This project was the logical and inspired result of having written both Maitreya & Hereafter and soon realizing that the two novels should have been combined in on epic novel. That has been accomplished and The Teacher is the result.
FROM PART I - MAITREYA
PROJECT HISTORY
https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/richard-bencriscutto/the-teacher/hardcover/product-46jjm7.html?page=1&pageSize=4
I
originally joined a writing team with a Christian youth pastor and a
young female writer to produce a book to support the pastor's youth
ministry. The original inspiration for the main character, Holden
Harwell, came from a novel published by an author I met in a cafe I
frequented. The female writer happened to be a barista there. As the
project got underway we were all hopeful that it would find a wide
audience, but first the pastor left the team, the high school senior
graduated and was focused on college, which left me to carry on. The
good thing was that I now controlled the vision for the project. After
hearing an interview by author Benjamin Creme,
www.share-international.com, I had the basis for my primary fictional
character, Maitreya. Both Maitreya and its sequel, Hereafter have been
written, have found a home on Amazon & Kindle and the popular web
site for readers and writers, www.wattpad.com.
PROJECT
Maitreya . . . think Hunger Games & Twilight meet the Bible & Left Behind. Did you read the Hunger Games or Twilight books? Did you read any of the Left Behind series? Maitreya was
written for anyone with the courage to fight, like Katniss Everdeen,
for an Authentic Faith for Our Time. Are you seeking spiritual Truth?
Maitreya is the fictional sequel to the Bible and will
challenge you to rebuild the foundation of your Faith and introduce you
to concepts that will lead us into the coming Kingdom Age. Maitreya will
take you on a journey from the desperate depths of spiritual
Armageddon, to the soaring heights of knowing God is real and has an
eternal plan for your life. Along the way you'll find yourself searching
for the Light to establish and grow a working, enlightened faith in a
world desperately in need of coming together to honor a universal God.
Fallon
Ford, a high school junior, follows classmate, Holden Harwell, down a
dark path, the world soon follows, Christians are persecuted, before
Fallon returns to God, leads the rebuilding of the Christian Church, and
helps usher in the Kingdom Age, a post-Apocalyptic period during which
Jesus, now using the name Maitreya, returns.
Here
is a summary of the story. High school juniors, Holden Harwell and
Fallon Ford meet when Fallon notices how depressed Holden is because of a
recent tragedy that claimed the lives of his entire family. Trying to
help, Fallon arranges for Holden to attend her church youth group's ski
retreat. There, Holden, alone in the woods, turns his back on God to
embrace the Guardian, Lucifer's son. The powers that come with his
conversion are seductive and soon Fallon follows him down the same dark
path. The Guardian chooses Holden to lead a rebellion that results in
the persecution of Christians worldwide. In a final attempt to wipe
Christianity from the earth, the Guardian falters when Fallon, the last
Christian standing, during a resumption of Roman times persecution, in
the rebuilt Roman Colosseum, is protected, spared, and chosen by God to
lead the rebuilding of the Christian Church during the Tribulation and
the post-Apocalyptic period to come. Fallon is inspired to begin writing
the Kingdom Age Testament, needed because all of the Bibles were
destroyed during the Guardian's reign of terror. When Jesus returns to
earth, mankind is challenged to live up to new spiritual standards
resulting in a collective "salvation" based on the worldwide Christian
principle of Love Thy Neighbor achieved
through the application of global Justice and Sharing, leading to a
good life for all and balance in the natural world. The fictional
character, Maitreya, is a multidimensional spiritual being encompassing
the Christ Principle who comes to earth as the fulfillment of the Second
Coming and leads the way to spiritual growth on Earth in the Kingdom
Age.
FROM PART II - HEREAFTER
PROJECT HISTORY
I
was inspired to write the novel, Maitreya and now its sequel, Hereafter
has been completed. Using the lens of inspired, faith-based fiction,
Maitreya is the sequel to the Bible, to the Old and New Testaments. It
begins in modern times. The world is beginning to convulse—the labor
pains leading to the return of Jesus and the turbulent transition to the
Kingdom Age.
It
has elements of Hunger Games and Twilight, to attract a younger
audience, while staying true to fundamental Christian principles. I've
imagined filling movie theaters with a faith-based film, no commercials
to interrupt the spiritual impact of the story, with the power to
attract the same kinds of numbers that drew millions to Hunger Games and
Twilight. My book, Maitreya, and its sequel, Hereafter, has that
potential.
