Into the Fire

Books I Recommend . . . and why. (Part Two)

Saturday you got my “for men” suggested list. Today we’re going to start with our “For either/or” list. These will be comprised of a variety of genres but should be of interest to either men or women without quite as much of a “thriller” component.

Demon . . . a memoir by Tosca Lee (You will not find a novel more elegantly written than this one. This spiritually high-concept novel is also a definite choice for those who have no knowledge of the Bible and may or may not be searching for the Lord. It’s a fascinating read and recommended for both the lost and found.)

The Famous One by Nicole Petrino-Salter (Okay, I know. Shameless self-promotion. Seriously, if you know of someone who has sampled all the world has to offer and come up empty, this is a novel which should touch their souls. Equally good reports from the men and women who’ve read it. Appropriate for adults who want to read about very real characters who are involved in situations which involve alcohol, drugs, sex, and the worldly lifestyle but eventually experience the contrast.)

In High Places by Tom Morrisey (Another very well written novel which would serve unbelievers as well as believers. Touching story in so many ways. Guys will definitely “get” this book, and girls will appreciate it.)

Crossfire, Firestorm (the sequel), DMZ by Jeanette Windle (These are phenomenal stories about government corruption, interaction, terrorism, etc., which take place in Columbia and Bolivia and parts of South America. Jeanette was raised in these places by missionary parents and gives us a sharp look at the hidden and not-so-secret aspects of these countries.)

Dark Star, Confessions of a Rock Idol by Creston Mapes (Creston handles this inventive story with a straight on look and entertaining storytelling. If you know someone who has faced addictions, this is a good book with a hopeful ending.)

This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness, Prophet, The Oath, Visitation by Frank Peretti (These are classics and suitable for unbelievers, too. Frank Peretti is one of the best authors of our time.)

Plague Maker by Tim Downs (Wonderful story with Tim’s great writing. Speaks volumes about forgiveness. Another amazing character within the pages of this novel.)

Safely Home by Randy Alcorn (If you are not seriously moved and powerfully impacted by this simple story, you might just have Freon flowing where your blood is supposed to be.)

Try Dying, Try Darkness by James Scott Bell (These two novels are exceptionally written with enough sarcasm and clever metaphors mixed with enticing characters and an obnoxious but entirely likable protagonist. James Scott Bell at his absolute best.)

Waking Lazarus by T. L. Hines (An incredible storyline with great writing, falls somewhere in between mystery/suspense, supernatural thriller, and literary genius.)

All Through the Night, The Lazarus Trap by Davis Bunn (Strong but damaged protagonists in each of these solid stories with something for both sexes.)

Redeeming Love, And the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers (Redeeming Love is a true classic, and my macho man loved this story, so it isn’t just for women at all. Powerful and anointed, well written, incredible. And the Shofar Blew is a contemporary story of problems concerning the modern church. It is insightful, real, and well done.)

This next category is a bit unique: for couples who have survived marriage difficulties or are facing them and need something to show them they are not alone in their struggles.

The Breaking Point by Karen Ball (This novel is gut-level honest and written from Karen’s heart, having experienced her own difficult journey through marriage woes. Powerful story. Well written.)

At the Scent of Water by Linda Nichols (A story of devastation to a marriage due to the loss of a child. Well told and redemptive.)

A Time to Dance, A Time to Embrace (the sequel) by Karen Kingsbury (A happily married couple falls into disrepair and decides to divorce but waits when their daughter tells them she’s getting married. It’s a story of the nitty gritty aspects of digging in and fighting for the love you once felt for each other instead of succumbing to all the temptations to quit and move on. Real looks at how selfish we become when we stop working on what we have and decide it’s not worth it.)

The Perfect Life by Robin Lee Hatcher (When all seems right, things go terribly wrong. This novel touches on true faith both in the Lord and in the intimacy of each other.)

Okay, next category: Additional Thrillers, Horror for either/or

The Pawn, The Rook (first two books in the series) by Stephen James (Stephen James is a wonderful writer. The Pawn has an over-ambitious plot but lays the groundwork for The Rook which is excellent.)

Adam by Ted Dekker (This is a creepy, fascinating, sometimes horrifying, bona fide thriller/horror story.)

Tomorrow we’ll do mystery/suspense, legal suspense, romance, literary, and odds and ends. Just a reminder: a lot of these novels are reviewed here if you need more information.

Father, you are to be praised for the wealth of talent in your people and how they've used it to honor you. Please bless each one with more stories and ever-increasing obedience. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

Look to the Lord and His strength;
seek His face always.

