Into the Fire

Deciphering . . . The Source

                                          

"An FBI agent’s obsession with his late father’s secret sets him on a collision course with a past he has carefully avoided, shadowy enemies he never suspected, and a most unlikely friendship with an autistic man who sees reality in ways no one else can. Will Jackson Barrett’s determination to unlock secrets his father took to the grave save or ultimately destroy one he only knows as — The Source?"

My friend Tim George debuted his first novel The Source this month (August) on Kindle, a bargain at $2.99. It's a complex tale of secrets, codes, murder, an autistic savant with a direct connection to God, and that amazing camaraderie which results from unidentified extreme danger and having only a handful of friends and colleagues to trust.

As with much of e-reader products, Tim's book shows formatting difficulties. Sometimes the editing corrections refuse to come through in the final version, leaving the work straddled with errors resulting in a frustrated indie author.*

The Source is a unique story about two sons, FBI Special Agent Jackson Barrett, Jr., and "Manny", the autistic savant. Jackson seeks to unwrap the secret message left by his Special Agent father, and Manny proves to be the only one who can unlock the code. Mysterious and unidentified forces want Manny because of his capabilities, but Jackson knows Manny is the key to deciphering what his father left him. Jackson thinks it's all about dangerous things in this world. Manny knows it's all about a much more important place where things don't "smell bad". Following the journey of the trustworthy and devoted players in this mystery to find "the source" proves enlightening to each one and dangerous for all of them.

In the end Jackson knows that Manny knows. And that's what Jackson had to learn. 

Good characterization, dialogue, voice, and portrayal of this particular autistic character. The Source by T. E. George is a worthwhile read, a tale of confusing interpretations, desperate actions, noble sacrifices, and major conflicts.

(*Tim has been able to correct the errors in formatting since my Kindle book was ordered.)

 

Father, you know Tim and all of his needs. I pray your blessings to pour down upon him. I pray you would continue to fill his mind with stories you have just for him to tell. I pray your divine protection upon him. Bless him in every way. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

 

Sunday's Offerings

 

 

. . . but let the wicked be put to shame

   and lie silent in the grave.

Let their lying lips be silenced,

   for with pride and contempt

   they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

 

Psalm 31:17b-18 (NIV)

Insight and Hindsight

 

I crave insight. I experience hindsight. I want revelation. I receive understanding. None of it all the time.

Christians know they are not privy to all of God's mysteries, the whys and wherefores of life and its happenings. We must endure sorrow, pain, suffering, sickness, depression, and fear. We celebrate joy, laughter, growth, fun, talents, and gifts.

Prayer occupies a significant part of our lives. Petitioning, plying, proposing myriad hopes, ideas, and dreams to our Lord all keep us busy at His feet. We need. He supplies. He answers. He gives. Sometimes we don't appreciate or like His answers. Sometimes we come close to hating them if the truth be known. We fail to see "the big picture". Through the desperate need, we can't understand why He wishes us to persevere through an unbearable situation or circumstance. Sometimes we endure. Other times we set out upon our own solution. This course usually worsens our problem(s).

If we had the insight to remedy the problem, we could act successfully. But true insight comes from God, and many times we aren't prepared or willing to listen to Him. We need something and we need it now. Or so we think.

Believers and unbelievers alike fail to realize "every good and perfect gift" comes from the Father. Sometimes He allows us to know His mind on a thing, sometimes He lets us in on an answer to a future dilemma. Sometimes He provides an answer we don't want to obey. And sometimes He lets us in on what will take place if only we will be patient and wait for it. Many of us fail at both patience and waiting, become disgruntled, or forget we even asked since the given and hoped for answer comes along much later. When hindsight appears.

Hindsight shows us we shouldn't doubt. Hindsight demonstrates our insights from the Lord proved to be correct. Hindsight reminds us God is on the throne of all life. 

We are not.

