tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-301380252024-03-07T12:06:14.280-06:00Reflective BeautySeeking to be all-satisfied in Christ, reflecting His Beauty so others can be made glad in Him.Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.comBlogger222125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-67729635532196295052012-08-06T14:02:00.001-05:002012-08-06T14:12:27.339-05:00Greetings from a new Georgian wife(Note - Meant to blog much sooner! We do not have internet where we live, and besides we have been so busy learning how to be married, working, cooking, building stories, I've barely had time to write! I hope to remedy that once things settle down, because I long to share the many new and lovely things God has been doing in my life!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Married to my John - March 17, 2012</td></tr>
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Nearly five months ago, I married John. Every day since, I have marveled at the Lord’s goodness in giving me this man. My John is so kind, and tender and strong, and manly. We have read stories, built things, washed dishes, worked hard at this new thing called marriage. And this is only the beginning! <br />
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We still look at one another incredulously in odd moments and exclaim, “Wow, we’re married!” And yet, while it feels unreal at times and too good to be true, it also feels as if it has always been. We have been reborn, two joined as one, and our joyous new childhood has both blurred and focused all our life before. It has granted a measure of perspective. Many agonizing mysteries and trials of singlehood have now their stings removed, or shown to be good things after all. <br />
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As John says, we didn’t see the change coming – it happened so quickly, so orchestrated by the Lord, and only a year and a half ago we were both woefully single! We wish to comfort our dear unmarried friends – just because there seem to be no prospects in sight does not mean something isn’t about to Happen. Nor does it mean you are not allowed to make yourself available, if the Lord seems to be so leading, to helping that other lonely person find you. (insert plug for <a href="http://marrywell.org/">MarryWell</a>, cough cough)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfaLnhriUl8n7D_mDEyNYI_6wh6NhcTLAsvqDdtmjaRKIXo6E-HARJTsAIMGDyWknMZWDCPoUducwh4pxeoYt6wWUeZ9FVJALR1Xk4VhKGzyMsHrwmO30XRlfymn9GsXFp227/s1600/April+24,+2012+255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfaLnhriUl8n7D_mDEyNYI_6wh6NhcTLAsvqDdtmjaRKIXo6E-HARJTsAIMGDyWknMZWDCPoUducwh4pxeoYt6wWUeZ9FVJALR1Xk4VhKGzyMsHrwmO30XRlfymn9GsXFp227/s320/April+24,+2012+255.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping in East Texas on our way to Georgia. With its swamp, cypress trees, and owl cries, I was already getting a taste of sough Georgia! </td></tr>
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The Lord has opened up an opportunity for us to live in a little house about 40 minutes away from John’s parents (farther than we’d like, but not outrageous). The situation that led to this opportunity was astounding, and after prayer we decided to take it. Without giving details, I must say I have not yet grasped the depth of opportunity and blessing handed to us so graciously. The house sits on hundreds of acres, mostly wild, but also with orchards, a vineyard, a garden area, and lovely clearings bright green and dazzling with sunlight or blanketed in fog every morning <br />
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As Sam Gamgee says, we’ve fallen on our feet and no mistake! The challenge now is to be faithful stewards of all we’ve been given, more than enough to keep us busy and with lots of exercise out of doors!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7UoSAr6srN86SHBpG55Y9aVvLjGAZJ0X0rpGR4Y6yNKpQ-eIkUZI6uAQK9M45mz8f3KqQg3DtRO0avnE5bD7AeiY3pMVZ4aU2KDoYtWV5i4huro6UOZwRTTVD3GOMRs207uv/s1600/April+24,+2012+356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7UoSAr6srN86SHBpG55Y9aVvLjGAZJ0X0rpGR4Y6yNKpQ-eIkUZI6uAQK9M45mz8f3KqQg3DtRO0avnE5bD7AeiY3pMVZ4aU2KDoYtWV5i4huro6UOZwRTTVD3GOMRs207uv/s320/April+24,+2012+356.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture is months old. At the moment, those pear trees are drooping with the weight of huge pears.</td></tr>
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Well, I'm off to the post office! Then back home to clean house, start laundry, and hopefully start on my next project - pear butter! Until next time, may the Lord bless and keep you! <br />
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~ Rael, now Mrs. D :-)Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-51113086826559638472011-09-27T09:23:00.004-05:002011-09-27T09:24:01.199-05:00An Exciting Announcement<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43tTj6DNo41ZHq-dQ1RKSbOh3o8zZfzKIjcvaBGUubQxjqhyphenhyphenO9PYQNWJ8fG6R1jSsESrPrNhfkSjWP3bP8VR2ZnIxFneXAHQHzcLp1q3ZsW5w_N-6-RMvAaKq_hTcZnBwqBlp/s1600/flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43tTj6DNo41ZHq-dQ1RKSbOh3o8zZfzKIjcvaBGUubQxjqhyphenhyphenO9PYQNWJ8fG6R1jSsESrPrNhfkSjWP3bP8VR2ZnIxFneXAHQHzcLp1q3ZsW5w_N-6-RMvAaKq_hTcZnBwqBlp/s320/flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from my Georgian laddie</td></tr>
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Last Wednesday, September 21, 2011 ... I became engaged to be married! :-D </div>
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Words cannot express my delight and joy at what the Lord has done! </div>
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I hope to tell more of our story for my dear blog readers soon. In the meanwhile, I shall say he is the best of men, a lover of the Lord and family, an old-fashioned manly man, a true kindred spirit, and I am excited about spending the rest of my life with him!</div>
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Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-26057272381941808272011-07-26T14:43:00.004-05:002011-07-26T14:59:00.729-05:00Book Review - The Final Hour<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KUMcbUwROrn43_8CnMqJNWwn_AD7Jmpn0R1km4P3qXeYtXDqg_2cU8IXSdR4QevQi0nXxBr5kxkwu39uXxVRWKsy5341t4J_IoC9VaMP3RGIquPRDA1M3h1b9y18qNU3ZtVa/s1600/51c92kvSP4L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug-pAKu-9X_A1YsDUUwPHLjCuljvwfpF-KO_rHtnPd5bbeJhRGzxagqyYYsd5aIdFDRJLEgRwc9OUL_bkYCb65jPsIeK7q8Z_dpSRFe0W32w-QKZKc5i_eKSB6LnGtxwy9WZG/s200/15468754655_B94gN.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595547150/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=reflecti01-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1595547150">The Final Hour </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=1595547150&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b><b> is the fourth and final book in the Homelander series, an action-packed yarn about love for country, family, and values - and the cost of standing against terrorists who would have them obliterated. </b></div>
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Ever since falling into Charlie West's story last year, I have been anxious to see how it ends... and if the poor fellow ever gets to rest!<br />
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On the surface, these books are about a fairly normal high school kid running away from terrorists, solving the mystery of a forgotten year of his life, and putting his top-notch karate skills to use. Oh, and getting wounded and wearied beyond belief in the process.<br />
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<blockquote>
<i><b>I was in Abingdon State Prison. Locked away for a murder I didn't commit. Waiting for the men who were coming to kill me. With nowhere to run.</b></i></blockquote>
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What keeps him going, besides the fact that he's the hero in an action/thriller book?<br />
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The answer, my friend, is all that flows beneath the surface in his patriotic and God-fearing veins.<br />
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Make no mistake - this book, like its predecessors, is first of all a thrilling read. I knew when it came in the mail that I had better be careful about opening the cover. I have sped through the other books like my life, instead of Charlie's, depended on it. <br />
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<b>But it is the heroic and noble character of Charlie West that makes me want to sneak a set of these books into the room of every adventure-loving boy I know.</b><br />
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Charlie respects life and, however nasty the villain, he chooses to never kill needlessly. He hates to lie (old fashioned, eh?). He values freedom and morality. He takes full responsibility for his actions. And when left by all allies, facing impossible odds, he presses on to his last breath.<br />
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<i><b>"You're not alone, Charlie. You're never alone"</b></i></blockquote>
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These books were written particularly for teen guys, for whom too little quality fiction is written these days. I'm thankful to Andrew Klavan for seeing the need, and for writing a series that is anything but wimpy or dull. <br />
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But I can attest that even 26-year old ladies can enjoy Charlie's story. It may not be Homer, Tolkien, or Dickens, but between the fast action scenes, explosions, and karate moves lies a tale every lover of freedom may embrace.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*Thank you, thank you to Thomas Nelson for the free reviewer's copy of this book! You did not pay me, nor did I have to give a good review. I just liked it that much.*</span></div>
Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-45000621801301487052011-07-23T06:33:00.005-05:002011-07-23T07:38:59.138-05:00Book Review - The Ale Boy's Feast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMJOqAbbgzq5RgfbjHaReq0baOQ_su-jvfseIlVlzxXAeN4M7cv9nV5V3NPRPd48UY4sKDsyr95szVFNc5h_5wlO7P8g_KT6OmMnfHNAQadkrq3t76K0t3HxDHlZElVImJhVx/s1600/ale-boys-feast-book-cover-final-198x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMJOqAbbgzq5RgfbjHaReq0baOQ_su-jvfseIlVlzxXAeN4M7cv9nV5V3NPRPd48UY4sKDsyr95szVFNc5h_5wlO7P8g_KT6OmMnfHNAQadkrq3t76K0t3HxDHlZElVImJhVx/s1600/ale-boys-feast-book-cover-final-198x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><u>The Ale Boy's Feast</u></b><br />
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The fourth and final book of <i>The Auralia Thread</i> opens with House Abascar's journey northward, seeking a home. But evil haunts them in many guises. If the fabled city exists, how many of the dwindling house will reach it alive?<br />
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The forest has become bloodthirsty in root and twig. The young king Cal Raven has disappeared. Shar ben Fray is galivanting in the southern desert.<br />
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And the Ale Boy? <br />
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Ah, the ale boy. The poor little fella is getting tired of rescuing everyone. Will his job never be done? <br />
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<b>Mystery's Gift</b><br />
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Jeffrey Overstreet has crafted a tale here that stands out as creatively different from many other Christian fantasy novels. His plot is surprising, his language rich. His characters don't fit into molds. Twists pop up just when you think you've got it all worked out into a tidy allegory, leaving you gasping in grief, thrilling with delight, or simply blinking in astonishment.<br />
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The ale boy is probably my favorite of the wild cast of characters. Still, as wonderful as they were, the characters are only a few of the crown jewel of these stories. Shining out brilliantly are pictures of creativity, beauty, mystery, and unforeseen grace. <br />
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<b>Caution </b><br />
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This last book, even more so than the previous three, contains some darkly violent images. These moments are used deliberately to show the disgusting and deadly nature of evil, but I wonder if they might have been carried off with a bit more suggestion and less detail. A similar warning should be given for the temptations faced by adult characters, which, though appropriately shown as evil, make these not children's books. <br />
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I tend to agree with author Rachel Starr Thomson, who called the series "highly moral, but not simplistically so" in her excellent review <a href="http://www.speculativefaith.com/2011/04/27/the-ale-boys-feast-a-review/">here.</a><br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
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The tale ended well, and I could not read anything else immediately after. I felt I had been on a long journey myself with all the characters. While many loose ends were tied up by last few pages, a few were left blowing wistful and mysterious in the wind of wonder. <br />
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I was left with a strong reminder of the beauty in the world and the creative urge in us that reminds us of where we come from, who we were meant to be. Auralia's colors did their work well.<br />
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*Disclaimer* - I received a free copy of this book for review from Waterbrook Press. But I didn't have to like it. :-)<br />
<span id="goog_1815466542"></span><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1815466535"></span><span id="goog_1815466536"></span><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1815466537"></span><span id="goog_1815466538"></span>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-57740818422777779052011-06-23T18:43:00.000-05:002011-06-23T18:43:08.235-05:00Computers, Coffee, Chai, and "Caps"<div style="text-align: center;">This is what my friend Catie and I do when we find ourselves in the possession of neat old hats.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtq-o-3hN007sWK0Ym5WS0I9NhiHcOqkBrK6aqaSb_eTk2yo3PW8g0HPpWuUgEIj_cn8dlXxDOvzwQTfwS1TeAvpuiQX0fcX8XmEeAQdSDAxIszjD4A4O_UL-TEKxqggi52_l1/s1600/photo-rael-hat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtq-o-3hN007sWK0Ym5WS0I9NhiHcOqkBrK6aqaSb_eTk2yo3PW8g0HPpWuUgEIj_cn8dlXxDOvzwQTfwS1TeAvpuiQX0fcX8XmEeAQdSDAxIszjD4A4O_UL-TEKxqggi52_l1/s320/photo-rael-hat.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We wore them to the library, too. :-) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dolZFQAWtU3nrmwBRercYBY5bebCN9tD4sOdoLEVBKhjDeG_ZZybjfE3pc-An-zflLv_zHx7TYyHPgz3frrvJzu9MooQKs_oZ-jqcgcZkWr4Sf1c2OKPpYVa-7AKpce-Ht_z/s1600/photo-Catie-hat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dolZFQAWtU3nrmwBRercYBY5bebCN9tD4sOdoLEVBKhjDeG_ZZybjfE3pc-An-zflLv_zHx7TYyHPgz3frrvJzu9MooQKs_oZ-jqcgcZkWr4Sf1c2OKPpYVa-7AKpce-Ht_z/s320/photo-Catie-hat.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><blockquote>‘Whenever you wear your hat, your day will be special.’ – Margo Nickel<br />
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"The right hat may also enliven our imagination of the past....an old-fashioned cloche, a picture hat, or a toque trimmed with a pouf of polka-dotted veiling is just enough to make us feel as if we were living in another, romantic age." ~ Unknown <br />
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"Saying you don't look good in a hat is like saying you don't look good in shoes!" ~ Unknown<br />
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"If a woman rebels against high heeled shoes, she should take care to do it in a very smart hat." ~ George Bernard Shaw</blockquote><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-74413724480160139692011-06-18T16:13:00.003-05:002011-06-28T07:20:39.104-05:00Book Review - The Monster in the HollowsI stayed up till 3 a.m finishing <i>The Monster in the Hollows</i>, book 3 of the <a href="http://wingfeathersaga.com/">Wingfeather Saga</a>. After a horrid streak of writer's block, I finally bring you my review. <b> </b> <br />
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<b>Puppies and pumpkin stew! Peril and perfidy!</b> <br />
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<a href="https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/the-monster-in-the-hollows" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfer5_WXA755X1EM1kmI6vSOkD-7KgGau9Wjha8e-Xui-8S8vmowQPw8B2iDSix-GifAjiMs0p8AXPMiC4KxBB2pRz44l2oAt0CvS9AElpVcwfcct7Orw7q7D7Fvb_cOXoBvB5/s200/Monster_Cover.jpg" width="133" /></a>After many battles and adventures, Janner and his family come to the Hollows, where the travelers find peace, puppies, and pumpkin stew aplenty. Finally they can settle down to some sort of normal life. <br />
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Oh. Except that Kalmar, heir to the throne of Anierra, has turned into a Grey Fang. And as Throne Warden, Janner must protect his furry brother from suspicious townsfolk, a monster lurking in the shadows, and his own nagging anger.<br />
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<b>Monsters, Mystery, and the Maker's Magic</b><br />
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<i>The Monster in the Hollows</i> seemed a bit slow for a while, especially after the non-stop action of <a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2009/09/hahaha-yikes-what-awwww.html">North! Or Be Eaten</a>. But actually, the tension never ceases. It's just different. Janner and his siblings must face new challenges, such as learning to deal with suspicious Hollowsfolk, finding their place in the interesting school, and perceiving truth beneath layers of deception. <br />
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Much of the story is like a quiet afternoon when the wind has died down, but the sky is darkening and heavy with clouds, and the air tingles. The small choices Janner makes in his heart - resentment or sacrifice, anger or joy, cowardice or bravery - these are battles as crucial as fighting the deadly Fangs of Dang. <br />
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And the plot does thicken and the action quicken, and the last chapters flow as Janner and his family face bloodthirsty enemies, love laid down, and failures the Maker turns to flourishes.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">~ </div><blockquote><i>"Play, Leeli," he said, and her song lifted into the hall and swooped among the boughs, echoed off the ancient walls and fluttered among the crowd. It seeded the soil of many hearts, and only the stoniest rejected it and held to their murderous yearning. The rest, though, felt themselves believing, as Janner did, that the world was bigger and more terribly beautiful than they thought.</i> </blockquote><blockquote><i><a href="https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/the-monster-in-the-hollows">The Monster in the Hollows</a>, by Andrew Peterson </i></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">~ </div><br />
The last few paragraphs rather reminded me of some of Tolkien's writing where he zooms out to give you a grand bit of epic language, and you feel the tale marching on to the final conflict.<br />
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My reviews of previous books in the Wingfeather Saga:<br />
<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2009/08/book-thoughts-on-edge-of-dark-sea-of.html">Book 1 - On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness</a> <br />
