Kingdoms both heavenly and earthly demand his mind.
No wonder he disappears for two hours each day.
Nothing escapes Kelton’s notice, and nothing leaves his memory. Yet behind his big brown eyes lurk a lifetime of soul-struggles. At nineteen, Kelton receives Adon Olam’s call to leave everything behind and seek Him in solitude upon a hill belonging to a local hermit. Somehow, the more he fixes his mind upon Adon Olam, the more it wanders. During his years with the hermit, countless lessons and revelations shape his character. Over time, the answer to his biggest dilemma becomes both more clear and more impossible.
Then the sudden death of co-king Daemien throws all Taerna into turmoil, and in the ensuing chaos, Kelton’s memories prove crucial and his hyper-analytical skills essential. But will his quiet, home-loving soul crumble under the pressure of public scrutiny? Will countless but seemingly harmless distractions inevitably win the battle for his thoughts? And will he ever feel like he knows Adon Olam?
Excerpt!
He was nearly asleep that night before his conversation with Liliora returned to his mind. What passage could he meditate on tonight? Was there anything…? His brain was tired; he’d had a busy day; it hadn’t been easy to see Father’s lower-than-usual spirits at suppertime. What should he think about? Lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds… No, he’d thought about that one so often in recent weeks. His mind remained blank. Perhaps some words of Yeshua’s? But what? Perhaps a Psalm? No, there had to be something better, something more fitting.
Liliora had mentioned the law. Should he do that? Maybe? Perhaps? He was much too weary to extend his mind further in thought. And Adon Olam spake all these words, saying… Already his mind was half-lost to sleep. I am your Adon Olam…
The next moment, his eyes were opening and the faint moonlight on his floor had shifted. He sighed as he rolled over, clasping the blankets against the cold that threatened to seep through. He had fallen asleep.
But how ought he to decide what to think about as he went to sleep? He wished he could ask Haeward.
Why turn to Haeward when you can turn to Me?
~ Memory’s Mind by Erika Mathews, restinglife.com
Meditation Challenge and Giveaway!
In Memory’s Mind, Kelton begins to discover the extreme importance of what he puts his mind on and the power of Biblical meditation. Along with Kelton, take the challenge to meditate on the Word of God for five days and begin to build a habit of lifetime meditation.
THE CHALLENGE:
1. Choose a length of time that you will devote specifically and only to meditation each day this week. (Minimum: 10 minutes. Suggested: anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour). Let Erika Mathews know (you can comment on her blog or message her through her website) what length of time you picked.
2. Choose the Scripture verse (or part of a verse) you will be meditating on. It can be any verse. It may be the same verse every day or a different verse every day. It should primarily be one verse (or one short passage) for an entire day. (Suggested verses on restinglife.com/blog if you’d like guidance.)
3. Meditate on your passage of Scripture for the length of time you chose. (Tips and ideas on Erika’s blog.)
4. Each day once you’ve completed the meditation challenge, enter the giveaway here! You can enter each day.
THE GIVEAWAY:
You can win a special meditation prize pack!
- A pocket journal to carry about with you to write down anything God speaks to you at any time, just as Kelton did.
- A special pen
- Scripture cards to help you turn your mind to a verse throughout the day.
- A pocket New Testament to carry with you in order to access God’s Word at any moment.
About the Author
Erika Mathews writes Christian living books, both fiction and non-fiction, that demonstrate the power of the kingdom of God through ordinary people, transforming daily life into His resting life. She’s a homeschool graduate with a Bachelor’s in Communications, a Master’s in Biblical Ministries, and a passion for sharing Jesus Christ and His truth. Outside of writing, she spends time with her husband Josh, mothers her little ones, reads, edits, enjoys the great Minnesota outdoors, plays piano and violin, makes heroic ventures into minimalism, clean eating, and gardening, and uses the Oxford comma. You can connect with Erika at restinglife.com.
Sale!
Schedule
February 12 – KICK-OFF DAY
Erika Mathews at Resting Life – tour intro, Meditation Challenge+giveaway announcement
February 14 – COVER REVEAL/PREORDER FOR ROMANCE’S REST DAY
Erika Mathews at Resting Life – Cover Reveal for Romance’s Rest, Meditation Challenge #1
COVER REVEAL POSTS:
Autumn Lehman at Bursting Through the Darkness
Kristina Hall at Kristina Hall
Hannah Killian at The Writerly Worm and Facebook
Morgan Giesbrecht on Instagram
Joy C. Woodbury at Discipleship with Joy
February 15 – FREE CHAPTER DAY
Erika Mathews at Resting Life – Read the First Chapter for Free and Meditation Challenge #2
Autumn Lehman at Bursting Through the Darkness – How Do We Meditate? Practical Tips: Guest post by Erika on Meditation
February 16 – BIBLE STUDY DAY
Erika Mathews at Resting Life – Mini Bible Study on Keep and Meditation Challenge #3
Joy C. Woodbury at Discipleship with Joy – Book spotlight and exclusive excerpt
Chelsea Burden at Light in the Tunnel – Guest post by Erika on What Is Biblical Meditation
Stephanie Agnes-Crockett at Stephanie’s Ninth Suitcase – Romance’s Rest cover reveal
February 17 – SALE DAY
Erika Mathews at Resting Life – Taerna Books on Sale and Meditation Challenge #4
Chelsea Burden at Light in the Tunnel – cover reveal for Romance’s Rest
Stephanie Agnes-Crockett at Stephanie’s Ninth Suitcase – Book spotlight
February 18 – LAUNCH DAY
Erika Mathews at Resting Life – LAUNCH DAY! Meditation Challenge #5
Kristina Hall at Kristina Hall and on Instagram – Book spotlight and exclusive excerpt
Autumn Lehman at Bursting Through the Darkness – Book spotlight and exclusive excerpt
Morgan Giesbrecht on Instagram
February 19 – WRAP-UP DAY
Erika Mathews at Resting Life – Giveaway Winner + Meditation Challenge Wrapup
Katja Labonté at Old Fashioned Book Love and Instagram – Book spotlight, exclusive excerpt, and review
Vanessa Hall at Vanessa Hall and Goodreads – Book spotlight and exclusive excerpt
March 1 – BOOK REVIEW SPOTLIGHT
Erika Mathews at Resting Life – What Readers are Saying
Stephanie Agnes-Crockett at Stephanie’s Ninth Suitcase, Instagram, and Facebook – Book review
Vanessa Hall at Vanessa Hall and Goodreads – Book review
Vanessa Hall 