Into the Fire

Wednesday Whimsy

         

                                 Post Falls, Idaho

 

Father, the beauty is endless if we look, but nothing can compare to what you have in heaven without the stain of sin. Thank you, Jesus, for making the way for us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Tuesday Tunes

   

Back in the day, so fun. The Four Tops were great. 

 

Father, thank you for those times and memories. Always remembering, apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Not ham and eggs but Ham and Even

                         

                                             

She's a heroine like none other. We never learn a lot about her - just bits and pieces she cares to reveal over the course of these two novels with Ham giving us her first-person account of two singular missions after having left "the life" and relocated where she trusted no one could find her. But, somehow, "Mikey", a previous associate she's careful not to call a friend or even a colleague, finds her in the Mexican desert living in what can barely be called an abode. 

Doing an occasional MMA gig just when she wants to earn a little money, of course she's undefeated, Ham has no desire to reconnect to her previous life or anyone attached to it. This one time she comes home to Mikey sitting on her rickety front steps with a file she doesn't even want to see, insisting she's done. Until . . . 

So begins Ham's return to a life she never thought she'd ever have to do again, but somehow in the midst of the huge challenge, she realizes it's something she's been "born to do". You could call it setting things right, eliminating one more bad guy/gal, reducing the evil, or you could call it whatever you choose. What Ham does to accomplish her mission is to focus on the victim(s) in order to crush the perpetrator(s). That focus changes everything and makes what she does "acceptable", even necessary. The fact is she can be a stone-cold killer if she needs to be, to protect those who are incapable of protecting themselves from the darkness living inside certain people - sometimes even exposing layers of her personal darkness.  

Dustin Stevens introduces us to "Ham" and all that she is, amplifying it in the sequel Even showing how her "old" skills are slowly but surely returning. She's godless, using the familiar excuse of the horrors she's seen/done: how could there be a God, controlled, meticulous, intelligent, with a severely suppressed emotional makeup, a loner, and totally mission oriented. We listen to her describe her actions and planning, and after finishing the two novels, most of who she is remains a mystery.

Language/profanity present. And killing. And grammatical errors. Fascinating character and wicked antagonists. Approach with caution . . . 

 

Father, it always saddens me to read of characters who think you aren't real/don't exist/etc., just as it does to know real people who feel the same. My prayer is that all of us realize that apart from you, we can do nothing. Nothing. We're all desperate for you whether we know it or not. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday's Offerings

    

     At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

 

Matthew 26:55-56 (NIV)

Friday Five

               

Five "fetishes" - or things I collect way too many/much of:

Sunglasses - I have more than I can wear and have even given some away. I love them!

Flashlights - I love small bright flashlights! Black and all colors. 

Guns - Yes, I love guns. (And, no, I don't have too many or even a bunch.)

Knives - I have never used a knife defensively, and I'm clumsy with them, but I have several that will fit in my purse if I so choose. 

Shoes/Boots - Believe me when I say I used to have way more than I do now, but there's no denying I love them. 

(I left out books on purpose because, you know, that's a given.) 

 

Father, thank you for them all. Thank you for the unique desires, pleasures. Apart from you, we can do nothing - not even enjoy the life you've given us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Why a "Foreword"?

                  

                   F O R E W O R D 

So. Why a "Foreword"? For me, it was simple. At that time, traditionally published romantic Christian Fiction dared not take any liberties with sexual tension, attraction, or suggestion. As I continue to emphasize, there are no sexual graphics in my novels, but there are plenty of references to the previous items. The natural sexual attention to members of the opposite sex is not ignored or avoided. The world and its sexual lifestyles are portrayed in all of their misunderstandings of how the whole love thing was intended by the Creator and originator of love and lovemaking.

Also at that time, some Christian reviewers ranted about any sexual innuendoes in their "romantic" literature. Those outside of the Christian faith ranted about a novel being "too religious". Both groups assigned dismal or scathing 1 star reviews to the stories simply because the novels didn't adhere to their points of view. While this still occurs among some Christian readers, most readers who prefer secular novels have figured out how not to buy "religious" fiction.

In the end, it's just one word. My forewords usually identify a theme, expose the genre, and hopefully give warning to those who might not be "my" audience. And I will continue to provide them if I think they're necessary for a particular novel.

 

Father, thank you for all the words, the stories, the determination to finish them. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.