Looking for a new way to decorate the cover for your iPhone? Check out this idea at Di Doodlings.
Justice Beyond the Trail’s End by Alfred Patrick
At 17, he is about the adventure but as a sharpshooter for the Union, the realities of the war soon touch him as one of his closest friends is killed right before his eyes. This matures him and though he still wants adventure, after the war, he returns to his family hoping that maybe things can continue with Becky. However, he finds out that she has married his brother. This is another blow to him and he realizes that things can never be the way they were before he left. He is crushed and to make matters worse Becky continues to be flirtatious. He is still adjusting to everything, but does not want to hurt his brother and he also senses his father is still upset him. Backed into a corner, he again leaves his family, this time heading to Wyoming to be a U. S. Marshall. His adventures continue.
This is Patrick’s second book and he kept me engaged throughout with a mixture of adventure, suspense and romance. Josh grows up and you are rooting for him as he tries to conquer the west. As a youngster, I read quite a few westerns and loved the adventure and historical aspects. This book brought that feeling back to me and I enjoyed riding with Josh on the trails, walking with him in the streets of the town as he maintains order and seeing him fall in love. As Patrick has us travel with Josh, through all his struggles and the extreme pain of love lost, I was rooting for him. This book moves quickly and you get a sense of the heart of a young man who finds himself in the midst of the adventure of the old west. It was fun to be a part of the adventure and you feel Josh’s joys and his pain. If you enjoy a good story, which reminded me somewhat of the novels of Zane Grey, check out Justice Beyond the Trail’s End.
Tornadoes in Midwest & South: Photographs
St. Joseph's Catholic Church in ruins, March 1, 2012, in Ridgway, Ill. A pre-dawn twister flattened entire blocks of homes as violent storms ravaged the Midwest and South. (Seth Perlman/Associated Press)
We watched the footage on television of the tornado damage in the Midwest and South and our hearts ached for the people from Kansas to Kentucky that were struck. Thirteen people died and over 150 were injured. The Big Picture at the Boston Globe once again has amazing pictures of the devastation. In the aftermath of this event these photographs capture not just the destruction but the heart of the people in American’s Heartland. They are helping each other, they are picking up the pieces. They are finding trinkets but realize what is most important: their determination, their loved ones, and their faith.
Jordan Youssef salvages a dresser drawer from the remains of her grandmother's house which was destroyed by a tornado in Harrisburg, IL, March 1, 2012. (Jim Young/Reuter)
Check out all 25 photographs at The Big Picture.
The Hardest Thing to Do by Penelope Wilcock
The Hawk and the Dove is a new series to me yet The Hardest Thing to Do is the fourth in the series. It takes place in a fourteenth century monastery. Now for those who have never read about this time period or monasteries it would be a different world to you. I teach about this the Middle Ages, particularly the Church at the time and have read both fiction and nonfiction dealing with monasteries. Some may be familiar with the Ellis Peters series about Brother Cadfael, that takes place in the 12th century. There are differences between the centuries but not as much as between the centuries in modern times. Both of this series describe Benedictine abbeys that are based on The Rule of Benedict, one of the books I have my students read.
The Hardest Thing to Do is about St. Alcuin’s Abbey where Abbot John, the former infirmarian has taken over the leadership. The abbey has a visitor, Prior William, who is seeking shelter after his abbey has been destroyed in a fire. It s believed that the fire was started by town people who hated the abbey. At least one of the monks knows how bad William treated one of their beloved and he does not want William to stay. The book walks with these men as they deal with the issues and you get to know and love them.
As there are many characters Wilcock provides a listing in the front that helps you keep track of everyone. The story takes place in an abbey but it is really the story of forgiveness. How do we love those who have hurt us, or hurt those we love? You get to know the monks, seeing they are just people like us who struggle but who do desire to live their lives in a way that honors God. Can a person change, and should we trust them? These are things we all encounter sometime in life and I found this was a realistic view of how Christians work through these issues. I know others who have read the series and highly recommend it and I think I will have to check them out also.
In the beginning of the book Penelope Wilcock included several quotations. One by Alice Wilcock sums up this story:
Reconciliation can be initiated in an instant. It’s also a process.
Forgiving can be the hardest thing to do.
Diligence: Not Shortcuts
A recent post, Anticipation: Waiting is Worth It looked at how our culture was so used to immediate gratification that we had lost the idea of working hard for a goal, of waiting for the best. I have been reading Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue by Andreas Köstenberger and this quotation, touches on the same ideas.
Diligence is hard. It is tough. It is far easier to slack off, take an easier road, follow shortcuts, or simply give up. Diligence is particularly difficult in our fast-food, microwave culture. As Americans, we don’t want to have to wait for results or labor and toil for future gain in the absence of immediate gratification. We want the maximum payoff for the smallest possible amount of labor. Modern-day technology, scientific advances, and other modern conveniences often allow us to get by with far less effort than previous generations had to expend, but merely “getting by” will never produce excellence. Excellence requires diligence, perseverance, and plan hard work.
