My One Word 2013

LOVE

My pride almost got in the way while trying to choose a word for this year. I mean, love, really? Boring. A thousand people probably choose the word love every year. It sounds so generic and easy. What will people think when I tell them I need to work on “love?”

This word came up in my mind almost immediately, along with a short list of a few other words. Then, God confirmed it with a bible study my small group is doing in the book of Deuteronomy, a devotional I read, and Mike's sermon on January 27th.

When I think of the person I want to become, I envision one who responds to others kindly, who is compassionate, caring, patient, unselfish. I know that I can get very annoyed with people. Often. I know that if things don't go my way, and/or someone is IN my way, I'm not too nice about it. I know from studying the Hebrew words for love, that love is not only a choice, but a feeling, being bound to another, or having loyalty to another. And from the New Testament, I know that God equates loving Him with obedience (even more difficult), that we ought to love Him first and foremost, and then love our neighbors as ourselves. People will know we are Jesus' disciples because we love each other. Love covers a multitude of sins, it never fails.

I also know that if I can't understand (or at least increase my understanding) or accept God's love for me, that I will have a hard time truly loving others. So, this word is very complex and multifaceted for me. Love means that I rest in God's love for me and extend that love to others. It means that I respond with others' well-being in mind and not just my own. Jesus treated people like they were important. He made time for them. I need to treat people like Jesus did. There are so many areas in which I can grow in this journey toward Christ-likeness. I felt a need to go back to the basics, as it were, to start over with what Jesus said were the most important things.

In Matthew 22, Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Then in John 13 He says, “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” And finally, John the Beloved, disciple of Jesus, writes in I John 4: “Dear friends, if God loved us that much we also should love each other. No one has ever seen God, but if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is made perfect in us.”

I look forward to seeing what God will do with me and this word. Part of me is scared that I'll fail miserably and be in a constant state of stress and anger, or just apathy. I'm not sure I really know what love looks like in my life right now. I just know I'm not loving God or others the way I should. It's not a regret-based word (Mike talks about this in his book), but it is one that looks forward to changing the heart and the behavior that springs from it.

The Sanctuary, by Ted Dekker

Those of you who know me know that I've been a Dekker fan for almost a decade, since right after he wrote When Heaven Weeps, and I discovered his magical ability to write about God's love and His redemptive story for mankind in a more unique way than I had ever seen before.

Over the years, his message has not changed, although he crafts both fantasy and suspense in different ways to suit his purpose. His latest offerings have been amazing, including the co-written Books of Mortals series. The precursor to The Sanctuary was The Priest's Graveyard, which introduces and develops the main characters in both books, Danny and Renee.

I feel like I always say this, or at least many times say this, but this book is one of my very favorites of Ted's. It's got everything in spades--great characters, thoughtful themes, sacrificial love, fast plot, twists and turns, surprise ending, and everything else you come to expect from Dekker. I finished reading it weeks ago and I'm still raving about it, still thinking about it. You will, too.

I won't rehash the plot here. You can read about that on Amazon or somewhere else. Here are some good reviews from my friends at Fiction Addict. I tend to agree more with Josh's review, because I didn't think the book was too violent or graphic, like Lori did (I reserve that opinion for some of Steven James' books.) Hands down, the book is nothing short of fantastic and I bid a fond farewell to Danny and Renee (At least I think I do--I don't know of any plans to bring them back.). Kudos, Ted.

The Spirit Well - CSFF Blog Tour Day 2

The Spirit Well continues the saga of Kit and Mina, who use ley line travel in their quest for the skin map's secrets. Although they don't have the whole skin map (it was torn into sections), they still have come a long way in mastering inter-dimensional travel. Library Journal, on the Amazon site, gives a good little rundown of the plot HERE. A cast of characters find themselves in ancient Egypt, the Stone Age, Damascus, an Italian monastery, and 13th Century Oxford, among others. All are connected in some way to the map.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I have read and reviewed the previous two books in this series and enjoyed them immensely. Lawhead has a writing style unmatched by any author I've come across. He's not overly wordy like Hugo or Tolkein, but he can definitely set a scene while forwarding the story. My head spins to think of the knowledge and research that went into this bear of a pentalogy.

That said, I admit if there was such a thing as time-travel lag (akin to jet lag), I may have contracted it while reading this book. There were so many individuals in so many places/times that I had to remind myself nearly every chapter what/when was happening. Not to mention that one realizes that when an author lists a full two pages of characters at the beginning of a novel, a bit of concentration will be in order. Perhaps I wasn't up to the challenge, but at least Lawhead gave us a list. And a forward of sorts explaining what had happened previously. (That being true, I caution readers to not start with this installment, but please start at the beginning and read all the books in order, or you will be hopelessly lost.)

