Martin Wiles

Amazing is the word that describes what grandchildren can teach us, and my seven rambunctious grandboys have taught me much about the word. But they have taught me much more. Over the years, and still now, they have taught me much about God's grace. I hope you will enjoy the journey with me as we walk through the years and learn more about God's mercy and grace through the eyes of grandchildren. I am sure, if you are a grandparent, you will find similarities. And if you are not there yet, these stories will make you anticipate the day when a small one will call you Meme or Pop.

For more than a decade, Martin Wiles has taught grammar and language arts to middle schoolers. During that time, he has seen most students struggle to master grammatical concepts. Mastering English Grammar Basics is his attempt to simplify grammatical concepts for the struggler—young person or adult—and to provide a handbook for writers and editors to use in their writing and editing journeys. Although the practical use of grammar is questioned by many, including many educators, Wiles believes—as did most before the Progressive Movement influenced the educational world—that grammar is the foundation stone for success in all other liberal arts subjects.

Emotions are a major part of humanity's makeup. Throughout the years, poets have expressed them in various ways through the picturesque method of poetry. Life's Many Moods: A Collection of Poetry takes the readers through the highs and lows of life and places them on the roller coaster that connects facts and feelings. From the depths of the valleys to the heights of the mountains, these poems will grind your emotions and warm your soul.

Some have enjoyed the best of times; others have experienced the worst. I have seen both. People who have walked through the doors and joined up and in with smiles on their faces, only later to be devoured … sucked up … and then spit out like a warm glass of salt water. My grandmother called the fish that annoyed her trash. Little fish that would not grab the hook. They would only suck the worm off. After a few times of this happening, she would say to me, “That’s nothing but trash. Throw your line in a different place.” She didn’t want to waste the worms she had spent time cultivating or digging. I can’t remember all the names, but I can see their faces. The ones—for this or...

Life is filled with trials, which often bring deep hurt to our lives. But no matter how deep the hurt or long the trial, God's Word gives us guidelines that, when followed, can move us through the hurt and to healing. With his knack for storytelling, Wiles takes us through 52 periods of hurts, most from his own personal experience, and moves us to ways we can discover healing. At the end of each devotion are questions for reflection and a journaling section. These can be read in 52 days or enjoyed weekly for a year's worth of healing. So, if life has you down--or when it gets you down--take a journey to your healing where hope will once again rise like an imposing mountain peak.