Violinist4Christ

College

2011-07-27T16:28:00.000-05:00

Hello again everyone!

I'm sure you've all noticed the new blog layout; I thought I'd address it so you're not distracted about it for the rest of the post. :) I decided it was time for a change, especially since the old layout hid some of the links and buttons and such. I may play around with backgrounds more. I definitely want to keep the banner because it fits me so well. Just need to find a good background to go with it.
Anyway, that said, on to my post.

I start college in two weeks. As the first day approaches, there are so many "lasts" I will have to face. Last day playing violin in the youth group's band, last day helping with the preschool at church, last violin lesson with the teacher I've had since I was 10, last days of free time. But there will be so many firsts! First time in a classroom setting since first grade, first friend I make in college, first chapel service as a college student...

It's the biggest transition I have made in my life, and the only way I'll make it successfully is by keeping my focus on Jesus, the One Who never changes and is by my side no matter what happens. Only He knows the unknown, and with Him there's no reason to fear.

But it's all rather bittersweet. I'm going to miss my violin teacher so much. We've become close friends over the years and made it through some tough times together. And the thought of a new teacher whom I have never met is a bit intimidating.
And all the things that I've been a part of... my part in them is ending. I'll miss seeing all those beautiful 4 and 5 year olds at church twice a month. I'll miss all the free time I've been enjoying this summer. I'll miss the times I've been able to have with my sister. I am commuting to college, but I don't think I'll have much time for anything but studying. So I'm going to adjust and be flexible. One of the books I've been reading is called "Fearless," by Max Lucado. One chapter talks about how when you're going through a storm, or a situation that throws you significantly off-balance - to keep your eyes fixed on the pilot - on Jesus. He is the light that lets you see what the next step is. He's the point of reference when the rest of the world is shifting crazily. And He is the One Who will keep you steady in the midst of a world falling apart. So for all of us who are going to college or through a big transition, I pray this: Jesus, I know You're going to walk us through this. Give us gentle reminders throughout the day of Your presence, and strengthen us to pursue excellence in everything.

When I tell people I'm starting college I get mixed reactions. 1. "Wow! Are you excited?" 2. "Ooh are you nervous?" 3. "You really don't look old enough to be a college student." (That last one scares me. Lol.)

1. Yes! 2. I'm trying not to be. 3. Yes, you're the 20th person to say that this month. (Maybe I'm exaggerating, but really... it's starting to get annoying.)

The first question is asked by people who know me well and have the utmost confidence that I WILL succeed in college. They've seen that I work hard and am strong in my faith. They're the ones that really help me see that college is an adventure, and that I will have fun even in the midst of all the hard work.
The second is asked by well-meaning friends/acquaintences. I never know what to say to that. "Um, not right now, but once it gets closer to the first day, I'll probably be nervous." But y'know... I don't even want to anticipate getting nervous. I don't have to be. Excited, focused, energized... that's what I want to be on the first day and throughout the next four years.
The third is asked by people who just found out my age. I've been told that I look younger than my age since I was around 11. But then there is that rare occasion when someone says I look my age or older. (I like those people. Lol!) But every time someone says that, I wonder if I'll fit in in college. Will people see me as beneath them because I'm short and look younger? Will I always be looking up at people, trying to change my appearance to be accepted? Or will I accept that God made me this small and use it to be a comfort to others in the same boat as me?

I think I'll choose the latter.

So anyway, those are my rather disorganized thoughts about college. And to those who will join me in this new and exciting adventure, welcome aboard! Let's keep our eyes on the Captain of the ship and not weary in our faith in Him.

Confidence

2011-07-06T18:39:00.004-05:00

This morning I was listening to a Christian podcast. The subject was dating, and how the process of breaking up destroys confidence.

But then... isn't that one of the reasons some people date? To build confidence?

To have someone express interest in you. To enjoy the little quirks about you. The way you laugh, catch phrases you use... to have someone that appreciates you for who you are - not just what you can do for them To encourage you and build you up. And you in turn do the same for them.

But then if something happens, and you break up...

That whole world is shattered. Confidence that was built on shifting sands is destined to fall into despair and self-doubt. Confidence built in someone else's view of us is so dangerous, so finite. When our whole view of ourselves depends on what one individual thinks of us, what will we do when the day comes and we don't meet their expectations?

We begin to question our identity. All of the sudden, we aren't on top of the world anymore. Because we have lessened in their eyes, we are insecure in ourselves. We are no longer good enough. Our support has been pulled out from under us, and as we fall we frantically grip the air for something to stable us.

This post really isn't about dating. It's about who we place our trust in. How we see ourselves. Who we really are.

Have you ever wondered that? Who am I, really? What defines me and makes me myself? It's sobering, especially if you don't have a ready answer. When we change with every gust of wind, aiming to please everyone but pleasing no one, it is so easy to lose sight of our identity. Is that person in the mirror me, or is it the person I'm trying to be for others?

"On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand."

The world is so confused. They have no fixed point of reference. No firm foundation. And when we lose sight of the rock on which we stand, venturing out into the ways of the world, we are soon caught in the same trap.

To really know who we are, we need to know who HE is. To have confidence in ourselves, we need to have confidence in Him. Without Him, we fall. With Him, we stand strong through every storm.

Once we understand what He has done for us, we begin to realize that our identity is not found in someone else's view of us, but in how GOD sees us. Our Maker is the only One who can truly define us. Not the mirror. Not our friends and family or even enemies. God and God alone. We are no longer dependent on sand to hold us up, but the everlasting firm rock of Christ's love for us! We are self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency (Phil 4:13, AMP).

So how DOES God see us? We all know this verse, but to rebuild our foundation we must go back to the basics.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

First of all, God loves us SOO much more than we can ever fathom. So much so that He gave His ONLY Son to die for us, so we could be with Him! How amazing and crazy and passionate is the Father's love for us!

Next, He made us with His tender love and mercies. Psalm 139 shows us that God knows all the details of our life. He has our whole life planned out, and He saw the dark valley we would be in, even before the foundation of the world. We are His, and He is ours. He sees all the people we have and will impact. We will never know until we get to Heaven just how many people we have blessed.

There are so many Scriptures that demonstrate His wonderful love for us. 1 Peter 2:24 says, "He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds, you have been healed." He died so we could live. Now that's love. To give up all your rights, and everything good that belonged to you so that the other person could have it. And He did all that for the least of us. And it's when we meditate on that - on JESUS - that we can truly look upon ourselves with pure eyes and see who we really are. Suddenly, we aren't looking for the next compliment, or person to fulfill us. Our relationship with God is more than enough and sustains us through our darkest hours. We focus more on Him and less on us. He must increase and we must decrease.

So if this post was for you... take His love to heart. Realize that even if the people who should be loving you look down on you instead, that the Father cherishes you, and loves you above and beyond what you could ever grasp or imagine. It's not just words. It's not just Violinist4Christ who's saying this. God says it over and over again in His Word. And He is longing for you to read His love letter to you, and to run to His embrace. Won't you taste and see that the Lord is good?

2 Corinthians 1:10
And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.

2 Corinthians 3:11-12 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! ¹² Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.

Philippians 3:3b
We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort.

1 Thessalonians 5:8
But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

Titus 3:7
Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”

Hebrews 6:18
So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.

Hebrews 13:6
So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper,so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

*All Scripture taken from the NLT unless otherwise noted. Courtesy of Biblegateway.com

Unity

2011-06-06T15:13:00.000-05:00

Ephesidans 4:11, 16 (AMP) "And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us,] some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers."
"For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts closely) joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly (in all its functions) grows to full maturity, building itself up in love."

We are the body of Christ. Do you ever think about that? To each one of us God has given us a gift, a calling, a place in the church. Everyone has their place. I think too often we put ourselves in competition with each other - wishing we were as friendly and outgoing as this girl is, or as willing and able to serve as he is, or to teach Sunday School as well as they do.

But think about it. If everyone was good at the same thing, there would be so many areas lacking in the body of Christ! If everyone did acts of service, who would be there to encourage? If everyone encouraged, who would teach? We need to find out who God has made us to be - the strengths that He has given to us - and cultivate it.

We each build each other up. You know what would happen if your stomach wanted to become a lung, or your foot an ear. Disaster! You could no longer function correctly. The church is stagnant, crippled, unless we each stand up and do what God has called us to do. We are closely knit together as Christ's body, with Him as the head. God doesn't give us the power to do someone else's job - He gives us the power and strength and grace for OUR position. The key is to find out what that is and focus on serving God with it in love.

C.S. Lewis used this as an illustration. One day a boy wanted to buy his dad a gift, but had no money for he was too young to work. So he asked his father, "Dad, could I have some money so I can buy you a present?" And the father chuckled and gave his son the money. Could the son take credit for the money or the present? No, because it came from his father. It's the same with the gifts God gives us. Everything good we can do - every good desire, strength, and ability - it comes from God, and we give it back to Him by using it according to His will. And when our gifts and our callings mature as we use them for His glory out of love, we build ourselves up. We have joy and peace, knowing that we're doing what we are meant to do.

So don't look at others and covet the gifts that they have. You might think that if only you could play the guitar like so-and-so, you could be happy. But if we're not happy doing what we're supposed to do, we won't be happy if we had the best guitar skills in the world. Our focus needs to be on using the gifts we have to spread the love of God. To God be the glory, for all He has done for us! Amen.

I can see clearly now...

2011-03-29T22:02:00.000-05:00

...that I have glasses. :) I'm slightly near sighted, so I recently got glasses - mainly for use when driving at night. It's pretty amazing at how much clearer and crisp everything looks. I can read signs for further away than I ever remember being able to read. And everything looks like an overly sharpened photograph. Outlines are clearer, flowers, grass, and trees are spectacular... It all just looks that much better with glasses.

So I started thinking... what about my spiritual eyes? Do I need "spiritual glasses"? If physical eyes can falter so much, what does that say about how I view people? I think of that song, "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath... if you listen to Christian radio at all, you've probably heard it. :) The song talks about how people are so much more than face value. We have no idea what might be going on in the lives of people around us. The guy we pass on the street might've been laid off. The rude cashier could have had a recently deceased family member.

But then it goes even deeper than that. All we can see is the results of the influences and things upon a person. We can't see who they are on the inside - the heart of a person - without investing time and effort in a person. And even then our eyes can falter. A habit that they've developed may be normal in their family, but it might be strange or even distasteful in our eyes. The examples could go on and on. We often see people at face value - for what we see immediately. How does God see people?

God sees them as valuable. He loved the world so much that He gave His only Son. He gave them a way to be saved. Even if no one accepted His gift, He still would have died. Every person is special to Him; He saw every moment of their lives before the earth was even formed. Imagine! As He was creating light He thought of you. And every other individual. He was there, personally forming each baby in their mother's womb. His thoughts about us are ENDLESS! Every person is valuable in His sight. He loves every detail of their lives, and delights in their individual qualities... even ones we might find annoying.

When we are constantly thinking about how God views the world... when we filter everything we see through His lenses, we won't be so quick to judge. Hurtful thoughts or even words we might have said no longer seem relevant. As we seek God, Who is Love, we understand His love for people, and we act as He does. So whether you wear glasses or not, don't neglect to wear God's glasses. You might end up seeing something beautiful.

Reflections

2011-01-06T16:11:00.000-06:00

So George Herbert is probably one of my absolute favorite British Literature writers so far in my studies on the subject. One of my favorite poems by him is called, "Love." It so beautifully portrays the repentant sinner and Jesus.

Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lacked anything.

"A guest," I answered, "worthy to be here."
Love said, "You shall be he."
"I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee!"
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
"Who made the eyes but I?"
"Truth Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve."
"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"
"My dear, then I will serve."
"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste My meat":
So I did sit and eat.

It's so beautiful. I love it when the poet asks to be made a guest worthy to sit at the Lord's table. It's a perfect picture of how much God loves us in spite of how unworthy we are in ourselves; in spite of the mess we've made. Love beckons us to come.

Comments

2011-01-05T16:38:00.000-06:00

Hi all!

So it's come to my attention that there was a problem commenting on my blog. I've made a couple adjustments to my blog settings... you should be able to comment now. If not, please email me at violinist4Christ@yahoo.com

Thanks, and God bless! Hope everyone has a blessed new year. 2011 is going to be great!

From my prayer journal...

2010-12-23T17:35:00.000-06:00

"No other could ever be as beautiful.
No other could ever steal my heart away.
I am captivated by You."
-Captivated, by Vicki Beeching

No creature can be as beautiful as its creator. No human can be as beautiful as Jesus. It's sometimes hard to remember that, though. Some people catch my attention with how kind and beautiful they are. Oh how easily my eyes turn from You!
Lord, help me always remember how beautiful You are. May no one ever take Your place. They could never fulfill the void You so perfectly fill. You're beautiful and I love You!

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace."

-Taken from my prayer journal in hopes that it will be a blessing to you as it is to me.

Merry Christmas!

Open Door

2010-08-15T21:22:00.001-05:00

"And You've opened the door for me
And You laid down Your life to set me free
All that I am will serve You Lord."
Oh You Bring ~ Hillsong United

God's opened the door for us. The door to healing. The door to His presence. The door to freedom. The door to worship Him in spirit and in truth. The door to everything - everything He has for us. All we have to do is walk in. Push through all the debris that's in the way. Push through the distraction, the doubt, the worry, the fear. Push through the apathy, the lack of passion for God, the idolatry - the love of this world instead of God. Present it all to God. It's okay to admit to Him where you're at, 'cause He meets us where we are. He gets down on our level where we've fallen and helps us back up again; helps us back to the path again. Give Him your life. Worship Him - with your life. Do everything as unto the Lord, with excellence.

Perfect Peace

2010-08-15T19:04:00.002-05:00

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You! 4 Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock."Isaiah 26:3-4 (NLT)

For several years I've dealt a lot with fear... mostly at night. I don't know what it was, but I used to get so scared at night that I couldn't go to sleep. I won't go into detail, but a lot of the time there was no reason for it. God's brought me SO far from where I was all those years ago when it was the worst. If I knew the Scripture and promises I know now back then, I would have had more peaceful nights. Thank You, God, for delivering me from fear and the effects thereof.

Over the years, God has shown me things in His Word about peace and dealing with fear. Every time I heard a sermon about peace, I'd jump at the chance to learn more about it. My favorite Scripture I've found over the years is Philippians 4:4-7."Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."-NKJThese are the instructions God's given us to walk in peace! Start out with praise. Sing a worship song to Him, delight myself in God, read a Psalm to God, etc. Then I'd examine my life, and if I'd done anything to someone that day that wasn't gentle or considerate I'd repent and make it right with them. And I brought every one of those worries to God. Every time I started getting in fear, I'd give it over to Him. I would pray about what I was scared about, and thank God for answering my prayers. And then I took hold of His promise. That HIS peace would guard my heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

So God has come through in so many ways over the years. He's given me His perfect peace; about the near and far future. The theme for church camp this year was Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." This is my last year of high school and college is coming up fast. I do not at this time know what to major in. I've considered a couple of different things, but... yeah. I've learned to trust God and realize that He has got my whole life mapped out, and He wants me to know the next step exactly when I need it. He'll let me know at the exact right time, and I WILL know His voice when He speaks.

So I want to encourage you today that no matter what you might be facing that God has a GOOD plan for you - to prosper you and give you hope - a great expectancy of what is to come. Maybe you've been dealing with fear too. Get in the Word. Find out God's promises for you about that area. Keep your mind stayed on Him, and He will keep you in PERFECT peace. With no weak points. Rely on His strength and grace, and He will carry you through it. Follow the wonderful instructions of Phil 4:4-7. And trust God through it all. When your mind is stayed on Him, your problems don't look as big. Magnify God and watch the problems shrink in comparison. God will carry you through.

The Cost

2010-07-04T17:10:00.007-05:00

Hi all,

Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged. I can't promise I'll post x amount of times a month, but as God leads I'll post.

My church has a noon time prayer meeting open on the weekdays, and my dad and I attended it one day. Part way through our time there, I felt impressed to pray for the youth in America. My heart aches for my generation, and even the Christian youth - so many have wandered away from God. I wanted to make a difference - be a voice that draws their attention back to Christ. And then I believe God spoke to me - that I could be that voice online.

Something else that happened during that prayer time was that my thoughts started wandering to a scene in a move. When I realized that I'd gotten distracted, I snapped back to the present and was about to keep praying. Immediately I heard God say loudly in my spirit something that related to the said movie.

This is the scene from the movie I was remembering, at which I was disgusted when I saw it: a man's daughter had come to a proper age to be married. She was beautiful and had captured the attention of a couple men. Her father was willing to give her away to the man who had the largest pig. And he did. (Like I said, I was disgusted, so I quit watching the movie.)
But I heard God say so clearly that some have done just that - carelessly traded something so precious and valuable for a life with the pigs. They have traded a beautiful life with God - walking with Him every moment of every day and living out the amazing plan He has for them - for ease and complacency.

This is where so many of us have missed it, including myself. Too often I've traded obedience for something easier. Have you ever noticed how relieved one is when one comes up with an excuse not to follow God? It's hard! It's hard to go against the crowd, to deny self of things in the world that look good in order to do what you know God has told you to do. For instance, I believe God wants me to wait to have a boyfriend at this time in my life. It's so hard sometimes to wait, though. I see so many "couples" my age or even younger than me. It looks so good. But I have to go back to what I have heard from God about this, believe that He knows best for me. I have faith in God - in His power, His wisdom, and His goodness.
Then my flesh rises up and I think, It's so hard to always follow God! I have all these things I want to do - that I feel like doing. And what if He calls me to go somewhere I don't want to go, or tells me to say something that goes completely against my personality? What if...?

“If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be my disciple. 28 But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’" - Luke 14:26-30 NLT

"I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless (loss) because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!"
-Philippians 3:7-11. NLT.

Lord, never let it be said of us that we traded Your plan for ours. God, I have seen what it takes to be Your disciple - to follow after You with everything no matter what I feel or don't feel comfortable doing. God, all that means nothing to me - nothing - compared to knowing You! I want to be one with You in purpose and desire. Let Your plans be my plans; Your thoughts my thoughts. Nothing else is comparable to this! Everything else falls short and will end in vain. Your plans and thoughts are so much higher and better than anything else. I know that You have an incredible plan for my life, and that even when You tell me to do something hard, it is for the best and I will do it. Thank You, God for having such a great plan for my life!

Pure In Heart Tag

2010-05-07T18:35:00.003-05:00

Thanks so much to Loca Chica for tagging/awarding me!! I'm not sure what the questions have to do with having a pure heart, but they're still fun, so...

