Bøger af Murray Pura

When the Chornavka family emigrate to Ukraine and return to their family's roots, they are expecting to experience a Communist utopia of peace and prosperity. But Stalin's ruthless purge of the Ukrainian people shatters their lives. Unable to return to Canada or America, the Chornavkas can only try to survive what millions of others cannot. Rising above the carnage and death, they find life, faith and hope once more. But their courage is tested yet again when Nazi Germany invades Russia and Ukraine. Amidst the horrors of total war, with their family scattered over thousands of miles of blazing fields and burning villages, they still must find a way to fight back, to believe again, and to hang onto the one thing they refuse to allow human conflict to tear out of their hearts. Love.

This is the story of a war. But it is also a story of human love and beauty and faith that the sun will rise again over a nation torn by terrible conflict.If a novel is like live streaming or Netflix, then poetry is a gallery of HD images taken with your iPhone or Nikon DSLR, each picture sharp and crystalline and rich with color and meaning, etched in your mind forever thanks to its precision and brilliance.This is a small book of such high definition images, vivid snaps of one man's journey through the recent military conflict in Ukraine. People's faces are here, fields of flowers are here, impossibly blue skies and sharp suns, roads and streets and windows that remain perfectly intact even though the rest of the house has been blown to pieces. Love is here, and peace sits in the same room as pain, while hope has more strength than killing or death. The man's words are beautiful and true and, as real as the war he fights is, dawn and tomorrow are more real.Parts of it will tell your story. Parts of it will become your story. Parts of it will take you on a journey you never expected to take. That is the power of poetry in motion.Begin at this man's beginning.

Once upon a time there was a war and Andrew Chornavka and his family were caught up in its fires. Love, betrayal, sacrifice, heroism, savagery, things amazing and miraculous - it was all part of his world, and the world of his brothers and sisters, as armies clashed and battles raged in the skies and on the ground. Yet the wars of the heart were no less fiery and painful, and the hunt to find hope and meaning within nations ripped apart by conflict, just as desperate as the struggle to survive. America, Canada, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Germany and Berlin are the backdrop to a powerful drama of the human soul, to a story of a love that proved impossible to stop, a war that proved impossible to win and a faith that proved impossible to break.

The combined paperback edition of the first two adventures of Wednesday McIntyre, U. S. Marshall. Clara RavenMerck McIntyre had survived the Great War and dodged the Spanish Flu. Now he was back in the United States and had signed on with the U.S. Marshal. His plans were for a good career in law enforcement in his home state of Massachusetts. It was The Roaring Twenties. America was recovering from a world war and wanted to party. But 1920 was the start of Prohibition. It became the law of the land. The men slated to enforce it were the U.S. Marshals, something Merck hadn't counted on. Overnight, he was on a train headed for the far-flung state of Idaho. It would be his job to stop the illegal sale of liquor in what, so far as he was concerned, was still the wild west. Merck, like President Woodrow Wilson, didn't think it was a good law, and he didn't think it would work, no matter what law enforcement did. But he set out to do his best to maintain peace and order in northern Idaho. It even looked like he might achieve it. Until the bootleggers showed up with their guns and their greed. They moved in fast to take over stills and make a fortune shipping booze to whoever could pay top dollar. When rival gangs appeared, they shot them down. The bullets flew and soon Merck had a regular war on his hands. There were a handful of sheriffs and sheriff's deputies he could call on. But too many were dirty and he didn't trust them. Then there were the special deputies - a Basque-American named Nayara Zubiri, and another woman from Boise who went by Samantha McCain. Maybe they'd help, maybe they'd hinder, maybe they'd make all the difference. Only time and courage would tell. Under the StonesThe 20s are roaring. Prohibition makes them roar even louder. After a month in the wilds enforcing Prohibition, Marshal Merck (Wednesday) McIntyre returns to Winston, Idaho to find a striking woman named Jenny Roades waiting for him. She demands McIntyre put an end to the gang that is forcing her father to surrender the medicinal whiskey in his pharmacy. At the same time, Father Brynn of St. Rafael's has been ordered to deliver up his shipments of sacramental wine to the same gang or see his church put to the torch. McIntyre knows this gang well. He has tangled with them before. Their calling card is the Jack of Diamonds. But the problem of dealing with the gang becomes far greater when Jenny's father is gunned down and she heads out to seek revenge. McIntyre and his posse can either ride with her or stay behind. But for Jenny Roades, a private detective badge in her pocket and a Colt pistol on her hip, there is no stopping until justice is done. "I'm not turning back. Everyone else can do as they please. I'm not done till that killer is my prisoner or under the stones."

