Books, Music and Life . . .

2010-09-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

The House at Riverton

By Kate Morton

This is an excellent book and I enjoyed every minute spent within its pages. Morton does a masterful job taking the reader into the world of the rich and the servants who are devoted to them. 98-year-old Grace reminisces over her life, focusing on the years between 1914 and 1924, when she was in service as a lady's maid at a wealthy estate. Boundaries overlap between the "upstairs" and "downstairs" and tragic secrets are revealed.

It's hard for me to believe The House at Riverton is a debut book and I look forward to reading more by Ms. Morton. Here are her other two books:

You Alone Can Rescue

2010-09-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

You Alone Can Rescue
By Matt Redman

You Alone Can Rescue was recently introduced into our worship service and is now my new favorite worship song. I'll just let the words and music speak for themselves . . .

Who, oh Lord, could save themselves
Their own soul could heal?
Our shame was deeper than the sea
Your grace is deeper still

You alone can rescue, You alone can save
You alone can lift us from the grave
You came down to find us, led us out of death
To You alone belongs the highest praise

2010-08-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

I have owned and loved my Kindle for almost 15 months now, although I still enjoy print books and use the library frequently. The only thing I hate about ebooks is the Agency Model that five of the big 6 publishers have forced upon us in an effort to slow down the growth of ebooks, but that's a topic for another time.

Over the last year, I have become very interested in developments in the ebook market and follow several industry-related blogs. Only time will tell what happens to traditional publishers and print books, but the ebook market is definitely growing.

Today I came across a blog post by Joe Konrath, a popular author who left his traditional publisher and is now self-publishing. I believe his thoughts are worth sharing and welcome any comments.

From Joe Konrath's blog, August 18, 2010:

THE CHANGING FACE OF PUBLISHING

Things seem to be happening quickly in the publishing world. Quickly and, unfortunately, not optimistically.

I'm currently in Florida, having just spoken at a mystery writer convention. They flew me here to talk about ebooks. And people were excited to hear what I had to say, both newbie authors, and professionals.

It seems like a lot of people are being dropped by their publishers. In the past week, I've personally spoken to six authors this has happened to.

I've also spoken to three authors whose publishers are releasing "enriched" ebooks of their upcoming work, involving video, interviews, and extras.

I'm sensing a shift. And this shift will likely prove fatal for many of the parties involved.

If, as I suspect, publishers are going to print fewer books, that will result in a death spiral. Fewer books printed means fewer sold in bookstores, who will no longer be able to stay open. Without bookstore orders, publishers will print even fewer books. And so on.

Publishers might be looking at enriched or enhanced ebooks as their new big-ticket items to replace hardcovers. But the major ebook retailer, Amazon, isn't set up for video. Kindle isn't even able to do color yet. That leaves Apple, and according to my numbers Apple is a very small part of the ebook market. I sell 200 ebooks a day on Kindle. On iPad, I sell 100 a month.

Enriched ebooks seem expensive, and I don't see the money pouring in yet.

But if print goes the way of the dodo, publishers will have to rely on ebooks. Plain old non-enriched ebooks. And if they keep offering authors 17.5% royalty on the cover price, they soon won't have any authors to publish. After all, authors can get 70% on their own. And it doesn't take 18 months to release it. Plus the author gets to pick the price, cover, and title.

I know an author whose book debuted on the extended NYT bestseller list, who was told that more than half of her sales were Kindle sales. If this author had self-published the title and sold it at a reasonable price (other than $9.99 set by the publisher) I bet the ebook sales would have been quadruple.

My friend Henry Perez currently has the #1 ebook on Amazon, Mourn the Living. His publisher was savvy enough to give it away for free. As a result, his first thriller, Killing Red, is selling very well, and broke the top 100 Kindle downloads. The novella we wrote together, Floaters, is also selling better than it ever has in the past 18 months.

Update: The freebie promotion for Mourn the Living has ended, and Henry is currently the #1 overall paid Kindle Bestseller. Take that, Stieg Larsson.

And yet, even though Henry's kicking ebook ass, this success doesn't appear to translate to his paperback sales--they're both ranked in the 200,000s and 400,000s.