Here are the rules: If you are tagged:1. Post about the tag 2. Pick 10 bloggers who deserve this award 3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged letting them know they were awarded

Answer the questions along with your post 1: Apples, Oranges or Bananas? Oooh tough choice. I think I'd have to say bananas.
2: How many siblings do you have? 1 sibling - an awesome younger sister. :D
3: How old are you? Sorry, that's classified. :P
4: Do you live on a woodland, swamp, city, or other? City.
5: Scissors or glue? Scissors. Such handy things. :)
6: Describe your dream house: Big enough for family, not too elaborate though. Preferably with a green belt in the back yard to give the feeling of being in the country/woods.
7: Is your room clean? Depends on your definition of clean. There are a few odds and ends out, but I can honestly clean it in one or two minutes.
8: If you could be a movie character for a day, who would you be? Um... maybe Eowyn in the Lord of the Rings.
9: Italy, Greece, France, Spain or England? England all the way!!!
10: What denomination are you? Non-denominational. :)
11: Do you sleep with a stuffed toy (BE HONEST!!!!) I maybe slept with one a couple of nights when I was like 7, but it wasn't for security. It was just a special doll since I was with my uncle when I got it, so I guess I thought it would be fitting to sleep with it. Lol.
12: Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans? Chocolate!!
13: What is your favorite book? The Bible by far. After that I don't really have a favorite book.
14: Favorite ice cream flavor? Don't really have one... I don't eat ice cream much.
15: If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be? A fruit salad, I suppose. :)
.16: What is your favorite Olympic sport? Tennis. :)
17: If you woke up and discovered that you had turned into Miley Cyrus for the day, what would you do? 3 seconds of absolute disbelief and shock, then immediately after that pray and seek God about why this had happened. Then I follow His instruction.
18: Describe yourself in three words: Creative, quiet, studious.
19: What do you dislike the most? Bugs that bite... like mosquitoes.
20. What is your favorite season?* Spring. :)

And before I list the taggers, let me say what I mean by having a pure heart. No one is perfect. Everyone has struggles in life. But it's the ones that sincerely seek God from a heart that says, "God, I can't do this on my own. I mess everything up apart from you. Show me how to live my life, and give me grace to follow You." Those people whose hearts have been cleansed by God - they are the pure in heart.
(Oh, and if you don't want to answer all the questions, that's fine. I won't keep you accountable. Lol. :) )

Having said that, I hereby tag:
Alexandra at Firmly Fixed on the Father
Zoe at Joyful Sounds
Prism
Maiden of Emmanuel
A Twin for God
Holly at Point of View

Sorry, I can't think of anyone else...

Blessings,
V4C

*#20 Changed from original.

Better than I was

2010-04-18T17:11:00.004-05:00

Today I got home early from orchestra practice - not because I had to leave early, but because they only needed the first four stands in each strings section for certain songs. Every time I go to orchestra practice, I'm reminded of the fact that I'm last chair in the second violins. It's not the most encouraging thing in the world. Sometimes I think I should be at least one stand up, but this is where I am. When I first found out which chair I got, I determined that I was going to be the best player I could be, regardless of position.

Even so, it's still kind of discouraging to take my seat in the last spot in the violin section - especially when they forget to put down a chair for me. Lol. Oh sure, there are advantages, like always knowing where to sit, and being in the back so no one hears any mistakes you make. But still.

Now all that's at orchestra. Outside of orchestra, I play at concerts and events with my dad, who plays piano professionally. I've gotten many compliments, tips (as in money), and encouragement.
I play at church with my youth group, and can improvise and play by ear. I'm still learning, but I'm better than I used to be.

And that's the key phrase here: "I'm better than I used to be." I may not be concert mistress of the orchestra. I may not even be in the first four stands that are playing the other songs. But look how far I've come! From scratching out notes on the violin in an attempt to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, to playing well advanced songs like Tchaikovsky and worship songs like "The Revelation Song." And the good news is I don't have to stay here. I can keep progressing; practicing my violin and being a good steward over the "talents" I have been given from the Master. (See the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14.)

That's something I heard Joyce Meyer say recently - that we shouldn't be discouraged by always looking at how far we have to go, how good someone else is compared to us, etc. We shouldn't be content to stay where we are - we should always be progressing - but we can rejoice at how far we've come in our relationship with God, our instruments, sports, writing, and whatever else you're working on.

And that's another thing - comparing yourself to someone else. And really, that's not doing anyone a favor. God has placed unique gifts in you. Yeah, several other people may play classical music on the violin better than I could ever imagine, but I know that I'm not called to play in an orchestra for a living. So I work on the kind of music I'm supposed to be playing, and get my training from orchestra. Only you can do what you do. No one else will or can ever play exactly the way you do. Some will play worse, some better. But we don't look to other people for the standard - you look to God's expectations. He wants your best, not a half-hearted try. So do it for Him above all else.

Lately I've been realizing how precious and fleeting time is. Between school, orchestra, work, and everything else, it's hard to really find time to do everything else one is supposed to - such as practice different kinds of music, exercise, do chores, spend time with family, and for me, studying to get my license, being head admin of two message boards and actually trying to keep them active. (The last I've always had trouble with, with or without time.) But all this is especially hard when I use free time to get on face book, edit pictures, etc.

So this is where prioritizing comes in. Which, I've done several times before, but I never really stick with it because my schedule keeps changing. So that's why we really need to pray and seek God about which things we should be working on first, how long we should be working on them, etc. Yes, we can spend time relaxing and doing things we enjoy, but don't use every spare moment doing it.

So as soon as I finish this post, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to pray, and then figure out what I need to be spending the most time on. And if that means fasting some things like face book, so be it.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day. Blessings to you all!

-Violinist4Christ

Spring Greetings

2010-03-30T17:42:00.002-05:00

Hello again!

Well, it's not like I've completely forgotten about blogging... it's more like I've been uninspired to do it. I didn't really have anything to write. But today I thought I'd write a note of encouragement to whomever is reading this.

The Health Care Bill finally passed last week. It seems like our nation is on a downward spiral, doesn't it? What could possibly bring our nation back to repentance? Back to where God wants it to be?
I mean, even if the best president were elected today, here and now, would that really bring the right kind of change to America? Probably not. This isn't something that one person can do, or even a group of people.

But it's something that God can do. Only God can change the hearts of people. Only He can cause the greatest awakening that our country has ever seen. And only an awakening TO GOD will really save America.

What part do we play in this? God has not called us to sit back and blame everything on end times. We can still pray. And we can still earnestly seek God about what our part is in the awakening.

It starts with us. No one else will do our part for us - no one else CAN do our part for us. Spend extra time seeking God about this. You know those moments of spare time you have? Waiting in line at the store, driving here and there in the car. Waiting for a concert to start. Those are all times when we can pray. When we're running or bike riding or whatever form of exercise you do, you can pray then. What better way to spend your time? And you don't always have to pray out loud, unless God directs you to. Sometimes you're not in a position where it would be right to pray out loud. God still hears silent prayers.

James 5:16 says, "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."

Matthew 21:21-22 says, "Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. ²² You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Have a great week!

-Violinist4Christ

Prayer: Ask Him Anything

2010-02-17T16:40:00.003-06:00

How much do we involve God in our lives? Lately I've been realizing how much I try to do on my own. Sometimes even after I read the Bible, I'll be like, "All right, I'm going to be humble all day today," and not even ask God to help me with it.

Then a couple of days ago, I was kind of in a bad mood and was trying hard (on my own strength) to get out of it. Then I came across this verse:
Psalm 105:4 "Search for the Lord, and for His strength. Seek Him continually."
And for some reason, even though I'd seen it before several times, it jumped out at me. Search for Him, and then His strength! So I don't have to try to do everything on my own. When I'm really tired and have to go to work anyway, I don't have to try to get through it on my own. I can ask Him for the strength I need for it! But above His strength, I need to search for HIM. I need to involve Him in my life.

When I'm tempted, I'm not on my own. I don't have to try to fight it on my own strength. Even if I do succeed, it's still my own "righteousness" and looks like filthy rags to God. I need to ask God to help me, to give me the strength to do what's right, no matter how hard it is.

Thank You Jesus for the grace that You give us every day as we ask for it!! Thank You that You are glorified in our weakness when Your strength lifts us up. It's then we know that we cannot possibly do anything good without You. Every talent that You give us, every strength, is a result of You actively working in our lives. Help us, Lord, to let You be involved in our lives. Remind us when we try to do things on our own, that without You, we can do NOTHING. All praise and glory to You, God!

Amen.

Happy (late) New Year!

2010-01-16T17:47:00.003-06:00

Greetings!

So I was wondering if anyone made any New Year's Resolutions. Do you have any goals for the New Year?

I haven't spent a lot of time on coming up with a list, but here are my goals:

1. To have a closer relationship with God every day.
2. To allow God to work in my life; taking away everything that is not pleasing to Him, and replacing it with His love.
3. To exercise physically on a regular basis
4. To excel in playing violin
5. To learn to worship God with my talents no matter what I'm playing/doing.
6. To be bold in talking about Jesus.

The reason I call them goals and not resolutions is that resolutions don't seem to last, while goals tend to be something that I reach for on a regular basis. So have you made any goals for the new year? If so, what are they?

Blessings,
V4C

Waiting and Security

2009-11-11T18:06:00.005-06:00

Psalm 62:1-2
I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress, where I will never be shaken. (NLT)

Waiting quietly before God is something I think a lot of people struggle with - myself included. If any of you've seen Prince Caspian (Disney version), you've seen a pretty good example of what happens when you don't wait on God and do things His way. The point is that we need to wait on God, because THAT's where are victory comes from. Him - not ourselves. It's so hard for me because sometimes I think that there are pressing decisions that I can't wait long enough to take time to hear from God. Sometimes I'm scared I won't be able to hear Him speak to me when I need to hear Him... but that's where the waiting quietly part comes in, huh?

It's times like these I'm reminded that in ALL of my ways - not just the ones I feel uncomfortable with - I need to acknowledge Him, and then He will direct my path. It's a promise. So I wanted to encourage you today that God is ever faithful, and will keep His promises. Step out in faith, and He will do the rest. :-)

Verse 2. "He alone is my rock and my salvation..." do we truly believe that? That God and ONLY God is our rock and salvation? That we turn to Him and Him only for safety and deliverance? Sure, God often uses people and things to bring us through difficult times, but is our confidence and hope - all of it - in Him? Or do we put more confidence in things and people than we do the One who created them? That's another thing I've dealt with... it can seem scary to put ALL of our trust in God - in Someone we've never seen - when we've got people surrounding us that seem to be capable of helping us with our problems. And God can use people to help us - don't get me wrong. But before we turn to people or things, we need to turn to God, who holds all the answers and is always faithful.

So those are my thoughts for the day - things that I've been learning in my prayer life. Thanks for reading - I pray you have a blessed week!

NaNoWriMo

2009-11-01T18:03:00.002-06:00

Well, I started NaNoWriMo today. I am so far at over 1600 words, a number with which I am fairly happy. For those of you who don't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and ones goal is to write a story from the beginning and reach 50,000 words by the end of November. One month, basically. This is my first year doing it, so I'm pretty excited. I kind of know where I want to go with this story, because it's been one that I've been working on for a lonnngg time. Not many people may know about it because I don't talk about it much. Which might be because I started reworking the beginning of the story and never got to a place where I was happy with it. So I'm starting over from scratch, and I really like what I've got so far.

Is anyone else doing NaNoWriMo? If so, what is your story about? Or, if you're not doing NaNoWriMo, do you have a book that you're working on anyway? I'd love to hear about it!

Blessings!
V4C

Strength - Psalm 28:6-8

2009-10-29T15:33:00.003-05:00

Psalm 28:6-8
Praise the Lord!
For He has heard my cry for mercy.
7The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trust Him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
8The Lord gives his people strength.
He is a safe fortress for His anointed king. (NLT)

One of the things we humans seem to do a lot is try to rely on our own strength. After all, to do something "all by ourselves" brings a feeling of accomplishment... and pride. To feel like you no longer have to rely on someone else to help you.

But the reality is, apart from Jesus we can do nothing. It is He who put the world in motion, and He who continues to make it possible for us to move and do things. Yes, without God, nothing would be possible.

The last couple of days I've been lacking strength. I'm not sure why, but I was just really out of it. This was especially annoying because yesterday I was scheduled to volunteer in the 5 year old class at church, and today I had to work for a few hours at my job.

Just a few minutes before it was time to leave for church, all of the sudden I felt really tired... weak. I laid down for a few minutes, but it didn't help much. I felt better once we arrived, however, during the lesson I felt tired again. I kept saying under my breath, "The joy of the Lord is my strength!" But I couldn't really tell a difference. Then, I got called to the 2 and 3 year old class for a few minutes while one of the teachers was away. I greeted the children, who were playing happily. One 2 year old stopped what he was doing and just looked at me and smiled. He made some car noises, which I imitated, which made him laugh. He was so cute! We continued playing for a little while, and then the teacher came back, so I went go back to the 5 year old class.
As I walked back, I realized that I was not near as tired as I was before. After class was over, I was even able to drive back home! (With my mom in the passenger seat, of course.) But the point is that once I forgot about myself - played with this precious two-year-old even though I'm sure I looked silly - strength came.

This morning I slept in almost an hour without realizing it. Around 9:30 AM that tired, weak feeling came over me again. But this morning I had looked up Scriptures with the word, "shield" in them. I came across Psalm 28:6-8. I spoke it aloud as a prayer, and claimed the promise for myself. I started work with renewed vigor, and all fatigue was gone. Hallelujah!!

So my encouragement to you today is this: God's strength is made perfect in your weakness. (2 Cor 12:9) Next to God, your strength looks like weakness. Instead of relying on your own strength today, even if you "feel" like you can handle it "all by yourself," allow God to work through you. And if you feel like I did - weak and tired - ask Him to be your strength today. He is the One who gives His people strength, and He won't disappoint.

-V4C

P.S. - Sorry again about not posting so long! This wasn't what I was planning on posting about when I wrote the last post. But this just seemed like the right thing to post about today. Oh, and just so you know, I might not have much time to write during November because I'm doing NaNoWriMo for the first time. :)

Been Awhile

2009-10-17T21:53:00.002-05:00

Hey all! Just a quick note to say that I'm still here, and I really have been meaning to post more. Really sorry for letting a whole month slip by without a word!

God's been showing me a LOT in His Word lately, that I really want to share with you, but as it is nearing 10 PM, I don't have time to get into it now. Hopefully I'll have time in the next couple days to blog about it!

So did anyone take a Fall break last week? Do anything special?

Blessings!!

Violinist4Christ

Classical Music and other things...

2009-09-13T19:44:00.003-05:00

Greetings!

Well, I thought I'd post about what I've been doing lately. Last week I played violin with my youth group's worship band at church for the first time! At first I wasn't sure how it would work out... we don't normally have a violin player in the band, and it would be my first time playing with a band. But it was great. It felt... right. Like I was supposed to be there. It was kind of hard to be heard above all the electric guitars, but I wasn't completely drowned out. Basically I just had the chord charts to go by, so I was mostly just playing whatever sounded good.
The rehearsal went well. I got to meet the band members, and fellowship with them before service started. Our drummer actually plays the timpani in the orchestra I'm apart of! How cool is that?
Then when the actual service started, it was amazing. I could feel God's presence so strongly. God is so good! The songs we played were "I'm Not Ashamed," "Devotion," "Draw Me Closer," and the bridge of "Ready Now." I'm so thankful for the chance to help lead others in praise to our King!

Yesterday I went to an orchestra concert. They played the Farewell Symphony by Haydn. That has got to be one of my favorite classical pieces. Look up the last movement to see why. The musicians do something very unique in mid-song. *is mysterious* :) It was fun to watch them do it live!

Do any of you have any favorite classical music composers? If so, do you have a favorite song by them? I think my favorite composer would have to be Bach, and then Vivaldi. Dvorak is good too, though. His New World Symphony is awesome!

I hope you all have a blessed week!

Happy Labor Day

2009-09-06T15:09:00.002-05:00

Happy (early) Labor Day!

So what's everyone doing on the third day of their three day weekend? Anyone traveling out of town, seeing family, spending time with immediate family? Anybody just relaxing at home, enjoying an extra day off? :)

My family and I are going to drive about an hour and a half away to visit my mom's sister's family. It'll be great to see them again! They live out in the country, so the scenery around their house is beautiful. Sometimes I wished I lived out that way - for my backyard to be woods, and to have a road leading up to my house surrounded by woods. It's so much fun to take walks there with them. I always have an opportunity to take pictures. :)

Speaking of which, I have several pictures from past times we've visited if anyone's interested. I was just going through my photobucket and getting rid of a whole bunch of pictures because they changed their photo limit to 500 mb. *sigh* Oh well. BUT, I am saving the ones that I still like onto my computer, and trying to find another image hosting website to put these on. Anyway, some of the pictures are from around their house, and they're really neat. :)

Well, I hope you have a great Labor Day! God bless!

Violinist4Christ

Happy September 1st!

2009-09-01T19:12:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone!

First off, many thanks to Araken for making my new banner!! Isn't it awesome? It goes perfect with the layout. :-)

It's hard to grasp that it's already September! Amazing how fast summer went by, isn't it? I'm already into my fourth week of school and am slowly getting used to my new schedule. It's not too bad, though, since I'm home schooled and my schedule is a little more flexible than most. It's been fun so far, as fun as school can be, anyway. :) Physics and Advanced Math are mainly the ones that take up the most time, but Physics has been interesting and Math is... well... math. Lol.
So how is school going for all of you? What kind of school do you go to? (No specific names, please - just public school, private, etc.) Do you like it so far?

Right now, I think i need to start setting some goals for the year - timing all my subjects, getting Physics experiments and English assignments done in a timely manner, setting a time to practice violin every day, etc. This is probably going to be one of the busiest years I've had yet, because I have so many activities I'm involved in! But it's going to be good. God is with me, and I'll make it through. :-)

So how about you? Have you thought of any goals for the school year?

"Proverbs 4:13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life."

Burger King - Divine Appointment

2009-08-23T19:40:00.003-05:00

Greetings, all!

Sorry for not posting for so long!! Has it really been a whole month already? Yikes.

Anyway, if you're checking this blog still, thanks for your patience! What with school starting, me getting a job (Did I fail to mention that earlier? It HAS been too long!), and other activities going on, it's been hard to find time to get online, much less keep up a blog. But I'll try to do better as I get into the swing of things.

Oh, and yes, I did get a job at the library I've been volunteering at, so I'm really excited about that. It's just a part time job, two days a week. It's been really fun so far, getting to check books out to people, answer people's questions, help people find books, shelve, etc. AND, I'm getting paid, so it won't be very long before I have enough money for the new used violin I'm saving up for!!

Okay, well, you're probably wondering what this has to do with the title. I'm getting to that. Lol. Another reason it's been so long since I've posted is because my family and I went on a road trip to the state of Washington a few weeks ago to visit family. Approx. 2,000 miles there, 2,000 miles back. Yeah. Long road trip. But it was fun. God showed us a lot of things on that trip, which was really great especially since our trip was during the church camp I really wanted to go to.

Anyway, back to the subject of this post. Being on a road trip means finding places to eat on the way that the whole family agrees on, which isn't always the easiest thing. One person wants to eat here, another there, and *gasp* was that a Subway sign we just passed? Let's exit here and go to Subway! ;) But one particular evening, we couldn't decide where to eat. One person wanted to go to this restaurant, while another wanted to go to Burger King. Well, after a lot of discussion, some of it rather frustrated, we decided on Burger King. Now, let me say here that one particular member of my family does NOT like fast food restaurants at all, least of all Burger King. So right there it was worth noting that that family member agreed to eat there. Well, we went in, ordered our food, and as Dad was getting our water, he started talking to a man standing nearby. Well, it turns out that the man was blind, AND was a Christian. He, his friend, and my dad talked almost the entire time we were there, and at the end of the meal, he and the friend prayed for us. It was kind of amazing - he prayed for exactly what we needed then. Then we prayed for them - right there in the middle of Burger King. It was really amazing how God worked. I don't think it was by accident that we stopped at Burger King that night, at that exact time those people were there. The steps of the righteous are ordered of the Lord. (Psalm 37.) God ordered our steps so that we would meet those people then, so we could both be ministered to. Praise God, who directs the paths of those who trust in Him!

A final note, I'd like to hear some feedback from you all! What would you like to see on this blog in the future? I don't always know what to blog about, so any and all ideas are welcome. :)

Blessings!
Violinist4Christ

Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus

2009-07-23T14:25:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I remembered a time a few years ago when I was listening to a CD of beautiful Christian Folk music. I was with my sister at home while my parents were out. I enjoyed the CD so much, that I wanted my parents to hear it when they got home. So I planned to play it for them as soon as they walked in the door, so they could be blessed by it as well. I wanted to share the music with them.

