The Shepherdess Speaks

ABOVE ALL…

Along life’s way, we make friends who we feel are trustworthy and true, then suddenly, we find ourselves dismissed from their lives. Just as Jesus was betrayal by his best friends, it happens to each of us sometime in life. I asked the Lord about friends…real friends. I needed something to drive away the disappointment, to lift my weary spirit. But…I heard no voice, could find no word of comfort, nothing but silence.

Then, last night, an old friend who died too young came to me in a dream. She seemed so real. I could see her every feature, look into her beautiful dark eyes. The loss of my friend had indeed been painful. Her loyalty was unwavering, unselfish and steadfast—truly irreplaceable. And still, I miss her and long for those golden days when we talked things through, good and bad, and were both better for it.

In my dream, she sat next to me and I pored out my heart to her, sharing all that had happened. She comforted me as only she could. To see her again, even in a dream, made me so happy! When I awoke, I felt that God had sent the vision of my friend simply because…because He knew I needed her. Jesus, the betrayed, the crucified, understood my sorrow and sent comfort through a dream. How precious is that? He thought of me…above all.

Crucified…laid behind the stone
You lived to die, rejected and alone
Like a rose…trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me

…above all

♦

The Shepherdess writes...

I am so excited to announce that SWORD of the WILD ROSE will be produced in audio by Mike Ortega Productions and will be available for your listening pleasure sometime this summer. With all the latest techy devices, I'm sure there will be one that will work for you.

Written within the chronicles of the Davidsons of Wildrose, are one family’s amazing stories of tragedy and loss, of redemption and rebirth, and the miraculous provisions in God’s unconditional love.

Pieced together from letters, oral history, and early church records, is the compelling saga of this ancient clan family, exiled from their native Scotland to begin a new life in the American wilderness. 

Filled with danger, intrigue, and unconditional love, the WILDROSE TRILOGY with its unforgettable characters will take you along on the spiritual journey of one family, into the depths of heartbreak and retribution, to discover the liberating experience of divine forgiveness. 

ENDORSEMENTS

When you open the pages of Sword of the Wild Rose, be ready for a tale that tugs at your heartstrings and keeps you on the edge of your seat. In a story as fresh and relevant as today’s headlines, Ellinger explores the meaning of liberty, courage, honor, and patriotism while weaving a mosaic of history that is colorful, complex, and constantly riveting. With an amazing attention to detail, Ellinger creates a fascinating array of characters who are compelling, passionate, richly crafted and as memorable as your first love.

CAROLE GIFT PAGE, award-winning author of 48 books including, Becoming a Woman of Passion (Fleming Revell)

♥

Masterful…Credible…Delightful…

In her latest novel, Sword of the Wild Rose, Ruth Carmichael Ellinger not only tells an endearing story, but also accurately portrays the character and spirit of Daniel Morgan, a real life revolutionary war general who has not always been adequately recognized for his role in America’s War of Independence. The folksy powerfully built Morgan, however, is died in the Winchester/Frederick County Virginia where he lived and always returned after his military exploits and where his body lies today in Mount Hebron Cemetery.

GEORGE R. SCHEMBER is President of the Winchester Frederick County Historical Society and holds an MA in history from the University of Tennessee. He lives with his wife, Jeanne, in the Daniel Morgan House in Winchester where the General died on July 6, 1802.

The protagonist in the upcoming inspirational novel, Sword of the Wild Rose, is an ancestor of the Davidson family in the two previous novels in the Wildrose series by the same author. Book 1, The Wild Rose of Lancaster, and book 2, Wild Rose of Promise. Sword of the Wild Rose is a “prequel” to books 1 & 2.

The story tells of Clan Davidson’s struggle to survive through the heart-wrenching years of exile from Scotland and their effort to gain a foothold in their new homeland—America. One man, Derick Davidson, is determined to try.

This setting is colonial America, 1773, just prior to the American Revolution. The time frame covers Derick’s life in colonial America and his eventual settling in the Ohio Valley on the future Davidson estate, Wildrose.

After his ship arrives in Boston in 1773, Derick meets Daniel Morgan, the colourful and controversial character who later becomes the famed Revolutionary War hero of Saratoga. The Colonies are on the brink of revolution and Derick again finds himself facing his age-old enemy—the English. Morgan teaches Derick the ways of the American frontiersmen and they form a lifelong and loyal friendship.

During his sojourn in the turbulent American Colonies, Derick seeks an answer to the age-old question—why, God? The death of his young wife, his unlawful act of revenge, and the loss of his children continually plague his mind.

Morgan takes him to Virginia and Derick finds a friend in the beautiful and winsome Kearan Mackenzie, and discovers in her youthful honesty, a comfort and diversion for his grief. Kearan’s heart is torn by love for the handsome Scotsman and her knowledge of his dark past. She longs to help him but he is lost in a world of painful memories that shut her out. She determines to find a way to make him love her.

Years after his arrival in America, Derick encounters a young man during an Indian skirmish along the Ohio River and is overcome when he discovers the youth is his youngest son, William, (referenced in books 1 and 2) who has come to America in search of his father. Their poignant and emotional reunion and subsequent relationship are destined to establish the beginnings of a permanent home for this branch of Clan Davidson in America.

The spiritual journey of Derick Davidson is comparable to his literal quest for freedom from his literal oppressors. This ongoing quest expresses the longing of the soul to be free—even though he cannot understand this common heart-felt human need. It is only when Derick comes face to face with himself that he truly understand that God is the Giver of true spiritual freedom—freedom of the soul. The plan that is unfolding in Derick’s life is a plan that only God himself could orchestrate to bring peace to his troubled life. He finds a peace that passes understanding and a freedom greater than any King or country has to offer. ♦

The Shepherdess speaks...

THE WILL OF GOD

The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not keep you

Things I said I would never do…and I have done them all. Never say never.

I could never live east of the Mississippi again.

I could never live in the south.

I could never abide that awful humidity.

I could never live with all those bugs and creepy things.

I could never live on flat land.

I could never live in the path of hurricanes or lightning storms.

I could never leave my children, even if they are grown.

I could never…(the list is longer).

 I am happy doing them because ...

THE WILL OF GOD

The will of God will never take you,
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the power of God cannot endow you.
 
The will of God will never take you,
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.