We might be looking at the beginning of the end of print.

Naturally, people are bemoaning this. Here are some of the things I've heard so often, they're becoming cliches:

• I love print books
• I'll never get rid of my book collection
• I enjoy seeing a book on the shelf
• I like the tactile experience of paper
• Print books don't run out of batteries
• Ebooks hurt my eyes
• Ereaders are fragile and too expensive
• I love the smell of paper books

But these protests and professions of love apparently aren't being followed up with ACTUALLY BUYING PRINT BOOKS. All these folks are complaining and insisting that print will be around forever, yet I've read from several sources that ebooks are currently 8.5% of the total book market. By the end of the year, they may be over 10%.

A growing ebook market means a shrinking print market. Those who want print to stay had better start buying more books.

Writers also seem to be defending the status quo. Very few believe, or want to believe, that the old gatekeeping system is crumbling down. They insist that publishers will somehow adapt.

Maybe publishers will adapt. Maybe bookstores will survive. Maybe print will persevere.

But it's important to look at this coldly.

It doesn't matter what writers, publishers, readers, and bookstores say they want.

It matters what they're doing.

Right now, readers are voting with their wallets. They're making the ebook market grow at an incredible rate; up 6% in just 12 months. That's over a 200% sales increase in ebooks.

Publishers are publishing fewer books, dropping authors, and seem to be pushing forward with ebooks with no real business plan. They price their ebooks too high, give authors too small a royalty, and are adding movies that can only be played on devices that people aren't using to read on, like the iPad.

Bookstores are selling fewer and fewer books, and are trying to get into the ebook market to save themselves.

And writers, brainwashed through years of Stockholm Syndrome, continue to have faith in a broken system that seems ill-equipped to weather the oncoming tsunami.

Everyone may want things to stay the same.

But you can't always get what you want.

2010-08-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

"The Preacher's Daughter" is the first book in the Annie's People series by Beverly Lewis. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Beverly's writing and look forward to continuing this series, which definitely needs to be read in order.

Amish beliefs differ from mine, yet I enjoy many writers in this genre. Maybe it's the draw of the simple life, uncluttered by all the technologies which consume our time today. Or maybe it's their faith, commitment to family, respect for those in authority over them, or the way they honor and take care of the elderly.

I like that Beverly doesn't write "simplistic" Amish fiction, but brings out conflict and shows that being baptized into the church isn't necessarily an easy decision. And I didn't realize until reading "The Preacher's Daughter" that claiming to have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is considered by the Amish to be prideful and therefore a punishable offence. I am eager to see how Beverly developes several interesting themes in this series.

A Holiday Called Holiday

2010-01-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

I'm late in posting this, but I just came across this article by Christian author Terri Blackstock, and it was too good not to share.

A Holiday Called Holiday, by Terri Blackstock

It’s Christmas Eve 2009, and as I work in the kitchen, I’ve had the TV on. I can’t help being amused and a little irritated at the efforts by the media to keep from saying the word “Christmas.” A few days ago I heard a morning talk show host talking about “the spirit of the Holiday,” and I thought, what holiday? Columbus Day? Labor Day? I’m sometimes a little dense, but I need her to be more specific. I didn’t know a season of days could actually have a spirit.

Then today, as I’m watching HGTV, I see a man decorating a house for “The Holiday.” He puts up the tree, decorates the tables, and hangs things on the wall, very carefully avoiding the word Christmas. And he shows us how he painted big letters to hang on the wall, spelling out the word “H-o-l-i-d-a-y.” Really? Are we really celebrating a holiday called Holiday?

It makes me wonder what people who are allergic to the word Christmas say to each other on that day. Do they show up at their families’ homes with their arms loaded with Holiday gifts (wrapped in Holiday paper), and say, “Merry Holiday”? Do they stand around their Holiday tree and sing Holiday carols and eat a Holiday meal? Does no one ever say, “But what holiday?”

We’re not afraid to utter the name of any other holiday. We’re very brazen about saying Happy New Year, Happy Halloween, Happy Labor Day, Happy Columbus Day, Happy July 4th. But to say--gasp!--Merry Christmas is just the height of rudeness? Millions of people around the world are celebrating it with traditions that go back 2000 years, yet we Americans are not allowed to say the word?

