Recent Reads

After a long, empty period, I have returned to the blogsphere....not really. This is just a quick visit to get some feedback. I will name three books I recently read. Whichever one gets the most votes will be the topic of my next blog post.
The Bones of Makaidos by Bryan Davis
Black by Ted Dekker
or C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy
So vote!

25 Random Things About Me

1. I was homeschooled for nine years
2. My favorite color is purple
3. I index my journals
4. I argue with my story characters.
5. I hate PB&J
6. If I could meet anyone from a story, it would be Aslan or my story character Loren.
7. Bryan Davis is one of my favorite authors.
8. The last book I finished reading is The Last Storyteller.
9. I first read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe because my mom was taking too long to finish.
10. I am 6' 3/4" tall
11. 48 is my favorite number.
12. If I could have any superpower, it would be wings
13. I prefer hot cider over coco.
14. I'd like to visit New Zealand because LotR and Narnia were filmed there.
15. CFS-- a Christian summer camp--is my favorite place in this world.
16. My favorite song is "Fly" by Matt Hoffland.
17. I have a jar of Chocolate Amber body lotion.
18. Sometimes I think a monarchy would be better then a republic.
19. I love purple peeps.
20. Dragons are my favorite animal.
21. I have swum with dolphins.
22. I have a bookcase headboard.
23. I wrote 50,000 words in November for NaNoWriMo

24. I don't have a cell phone.

25. I am currently wearing a red shirt

Politics

Maybe I’m still sore over the election results, but I’m fed up with politics. Ever since November 4th, the media has spent just as much energy—if not more—fawning over Obama as it’s spent vilifying Bush.
It reminds of two short jokes I’ve heard:
Poly-tics=many bloodsuckers
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
Sometimes I think a republic is little better than anarchy. All this mudslinging and name-calling. A local state representative has been convicted of drunk driving, and down in Illinois the governor tried to sell a Senate seat.
John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other." In light of the moral decay of our nation, I doubt that the Constitution will endure much longer.
I don’t completely discredit our system of government. Those who are eligible should vote. And if someone feels that God wants him or her in politics, that’s fine; God uses people in every field.
But I think Christians can become overzealous about politics. God changes individual hearts, not institutions. We should spend more time and energy on people, not politics. God’s kingdom is not of this earth. So why should we try to bring it about by the methods of this world? God’s kingdom doesn’t spread by the sword or the ballet box. It comes through hearts that our changes.
I, personally, do not agree with Obama on several issues. But God is still in control, no matter who is ruling. And Obama isn’t the worst leader Christians have had to endure. If Christians could worship God with Nero in control, that makes Obama look easy.

Christmas Musings

"Silent night, holy night..."
"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed."
"Joy to the world, the Lord is come..."
It's Christmas afternoon, the presents are unwrapped, and I'm sitting here thinking. Christmas isn't just about the presents. Even the best ones get broken...or lost...or just plain aren't interesting anymore.
And the nativity scene in the corner--Mary and Jospeh kneeling by a manger, shephards and wise men circling in reverent worship--that's not how it was at all. It was a stable. It probably stank. There likely was manure and droppings in the corners. Th shephards probably were rough, burely men. If I was Mary, I would have cried at the idea of giving birth in a stable.
And even if everyone had been clean and neat, it wasn't a night of peace. No, this was a D-Day of supernatural proportions. God, the Creator and Lord of the universe, sent himself down to Earth--into the heart of the enemy's lair--as a helpless infant. It's not the quiet, silent night we sing about.
The angels sang of peace and goodwill towards men, but we tend to forget about the end of the story. Because it didn't end there. It went on--on to the cross. And without the cross, there would be no point in Christmas.
In the song "Did you know?" by Todd Agnew, the chorus goes like this:
Did you know?
Did the cross cast a shadow o'er your cradle?
Did you know?
Did you shudder each time Your hammer struck a nail?
Did you know?
How much heaven and how much earth
were present in this baby at His birth?
Did you know? Or did you wonder?

It's something we'd all do well to remember.

The Final Storm

Adventures are funny things
They always begin with the unexpected,
but they always end with the promise
of adventures yet to come”
~The Final Storm

All books and series must come to an end, and the Door Within is no exception. But what will the future hold? Will Robbie succumb to Pargor’s promises of power? And will Antoinette and Aidan remain true to their king in the face of death? The ending is amazingly powerful.

The Door Within

This fantasy tale is amazing. I loved reading about Aidan’s adventures in The Realm. The characters are realistic and the plot line creative. Instead of just swords, it’s more of a spiritual battle for the hearts of people.

Eternity's Edge

I've been waiting for this book since prereading Beyond the Reflection's Edge. Davis does not disappoint.

As interfinity approaches, the stakes get higher for Nathan, Kelly, Daryl and Francesca. Can they trust Patar? Will they discover the secrets of Sarah’s Womb? This book kept me laughing and crying all the way through.