In
the sequel, Hereafter, the main character, Fallon Ford, finds herself
in heaven. Again, the sharp lens of fiction focuses on the stories told
by those who “crossed over” and returned, shaping them into a novel that
attempts to share the deeper fundamental meaning of what life on the
“other side” might be like.
In
this fictional version of heaven, there are golf courses, baseball
diamonds, amusement parks, and coffee shops! Though many things are
recognizable, heaven is not a some kind of reward destination for having
been good on Earth. No, heaven is the University to Earth's grammar
school. There's lots to learn and Fallon goes off on a Mission not long
after arriving at the Pearly Gates.
***********************************************************************************
Institutional Racism and the Catholic Church will challenge the
stereotypical labels attached to Americans of African descent.
Institutional Racism and the Catholic Church is a memoir, also
reflective of the personal experiences of countless Americans of African
descent who suffered under the regressive grip of institutional racism
perpetuated by a Christian organization that supposedly was dedicated to
justice and equality.
Many Americans of African descent succeeded in spite of the racism
encountered throughout society, their communities, and which was
unfortunately also entrenched within the walls of the institutional
Catholic Church. Institutional Racism and the Catholic Church will
attempt to shine light on the issue, suggest a model for reform, and
open up a discussion long buried by Catholic evangelism policies which
were not inclusive, as well as look at current segregated parish
formation practices.
written by Dolores Williams
Taking five years to complete, writing Saint Benedict the Moor was a
labor of love inspired by my deep respect for Americans of African
descent whose progeny graced the Wisconsin/Milwaukee scene as early as
1835. They continued throughout the years to be instruments of their
own economic and social advancement. Along the way, they had help from
well-meaning Caucasian individuals, but their drive and single-minded
purpose allowed them to survive in hostile environments and to achieve
measures of success in their individual and group endeavors. This book
outlines their presence in Milwaukee from the time of their early entry
into the territory that is now Milwaukee, to their struggles for
survival during their early years in Milwaukee, to the successful
efforts of Roman Catholics to proselytize a group of them, and the
influence St. Benedict Boarding and Day School had on the lives of its
enrollees during their periods of enrollment in the school and their
lives thereafter.
written by Dolores Williams
PROJECT HISTORY
Born and raised Catholic, I was teaching in a Catholic school & publishing when I got a call from Dolores Foster Williams who had met the author of another one of my early projects. As a lifelong African American Catholic she was concerned about the historical and ongoing racism as practiced by the Institutional Catholic Church. I agreed to help her tell her story in print. The first book was about the Catholic boarding school she attended, and that was followed by a book directly challenging the racism still impacting Black Catholics in America.
PROJECT
Taking five years to complete, writing Saint Benedict the Moor was a labor of love inspired by my deep respect for Americans of African descent whose progeny graced the Wisconsin/Milwaukee scene as early as 1835. They continued throughout the years to be instruments of their own economic and social advancement. Along the way, they had help from well-meaning Caucasian individuals, but their drive and single-minded purpose allowed them to survive in hostile environments and to achieve measures of success in their individual and group endeavors. This book outlines their presence in Milwaukee from the time of their early entry into the territory that is now Milwaukee, to their struggles for survival during their early years in Milwaukee, to the successful efforts of Roman Catholics to proselytize a group of them, and the influence St. Benedict Boarding and Day School had on the lives of its enrollees during their periods of enrollment in the school and their lives thereafter.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/dolores-a-foster-williams-med/saint-benedict-the-moor/paperback/product-18899738.html
PROJECT
Institutional Racism and the Catholic Church will challenge the stereotypical labels attached to Americans of African descent. Institutional Racism and the Catholic Church is a memoir, also reflective of the personal experiences of countless Americans of African descent who suffered under the regressive grip of institutional racism perpetuated by a Christian organization that supposedly was dedicated to justice and equality.
Many Americans of African descent succeeded in spite of the racism encountered throughout society, their communities, and which was unfortunately also entrenched within the walls of the institutional Catholic Church. Institutional Racism and the Catholic Church will attempt to shine light on the issue, suggest a model for reform, and open up a discussion long buried by Catholic evangelism policies which were not inclusive, as well as look at current segregated parish formation practices.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/dolores-foster-williams/institutional-racism-and-the-catholic-church/paperback/product-21238437.html
PROJECT HISTORY
Anna Rosario should not be here. Three times she died and left her body, only to return to the battle—tested and scarred but not defeated. At times it took heavy-duty miracles to keep her alive—Miracles of the Divine Kind. On other occasions, the miracles of modern medicine, combined with God’s grace, handled the crisis. But Anna’s story is also about the power of prayer to launch little miracles, the Godwinks that can uplift our lives each and every day if only we learn to recognize them as Gifts from God.