You just have to laugh. Those poor people are working so hard to remove the obvious from their … ahem … holiday, that they miss the joy of celebrating Christmas. Yes, I said it. Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas! I love Christmas, and I love the spirit of Christmas, and I love the joy of Christmas. And most of all I love that it all centers around the Christ child “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6) I guess that’s what they’re really trying to avoid.

I hope you all celebrate Christmas boldly and passionately, and never be afraid to say the name of Christ. We’re not celebrating a holiday called Holiday.

Christmas Reading . . .

2009-12-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas-themed books, from Christian fiction to murder mysteries. These are my favorite 2009 reads so far.

2009-11-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

These thoughts by Randy Vader (PraiseGathering Music Group) beautifully express the true spirit of Thanksgiving.

A Thanksgiving Prayer
- Randy Vader

For love that knows no limit,
for grace we couldn’t earn,
for patience beyond measure,
for lessons yet to learn;

For joy in spite of sorrow,
for victory in loss,
for the plan that bought our pardon,
for the manger…for the cross;

For granting us life eternal,
for the promise of Your word,
for gifts of priceless treasure,
for the still small voice we’ve heard;

For family, friends and neighbors,
for loved ones one and all,
for the beauty of creation,
displaying the kaleidoscope of fall;

We bring You our Thanksgiving,
we offer You our praise,
we yield our aspirations,
to seek Your holy ways.

Thank you Heavenly Father
for all that You have done,
for the comfort of Your Spirit,
for the Savior, Christ, Your Son.

As we count our many blessings,
as we remember loved ones past,
we thank You for assurance
for Your peace that will surpass
the things we cannot fathom,
and will never understand,
we still choose to follow you Lord,
as You lead us by Your hand.

2009-10-08T17:24:00.001-07:00

Title: Some Welcome Home

Author: Sharon Wildwind

Series: Elizabeth Pepperhawk/Avivah Rosen , #1

Genre: Traditional Mystery

Year Published: 2005

Rating: 5 Stars

Description (From Booklist):
Wildwind's amazing debut brings the Vietnam era to life--and in a remarkably captivating manner. An army nurse who served in Vietnam, Wildwind brings palpable authenticity to the setting and the characters. Captain Elizabeth "Pepper" Pepperhawk has returned from her tour in Vietnam to serve as head nurse at an army hospital in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Before she can report for duty, though, the dead body of a soldier appears in her hotel bed. Through the investigation, Pepper meets Avivah Rosen, a military police captain. Wildwind shifts point of view between the two women, adding another layer of interest to the story. Avivah and Pepper befriend Benny Kirkpatrick, a Green Beret with a heart of gold who readers get to know less deeply than the two women but who undoubtedly will figure in future stories. Wildwind evokes atmosphere beautifully--readers will feel the North Carolina heat and starched uniform collars--and she handles emotional nuance with equal aplomb. An original, heart-wrenching, brilliantly told story that will leave readers aching for the next installment.

My Thoughts:
I absolutely loved this book! The setting is Ft. Bragg, NC, during the Vietnam years - and rural NC also. There's so much depth to the characters and plot. Highly recommended.

2009-09-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

Title: Hallie's Heart
Author: Shelly Beach
Series: Lake Michigan, #1
Genre: Christian Fiction
Year Published: 2007
Source: Library
Rating (1-10): 9

2008 Winner of Christy Award

Description:

As a single woman struggling to establish an antique shop in the sleepy town of Stewartville, Mona VandeMolen’s life is complicated enough. When she discovers her fifteen-year-old niece Hallie hiding in her abandoned beach house, consumed with guilt over her sister’s drowning death, Mona’s true battle begins.

My Thoughts:
I read lots of relationship-style dramas in the Christian fiction category, and thought Hallie's Heart would be another typical book in this genre. But Shelly Beach is an excellent writer and I quickly got caught up in this story that has depth and characters I care about. There's a tender romance also, although it's not the main focal point. I look forward to reading the sequel soon - Morningsong.