<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2009/09/hahaha-yikes-what-awwww.html">Book 2 - North! Or Be Eaten</a>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-51271061976355336482011-06-13T01:18:00.000-05:002011-06-13T01:18:22.538-05:00Review coming soon...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj7SaDr9mXtQWVvOg2HJqpM_vzBHiRggsQtxdBIrom8GvQ-ipe9PC0n_trddWTNETRUA-sqoF6IimPSgiD5Hbz3krbrIC9o2G-3avnHv5t9XdiYyeBpYT12HdglDYBIVB-G7p/s1600/Snapshot_20110613_38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" id=":current_picnik_image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj7SaDr9mXtQWVvOg2HJqpM_vzBHiRggsQtxdBIrom8GvQ-ipe9PC0n_trddWTNETRUA-sqoF6IimPSgiD5Hbz3krbrIC9o2G-3avnHv5t9XdiYyeBpYT12HdglDYBIVB-G7p/s320/Snapshot_20110613_38.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wingfeathersaga.com/?p=929">This book</a> shall be reviewed shortly. </div><div style="text-align: center;">After I have re-read some of my favorite bits.</div>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-79636832007002405542011-04-19T08:43:00.001-05:002011-04-19T13:35:50.692-05:00Passover<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Monday night (the beginning of Tuesday by Jewish reckoning), we celebrated Passover with some friends via Skype. Despite some technology glitches, we were able to have a delightful time together, laughing, listening in awe to the story, reading truth together, letting tastes linger as tangible pictures on our tongues. Remembering the One who is our great Deliverer. The Bread broken for us. The spotless Lamb of God. <i><br />
</i></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T418DglFQmFwjWgzVe72_hx4z_0Bc2zk6CNZWBrzZxK3zaYAvDX5ZF9tuWi4L69pxkEH0yb7jbqiOUCJLtxDGYeSqjT6W_YlisXrzvmx-s35jV9dzy8qUs2FGB3hlmMUfzte/s1600/100_5291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T418DglFQmFwjWgzVe72_hx4z_0Bc2zk6CNZWBrzZxK3zaYAvDX5ZF9tuWi4L69pxkEH0yb7jbqiOUCJLtxDGYeSqjT6W_YlisXrzvmx-s35jV9dzy8qUs2FGB3hlmMUfzte/s320/100_5291.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade matza (unleavened bread)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj46CXNb_E6J5exXfxuO-jJqHmdegqH6EpsArbU4hfYJplNw8D10FX7UZFkjObKubRGOefkL1BVwosp9UiPyc60Kt-yyLF0IBTCd1NVnr8Ow5Z08J87UUz7aT-wIgLkwODtcZ4/s1600/100_5290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj46CXNb_E6J5exXfxuO-jJqHmdegqH6EpsArbU4hfYJplNw8D10FX7UZFkjObKubRGOefkL1BVwosp9UiPyc60Kt-yyLF0IBTCd1NVnr8Ow5Z08J87UUz7aT-wIgLkwODtcZ4/s320/100_5290.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The other end of our Passover table was hundreds of miles away! :-)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_vROtTsuXKd1sjEXeLBUyUse81SR1_LBWvReejhcJrJNy7UggZewCmN7Ojji2rMaxXDoX5-_glnW-jNAcF24wA8IgRCqCPy-hQLBUJJiH7GKcfopq3Ms6PPQAxOX95P-QlRj/s1600/100_5293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_vROtTsuXKd1sjEXeLBUyUse81SR1_LBWvReejhcJrJNy7UggZewCmN7Ojji2rMaxXDoX5-_glnW-jNAcF24wA8IgRCqCPy-hQLBUJJiH7GKcfopq3Ms6PPQAxOX95P-QlRj/s320/100_5293.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take, eat, remember.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_OH162S63EAyKeZ7v4Di1AyBaUSRANVUa-nBNoij7iiYRNlZ5ccxyhR9bmgxTrDUKeKWvT7jN2w7tJZq7bQb_ZCnzcJsYPk6jHYJag5vi8HeX8dLgowBH52s8nCTDiohi8ek/s1600/100_5302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_OH162S63EAyKeZ7v4Di1AyBaUSRANVUa-nBNoij7iiYRNlZ5ccxyhR9bmgxTrDUKeKWvT7jN2w7tJZq7bQb_ZCnzcJsYPk6jHYJag5vi8HeX8dLgowBH52s8nCTDiohi8ek/s320/100_5302.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember the story of deliverance.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht40-NcLUdP2MXtqYiO3DupVGu2grPZYxKu3wPRll-0RA5qKRgurudIkqaP66rXbJQQhrxmJ5KRzEPIGkXvUSdaX76WkaT1Mk5DjGI2NZREuJ_KMwt4hAoWGFSnfX2ZU4uQo8a/s1600/100_5297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht40-NcLUdP2MXtqYiO3DupVGu2grPZYxKu3wPRll-0RA5qKRgurudIkqaP66rXbJQQhrxmJ5KRzEPIGkXvUSdaX76WkaT1Mk5DjGI2NZREuJ_KMwt4hAoWGFSnfX2ZU4uQo8a/s320/100_5297.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember the Light who shines in the darkness.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-38465988184462702452011-04-06T23:00:00.003-05:002011-04-06T23:04:22.315-05:00Hush and hark!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9SNo2a2LV_B7GPBBmSPSAUtpvBof8W8IevDgpvDti8jXbeN_NX4dVuXJQWYJ2WTcsRRl7OfNL-O4IIgy54zRFknR_fvfIJs0gslFWVxluZihkhKuy-JRBI_2wDGK57KNu3hg/s1600/100_4971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9SNo2a2LV_B7GPBBmSPSAUtpvBof8W8IevDgpvDti8jXbeN_NX4dVuXJQWYJ2WTcsRRl7OfNL-O4IIgy54zRFknR_fvfIJs0gslFWVxluZihkhKuy-JRBI_2wDGK57KNu3hg/s320/100_4971.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My harvest withers. Health, my means to live—</div><div style="text-align: center;">All things seem rushing straight into the dark.</div><div style="text-align: center;">But the dark still is God. I would not give</div><div style="text-align: center;">The smallest silver-piece to turn the rush</div><div style="text-align: center;">Backward or sideways. Am I not a spark</div><div style="text-align: center;">Of him who is the light?—Fair hope doth flush</div><div style="text-align: center;">My east.—Divine success—Oh, hush and hark!</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">- George MacDonald, from <i>Diary of an Old Soul</i> -</div><pre style="text-align: center;"></pre><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8p3Ep4CU-126G3urPZ9LP7WK9Pz3IFQbSvQ3AhlJ1Uyb4wlJwcRC4LppsETyD5m9U_ebk8u-1iDUt-HdUhqfbyUJbldl47ti8BaygQxY7fvXkEnwt3hwtAFpgNbcMZ0RGC2Uv/s1600/100_4963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8p3Ep4CU-126G3urPZ9LP7WK9Pz3IFQbSvQ3AhlJ1Uyb4wlJwcRC4LppsETyD5m9U_ebk8u-1iDUt-HdUhqfbyUJbldl47ti8BaygQxY7fvXkEnwt3hwtAFpgNbcMZ0RGC2Uv/s320/100_4963.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><pre></pre><pre></pre><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-4390007221525592942011-03-27T16:22:00.000-05:002011-03-27T16:22:14.336-05:00At the Feet of the Smile Giver<div style="text-align: center;">I know that I’m a <b>shadow </b><br />
But I’m <b>dancing in your light</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ~ J. J. Heller ~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MYtAvkOGXbJwUUcQvQjbNGN4-QplMBgk-nbgaEaqsMUr2LHooju0o3Le-21LDgIpQlj2q6n-7IrTH4dcyEtS74tZgGHyZyAzgUAxAi8apRmuHDnlRWgi_KuA9Yp8KSvKBeC3/s1600/DCP_5069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MYtAvkOGXbJwUUcQvQjbNGN4-QplMBgk-nbgaEaqsMUr2LHooju0o3Le-21LDgIpQlj2q6n-7IrTH4dcyEtS74tZgGHyZyAzgUAxAi8apRmuHDnlRWgi_KuA9Yp8KSvKBeC3/s320/DCP_5069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<i><b>- scribbled a while back -</b></i> <br />
<br />
I had been gloomy lately, played the victim. Quite without reason, especially in light of recent pain in my church family. <br />
<br />
After all, I was not the parent whose little girl died suddenly of a common flu. I was not getting a knee replacement or surgery to remove cancer and going through painful recovery. It was not I who sent my baby girl into intense surgery, and now face the challenge of learning to do basic care for her in the large, bulky cast.<br />
<br />
My sorrows are not so huge. But even patience, self-control, trying to trust God while life rushes by in a whirl - even these are burdens. Sometimes I feel alone, and think I will never grow. <br />
<br />
But since this Sunday morning, the light of God's compassion and might have shone on all these, and reminded me of a secret too well kept.<br />
<br />
<b>Laughter in the dark.</b><br />
<br />
This morning Tyler talked about the <a href="http://midlandbible.org/curriculum/sermons/topical/the_abundant_life/">Abundant Life</a> that Christ came to give. Not a list of rules wherein misery means holiness. Not a promise of more stuff or an easy life.<br />
<br />
If I believe in Him, I have everlasting life. Not "I will have." It is mine now. Will I act sad and dead with that gift ready to burst forth like a mighty acorn seedling? <br />
<br />
Then in Sunday School, Laynce Nix talked about discipleship - which is being an apprentice of Jesus. Sitting at His feet all the time. Someone asked for practical application - she knows He is God but the ice needs breaking outside, the horses fed, the chores done. <br />
<br />
And Laynce suggested that in the everyday moment, hectic or mundane or ordinary, <b>be a disciple</b>.<br />
<br />
That thought was not new, but somehow struck me new. I can choose obedience, remember He is present, and just <b>be with Him</b>. Rest joyfully in my smallness next to His greatness.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant." ~ Matthew 23:10, 11~</blockquote><br />
I want that, Lord! Awareness of You every moment. Not focusing on my nothingness - You have made me something, and I forget! - but rather focusing on <b>Your Muchness</b>.<br />
<br />
This excites me like being called on a great adventure with someone better than a Jedi master, better than wise Gandalf. Oh great Christ, I am choosing to be Your apprentice, to learn from You whatever the circumstances. <br />
<br />
Today, for instance, at the youth group Super Bowl party, which I would really rather not go to. But You, Master, ask me to love people and make more disciples, and maybe this is part of that. Anyways, if You will be there too, my complaints float away with that knowledge.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaGXse8wStXoLAsSBVL9A8M56RJmkKt12GJsbaaZFzbJ9OZeAWsBKMBDaia19hXfvLljgR8R9ts-JcbHEIE7yENK2CDWAyu6n9WNMMLgwoamnLjZSwDUnE7PNYbdBVxquFjK2/s1600/hacker35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaGXse8wStXoLAsSBVL9A8M56RJmkKt12GJsbaaZFzbJ9OZeAWsBKMBDaia19hXfvLljgR8R9ts-JcbHEIE7yENK2CDWAyu6n9WNMMLgwoamnLjZSwDUnE7PNYbdBVxquFjK2/s320/hacker35.jpg" width="195" /></a>Teach me to pray without ceasing!<br />
<br />
Help me learn from You, gentle and lowly of heart, and find rest for my soul.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote><span class="woj">"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.</span><span class="woj"> For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~ Matthew 11:29,30</span></blockquote><br />
<br />
~<br />
