Playoffs proceed!
Lord, with all the attention to your servant Tim Tebow, I pray you would bless him and protect him not just today playing a game but throughout his life. May he remain faithful to you in all situations and honor you at all times. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Motive: the reason behind certain things we do. Motives. Some are purely selfish – the results will be pleasurable. Some are sacrificial – what happens in the end will benefit someone else more than us.
The world's perception of Tim Tebow's motives varies from self-promotion to religiosity. The hype involved in his "Tebow-ing" has accelerated with each of his team's wins and losses, and the exaggeration for the looming playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos has exceeded all the rest of the games. The Patriots have beaten the Broncos in Denver, and although Tom Brady is what the league calls an elite quarterback compared to all the negative criticism for Tim Tebow's skills, it wasn't so much the Patriots superb play that beat the Broncos that day as it was the poor play by the Broncos with four turnovers, including a fumble by Tebow, which gave the Patriots easy red zone scores.
As Christians we understand the criticisms of Tebow's faith from secular observers. Truly it's impossible for them to understand his motive. Some might respect his expression of faith in matters of football, but to understand his motive for his bold witness for Jesus Christ, they would have to know Jesus personally. As Tebow does. Only then could they realize the real motive for his demonstrations and words of recognition for His Savior originate in love. Not the world's view of love but the spiritual love for the Lord that comes from no other source than a supernatural heartfelt relationship with the Living God.
What's far more disturbing is the criticism of Tebow's faith and testimony by fellow Christians. How can that be? What has he done other than give praise to the Lord for any opportunities he's had to play, to play well, and to celebrate the platform the sport has given him to acknowledge God enables him to do what he loves, and if he's able to play well, he attributes his abilities to the Lord. I mean, isn't that what we do on this earth during our time here? Isn't that the measure of our witness? If we can, we give all praise to the Lord. We stand bold and proclaim His Name, His love, His grace, His forgiveness, and when we accomplish something, we defer to Jesus and what He's done for us. What could be of more value? And if Tim Tebow uses his voice and gestures to praise the Lord, we should cheer him on - not for winning or losing but for acknowledging who's given him his opportunities.
It's questionable and maybe even unlikely that the Broncos will beat the Patriots in New England, but Tim Tebow will go into the game and come out of the game intact. His witness doesn't change. He's unashamed. He loves the Lord, and he's not afraid to demonstrate it or give credit where credit is due. I say: Bravo. And praise the Lord!
Father, continue to bless Tim, to show him your specific directions for his life, strengthen him in body, soul, and spirit, and keep him safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Window, cold to touch
Breath suspended, visible, a white cloud
Shiver, involuntary, shaken off
Engine warming up
Frost spread out like frosting
Fire crackling
Yellow horizon, pink, then purple
Winter . . .
Father, thank you for the seasons. Their unique purpose and beauty reflects your ability to work everything together for good . . . In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Something few of his readers and none of his friends ever suspected would happen to the Bug Man, Nick Polchak is slated to be married to the lovely but unusual Alena Savard, dog trainer extraordinaire. Nick of Time by Tim Downs, published by Thomas Nelson, takes his infamous and entertaining Nick Polchak to the limit of his humanity in this sixth addition to the Bug Man Series.
During the four days preceding Nick's wedding to Alena, Nick is summoned by an old friend to attend the monthly meeting in Philadelphia of an elite group of forensic specialists who work on cold cases presented to them by various legs of law enforcement. Alena presses Nick not to attend, pointing out the short window of time before their wedding day. Outfitting Alena with a new cell phone which she struggles to learn to use, Nick makes plans to call her at 9 PM on the two nights he'll be away. In order to get his call Alena must traverse down from her secluded mountain dwelling in Virginia to the nearest town in order to get reception for the call.
When Nick arrives at the meeting, his friend is nowhere to be found. Finding this extremely odd, Nick drives to his friend's home and finds everything pointing to his murder. Not endearing himself to the Philadelphia Police Department concerning his friend's demise, Nick spends the night in jail, and Alena never receives her phone call. Her pastor and friend who's doing their wedding gets a call from Nick the following day asking him to deliver a message to Alena. As Nick is enveloped in the mystery of discovering what his friend was working on, he drives to the Poconos to discuss a cold case he pilfered from his friend's files before the Philly police could find it. Arriving in a small town where a deputy died from a supposed hunting accident, he receives no help from the Sheriff who used to be FBI.