For some it's all myth or fantasy. Ouija boards, fortunetelling, voodoo, Satan, devil worshipers, black magic, spells and curses - none of it is real. Even for many churchgoers, it's a topic that has nothing to do with faith or worship and is best left alone.Reverend Jude Aaron Blackstone knows better. Under the guise of suits and smiles and peace, under the exterior of normal everyday life, evil incarnate is at work eroding and destroying all that is good and right and holy. So, he fights back. From the pulpit by day. And with weapons natural and supernatural by night. Even when those who do not believe cannot see what they cannot understand.It is not easy work. It is not clean work. It is not quick work. But it is God's work. And Jude Aaron Blackstone has been called upon to do what millions of believers cannot do.Stand in the gap and push back the darkness.

I am the man Morah. I have a story to tell.It is a story of history, a story of faith, a story of love.Five hundred years after the birth of Christ, a fledgling faith is on the verge of extinction. Visigoths, Vikings and Picts have destroyed a way of life brought to these northern lands by the Romans.Except...on a small island off the British coast, faith in a God who walked the earth still thrives. Here, a young man named Hawk takes up a quest to find the deeper truths of God and bring them home. He is prepared to stand against the forces of darkness unyielding and overcome them.This quest could cost Hawk everything - his life, his love, his faith.The story begins...

Sarah Nunley is her Uncle Thomas' favorite niece. Uncle Thomas is a godly man, telling her stories about Jesus and the Bible and taking her for walks in the Virginia woods to point out the marvels of Creation when she is a child. But war comes to Virginia when Sarah is a young woman and soon Uncle Thomas is famous and known by everyone, friend and foe alike, as Stonewall Jackson. But to Sarah Nunley he remains her beloved Uncle Thomas and Seven Oaks remains a plantation of peace in a time of war.

A town of lost souls the desert wind was about to blow away. A church ready to close its doors. A preacher down on his luck and down on his faith. Five widows with nowhere to turn and no one to care. A ruthless cattle baron who wanted the town and its people gone, no matter what it took, so he could use the land for his vast herds. If God wanted to work a miracle anywhere New Mexico looked like a good place to start.

One thing Jude Aaron Blackstone was never permitted to enjoy when he worked undercover as Dirk Austen was a romantic relationship with a woman. Now that he is a pastor in a small city in Montana those rules have been relaxed, at least to his way of thinking. Sierra Bloom is beautiful, intelligent, fun to be with, and, what's more, is as fond of him as he is of her. As their love grows, Jude is oblivious to a new danger rising like a summer thunderhead over the mountains - the arrival of a white supremacist neo-Nazi group in Diamondback. As if their swastikas and veneration of Adolf Hitler weren't bad enough, it soon becomes apparent to Jude that they have Satanic connections as well. A dark power is looming over Anaconda County, a power that is able to sway many to the Nazi cause. As churches and synagogues are firebombed, and men and women beaten in the streets, Jude struggles to fight the menace with the limited resources he has on hand - the rabbi, the Orthodox and Catholic priests, and the pastor of the Vineyard Fellowship. But nothing prepares him for Sierra's abduction and the neo-Nazi threat to offer her up as a sacrifice to the devil. To save her life, he must again become the man who was feared as an agent of the secret unit, Dies Irae - The Wrath of God. It may not be enough.

Jude Aaron Blackstone has a new name, a new face, and a new life. Now a pastor at Blue Sky Baptist Church in Montana, Jude can leave in the past his tumultuous years as a special agent who brought the wealthy and powerful to justice when they mixed devil worship with criminal activity. But the devil and his disciples have a way of popping up where they are least expected and suddenly Jude is caught up in a bizarre series of murders that leave no clues and which are difficult to explain or investigate.The targets are Christian ministers in the community, the body count is rising, and Jude is forced to return to his old skills and way of life in order to catch a killer from hell who has slated Jude as the next victim.

