Into the Fire

Woke up with a dose of melancholy. Funny how it permeates breathing and creases the eyes. Touched by its subtle power.

Spiritual waves wash back and forth without sound. Darkness hovers but is not fully admitted, striving below the surface for victory.

Does there really need to be this discussion of good and evil? Is it so disguised that we can decide our fates without definition of right and wrong?

Witchcraft vies for the soul. Rebellion echoes with control, a cacaphony of wickedness and sullied claims and forgeries of freedoms screeching like horror chords.

The Cross. Sin nailed in human form upon it. Ignored or embraced. We choose. Consequence.

Father, please forgive us. Please find a way to restore our nation. We are truly desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, the Name above all names, the Light of the World, the Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Amen. 

. . . I'm light on creativity so how 'bout you give me one word that comes to mind when you first see this picture. 'K?

Father, what you've created is often beyond description, but we try so hard to capture it in the words we've been given. Thank you for beauty of all kinds. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Seeing in the night, it all becomes clear. The coral shade fades as the moon shines its narrow lamp. We think our embrace is hidden, the steam rising from our breaths invisible. It's dark. This passion almost glows, exposing us. Revealing our stolen moments.

Night vision. We can't hide from eternal eyes. Sin whispers its hush, and we succumb, fighting but failing to weigh the price of pain. Inhaling the pleasure until it is no more. Emptied. Barren. We face each other as a grey veil dulls the lamplight of moon shine, and we know. Hurt comes quickly.

In the night vision.

Father, thanks for words that tell stories. Of light and dark. Jesus, you are the light of the world. Let me reflect at least a little of your glory. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

 http://www.amazon.com/Borders-Heart-Chris-Fabry/dp/1414348622/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364157887&sr=1-1&keywords=borders+of+the+heart+by+chris+fabry

Chris Fabry is one of my favorite authors. Able to capture nuances of emotions and expressions, his literary skills combine with the language of everyman creating the unique merging of commonality in a beautiful prose.

Borders of the Heart blasts us into the melancholy of stifling Arizona heat and John David Jessup (JD) riding out into the farmland of dust and cacti checking for possible problems. Earning only his room and board for learning the practice of organic farming, he's managed to squirrel away some money and hides it in his oven of a room. His boss and farm owner is quickly identified as a less than positive man in charge and committed to reporting all illegals to the Border Patrol.

When JD discovers an unconscious but alive beautiful young woman, clearly of Mexican descent, with one handcuff still secured, he transports her on his horse to get his truck and sneaks her off to one of the few friend's places he knows. The godly man "Win" agrees to help the severely dehydrated woman with cactus-infested leg wounds by calling a doctor he knows will treat her. She pretends not to understand JD's efforts to recall what limited Spanish he's learned while Win conducts a proficient conversation with her. She reveals very little about her situation besides her name (Maria) and that police mustn't be called. Win removes the handcuff, and JD takes her to the clinic to meet the doctor.

No sooner does the doctor take care of Maria's wounds and condition when gunfire erupts, the doctor is shot, and JD and Maria rush to JD's truck to escape. JD figures out fast that Maria's claim in perfect English of an evil man trying to kill her is no joke, and suddenly they're on the run with JD having zero information as to why and from whom this pretty woman is running.

JD fluctuates between his frustration at and attraction to Maria and his bitter sorrow over the loss of his wife just a year prior. He's the typical mad-at-God fellow who hurts deep and has no direction or outlet for his pain. He's keeping secrets from everyone and a tight hold on everything to do with his past, as if he's destined to and deserves the steaming desert heat to bake him to death like the fires of hell.

When he can't convince Maria to seek help from the police, he tries to help her acquire what she needs, but with her mysterious and limited information dumps, his final attempt is stifled by her decision to leave him for his own safety. When he realizes just how much danger she's in, that he no longer is safe, and that good people who've tried to help are dying, he finds his way back to Win for assistance.

An interesting story of loss, love, forced decisions, sacrifice, and suffering, Borders of the Heart takes the reader into the inferno of hellish heat, sweat, murder, sabotage, prejudice, abandonment, love, and devotion. The borders erected around the heart or spread out from the heart encompass the characters in this novel. With faith declarations from unexpected sources a constant reminder to how God really works, the angry protagonist with his stony resentments begins to falter when he sees himself in some of the evil men inserted into his life.

I will note it took me until Chapter 9 to fully engage. JD isn't an easy man to root for, like most people who carry a grudge against God, and Chris is definitely adept at creating the forlorn anti-hero like few can. There's just enough neediness in him to resurrect compassion when more information about him becomes apparent, and by the end he's pretty much reached that unlikely hero status which is a welcome reversal. We can see it coming but watch carefully because he could go either way.

