Welcome to the latest Celebrate Lit Tour!<\/p>\n
This epic fantasy will take you on a journey of faith and awakening alongside some incredible animals who remember there\u2019s more to life than their personal comfort and safety. <\/p>\n
There are times, such as when the boy, Miracle, shares his story, that you\u2019ll probably cry.<\/p>\n
Then again, there\u2019s other times when you\u2019ll either roll your eyes or have to laugh at how fitting certain observations and comments are. <\/p>\n
Please note that this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase through one of the links, I may make a small commission. I only recommend books and resources that I\u2019ve enjoyed personally, or believe that you would like. You can read my full disclosure here<\/a><\/em>.<\/a> You will also find information on Scripture translations there. <\/p>\n Book:\u00a0<\/strong>The Trail to the Lonely Tree (Book 1 of the Jaguar Oracle Series)<\/p>\n Author:\u00a0<\/strong>Kurt M\u00e4hler<\/p>\n Genre:\u00a0<\/strong>Christian Magical Realism Fantasy<\/p>\n Release date:<\/strong>\u00a0September 30, 2024<\/p>\n A richly poetic tale of friendship, courage, and destiny that will awaken the imagination of children and adults alike.<\/strong><\/p>\n When Oracle, a jaguar from the Yucat\u00e1n, learns of the dying words of the last jaguar in the Rio Grande Valley, he finds himself on a perilous journey to see a prophecy fulfilled.<\/p>\n To do so he must travel 1,400 miles to Texas and find the Lonely Tree, where his kin spoke an enigma to the heavens as hunters took him down. But the Lonely Tree is in the dangerous realm of Man\u2014and Oracle will need more than his own wisdom and strength to fulfill the task.<\/p>\n Oracle remembers Eden and the naming of the animals; what Adam spoke to the first of each kind. He discovers the animals in the Valley have forgotten their names\u2014as has Man himself.<\/p>\n Can he not only fulfill the prophecy, but help the animals reclaim ancient truths before they are lost forever?<\/p>\n This hope-filled tale explores the quest for courage in a fallen world and how to make the faith journey\u2014and its sacrifices\u2014worthwhile.<\/p>\n This is a unique tale, and I\u2019m glad I had the opportunity to read the first installment. I didn\u2019t realize it was book one of six until after I\u2019d finished reading it, which shifts my perspective a bit. There\u2019s a lot more setup required in a six-book epic adventure. <\/p>\n I\u2019ll admit I had a hard time getting into the story, and it never quite grabbed me the way I was hoping (probably more because my life is upside down at the moment), but it did give me quite a bit to think about. <\/p>\n For instance, this quote got me thinking about how often I choose the predictable, normal, safe option rather than the faith option:<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I had a more noble reason to give you, but there is no noble reason, only a natural one. Jaguars, like almost all things moving under the sun, prefer the predictability of their own paths to the ancient one. For they imagine in their hearts, \u2018My own path is the safest, for here I will stay full, but to seek a new path is to risk being empty.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Kurt Frederick M\u00e4hler, The Trail to the Lonely Tree<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n One thing that fascinated me was the way Oracle was able to help others remember the names Adam gave them, and who they were created to be. How both man and animals remembered how to do the things that needed doing, but had lost the WHY. <\/p>\n And the name the animals gave the ark, the \u201cTomb of the Fallen Trees\u201d made me laugh out loud. <\/p>\n But the perspectives of the animals and the \u2018lost manchild\u2019 are so well done and challenging that you won\u2019t regret a journey with Oracle and his friends, if you give them a chance.<\/p>\n I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own. <\/p>\n Kurt M\u00e4hler<\/strong>\u00a0writes in the prophetic and poetic tradition, inspired by the wonder of creation and cultures of the world. He and his wife have served in forty nations as encouragers in the Christian faith, where Kurt discovered the beauty and wisdom of storytelling. His roots include the Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley, and Heart of Texas.<\/p>\n During my eleven years in Afghanistan with my wife Karen and five children, I learned that sometimes we need \u2018aha\u2019 moments instead of how-to manuals; a story instead of a sermon; an encounter instead of a lecture.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why my answer to the question, \u201cWhat if a jaguar appeared in South Texas?\u201d is saturated with parables, prayers, poems, proverbs, and prophetic words set in the voices of creation.<\/p>\n My wife Karen is from where this imaginary tale takes place, so I have visited it often. On one visit, I saw a 1946 black-and-white photo of what was believed to be the last jaguar in the Rio Grande Valley. Hunters gathered around their prize. The question, \u201cWhat if a jaguar came back here?