 

Father, thank you for your insights, your revelation knowledge, your hindsight for understanding so much of what we cannot see. Thank you for everything, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Accent marks . . .

                              

                                     
     

There is something ultimately satisfying in slamming a receiver down or punching the "End" call option on a cell phone. It accentuates the ire, the passion, the dissatisfaction with whoever or whatever upsets us during that telephone call. Now it's not an emotion we should hold onto, but it definitely generates a bit of an adrenaline moment. Whether or not it's few or many things which might drive us to this point, ending a call forcefully demonstrates a curt reaction to what has or hasn't taken place during that call.

As writers, we try to avoid cliché moments with our "accent marks" of expressions. However, sometimes those moments aren't atypical and work well with the expected response. If we can find a new way to describe it to make it all the better? Terrific, but it must be effective or the cliché will have worked just as well. Life is full of clichés. People get them. We just can't fill a story up with them.

So what are your most striking accent marks in stories?

 

Father, we're allowed to express our anger provided we don't sin in the process. Sometimes anger is the exact correct response, but we must guard against rage. We can call evil what it is and be mad about it as long as we don't commit the same evil in the process. Thank you for your ever present wisdom. May we be aware of it always. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Musings on summer nights . . .

  

   

   

   

   Summertime. Can't beat it. Summer evenings . . . silky, soft, sensuous, soothing, and sacred.

 

Father, thank you for the seasons, each with their own beauty and mystery. Thanks for future perfection and please forgive us for ruining the experience in the Garden. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Put it away . . .

                  

At some point in my life - I'm not sure when - I learned to put away victories and keep marching on. What has always been tougher to put away are those numerous defeats. They tend to stall my forward progress and suggest I give up. Those "suggestions" seem to initiate the biggest response.

Giving up is not my nature. Thinking about it: definitely is.

There should be a designated place for "defeats". Someplace to put them away. Professional athletes and other competitors must learn to quickly analyze the reasons for defeat and just as quickly put them away.

We've all heard "Learn from your mistakes" one too many times, but what do you do when you didn't make a "mistake"? When writing a novel, there are many kinds of mistakes to be made. Not fleshing out sympathetic characters, leaving plot holes, breaking the writing rules ineffectively, and so on. But sometimes you tell a story and some people don't like it. They tell the world why in curt criticisms, perhaps adding brutal sarcasms, and overall trash what took a piece of your life to put on the page.

It's possible we can make multiple mistakes when writing novels, but it's just as possible that readers will love the story as it is or hate it for personal reasons unrelated to those "mistakes". If an unintended reader from a non-target audience picks up your book and is floored by your brashness, your unholy diatribe, look for equally unholy comments. If you write of faith and an unbeliever resents it, look out. They tend to annihilate faith authors with every accusation manufactured by their resentful hearts.

Hearing "Don't take it personally" is a joke to me. How can we not? We wrote the story. It's definitely personal.

I cherish good reviews or comments on my work. Be it a blog post or a novel, I love to hear that people enjoyed it, identified with it, or "got" it. It's affirming and reinforces the passion to continue. But, just as with the bad reviews or comments, I must put them away. I can always open the place where they both exist and mull them over, smile or cry, but in order to move on, I've got to put them away. I can only suggest you do the same.

 

Father, you desire humility and will actively help us to remain humble. Writing is definitely a humbling experience, but I love it and thank you for it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

When the heart breaks . . .

  

I know sadness. Heartbreak. Sorrow. Hurt. I've felt it inside my skin. There is so little that can be said to alleviate that kind of pain and loss. I always appreciated those who tried as long as they didn't use clichés  or hand out well-worn scriptures which, instead of actually giving comfort, come off as platitudes.

Serious loss cannot be understood by those who've never experienced it. You can't simulate that kind of ache. Really: some people never recover. It's like too much of them has died with the one they lost.

