Scribbles and Scrambles ~ My Other Dad

My father-in-law went home early Sunday morning. Too early, but in God's perfect time. I said good-bye on Wednesday evening before I left town for a few days. But I didn't know that good-bye was my final earthly good-bye. He had been on hospice for just over a week and we never expected that he would go so quickly.

I have a great relationship with my own dad. I love him so much and no one could ever replace him in my heart. But, over the years, I've grown to love my father-in-law more than I ever thought possible.

He has been so good to me. And he has been a rock in some really rough times. As a matter of fact, he managed to be Jesus to me a time or two. I am so glad he is in heaven and I wouldn't wish him back for even a second. And as he taught me in his life, and through his death, I imagine he will have a few things to teach me when I see him again.

To Bob Klepfer a man who helped shape my husband into the amazing man his is, and to a man who colored my life with many memories and moments, it was a pleasure to know you, and I will see you again. I rejoice in your life and what you've meant to so many.


The House Our Dad Built


Our Dad built a house.

His foundation of choice was faith in Christ. Dad then carefully chose the building materials.

He framed it with straight and sturdy 2 x 6's of love, acceptance, forgiveness and truth.

The layout was generous, giving room for each unique person and offering safe shelter and a quiet place to belong.

Protective bricks of discipline, work ethic, loyalty and righteousness shored up the foundation.

The home was decorated with laughter, kindness, shared memories and good times.

Dad covered the house with a roof made of grace and prayer.

And then Dad signed the house over to us and gave each of us keys to all the doors.

All the while Dad built his house for us -- Jesus was building one for him.

When I see him again, I expect Dad to offer me keys to the new house and show me around, offering advice and helpful hints about my new surroundings.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Steep Thoughts.

At our recent ladies High Tea at church I had the opportunity to squeeze a spiritual application from tea bags.

I looked up tea facts and found out some fascinating tea tidbits. All types of tea (except herbal) come from one plant, the Camellia Sinensis. Even though teas are classified as white, green, oolong and black, they come from the same source. What differs is when they are picked and how they are processed.

I decided that all humans have at least two things in common and both of those things are key ingredients for a nice cup of tea. From the every-second-counts picking of the tiny “white” tea leaves to the multiprocessed and fully caffeinated black tea, they all come from the same plant.

Tea/human connection number one. Each of us are a human version of a tea bag.

As there are thousands of varieties of tea, there are unique and variable human combinations. Like the white, green, oolong, black and herbal teas, and the many combinations of those, we humans have bits of leaves and fragments that go into our personal “tea bag.” Things like personality-type, family/culture and experiences are harvested and cured and become part of who we are. Call it nurture and nature crumbled up into a bag full of color and flavor that we use to impact the world around us, and as a filter on how we deal with life. Some of us offer soothing brews like chamomile to others, some are more Earl Gray and then there are the zingers in life. (Obviously, this might explain why we encounter people who just aren't our cup of tea.)

So onto point two. We are all unique little mixes of flavor and spice. What else do we all have in common?

Hot water, of course. The second most important ingredient in a cup of tea is the water.

In tea, hot water releases the flavors, the blends, and the antioxidant properties.

What is the hot water in our lives? Difficulties, challenges, experiences and trials.

The situations God allows into our lives cause us to bloom. The colors, scents and properties of our lives are made apparent to us, and to others, when hot water is applied. Now, that's not always pretty. Sometimes we end up with a nasty taste in our mouths or leave one with others. True life example of tea gone bad: we bought a lovely loose leaf blend at a tea shop. Dehydrated berries were mixed into the leaves and it was tasty...until we somehow found a strawberry that apparently had a rotten spot before dehydration and when it had steeped in hot water....ewwww.

Often when we react to the hot water in our lives with less than tasty results we are surprised and shocked. But...God's grace is available to us to make some changes within the tea we become. As we grow and mature in our relationship with Him He adds and subtracts seasonings and bits. And the milk and honey of the Word and our growing maturity can soften, change and sweeten the end product...one that can nurture, bring healing and nourish another weary or hurting soul.

No matter what process we are in at the moment, if we are IN Jesus Christ, hooked onto His vine, we are from the same plant. And what we've done, what we've experienced, the broken parts of us, the pain that we've endured, all of those bits and pieces are going into the brew. The brew is in God's hands and in His perfect timing and watchfulness. Our odd bits will be useful and valuable to Him. We are at different stages, we will have different antioxidants and properties, different futures, different pasts and processing that may look unlike any one else's, but we are His and we are being made into His perfect cup of tea.

When looking up tea terminology I think I found the perfect statement to describe the process of becoming uniquely us and valuable to the lives of others. It is a term used to describe “well-made” whole leaf tea grades – WELL TWISTED.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Deceit ~ Brandilyn Collins

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Deceit

Zondervan (June 18, 2010)

by

Brandilyn Collins





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:





Brandilyn Collins is an award-winning and best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline "Don't forget to b r e a t h e..."® Brandilyn's first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). She is now working on her 20th book.