My first trip to Germany

2009-09-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Beth, has lived in Tubingen, Germany for almost a year now, leading a newly-formed campus ministry. I was recently blessed with the incredible opportunity to spend two weeks with her. I haven't had time to download my pictures yet, so I'm going to post some Internet pictures of places we visited.

These pictures are of the Neckar River and the Old Town, which has been preserved since the 600's and survived World War II. There were crooked cobblestone lanes, hilly terrain, streets lined with canals, traditional half-timbered buildings, and market day. Incredibly beautiful!

Prelude and Cadence

2009-09-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Title: Prelude, Cadence
Author: B. J. Hoff
Series: American Anthem, #s 1 & 2
Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical
Year Published: 2003
Source: My Kindle
Rating (1-10): 10

Prelude:

B.J. Hoff, one of CBA's premier writers brings this riveting historical fiction series that meticulously depicts nineteenth century America. Prelude transports you to nineteenth-century New York and invites you to step into another time--a time that shaped a nation and defined her faith. This lively story carries you from immigrant ships to opulent estates, from skating-rink evangelistic crusades to star-studded concert halls, and introducing you to men and women you'll grow to love: a brooding blind musician, his suspicious but sympathetic sister-in-law, an unlikely pair of medical partners, and a struggling immigrant family. Pulsing with romance and intrigue, shining with artistry and faith, Prelude sounds the opening notes of a tale with a voice as big as America.

Cadence:

Cadence reunites us with Andrew Carmichael, an inner city physician, and his partner in practice, Bethany Cole, one of the first female physicians in America, who share a desire to serve the poor with their healing skills and with love. As the story continues, they discover that they share more than a professional passion--they share a love for each other. Set in late nineteenth century New York City and the surrounding Hudson River Valley, and incorporating the beginnings of American gospel music, Cadence continues the saga of the courageous immigrants who helped build our nation, the struggles they endured, and the music they created, lived and loved by.

My Comments:

This is a delightful historical with strong themes of romance, but so much more. A blind musical conductor, Hudson River Valley setting, Irish immigrants, Dwight L. Moody crusades, hymn writer Fanny Crosby, tender romance - all these elements and more combine to make a very enjoyable and moving read for me. As a pianist, I am obviously drawn to the prominent musical themes, which are portrayed in an excellent mannor. I look forward to the conclusion of this series, Jubilee.

Sullivan's Island

2009-09-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

Title: Sullivan's Island

Author: Dorothea Benton Frank

Series: Lowcountry Tales

Genre: Women's Fiction

Year Published: 2004

Source: Library

Rating (1-10): 9

Publishers Weekly:

Frank's debut novel is a story of redemption set in South Carolina's steamy low country. Susan Hamilton Hayes's comfortable Charleston existence is shattered when she finds her husband in bed with another woman. Faced with a failed marriage, a confused teenage daughter and a mediocre job, she sets about the business of healing. Slowly, supported by visits to her sister in their childhood home on sleepy Sullivan's Island, Susan becomes a successful newspaper columnist, regains her confidence as a woman (despite a hilariously deflating date) and finally explores the death of her complex, abusive father decades before.

Chapters alternate between the present and 1963, the year her father died, as Susan faces both the strength and the damaging effects of her family legacy. The ending - complete with a perfect suitor reemerging from Susan's youth - is almost too picture perfect to ring true, but both the setting and the characters are blazingly authentic. Frank evokes the eccentric Hamilton family and their feisty Gullah housekeeper with originality and conviction; Susan herself - smart, sarcastic, funny and endearingly flawed - makes a lively and memorable narrator. Thanks to these scrappily compelling portraits, this is a rich read.

My Comments:

One of my favorite settings is the Lowcountry of South Carolina, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Family drama told with humor and depth of characters make this a very good read. And I fell in love with the Hamilton's Gullah housekeeper, Livvie. This was my first book by Ms. Frank and I hope to read more.

