My new novel Finding Home: The Lost Brother is available on Amazon! If you’ve been interested in my writing at all, I hope you’ll check it out.
Click Here to Look at the Book
And if you’ve never read the original novel check it out too!
Click Here to Check Out the Original Novel
Also, I’ve been invited to return to Giddings, TX for the Word Wrangler Festival in September. I’m so excited and I just wanted to share that today.
I hope you’re having a great day too!
This weekend I got to see two movies that I’d really been looking forward to, so I thought I’d review both of them in one post. It was odd seeing Star Trek Beyond and Jason Bourne so close to each other. I normally watch kid movies and the types of previews that come before these sort of films are not very uplifting. There were so many shooters, assassins, and thriller commercials that it got to be a bit too much for me. With all that’s been happening in our real world, seeing more violence in these previews was not at all appealing to me. It reminded me why I usually go for the more family focused films.
But despite Star Trek and Jason Bourne being more adult films and having plenty of action and violence, I still enjoyed myself. Star Trek was very similar to the last 2 films and Jason Bourne was very similar to the original trilogy. They both had cool action scenes, with flying spaceships and explosions in one, and fistfights and car chases in the other.
I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride in Star Trek, partly because I was in the front row and could barely see the whole screen with my peripheral vision. But the shaky cam in Jason Bourne did just as good a job of sucking me into the action. (Though it could make it difficult to know what was happening).
So if you like action films, check out either of these two films, and you won’t be disappointed.
Now on to a deeper level, I noticed that Star Trek and Jason Bourne have fundamentally different set ups. Star Trek is about a crew, almost a family, having to solve problems, work together, and use their varying skills and talents to overcome huge obstacles. No matter what they face, they stick together and don’t give up on each other. The villain in this movie, as in countless other movies, says this is what makes them weak. But the crew firmly believes that it is a strength to have each other.
Jason Bourne, on the other hand, is a protagonist that we’re rooting for but he doesn’t rely on others very much. He’s not on a team, he’s by himself. And though he occasionally works with others or shows care for others, it usually ends up being just him against insurmountable odds. But because he’s Jason Bourne, he always comes out on top.
Thinking of this in my own life, I would rather be in a Star Trek type situation rather than a Jason Bourne one. I like having a team of people around me that support and encourage me rather than being able to handle everything on my own. There is some discomfort in not being able to take care of myself all on my own, but there is such a sweet bond that people share when they help each other and depend on each other. And I’d rather have that than the ability to do it alone. It also reminds me of the Body of Christ and how we aren’t good at everything, but by working together we build each other up in love and glorify God. He designed us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and to help others but also receive help from others.
Well anyway, those are a few of my random thoughts after seeing the movies. I hope you enjoy one or both of these films.
So first off, I’m sorry for not posting last week. July has been a crazy month for me, full of vacations, Bible Clubs and my birthday. But during all the hubbub God has been teaching me something that is really important and I thought I’d share it.
To give some context, I’ve been reading through Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book The Cost of Discipleship and also reading through Luke and several of the New Testament Letters this month. That’s part of where I’ve been learning from God. But I was also heavily involved in my church’s outreach called Great Adventure which involves Bible Clubs (similar to Vacation Bible School for those who don’t know what that is). And in the craziness and busyness of it all I realized that I was focusing on all of the little details of a club: how presentations went, if the leaders were connecting to kids, and if the kids were having fun or bored. One day I was focusing so much on all these details and what could have gone better, that I realized I was missing the point.
That night I read in Philippians about all the things Paul did that he now considered rubbish.
“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ… I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-“ Philippians 3:7-9
And in the next chapter he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
I had been so focused on works that I hadn’t remembered to rejoice in what God was doing. So I changed my perspective, and instead of looking at all the problems, I looked for all the ways God was at work. He was connecting students to kids, teaching students that He answers prayer, and showing us all that it wasn’t our effort or work that mattered, but His power.