People on the outside of grief seem to want to hurry it along. Not because they're insensitive - although some are - but because it's too much for them to see their loved one hurting so badly. They want it to pass quickly. So things will be back to "normal". It's unfair, but they fail to realize it.

Christians receive built-in hope in Jesus, but He suffered more than anyone and He was no stranger to pain or tears. He knew the condition of hearts intimately, the failings of the human race. He wanted them to be forgiven so He gave His life for just that opportunity. I imagine He continues to weep in heaven over the horrors here on earth borne out of sinful hearts corrupted by the flesh and the enemy of the human soul. He knows the way of sadness and suffering, but He still offers hope to all - if they choose to turn to Him and lay out their sufferings to Him, seek His forgiveness, His comfort, His peace, His truth.

Honestly, I don't know how I made it through those first 30 years of my life without Him. Somehow He guarded my life and protected me in spite of me. There was a lot of self-induced pain, frustrating, terrible mistakes, bad conduct. Not at all how I was raised. Still, Jesus gave me the opportunity to enlist His salvation for my life. I knew when I finally found Him, I had met and found Truth. Nothing was or is better than Jesus.

Pain doesn't end with Jesus. In fact, sometimes it accelerates. We know He's there, and that's the difference-maker. The game-changer. The ultimate survival kit. Even with Him, we often fail to make it through our trials triumphantly. We are inherently weak. He makes us strong.

Just want to say, I'm truly sorry for the pain some of you are experiencing. There are no words sometimes to give real comfort. But there's only One who can manage such a huge endeavor. Jesus loves you. This I know . . .

 

Father, you are close to the brokenhearted and comfort those who are crushed in spirit. I pray your comfort and blessing over those who hurt deep. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

 

Love the Lord, all his saints!

   The Lord preserves the faithful,

   but the proud he pays back in full.

Be strong and take heart,

   All you who hope in the Lord.

 

Psalm 31:23-24 (NIV)

Friday Five

                           

Five things I love in no particular order:

Perfume/Cologne

My Ford Explorer named Mitch - as in Rapp

The smell of gardenias

Guns (Yes, guns. Particularly pistols.)

Seahawks paraphernalia

As you can see, it's the end of the week, and my creative spirit is waning . . .

 

Father, you are so gracious to me, so generous, kind, loving, and benevolent. I don't deserve any of it but am so so grateful. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Avoiding an . . . Act of War

                   

Scott Harvath is a stealth counter-terrorism operative who prefers to work alone, but in certain operations he learns that exceptional assistance reaps mega-benefits, especially when it's crunch time for determining a critical attack against the USA.

Act of War by Brad Thor presents the sophisticated plot code-named "Snow Dragon" which adheres to the adopted Chinese philosophy of a no-holds-barred war effort. In other words anything goes to disable the great nation of America. But because the Chinese do not want the American government to know they're behind the planned attack, they incorporate outsiders to do their dirty work. From Beijing to North Korea to Cuba with multiple stops in major US cities, this thriller employs all of the US alphabet security and espionage forces to thwart the enemy's plans - provided they can figure out exactly what Snow Dragon is.  

Newly elected President Porter wants Scott Harvath calling the shots on the ops to discover the dangers turned up when a CIA agent is found dead overseas. That agent's contact reveals some information but no one knows if she can be trusted. The resulting operations code-named "Gold Dust" and "Blackbird" cannot fail or war will be imminent.

There were several paragraphs in Act of War I wanted to quote in this review, but it wouldn't have been practical. The insights to the current global cauldron and the potential for much of this novel to be indicative of possible plots against our country give readers a genuine look into the multiple crises and enemies across the globe. Reminding me of the poignancy and complex plots of the late Vince Flynn novels, Brad Thor writes a classic political/espionage thriller which will enlighten, educate, and make you exceedingly uncomfortable about the current state of affairs in our country today.