<br />
Cloudy, grey, and damp outside. Cookies and spicy chai tea inside. A finished, sealed letter to a friend waiting cheerfully plump on the shelf for Monday mail. Cozy socks, pastel blue and over my knees.<br />
<br />
<b>Sitting at His feet that tread the dawn.</b>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-77551621083214768542011-03-26T05:27:00.016-05:002011-03-28T20:38:15.016-05:00Book Review - Jane Austen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595553029/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=reflecti01-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1595553029" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sQEXwvu9L7qzsyOsWvv9qgVeHNuh12FU-5NuJ8V2B9EURvUlTmZm3XE9BKMsrofSmkOxQKgb29W8Ssf829SHTRIv07V0X1EmDK1nmZ0Dr6mqSxQH43DmKqUM9g6y9KHpuAX3/s320/janeausten.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;">D</span>espite my love of her novels, I never read a Jane Austen biography until I recently thumbed back the cover of an almost-squarish little book by Peter Leithart - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595553029/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=reflecti01-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1595553029">Jane Austen (Christian Encounters Series)</a>. <br />
<br />
<b>Well-Researched</b><br />
Numerous excerpts of letters fill these pages and give evidence for the portrait Leithard paints of Jane for us. I imagine it might be easier when writing a biography to rely on previous biographies, but Leithart primarily sticks to original sources. And what better sources than words of Jane and those who knew her? <br />
<br />
<b>Concise</b><br />
Leithart is a good writer, painting a vivid picture of lively, childlike "Jenny" without getting bogged down in dull information (no offense meant, I hope, to those of you who love lengthy biographies - I tend to drown in seas of information). His words were a breath of fresh air and a pleasure to read after the last book I read. And going from a fantasy tale to a biography, that's saying a lot for me.<br />
<br />
<b>Balanced</b><br />
By sticking to facts and making a few reasonable deductions, Leithart strikes a wonderful balance, both in showing Jane's flaws and fine points, and in giving a reasonable idea of her Christianity: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>"Early biographers often turned her into a model of Victorian Christian domestic femininity, and emphasized her Christian faith in an evangelical idiom she never used. In reaction, many more recent biographers all but ignore her faith. Both of these extremes distort Austen's life and personality." </i><br />
<br />
And again:<br />
<br />
<i>"Biographers minimize Austen's Christianity mainly because they cannot believe that her acerbic, sometimes childishly cruel wit, her satires of the clerical imbecilities of Mr. Collins and Mr. Elton, and her playful silliness are compatible with deep Christian faith...<b>The assumption that Christian faith is incompatible with a satirical spirit is entierly wrongheaded. Nietzsche's lie that Christianity is a killjoy religion is a demonstratable falsehood.</b> English satire was, after all, the creation of clerics. Austen was hardly the first Christian writer to look sceptically at the clergy. Chaucer did before her, and so did a host of late medieval writers...<b>And who can deny the combination of boisterous cheer and profound faith in Lewis and Chesterton?" </b> </i><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Pleasing Design</b><br />
A minor point, but my copy of the book is nearer to squareness than most. Compact, small, and the cover has the delicious feel of textured watercolor paper. Very satisfying to hold.<br />
<br />
<b>One of A Series </b><br />
I may eventually check out more books in The Christian Encounters series, biographies of Christians across the ages, such as John Bunyan, Winston Churchill, and J.R.R.Tolkien. Each is written by a different author, so they may not all be as enjoyable to me as this one. But I'm especially interested in the one about St. Patrick which was written by Jonathan Rogers, author of the great <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bark-Bog-Owl-Wilderking-Trilogy/dp/0805431314/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301134404&sr=8-2">Wilderking series</a> and writer at <a href="http://www.rabbitroom.com/">The Rabbit Room.</a><br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br />
Quite enjoyable. If you want a well-written biography from a scholarly Christian perspective on Jane Austen, do check this out. And then tell me if I'm silly for loving the compact almost-squareness of the book and the great feel of the cover's paper.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book for free from Thomas Nelson.</i></span><b></b><br />
<b><a href="http://ylcf.org/"><img alt="March of Books 2011 at ylcf.org" border="0" src="http://ylcf.org/images/marchofbooks2011.jpg" title="March of Books 2011 at ylcf.org" /></a><br />
</b></div>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-36852027183179221212011-03-11T00:24:00.003-06:002011-03-28T20:44:56.219-05:00Book Review - Dragons of the Valley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqymeZWnw04eMoynHP659OlwsP5ToxyELIPM4j8c0mjk5_EgbUJUOIYPE6FxX9G6walhS235afKZfckSR3MSTizs56pO2y-vd8PkXbWfVTHGr-w2obes3mg4P_1NiGL9FfGhY/s1600/51DCcKzIvVL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqymeZWnw04eMoynHP659OlwsP5ToxyELIPM4j8c0mjk5_EgbUJUOIYPE6FxX9G6walhS235afKZfckSR3MSTizs56pO2y-vd8PkXbWfVTHGr-w2obes3mg4P_1NiGL9FfGhY/s1600/51DCcKzIvVL._SS500_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Last year, I read the first book of this series, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044KN2Y8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=reflecti01-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0044KN2Y8">The Vanishing Sculptor</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0044KN2Y8" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. It was fun, but very meandering (especially for a fantasy/quest sort of tale). When I got a chance to read the second book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400073405/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=reflecti01-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1400073405">Dragons of the Valley</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=1400073405" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, I took it, though not quite as eagerly. I expected it to be about the same, and I was right. I am still sad, because this book has so much to like about it, and so much potential... but I found it rather tedious to read.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Good points:</b><br />
- hilarious characters, like the wizard Fenworth and the little pixie-like Kimens. And Bealamondore was a great hobbit-like artist character who has to learn to be brave. <br />
- clean and spiritually encouraging, for the most part (the Christianity felt a bit heavy-handed and pasted in, but it was a good effort)<br />
- Great puns and odd descriptions <br />
<br />
<b>Lacking</b><br />
- It had one of the most rambling, plodding, unorganized plots I've ever met. Some of the main huge plot points didn't make sense to me. <br />
- The writing, while it had it's witty and vivid spots, was often choppy and tedious. I found myself skimming the last chapters, which I never do with fiction.<br />
- It felt like the story couldn't decide to take itself seriously or not. Often I felt I could hear the author laughing to herself. Well and good! I'm all for corny jokes and fun nonsense in their place. But then it was hard to take seriously the threat of the world falling apart, or to reconcile it with the incredibly grim antagonist.<br />
<br />
My concluding blurb for this book - Enjoyable in spots, but tedious and disjointed overall.<br />
<br />
P.S. - Donita, K. Paul, if you're reading this (which in this internet world is quite possible), I want you to know that I do enjoy your lovely sense of humor! :-) Lady Peg is quite fun. <br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*Disclaimer - I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Press to review in their Blogging for Books program. </i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://ylcf.org/"><img alt="March of Books 2011 at ylcf.org" border="0" src="http://ylcf.org/images/marchofbooks2011.jpg" title="March of Books 2011 at ylcf.org" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-14696361763899481032011-03-04T09:50:00.002-06:002011-03-28T20:45:47.672-05:00Book Review - God's Smuggler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQjR0QbqPXaC5oz7gLM8kNeqJFVuTyk7kJLDhT59X-h2Jes4PcJ7NNmWzOdeuoChZYkWq8mT1pJuwJ8t8nXdXVgfKXeCw8YsAHQQ4kj5JJt2ia-dfW-t4J1-Fxxeuh3StrJp0/s1600/gods-smuggler21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQjR0QbqPXaC5oz7gLM8kNeqJFVuTyk7kJLDhT59X-h2Jes4PcJ7NNmWzOdeuoChZYkWq8mT1pJuwJ8t8nXdXVgfKXeCw8YsAHQQ4kj5JJt2ia-dfW-t4J1-Fxxeuh3StrJp0/s320/gods-smuggler21.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br />
Recently resolved to read more non-fiction, particularly biographies, and extra especially autobiographies, I finally took a reputed classic called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0800793013?ie=UTF8&tag=reflecti01-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0800793013">God's Smuggler</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx zqjapwfnzceuhlechjrx" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reflecti01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0800793013" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i> from my shelf and resigned myself to a "real life" story of facts and dull chapters.<br />
<i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
But upon cracking the cover, I was sucked into a grand adventure.<br />
<br />
