Excavating TRUTH IN A FICTIONAL WORLD
Official Author Home site of Brian D. Stansell
I am nobody special. Just someone called out from among the others to do something beyond my ability to achieve. A tall order... but not for an even bigger God.
[1 Thessalonians 5:24 KJV] "Faithful [is] he that calleth you, who also will do [it]."
This is not the end of the journey...it is only the beginning.
Welcome Fellow Travelers,
This is just the beginning.
"The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." [Luke 16:10 NET]
What little talent I have, I give to the Great Giver. What profitability comes from it, is His to decide.
Many years ago, I read the following verse...
"Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD:" [Psalms 102:18 NIV]
...and it struck me as a calling on my life. The book of the OT prophet Micah unpacks this for me.
"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? The voice of the LORD will call to the city-- And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name: "Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed its time? "Is there yet a man in the wicked house, Along with treasures of wickedness And a short measure that is cursed? "Can I justify wicked scales And a bag of deceptive weights? "For the rich men of the city are full of violence, Her residents speak lies, And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth." [Micah 6:8-12 NASB]
What does that mean for me? At a young age I was given a passion for story, parable, folklore and fiction. I did not recognize this as a gift at first. But over the years have discovered the delightful twist of the Giver. He wraps your gift in the passions He invested in You.
"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." [James 1:17 NASB]
For a long time that calling was hidden by my own misunderstanding. Know the Nature of the Giver a little bit more over the years, I have come to discover how deliberate and intentional He is about what He does and what He invests into a single life even from the very moment His Breathe is transferred into our tiny lungs and gives us life.
My passion, my calling is to create fictional parables that deliver passengers of eternal truths into the highways and by-ways and into the hearts of traveler, such as yourself.
These are my five biscuits and a small piece of fish that I offer to the Master to make with them what He wills to feed the thousands gathered at this moment in time.
This site is the incubator of a dream and a passion, a vision just becoming more clear with each passing day.
This is how I am called to do battle against the lies that steal from my generation and hopefully for those generations to come...
Surfacing upon the Surface World
We are held accountable to be fair in all our dealings.
"Listen to this, you who trample the needy, and do away with the destitute in the land. You say, "When will the new moon festival be over, so we can sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, so we can open up the grain bins? We're eager to sell less for a higher price, and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales! We're eager to trade silver for the poor, a pair of sandals for the needy! We want to mix in some chaff with the grain!" The LORD confirms this oath by the arrogance of Jacob: "I swear I will never forget all you have done!" [Amos 8:4-7 NET]
There are principles of our business that we abide by as part of this higher calling.
"The LORD detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights." [Proverbs 11:1 NLT]
Writing and publishing and producing works of fiction does take time and effort.
"For the Scripture says, "You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain." And in another place, "Those who work deserve their pay!" [1 Timothy 5:18 NLT]
So to be able to do this on an ongoing basis, we will honestly charge fair market prices for our books, novels, novellas and media. Some rates must be set by the cost to produce the product with a margin for overhead and some profitability to re-invest to higher quality products, increase advertising, deliver the products and produce more to meet the desire for them.
Our commitment is to go back to a customer-service model that is rapidly becoming less and less as the modern customer experience becomes more acclimated to service on the order of a fast food drive-thru chain.
We will offer a 30 day^ money back guarantee. Simply contact us, we will mail you a pre-paid return label and you can ship the product back to us for a full refund.* (Please return product in the same condition in which you received it. * Refunds may be pro-rated to a lesser value from full purchased price, if the product is damaged by the sender, then returned. ^ 30 day will be determined by confirmed delivery date of the product, or by point of sale transfer [download] system confirmation.)
After 30 days from product delivery, all sales will be considered final and subject to all terms of the State and Laws of Texas. No further warranties or liabilities will be extended.
Customer satisfaction is our goal using fair and honest scales and terms of business.
Certain margins of profitability may allow us to offer certain product free of charge or as incentive bonus offers. We reserve the right to do so, at our discretion, with thoughtful consideration and with prayer. This business is lent to us as manager, and we are charged with managing that business honestly, fairly, and profitably for the Master whom we serve.
"Jesus told this story to his disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer's money." [Luke 16:1 NLT]
"Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful." [1 Corinthians 4:2 NLT]
"An elder is a manager of God's household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money." [Titus 1:7 NLT]
That is our business model. Like it or leave it.
Feel free to look around. Browse or shop. It's up to you. You are our customer. We are so honored by your visit whether you make a purchase or not. You spend your time to look us over, and we appreciate that more than you know. If you like our products, our page or what we are doing, be sure and give us a shout-out. If you don't, then Bless your little heart. If you want to share what we are doing here, like us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
May your journey be one of inspiration. May you find your God-given passion and employ your gifts in service to the kingdoms in the Surface World and especially in that Kingdom some of us with certainty refer to as...Home. God Bless!