But God wasn’t done with me. As I was reading in The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer dug deep into this passage:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” Matthew 7:21-23
Just as Paul said his works were worthless, these great deeds of casting out demons and healing people were worthless. My own efforts in doing Bible Clubs would be worthless too, if I missed the whole point. Why am I doing these things? If I’m not doing them with Jesus, for Jesus, and because of Jesus, then they are worthless.
Fast forward to this morning and I found myself reading Luke 10 and the last section jumped out at me:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
I know God isn’t impressed with my works but all of these passages really reinforced that message. Jesus doesn’t care how much I do for Him, how many Bible clubs I help with, how many times I share the Gospel, how many people I serve and love. Those are all great things, and following Jesus does mean doing these things, but the whole point is being with Jesus, loving Jesus and knowing Jesus. If I forget that, it’s all meaningless. So I thought I’d share that with you today. Don’t forget to be with Jesus today.
I’ve spent the last week on vacation, where I got to visit relatives and see a life size replica of Noah’s ark and visit a museum dedicated to validating the Bible as true and reliable. On my way home yesterday, I found out about the tragedy our nation has experienced with more deaths and murder and violence. It was heart breaking. I saw post after post on Facebook where people were trying to identify with those who were hurting by saying #BlackLivesMatter and #BlueLivesMatter and #AllLifeMatters.
Honestly, I didn’t know how to react to all the pain and suffering and fear that people were experiencing. What do you say? What can make a difference? I didn’t want to sit back and do nothing, but honestly, what is someone supposed to do when people keep dying and nothing seems to stop it?
I ended up praying, a lot. By myself, with family, for friends that were scared and for everyone affected. As I did this, I was reminded of these verses:
“Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:10-18
Our enemy isn’t each other, it is Satan. He has come to steal, kill and destroy and he is doing a good job of that right now. But we don’t fight him in our own strength. We speak truth to counter his lies, and we share the gospel of hope to counter his hopelessness, and we pray and place our security in Christ.
I don’t know where you find yourself in the middle of all this, but God has been teaching me this week that He is the Creator. He made every single living creature with a purpose. Each of our lives matter, no matter what our profession or skin color. We are all extremely valuable and loved by the One who made us. We are not here on accident and we are not made to hate and kill. We are made to be like Him: to love, serve, give, comfort, encourage, protect and be there for each other.
All this evil in the world is horrible, it is wrong and should be punished in the harshest way. Even if I’ve never shot anyone, I still have messed up, lived selfishly and rebelled against God’s design. I, like all of us, deserve to die, to pay the price for sin and rebellion.
But God’s Gospel is true and the good news does bring hope! Jesus died in my place, in your place. He paid the price for sin, for ALL sin. And He conquered it and rose from the dead.
I am alive in Him and with His powerful help, I can be a part of changing this world. There is no policy or program that will fix all the evil in this world. There is only the cross and He who died on it and rose from the dead. He is the only answer and my only hope.
So I cry out to Him today, for our country, for our people, for my friends and neighbors, my sisters and brothers. For He loves us more than I can imagine, so much so that He took our place on the cross and offers hope freely to any who come to Him.
That is my only answer to tragedy.
I got to see Finding Dory, finally. I loved Finding Nemo and I’ve been waiting for this sequel for forever! Anyway, I noticed in the movie that Dory is very worried about her short term memory loss and that she will forget something important. And then I read this article about someone who deals with anxiety by keeping herself distracted and doing all these things to keep her busy. And then one of my good friends was in a car accident and she’s been dealing with all of the crazy stress and thoughts of why this happened to her. So anyway, I thought I’d sum up all my thoughts on these things in one blog post.
So here it goes. First off, if all you want to know is how Finding Dory compares to Finding Nemo, then it was great! If you loved the first movie, you’ll love the sequel. There are old characters that still make you laugh and a lot of new characters that are just as charming and hilarious. I definitely saw some similarities in the storyline to the first film. But there are enough changes to this movie, that it’s not a problem. I loved that we get to see Dory’s past, especially since she had forgotten what it was in the first film. It was great to see her piecing together her history and where she came from and who she is, but also realizing that her current relationships are just as important as her past ones.