As I was thinking about that, I thought of how much it seems that children want to please their parents. Then I thought, "Well, God is our eternal Father. Shouldn't we strive to do things with the goal to please Him?" When doing homework, we should do it as if God were our teacher and was going to grade it. We should do it at such a high quality, that God would be pleased with it. Write neatly, study, do all your work. Hand it in on time.
When playing an instruments, play it well and joyfully to the Father! Lift it up to Him as a beautiful offering to Him. If you have an audience, also ask Him to use it to bless others, and bring Him glory.
When doing chores at home, do them at excellent as you would if you saw Jesus standing next to you.
When giving in the offering at church, worship Him with your giving! Do it joyfully, out of a thankful heart.
When your parents ask you to do (or not to do) something, obey them. Honor them. Cheerfully!

No, salvation is not based on works. But we should be so in love with God that we want to do things to please Him. Even in the small, every day things, He wants us to do them to Him. To commit our way to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:31
"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Philippians 2:14
"Do all things without complaining and disputing"
Colossians 3:17
"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
(NKJV)

My challenge to you is to follow those commands today. And not just today, but every day of your life. As long as you are alive, those verses still stand.

-Violinist4Christ

Free Audio Book

2009-07-21T19:56:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I know most of you who read my blog also read Camden's, so you probably already know this, but I thought I'd post about this anyway. A website, Christianaudio.com, is giving away a free book every month. This month they're giving away an audio book called, "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan. I've listened to part one, and it is absolutely amazing. I can't describe it well enough here. But if you want to know more about how amazing God is, and about His love for us and our response to His love, definitely check it out. Just go to the website, and on the right side bar you'll see a thing for the free audio book. Click that. Then on the next page, click on, "Add to Cart." Then go to Check out. It will ask you to set up an account if you haven't already. It's a safe, secure website, and I haven't had any problems with it. On the next page, when it asks for a coupon, type in, JUL2009. Make sure you type that in!!! It's what will make the book free. Click on Checkout, and then follow the instructions. Make sure you download all four parts of the book. :)

Also, please note that the author touches some rather controversial topics. If any questions about Christianity rise from listening to this book, be sure to talk to your parents about it, and, most importantly, talk to God about it. See what the Bible says about the subject.
I hope you enjoy the audio book!

Blessings,
V4C

New Template

2009-07-16T19:12:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally got around to changing my blog template. I really enjoyed the last one, but I thought it would be nice to have a template that went with my username.

I've actually been looking for a new template for awhile, but it's hard to find violin templates! I really wanted one with a Scripture verse on it, but this was all I found. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to make my own blogger background, and do something like that. Someday. :)

Anyway, what do you think of the new template? Do you like it better than the last template?

Dry Branches

2009-07-04T11:35:00.004-05:00

Yesterday marked the end of probably the busiest two weeks of my life! Every weekday morning I went to an orchestra day camp, which started at 8:30, and lasted until noon. The first week we worked on five songs and performed them on Friday, and the second week we did 4 songs and performed them on Thursday. In addition to spending all morning at the day camp, I had to practice on my own in the afternoons - sometimes for almost two hours. All that plus my daily schedules equals two very busy weeks. The goal was high - to perfect four to five difficult songs by the end of the week for the concert. And we did it. I was also challenged to step outside my comfort zone and make new friends. I also was challenged to talk about God more, and to make it clear what I believed about music by putting a quote by Bach on the front of my music folder in big, bold, letters. ("Music's only purpose should be for the glory of God and the recreation of the human spirit.") I really think God wanted me to go to this day camp, and I'm glad I went.

But during the day camp I had to get up earlier than usual so I could have enough time to read my Bible and pray. This was especially important to me because I knew I'd be surrounded by high schoolers who might not all be Christians, and I wanted to renew my mind so that my words and conduct reflected Christ. So during those two weeks, I put more emphasis than usual on spending time with God each morning. I relied more on Him, and would look up Scriptures about Christian conduct, and such. But on Friday after the camp ended, I didn't really feel the need to read my Bible as much. I mean, of course I still read it, but not with the same "God, I need You today!" mentality. But then later that day I started feeling very... inadequate for reasons I don't have room to get into here. I saw my weaknesses up close, and started dwelling on them, getting distressed about it.

Last night we had a prayer/worship meeting at our house. As my dad led us in worship, playing songs I knew almost as well as my own name, I sang them like they were songs I'd never heard before. And as I sang, I focused more on God, and less on my own weaknesses. I felt His presence, for the first time in a while. It struck me how that when it's when I feel inadequate and distressed, that it's easier to enter into God's presence. During the meeting, my dad mentioned John 15, and how we need to continually abide in Jesus. Later that night, I looked up the chapter.

John 15:1-6 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ²Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ³You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned." (NASB)

I began to realize that we are branches in the true vine - Jesus. In order to live and prosper, we need Him abiding in us! And we need to abide in Him. If one day we decide we don't really need Him, we are blocking the supply of nutrients and life that comes from the vine. Eventually, we'll dry up and not produce fruit anymore. God can't use us when we're not abiding in Him. We need to give God more and more room so He can work through us. As we decrease, He increases, and therefore His strength works where our weaknesses would have been. And fruit is produced.
I love it where it says that apart from Jesus, we can do NOTHING!! It's so... wrong that we, who are so inadequate and filled with weakness sometimes think that God doesn't know what He's doing. That we know the situation better than He does, and if we can't hear Him say anything, then we're just going to do my own thing. NO!!!! Apart from Jesus, we are nothing!! All our plans will fail if they aren't from God and if we're not doing them for Him.

John 15:8-11 ""My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. ⁹Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." (NASB)

If you want to glorify God, then abide in Jesus and bear much fruit. There are times when we need to be pruned. When we get prideful, and try to do things on our own. When a certain sin arises in our lives - we need to let God prune it. It hurts, but when we let Him, we produce even more fruit, and therefore bring more glory to God, which needs to be our ultimate goal. Abide in His love by keeping His commandments. When we do this, our joy is made full!
Don't be a dry branch.

Back from Vacation

2009-06-13T19:45:00.003-05:00

So I know I didn't really announce that I was going anywhere, but I have been gone for about a week. We sort of had a family reunion on my mother's side in Indiana, and got back yesterday afternoon. I thought I'd share some of the details of our trip with you. :)

On Monday night we got together with one of my mom's childhood friends. She now has a family with five children, with whom my sister and I became fast friends. The whole family is musical; some play piano, others violin, and the whole family sings. I found out that one of the daughters who plays violin took the same lesson books as I did, and we played part of a duet together. That was a lot of fun!

Tuesday we went to a resort with my grandparents and uncle and aunt. It was really neat there! They had horseback riding, boats, bicycle trails, hiking trails, a game room, and a lounge with lots of Thomas Kinkade puzzles. There was also a restaurant downstairs, which we ate at once a day. For the other meals we all got together and shared our food; my grandparents supplied the bread, we supplied peanut butter and jelly, and my aunt and uncle the chips. It was kind of fun to do that.

We didn't end up horseback riding or riding a bike, but we did go boating! On our boat ride we saw a family of swans. My dad, being a photographer, naturally took a lot of pictures of them. However, we didn't enjoy the boat ride to the fullest because it was cloudy, rainy, and cold. But it was still fun.

One day we all took a hike on one of the trails. Scratch that. Several of the trails. They didn't have the trails marked out very well, so when there was a fork in the path, we didn't always know which way to go. Thankfully, my grandparents had been hiking there several times before and were able to lead us back to the inn. It took a while, but we eventually got back. It was kind of fun, being "lost" in the woods like that. It kind of felt like the part in Prince Caspian where Peter is leading his siblings and Trumpkin through the woods to where Caspian is, but they end up going the wrong way because they wouldn't listen to Lucy. Lol. I know, I know. I've read the book too many times.

On the way back we went to Lake Michigan. It was the first time my sister and I had seen the lake, so it was a neat experience. It was raining off and on, though, and rather foggy. We did our best to enjoy it, though. Mom was telling us about how she used to run down the sand dunes when they visited the lake. So she and I ran down one just for fun. I got sand in my shoes, but it was still fun. Later we fed the seagulls on the beach and a rather large flock gathered. I don't know how many pictures my dad took, but I'm sure it was a lot. :-) Then we had a picnic in the car, and started the drive home.

So those were the highlights of our vacation. Hopefully you weren't too bored reading them! :)

Insecurities

2009-06-04T09:54:00.004-05:00

(Warning: long post ahead! Only read if you have time to finish it.)
So lately I've been feeling insecure, and I really haven't dealt with it until yesterday. Like, I've been doing almost everything to win people's approval. I've been so scared to face rejection from people. What will they think of me? I don't want them to think I'm not as good as them.

We all face insecurities at one time or another. Whether it's standing up for your faith, or even just mustering up enough courage to try out for a band, or sports team, or whatever, we all face the fear. Most of the time it's fear of failure or rejection.

What if I fail? What if people laugh at me? What if all I've been hiding inside goes on display for all to see? What if *gasp* people see I'm not perfect?

These questions were going through my head yesterday, and early this morning. But now... it's different. I've prayed about it, and started reading my Bible, which was already open to 1 John 3.

3:1 "See what kind of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."

God has loved us so much despite our insecurities. Despite the fact we were once sinners. He loved us so much that He wanted to save us from sin and destruction. And the only way to do that was to sin His Son to die for us!! WHILE we were still sinners. God saw ALL our sin. Every imperfection. Yet He still gave His best. The Almighty God who created the universe, gave His very best, knowing He would die at the hands of His creation: man. Even though He knew all that would happen, He still created us.

He could have chosen not to.

He could have looked and seen all the sins "So and so" would do. He could have said, "Let's just not create "So and so". Look at all the sins "So and so" will do!!!"

But He created you. He created the entire human race and loved us. He has called us, those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, His children. And now we are His children.

Not only that, Jesus has taken away our sins! Not just covered them up. They are removed. When God looks at us, His repentant children, He sees pure, righteous children.

So how does this help us not feel insecure anymore? Well, just the fact that God loves us and did all that for us should humble us and realize that pleasing God is really all that matters. But there's so much more that God's shown me this morning. The following are verses in the New Living Translation, with my notes and possible reactions to the verses underneath each verse:

1 John 5:1-5 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves His children, too."
Oh wow! I believe that Jesus is the Christ, so I'm a child of God!
"2 We know we love God's children if we love God and obey His commandments."
Well, I love God but obeying His commandments is kind of hard. Obeying His commandments means I have to love my enemies! It means I have to be slow to anger and not speak evil about anyone. It means I can't be prideful or look down on anyone.
"3 Loving God means keeping His commandments, and really, that isn't difficult."
It... isn't difficult?
No, not when we apply verse four:

"4-5 For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory. 5 And the ones who win this battle against the world are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God."

So all I have to do is trust Christ for the victory?
Yes! Trust Him to give you victory over sin the same way You would trust Him for safety while you travel on a family vacation. Just as you would for anything else in life.
But what does it mean by defeating the "evil world", exactly?
Rewind to 1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."
That pretty much sums up each way we're tempted, huh? Lust of physical pleasures, lust of the eyes... and the big one for me is the boastful pride of life. What is behind our fear of rejection?

Pride. We want to look perfect. We want to be accepted. We want people to look up at us and think good things about us.

Whenever we're tempted to be in pride, or tempted in any other way for that matter, we need to trust God to give us victory over it!

Then concerning fear...
1 John 4:16 "We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in Him. God is love, and all who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear because perfect love expels ALL fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that His love has not been perfected in us. 19 We love each other as a result of His loving us first." (NLT)
Wow. Every day as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. And perfect love expels all fear!! So if we're afraid of other people's opinions, we're not walking in love.
When we're afraid of what people think of us, our focus is on ourselves. "What's best for ME. What makes ME look good." Instead of, "God has loved me so much and called me His child!! Now I love Him and others as a result. What does God want me to do? What does His Word say about this situation? What can I do that would best benefit the other person, even if it has the potential to make me look silly?"

Those are the questions we need to ask ourselves. Every word, every action, all we are, needs to be out of overflowing love for God. Love that, as we walk with God, grows more and more perfect every day. Sure it takes effort to remember to trust God for victory over sin. It takes effort to seek God every day, and do everything out of love.
But it is certainly well worth the effort.

Pictures!

2009-05-31T14:46:00.003-05:00

First off, I apologize for not posting much in the past couple weeks. Been really busy lately, and from the looks of my calendar, things really aren't going to slow down much. Maybe we'll have some free time in July, if we don't end up scheduling something then too. Lol!

Anyway... I decided to post some pictures of our day trip on Memorial Day. We got together with my aunt's family and went hiking to some water falls. We didn't go very far, because it was raining off and on and we didn't want to get stuck in the rain, but it was still fun and VERY pretty.

So, without further delay...

Click on the thumbnail to see a larger picture.

Recital & Summer

2009-05-19T11:59:00.004-05:00

The music recital went well last night. Some of my teacher's students weren't able to attend, so it was a rather short program. But everyone did great. Even those who had only been taking lessons for a couple of years sounded really good.

My performances went fairly well... The first song I played on violin was a Celtic piece called "The Butterfly." I didn't really make mistakes, necessarily, but I didn't play it as well as I did when practicing at home. Oh well. The next song I did was a hymn, "Come Thou Fount," which was accompanied by my teacher on the piano. It's one of my favorite hymns, and I knew it well, so it wasn't too difficult. Though, since I was doing it by memory I was kind of hesitant on some of the notes so they came out shaky.
I played guitar on the last song, and my sister played the melody with her flute. It's a worship song called, "No Sweeter Name." (An awesome song - you should look it up if you're not familiar with it.) My sister did great, despite the fact that my strumming wasn't always in perfect rhythm, and I accidentally played the wrong chord at one point. Oh well. :-) It happens.

Anyway, now that both orchestra and the music recital are over, I can start working on other things... like learning different styles of vibrato and working on my bowing, etc. I'll also have an opportunity to learn new songs just for fun. So I'm looking forward to doing that this summer.

What are you all doing this summer?

A Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-05-18T12:48:00.003-05:00

Today…
May 18th, 2009

Outside my window…
Sun is shining! A very welcome change from all the rain we've been getting.

I am thinking…
of my music recital tonight!

I am thankful for…
my violin/guitar/piano teacher. :-)

I am wearing…
Jeans, a white long sleeve top with a dark blue short sleeve shirt layered on top.

I am reading…
Matthew, Proverbs. Inside Prince Caspian, by Devin Brown

I am creating…
I've been taking photographs with my new camera.

One of my favorite things…
...my new camera. :-)

For education this week…
Home Ec, English, Spanish

A keeper at home skill I am using …
Sweeping the floor.

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
To be flexible and not have to do things my own way all the time; to seek God and follow the plan HE has for me.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Agape love

Scripture I of the day…
Matthew 18:4-6 Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one such child in my name receives Me; 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. (NASB)

I am praying for…
That everyone in the music recital tonight will perform wonderfully and not be nervous.

For the rest of the week…
Hopefully I'll find time to blog. I'm working in the 5 year old class at church this Wednesday, if I remember correctly. The last day of P.E. on Thursday, music lessons, volunteering at the library... Next Monday I may not get to blogging because we're going out of town for Memorial day to visit family. :-)

A picture I’d like to share…

A picture of honeysuckle I took in the woods near my aunt and uncle's house. It isn't the best picture because we were walking in the middle of the day there, but I still like it. :)

A Young maiden's Daybook

2009-05-11T14:02:00.003-05:00

Today…
May 11th, 2009

Outside my window…
It's cloudy, wet, but nice out.

I am thinking…
of how faithful God's promises are.

I am thankful for…
My wonderful mom!

I am wearing…
A white sweater (yes, it got cold here again!), jeans, and socks.

I am reading…
Inside Prince Caspian, Isaiah, Matthew, Joel.

I am creating…
Um... just a blog post at this point in time.

One of my favorite things…
Giving my sister birthday presents... actually, keeping the gifts a secret until her birthday is also rather fun. :-)

For education this week…
Spanish, finishing up English, Home Ec.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Cleaning even when I don't feel like it.

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
to obey God's voice even when it doesn't seem reasonable.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
"Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." - Phil 4:5

Scripture I am memorizing…
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me," declares the Lord.

I am praying for…
Healing

For the rest of the week…
Dentist appointment, P.E., celebrating my sister's birthday.

A picture I’d like to share…

Devotional Thoughts

2009-05-02T18:26:00.006-05:00

I've been reading through 1 Thessalonians and I thought I'd post some thoughts on what I read today.

5:5 "for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness"
I didn't post the first four verses because I didn't go over those today in my study time. But by all means, feel free to read them so you understand the context in which these verses were written.

"For you are all sons of light and sons of day." What does it mean to be a son of light and of day? Well, first off, what is light and day? In the physical, it is the time in which we are awake and active. Light is what helps us see so we can be active without hurting ourselves like we would in the dark. In the spiritual sense, God is light. (1 John 1:5) He shows us who we are when we look into His Word. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we become the adopted son or daughter of God and are transferred from darkness into God's marvelous light. (1 Pet 2:9) Now what? We need to act like a son or daughter of light so that unbelievers can see a difference in us! So that they can see what God is like, and therefore desire to become a Christian as well (and hopefully become one!). Since we are sons and daughters of light, we are not of night or darkness anymore. What is night and darkness? Read on.

5:6 "so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober (self controlled)."
Because we are now of the light and day, we need to be alert and sober, or self controlled as the footnotes in my Bible say. In other words, we need to be alert and not caught off guard when we are tempted. We need to be self controlled when we are tempted, and do what God wants us to do instead of what seems good. We need to be alert as to what God is saying to us through His Word and His Spirit. And we need to be self controlled enough so that we obey Him instead of doing what our flesh wants.

5:7 "For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night"
And here it tells us what people of the night and darkness do. Sure, we should get physical sleep at night. But this is talking about spiritual sleep. As stated in verse 6, we need to be alert and sober. I heard a preacher once say that drunkeness in the Bible could also refer to being drunk with the flesh. What does that mean? Giving into what your flesh wants to do. Each time you disobey God, it becomes easier and easier to disobey Him. It prevents you from being alert to what God wants you to do. It influences you to sin and keeps you from being self-controlled, like being drunk in the physical sense would. Instead of continuing in sin, repent and get right with God! Sin is a road to destruction, and if you continue in it too long, it could end in your destruction, or someone else's.

5:8 "But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation."

How can we stay self-controlled? We need to put on the breastplate of faith and love! The two work together. The greek word of "love" is agape. It is unconditional love, unending love. The love God has for us, and the love we need to have for God and all mankind. (See Camden's posts on love for more info about what it is!) Why is it called a breastplate? I believe that when we "put on" this faith and love and keep it on, it is a protection against the enemy. For instance, when we have faith in God, we trust in Him and that He will keep His promises. When we combine this with love, every action taken in faith is not for ourselves, but for others. When we do things for ourself, it's easy to not step out in faith. We think, "Oh, I don't think I should talk to that person about God. I'm not brave enough. And I'm not a great speaker. They'd laugh at me." But when you obey God out of love for Him and others, then you see that this isn't about you, but about others. About showing them God's love. When we do this, we overcome temptation to not do what God's told us to do. When we walk in love, we are walking in obedience to God, and therefore are under His "umbrella" of protection.

