Thanksgiving Day

Well bloggers, we made it, it's finally Thanksgiving Day! I don't know what your day was like but hopefully it was fantastic. Some of you don't celebrate it I'm sure, I know it's an American holiday, but even if your not from here then I hope you found a reason to be thankful.
Growing up we had some fun traditions, one was we said something we were thankful for, every single person had to say one thing. It's not hard, actually the more I think about it the more things I think of that I have to be thankful for but there was always something special about hearing everyone say "I'm thankful for..."
Another thing we did was we sang "The Doxology", since a lot of you probably don't what that is let me just write down the lyrics. We only sang one verse so it's not very long.

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all ye creatures here below,
Praise Him all ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen."

One of my cousins in particular made me laugh because every year he was there we would finish singing and he would say "I've never heard that before." And every time I would laugh and tell him he had said the same thing the year before but he never seemed to remember that.

This year was different, I couldn't go home for Thanksgiving because I worked this morning. So instead some good friends offered to have me over for dinner at their place. They're like another set of parents to me and I was really excited about heading out. It turned out to be a little hectic, I got off work late and just ran home to change really quick, I should've been in and out in five minutes but on my way out the door I realized that I didn't have my cell phone. It took me another five minutes to search everywhere only to figure out I'd left it at work.

Jump back in the car head back to work, get my phone because it had my GPS and I don't want to get lost, run back up towards home in order to get to the right road but of course I miss my turn and have to turn into my parking lot to turn around and get back on the right road.

So finally I'm headed out, doing good, and would you believe it? My troubles don't end there, I end up trying to pull over to let a car go by and car slides off the edge of the road. Not all the way over, praise the Lord, but my two right tires, of course I don't have four wheel drive so now I'm stuck. After the initial panic thinking that my car was going to flip, I managed to calm down enough to climb out of the car. By this time someone had pulled over and... long story short, a family came along who were able to pull me out. It was only after I got back on the road that I remembered I had AAA. That would've been helpful before I sat on the road for 30 minutes. Oh well!

In the end I made it to dinner, late, but there, and was welcomed with open arms. The wonderful family helped me calm down, laugh and realize that the situation really wasn't as bad as I first thought. All in all I realized that even though I couldn't be with my family on this holiday and things didn't go like I planned I had people who loved and let me join their family for the day, strangers stopped to help me and things really weren't bad, just a little strange.

Maybe it wasn't a perfect Thanksgiving but it was definitely a memorable one. What about yours? Even if you weren't celebrating the holiday I hope you all had a great day!

Chapter 2

You know it seems that I've gotten pretty far off track what I wanted to write when I started this blog. In an effort to intergrate some stability I'm going to continue doing my monthly ministry moments (I'm really excited about Decembers) and I'd like to post monthly samples of my work. Right now I'm still working on publishing the Tisdale Chronicles online and although I've ran into some snags we're working on it and with God's blessing that will be coming soon. In the meantime I'd like to give you another sample of the first books, "Whispers of War". So here's Chapter 2.

Chapter 2

As they approached Paradise, Adam noted, not for the first time, that it looked more like an abandoned play fort then anything. He was well aware that the camp was in fact much more. He heard a distant whistle that sounded a lot like a robin calling to its mate, which he recognized as a warning call announcing their presence. No one got within a hundred yards of the camp undetected. Although they no longer had the use of electronics, Paradise had a top notch security system of trip wires, sentries, whistles and passwords. Sneaking up on the camp was virtually impossible and even if you did get that far, it wasn’t very likely that you’d survive to tell the tale.

As the group approached, a tall dark-haired man, dagger in hand, suddenly appeared, so quietly it gave the illusion he stepped out of thin air, he said nothing, but only stared at them, clearly waiting for something. It was Adam who spoke first.

“The angel Gabriel has sent us,” Adam told him calmly, after a moment the corner of the man’s mouth raised just a fraction.

“Come in then, servants of the King.” The passwords having been said correctly, the group relaxed.

