# piedmont (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover piedmont. Page: Feed: --- ## [How I Bypassed Adobe and Microsoft to Build a Git-Tracked Book Production Pipeline](https://www.djspeckhals.com/posts/2026-05-22-how-i-bypassed-adobe-and-microsoft-to-build-a-git-tracked-book-production-pipeline/) _2026-05-22 · D. J. Speckhals_ The most important piece of fiction writing is the story. Are the characters compelling? Is the plot exciting and coherent? Is the story believable? Paired with that is writing quality, which includes grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation. Without an immense amount of work on these points, authors lack a book worth publishing. Formatting and typesetting a novel can become an… ## [Theodosia Ernest: The 19th-Century Bestseller You’ve Never Read](https://www.djspeckhals.com/posts/2026-01-31-theodosia-ernest/) _2026-01-31 · D. J. Speckhals_ I spent a month of my free time transcribing an influential 1800s religious novel. And having just completed it, I can say it was so worth every minute. Theodosia Ernest by Amos Cooper Dayton made an immense impact on American Protestants, especially Baptists. Dayton, a physician turned minister, was convinced of believer’s baptism in his 40s and thus joined a Baptist church. Soon afterward… ## [From the Alps to the Pulpit: Olivétan, Waldensians, and the French Bible](https://www.djspeckhals.com/posts/2025-05-07-from-the-alps-to-the-pulpit/) _2025-05-07 · D. J. Speckhals_ William Tyndale is perhaps the most famous Bible translator in the English-speaking world, but the francosphere (encompassing France, Belgium, Switzerland, and much of Africa) has its own pioneer translator. Pierre Robert Olivétan brought the Hebrew Masoretic Old Testament and Erasmus’ Greek New Testament to French—the first from the original languages. La Bible d’Olivétan shaped French-speaking… ## [Exploring the Albigensian Crusade](https://www.djspeckhals.com/posts/2025-03-17-exploring-the-albigensian-crusade/) _2025-03-17 · D. J. Speckhals_ Chance meetings can be the best ones. Last summer, my wife and I attended the CHAP (Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania) Convention . While browsing the exhibitor boots, a map of southern France caught my eye. Intrigued, I stepped closer to his publisher’s booth, where Andrew Lambdin was representing his books. Among the Christian books on display, I noticed two novels by Mr.… ## [Medieval Waldensians: Calvinist or Arminian?](https://www.djspeckhals.com/posts/2025-02-06-medieval-waldensians-calvinist-or-arminian/) _2025-02-06 · D. J. Speckhals_ What did Waldensians believe about election and predestination? Were they Calvinist or Arminian ? I could answer this question in a variety of ways, but I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible while still providing the key details derived from historical evidence. Who Were the Waldensians? The term Waldensian (also Waldense in English, Vaudois in French, Valdesi in Italian, et al.)… ## [Handel's Messiah in Baltimore](https://www.djspeckhals.com/posts/2024-12-18-messiah-in-baltimore/) _2024-12-18 · D. J. Speckhals_ Every Christmas season, a certain piece of music seems to follow me everywhere—from radio jingles to shopping mall speakers. But it wasn’t until a snowy evening in 2012 that Handel’s Messiah truly captured my heart. That December, I decided to take my wife on a date to see the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s performance. I had always liked classical music, but nothing prepared me for what I would… ## [Bridge Over the Susquehanna](https://www.djspeckhals.com/posts/2024-11-26-bridge-over-the-susquehanna/) _2024-11-26 · D. J. Speckhals_ Daily commutes don’t need to be boring. For the past 14 years (except for a hiatus in 2020), my drive to work has been about 30 minutes. I learned early on to listen to something and have since consumed over 2 months of audiobooks (thanks Audible!). But of course I’m driving, so I have to be aware of my surroundings too. One feature that captivates me nearly every day is a wide, slow moving…