<blockquote><i><b>From the time I first put on wooden shoes - </b></i><b>klompen</b><i><b> we called them in Holland - I dreamed of derring-do. I was a spy behind enemy lines, I was a lone scout in enemy territory, I crept beneath barbed wire while tracer bullets scorched the air about me. </b></i></blockquote><br />
Andrew was a Dutch boy growing up durring World War II. He was actually very clever and ornery as a child. As a young adult, after trying unsuccessfully to satisfy his longing for adventure and fulfillment, he became a Christian, and began an adventure greater than he ever dreamed.<br />
<br />
He was struck with the hunger for God's Word in the Eastern European countries; churches in Russia, Hungary, Albania, etc, oppressed by the stifling darkness of Communism, were desperate for encouragement, and for Bibles.<br />
<br />
And thus began Andrew's mission - to smuggle as many Bibles and as much fellowship, discipleship, and hope as possible to the Church behind the Iron Curtain.<br />
<br />
<b>As biographies go, this was a very exciting one! </b>Coming from a novel-lover, that's saying a lot. ;-) Funny in parts, moving, challenging.<br />
<br />
I don't know quite what to think about his almost reckless way of daring God to provide (for instance, sometimes he would deliberately put a Bible in plain view on his car's seat, so if a border guard saw it and let him through anyway, Andrew could be certain of giving God all the glory). But then, I have never done such risky things for Christ, so I don't know if my faith is small, or if God just calls different folks to trust Him in different ways.<br />
<br />
<blockquote><b><i>"That's the excitement of obedience," he said. "Finding out later what God had in mind." </i></b></blockquote><i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
<i><b>Highly recommended! </b></i>Not only an exciting, hopeful, true story with a passion for God's might word and a heart for His church, but a look at the man who started <a href="http://www.opendoorsusa.org/about-us/brother-andrew/">Open Doors</a>, and whose work is being passed on today. Soon after I read <i>God's Smuggler</i>, I learned of the connection to <a href="http://www.beeworld.org/whoweare.htm">BEE World</a>, a ministry my church is involved with, and it was thrilling to know... the story goes on.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ylcf.org/"><img alt="March of Books 2011 at ylcf.org" border="0" src="http://ylcf.org/images/marchofbooks2011.jpg" title="March of Books 2011 at ylcf.org" /></a> </div>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-30949708496317883672011-03-01T21:24:00.000-06:002011-03-01T21:24:22.133-06:00March is here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Happy March! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Redbud trees are blossoming, seeds are sprouting, projects are rushing along, and babies are growing. Look at this little guy, born around Thanksgiving last year! See his manly eyebrows, his strong grip, and that fierce intimidating stare! </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkNF_0dnsfQT_rZhwTnNeMCVV6culAvzOKdMJs2kBwca8N1UmRHUsPvZwcAEAb8WX9avG1mvMXqlcKnc44M5pI31cFc8wQym4brsrImkSjhV3xhsgD0oksuRHQzmXTab43AG7/s1600/babysitter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkNF_0dnsfQT_rZhwTnNeMCVV6culAvzOKdMJs2kBwca8N1UmRHUsPvZwcAEAb8WX9avG1mvMXqlcKnc44M5pI31cFc8wQym4brsrImkSjhV3xhsgD0oksuRHQzmXTab43AG7/s320/babysitter.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">My little friend Isaac and me. (Isn't he a cute little man?) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Upcoming Book Reviews: </b></div><div style="text-align: center;">God's Smuggler - Brother Andrew </div><div style="text-align: center;">Dragons in the Valley - Donita K. Paul</div><div style="text-align: center;">Jane Austen - Peter Leithart</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-70411563187101254192011-02-19T11:38:00.002-06:002011-02-20T15:20:24.288-06:00Little Weekend Gifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3l7q8hvEBefZ7xA3r_DXE-b-lHy9UAYcA15nIJyBebo0DO9GwCaAqg0zdyjVInn0u0PMTrfZ9NiygfQaFRPELhYmMIEXHRNt9njFCFYHVS7_zOrRYbTDw93EZodgpFK_UOF-2/s1600/100_4847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3l7q8hvEBefZ7xA3r_DXE-b-lHy9UAYcA15nIJyBebo0DO9GwCaAqg0zdyjVInn0u0PMTrfZ9NiygfQaFRPELhYmMIEXHRNt9njFCFYHVS7_zOrRYbTDw93EZodgpFK_UOF-2/s320/100_4847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Today is my mom's birthday, but we did some celebrating yesterday. Part of that included the necessary visit to Barnes and Noble. We were going to get dessert, but neither of us were that hungry. So we enjoyed refreshing Izze drinks. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcjSLklNiMBFfkW-hCkpNfp58uTYFi-fNhEG6et9JSQrNU-ZK22s2rMT0wkLjeX-blqZayEUU172nCviHeefznnbgHIY1UG7YIUNJ1UR0uBRsI4U-nSZyH7j6Kv4SaECU20l8/s1600/100_4846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcjSLklNiMBFfkW-hCkpNfp58uTYFi-fNhEG6et9JSQrNU-ZK22s2rMT0wkLjeX-blqZayEUU172nCviHeefznnbgHIY1UG7YIUNJ1UR0uBRsI4U-nSZyH7j6Kv4SaECU20l8/s400/100_4846.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I found this <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/one-thousand-gifts-book/">book</a> I've been eager to read, by one of my favorite <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/">bloggers</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKz3iMucNYks43huFzyeLYdybQ4KayeoB5-O3n_hO9Pklw8N1aGOQkdmAqjjXJJOFmyhygM_oK5cr3AJkhQtqsg0ffyva4QdFog3a94OCyxvPerR-52BCEQmYVsYsOxvs-yR96/s1600/100_4848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKz3iMucNYks43huFzyeLYdybQ4KayeoB5-O3n_hO9Pklw8N1aGOQkdmAqjjXJJOFmyhygM_oK5cr3AJkhQtqsg0ffyva4QdFog3a94OCyxvPerR-52BCEQmYVsYsOxvs-yR96/s320/100_4848.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The lovely Mother was looking at a book of cute little stuffed critters. Fun fun! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVVCekBdGEpMOdp1Xg4ASH85eDQWHJY1MEvDqRcLJhWpFWb5fn6g5JpS8ehZDjGLQBoTk7nVpSG406zF6siMx-DloSHBq63XS05W670_drcT1D7aOvayUINBesXubhSIP69Ej/s1600/100_4852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVVCekBdGEpMOdp1Xg4ASH85eDQWHJY1MEvDqRcLJhWpFWb5fn6g5JpS8ehZDjGLQBoTk7nVpSG406zF6siMx-DloSHBq63XS05W670_drcT1D7aOvayUINBesXubhSIP69Ej/s320/100_4852.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This morning, I read this excellent book. It told me, "Give thanks to the Lord, for..."<br />
<br />
For what? Why should we be thankful? What could pull us out of our self-focused sad little worlds, and look to God? <br />
<br />
"Come here," the pages whispered, "and let me tell you the best-kept secret, the one you usually forget, or ignore, or think too stupendous to believe." <br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>He is good. </i><br />
<br />
Good.<br />
<br />
Really and fully good.<br />
<br />
<b>The laughter at the back of the world. </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho47Nk4Qzs7IpoevigUaAMgVOUuKNguw6J6jtnsBf6vvvVPJYdXpWWdvp6EKWDj3-98iAl4UtNbEMNimTXY0pIk6p6HzyeMem8MmfwjRJUsUsO3RWtBFnv6Z0rLINSc7wA75hs/s1600/100_4854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho47Nk4Qzs7IpoevigUaAMgVOUuKNguw6J6jtnsBf6vvvVPJYdXpWWdvp6EKWDj3-98iAl4UtNbEMNimTXY0pIk6p6HzyeMem8MmfwjRJUsUsO3RWtBFnv6Z0rLINSc7wA75hs/s320/100_4854.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here is Bella our cat watching one of her favorite shows on her wide screen. She's fascinated with it, though I don't always understand the plot. Some of the major characters are birds.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzm3dBXHa3PfdJZazKl4JyxJNJbUCUtMZJ0mpPXp-cgTL-Fgl3ELK3i-RydlAXb7ljDHm5cs8xdRk8sGkYHlTqwchQ6WjZLhmdjgG0kg66xo9PSxibhbh9BmW_f5GA3jpEaF5/s1600/100_4856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzm3dBXHa3PfdJZazKl4JyxJNJbUCUtMZJ0mpPXp-cgTL-Fgl3ELK3i-RydlAXb7ljDHm5cs8xdRk8sGkYHlTqwchQ6WjZLhmdjgG0kg66xo9PSxibhbh9BmW_f5GA3jpEaF5/s400/100_4856.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Clean sheets - ah. Nice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxhBeFJVw-sDQv8najK_nI3xqN03tTqxoAPa-xOoBqFdvUjEnK5kX0FtwuzR249BbVEwxXHrMjfARCZiyL7IRZjISYYlyZiETZ90H-WI8L4XEogx3R0m8UW34Y3qUQrvwHivp/s1600/100_4858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxhBeFJVw-sDQv8najK_nI3xqN03tTqxoAPa-xOoBqFdvUjEnK5kX0FtwuzR249BbVEwxXHrMjfARCZiyL7IRZjISYYlyZiETZ90H-WI8L4XEogx3R0m8UW34Y3qUQrvwHivp/s320/100_4858.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">May your weekend be full of seeing, of noticing the little things God gives. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">(If you haven't noticed, I have been trying to take more pictures and blog with them. At the moment I'm borrowing a brother's camera. I know basically nothing about photography, but I want to get my feet good and wet first before I take a class. Thanks for being patient through these rather rambly picture posts. :-) Hopefully I will also get into a more consistent blogging habit, and post more meaty stuff as well.</span>)</i></div>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-16745330511454068462011-02-18T14:58:00.002-06:002011-02-18T15:03:15.841-06:00Garden Day at the Ranch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Yesterday afternoon I visited my friend Sarah at the Triple L Ranch. The weather was perfect for enjoying the outdoors, so Sarah and I set to work preparing her garden beds, newly framed by her hardworking husband David.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Jkq_Zsw5PAIjxJ39UbKErKB1ER-E9veL3vdhmfEt-Wsl0qmXSKwJqiL0UU265gy378wI_wgZrq4oFOV9IF6LoD-Sdp3mN6Y8NRHz9g25vOllaZc7gpIXvT-55JFD5LOHlnuN/s1600/100_4814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Jkq_Zsw5PAIjxJ39UbKErKB1ER-E9veL3vdhmfEt-Wsl0qmXSKwJqiL0UU265gy378wI_wgZrq4oFOV9IF6LoD-Sdp3mN6Y8NRHz9g25vOllaZc7gpIXvT-55JFD5LOHlnuN/s320/100_4814.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>We watered the dirt to help break down the huge dirt clods, then started breaking up the soil with rakes and pulling out rocks, throwing them in orange buckets. <br />
<br />
<br />
