Journal

Not only was March National Reading Month, but it just so happened that I turned in a book on March 6, which meant it was totally the perfect time for me to binge read! I am about to dive into edits to A Refuge Assured (releasing January 2018), but first, I wanted to share with you the wonderful books I recently read. In order of time period represented in the story: The Return by J.M. Hochstetler and Bob Hostetler  Released April 1, 2017 The Book: Jakob Hochstetler’s refusal to take up arms against the Indians who attacked his Amish family’s home on the Pennsylvania frontier during the brutal raids of the French and Indian War cost the lives of his wife and two of his children. Carried away with his younger sons, Jakob is enslaved by the Seneca, while Joseph and Christian are adopted into different divisions of the Lenape tribe and struggle to adapt to new lives.  Jakob plots a perilous escape in spite of overwhelming odds against succeeding. But even if he can get away, could he survive a harrowing journey over the hundreds of miles of rugged terrain that lie between him and his Northkill community? Does home still exist? Are his older son and daughter, Johannes and Barbara, still alive? Will he ever find his boys and bring them home? My Take: This book is a marvel. With unflinching commitment to history and an artist’s palette of imagery, the authors have offered a rare and important tale that will break your heart and piece it back together again. My life is richer for having experienced this novel.  *This is the second book in a series--I highly recommend reading the first book, Northkill, first. Another gem!!  The Messenger by Siri Mitchell Released March 2012  The Book: Hannah Sunderland felt content in her embrace of the Quaker faith..until her twin brother ran off and joined the army and ended up captured and in jail. Suddenly Hannah's world turns on end. She longs to bring her brother some measure of comfort in the squalid, frigid prison where he remains. But the Quakers believe they are not to take sides, not to take up arms. Can she sit by and do nothing while he suffers?  Jeremiah Jones has an enormous task before him. Responsibility for a spy ring is now his, and he desperately needs access to the men in prison, whom they are seeking to free. A possible solution is to garner a pass for Hannah. But while she is fine to the eye, she holds only disdain for him--and agreeing would mean disobeying those she loves and abandoning a bedrock of her faith.  With skill and sensitivity, Mitchell tells a story of two unlikely heroes seeking God's voice, finding the courage to act, and discovering the powerful embrace of love. My Take: I was so impressed with this book, set in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War! Loved the characters, the dialogue (right down to some of the 18th-century vocabulary), the historical events it portrayed, and the growth in both the hero and the heroine from start to finish. To me, the ending was completely satisfying. Well done, Siri Mitchell! The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett Releases June 6, 2017 The Book: In 1927, Margie Lane, an avid naturalist, convinces her Senator father to procure her a position at the fledgling Mount Rainier National Park. Since Ranger Ford Brannon lost his father in a climbing accident, he doubts his ability to protect the park and its many visitors. He certainly doesn't relish the job of watching over an idealistic and privileged young woman with no practical survival skills.  When Margie's former fiance sets his mind on developing the Paradise Inn and its surroundings into a tourist playground, Margie and Ford will have to work together to preserve the beauty and simplicity of this mountain hideaway, but the developer's plans might put more than just the park in danger. My Take: A true delight. With its expertly rendered setting of breathtaking beauty and danger, combined with charming characters and a swiftly-moving plot, The Road to Paradise is a journey worth taking more than once!   A Trail of Crumbs by Susie Finkbeiner Released March 28, 2017 The Book: Pearl Spence has been through more in her young life than most folks could handle. But through it all, her family has been by her side. They may not be perfect, but they love her and they all love each other, come what may. That's one thing Pearl no longer questions. But then a devastating tragedy throws the whole family into a tailspin--and signals the beginning of the end of her secure life. Now the Spences are fleeing their Oklahoma wasteland for an unknown life in Depression-era Michigan. Pearl isn't sure she'll ever see home or happiness again. Will any trail of crumbs be powerful enough to guide her back to the dependable life she once knew? The strong narrative voice of Finkbeiner’s young protagonist from A Cup of Dust returns in this gritty yet hopeful sequel. My Take: Through the child protagonist's point of view, we watch and experience a heartache born of the Great Depression which can be felt much more poignantly than mere words can describe. This is one of Susie Finkbeiner's greatest strengths--that she can evoke a mood, an ambience, a tide of emotions just below the surface of the printed page. It was the understated that undid me more than anything else possibly could have. I'm so impressed with how the