Showing results by author "Barry Clay" in All Categories

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 short story should have appeared in the book "Misadventures in Childrearing," but instead appears in its own Kindle edition. If you have ever been forced to deal with surly, uncaring, or unhelpful employees in your state's Department of Transportation, this story is for you.

Most of what every Christian believes about the Holy Spirit is believed by most Christians, but not everything. There is one boulder sized controversy surrounding the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This title includes two chapters from the book "Solid Ground", and Mr. Clay jumps feet first into that controversy. While many books (some of them very thick books) have been written on both sides of the controversy, Mr. Clay handles it in the same manner as all his "Solid Ground" works: with honesty, dispatch, and experience. And as a bonus, he covers the aspects of the Holy Spirit that aren't ...

In the title "Predestination and Free Will", Mr. Clay explored the tension between two seemingly irreconcilable theological positions. He explained that there were two main camps, and he explained why they disagree, and how he believed the two positions could be combined to a more correct understanding of the scriptures. In this chapter taken from his book "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay talks about the Reformed doctrines of eternal security, total depravity, irresistible grace, limited atonement, and the preservation of the saints. He contrasts them with the opposing positions and explains which ...

"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 ...

Many a person has wondered if we are alone in the universe. These two chapters excerpted from the book "Solid Ground" answer this question decisively: we are not alone and never have been. God has created other beings who are very different from us: angels. Billy Graham wrote an entire book just on angels, but Mr. Clay covers the basics of angels and fallen angels, demons, with a detour about the devil along the way. This title is short, but it is also to the point.

What is God like? In reality, we don't have to guess. Over the centuries, God has gone to great lengths to explain in the Bible who He is, what He is like, and what pleases Him. Entire books (some of them very boring) have been written to explore this topic. This title, an excerpt from the book "Solid Ground", does it quickly -- but no less thoroughly -- than a much larger tome. What is God like? Find out in this title.

The writer of the book of Hebrews in the Bible refers to "elementary teachings." This title explores those "elementary teachings" that Mr. Clay hasn't already explored in other "Solid Ground" titles: repentance from dead works and faith in God, instructions about washings (baptism?), and laying on of hands. Whether your feel these topics are elementary or not, you're sure to benefit from reading Mr. Clay's explanation of them.

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 ...

It is six years after the events of "With Whom I Had Been Speaking." Susan Bachman has changed her name, her employment, and her city. While she has not escaped the memory of the life she led six years ago, she has left the better part of the pain in her past. Even though her life is solitary, she is content. But when a reporter appears unannounced and unwelcome on her doorstep, her new life is threatened. Aware of the danger, she little knows that this reporter has unwittingly begun a chain of events that will one more time change her life forever -- assuming she survives. This novella is ...

From the author of "The Darkened Village: a Sherlock Holmes adventure" comes a new, different novel that blends fact and fiction into a compelling story that speaks to us today about faith, humanity, and compassion ... and about the clash of cultures and religions that can result in implacable sorrow. Shortly before the turn of the 20th century, the Tehuchian family lived in Turkish controlled Armenia. Their father, a barber, served the residents of the town of Marishka and the soldiers of the nearby Turkish garrison, walking a fine line between the Muslim oppressors and the Christian ...

In this controversial excerpt from his book "Solid Ground," Mr. Clay enters territory on which, he says, angels fear to tread, and attempts to answer the question: are there God-designed differences between a man and a woman, and, if so, what are they? No matter your opinion on this topic, you are sure to benefit from Mr. Clay's explanation of what the Bible says about men and women, and how their differences are designed to forward the family and the kingdom of God.

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".

Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of Me." What does communion mean to the Christian, and how should it be observed? This short title, taken from a chapter from the book "Solid Ground" discusses how believers should approach the communion table, at what communion means.

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. ...

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.

Has someone ever told you (generally with a sneer) that the Bible endorses slavery and then asks how you can believe the Bible because of that? In this excerpt from his book, "Solid Ground," Mr. Clay demonstrates that what you've heard about the Bible and the question of slavery isn't quite true and presents a full picture of what the Bible says, and God really wants.

In this novelette, Baron Rokosky is faced with one of the few surprises of his very long life: his castle has been invaded by mysterious intruders who have somehow disappeared. His chief of security urges him to move to a secure location, but the Baron make an unusual decision that will have far reaching and unexpected consequences. This novelette has also been collected in the Anthologies "A Little Bit of Everything" and "Brushes with the Supernatural".

Days ago, Endinara Thorson, the only child of the king and queen of Vaniar, arrived in the kingdom of Sylvanlund to seal an arranged marriage to the Sylvanlund heir, Prince Quentin Bregard. But she now lies in a magically-induced coma, having only a short time to live, and without hope unless the Sylvanlund court wizard, Polongrana, can heal her. But to do so, he must have one of the halves of the RavenDisc, a damaged talisman of arcane energies. One half is too far away to retrieve. The other is jealously guarded by Ulava, a sorceress us of great power, who has no intention of using her ...

The Bible unabashedly states that the entire universe was created when an eternal God spoke it into existence. But what about evolution? How does that fit in, or does it? This excerpt from the book "Solid Ground" discusses how the universe and our world began. Thick books have been written on this topic, but Mr. Clay presents this discussion in a "Reader's Digest" version designed for Christians and non-Christians like who lead busy lives and don't have the time for a larger treatment of this subject.