Cry, the Beloved Country

This the first, and perhaps the only, book that I first read in high school English and thoroughly enjoyed. This story of a South African black preacher, a white farmer and their sons tugged at my heart with its mournful, lyrical prose.

The pastor, or umfundisi, Stephan Kumalo, watches with resignation as his relatives leave their valley for the great city of Johannesburg. When a letter arrives telling of his sister's illness, Kumalo leaves for Johannesburg. Overwelmed by its noise and the massive crowds, he is shocked to find his sister had lived as a prostitute. But a deeper sorrow is yet to come when he learns of what his son, Absalom, has done.

From the first time I read of Kumalo's son, the name seemed to foreshadow some tragedy and death. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that Stephan's heart cries the refrain of David in II Samuel 18, "Oh, my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you--oh Absalom, my son, my son!"

While I perfer fantasy books, this story carried the fantasy quality of transporting me to another place. I forgot about the classroom and my runny nose, caught up in the grief of two fathers over the loss of their sons. This is a book that could be placed in a time capsule for the 1940s.

Although the story highlights the unjustice of South Africa at the time, one phrase from Kumalo's prayer summerizes the cry of the story, "Forgive us all, for we all have trespasses."

A Week in Wonderland

Storyteller tagged me to name eight books I'd like to live in for a week. Off the top of my head, I'd say
1. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S Lewis--an ocean cruise with Lucy? What could be better?
2. Auralia's Colors by Jeffery Overstreet-- starting a day or two before the Rites of Privilage, because I want to see her cloak
3. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, Lothlorien...paradise
4. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald I want to see what that country is really like.
5. Abarat by Cliff Barker...Probably the island of 3 pm, the Nonce.
6.Perelandra by C.S. Lewis...a floating paradise
7. Second Touch by Brock and Bodie Thoene...biblical fiction with Jesus
8. The Silmarillion, by Tolkien...Visit Doriath and see Beren and Luthien

I also came up with my own tweak: Chose seven stories, one for each day of the week. You can spend only twenty-four hours in each .
Sunday: Sheltered Wings, my DioM fanfic, so I can learn how Chris becomes solid again.
Monday: The Bones of Maikados, Bryan Davis (spoiler the triple wedding) because it contains most of the characters
Tuesday: Return of the King, Tolkien: Wedding of Aragorn and Arwen
Wednesday: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Aslan's resurrection
Thursday: All My Holy Mountain, L.B. Graham; Benjaih's sacrifice on Avalione
Friday: My Three Dark Roses...probably the ending scene or Elizabeth's death
Saturday: Green by Dekker; Elyon's return

I tag:
Trav
Limwen
Maiden of Emmanuel
Heather
Melody
Hannah
Evergreena
Joraiem
You can do one or both

…Then We Won’t Die for Nothing

Death.
It’s a sobering word.
None of us know exactly where, when, or how we’ll die. To most of my peers, it seems an eternity away. But in the end, eternity is exactly what we’ll have. Today, Easter Sunday, I have been thinking more about death.
In many of my favorite books—Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Binding of the Blade, The Circle Trilogy—main characters die. Even in my own novella, death comes often. But characters don’t die without a purpose. Their deaths accomplish something.
Boromir dies attempting to save Pippin and Merry. Though he fails, he redeems his own soul from the lust of the Ring.
Aslan dies on the Stone Table to redeem Edmund.
Justin, in the Circle, drowned to cure the Horde’s disease once and for all.What’s worth dying for?

If We All Live for Something…

Why do we live our lives in the way we do? On the most elementary level, the answers are easy: we eat because we’re hungry, study so we can get good grades, watch TV because we’re bored…the list goes on and on.
But what about the deeper reasons? Why do we make friends with one person and not another? Why do we even bother crawling out of bed in the morning—besides the alarm clock? Why does life have meaning?
My church youth group recently completed a study called “Underground Reality—Vietnam” put out by Voice of the Martyrs. The theme song of the study was “Look to Love,” by SonicFlood. The chorus starts out with the lines “if we all live for something…”
Some people—even some Christians—have no purpose for life. They just shuffle through the world aimlessly.What are you living for?

Prisoner

I’m not sure how I ended up here.
I don’t even know where here is.
It’s cold, cold and empty. People pass by and gawk.
I am a prisoner. But what is my crime? I can hear them speaking—cruel, barbed words—but I do not understand the sentence. Won’t someone explain why I’m here? Can’t someone rescue me?
Sometimes I see a man. I think I knew him before. But he scares me. I think he’s the reason I’m here. But if he didn’t imprison me, he wants me to stay here for a long time.
Others come—they call me sister and daughter. I sometimes remember them—light and laughter from a long time ago. When I try to speak, I don’t think they can hear me.

I have been here so long—they won’t let me out—and he has barred the gates against them. Guards patrol the halls, keeping others away.
Now they come for me. I scream, but they don’t hear. I try to run, but my legs can’t move. “What are you doing?”
They don’t look at me.
I am dragged outside into the winter cold.Guards form a barrier between my would-be rescuers and me.
I stare at their blankets as I freeze to death

In memory of Terri Schiavo

December 3, 1963 ~ March 31, 2005

Never Again

Snowbound: A Tag Game

I found this game on Vividry's blogspot, then Evergreena tagged me. Put your iPod or equivalent music player on 'shuffle,' then answer the following questions using the song that plays.



Are you male or female?

'I Say' by Matt Hoffland (what do I say to that question...)




