Into the Fire

Some readers want their stories short and simple. Others want them long and complex. Still others prefer a combination of these elements. Such as a novel of 100K words instead of 80K. Such as a novel with well-developed characters but without too much detail of their lives. Such as a novel with a fairly complex plot but with an overall simpler solution to the conflict(s).

Readers totally disagree with how this all computes between the covers of novels. Some like the Hemingway brand of sparse description and pure story. Others enjoy the endless rhetoric of William Faulkner. Some go for the darker writings of D. H. Lawrence and Gustave Flaubert. And others wallow in the melancholy of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the speed and imagination of Robert Liparulo, the depth and fear of Steven James, the sadness, humor, and beautiful prose of Sibella Giorello, the biblical concepts of Tosca Lee.

Me? I prefer long tomes with all kinds of characters, descriptions, scenes, emotional and spiritual depth, a realistic portrayal of the world, and the hope of glory. It can't be simple in its delivery, but the overall message is as simple as sin kills. Without a Savior there is no heaven.

There aren't a lot of them in Christian fiction, but there are some. What a pleasure when I find them.

Father, thank you for writers. There is so much to be found in stories told to bring life to pages. You are Life, Love, Truth, the Way. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

As most of you know, I read reviews after I read the book, if at all. I don't want anyone's opinion or treatment of a novel to influence me. I want each story to be a fresh experience. However, when I have strong feelings after reading a book, good or bad, I'll take a look at the Amazon reviews and occasionally elsewhere.

So far on Amazon, Bridge to Haven has garnered eight 2-star reviews out of well over 200. Most of the eight stated their reasons for disappointment with thoughtful criticisms. Easily understood why they didn't care for the story. One of them did remark that certain parts of the story didn't belong in a Christian novel. There's always someone in the crowd who finds real-life accounts of the harshness of this world offensive.

Bridge to Haven presents a story filled with difficult choices for every character. Wrong choices which bring sorrow and pain. Right choices which bring the same. Ultimately, there is triumph of faith and promise.

I sensed the readers (females) who didn't like this book (in spite of being Francine Rivers' fans) centered on parenthood. They were horrified and distressed at Pastor Zeke's critical decision with Abra. They also couldn't really accept Joshua and Abra as anything but siblings even though there was no blood relation. The two grew up and things changed.

Although I disagree with their opinions, I actually understand part of them.

I don't want to add spoilers in this post, and I tried very hard not to ruin the story for prospective readers with my review. Bridge to Haven poured pain, sorrow, joy, love, forgiveness, and redemption on every page amidst excruciating choices and their consequences, good and bad.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

Father, guide Francine in all she does and writes to honor you. Continue to provide the inspiration she needs to do what you've asked of her. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

You know it's a good book when . . . you can't wait to get into it again but you stall because you don't want it to end.  Published by Tyndale Fiction, Bridge To Haven by Francine Rivers is another huge success to add to her long list of exquisite stories. This one lands right up there with her legendary Redeeming Love for me and that is no easy perch. I loved them both.

Pastor Zeke takes a nudge from God during one of his dark early morning prayer walks in the brisk October air. To his amazement he discovers an abandoned baby under the bridge that leads in and out of the small town of Haven, California. The child is cold and frail, and he tucks her under his heavy coat and shirt against his bare chest for warmth and hustles to the hospital.

Pastor Zeke's wife Marianne is not well. A heart condition from rheumatic fever as a child has weakened her in adulthood after the birth of their son Joshua five years ago, but she will not allow anyone else to care for the baby girl they name Abra even though a couple with one daughter would love to adopt this one.

I could fill in the details for you of the painful trials undergone by Pastor Zeke and Marianne, Joshua and Abra, but it would rob you of the rich pictures painted by Francine leading up to Abra's departure from Haven as a rebellious 17 year old who's decided a 20 year old Corvette-driving LA bad boy must love her more than the people who've made sure she's always had what she needed, even the love she wouldn't recognize and accept.

