Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine
and champions at mixing drinks,
who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
but deny justice to the innocent.
Isaiah 5:20-23 (NIV)
Every Bird that Falls by Sara Davison is Book three in the two sparrows for a penny group.
Here's the thing with Sara Davison novels: They're unique with fully developed characters who experience unusual circumstances in their lives and often don't act as expected. Every Bird that Falls is no exception.
Tala, Rose, and Jae are three girls in the foster-child system who've experienced heartbreaking circumstances in their young lives. When the three of them are placed with Felicity, a single woman who wants them all, the girls decide they'll each be the "sisters" they've never had and grow very close. Their lives with Felicity become meaningful and loving, but in their mid-teens they learn Felicity is ill. Not wanting to be a burden to her, they decide they'll sneak out and try to find a place to share on their own.
Rose's older brother (Tag) and Jae started a relationship, but Tag has just abruptly ended it, leaving Jae with another heartbreak and uncertainty about everything in her young life. While the girls are walking down the street in the middle of the night, a van stops and three men try to kidnap them. Jae runs and with the self-defense skills she's learned tries her best to defend herself but passes out from a wound she didn't know she'd gotten.
From here the story tells us about Jae's strange circumstances, Tag's quest to find her, and what has happened to her "sisters." Peripheral characters surface and provide new lives after traumatic events. Jae risks her life to make things right.
It's a fascinating story and for those readers who are looking for something "different," I highly recommend Sara's Every Bird that Falls. The clever dual meaning of the title will become apparent.
Father, thank you for Sara's art in writing. Please continue to bless her with the stories you have just for her to tell. Guard her and her family and encourage her as only you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Being the drama queen in self-photography . . . a very long time ago.
Thank you for watching over me even when I was lost without you. Thank you is never enough, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The Lord gave me this word some time ago for this election. Tonight He fulfilled it – and He isn't done yet. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Glory to the Lord on High! His truth is marching on!
Please, Lord, we're desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The Handler by L.T. Ryan and C.R. Gray is Book 1 in A Maddie Castle Thriller Series.
Maddie Castle lost it all when she was shot and her dog was killed. Her injured leg temporarily crippled her and the damage caused her way-too-soon retirement from the police department. The pain is excruciating, and she's gotten to the point where prescription opioids are the only relief she gets. Her job as a private investigator isn't flourishing, and she isn't doing well.
When a detective she knew is murdered after cornering a man who works for the kingpin of drugs in the area, his loyal service K-9 who is injured in the incident has become a problem. Maddie is the best at training the canines for service, and she is asked by a former cop to see if the dog's salvageable. Maddie knows how the dog's former partner finished off her training, and Maddie disapproved of his methods for precisely the reason the dog's become unmanageable. She carefully considers taking the dog home to see if she can be rehabilitated and decides it will give her a worthwhile goal.
Maddie gets a call from a woman whose son she helped in the past but is now missing. As it turns out, he straightened out his life since then, and the fact that he's missing is pointing to something very wrong.
When searching for him leads to some former school associates, the reunion is unpleasant at best but uniquely helpful.
Dirty cops, drugs, an innocent boy, a special dog, an impossibly intertwined mystery all connect for Maddie when she needs it most.
I've always enjoyed L.T. Ryan's writing and stories, having read a lot of his series, and the authors he's chosen to work with together present seamless entertaining novels. The Handler is no exception.
(Some profanity.)
Father, please bless L.T. with all that he needs to continue to write good stories with others who complement his style. Apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Matthew 6:27 (NIV)
Outside of your own work – if you're an author – who are three (or more) of your favorite fictional heroes? Here are some of mine:
Mike Romeo
John Milton
Jon Reznick
Atticus Priest
Runners up: James Reese and Scot Harvath
Father, thank you for authors, for gifting them with the amazing abilities to tell fantastic stories with interesting characters. Apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Way back at Sun Lakes State Park with my BFF's family. Some of the best times of my youth.
Father, thank you for my best friend, our times together, our laughs and joys, horses and boys, fun in the sun. Being able to be a kid. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Have you ever felt isolated? Alone? Insignificant? Tiny as a nano-speck in the big picture?
Have you ever considered that these feelings can be both true and false?
Isolation can be a factor in our lives no matter how much people traffic there is. Isolation is a state of mind that makes us feel like no one "gets" us, or no one can seem to recognize how we feel, or that we can't understand why we seem to be singular in our approach to whatever it is that brings us to the conclusion that we're isolated.
Alone? It's not hard to imagine that sometimes we're going to feel alone. The difference between isolation and feeling alone is slim, but actually being alone means either we've chosen to be without people in our lives – whether temporarily or for a season – or there's a reason for being without others that we initiated – or they did.
Insignificant? It would be unusual if we never felt insignificant just because there are so many reasons in this world that can make us feel that way. The key phrase there is "in this world."
"A nano-speck in the big picture?" Imagining the heavens, the stars, planets, moons, etcetera, who are we? How can we possibly matter in this universe?
All of the above "feelings" are indicative of our humanity. The human condition. In and of ourselves, we can experience them all. The only true validation to who we are is from our Creator. He created us for a purpose. That "thing" that seems to matter to us more than others? We like it, we're good at it, or we become good at it, and we enjoy it in spite of sometimes thinking we're only so good at it. We are beings of flesh and blood with a unique spirit that must be redeemed. Apart from God, we can do nothing. He gives us life and for "X" amount of time, we can choose to live our lives with or without Him. However, since Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me," without Him, we shall remain all of those things listed above. The truth is in Jesus, we're never alone or isolated from Him. He gives us the Holy Spirit who dwells within us as believers. No longer isolated, alone, insignificant, and we do matter in the big picture because God's purpose for us is what makes our lives important. Is it fun and laughter from that point of acceptance onward? No, not always. Suffice it to say, now our actions have meaning both in this world and in the supernatural. But with the power of the Holy Spirit, we are equipped for the good and the great that God has planned for us.
No matter how much money, fame, comfort, family, friends, and good associates we acquire in this life of ours, without Jesus, we're hell-bound. And if that's the case, none of this life will matter. Eternity waits.
That's where I wandered this Wednesday.
Father, you rescued me from myself and this world. Thank you will never be enough, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
