Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

The Christ Pantocrator of St. Catherine's Monastery at Sinai,
a 6th-century encaustic icon. [PD-US]

 

Jesus said to the Twelve:
"Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father."

Matthew 10:26-33

The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.   

Front Matter...Back Matter...What Matter?

By Debby Giusti 

Soon after my first book went to contract, my editor asked for the front matter and back matter to be submitted along with my completed manuscript.

“Matter? What matter?” I asked, feeling totally clueless.

I soon learned that front matter refers to information on pages included before the beginning of the story. Similarly, back matter is anything added after the end of the story.

Today, let’s take a closer look at the front matter. I’ll cover the back matter in my next post.

I write for Love Inspired Suspense. The first page in each book includes pull quotes from the story to tease the reader. The second page has the author’s bio and a list of some of the author’s previous publications. The title and copyright information follow. All of those pages are considered front matter.

The page following the copyright in Love Inspired books as well as in many other Christian stories is a Bible verse that ties in with the plot or character development.

Amish Blast Investigation releases on June 27, and for that story, I chose Luke 12:24 as my Scripture verse. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” The story involves an Amish baker, Becca Klein, who helps the estranged son of a kindly older man, who was killed in an explosion at her bakery, uncover the truth about his dad. Becca has a lot to learn about life and love so the verse is applicable to the story.

In lieu of a scripture verse, secular books sometimes include an epigraph, which could be a quote or short paragraph that doesn’t refer directly to the story but may have bearing on the theme, setting or mood of the story. A foreward or type of recommendation for the book is written by someone other than the author, usually a person of prominence, and may be included as well as a preface by the author that tells how the book came to be written. Some books include an introduction that provides insight into what topics the reader can expect to find within the story. All of these are considered front matter.

Authors who interview subject matter experts for research will note their help in the acknowledgements. Often the author adds a caveat that any mistakes made are the author’s and have no bearing on the expert he or she interviewed.

An editor, agent or even the entire staff at a publishing house might be added to the acknowledgments. Before selling my first story, I often scanned this information in newly released books to learn which agents represented which authors. The information helped me determine the agents I should query when I sought representation for my own story.

The dedication is another bit of front matter found in both secular and Christian publications. I’ve dedicated books to my husband, my children, my parents, to law enforcement officers, the military and to reader friends whose support has meant so much to me.

Amish Blast Investigation is dedicated to Carol Rose. In my book, I explained that Carol is “a beautiful woman with a huge heart who not only cares for the aged and infirm but also provides support and encouragement for their families. God bless you, Carol," I wrote in the dedication, "for your compassionate ministry to those in need.”

Carol Rose & Debby

Carol cared for my dear friend’s husband who had Alzheimer’s. She has also helped a number of other seniors from my church who needed in-home care. It was an honor to dedicate the book to Carol. I named a character after her as well. 

Do you read the front matter before you buy a book? Does it have bearing on your purchase? Have you ever had a book dedicated to you? What about prefaces, forewords and introductions? Do they help “sell” the story?

Writers, share your thoughts on the front matter? Do you spend time choosing a Scripture or deciding upon your dedications and acknowledgments?

Leave a comment to be entered in two drawings with each winner receiving a copy of Amish Blast Investigation. 

Happy writing! Happy reading! 

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

Amish Blast Investigation

A deadly explosion.

A dangerous search for the truth.

After an explosion rocks Becca Klein’s bakery and kills one of her customers, she teams up with the victim’s son to find justice. Though estranged from his father, Englischer Luke Snyder is compelled to help the Amish woman uncover why his father died. But ruthless killers believe Luke’s father gave Becca something they want, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. Can Luke keep Becca safe until they discover the truth?

Pre-Order NOW! 

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

Vocation of the Apostles, a fresco in the Sistine Chapel by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1481-82.
[PD-US]

At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them 
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Then he summoned his twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits
to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the twelve apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Matthew 9:36-10:8

The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.   

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

The Institution of the Eucharist, Nicolas Poussin, 1640, The Louvre, Paris. [PD-US]

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."

John 6:51-58

 The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.  