5:^{9 "}For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,"

The greek word for "wrath" is orge (pronounced "or-gay' "). It means impulse; passion or any violent commotion of mind; indignation, anger, wrath, desire for vengeance, punishment. God has not destined us for this!! Realize 1. God is not waiting to pour out his wrath on you! You are his child! He doesn't want to hurt you! Every good and perfect gift comes from God, who is good. Nothing bad comes from Him. Everything bad comes from the devil, who comes to kill, steel and destroy. (John 10:10.) Point 2. We need to not have this attitude toward people, either. Show others the same mercy and love God has shown you! If you boil up with anger against other people, wanting to give them "what they deserve," this is NOT love. This is acting as a child of darkness, not of light. It doesn't matter what they did to you, or what they're doing. Forgive them. Pray for them. Don't harbor bitterness or unforgiveness in your heart. 3. God has destined us for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ! Salvation means wholeness; lacking nothing. God has done so much for us to bring us salvation. Let's do our part and really act as the children of God we are.

5:10^"who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him."

Jesus died to bring us salvation. He gave His all. He sacrificed everything so we could have fellowship with Him. We should not treat this lightly, but always be in awe of what He has done for us!

5:11-13 "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. ¹²But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, ¹³and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another."

Encourage each other with what you learn from God! And keep excelling in it. Don't ever think you've reached a point in the Christian life where you can stop excelling.

Be sure to give honor where honor is due. Be respectful to those who "have charge over you" - which includes your parents and pastor. Appreciate them, thank God for them, and do things to show your appreciation. Respect them, and obey them! Even if you don't always agree with them, keep esteeming them very highly in love! Don't be at war with them. God has placed them in your life for your protection. To help you grow. You'll never be in a place in your life where you can quit growing in the Lord. Part of maturity is showing respect for those God has placed in authority in your life. Anything less is immature.

5:14-15 "We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

I think these last verses are self explanatory, so I won't say anything more about them.

Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-04-27T14:13:00.006-05:00

Today…
April 27th, 2009

Outside my window…
Birds are chirping happily, the trees are decorated with bright greens, and the sky is covered in cloud.

I am thinking…
of how blessed we are!

I am thankful for…
Friends and family.

I am wearing…
Jeans, flip-flops, and a short sleeve top.

I am reading…
Inside Prince Caspian by Devin Brown I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians 13, Matthew, and Romans.

I am creating…
A blog post. Need to make more of these! :-)

One of my favorite things…
My camera.

For education this week…
Rosetta Stone Spanish, Home Ec, and English. Oh, and Driver's Ed too.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Washing dishes

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
Love is patient (slow to anger), love is kind.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Boldness to speak up about my faith.

Scripture of the day…
1 Thess 4:1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You are doing this already, and we encourage you to do so more and more.

I am praying for…
Wisdom and understanding.

For the rest of the week…
Church, practicing violin and guitar, violin and guitar lessons

A picture I’d like to share…

I'm trying to paint this flower... It's coming along nicely, but slowly.

A Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-04-20T13:40:00.004-05:00

Today…
April 20th, 2009

Outside my window…
It's 70º F!! :)

I am thinking…
Of how my birthday is only two days away. :)

I am thankful for…
God's grace.

I am wearing…
Jeans, and a green short sleeve top.

I am reading…
1 Thessalonians, Matthew; "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris

I am creating…
Paintings! :)

One of my favorite things…
My Bible

For education this week…
Driver's Ed, Home Ec, Spanish, and English! I am done with Chemistry and Algebra! (except I do have a few Chemistry experiments left. I need to get that done.)

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Ironing

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
To be a blessing, even when it means stepping out of my comfort zone.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Humility

Scripture I am memorizing…
1 Thess 2:6 Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.

I am praying for…
God's wisdom.

For the rest of the week…
On Wednesday we're going out for lunch for my birthday, and also on Wednesday I get to volunteer at my church in the five year old class. Thursday I have music lessons, Friday I volunteer at the library, and Saturday we're playing at another home concert.

A picture I’d like to share…
The red but in our backyard when it snowed last month. :)

In Comparison

2009-04-10T19:12:00.005-05:00

When we see another's work, it is often tempting to compare our work with theirs. For example, say you are writing... a poem. You like how the poem is turning out, but it's still a little rough around the edges. Then you read another person's poem. It is the most beautiful, touching poem you have ever read. You read your poem again. It hardly begins to compare. It can be easy to get discouraged. To look at how short your work falls in comparison to another's. Some times you might even want to crumple your poem up and throw it away because it could never be as good as so-and-so's.

But here's the catch: Your poem isn't going to look like so-and-so's poem. It's not supposed to look like so-and-so's poem. God has created special talents and gifts in you - even if He gives two people the talent to write poems, their poems are going to be different. One might write about nature -the other about music. But EVEN if they write about the same subject, it will be different. Person #1 might have just finished editing their poem when they read Person #2's poem. Person #1 might like Person #2's work a lot better than theirs, but it doesn't mean Person #1's work isn't good. God has a purpose for Person #1's work, just as much as He has a purpose for Person #2's work - and that purpose is NOT to discourage Person #1 or even Person #3 from writing poems - if writing poems is part of God's calling for those people.

Certainly we can learn from studying other's work, though. We shouldn't just just say that our work is going to be different from others and therefore we don't need to learn from their work. No. Say you like to paint. Studying painters at work can help you paint better. Not so you can copy all their paintings exactly, but so you can see the different techniques they use and figure out which techniques you want to use.

But most importantly, and frequently, we need to study Jesus. We should study His life and be more like Him every day. "But He was PERFECT!" You might say. "We could never be like Him." But by reading and applying God's Word to your life daily you will become more like Jesus every day. In Philippians 3:12, Paul says, "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." (NLT) Every day we need to "press on" to possess the above mentioned perfection. Ask God to help you become more like Him every day. It's a life long process, but each day He is faithful to help you reach the mark.

I have been tagged!

2009-04-06T14:49:00.005-05:00

...by Araken. :)

1. What's your favorite school subject? English, but Chemistry falls close behind.

2. What's your favorite movie? The Fellowship of the Ring.

3. What's your favorite Bible verse and why? I can't choose a favorite, but I REALLY like Romans 12:1-3, because it gives instructions on what to do each day to please God.

4. What's your favorite day of the week and why? I have two: Saturdays, because of the luxury of sleeping in, and Sundays because of church and orchestra practice.

5. What's your favorite color? Blue!!

6. What's your favorite band? Right now, BarlowGirl, but it changes with time. :P

7. What's your favorite kind of music? Christian Worship, and Celtic.

8. What's your favorite book? The Last Battle, by C. S. Lewis.

9. What're you planning to do after this? Practice new orchestra music, and edit photographs I've taken.

10. Who're you tagging? I've no idea who to tag, so if you want to be tagged... you're tagged! :)

Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-04-06T14:21:00.003-05:00

Today…
April 6th, 2009

Outside my window…
Sun is shining, trees are growing leaves... spring is here!

I am thinking…
Of how quickly April arrived, and how well the orchestra play-a-thon at the mall went yesterday. :)

I am thankful for…
God's faithfulness.

I am wearing…
Jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt with a green sweater over it, and socks. (It got cold again!)

I am reading…
1 Peter, Proverbs, Psalms, and "I Kissed Dating Good-bye" by Joshua Harris.

I am creating…
Pictures to put on my photobucket.

One of my favorite things…
A clean house.

For education this week…
I'm finishing Algebra 2 and Chemistry! *celebrates* I'll still have all my other normal subjects to do, though.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Um... well, I swept floors and watered plants today.

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
To not be a "lazy" Christian.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Brotherly kindness.

Scripture of the day…
Psalm 9:10 Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O Lord, have never abandoned anyone who searches for You.

I am praying for…
Healing for my family and I.

For the rest of the week…
I plan to get rid of this cold so by Easter I won't be blowing my nose. I'll also be practicing new orchestra pieces, including the Finale from Hayden's Farewell Symphony.

A picture I’d like to share…

Horses are so beautiful... (click on the picture to see the whole thing.)

Home Concert

2009-04-05T20:17:00.002-05:00

*Brief note so my readers don't get lost: My dad has a music ministry and plays piano in various places places for home concerts, church, home churches... things like that. Sometimes he brings my sister and I along to play with him. My sister plays flute.*

Yesterday we drove a little less than an hour to a home in the country to do a home concert. Which, in itself, seems fairly simple until you take into account what happened before we started driving.

I awoke with a sore throat. Several things happened in the morning and early afternoon that prevented us from leaving on time. Long story short, after packing all my dad's music equipment in the car and driving the distance to the house, we weren't exactly on time. But neither was the audience. We were originally going to have it outside, but it was too windy, so we brought all the equipment inside (consisting of a keyboard, speakers, cords, things like that) the house. Once we finally got set up, the 20 people that said they were going to be there... weren't there. We probably had like half of that. But the few who came were praying for the right people to come. And I believe the right people came.

The concert started smoothly; late, but smoothly. I was amazed at how relaxed my dad seemed. It was amazing how God worked through him, song after song. I'm ashamed to admit that after the first hour, I was hoping we'd end the concert soon so we could go home and get a good night's sleep. (We had church in the morning, and a long afternoon playing with my orchestra in the mall to look forward to.) Granted, I was tired. Dad hadn't called me up to play violin yet, and the sun was setting. Finally, I just gave my thoughts to God and committed to surrender the evening to Him. Once that happened... wow. I wish I had done that a lot sooner! I could feel God's presence so tangibly in that room; it was amazing. I could tell the other people felt Him too. After talking a little bit, Dad called me up to play. He asked me to play a fiddle song... I felt so awkward playing a fast paced, fun song right after he had played a beautiful soft piece he had written. But the crowd seemed to enjoy it... (You should know that Dad doesn't always plan a schedule ahead... so I don't always know what I'm going to play.) Then he suggested I play a hymn. I picked "Be Thou My Vision," mainly because it sounds gorgeous on the violin. This time I played each note to God... I gave it to Him to use to bless. I found out afterward that it was someone's favorite hymn. Praise God! Then last I played an accompaniment to a song my dad wrote. I'm still not quite used to playing with him, but I think I did pretty well. I sat back down on the couch, and Dad played some more. My sister played flute later. I'm still amazed at how quickly she's picked it up! She's already written a song on it. :)

At the end of the concert, one by one people began to pray for us. I was in absolute awe at how... blessed they were that night. A few people said they shed tears of joy when we played. It was incredible beyond words to think that God used us to touch lives that night. God used us to bless them, and turned around and blessed us back more than we could ask! We used our talents for Him and I got to see Him work through us.

So what's the point of this post? What has God given you to work with? What talents do you have? It doesn't have to be musical for God to use. You don't have to have a dad who plays piano in order to bless people. There are people all around you that God is giving you the opportunity to bless - by encouraging them, witnessing to them, volunteering your time and efforts, even maybe giving some money to them, etc. But don't just bless so you can receive back in return! Certainly God will give back to you more than enough, but our goal should be to impact others' lives for Jesus. Pray about what God would have you do, and do it. What will you do with the blessings God has given you?

A Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-03-30T10:47:00.004-05:00

Today…
March 30th, 2009

Outside my window…
The last bit of snow we got on the weekend is melting, and the red bud is blooming.

I am thinking…
Of how well the concert went on Saturday.

I am thankful for…
My church home.

I am wearing…
A white top with a sweater over it, jeans, and socks.

I am reading…
Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Psalms, Matthew.

I am creating…
A forest painting and a blog post about worship. (No, I haven't forgotten about it. :) )

One of my favorite things…
Orchestra practice. :)

For education this week…
Preparing for the orchestra concert next week, driver's Ed, Algebra, Chemistry... the usual.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Time management.

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
Choosing to obey God in all my actions.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Agape love.

Scripture of the day…
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. (NASB)

I am praying for…
God to use me.

For the rest of the week…
I'm going to my cousin's birthday party tonight, working in the five year old class at church on Wednesday, and lots of practicing for the orchestra concert next week.

A picture I’d like to share…

Red buds!! :)

A Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-03-23T19:35:00.002-05:00

Today…
March 23rd, 2009

Outside my window…
The sun has just set.

I am thinking…
of how much God's blessed me with the ability to play violin.

I am thankful for…
The talent spoken of above.

I am wearing…
Jeans, socks, and a green short sleeve top.

I am reading…
1 and 2 Timothy, Proverbs, Matthew, Psalms.

I am creating…
Desktop wallpapers and a short story.

One of my favorite things…
My laptop

For education this week…
Algebra, Spanish, Driver's Ed, Chemistry, Writing, and Home Ec.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Keeping the plants watered.

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
Speaking gently to my sister.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Patience

Scripture of the day…
Prov 16:2-3 People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed.

I am praying for…
God to mold me into who He wants me to be.

For the rest of the week…
Getting ready for a concert on Saturday, and orchestra rehearsal on Sunday.

A picture I’d like to share…

Sunset picture I took a year or two ago...

A Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-03-16T14:38:00.003-05:00

Today…
March 16, 2009

Outside my window…
Sun is shining brightly, leaves are emerging from bare trees, and birds are singing. :)

I am thinking…
Of how good God is!

I am thankful for…
Spring and warm weather.

I am wearing…
Beige capris and a dark blue short sleeve top.

I am reading…
Fellowship of the Ring, Deuteronomy, Psalm 5, Proverbs, and Matthew.

I am creating…
Poems and songs to the ultimate Creator!

One of my favorite things…
My new shoulder rest for my violin. :-)

For education this week…
Finish writing my short story, home ec, Algebra, Chemistry... the usual.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Cleaning up before and after meals. :-)

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
Putting others first.

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Self control.

Scripture of the day…
Deut. 26:16-17 This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His ordinances, and listen to His voice.

I am praying for…
God's peace in all that I do.

For the rest of the week…
Enjoying the beautiful weather, doing schoolwork, and spending time with family.

A picture I’d like to share…

Worship pt. 1

2009-03-13T11:54:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone!

Well, I've decided to do some posts on worship. If everything goes as planned, this will be the first post in a series of blog entries discussing the subject of Worship. Seeing as this is the first time I've really done anything like this, please bear with me. These might not be the most well written blog entries you've ever read.

So today I want to talk about what worship IS. You might say, "It's the slow songs we sing at church," or, "It's the point in the service where we sing songs." Well, sort of. But I think it goes much deeper than singing a song.

I'm in the middle of doing a study on worship, so I recently looked up Scriptures on the subject, most of which were in the Old Testament. No, I'm not going to bore you on the history of Old Testament musical instruments or anything like that. But I hope you don't mind me pointing out one or two Hebrew words and meanings.

1 Chronicles 6:31-32a "David assigned the following men to lead the music at the house of the Lord after the Ark was placed there. ³² They ministered with music at the Tabernacle..."
The Hebrew word for ministered (according to my notes) is sharath. It means "Service before the Lord." You don't have to be up on stage singing or playing an instrument at church to be ministering before the Lord. You can minister to God first of all by singing the songs to Him - not just singing them because it's what's expected of you. But when you really take time to think about the words and sing it to Him, that's ministering to the Lord.
Next, you can minister to God and others by volunteering at church. Whether it be helping out with children's church, passing out church bullitens, greeting people at the door, or even holding a door open for someone, you're ministering to others. You are "serving them before the Lord." This not only is serving others, but it is also serving the Lord because it is obeying His commands to serve.
You can also minister by serving outside of church - in your home, school (for some cases, your home may be your school :) ), where you work, volunteer, etc. You can minister to your family by doing chores around the house without complaining and before you're asked to do them. You can be an extra blessing by doing extra chores. You can also minister by lending a listening ear to a friend, family member, co-worker, etc. The list goes on and on.

But you can do all these things and still not worship God with them if you're not doing them "as unto the Lord." What does this mean? Well, think about it. If you could see Jesus physically, and He was standing right in front of you and asked you to say... wash the dishes, wouldn't you wash the dishes the best you can? When you do something as unto the Lord, you are doing it to Him, giving Him your best out of love for Him. Cain's offering was not accepted by God because it was not his best. 1 Corinthians 13 says that even if you gave all you had to the poor, and didn't have love, that it would be meaningless. Nothing. So we need to have love in all we do - not just love for God, but love for people. True, God doesn't NEED worship, but He still requires it of us. We may get into that in a later post.

So to summarize, worship is giving yourself to God out of love for Him. It is the giving of our time, talents, money (such as tithes, offerings, etc.), our desires, etc., to Him. So today, just ask God to help you surrender your all to Him. Tell Him that you want to serve Him in all you do, and ask Him to give you the strength to do so, and that He would remind you to.

Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." (NIV)

A Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-03-09T14:17:00.003-05:00

Today…
March 9th, 2009

Outside my window…
Birds are singing! Leaves are sprouting on the once-bare trees. Flowers are popping up.

I am thinking…
of how good my sister is playing her flute. :)

I am thankful for…
My new shoulder rest, rosin, and mute for the violin!

I am wearing…
Jeans, socks, and a white top.

I am reading…
Psalms, Matthew, "Spiritual Lives..." still, and "The Power of a Praying Teen" by Stormie Omartian.

I am creating…
A painting of a stream in the woods... we'll see how that goes.

One of my favorite things…
The 70ºF weather we've been having... It's been so lovely!

For education this week…
Home Ec, Algebra, Driver's Ed, P.E., Chemistry, and English

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Sweeping.

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
To not worry, but "cast my care upon the Lord."

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Love

Scripture of the day…
Matthew 6:25 "Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?"

I am praying for…
A closer walk with the Lord

For the rest of the week…
Resting in the Lord and not fretting about anything. :)

A picture I’d like to share…

Sorry it's a little blurry... it's the cross painting I did. :)

Orchestra

2009-03-07T11:14:00.002-06:00

So I thought I'd explain my Video converter's post. See, at first I wasn't sure if I'd be able to even get the concert on my computer, much less online! So after my dad made a DVD of it, at first it looked like I wasn't going to be able to get it online, which made me sad because I had a lot of friends and family that weren't able to make it to the concert, and I wanted to share it with them. Plus, the DVD seemed to get scratches on it easily, so I wasn't sure how long it would last.
So I saved the files to my computer, but none of my programs were able to open it. Then I did a search and found a video converter program that converted the file type to something more compatible! Yay!! After fiddling with it for a bit, I figured out how to convert it to a Windows Media Player format. Then I edited it a bit, and was able to post it online! So that's why I was so excited.

And now... for the first song we played in the orchestra:

Enjoy! By the way, you aren't able to really see me in the video. You can see my hand and part of the top of my head, but the rest of me is hidden behind another violinist.

A Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-03-02T17:06:00.004-06:00

Today…
March 2nd, 2009
Outside my window…
The sky is filled with clouds, but the birds are still chirping - a sound I've missed over the winter.
I am thinking…
about starting a salad for dinner.
I am thankful for…
My mom, who's shown me that fruits and vegetables really are the best foods in the world.
I am wearing…
Comfortable jeans, socks, a long sleeve top with a short sleeve shirt on top of it.
I am reading…
Proverbs, Matthew, Deuteronomy, and The Spiritual Lives of Great Composers.
I am creating…
Videos of my orchestra concert. :)
One of my favorite things…
My quiet time with the Lord in the mornings.
For education this week…
Home ec, Drivers Ed (yes!), Algebra, Chemistry, and English. I finished Geography for the year. :)
A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Making dinner... or at least part of it.
A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
To guard the words I say.
A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Grace.
Scripture (of the day)…
Proverbs 16:1 The plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the wise answer of the tongue.
I am praying for…
God to continue to prune me... to mold me and take out anything in me that doesn't please Him.
For the rest of the week…
Practicing, delighting myself in the Lord, enjoying the warm weather we're supposed to get, and spending time with family.
A picture I’d like to share…

Psalm 121:1-2 "I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!" (NLT)

YAY for video converters!!!!