Now I don’t want to ruin the movie for any of you out there who haven’t seen the film, so I’ll just leave you with a preview:
But as for the bigger picture, Dory, along with all of us, can get caught up in life and what is happening now and forget to think about the big picture stuff, like why are we here? What’s our purpose? Does my life really matter? I think these kind of questions can sometimes cause anxiety if we never address them.
And the article I read brought up some similar points and mentioned other negative thoughts that people who are anxious have running through their head. Here are some of the thoughts that I found familiar:
“You’re not good enough.”
“You’re a bad friend.”
“What are you doing with yourself?”
“You’re a fraud. Just good at faking it.”
“Everyone else has it together but you.”
“So many people have it tougher than you.”
Click here to check out the original post
So whether you’re dealing with a traumatic event, or just the everyday busyness and life’s little problems, anxiety can trap us. We get stuck thinking negative thoughts and we need to stop. Dory “just kept swimming” to deal with this problem and focused on just doing the next thing. And the lady in the article I read suggested taking a second to stop and be still.
But what I’ve found is that no matter what situation I’m in, the best thing to help me not be anxious is taking my problem to God. Remembering that He is in control, He is good, He has a plan, and He loves me puts those negative thoughts back in their place. They are lies and attacks and I don’t need to listen to them. As I turn my gaze to the One who loves me, who died in my place, who has good in store for me and will never leave me alone or abandon me, I find a peace that transcends understanding.
So I hope this post encourages you today.
Hey everyone, I’m trying to be more intentional about my writing. So all of you can hold me accountable. The next book in my Finding Home series is almost done. I’m setting the Release Date for June 30th 2016! If you read the first book: The Orphan’s Journey, then you’ll like the continuation of the story in: The Lost Brother.
Thank you to everyone who’s supported me through this long process of writing and editing. I hope y’all enjoy the new book! And as a gift to you, here is a sneak peek of the newly revised 1st Chapter!
Chapter 1
A Lost Home
“The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
Proverbs 22:7
The small town of Hampton was full of life as the salty air rushed by in the afternoon breeze. The stalls of vendors reeked of fish and mollusks from the day’s catch. The sounds of haggling mixed with the shouts of children who were playing hide and seek amongst the crowd.
War, it would seem, could not touch this place. This rural fishing community with its squat little cottages spread across the rolling hills was too far removed from the rest of the country to get caught up in any of its recent excitement.
Unlike the other children playing hide and seek, Josiah was neither smiling nor laughing. He set the heavy water bucket down for a minute to catch his breath. It was a long climb from the village well back to the breezy hillside where he now lived. He studied the imposing stone structure for a minute, so different from the home he had grown up in. He tried to remember instead the old cottage, with the kitchen fire bringing warmth and light to the whole family. He could still picture each of his brothers’ smiling faces. That’s how he remembered them; always smiling, always having fun.
Josiah shook the image from his head and found himself staring at the full bucket. No, I shouldn’t be thinking about them. Everyone says I can’t change what happened and I should be thankful for what I have. A sigh escaped his lips. It wasn’t that he was ungrateful for the family that had taken him in, now that he was an orphan, but still things would never be the same.
“Josiah? Are you going to dawdle all day or are you going to fetch me that water?” a loud voice echoed down to him.
“Coming!” Josiah replied, trying to sound respectful. He flexed his fingers and again took hold of the rough handle.
The large woman with dark brown eyes who met him at the door could have been pleasant to look at if she wasn’t constantly frowning. She glared down at Josiah with her permanent frown planted squarely on her fat face. She crossed her arms, “What took you so long? A grumpy old donkey could move faster than you.”
Josiah’s eyes fell to the ground. “Sorry, Margaret.”
“It’s Lady Margaret to you!” she said with a huff. “How many times do I have to remind you? You’re such a dunce. Now hand over that water bucket.”