What do people feel when they are around you?

Praise you in the Storm




Describe your current relationship

Mountain of God




Where would you like to be right now?

Raising Dragons--this audiobook came up a lot, so I skipped it the other times it appeared. But yes, I would love to be there




What do you feel about love?

Roll Along Yellowstone...okay?



What's your life like?
Made to Worship


What would you wish for if you only had one wish?
Bison....NOT!

Say something wise:
Trust and Obey

If someone says "Is this okay. . ." You say?
Hands that Are Holding you...

How would you describe yourself?
Bigger Hammer Hardware Store NOT!


How do you feel today?
Your Grace is Enough

What is your life's purpose?
Unfailing Love

What is your motto?
God is God


What do your friends think of you?
Lion


What do you think of your parents?
Find Your Wings

What do you think of very often?
Moose---not!

What is 2+2?
Over my Head--well, kind of. Math feels that way sometimes

What is your life story?
Cold Sometimes it feels like that, yes, the weather gets freezing


What do you want to be when you grow up?
Upside Down

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Come to the Cross


What will they play at your funeral?
Hero by Bethany Dillon


What is your hobby/interest?
Still Calls Me Son--okay, what does that mean?

What is your biggest fear?

The Lutefisk Tango--I have eaten lutefisk, so yes, it qualifies as a fear. It's disgusting

What is your biggest secret?
Every Time I breathe Why is that a secret?


What do you think of your friends?
I'm Without by Matt Hoffland Not exactly true.

What will you re-post this as?

Snowbound

I tag:

Traveler

Jacob Parket

Limwen

Joraiem

Mary Hawkins

Books

Top Three Authors:
J.R.R Tolkien
C.S. Lewis
Ted Dekker.

Top 3 male characters:
Aslan of Narnia
Frodo of LotR
Justin of the Circle Trilogy

Top 3 female characters:
Lucy of Narnia
Luthien of the Silmarillion
Bonnie Silver of Dragons in Our Midst

Top 30 fiction books/series in no particular order:
1. Narnia
2. Lord of the Rings
3. Silmarilion
4. Princess Bride
5. Dragons in Our Midst
6. Oracles of Fire
7. Binding of the Blade
8. Circle Trilogy w/Green
9. Echoes from the Edge
10. AD Chronicles
11. C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy
12. Squire Tales
13. Till We Have Faces
14. The Door Within
15. Starlighter
16. The Time Quartet by L’Engle
17. Birdwing
18. Auralia’s Colors
19. At the Back of the North Wind
20. The Bronze Bow
21. The Divine Comedy—yes, it’s a classical poem, it still counts
22. Inkworld
23. Roverandom
24. Abarat
25. Music of Dolphins
26. Children of Hurin
27. History of Middle-Earth in twelve volumes
28. Screwtape Letters
29. Broken Angel
30. The Hobbit

Top 3 books most recently read:
The Silmarillion
Return of the King
Redeeming Love

Worst 3 books ever read:
The Awakening by Kate Choplin ---so dull and boring
The Things they Carried—weird perspective on Vietnam war
Of Mice and Men—I don’t mind the death of MC’s, but really, it has to be handled better

Top 5 scenes from any book:
Rachel recognizing Justin, Red by Ted Dekker
Benjiah’s resurrection, All My Holy Mountain by L.B. Graham
Aslan’s resurrection Lion, Witch Wardrobe
The triple wedding, The Bones of Makaidos by Bryan Davis
Return of Gandalf, Two Towers

The book(s) that made me cry the most:
All My Holy Mountain
Red by Ted Dekker
Green by Ted Dekker
Tears of a Dragon by Bryan Davis
Enoch’s Ghost by Bryan Davis
I Know why the Angels Dance by Bryan Davis
The Silmarillion by Tolkien

The book(s) that made me laugh the most:
Dragons in Our Midst/Oracles of Fire by Bryan Davis
Echoes from the Edge by Bryan Davis
The Princess Bride

The book(s) that made me feel the best at the end:
All my Holy Mountain
The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis

Contemporary or Historical?
Historical. Contemprary is too angsty

Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror?
Fantasy all the way!

Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
Mass Market Paperback—cheap and you can fit several in a purse!

Barnes & Noble or Amazon?
Amazon--cheaper

Bookmark or Dog-ear?
Bookmark, dog-ears look awful

Alphabetize by author, alphabetize by title, or organize not at all?
None of the above…first by genre, then by title

Star Wars or Star Trek?
Neither…haven’t seen either

Keep, Throw Away, or Sell?
Keep, unless it’s awful

Keep dust-jacket or toss it?
keep

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Well, I have like, one book with a dust-jacket…but still on

Little Women or Anne of Green Gables?
Anne of Green Gables…she’s much more imaginative

Short story or novel?
Novel

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
When someone makes me…so I guess when tired.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Once upon a time, without a doubt.

Tear Jerker or Belly Laugh?
Preferably both, but if only one…tear jerker

Charlotte, Emily, or Anne Brontë?
Haven’t read any

Buy or Borrow?
Borrow, because I have no money

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation, or Browse?
Browse, because no one I know likes my tastes

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)? Collection

Crane or Conrad?
Haven’t read either

Standalone or Series?
Series!

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Cliffhanger only if there is a sequel

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
When I have time

Favorite genre series?
I can’t decide

New or used?
Used is way cheaper

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Enoch’s Ghost by Bryan Davis