever became of the Sweet Potatoes… I think that’s all I’ll share for now. But please, tune in if for no other reason than to hear what God is doing at 520 Roberts Rd. and around the world! He is a Marvelous, Matchless Savior! Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3 King James Bible Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn Jude 22 P.S. Tune in and see if you can figure out which voice belongs to my dad! Good morning, afternoon or evening, where ever you are and whenever you’re reading this! I’m thrilled to have you back here at Life of Heritage Corner! This post was originally supposed to be put up next month, but on a whim, I decided to do it now. It has been requested that I share some of the books that I get my information from, specifically for my series, The Battle for Heritage, set during the War Between the States. 📚 So today, I’m going to share 6 of the books that really helped me get my series together, specifically for The Land of Cotton!  Very early on in my work, a dear man gave me over a dozen books from his personal collection. These books have helped me a lot! In fact, three of them made this list! So, here are my top six research books.📝 1. The Civil War by Bruce Caton ©1988 by American Heritage Inc. edition. Now, I disagree with Mr. Caton on his view of the War Between the States, but the main thing I used this book for (which was very well researched; he’s known as the Civil War Authority of his day) was the special bonuses at the end of the book. Part 1 is a Chronology of the Civil War, dividing the events up by year, month and day. I relied heavily on this while plotting my series and still refer to it constantly. Part II is the Index to the Chronology. This listed all the battles alphabetically, then in small print listed the month, day and year it took place, so you could look it up in the chronology. Very helpful! Part III is The Leading Participants. Alphabetically, the political and military leaders of both sides are listed, with a paragraph telling who they are, what they did in the war, when they did it, if they were wounded and when, what battles they fought in, what command position they held and when, and when they died (if applicable). It is a gold mine! To be honest, I’ve yet to actually read the book…I’ve only used the bonus indexes!😆 2. The Time-Life History of the Civil War (I don’t have my copy down right now, so I’m not sure what edition it is, but click here to see it.) I read parts of this book, depending on what battle I was currently working on. It gave quotes from soldiers as well as times and places when things happened. But mostly, I used it for the pictures. There were drawings✏, photos📸 , and paintings🖌, some more modern and some made during the war. I used these for inspiration for characters, activities and battle sequences. 3. A Civil War Treasury of Tales, Legends and Folklore, Edited, with an Introduction by B.A. Botkin ©1960 by B.A. Botkin, 1993 Promontory Press Edition Warning: It does need some editing…there are a few bad words and a few stories that need to be taken out! This book is exactly what it sounds like, Tales, legends, folklore, letters and journals written by the people who actually experienced the war! Now, the title insinuates that not everything in the book is 100% accurate, which is true, but there really isn’t a lot of “Tall-Tales”. Most of the content is history written down by the multiple authors. You get a great look at what the men fought for, what camp life was like, what it was like back home and what was going on in the officers and politicians’ heads. There are news articles as well. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the time period, the language and the mindset of the people. You hear from both the famous and the unheard of, and that’s one of the reasons I enjoy it! 4. Beloved Bride by Bill Potter ©2002-2012 by Vision Forum (Read a full review here!) This book is beautiful! 😍 It’s one of the books that made me fall in love with General Stonewall Jackson. And yes, most of what I wrote about Stonewall came from reading this book (his dialogue is based off his actual patterns of speech, things he really said and the way he responded to situations.) It’s one of my very favorite non-fictions! Read it, just go read it! ❤ 5. A Pocket History of the Civil War by Martin F. Graham ©2011 by Martin F. Graham Osprey Publishing Edition Oh, wow! I found this book at Ollie’s on sale and it was truly my pocket guide! Again, I didn’t agree with this author’s take on the war, but I found for the most part, it seemed pretty neutral. The statistics were very helpful as well as the breakdown of how to load a rifle. If you read The Land of Cotton, the scene where the boys are going through the process of joining up and the scene where one of the boys is loading his gun, both came from this book. It’s a very comprehensive guide. I also got a lot of information for my Soldier Life // Privates post from this book! Definitely a book to pick up if you are writing about the War Between the States or if you want a little more than a basic overview of the war. My only hang up with this story is that they say the only reason the South went to war was over slavery, which wasn’t a reason at all. Otherwise, I can’t think of anything… 6.The Civil War for Kids by Janis Herbert ©1999 by Janis Herbert, Chicago Review Press 1st Edition This book gave me the idea to include loading the rifle in my book, though I used #5 to get a clearer understanding. It also inspired me to include espionage in my book. Even though it’s biased for the Union, you’ll find it jammed packed with information and activities. 📒There’s also fun bonus facts about the war, like what names of places mean, who named what battles, biography sketches, etc. If you’ve read Our Heritage to Save, you may remember the scene where Titus dives into the breakdown of the army’s companies, regiments, etc. I got all that from this book. I highly recommend it! So that’s it for now! Hope this has given you something to springboard off of. In the future I hope to tell you about some of my Confederate resources, more histories and even some documentaries that help me! If you have any questions about these books, please let me know and someone from my team (aka me or my family!) will answer them for you!  The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
II Timothy 4:12 (King James Bible) Hello and happy 1st day of March! So glad to have you back with us today and if you are new, Welcome to Life of Heritage Corner! Today, I have a devotion for you that’s been on my mind for a few weeks. So, without further ado, let’s jump in! *All Scriptures taken from the King James Bible*  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:14 “Oh you take the high road and I’ll take the low road and I’ll be in Scotland ‘afore ye…” Anyone else enjoy that old Scottish tune growing up? I love music from Scotland and Ireland and this is probably one of my favorites.
