Couldn't get a scarier villain. He scares me when he's not dressed up! Looking forward to POTC 5: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Father, only you can save souls. I keep praying . . . In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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The lovely picture above consists of "high resolution". If you're familiar with photography/film and the terms, you know high resolution implies it's clearly and distinctly defined by color, light, contrast, and detail.
If you're discussing New Year's resolutions, you will think of defining goals, specifics and details particular to your desires or needs.
Simply put, I don't make resolutions. There are certainly "things" I hope to avoid in the new year, and there are other things I genuinely want to make happen, but I'm an "in-the-moment" type of player and confining myself to goals I might not be able to achieve or others that only I think I should attain makes zero sense to me. Promising myself to accomplish specifics has failed me more than once, so instead I let the year play out day by day in hopes of actually doing things that God wants and tells me to do without interfering with His plan for my scheduling.
So. January 1st, 2017, finds me spiritually hopeful. Apart from the Lord, I can do nothing. Period.
I do ask that all my cyber friends and visitors will be able to do whatever they deem important or necessary to fulfill whatever needs and desires they have going into this new year. Thank you each so much for coming here and may something I write or display or comment on provide blessing, encouragement, truth, and love to you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere . . .
Psalm 84:10 (NIV)
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Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere . . .
Psalm 84:10 (NIV)
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Sins of the Father by Winter Austin, the third novel in the McIntire County Series, preceded by Atonement and Born to Die.
While the cover in this third novel is not quite as striking as the other two, neither do Nicolette (Nic) and Cassandra (Cassy) Rivers' dominating personalities come through as strongly in their younger red-headed cousin, new Deputy Jolie Murdoch, although Jolie can get fiery when sufficiently provoked. Between her father, the former sheriff, and the knock-out Australian who purposefully fought with American marines (Xavier Hartmann) Jolie Murdoch is finding plenty to get upset about.
While pursuing a missing teenage girl after a parade in town, Jolie discovers Xavier Hartmann, former marine and current bartender at the Kildeer Pub, near a dead man with his blood on Xavier's clothing. Not only is Xavier unsure of why or how he got near the dead man, he realizes his prosthetic leg is not attached. Due to an IED which killed his brothers-in-arms, he also suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury) and the onset of a migraine threatens him as he attempts to figure out what's happened. He realizes he just had another blackout and can't be sure he didn't kill the man lying on the ground in front of him. Because of how it looks, he's the number one suspect in the dead guy's murder. Before he can remember anything, he winds up in the hospital and the sister and brother no one knew he had show up to make sure the doctor knows his condition.
The dead man is the missing girl's derelict father, and although circumstantial evidence makes Xavier the obvious person-of-interest in his murder, neither Jolie nor the sheriff and Detective O'Conlan (Nic's husband) really believe he did it.
During the course of the investigation, Jolie discovers the similarities between this young girl's disappearance and a cold case of a missing girl handled by her father when he was the sheriff. The tension and tempers flare during her investigation, and the attraction between Xavier and Jolie flames.
The mystery and suspense of both the murder investigation and the connection between the two missing girls force Jolie to see her brother who's serving a long sentence in jail. His bizarre clues to the previous missing girl compel Jolie to take a hard look at the cold case honing her innate investigative skills which she's doubted and puts her in danger.
The dual meaning of the title is revealed as Xavier's secret is exposed and Jolie solves the cases.
Jolie begins the story as a timid, somewhat confused rookie but finishes with passion and panache.
I love Winter's stories, writing, and character development, but I'd prefer less profanity because she doesn't need it to get her points across. She wraps up her books neatly with satisfying endings after some treacherous and suspenseful events which leave her strong protagonists better for their experiences even after being terrified.
Recommend this well done series.
Father, please continue to give Winter more stories and bless her time set apart for writing them. Keep her safe and inspired. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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What can I say? Another tear-jerker for me. Loved this one.
Lord, thank you for the message. Thank you for defining love. It is you. We're desperate for you – whether we know it or not. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Christmas Day is over. Past. The Spirit of Christmas remains in many of our hearts as we treasure the meaning and pack it up to carry it with us through an approaching new year. Nothing surpasses the hope, the sadness, the suffering, the love, the joy, and life of the Christmas season. Born to die only to live and give eternity to those of us doomed to enter hell without Him, Jesus came to lead the way to His father, restoring us to a place without sin and sorrow after exiting this life.
