I can't tell you how much I loved this movie. Just did. Enjoy this trailer. And if you haven't seen it, do.
Father, you know my heart in these matters. And in these matters I know yours. Please, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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As a writer and an author, I have always paid attention to song lyrics, and more times than not I fell hard for those songs with unique or special lyrics to mesh with the great tunes. I know nothing about the band Alfred Hall except the two young men who started it are Norwegian, and they have put together what I consider a unique sound although I'm not on top of the current music scene and haven't been for years, having mostly abandoned secular music.
This particular song is called Someplace Beautiful and you might recognize the sound as the background for the Pacifico beer commercial on TV which is why I looked it up on YouTube. The sound just reeled me in and the words held me tight.
Their songs are "contemporary pop" which can be shallow or teeny-bopperish, but this song grabs me like few have in recent times. It will be hard to decipher the lyrics the first time around, but I'll let you listen to it before I quote a few of them for you.
Ready? Here are a few of the stunning lyrics from Someplace Beautiful by Alfred Hall.
"Would you give away your throne for love?"
[Chorus]
"Don't tell me it's real You feel so cold in my arms Can you tell me how we could be drifting apart?"
"Turn away to go someplace beautiful Somewhere you cannot escape and I can't go"
Now those are some great lyrics, and the melody fits them perfectly. I love this song.
Father, my prayer is that these men would know you, who you are as you desire to be known. Reach them, Lord, and let them know the true source of their talents. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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When I think of "true crime" publications, I remember True Crime magazines from my youth. I didn't read them, but I remember them. Next I think of the notable Ann Rule who wrote about serial killer Ted Bundy among others. Now I will tell people about Las Vegas Detective Bradley Nickell who wrote Repeat Offender with his now deceased co-author Warren Jamison.
Repeat Offender reveals the life and times of the most prolific thief and repeat offender in the history of Nevada who is known mostly by his invented name Daimon Monroe which was only one of his several aliases. Daimon worked out of Las Vegas. Much of it dictates the courtroom procedures and text of the multiple trials and pending trials of this criminal which finally led to his concurrent life sentences. However, the book also covers the discoveries leading up to the warrant served on Daimon at his rented home with his girlfriend and two little girls. By the end of this account the oldest daughter is 18 years old.
Daimon Monroe didn't knock off banks or convenience stores. His crimes were sophisticated intrusions which netted him high-end items that he sold and kept for thousands and thousands of dollars both in his home and in multiple storage units. Only a portion of his childhood is known and Detective Nickell believes it's unlikely that certain specific elements which led to Daimon's remaking of himself will ever be revealed and verified because of Daimon's propensity for believing the lies he's created for himself.
One of the fascinating parts of the book is Detective Nickell's assessments of Daimon and his comparison to himself. Of course when it came to his and Daimon's views on morality, there was no likeness or similarity, but some of Daimon's other character traits were shared with those of Detective Nickell.
I found Repeat Offender to be thoroughly enthralling from start to finish with poignant quotations beginning each chapter. Well written and methodical, Detective Nickell interjects personal anecdotes along the way plus admits the impact this hardened narcissistic criminal still has on his life.
Highly recommend Repeat Offender for those readers who are interested in the mechanics and after-affects of true crime.
Father, please continue to bless and protect Det. Nickell and his family. Keep them safe from all harm. I pray you would give Bradley much more to write and direct his steps in all aspects of his life as he surrenders them to you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm2:12b (NIV)
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Okay. Because it's the day before Independence Day, and I have very little to say today, and none of you probably have time for this silliness, but I can't think of anything else, so here we are with a huge run-on sentence precisely because I can't think of anything else, so I want you to answer one of the above to the following items on this list. How's that?
1. Milk chocolate Dark chocolate
2. Coffee Tea
3. Pop Juice
4. Sandals Flip Flops
5. Cake Pie
6. Jazz Country
7. Thriller Romance
8. Movie Book
9. Politics Theology
10. Scrambled Fried (Eggs)
Lord, thank you for this day, this life, this breath. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Happy Birthday to my first born son pictured here with his son, my grandson. You went through so much and yet you still love me. Thank you for being who you are. May the Lord continue to mend your heart and heal all pain. Have a day where God's abundance hits you hard and heavy. I love you!
God, you've blessed me with two sons I didn't deserve. Your mercy is never ending. Your grace immeasurable. Please load up my son with all of it from this moment on, please. Keep him safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Everyone who knows me understands my over the top love for the POTC series. The first of them was of course the best, so here's a great trailer that touches on every aspect of the wonderful movie. Enjoy!
O Lord. So many need you. "I know whose Blood you need." The Savior's Blood washes the sin stain away. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Debra made a good comment the other day when I stated I enjoyed chapter titles. She agreed and mentioned she felt like quotations were always a fun bonus to begin chapters. I'm reading a true crime story by a Las Vegas police detective and he uses amazing quotations to begin his chapters. I'll probably have a review up next week.
To search out a particular quote that works the best for individual chapter headings is exactly what Debra mentioned in her comment here.
So many ways to entice readers . . .
Father, help each of us who write to do it your way and honor you in the process. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Deadly Devotion by Sandra Orchard, published by Revell, is advertised as romantic suspense. I would classify it as a cozy mystery. And since cozy mysteries aren't my particular cup of tea (pun intended for those who will read or have read this story), all I can say is for those readers who enjoy the amateur sleuth type of investigative stories, you will probably enjoy this one, the first in the Port Aster Series.
Kate Adams loses her mentor and close friend (Daisy Leacock) to what the police have deemed a suicide and closed the case. That doesn't work for Kate who knew the older woman with whom she worked too well to believe she would take her life. Together they worked on an herbal cure for depression and seemed close to a major discovery for a potential cure. Daisy loved God and lived her personal life accordingly plus she treated Kate like a daughter. Supposedly the coroner decided the particular toxic chemical in a certain kind of marigold found in her tea was Daisy's undoing, an intentional means to her end.
Kate Adams storms into the precinct demanding to express her disagreement and of course meets with the handsome former DC FBI agent Tom Parker, now a detective in Port Aster, his hometown. After the discussion with him, she warns him if they (the police) won't find her killer, she will. Detective Tom Parker knows the case is closed, but in spite of Kate's no proof, she makes some valid points, and he's concerned she might possibly be in danger if the information she shared with him is true.
The suspects keep multiplying, Detective Parker develops a fondness for Kate and vice versa even as they keep their secrets from one another. There are herbs, grow-ops, a missing intern from the research station where Daisy and Kate worked, a con artist and his rich girlfriend, a coworker acting strangely, and then there's Tom's boss, the Chief of Police (Hank), best friends with Tom in high school. When Kate as a suspect enters the fray, all kinds of suspicion, hurt, angst, and feared betrayal add to the convoluted mess.
As I said, cozy mysteries are not my favorites, and I didn't anticipate this story as being one of them. The amateur sleuthing, the juvenile attractions and reactions, the conduct of both Kate and Tom just didn't fly for me. While I find plants, herbs, and the intricate knowledge of them interesting, not enough to carry a story for me.
Faith elements are injected periodically.
I'm sure there are many readers who will find their enjoyment served up in a nice cup of herbal tea via Deadly Devotion. And perhaps romantic suspense is the proper genre classification. For me it read more like a cozy mystery which didn't work for me.
Father, you've given Sandra her own special gifting. Please continue to use her for your glory and bless her as she honors you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Romans 1:24-27 (NIV)
