Serials and Scenarios - Stuck in the Middle

Author Virginia Smith visited a few months ago. Click here to read her interview.

My Review:

As a woman without the benefit of sisters, some of Stuck in the Middle was almost a foreign language to me.

It did make me both relieved and more than a little sad that I don't have a woman or two in my life who helped shape me from birth.

Smith does an excellent job in making the birth order, sister love/angst big as life. I enjoyed spending time with the sisters when they clicked and not so much when they didn't, which is very similar to the way I feel around real sister units.

Joan, the middle daughter, was the focus in the novel. I found myself almost wanting to protect her from the circumstances in the story.

If you like characters that step off the pages, or kind men, or dogs, you'll probably enjoy Stuck in the Middle as much as I did. Of course, if you have a sister or two, you should probably check into "Stuck." Twenty-somethings who are looking for a ministry fit might find some common sense guidance within "Stuck." The spiritual themes were not overbearing and were realistic.

Overall a pleasant, fun and poignant read.

Scribble and Scrambles - Behind the Smile

Thanks, for your comments yesterday.

This really minor crisis in huge scheme of things has got me thinking.

As you well know, this is always a little scary.

How many people do we encounter in an average day who have some trauma hidden behind their smiles?

Is the waitress who pours your coffee struggling with her marriage? Does her stomach drop to her shoes and her mouth dry into a desert as she unlocks the door to her iffy home?

The smiley guy who changes your oil...is there something growing in his body that is going to make itself known too, too soon? Right now, though, he's just dealing with vague symptoms and an optimistic attitude.

Did the guy with the cellphone pressed against his face who cut you off in traffic just lose his job?

The cleaning lady who vacuums your cubicle, the one with the twisted knuckles, has an adult son with a gambling problem who keeps hocking her stuff.

The picture perfect family who vacationed in Europe over Christmas...what do those white smiles hide? The perfect hair, the designer clothes, the luxury sedan...all cover-up brokenness.

We're all havenots. If it isn't money, it's health. If it isn't health, it's a heart that is broken a little bit everyday. If it isn't a broken heart...then maybe it's one that has broken one too many times and settled into a puddle of malaise.

But those of us who have Jesus, we have the great equalizer, the wonderful counselor, the great physician, the almighty God, the great I Am dwelling within giving us hope and a future.

Look into the next eyes you see. Beyond the smile. Does that person need something from Jesus? Is that person you?

I'm praying for you guys, even if I don't know who you are.

The picture is a snapshot of a blessing. The little guy on the phone turns 25 next month. There is not a prouder mother on the planet. He has overcome, he has trusted God, and he has grown into a man who is changing the world. His buddy is one of the greatest guys in the world, too. God has blessed me with people who knock my socks off, challenge me and inspire me. That's pretty much what this life is about.

Scribble and Scrambles - A Prayer For a Dark Monday

Though the accountant calls with nauseating news regarding our tax return, I will trust God.

Though the American economic situation has reached the midwest and the pressure and uncertainty of what tomorrow may bring is pressing a little too close to home, I will trust God.

Even though all the "known" avenues of security and quick-fix have dried up ... I have no choice, I will trust Him.

I will praise Him for providing what He has and for promising to provide in His time.

I will praise Him that the unsettling call was from the accountant and not a doctor.

I will praise Him that even though tomorrow is uncertain, my future is not. I know where I will spend eternity.

I will praise Him for the huge, fluffy snowflakes today, following sunshiney spring yesterday. These changes are a reminder that He is in control and does not behave as I prescribe.

I will praise Him for purring cats, a reminder that He creates with humanity in mind. For why else would a cat purr, but for a human to receive comfort or pleasure?

I will praise him for the laws of the land. Because they help protect me, even when I don't like them.

I will praise Him for His mercy and His discipline. Without His mercy I would be crushed. Without His discipline I would be a fool.

I will praise Him that He is more powerful than a phone call and a tax law. I will praise Him that He has made me His child and promises to meet my needs from His bank accounts.

Now. I feel better.

Scribble and Scrambles - Books, Books, More Books

Ane blogged the top five reasons that she knows she has too many books on her to-be-read list...