Well-written with chapter divisions of operations taking place in North Korea, the USA, and other parts of the world, I highly recommend Brad Thor's Act of War for the vacancy created by the loss of Vince Flynn.

 

Father, the world is erupting as you predicted. Keep your hand of mercy over us and may your peace permeate our being as we watch in horror man's inhumanity to man and disregard for your power and glory. Thank you for your endless love and divine protection. Please bless Brad and those who reveal hidden things to him to keep us informed and thankful for those courageous souls who are called to serve our country in all kinds of ways. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.    

 

The dance of romance . . .

 

I've spoken of the summer TV series Reckless starring Anna Wood and Cam Gigandet. These two actors could not be more perfectly cast. I consider it an amazing talent in and of itself to be able to put together the actors who will best "sell" the product - be it a commercial, a TV series, or a film. 

The above photograph depicts the dance scene between the characters Jamie Sawyer and Roy Rayder at a social function for the mayoral candidates. Both attorneys on opposite sides of the courtroom, they battle constantly in public and privately with their desires for one another. The chemistry between them is as good as it gets in television. You recognize the lack of it when you see it forced on the screen, but it's truly impressive when it's done right. This scene captures the beauty of "the dance", the pull of the attraction, the burden of their career positions, and the reason the UST must remain. It's dazzling, sensual, and perfectly done.

I'm continually impressed with the stunning and exceptional camera work in this series. The camera takes the viewer up close and personal with the characters, and the actors comply by perfecting their expressions to accommodate and dictate to that peering lens. No one is spared from its examination, and each actor delivers his or her own important performance.

Add to all of this the attractive, scene-appropriate, alluring, and varied costuming prowess, and you have one very well done drama in Reckless.

Not to mention some absolutely fine writing. Very impressed with this drama.

 

Father, may those who don't know you find you. You are all I'm livin' for. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.    

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Acting . . . Reckless

Feel like dancin'?

                                    

                        

                      

Yeah, me neither. But I sure admire those who do. Talent. Work. Skill. Athleticism. Rock on.

 

Father, please bless all of your people who work to honor you with what you've given them to do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Big and Small . . .

                

Sometimes I fluctuate between how "big" writing is and how actually "small" it can be. Constant discussions about the writing biz get to me because as important as it can be in an author's life, it really seems small when matched up against survival, terror, injustice, and this "cray-cray" world.

Anyone else feel like this?

Creative writing is an art. Art is important for multiple reasons. The primary reason I believe it's important and valuable is because God ordains that some should create elements of art to bless, enlighten, even instruct others in this world. To show beauty, to illustrate sorrow, to lead to hope. Writing and the other arts share a purpose, but as in all good and perfect things, the purpose is selected, orchestrated, and designed by the Lord of heaven and earth. Without His divine touch on all areas of the arts, they exist like fancy pastries - some, not all, wonderful to taste but of little nutritious value. Being entertained is empty without reason and purpose.

Monday, Monday . . .

 

Father, you are the reason I am able to even write my name. Thank you for your beauty and grace, your gifts and deployed talents. You are big. I am oh-so-small. May I be strong in you and in your mighty power. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Sunday's Offerings

 

I am still confident of this:

   I will see the goodness of the Lord

   in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

   be strong and take heart

   and wait for the Lord.

 

Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV)

Not a fun night . . .

                        

When you huff and puff into the ER, force out a whispered "shortness of breath" and "racing heart", sometimes it means you get to spend the night. And from someone who has never developed a fondness for doctors even though the majority have treated me well in the few times I've had to visit them, this is not the result you hope to achieve when you finally give in to what definitely begins to feel dire.

Yes, I spent Wednesday night in the hospital with some serious A-Fib issues which came on suddenly a few days before. Late Wednesday night the symptoms worsened instead of improving, and I had no choice. Couldn't catch my breath and my heart stomped furiously in my chest.

I'm home, thank the Lord, with three prescriptions for a season. And I'm really not a pill taker. However, I do not wish to experience any of those wretched symptoms again, so I will do my due dilligence for now.