Josiah handed the bucket to the waiting servant and reluctantly took another empty bucket from the floor. “Yes, Lady Margaret.”
“Now be quick with this one. No more lollygagging, got it?”
Josiah nodded and turned back down the large hill. He hurried along, willing his legs to move faster than he felt was possible.
An hour later, Lady Margaret, finally satisfied with the amount of water Josiah had collected, released him from his chores. “I shall be indisposed for an hour, but I expect you to be back here when I am through. Do you understand?”
Josiah nodded. “Yes, Lady Margaret.”
“Good.” Lady Margaret shut the door.
Josiah sighed and turned to face the sea. This was his favorite time. Lady Margaret, for all her faults, also had a love for long baths that allowed Josiah a precious hour of freedom. He skipped down the hill’s worn path toward his best friend’s home.
A sturdy little cottage covered with flowers came into view. The woman of the house loved to garden, and the sweet scents overpowered the salty sea air around the home. Vines covered with little purple flowers climbed all over the stone walls, while window boxes overflowed with yellow and pink blossoms.
Josiah smiled to himself and called out, “Alex?”
A woman’s thin face popped out from behind a bush teeming with little pink flowers. “He’ll be out in a minute Josiah. He’s washing the dishes for me.”
Josiah grinned back at the woman’s kind face. “You need any help Holly?”
Thin strands of her brown hair swayed as Holly shook her head. “Not today. I’m almost done.”
Josiah nodded and began to wander through the various flowers while he waited. As he watched the bees hum from one bloom to the next, he finally felt a sense of peace. Compared to the dark stone mansion where he now lived, this place felt like heaven. Why couldn’t Alex’s family have adopted me? We’re already like brothers.
Josiah sighed because he knew why. Though Alex’s family was generous, there was a limit to the help they could give. They could barely keep up with feeding their own children. In comparison, Lady Margaret and Lord Gregory had a surplus and no children to care for. Even though Josiah felt more like a servant than a son in their home, he couldn’t complain. He had food to eat, a bed to sleep in, and a roof over his head.
“Hey Josiah!”
Josiah turned to see Alex wipe a wad of soap bubbles out of his tangled brown hair. “You done with soap duty?”
“Yeah, you done with bucket duty?”
Josiah rubbed his calloused hands. “Yeah, for today anyway.”
“You want to go to the beach?”
“Actually, I was thinking of… you know.”
Alex shrugged. “Sure, we can go there today.”
“Well let’s go then! I only have an hour you know,” Josiah said as he sprinted toward an old dirt path.
Alex picked up a smooth walking stick and swung it over his head. “I’ll get ye yet ya slippery eel!”
“You’ll have to catch me first!” Josiah called over his shoulder. He darted through the forest, ducking under low limbs and jumping over thick tree roots like a wild animal. Then he dived behind a bush and waited for Alex to catch up.
Five minutes later Alex came up the path poking his stick into several bushes. He stopped and called out, “Alright, you can stop hiding now Josiah. I’m tired of this game.”
Josiah grinned as he watched Alex and mimicked a bird’s sharp whistle.
Alex sat down and crossed his arms. “I’m not playing anymore Josiah. You always win.” He waited for an answer and poked his long stick into the thick foliage. “At least give me a hint!” Alex searched a bit longer than threw his stick down. “Ugh, you’re no fun. I’m going home.”
Josiah suddenly sprang out of the bush he had been hiding in and tackled Alex to the ground. “Got you!” he said triumphantly.
Alex pushed him off. “No fair! You didn’t even give me a hint that time.”
Josiah sat up with a grin. “Sure I did. Didn’t you hear the bird calls?”
Alex tilted his head to the side. “That was you?”
Josiah winked.
“It’s not fair,” Alex pouted. “I never got special lessons about being quiet in the woods.”
Josiah frowned. “Yeah, well, just be glad it wasn’t you.”
“Come on, tell me about it.”
