Bargain Books Under $3

FEATURED: Landon Falls by Shannon Elliott

FEATURED: Landon Falls by Shannon Elliott

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As the sun peeked over the horizon, embers from the burning wood continued to rise and glow in the twilight with the fierceness one would expect from little demons who found their portal of escape from the underworld.
Stepping out of his truck, Jackson Landon stood in the driveway of his new home and watched as the store he’d built, Landon’s Dry Goods and Supplies, continued its quick descent to nothingness just a quarter-mile up the road. Taking a swig of whiskey, he compared his hopes, his dreams, his life to the path of the supposed spirits. Full of speed and fury upon their ascent. Only to have the harsh world squash their spark and blow them into a nearby field where they would forever be part of the dirt from whence everything came.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Jackson raised the bottle in a mocking salute before its rim once again caressed his lips.
“I’m sorry, did you say something?”
Jackson looked over at his wife, Adele, leaning beside him against their recently purchased but soon-to-be-repossessed 1939 Dodge TF37. Her beauty typically brought solace to his bouts of self-pity. But this time, it couldn’t stop the despair piercing through his soul like pins through a cushion. He had failed her.

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FEATURED: The Practice of The Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life Annotated and Reflective Edition, by Eternal Bliss

FEATURED: The Practice of The Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life Annotated and Reflective Edition, by Eternal Bliss

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Twelfth Letter: Faith—The Soul’s Rest Amid Suffering

If we were truly accustomed to living in the presence of God, every bodily suffering would be greatly eased by it. God often allows us to suffer a little—not to punish us, but to purify our souls and to draw us nearer to Him.

Take courage, and offer your pain continually to Him. Pray for the strength to bear it well. Above all, practice the habit of keeping company with God; forget Him as little as possible. Adore Him even in your weakness. Offer yourself to Him often, and in the very height of your suffering, ask Him humbly—as a child speaks to a loving father—to make you more like Christ and to bring your will into harmony with His. I will assist you with my poor prayers.

God has many ways of drawing His children to Himself. Sometimes He hides His presence, but faith remains when feelings vanish. Faith alone must be our anchor and our confidence—resting entirely in God, especially when He seems far away.

As for me, I do not know what God intends for the remainder of my life. But I am always at peace. Everyone around me suffers, and yet I, who deserve the harshest discipline, experience joy so constant and so full that I can barely contain it.

I would gladly ask God to give me a share of your suffering, but I know my weakness too well. If He were to leave me to myself even for a moment, I would be utterly miserable. And yet, how could He ever leave me, when faith assures me as clearly as sight that He never forsakes us—unless we first forsake Him?

Let us, then, fear only this: to leave Him. Let us remain always with Him. Let us live and die in His holy presence. Pray for me, as I do for you.

Reflection

Here, at the twilight of his earthly journey, Brother Lawrence’s words shine like a steady flame in the dark. The man who once struggled to keep his mind fixed on God now dwells in His presence so naturally that even pain cannot disturb his peace.

Notice the divine paradox: suffering does not remove joy—it refines it. What once felt like punishment has become purification. He sees every affliction as God’s gentle invitation to stay close, to trust, to be transformed. This is not spiritual denial but spiritual clarity—the awareness that God is more concerned with our likeness to Him than with our comfort.
Brother Lawrence’s faith has matured from discipline to delight. When he says, “I am always happy,” he does not mean the absence of hardship; he means the presence of God has eclipsed every lesser fear. His joy is not fragile—it’s anchored in a God who never abandons those who abide.

And what humility! He admits that if God left him to himself for a single moment, he would collapse in misery. That is not weakness; it is wisdom. It is the confession of one who has learned that self-sufficiency is the enemy of peace. His security rests not in his devotion, but in God’s unchanging faithfulness.

His warning at the end—“Let us fear only to leave Him”—is piercing. The greatest danger for the believer is not pain, loss, or even death; it is forgetfulness of God. Every other trial can be turned into glory if His presence remains.

This letter distills the essence of all Brother Lawrence’s teaching:
Faith is not an escape from suffering; it is the power to remain unshaken in the midst of it.

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FEATURED: God’s Prescription: A Faith-Based Plan to Shift Your Mindset and Reclaim Your Natural Health by Terri Ward

FEATURED: God’s Prescription: A Faith-Based Plan to Shift Your Mindset and Reclaim Your Natural Health by Terri Ward

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Several years ago, my husband was scheduled a few months out for surgery to treat achalasia, an autoimmune esophageal disorder that progressively impairs swallowing. In the interim, he took a celebratory trip back east with his daughter, eating indulgent fare like lobster and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Upon his return, his symptoms took a terrifying turn. He suddenly couldn’t even swallow his own saliva!