2009-02-27T19:12:00.003-06:00

I'm really really excited - I figured out how to get video from my most recent orchestra concert on the computer and converted so that I can put it online!!! Because at first it was in this really weird format that I'd never heard of. So then I googled how to convert it and I found a free video converter. YES!!! I was literally jumping up and down. LOL. I might put the video up here if I can figure out how to split the video so it's short enough to upload.

So yeah... this isn't a very deep, insightful post. I just felt like sharing that with you all.

But about my last concert - it went really well! I was a lot less nervous than the last concert, but I was less satisfied with my performance this time than the last. I did fine until the last song where I lost my place and had to wait 'till half the intro was over before I could play it correctly. LOL. Oh well. But it was still really neat. It's just so cool to be a part of something so large and produce such full, pretty music.

So... if anyone's reading this (which I hope there are a few at least!), I have a question for you. Do any of you play an instrument? If so, which one(s)? How long have you been playing? Have you been a part of any ensemble, band, or orchestra?

Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-02-23T16:42:00.003-06:00

Today…
February 23rd, 2009
Outside my window…
A blanket of gray blocks my view of the sun, but the sun still shines beyond it.
I am thinking…
of how many things I need to do today.
I am thankful for…
my family.
I am wearing…
Warm, fuzzy socks, jeans, and a long-sleeve top.
I am reading…
The Spiritual Lives of Great Composers by Patrick Kavanaugh, and Romans.
I am creating…
Photographs.
One of my favorite things…
My computer.
For education this week…
Home Economics, LOTS of practicing violin, Chemistry, Algebra, and English
A keeper at home skill I am using/learning…
Keeping the kitchen clean.
A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
To value others as more important than myself.
A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Generosity.
Scripture I am memorizing…
Again, not memorizing, but my verse of the day is Romans 6:13: And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
I am praying for…
God's guidance.
For the rest of the week…
School, and spending time with my family.
A picture I’d like to share…

-My violin on top of a LOT of violin music. :)

A Young Maiden's Daybook

2009-02-16T14:39:00.004-06:00

I recently found HsKubes' Girl's blog and saw that she started something called "A Young Maiden's Daybook." So I decided to participate. I'll be doing this every Monday, so hopefully I'll be posting more often now. :-)

Today…
February 16th, 2009

Outside my window…
The sun is shining, the trees are bare, and the grass is brown.

I am thinking…
of the orchestra concert I will be a part of tonight!

I am thankful for…
God's unfailing faithfulness to me.

I am wearing…
Jeans, a plain, white longsleeve top, and a warm white sweater. But in a few hours I'll be changing into a white blouse, floor length black skirt, hoes, and black dress shoes for the orchestra concert. :-)

I am reading…
Proverbs, Scriptures about music and worship, and Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

I am creating…
A painting of a cross. Actually, I'm pretty much done with it. There are just a few more touches I should add.

One of my favorite things…
My violin

For education this week…
Algebra, Chemistry, Geography, Spanish, Writing and Grammar, and Music as always.

A keeper at home skill I am using/learning …
Doing dishes

A spiritual lesson I’m learning…
To rely on God and learn to hear His voice

A godly character trait I plan to work on…
Love

Scripture I am memorizing…
I'm not memorizing a Scripture at the moment, but my verse of the day is Proverbs 3:3: "Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you! Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with God and man." (NLT)

I am praying for…
Continued health for my family and me.

For the rest of the week…
Schoolwork, practicing, and hopefully finishing Pilgrim's Progress. :-)

A picture I’d like to share…
Spring is on it's way! :-)

Fireproof

2009-02-04T17:49:00.003-06:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged. Sorry about that! Sorry if this one's short - I don't have much time to write.

A few weeks ago, we went to see Fireproof at the dollar theater. (We'd been waiting for it to get to the dollar theater, and we were really excited when we saw it there.) It's a really really awesome movie and I encourage you all to go see it. And if you've already seen it, watch it again! :-)

I think it's amazing that they really defined love in this movie - not love as in a feeling, but how it's described in 1 Corinthians 13. It was really neat to see that chapter in action. Fireproof is a movie about a husband and wife that are having marriage problems. Then the husband is given something called the "love dare" where he is supposed to do something special for his wife each day for a certain period of time. At first he does this half-heartedly, and his efforts are rejected, which makes him more frustrated. But with the help of his father, he is persistent and eventually his marriage gets back together.

I thought this was a very realistic movie - their problems didn't just get solved immediately or automatically. It takes patience... longsuffering. In one part of the movie, the song "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller is played. (Awesome song - I encourage you to look it up sometime). It's about waiting on God's timing - but not just sitting back and doing nothing. We are to serve God continually - to worship Him. To obey His commands daily. It was a song I needed to hear that day, and I thought it fit the movie well.

There's a lot more I could say about the movie, but I don't want to spoil it. Hope you get a chance to see it soon!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2008-12-24T15:51:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I pray this Christmas would be your best one yet.

God is so faithful, isn't He? This year Christmas sneaked up on me and my family and we spend the last two weeks preparing gifts and getting out our Christmas letters. But God's been so good to us. He's been teaching me so much lately... About Christmas and other things.

Have you ever thought about how detailed the birth of Jesus is? Look back at some of the prophecies in the Old Testament, then read the Christmas story in Luke AND Matthew. So many details! For instance, did you see that the star appeared at Jesus' birth, and then again about two years later when the wise men came? And it actually MOVED so that the wise men could follow it. That's just too cool.

But what I really want to focus on is why Jesus came to earth. Do you ever think about that? That He came to earth... to die a criminal's death as payment for OUR sins. All we have to do is receive it. That little baby boy we see in manger scenes represents Immanuel, God with us! He came here to give everything good to us - eternal life, healing, peace, restoration - while He died a horrible death. We didn't deserve it. Jesus, the only perfect human who ever lived died in our place because of LOVE for us. Can you imagine? For God so LOVED the world that He gave His one and only Son... Wow. That's so hard to wrap my mind around! Did you notice that He loved us while we were still sinners? God's love is unconditional. Nothing we do will make Him love us any less... or any more.

This Christmas, take time to thank God for what He's done. Not just a little, "Thank You." But really spend time thinking about what He did for you, and thank Him. Not only with words, but with actions. Determine to spread God's love through the way you treat people all year around, and not just during the month of December.

I pray you have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Christmas reading suggestions:
Isaiah 9, 53, John 1, Luke 1-2; Matthew 1-2.

The Sword and the Flute

2008-12-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

It's the 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour! This is the very last Teen FIRST tour as Teen FIRST has merged with FIRST Wild Card Tours. If you wish to learn more about FIRST Wild Card, please go HERE.

Mike Hamel

and his book:

The Sword and the Flute (Matterhorn the Brave Series #1)

Amg Publishers (January 22, 2007)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mike Hamel is a seasoned storyteller who has honed his skill over theyears by telling tall tales to his four children. He is the author of several non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles.

Mike and his wife, Susan, live in Colorado Springs, CO. Their four children are now grown and their two grand children will soon be old enough for stories of their own.

From His Blog's About Me:

I am a professional writer with sixteen books to my credit, including a trilogy of titles dealing with faith and business: The Entrepreneur’s Creed (Broadman, 2001), Executive Influence (NavPress, 2003), and Giving Back (NavPress, 2003). I also edited Serving Two Masters: Reflections on God and Profit, by Bill Pollard (Collins, 2006).

My most enjoyable project to date has been an eight-volume juvenile fiction series called Matterhorn the Brave. It’s based on variegated yarns I used to spin for my four children. They are now grown and my two grandchildren will soon be old enough for stories of their own.

I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado with my bride of 34 years, Susan.

As you read this blog, remember that I’m a professional. Don’t try this level of writing at home. You might suffer a dangling participle or accidentally split an infinitive and the grammarians will be all over you like shoe salesmen on a centipede.

BTW – I have been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, an aggressive but treatable form of cancer.

Mike's Blog, Cells Behaving Badly, is an online diary about Wrestling with Lymphoma Cancer.

To order a signed edition of any of the 6 Matterhorn the Brave books, please visit the Matterhorn the Brave Website!

Product Details

List Price: 9.99
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 181 pages
Publisher: Amg Publishers (January 22, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0899578330
ISBN-13: 978-0899578330

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Emerald Isle

Aaron the Baron hit the ground like a paratrooper, bending his knees, keeping his balance.

Matterhorn landed like a 210-pound sack of dirt.

His stomach arrived a few seconds later.

He straightened his six-foot-four frame into a sitting position. In the noonday sun he saw they were near the edge of a sloping meadow. The velvet grass was dotted with purple and yellow flowers. Azaleas bloomed in rainbows around the green expanse. The black-faced sheep mowing the far end of the field paid no attention to the new arrivals.

“Are you okay?” the Baron asked. He looked as if he’d just stepped out of a Marines’ recruiting poster. “We’ll have to work on your landing technique.”

“How about warning me when we’re going somewhere,” Matterhorn grumbled.

The Baron helped him up and checked his pack to make sure nothing was damaged. He scanned the landscape in all directions from beneath the brim of his red corduroy baseball cap. “It makes no difference which way we go,” he said at last. “The horses will find us.”

“What horses?”

“The horses that will take us to the one we came to see,” the Baron answered.

“Are you always this vague or do you just not know what you’re doing?”

“I don’t know much, but I suspect this is somebody’s field. We don’t want to be caught trespassing. Let’s go.”

They left the meadow, walking single file through the tall azaleas up a narrow valley. Thorny bushes with loud yellow blossoms crowded the trail next to a clear brook. Pushing one of the prickly plants away, Matterhorn asked, “Do you know what these are?”

“Gorse, of course,” the Baron said without turning.

“Never heard of it.”

“Then I guess you haven’t been to Ireland before.”

“Ireland,” Matterhorn repeated. “My great-grandfather came from Ireland.”

“Your great-grandfather won’t be born for centuries yet.”

Matterhorn stepped over a tangle of exposed roots and said, “What do you mean?”

“I mean we’re in medieval Ireland, not modern Ireland.”

“How can that be!” Matterhorn cried, stopping in his tracks. “How can I be alive before my great-grandfather?”

The Baron shrugged. “That’s one of the paradoxes of time travel. No one’s been able to figure them all out. You’re welcome to try, but while you’re at it, keep a lookout for the horses.”

Matterhorn soon gave up on paradoxes and became absorbed in the paradise around him. The colors were so alive they hurt his eyes. He wished for a pair of sunglasses. Above the garish gorse he saw broom bushes and pine trees growing to the ridge where spectacular golden oaks crowned the slopes. Birdsongs whistled from their massive branches into the warm air. Small animals whispered in the underbrush while larger game watched the strangers from a distance.

The country flattened out and, at times, they glimpsed stone houses over the tops of hedgerows. They steered clear of these and any other signs of civilization. In a few hours, they reached the spring that fed the brook they had been following. They stopped to rest and wash up.

That’s where the horses found them.

There were five strikingly handsome animals. The leader of the pack was from ancient and noble stock. He stood a proud seventeen hands high—five-foot-eight-inches—at the shoulders. He had a classic Roman face with a white star on his wide forehead that matched the white socks on his forelegs. His straight back, sturdy body, and broad hindquarters suggested both power and speed. A rich coppery mane and tail complemented his sleek, chestnut coat.

The Baron held out an apple to the magnificent animal, but the horse showed no interest in the fruit or the man. Neither did the second horse. The third, a dappled stallion, took the apple and let the Baron pet his nose.

“These horses are free,” the Baron said as he stroked the stallion’s neck. “They choose their riders, which is as it should be. Grab an apple and find your mount.”

While Matterhorn searched for some fruit, the leader sauntered over and tried to stick his big nose into Matterhorn’s pack. When Matterhorn produced an apple, the horse pushed it aside and kept sniffing.

Did he want carrots, Matterhorn wondered? How about the peanut butter sandwich? Not until he produced a pocket-size Snickers bar did the horse whinny and nod his approval.

The Baron chuckled as Matterhorn peeled the bar and watched it disappear in a loud slurp. “That one’s got a sweet tooth,” he said.

The three other horses wandered off while the Baron and Matterhorn figured out how to secure their packs to the two that remained. “I take it we’re riding without saddles or bridles,” Matterhorn said. This made him nervous, as he had been on horseback only once before.

“Bridles aren’t necessary,” Aaron the Baron explained. “Just hold on to his mane and stay centered.” He boosted Matterhorn onto his mount. “The horses have been sent for us. They’ll make sure we get where we need to go.”

As they set off, Matterhorn grabbed two handfuls of long mane from the crest of the horse’s neck. He relaxed when he realized the horse was carrying him as carefully as if a carton of eggs was balanced on his back. Sitting upright, he patted the animal’s neck. “Hey, Baron; check out this birthmark.” He rubbed a dark knot of tufted hair on the chestnut’s right shoulder. “It looks like a piece of broccoli. I’m going to call him Broc.”

“Call him what you want,” the Baron said, “but you can’t name him. The Maker gives the animals their names. A name is like a label; it tells you what’s on the inside. Only the Maker knows that.”

Much later, and miles farther into the gentle hills, they made camp in a lea near a tangle of beech trees. “You get some wood,” Aaron the Baron said, “while I make a fire pit.” He loosened a piece of hollow tubing from the side of his pack and gave it a sharp twirl. Two flanges unrolled outward and clicked into place to form the blade of a short spade. Next, he pulled off the top section and stuck it back on at a ninety-degree angle to make a handle.

Matterhorn whistled. “Cool!”

“Cool is what we’ll be if you don’t get going.”

Matterhorn hurried into the forest. He was thankful to be alone for the first time since becoming an adult, something that happened in an instant earlier that day. Seizing a branch, he did a dozen chin-ups; then dropped and did fifty push-ups and a hundred sit-ups.

Afterward he rested against a tree trunk and encircled his right thigh with both hands. His fingertips didn’t touch. Reaching farther down, he squeezed a rock-hard calf muscle.

All this bulk was new to him, yet it didn’t feel strange. This was his body, grown up and fully developed. Flesh of his flesh; bone of his bone. Even hair of his hair, he thought, as he combed his fingers through the thick red ponytail.

He took the Sword hilt from his hip. The diamond blade extended and caught the late afternoon sun in a dazzling flash. This mysterious weapon was the reason he was looking for firewood in an Irish forest instead of sitting in the library at David R. Sanford Middle School.

Christmas Carols and Orchestra Concert

2008-12-09T19:46:00.002-06:00

Last night was my very first concert in the orchestra, which I joined last August. I'll try to tell you what happened without boring you with too many details. ;-)

Dressed in a floor length black skirt, white blouse, and black shoes that hurt my feet, I walked up to the performing arts center with my violin case in my right hand and my music folder in the other. I was able to find the room in which I was supposed to be fairly easily... but not without worrying beforehand that I wouldn't find the right place in time. But God is so faithful, isn't He? Almost as soon as I had walked in the PAC, a violinist who had been in the orchestra last year showed me where to go. I had no need to worry.

Sometime after I got my violin tuned and ready, we went through our songs one last time before the final performance. I was slightly flustered, but after knocking my shoulder rest off my instrument and struggling to get my music in order with one hand, things went pretty smoothly. :-) Once we finished rehearsing, we went to another room and waited for when we were to perform. After several minutes of waiting talking with friends, we were summoned on stage.

I took my seat - first violin section, fourth row - and after a few moments, watched the conductor come on stage and raise his baton for us to ready our instruments. Once he saw we were all ready, he gave us the cue to begin playing. Despite my nervousness, I was able to play the songs well. I think it was one of the best times I've played them, in fact! How faithful God is!

After we had finished our performance and put our instruments away, we crept into the auditorium to watch another, more advanced orchestra play. Their music was so beautiful! It was neat to be able to watch an orchestra play after I had been a part of one. Once they had played a few songs, a large choir came out and sang a medley of Christmas carols while the orchestra played. That was one of the highlights of the whole night, I think. The sounds in that auditorium were beyond beautiful. I don't think words can describe how lovely it all was. I was tremendously blessed by songs such as "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful" which were played and sung with the utmost skill and excellence.

As I've attended rehearsals week after week, it struck me how similar an orchestra is to the body of Christ. Both have a conductor to set the pace and correct us when we're wrong. We can either follow or ignore him. If we choose to go our own way, things will fall apart. You won't be in sync with the rest of the orchestra, and you'll end up looking really foolish in the end. But if you follow the conductor and put into practice the things he tells you, everything will work out well.
Secondly, both have a body with many different gifts and talents. Each person is unique in their talents and abilities, even as each instrument is different. Yet if we work together to follow the Conductor, the result will be beautiful. When I practice with the whole orchestra, I find out things that I've been doing wrong in my practicing at home, which motivates me to practice harder so I can sound better than ever. Sometimes we discover faults about ourselves when we're around other people. But when we repent and obey God, things work out and you become a better person.
Lastly, both have an instruction booklet - sheet music, and the Bible! If we don't study it and do what it says, we won't get very far.
I'm sure there are other analogies, but those are the ones I thought of. :-)

(Wow, this blog post is way longer than I expected it to be. Hope I didn't bore you!)

One last thing before I finish: I pray that none of us will be so caught up in the Christmas rush that we forget the whole meaning behind it all. Because God loved us, He gave His only Son for us while we were still sinners so that any and all who believe on Him will not perish but have everlasting life. (see John 3:16 and Romans 5:8). Let us never think lightly of the great love of God - that He would send the world His own Son Jesus to die the horrible death on the cross. May you all have a very blessed Christmas!

V4C

Infidel by Ted Dekker

2008-11-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

It's the 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!

Ted Dekker

and his book:

Infidel--Graphic Novel: The Lost Books Series

Thomas Nelson (November 11, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ted is the son of missionaries John and Helen Dekker, whose incredible story of life among headhunters in Indonesia has been told in several books. Surrounded by the vivid colors of the jungle and a myriad of cultures, each steeped in their own interpretation of life and faith, Dekker received a first-class education on human nature and behavior. This, he believes, is the foundation of his writing.

After graduating from a multi-cultural high school, he took up permanent residence in the United States to study Religion and Philosophy. After earning his Bachelor's Degree, Dekker entered the corporate world in management for a large healthcare company in California. Dekker was quickly recognized as a talent in the field of marketing and was soon promoted to Director of Marketing. This experience gave him a background which enabled him to eventually form his own company and steadily climb the corporate ladder.

Since 1997, Dekker has written full-time. He states that each time he writes, he finds his understanding of life and love just a little clearer and his expression of that understanding a little more vivid. To see a complete list of Dekker's work, visit The Works section of TedDekker.com.

Here are some of his latest titles:

Chosen (The Lost Books, Book 1) (The Books of History Chronicles)

Adam

Black: The Birth of Evil (The Circle Trilogy Graphic Novels, Book 1)

Saint

Product Details

List Price:$15.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 136 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 11, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595546049
ISBN-13: 978-1595546043

AND NOW...THE FIRST TWO PAGES:

(Click Pictures to Zoom!)

Personal Review:

When I realized this was a graphic novel, I was somewhat hesitant to read it. From the cover, it didn't really look like the kind of book I'd like to read. But as soon as I read the first page, it was hard to put it down! All in all I read the whole book in about an hour. As I started to think about how short the book was, I realized how much was actually packed into it. Not only was the plot interesting and well thought out, but it had several spiritual parallels in it. As I went along with Johnis on the quest to find his mother, I was touched at how passionate he was about rescuing her. Those who venture to read this book will walk away thinking about the deeper meanings woven into the book. I recommend this book to those who enjoy Lord of the Rings type fantasy.

Prayer

2008-11-05T14:36:00.004-06:00

Prayer is perhaps the most effective tool we have. James 5:16 says, "...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (NIV) I encourage you to take time out of your schedule each day to pray for our country. Now that Obama has been elected, we need to pray more than ever for it.

