Into the Fire

                      Great song. Tellin' it like it is. 

Father, you are Love. You're the only One who can show us what love is, how to love, and to whom we can give our love. Only you. Thank you for first loving us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

False Pretense by Heather Day Gilbert is the final segment in (Book 4) A Murder in the Mountains Series. 

Tess Spencer is wife to running-for-Prosecutor Thomas Spencer, mom of two, and works at the police station as Detective Zeke's "office" assistant. Her innate ability to deduce certain motivations of the criminal types often brings Zeke to discuss cases with her. This latest one presents a dramatic twist when a legendary "Mothman'' creature familiar to the area's folklore appears to one of the locals in the woods bordering her home just prior to a missing girl's last seen whereabouts. When the search for her lengthens, people can't help but wonder if the Mothman is responsible.

Written in first person, Heather brings Tess alive with her perceptions, empathy, devotion to her husband and children, and deep concerns for her beloved mother-in-law. I love the inter-action between her and Thomas – it's real, flirty, full of love and mutual respect. Tess is tough, but she's likewise fragile when it comes to threats to her family. The Mothman sighting is beyond strange but not far-fetched in that "he" appeared to the local woman who reported it – but what is "he" really? 

It's a deadly, fantastical story where the motive is difficult to discover and makes operating under a "false pretense" a given. Once Tess realizes the source and reason for this deadly "game", the only mystery left concerns the reality of the Mothman. And he's definitely real.

False Pretense is the perfect conclusion to this series. I recommend you start at the beginning to understand Tess and her family's dynamic. It's a wonderful series for mystery lovers who enjoy "real" characters experiencing unusual situations that cause harm and require determined efforts for resolution. From the beginning, this series depicts the growth of family and friendships when prior pain has inhibited those crucial elements. I recommend A Murder in the Mountains Series from start to finish. 

Father, you know the trials Heather's faced recently. You've made her tough and given her the strength she needs to continue to write the stories you have for her to tell. Please continue to bless her body, soul, and spirit, and give her all that she needs to do what you have for her. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.      

     Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

Galatians 6:7-10 (NIV) 

Five unusual things you've done in your life: 

I ran for Senior Class Secretary and won at my high school. To this day I don't know why I did. 

As a sophomore in my history class, we had a young male trainee who invited me to his family's ranch when he learned I loved horses. I talked my friend into going with me, and my parents and hers said okay, so we took the train from Seattle to Ellensburg where we road horses on his cattle ranch. 

When a friend and I went to Europe, while in London I called the British actor David Hemmings' agent and made an appointment to see him (his agent) since I'd learned David Hemmings was looking to invest into other art venues, i.e. music, writing. I spoke with his agent about potentially publishing some of my poetry, and he invited my friend and I to a party at their newest musician's flat. So we went and there were several people there, the musician was performing somewhere, but his wife welcomed us. Nothing came of it, but it was interesting. On our final day of our grand adventure, I stopped by Nigel's office to give him a small gift. While I was waiting to give it to him, David Hemmings walked in the office and said "Good morning" to me. I returned his greeting and gave Nigel his gift. End of story. 

I accidentally almost suffocated myself in Aix en Provence, France. We stayed with our new American friend studying in France and while my friend and she went into town, I decided to take a shower, wash my hair, etc. I noticed the window was open a bit so I closed it. Little did I know it was because there was a propane leak and it was left open for ventilation. The water pressure was a trickle and I had long hair. It took forever to finish. When I got out of the bathroom, I felt like I couldn't breathe, my heart was racing, and I really wondered if I was going to die. I went downstairs and struggled out to see if the retired teachers in the other part of the duplex were home. They were but couldn't speak English, and I couldn't speak French. Getting fresh air must have helped, and somehow we communicated the problem. They went back with me and noticed the closed window and opened it. Anyway, it definitely felt like a near death experience. The Lord protected me because I hadn't met Jesus yet. 

I "interviewed" for my first racetrack job in a mini-dress, sunglasses, and high heels but got hired anyway. When I reported for work, I wore jeans, boots, and a flannel shirt – no one had to tell me to do that. 

Lord, you've guarded me through all my stupid and frivolous endeavors, and I'm so glad you rescued me from myself and forgave me from so much. Thank you is never enough. Please continue to help me be the one you designed me to be. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

(Originally posted as "The final . . . Reckoning" in March of 2014)

"Death will have a reckoning, and for Cody and Remy it could mean the end of everything they’ve loved."