narrative voice is consistent with the first book, and yet exhibits character growth, as well. Loved this book. When Tides Turn by Sarah Sundin Released March 14, 2017 The Book: When fun-loving glamour girl Quintessa Beaumont learns the Navy has established the WAVES program for women, she enlists, determined to throw off her frivolous ways and contribute to the war effort. No-nonsense and hoping to make admiral, Lt. Dan Avery has been using his skills to fight German U-boats. The last thing he wants to see on his radar is a girl like Tess. For her part, Tess works hard to prove her worth in the Anti-Submarine Warfare Unit in Boston—both to her commanding officers and to the man with whom she is smitten. When Dan is assigned to a new escort carrier at the peak of the Battle of the Atlantic, he’s torn between his lifelong career goals and his desire to help Tess root out a possible spy on shore. The Germans put up quite a fight, but he wages a deeper battle within his heart. Could Tess be the one for him? With precision and pizazz, fan favorite Sarah Sundin carries readers through the rough waters of love in a time when every action might have unforeseen world-changing consequences. My Take: A triumphant conclusion to the Waves of Freedom trilogy! With her trademark love-at-first-read characters, historical integrity and well-paced plot, When Tides Turn is every bit the high caliber novel we've come to expect from Sarah Sundin.  The Novelist by Angela Hunt Released July 2006 The Book: From the author who taught you to expect the unexpected...an intriguing tale about families, fiction, and what to do when life veers wildly off script. It begins...when a smug college student challenges a best-selling novelist to write something "more personal." It begins...when a mother finds her troubled son slumped unconscious outside her house. It begins...when fiction and reality blur, and the novelist finds herself caught somewhere in the middle of it all. Where does it end? That all depends on who is telling the story... My Take: This contemporary novel took me by surprise with its parallel plot structure. Half the book is the story of the protagonist novelist, interspersed with chapters of the story this character is writing. A very original and unusual format, it grew on me the more I read it until I was equally invested in both plotlines. Tucked into these pages was a powerful message I wasn't expecting, but definitely appreciated. Trial by Twelve by Heather Day Gilbert Released May 2015 The Book: Tess Spencer loves her low-key job at the Crystal Mountain Spa, which allows her plenty of down-time with her one-year old daughter and lawyer husband, Thomas. But when a pool installation turns up eight skeletons in the spa's back yard, Tess becomes entangled in a sleuthing job destined to go awry. As the investigation gets underway, someone dumps a fresh body near the excavated burial site, confirming unspeakable fears. A serial killer has returned to Buckneck, West Virginia...a skilled hunter with a unique taste in prey. When Tess agrees to help the cunning Detective Tucker gather clues from the inside, she discovers the posh spa hides more than dead bodies. Even as she sifts through layers of deceit, Tess realizes too late that the killer's sights have zeroed in on her.  Unpredictable psychological mystery replete with memorable characters, Trial by Twelve is Book Two in A Murder in the Mountains series.  My Take: Another page-turner from Heather Day Gilbert! Loved this book just as much as Miranda Warning, if not more. I loved spending more time with characters I'd already grown to love, and meeting new ones, too. The mystery is well-paced, with enough intrigue and drama to keep me guessing to the very end, sprinkled with humor that had me laughing out loud several times. Such an enjoyable read. How about you? What did you read during the month of March? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

Four years ago, I shared this  poignant Christmas song on the blog, in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook, and the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. But now in 2016, the words are just as meaningful as ever. It's been a long, hard year, hasn't it? And if there is anything that personal or national hardships teach us, it's the simple fact that we need a Savior. This Christmas, as we celebrate Jesus' birth, may we remember that Immanuel, God with us, is still here. The Christmas song "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is a powerful reminder of that truth, with words by Henry Longfellow, and music by John Calkin. The lyrics were first penned in the midst of the horrors of our Civil War, a song which seems especially fitting this year. God is not dead, nor does he sleep... Take a moment to enjoy Casting Crowns rendition of this classic song below. Now let's scroll back in time and take a look at how this song was born. During the Civil War, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was informed by a letter dated March 14, 1863, that his oldest son Charles Appleton Longfellow had left home to join the Union army--without Henry's blessing. The letter said, in part: "I have tried hard to resist the temptation of going without your leave but I cannot any longer," he wrote. "I feel it to be my first duty to do what I can for my country