Into the Fire

How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

Hebrews 10:29-31 (NIV) 

This adorable couple happens to be my mom and dad who now reside with Jesus in heaven. Once upon a time that man on the left, my earthly father, eloped with that lady on the right, my mom, on his 21st birthday. She was 16! Many wonderful years later, they were still together in this picture taken in Hawaii. 

They endured a rough life during the Depression. My dad had scarlet fever, my mom had small pocks. My dad worked in the shop of his father, a cobbler by trade, who became a single father of several children after the youngest was born, and his mom left the family. Dad sold newspapers on the corners in Butte, Montana, a rough place then where you had to fist fight for your spots on those corners. Dad also sold flowers and worked in the mines before he and his bride moved to Seattle, Washington, and he worked retail. From the box boy in a one-store drug store in downtown Seattle that became a large multi-store chain where he was an executive VP when he retired, he lived the American dream. The son of Italian immigrants, he loved America, even forgot the native language of his family, tried to join the service but was refused because of his bad feet, so he worked at Boeing briefly to help the war effort. 

My dad was an amazing man who loved me unconditionally. He taught me patriotism by example, how to ride a bike, how to be generous, defined having a work ethic, treated all people with respect and kindness, and wanted to provide the best for his family. He was fun-loving, loved God although he didn't become a Christian until his later years (being "born" Roman Catholic), cherished his family, and worked hard.

I love you, Daddy. Happy Birthday and Anniversary! 

Thank you, Father, for giving me the best parents a child could ever hope to have. No words to express the depth of my gratitude. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

To this day I love this novel. It was a meaningful project to write. It turned out to be written like a "fictional biography" of the character known as Joey Parr. 

"The Famous One takes an introverted yet passionate character of few words and deep running emotion and puts him into the spotlight of fame where he is hungry for value, substance, and real love but struggles to find them."

Only $1.99 for the Kindle version, this full-length novel might touch your heart. 

Father, thank you for always providing a way to find your inspiration and direction. Holy Spirit, you're amazing. Jesus, we're all desperate for you whether we know it or not. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Faraway places. Phnom Kulen National Park in Cambodia. Far eastern beauty.

Father, everywhere you've left us beauty if we only look to see it through these fallen eyes. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus. 

CCR produced many a hit. Almost everyone recognizes this one. Great band.

Father, thank you again and again for musicians and vocalists. I know there are plenty of them in heaven. Please turn all wayward hearts of creatives in every art form to Jesus, and let them know from whom their talents and gifts have come. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

L.T. Ryan and Brian Shea present Downburst, Book 2 in the Rachel Hatch Novel series. 

No one expects the tall lean female who goes by "Hatch" to be able to do what she does. She counts on that. Former elite soldier, she's battle worthy in spite of the burn damage to her right arm. After leaving her niece, nephew, mom, and a special sheriff back home, she's on a mission to find out the truth of who murdered her dad when she was a young girl, the one who discovered him dead in the woods. 

When she stops in the small town next to Las Cruces and rents a room for a few days at a cheap motel, she manages to stir up real trouble by doing a good deed for the son of the motel owner whose gang initiation is brutal. The gang leader warns her after she gets his initial applause for her easy handling of two of his guys. Word travels fast, there's a rogue cop, a gun store owner shows an interest in her, a city council member sells out, and she dines in their motel dwelling with the parents of the kid she rescued. 

All Hatch wants to do is follow up on a solitary place that had something to do with her father many years ago, but few people remember what went on in the now abandoned warehouse where the gangbangers hang out. She gets a hint of what it must've been when she sneaks into it before the bangers show up. Using her skills, she discovers there's more to this gang than just them.

Things get complicated and for being a "calm in the storm" sort of girl from her experience in the military, when a friend's niece enters the picture and consequences get deadly, fueled by her emotional rage, she suffers her own consequences that almost lead to her death more than once. 

If it wasn't for the "downburst" . . . 

I enjoy Rachel Hatch. Tougher than most men, deep down she hurts hard, longs for closure, can't let a bad thing go without defeating it if possible. She's courageous, sometimes fearless, and most of the time she's a volatile weapon all by herself. In Downburst she needs help and finally someone provides it. Overall, a satisfying finish with a new lead. 

 Dying from the . . . Fever Burn 

L.T. Ryan and Brian Shea present Fever Burn, Book 3 in the Rachel Hatch Novel series.

Hatch did not expect to have to go to Africa in order to pursue yet another lead to her father's murder, but there seems to be no way to avoid it. When her former CO acts in a way she never anticipated and gives her a contact, she learns that she and her contact want the same thing. The proprietor of the place she selected for her lodging refreshes her with his smile in spite of his serious scars like, and covering more area than, her own and an amazing tea his wife makes. Yet he is so much more than he seems. 

When her vigilant watch provides the lead she's looking for, everything changes except her purpose. As it seems to go with Hatch, extra things get added to her initial intent and complicated secondary measures are fully necessary to ascertain the big picture of her trip to Africa. Tragedy follows and horrendous sorrows pile on to an already destitute situation, but she's willing to lay down her life if it comes to that – and it certainly appears as if it will. 

The tricky final chapter of her search is nearing its end, and she's fully vested to complete her mission if she's given an opportunity to survive the huge challenge in Africa. The life and death questions find their answers in her soldier's mindset, hoping to finally confront her dad's killer. 

If you love the hardcore military attitude, courage, perseverance, and struggle in the irascible construct of an unflinching heroine, the Rachel Hatch novels are the ones for you. 

Father, only you know hearts, only you give talents and gifts. I pray your blessings over these two authors and their continued endeavors. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

     "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" 

Matthew 6:22-23 (NIV) 

Name 5 of your favorite smells, then 5 of your favorite sounds, then 5 of your favorite sights: (in no particular order)

Horses                                               

Fresh cut alfalfa (and grass)

My current two favorite perfumes   

Fresh bread cooking

Ocean odors

Horse's nickers

Ocean waves

Stillness/Quiet

Favorite songs

Most laughter 

Well cared for horses in a pasture

The ocean tides in and out

A lush forest

Mt. Rainier in the morning 

My vivid memories of certain people, places, and events 

Father, the beauty is astounding. You took care of every sense so that no one would be without beauty. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Senior picture of my handsome husband with a little artwork flair done by a friend who made a print of the original. We didn't know each other in school. We eventually met at the racetrack. A long time ago. Love this man. 

Father, thank you for your patience in bringing us to you. We had so much extra baggage that we had to discard. Apart from you, we could do nothing. Thank you for all those you put in place to help us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.