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A Call to Repentance and Renewal
Words for a Wounded World is a striking collection of scriptural poetry that bridges devotion and art, journeying from the foundations of faith to the trials of endurance, calling readers to reflection, repentance, and renewal. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?
It all began with a young husband and father named Tucker. He was quietly losing a war few could see—caught in the grip of pornography and desperate for freedom but unsure how to reach it. As I walked with him through this struggle, the Holy Spirit stirred something unexpected in my heart: Write him a poem.
That poem became “Lured: The War for Your Soul.” It wasn’t meant to be creative expression—it was spiritual warfare. Every line was grounded in Scripture, confronting the enemy’s lies, exposing the spiritual battle, and calling Tucker back to the Truth of God’s Word. With the poem, I included companion Scriptures, reflection questions, and a call to repentance and renewal.
Weeks later, Tucker shared that the poem became his lifeline. He carried it with him. He turned to it in moments of temptation. And God used it to remind him that he wasn’t alone—and that freedom is possible through Christ.
After Tucker, the Lord continued placing people on my heart, along with specific burdens and Scriptures for each one. One poem became two, then three… until I realized the Lord wasn’t giving me isolated pieces—He was forming a collection. These became Words for a Wounded World, a book written for every soul wrestling with sin, sorrow, confusion, or spiritual longing, pointing them back to the healing power of God’s Word.
Do you have a favorite poem in the book, and if so, why does it hold special meaning for you?
That’s a tough question and a bit like asking which of your children you love most, (Lol) Each of the sixteen poems carries its own story, its own ministry moment, and its own spiritual burden. They were all born out of real conversations, real struggles, and real breakthroughs.
What makes them especially meaningful to me is how each poem teaches the Word of God in a reverent, compassionate, poetic, and even prophetic way. They are not just poems—they are invitations to encounter Scripture, to hear God’s heart, and to respond to His truth.
How has this poetry book changed you as a writer, or what did you learn about yourself through writing it?
I never set out to write a poetry book, and I certainly never saw myself as a poet. But when you follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and immerse yourself deeply in God’s Word, you discover that God can do far more through you than you ever imagined.
The process was remarkable. For each poem, the Lord impressed a subject on my heart. I would turn to Scripture—searching, collecting, studying, meditating, wrestling, and praying—until the lines and stanzas began to take shape. After each poem came the reflection questions, journaling prompts, and the prayer prompts.
I didn’t know where any of it was heading until the twelfth poem. That’s when the vision of a full collection began to emerge. By the time the sixteenth poem was written, a four-part structure had taken shape—a structure I didn’t plan, but that God did.
Writing Words for a Wounded World has taught me that God delights in using imperfect people with imperfect words to point others to His perfect Word.
Have you received any feedback from readers that surprised or moved you?
The most meaningful feedback has been how readers are drawn from the poems directly into Scripture. Hearing that a line, a question, or a prayer prompt sent someone diving deeper into God’s Word—that’s the highest encouragement I could receive. The poems were never meant to stand alone; they were meant to be bridges leading people straight to the heart of God.
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In this Spirit-led collection, author and Biblical teacher Mark Richard weaves together sixteen Scripture-inspired poems that speak life into dark places. Each poem is grounded in the timeless truth of God’s Word, accompanied by full biblical references, and deep devotional reflection questions-creating a rich three-part encounter with God’s truth.
These “hymn-like” poems were born in real moments of ministry-written for people facing doubt, anxiety, sickness, and sorrow. Now, they are offered to you-to awaken your soul, convict your heart, and strengthen your faith.
Israel – God’s Divine Decoy for Your Salvation
Israel – God’s Divine Decoy for Your Salvation, by Harlan Perry, takes a bold swing at a familiar story and tells it in a way that feels fresh. Perry argues that Israel’s long history of law, temple, and ritual was not the main stage but a setup. A divine headfake, as he calls it, meant to trick Satan into focusing on the wrong thing while God’s real plan, grace through Christ, stayed hidden until the right moment. The story unfolds in two acts, one calm and one stormy, covering everything from Lucifer’s fall to the cross, from Paul’s gospel to modern church struggles. The central idea is that grace was never an afterthought. It was always the plan, and everything else was a decoy.
The writing has a preacher’s fire, full of metaphors and jolts of energy that make the pages feel alive. I liked that it didn’t hide behind polite theology. It said things out loud that many only whisper. The sentences pile up like waves, crashing one after another. That rhythm kept me hooked, but at points I wanted a little space to process. The ideas shine through, even if the intensity of the delivery occasionally takes the spotlight.