and I would willingly lay down my life for it if it would be of any good." By November, he was severely wounded in the Battle of New Hope Church (in Virginia) during the Mine Run Campaign. Coupled with the recent loss of his wife Frances, who died as a result of an accidental fire, Longfellow was inspired to write "Christmas Bells" on Christmas Day, 1863. Henry's personal tragedy was wrapped in the national tragedy of the nation's civil war. The lyrics are below. The fourth and fifth verses you'll find here refer directly to the Civil War and are usually left out of the traditional Christmas song. I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along the unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men. Till ringing, singing on its way The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, a chant sublime Of peace on earth, good will to men. Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And in despair I bowed my head “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail With peace on earth, good will to men.” The hope Longfellow found among crisis can still be ours today. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be uponhis shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness     from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this" (Isiaha 9:6-7). Merry Christmas!

Recently I sat down with a really, really successful publishing editor who gave me some advice for my writing career. It was terrible advice. The worst ever. If I didn't already have ten books published and several national awards, I would have been crushed. As it was, however, I was just stunned. So stunned in fact, she cocked her head at me and said, "Are you OK?" I wasn't, at the moment. What she had told me to do went against my entire purpose, and against my nature, and against my integrity. She told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to add a certain degree of smut to the book I'm writing right now so that it will make a lot of money. "That's where the money is," she said, "so that's where you want to go!" Did I mention this appointment took place at a Christian conference for Christian writers? Maybe you, too, have been surprised by bad advice from someone you thought you could trust. It's jarring, isn't it? This wasn't the first time I'd received terrible advice from a really successful person. A few years ago, I paid for a phone call with a bestselling author who sold her time to authors like me who wanted a little help brainstorming plots and characters. After I'd been sharing with her for a while, she stopped me and said this: "You keep talking about history. Your book is not about the history. It's about your story. Don't do so much research. I write my stories first and then check the research to make sure it fits." Well, dear reader, if you have read any of my novels, you know that my stories are, in fact, about the history. My stories are born from the history, my characters reflect the lives of people who really lived. Needless to say, though this author was helpful in other ways, that was one piece of advice I didn't take. It can feel weird to disagree with someone who is really successful. It's easy to think that whatever they say must be true because it's worked for them. But if their words don't ring true in your spirit, if they don't resonate, forget it. My children's violin teacher taught them how to tell if their instruments are in tune with this concept of resonance. When you play a note that has the same name as one of the strings, after your bow leaves the string, the open string with the same note name should vibrate, or ring. That's resonance. This guy in the video clip explains it a little better: You probably weren't able to hear the ringing through the video, but if you hear it live, it is so cool. I think the Holy Spirit works the same way with us. When we are in tune with Him--by spending consistent time in the Word and in prayer--if we hear something that resonates with us, we can feel good about that. But if it doesn't resonate with what we know to be true, we know it's not in line with what God wants for us. We hear a lot of voices in our culture, don't we? Some we invite to speak into our lives, like the examples I mentioned. Some are just constantly bombarding us--facebook, twitter, television, radio, even well-meaning people, be they strangers or otherwise. We need to train our ears to hear one voice over all the rest. Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." ~John 10:14-16 We need to be listening for the voice of Christ in our lives. Very often, God uses people to speak truth into our circumstances (There is wisdom in the counsel of many, right?) but we need to be discerning as we sort through all the advice. In John 10:14, Jesus makes a point of saying that He and His sheep know each other. The worst advice I've received in life has been from people who don't know me at all. For example, the editor who told me sexualize my novel didn't know I'm a mother trying to raise my children to be modest, respectful and pure, and that I care deeply about not tempting my readers to impure thoughts. The bestselling author who told me to not care about the history so much was a contemporary romance novelist* who didn't know that our fascinating history is the very reason I write fiction in the first place. Thankfully, our Good Shepherd will never steer us wrong. What about you? Have you ever received advice that didn't resonate with you? Was it easy or difficult to decide whether to follow it? *I have nothing against contemporary romance novelists. Just saying we had different goals with our writing. :)

