God Bless America.
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While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."
When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
The disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'
"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they cannot believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."
Luke 8:4-15 (NIV)
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Five reasons I like certain characters:
Their emotions are evident without being theatrical.
They demonstrate a sensitivity – yes, even the male characters.
They're flawed and aware of it.
If they don't have faith in God, they're aware they don't have it all together.
They are unique in some way.
These are simplified and somewhat vague. What can you add from your own preferences?
Father, help me to create characters that set them apart and make them unique and readable, relatable, humanly weak/flawed, and seeking after you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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There are certain things you can expect in a Travis Thrasher novel. Music and film references, melancholy, sarcasm and snark, terrific authentic writing, twists, and truly good dialogue. Those are a given.
In 40 the protagonist Tyler Harrison is a music producer. His memories are structured around songs that document the time and place, the scents and sensual, the emotional responses to different events in his life. He's been given an ear for sound, a need to draw the maximum from the singers, and he pursues lofty goals in a business that affords few the opportunities to realize them.
Tyler experiences a supernatural encounter while at a Lollapalooza concert where he's surveying talent and hoping to find a unique gem of a band to produce. He's there with his studio co-workers and friends, wandering off to find a friend of a friend but instead encounters someone else.
This begins the journey of Tyler's life leading up to his turning 40. The story covers the period from the concert to his 40th birthday which takes place over about a year's time. There is excessive folly, stark remembrances of his father's hellfire preaching, a deep-seated rebellion which he acts out in the accepted norms of his career choice, regret he refuses to address, and a stubborn ill-advised series of reactions to spiritual knowledge imparted to him.
It makes for excruciating reading because you just want him to come to his senses so badly, but . . . There's an expression people often use referring to some having to hit bottom before they want change. Tyler Harrison cruises like a bottom-feeder across a vast ocean of disappointment and depravity, neglecting everything of value and importance while reflecting on how he's screwed up everything of value and importance. Life's a struggle carried on in his favorite music, recorded on his i-pod, somehow providing him temporary solace.
The supernatural occurrences are fascinating reminders to this reader of both This Present Darkness and Prophet by Frank Peretti but set apart from those novels with Travis Thrasher's own voice, settings, and interpretations.
I highly recommend Travis Thrasher novels to readers who appreciate good writing and the atypical approach to Christian fiction. He captures good and evil and in between in his characters enticing the reader to get involved with them, often establishing a love/hate relationship with many of them. In 40 Tyler Harrison's journey leads him away from himself to find where he was meant to go. 40 will linger both during the breaks from reading it and after the final page.
Father, I pray you would continue to bless Travis' writing and the insights you inspire. Keep him and his family safe from all harm and watch over him as he writes to honor you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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If you've read more than one of my books, I have a request for you. Please tell me which one is your favorite. Just because I want to know. Okay? Thank you!
Father, you know I'm grateful for every story you've given me to tell. You know I can't write a single word without you. Not one. Thank you for each reader you've given me. They may not be many in number, but they're so important to me. I cherish them. Please bless them and allow them to take away something worthwhile from those words. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Not only is he the Master of Melancholy, author Travis Thrasher adds snark, sentimentality, and supernatural events to his work. One of my favorite authors because he's dared to do all kinds of genres and write from his - what could be construed as - rebellious heart, his voice is unique, refreshing, and definitely his own. There are maybe a couple of his novels I haven't been crazy about, but, as a whole, I admire his work.
Travis puts you in his characters' skins. You're there even if you don't want to be. Even if you don't like the characters. He uses first, second, and third person points of view to tell his tales and no matter which he uses or combines within a story, you feel them all.
He does "love" well. Again, you feel it. In all of its human imperfection, angst, desire, vulnerability, and ache, he captures it all.
Weaving the maze of spirituality, faith, the supernatural elements of God and the devil into his stories, the process shows both sides of souls on the journey of life.
I haven't read a Travis Thrasher novel for awhile but am reading one he published in 2011 (Faith Words, Hachette Book Group). It reminds me how much I've missed his writing. I'll have a review up soon.
Father, you know all about Travis and his journey. I pray your continued blessing upon his life and family. May he continue to write boldly and tell the stories you have just for him to write. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
Luke 8:1-3 (NIV)
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Taylor Kitsch Joins American Assassin Cast
CBS Films and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) announced that Taylor Kitsch (Lone Survivor, True Detective) is joining Dylan O'Brien (Deepwater Horizon, The Maze Runner) and Academy Award®-nominee Michael Keaton (Birdman, Spotlight) in the adaptation of Vince Flynn's massive bestseller AMERICAN ASSASSIN. 
The prequel where it all began.