Mingling personal anecdotes with Scriptural wisdom in Streams: Seeking God in the Waters of Scripture, author and pastor Murray Pura explores the many ways water is portrayed in the Bible. From creation---when the earth was formed from water---to its possession by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for their flocks. From the exodus and the parting of the Red Sea to the time of the prophet Elisha and the healing of Namaan the Syrian in the Jordan River. From the rise of the kingdom under David to the fall of the kingdom and Israel's exile by the waters of Babylon. In all these dramatic events, and many more, Pura demonstrates how the physical and symbolic representation of water in ancient Scripture offers you, as a modern Christian, new insights about following Christ. Best- Selling author Murray Pura also examines how water was used in Jesus' ministry: Jesus was baptized in water, walked on water, turned water into wine, and healed with water. Understanding the symbolism of water is key to understanding Scripture. You will meditate on: * The Red Sea's challenging waters .... How do we conquer obstacles? * The rivers of Babylon and their waters of darkness ... How do we handle tragedy and suffering? * Streams in the desert and the waters of rejuvenation ...What do we do when our spiritual lives are dry? * And much, much more. This refreshing new book will help you discover the deeper meanings of water in Scripture and better understand the life-giving power of a Christian life.

Through meaningful stories and an intimate knowledge of Scriptural symbolism in this Rooted: Finding God in the Gardens of Scripture, Best-Selling author, pastor, and gardener Murray Pura demonstrates how Jesus' life and your life as a contemporary believer are intertwined. Each of the five major gardens has something to say to Christians today: * The Garden of Eden, and our fall from innocence * En Gedi, and God's love for us * Gethsemane, and suffering * The Garden Tomb, and the hope of resurrection * The River of Life, and God's promises Visit these gardens and draw inspiration and new understanding of the God who cultivates your life as a Christian.

"A Gathering of Suns" is Murray Pura's passionate oracle of poetry focused on the Ukraine-Russia War of 2022. His writing is spare, elegiac, and emotive. These poems are personal, and were inspired by real life, front line, firsthand accounts and photos. From his immersion in these stories came this book. About the Author: Murray Andrew Pura was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, of Ukrainian descent. He has previously published several novels set in Ukraine dealing with their history under Stalin and Hitler. His book of poetry, "Petals," was also Ukraine inspired. Mr. Pura is a First-Place winner of the 2021 Hemingway War Time Fiction Award for his novel "Far on the Ringing Plains." He was also a finalist for The Paraclete Fiction Award, The Dartmouth Book Award, and The John Spencer Hill Literary Award, and has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2010 Kobzar Literary Award of Canada. Mr. Pura has over 140 titles to his credit. "A Gathering of Suns" further adds to the luster of his catalogue.

Andrew Chornavka took on the Trappist's cowl and disappeared from the 21st century in order to forget the century before.Yet even at the secluded monastery in America the past finds him. A delegation from the Vatican arrives with questions about his youngest sister, Zoya, who is, to Andrew's shock, a candidate for sainthood. Reluctant, hostile, wanting only to be left alone to his dairy herd and gardens and prayers, Andrew eventually begins to talk.The talk takes him where he does not wish to go, makes alive again what he had hoped was dead and buried, and makes real what had long ago been lost. He knows what he has to tell is no more than a story about a family that tried to stay together, and keep love strong, when everything on earth tried to rip that love apart. Yet he also knows the archbishop wants a story about an angel who walked with God.But Andrew did not experience a world of angels and miracles and fairy tales. And neither did his sister Zo.Or did she?