Psalm 105:4 (NIV)

Books I Recommend . . . and why.

We all have our favorite novels. Those favorites can range from romance to thrillers. Sometimes the reasons defy explanation. We just love the book, okay? Most of the time, however, we know why we like a story and why someone else might like it too. Yes, some people think everyone will enjoy what they read, but those particular readers who recognize their own tastes and how they differ from friends and family usually have a bankable opinion on what specific people will like in a book—or at least can explain the story well enough with possible comparisons to other authors in order to present an accurate depiction of the book for a potential reader.

Back in my post “Reasons” I gave you several examples of novels upon which I placed the “Anointed” tag. Today I’m going to give you some novels I enjoyed, some more than others, for people on your “what to buy” lists. These will all be CBA (Christian) novels but not all of them present the gospel message up front, a few of them not at all.

For the men in your life who read:

Treason, Hostage, Defiance (a trilogy), Black Sea Affair by Don Brown (These are authentic military novels written by a former JAG attorney. They’re crisp and cool with plenty of conflict and in your face looks at terrorism.)

Mission Compromised, The Jericho Sanction, The Assassins (a trilogy) by Oliver North (These are older contemporary military novels, and they were ahead of their time. Incredible depiction of insider looks at the Middle East and Israel.)

Comes A Horseman, Germ, Deadfall by Robert Liparulo (Bona fide thrillers, Germ in particular is very fast paced. All contain unique characters and fascinating plots.)

Deep Blue, Dark Fathom, Yucatan Deep by Tom Morrisey (These novels take you on realistic adventures with plenty of mystery and exciting excursions to faraway places.)

Until the Last Dog Dies, When Skylarks Fall, To Skin a Cat (a trilogy) by John Robinson (These stories are short with plenty of wise-a** commentary from a 50-ish PI involved in interesting investigations. Told in the old style of gumshoe prose.)

Submerged, Beneath the Ice, A Treasure Deep, Zero-G by Alton Gansky (Highly imaginative adventures, short novels with daring and interesting concepts.)

Deadline, Dominion, Deception (a trilogy) by Randy Alcorn (These novels cover the friendship of three men who lose one of their group in the first novel. Each book is a great read.)

Shoofly Pie, Chop Shop, less than DEad by Tim Downs (Incredible character Nick Polchak, the “Bug Man”, is one of the most fascinating in all of literature. I left out the third novel in this series, First . . . the Dead, because it was my least favorite. Clever, sardonic, and determined, the Bug Man takes you on his murder-laced investigations from a forensic entomologist’s point of view. My personal favorite: less than DEad.)

We’ll do more suggested reading on Monday.

Father, thank you for all the authors you’ve gifted. Such wonderful imaginations and abilities you’ve given them. It’s a joy and treasure when they use their gifts to honor you. Please bless each one for the work done by your inspiration. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Commercially Speaking . . .

Some of you will participate in Black Friday. Others of you will put off shopping until the crowds dissipate. A few of you are all done with your Christmas shopping. Wherever you are in the process, we’re stopping here for a commercial break.

As you know, I detest marketing. Foolish of me, I know. Nevertheless, I don’t detest my work. So, I’m going to suggest a Christmas present for those readers in your families who have been away from the Lord for some time or who have never had the life-changing experience of meeting Jesus Christ. Many Christian novels are right up front with the gospel message and are clearly evangelical stories. If this works for a story, and the writing is good, bring it on. I will not be offended if it’s done well. However, there are readers who get queasy and uneasy at the mention of the gospel up front, especially if they’ve been living in a lifestyle they know is wrong for them. The temptation is to buy them a bestseller from the secular catalogues. May I suggest you give them a copy of The Famous One?

The Famous One will show them one person’s journey to salvation, how his desire to end his loneliness is filled early on with alcohol, drugs, and a lot of sex. As the author of this tale, I can tell you this character is not judged for his lifestyle. The reader sees his beginnings and walks through the pages of his life with him, experiencing the yearnings for love and family, the loss of relationships, the establishment of stability while becoming a celebrated actor. All the while something is missing, and he can’t imagine what it could be until he finds it.

Male or female, lost or found, I believe this novel could minister to those people who need a reality check and long for a fresh perspective or any perspective at all into the place God has for them.

God, thank you for this story. It held such power when it demanded to be told. I pray you would use it for your glory, for providing hope, for winning the lost and searching. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Just to say "thank you" . . .

. . . is rarely enough.