First of all we should pray for Obama, that he would find God and know and obey His Word. Nothing is impossible for God. The most wicked king in Israel eventually repented and got right with God! I pray that Obama would not wait nearly as long as Manassah did.

Second, we need to pray for our current president, Bush, that in these last months as president he would seek God and obey His commands.

Third, for revival in the US. That many many people would come to know Jesus and those who are lukewarm would rededicate their lives to Him. That morality would rise in our country.

Fourth, for whatever God directs you to pray for. The above is only a guideline of what to pray for. You are by no means restricted to only the aforementioned list. Let God direct your prayers.

Finally, do not despair. The Lord is still King! (Ps 97:1) If we trust in God and follow Him, He will direct our steps. He will take care of us. Remember, nothing surprises God.

In Christ,

V4C

The Ripple Effect by Paul McCusker

2008-10-21T08:00:00.003-05:00

It's the 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!

Paul McCusker

and his book:

Ripple Effect (Time Thriller Trilogy, Book 1)

Link to buy it on Amazon

Zondervan (October 1, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Paul McCusker is the author of The Mill House, Epiphany, The Faded Flower and several Adventures in Odyssey programs. Winner of the Peabody Award for his radio drama on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for Focus on the Family, he lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two children.

Product Details

List Price: $9.99

Reading level: Young Adult

Paperback: 224 pages

Publisher: Zondervan (October 1, 2008)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0310714362

ISBN-13: 978-0310714361

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

“I’m running away,” Elizabeth announced defiantly. She chomped a french fry in half.

Jeff looked up at her. He’d been absentmindedly swirling his straw in his malted milkshake while she complained about her parents, which she had been doing for the past half hour. “You’re what?”

“You weren’t listening, were you?”

“I was too.”

“Then what did I say?” Elizabeth tucked a loose strand of her long brown hair behind her ear so it wouldn’t fall into the puddle of ketchup next to her fries.

“You were complaining about how your mom and dad drive you crazy because your dad embarrassed you last night while you and Melissa Morgan were doing your history homework. And your dad lectured you for twenty minutes about . . . about . . .” He was stumped.

“Chris-tian symbolism in the King Arthur legends,” Elizabeth said.

“Yeah, except that you and Melissa were supposed to be studying the . . . um — ”

“French Revolution.”

“Right, and Melissa finally made up an excuse to go home, and you were embarrassed and mad at your dad — ”

“As usual,” she said and savaged another french fry.

Jeff gave a sigh of relief. Elizabeth’s pop quizzes were a lot tougher than anything they gave him at school. But it was hard for him to listen when she griped about her parents. Not having any parents of his own, Jeff didn’t connect when Elizabeth went on and on about hers.

“Then what did I say?” she asked.

He was mid-suck on his straw and nearly blew the contents back into the glass. “Huh?”

“What did I say after that?”

“You said . . . uh . . .” He coughed, then glanced around the Fawlt Line Diner, hoping for inspiration or a way to change the subject. His eye was dazzled by the endless chrome, beveled mirrors, worn red upholstery, and checkered floor tiles. And it boasted Alice Dempsey, the world’s oldest living waitress, dressed in her paper cap and red-striped uniform with white apron.

She had seen Jeff look up and now hustled over to their booth. She arrived smelling like burnt hamburgers and chewed her gum loudly. “You kids want anything else?”

Rescued, Jeff thought. “No, thank you,” he said.

She cracked an internal bubble on her gum and dropped the check on the edge of the table. “See you tomorrow,” Alice said.

“No, you won’t,” Elizabeth said under her breath. “I won’t be here.”

As she walked off, Alice shot a curious look back at Elizabeth. She was old, but she wasn’t deaf.

“Take it easy,” Jeff said to Elizabeth.

“I’m going to run away,” she said, heavy rebuke in her tone. “If you’d been listening — ”

“Aw, c’mon, Bits — ” Jeff began. He’d called her “Bits” for as long as either of them could remember, all the way back to first grade. “It’s not that bad.”

“You try living with my mom and dad, and tell me it’s not that bad.”

“I know your folks,” Jeff said. “They’re a little quirky, that’s all.”

“Quirky! They’re just plain weird. They’re clueless about life in the real world. Did you know that my dad went to church last Sunday with his shirt on inside out?”

“It happens.”

“And wearing his bedroom slippers?”

Jeff smiled. Yeah, that’s Alan Forde, all right, he thought.

“Don’t you dare smile,” Elizabeth threatened, pointing a french fry at him. “It’s not funny. His slippers are grass stained. Do you know why?”

“Because he does his gardening in his bedroom slippers.”

Elizabeth threw up her hands. “That’s right! He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care how he looks, what -people think of him, or anything! And my mom doesn’t even have the decency to be embarrassed for him. She thinks he’s adorable! They’re weird.”

“They’re just . . . themselves. They’re — ”

Elizabeth threw herself against the back of the red vinyl bench and groaned. “You don’t understand.”

“Sure I do!” Jeff said. “Your parents are no worse than Malcolm.” Malcolm Dubbs was Jeff’s father’s cousin, on the English side of the family, and had been Jeff’s guardian since his parents had died five years ago in a plane crash. As the last adult of the Dubbs family line, he came from England to take over the family fortune and estate. “He’s quirky.”

“But that’s different. Malcolm is nice and sensitive and has that wonderful English accent,” Elizabeth said, nearly swooning. Jeff’s cousin was a heartthrob among some of the girls.

“Don’t get yourself all worked up,” Jeff said.

“My parents just go on and on about things I don’t care about,” she continued. “And if I hear the life-can’t-be-taken-too-seriously-because-it’s-just-a-small-part-of-a-bigger-picture lecture one more time, I’ll go out of my mind.”

Again Jeff restrained his smile. He knew that lecture well. Except his cousin Malcolm summarized the same idea in the phrase “the eternal perspective.” All it meant was that there was a lot more to life than what we can see or experience with our senses. This world is a temporary stop on a journey to a truer, more real reality, he’d say — an eternal reality. “Look, your parents see things differently from most -people. That’s all,” Jeff said, determined not to turn this gripe session into an Olympic event.

“They’re from another planet,” Elizabeth said. “Sometimes I think this whole town is. Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

“I like Fawlt Line,” Jeff said softly, afraid Elizabeth’s complaints might offend some of the other regulars at the diner.

“Everybody’s so . . . so oblivious! Nobody even seems to notice how strange this place is.”

Jeff shrugged. “It’s just a town, Bits. Every town has its quirks.”

“Is that your word of the day?” Elizabeth snapped. “These aren’t just quirks, Jeffrey.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. When she resorted to calling him Jeffrey, there was no reasoning with her. He rubbed the side of his face and absentmindedly pushed his fingers through his wavy black hair.

“What about Helen?” Elizabeth challenged him.

“Which Helen? You mean the volunteer at the information booth in the mall? That Helen?”

“I mean Helen the volunteer at the information booth in the mall who thinks she’s psychic. That’s who I mean.” Elizabeth leaned over the Formica tabletop. Jeff moved her plate of fries and ketchup to one side. “She won’t let you speak until she guesses what you’re going to ask. And she’s never right!”

Jeff shrugged.

“Our only life insurance agent has been dead for six years.”

“Yeah, but — ”

“And there’s Walter Keenan. He’s a professional proofreader for park bench ads! He wanders around, making -people move out of the way so he can do his job.” Her voice was a shrill whisper.

“Ben Hearn only pays him to do that because he feels sorry for him. You know old Walter hasn’t been the same since that shaving accident.”

“But I heard he just got a job doing the same thing at a tattoo parlor!”

“I’m sure tattooists want to make sure their spelling is correct.”

Elizabeth groaned and shook her head. “It’s like Mayberry trapped in the Twilight Zone. I thought you’d understand. I thought you knew how nuts this town is.” Elizabeth locked her gaze onto Jeff’s.

He gazed back at her and, suddenly, the image of her large brown eyes, the faint freckles on her upturned nose, her full lips, made him want to kiss her. He wasn’t sure why — they’d been friends for so long that she’d probably laugh at him if he ever actually did it — but the urge was still there.

“It’s not such a bad place,” he managed to say.

“I’ve had enough of this town,” she said. “Of my parents. Of all the weirdness. I’m fifteen years old and I wanna be a normal kid with normal problems. Are you coming with me or not?”

Jeff cocked an eyebrow. “To where?”

“To wherever I run away to,” she replied. “I’m serious about this, Jeff. I’m getting all my money together and going somewhere normal. We can take your Volkswagen and — ”

“Listen, Bits,” Jeff interrupted, “I know how you feel. But we can’t just run away. Where would we go? What would we do?”

“And who are you all of a sudden: Mr. Responsibility? You never know where you’re going or what you’re doing. You’re our very own Huck Finn.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Not according to Mr. Vidler.”

“Mr. Vidler said that?” Jeff asked defensively, wondering why their English teacher would be talking about him to Elizabeth.

“He says it’s because you don’t have parents, and Malcolm doesn’t care what you do.”

Jeff grunted. He didn’t like the idea of Mr. Vidler discussing him like that. And Malcolm certainly cared a great deal about what he did.

Elizabeth continued. “So why should you care where we go or what we do? Let’s just get out of here.”

“But, Bits, it’s stupid and — ”

“No! I’m not listening to you,” Elizabeth shouted and hit the tabletop with the palms of her hands. Silence washed over the diner like a wave as everyone turned to look.

“Keep it down, will you?” Jeff whispered fiercely.

“Either you go with me, or stay here and rot in this town. It’s up to you.”

Jeff looked away. It was unusual for them to argue. And when they did, it was usually Jeff who gave in. Like now. “I don’t know,” he said quietly.

Elizabeth also softened her tone. “If you’re going, then meet me at the Old Saw Mill by the edge of the river tonight at ten.” She paused, then added, “I’m going whether you come with me or not.”

Personal Review:

When I first opened the book, I was prepared only to read a few pages and then go to bed. But after the first page, I couldn't stop reading! Paul McCusker filled every page with suspense, causing me to constantly wonder what will happen next. As Elizabeth slides into another time dimension, she encounters problem upon problem, wondering who she can trust and what percentage of the things she's been told are true. However, there were a few things I didn't really like. For instance, boyfriend/girlfriend relationships played a fairly large part in the plot - a subject which I am somewhat hesitant to read. And there was the practice of hypnosis, which made me uncomfortable. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can't wait to read the next one!

Seasons

2008-10-07T17:33:00.005-05:00

Don't you just love Autumn? It was in the 60's today! There's something about a canopy of gray clouds stretching across the sky and cooler than usual temperatures that inspires me. I've painted and tossed around ideas for writing more in the last couple of weeks than I have in the last couple of months.

Don't we serve an awesome God? He made the seasons for our enjoyment! I myself get all excited when a new season begins. When hot, sweaty summer gives way to brisk, colorful autumn. When the trees lose all their leaves, I get excited 'cause it means winter! And winter means snow (most of the time), and Christmas! And when winter melts into spring and warmth and life, I feel like jumping for joy!

In case you're wondering, yes, I do have a point in all this. God takes delight in seeing His children happy. Every time someone takes pleasure in His creation, He smiles! How wonderful it is that God cared enough to give us four different seasons to enjoy, even when we might fail to notice and appreciate them. I thank our God for caring so much for us that He sends little blessings like this. What about you? Have you thanked Him for the seasons yet?

It's All About Us

2008-09-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

It's the 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!

Shelley Adina

and her books:

It's All About Us: A Novel

FaithWords (May 12, 2008)

and

The Fruit of My Lipstick (All About Us Series, Book 2)

FaithWords (August 11, 2008)

Plus a Tiffany's Bracelet Giveaway! Go to Camy Tang's Blog and leave a comment on the Teen FIRST All About Us Tour and you will be placed into a drawing for a bracelet that looks similar to the picture below. But the winning FaithWords Tiffany's bracelet will be a double heart charm.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shelley Adina is a world traveler and pop culture junkie with an incurable addiction to designer handbags. She knows the value of a relationship with a gracious God and loving Christian friends, and she's inviting today's teenage girls to join her in these refreshingly honest books about real life as a Christian teen--with a little extra glitz thrown in for fun! In between books, Adina loves traveling, listening to and making music, and watching all kinds of movies.

It's All About Us is Book One in the All About Us Series. Book Two, The Fruit of my Lipstick came out in August 2008, and Book Three, Be Strong & Curvaceous, comes out in January 2009.

Visit the author's website.

It's All About Us: A Novel

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: FaithWords (May 12, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446177989
ISBN-13: 978-0446177986

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Chapter One

SOME THINGS YOU just know without being told. Like, you passed the math final (or you didn't). Your boyfriend isn't into you anymore and wants to break up. Vanessa Talbot has decided that since you're the New Girl, you have a big bull's-eye on your forehead and your junior year is going to be just as miserable as she can make it.

Carly once told me she used to wish she were me. Ha! That first week at Spencer Academy, I wouldn't have wished my life on anyone.

My name is Lissa Evelyn Mansfield, and since everything seemed to happen to me this quarter, we decided I'd be the one to write it all down. Maybe you'll think I'm some kind of drama queen, but I swear this is the truth. Don't listen to Gillian and Carly—they weren't there for some of it, so probably when they read this, it'll be news to them, too.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. When it all started, I didn't even know them. All I knew was that I was starting my junior year at the Spencer Academy of San Francisco, this private boarding school for trust fund kids and the offspring of the hopelessly rich, and I totally did not want to be there.

I mean, picture it: You go from having fun and being popular in tenth grade at Pacific High in Santa Barbara, where you can hang out on State Street or join a drumming circle or surf whenever you feel like it with all your friends, to being absolutely nobody in this massive old mansion where rich kids go because their parents don't have time to take care of them.

Not that my parents are like that. My dad's a movie director, and he's home whenever his shooting schedule allows it. When he's not, sometimes he flies us out to cool places like Barbados or Hungary for a week so we can be on location together. You've probably heard of my dad. He directed that big pirate movie that Warner Brothers did a couple of years ago. That's how he got on the radar of some of the big A-list directors, so when George (hey, he asked me to call him that, so it's not like I'm dropping names) rang him up from Marin and suggested they do a movie together, of course he said yes. I can't imagine anybody saying no to George, but anyway, that's why we're in San Francisco for the next two years. Since Dad's going to be out at the Ranch or on location so much, and my sister, Jolie, is at UCLA (film school, what else—she's a daddy's girl and she admits it), and my mom's dividing her time among all of us, I had the choice of going to boarding school or having a live-in. Boarding school sounded fun in a Harry Potter kind of way, so I picked that.

Sigh. That was before I realized how lonely it is being the New Girl. Before the full effect of my breakup really hit. Before I knew about Vanessa Talbot, who I swear would make the perfect girlfriend for a warlock.

And speaking of witch . . .

"Melissa!"

Note: my name is not Melissa. But on the first day of classes, I'd made the mistake of correcting Vanessa, which meant that every time she saw me after that, she made a point of saying it wrong. The annoying part is that now people really think that's my name.

Vanessa, Emily Overton, and Dani Lavigne ("Yes, that Lavigne. Did I tell you she's my cousin?") are like this triad of terror at Spencer. Their parents are all fabulously wealthy—richer than my mom's family, even—and they never let you forget it. Vanessa and Dani have the genes to go with all that money, which means they look good in everything from designer dresses to street chic.

Vanessa's dark brown hair is cut so perfectly, it always falls into place when she moves. She has the kind of skin and dark eyes that might be from some Italian beauty somewhere in her family tree. Which, of course, means the camera loves her. It didn't take me long to figure out that there was likely to be a photographer or two somewhere on the grounds pretty much all the time, and nine times out of ten, Vanessa was the one they bagged. Her mom is minor royalty and the ex-wife of some U.N. Secretary or other, which means every time he gives a speech, a photographer shows up here. Believe me, seeing Vanessa in the halls at school and never knowing when she's going to pop out at me from the pages of Teen People or some society news Web site is just annoying. Can you say overexposed?

Anyway. Where was I? Dani has butterscotch-colored hair that she has highlighted at Biondi once a month, and big blue eyes that make her look way more innocent than she is. Emily is shorter and chunkier and could maybe be nice if you got her on her own, but she's not the kind that functions well outside of a clique.

Some people are born independent and some aren't. You should see Emily these days. All that money doesn't help her one bit out at the farm, where—

Okay, Gillian just told me I have to stop doing that. She says it's messing her up, like I'm telling her the ending when I'm supposed to be telling the beginning.

Not that it's all about her, okay? It's about us: me, Gillian, Carly, Shani, Mac . . . and God. But just to make Gillian happy, I'll skip to the part where I met her, and she (and you) can see what I really thought of her. Ha. Maybe that'll make her stop reading over my shoulder.

So as I was saying, there they were—Vanessa, Emily, and Dani—standing between me and the dining room doors. "What's up?" I said, walking up to them when I should have turned and settled for something out of the snack machine at the other end of the hall.

"She doesn't know." Emily poked Dani. "Maybe we shouldn't tell her."

I did a fast mental check. Plaid skirt—okay. Oxfords—no embarrassing toilet paper. White blouse—buttoned, no stains. Slate blue cardigan—clean. Hair—freshly brushed.

They couldn't be talking about me personally, in which case I didn't need to hear it. "Whatever." I pushed past them and took two steps down the hall.

"Don't you want to hear about your new roommate?" Vanessa asked.

Roommate? At that point I'd survived for five days, and the only good things about them were the crème brulée in the dining room and the blessed privacy of my own room. What fresh disaster was this?

Oops. I'd stopped in my tracks and tipped them off that (a) I didn't know, and (b) I wanted to know. And when Vanessa knows you want something, she'll do everything she can not to let you have it.

"I think we should tell her," Emily said. "It would be kinder to get it over with." "I'm sure I'll find out eventually." There, that sounded bored enough. "Byeee." "I hope you like Chinese!" Dani whooped at her own cleverness, and the three of them floated off down the hall.

So I thought, Great, maybe they're having dim sum today for lunch, though what that had to do with my new roommate I had no idea. At that point it hadn't really sunk in that conversation with those three is a dangerous thing.

That had been my first mistake the previous Wednesday, when classes had officially begun. Conversation, I mean. You know, normal civilized discourse with someone you think might be a friend. Like a total dummy, I'd actually thought this about Vanessa, who'd pulled newbie duty, walking me down the hall to show me where my first class was. It turned out to not be my first class, but the teacher was nice about steering me to the right room, where I was, of course, late.

That should've been my first clue.

My second clue was when Vanessa invited me to eat with them and Dani managed to spill her Coke all over my uniform skirt, which is, as I said, plaid and made of this easy-clean fake wool that people with sensitive skin can wear. She'd jumped up, all full of apologies, and handed me napkins and stuff, but the fact remained that I had to go upstairs and change and then figure out how the laundry service worked, which meant I was late for Biology, too.

On Thursday Dani apologized again, and Vanessa loaned me some of her Bumble and bumble shampoo ("You can't use Paul Mitchell on gorgeous hair like yours—people get that stuff at the drugstore now"), and I was dumb enough to think that maybe things were looking up. Because really, the shampoo was superb. My hair is blond and I wear it long, but before you go hating me for it, it's fine and thick, and the fog we have here in San Francisco makes it go all frizzy. And it's foggy a lot. So this shampoo made it just coo with pleasure.

You're probably asking yourself why I bothered trying to be friends with these girls. The harrowing truth was, I was used to being in the A-list group. It never occurred to me that I wouldn't fit in with the popular girls at Spencer, once I figured out who they were.

