Into the Fire

Then and now. The great Eric Clapton and one of his huge hits. 

Lord, you know Eric. He went through all kinds of things, and you rescued him. Thank you for all those who yield to you, Jesus. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Random favorite things . . . 

The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers

The smell of fresh cut alfalfa 

Ice cold Coca Cola in the morning or very sweet Spice Chai

Always horses and German Shepherds

Various kinds of boots 

Vince Flynn novels/Mitch Rapp, #1 thriller hero

The way Charles Martin writes

My novels 

And there you have it for Monday, Monday . . . 

Father, thank you for the amazing beauty you've created for all to see "so that men [mankind] are without excuse." (Romans1:20 NIV) In spite of all the evil, nothing outshines your light. Please continue to open eyes to see and ears to hear and rescue the lost. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

     The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He IS risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: 'He is risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.' Now I have told you." 

      So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell the disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them, "Greetings," He said. They came to Him and clasped his feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." 

Matthew 28:5-10 (NIV) 

The Cross and the Tomb are empty. Jesus Is Risen. Meet Him while you still have breath. It's Resurrection Day! 

Part of Chapter 32 from Seeing . . . 

He pulled into the parking space at the motel where they’d spent their last visit. He turned off his rig and undid his seat belt, lifting up the arm rest so he could angle toward her easily. “So, you want to talk about it?”

     Silence crept into the cab until she finally spoke. “I have a way of ruining everything, don’t I?”

     He heard the regret in the softness of her voice. “Sometimes you do. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you prefer conflict—that things don’t feel right when they’re going well for you.” He didn’t condemn her but he worked to make a point.

     She turned to face him. “I shouldn’t be with you, Micah.” Tears shoved their way into her eyes. “I always find a way to darken anything good you do for me. You’re the most wonderful person I’ve ever met, and I’ve been so . . . awful.”

     “You haven’t been ‘awful’, but you definitely seem compelled to nix all the good things in your path—or at least you put up roadblocks to enjoying them.”

     She searched the floor for his small box of Kleenex and snatched a couple to wipe her nose. She sat back and exhaled hard. He climbed into the sleeper to ready things to take in the room.

     “I’m jealous, you know.”

     All he heard was jealous, so he shifted around and sat in the middle of the bed. “What?”

     “I’m jealous of your dead wife.”

     His lips parted, the prelude to his jaw dropping, but he caught his reaction and shut his mouth.

     She turned in her seat, tears overrunning their boundaries like floodwaters. “I know you’ll always love her. I know I’m as opposite from her as anyone could possibly be. I can’t be her.” She blew her nose. “As much as I wish I could be, I can’t.” The hands came up to cover her face as severe sobbing took control.

     The quick picture of a little girl in the same position snapped in Micah’s mind. He leaned forward and pushed up her armrest, gently pulling her back to him. He slid her to the back wall with him and held her close as her cries wrenched his soul.

     When she stopped, she sat up. “I’m sorry, Micah.” Her tissues were saturated so he got up to find her the box.

     “I know, Bonita. But couldn’t we just try to have a good time?” He handed her the Kleenex. “I’m going to go book your room. Be right back.”

Father, thank you for these characters, the words, the love story. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

If you ever wondered how I turned out to be the way I am, my two-year-old self said it all right here. 

Thank you, Lord, for watching over me my entire life, for being so gracious to me from the beginning. I love you, Lord. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Reviews matter. Here are a few words from those who enjoyed this love story. 

"Putting a long-haul trucker in the story made me think there was going to be some bad guys dealing in drugs or human trafficking. But the action in this story goes much deeper and is much more profound than stopping a crime and putting a criminal in jail."  

"This story has such a great message. In addition to that, I loved all the characters. They seem like real people. The main character Micah is a widower, and the portrayal of his response to losing his wife is so beautifully written."

"Nicole Petrino-Salter lives up to her tagline–Raw*Romantic*Redemptive–in SEEING, a unique story of how God rescues and heals the broken and a romance demonstrating agape love."

"Petrino-Salter also captures the pain, anger, shame, and defensive attitude that so often manifests in the lives of women who have been sexually abused. Bonita has a difficult time receiving love and acceptance from someone who does not want to use her."

Deepest thanks to those who've taken the time to read and review any of my novels. Your words matter so much. 