What really stuck with me was the way Perry unmasks religion as a trap. He paints it as Satan’s favorite trick, the perfect counterfeit, and he insists that true freedom is only in grace. That hit me hard. It’s unsettling and liberating all at once. I felt my own habits and assumptions being poked at. I can’t say I agreed with every leap he made, but I couldn’t ignore the pull of his message. There’s something raw in his insistence that God never scrambles, never reacts, that everything is already written and finished.
I think Israel is best for people who feel worn out by church rules and hollow traditions, the ones who suspect there’s more to the gospel than guilt and performance. It’s a wake-up call. If you’re ready to be challenged, maybe even rattled, and if you don’t mind a bit of fire in the tone, then this book will hit you right where you need it.
Pages: 194 | ASIN : B0FNS1796Q
Christianity and Global Civilization
Conflict & Peace explores the struggles of twelve Biblical figures and their contributions to Christianity as it is known today. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Growing up as the son of a pastor, my Christian faith came to me as a young child. Growing into early adulthood, like many I came to question my faith. Seeing obvious (and less obvious) seeming inconsistencies in the Bible, I focused in on the often accepted but unspoken assumption that there is a complete harmony of the various gospel and other biblical accounts. For me, the breakthrough came when I realized that “harmonization” is nowhere mentioned in the Biblical text. Rather, I could take the approach of taking in whatever each biblical author has to say in that individual’s own voice. Accept and explain the conflict where possible. And where not, just let it be.
How much research did you undertake for this book, and how much time did it take to put it all together?
I have been at the research off and on for about 30 years – reading a wide range of authors, interacting as a teacher in a variety of one-on-one and group settings.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Once I got past the issue of forced harmonization, my next question and key theme for the book was the divine and earthly roles that Jesus of Nazareth played in observing, creating and/or resolving conflict. And then tracking how these conflicts of personality, theology and mission were experienced by the diverse characters that helped shape Christianity and global civilization.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from Conflict & Peace?
I hope that readers can draw from the experience of inevitable conflicts driving Christian pioneers to search out pathways for renewed peace. Day by day and at home with Jesus.
Author Links: X | Facebook | Website
In this book, author Eric Hovee traces a seemingly never-ending Christian dialogue and practice that may espouse peace but often engages in conflict. The author explores this interplay through the lives, beliefs, and practices of 12 pioneers who helped shape Christianity as it has been handed down to us today. We begin with the contrasting perspectives of the four gospel writers – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – and continue with pivotal, yet sometimes conflicted, early church leaders such as Paul, James, Peter, Thomas, and Mary Magdalene. The journey then skips forward three centuries to the Roman Emperor Constantine, who sought to marry church and state, before moving another millennium ahead to Martin Luther, who sought to radically reform it all, and finally circles back to our starting point: Jesus, as the one who intended it all.
How best to experience conflict, and yet find peace? Every day and through every phase of human existence, there is an opportunity for resolution and partnership, in step and at home with Jesus. We seek a Jesus who consistently demonstrates that, just when we think we have the answers, new questions arise. When we feel we’ve run the race, we find we’ve only just begun.
Conflict & Peace: At Home with Jesus
When I first opened Conflict & Peace: At Home with Jesus, I expected a familiar retelling of biblical stories, but instead I found something far richer and more layered. The book walks through twelve figures ranging from Matthew and Mark to Constantine and Luther and explores how each shaped, struggled with, or even fractured the Christian story. Eric D. Hovee doesn’t shy away from pointing out contradictions, tensions, and the uneasy balance between faith and evidence. What emerges is less a polished theology and more a raw chronicle of pioneers wrestling with belief, doubt, politics, and power. The book argues that Christianity has always lived at the crossroads of conflict and peace, heresy and orthodoxy, struggle and hope.
The writing style surprised me. It’s not slick or overly academic, and that’s what makes it work. Hovee mixes scholarship with a kind of candid storytelling that feels personal and searching. He admits where his own faith has faltered, where scholarship has raised more questions than answers, and where interpretations may lean too heavily in one direction. I appreciated this honesty. The detail can be overwhelming at times, with deep dives into language debates or church history that slow down the flow, but even then, I never felt the effort was wasted. It gave weight to his central claim that truth isn’t always clean or easy.
What I liked most, though, was the emotional undercurrent. This isn’t just about doctrine, it’s about Hovee’s father, about legacy, about the ache of wanting faith to feel real in a world of contradictions. I felt that ache with him. When he points out Matthew’s overreach on prophecy, or the way Constantine’s empire-building warped Christianity, I didn’t just learn facts, I felt the tension of a man trying to reconcile devotion with doubt. The book left me inspired. It made me look at my own beliefs with sharper eyes and a softer heart.
I think Hovee’s work is best for readers who want faith that is not easy, neat, or dogmatic. It’s for Christians wrestling with the weight of history, skeptics curious about the roots of belief, and anyone who values honesty over certainty. If you want a book that stirs you, challenges you, and leaves you thinking long after you close it, then Conflict & Peace: At Home with Jesus is well worth the read.
