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As promised, here are Ann Tatlock’s insights on the Harry Potter series.

There were some interesting comments and very good questions raised regarding my last week’s blog on Harry Potter. I wish I had time to address these, and hope to do so later.  

Scholastic’s first US printing of the new Deathly Hallows, released last week, was an unprecedented twelve million copies. Over eight million copies sold in the first 24 hours. A newscaster said the other night that five thousand Harry Potter books are being sold every minute in the United States.

Okay, back to ICRS, the booksellers’ convention earlier this month in Atlanta. Yesterday, someone sent me a picture from a book signing there. That’s Jasmine I’m holding. Precious.

Yesterday was one of the most exhausting days of my life. I stood in front of a video camera nearly the whole day, answering questions about Heaven, covering nearly all the major subject areas addressed in my books.

I got back late last week from the annual Christian Booksellers convention. Always in July, it’s normally in a hot, sweaty southern city. This year was Atlanta, next year is Orlando. We haven’t been back to Dallas since it hit 120 degrees several years ago. Now if we could only have it in Portland or Seattle... Anyway, I’m going to spend a couple blogs talking about it.

Tell Me About Heaven is about a grandfather helping ten-year-old Jake come to terms with his grandmother’s death. Jake has all kinds of questions about Heaven, and what his grandma is doing and whether she remembers him. When he spends two weeks at his grandfather’s house out in the country, they do things together and talk about Heaven as they go. 

So, while you’re waiting for Deception to become a movie, you can listen right now to the voice of Ollie in the audio version.

Deception is a first person murder mystery told by wisecracking and lovable homicide detective Ollie Chandler. It was a fun book to write, though it took a lot of time and effort.

George Mueller once said something like this (not verbatim, but this is its essence): “I read Scripture until I come to a verse that can bear my whole weight, and then I stop and ponder it.” That happened to me yesterday, and today I am pondering the same verse. But first, the background, so you’ll know why I’ve found such comfort in it.

Wait Until Then, a thirty-two page big format picture book, was published in February 2007 (now out of print). It’s a very short story, only two thousand words, about a boy who loves baseball, and his grandfather who played one year for the Boston Red Sox with Ted Williams.

Shared Hope International began its ministry of rescuing and restoring women and children who have been victims of sex trafficking by opening the first Home of Hope in India in 1998. Asha Grahm, or Village of Hope, has since grown into a 72-acre development two hours north of Mumbai. It’s through this facility that a young lady named Ganga was given the opportunity to escape sexual slavery and begin a new life nearly eight years ago.

Understand how quickly your life will pass. And if God gives you another thirty years here, live them in such a way so that when you receive an invitation to your church’s 30-year reunion, you will want to come instead of stay away.

Randy Alcorn, Instructor, THS 564J: June 8-9, 2007, Western Seminary, Portland, OR