Showing results by author "Barry Clay" in All Categories

Jason Fairfax, a very junior reporter for the Honolulu Gazette, is sent by his editor on an assignment that requires him to travel on the luxury liner, the Oahu Paradise, in the company of a disreputable detective who promises him the scoop of his reporting lifetime—maybe. While on board, he meets a cross-section of people from movie stars to ensigns, but none more intriguing than the world-famous Honolulu inspector, Charlie Chan, and his very large family, who are vacationing on board. But all is not what it seems. Was a murder committed on board two years ago, or was it an accident? Is ...

From the author of The Darkened Village and The Medium of Death comes four mysteries featuring London’s first consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful biographer, Dr. John H. Watson. While investigating the wrongful incarceration of a young man for murder, Holmes uncovers a tangled web of deception—and makes one misstep with tragic consequences. Long the chronicler and companion of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John H. Watson has frequently helped his friend investigate mysterious circumstances on behalf of those people beset by them, but now he must apply to Sherlock Holmes ...

One of the theological mysteries that every Christian who wrestles with doctrine faces is the tension between predestination and free will. Christians have been arguing over this since the 4th century, with some churches stressing the sovereign work of God and others stressing the free will of man. In this chapter taken from the book "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay explores part of this conflict and attempts to resolve it from a look at what the Bible says on both sides of the issue. Mr. Clay explains that he believes both sides have part of the truth and need to see the entire truth partially ...

Deciphered from a recently acquired manuscript, this previously unpublished novel of Sherlock Holmes by his chronicler, John H. Watson, M.D., is sure to delight fans of the first "consulting detective." The curate of Wenlock Edge and his wife are embarrassed to ask for help from Sherlock Holmes. They are aware that their problem appears trival, but ask they do. Fortunately for them, there is an unusual item in their story that piques Holmes's interest, and he accepts their case. Anticipating that the solution shouldn't be too difficult, dangerous, or unusually time consuming, Holmes ...

When Mycroft Holmes visits his brother, Sherlock, at 221b Baker Street, it is certain to both Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson, M.D. that something monumental is at hand. They are astonished -- not to say skeptical -- to learn that Mycroft merely wants his brother to investigate the theft of a necklace. Lord Benedict Leveson-Gower, soon to be called as ambassador to the Kingdom of Romania, is accused by his wife, the lady Allegra, of replacing her very expensive, prize necklace with a paste imitation. If possible, Mycroft wants his brother to exonerate Lord Benedict Leveson-Gower of the ...

Surely, no camping trip could be that bad. Surely. But this novella is inspired by actual events, and the Brooks family little expects just how bad one long weekend at a state park can be. This book has also been collected in the anthology "Molded by Humor" along with other short stories and novelettes that were inspired by actual events.

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 ...

The author who discovered manuscripts in an old box and edited from them The Darkened Village and The Leveson-Gower Theft for the reading public now presents Sherlock Holmes and his faithful biographer Dr. Watson again, this time in two novelettes and two novellas. Sherlock Holmes is summoned by Scotland Yard to a sunny golf course that has been the scene of two gruesome murders. But all is, perhaps, not quite what it seems. Can even Sherlock Holmes unravel the tangle of so many conflicting clues? Two elderly ladies visit Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes at 222b Baker Street with an unusual ...

One of Job's friends tells him, "Man is born for trouble as sparks fly upwards." The media talks about wars, famines, tsunamis, mud slides, rapes, murders, and untimely deaths from disease. Atheists point to these tragedies and claim that this proves God doesn't exist, or if He exists, He isn't good. Or, if He's good, He isn't powerful enough to do anything about it. In this excerpt from his book, "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay explains that the answer to this question isn't difficult for the Christian because this topic is explored deeply and with great wisdom in the Bible. God is both good and ...

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.

Have you ever encountered a Christian whose representation of God struck you as – cruel? In all likelihood, that Christian was Reformed. Christian thought is varied, but among those Christians who take their Bibles seriously, there are two main threads of Christian thought. One is the Calvinist (also called Reformed) camp. It is named after John Calvin, a 16th century French theologian. The other camp is the Arminian camp, named after Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived shortly after Calvin. Christians have been arguing over these two competing views for centuries. Often, non-...

Jesus famously said "You cannot serve God and Mammon." But how do we serve God and not serve Mammon? Don't we work for money and purchase the necessities of life with it? What exactly did Jesus mean? What do we do with our money? This chapter from the book "Solid Ground" explores this topic in a way that is sure to astonish many a Christian. Mr. Clay challenges each believer to return to the Bible and discover what it really says about God and Gold. The answer may surprise you.

"Solid Ground" is the second edition of "Sound Doctrine." Mr. Clay has been a Christian for over fifty years, and he has written an accessible book for those who are interested in knowing more about the Christian faith and what Christians believe. In short chapters, Mr. Clay begins with the basics of Christianity and builds on them to address more controversial topics. His aim is two- fold: he wants to help Christians understand their faith and be better able to respond to God, and he wants to provide a book that someone who is not a Christian can use to understand the Christian religion. ...

World War III and the Uncivil War have left the city of Richmond devastated, and the United States is not much better. Homeland Security is the only entity left between order and chaos, and Christopher Owens holds a coveted position as a Homeland Security agent with all the perks that accompany government service. But Chris’s chosen life is soon to be upset in ways he would never have expected: he is assigned to a mission that has little chance of success with a partner he does not trust – a mission that will force him to leave the only life he knows. It could not get much worse than ...

Short, absolutely true reflections about amusement parks from Walt Disney World to the completely unknown, written by a man who dislikes roller coasters -- that is sure to make you laugh. This account is also included in the anthology "Molded by Humor."

Both believers and unbelievers have found the end of the world as we know it to be a fascinating topic. The Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012, and many Christian authors have confidently predicted the future based on their interpretation of the scriptures only to be overtaken by actual events. "How It All Ends" is a collection of chapters from the book "Solid Ground" that explores what we can and can't know from the Bible about the end of the world. Mr. Clay explores the topic of the end of the world with humility where the Bible isn't clear and with confidence in those areas ...

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.

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.

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 ...