Into the Fire

Auld Lang Syne . . .

 

2015 is exiting. Some will celebrate, some will mourn, some will address it as just another day. Some will sing this old tune. Others will drink liquid spirits into 2016. As the saying goes, "Time waits for no man."

Whatever 2016 brings you, there is one thing that will never change. The God of the universe sent His Son Jesus Christ to save us. All of us. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). We can take Him or leave Him to our benefit or peril.

The world rocks with war, terrorism, pestilence, poverty, sickness, and spiritual and emotional void. Jesus doesn't promise relief from the effects of mankind's sins. He offers companionship through it all. He offers rescue from the void. He offers heaven when life is all done. And he offers forgiveness to those who ask for it.

What you choose for your life in 2016 is in your heart. You determine your eternal direction. One way, one truth. Not mine: I'm a sinner just like you, and I didn't create the wonder or dilemma of free will, right and wrong, sin and saint. Those belong solely and soul-ly to the God of the universe. And you and I get to choose what we believe, embrace, or live out.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 (NIV)

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8 (NIV)

Your choices are the same for 2016 as they were for any other year. Choose wisely. Eternity awaits.

 

Thank you, Lord God, for rescuing me. As always, I'm desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

 

 

Continuing kitchens . . .

 

Just nice. Would prefer stainless steel fridge to go with range. Airy with a beautiful view. Probably a lot more cabinets/drawers out of view. Like it.

 

Lord, it's always a pleasure to see creative designs. Your beauty expressed in so many ways. Again, thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

And more kitchens . . .

 

Wow. Dual ranges. Dual ovens - one convection. Two sinks. Love the tile floor and granite (?) countertops for the island and counters. Wish the island didn't have that "dividing" feature. Looks like the fridge and microwave are in the other part of this "divided" kitchen with an easy chair? And I need backs to my stools - not much leg clearance for these. Like the wood tone/stain and tile.

 

Lord, you provide ideas for all kinds of designs. Amazing creativity and beauty. Thank you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Still more kitchens . . .

Okay. It's Monday. And here's another kitchen. This one would work in a house, but it looks to be an urban apartment. Love the brick, wood beams, and floor. Large. Open. Must be one big pricey apartment.

 

Thank you, Lord, for sharing your beauty on earth. May we always appreciate it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

Sunday's Offerings

 

     Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

        "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.

        For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people.

        a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

     The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

 

Luke 2:25-36 (NIV)

Christmas

   

Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Celebrate the arrival of the Savior of the World. Joy to the World: the Lord is come.

 

Thank you, God. Our rescue is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus, we rejoice because of you. Holy Spirit, we know Him because of you. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

A commercial with class . . .

    

I'm not into diamonds or much jewelry, but I do appreciate creative commercials about love. Romance without all the sexual innuendo. Nice commercial. Kudos to Zales.

 

Father, we don't know love until we know you. You are Love. Thank you for loving like you do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Kitchen at Christmas

 

Merry Christmas indeed at this wonderfully warm setting.

 

Love Christ-mas, Lord Jesus. Love you. Thank you is never enough. Amen.

 

Contesting the . . . Stone and Sand

                                         

In Book Three of the prequels to the Raleigh Harmon Mystery Series (which features the adult FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon) we see Raleigh at almost 16 years old headed out with her weird Aunt Charlotte in her aunt's ancient Volvo to participate in a billionaire's science contest with four other contestants on Ocracoke Island. And although these are labeled YA, they're clearly up to the reading standards of adults who love the writing and stories of Sibella Giorello.

The last one to arrive at the contest gathering due to the breakdown of the old Volvo and rescue from the ferry by the billionaire himself (Bill Brogan), Raleigh's vulnerability and insecurity amp up, her belief that her best friend Drew should be the one present here, but since Drew's experience depicted in Stone and Spark, the first prequel, Drew has become even more of a genius recluse.

To disrupt the contest one of the female contestants (Cady) is found unconscious buried in the sand. She's taken to the hospital. Brogan decides the remaining four must work as two teams, two guys and two gals, to determine the scientific answer to his proposed question about the island dune grasses offering to double the prize to $100K.