The kids and I wanted to do something really memorable for the last day of school a couple of weeks ago. Mission accomplished: my 6-year-old son broke his arm when  he jumped out of a swing and landed wrong. Poor little guy! I think his fear was as difficult to bear as the pain. He kept saying, "I don't want to be broken!" It took some time to assure him (and his big sister) that in time, he would heal. For the next several days, my shy little boy bristled every time we went to the grocery store, pharmacy, etc., because strangers would notice his sling and come talk to him about it. "How did you do that?" everyone wanted to know. "But was it fun doing it?" "What a way to start the summer!" "At least it wasn't your leg!" My son learned to make small talk about his broken bones (both bones in the left forearm snapped), but I could tell he didn't care for the attention. And then we went to the orthopedic surgeon's office to get his cast put on. As we stood waiting at the receptionist desk, a man was rolled out into the lobby in a wheelchair. He was a large man, with bushy white hair and beard, not unlike our typical image of Santa Claus, except for this gentleman sported shorts, a T-shirt, and an eight-inch scar traversing his right knee. I thought my son would be afraid of this stranger. After all, he was big, even in a wheelchair, and he had facial hair, which for some reason still makes my son uncomfortable. But what happened next brought tears to my eyes. The stranger in the wheelchair locked eyes with my son--after all, they were on the same level. The man then said simply, "Are you OK?" My son glanced at the scar on the man's knee, the wheelchair, and up to the man's eyes again. He nodded. "I'm OK." What touched me about this was that the man didn't ask what happened. It wasn't curiosity that prompted him to speak. He had noticed that a little boy had been injured, and simply asked if he was all right. He could have pointed to his own pain, to his immobility, in a  "Be grateful, I have it worse than you," sort of way. But he didn't mention it. He didn't need to. And in that moment, I saw a connection take place between my shy little guy and a burly stranger my son would normally be afraid of. They saw each other's pain, and acknowledged it. No fanfare. No jokes. Just simple, quiet, beautiful validation. Friends, scars have power. No one wants to be wounded, either physically or emotionally. But very often, when we are, we are marked by it. God can use those scars for good: 1. Being wounded opens our eyes to the suffering of others. 2. Scars  give us credibility when we speak of both pain and of healing. 3. Scars bear silent testimony that we have lived through something excruciating. We made it through to the other side. For those currently suffering, the reminder that better days will come is a wonderful gift, indeed. It is hope. Col. Brian Birdwell (U.S. Army, retired) survived being in the Pentagon when a plane crashed into it on 9-11-01. He was burned over 60 percent of his body, and his mere survival is a miracle. But he still bears scars. When he talks to other burn victims now, he doesn't start off by telling his own story. He doesn't need to. His scars make it clear that he understands. Of course, some scars are invisible. Laurie Wallin has four daughters, two of whom have special needs. When she sees another mom in a doctor or therapist's waiting room with tears in her eyes and a faraway look on her face, Laurie doesn't tell that tearful mom to buy Laurie's new book, Get Your Joy Back (which, BTW, is an amazing book). She offers her a kleenex, and puts her arm around her shoulders. True compassion need not say much. When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection (see Luke 24:38-39), the scars in His hands and feet proved three things: 1) He was who He said He was; 2) He had conquered death, just as He said He would; and 3) He can relate to any degree of human suffering. What a comfort! A very wise man I worked with once told me, "If we Christians never experienced pain, we would be tragically irrelevant to the rest of the world." Our scars are our proof that we can relate to others in pain--and that there is hope.  [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"1276", "attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3218", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"300", "height":"300", "alt":"scarshavepower"}}]] And we are not without comfort. Neither are we without the ability to comfort others. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." ~1 Corinthians 1:3-4 In five weeks, my son's cast will come off and he'll be able to ride his bike, play baseball, and swim again. He's really looking  forward to being "back to normal." But I'm hoping and praying that his "normal" from now on will include a generous portion of compassion for those who hurt. What about you? Have you had a life experience that has brought you more compassion for others? Or have you received compassion from someone that was especially meaningful to you? 

