Darkness Be Gone! Light is HERE!

Christian writer Frank Peretti burst onto the international scene in the late 1980’s with two bestsellers showcasing spiritual warfare.

His first —This Present Darkness (1986) —  stayed on the Christian Booksellers Association’s top ten bestsellers list for over 150 consecutive weeks. This one and his second — Piercing the Darkness (1989) sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_E._Peretti

Frank has also been prolific, writing for adults, teens and pre-teens. More than 12 million copies in print.

His 26th book published in 2017. The Harbingers series (supernatural thrillers) in collaboration with bestselling author friends Angela Hunt, Bill Myers and Alton Gansky.   https://www.christianbook.com/harbingers-series-volumes-1-3/bill-myers/pd/219762

Why profile a Christian author in a blog about Christian business owners? Perhaps because, unlike most authors, writing and publishing books fulltime is how Frank makes money? Or because he’s used much (all?) of his writing to impact the world by expressing his Christian faith?

During the 1990’s, Frank released Prophet (1992), The Oath (1995), and The Visitation (1999). The Oath received the ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award for Best Fiction of 1996. The Visitation rose to #19 on the NY Times Bestseller list and, in 2006, became a film.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_E._Peretti

Frank’s most personal work was rooted in his childhood trauma.

Suffering from cystic hygroma — a malformation of the lymphatic system — Frank’s tongue became a tumor in and of itself. Big, Stuck out. Black and bleeding. By his own description, hideous.  http://www1.cbn.com/700club/frank-peretti-man-and-monster

Predictably, at school he suffered merciless bullying — physical and verbal. Soul-wounding bullying. Years of it.

Frank retreated, becoming timid. Raised Christian, he was taught to never fight. So he never did… becoming an easy target. Whatever pushing, shoving or hitting came, he took it. His imagination became his escape.

Many of Frank’s novels portray monsters. Frank says it’s because they “could control their situations. They were ugly… outcast. I could identify with that… I felt like a monster too. I wished I could be [one… to] … terrorize somebody for a change instead of them terrorizing me.” 

http://www1.cbn.com/700club/frank-peretti-man-and-monster

When Frank finally spoke up, he got help. Searching for his place in the world — through music, college, carpentry, even pastoring — he finally realized his dream.   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5544.Frank_E_Peretti

Writing.

Frank’s nonfiction books, The Wounded Spirit (2000), No More Victims (2000) and No More Bullies (2003)have brought healing to countless people… himself, included. As one reviewer writes:

[Frank’s] approach is both tender and tough as he issues a ringing call for… change…. a call for all of us to stop thinking of abuse as “normal,” even among kids… a call for the strong to stand up and protect the weak, not prey upon them… 

… a call for those in authority to pay attention to the violence being done to the vulnerable in … our everyday lives and to take action to help… Most of all… a call for bullies and victims alike (many of us are both) to seek the healing and forgiveness offered in Jesus Christ.

For… Only in Christ, Peretti reminds, is there hope for…  wounded spirits — … hope… powerful enough to change everything.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/395587.The_Wounded_Spirit

What say you?

Please post your comments below.

Diana Furr, a.k.a. Abba’s Girl

This blog may have raised questions for you. If you’d like to connect, engage, or get further help from me, you can… EMAIL me at [email protected]; CALL me at 863-446-1660; or request a complimentary initial CONSULT with me at https://calendly.com/diana-furr.

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