Father, please help those who don't know you to find you. Help those who are involved in duplicating this Vince Flynn novel for the big screen to do it well and with the spirit in which it was written. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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I'm re-running this review because I think everyone should read this novel. It's poignant, possible, and particularly pressing for people to be aware of their surroundings, who is near them, what they look like, what they're wearing. Not to accentuate the fear factor but rather to emphasize the more you see around you, the more you're aware of the plots and plans of our enemies, the better able you are to make a difference in this wicked world. Either you save yourself and others or you perish in crisis situations. Joseph Courtemanche knows what he's talking about. And with the recent San Bernardino and Orlando massacres, we need to be smart and aware. The Lord will give us insights and direction so we can do our part while we're here.
Valuable to reading this novel, it's important to note the information preceding the story. Knowing who Joseph Courtemanche really was and is will bring even more life to this bona fide thriller. Assault on St. Agnes is a very good novel from an author who's been there, done that. What takes place in this book has been a topic of much discussion in recent times from all counterterrorist groups in the USA. Joseph doesn't pull any punches in this story. We all know who the majority of terrorists are and we get a harsh and realistic picture of them in Assault on St. Agnes.
Bobby Kurtz "happened to be" visiting a Catholic church when all hell broke loose. He was messily extracted from the scene and plunged into something he didn't expect. Coerced into assuming a task that used his linguist skills and called on for his previous covert understanding, there's something going down during this snowy Christmas season in Minneapolis, and it can't be good.
Time pressures his new bosses and co-workers to stress Bobby's preparation. They realize terrorists are plotting something big, and they desperately need a lead. Bobby uses his past battle-worthy contacts and brings them in to help zero in on what it is all their overload of information is failing to capture. An off-hand comment from one of them about an in-law gives them that coveted hope for a break.
This thriller allows the reader to observe the vile and psychopathic makeup of terrorists motivated by demonic hatred and perversion while staying patient to make sure they can execute their grand plans of destruction upon the United States of America and its infidel inhabitants. The intense scrutiny of information studied and re-studied by those who secretly disseminate huge volumes of data in various languages reminds us how daunting it is to keep America safe.
Assault on St. Agnes gives us a unique hero with a brilliant brain, an obnoxious personality, a tender heart, but a savvy outlook on the natures of terrorists. High-intensity action, sharp dialogue, and tragic occurrences combine to make this thriller both realistic and meaningful. Highly recommend Joseph Courtemanche's Assault on St. Agnes.
Father, I pray you would continue to bless Joseph as he constructs more life-like tales. Give him what he needs to write those stories you have just for him to tell. Bless his work as he gives all the glory to you. Keep him and his family safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Out of Circulation, Book 1 in the Hemlock Creek Suspense Series, releases individually for KINDLE today (it’s still also in the Smoke and Mirrors boxed set). So you can pick it up here for only 99c/Kindle!
Heather Day Gilbert is a good writer, and I thoroughly enjoyed her A Murder in the Mountains Series (Miranda Warning and Trial by Twelve). This novella begins her Hemlock Creek Suspense Series and starts with the somewhat handicapped daughter, due to a foot injury, flaming redhead Katie McClure who once thought she'd like to follow in her father's footsteps and become an FBI agent. Now she's a librarian in need of a bodyguard – or so it seems. And as armed masked men invade her small hometown library, there just happens to be an attractive bodyguard on site.
Through an odd set of circumstances, Katie's deceased father is implicated in an unsolved heist. Since his partner is also dead, someone is trying to find the money since it's not where this someone left it. Through threats and a sophisticated cover-up, the bodyguard is trying to solve the case while avoiding his attraction to Katie. Meanwhile, the rest of the McClure family – Molly, the femme fatale sister, and Brandon the estranged brother, plus Katie's mom – are all equally worried about Katie's safety when more threatening actions take place.
Heather writes female characters who pack guns and aren't afraid to use them – even if their character isn't particularly brave and daring which Katie McClure learns she isn't. Throughout this story, the heroine discovers herself not as she'd originally hoped to be but instead how God designed her to be. That discovery enables her to shed her latent bitterness and reinvigorate her life as she truly is.
Although not my generally preferred reading – and that's nothing against the novel – Out of Circulation is a kind of sweet little romantic suspense that takes no time to read for the waning days of summer at the beach or wherever you prefer. It has a clever ending to solve the mystery, and if romantic suspense with a certain innocence is your genre of choice, you won't be disappointed in Out of Circulation.
Father, you know Heather inside and out. Please continue to bless her life and continue to inspire those stories you have just for her to tell. Please provide what she needs to do what you have for her and protect her all along the way. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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