Josiah shook his head to dislodge the image that had popped into his brain of a man with feathers sticking out of his dark hair.
“Please,” Alex whined.
“Cut it out Alex. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But I’m your best friend! You can share your secrets with me.”
Josiah stood up with a grunt. “Come on, let’s go to the house, I don’t have much time left.”
Alex got up reluctantly.
The two boys scurried through the woods and soon broke into a clearing. They raced up the familiar path that led to a well-worn cottage in the distance.
“Are you still planning on living here one day?” Alex asked.
“Of course, we’re going to be neighbors. I’ll live in my cottage, and we’ll build you another one right… there.” Josiah pointed to an uncommon spot of level ground.
“I wish you could live here now,” Alex sighed. “Then we could play all the time… like before.”
“Like when we were kids.”
“What are you talking about? We’re both ten. We are kids,” Alex said, a bit confused. Then he laughed. “Except when I’m doing dishes, then I’m just like a real adult.”
Josiah shook his head and laughed. “Yeah, you’re a real grown up now.”
Alex hit Josiah in the stomach playfully. “Hey, it’s a start.”
“Yeah well, don’t be in a hurry. Being an adult isn’t that great. Trust me.”
Alex stared at his friend with concern. “What do you mean?”
“Never mind.”
“One of these days Josiah, you’re going to tell me what happened to you.”
Josiah studied the ground and kept silent.
Alex sat down with a huff and stared out at the ocean. “It is a nice view though. I can see why you like it up here.”
Josiah nodded, but he turned to look at the cottage instead. He closed his eyes and imagined his family standing there with him.
“Guess you have to go home now,” Alex muttered.
Josiah’s eyes snapped open and he glanced at where the sun was in the sky. “Oh no, I’m going to be late,” he groaned.
“Well, guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Alex said as he stood up and wiped dirt off his hands and onto his pants.
Josiah nodded glumly but didn’t move; he didn’t want his hour of bliss to end.
Alex headed for the worn path that led to his home and turned to wave. “You better hurry Josiah!” he called.
Josiah lifted his hand in farewell and watched as his friend disappeared into the trees. “Bye,” he said under his breath. He took one last look at the snug little cottage then took off at a sprint, heading for the cold stone manor that he now reluctantly called home. He arrived out of breath and as he suspected, late. He could hear Lady Margaret mumbling to herself through the door. He couldn’t make out the words, but she sounded irritated. Part of Josiah wanted to turn and run away. I could just leave, never look back. I could just live on my own…. But something held him there, for though the situation was almost unbearable, being alone seemed far worse.
“I can hear you breathing,” Lady Margaret said loudly. “Get in here now!”
“Too late now,” Josiah muttered to himself. He pulled the door open and walked into the dimly-lit manor.
“You’re late,” Lady Margaret said with quiet impatience.
“Sorry,” Josiah mumbled.
“You don’t even have an excuse this time?”
Josiah shook his head.
“Gregory is not going to like this.”
Josiah cringed.
Lady Margaret smiled with satisfaction. “Go wash up now, dinner is ready.”
Josiah nodded and sulked over to the washbasin. He rinsed his hands slowly, his mind racing, wondering which punishment Lord Gregory would inflict on him this evening.
Just then, Gregory’s oversized body squeezed in through the door. “Ah, it’s good to come home to a warm meal,” he said happily. “What’s this I smell Margaret? Could it be lamb?”
Margaret laughed. “No, guess again.”
Gregory’s heavy footsteps caused the stone walls to echo with loud thumps as he made his way to the table.
Josiah frowned at the large muddy tracks scarring the freshly polished floor. Great, guess my punishment will be cleaning that floor again.
Gregory inhaled deeply, moving the thick brown hairs of his mustache. “Hmm, perhaps venison is our treat of the evening.”
Margaret shook her head. “Come now, stop being so extravagant.”
Gregory frowned and rubbed his scruffy beard. “We’re not having chicken again, are we?”