\u201d struck like a match inside me and became a bonfire of discovery for six books, beginning with\u00a0The Trail to the Lonely Tree.<\/em><\/p>\n C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Tolkien, Milton, and Dante are the literary mentors I have looked to for this Christian fantasy, which, in my case, is a form called \u201cmagical realism.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s real in that you can visit, for example, the Port Isabel lighthouse or the Rio Grande River; it\u2019s magical in that I have immersed that world into another one\u2014one that isn\u2019t \u201creal\u201d yet completely true. The ranches are fictitious and yet, as symbols, speak the truth to the way things are and the way things could be as wheat and weeds grow together in the realm of Man.<\/p>\n The descriptions of the animals and plants of the Rio Grande Valley are as accurate as I could labor to attain. For the stars, I employed the astronomy app Starry Night Enthusiast 8 to precisely describe the activity of the heavens during the time of the tale, which is from September 2016 through August 2017 in Book 1.<\/p>\n The herblore is a work of research too. Patch the raccoon heals a friend\u2019s injury with aloe vera and the pita plant, while later he and ab aplomado falcon named Sent attempt to heal an ailing, abandoned child with leaves of the anacahuita (Texas wild olive); twigs of the allthorn (amargoso); and tasajillo berries of the Christmas cactus.<\/p>\n A word about the jaguar named Oracle. He isn\u2019t Aslan, but he sure seems to have spent time with him. His faith journey might be like yours, with clues to the future, a heart to serve others\u2014and profound disappointments along the way.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s discover together how to begin again, own our faith, leverage our sorrows, and pick up the trail before us. For the way to our future often begins with a memory. Our destinies are found in the first things our Creator told us long ago in childhood and before. That is where we will most likely find courage for our calling.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t mean \u2018calling\u2019 in the sense of clergy alone, but in the sense of living as your original self, the one God thought of when He said, \u201cLet there be\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I wrote this tale to impart such courage.<\/p>\n Texas Book-aholic<\/a>, December 12<\/p>\n Vicky Sluiter<\/a>, December 13 (Author Interview)<\/p>\n Locks, Hooks and Books<\/a>, December 14<\/p>\n Library Lady\u2019s Kid Lit<\/a>, December 15 (Author Interview)<\/p>\n Debbie\u2019s Dusty Deliberations<\/a>, December 15<\/p>\n Abba\u2019s Prayer Warrior Princess<\/a>, December 16<\/p>\n Simple Harvest Reads<\/a>, December 17 (Author Interview)<\/p>\n Denise L. Barela<\/a>, December 17<\/p>\n Aryn The Libraryan<\/a>, December 18<\/p>\n For the Love of Literature<\/a>, December 19 (Author Interview)<\/p>\n Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy<\/a>, December 20<\/p>\n Tell Tale Book Reviews<\/a>, December 21 (Author Interview)<\/p>\n Blogging With Carol<\/a>, December 22<\/p>\n Blossoms and Blessings<\/a>, December 23 (Author Interview)<\/p>\n Holly\u2019s Book Corner<\/a>, December 24<\/p>\n Stories By Gina<\/a>, December 25 (Author Interview)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/arynthelibraryan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Lonely-Tree.jpg\"\/)
![\"The](\"https:\/\/arynthelibraryan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/The-Lonely-Tree.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nAbout the Book<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Cover:](\"https:\/\/www.celebratelitteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Trail-to-the-Lonely-Tree-Kurt-Ma%CC%88hler-Cover-200x300.jpg\"\/)
![\"Cover:](\"https:\/\/www.celebratelitteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Trail-to-the-Lonely-Tree-Kurt-Ma%CC%88hler-Cover-200x300.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nClick here<\/a> to get your copy!<\/pre>\n
My Review<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
About the Author<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"Author:](\"https:\/\/www.celebratelitteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Kurt-Ma%CC%88hler-300x300.jpeg\"\/)
![\"Author:](\"https:\/\/www.celebratelitteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Kurt-Ma%CC%88hler-300x300.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nMore from Kurt<\/span><\/h3>\n
Blog Stops<\/span><\/h3>\n
Giveaway<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.celebratelitteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/The-Trail-to-the-Lonely-Tree-Giveaway.png\"\/)
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.celebratelitteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/The-Trail-to-the-Lonely-Tree-Giveaway.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n