(Not that anyone could possibly remove all the rocks around here, mind you. But at least we were getting the big ones.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDN_nsVSMWfEiedZkB3DlwXpkIivxR3exFhsFNsT9GnjOKRTUaoE_JGPdP1q1A2ihV6kdik7dQ1e6a_hdyRzagVuYOP2-nK65NNgynluQOg6tZrfmcNKs6T4Sxsj6kCFcrDZ9/s1600/Rebekah+and+Gal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDN_nsVSMWfEiedZkB3DlwXpkIivxR3exFhsFNsT9GnjOKRTUaoE_JGPdP1q1A2ihV6kdik7dQ1e6a_hdyRzagVuYOP2-nK65NNgynluQOg6tZrfmcNKs6T4Sxsj6kCFcrDZ9/s320/Rebekah+and+Gal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fearless Rebekah went on an adventure with Gal the dog. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkC3n8CLLgzXNKK2ocWYgt0z_Sw0Zfl7M_142x7osUsBfh_yH4Y8QAQAOPJbMNcTL2Lz-W2eG84oK13OXh9sHQoHsWfdcPqMLcHZfdIpJwIQ56m18AGdjdus10w2BogM307ju/s1600/watching+b%2526w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkC3n8CLLgzXNKK2ocWYgt0z_Sw0Zfl7M_142x7osUsBfh_yH4Y8QAQAOPJbMNcTL2Lz-W2eG84oK13OXh9sHQoHsWfdcPqMLcHZfdIpJwIQ56m18AGdjdus10w2BogM307ju/s320/watching+b%2526w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Then, of course, Rebekah wanted to play in the dirt too. ;-) </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD7d593mxARUeYrd7K5XqxdMf5TAcYSVt7AFLhEMqrzhtl46zMPoQj3ZuHrZdBstCmZxDSl0OW0VbUYyY_LxkNhG8SJ0PEUyayNPQ37SW3HVoPT8wUB8GPVj8V-iF6Bp8EwsT/s1600/silly+bug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD7d593mxARUeYrd7K5XqxdMf5TAcYSVt7AFLhEMqrzhtl46zMPoQj3ZuHrZdBstCmZxDSl0OW0VbUYyY_LxkNhG8SJ0PEUyayNPQ37SW3HVoPT8wUB8GPVj8V-iF6Bp8EwsT/s320/silly+bug.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Silly bug.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BO6Q1FR9JE4CYNx0lZALfvkUT71crS85uGvY92KbDzsPkcWnv8voop7ALdRR91vvbxpQtRrN7SMH24LzxbnhLbmnKujayBkwRQuYLCl8D0Lue0RjnhZ5HQX_idEC9tcYXIqd/s1600/100_4816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BO6Q1FR9JE4CYNx0lZALfvkUT71crS85uGvY92KbDzsPkcWnv8voop7ALdRR91vvbxpQtRrN7SMH24LzxbnhLbmnKujayBkwRQuYLCl8D0Lue0RjnhZ5HQX_idEC9tcYXIqd/s320/100_4816.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Never a dull moment with this one around! She's so fun. Today she was proclaiming loudly, "I love you, Mommy!"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0COYfftkoTzpxKYaDi82KhLJ7uxaOBR90U3-dA5kLwzb2qWm5mN1zNu6rkmS1QxRp9Jn9MeM12xwJfVvU7PY_QaAQGUKYWc3cv79KLiHLM_SU2g2DiMnsP7-BN6Cl__4kwGh/s1600/isaac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0COYfftkoTzpxKYaDi82KhLJ7uxaOBR90U3-dA5kLwzb2qWm5mN1zNu6rkmS1QxRp9Jn9MeM12xwJfVvU7PY_QaAQGUKYWc3cv79KLiHLM_SU2g2DiMnsP7-BN6Cl__4kwGh/s320/isaac.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Little Isaac woke up, and that was all of garden work for the day. Inside we reviewed some verses we're memorizing together (we're about 3/4 through Isaiah 53), got dinner ready and the table set (with the help of Rebekah and a little neighbor friend), and then as I was leaving David arrived. He was kind enough to snap this picture for me. Even Gal managed to jump in just for the picture.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIi-6F0XfpMGLFC7SyZ8xCbWl-Xfzbyca6MJtql1J7YwCCQuNhU7YJ_WNinUmtn5-AiZJuIa_aljswaq0H5dqnRL3Lin5CPBF_TEf-fQmIgMAkdOUtAVeLTYl1HtLStb0eNSo/s1600/100_4822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIi-6F0XfpMGLFC7SyZ8xCbWl-Xfzbyca6MJtql1J7YwCCQuNhU7YJ_WNinUmtn5-AiZJuIa_aljswaq0H5dqnRL3Lin5CPBF_TEf-fQmIgMAkdOUtAVeLTYl1HtLStb0eNSo/s320/100_4822.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"No, look at Daddy, Rebekah!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVA0xdTsANTKzqtiHan_NjPg9ugVN7oLyri7nP52jj4y1quj-Y5aoVjoHA8kOGgR8P5CP03U6WDUrj_2g3942YyCNUghN4GrPW-hBigFO7JDWOxcfiyjsKcqOD09GrpxF1H-6-/s1600/100_4823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVA0xdTsANTKzqtiHan_NjPg9ugVN7oLyri7nP52jj4y1quj-Y5aoVjoHA8kOGgR8P5CP03U6WDUrj_2g3942YyCNUghN4GrPW-hBigFO7JDWOxcfiyjsKcqOD09GrpxF1H-6-/s320/100_4823.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Home again home again!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwRhIM8sprN9dQeOiwFprS67wWrYZt1wnSQvOz0FRm_RGVk1GSzrdna8EVM2KhEOtQJIICZBySLxAcDSLcRTWxm6g5U82ViSsqLbzCIesmJCRzHy9_J8r_ceD5_mDU2yS1AL7/s1600/100_4826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwRhIM8sprN9dQeOiwFprS67wWrYZt1wnSQvOz0FRm_RGVk1GSzrdna8EVM2KhEOtQJIICZBySLxAcDSLcRTWxm6g5U82ViSsqLbzCIesmJCRzHy9_J8r_ceD5_mDU2yS1AL7/s320/100_4826.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Always love the drive back, and it was a beautiful time of day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG50VbKhOP4e-8GU10lNnn_jppIxjUpoefnIQzbfLsJj47TRAT7MeyxMM8MBPfQhg6kM2jEqQ4CsFD18Lb8EUCciMxqh9_8afyZks-6TmDjUubswdhgiG5v0ODaIdNc9fI25xH/s1600/100_4837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG50VbKhOP4e-8GU10lNnn_jppIxjUpoefnIQzbfLsJj47TRAT7MeyxMM8MBPfQhg6kM2jEqQ4CsFD18Lb8EUCciMxqh9_8afyZks-6TmDjUubswdhgiG5v0ODaIdNc9fI25xH/s320/100_4837.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Declaring His glory pretty well, don't you think? :-)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-4114858306595288802011-01-19T08:29:00.000-06:002011-01-19T08:29:43.478-06:00Paid for with Blood<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjQoK2NCHlbCzA1kiYlTB4HtQPFvOLUpVrdfcREjehnsG5wYJbaJsjf-T3-6p7WkwcKr93TGMQbgqSSxLMfB5tKMLi2l-sfjWu3O1x16OtVabvOLmH3zCw2IcVgvNrXFb0hqK/s1600/100_4715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjQoK2NCHlbCzA1kiYlTB4HtQPFvOLUpVrdfcREjehnsG5wYJbaJsjf-T3-6p7WkwcKr93TGMQbgqSSxLMfB5tKMLi2l-sfjWu3O1x16OtVabvOLmH3zCw2IcVgvNrXFb0hqK/s320/100_4715.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother Zach, at Marine Basic Training Graduation, is second from the back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><blockquote><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>S</b></span>omeone has paid for me with blood. How the knowledge lifts my sights beyond the moment's hot desires!</blockquote><blockquote>~Elizabeth Elliot~</blockquote><br />
Just as we should not scorn our soldiers' sacrifices, neither should we forget the death Christ died for our sins. If I remembered, I would be less likely to rush into selfishness.Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-5742521483396144942011-01-16T17:28:00.000-06:002011-01-16T17:28:21.537-06:00Book Review - Coming Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.worldsunseen.com/the-books/coming-day/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCpX_a_QoPB7DV32n1wAJV8HU5Qv_uBvPinYnMwK6AOgi2QlJ7CWtxWpgwKlykEuXxplXxYAVjZlgCERL1xP8mI7JE1zbMixAC5oBHjFbyCkF0cj65npClBvAM59LqcEN_d73/s320/CD-Front-Cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0973959185?ie=UTF8&tag=reflecti01-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0973959185">Coming Day</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reflecti01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0973959185" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> - by Rachel Starr Thomson </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Final Battle</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Treachery and division are tearing apart the Seventh World. Evil factions right and left are seeking to capture the Gifted and steal their powers, wipe out those dear to them, and destroy all freedom and hope and mention of the long-absent King. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The evil Morning Star is coming, bringing all the hordes of Blackness with him. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The last straggling bands of Gypsies and the few brave farmer rebels of Pravik prepare for the final battle. But only the King can save them. So Virginia the blind seer sets out on a fool's errand to find him.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>What follows is a race to find the King and unite the Gifted to usher in his coming. And that coming is something they never could have expected. </i></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b>"...all ends here are only beginnings."</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>L</b></span>ast night I stayed up till about 4 a.m. to finish reading <i>Coming Day</i>. Sobbing. Laughing. Closing the book, turning out the light, and seeing from my pillow the clouds sail past black branches and a lone bright planet in the sky. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Crying with joy in the dark. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It was so good, I hardly dare write about it, for fear I'll get it wrong. Yet I must - for myself, for Rachel, for my blog readers, for anyone else who might enjoy this epic tale of good against evil. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As far as the plot goes, I confess it went by in a bit of a blur. Captures followed by wild escapes, battles, wounds, friends dying. Walking in darkness to find a fabled King, when instinct says to run and help imperiled friends. Seeing the world ending... and then beginning afresh. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't think I've been this spiritually encouraged by a book in a long time. I felt that I turned a corner in the last few chapters, and found that the story which began in a strange land, a land vaguely similar to my own but the stuff of legend, had ended up all the way in my own room at 4 p.m. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>It was not a startling jolt from a world of wonder back into my own dull life. Rather, it was like waking from a glorious dream to find that the best parts have been true all along. The King tapped me on the shoulder, and his eyes are laughing still.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I closed the book with a thrilling, aching joy. And the prayer of Rehtse, "both prophecy and petition," echoes through me:</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Your kingdom come, we pray.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Come soon.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">~</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Book 1 - <a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-review-worlds-unseen.html">Worlds Unseen</a> | Book 2 - <a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-review-burning-light.html">Burning Light</a></div>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-5514645154192553452011-01-14T22:40:00.003-06:002011-01-14T23:17:37.927-06:00What I did with my FridayToday I got to stay at home mostly - yay! I confess, I was a bit lazy. Here's some of what I did: <br />