Here are mine:

5) My cats lay on my books just to get a little attention and affection.

4) I have to take a running leap to clear the stack of books near my bed.

3) The puffy gold packages on my doorstep or in my mailbox induce a blend of guilt, excitement and weariness.

2) I have books in random stages of reading in my purse, on my bedside stand, in the kitchen, living room and bathroom so that I can catch a few paragraphs while stirring, waiting or winding down.

1) I wake up with random words "tattooed" on my forehead or cheek.

But, I must say, reading is a passion, pleasure and blessing. So, as long as they keep a coming, I'll keep on a reading.

Scribble and Scrambles - A Tag-A-Lag-A-Ding-Dong

No word from Ted, yet. But he always has an open invitation to stop by for a cup o' dregs.

So here's some Friday fun. Ane Mulligan challenged me to play along. So here are the rules (hence the next line.)

The Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

And here are my three sentences.

From Tricia Goyer's Generation Next Marriage

"Years ago I loved reading secular romance novels. The men in those books said all the right things at exactly the right moments. They proved their love in extraordinary ways, the chemistry was hot, and they made my heart soar."

Now I'm going to tag Kim, Chanda, That Girl (she won't be quoting Dekker), Kristi and Jordan.

Scribble and Scrambles - A Long Night in Iowa

Do you ever feel your patience wearing thin?

Right now, the puppies are junk-yard dog wrestling.

Cute, except for the following facts.

It's 10:20 p.m.

Feral Will is on the desk teasing them. Two annoying things there....desk, teasing.

Dogs get bored. What? How can they be bored when there is another dog and humans to interact with, not to mention fifty million toys? They have spent the past-half-hour, while I'm trying to get my ducks in a row for tomorrow, nudging me, disobeying me, body slamming me, and begging. Now, they have curled up and are resting at my feet while Feral knocks items from the desk onto the floor.

The remainder of the evening was spent chauffeuring and attempting to be a good parent while taking sixteen-year-old to work, then returning to pick her up from work and rushing to school for a two-part drop off, then squeezing in an errand and returning to school for a band concert -- number seventy-two this year -- (okay slight exaggeration). I love music. I love my kid. But I do not love evenings spent hauling, sitting, hauling, waiting.

It's not a surprise to me that my mind wandered during the concert. I found myself dreaming up a book plot (and writing it down), then thinking about the bills I have to pay, and then why so many of the males on stage have shaved heads, and how the guys feel about wearing gold glitter sashes?

All of a sudden the musicians spotlights completely shut down. The band continued to play, but the audience as one, turned toward the light booth....just in time to see a brave man jump up on the last row of seats in front of the sound booth, pry open the sliding glass window and launch himself in. After being mesmerized by his khaki rear end and his flailing legs, I realized that the lights were back on.

Sweet.

Who was that masked man?

Serials and Scenarios - Adam.

Adam - Ted Dekker

Shudder. Big honken chickens -- run!!!!!

My Review:

Dekker fans are in for a thrill ride. Dekker is at his best when he writes thrillers. His fantasy is good, but his thrillers are breathtaking and sleep stealing.

Adam pivots on the usual Ted Dekker standard theme of man's fall and God's extravagant grace. An avowed atheist, psychological profiler on his quest to catch the bad guy enters into places he never believed existed, especially within himself. The woman who loves him gets entangled in the increasingly tense cat and mouse game between the ever-changing status of hunted vs. hunter. Dekker covers the murderer's intriguing backstory in a multi-part news expose which amps the tension with each segement of article.

The only negative is some ambiguity in the final sewing up of details. Dekker may very well have meant to be ambiguous as he left some story lines with opportunity for growth in future novels which would be very okay by me. The climax ended on a decided downbeat, too. But to have pumped any more intensity into the scene may have been overkill.

I'm calling Adam my favorite Dekker novel -- to date, you never know what's going to tweak his creative flow next.

Haven't heard back on the interview questions. So, Ted may or may not be appearing on Friday. We'll see what shakes loose. Whether we hear from Ted or not, the book is amazingly creepy, good, freaky.