Like a dog with a bone, Nick discovers all kinds of leads that totally consume him and take him to two places involving two deaths around the small town. After two nights of not hearing from Nick, Alena is determined to find him and confront him about their upcoming marriage. In the process of Nick investigating two possible murders and Alena chasing down Nick's whereabouts, time is running out for them.
Written with the complexity of plot, signature wit and humor, and underlying thematic concerns about what life, work, relationship, and marriage truly mean, Nick of Time finally gives us a picture of Dr. Nick Polchak, forensic entomolygist, even Nick hasn't seen in himself. When an elaborate scheme forces Nick to face his stripped down desires as he's never had to look at them before, he realizes what he's missed in life and what he ultimately wants.
Tim Downs' Bug Man Novels give us one of the most unusual and creative characters in series literature. With detailed research in general forensics, forensic entomolgy, and law enforcement as his backdrop, Tim explains just enough – and occasionally a bit too much – to flesh out the reality of Nick's profession and obsession. In creating Alena he gives a no-nonsense, equally sardonic, yet somehow remarkably feminine character who struggles to make Nick understand what she needs from him. His oblivious indifference to understanding the female side of their equation sends him into confusion and gives her mixed signals. Nick of Time is every bit a story of suspenseful investigation but it's also a commentary on male and female relationships at the heart level of humanity.
The final scene is perhaps some of Tim's best writing for this series and entices the reader into believing there should be more Bug Man Novels to come. I must admit Less than Dead where Nick and Alena first meet is still my favorite of the series, but Nick of Time stretches these two characters to a welcomed place in their development. A worthy addition to the Bug Man Novels.
God, you know Tim's heart and where you plan to lead him in his writing. Be his inspiration and may he honor you in all he writes. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
My friend Mick Silva posted this on his website Your Writer's Group, Weekly Meditations:
The paragraph which jumps out at me is this one:
"But those pesky impulses! Too focused on being capable and competent to be uniquely special, we're still trying to play the right notes at the right times with the right force and feeling. But beyond practice is a new world where we've forgotten the specifics, the rules, and we'll simply play."
The ways to learn to write are innumerable. Add to just plain writing: writing fiction, and you come up with a whole new set of rules and regulations – and even writing a novel can break down those stipulations to different genres and add a complete new set of them! From this standpoint – and the fact that Mick's an editor – this paragraph resonates.
Finding "voice" which Mick discusses briefly adds a dimension to new writers that can throw them into the literary dictionary of indecipherable terms. "Style" when it varies from the mundane often catapults those used to formulaic fiction and proven unadventurous demographics into "it won't sell" mode and causes insecure writers to scurry back to the predictable iron rules for writing.
Voice isn't that hard to find. It's you. It's how you put words on paper or screen. It varies according to what you're writing, but it's quite frankly all about you. It's how you portray characters, it's how they speak through you, it's how you describe a scene, setting, individual, mood, or someone else's voice. Know yourself: know your voice.
I adhere to rules that make sense to me. If they don't apply, they're out. Writing is creative when it applies to novels. Whole set of other rules if you're writing a dissertation or non-fiction (not creative non-fiction). Yes, they're necessary to know. Well. But they don't "rule" and reign when it comes to writing fiction. Voice and style should matter most. Otherwise: it's just another novel. Know the rules, practice, but as Mick said in his paragraph: beyond practice is a new world where we've forgotten the specifics, the rules, and we'll simply play.
Father, please continue to bless Mick in his writing and all of his endeavors that serve you. Please lead us all as writers because your instructions matter most. Help us to honor you above all others. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Yay, Tebow! Never thought I'd be rooting for the Broncos, having been in the AFC West once upon a time, but this is so sweet! Plus all the teams we rooted for this weekend won.
We've been enjoying the unseasonably warm late December and early January, but friends of ours in Alaska have been experiencing 20 below with lots of snow. Um: no.
My police procedural hasn't been going too badly. Not an easy endeavor for me since I've had to pester a detective with lots of questions. I hit some road blocks since it's new for me, but I'm plodding forward. Would appreciate your prayer if the Lord brings me to mind.
