"You Are What You Read"

I was considering, today, what an amazing impact books have had and continue to have on our culture. You know the saying 'You are what you eat'? It can also be said that 'You are what you read'. Think about it; spending time reading scientific books can expand your mind, spending time reading theology books will sway you (typically) toward the author's line of reasoning.

As a Christian, staying in the Word of God is essential. Without consistent reading of the Bible there is little to no spiritual growth.

Choosing wisely what we read will develope in us strength of character.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I have my car back on the road. Hip hip hooray! Praise God! Apparently the engine is on its way out but it should last me through the winter.

Also, Ritz Camera seems very interested in hiring me part-time, which would be perfect because I can then have time to continue writing and maintain my photography on the side, and most importantly I'd still have time to write. The only thing I need to know for certain is wether or not they will give me a decent wage.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows

All I can say is: Amazing! I hadn't believed it possible for J.K. Rowling to top her other books but she proved me wrong. Not only was the plot incredible with multiple, unexpected revelations, but she brought everything to a satisfactory conclusion. The central theme of the book was self-sacrifice and I found it very moving. It is hard for me to cry over a piece of fiction but I was close to it on a couple occasions. I'm only sorry the series is finished.

"Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows" takes a special place in my favorites collection.

Not Good!

Bad news for me, my car is just about dead. I think the alternator needs to be replaced because the battery isn't getting charged. This has come at a bad time for me and this and other distractions do make it difficult to write. Every other minute my brain is shifting into another train of thought.

Novel Update

As many of you know I have been reworking my first novel due to suggestions made by the professional editor I hired. It is coming along very nicely and I expect to have it finished sometime next month. If you have been keeping an eye on the word count of my novels then you will notice that Offspring has passed the 100,000-word mark. That makes it twice as long as it was last year and about a hundred pages longer than it was a month ago. The story hasn't changed, but it includes a lot more about the sisters' swords and the sisters themselves. It also explains why the great white dragon sent them out into the world.

The title of the novel will probably change accordingly because Offspring doesn't explain what the book is about. The new title will likely be Swords of the Six. Please comment! Let me know if this new title catches your eye better than the original.

Thumbs Down

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix opened at midnight yesterday. We went to the theatre but all seats had been taken. So this morning Brian and I went back and... we saw it. Ouch, compared to the last movie Goblet of Fire this one rates terrible. The characterization was weak, weaker than I have seen in quite some time. The visual effects were so so, and the music stunk!

They had redesigned the dementors and the death masks, both of which would have been better off had they left the designs the way they were in the previous movies. There were numerous places where the story deviated from the book and the film ended, I thought, rather abruptly.

Lives of Conviction

Acceptance of everyone's differing beliefs is all well and good as long as it doesn't mean that you are willing to allow everyone to go their merry ways without hearing what you believe. Our lives should be lives of conviction, conviction so strong that when we hear or see something out of place we stand up make certain it is recognized as such. Too often I have heard people say "That's fine if that's what you want to believe, but you shouldn't try to change everyone to believe as you do."

Are they correct? Should we give people their space and let them follow a path other than the one we have learned from Jesus Christ? No! If our beliefs are founded on truth then they need to hear it, they need to know it, they need to experience and understand it. My favorite response to people who tell me that they "think it is nice that I believe in Jesus but that it just isn't for them" is: "We can't both be right. One of us believes in truth, the other believes in a lie, you must decide which one is a lie based on the evidence."

I support individuality, in fact I applaud it! I seek never to let the pressures of society change me into someone I do not want to be. Stand alone if necessary (and I have often found that it is) but don't ever sacrifice your convictions. Stand by them! Let people see that you know what you believe, that you believe it with all of your soul, that you know why you believe it, and that you will accept no compromise.

We are all unique individuals with unique gifts co-existing in an imperfect world. We have the ability to lead by example to the arms of the Savior... so let's do it.

"The Faithful Few"

The fight had hardly begun and we pulled back,
Afraid of being injured by the darts of the wicked.
Our sin-bearer cried out from his cross,
“Why have you stopped? I have given the battle to you.”

But we fell back under each new wave of temptations,
We held up our white flags, “Truce! We cannot overcome!”
The enemy broke through our ranks, that wicked serpent,
And laughed the savior to scorn.

A few of our number, with tears in their eyes,
Cried out to the Savior, “Lord, forgive us!”
And he looked upon them with favor and forgave them.
“Now go forth! Through me you have overcome.”

We watched the faithful drive into the enemy ranks,
Taking punishment from the enemy that we had not seen.
But though they cringed and faltered, the faithful pressed on.
Their blood flowed freely and they drew the serpent’s blood in return.

“Come, Christians,” the serpent told us,
“Watch and see the opposition. Is it worth your lives?
These men and women that come against me
Will fall into the greatest of trials.”

But the faithful few fought on, drawing nigh to the cross.
The serpent sent his minions against them
And the battle grew fiercer than before
And the darts of the wicked drove us farther back.

“Draw back!” we told the faithful few.
“He is too strong, you will die!”
“Is it better to die in the service of our Lord,” replied they,
“Or to give in to temptation, and never to fight?”

Temptations rained thick and fast upon us
Until it seemed that we had joined the enemy ranks
And we practiced warfare in the manner of the serpent,
Using guile, instead of truth.

When at last we looked again upon the cross
We saw the faithful few, dead at its base,
Their blood pooling beneath the Savior
And his tears raining down upon their bodies.

“See then how great is their loss?” the serpent asked.
“Had you stood by them the same fate would be yours.
Now you are like me, in thought and deed,
Yielders to sin, and traitors, beyond redemption.”

But the Savior cried that the serpent had lost
And the faithful dead rose around his feet.
He stepped down from the cross
And we saw that he had suffered willingly.

The faithful few were robed in white
The Savior gave to each of them a gold crown
And he gave them a new song to sing:
A song of victory that crushed the serpent’s host.

When the Serpent had been destroyed,
We wept at the Savior’s feet.
He forgave us and clothed us with white,
But the crowns of gold we did not receive.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it;
but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake
and the gospel's, the same shall save it.”
–Mark 8:35 (KJV)