Signs in the Blood

2009-09-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

Title: Signs in the Blood
Author: Vicki Lane
Series: Appalachian Mysteries
Genre: Cozy/Traditional Mystery
Year Published: 2005
Source: My Kindle
Rating (1-10): 10

Publishers Weekly Review:
Fundamentalist Christian snake handlers and liberal back-to-the-landers; a secretive white supremacist militia and undercover police agents; simple rural mountain dwellers and sophisticated urban artists—throw in a counterculture commune of allegedly extraterrestrial origin and that still wouldn't cover all the disparate types who populate the Appalachian community of Ridley Branch, N.C., the setting for this well-crafted, dramatic tale of murder, miracles and midlife romance.

Widow Elizabeth Goodweather, the 52-year-old proprietor of an herb and flower farm, becomes dangerously involved in a homegrown investigation when a housebound elderly neighbor refuses to accept the official verdict that her retarded yet woods-savvy son's death was accidental. Evocative detail brings the supporting characters vividly to life, as the plot moves between the mountain man's killing and an unsolved historical mystery that appears to eerily mirror the murderous modern scenario. Also admirable is the sensitivity with which Lane utilizes exotic religions to intensify the book's dark-toned suspense, while resisting oversimplification and insult.

My Comments: This is one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time, and I have my dear friend Kathryn to thank for recommending it to me. The Appalachian setting and local dialect really drew me in, as I could relate to a similar area and way of speaking from visiting my grandparents as a child. The characters are well developed and the plot won't let you go. Highly recommended.

The Envelope

2008-12-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

I was listening to the news last night as the reporter talked about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Super Saturday, the busiest shopping days of the year. Suddenly I just wished all that could be stripped away, leaving only the Christ child in a manger.

I came across a story about three years ago that changed the way my husband and I do our Christmas giving, and I'd like to share it. It's simply called "The Envelope."

"It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

"It all began because my husband, Mike, hated Christmas — oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it: overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute, the gifts given in desperation.

"Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties... I searched for something special just for Mike.

"Our son Kevin was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear.

"It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. We ended up walloping them. As each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

"Mike shook his head sadly. 'I wish just one of them could have won,' he said. 'They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.' That's when the idea for his present came.

"That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed an envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas. Each Christmas, I followed the tradition — one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year giving a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas.

"The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, the envelope never lost its allure.

"The story doesn't end there. We lost Mike due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was so wrapped up in grief that I barely got the tree up. But on Christmas Eve I placed an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more.

"Each of our children had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelopes.

"Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us."

* * * * * * * * * *

I was moved by this story and started following its example in my gift giving for Dwight, and the next year he started doing the same for me. We can't afford to outfit a sports team, but we contribute in each other's honor to a mission that is dear to our hearts. Last year he gave to a juvenile prison ministry that I have volunteered with; I wonder what it will be this year.

The only thing I miss about Black Friday is hearing the Salvation Army bell ringers, and they're getting harder to find each year. "The Envelope" has truly made our Christmases memorable.

Regencies in the Christian Market

2008-12-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

I have loved Regencies since discovering Georgette Heyer more than 30 years ago, and am delighted that this genre has made it into the Christian fiction market. Author Linore Rose Burkard's new book, Before the Season Ends, has received glowing reviews and I can't wait to read it.

For more information, check out Donna's interview with Linore on her blog. Here's the link:

http://writebyfaith.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-spotlight-on-linore-rose.html

Keith & Kristyn Getty

2008-10-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Our music minister introduced us to the music of Keith and Kristyn Getty after hearing them at a conference, and we have come to love this couple and their music. They could best be described as modern-day hymn writers, with "In Christ Alone" being the most widely sung and recorded.

From their website: "Who is creating the next generation of hymns for the Church? And greater still, has the unique formula of the hymn been abandoned on the back pew of the praise & worship movement? Irish composers and artists Keith & Kristyn Getty don't believe so, and they're on a mission to revive the art of hymnody for a new generation."