The plot moved forward well and ended in a good spot. I will admit that at first, I erroneously thought that this book was the last in the series, not the middle one. Oops. Already having read half the book, I kept thinking there was no way Lawhead could wrap everything up yet. No way. So I consulted the web and found that indeed there were two more novels to go and breathed a sigh of relief.

I highly recommend this series for anyone who likes Lawhead, fantasy, legend, sci-fi, or imaginitive fiction of any sort.

In conjunction with the CSSF blog tour, I received a copy of this book for review.

CSFF Blog Tour: The Spirit Well, by Stephen R. Lawhead, Day 1

I'm so glad to be back on the CSFF Blog Tour! I've been a bit busy with other things for the last several months and had to step out for a while, but I'm back!

I love Stephen Lawhead and love his series. This is one of the most imaginative (if not confusing!) series I've ever read, and it's a joy to read and review these books.

Here are links to my reviews of the previous two books in the series, The Skin Map and The Bone House.

Buy the book on Amazon HERE.

Visit Lawhead's website HERE.

Check him out on Facebook HERE.

My review comes tomorrow, so for now all I have in parting are the links to all my fellow participants' blogs. Happy reading!

Jim Armstrong
Julie Bihn
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Brenda Castro
Jeff Chapman
Christine
Theresa Dunlap
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Jeremy Harder
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Janeen Ippolito
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Emileigh Latham
Rebekah Loper
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Anna Mittower
Joan Nienhuis
Lyn Perry
Nathan Reimer
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Dona Watson
Shane Werlinger
Phyllis Wheeler

Review: Opening Moves, by Steven James

What better way to kick off the return of my blog by reviewing a book by one of my favorite authors? I'm sure a book giveaway would be better, but with so few readers, I'll have to boost my subscribers again before doing something like that. (Sorry. I refuse to give away my only copy, which I paid for myself.)

And so we begin.


Revulsion. Anger. Disgust. Lightheartedness. Wonder. Hope. Uncertainty. A gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. And yes, even joy. Those are some of the things I felt while reading Opening Moves. I even skimmed through it a second time just to see if I reacted in the same way. I'll have to answer for the most part in the affirmative.

Patrick Bowers, Milwaukee homicide detective, notices things. He has an uncanny way of seeing and remembering details that no one else does. He can put the puzzle pieces of a case together to reveal the big picture that has eluded others. But will he be able to connect several murders from different states and dismemberments from here in his own town to the single, or perhaps multiple, perpetrators?

Where to start? A prequel always seems risky, and James has said it wasn't his original intention to write one for this series (September Suspense Magazine, p. 58). But he's glad he did and so am I. I enjoyed seeing Bowers as a cop who longs for more, one who eventually makes it into the FBI. I have to think his new found friend Ralph Hawkins has a lot to do with that. And, digressing a little, may I say that Ralph is one of my favorite characters. He's a mammoth on the outside and a teddy bear on the inside. He and Pat have a way of communicating something without ever saying it—they read between the lines of each other's words. I love being able to “look in” on them when they're doing that.

For those who have never read James, this is a great place to start. For those who have read the whole Bowers series, Opening Moves gives you even more insight into Pat, introduces Dr. Calvin Werjonic with his geospatial techniques, and shows you how Pat meets his nemesis. You can read my reviews of the previous books HERE (although I have no idea how I neglected to write a review for The Queen, so, two you can read are: HERE and HERE).

I have to say that the most striking thing about James' books, this one included, is the theme of man's depravity. James will tell you that he doesn't want to glorify evil, but instead portray it for the reality it is, and then point to the fact that it can be overcome (see this interview: Title Trakk). I definitely see that, although it's still hard to read some descriptions of murder, especially when you know this stuff really happens. I guess it's good that it bothers me and that I'm not totally desensitized to the violence. It bothers me more that the man named Joshua grew up with the bible, knowing it, and yet turned his back on God's love and forgiveness because his father had twisted scripture too much, and Joshua had killed too much, to ever allow himself redemption. So sad. He rejects truth when he hears it because he feels so guilty. I always hate it when religious-type people are the bad guys. It eats at me. We who are the Body of Christ are human, yes. Absolutely. Not perfect. However, we have a God living in us that is supposed to be providing resurrection power for us. Where is that seen if not in a transformed life? Why are we not availing ourselves of this power and overcoming our circumstances, our desires, our thoughts, our actions? Granted, just because the guy is religious doesn't mean he's been changed by Jesus. I realize that. Far from it. These are things that James has made me think about, though.

I’ve read all of James’ novels and am not sure this one is my favorite. Yes, he’s an amazing writer, one of the best ever in modern fiction. I still lean toward The Knight or The Bishop as better. I don't know, maybe this book was just too disgusting, too dark. I let the book sit for a few days after reading and my thoughts have mellowed a bit. There's no story without the violence, and the story is amazing. And there is hope. Always.

I definitely recommend this book and look forward to the last two in the series, The King and Checkmate.