“It’s good to see you again Scott,” Adam greeted him, as they entered the camp, that deceivingly looking unguarded, unless you knew what to look for. Then you would see the maze of buildings and trap doors that kept their new home running smoothly.

“And you three, we’re glad you’ve come,” with this greeting, Scott stepped back and seemed to melt away, as he disappeared into the shadows. The group walked into the camp and the door was closed quickly behind them.

From the outside, you would never be able to imagine what Paradise looked like. Even the inside was fairly deceiving; the living cabins and most of the buildings, including a bunker, were actually underground, the entrances were hidden by trap doors, some in the shell buildings, others outside. You’d never find any of them if you didn’t know where to look. It didn’t look like much, but Adam knew that it was quite literally a fortress. As soon as they entered the camp, a woman in her mid-thirties approached them, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt she would have looked like a typical 22^nd century woman, except for the sword strapped to her side.

“So you’ve made it, a scout told us he’d spotted you an hour ago, were the woods clear?” Katy Clark asked as she approached the young people.

“Yes, ma’am and we also have a message from The Council and news from town.” Katy nodded, her look telling them she’d already guessed that. It would’ve been unusual to send a team just because of news and a message, but she didn’t ask any questions.

“Come on, I’ll take you to Eli, he’s out on the weapons range now.” No one responded, but Amy slipped from her brother’s side to walk near the older woman.

“How are things, Aunt Katy?” Amy asked softly, although the woman was not related to her, Amy had addressed her as ‘aunt’ for years. Her mother’s friend, she had been their neighbor, until she’d been fired from her job for her beliefs. When her former employer tried to have her arrested on a false charge of embezzlement, Katy, like so many others, had fled to Paradise.

“Wonderful as always,” Katy smiled at the young woman, her optimism showing through the worry of why they had been sent. “How are your parents and things back in town,” her smile faded when Amy’s blue eyes, so much like her brothers, darkened.

“Not well,” Amy told her softly she would’ve continued but they had reached the range and Eli was approaching. Katy said nothing but squeezed Amy’s hand gently, a silent promise that they’d talk more soon.

“Well what do we have here?” The big man called Eli asked as he approached. He had been the first to come to Paradise and The Council had left the running of the camp to him. He was huge, standing about 6’3 and weighing about 240 pounds, he looked terrifying, but Amy knew that underneath the dark beard and gruff voice, he had a heart of gold.

“We have news and a message,” Kyle told him, much as he’d said to Katy. Eli nodded gravely; he’d known this day would come.

“Let’s go into the Hall, we can talk there.”

The building, commonly called the Hall, was a huge common room where important matters were often discussed; no one said a word as they silently followed Eli towards the building. They’d been traveling all morning and although they were tired they gave no thought to rest or cleaning up. This is what they’d been trained for. First, they must report the news, then help ready the camp, there were too many lives at stake to waste time.

*

By the time the first scouts arrived, at around four the next morning, there was a hearty stew and warm beds awaiting them. After eating, they gratefully fell asleep having reported that the first group was about an hour behind them. When the people started arriving they came in a steady but staggered stream, the camp’s main occupants fed and comforted them, before showing them to their cabins. Adam was among the greeters, while Kyle helped serve and Amy worked steadily alongside her aunt to comfort the frightened people and tuck the little ones in. She was exhausted and it’d started to show by the time she finally caught sight of her mother.

Carrying a young boy of four, Marie was trying to encourage the young mother staggering behind her, as Amy approached she could hear the words her mother was speaking.

“It’s okay Clarisse, we’re almost there, we’re in the camp now and we’ll get something to eat and then get some sleep. Things will look better in the morning.” Amy remembered that Clarisse was the only believer in her family; the child’s father had left when their son, Jack, was still a baby and when Clarisse had come to Christ a little over a year ago, her parents had disowned her turning her out into the street until the community of believers had taken her in. A wave of compassion swept over Amy for the young woman, the same age as she was who already carried the burden of motherhood. Immediately, she approached the trio and took the child from her mother’s tired arms.