Margaret nodded. “Unfortunately, when we have more mouths to feed the delicacies give way to the practical.” She eyed Josiah accusingly.
Josiah avoided her gaze and took his seat. It’s not like I wanted you to take me in either.
Gregory sighed. “I was hoping for something else, but at least it’s not fish.” As he sat at the head of the table, his massive chair gave a groan.
A servant rushed in with a platter of steaming chicken and another followed with a platter of rolls. The two servants rushed in and out of the kitchen, carrying dish after dish of delectable food.
Gregory began tearing into a chicken leg and several rolls before the whole meal was even on the table.
Margaret sat delicately in her own chair and began picking out several choice berries and a slice of chicken breast.
Josiah sat still as a statue, waiting for them both to begin eating. He had come to the understanding that the more his presence went unnoticed, the better. Once the two had finished serving themselves, he grabbed a few leftovers and nibbled at them quietly.
As Gregory started on his second helping of food, Margaret cleared her throat.
Gregory ignored her as he kept eating.
A servant refilled Margaret’s glass, but she cleared her throat again, more loudly this time. When her husband still ignored her, she raised her voice. “Gregory.”
Gregory made eye contact but refused to stop eating.
“We’ve had another unfortunate mistake that needs correcting.”
Gregory rolled his eyes and swallowed. “What is it this time?” he moaned.
Margaret locked eyes on Josiah. “Our dear little boy has refused to follow directions again. He needs to be disciplined.”
Gregory glanced at Josiah with annoyance. “Can’t you go one day without getting in trouble?”
Josiah’s eyes dropped to his plate.
“Apparently not,” Margaret said with distaste. “It’s a pity that we have to deal with all his childishness. His parents really should have done a better job of raising him.”
Josiah glanced up at Lady Margaret, stunned. He felt like crying and yelling in rage at the same time, but nothing came out of his dry throat.
“Margaret,” Gregory said calmly. “There’s no need to bring that up. It’s not like he could help it.”
Margaret sniffed and went back to cutting her chicken into bite-sized pieces. “Well, he still needs to be punished. I won’t allow his uncouth behavior in my house.”
“Fine,” Gregory said quietly. “Then he won’t sleep in your house tonight, how’s that?”
Margaret gave a quick nod of approval and went back to eating.
Josiah glanced up at Lord Gregory. “So where will I sleep tonight?”
Gregory’s face softened; he almost looked apologetic. “In the barn.”
Josiah stared back at his plate of food.
“What do you say?” Margaret said with an air of satisfaction.
“Yes, sir,” Josiah said with as little emotion as possible.
* * * * *
Josiah stepped into the weather-beaten barn. The small lantern in his hand illuminated the damp quarters, revealing several stalls where quiet animals stood staring back at him. It was more unnerving in the dark than it ever was when he had to feed the animals in the light of day. Josiah clung to the thick blanket in his other hand and took a deep breath. “Alright, nothing to be afraid of in here,” he tried to reassure himself.
The wooden panels creaked as a sharp gust of wind came in from the sea. Little streams of air whistled through the cracks in the siding.
Josiah gulped and took another step inside. He jumped as the wind slammed the door shut behind him. Calm down. It’s just wind, it can’t hurt me. He settled down on the damp hay of an empty stall and snuggled in his thick blanket. Josiah wasn’t sure he’d be able to fall asleep in the dark barn, but he tried to get comfortable anyway.
* * * * *
Josiah’s was running through the forest but his legs began to give out. Then he stumbled over a rock and tumbled into a shallow creek bed. He landed on his back and before he knew it, a boot had pinned him to the soft wet ground. Josiah stared helplessly at Harold’s terrifying face, and knew nothing he could say would deter this monster.
“You’ve done it now,” Harold gloated. “I gave you a chance, you know I did. But now it’s too late. I really shouldn’t have let you live this long.”
Josiah closed his eyes.
Suddenly the pressure of Harold’s boot lessened. “What the?”
A twang reverberated through the forest, and Josiah opened his eyes to see Harold with an arrow sticking out of his chest.
