Showing results by author "Dennis Maynard" in All Categories

The residents of First Church in Falls City, Georgia must rely on their Christian Faith to overcome their fears. This will require some of them to risk their reputation, marriage, family, and safety. God is leading them down a path they may not have chosen, but each knows it's the right thing to do. Once again, you'll recognize these folks. They go to your church, club, or neighborhood. They may even be a member of your family. The readers of The Magnolia Series who have been anticipating their fourteenth visit will not be disappointed. The characters will give you a chuckle and perhaps a ...

"Forgive and forget" are words that can be too easily uttered . This book breaks those words into identifiable steps that will help the person distinguish between forgiving, reconciling, and restoring. We all know that we must forgive those who have hurt us. If we fail to do so, we end up being prisoners frozen in our own pain. But do we have to reconcile with them? Should we reconcile with them? Is it even advisable? Dr. Maynard gives us some guidelines for answering those questions for ourselves. Having reconciled do we restore them to the relationship? Do we restore the unfaithful spouse...

Father Steele Austin moves his little family from Oklahoma to one of the most prestigious congregations in the old South. Some of the more influential members of the congregation immediately find him unworthy to be the rector of Historic First Church (Episcopal). He is determined to open the parish's ministry to those that do not measure up to the unwritten membership standards. Those in power work for his removal. Even the Klu Klux Klan find his ministry a threat to the community norm. Soon the young rector becomes aware of the secrets of sex, power and greed kept by the most pious in the ...

Father Steele Austin encounters a sensitive pastoral crisis with one of his assisting priests he’s never dealt with before. Virginia Willoughby’s plan for her new life in Costa Rica is falling into place. She only needs to permanently remove her paramour’s wife. Father Jim Vernon struggles to hide his true identity from the homophobic parish he serves. Howard Dexter's bigotry is exposed before the entire nation. Almeda Alexander Drummond wants to give the entire town a lesson in Christian ethics. All your favorite characters have returned to give you a smile, a chuckle, and perhaps a ...

Steele Austin is filled with youthful enthusiasm. The idealistic Episcopal priest accepts a call to one of the oldest and most prestigious pulpits in the state of Georgia. His idealism continually conflicts with the determination of the parish leaders to keep things just the way they have always been. Steele, on the other hand, is equally determined to battle bigotry and prejudice, even when masked in tradition. Father Austin wants to build an inclusive church.. He embraces those that violate the congregation's unwritten membership standards. The parish leaders want a church that can be a ...

In this sequel, as Father Austin and his wife wrestle with the decision to leave First Church he finds himself embroiled in yet one more controversy. His attempt to meet the needs of those that have been rejected by their own families casts a dark cloud over First Church. The pastoral crisis faced by one of his former antagonists transforms their relationship into an endearing friendship. The book concludes with one of the most suspense filled cliffhangers yet. The reader will be left wanting yet another visit to the colorful people that call Falls City home. "We can't stand it. The books ...

The fifth book in the Magnolia Series follows the Rector’s struggle with trust and betrayal in his own marriage. His suspicions about his wife take a heavy toll on his health and his ministry. He brings a woman priest on the staff in face of the congregation’s objections to doing so. Some reject her ministry totally. Then the internal politics of the Church are exposed even further with the election of a Bishop. Those with their own agenda manipulate the election itself. Just when you think the tactics of those opposed to the ministry of Steele Austin can’t go any lower, they do.

All the characters you've loved, and those you've loved to hate, have returned. This eighth book in The Magnolia Series takes the readers back to Falls City, Georgia, just in time for Christmas. All the leading members of Historic First Church are waiting to share the drama of their lives with you. Father Steele Austin continues to minister to people very similar to the ones sitting in the pews next to you. Once again, you'll know just who they are. Dennis Maynard has produced yet another page-turner that you don't want to miss. Those that are fans of this series of novels have been waiting...

The masters of the great plantations ruled over those they believed to be inferior to them. Their descendants often believe they are entitled to this same position. With divine right they appeal to their wealth and bloodline demanding that the unimportant in their world be subservient to them. In Falls City, Georgia those in positions of superiority utilize intimidation, slander, blackmail, sex and even murder to get their way. In this seventh visit to Historic First Church these powerful people have used their influence to destroy the spirit of their own pastor and his family. As in the ...

The number of clergy spouses that no longer attend worship has never been tabulated. Many avoid all parish activities and don’t want anything to do with the profession their significant other chose. In this, the thirteenth book in The Magnolia Series, my intention is to give the clergy spouse a voice. I hope to enlighten my readers on the impact living in a glass house has on the person who married a member of the clergy. The stress, struggles, and challenges faced by the pastor are also felt by their life partner. Beyond the unvoiced struggles of maintaining a household on a pastor’s ...

On this sixth visit to Falls City, Georgia and Historic First Church (Episcopal), Dennis Maynard takes the readers through so many twists and turns it will keep them turning the pages to see what is going to happen next. You owe it to yourself to discover why The Magnolia Series has become so popular. You'll be amazed at just how many people you will recognize in these books. As their stories unfold, readers find themselves laughing out loud, wiping away a tear, and nodding their heads. The travails of Father Steele Austin and his beautiful wife, Randi make for a great read. Readers are ...

All your favorite characters have returned for your tenth visit to First Church and Falls City, Georgia.Bishop Sean Evans and his partner Rabbi Eze Dolan face new threats of being outed.Colonel Mitchell rallies a large group of supporters to attack the ministry of Father Steele Austin.Chadsworth Purcell Alexander reaches out to Steele for help and risks having his identity exposed.Steele and Randi must decide how to punish Virginia Mudd Willoughby.The Reverend Melvin and Judith MacClaren return to Falls City and raise over a million dollars in one night.Elmer Idle and Rose MacClaren receive...

In this, his seventeenth book, Doctor Maynard has once again written with pastors and lay leaders in mind. This is a resource they can use in pre-marital counseling, marital counseling, with youth and small groups. This conversation guide on money and stewardship raises the following questions among others.Do You Pay Everyone But Yourself?Are Your Children Becoming Financial Snowflakes?What Type of Giver Are You?Are All Charities Equal?Are The Wealthy Blessed or Just Lucky?Any person seeking to examine money and its use through a spiritual lens and in light of scriptural teachings will find...

Throughout his thirty-seven years of parish ministry, Doctor Maynard wrote inspirational messages in the newsletter for the congregations he served. These columns were titled "Reflections From The Rector" or simply "Reflections". This book includes selected reflections from Church of the Epiphany in Richardson, Texas, Christ Church in Greenville, South Carolina, Saint Martin's Church in Houston, Texas, and Saint James by-the-Sea in La Jolla, California. Also included in this book are the final sermons he delivered in each parish as well as the celebration sermon he preached at Saint ...

The idealism of Episcopal Priest, Father Steele Austin, continues to conflict with the determination of the leaders of a historic parish. The leaders are unyielding in their desire to keep things just the way they have always been. Steele, on the other hand, is equally determined to battle bigotry and prejudice in the congregation and the community. In this, the third book in The Magnolia Series, Steele is forced to defend himself against a plot to accuse him of embezzling church funds. Not only is his integrity as a priest being threatened, but there are those in his own congregation ...

Readers from around the globe are devoted to the books in "The Magnolia Series". They anxiously await each novel. The characters that live their lives in the congregation of Historic First Church (Episcopal) in Falls City, Georgia have endeared themselves to their fans.Most every reader believes that one or more of the characters reside in their community or are sitting near them in their local parish church. Father Steele Austin's life and ministry have blossomed in the historic congregation even though they have resisted his calls to include in ministry women, gays, lesbians, and people ...