<ul><li>reading</li>
<li>blogging about my book</li>
<li>cleaning kitchen</li>
<li>more reading, reading, reading...</li>
<li>making dough for challah and cinnamon rolls</li>
<li>having a splendid time seeing <i>Tangled</i> with my lovely mother </li>
<li>coming home to bake my breads</li>
<li>eating cinnamon roll</li>
<li>next up - more reading! </li>
</ul>Tangled was fun. Aside from a possible jab at stay-at-home daughters, or rather, "horrid over-protective mothers who repress them and keep them from following their dreams"... sigh. Poor girls like Rapunzel don't get to do anything but clean kitchens and make cinnamon rolls and read and blog...<br />
<br />
;-)<br />
<br />
Yes. Anyways. I don't want to make a huge deal of that, since the repressive "mother" was a actually a witch, and not Rapunzel's mother at all. And real stay-at-home daughters are rarely locked inside their houses! Home is base of operations, not a pretty prison like poor Rapunzel had. But Rapunzel <i>thought </i>she was running away from home, from her mother, and even though she clearly felt wrong about it some of the time, it might need more discussion with little kids. <br />
<br />
Otherwise I liked it very much. Aside from the above possible problematic interpretation, it's a classic story of a girl who longs to see the beautiful, wonderful things in the world, has adventures, falls in love, and eventually discovers she's a princess and has a family much better than her vain, fake, lying kidnapper.<br />
<br />
I suppose it's a bit like we Christians, when we find we're royalty and children of God. How can we go on living the same way once that's clear, and continue to submit to our old tyrants of safety and comfort and sin? And perhaps even non-Christians suspect there's more to life than meets the eye, that greater powers are at work "outside the tower," beyond what they can see and touch. <br />
<br />
If only we could get out and see the flying lanterns! They can't be just stars. We have a feeling they <i>mean</i> something. <br />
<br />
Alright, enough rambling. Good review <a href="http://www.pluggedin.com/movies/intheaters/tangled.aspx">here.</a> Have a lovely Saturday!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">P.S. The horse was tremendous. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">P.P.S. I really shouldn't do two posts in one day, especially when I have such trouble doing even semi-weekly posts. This is not a regular thing. End of public service announcement. </span>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-24738355011049300372011-01-14T13:26:00.001-06:002011-01-14T13:38:19.352-06:00Seeking the KingI am getting very drawn into <a href="http://www.worldsunseen.com/the-books/coming-day/">this story,</a> particularly what will happen with the Highland Seer Virginia, and the Darkworld priestess Rehtse.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.worldsunseen.com/the-books/coming-day/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVgL_Fs5BO_QY_fRXI0KSB5-2K6buFBIq3I-1-QruVRz8-C23z26PrSi92rSKSqhopzqi726beqQHrTRWShPNCpZpmP-LZPFGK9nF_6pYk8vV-Jsw6OWVEVinWIK8xTa-1TaQ/s320/CD-Front-Cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
Imminent danger is suddenly and surprisingly gone, and the two girls just climbed up a hill after tumbling down a rocky slope. In what felt like one of Tolkien's little eucatastrophies, the unexpected escape was followed by laughter.<br />
<br />
The world is silent but for the wind and trees, alive and sleepy and peaceful. The next stage of their journey to find the King beckons.<br />
<br />
<b>They have no map. One is blind, the other has lived below ground all her life. </b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~ </div><br />
<i>Virginia cleared her throat. "Rehtse? Are we lost?"</i><br />
<br />
<i>"Shh," Rehtse said. "I am waiting."</i><br />
<br />
<i>A moment later, Rehtse lowered her hands, gathered her skirts in one hand, and tucked her other hand into Virginia's elbow. "Come," she said.</i><br />
<br />
<i>"Do you know where we are?" Virginia asked.</i><br />
<br />
<i>"No," Rehtse answered. </i><br />
<br />
<i>"Did the King answer you?" Virginia asked.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Rehtse hesitated. "Not - that I could hear."</i><br />
<br />
<i>"Then where are we going?" Virginia asked.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Rehtse smiled. <b>"All paths in this world belong to the King. If he can use the Blackness to deliver us from wicked men, then he can turn even wrong steps into right ones. We are seeking him, so we will trust the road to lead us to him. But he cannot guide us if we don't move."</b></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.worldsunseen.com/the-books/coming-day/"><i>Coming Day</i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Rachel Starr Thomson</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~</div><div style="text-align: left;">Find the book at Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0973959185?ie=UTF8&tag=reflecti01-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0973959185">here</a><img alt="" border="0" class=" wtoqnvbnjfdwqxxyjvrc wtoqnvbnjfdwqxxyjvrc" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reflecti01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0973959185" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, or visit the series website, <a href="http://worldsunseen.com/">WorldsUnseen.com</a>. No, Rachel's not paying me to talk about her book. I just think it's that amazing.</div>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-22014309558367047432011-01-13T07:16:00.003-06:002011-01-14T22:54:20.585-06:00Thankful Thursday 201-220Today I am starting to I do my "Thankful Thursday" posts regularly again! (my variation of <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2003/06/gratitude-community.html">Multitude Monday</a>) <br />
<br />
<br />
201. Yesterday I was sitting inside with my Bible and morning coffee when I heard a cry of joy from outside. It was my mom. Looking at me through the window, she held up to view our chickens' very first egg! It was a little thing, but exciting. The chickens got a nice breakfast of leftovers. :-) We found a second egg this morning, huzzah!<br />
<br />
202. Being able to comfort others with the comfort with which we have been comforted<br />
<br />
203. Anticipation of a trip to visit my friends at the Triple L Ranch<br />
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204. Late night coffee and chocolate<br />
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205. <a href="http://www.worldsunseen.com/the-books/coming-day/"><i>Coming Day</i></a>, the third and final book of Rachel Starr Thomas' <i>Seventh World Trilogy</i>. I look forward to the pleasure of reviewing it on my blog soon. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMdoYx5tm-M2Ljmeujq55nPet4JtEh1lMHuIi6nXcQuG_ZtLBt42RYpBVww1nSznxDW6-x6taK9Jr-hBHHBd4-im8fncfgXzRGENo9ej3Nq39fhG2ZReR2-X5AbIax-PIeG2L/s1600/100_4768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMdoYx5tm-M2Ljmeujq55nPet4JtEh1lMHuIi6nXcQuG_ZtLBt42RYpBVww1nSznxDW6-x6taK9Jr-hBHHBd4-im8fncfgXzRGENo9ej3Nq39fhG2ZReR2-X5AbIax-PIeG2L/s320/100_4768.JPG" width="240" /></a> 206. The deliciousness of a warm building that only biting, bitter cold makes you appreciate<br />
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207. Old verses I learned in Sparks that still come back to me. <br />
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208. Candlelight<br />
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209. Chris Rice<br />
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210. Friends who are passionate about good theology<br />
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211. Cozy wool sweaters<br />
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212. The scent of lavender <br />
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213. Getting to see my little brother play basketball. (They have lots of out-of-town games, so this doesn't happen too often.)<br />
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214. A friend's excitement about her fabric design that's making her money <a href="http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/veronicadye">here.</a><br />
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215. The AWANA council time message, given by one of the elders, about little things that make a huge difference. A seed. A word. A cup of water.<br />
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216. Fountain pens with nice, flowey blue ink<br />
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217. A pretty blue-and-brown journal, a Christmas gift from a dear friend<br />
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218. Opportunity to share about journaling<br />
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219. A friend who just announced she's pregnant! :-D <br />
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220. Another dear friend and her husband who have wanted children for a while. It's hard to be in that place, waiting for something so good, while trusting God's perfect timing.<br />
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<blockquote><span class="woj">"And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." </span><br />
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<span class="woj">~Matthew 10:42~</span></blockquote>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-1694881707172834792011-01-09T22:25:00.001-06:002011-01-09T22:27:50.609-06:00Books Read in 2010I haven't posted anything on my poor blog in ages, and it's time I put out something to anyone who might still want to read it. <br />