It was said by someone once (I’d rather not say who), “When they go low, we go high.” In the context of which this quote was first made, it’s laughable. But if you take it for what it was supposed to mean, there is a deep message here. But how can these possibly be a devotion? Bear with me 😉 In life, there are two roads, the narrow “high road” and the broad “low” road. Which one are you traveling on? Generally, we think of this in terms of being a Christian, and I whole heartedly agree. But did you know that there is a high road and a low road for the believer as well? The high road for a Christian is living your life for Him! It’s getting saved and saying through your life, “I am going to live for Christ and do my very best to serve Him and do His will!” You decided that it’s worth the wait to get the greater reward waiting for you in Heaven! The low road for a Christian is living your life for yourself. It’s getting saved and saying through your life, “I’m saved. I’m not going to hell, thank God. Now, I will live my life the way I want to.” It may entail being a good moral person, but ultimately you do what you want simply because that’s what you want to do. You want to have pleasure in the here and now. Taking the high road may mean it will be longer before you get your pleasure and rewards, but the journey will be worth it when you see what your Father has in store for you! If you chose the high road, you will encounter/observe those taking the low road. It can be discouraging. It can make you wonder if it’s worth it to stay on the high road. That’s when the Holy Spirit whispers to you, “Don’t go low. Soar above the world’s expectations for you. Take mine instead! Serve your Father! It is worth it! Stand for what you know is right. I know it’s hard, but you will see the benefits in God’s time!” But how can you take the high road?
I could go on, but I think this will suffice for now. Please, I beg of you, take the High Road! The journey may be longer, but what are the temporal rewards here in this life when compared to the eternal rewards our Father wants to give us in Heaven one day? Take the High Road! Let no one pull you down! Until Next Time, Ryana Lynn Jude 22 Hello and welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner! It’s hard to believe February is already over! Today, I’d like to share with you some of my February favorites. Let’s Dive in!  My February Favorites… Event: Going ice skating with my family for the very first time! Banged up my elbow and my knee, but it was still an exciting experience! Song: I have been listening to a lot of Patch the Pirate this month! I must say my favorite song so far is God of Wonders from Time Twisters (2017). It covers the wonders of God from the Bible, like Creation, The Flood, Egypt’s Plagues and the Lions’ Den to name a few. The orchestration adds so much to the song and truly allows you to get lost in the Greatness of our God! Snack: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies! We love these and my siblings enjoy making them with me when they can. Their favorite part is sifting the flour. (I like that part too 😉) Verse: Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (Hosea 6:1, King James Bible) I love Jude 22, but this month, this verse really stood out to me. It was the heading verse from a devotional book, Revival Time by John Goetsch and Nathan Birt. (It’s a great book, btw!) It’s so encouraging to know that God is standing by, ready to forgive when we fail Him, ready to heal our wounds and get us back on the right path. And what a joy to know that this promise holds true for our nation as well! We can have revival, if only the people of God will humble ourselves, and pray, seeking His face and turn from our wicked ways! There is hope! (II Chronicles 7:14) Book of the Month: The Swamp Fox of the Revolution by Stewart H. Holbrook. It was a very interesting book about one of my favorite Patriot Heroes! I came across it at our local library, and loving older books, I had to check it out 😉 So glad I did! Ministry Update Now, for those of you who don’t know, my family represents the Fundamental Broadcasting Network (FBN Radio). We are an Independent Baptist ministry out of Grace Baptist Church in Newport, N.C. (click here to see our website!) We have over 40 stations around the country, in addition to 12 overseas stations (including Bagdad, Iraq)! By way of app and Internet, we have heard from 225 countries and territories to date! There are still about 13 places we haven’t been able to reach yet, but we are praying that will change soon. Why am I telling you this? Well, I don’t know the names of all the countries we haven’t reached, but I do know one of them: North Korea. Currently, it is impossible to reach them with FBN, because they have a closed server that is closely monitored. I want to encourage you to join me in praying for this nation to be reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if not through FBN (which would be great!), then through some other outlet. This has been a burden on my heart for the last couple of years. They need the gospel and the Christians in their country need encouragement. Will you pray for them today? Writing Update I have completed my physical round of edits and am currently making all those changes on my digital copy! It’s coming together quite nicely, and I appreciate your prayers and encouragement! It means a lot to me! Hopefully, I’ll be able to start team-edits with my mom this month! A Book I am Anticipating for March: The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. I know…I love WWII and it’s embarrassing to say I have yet to read this book. But I finally have decided to read it. I know it’s going to be a hard read, but I look forward to hearing Corrie and Betsie’s story in full. (Today is the 75th Anniversary of their arrest.) And Now for your Story Prompts!
 I’ll see you next month! God Bless!
Ryana Lynn Jude 22 Time for a history post! Y’all, today is a day you might not know is important. But it is…it is so important. Unless you are a WWII buff/enthusiast, you’ve probably never heard of The White Rose Resistance group. I know a gentleman from our church whose mother was German and he hadn’t heard of them, even though WWII is his favorite time period to study. He’s taught me most of what I know about the period. Well, today is the 76th anniversary of the death of three members of the White Rose Resistance group. And I am going to share with you 10 random facts about these amazing young people…  1. Unlike most resistance groups of WWII, The White Rose was a non-violent, intellectual resistance. This means that rather than sabotaging Nazi plans, assassinating the bad guys or going out to rescue people, they appealed to the public to turn on Hitler’s regime by writing pamphlets. They appealed to people’s morality, duty and loyalty to stand against the Nazis in any way they could. Had their resistance lasted longer, I have no doubt they eventually would have turned to rescuing internees, directly or indirectly. 2. The main members of The White Rose were: Hans and Sophie Scholl (Brother and sister), Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf and Kurt Huber. 3. They published 5 leaflets, but 6 were written in all. Even though the papers were destroyed by the SS (Nazi Secret Police), some of the papers were smuggled to England, where they were mass-produced and spread throughout Germany, even after many of the resistance members had been executed. 4. Sophie is the indirect reason she and Hans were arrested. She pushed a stack of the papers off the ledge of their collage balcony, showering papers on the students walking below. The Janitor figured out who was responsible and everything fell apart from there. 5. Christoph was a married man with three children. His wife was ill at the time of his death. They tried to get him off the hook by claiming he had what we now call PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), since he had indeed been a soldier and did suffer some lasting mental strain as a result. 6.And speaking of being a soldier, Hans Scholl also served in the German Army prior to becoming a resister. 7. Christoph, Hans and Sophie were all medical students! Y’all know I liked that aspect of their story! 8. The man who judged them, Roland Freisler, was known for holding staged trials. He always decided on the fate of the victim prior to the trial, giving them no chance of escaping his sentence. Freisler died almost two years later on February 3rd, 1945, when an American pilot bombed his courtroom. 9. Hans, Sophie and Christoph were sentenced to die by way of the guillotine, the very same day as the trial. 10. Just before being executed, Hans cried out, “Es Lebe Die Freiheit!” (Long Live Freedom!) May this always be the battle cry of those Resisting evil. I do not know as much about these young people as I would like, but I intend to continue studying them. Take a moment today to remember the cause for which they fought and died. Thank God for His mercy in letting that cruel war end in Allied victory and for following it up with the founding of Israel (1947). And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? 1 Samuel 17:29 (King James Bible) Until Next Time,
Es Lebe Die Freiheit! Ryana Lynn Jude 22 |
Ryana Lynn
Christian. American. Southern. Author.
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