We went to a nearby emergency room (ER) for what should have been a straightforward procedure: placing a nasogastric (N-G) tube. An N-G tube is a thin tube inserted through the nose into the stomach to relieve pressure or deliver nutrition. Unfortunately, what followed was anything but straightforward.

The medical system failed us at every turn. Despite my protests, he was given unnecessary medications and not an N-G tube. He was admitted to the hospital and underwent a different procedure, which was botched, leaving him in excruciating pain. The resulting pain medications caused nausea, compounding his already serious condition.

After days deteriorating in the hospital, my husband finally got an N-G tube and was discharged. However, at home, he couldn’t keep the tube down due to the nausea. While waiting for his surgeon’s staff to discuss his situation and call me back, he started shaking with rigors. I took him to the hospital ER where his surgery was scheduled—still a week out. While I was checking him in, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed. The ER attendant grabbed his wheelchair and raced him back, yelling “Code Assist,” which means ‘All hands on deck.’

As her shouts faded, I was left wondering: Did he just die?

In that moment, everything else faded. I wasn’t worried about his nutrition. All I could do was pray that he would survive.

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FEATURED: Contending with Paul 3 by William Cobble

FEATURED: Contending with Paul 3 by William Cobble

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Lydia

Lydia only appears in the Book of Acts. Since the church in Philippi began with her conversion, one would expect to find her in the greetings section of Philippians, but she receives no mention in any of Paul’s letters. She does, however, hold the distinction of being the first known European convert to Christianity. Acts shows her as a businesswoman who was likely financially independent. Clothes colored with the royal purple dye of Thyatira were considered luxury items and her trade had likely brought her to Philippi to sell to the wealthy clientele there. Her home was obviously large enough to accommodate servants, guests, and ultimately a Christian assembly. Since there is no mention of a husband, Lydia was most likely single at the time she met Paul:

“On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.” (Acts 16:13-15)

Lydia, or at least her home, will make one additional appearance in Acts later in the same chapter. Her residence appears to have become the meeting place for a burgeoning Christian congregation in Philippi:

“After leaving the prison (Paul and Silas) went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.” (Acts 16:40)

A Theory
The appearance of devout women meeting beside a stream at a place of prayer on the Sabbath speaks to them being Jewish. This seems confirmed by the description of Lydia as “a worshipper of God.” That it was only women meeting outside on the sabbath could be evidence that there were not enough Jewish men in Philippi to make up the quorum required to establish a proper synagogue, which necessitated ten Jewish males over the age of thirteen. By the author of Acts relating this information, he may be showing an interesting contrast: Lydia, while a Jewish woman, was forbidden from founding a synagogue, but as a Christian she could found a church within her own home.

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FEATURED: Landon Falls by Shannon Elliott

FEATURED: Landon Falls by Shannon Elliott

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As the sun peeked over the horizon, embers from the burning wood continued to rise and glow in the twilight with the fierceness one would expect from little demons who found their portal of escape from the underworld.
Stepping out of his truck, Jackson Landon stood in the driveway of his new home and watched as the store he’d built, Landon’s Dry Goods and Supplies, continued its quick descent to nothingness just a quarter-mile up the road. Taking a swig of whiskey, he compared his hopes, his dreams, his life to the path of the supposed spirits. Full of speed and fury upon their ascent. Only to have the harsh world squash their spark and blow them into a nearby field where they would forever be part of the dirt from whence everything came.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Jackson raised the bottle in a mocking salute before its rim once again caressed his lips.
“I’m sorry, did you say something?”
Jackson looked over at his wife, Adele, leaning beside him against their recently purchased but soon-to-be-repossessed 1939 Dodge TF37. Her beauty typically brought solace to his bouts of self-pity. But this time, it couldn’t stop the despair piercing through his soul like pins through a cushion. He had failed her.