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

The Adoration of the Trinity by Albrecht Dürer (1511): from top to bottom: Holy Spirit (dove), God the Father and the crucified Christ. [PD-US]

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

John 3:16-18

The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.  

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

PENTECOST SUNDAY

Fresco of the Pentecostal dove representing the Holy Spirit
at the Karlskirche in Vienna, Austria.[PD-US]

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

John 20:19-23

The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe. 

Wishing you a joyous Pentecost!

May you be filled with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

 today and in the year ahead.

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

 SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

THE ASCENSION*

Jesus' ascension to Heaven depicted by John Singleton Copley in Ascension (1775). [PD-US]

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20

The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.

May the Lord bless all of us throughout this Easter Season with a new appreciation of His mercy and love.  

  *The Ascension was Thursday, May 18, but many churches observe the special day on this Sunday.

AMISH BLAST INVESTIGATION

 

By Debby Giusti

I'm excited to be with you in Seekerville today, and I'm eager to tell you about my June release from Love Inspired Suspense. You've probably seen the blurb on the weekend edition and some of you may have already ordered the book. If so, thank you! I'm grateful for your support.

A deadly explosion.
A dangerous search for the truth.

After an explosion rocks Becca Klein’s bakery and kills one of her customers, she teams up with the victim’s son to find justice. Though estranged from his father, Englischer Luke Snyder is compelled to help the Amish woman uncover why his father died. But ruthless killers believe Luke’s father gave Becca something they want, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. Can Luke keep Becca safe until they discover the truth?

Pre-Order

HERE!

I mixed a lot of elements into the book that I hope you'll find to your liking. Becca Klein, my Amish heroine, has never strayed far from her plain community, yet she's filled with  wanderlust. Becca works at Zook's Bakery and has formed a deep friendship with an elderly Englischer who enjoys the jelly-filled donuts she makes. He compliments her sweetness and affirms her baking ability. His kind words stir a yearning in her heart to see what the outside world is like.

I'm sure you can tell what happens next from the cover and title! An explosion occurs and the elderly customer is killed but not before he gives Becca his Bible and asks her to contact his estranged son if something untoward happens to him.

Of course, you know who the son turns out to be. He's Luke Snyder, the hero who hasn't seen his father since he was ten years old. Luke carries memories of a bigger-than-life dad, but those thoughts are tempered by feelings of being abandoned and unloved. Because of that hurt in his past, Luke wants to disavow anything concerning his dad. Becca paints a different picture of his father and encourages Luke to find out the truth about the kind man who had become her friend.

I've added an adorable beagle puppy named Sadie, a gated scientific community, and information Becca and Luke need to uncover as they search for clues about Luke's dad.

The story is dedicated to Carol Rose, a woman with a huge heart who cares for the aged and infirm in my local community. It's brings me great joy to recognize this lovely woman who does so much for so many.

I've given you a tease about the story that, I hope, has made you want to learn more about Becca and Luke's journey.

What elements do you enjoy in the stories you read? Treacherous villains? Secrets? Wounds from the past that need to be revealed and healed? Share what makes you keep turning the pages. 

If you're a writer, what do you include in your stories to make them shine? Any tips for folks just starting on their writing journey as well as for those of us who have published a number of books? 

Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for AMISH BLAST INVESTIGATION. Two winners will be chosen and their names will be posted on the Weekend Edition. 

Happy Reading! Happy Writing!

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

An image of God the Father
by Julius Schnorr, 1860. [PD-US]

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way."
Thomas said to him,
"Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him,
"Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father."

John 14:1-12

 The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.

May the Lord bless all of us throughout this Easter Season with a new appreciation of His mercy and love.      

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

The Lord is my Good Shepherd, 19th century by German Artist
Bernard Plockhorst. [PD-US]

Jesus said:

"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers."
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."
John 10:1-10

 The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.

May the Lord bless all of us throughout this Easter Season with a new appreciation of His mercy and love.     

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

Pilgrims at Emmaus, Titian, 1535, Louvre Museum, Paris, France. [PD-US]

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

Luke 24:13-35

The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.

May the Lord bless all of us throughout this Easter Season with a new appreciation of His mercy and love.