After experiencing the ugly lesson of what love definitely is not, Abra morphs into whoever directs her actions, speech, and wardrobe. When the bad boy "releases" her to an obsessive well-known talent agent, Abra determines to rise to a new level of Hollywood success, a perfect opportunity to prove her worth. Her natural beauty and curves are amplified under her agent's strict direction, turning her into "Lena Scott" and making her a sought after actress.

Meanwhile the grown-up Joshua, who warned her about the boy who drove her out of Haven, struggles with God's instructions to let her go after trying to find her. He loves her in spite of her, and although he half-heartedly tries to leave the thoughts of her behind, there is no way he can forget her.

Over time, Abra loses herself and becomes someone else's creation. She tries to make it work, but her situation only becomes more unbearable. Drastic measures must be taken.

In many ways Bridge to Haven captures classic themes running through Redeeming Love. The prominent "uncondtional love", giving and receiving forgiveness, challenged faith, and clinging to the faintest hope when despair is overwhelming, all penetrate the pages of Bridge to Haven. The account of an abandoned baby's life, the pain of a young girl feeling like an unwanted appendage, an outsider, to those who offer her love leave her unable to recognize the cunning and deception of those who give her a chance to "escape" when really they're leading her to a new kind of prison. All the wayward misguided feelings combine to take her down. And make her remember and long for a bridge back to Haven.

Beginning in 1936 but primarily set in the 1950s, this epic tale of love, mercy, deceit, and sorrow offers characters to love and hate. Abra forfeits so much to find what she hopes to get only to discover a barren ugliness awaits her efforts. Joshua provides strength attained from pain and sorrow and an unshakable hope. His father Pastor Zeke is forced to rely on his faith because he can do nothing else to gain what he wants for all those he loves so deeply. There's a twist at the end which touches the soul, and there are hard places which elicit tears. Bridge to Haven is a masterpiece of characters and circumstances bringing to life so many facets of human nature and the chronic and desperate need in all of us for a Savior.

This is a grand story, considered a long novel by today's Christian fiction standards. I loved this book. Loved it.

Father, thank you for Francine's magnificent stories, her giftings, and her passionate love for you. Her ability to communicate your incredible redeeming love is truly a treasure. Thank you for her. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power;

  he will not leave the guilty unpunished.

Nahum: 1:3 (NIV)

Need. Physical, emotional, spiritual. Pain, pain, and pain. At times need shows up in a vast array of pain.

We've all had our share, some much more than others. And we do experience all kinds. Some would be quick to denounce "spiritual" pain, but those of us who know Jesus do not dispute there can be enormous, overwhelming spiritual pain. At times.

I know in my own life most of my emotional and spiritual pain I have caused myself. Certainly not all of it but the majority. I've made innumerable wrong decisions before and after Christ and suffered the consequences. Yet I've been mercifully spared from many consequences due only to God's grace. Many times He's much too kind. Others, I will admit, it seems He's piling on. There's a purpose in all of it, though many fail to see it and refuse to look for it.

Need is ever-present if we're honest. Though small needs might outweigh larger needs in some lives, there will always be those whose list of needs is beyond our scope to imagine. Great and mammoth compared to ours.

I posted this picture today because I thought someone might "need" it. To look at the magnitude of brilliance our God possesses. How's He's capable of illustrating sunrises and sunsets morning after evening after morning. To remind us of day's ending after day's beginnings. And that life on earth is on the wane. But the big Life awaits. If we desire it, if we want it.

Because we all need it. Desperately.

Father, we are all desperate for you. Everyday, all the time. Thank you for always being here where we are. In our weakness you are made strong. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

When your mind rambles, does it journey to what could've been? What should've been? What wonder and blessings you've acquired along life's path? What foolishness or harm you've managed to allow? What regrets you possess? What accomplishments await you? The fears you've conquered? The faith you've gained? The love you've experienced? The sorrows you've shared? The losses accumulated? The laughter that came hard and fast and resulted in tears of joy?

Where does your mind go when it's set free? Or do you dare?