Got caught up in football this weekend, so I'm scraping the bottom here for anything I can find. Oops: empty.
God, please bless my wonderful friends who show up here to share my life. Pour out your Spirit upon them and guide their days. Let them feel your presence and hear your voice daily. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
News about him [Jesus] spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, the epileptics and the paralytics, and he healed them.
Matthew 4:24 (NIV)
God, we come before you in the Name of Jesus, the Name above all names. You see our hearts, stripped down, bare, exposed. We hide nothing from you even though we often attempt it. We know you love us, but, God, there are requirements to our relationship with you – just like with any other. Trust, faith, honesty – you expect these from us and yet you know when we're giving none of the above.
Holy Spirit, help us to pray according to your will. To be attuned to your voice, your instruction and counsel, your ever-increasing urges to go deeper, listen harder, obey more. Thank you for enduring our struggles and loving us still. Thank you for your persistence within us. Thank you for not letting us get away with sin.
Jesus, we're desperate for you. Day in and day out. Our needs surpass our breaths and yet you sustain us. Help us to walk with you and not away from you. May we see you ever before us, beside us, behind us in pushing us forward when we're obstinate and unruly. Your faithfulness and love are unequaled in our lives. Help us to realize the depths of all you are.
Today we simply thank you for being who you are and loving us anyway. Please continue to lead us even when we tug and pull against you. I love you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Learning of Kim Schaumburg's first novel Her Last Race was kind of a treat for me. We have a history in horse racing - Kim, a former jockey - and as our careers in the industry ended, we both have written novels focused around the sport of horse racing. Our approaches definitely differ, but there's no mistaking we know the industry from the inside out. Published by Black Rose Writing, Her Last Race takes a look at the sport from a female jockey's perspective set in the 90s.
Nikki (Nicole) Summers spent most of her youth growing up with an aunt and her two cousins when her unmarried mother walked away from her daughter and went on to change her last name and pursue life on the racetrack, following in her father's footsteps as a horse trainer and eventually becoming successful at northern California tracks. Nikki hasn't seen or spoken to her mother in years after her efforts to communicate were ignored. Having become a jockey much to her aunt's dismay, Nikki suffers through the dismal weather and cheap mounts at lesser tracks outside of California often hearing of her mother's successes.
After an inevitable accident, Nikki travels south to the track where her mother trains a stable and holds the lead in the trainers' standings. Nikki plans to give her mother a piece of her mind but winds up accepting and winning on mounts that belong to her mom's fiercest competitor.
Rachel Nottingham, Nikki's mother, refuses to ride women jockeys but agrees to use Nikki at the training center on an outlaw filly after, in their brief tumultuous conversations, Nikki convinces Rachel she can mellow the filly. Over time Nikki accomplishes what no one else has been able to do with the horse as well as continuing to win on a high percentage of the horses she rides. Nikki starts riding with a vengeance she's never possessed putting winning above all else, much like her mother's done in her career. In the process the once sensitive and tender Nikki begins to emulate her mother's lifestyle.
A story which gives readers a view of the underside of horse racing as well as the upside, it also portrays a damaged family unable to put the past where it belongs in order to mend the pain which only increases as Rachel and her daughter fail to admit or express their pain to each other or anyone else. Two hard stubborn women who've chosen to survive by burying their grief discover it really can't be hidden forever.
When the ruthless pursuit of winning backfires, the intensity of that decision leads to the words of the chosen title of this novel. Written with some clever dialogue and interesting character development, the story gives the reader a welcome and not unexpected conclusion.
If you can overlook the sometimes crude and vulgar (but not inaccurate) language factor and situations in this novel, Her Last Race by Kim Schaumburg gives you a story of relationships gone wrong and ripe for recovery centered on the often cutthroat vista of horse racing.
(Also available on Kindle)
Father, I pray you would continue to inspire Kim. Let her talent fulfill the plans you have for her. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Soggy cereal
Shivering cold
Clogs and Crocs
Face piercings
The Dallas Cowboys
Most Sit-Coms
Soccer
Hand Lotions/Sanitizers
Occupy-ers
I know. Some of you will gape at my selections. Oh well. Just one person's opinion. Laugh at me: it's okay. Sometimes. 🙂
Lord, you make us all. Thank you for loving us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