Despite the stress of growing up in a broken home, Anna was able to not only survive, but thrive finding both faith and blessing in spite of ongoing personal struggles. On the pages of Miracles, God’s Proof of Life, you’ll be able to walk a ways in Anna’s shoes and imagine a life blessed so abundantly with miracles that left no doubt in her mind that God not only existed, but loved her deeply.
Motivated by a desire to help others grow their faith, in 2014 Anna resolved to organize her memories in order to share on the pages of a memoir the uplifting stories that revel in her life full of miraculous blessings.
PROJECT
The really big questions in life, why are we here, who made us, what happens after we die, are so difficult to answer definitively.
The bestseller, Heaven is for Real, also produced into a 2014 film, suggests that heaven actually exists according to the believable testimony of a boy who died, went there, and was allowed to remember enough convincing detail to make many also believe that yes, heaven is for real!
As for why are we here, according to Judeo-Christian religious thinking we seem to be trapped between heaven and hell, our goal to make sure we end up in heaven when we die. Of course, the reality is not likely to be that simple.
In the film, Constantine, a psychic, cursed with the gift of being able to see demons, has the responsibility to deport any half-breed demons back to hell should they cross over onto our human plane.
According to the film’s main character, John Constantine is sure there’s a devil, but believes that people are quite capable on their own of committing horrendous evil. In the eternal battle for our souls, the half-breeds, the guardian angels and demons, can only nudge, whisper, and influence without actually forcing us to do anything against our will.
The Germans have a saying, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.
The counterintuitive aspect of hardship is that it can provide an intense drive leading to success. Look at the personal profiles of some of the world’s more noteworthy individuals and you just might find a history of hardship. For example, most people know that Oprah Winfrey endured a troubled childhood and grew up dirt poor in the South.
As far as who made us, most have no problem with a concept of a Creator, a God who is responsible for everything in existence. Has anyone credible living today actually met God? Is there proof of God’s existence?
Many will point to the wonder, complexity and order in creation and claim that a Higher Power, an intelligent Being, has to exist because of the evidence of design all around us. Although most understand the meaning of the word miracle few have actually experienced the kind of miracle that could only be explained by divine intervention.
Such a miracle would be Proof of Life that God exists.
Sure, people can pray and a sick person may get well, but was God involved? What about all the sick people who are prayed for and still die?
I won’t try to explain why a loving God would allow so much suffering, hardship, poverty, natural disasters, accidents, disease, and death to exist in our world, except to say that if divine miracles do happen they are not about fundamentally changing the world we live in. They must be given as gifts and as evidence that God, more generally that life on a higher spiritual plane, does exist.
Anna Rosario has been directly involved in a number of miracles of the Divine Kind and she’ll share some of her chilling stories with you in her book, Miracles, God’s Proof of Life.
Anna knows that the Holy Spirit has been a close companion of hers ever since she was a little girl, keeping her heart open and full of love even though there was precious little love to be had in her difficult home life.
And, as far as that question, why are we here, Anna will explain how her greater Purpose in life began to unfold when she was only seven years old.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=Miracles+Anna+Rosario&type=
PROJECT HISTORY
I met Kim Carson through a friend of a friend who was dating her. You can't talk to Kim for a minute without realizing that she's lived a magical life rich in spirit and substance. Being on the radio was not about fame or fortune, but rather about leading a flock of listeners to the promised land of deeper spiritual wisdom. Sensing there was an inspirational story to be told, I got Kim's cooperation to conduct a series of recorded interviews and from those transcriptions came the manuscript for Hotlined From Heaven.
PROJECT
Radio DJ’s represent a unique professional subculture. The best are gifted with a captivating voice and creative insights combined into a rare ability to sell themselves and their station’s programming. They are often mysterious, fascinating figures. As radio "personalities" they have a kind of star status within their local communities. Still the most interactive of all media, DJ's, responding to callers in real time, reach out to a forum, a radio wave gathering, of people who share common views, values, or preferences for certain kinds of music. Kim Carson’s mission has always been to reach out over the airways and bring people together through her uncommon blend of entertaining as well as inspirational music and message.
HOTLINED FROM HEAVEN is Kim’s story. It is also the story of all who feel a deep calling, not only to a challenging career, but to make a difference in the spiritual lives of the people around them.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/richard-bencriscutto-and-sherie-weil/hotlined-from-heaven/paperback/product-17346401.html
No comments:
Post a Comment