FEATURED: Sara’s Legacy by Larry Trapp

FEATURED: Sara’s Legacy by Larry Trapp

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Sara would soon find out how hateful and powerful her father truly was. Her return to Bensenville at the end of the summer in 1894 was not exactly what she anticipated it would be. Really, she did not know what to expect from either her father or mother, but she did not expect what she received.
As she disembarked from the train on her arrival back in Bensenville, she could she the icy expression on her father’s face as he waited in the carriage that would convey her and the baby she held in her arms. She did not know what to prepare for, but she certainly did not prepare for the stone-cold silence that she received from her father. No hug from him, no offer to retrieve her luggage, only a hard and rage-filled stare was etched on the man’s face. Silently, Mr. Harlin stepped down from the carriage and moved to the baggage claims dock to unwillingly retrieve his daughter’s luggage and trunk so he would not have to hold the baby while Sara loaded her things on the carriage.
Wheeling the load on a small hand truck, Isaac Harlin silently loaded the items onto the small area behind the carriage seat. Climbing back up into the driver’s seat of the rig, Harlin said, as he stared straight ahead, “Not a word, young lady. I don’t want to hear one word from you about why you brought that foreign child back here. We will talk about this back home.”
The silence of her father was loud indeed, but the icy cold reception she received from her mother and the equally silent rebuke from her older brother spoke volumes. The ultimatum from her parents was simple and forthcoming: Sara was welcome to remain in her parents’ home, but they would never allow Jesse to remain there.
Her father’s lectures left no doubt as to what was expected from her. They would purchase a ticket on the next train back to Chicago. She was to take the child with her and deposit it at the county orphanage, as she should have done when it was born. There would be no argument from her. These were the rules that were laid out for her, and if she had any intention of returning to the Harlin home, then she would fully comply – end of argument!
This is what found the young, now-homeless Sara, making her way with silent tears streaming down her face and carrying both her two-month-old infant and a makeshift rucksack down the dusty path away from the Harlin house. Jesse was her child now and not the ward of the state; there was no way she was going to turn her baby over to a cold, heartless institution where he would grow up with zero nurturing and guidance. When she was given the ultimatum from her father and mother, she knew that any amount of pleading would fall on deaf ears. She had to get out of that house and leave everything her parents could claim behind. She gathered the few garments that she obtained from working with the Merras in Chicago, wrapped them up in a discarded tablecloth her mother was throwing away, picked up Jesse, and walked out of the house of Isaac and Anne Harlin, never to return.

FEATURED: The Lattice Scheme by A. L. Lieske

FEATURED: The Lattice Scheme by A. L. Lieske

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“Freedom of choice. Unlimited options: the very thinking that perpetuated the onset of the Third World War. Freedom is not truly freedom when everything is fair game. People scream for rights yet show no interest in responsibility. It seems even after a war that the lesson must still be learned that lack of accountability brings destruction.”
His tone deepened, “We have a duty to preserve, protect, and perpetuate liberty, but liberty must be guarded by boundaries. Inequality, in some cases, is a byproduct of the choices we make and the accountability we accept. If that lesson has yet likewise to be learned since the war, then the trillions of lives lost were in vain.”

Azure was speechless.

In vain…

Her mind flashed back to the war and the transformation of American life: restrictions on alcohol, limits on connected devices, surveillance over communications, the fall of social media, and the regulation of AI and other advanced technologies. Education became tightly controlled, and traditional values were reemphasized: hard work, individual responsibility, and the idea that effort ought to yield reward in a capitalist society. All of it had been meant to preserve the right to live freely, to trade and build, to foster unity and appreciation for one’s neighbor. The American Dream had been restored, not only by policy, but by principle. It was once again accessible to all who would work for it, regardless of race, gender, or ability.

Much had been gained, as much had been lost. There would always be trade-offs. To lose the vices, many virtues, and potential virtues had been sacrificed. It was not the technology, the trade, or the practices that ruined them: it was the attitude, the lack of accountability, the belief, or even the idea that any ideal should be free from responsibility.

“Ideas are powerful,” she said aloud.

“Yes, and when someone implants the wrong idea into another’s mind, it can become destructive.”

FEATURED: The Practice of The Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life Annotated and Reflective Edition, by Eternal Bliss

FEATURED: The Practice of The Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life Annotated and Reflective Edition, by Eternal Bliss

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Twelfth Letter: Faith—The Soul’s Rest Amid Suffering

If we were truly accustomed to living in the presence of God, every bodily suffering would be greatly eased by it. God often allows us to suffer a little—not to punish us, but to purify our souls and to draw us nearer to Him.

Take courage, and offer your pain continually to Him. Pray for the strength to bear it well. Above all, practice the habit of keeping company with God; forget Him as little as possible. Adore Him even in your weakness. Offer yourself to Him often, and in the very height of your suffering, ask Him humbly—as a child speaks to a loving father—to make you more like Christ and to bring your will into harmony with His. I will assist you with my poor prayers.