David Lapp had been courting Tabitha Reimer for over a year before he finally decided to take her out to a special place and ask her to be his wife. That Saturday had started out in a special way -- Tabitha had dreamed once again of vast open ranges bordering impossibly tall mountains topped with snow. She had never seen a mountain, which made this vividly real dream even more perplexing. That afternoon, David came by, and the two traveled in his buggy along back roads leading to a pathway that seemed as though it had been forgotten by the world. They passed through a wonderland of Colorado blue spruce, hardy transplanted survivors in Pennsylvania soil, finally stopping at a still and frozen pond. David and Tabitha carefully walked out on its surface, and then he asked her to become his wife. As they began their journey home again, the two excitedly started planning their marriage and wondering if they could convince the bishop to allow them a spring wedding date rather than waiting until a traditional fall date. Ride the Sky is a grand and glorious tale about an Amish community that emulates the Amish pioneers of old and moves to ranch lands in Montana. The reader shares in the adventure as Tabitha and her community travel west, and Tabitha sees first-hand those mountains of her dreams. Tabitha is a marvelous character and seeing as the nineteen-year-old blossoms into a strong and independent woman and cowgirl is grand fun indeed. Pura's story is beautifully told, his eloquent descriptions of the Millenia mountain range that becomes their homeland made me seriously thinking of relocation despite what seem to be harsh winters indeed. Pura adroitly handles the cultural issues facing the Amish, and one can't help but cheer as Tabitha and the other aspiring Amish cowgirls finally get their chance to ride the range. This was my first Amish novel, but it won't be my last. I had a grand time getting to know the peace-loving families who came to life in Ride the Sky. It's most highly recommended. -reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Do you like horses? Do you love reading stories about other horse lovers and their beloved equines? If so, you'll enjoy reading six heartwarming stories about people, most who've had the privilege of owning or working with these amazing animals. Open these exciting pages and learn how you can help prevent the despicable practice of drugging horses at riding stables. Ride the range with wild Mustangs, and experience the compassionate care of horses at rescue ranches. Visit with other horse lovers and their best equine friends, and have your heart warmed by stories about young people whose dreams of owning a horse finally come true. So saddle up and join us as we ride through a collection of six exciting horse adventures compiled by best-selling author and horse lover, Marsha Hubler. Guaranteed, you'll walk away smiling.

She wanted to be Amish more than anything else. Kirsten found herself in a unique position. She stood on the precipice of another world. She watched that world of peace and simplicity from the edge of her hectic life. Kirsten worked at Zook's Amish Diner in the day and she helped the Schrock family with their wheelchair-bound son Malachi each evening. In her mind, she was Amish. The Bishop did not agree and he questioned her intentions, as well as her past. Kirsten was once engaged to a soldier who died on deployment. She came from a military family and she was currently seeing another soldier named Brandon. The Bishop could not allow her in their church. Things become more complicated when Kirsten meets Joshua, the Amish blacksmith. Does choosing between Brandon and Joshua mean giving up her dreams of becoming Amish? What does tomorrow hold for Kirsten?

Yura's total existence has had a rough start. His mother's breakdown, his brother's chronic illness and his father's physical abuse have turned his 24/7 into a quest for healing on every level imaginable - mental, emotional, spiritual.But where will the healing come from? Choi Jeans, the tattooed CrossFit Goth who believes his destiny lies in the zodiac? Zoryana, the six-two goddess and jazz dancer who thinks her love and a condo in Europe should do the trick? Or what about his Uncle Nazar, who detests assimilation, and crams Yura's Eastern European bloodlines into him over beer, homemade dill pickles and Russian Orthodox icons?Miraculously, it all begins to come together with Zoryana. Until a family secret and a revolution in the streets of Kiev threaten to break Yura's beautiful new world into bright shiny pieces and make life more impossible than it has ever been before.Or, depending on the constellations and the summer equinox and an offbeat eternal point of view, offer more of life, love, romance and a star-spangled universe than he's ever dreamed possible.

There are five prominent encounters with water in scripture. The Red Sea and the waters of challengeThe Rivers of Babylon and the waters of tragedy and sufferingThe Negev and the waters of rejuvenationThe Jordan River and the waters of new beginningsThe Sea of Galilee and the waters of Immanuel, God With Us All of these are waters God gives us. They are waters we walk through, and walk by, and waters whose shores and banks we stand on. They are waters that cover us. They are waters we drink from and which keep us alive. We can go to these waters and learn from them. *previously published under the title Streams

There are five prominent gardens in scripture. Eden, the garden of birth and lossEn Gedi, the garden of loveGethsemane, the garden of suffering and sacrificeThe Garden Tomb, the garden of resurrectionSecond Eden, the garden of new life and a new world All of these are gardens God plants within us. They are gardens we walk through and experience and they are gardens we see more than once. They are also gardens that are still to come. We can go to these gardens and learn from them. *Previously published under the title Rooted.

When tragedy strikes the family of Naomi Miller, her friend Rebecca tries to help. But things get complicated when Rebecca's brother (Naomi's husband), returns from the military and is shunned. But God has a way of working on the hearts of His people-especially at Christmas time.