And so it's December and that means Christmas is near. So for this month we will celebrate the beauty of Christmastime and appreciate the miracle of Christmas.
Jesus, thank you for rescuing the human race. We're all desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
This. This song is the most powerful, hopeful, insightful, anointed song and music to tell of what is to come. This song brings praise from my heart and tears from my eyes every time I hear it. Every. Time.
Jesus, thank you for your soon-coming return. We wait for you. We love you. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Natchez Burning by Greg Iles is the first book in the trilogy. (I started the series with the second novel The Bone Tree reviewed here.)
This contemporary trilogy deals with the southern history of racism in America and its continuation in certain areas of Louisiana and Mississippi along with those who practice and protect their racism and corruption in law enforcement and government offices by executing anyone who threatens their power and position – or any of their own who dare to break their code.
Mayor Penn Cage's beloved father, Dr. Tom Cage, is arrested for the murder of his former nurse, a once beautiful black woman named Viola Turner, who is dying from cancer. Her adult son (Lincoln) believes Dr. Cage is his father and believes Cage killed his mother, but Penn thinks the horrible members of the former Ku Klux Klan now calling themselves the Double Eagles are somehow responsible for this man's paternity since Viola was gang raped by them before moving to Chicago. To Penn, it's far more realistic that the Double Eagles are responsible for Viola's death even though she hadn't divulged anything about their crimes against her. And since the DA and so many others of their group are in law enforcement, the battle to help his father seems impossible.
In this book we're introduced to Henry Sexton, a journalist who has devoted his adult life to nailing the murderous actions of one "businessman" Brody Royal and the Double Eagles for the heinous crimes against members of the African-American community. Henry was particularly close to one of the victims who was savagely burned nearly to death and died shortly after being sprayed with a flame thrower. He was just one of the tortured slain.
Penn's fiancée Caitlin Masters admires Henry Sexton and wishes she had access to his information. When all of their lives are endangered because of what they've discovered, she asks Henry to join her newspaper in order to get maximum exposure for his articles about these evil band of murderers.
But there are complications with Penn's dad and his former war buddy that lead to Penn's evacuation of his mom and his daughter. And then the FBI gets involved and it looks like Special Agent John Kaiser definitely intends to help.
Through all of this, this vicious group of men plot the demise of all who are coming against them. Their threats are real and impending as Penn, Caitlin, and Henry discover.
Natchez Burning is hard to take, the descriptions of these horrific crimes against the black community beyond comprehension. The evil this troop of men perpetrate upon anyone who gets in their way or defies them and against African-Americans in particular is sustained through generations, and the psychopathic actions of so many of them makes reading this novel difficult. These characters are the worst representatives of humanity.
I don't know if all of Ile's many novels are like this trilogy, but these first two start slowly, lay a lot of history on the reader, and then accelerate the intensity of the story as it moves to a stunning conclusion. For me, at times the subtle political points are sometimes correct and other times dramatically incorrect.
The most memorable point for me is made on page 733 of the hardbound book. It's a quote from the wicked Brody Royal, and it reads: "I bought myself a source at the Examiner [Caitlin's newspaper]. Took a page from Forrest Knox's book. Remarkable how cheaply you can buy a journalist. I should have remembered." Especially true today.
Much profanity and vulgarity. Terrible examples of unadulterated racism and the resulting atrocities. Much godless behavior and atheism.
Father, only you change hearts. The travesty of sin in the human race brought Jesus here to die for us. Thank you for your rescue. We're all desperate for you whether we know it or not. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (NIV)
Five unforgettable fictional characters that live on in my mind . . .
Mitch Rapp – absolutely amazing character brought to life in stunning fashion by Vince Flynn and carried on by Kyle Mills
Roman Velasco (aka Bobby Ray Dean/The Bird) – touched my heart so deeply, stirred my soul, created by Francine Rivers
Raleigh Harman – intensely strong with deeply penetrating pain sustaining an unusual vulnerability; love Raleigh made real by Sibella Giorello
Joey Parr – one of mine from my novel The Famous One – so close to my heart
Micah Jones – something about him I love – one of my mine from my WIP Seeing . . .
Thank you for them all, Lord, I'm richer for reading/knowing/making them. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The Lord is good and I thank Him for all that He's done for me. No words are enough. No thank yous say enough. I honor you, Lord Jesus. Thank you more than words can say.
In Mississippi.
In Georgia.
In Missouri.
The artistry of autumn throughout our country is sublime.
Father, thank you for the colors of autumn, the designs of beauty. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Another good old song. Fun. Some great music and groups back in the day.
Father, thank you for your musicians. May those who don't yet know you find you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
(Part of Chapter 23 of my Work in Progress titled Seeing . . . )
Reinstatement
Grief smothered me for so long after my wife died, like a pillow pressed over my face until I thought my last breath would leave me anytime. The heartache felt like hands squeezing the life out of my heart muscle. I really wondered if I could’ve been experiencing heart failure. And, truthfully, I hoped I was. It was beyond my capability to care beyond my loss. The pain intensified from the initial awareness of losing her to the ultimate reality of not ever seeing her lovely face and touching her supple body again in this life. Of never hearing her voice calling me, telling me how much she loved me. I admit I wished I would die. When I tried to talk to Jesus, I would only weep. The crying became so exaggerated that I limited my attempts to reveal my needs or plead for His assistance. My effort seemed to only add to my sorrow. The rock bottom wouldn’t come—it felt endless. My relative youth kept me bound by my sadness and unable to sustain hope for the future.
Until one morning after several hours in my truck lost in sleep, I pushed open the zippered curtain separating me from my cab and got blasted by such penetrating light I had to squint to see anything. Warm light transcending the windshield and the winter chill. Blinding me to everything but my immediate surroundings. And it was then that I knew a choice would be required. Light or dark. Healing or sickness. Hopeful or hopeless. My decision to make. Mine alone. Of course the weeping began but this time I begged my Savior for His rescue, His healing touch to my broken heart. I told him I was sorry I couldn’t rise above the pain and loneliness, that I’d made it an idol of sorts. Because I knew I had.
Supernatural events can’t be described. Oh we try so they can be shared for inspiration and affirmation and confirmation. But they’re never quite the same in the human language as they are in the language of the Spirit. All I can really say is that light came into my truck and enclosed me in arms that held me strong and firm and let me weep. I felt His tears drip onto my face. He knew.
That’s all I needed to be reinstated: to know that He understood. And for Him to know I finally understood as well. When I eventually climbed down from my truck, the dark gray sky poured a cold icy rain. But the light still shone in my heart.
Father, you bring words to life, you inspire them, you give them meaning. Apart from you, I can do nothing. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.
Psalm 25:22 (NIV)