Andreas Köstenberger, Excellence: The Character of God and the Pursuit of Scholarly Virtue, Crossway, 2011, p. 87.
Anticipation: Waiting is Worth It
You might remember Carole King’s song Anticipation. I used to play it over and over. Anticipation can be a good thing. As a child I was not one to go looking for my presents at Christmas time, though some of my siblings did. I liked the anticipation and the surprise on Christmas morning. Waiting was definitely worth it.
But it seems that we as a society have lost the art of waiting. Recently ABC Nightly News had a piece called Impatient Nation. You can watch it here, after a short ad.
I remember reading a long time ago in one of Luis Palau’s books about waiting and how we had become an instant society – instant potatoes, instant pudding, etc. When the microwave arrived we became even more impatient as getting food cooked was even faster. As time went on we became accustomed to getting things quicker. We now no longer have to take our photos somewhere to get them developed. We do them digitally and get them right away.
But with all instant gratification I think we have lost some of the benefits of waiting. Think of the number of young people who no longer wait for marriage and lose so much along the way. Or couples who have gotten in over their head in debt because they needed it right a way and couldn’t wait til they had saved enough money.
Waiting can build character. It helps our children see that what is important is worth working for and waiting for. My father built our house and it did not happen overnight. He and my mom had saved up money, talked about what they wanted. Mom made the plans. Dad lined up family members to help him. He called on other men in the industry who could help him with tasks. I remember us going up the lane to see the progress, and even this 5-year-old would sometime have jobs to do. It took time, money and lots of effort to build that home. I am glad my family was willing to sacrifice. The wait was well worth it.
We need to teach our young ones the value of waiting. Of setting a goal, and working to meet that goal. Waiting when sometimes it is discouraging, or when we are tempted to take short cuts or give in. Waiting is worth it. Isaiah 40: 31 states that “they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
I love this quote from John Trapp, a 17th century Bible commentator. I first became aware of his pithy quotations from the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, who often quoted him. Because of that I got John Trapp’s Commentary of the New Testament so I could read more of his works. May this quotation encourage you in your waiting.
Waiting is nothing else but hope and trust lengthened. John Trapp
One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
I have always been fascinating by religious mysteries and when I heard about this series, I wanted to read it. This is the first Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery I have read though not the first in the series. In One Was a Soldier, Reverend Clare Fergusson has just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq and along with several soldiers is part of a group-counseling situation. Adjusting to civilian life is difficult for each of them. Clare is starting back with her church responsibilities but also continuing her relationship with Russ Van Alstyne, the local sheriff.
Coming back from war is always difficult and though there are more programs than ever to help soldiers adjust, it still is not easy. Each of the soldiers in Clare’s group has different issues but all of them are surprised when one of their members dies and it is ruled a suicide. Of course, Clare with the help of the other soldiers, and Russ with his police officers are determined to find out more about this soldier and why he died. Clare is convinced it was not suicide.
Clare is not typical of any of the clergy I know, and I have a number of pastor friends, including my brother. All but one of the dozens of pastors I know are men, but women pastors like women in other fields, have even more difficulty in proving themselves. Clare cusses, sleeps with her boyfriend and I found some of her thinking and behavior unfitting for a pastor. I have read about flawed clergy in other novels and
I finished the book and in the end, I agree there is something about Clare that pulls you in. I started out not caring that much about Clare but as the book went on, I became more interested in her. I have read about flawed clergy in other novels and I was hoping for more of a sense of redemption for her. I found non-believing Russ more likeable than she is and it is he that often pushes her to take the high road. Maybe if I go back and read the first in the series, I will find out why Clare, who seems so confused and at times unsure of her own faith, decided to be a pastor.
Spencer-Fleming writes an interesting mystery that keeps you guessing. She has won awards for this series and I think that part of that is because her main characters, Clare and Russ are flawed and complex. Though Clare is a pastor, it not really in her faith that she finds her comfort but in the end, it is in her relationship with Russ that they both are coming to understand who they are. And maybe that is where the redemption is.
Oscar Winner Short Animated: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
If you haven’t seen this Oscar winning Short Animated Film (2011) check it out. It is a USA film directed by William Joyce & Brandon Oldenburg .
As a book lover I loved it!
Social Media Explained with Donuts
Very clever.
The Source: http://instagr.am/p/nm695/ . Read the interesting Story behind this creation and its going viral: http://www.threeshipsmedia.com/social-media-and-donuts/
What is your favorite social media to use?
Personal Library: Jeffrey Koterba
This makes me laugh as I own a Kindle, an iPad and have Kindle Whispernet on my phone. I use all of them. I treasure my library of over 6000 books and am not getting rid of them any time soon. However, I do enjoy having an eReader that can hold thousands of book and allows me to get books, free or very inexpensively. I appreciate the new technology as I always have a book handy to read but I still prefer a physical book in my hand and books lined up on my bookshelves.