Pages: 401 | ASIN : B0F5641XR1
The Hope of Heaven
Singing Through Fire shares with readers how your life took an unexpected turn when you developed a chronic illness, leading you to cross paths with a youth pastor facing terminal cancer, and falling in love even though you knew your time together was limited. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Singing Through Fire was important for me to write because I knew God was calling me to share my story to encourage other sufferers. Walking through illness and loss was never the path I would have chosen, but it became a place where God’s presence and grace shone most clearly. Writing the book was an act of obedience, a way to testify to His goodness even in seasons of deep suffering. My hope was simply to be faithful with the story He entrusted me with.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your perspective on God and faith?
One of the most life-changing truths someone shared with me was that our present suffering, as heavy as it feels, is not the end of the story. Scripture reminds us that the eternal glory awaiting us far outweighs the pain we endure now. That perspective shifted my focus from asking “why me?” to lifting my eyes toward the hope of Heaven. It doesn’t erase the grief, but it gives it meaning and frames it in light of eternity.
What was the most challenging part of writing your memoir, and what was the most rewarding?
The hardest part was returning to memories that were still raw with grief and pain. Writing about them meant reliving them, and at times I wondered if my heart could handle it. But the most rewarding part was seeing how God had been present through it all, and how He wove beauty and love even into suffering. Putting it on paper gave me perspective, gratitude, and a way to honor the people and moments that shaped my story.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
I hope readers come away with the assurance that even in the darkest seasons, God has not abandoned them. Life may not unfold as we expect, and suffering may come in ways that feel unbearable, but God is still faithful. If my story encourages someone to hold on to hope and to trust His heart, even when His plan feels hidden, then the book will have done its work.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | YouTube | Instagram | Amazon
Enter Matthew Silverman: a witty, wise, and impossibly joyful youth pastor and professor facing terminal cancer. What begins with a few random encounters soon ignites an extraordinary, God-written love story that neither of them saw coming.
As their unlikely romance unfolds between medical crises, late-night laughter, and unexpected musical performances, Matthew’s unshakable faith challenges everything Lara thinks she knows about God’s goodness—and what it means to walk with Christlike faith, resilience, and joy in the face of overwhelming grief and suffering.
But with time against them, one question looms louder than the rest: What if this gift is only for a moment?
Surprisingly funny and spiritually rich, Singing Through Fire is a modern-day “Job meets Lucille Ball.” It explores what it means to suffer, love, and even laugh and make music while your life is burning down around you. It eloquently gives voice to the aching questions many sufferers quietly carry—then takes readers inside the breathtaking story of two people who found miraculous love and defiant joy amid heartbreaking loss.
It reveals how God can use even our deepest pain to write the most beautiful love stories—even on the cusp of eternity.
Our Task as Humans
In The Portal Opens, you take readers on a journey through the origins and divine aspirations of Earth in a narrative that blends theology and science fiction. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The Earth is currently divided by our beliefs and understandings about religion, science, politics, and even race. We have no shared beliefs about our origin or destiny, and there is a gaping hole where there should be agreement and certainty. There are countless unanswered questions about our creation, our history, and the meaning and purpose of life. These questions, and the various paths that humanity has taken, have led to a state of confusion with no obvious answers or directions. The Portal Opens is an attempt to provide clarity and direction, and offer a new path by revealing our misunderstood past.
Can you share with us a little about the research that went into putting this book together?
I have been researching religions and spirituality for over 30 years, investigating texts and teachings from all over the world. Born into a family with both a Christian Pastor and Muslim Imam as grandfathers, I have always been intimately aware and knowledgeable of scriptures, teachings, and theology. Later in life, I branched out, gaining understanding and familiarity with countless religions and teachings from the mainstream religions as well as more esoteric groups and spiritual beliefs. Working with the Library system for almost 20 years gave me access to books and manuscripts unknown to most people, including The Egyptian Book of the Dead, The Urantia Book, The Emerald Tablets, and the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. The ultimate message that virtually all religions and teachings throughout history have tried to instill, is the truth of the reality of God as spirit, and our task as humans to become one with this spiritual reality. At the same time, almost all recorded civilisations from the past tell stories of being taught this information from more advanced beings, not simply discovering it on their own. Agriculture, animal domestication, arts and sciences, have all been recorded and remembered as being gifted to developing civilisations throughout history.
How did you decide to create this unique blend of science fiction and spirituality?