If you enjoy those stories with meaningful characters barely surviving what life's dished up, Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry, published by Tyndale, will capture your interest with its melancholy hero, its feisty heroine, the faith and devotion of true friendship, and the multiple colors and kinds of evil.        

Father, you know the many trials of the Fabry family. You've taken them on a journey they'll never forget. Please continue to supply Chris with the amazing ability you've given him to tell meaningful and touching stories that reveal the insides of humanity. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

" . . . Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."

John 16:7b-11 (NIV)

Five countries I've visited:

Italy

France

Great Britain

Denmark

Sweden

and several more many years ago.

Father, thank you for my life experiences. Amazing grace even when I had yet to meet you. Thank you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

There can come a time when the past presents a longing. If those days long gone create reminders of people, places, and actions that make us yearn for how we once lived life, knowing it's all gone but not forgotten brings the clarity of mortality . . . and beyond.

Words, friendships, alliances, journeys, adventures, dares, all conjure memories we either cherish or wish we could forget.

Pain, loss, devastation versus joy, gain, and triumph, all combining to make life challenging and sometimes rewarding. Our decisions through hard times can give us an awareness of the brutal honesty of "You reap what you sow", watching it unfold in meaningful ways not only in our lives but in those we love and almost hate.

The past is a mirror of who we were, and perhaps of who we still remain. If who we are at our core changes, the reflection dims or shines with our new countenance. Has the present built on the past amplifed our badness or our goodness?

Those words we said we can't have back. We ready-aim-fired them off because of our rage or hurt, and they hit their mark, landing solid. We hope they're forgotten, but somehow they're etched in our recollections. And what about those words we didn't say. We should have said them. Should. Have. We still remember and regret our silence.

Are we redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb or are we self-appointed caretakers of our souls? Do we desire divine intervention or do we rely on what we can dig up and produce from our psyches? So much depends on what we choose now. The past continues with each rushing second. Ticking away.

We need salvation from our humanity – from our imperfection and what it produces in us and through us.

One truth. One answer. One way into eternity. How will you enter it?

Because the past is gone and continuing to its destiny. You can't have it back. 

Father, thank you for providing the only true rescue from this fallen life. Jesus, there are no words to convey the gratitude for what you've given us. Holy Spirit, how you can live in me is a miracle I cannot understand, but I'm so grateful. Lord of heaven and earth. Thank you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The CFBA Tour presents Wings of Glass by Gina Holmes, published by Tyndale Fiction.

Author Gina Holmes has been forthcoming as to Wings of Glass being the heartfelt favorite of her three published novels (Crossing Oceans; Dry As Rain; Wings of Glass). It can be a rare experience when a novel serves to illuminate a grievous problem in our society and/or culture while also giving a clear illustration of how it evolves, how it's experienced, and how it continues to remain a problem in some relationships. Wings of Glass tackles the destructive behavior of spousal abuse, showing the vulnerability of some individuals who are so willing to love someone who fails to address the roots of rage which produce dangerous and harmful actions. A quick but difficult read, Wings of Glass leaves nothing undisclosed in this portrait of a threatening and viscious young man who, drunk or sober, beats up the girl he supposedly loves when anything ticks him off. Showing the classic remorse in the aftermath of his abuse, he swears he'll never do it again but always does.

Penny Carson is swept off her immature feet by a testerone-swaggering hired hand on her parents' farm, eloping with him and leaving the shelter of her home to be with the handsome sweet-talkin' Trent Taylor. It doesn't take long before he shows her who he really is, and the good-looking young man she married turns into a literal handsome devil of a guy. Drinking, carousing, and beating her up comprise their life together. He says he's sorry, and she lives with it, believing him time after time or pretending she does.

When Trent is injured at work and temporarily blinded, he is forced to let her find a job. Having wanted a child to share her love, she'd given up on getting pregnant, adding to her total lack of self-esteem and perceived failure as a woman. After finding work with two Christian women who clean houses, she learns more about herself than she cares to know. Plus she realizes she's finally pregnant, hoping this will somehow increase her value to her husband and herself.

Wings of Glass is written as a memoirish letter to Penny's unborn child. Told in first person through all the heartache, rationalization, excuse-making, and eye-opening revelation as her life unfolds and takes on real purpose in her pregnancy, Penny resists changing her situation, hoping this time Trent will do what he promises. The turmoil and patterns of his behavior and her thoughts carry her in and out of her friendships with the two women who've tried to help her escape her situation.