Always appreciate your prayers. I'm fine now. Phew.

Spiritually, the devil tries to take us down at every opportunity. Sometimes it's in the health arena. We fight and we believe. We keep going and we know He's in charge. Whatever happens, God wins.

 

Thank you, Jesus, for providing healing of all kinds. Thank you for providing insights and revelations amdist the chaos and, yes, fear. Thank you, God, for always being there even in the darkness. We're desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

A little trip . . .

                          

Doesn't that look refreshing? Summertime. Can't beat it. I'm just down the road at Novel Rocket today. Would love to see you there . . .

 

Father, please bless those who give generously to others. Thank you for the amazing things you do for me on a daily basis. So grateful. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Still missed . . .

  

Vince Flynn fans will always miss his writing, his books, and are tentatively looking forward to what Kyle Mills will do to continue the Mitch Rapp storyline, finishing The Survivor which Vince had started before his health deteriorated and ended his life.

In the mean time I would suggest Vince's fans read the similar storyteller Brad Thor. I've just begun his latest work, Act of War, and am sold on his writing and complex storyline. Nobody replaces Vince Flynn and Mitch Rapp, but we can certainly use another hero like Thor's Scot Harvath.

         

These dudes are the real thing when it comes to bona fide political, espionage thrillers. Their insider knowledge makes a reader sit up and take notice of the fragile fuse of the world's powder keg. Scary, informative, real, and amazing fiction - or is it, fiction I mean?

 

Thank you, Lord, for those who share insights to this sinful world condition. Please protect the brave and incorruptible men and women who risk their lives to protect this one nation under God. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
 
          

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Why I loved his writing . . .

When the devil speaks . . .

                          

When the devil speaks, he lies. We've all heard his voice. We've all believed some of his lies. Cleverly mixed with a small element of truth, they're impressive with what they convey to us about our weaknesses, our lack of character, our status, our motivations, our abilities, our attitudes. And the list goes on . . . an endless stream of condemnation.

With no weapons to fight the enemy of our souls, we are truly helpless. Even with the sword of the Spirit, we flail it around once in a while, hit and missing our targets. Unsure if we even have a target. Forgetting we have built-in warrior skills that usually lie dormant.

My heart breaks for those left behind, damaged and in pain from the wounds of losing someone they loved. Knowing he struggled, questioning whether or not they did enough, wondering silently why he had to do such a selfish thing yet realizing he couldn't cope any longer because the devil had convinced him life was not worth his time and efforts anymore.

Depression has been diagnosed by every kind of mind and religious science and approach. Drugs designed to mix and match and remedy the horrible symptoms of abject fear, sorrow, despair, and hopelessness, have both succeeded and failed the brains of those who suffer with it. Most of us have tasted it now and then, but it doesn't dominate our lives. We're fortunate it's not an area we must tackle and defeat.

I loved Robin Williams. Such a funny, funny man. "They" say comedy is a result of understanding sorrow, the other face of sadness. "They" say the best suffer deeply. The incredible ability to make people laugh - and laugh hysterically in many cases - belonged to Robin Williams. Yet he also held down dramatic roles with equal aplomb. Those of us who appreciated the talent and the relief of the laughter he gave us question the hows and whys of such an ultimate act of self-destruction. We mourn that kind of torment in such a gifted individual.

I can only say I have friends who are believers suffering with depression, who pray on through their daily lives with many shed tears and a fierce desire to be healed from the ravaging of those hopeless thoughts. They fight the enemy and press on, but it isn't easy for them. Jesus keeps holding them together each day.

When the devil speaks, he lies. He can fool any of us. He can convince us easily because we know our failings and he preys upon them. So when the devil speaks to you, don't listen. Tell him you're a child of the King, if in fact you are, and remind him of his eternal status, after calling him a liar. Don't allow him to take anything from you. It isn't his to take.

Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

 

Father, let there be healing where there is pain, comfort where there is sorrow, eventual joy at the memory of this loved one. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.    
       

Aiming for the . . . Sky Zone

                          

Creston Mapes presents The Crittendon Files #3 Sky Zone, published by David C. Cook, reviewed for the CFBA Tour.

Jack Crittendon was a good reporter and journalist. Too good. When he uncovered the deep corruption in the previous novel Poison Town, he learned it involved his boss, and the newspaper where he worked was forced to close down as a result. Jack's been out of work for over a year and his wife Pam is due to deliver their surprise third child in a month's time. His mother-in-law Margaret has been helping with their girls since Pam had to go to work full time while Jack works part time at an event center, but Margaret is heading into the uneven mental state of memory loss and possible dementia. Their savings have dwindled to nothing with no end in sight to their money problems. 

When Jack and his friend, former Marine and survivalist, Brian Shakespeare are slated to work a huge event where a possible candidate for the presidency, Martin Sterling, is holding a rally and is bringing former heavy metal rocker Everett Lester, now a Christian, and his wife and son to the event, the staff is short-handed and overwhelmed. Especially when they learn of a possible terror threat suspected at their facility.

There are suites high up in the six story building where Sterling and his team and Everett and his family and personal assistants are sent to stay until police reinforcements can be put in place, but Martin Sterling is impatient and insistent that they get the rally started, unwilling to show fear of the threats.

A last minute decision to go with a friend, Pam and her mother head to the arena. One of the event staff mistakenly opens the doors and is nearly crushed by the crowd pouring through the doors before they can get them shut again. Pam, Margaret, and Pam's friend with her two children make it in and get seated.

The top of the facility is called the Sky Zone where two of their employees were sent for routine checks. Its significance is revealed within the story. No one's heard from them. Tension mounts. Jack learns his wife is at the event via her texts to him and panics because of the threats but can't immediately get to her because he and Shakespeare are assigned to Sterling and the Lester family.

The story begins with the setup for the event after establishing the pressures Jack is feeling over not having full time work, hoping to get on at The Gazette with his friend and fellow reporter Derrick pitching Jack's prowess to his boss at the paper. Switching back and forth between the present and a few days prior to the event before staying in the present, the story is slowed and becomes a bit herky-jerky.

What I liked about the novel is the basic storyline, the heroism of Shakespeare, and the incorporation of Everett Lester from Creston's first novel, my personal favorite Dark Star. 

Margaret's transformation, both in her courage at the event and the realistic trials with the onset of dementia, is done very well. Shakespeare's determination and military insights plus his eventual revelation for his personal life highlight the story.  

What I didn't particularly care for is how the storyline morphed into what felt like an agenda and mischaracterizaton of actual possibilities and became predictable and expected. In light of real life, for me, it ultimately felt politically correct.

From the start of this series I've been unable to warm up to Pam. Nothing's changed. She's so worried about finances, yet she goes to a salon to have her nails done.

While I appreciate Creston portraying real family struggles where we all know what a stresser money problems produce, Jack and Pam have a teeter-totter, manic relationship with each other and with the Lord which is annoying at best.

Shakespeare's phone suddenly has more minutes after being down to three and sending his last transmission. Derrick, after nearly passing out from bleeding profusely after being shot, suddenly is able to drive at high speed to get to a remote location and conduct an interview.

Those who've enjoyed The Crittendon Files will find Sky Zone intriguing with moments of extreme tension and a positive resolution.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0373442726

 

Father, continue to meet Creston's needs and may he be blessed for his obedience to your direction. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.       

 

Sunday's Offerings

 

 

Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;

   your right hand will seize your foes.

At the time of your appearing

   you will make them like a fiery furnace.

In his wrath the Lord will swallow them up,

   and his fire will consume them.

 

Psalm 21:8-9 (NIV)