El Paso, TX—Richard Sones, author of The Covenant Names of God, won an Bronze Medal Illumination Book Award in the Digital Media Category. The Illumination Book Awards are designed to 'shine a light' on the best of these new titles written and published with a Christian worldview. A portion of the Illumination Awards entry fees are donated to a worthy charitable organization each year.

An Army Chaplain for 28 years, including tours in Germany, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Sones holds a Master's degree in Divinity from Southwestern Seminary. He currently serves as pastor of a small church and chaplain at a major medical center. His seminary background, Army leadership training, and pastoral teaching experience have shaped him into a teacher with a knack for making complicated biblical themes easy to understand. The Covenant Names of God displays both his academic ability and pastoral heart, explaining intricate details of the biblical text in simple ways that clarify and help the reader understand why it matters.  

Each Covenant has a name, such as 'Jehovah Nissi: The Lord is My Banner' or 'Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Our Provider,' which are taken apart by Sones to explain Hebrew and Greek translations and reveal the true meaning. Even though the chronology might bounce around a bit, it is all for a solid reason as one journeys through the wonder, tragedy and majesty of humanity's spiritual progression.

In The Covenant Names of God one learns that each Covenant name reveals "an aspect of who He is" and another a simple fact: "I am the God sanctifying you, I am the God consecrating you." Through the prophets the people were told their duty, with failure meaning a stern reminder to never "forget how powerfully God broke the yoke of their Egyptian masters and delivered them." 

Watch The Covenant Names of God book trailer at https://bit.ly/CovenantNamesOfGodTrailer

"Over the past 40 years, I have come across lists and short descriptions of the covenant names but couldn't find anything in-depth," relates Sones. "I decided to explore each name, using exegesis of the original Hebrew and Greek, which led to insights that I felt needed to be shared by writing a thorough and detailed book about the meaning and significance of covenant and the names associated with it."

"Sharing stories from the Bible like a master story weaver, Sones makes the covenant names understandable…Each name is thoroughly discussed with not only biblical references, but also illustrated by Sone's inimitable gift for relating current times and experiences to enhance understanding. This is a completely fascinating book by a fine scholar and humanitarian." —Grady Harp, Amazon Top 50 Hall of Fame Reviewer, 5-Stars

In this book, you'll find instructional and inspirational teaching about:

• Covenants, specifically God's covenant with Israel and with believers through Jesus
• The meaning and origin of Jehovah as God's name and its connection to covenant
• The eight other biblical Jehovah names and the background stories in which they are found
• Deep insight drawn from the meanings of these names and application to the reader's spiritual life
• How the use of these Old Testament names and themes continues in the New Testament
• God's unwavering compassion and faithfulness to his people
• Old Testament descriptions and predictions of Jesus as divine, clarifying passages in the New Testament concerning his resurrection

"We, in our finite minds, take a while to begin to comprehend who God is," says Sones. "A baby Christian hardly knows God at all. They know of his goodness and forgiveness but not much beyond that. We see a pattern in studying the covenant names that as God has revealed himself in covenant -- knowing as we do that God does not change -- that Jesus is all that God is. I wrote this book to teach and help people understand God better and provide the awareness to deepen their relationship with him."

"In a way, this book is a self-help book on the most fundamental level," says Sones. "I hope that by learning more about God's covenant names, readers will understand that God is there, is and has always been reaching out to us, is aware of every aspect of our life (good and bad), and is in the business of making us whole and successful."

The Covenant Names of God (ebook) $7.60, ISBN: 979-8456206817, (Paperback) $13.49, 2021, 153 pages, available at Amazon. 

Richard Sones, the son of an Army Signal Corps officer, was born in El Paso, TX and spent his childhood living in many locations around the world. He graduated from Southwestern Seminary with a Master's of Divinity and eventually served as a U.S. Army chaplain for nearly 28 years. His childhood experiences and his own deployments have given him deep knowledge and appreciation of a variety of people, customs, and cultures.

Having retired from the Army, he continues to minister as pastor of a Baptist church and chaplain at El Paso's Del Sol Medical Center. Happily married for more than 40 years, Richard is a proud father of four grown children and grandfather to several grandchildren. He and his wife reside just outside El Paso, TX, where he raises chickens, plays guitar, and builds things in his wood shop.

Media Contact: For a review copy of The Covenant Names of God or to arrange an interview with Richard Sones, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on twitter @abookpublicist