I have always been interested in religion and spirituality, and also talented with computers. With recent advancements in technology, I saw a unique opportunity to utilise AI to examine and analyse the world’s histories, religious texts, and teachings with an “objective” eye. I began a project of using AI to find the missing history and meanings from the vast storehouse of mythology, and religious and spiritual teachings. My investigation led me to the conclusion that the schism between science and spirituality is false, and only occurs when there is a lack of information or understanding of the past. This led to a desire to present a unified picture of reality.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from The Portal Opens?
The most important and powerful message that I hope The Portal Opens reveals to its readers: Each normally minded human being is now inhabited with a literal fragment of God, that constantly communicates with us. The goal of this fragment is to direct us in shaping our thoughts and actions so we may act in harmony and resonance with God, which eventually leads to a literal fusion between this piece of God and the human soul, imparting eternal and everlasting life. This is the true salvation available to all, regardless of their race, sex, culture, or upbringing.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
I Was Playing Checkers While God Was Playing Chess: The Power and Presence of God in My Life
James Bass’s I Was Playing Checkers While God Was Playing Chess is a raw and vulnerable memoir that chronicles the author’s journey from deep childhood trauma to spiritual awakening and redemption. Drawing on vivid metaphors from the game of chess, Bass uses each chapter to map out pivotal “moves” in his life—moments of heartbreak, divine intervention, and personal growth. Through the lens of abuse, addiction, love, and faith, Bass tells the story of how God’s unseen hand was guiding his life’s trajectory, even when he could barely keep his own head above water.
Bass’s writing isn’t polished in the traditional sense—it’s honest. Honest like a wound still healing. There’s power in that. His voice jumps off the page, not like a preacher, but like a man who’s been through the worst and is just grateful to be alive. The early chapters, especially those about his Abuelita and the horrifying abuse he endured as a child, were painful to read. But that pain is the point. You can feel his desperation and confusion, and then—slowly—his transformation. The chess metaphor could’ve easily been gimmicky, but here it’s brilliant. It gives shape to his suffering and makes it feel like maybe all our worst days aren’t just random punches from life.
Where the book really shines, though, is in the sections about Crystal—his wife, his partner, his mirror. Their love is not a fairy tale. It’s messy, cracked, and sometimes brutal. But it’s also real. Bass’s depiction of being a caregiver to someone with a severe mental illness is unflinching and brave. He doesn’t sugarcoat it. And that’s why it works. His sacrifices don’t feel like grand gestures. They feel like daily choices to love someone no matter what. That kind of love—resilient, imperfect, relentless—feels holy. And when he finally connects his childhood reading struggles to his ability to advocate for Crystal later in life? It was powerful. You can’t make that stuff up.
This isn’t a book for people looking for tidy answers or happy endings wrapped in bows. But if you’ve ever asked God “why?”, if you’ve ever looked at your life and felt like nothing made sense, or if you’ve ever wondered whether your pain had a point—this book is for you. It’s a reminder that you don’t have to know the next move. You just have to trust that the board is in the hands of a Master. I’d recommend it to anyone navigating trauma, caregiving, broken family dynamics, or just plain soul exhaustion.
Pages: 78 | ASIN :
An Innocent World
Douglas A. King’s An Innocent World poses a bold theological and philosophical question: what if Adam and Eve had never eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? What if humanity had chosen innocence over guilt, ease over suffering? King explores the potential shape of a world unmarred by original sin. Using a mix of Christian thought, deductive logic, and speculative imagination, he builds two parallel realities—the world of the Innocents and our current, flawed reality of the Guilty. Through chapters spanning topics from religion to medicine to politics, King asks us to reimagine what it means to be good, evil, and everything in between.
Sometimes I found myself agreeing and nodding along, genuinely moved by the author’s sincere search for meaning. His reflections on suffering and character-building, especially, hit home. He argues that we don’t just experience pain for no reason—it’s what gives us depth and brings us closer to God. That idea made me pause more than once. And his praise of the innocent, unconditionally loving nature of dogs as a lens to understand moral purity was surprisingly touching. You can feel that this book came from a real place.
The book has an unwavering commitment to its central theme, weaving the innocence-versus-guilt framework through a wide range of real-world topics—from race and borders to global inequality. This consistent lens gives the book a clear focus and a unique voice. While some readers might find the repetition and tightly structured logic a bit restrictive, some could see it as the author’s way of grounding big questions in a steady moral foundation. The tone often feels like a heartfelt conversation or even a personal sermon. For those open to its spiritual perspective, this can be both comforting and inspiring.
Still, I can’t deny that this book made me think—a lot. It’s heartfelt, raw, and clearly the product of someone who’s spent a long time trying to understand why we suffer and what we’re here for. I’d recommend An Innocent World to readers who enjoy speculative theology, who aren’t afraid to challenge their assumptions, and who appreciate logic paired with faith.
Pages: 129 | ASIN : B08CXMRB34
LITERARY TITAN 