In addition, Brandilyn’s other latest release is Final Touch, third in The Rayne Tour series—young adult suspense co-written with her daughter, Amberly. The Rayne Tour series features Shaley O’Connor, daughter of a rock star, who just may have it all—until murder crashes her world.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Skip Tracer Joanne Weeks knows Baxter Jackson killed his second wife---and Joanne's best friend---seven years ago. But Jackson, a church elder and beloved member of the town, walks the streets a free man.

The police tell Joanne to leave well enough alone, but Joanne is determined to bring Jackson down. Using her skip tracing skills, she sets out to locate Melissa Harkoff, now twenty-two, who lived in the Jackson home at the time of Linda Jackson's disappearance.

As Joanne drives home on a rainy winter night, a hooded figure darts in front of her car. In her headlight beams she glimpses the half-concealed face of a man, a rivulet of blood jagging down his cheek. She squeals to a stop but clips him with her right fender. Shaking, she gets out of her car in the pouring rain. The man will not let her see his face. Before he limps off into the night he warns her not to talk to police.

As Joanne tries to find Melissa, someone seems to be after her. Who was the man she hit on the road. Is Baxter Jackson out to silence her? Or is some other skip she's traced in the past now out for revenge?

"
If you would like to read the first chapter of Deceit, go HERE

Read more reviews of Collins's books and an interview HERE.

My Review of Deceit:


Brandilyn Collins twists and turns her way through yet another page turner. Joanne Weeks knows Baxter Jackson killed her best friend. But she doesn't have any proof. After voicing her opinion of the investigation's early death, shortly after the demise of Jackson's second wife, her comments are plastered on the front page of the small town newspaper. A town that is pretty much owned by, or at least in the back pocket of, Jackson.

A series of events unfolds at a break-neck pace that definitely tossed me against my seatbelt restraint a time or two. Collins strength in writing page-turning events is strong and I found myself whipping through them. A few similarities to previous novels, a very strong female lead for starters, and a back and forth parallel but different time frame telling of two enjoined stories will delight Collins fans. The twists may keep said fans on their toes. Chickens might be able to read this one without pulling the blankets over their heads, however, Collins tackles some interesting subject matter. This isn't a tame "Christian" read...rather something closer to what you might see in headlines.

Serials and Scenarios ~ The Last Christian ~ David Gregory

I was a bad, bad blogger. I agreed to read and review this book and post it last week. And I did none of the above. However, I do have the book and it looks very intriguing. I've read Gregory's previous books...Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, Day with a Perfect Stranger and the Next Level and was impressed with the message and storytelling skills. So. I'm looking forward to reading The Last Christian and I'll be back with a review. Soonish. In the meantime, here's Nora's review.


THE LAST CHRISTIAN
By David Gregory
Published by: WaterBrook
ISBN# 978-1-4000-7497-6
407 Pages

Back Cover:

When missionary Abigail Caldwell emerges from her jungle village in A.D. 2088, she arrives in America to find Christianity has disappeared---and brain transplants promise eternal life! Determined to restore the nation to God, Abby joins forces with historian Creighton Daniels. What will they do when a powerful conspiracy threatens humanity's spiritual future---and their own lives?


REVIEW:

I’ve read Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, Day with a Perfect Stranger and The Next Level by David Gregory and jumped at the chance for a review copy of his newest book. I had a feeling it would be something special. I wasn’t disappointed.

After reading the prologue, dated April 2088, I knew I was on a completely fresh, incredible, serious journey with David as he whisked me into this Sci/Fi thriller. I buckled up, regrouped and tuned into this high-tech scenario. David reveals amazing computer gadgets, a mainstream super highway, and the absence of the Christian influence in the world.

I could imagine this incredible high tech world with the help of seeing movies like the Star Trek and The Matrix. This author shows how technology can change the world and do great things, but along with the benefits there are serious ethical and moral consequences. Neuron implants are put into people in the form of a chip that allow them to surf the grid (much like the web-but more remarkable) so they can spend most of their lives in VR (a virtual reality world of their making).

This is not a comfortable, warm fuzzy read with a happily ever after ending. It’s a book that made me think about life, in relationship to Christ and the people around me. I knew that after I finished the last page of The Last Christian, I would keep whirling the characters dilemma and the deep message David gave over and over in my mind, heart and soul. David’s books do that to me. .

Abigail Caldwell was the only one to survivor a virus that wiped out her whole village. She’s an American Missionary trying to make sense of a sixteen year old message recently received from her Grandfather in America.

When Abby arrives in the USA she discovers Christianity is gone. Not because the government stripped it from society but humanity had changed. Science and technology became more important to them. It replaced the need for God and Christianity. Abbey thought, Could one person make a difference? She soon found out people weren’t interested in the message of forgiveness through Christ in this foreign land.

Someone says to Abbey, “I found that out long ago. That’s because they no longer sense their need to be forgiven. People didn’t believe in absolutes anymore, in right and wrong. So what is there to be forgiven for?”