Harold stood with a surprised look on his face for a second and without another word tumbled over, dead.
Josiah was too stunned to move, he stared at the arrow, then slowly sat up and looked around the woods frantically.
It wasn’t until the stranger was ten feet away that Josiah saw him. He was a young man who wore odd clothing and had two feathers sticking out of his dark brown hair. He approached Josiah slowly, barely making a sound. He was neither smiling nor frowning but was studying Josiah with keen inquisitive eyes.
* * * * *
Josiah’s heart was pounding as he opened his eyes. He sat up and looked around the shabby barn. It was just a dream, it’s not real. He tried to breathe slowly. It was just another stupid nightmare. Gradually his heart’s quick beats began to slow. He lay back down and tried to get comfortable but he couldn’t fall asleep. So he did what he always did; he started picturing his father, then his mother, and proceeded to each of his brothers, finally ending on the one person who wasn’t dead, but had left him anyway. He visualized the man with the feathers again. Why? Why did you leave me here? Why does everyone have to leave me?
Movie review time again, yay! I’ve been waiting to see “Me Before You” for a long time and I was excited that it worked out with my friend to watch it last night. This is definitely one of those chick flick movies, so if that’s not your preference, feel free to stop reading. But I found the film very enjoyable. It’s definitely more of a tearjerker movie and not as much of a romantic comedy. Although, there were definitely a lot of funny moments in the film and I enjoyed laughing along with the rest of the audience.
But in the end, this is not a happily ever after type movie. From the beginning we can tell that this romance is mixed with tragedy. One of the main characters William, is involved in an accident at the beginning of the film and has to deal with the pain, humiliation, and changes that come from having a spinal cord injury. The plotline focuses on his growing relationship with Louisa. She tries to brighten up his life, make him smile, laugh and focus on the good. It is fun and sometimes laughable to see her efforts at cheering him up throughout the film.
But then we find out that William has decided to end his life. It’s a decision that he made before he even met Louisa, and the audience cheers her on as she tries to change his mind. But despite her best efforts, the film progresses toward this assumed ending. This definitely brings out the tears. But more than that, it brought up some questions and a good discussion with my friend.
As Christians, we could see something missing from Louisa’s efforts to save William. She was trying to convince him to keep living in a world full of pain, loss and disappointment. She wanted to make him happy, but he didn’t want to trap her in his world and keep her from living. No matter what she said, she couldn’t change his mind. Then my friend said, “If only he’d known Jesus.” It was a short comment, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. There are so many people that live through horrific circumstances and don’t give up. They may live in pain every single day and a lot of people see them and think it would be better if they were put out of their sufferings. But they have a hope and they refuse to stop living.
I went home after the movie thinking about this and then happened to read this passage:
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”
2 Corinthians 1:8-10 “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”
I think if William had known Jesus, he could have kept living. Because Jesus not only comforts us in our hardships and delivers us from our despair, but He also gives us a hope and a promise. No matter how hard this life gets, He has promised that those who follow Him will have eternal life. All of the hardships from this life will be redeemed, and will be worth it. All of the sacrifices we made will mean something. Jesus gives us a reason to keep living.
So anyway, those were my thoughts after seeing this movie. If you enjoy a good chick-flick, check it out.
I had to go back in my blog posts and make sure I hadn’t already covered this subject, and I was a bit surprised to find that it had never come up, or at least not in the titles of my blogs. Recently I’ve been thinking about forgiveness and since I don’t think I’ve even done a blog post about it, I guess it’s time to.
Well, I was reading this morning in Matthew 18 about the servant who was forgiven a huge debt by his master and then didn’t show forgiveness to his fellow servant who only owed him a small amount of money. When his master found out he got pretty upset and threw the unforgiving servant in prison. At the end of the parable Jesus says “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Now don’t get me wrong, just because I’m a Christian and know a lot of facts about Jesus and the Bible, doesn’t mean that actually doing what God says is easy. I try to obey God, including when it’s doing something hard, like forgiving someone. But there are times when it just feels impossible. What that person said or did just hurt so much, was so unfair, and my heart does not want to forgive. At those times, I have to ask for help. God forgave me, of everything I’ve ever done, the times I ignored Him, when I didn’t do what He specifically told me to do, when I was lazy or selfish or prideful or arrogant. And He is able to help me forgive others.