Lucky me—Vanessa made that so easy. And I was so lonely and out of my depth that even she was looking good. Her dad had once backed one of my dad's films, so there was that minimal connection.

Too bad it wasn't enough.

jolie.mansfield L, don't let them bug you. Some people are
threatened by anything new. It's a compliment
really.

LMansfield You always find the bright side. Gahh. Love you,
but not helping.

jolie.mansfield What can I do?

LMansfield I'd give absolutely anything to be back in S.B.

jolie.mansfield :(

LMansfield I want to hang with the kids from my youth group.
Not worry about anything but the SPF of my sun
block.

jolie.mansfield It'll get better. Promise. Heard from Mom?
LMansfield No. She's doing some fundraiser with Angelina.
She's pretty busy.

jolie.mansfield If you say so. Love you.

Copyright © 2008 by Shelley Adina

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The Fruit of My Lipstick (All About Us Series, Book 2)

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: FaithWords (August 11, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446177970
ISBN-13: 978-0446177979

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Chapter One

chapter 1

Top Five Clues That He’s the One

1. He’s smart, which is why he’s dating you and not the queen of the snob mob.

2. He knows he’s hot, but he thinks you’re hotter.

3. He’d rather listen to you than to himself.

4. You’re in on his jokes—not the butt of them.

5. He always gives you the last cookie in the box.

THE NEW YEAR. . . when a young girl’s heart turns to new beginnings, weight loss, and a new term of chemistry!

Whew! Got that little squee out of my system. But you may as well know right now that science and music are what I do, and they tend to come up a lot in conversation. Sometimes my friends think this is good, like when I’m helping them cram for an exam. Sometimes they just think I’m a geek. But that’s okay. My name is Gillian Frances Jiao-Lan Chang, and since Lissa was brave enough to fall on her sword and spill what happened last fall, I guess I can’t do anything less.

I’m kidding about the sword. You know that, right?

Term was set to start on the first Wednesday in January, so I flew into SFO first class from JFK on Monday. I thought I’d packed pretty efficiently, but I still exceeded the weight limit by fifty pounds. It took some doing to get me and my bags into the limo, let me tell you. But I’d found last term that I couldn’t live without certain things, so they came with me. Like my sheet music and some more of my books. And warmer clothes.

You say California and everyone thinks L.A. The reality of San Francisco in the winter is that it’s cold, whether the sun is shining or the fog is stealing in through the Golden Gate and blanketing the bay. A perfect excuse for a trip to Barney’s to get Vera Wang’s tulip-hem black wool coat, right?

I thought so, too.

Dorm, sweet dorm. I staggered through the door of the room I share with Lissa Mansfield. It’s up to us to get our stuff into our rooms, so here’s where it pays to be on the rowing team, I guess. Biceps are good for hauling bulging Louis Vuittons up marble staircases. But I am so not the athletic type. I leave that to John, the youngest of my three older brothers. He’s been into gymnastics since he was, like, four, and he’s training hard to make the U.S. Olympic team. I haven’t seen him since I was fourteen—he trains with a coach out in Arizona.

My oldest brother, Richard, is twenty-six and works for my dad at the bank, and the second oldest, Darren—the one I’m closest to—is graduating next spring from Harvard and going straight into medical school after that.

Yeah, we’re a family of overachievers. Don’t hate me, okay?

I heard a thump in the hall outside and got the door open just in time to come face-to-face with a huge piece of striped fiberglass with three fins.

I stood aside to let Lissa into the room with her surfboard. She was practically bowed at the knees with the weight of the duffel slung over her shoulder, and another duffel with a big O’Neill logo waited outside. I grabbed it and swung it onto her bed.

“Welcome back, girlfriend!”

She stood the board against the wall, let the duffel drop to the floor with a thud that probably shook the chandelier in the room below us, and pulled me into a hug.

“I am so glad to see you!” Her perfect Nordic face lit up with happiness. “How was your Christmas—the parts you didn’t tell me about on e-mail?”

“The usual. Too many family parties. Mom and Nai-Nai made way too much food, two of my brothers fought over the remote like they were ten years old, my dad and oldest brother bailed to go back to work early, and, oh, Nai-Nai wanted to know at least twice a day why I didn’t have a boyfriend.” I considered the chaos we’d just made of our pristine room. “The typical Chang holiday. What about you? Did Scotland improve after the first couple of days?”

“It was fre-e-e-e-zing.” She slipped off her coat and tam. “And I don’t just mean rainy-freezing. I mean sleet-and-icicles freezing. The first time I wore my high-heeled Louboutin boots, I nearly broke my ankle. As it was, I landed flat on my butt in the middle of the Royal Mile. Totally embarrassing.”

“What’s a Royal Mile? Princesses by the square foot?”

“This big broad avenue that goes through the old part of Edinburgh toward the queen’s castle. Good shopping. Restaurants. Tourists. Ice.” She unzipped the duffel and began pulling things out of it. “Dad was away a lot at the locations for this movie. Sometimes I went with him, and sometimes I hung out with this really adorable guy who was supposed to be somebody’s production assistant but who wound up being my guide the whole time.”

“It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.”

“I made it worth his while.” She flashed me a wicked grin, but behind it I saw something else. Pain, and memory. “So.” She spread her hands. “What’s new around here?”

I shrugged. “I just walked in myself a few minutes ago. You probably passed the limo leaving. But if what you really want to know is whether the webcam incident is over and done with, I don’t know yet.”

She turned away, but not before I saw her flush pink and then blink really fast, like her contacts had just been flooded. “Let’s hope so.”

“You made it through last term.” I tried to be encouraging. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?”

“It made one thing stronger.” She pulled a cashmere scarf out of the duffel and stroked it as though it were a kitten. “I never prayed so hard in my life. Especially during finals week, remember? When those two idiots seriously thought they could force me into that storage closet and get away with it?”

“Before we left, I heard the short one was going to be on crutches for six weeks.” I grinned at her. Fact of the day: Surfers are pretty good athletes. Don’t mess with them. “Maybe it should be, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes your relationship with God stronger.’”

“That I’ll agree with. Do you know if Carly’s here yet?”

“Her dad was driving her up in time for supper, so she should be calling any second.”

Sure enough, within a few minutes, someone knocked. “That’s gotta be her.” I jumped for the door and swung it open.

“Hey, chicas!” Carly hugged me and then Lissa. “Did you miss me?”

“Like chips miss guacamole.” Lissa grinned at her. “Good break?”

She grimaced, her soft brown eyes a little sad. Clearly Christmas break isn’t what it’s cracked up to be in anybody’s world.

“Dad had to go straighten out some computer chip thing in Singapore, so Antony and I got shipped off to Veracruz. It was great to see my mom and the grandparents, but you know . . .” Her voice trailed away.

“What?” I asked. “Did you have a fight?” That’s what happens at our house.

“No.” She sighed, then lifted her head to look at both of us. “I think my mom has a boyfriend.”

“Ewww,” Lissa and I said together, with identical grimaces.

“I always kind of hoped my mom and dad would figure it out, you know? And get back together. But it looks like that’s not going to happen.”

I hugged her again. “I’m sorry, Carly. That stinks.”

“Yeah.” She straightened up, and my arm slid from her shoulders. “So, enough about me. What about you guys?”

With a quick recap, we put her in the picture. “So do you have something going with this Scottish guy?” Carly asked Lissa.

Lissa shook her head, a curtain of blonde hair falling to partially hide her face—a trick I’ve never quite been able to master, even though my hair hangs past my shoulders. But it’s so thick and coarse, it never does what I want on the best of days. It has to be beaten into submission by a professional.

“I think I liked his accent most of all,” she said. “I could just sit there and listen to him talk all day. In fact, I did. What he doesn’t know about murders and wars and Edinburgh Castle and Lord This and Earl That would probably fit in my lip gloss tube.”

I contrasted walking the cold streets of Edinburgh, listening to some guy drone on about history, with fighting with my brothers. Do we girls know how to have fun, or what? “Better you than me.”

“I’d have loved it,” Carly said. “Can you imagine walking through a castle with your own private tour guide? Especially if he’s cute. It doesn’t get better than that.”

“Um, okay.” Lissa gave her a sideways glance. “Miss A-plus in History.”

“Really?” I had A-pluses in AP Chem and Math, but with anything less in those subjects, I wouldn’t have been able to face my father at Christmas. As it was, he had a fit over my B in History, and the only reason I managed to achieve an A-minus in English was because of a certain person with the initials L. M.

Carly shrugged. “I like history. I like knowing what happened where, and who it happened to, and what they were wearing. Not that I’ve ever been anywhere very much, except Texas and Mexico.”

“You’d definitely have liked Alasdair, then,” Lissa said. “He knows all about what happened to whom. But the worst was having to go for tea at some freezing old stone castle that Dad was using for a set. I thought I’d lose my toes from frostbite.”

“Somebody lives in the castle?” Carly looked fascinated. “Who?”

“Some earl.” Lissa looked into the distance as she flipped through the PDA in her head. Then she blinked. “The Earl and Countess of Strathcairn.”

“Cool!”

“Very. Forty degrees, tops. He said he had a daughter about our age, but I never met her. She heard we were coming and took off on her horse.”

“Mo guai nuer,” I said. “Rude much?”

Lissa shrugged. “Alasdair knew the family. He said Lady Lindsay does what she wants, and clearly she didn’t want to meet us. Not that I cared. I was too busy having hypothermia. I’ve never been so glad to see the inside of a hotel room in my life. I’d have put my feet in my mug of tea if I could have.”

“Well, cold or not, I still think it’s cool that you met an earl,” Carly said. “And I can’t wait to see your dad’s movie.”

“Filming starts in February, so Dad won’t be around much. But Mom’s big charity gig for the Babies of Somalia went off just before Christmas and was a huge success, so she’ll be around a bit more.” She paused. “Until she finds something else to get involved in.”

“Did you meet Angelina?” I asked. Lissa’s life fascinated me. To her, movie stars are her dad’s coworkers, like the brokers and venture capitalists who come to the bank are my dad’s coworkers. But Dad doesn’t work with people who look like Orlando and Angelina, that’s for sure.

“Yes, I met her. She apologized for flaking on me for the Benefactors’ Day Ball. Not that I blame her. It all turned out okay in the end.”

“Except for your career as Vanessa Talbot’s BFF.”

Lissa snorted. “Yeah. Except that.”

None of us mentioned what else had crashed and burned in flames after the infamous webcam incident—her relationship with the most popular guy in school, Callum McCloud. I had a feeling that that was a scab we just didn’t need to pick at.

“You don’t need Vanessa Talbot,” Carly said firmly. “You have us.”

We exchanged a grin. “She’s right,” I said. “This term, it’s totally all about us.”

“Thank goodness for that,” she said. “Come on. Let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

RStapleton I heard from a mutual friend that you take care of people at midterm time.

Source10 What friend?

RStapleton Loyola.

Source10 Been known to happen.

RStapleton How much?

Source10 1K. Math, sciences, geography only.

RStapleton I hate numbers.

Source10 IM me the day before to confirm.

RStapleton OK. Who are you?

RStapleton You there?

BY NOON THE next day, I’d hustled down to the student print shop in the basement and printed the notices I’d laid out on my Mac. I tacked them on the bulletin boards in the common rooms and classroom corridors on all four floors.

Christian prayer circle every Tuesday night 7:00 p.m., Room 216 Bring your Bible and a friend!

“Nice work,” Lissa told me when I found her and Carly in the dining room. “Love the salmon pink paper. But school hasn’t officially started yet. We probably won’t get a very good turnout if the first one’s tonight.”

“Maybe not.” I bit into a succulent California roll and savored the tart, thin seaweed wrapper around the rice, avocado, and shrimp. I had to hand it to Dining Services. Their food was amazing. “But even if it’s just the three of us, I can’t think of a better way to start off the term, can you?”

Lissa didn’t reply. The color faded from her face and she concentrated on her square ceramic plate of sushi as though it were her last meal. Carly swallowed a bite of makizushi with an audible gulp as it went down whole. Slowly, casually, I reached for the pepper shaker and glanced over my shoulder.

“If it isn’t the holy trinity,” Vanessa drawled, plastered against Brett Loyola’s arm and standing so close behind us, neither Carly nor I could move. “Going to multiply the rice and fish for us?”

“Nice to see you, too, Vanessa,” Lissa said coolly. “Been reading your Bible, I see.”

“Hi, Brett,” Carly managed, her voice about six notes higher than usual as she craned to look up at him.

He looked at her, puzzled, as if he’d seen her before somewhere but couldn’t place where, and gave her a vague smile. “Hey.”

I rolled my eyes. Like we hadn’t spent an entire term in History together. Like Carly didn’t light up like a Christmas tree every time she passed a paper to him, or maneuvered her way into a study group that had him in it. Honestly. I don’t know how that guy got past the entrance requirements.

Oh, wait. Silly me. Daddy probably made a nice big donation to the athletics department, and they waved Brett through Admissions with a grateful smile.

“Have any of you seen Callum?” Vanessa inquired sweetly. “I’m dying to see him. I hear he spent Christmas skiing at their place in Vail with his sisters and his new girlfriend. No parents.”

“He’s a day student.” I glanced at Lissa to see how she was taking this, but she’d leaned over to the table behind her to snag a bunch of napkins. “Why would he be eating here?”

“To see all his friends, of course. I guess that’s why you haven’t seen him.”

“Neither have you, if you’re asking where he is.” Poor Vanessa. I hope she’s never on a debating team. It could get humiliating.

But what she lacked in logic she made up for in venom. She ignored me and gushed, “I love your outfit, Lissa. I’m sure Callum would, too. That is, if he were still speaking to you.”

I barely restrained myself from giving Vanessa an elbow in the stomach. But Lissa had come a long way since her ugly breakup with a guy who didn’t deserve her. Vanessa had no idea who she was dealing with—Lissa with an army of angels at her back was a scary thing.

She pinned Vanessa with a stare as cold as fresh snow.

“You mean you haven’t told him yet that you made that video?” She shook her head. “Naughty Vanessa, lying to your friends like that.” A big smile and a meaningful glance at Brett. “But then, they’re probably used to it.”

Vanessa opened her mouth to say something scathing, when a tall, lanky guy elbowed past her to put his sushi dishes on the table next to mine. Six feet of sheer brilliance, with blue eyes and brown hair cropped short so he didn’t have to deal with it. A mind so sharp, he put even the overachievers here in the shade—but in spite of that, a guy who’d started coming to prayer circle last term. Who could fluster me with a look, and wipe my brain completely blank with just a smile.

Lucas Hayes.

“Hey, Vanessa, Brett.”

My jaw sagged in surprise, and I snapped it shut on my mouthful of rice, hoping he hadn’t seen. Since when was the king of the science geeks on speaking terms with the popular crowd?

To add to the astonishment, the two of them stepped back, as if to give him some space. “Yo, Einstein.” Brett grinned and they shook hands.

“Hi, Lucas.” Vanessa glanced from him to me to our dishes sitting next to each other. “I didn’t know you were friends with these people.”

He shrugged. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

“That could change. Why don’t you come and sit with us?” she asked. Brett looked longingly at the sushi bar and tugged on her arm. She ignored him. “We’re much more fun. We don’t sing hymns and save souls.”

“So I’ve heard. Did you make it into Trig?”

“Of course.” She tossed her gleaming sheet of hair over one shoulder. “Thanks to you.”

I couldn’t keep quiet another second. “You tutored her?” I asked him, trying not to squeak.

He picked up a piece of California roll and popped it in his mouth, nodding. “All last term.” He glanced at Vanessa. “Contrary to popular opinion, she isn’t all looks.”

Oh, gack. Way TMI. Vanessa smiled as though she’d won this and all other possible arguments now and in the future, world without end, amen. “Come on, Lucas. Hold our table for us while Brett and I get our food. I want to talk to you about something anyway.”

He shrugged and picked up his dishes while she and Brett swanned away. “See you at prayer circle,” he said to me. “I saw the signs. Same time and place, right?”

I could only nod as he headed for the table in the middle of the big window looking out on the quad. The one no one else dared to sit at, in case they risked the derision and social ostracism that would follow.

The empty seat on my right seemed even emptier. How could he do that? How could he just dump us and then say he’d see us at prayer circle? Shouldn’t he want to eat with the people he prayed with?

“It’s okay, Gillian,” Carly whispered. “At least he’s coming.”

“And Vanessa isn’t,” Lissa put in with satisfaction.

“I’m not so sure I want him to, now,” I said. I looked at my sushi and my stomach sort of lurched. Ugh. I pushed it away.

And here I’d been feeling so superior to Carly and her unrequited yen for Brett. I was just as bad, and this proved it. What else could explain this sick feeling in my middle?

Two hours later, while Lissa, Carly, and I shoved aside the canvases and whatnot that had accumulated in Room 216 over the break, making enough room for half a dozen people to sit, I’d almost talked myself into not caring whether Lucas came or not.

And then he stepped through the door and I realized my body was more honest than my brain. I sucked in a breath and my heart began to pound.

Oh, yeah. You so don’t care.

Travis, who must have arrived during dinner, trickled in behind him, and then Shani Hanna, who moved with the confidence of an Arabian queen, arrived with a couple of sophomores I didn’t know. Her hair, tinted bronze and caught up at the crown of her head, tumbled to her shoulders in corkscrew curls. I fingered my own arrow-straight mop that wouldn’t hold a curl if you threatened it with death.

Okay, stop feeling sorry for yourself, would you? Enough is enough.

“Hey, everyone, thanks for coming,” I said brightly, getting to my feet. “I’m Gillian Chang. Why don’t the newbies introduce themselves, and then we’ll get started?”

The sophomores told us their names, and I found out Travis’s last name was Fanshaw. And the dots connected. Of course he’d been assigned as Lucas’s roommate—he’s like this Chemistry genius. If it weren’t for Lucas, he’d be the king of the science geeks. Sometimes science people have a hard time reconciling scientific method with faith. If they were here at prayer circle, maybe Travis and Lucas were among the lucky few who figured science was a form of worship, of marveling at the amazement that is creation. I mean, if Lucas was one of those guys who got a kick out of arguing with the Earth Sciences prof, I wouldn’t even be able to date him.

Not that there was any possibility of that.

As our prayers went up one by one, quietly from people like Carly and brash and uncomfortably from people like Travis and the sophomores, I wished that dating was the kind of thing I could pray about.

But I don’t think God has my social life on His to-do list.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2008 by Shelley Adina

This article is used with the permission of Hachette Book Group and Shelley Adina. All rights reserved.

The Book of Names

2008-08-21T11:23:00.002-05:00

It's the 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!

D. Barkley Briggs

and his book:

The Book of Names (Legends of Karac Tor)

NavPress Publishing Group (July 15, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dean Barkley Briggs is an author, father of eight, and prone to twisting his ankle playing basketball. He grew up reading J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Patricia McKillip, Guy Gavriel Kay, Stephen R. Donaldson, Ursila K. Leguin, Susan Cooper, Madeline L'Engle, Terry Brooks, Andre Norton and Lloyd Alexander (just to name a few)...and generally thinks most fantasy fiction pales in comparison. (Yes, he dabbled in sci-fi, too. Most notably Bradbury, Burroughs and Heinlein).

After losing his wife of 16 years, Briggs decided to tell a tale his four sons could relate to in their own journey through loss. Thus was born The Legends of Karac Tor, a sweeping adventure of four brothers who, while struggling to adjust to life without mom, become enmeshed in the crisis of another world. Along the way they must find their courage, face their pain, and never quit searching for home.

Briggs is remarried to a lovely woman, who previously lost her husband. Together with her four children, their hands are full.

