Showing results by author "Barry Clay" in All Categories

Jesus famously said "You cannot serve God and Mammon." But how do we serve God and not serve Mammon? Don't we work for money and purchase the necessities of life with it? What exactly did Jesus mean? What do we do with our money? This chapter from the book "Solid Ground" explores this topic in a way that is sure to astonish many a Christian. Mr. Clay challenges each believer to return to the Bible and discover what it really says about God and Gold. The answer may surprise you.

One of Job's friends tells him, "Man is born for trouble as sparks fly upwards." The media talks about wars, famines, tsunamis, mud slides, rapes, murders, and untimely deaths from disease. Atheists point to these tragedies and claim that this proves God doesn't exist, or if He exists, He isn't good. Or, if He's good, He isn't powerful enough to do anything about it. In this excerpt from his book, "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay explains that the answer to this question isn't difficult for the Christian because this topic is explored deeply and with great wisdom in the Bible. God is both good and ...

Discover the truth about the government consuming your tax dollars from a now-retired federal employee of more than thirty-seven years. Chock full of amusing (and sometimes horrific) anecdotes (as well as the author's entertaining cartoons), no one who pays taxes and wonders how their money is being spent should miss this book. It’s only one man’s look at one federal organization’s inefficiency, but are the other ones any better? We can only hope. But if they aren’t and if you read this book, you can also chuckle at the lunacy.

Short, absolutely true reflections about amusement parks from Walt Disney World to the completely unknown, written by a man who dislikes roller coasters -- that is sure to make you laugh. This account is also included in the anthology "Molded by Humor."

John H. Watson joins his friend Sherlock Holmes in an investigation of what would appear to be a haunting of the MelRoy Theater. The owner is beside himself with worry, as the haunting is said to be caused by the ghost of his son -- except as far he knows, his son is alive! But then, even more worrying, he hasn't seen his son since the haunting began. The owner hires Holmes to find his son and debunk the haunting before his superstitious employees desert him and force him to close his business. It seems a simple task for Sherlock Holmes, but it quickly becomes more complicated than Dr. ...

"How does good literature get lost?" Barry Clay asks in the forward of "The Adventures of Romain Kalbris." Clay has rescued a nearly forgotten work of the popular French children's author, Hector Malot, the "Rick Riordan" of his day. Clay has translated and adapted it for a modern audience with new illustrations by Joshua McClymont. "The Adventures of Romain Kalbris" tells the story of a boy who wants nothing more than to follow in is father's footsteps and be a sailor. But when his father dies at sea, heroically saving members of a crew in mortal peril, his mother sends him to live with ...

Suspecting that their parents may not approve, seven teenagers decide to consult a Ouija board -- just for fun. The game quickly degenerates into an unexpected encounter with the supernatural in ways they could not have expected, with results that appear as final as they are ambivalent. This novelette is also collected in the anthology "Brushes with the Supernatural".

Alesio DeLuca receives a phone call from his sister-in-law and leaves Los Angeles that night by plane, for all the DeLuca's have a secret hidden from the world at large and he knows just how much he may be needed. What he doesn't know, though, is what he has not been told -- and it may mean his life. This short story has also been collected in the anthology "Brushes with the Supernatural."

Doctors are disappearing from Rooter Ridge, Virginia, a poor town in the Appalachian Mountain chain. Vanessa Congreve, a volunteer with Doctors of the World, is the most recent to vanish without a trace, and Hadley Nelson, a fellow doctor and volunteer, decides to take her place to discover what happened to her friend. But not only doctors are disappearing in Rooter Ridge. Pastors and priests are also disappearing. The Sheriff’s office and FBI have both investigated, but the distrustful residents are unhelpful, and the disappearances remain unsolved. FBI agent Peter Bernal, who is taking ...

The Psalmist asked "What is Man that You are mindful of him?" This excerpt from the book, "Solid Ground" explores that topic thoroughly but briefly. Drawing from the statements in the Bible, Mr. Clay reveals how man was created and how man has changed since the day of his creation.