This author challenges everyone to evaluate how they are living this Christian life and how they share Jesus. I have to say I was pierced by the Holy Spirit to re-evaluate some things in my own life. Wow, what a story. You’ll definitely have to check this one out!

Reviewed by: Nora St. Laurent
ACFW Book Club Coordinator

Serials and Scenarios ~ Limited Time Contest

Teach your kids about prayer, have fun and be entered to win 30+ kids books!

Teaching your kids about prayer is important, but it can also be enlightening to get a child's perspective on something that we as adults take for granted.

Here's your mission (should you choose to accept it):

• Video your child(ren) talking about prayer, praying, explaining what prayer is, etc. It can be creative, informational, enlightening, funny, or all of the above but it needs to be no more than one minute and thirty seconds long.
  
  
• The video doesn't need to be professional quality. You can shoot it using your phone's video recorder or use that "video" feature on your digital camera for the first time!
  
  
• Post your video on YouTube, Tangle or Vimeo.
  
• Go to our website and enter your information and include the link of your video (the full list of instruction on how to enter can be found here).
  
• The winning video will win a full library of WaterBrook Multnomah children's books, including the new release This Little Prayer of Mine by Anthony DeStefano. That's over 30 books!

Teaching your kids about prayer has never been so fun! See here for contest rules and more information.

HURRY! This contest ends on 6/7/2010 so time is limited.

ENTER NOW!

Serials and Scenarios~ Travis Thrasher's Broken

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Broken
FaithWords (May 25, 2010)
by
Travis Thrasher

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

It was during third grade after a teacher encouraged him in his writing and as he read through The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis that Travis decided he wanted to be a writer. The dream never left him, and allowed him to fulfill that dream of writing fulltime in 2007.

Travis Thrasher is the author of numerous works of fiction, including his most personal and perhaps his deepest work, Sky Blue, that was published in summer of 2007. This year he has to novels published, Out of the Devil’s Mouth, and a supernatural thriller, Isolation.

Travis is married to Sharon and they are the proud parents of Kylie, born in November, 2006, and Hailey, a Shih-Tzu that looks like an Ewok. They live in suburban Chicago.

Stop by and visit Travis at his Blog where you can sign up to follow him on Facebook and Twitter!


ABOUT THE BOOK

Laila had it all--love, family, wealth, and faith. But when her faith crumbles, her world falls apart and Laila finds herself living an empty, dangerous life as a call girl in Chicago.

When she is threatened, Laila shoots and kills a client in self-defense, sending herself into a spiral of guilt and emptiness. Six months later, she is trying to move on, but she's haunted by the past. She hasn't told anyone about the man she killed, and she's still estranged from her family.

When she is approached by a stranger who says he knows what she did, Laila has no choice but to run. But the stranger stays close behind, and Laila begins having visions of the man she killed. Little does she know she's being hounded by something not of this world, something that knows her deepest, darkest secret.

Scared and wandering, will Laila regain her trust in God to protect her from these demons? Or will her plea for salvation come too late?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Broken, go HERE.

Read my thoughts on Ghostwriter here.


My Thoughts:

Broken is one of the few novels I've read in a horror genre so read my comments in that light whether you are a horror fan or not.

Travis Thrasher writes complicated characters with page-turning tension. Broken is written in the 3rd-person-present-tense point-of-view that is at times difficult to read but one that amps up the tension. As with the other horror books I've read, there are several moments within Broken that had me looking over my shoulder or responding to hair-raising shudders.

I was intrigued with Thrasher's creative twists and turns and feel the need to check out more of his novels. The themes of ghosts, redemption, demons and hope in Christ are a blend that works, especially for folks who don't mind feeling creeped-out a few times. There is low key language and there are some difficult adult themes so I don't recommend it for children or young teens.

I did struggle with some confusion as the story played out. Each chapter opens with a page or two of the main character's journal. These were my favorite sections of the book because I felt they fully fleshed Laila out and made me feel involved in her story. In between the journal pages were scenes that either played off the journal section, added more details or twisted/contradicted it.

Some of the secondary characters crossed over into stereotypical or cheesy a few times and I don't know that they really added the element of fear because of it.

I can't say I loved this novel. It was an interesting read, definitely, and a page-turner most of the time. But.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Pre-Thursday Deep Thoughts

If you don't want to get fleas, you shouldn't roll with dogs who are infested.

If you want your dreams to come true... stop participating in nightmare inducing activities.

Life is generally not a series of random Murphy's Laws targeting a few unfortunate, innocent souls. Bad stuff happens, but, more often and more likely, bad stuff is something you dragged in on your shoe after sneaking through a path of chosen naivety.

If you want happily ever after, you gotta stop seeking out the villain.

If you hope to be respected, you really need to behave as if you deserve respect.

Need someone to love you? Quit pushing away the ones who care and clutching at selfish ones who never will.

Cause and effect, it's not just a quippy phrase, it's what happens in response to what you chose to do.

If you want to be grown up, then you have to suck it up and act like one.