Christine Dougherty Presents Astounding Free Will Drama!

Cover of God Told Me To
"Carrie looked.
"It was red faced, ugly, its head smooshed on one side, white hair covering its forehead and shoulders, a blister on its puckered asshole of a mouth, tiny veins visible under its thin, pale skin and Carrie had been
horrified.
"Ugh, what's wrong with it? Get
it away from me!"
~~~

The Devil Stood Up


By Christine Dougherty


While I was without a Kindle, I received requests that I couldn't deal with--this was one of them. Interestingly, I had recently received another request from a writer who had the big D as a primary character and I chose not to read it. This one has been out a year, so, still catching up with e-books, I read this novel...

Wow! I am so thankful I did! I use the word "astounding" to explain my "wonder" and amazement of this story. Christine Dougherty has blasted us--all we who are human, LOL--with blunt reality and points the finger right back at us! WE have free will... So don't hide behind that old mantra, "the devil made me do it..." or even  (in my words), "God told me to..." Interestingly, this phrase brought up a book reference! For those who claim this, including suicide bombers, the criminally insane, and even other religious fanatics, Dougherty throws back...YOU decided, YOU are the one with free will...

Brave young writer, isn't she?!!!

Whether you believe in God, the Devil, or not, Dougherty looks into our eyes and tells us, we are the ones who choose to do right or wrong... I loved her message!

"The Devil rolled over, swiping a knotted forearm
across his dripping brow. Half asleep, struggling,
uncomfortable, The Litany of the evils of the
world slipped through his unconsciousness like
fine wisps of acrid smoke, intertwining, interweaving,
noxious, and necessary.
"This is how he thought of the million threads of
evil that bound his mind, they were: The Litany.
"The evil of the world spiked sharply, spoiling his
sleep, but he could not stop it any more than he
could have stopped time or stopped the evil itself.
He rolled, almost coming awake, flirting with full
consciousness, and then settled as the streaming
evil flatlined, becoming bearable again.
"This body, even, was uncomfortable: difficult to
position with grace and never entirely at rest, not
really. He'd never gotten used to it, never become
accustomed to losing grace. The weight, the stink
and yes, even the sight of it was unbearable,
because in Heaven, there'd been no ugliness, no
stink, no uncomfortable body, only awareness
and beauty.
"The Devil had never been a human, but knew
them well enough by now to this that this must
be what if felt like, to be in a body. Heavy.
Tethered. Stinking...
"...He punished one no harder than the others.
His place was not that of judgment. Only to
punish and punish and punish, until God
Himself saw fit to take this job from him, and
lift him back, weightless, bodyless to heaven
and to grace..."
~~~

Now, at first, I wasn't totally willing to accept the story line. As I thought about it, however, Lucifer was an angel at first, but he sinned, according to historical accounts. He thought he was above God...

But did that mean he would always be in direct opposition to God's will? While you explore that thought, let me tell you just a little about this exciting drama...

I've never been able to say the name without cringing, so I'm going to just say The D... OK? Anyway, the D calls it a litany--each and every day, every single thing that WE decide to do that we know (or don't know) is wrong, falls on him...I'll let you read the description but essentially he's lying down, bloodied, horribly affected by each and every sin/wrong that humans commit!

If some of you say, Cool!, you need to read this book...sure, it's a horror novel in description and tone, but, believe me, there's lots more going on in this drama and a message that will force each of us to take notice and acknowledge, yes, acknowledge that all that we do is through Free Will...

But, one day, something horrible happens and the D has reached his boiling point, literally. He painfully forces himself from underneath all of the piles of hateful emotions and screams! Not This Time!

The majority of us are selfish people, at least sometimes--we choose what we do every second, every minute...so when a your man who had chosen to become a drug addict chose to commit suicide, the D was there to step into his body!

But that young man had a sister. And she had been there when he jumped...

And also saw him, get up, brush himself off, and walk away!

She followed the Devil...

Carrie Walsh is the human who brought the Devil...and her lawyer who got her off for killing her child. Sound like something out of our headlines? You bet! One excerpt I read said this book looked at good and evil... Indeed I've said that often myself in reviews...

But this book, I think, really should be taken much more personally... I've always used "Know Thyself" to consider what I do in life. My opinion is that Dougherty is saying the same thing. We all have the potential for good or evil inside of us...you know, those seven deadly sins that one movie covered...or all the other small things we choose to do that, really, normally evolve around selfishness, self-centeredness, pride, fear and doubt, etc... 

While I might have spent time getting to know myself, still I was confronted! But this wasn't horror or hard for me to do. And, if you have never really tried to look at yourself objectively, I suggest you begin... This book may just be the one to help you as you decide whether to choose drugs, alcoholic or other substances that give some type of escape... Drug cartels choose to sell because millions all over the world choose to buy. Their reason is simple--greed.  A suicide bomber is "influenced" to kill himself because of the story there are "virgins" waiting... Get real! When I choose a doughnut, it was my choice, not the D... No difference!

This book needs to be read by all. Do you dare to find out that you can't blame...the Devil...Yes, A Must-Read recommendation from me.