Some of my other favorites are: The Power of the Cross, See What a Morning, Hear the Call of the Kingdom, and Beneath the Cross. Reading the words of their hymns is like a devotional in itself. I encourage you to check out their website and learn more about them: http://www.gettymusic.com/

Havah by Tosca Lee

2008-10-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

I have Tosca Lee's first book, Demon, but have not read it yet. Now she has come out with "Havah," and I am intrigued by this fictionalized story of Eve. Here's what Tosca says:

"Havah is the story of Eve told from her point of view. What did she really think about Adam the first time she saw him? Why did she eat the fruit? How does a woman love one son who murdered her other? I wanted to know these things. I wanted to get away from the flannel board, pale-skinned Adam and Eve holding leaves over their groins, and see what it could have been like. Just like the story of the angelic fall, I believe there’s got to be more to this one as well."

I hope to read both of her books soon, and will post a review when I do so. Meanwhile, I wanted to call your attention to a blog called "The Friendly Book Nook," where a copy of Havah is being given away. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out: http://thefriendlybooknook.com/2008/10/11/giveaway-havah-the-story-of-eve-by-tosca-lee/

The Oak Leaves by Maureen Lang

2008-07-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

Author Maureen Lang’s book is another delightful discovery, although I’m not sure “delightful” best describes it. Moving, endearing, thought-provoking come to mind. Here’s a description of The Oak Leaves:

“Two time periods are woven together through a nineteenth century journal belonging to Cosima Escott, a lovely half-Irish, half-English woman whom everyone considers cursed because so many of the males in her family are “feebleminded.” When Talie Ingram discovers her forbearer’s journal and learns five members of her family once died in a murder-suicide because of this “curse,” Talie sets the journal aside, convinced some skeletons are best left in the closet. Until she sees signs of developmental delay in her own son…”

It seems that the author’s own son was diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome at the age of a year and a half, a situation very similar to that portrayed in her work of fiction. Maureen writes: “Upon the diagnosis, I had to accept one of my children would live a life of constant limitations. . . . Anyone who has a child with a disability knows what it's like to face the fact that your child is ‘different,’ that most hopes and dreams you hold for them probably won't come true.”

Maureen, like Talie in her book, went through the stages of fear, avoidance, anger – then finally acceptance, trust and peace. She concludes, “So if God takes you on a path you never expected to go, let go and look up. He's there in the midst of it all—with blessings you never expected, either.”

I know I’ve grown spiritually by reading The Oak Leaves, and look forward to the next book in this series, On Sparrow Hill. Thank you, Maureen, and also Tyndale Fiction for publishing these books.

I love Sundays!

2008-06-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, like most of my Sundays, started out with a 7:30 worship rehearsal. (I was so thankful for coffee!) We sang one of my favorite worship songs, Mighty to Save. The chorus goes like this:

Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

Talk about God’s timing! Yesterday’s devotional tied right in with those words, and made them even more meaningful. Here’s an excerpt from it:

“You and I are simply jars of clay – fragile and unspectacular – but inside these humble vessels, God stores the treasure of his presence. We can barely move molehills, but God has the power to move mountains.
“We have a choice to make. We can whine about our thorns in the flesh, or we can remember God’s promise, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weaknesses’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). We can gripe about our limitations and the things that we lack, or we can go in the strength we have.”

I love the sentence, “We can barely move molehills, but God has the power to move mountains.” I definitely want to go in the strength that I do have within me!

A delightful discovery

2008-06-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

A friend told me a long time ago that I would love this book and I finally got around to reading it. Was she ever right! Thank you, Kathryn!

I was hooked from the very first sentence: "There are gods in Alabama: Jack Daniel’s, high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus. I left one back there myself, back in Possett. I kicked it under the kudzu and left it to the roaches . . ."

Familiar themes of a dysfunctional Southern family, coming of age in small-town Alabama, quirky characters, the black boyfriend and racial prejudice - Joshilyn Jackson handles all this and more with freshness and humor. I found this one hard to put down.

You won't believe the neighbor with the pet chicken!

In the beginning . . .

2008-06-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me say that I'm not a writer. Secondly, I always seem to lag behind when it comes to the latest tech trends. But I've recently discovered the world of Christian fiction blogs, and learned so much about authors and their books. Also, a close friend has a blog where she just writes daily about her life.

So . . . I began to think that I just might could do this. I'll take it one day at a time, as the saying goes, and see what happens. Welcome to all who journey with me.