Father, guide me in my thoughts. Please. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The television season finales more often than not use the cliffhanger device to end their episodes. What I really don't appreciate about this method is not just having to wait approximately five months to have the messy issue resolved, although that's irritating enough, it's the inevitable near-death experience of a major character who's not leaving the series. Everything points to them dying from the accident, kidnapping, being shot, poisoned, or knifed. Whatever ploy is used ends up looking like a harsh goodbye. Except the main character is scheduled for another year of the series. How they survive the trauma is unresolved with the other characters left shocked, sobbing, or shattered. For the next few months.

I wished Castle would've ended last week, but, no, it had to leave viewers with a tragic cliffhanger. Really didn't appreciate this one.

NCISLA watched as Sam and Callen sailed away, trapped of course, and Hetty looked as if she was bidding a final farewell, leaving Nell somewhat in charge. Although the role of Nell has increased significantly in the last year, to give her the latitude and power, regardless of her genius IQ, seems a bit forced and somewhat unlikely.  

There will be more cliffhangers before the season is over. I'm finding they're rarely satisfactory.

The same is true of novels.

Father, help us who write pen the stories you have for us to tell. Help us to do them well. Be in them, be their inspiration, their success. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

In the world of writing there are multiple items that can make us weary. There are just as many in the world of reading. We've talked about predictability, formulaic prose, weak or cardboard characters, the overuse of clichés, and the annoying total adherence to the "rules of writing".

From the writing standpoint, after a point, it's the rereading of the manuscript for me. How many times do you suppose you reread your story before you let it sit for awhile? And then you reread it again how many times? I can't tell you how many times I've reread some of mine.

What do you find wearying in the worlds of writing and reading?

Father, refresh my soul and help me to get my projects completed. Please, God. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Prolific author Brandilyn Collins has opted to go the independent/self/custom publishing route at present, but you won't see any significant change in quality of writing or product in her choice. Sidetracked is vintage Brandilyn Collins' trademark Seatbelt Suspense, creative and twisted with minimal gore and plenty of "What's going on?!" moments.

"Delanie Miller" is on the verge of experiencing a happiness she's longed to know since she was a child, but just because she's worked so diligently to attain it doesn't mean it's accessible to her. After Delanie stays late at her church to tidy up after her good friend Clara's bridal shower, on her way home she discovers Clara is dead, lying by the side of the road in a neighborhood of their small town with her car still running. Delanie's horrific past rushes to the forefront of her mind. She spots a figure by a tall bush in a yard near the scene and calls 911.

In Sidetracked the reader is taken on a present-to-past journey, back and forth, to learn the reality of 34 year old Delanie Miller. In the present she's in love with a well-to-do boyfriend who plans to marry her, owns a home she shares with three people who need the lodging and have become good friends to her, and is a respected member of the small town community. In the past she's been the victim of a hideous conspiracy that severely altered her life and robbed her of youth and hope.  

The murder of her friend Clara changes everything and threatens to expose what Delanie has hidden. Clara's murder presents the mirror image of law enforcement getting "sidetracked" by what appears to be obvious but is in actuality a lie.

Brandilyn Collins does a good job of switching from the adult Delanie to the teenage girl she used to be, using first person for the present and third person with a lot of internal dialogue for the past. The reader experiences the incredulous frustration and trauma of both experiences from youth to adulthood, finally witnessing the decision which will truly change her life.

The in-and-out faith experience of the protagonist as she suffers through genuine pain with no end in sight demonstrates the human condition when an individual is tested beyond what they think they can handle. Brandilyn gives us a character who is unable to see the big picture while experiencing the ugliness of the present which seems to go on and on without end. We wonder if we could survive it with our faith intact.

Sidetracked is classic Brandilyn Collins, a quick and interesting read with plenty of suspense, frustration, and at long last some justice. Recommended for all Brandilyn Collins' fans and new readers who like mysteries, brawny and/or cozy, and suspense with twists. 

Father, please continue to bless and minister to Brandilyn. Give her new stories and your abundance. Please continue to take her deeper as is her heart's desire. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.      

Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us so that you may be zealous for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you.

Galatians 4:17-18 (NIV)