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I've been slowing down lately, in the quiet of the new year, and today I thought to myself, "Self, what did you read this year?" One of my few well-kept habits is to record books I read. Here they are. Some were re-reads of favorites, some were ho-hum, some were wonderful surprises, and some I even got around to reviewing. <br />
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<b>2010 - Books Read by Rael </b><br />
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<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-review-worlds-unseen.html">Worlds Unseen</a> - Rachel Starr Thomson<br />
<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-review-burning-light.html">Burning Light</a> - Rachel Starr Thomson<br />
Humility - Andrew Murray<br />
Passion and Purity - Elizabeth Elliot<br />
Flatland - Edwin A. Abbitt<br />
Till We Have Faces - C. S. Lewis<br />
<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-review-glaen.html">Glaen</a> - Fred Lybrand<br />
<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2010/04/book-review-last-thing-i-remember.html">The Last Thing I Remember</a> - Andrew Klavan<br />
The Long Way Home - Andrew Klavan<br />
<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2010/04/book-review-great-divorce.html">The Great Divorce </a>- C. S. Lewis<br />
<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2010/04/book-review-heavenly-man.html">The Heavenly Man</a> - Brother Yun with Paul Hattaway<br />
The Final Quest - Rick Joyner<br />
Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones<br />
Dug Down Deep - Joshua Harris<br />
The Vanishing Sculptor - Donita K. Paul<br />
Safely Home - Randy Alcorn<br />
<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2009/08/book-thoughts-on-edge-of-dark-sea-of.html">On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness </a>- Andrew Peterson<br />
The Four Loves - C. S. Lewis<br />
Calm My Anxious Heart - Linda Dillow<br />
The Little Lame Prince - Dinah Maria Mulock Craik<br />
<a href="http://reflectivebeauty.blogspot.com/2009/09/north-or-be-eaten-book-two-of.html">North! Or Be Eaten</a> - Andrew Peterson<br />
Dombey and Son - Charles Dickens<br />
The Ordinary Princess - M. M. Kaye<br />
The Truth of the Matter - Andrew Klavan<br />
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Hopefully more soon! I really have missed blogging. What sort of posts would you like to see here in the future? (And what really good book should I read this year?)Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-8949769169437913142010-11-15T23:02:00.001-06:002010-11-15T23:03:29.237-06:00"The Realest Thing About Me"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAPrMQq7eTgig5-Z8RDZIpQGs7A85GJk9j945pXr3mFxtp88rjJbPU-oDXrKRI6IuWaSz499goB16npzXQnzOWnooeZ63Fnq2JN81mNB6asqsnV8toytVx8f2-8YeHDFF3TEv/s1600/DCP_5047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAPrMQq7eTgig5-Z8RDZIpQGs7A85GJk9j945pXr3mFxtp88rjJbPU-oDXrKRI6IuWaSz499goB16npzXQnzOWnooeZ63Fnq2JN81mNB6asqsnV8toytVx8f2-8YeHDFF3TEv/s320/DCP_5047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote>As a believer I have the blessed opportunity to gaze into my own heart and see Jesus Christ. To find the mad paradox of His beauty and light and goodness and truth breaking irresistibly through the many chinks and cracks of this very flawed human vessel. To call myself a saint, of all things, and to laugh at the gorgeous joke of it and to know that it’s the realest thing about me.<br />
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~ Lanier Ivester, <a href="http://www.rabbitroom.com/?p=10662#comment-118719">The Two Trees</a> ~</blockquote><br />
I just read a marvelous post by a one of my favorite online kindred spirits. I first "met" Lanier through reading her vivid posts on the YLCF, but she has now also joined the writers of the Rabbit Room. Do read the post <a href="http://www.rabbitroom.com/?p=10662#comment-118719">here</a>, and be encouraged.<br />
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Oh, and the poem she quotes was surprisingly familiar to me, as parts of it make up this song from my favorite Celtic singer:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="40" width="250"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23250902&style=metal&p=0" /><embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23250902&style=metal&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object></div><br />
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Had to share that. Now I'd better go write and get my characters out of trouble. ;-)Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-85732953394859557202010-11-06T00:26:00.000-05:002010-11-06T00:26:35.616-05:00Currently Busy...... with NaNoWriMo!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.nanowrimo.org/widget/MyMonth/233162.png" /></div><br />
If I know you somewhat (i.e. if I think you're a real person who won't steal my story ideas, hehe!), you're welcome to read the story on my *whispers* super-secret blog. Just comment with your email, or send me a note at rael{dot}henson{at}gmail{dot}com, and I'll send you an invite. <br />
<br />
I'll be back eventually. :-) Bye for now! *dives back into novel-writing* Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30138025.post-18744774510984471342010-10-12T03:12:00.002-05:002010-10-12T15:42:26.080-05:00Scribbled Thanks<span id="goog_1169121307"><span id="goog_844964481"></span><span id="goog_844964486"></span><span id="goog_844964495"></span><span id="goog_844964499"></span></span><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_844964503"></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkYYk7LERDZF5Fpf-mtieBCQzD1m3xu4IQeayjBoK3FP-R0JhxkKv1AjA_0dsvFE2KKI-3d6J6EGfpWHqftKqnErhmjODTkdT2ifqBU-9tSx_62q4rzKq5fe4SnSteq3cMNL4/s320/mondaybutton2.png" /><span id="goog_844964504"></span></a><span id="goog_844964500"></span><span id="goog_844964496"></span><span id="goog_844964487"></span><span id="goog_844964482"></span><br />
171. Sweaters<br />
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172. The crisp, neat smoothness of clothes freshly ironed<br />
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173. Honey from friends' bees<br />
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174. An ever-patient, ever-loving, bearing-all-things mother<br />
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175. A second letter from Zach<br />
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176. The throbbing purr of Bella-cat when she flops down beside me cozily.<br />
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177. Conversation about communication<br />
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178. Enough cinnamon rolls to share<br />
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179. A safe weekend trip<br />
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180. Cool stories from my dad about Belize - especially the Indiana Jones cave, and the spot where they shot a scene from Star Wars<br />
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181. Brothers to pray for and help me grow<br />
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182. Cool night air drifting in through the open windows<br />
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183. Delighted squeals from a 3-year-old girl, feeding our chickens from her hand.<br />
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184. The invention of Playaways - so handy and enjoyable on trips and while puttering around the house!<br />
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185. A slivered new moon<br />
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186. The growing friendliness of the chickens (even if it is because they know who feeds them)<br />
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187. A surprise visit from old friends on their way through Texas<br />
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188. The bravery of such friends to adopt.<br />
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189. An evening watching TV shows with Whit and the Mother<br />
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190. Seeing a lady in the store console a little lost girl and help her find her parents.<br />
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191. The West Texas friendliness of smiling at complete strangers<br />
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192. Hearing someone who just moved here say it was better than California, and more like their hometown. :-) I don't hear that too often!<br />
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193. A sign for the "Open A Bar" Ranch. Hehe.<br />
<br />
194. Madeline L'Engles's marvelous, thoughtful little book, <i>A Circle of Quiet</i><br />
<br />
195. Raspberry ginger ale<br />
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196. Lavender Blueberry Dark Chocolate <br />
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197. Limited funds, to better enjoy the above by making it rare. ;-)<br />
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198. A reminder that <a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/2010/10/light-isnt-boring/">Light Isn't Boring</a><br />
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199. Clean sheets<br />
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200. Home sweet home, and crickets singing softly into the night.<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/"></a><br />
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<span id="goog_1169121273"></span><span id="goog_1169121274"><span id="goog_1169121292"></span><span id="goog_1169121293"><span id="goog_844964488"></span><span id="goog_844964489"></span><span id="goog_844964490"></span><span id="goog_844964491"></span></span></span>Raelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04404775103594243609noreply@blogger.com0