Winter Austin has written a stunning conclusion to her Degrees of Darkness Series, having begun with Relentless, followed by Retribution, Revenge, and now the final book Reckoning. Each novel presents another addition to the horrifying evil besetting Detective Remy LeBeau and "cowgirl" Cody Lewis. Thinking all had been resolved in Remy's past in Revenge, there's a whole new wickedness come to town and this time Cody's father Logan Lewis and Remy's partner Detective Heath Anderson share knowledge hidden from Remy and Cody.

I really don't want to create *spoilers* for this series if you haven't read each one in order, so this review will skim details and focus on the characters. This is a powerful, strongly written romantic suspense series which deserves to be read from start to finish. Each story connects to the next one taking the readers deeper and deeper into the characters' psyches and motivations.

Cody is the only one who doesn't undergo much change. She's a feisty, hot-headed little spitfire redhead who acts and talks before thinking things through, and this habit inevitably causes problems between her and Remy. Between the two of them, they need a solid course on how to communicate. Instead, they maintain secrets from each other in order to protect one another based on past pain. It never works.

This is where Heath usually intervenes. He's able to see through both of them, but he's only able to really communicate with Cody, understanding things from observing her behavior, words, and attitude when difficult subjects erupt under stressful situations which always seem to throw them together, causing Remy grief and jealousy.

Remy can't pick up on the subtleties of Cody's irritations because she disguises them rather than dealing with them outright. In Reckoning there are multiple issues which rage to the forefront of Cody's life, none of which she wants to discuss with anybody, especially Remy because of how she thinks he'll react.

Logan Lewis, Cody's beloved father and only remaining parent, finds himself in a more prominent role in this story, knee-deep in a hurtful past which goes all the way back to his military days in Vietnam, none of which Cody knows anything about. When an unexpected package arrives on the porch of Logan's ranch dwelling, he is sickened by the contents. Determined to find the sender and confront the dangerous possibilities, he leaves the ranch with no explanation about his sudden trip.

Opening with a grisly murder in progress performed by a sadistic killer, Reckoning continues on full tilt until the Epilogue. With unknown history about Cody's mom and dad pushing its way to the forefront of several different murders, Heath's secretive knowledge about the way a victim was murdered, and Cody's abusive ex-boyfriend out of jail, there is suddenly fear on more than one front.

Reckoning is a taut, complex, fast-moving thriller with a twist you won't see coming while it still manages to include a little hot romance, relational drama (and silliness), and characters who work very hard to protect each other yet somehow cause each other to end up in life-or-death situations. A bittersweet but satisfying conclusion to this well-done series, Winter Austin ends it with a bang.

Faith remains in the background of the story, and there is some profanity.

Highly recommend the Degrees of Darkness Series by Winter Austin for those who love romantic suspense.

Father, please continue to bless Winter in all of her endeavors and inspire more stories just for her to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Time is close to welcoming springtime. Let this beauty reflect that each season has its own color, creation, and majesty.

Father, you left us beauty on this sin-stained earth. I suspect it's to remind us of who you are and that you are forever. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Doobie Brothers had a boatload of hits. This is one of the many performed live with some custom additions. Great group.

Father, bless your musicians – may they all know who gave them their talents. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Those of you who know me will find it highly unusual to learn I just finished The Lady's Mine by Francine Rivers. "Why?" you ask. The story begins in the year 1875 putting the story far back of my preferred contemporary reading tastes. Generally speaking, I do not read historical novels, but leave it to Francine Rivers to capture me first with the title of this book followed by the eventual introduction to Matthias Beck in Chapter 1. 

Needless to say, the prim and proper Bostonian Kathryn Walsh, who's been effectively banished from her home by her step-father, who she refers to as "the judge", arrives in the rough and tumble mining town of Calvada, California, to collect her inheritance from an uncle she's never met. 

Red-headed with piercing green eyes, she packs a little dynamite in her personality which inevitably explodes her into trouble's front door – and usually once she's entered, she finds no convenient exit. 

Every man in the town is looking for a wife and figures the beautiful Kathryn Walsh would do nicely. Her staunch denial of ever wanting to marry dissuades all but two of the men in town. Of the two, only one of them makes her heart accelerate and the rush of heat flood her bloodstream – much to her consternation. 

When Kathryn fights all the battles for acceptance and views the depressing hardships women face in this era of being treated as brainless, powerless, inferior servants to men, she works hard to make a difference in the town by using the printing press her uncle left her, continuing his legacy in the newspaper he called "The Voice".