Nothing fires up Raleigh's inquisitive nature like an unsolved puzzle involving geology, her specialty. So many questions arise about how and why the girl Cady came to be buried in the sand that her discovery about the sand used in the burial takes her away from answering the question about the dune grasses. Her partner Lanette, another quirky genius, seems to be onto an answer concerning the dune grasses, but Raleigh pursues her questions about the two kinds of sand which in no way should be mixed together according to an old flame of her brilliant, paralyzed science teacher back home.

Complicating all of it is one of the other contestants' blue eyes and easy drawl. "Tex" (aka Marcus) is smooth and charming but also kind and troubled, and Raleigh is drawn to him in spite of herself, even after seeing him where he doesn't figure to be.

Sibella's writing is compelling, her characterizations superb, the dialogue fully engaging, and the story fascinating. If you have no interest in geology and can't muster any, this might not be the novel for you because there is plenty of technical information about minerals. I found it informative and necessary to the story, but some might not think so.

Stone and Sand offers the usual Giorello intrigue mixed with insightful revelations from a young Raleigh who's growing up with a mentally ill mother, an agoraphobic OCD best friend, a new-age aunt, and the emotional experience of meeting a young man who hides his sorrows in his blue, blue eyes. There are profound moments in this story of young brilliance, conniving greed, supernatural poppycock, and serious science. The end brought real tears.

Raleigh's faith stays inherent in her character but is understated throughout the story.

Highly recommend this series from prequels and beyond.

 

Father, my prayer is that you would continue to give Sibella many stories just for her to write, that her gifted writing would be rewarded. I pray you would minister to her for what she needs, keep her safe from all harm, and may everything she does to honor you be richly blessed. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.   

   

 

 

Sunday's Offerings

   In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

   So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

   And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."

   Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

           "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

   When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

   So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

 

Luke 2:1-20 (NIV)

More kitchens . . .

 

Really don't care for the dark accented wood (again contrasting with the cabinetry), but this is an interesting combination of designs. I love the ceiling, the floor, the size, the chandelier, and the glass doors on some of the cabinets - but not my favorite. Feels "off" to me. Too much contrast and "busy-ness".

 

God, you create something for everyone and inspire all good things. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Christmas Commercials

   

An oldie but a goodie. When aren't these commercials fabulous? Love their beauty.

 

Lord, the sacred birth of our Savior can be celebrated in a multitude of ways. Every good and perfect gift comes from you. Thank you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

 

     In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

     Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

     "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

     The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

     "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

 

Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)

Bad programming . . .

 

 

You might remember my posts about the summer replacement on CBS titled Reckless. It debuted around the same time as the Halle Berry vehicle Extant pictured above. The first season of the sci-fi/cyborg Extant had a few fans but the consensus declared it "boring" (and it was), but CBS chose to renew it over Reckless (which they failed to adequately promote and moved around to different nights with little warning). The second season of Extant was equally bad, a melding of The Body Snatchers, Alien, and any other sci-fi idea which sets one or two people against a bunch of alien invaders impregnating human women to further their brood with full knowledge by certain areas of government. Ho hum. Guess what? Canceled after two short seasons.

Secondly, with the full use of Stephen King's initial concept and writing, Under the Dome (lower picture) survived the ratings for three short seasons and was cancelled.

I watched a few episodes of Extant to see if it was a worthy effort. The writing was sub-par, the characters mostly unlikable, and the concept tired. It shouldn't have lasted for a second season where it became even more cliché. Under the Dome never got my attention so I can't speculate on its durability. To me, it seemed like the stories would run out of gas and apparently it also ran out of enough viewers.  

Reckless had great writers with perfectly cast intriguing characters, both good and evil and in between, superb direction and production. The sound tracks were amazing and neatly adapted to each scene. The overall storyline contained it all: corruption where good was expected, a turning from evil ways in unexpected characters, tremendous romantic chemistry, fascinating court cases, and a shocking conclusion which unfortunately ended in a cliffhanger with expectations of being renewed. Instead CBS went with the big names and failed miserably. Viewership is supposed to be the determiner of successes and failures, but the two shows shown above received much heavier marketing and promotion and stayed with a steady schedule. Reckless received "evening soap opera" type promotion and CBS moved the show around to the little watched Saturday nights. Many viewers never found Reckless until it appeared on Netflix and then they began to write CBS and ask for more, but it had been a throwaway for them.

