Through the years, I never thought about writing, but I have always stored away certain sayings that I found interesting. One of those titles was Where the Timbers Cross, and I always thought that would make a good story. The problem was how to put a story with some of these sayings. It was almost five years before I came up with the story that goes with the book title. I wrote two stories in 1997 and put them in a folder and forgot about them. I happened to give a cousin the stories and asked him to read them. I assumed he would do what I would have done and put them in a drawer and forget about them. I talked to him a few weeks later, and he made copies of the stories and given them to neighbors, relatives, and pastors. I then started hearing from the readers of the stories asking for more stories. My third story was written in 2015. Then I was asked about a book, so here we are. This book composed of thirty-five Christian-fiction stories. Even though the stories are fiction, many are based on true happenings I have come across over the years. Even though my name is on the book, God wrote the stories. About the Author David Ford graduated from East Tennessee State University with a master's degree. He then spent the next thirty-five years teaching in middle and high school. During those years, he taught biology, advanced biology, environmental science, earth science, physical science, general science, and life science. Since retiring, he enjoys golf, biking, and working out. He also has discovered a hidden talent""writing.

This book started as a way to share lessons learned about living with my niece, Joi Michelle Payton. While each person has to find his or her own way in life, we can all learn worthwhile things from each other. The goal of each essay in this book is to share ideas about addressing lifes challenges. The book draws from my experiences, the experiences of my generation and others. Among the lessons learned by my generation and those who came before were: how to overcome barriers, establish your place in the world, be your true self, and be proud of your heritage. These skills are just as useful today. I hope you find these essays helpful, encourage you to share what you learn with friends, family and others, and wish you a long, productive, satisfying life that leaves the world a better place.

This book is about the power of God. God can intercede in any life, and turn it all the way around, regardless of the situation. The power of God that is working in our world today is sometimes overlooked because of all of the poverty, dysfunctional families, and violence we see every day. Yet, we know God moves with a hand of mercy and a heart of love, and brings about miraculous changes in the lives of His people. Faith in God is one of the major factors of this book, such as the ability to rise above ones circumstances and achieve God given goals to break the strongholds of life that have enslaved so many; to really believe that God has the power to work things out according to His way and to His will, and that all things work together to the glory of God to those who put their faith and trust in Him; to gain a deeper knowledge of God as a result of the need to depend upon Him; and to never to give up but to keep on reaching and pressing on. I invite you to visit the Bethlehem Baptist Church website, www.bbc4christ.org, to read Pastors Daily Devotions which is distributed quarterly.

Will the People of Earth Bow Down to Alien Overlords—or Will They Fight Back? First Contact Was Friendly When aliens trundled a gate to other worlds into the Solar System, the world reacted with awe, hope, and fear. The first aliens to come through, the Glatun, turned out to be peaceful traders, and the world breathed a sigh of relief. Who Controls the Orbitals, Controls the World When the Horvath came through, they announced their ownership of us by dropping rocks on three cities and gutting them. Since then, they've held Terra as their own personal fiefdom. With their control of the orbitals, there's no way to win and Earth's governments have accepted the status quo. Live Free or Die To free the world from the grip of the Horvath is going to take an unlikely hero. A hero unwilling to back down to alien or human governments, unwilling to live in slavery, and with enough hubris, if not stature, to think he can win. Fortunately, there's Tyler Vernon. And he has bigger plans than just getting rid of the Horvath. Troy Rising is a book in three parts—Live Free or Die being the first part—detailing the freeing of Earth from alien conquerors, the first steps into space using off-world technologies and the creation of Troy, a thousand-trillion-ton battle station designed to secure the Solar System.