Yes, it's a miracle. All of it. Hard to believe. Stretches any miniscule faith of the human kind. Too big for imagination. Too grandiose to be man-made. Too perfect to accept in a world marred with secular humanism, arrogance and self-important mind games – none of which change the bigger Truth. Take it or leave it. Our individual choices.
The amazing order and creativity cannot be attributed to chance or chaos forming it. We are a specific design, made for a purpose that surpasses what we know as human beings. It's bigger. And nothing we can achieve on our own.
We can embrace our weakness stained in sin or we can reject anything that interferes with what we choose as "reasonable". We can seek the One who gave His life to save our souls or we can trust our humanity to do it for us – and fail miserably. Again, our choices.
Reflecting on the One who loves me in spite of me.
Thank you, Jesus. Be with me everyday of those you've given me.
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And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:8-12 (NIV)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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Thank you, Jesus.
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We realized the seriousness of our endeavor right from the startling beginning. When you study the heavens, it’s a shocking discovery to find something new and so specific, something so amazingly bright set in place by some outrageous force. It beckoned to us, and after much discussion we knew we must pursue the phenomenon because not only our minds were in agreement but our hearts pulsed in our chests and stirred us like none of us had ever experienced. This star marked something, and we became determined to follow its marker.
Packing our satchels and gathering our wealth, somehow knowing there would be a requirement at the end of this journey, we loaded our best beasts with our survival gear and treasures and bid our associates farewell. Each one wished us good traveling and remained anxious to learn of this special light in the sky never before noted in the history of the stars. We weren’t entirely sure we could find our destiny with this star, but we knew we were all compelled to follow it.
The journey wore on, long and sometimes difficult. We faced some weather storms and had to rest more than we’d hoped. One thing was sure throughout our travels: the star never once hid itself in the clouds or diminished in its opaque brightness.
At night we wondered aloud to each other why it could’ve appeared at this time, so stark, so evident, so impossible to ignore. So we studied the publications we had, the prophecies of old, and we realized together that there was to be born a king of the Jews, and it was then that we knew this special birth must have a marker because of the unique description of this new king’s life. Something sacrificial would be required of him, something beyond the scope of mankind and the usual service of kings. We dared to assume this child was set apart for things too grand for us to fully comprehend. Perhaps those heavens we studied held a greater message than our simple hearts could compute, and at night when we discussed our journey and the gifts we felt we must bring as an offering, we’d often retreat to silence as we contemplated the magnitude of our destination in this moment in time. We sensed eternity placing its request upon our hearts, and at times we quaked in what could only be called a holy fear.
Since we were all our own personalities, some of us light-hearted and generally jovial, others of us severely focused and serious, we began to notice we had a joining of our souls on this journey and our usual petty grievances with one another which every so often occurred while we argued over the heavenly bodies no longer persisted. It was like we were joined in purpose, resolution, and a kind of faith we’d never known together. This star had presented an opportunity for us to set aside our professional differences, our dislike of certain characteristics in each of us, including ourselves, and I cannot recall one single incident of discord along the occasionally perilous journey.
We approached the great city of Jerusalem and the star shone even brighter—as impossible as that seemed, but we were all in agreement about that fact. Knowing we were in foreign lands, we asked some local teachers of their law about the prophecy to determine the exact location of this tiny king because the star seemed to shine over the entire area.
Shortly after seeking our information we were summoned by the Roman King Herod who inquired about the exact time the star had appeared. He made a strange request after telling us to go to Bethlehem, asking us to report back to him so he could go and worship the child.
When we packed up and headed out for Bethlehem, the star, in what could only be referred to as a miraculous compass, once again appeared more specifically and led us right to the exact home of the young child. We thrilled with anticipation for we knew the purpose of our journey was nearing its climax. The mother Mary’s eyes widened at our appearing and the extravagance of our gifts, but she seemed to understand the magnitude of our visit and her gracious welcoming allowed us to experience the marvel of the whole journey and culmination of supernatural events here in this small and common dwelling. The child's father, a gracious and humble man, seemed stricken with our obedience to make this journey but well able to understand it. Our surprise at the utter holiness of our visit overwhelmed us later that night.
We awoke having all experienced the same intense dream filled with warning not to return to King Herod’s court, so we set off for our distant home taking a different route, never to be the same again.
Following a star placed in the heavens by a holy hand who holds eternity gave us hope we hadn’t previously known. This little king radiated a glory we couldn’t have sensed without him, and we held him in our hearts as we traveled back to our land. We would never leave him behind even though we knew we would never see him again until that One who made the star we followed took us to be with Him.
Merry Christmas. Happy Birthday, Jesus.