Variety is the spice of life we are told. Well, there's a fair amount of variety in this collection of novelettes comprising mystery, humor, science fiction, and horror. In "The Case of the MelRoy Theatre Ghost", Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson tackle a haunting by a ghost of a man who may not be dead. In the winner of the 1984 Samuel Freiberg Memorial award for mystery, a young man discovers that "The Name of the Frame" is his own when he discovers a dead body in his third story apartment. In an all too possible future world, Clone Tank Nurse Susan Bachman learns that her job wasn't...

This chilling anthology recounts what happens to ordinary people when they are suddenly faced with things they can't explain rationally. While some are what you might expect from decades of horror stories, others take "the road less traveled." Melissa Nelson is faced with "The Scarecrow of Bachmieir Farm", and she begins to doubt her sanity as she becomes certain it is moving when no one is looking. Teenagers discover "She Is Not Dead, But Sleepeth" when they dabble with something they think is only a party game. Baron Rokosky has always known "The Blood Is the Life", but he uncovers new ...

Have you ever encountered a Christian whose representation of God struck you as – cruel? In all likelihood, that Christian was Reformed. Christian thought is varied, but among those Christians who take their Bibles seriously, there are two main threads of Christian thought. One is the Calvinist (also called Reformed) camp. It is named after John Calvin, a 16th century French theologian. The other camp is the Arminian camp, named after Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived shortly after Calvin. Christians have been arguing over these two competing views for centuries. Often, non-...

Since commissioned by the archangel Gabriel, Christian evangelists Dakota and Emily Peterson's floundering marriage has not prevented them from providing supernatural healing and spiritual counseling to those who flock to their meetings. But a couple approaches them, providing an opportunity that only God can foresee, if they are simply willing to obey Him. This short story is also collected in the anthology "Brushes with the Supernatural."

Ever since Christianity began, the Bible has had a special place in the Christian religion. Its teachings span centuries and consist of histories, poetry, laws, proverbs, and letters. No one can understand Christianity without an understanding of the book Christians call the Word of God. This excerpt from the book "Solid Ground' explains the Bible for believers and unbelievers alike, covering who wrote it, under what circumstances, translations, and how to read it to obtain the most benefit from it. Mr. Clay warns against the pitfalls that many unwittingly fall into when trying to read the ...

It is the early 22nd Century, and Susan Bachman has achieved her goal. She is a CTN - clone tank nurse - a good-paying position matching the needs of people requiring body parts that are harvested from clones grown in tanks. But her world is disturbed when one of the clones opens its eyes and looks at her. She is told that this is a common event and means nothing, but it begins a series of events she cannot control and results in an end she cannot predict. This book combines the novelette "With Whom I Had Been Speaking" and the novella "Knowing with Whom I Had Been Speaking."

When young Thomas Packer returns from work to his rooms on the third story of his apartment building, he finds the dead body of a woman and becomes the prime suspect in the investigation of her murder. With evidence mounting against him, his only hope seems to be the rough-edged, hard smoking Lt. Browne, who believes him innocent. But with all the clues leading to him, will Lt Browne's opinion be enough to exonerate him from a capital crime? Winner of the 1984 Samuel Freiburg Memorial Award for Mystery. This novelette has also been collected in the anthology "A Little Bit of Everything" by ...

"There is probably no more enjoyable treatise for a believer to write in a book on doctrine than the one that describes our salvation, its nature, and how we can be saved." This is how Mr. Clay begins this except from his book, Solid Ground. Mr. Clay addresses the question "How can you be saved?" along with " What might prevent you from being saved?" With great pleasure springing from a faith that has lasted for over 50 years, Mr. Clay explores how we are saved, and with great sorrow he explains what prevents people from being saved. If you are believer, this title will provide you with a ...

Finally, the Cartoon Edition! After years of his wife saying, “You should add your cartoons to your book,” Barry Clay has finally complied. But this doesn’t mean this book is for you. If you have all the answers, do NOT read this book! It is not for you. If your children are consistently well behaved, if potty training is easy and uneventful, if your children eat all the right foods and avoid sugary sweets, if they treat their siblings with respect, just put this book down and walk away. If, however, you are beginning to wonder who the adult in the room is, then – perhaps -- this ...

While the "Solid Ground" titles which were taken from the book "Solid Ground" discuss various aspects of biblical doctrine and why they are important, "Meat and Drink Issues" explore those differences among Christians that aren't really important, how we should handle those differences, and how we can tell the difference between what's important and what isn't.