*Pssst...if this looks familiar to you, don't worry. I'm not a chronic secret-keeper. This post originally appeared on author Susie Finkbeiner's blog on April 29, but I figured I should also share it with my own peeps. So here you go: When I began writing Spy of Richmond, I had no idea I’d learn for myself what it meant to keep a gigantic secret from everyone I loved. My heroine’s secret, of course, was that she was a spy. My secret? My husband had cancer. We thought it was just a lump on his clavicle. A very painful, swollen, hot-to-the-touch and out-of-nowhere lump. Even as they wheeled him into the operating room to remove it, the word “tumor” did not occur to me. So when the surgeon came to consult with me afterwards and said the tumor was too large to remove, I was completely caught off guard. “We’re sending a sample to the lab,” he told me, “but if I were you, I’d want to know what we’re dealing with here. Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer.” I jerked backwards, as if his words had slapped me across the face. “I see this all the time,” he continued. “It’s a textbook case.” More words.  Chemotherapy . . Meet with the cancer team . . . treatment plan. . . I was crying by now. “Are you going to tell Rob? Am I supposed to tell him?” “No, I don’t want to tell him until the labs are in. But you need to process this now so you can support him when the time comes.” Well, if I wasn’t to tell Rob, then I wasn’t going to tell anyone. This was my first secret. I went through the motions of life, holding the ugly news close to my heart until it bore a hole right through it. At the pharmacy, picking up Rob’s post-surgery prescriptions, I couldn’t bear to answer the cheerful question, “How are you?” On Facebook, someone asked Rob if the doctor said anything about cancer. Rob said no. My secret gnawed through my middle. Days later, the phone call came: no cancer cells were detected. The mass was completely benign. This was the first time the doctor had been wrong, the nurse told me. I was stunned. After I hung up the phone I told Rob, “It isn’t cancer,” and started sobbing. “They told me it was cancer,” I choked out. It felt like a miracle to me, and suddenly the only thing that mattered was that Rob was going to be OK. Still, recovery from that surgery was very challenging. Because of the depth and width of the incision, he needed follow-up appointments at the wound care clinic for weeks, and I was in charge of changing his dressings a few times a day at home, which was painful for him, and distressing to me. Add to this the fact that he developed a dependence on his narcotic and went through a terrible withdrawal. A month or so after Rob’s surgery, our family took a mini-vacation, and I cracked my toe on a deck chair at the side of the hotel pool. Really hard. It hurt like the dickens, but I wasn’t about to complain. After all, look at what Rob is still going through! I thought. This is nothing. So we carried on, walking around the Science Museum that night and around the zoo the next day. My toe was killing me, but since it was nothing “compared to Rob,” I tried to deny the pain. Weeks later, I still was limping. I finally went to the doctor, where an x-ray revealed I’d broken my toe. This, then, had been my second secret, one I had tried to keep even from myself. The truth of the matter—my secret—was that I was in pain. The lie that I had chanted to myself to drown out the truth, was that because my pain was less than someone else’s, my pain was invalid, and did not deserve attention. The lie was that acknowledging my own pain would be a wimpy thing to do. Don’t we all deny our own pain sometimes? But here’s the thing about pain, whether it’s physical or emotional. It’s real, even if/though someone else is currently suffering more than you are. Comparing burdens is useless. Pain is a sign that something is wrong. And only when we acknowledge that something is wrong will we be able to fix it. I have this hunch that at least some of you are experiencing pain today. Hear this: your pain is real, and you are not weak for seeking help. What you’re feeling is valid. Don’t tell yourself that because someone else has it worse, you should be fine. C.S. Lewis once called pain the gift that no one wants. Pain is a message that we are not whole, and that we should be. Pain says something needs to change in order for us to feel better. But we have to be honest about it before we can get on the path to healing. It’s a delicate balance, but one worth striving for. Let’s be grateful for the blessings we do have, but please, let’s not walk around on broken toes.