I want to say thank you to each one of you who stops by Into the Fire, who spends time here, who leaves comments, who lurks in the shadows of the blogosphere, who cares enough to read these posts. You are valuable. Important. Worthwhile. Incredible and noteworthy.

Some of you are writers, some of you are published authors. Some of you are readers. Some of you have become friends, some have been friends for a long time. You are unique individuals created by the hand of God. Fascinating. Particular. Wonderful.

Thank you for spending time with me through the words on this blog. My passion gets boisterous at times, but most of you are tolerant of my outbursts. I appreciate you.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever.

Happy Thanksgiving. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it.

Father, you have given me abundant life in your Son. Apart from you I can do nothing. With God all things are possible. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I’m desperate for you and grateful for it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Wednesday Words

Waylaid

Wallop

Whimsy/whimsical/whim

Whine/whiny

Whippoorwill

Winsome

Wrench

Wraith

Wretched/wretch

Writhe

Whiskey

Wench

Weirdo/weird

Whimper

Whereabouts

Father, you are the director and creator of words with the instruction to use them wisely and carefully because of their power. Help me to use mine effectively and meaningfully. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Road to Nowhere . . . finally gets there.

Paul Robertson wrote an interesting and dynamic first novel, The Heir, which I reviewed here. In that novel he established a strong voice in his confounded protagonist accompanied by an unusual storyline. In his second novel he takes a solid detour to a few small towns and a hopeful new community under development separated by a mountain and comprising the fictitious Jefferson County in North Carolina. (I will interject here that I live near real mountains, not those high hills found in some of the southeastern states which I suspect the mountain in this story is like.)

The story circulates around the members of the Jefferson County North Carolina Board of Supervisors and opens with the monthly meeting on Monday, January 2nd. Well respected 80-plus year old leader Joe Esterhouse bangs the gavel and grudgingly conducts limited business which sets in motion the conflict of building a new road through the mountain connecting one side of the county to the other without having to drive the considerable distance around it to get to the interstate. The problem seems to be where the road will start and end and how the funding became available for what seems like two fairly insignificant areas in an obscure county in the state. After much consternation and public outcries both for and against the road being built, causing division between neighbors and business owners, it is discovered that two deaths of board members were actually murders.

This is not a short novel, and it is told in portions from each board member’s point of view with peripheral characters regularly entering and exiting the lives of these members to make their opinions known regarding the building of this new road. It’s an ensemble cast of small town folks and transplanted big city folks with their lives intersecting because of the possibility of this road uniting them from either side of the mountain. Captured with all their unique qualities as people, not to mention with their quirkiness intact, we learn that there are both outside and inside the area forces interested in seeing this road become a reality, but the opposition is just as staunch, maybe even deadly.

So . . . Paul Robertson is a talented writer, but I have no idea why he chose to make his second novel about the varied reactions of diverse people to a road. I kept feeling like I was missing the point—that maybe there was a bigger picture, perhaps an allegorical message portrayed in the small town mindset resisting progress or the clichéd city folks pushing for progress. Taken at face value, it’s a risky second novel. Some of these people are caricatures straight out of Mayberry from the old Andy Griffith Show. There is wisdom in Joe Esterhouse, but he’s slow to act on his suspicions and nearly silent even in conversations. Louise is gregarious and emotional. Randy is as soft as the Pillsbury Doughboy until the very end, and Wade vacillates between a shyster and a good salesman. These are just a few of the locals. After awhile, I grew weary of them all. The conflict between those who wanted the road and those who didn’t became a bit boring and way too slow moving as far as solving the crimes. Maybe the objective was to show how real life in small towns moves at a snail’s pace even when possible murder is involved. Or perhaps the story was written to validate the positive efforts of community when it works together and the destructiveness of when those within it are in opposition to one another.

Christianity is in the background but present along with one odd board member who hears voices from the other side.

You all know I love long novels, and I don’t even mind slow pacing, but when I get tired of the characters, it’s over for me. The last chapter arrived at a satisfactory conclusion, but the Road to Nowhere took way too long to get where it was going.

Father, thank you for Paul’s talent. Please continue to guide him in his writing and give him more stories to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Finding the Gift . . .

Those of you who visit here know all about the greatest gift: Jesus Christ. Even the most loving parent on earth has trouble setting aside his own preservation of sanity and wits in the process of parenting to “give it all” for their kids. We all know parents who try to give everything to their children, never saying no to them, and in that practice create monsters most of us can’t bear to be around. Other parents demonstrate the pendulum swing to the other extreme and dole out affection as if it has to be earned, creating children who are needy and eventually resentful. Somewhere in the middle most of us struggle along with our imperfections and inabilities and plead for God’s wisdom to be evident in how we raise our children.