In the end the creator and producers of Reckless encouraged fans to write CBS and then pursue the Netflix possibility but to no avail. Such quality at every level of production, it was difficult to see it end after just getting started.

 

Father, there is a purpose in all you do and allow. Too big for me to understand. I thank you for your endless creativity shared with your creation. Every good and perfect gift is from you - whether we know it or not. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

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Special Feature

Two that should remain . . .

#RenewReckless

Puff Piece(s)

     

                    

          

Christmas shopping for love stories? There you have them. If you'd like a paperback Breath of Life, contact me at the email on this page and it's yours for $10 which will include shipping and handling (USA only). It's overpriced at Amazon - I have nothing to do with that. This will be my one and only "puff piece" of self-promotion this Christmas. Hopefully, you will not regard the novels themselves as "puff pieces". 

Merry Christmas! 

 

Father, not one word would be available to me without you. Not one. You provide the inspiration and the words. As always, thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Mary, did you know?

   

My favorite version of this astounding song. A wonderful way to welcome the Christmas season. Love this. So much.

 

God, thank you for selecting the perfect young woman who chose obedience to you above all else and the earthly father who chose obedience when everything pointed against it. You always know. Jesus, you came to save me along with the world. Too much to fathom. Holy Spirit, that you have put up with me is beyond my ability to comprehend. I love you. Thank you, God. In the Name of Jesus, the Name above all names, Amen.

More kitchens . . .

 

Still in rustic mode. This one fascinates me. With the high windows it almost feels like it's below ground level. I do love the rock chimney fan. Double oven. Probably more counter space on the island. I'd need a ladder for the dishes.

 

Lord, so much imagination in design. So many designs. Again, thank you for them all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

And a final . . . Told You So

                       

Kristen Heitzmann is one of my favorite authors, but I must admit I would've never guessed her to be the author of Told You So until the final few chapters when her familiar voice finally showed up. And until that time Told You So read like a sweet little romance with a southern twang displaced in New York City. The sweet tea and the drama queen novelist Grace Evangeline (Pratt) literally made a splash when seeking out literary playwright Devin Bressard to convert one of her novels into a piece for Broadway. She's the tick to his tock, the yes to his no, and the sass to his blasé. 

With a devoted following of fans for her stories of happily-ending romances featuring faith and purity in relationships, Devin Bressard finds the very thought of her books something less than skilled writing with more than enough hilarious melodrama even though he's never read one and has no plans to do so. Through an attempted "research project" on the man, she establishes herself as trouble but manages to entice a friend of his to coerce a collaboration between Devin and Grace for an off-Broadway script. Dressing in their full-on stubborn ways, they attempt to do this favor and be done with each other. Of course that would be too easy.

Told You So is a full-blown romance novel with some effective sidetracks along the way. An angry successful hero with a grudge against anything "faith" opposite a sassy southern belle with a successful career that doesn't afford her a lot of time for the kind of romance she writes  spar and travail to create together. What takes place surprises them both and leads to a place they never intended to go.

With interesting characters and a couple of twists for Devin he could never imagine, Told You So keeps to the romance formula with more novels on the way in the Told You Series featuring minor characters from this first novel.

 

Lord, please continue to supply the stories you have for Kristen. Bless all she does to honor you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

Sunday's Offerings

 

"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the

     Most High;

 for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way

     for him;

to give his people the knowledge of salvation

     through the forgiveness of their sins,

because of the tender mercy of our God,

     by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

to shine on those living in darkness

     and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace."

 

Luke 1:76-79 (NIV)

 

Christmas Commercials

   

I'm a sap for these commercials. I love them, but they make me cry. Can't help it. Love the Christmas spirit. Well done, Wells Fargo.

 

Lord, we honor you for bringing us Christmas. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.