God has many ways of drawing His children to Himself. Sometimes He hides His presence, but faith remains when feelings vanish. Faith alone must be our anchor and our confidence—resting entirely in God, especially when He seems far away.

As for me, I do not know what God intends for the remainder of my life. But I am always at peace. Everyone around me suffers, and yet I, who deserve the harshest discipline, experience joy so constant and so full that I can barely contain it.

I would gladly ask God to give me a share of your suffering, but I know my weakness too well. If He were to leave me to myself even for a moment, I would be utterly miserable. And yet, how could He ever leave me, when faith assures me as clearly as sight that He never forsakes us—unless we first forsake Him?

Let us, then, fear only this: to leave Him. Let us remain always with Him. Let us live and die in His holy presence. Pray for me, as I do for you.

Reflection

Here, at the twilight of his earthly journey, Brother Lawrence’s words shine like a steady flame in the dark. The man who once struggled to keep his mind fixed on God now dwells in His presence so naturally that even pain cannot disturb his peace.

Notice the divine paradox: suffering does not remove joy—it refines it. What once felt like punishment has become purification. He sees every affliction as God’s gentle invitation to stay close, to trust, to be transformed. This is not spiritual denial but spiritual clarity—the awareness that God is more concerned with our likeness to Him than with our comfort.
Brother Lawrence’s faith has matured from discipline to delight. When he says, “I am always happy,” he does not mean the absence of hardship; he means the presence of God has eclipsed every lesser fear. His joy is not fragile—it’s anchored in a God who never abandons those who abide.

And what humility! He admits that if God left him to himself for a single moment, he would collapse in misery. That is not weakness; it is wisdom. It is the confession of one who has learned that self-sufficiency is the enemy of peace. His security rests not in his devotion, but in God’s unchanging faithfulness.

His warning at the end—“Let us fear only to leave Him”—is piercing. The greatest danger for the believer is not pain, loss, or even death; it is forgetfulness of God. Every other trial can be turned into glory if His presence remains.

This letter distills the essence of all Brother Lawrence’s teaching:
Faith is not an escape from suffering; it is the power to remain unshaken in the midst of it.

FEATURED: Frogman Puck Origins: The Rising Tides by Joel Chanaca

FEATURED: Frogman Puck Origins: The Rising Tides by Joel Chanaca

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Echo Sync: Amphibious Gear-Up
Dr. E tapped the holographic console, and the room sprang to life. Sleek, high-tech suits appeared as though on display in a futuristic gallery. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she addressed the team.
“Welcome to the next generation of amphibious technology: Echo Sync Amphibious Technology, or E.S.A.T. It’s far more advanced than the prototype you tried in Echo Sync mode in Becker’s garage, Puck. Sorry about that! I was nine and had only been designing for a year.
“Anyway, these suits, the aircraft, and the drones aren’t just tools-they’re extensions of you in the field. Each piece has been custom-tuned to enhance your abilities, revolutionizing strength, agility, flight, underwater navigation, and speed.”
Puck exchanged an eager glance with Tad as Dr. E gestured toward the frogman suits.
“These? They’re equipped with solar-powered nanobots that activate stealth in Hyper-Realistic Amphibious Mode-or H.R.A.M. You’ll move as one with the water, with enhanced speed, agility, and camouflage that echoes every motion, adapting in real time. They naturally adjust to your environmental needs.
“The camouflage isn’t just for blending into an environment-you could appear older, younger, or even like an average bystander. In high-stakes situations, it’s a lifesaver. Environmental elements trigger the suit to adapt and switch output modes. As you and the team activate the nanobots, they create what you ask them to through sync, but the bots also adjust to your needs. It’s all about team communication.”
Austin raised his hand, eyes wide. “Wait, we can change these suits by communicating with the bots? Just like that?”
Dr. E smirked. “Exactly. Think of it as the ultimate chameleon suit-but on demand. And there’s more: each suit’s holographic mode lets you create distractions, project decoys, or communicate across areas where traditional tech can’t.
“Every piece, aircraft, drones, frogman gear, flight suits, and transport pods syncs seamlessly. The tech amplifies each component, transforming your teamwork into a fluid network. It enhances your senses and shares that information with the entire team. We also added some neat features you’ll discover soon.”
Puck and Tad shared a grin, feeling the thrill of endless possibilities beyond anything they’d imagined.