Garden Grove, California
The strains of The Power of the Cross wafted through the closed office door as Luke Melvin Clinton knelt by his desk. "Give me your power tonight." That's all the prayer he had time for. He stood up and turned to the mirror at his side. He looked with satisfaction at how his maroon t-shirt hugged his arms, shoulders, chest, and waist, while his pleated alabaster trousers gave subtle hint of his muscular thighs. He glanced up took in his hair. Ginger in color and peppered with gray, it was coarse and thinning on the crown. Unmistakable evidence he was no longer a young man. "I sure as Hades don't look fifty-two," he grunted.
He looked into his gray-green eyes. They're alive! He gave himself a half smile revealing a small chip on his right front incisor, then he slipped on his midnight blue blazer. He didn't need to see how that looked. He knew. He wore a size 42, though it should have been a 44. His coat stayed open, and framed the muscles of his upper body including his six-pack abs. Tonight everyone would see Power in the Lamb printed in glittering gold across his T-shirt.
He pulled himself from the mirror and glanced down at the text message from Kish. For some reason, Kish wanted to meet with him. Soon. What for? Luke shrugged as he walked out of his office and down the wide hall. He pushed through the double doors at the end then waited for the final words of his congregation's hymn. With his right hand raised, he trotted to the far end and back to the middle as the music morphed into thunderous applause and uncoordinated shouts of "Brother Luke!" He stood in the middle of the stage with both hands raised high in the air. Then as the camera zoomed onto his chest, he yanked back his coat so the words on his shirt seemed to leap out. The congregation became one resounding chant. "POWER IN THE LAMB!"
~~~
SEALED UP:
The Course of Fate Book One
By Steve Dunn Hansun
From the cover of the book, I was surprised with the beginning of the novel, at least when it came to the introduction of the Reverend Clinton, or Brother Luke as he was called. Until I had finished the book and read again, the subtitle, The Course of Fate. Wow! When that sunk it, I literally had flashes into scenes in the book where Fate, indeed, took over! But that is in retrospect that it came, because while reading, I soon was hooked and following all that this book does entail...
Which will have to remain untold here since they are all such an intricate part of the plot, crafted so tightly, that there is no way to learn what will happen, except by turning each page...quickly.
The merge of totally different subplots surrounding the main plot of searching for ancient documents and other possible artifacts creates a unique experience that spotlights two different forms of religion along with a somewhat expected criminal activity. Yet, even then, the surprises that move the story forward are totally unexpected and rarely anticipated... I loved this one and add it to my favorites for this year! So, let's talk a little bit about how the dots are connected...
Brother Luke has established a mission in Palenque and on his visits, he met a local shaman. Kish.
The mission supports the lives of the remaining Mayans in the area... Kish has now contacted Brother Luke and has asked him to visit on his next trip. What he shares and what he requested was far beyond Brother Luke's consideration, but as Kish continued, he finally agreed and went home to begin all that was needed. Brother Luke was to fund a search for Kish led by a noted professor, Nathan Hill, keep it totally secret that he was funding it, and only reveal his involvement if and when they found something. And that would be only to use in support of his ministry.
I've lived in places that grew me . . . from a small Idaho farm town, a run-down neighborhood in St. Louis, and a middle-class southern California community, to Sydney, Australia, and Bucharest, Romania. My experiences are as varied as the places I've lived. I have a hopper full of "reality" including being a volunteer jail chaplain and flying with a U.S. presidential candidate in his small plane when an engine conked out. And all of this is fodder for my writing. For more of what I do and who I am, check me out at stevedunnhanson.com.
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| Dear Brother Luke, I have great admiration for you and your Power in the Lamb ministry. I have had many of my employees read your book, The Lamb was a Lion! Thank you for writing it. I wish to help your ministry in a small way. Please accept the enclosed as my thank you. I will contribute more from time to time. I wish to remain anonymous. It is important that you do not mention to anyone how you received these funds or who contributed them. A follower of Power in the Lamb, Ramon Gutierrez ~~~ |
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| By Ricraider - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/ w/index.php?curid=20425074 |
It was a part of a Book of Chilam Batam that convinced both Brother Luke and Nathan Hill to respond to Kish...
Provided for those who want to learn more
Near Naja
Luke drove just over a mile out of Naja. A two rut road went off to the right and into a copse of Guanacaste trees. He pulled under the trees and opened his laptop. He read his notes through twice then typed.
Meeting with Kish. October 17, 2011. I am to tell no one what I saw or heard except Dr. Nathan Hill, professor of anthropology at UCLA.
For more than an hour Luke entered what he had seen and what Kish had said. When he finished, he turned the computer off, and to clear his mind and put some order to what happened, he itemized aloud what Kish had told him.
"One. Some kind of ancient chronicles are hidden at Piedras Negras, Guatemala" He paused and rolled the name Piedras Negras around in his mind. He had read the name somewhere before. Where? He hook his head and went on. "Two. I get this Dr. Hill to lead an expedition to find them. Three, I told Kish I'd finance the whole thing. Four," That's as far as he got. His heart thumped in his neck, and his breath quickened. "What in Hades am I doing anyway?!
Destiny.
Destiny.
~~~
The magic of Sealed Up is, of course, the hunt and what was found by the anthropological team. Yet, it is not something that can be broken down into parts...Readers will enter into the actual activities of team members but, also, what was happening in the surrounding subplots. The fascination of the finds plus the intrigue of the diabolical plans outside the team are what turns this into a thriller that is, simply, awesome!
I enjoyed the characters who were sometimes not what they seemed to be, the historical background presented in support of the anthropological searches but the spectacular act of fate was beyond exhilarating...why, I have to admit, it was for me downright...satisfying! LOL
This book was too unique to try to match with other historical treasure hunt books, especially the surprising correlation made toward the end...but if you love that type of book or movie, you'll need to consider this a must-read! Wish I could tell you more!
GABixlerReviews
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