“Mama, Clarisse, there’s food right over there,” she inclined her head to the right where Kyle was dishing up the stew.  Go get something to eat and I’ll get Jack off to bed. Someone will stay with him until you can get there.” Clarisse looked like she wanted to argue, but Marie sent her daughter a grateful smile and ushered the young mother towards the makeshift tables.

Amy whisked the child down to a cabin, making sure he was settled in by an empty bunk where his mother could sleep. She wanted to stay, but knew there were many more in need of her help, so finding another woman who was still up with a scared child, she asked her to watch Jack until either his mother or Marie arrived.

*

Adam didn’t know what time it was when he finally caught sight of the last travelers. He was exhausted and although Eli had offered to relieve him several times he chose to stay and keep on. Among the men in the last group was Council member Mark Drake, he’d chosen to stay behind and keep an eye for anyone trying to follow the weary Christians. When he finally got to the perimeter Adam greeted him warmly.

“Anything?” he asked, praying that it was all clear.

“Not that I could see, let’s hope the snow erases any trace we may have left.”

It was some time before Adam got any sleep, by the time he had helped Kyle and the others cleaning up, it was time for the sentries to change and the traps to be set up. Both boys wanted to tag along but Eli overruled them telling them to get some sleep.

“There will be plenty of time to learn the workings of the camp and check the traps and whatever else after you’ve gotten some sleep. You’ll be of no use to anyone if you collapse on your feet from exhaustion, now off to bed!” Although the words were a bit harsh, the twinkle in his eye belied the scolding and the pair gladly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

Hope you're enjoying the story so far, keep an eye out for more sneak peeks as we get closer to releasing the novel online!

Kick Back

As you have probably figured out by now I'm one of those people who likes to be doing something. Patience? Not really my strong suit but recently I attended a Women's Retreat out on the Coast and the scripture we were using was Psalms 23. In verse 2 David, the man writing the psalms says, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters."
Think about that for a moment. Green pastures, where the sheep wouldn't have to travel to find food, and still waters where they could drink without trouble. Now I'm just paraphrasing what the teacher was saying but hopefully you understand what I'm trying to say. The Good Shepard leads his sheep to a place where they can rest.
Our culture, even our church, is obsessed with business, we keep moving, serving, and working to further the Kingdom of God which is amazing and wonderful and exactly what we've been called to do but sometimes we get so obsessed with our mission we forget who it is we're serving.
Throughout the bible we see Jesus going up to rest, to pray, to be alone. We try so hard to follow his example in so many things yet we somehow manage to ignore this very important integral part of his life and his ministry.
Sometimes the thing we need most is rest. Time to focus on the on the One we serve, time to refresh our bodies as well as our souls.
It goes against everything we've been taught and every instinct that we have and yet it's one of the most important things we can do. Next time you're looking something to fill your down time, maybe that's something to consider.

Love and Loss

Everyone likes to talk about their great love, movies have been made, books have been written and those timeless stories have been passed down through each generation until even our littlest children know them by heart. But what about great loss? Those times that we don't like to talk about, those memories that we keep locked away so no one can see them, or the opposite we rely on them as we would a crutch, using them to excuse away all sorts of sins that we may commit.
The fact is that everyone deals with loss differently, I've spent a good portion of my life running away, from love, from loss, from any matter of things that I believe might make me vulnerable, including my relationship with Christ.
A few years ago someone very close to me lost their baby boy, their son was born premature and only lived for a few moments. That loss cut through my heart like nothing else ever had. For a long time after that baby died I held it against God, blaming him instead of accepting that He had another plan. I know in my head and my heart that little boy is safe in heaven and as I look around our world today I have to accept the fact that as much as I miss that child and grieve that I never got to know him or watch him grow up he's in a far better place.
Today I still can't say I understand why God chooses to take some to be with Him when they're so young and leaves others here on earth. I don't know what His plans are and there are still moments of doubt when I want nothing more then to run away. But here's what I do know. God is a loving, all knowing, all powerful Father who loves us more then we can possibly comprehend. He gave us His "only begotten Son that whosoever shall believe should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) He knew that "the wages of sin are death..." (Romans 3:23) and he wanted to spare us that, the second half of that verse in Romans says "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
All throughout the Bible we find amazing promises that our Heavenly Father had given us, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) and in the first part of that book He says "...before I formed you in the womb I knew you..." (Jeremiah1:5) One of my favorites is Paul's ever-so-true words in Romans when he says "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) He also promised, "...I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5)
There are so many other promises throughout the Word that it would take me years to find and list them all but here's what it all comes down to. God loves us, He gave His only Son for us so that we might live forever with Him. Instead of running away run into His arms, He's waiting for you and He's already told you what you need to do.
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

