Boom!

Boom!

My son and I look at each other across the kitchen, eyes wide.

“What was that?”

“I’ve no idea.”

We shrug and move to the living room to watch a documentary on Lewis and Clark. History geeks that we are, we call this high entertainment. And one-on-one time spent with a college student in his last year at home is priceless.

Boom! Boom!

I look out the window at the smoking burn barrel.

“What did you throw in the trash?” This question is followed by his first and middle names.

“Nothing.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Our back yard has taken on the look and demeanor of a war zone. Noses pressed against the windows, we watch as several more explosions launch flaming bits of paper into the stratosphere.

“’Nothing’ doesn’t blow up.”

His shoulders start to jiggle and his lips twitch.

“What did you throw in the trash?” I not only use his first, middle and last names. . .at this point I’m reciting his entire social security number.

“I might have thrown away some old CO2 cartridges I used to use in that pellet gun Grandpa gave me.”

“You’re going to be the death of us yet.”

“Yeah, but isn’t it cool?”

We stand and watch more flaming eruptions and smoldering fallout. Thankfully the ground is still frozen and half covered with snow. I wrap an arm around my son’s waist and lean my head on his shoulder.

“You’re an idiot, but I love you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

I can picture my Heavenly Father, with His arm around my shoulder, standing side-by-side with me as I blow up things in my life. He loves me, even when I’m an idiot. Even when I loose flaming debris across the landscape of the life He has purposed for me.  Praise God!

Surrender the Dawn

Surrender the Dawn by M.L. Tyndall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It says a lot that I'm giving this book 4 stars since it hit one of my pet peeves at the very beginning and several times throughout the story.  I detest - not too strong a word here - the cliche, "as well as any man" when referring to a woman doing something.  Detest.  I almost closed the cover when I hit the first one.  But I hung on and am very glad I did.  A delightful tail of a lady and a rogue who both find truth and love among the twists and turns of war time.  Set during the War of 1812, we even get a peek at such notable figures from history as Sir Francis Scott Key and Major Armistead.  Gotta love a dose of good history in any historical!

Consume the Good Stuff

The unusual contortion of my son’s face was my first clue. His cereal bowl hung suspended under his chin. His jaw elongated below closed lips. His eyes attempted to abandon ship.

“Did you put the lamb’s milk replacer on your cereal?” I asked.

Arms and legs flailing, he managed a mad dash out the back door where he heaved his meager breakfast over the edge of the deck. When I could control my spasmic middle and had wiped the tears from my eyes, I was quite impressed he achieved this feat without spilling a drop on the kitchen floor.

The night before, I mixed a double batch of milk replacer for our orphan lamb. The only container I found big enough to hold it was an empty milk jug. Knowing this could be mistaken, I dutifully wrote “Milk Replacer” in thick black marker on all sides of the jug. This apparently wasn’t good enough for my sleepy-eyed son.

He accused me of trying to poison him. I assured him that if 8 ounces didn’t kill a 12-pound lamb, one mouthful – thoroughly ejected – wasn’t going to poison a 225-pound adult man. He was less than mollified and not at all amused.

Achan (Joshua - chapter 7) took the things forbidden by God purposefully. He and his family paid a terrible price. But we can also grab on to things accidentally that will strain our relationship with God. By not paying attention to what we are consuming, we leave ourselves open to unholy thoughts. A television program, a magazine, a book – all innocent diversions we enjoy – hold the potential to expose us to spiritually harmful things.

My son came away with a bad taste in his mouth for his inattention. Inattention in other areas can be far more damaging. Be careful what you consume.

Nurture Good Traits

“Tag! You’re it!”

Jester tapped Joker with his nose and took off running. Several other lambs joined in, baaing and romping along the pond’s rim. Jester climbed down the ditch and popped up the other side. Annie followed but the rest of the lambs hung back.

“Whatcha afraid of? Come on!”

The other lambs baaed and milled around at the edge of the ditch.

“Make way, coming through!” Remus called, running from the back of the flock to catch up, his little black legs pumping across the grassy berm. Showing no hesitation, he bucked a couple of times and plunged into the ditch after Jester. The rest tumbled through with him.

“Come with me, Jester.” His mother called.

“Aw, shucks, Mom. We were having fun.”

“I saw.”

“And I was leading the whole flock!”

“You’ll grow up to be a good ram. The others follow you already.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes. Leadership is a good thing to nurture.”

“What does nurture mean?”

“It means to take care of something, to treat it special so that it can grow into what it should to be.”

Jester stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Is leadership something that grows? Like wool?”

“Yes and no. You don’t see it like wool, but grows inside you.”

“How?”

“Practice, mostly, like you did playing tag. You started the game. You took the lead and the other lambs followed. Even fun things only happen when someone shows leadership and gets it started.”

“And I did that…didn’t I.” His little chest swelled and he cocked his ears a bit higher.

“Yes, you did.” A smile lurked at the corners of his mother’s mouth.

 
This post is part of Christian Writers’ May Blog Chain on the topic, “Nurture.” Check out the other Blog Chain posts by clicking the links right.

While Mortals Sleep

While Mortals Sleep by Jack Cavanaugh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one deserves a 5 star rating. I will read this book again. A powerful story about the lives of Christians during the beginnings of WWII. Wow. Wow. So much we don't think about when we think of that war.

Jack Cavanaugh writes a wonderful and disturbing story of a pastor, his family, and his church in these turbulent times. It's not an easy story to read. The reader is sucked into the lives of these people, cheers for them, is disappointed by them, is amazed by them, and feels the fear and angst of the times flowing through each chapter.

No spoilers here but I'm anxious to read the other two books in this trilogy. My son has finished them all and he's as taken with the story as I am. He's a history teacher and confirms that the actual historical facts in here are true. Whether we wish they were or not.

I recommend this one for upper teens and older due to the disturbing - albeit true - events that occur. Powerful. Thoughtful. A good lesson for people too young to remember what happens when one man - or one party - garners too much power. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." You owe it to your parents and grandparents who fought in the War to read this one.