Visiting her uncle's grave, she observes the local madam from one of the brothels weeping at his marker and wonders how their lives had touched. 

There are innumerable other events in this story of overhauling a sordid and dangerous mining town, but at its core The Lady's Mine is a love story filled with hardcore obstacles, lots of resistance, heart-wrenching revelations, life-changing events both good and tragic, and all things in between. There are plenty of laughs, possible tears, and a few characters to make you fighting mad.  

From Redeeming Love to The Masterpiece to The Lady's Mine (and several more novels in between), Francine Rivers portrays men as gentlemen or volatile, smitten or possessive, protective or dangerous. Women are depicted as innocent or wicked, nurturing or needy, competent or perilous. The heroes are real men full of desire, discovering love in the process. The heroines inevitably admit that those real men are irresistibly attractive and that as hard as loving them might be in the beginning, it's what they want in the end. 

The Lady's Mine is a fun read portraying serious issues within a tempestuous love story where a compassionate and spunky young woman resists for as long as she can the terribly attractive and honorable in his heart man who pursues her. 

Father, you've given Francine such incredible gifts, so many meaningful and anointed stories. May you continue to bless her writing and provide all she needs to do it as she honors you with her words. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

          "God opposes the proud

               but gives grace to the humble."

     Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. 

James 4:6b-8a (NIV)

   
If you choose to, you can believe men and women came from a one-celled amoeba a zillion+ years ago after a random explosion. Go ahead. You're free to choose. But – you can't begin to prove it. You can only speculate – because believing God made a man and from him a woman just won't work for you. And, if you want to fire back that neither can that be proved, there is far more evidence in DNA of it being a fact than the theory you've chosen to embrace. But we digress. 

Present-day man faces unbelievable challenges to his masculinity. One of the facets of today's culture wants to emasculate his maleness and turn him into a simpering girly-man. Another facet accuses men of being "sexist" because they have a natural tendency to lead and "fix things". Still another facet reams men for sexual harassment for being visually stimulated by what those women are plainly putting out there for them to view. Such are the challenges of men today. 

Present-day woman also faces challenges to her femininity. One of the facets of today's culture expects her to climb the ladder to some kind of working success, degrading her for potentially wanting to marry and be a mom – especially a stay-at-home mom, and heaven forbid she might want to homeschool her children! A similar facet expects her to force her equality with men into the workplace and every other venue where she is present – even when in most cases she cannot be physically "equal" to most men. Added to these conundrums is the inconceivable status of today's women's sports where the perversion of males insisting they're females, nullifies the talents given to these competitive female athletes. Clearly, women have their own kind of challenges today. 

So "what?" you ask. Well, this: 

There is incredible brilliance in the relationship potential between man and woman. Whether or not you accept that God created them, there is no doubt that the two sexes have a natural tendency to be drawn to one another. In God's plan, they are meant to be together, finding those He designed for one another, investing in their relationships, treating each other with respect and admiration, discovering love, experiencing the tantalization of romance, and consummating the physical thrill of it all after an ordained marriage where vows are made to honor Him and each other. That's the plan.

Is that plan always followed? It is not. Plainly and simply, many people don't know the plan, don't want to know the plan, and intend to make their own plans no matter what. Waiting, taking time to seek a plan that works, involving God who they reject – well, it's their choice. 

And sometimes even "the plan" falters. Because . . . humans fail. Men and women fail. Those who follow the Lord fail. People absolutely fail.

God does not fail. He knows our every failure. He loves. He forgives. 

But, woe to those who mock his Creation, who corrupt the male and female part of His creation. The enemy of people's souls wants nothing more than to destroy and corrupt every man and every woman God has created, designed, and engineered. God knows the present-day challenges to the sexes because they aren't new. He knows all the ploys sold like merchandise to the people of this world, confusing them about everything and enhancing the falsehoods whispered to them by every form of communication in their lives prompted by the enemy's deceptions. God knows. He's the only escape from all of it. Jesus waits for us. The Holy Spirit shows the way to the Truth. If only people will listen. 

Our choice. Every day.  

Father, no one can make "things" perfect. Only you are perfect. Mankind can live with hope when he turns to you because you provide the plan that you designed for each of us. We fail, you pick us up and place us back on the right path. We veer away again, you let us go far enough to determine we messed up – again. You welcome us back. Your love is bigger than we can imagine. Thank you for giving us Jesus. Holy Spirit, thank you for your comfort and counsel. Apart from you, God, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.