Jesus Himself has told you everything you need to know, "...I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) You have all the facts, the rest is up to you.

Thanksgiving?

November is traditionally the month of thanksgiving but sometimes we don't feel that way. Many of you have probably seen the phenomenon that overtakes social media each year around this time as people start posting each day what they're thankful for. It's a great tradition but at the end of the month it stops and people go back to their posts about the day or problems or whatever else, there's nothing wrong with that, but suddenly they forget all of the things that they were thankful for just a few weeks ago!
It reminds me of the verse in Romans, "The heart is deceitful above all things, who can know it?" As humans we are so quick to say something one day and put it out of our minds, and hearts, the very next day.
So here's the challenge, after the holiday season is over keep a track, whether it's posting on social media each day or just writing it down in a journal, take a month and each day remember to say something you're thankful for. You might be amazed at the difference it can make in your life.

Strait of Hormuz by Davis Bunn

Wow! I finished reading Davis Bunn's Strait of Hormuz today and let me just say that if you read my last review you know how much I loved Unlimited but this one might just beat it! Strait of Hormuz is the third book in the Marc Royce series but don't let that stop you! I haven't read the other two books and I still loved it!

Strait of Hormuz is an amazing story of heartbreak and mending. It makes you realize that even when we don't get our human version of happily-ever-after God has a plan that is so much better. Davis Bunn has truly shown his amazing, God-given talent once again, it's exciting from the first page and never slows down! The character are endearlingly life-like that remind you so much of your loved ones you find yourself shaking your head then laughing out loud as they bring out the humor in the most unexpected places. Set in a greater picture of politics and espinoge may be something we never encounter but the more intimate plot of the character's lives and stories of faith bring tears to your eyes and truths to your heart.

Ministry Moment- November

AWANA. How many of you have heard of it? How many of you can say what it stands for? In three days I'll give you the answer, posted as a comment but for right now I just want to highlight that ministry for a moment.
I was raised in AWANA, as were my siblings, many of my cousins, and a lot of my friends. My parents, aunts, grandparents, and myself along with many others have all served as leaders in this phenomenal ministry. AWANA is a program built and designed for kids. Children as young as 2 can start this program and it goes all the way through high school!
When I began I was what they call a Cubbie, the class for 3-5 year olds. Later, as a teenager, I was actually a Cubbie leader. But I'm getting off subject.
Let me just give you the breakdown of this ministry and quickly explain why it's so important.

Kids get to come to AWANA, play games, hear a story, learn Bible verses, and spend time with leaders who will care about them and invest in their lives. I can still tell you the names of many of my AWANA leaders because I knew how much they loved me and they made an amazing difference in my life.
Many parents love this program because it's inexpensive, others enjoy that hour or two to be able to have some time away whether it's to go grocery shopping or just savor a cup of coffee without little ones crawling on their laps. Quite a few love the discipline that it teaches their child from the uniforms they wear to the dedication it takes to memorize verses. Lots of people, both those who attend church and those who don't have come to love the AWANA program, both for the difference it makes for their kids and for the amazing people they meet through it.

If you've never heard of AWANA and you've got kids you'd like to attend then just check out a quick Google search for nearby churches that have AWANA in your area. It's a great ministry and chances are, you won't regret it.