Some of us spot our own tendencies pretty quickly in our offspring, muttering to ourselves at times, “Oh, you’re just like your father/mother.” When we see our strengths, which may be few in our estimations, erupt from our children unexpectedly, the relief we feel might only be overshadowed by our pride. Thank God He was able to use something in me to pass on! It’s all somewhat laughable since He knits us together in our mothers’ wombs able to circumvent the fall of man and give us something positive and making us redeemable in the process.

Christmas often puts too many of us in a scrambled mode of gift shopping, knowing in our hearts the season is hugely more meaningful than finding the perfect gifts for family, friends, and relatives we only see once a year but have drawn their names from the assigned “hat”. We tend to enjoy the season more when we are able to buy those gifts we want to buy and not have to shop with strife because the money is tight. Some family members are bold enough to admit they are not in a position to participate in a lot of gift exchanging while others feel guilty for being obligated to purchase something they really can’t afford.

Christians face these same “problems” with the holiday of Christmas. A lot of the shopping fiasco can be minimized if the extended families are believers. Straight talk lays claim to, “We just can’t do it this year.” Being together for Christmas dinner or a pre/post Christmas gathering where everyone brings something to eat becomes the new focus with less stress.

It really doesn’t matter if you can or can’t buy a bunch of gifts for Christmas. I know it’s more difficult for some than others. Personally, I’m all about buying the gifts, less about receiving. Finding those gifts (and my list is now very short) which just seem perfect or will get a wonderful surprised smile—yeah, I’m all about that. However, our immediate family knows all about the ups and downs of finances, and we all adjust and just enjoy the Reason for the Season and being together.

If you have to make adjustments this year, do it with boldness. Be kind but firm. It’s not about spending money to make someone feel loved. It’s about celebrating the One who is Love. Find the gift in someone and write them a note on a special card telling them how you admire their special gifting. So what if they aren’t impressed? It takes more thought to do this than to go to a store and buy them something which you’ll still be paying for in March. Be straight with them: you can’t afford a material gift this year so you’re giving them a gift from your heart to theirs. If they are disappointed or insulted, you probably won’t have to buy anything for them next year either. Why would you?

I’ve been in both situations: able to buy and not able to buy but felt obligated. Why ruin Christmas by making it about buying? Why not make it about giving?

Celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The Savior of the world came to be God with us. Hallelujah! Don’t let anyone take away the joy of Jesus. Do whatever it takes to keep Him in the forefront of this beautiful season.

Father, what a wonderful time of year. Jesus, we don’t know the exact day you came to earth or when exactly you will return, but we celebrate your birth because we love you and are so grateful that you came to rescue us! Holy Spirit, I pray you would use this time of year to draw hearts to Jesus, to bring them to the One who can give them the greatest gift they will ever receive. Please, Lord God Almighty, save souls this Christmas and use us somehow in the process. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Romans 12:11 (NIV)

Friday Five

On vacation three years ago I got to hold a baby wolf puppy. He was too cute.

Many years ago when a bunch of us racetrackers were playing softball somewhere near Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California, I got my nose broken by a line drive to the pitcher: me. I never saw the ball. I just felt it. I did a bit of a pirouette and dropped to my knees with the blood gushing. Several days later when I had to have it straightened, the doctor deadened it with liquid cocaine and then cracked it into place. You’d be amazed how loud it was.

Once when I was taking a filly to the paddock to get saddled for a race, she spooked at something and planted her front feet in the ground. Problem was my foot was under one of hers and she clipped off the tip of the middle toe on my right foot through my shoe. I had to go to the hospital after the race where they numbed the toe and further snipped off the bone and stitched the top of my toe over it.

We trained several ornery fillies through the years, but one in particular had to be watched at all times. I fed her the evening grain, but I had to fill her water bucket and snap it in her stall. I watched her the whole time while I was snapping it to the screw eye, but she lunged at me anyway and bit me right in the face and knocked me up against the stall wall before I could even react. I threw the bucket of water on her. She bruised me pretty good, but it could’ve been a lot worse.

Many years ago during a prayer time at church, I prayed for a man who was scheduled to have knee surgery and stood before me on crutches. I really felt the Lord nudging me to ask for his healing, so I expressed my request with an admittance that I wasn’t sure my faith was particularly strong, but I had to ask. The surgery was canceled by the doctor who told the man he no longer needed it.

Father, you have watched over me my whole life. Such grace. Such kindness. I love you, Lord. Thank you forever. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.