And I know when He asks me to forgive, it really is for my own good. Letting go of those hurts is hard, yes, but holding onto them is painful too. I’ve seen so many people lose relationships because they couldn’t forgive. Those hurts may feel like huge things to let go of, but what God has forgiven us of is even greater. And we didn’t deserve His forgiveness any more than our friends and relatives deserve ours.
So anyway, that’s what I’ve been learning recently, and I thought I’d share and encourage you to show forgiveness today.
One of the things I love about being an author is that I get to read so many other good books. They give me inspiration and help me see what my target audience already enjoys reading. Recently a friend let me borrow the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. This is a short series based in a fairytale world. However it takes a very unique perspective on the fairytales. Instead of following one of the common fairytales and maybe changing it up a bit, these books focus on characters who do not like the fairytale stories and don’t want to be a part of one. They see though the ridiculousness of how these stories are supposed to go and instead choose to live their own way and often give advise to other people in their world of how they can change their story.
The first book in the series is “Dealing with Dragons” and it follows a princess who does not want to marry a prince, or learn all the things a princess is supposed to learn. Instead she wants to do exciting things, like learn to use a sword, or read Latin, or practice magic. When she finds herself being forced to marry, just because that’s how things are done, she runs away and volunteers to be a dragon’s princess.
Each of these books follows the perspective of a new character and has a wonderful sense of humor. Many of the classic fairytale stories are mentioned and poked fun at. There is a giant who is tired of chasing the “Jacks” out of his house, and a dwarf that has to spin gold for people and somehow keeps ending up with their children because they can’t guess his name.
I’ve only read two of the four book series and I already love them. They are pretty short books and meant for a bit younger age, I would guess about 10. But they are enjoyable for any age reader and I highly recommend them. So if you’re looking for a book to take on a summer vacation, and you love a good laugh, pick up one of Patricia Wrede’s books.
Well I got to see the movie “Mother’s Day” today with my good friend. So I thought I’d write a review for the film. It’s similar to the movie “Valentine’s Day” released a few years ago and also follows the lives of several families as they celebrate the holiday. Unlike “Valentine’s Day,” however, this movie covers more than just the one day. It gives us a look into the families varied lives before the holiday happens. It is a touching movie with many heartfelt moments. I did tear up a couple times. But there are also plenty of hilarious moments to laugh at and keep you entertained. All in all it was a good movie to watch, and a good reminder that mothers and fathers are all important. They definitely deserve more than one day of appreciation. So even though Mother’s Day is over, and Father’s Day isn’t till next month, I’m going to take a moment to thank my parents for all that they have done and still do for me. And I hope you do too.
Mom, you’ve been there for me, before I can even remember. You’ve done so many things without being thanked, even once. Countless dishes have been cleaned, the laundry washed and dried, floors swept, mopped and cleared of toys. You bought me clothes and taught me to sew. You made so many meals for me and then taught me how to cook my own food. If I ever have a problem, or a question, you’re the one I go to for advice. I love you so much! I’m so thankful for your constant presence in my life, and for not only your care, but your friendship. I’m so glad you’re my mom.
Dad, thank you for working so hard to provide for our family, for putting in the long hours and pushing through the stress and difficulties with your job. I’ve always had what I needed because of you. Thank you for taking the time to play with me as a kid, to read me bedtime stories and teach me to ice skate. Thank you for all of the Daddy-Daughter dates and teaching me what I should expect from a man. You taught me how to dance, how to navigate, how to organize and make wise choices. You’ve given me such a great example and I am so thankful for your love. I love you! And I’m so glad that you are my dad.
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