GABixlerReviews

Christine Dougherty lives in South Jersey with her husband, dog and two cats. Visit her online at: www.christinedoughertybooks.com

Follow her blog: http://whatchriswrites.blogspot.com/

N. T. McQueen's Televangelism Drama Intriguing, Revealing...

http://www.imagekind.com/Lion-And-Lamb-art?IMID
The characteristics of the lion and the lamb form a vivid contrast of expectations when used metaphorically. While the lion is known for its strength and ferocity, the lamb is regarded as a gentle and dependent creature. Nevertheless, both are at times associated with the person and work of God
http://bible.org/article/lion-and-lamb-metaphors-divine-human-relationships

Between Lions and
  Lambs

By N. T. McQueen

They had met the day that a stranger drove by Ezekiel and then stopped and offered him a ride. Ezekiel saw the young boy sitting in the truck along with a smiling man. He decided to take the ride, but soon was asking the younger boy about whether he was not cold. Immediately the man spoke for him, claiming he didn't talk much... Ezekiel began to worry something was wrong and soon asked to be dropped off on the corner. But the man didn't stop, just kept on driving until they were in the woods...

The man told Ezekiel that they were going into the cabin and he was going to do something for him...Ezekiel fought and then pulled the gold cross from his pocket and placed it between his fingers as a weapon. He scratched his face, then pulled his eyeball right out of the socket... Then the younger boy slammed his head with a shovel from the back...

The boy's name was Gerald and he followed Ezekiel as they left, leaving the scene, never knowing whether the man was dead or not...

"A great applause propelled toward the stage, the
clapping hands bringing a visual life to the great
sea before his eyes. He claps as he walks to the
decadent podium with the gold crucifix...He placed
his skinny hands at either side of the stand; his worn
leather Bible displayed before him...
"They're in place on the bottom floor. Two guys and
an old woman," he says into the preacher's ear. "You
give the signal and they'll be ready and then say the
diseases and they'll come up at the right time. Just
like we've been practicing. We paid them pretty good
so they shouldn't be like the last ones."
"I sure as hell hope not," the pastor threatened
jokingly, patting the man on his broad shoulder.
He smiled that bright smile with the wide black
gap. The man's eyes were heavy and he could smell
the faint, familiar odor before he exited to the
side of the stage..."
~~~

Ezekiel had left home directly from his brother's funeral. Earlier his father had, somewhat unwillingly(?) turned over his Bible to Ezekiel, on his birthday. Ezekiel didn't know why, his father had never loved any of them, or if he did, he had never shown it, especially when he drank...

Even if he was a preacher...

Now, years later, Ezekiel was one of the top evangelists in the country, known for his powerful words...and his healings...

Gerald was still there with him, at his side, following...

They had started out moving from town to town and Ezekiel would start sharing...and then he started preaching, using his father's Bible that he'd taken with him... That and the cross that had been Jeremiah's, that he'd found in the river he'd visited before he left... Jeremiah had told him that someday he's give it to him, but it was never supposed to be because he was...dead...

Gerald had become a Christian along the way and was a special soft-spoken gentleman who would quietly share Christ with those who he met...

Most of his working time, though, was handling all the details of the huge services for the crowds that now came to hear Ezekiel...

But as the years went by, Gerald began to feel like Ezekiel's janitor--always cleaning up behind him.

Readers will move from the present preparation for the service back through the years until finally we learn exactly what has driven Ezekiel all of his life. And when confronted with it...

I remember a television evangelist who used healing as the main thrust of his services...and I also remember how members of my family would parrot his words, "Be healed" acting "stupid" because his pressure would be such that we could see him pushing the individual to fall backwards.

Some of you may remember him as well. Some believed in him; my family did not.

 Brian Friel's Faith Healer starring Ralph Fiennes
"Hello, son. Can you hear me?
"The man stood reticent, dazzled by the brilliance
of the spotlights and the millions of eyes watching
 his every move.
"Can you hear me?"
The young man shook his head.
"How did ya know to come up here son?"
The man pointed to his lips.
The pastor leaned in close to the man' s ear
 away from the
crowd and whispered, 
"When I scream 'be healed,' 
take a fall.
The boys will catch ya..."
~~~

But still, there is a question brought forward by this novel. Can the listener believe and have their faith heightened by a false prophet?

Gerald had once had Ezekiel save his life from a world of pain and sorrow. Gerald had followed Ezekiel from then on. But, at some point, the one that he followed changed...

The explosive finish will leave some readers asking questions. But I had only one. How did I feel about

the actions of those who were there that night during the service... Let me know what you thought!

McQueen's novel is an excellent examination of the power, the faithful followers, and the reality of one 

individual who acts on behalf of God. Is he a false prophet? Or a sinner just like the rest of us... Can we

judge him or must we allow God to have that responsibility?

If you have been disheartened by religion, and television evangelists in particular, I think this book will provide much for you to consider. But if you have questions. seek your answer directly from the top...

There are indeed false prophets...

Highly Recommended... This was a must-read for me...maybe for you as well...

GABixlerReviews

Book Provided With Request

for Review

About the Author:

N.T. McQueen was born in Ukiah, California and raised in a family of ministers. He began writing short stories on his breaks while working as a staff member for the university system. He graduated from CSU-Sacramento with a bachelor's degree in American Literature and is pursuing a Masters in Creative Writing. He is the recipient of a 2012 Bazzanella Literary Award. He lives in Northern California with his wife and two children. Between Lions and Lambs is his first novel.