Father, please bless my readers whoever they might be. May my words bless them in some unique way. Thank you for them. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The best version of this sacred song by Twila Paris so many years ago. Thank you, Jesus – it's never enough. Resurrection Day is coming. If you don't know Him as your Savior, believe me when I say there's no better Friend. It's time to meet Him. In the Name above all names, the Name of Jesus. 

The Keeper by Charles Martin is the fourth installment of A Murphy Shepherd Novel Series. 

Reviewing a Charles Martin novel is always difficult because I want to begin with superlatives, high praise and recommendations, and all the rest of it which makes me sound like a typical fan-girl raving about a favorite author. While I'm not disputing the prior claims, I will take exception to the "typical" reader status – which is certainly not a slam to any "typical" readers. I take exception to the term(s) because I'm an author of love stories. And, believe it or not, I'm a very picky reader about everything I read and like and review. As those of you who know me have seen me write ad nauseum, I only read a very few romance novelists – because most romance novelists don't necessarily write love stories. And because Charles Martin (aka David Bishop in this series – just kidding) writes the most insightful and unusual love stories, he is in my top five all-time favorite novelists. 

So. In Book 4, it begins with the extreme loss and mourning of Murphy ("Murph" aka David Bishop) Shepherd's mentor "Bones" (aka Ezekiel Walker). The one who taught him everything he knows about toughness, skills, rescuing those who've been stolen and trafficked, and delivering them back to their crushed families or to the "city" in the Rockies they've built to honor and heal their lives called "Freetown." Murph is devastated with no end in sight until he absolutely has to pull it together for another critical rescue of three young girls who belong to someone who is not only a special and longtime friend, but he is also the Vice President of the USA. 

A young former Spec-ops man ("Camp") who looks at Murph as his mentor – an uncomfortable designation for Murph – readies their small team for this daunting job. They have the unlimited videos provided by the VP's home but somehow the team that snatched the girls knew it all and were able to pull it off, leaving 9 dead Secret Service men plus the girls' guardian dogs dead.

The problem is that this has been such a sophisticated capture, it has left very little to discover. Not only that but when Murph receives a call from a specific Senator about unlimited resources available for their help, it strikes a strange chord with Murph, Camp, and the rest of the team listening on speaker phone.

Time is the major factor in reported needs for rescue. This rescue has left the team with virtually nothing to go on. A quick trip to Israel helps in one way but ultimately provides very little other than the offer of unlimited aid if anything develops. 

As with every Charles Martin novel, the layered, deeply investigative plot and subplots wind their ways around the subject of love – and of evil: of how to face, handle, disrupt, crush, and live another day to do the same again. The victories come with consequences, some with joy and others with horrific, long-lasting scars. 

Now some more superlatives: Charles Martin is an exquisite master of words, writing beautifully captured metaphors, images, and descriptions, characters that speak to you in familiar ways causing you to identify with them and those who repulse you in their depravity, plus authentic, well-researched information with weaponry enthusiasts will absolutely love. For those of us who write, it's positively inspirational to read one of his novels. I love this series and if any one of my references here move you to read these books or any of his others, I contend you won't be disappointed. 

Highly Recommended

Father, you know Charles' emotional makeup. You created it for him to use for your glory. Please continue to bless him with the stories you have just for him to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

     Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

    "Yes, Lord," she told Him. "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

John 11:25-27 (NIV)

You know you're reading an exceptional book when the author's words cause you to write down their words. Here are two short examples of amazing sentences that evoked a powerful and/or visceral reaction for different reasons while reading them. 

From Kill Shot by Vince Flynn: (page 238, Chapter 29 [hardcover]) 

     LeFevre was an intellectual dynamo with a tireless thirst for the truth and a mind that could quickly dissect the incongruities in an argument, movement, or philosophy. He remembered her saying on that walk, "If communism is so wonderful, why do they control the press? Why do they have to spy on their own people?" 

From The Keeper by Charles Martin: (the 4th book in A Murphy Shepherd Novel Series)

     Evil is the currency. Power the prize. 

There are so many more lines and authors with remarkable sentences that move readers to seek after every novel they've written with the objective of reading them all. 

Father, you've given such amazing gifts to so many authors. I know these two particular authors would give you all the credit for their amazing work. We miss Vince, Lord, but we're comforted knowing he's with you now. Please bless Charles with everything he needs to continue his calling to write absolutely beautiful literature. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.