Every character in Wings of Glass is a reflection of someone we've all known. The handsome abuser who bullies anyone who gets in his way, refusing to address the issues in his past and carrying the rage around like an extra appendage, takes everything out on his helpless wife. The wise widow who runs the house cleaning business and easily recognizes abuse along with the African-American woman whose dreadful experiences in her home country also point like a laser to Penny's circumstances, both try to talk Penny out of her willingness to ignore the problem. The strength of their faith and the toughness of their love rescue Penny from herself and the man who won't change.

A truly meaningful portrayal of the spousal abuse syndrome, this novel should be mandatory reading for victims of abuse. It's true, as Penny asserts in the story, this cycle is nearly impossible for those who haven't experienced it to understand. The frustrations of those who watch the pattern present dilemmas no one should have to face and try to figure out. The accuracy of this depiction will give readers cause to flinch, but hopefully Wings of Glass will reach those women who need to run from the wicked ways of those who continue to hurt them.

A purposeful novel told with a loving touch in Gina's unique and feisty voice and authentic prose, Wings of Glass provides a realistic story of what one young woman finally understood about faith, relationship, and finding true purpose in life. Painful to read but necessary. A definite book for gifting to the abused.

 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1414366418
 

Father, we hurt each other, we abuse each other. We are lost in sin. Please rescue those who think they have no way to escape. Show them who you are and what you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.          

I thought/hoped I might genrate a larger response from authors to yesterday's post. Since I did not, I would guess the idea of a Christian Fiction Ratings System doesn't fly for most writers.

The primary reason I'm not opposed to one is for the purpose of deferring the CFP (Christian Fiction Police), and, because of that possibility, perhaps freeing up those publishers who might agree that some of the required restrictions placed upon authors of Christian Fiction might be too strident and unrealistic for all of their stables of writers. Perhaps it could open up more imprints designed to cater to readers who've been unimpressed with the lack of reality in some of the CBA offerings.

I know some will assume it would open the door for cussing and swearing and graphic sexual situations, but I'm not advocating making Christian Fiction into secular fiction. But for those who view words such as hell and breasts as unfit for CBA novels, something simply must be done. Shouldn't it? While leaving the demanding restrictions in place for the "clean and chaste" offerings, A (Advised for Adults), the MT (Mature Themes), and R (Restricted for Extreme Violence and/or Sexual Situations and/or Language Issues; Adult Themes) classifications could clarify and amplify reading choices.

Father, we convolute so many things with our humanity. Help us to do as you wish, not as we wish. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

It seems there are always new ways to regulate our lives. Not all of them are beneficial, and in fact some of them are intrusive and obnoxious and unnecessary.

So. It's been suggested that Christian Fiction use a ratings system on their books similar to those used to identify films, i.e. R for Restricted viewing for anyone under 17 without a parent/guardian all the way down to the totally inoffensive G for General Audiences including children.

I've been pondering this idea and discovered I'm not totally opposed to it. I'm not convinced it's a great idea, but neither am I staunchly against it. It only solves the problem of noting the separation of types of novels for readers. I seriously doubt it will halt the outcries of the Christian Fiction Police who will complain that no Christian should be writing an R-rated novel, exclamation point.

The most difficult part of a ratings system would be deciding upon the group to evaluate novels for the purpose of attaching a rating to them. I think authors should be assigned to this task. A small collection from each genre should determine/implement the ratings within their genres.

I've put together my Suggested Fiction Rating Categories as follows. Feel free to add your own.

C: (Children) For infants to young readers

AC: (After Children) From young readers through elementary readers

MG: (Middle Grade) For pre-teens through young teens

T: (Teens) Through high school

YA: (Young Adult) Some teens through early 20s

Adult: Advised for Adult readers

F: (Female) Women's Fiction

M: (Male) Geared to Men

G/M/F: General Audiences (Male and Female); Safe for all ages

MT: Mature Themes

R: Restricted due to Extreme Violence and/or Sexual Situations and/or Language Issues; Adult Themes

We all know sophisticated young people who've graduated to Adult reading long ago – whether or not they should have. This ratings system only clarifies categories and can be combined with a genre label. For example: F/R could indicate Female/Restricted citing Women's Fiction with Sexual References. Or H/G Historical for General Audiences.

Shown in a circular label on the back cover beneath the back cover copy, unobtrusive but evident to potential readers? Your opinions?

Father, your authors rarely write to offend, but it does happen. Please help us to be obedient to you over and above man. Your instructions are what matter. Help us to be faithful to you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.