Product Details

List Price: $12.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 397 pages
Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group (July 15, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 160006227X
ISBN-13: 978-1600062278

Watch the Trailer:

Enter the Contest:

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

In final days / Come final woes

Doors shall open / Doors shall close

Forgotten curse / Blight the land

Four names, one blood / Fall or stand

If lost the great one / Fallen low

Rises new / Ancient foe

Darkest path / River black

Blade which breaks / Anoint, attack

If once and future / Lord of war,

Queen la Faye / Mighty sword,

Rises ‘gain / As warrior king,

Prepare / For day of reckoning

If Aion’s breath / For music cursed

Sings making things / Made perverse,

Fate shall split / Road in twain

One shall lose / One shall gain

If secret lore / Then be found

Eight plus one / All unbound

Beast shall come / Six must go

Doors shall open / Doors shall close

If buried deep / Hidden seen

Ancient tomb / Midst crimson green

Nine shall bow / Nine more rise

Nine horns blow / Nine stars shine

If falling flame / Burning pure

Ten thousand cries / For mercy heard

Then plagues, peril / Horns of dread

End of days / Land be red

When final days / Bring final woes

Doors shall open / Doors shall close

Fate for one / For all unleashed

Come the Prince / Slay the beast

Cross the water / Isgurd’s way

White horse / Top the waves

Aion, fierce! / Aion, brave!

Aion rides / To save the day

— The Ravna’s Last Riddle

Chapter 1

BLACK BIRDS

The day was gray and cold, mildly damp. Perfect for magic. Strange clouds overhead teased the senses with a fragrance of storm wind and lightning and the faint, clean smell of ozone. Invisible energy sparkled like morning dew on blades of grass.

Standing alone in an empty field on the back end of their new acreage, Hadyn Barlow only saw the clouds. By definition, you can't see what's invisible, and as for smelling magic? Well, let's just say, unlikely. Hadyn saw what was obvious for late November, rural Missouri: leafless trees, dead grass, winter coming on strong. Most of all he saw (and despised) the humongous briar patch in front of him, feeling anew each and every blister and callous earned hacking through its branches.

Making room for cattle next spring, or so he was told; this, even though his dad had never owned a cow in his life. He was a history teacher for crying out loud. A college professor. Hadyn's shoulders slumped. It didn't matter. Everything was different now. Mr. Barlow didn't let his boys curse, but low under his breath, Hadyn did, mildly, just to prove the point. Life stunk. That was the brutal truth.

All true for the most part. Yet standing alone in the field, bundled in flannel, something else prickled his skin—something hidden in the rhythm of the day, at its core—and it wasn't just the chill wind. He couldn't shake it. A sense of something. Out-of-placeness. Faced with a friendless sophomore year, Hadyn knew that feeling all too well. It attacked him every morning, right before school.

But this was something more, more than the usual nervousness and name-calling stuff. His intuition was maddeningly vague. Hadyn sniffed the air, eyeing the field. A fox scampered in the distance. Bobwhites whistled softly. This had been his routine for weeks. Go to school, come home, do chores. Today was no different. Except for the clouds.

He looked upwards, struck again by the strange hues. The colors were still there; kinda creepy. They had lingered since the bus ride home. He had seen it happen with his own eyes, though he didn’t think much of it at the time. Right about the time school let out and the yellow buses began winding home, the skies had opened and spilled. Low banks of clouds came tumbling from the horizon like old woolen blankets. Like that scene from Independence Day, when the alien ships first appeared. Hues of purple, cobalt and charcoal smeared together. Not sky blue. Not normal. Riding on the bus, face pressed against the cold window, he didn’t know what to think. Only that it looked…otherworldly. Like God had put Van Gogh in charge for the day.

Strange.

Earlier, the day hadn’t felt weird. If anything, he had felt relief. Two days until Friday...until Thanksgiving Break. Only two days. He could make it. Standing by the mailbox with his three brothers, waiting for the bus—he couldn’t wait to get his own car—mild winds had stirred from the south, scampering through row after row of brittle stalks in the neighbor’s cornfield across the road. He heard them in the leafless oak and elm of his own yard, hissing with a high, dry laughter. Warm winds, not cold. But about noon, the wind shifted. Again, no big deal for Missouri, always caught in the middle between the gulf streams of Mexico and Canada’s bitter cold. Temperamental weather was normal in these parts.

Yet there it was. From the winding ride home to this very moment, he couldn’t rid himself of that dry-mouthed, queasy feeling. It was more than a shift in wind. It was a shift in energy. Yes, the dark clouds and strange colors reminded him of the thickening air before a big, cracking Midwestern storm, but that wasn’t it. This was different.

Hadyn being Hadyn, more than anything else, wanted to identify the moment. To name it.

Though he didn’t actually verbalize until age three, Hadyn was born with a question mark wrinkled into his brows. Always searching, always studying something. He couldn’t speak a word before then—refused to, his dad always said—yet he knew the letters of the alphabet at a precocious 12 months. When he finally did decide to talk, words gushed. Full sentences. Big vocabulary. Not surprisingly, it was clear early on that Hadyn was one of those types bent toward structure, patterns. He hated incongruities, hated not knowing how to pinpoint the strange twist in sky and mood right in the middle of an otherwise typically dreary day. If it was just nasty weather, name it! What did it feel like? Wet fish guts? Not quite. A full wet diaper? He remembered those well enough from when the twins were little, but no. A three day old slice of cheese?

Yes, that was it. Cold, damp, moldy.

Velveeta, actually, he decided, feeling a small measure of satisfaction. He fumbled for the zipper of his coat as another icy breeze prickled his skin. Yep, another lousy Velveeta day in the life of Hadyn Barlow.

He thought of the roaring wood stove back home. Hot cocoa. Little consolation. Until dusk, the oldest Barlow boy was stuck outside in a field with hatchet and hedge shears. Stuck in a foul mood, stuck with a knot in his throat. Just plain stuck. His task, his life, seemed endless and pointless.

“Just a little bit every day, however much you can manage after school,” his father would remind him. “And don’t look so grumpy. The days are shorter and shorter.”

But not any warmer.

“Grr!” Hadyn grumbled aloud, snapping at the cold in his thoughts. He had chosen to “clear” the massive beast by carving tunnels in it, not just hacking mindlessly. Probably not exactly what Dad had in mind, but, well, to be honest, he didn’t really care. He was the one stuck out here in the cold. He had already carved several tunnels, and reentered the biggest one now, loping and clicking his shears at the endless mess of thorns and branches, alternated by halfhearted swings of the hatchet. The briar patch sprawled a couple hundred feet in every direction, comprised of dense, overgrown nettles, blackberry bushes and cottonweed. Untended for generations, the underbrush was so thick and tall a person could easily get lost in it, especially toward the center, where the land formed a shallow ravine that channeled wet weather rains toward the pond on the lower field. Hadyn guessed the height at the center point would be a good 12 feet or more. Enormous.

Really, it was a ridiculous task. Dad had to know that.

“Why not just burn the thing?” Hadyn had asked him. Burn it, then brush-hog it. Throw a hand grenade in and run.

Mr. Barlow never really answered, just said he wanted him to clear it by hand. After the first day of grumbling and complaining (which proved none too popular with his father), Hadyn started carving tunnels. His plan was to craft a maze out of it, maybe create a place to escape...at least have some fun before his dad made him level the whole thing

Fun? He caught himself, tasting the word like a spoonful of Nyquil. Fun is soccer with the guys back home.

He paused for a moment to wipe his brow. Home was no longer a city, not for four months now. It was a cow pasture. Home had been Independence, the suburb of Kansas City whose chief claim to fame (other than being the birthplace of Harry S. Truman) was that Jesus would return there, at least according to one of numerous Mormon splinter groups. For Hadyn, it was all about skateboards and traffic and rows of houses. Noise. Friends. Now, all that—everything familiar and good—was exactly three hours and nineteen minutes straight across I-70 on the opposite end of the state. Might as well have been on the opposite side of the planet. Home now: three hundred acres in the middle of nowhere, away from all he had ever known.

The town was called Newland. The name seemed like a smack in the face.

New town. New school. New faces. New troubles to deal with. New disappointments. His dad had tried to make a big deal of the “new” thing. This would be a new start for their family, a new chapter, blah, blah, blah. A change, from sadness to hope, he said. Hadyn hated change.

He didn’t want new. He wanted it how it used to be.

How it used to be was happy. Normal. Right. Fair. How it used to be meant they were a family of six, not five. Hadyn felt a familiar pang slice across his chest. He would have traded all the unknown magic in the world for five more minutes with—

Mom...

It had been a year since she died. His mental images of her remained vivid, of a beautiful woman with porcelain smooth skin, naturally blonde, witty, vivacious. All four Barlow brothers shared her spunky attitude, as well as an even mix of their parents’ coloring: mom’s fairness, dad’s darker hair and complexion, the boys somewhere in between. Hadyn, rapidly entering his adult body, was tall for his age, muscular, lean, possessed of a sometimes uncomfortably aristocratic air. Some days his eyes were smoky jade, others, iron gray. But he had Anna’s cleverness.

His parents had been saving money for several years, studying the land all around Newland. Hadyn could not fathom why. What was so special about Podunk, America? But he knew his mom had been happy to think about life in the country. Once upon a time, that was enough. But now? Without her, what was the point? Why couldn’t they have just stayed in Independence? Moving wasn’t going to bring her back. Didn’t Dad know that?

For the second time that afternoon, a tidal wave of loneliness nearly drowned him, left him in a goo of self-pity, the sort of sticky feeling he didn’t want anyone to spoil by cheering him up. He took one more angry swing. Done or not, he was done for the day. Work could wait. Dad would just have to deal with it. Already, he had built a pretty impressive maze, though. Six unconnected tunnels so far.

Like I give a rip about these stupid tunnels, he thought as he crawled from the center toward the mouth of the largest, longest shaft. Or this stupid land, or town, or patch of—his knee jammed against a thorn protruding from the soil—thorny! ridiculous!...

He clenched his jaw, flashing through dozens of choice words, using none. Honoring his dad. Pain streamed as tears down his cheek, and it wasn’t just the thorn in his knee. It was life. Crawling forty more feet, he emerged to face the slowly westering sun melting down the sky. The otherworldly colors he had seen earlier were gone. Only the cold remained. And now, a bleeding, sore knee.

Behind him, he heard heard rustling grass and the high pitched, lilting notes of his brother’s tin whistle. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and grimaced. Ewan, like his mother, was musical. Even more like her, he was sentimental. He often carried the whistle she had brought him as a gift from Ireland. It would, no doubt, have seemed humorous to some, to see him wandering the field, playing a spritely little tune. It only annoyed Hadyn. Thankfully, as Ewan drew closer, the song trailed away.

“Hey, Hadyn.”

Hadyn grunted. “What do you want?”

Ewan shrugged, tucking the flute into his back pocket. He wore blue jeans, and a blue embroidered ball cap, initialed ‘ECB’.

“Wondered how things were going.”

“Dad sent you to help, didn’t he?”

Ewan frowned. “Yep. Got done with my chores sooner than planned.”

“Bummer.”

“Major bummer,” Ewan emphasized. “Looks like you’re near the center, though. That’s pretty cool.”

Hadyn didn’t reply. With only two years between them, the two brothers had always been the closest of friends, the fiercest competitors, the quickest of combatants. They understood each other’s rhythms like no one else in the family. Whereas Hadyn was studied, wise and cautious, Ewan was quick, fearless and comfortable with long odds. No one could make Ewan laugh—gasping-for-air, fall-on-the-ground-cackling—like Hadyn. Likewise, Ewan could frustrate Hadyn to no end, or, with the sheer power of silliness, cheer him up when a sullen moment was about to strike. Not much wanting to be rescued from his mood at the moment, however, Hadyn let his silent response wrap around him like a barrier against further penetration. He didn’t notice that Ewan’s gaze had drifted from the briar patch to the low sky and paused there.

“What do you make of that?” he dimly heard his brother say, distracted, curious. Through the haze of his own thoughts, Hadyn followed Ewan’s line of sight, his pointing finger, straight into the sunset. At first, he saw nothing. Then it was obvious. Several large, black birds were swooping low on the horizon. Even at a distance, it appeared they were headed straight for the two boys, unveering over the slope of the ground, drawing swiftly nearer, a hundred yards or so away. From the sound of their raucous cry, they were like ravens, only larger, throatier, and if possible, blacker.

“Cawl-cawl,” they cried.

Hadyn counted four total, wings outstretched, unflapping, like stealth bombers in formation. There was something organized and determined about their flight. It lacked animal randomness.

“Do they look strange to you?” Ewan asked, cocking his head.

Hadyn pretended to be uninterested. It didn’t last. “What is that in their claws? What’re they carrying?”

“Yeah, I see it. Sticks?”

“Too thick. It would be too heavy. Wouldn’t it?”

“Hard to tell at this angle. Are they heading for us?” Ewan held up his hand to shield his eyes. “Man, they’re fast. What are they?”

“I don’t know, but they’re still—”

“Look out!” Ewan dove to the side, tripping Hadyn in the process. Both boys hit the ground on a roll, turning just in time to see the birds swoop suddenly upward, arcing high into the sky, turn, then turn again. The lead bird, larger than the others, croaked loudly; the other three responded. Over and over, the same phrase, like a demand: “Cawl!”

All four were pitch black, having none of the deep blue sheen of a crow’s feathers, or so it seemed in the failing light. They flew as black slashes in the sky, all wing and beak, not elegant in the air, but fast. Disappearing completely against the lightless eastern expanse, they reappeared again as silhouettes skimming the western horizon. At first it seemed to Hadyn the birds would fly away, as they swept up and out in a wide arc. But the curve of their path soon came full circle. They were attempting another pass. Both boys nervously scooted further outside the angle of the birds’ approach.

“What in the world?” Hadyn said, hatchet raised and ready. It was clearer now in silhouette form. Each bird carried the form of a long, thick tube in their talons.

The brothers hunched on the ground, motionless, muscles tensed, watching as the birds continued their second approach. Hadyn held his breath. The birds didn’t veer, nor aim again for the boys. Instead, they formed a precise, single-file line, a black arrow shooting toward the main tunnel of the thicket. With a final loud croak—“Cawl!”—and not a single flap of wing, all four swooped straight into the hole, one after the other. As they did, each released the object clutched in its talons. The tubes clattered together with a light, tinny sound at the mouth of the tunnel, literally at the boys’ feet. The birds were already beyond sight. Their throaty noise echoed for a moment, evaporating into an obvious silence marked only by the faint breeze of wings passing over broken grass.

Hadyn and Ewan stared first at the tunnel, then at the objects. Then at each other. Then back at the tunnel. In the same instant, each of them leaped toward what the birds had left behind: four thin, black metallic tubes, trimmed with milky white bands at top and bottom.

Hadyn slowly stretched out his hand and picked up a tube. He rolled it between his fingers. It was about the length of Ewan’s Irish whistle, but thicker, maybe the circumference of a quarter. Not heavy at all. In the middle of each tube, finely wrought in scripted gold filigree, the letter ‘A’ appeared.

Ewan lightly shook his tube, listening for clues to its contents. It sounded hollow.

“They didn’t even have us sign for delivery,” he deadpanned. “What do we do with these? They look important.”

“How should I know?” Hadyn said contemptuously, flicking his eyes cautiously toward the tunnel. “Where’d they even go? I mean, really. Are they just hiding back there until we leave?”

“Who cares!” Ewan said. His disgust was obvious. Hadyn’s was being an analyst again. “This isn’t hard, Hadyn. Some big birds dive bombed us. They dropped these cool tubes. It makes no sense. It’s awesome. Totally, factor 10 cool.”

Hadyn mulled it over. “Maybe they’re some sort of carrier pigeon, but...do carrier pigeons even fly anymore?

“Only on Gilligan’s Island. TV Land. Listen to me, you’re just guessing.”

“Have you got a better idea?” Hadyn demanded.

Ewan waited, considered. Hadyn knew he hated being put on the spot like that, in the inferior position. Now it was Ewan’s turn to think.

“Okay, maybe you’re right. Maybe those birds really are carriers of some sort?—” Ewan held up a tube, “—obviously they are. What if they need to carry these things farther still? What if they’re just resting? What if they are trained to do this when they need to rest? Drop their packages, find a hole, rest, then grab their stuff and carry on?”

“So...are you suggesting we flush them out? Cause there is no way I’m going to crawl back there. They can get out later on their own.”

Ewan didn’t reply. Instead he dug into his pocket, pulled out a small flashlight, and scuttled into the tunnel the birds had entered. “Wait here,” he ordered.

“Hey, watch it back there!” Hadyn cautioned. Secretly, he wanted him to go, knew how to punch his brother’s buttons to make it happen. “Those claws looked sharp!”

While he waited for Ewan to return, Hadyn examined the tubes further. He shook one tube, flicked it, smelled another; picked up and twirled the third and fourth tubes. His efforts yielded the same muffled sensation of something barely shifting inside. Maybe a rolled up piece of paper? If the ravens (or crows, or whatever they were) were carriers of some sort, a written message did make the most sense. But who in the world still sent paper messages...by bird? By raven, no less. Hello, email anyone?

Presently, Ewan reappeared, breathing hard.

“They’re gone,” he said simply. “Must have flown out one of the other tunnels.”

Hadyn creased his brow. “No way. None of the tunnels connect yet.”

“They don’t?” Ewan’s eyes widened as it dawned on him that he hadn’t seen any other tunnels. “No...they don’t.”

The two boys stared at one another in silence. Evening enfolded them; soon, darkness. “They must have crawled through the branches,” Hadyn surmised, but he hardly sounded convinced. “Are you sure you didn’t see them?”

Ewan rolled his eyes. “Hello? Big, black flappy things. Yes, I’m sure.” He grabbed one of the tubes, shook it again. “This band looks like ivory, but it’s hard to tell in this light.”

“Reminds me of one of mom’s necklaces.”

Ewan grabbed the end and twisted. “Only one way to find out.”

This time Hadyn didn’t argue or analyze. Curiosity had gotten the best of him. The lid twisted off with surprising ease, followed by a thin hiss of sealed air. Ewan wrinkled his face. “Smells old. Yuck. Turn on your flashlight. Mine is getting weak.”

He tapped the open end against the palm of his left hand. The coiled edge of a piece of thick, cream-colored parchment slipped out. Hadyn leaned in closer. Ewan gingerly teased the scroll out. It had a heavy grain of woven cotton, with rough edges trimmed in gold foil. Both boys let out a long slow breath. Neither the silver moon hung off the treeline, nor the winking stars, provided light enough to clearly see. Hadyn turned on his flashlight as his brother unrolled the parchment. The paper was larger than normal, rich to the touch. Pinning both ends to the ground, both boys read at once the simple message beautifully scripted on the inside in golden ink: “You have been chosen for a life of great purpose. Adventure awaits you in the Hidden Lands.”

“Dude!” Ewan whistled softly. “Looks like something from King Arthur. What in the world are the Hidden Lands?”

Hadyn, who actually loved the lore of King Arthur—and Ewan knew it—was already reaching for another tube. Ewan followed his lead. Within twenty seconds, all four tubes were opened, and four identical parchments lay spread on the ground in the dark, illuminated only by flashlights. Golden ink glimmered, subtly shifting hues. Each bore the exact same message.

“You have been chosen for a life of great purpose. Adventure awaits you in the Hidden Lands.”

Hadyn grabbed the four sheets, quickly rolled them up, and inserted each back into its thin metal sleeve. “We need to head home before Dad gets worried,” he said. “You take two and I’ll take two. Stick them under your shirt and act cool. I have no idea what these are. But for now, they’re our little secret.”

He puffed up for a moment, the older brother. Still out of sorts with the world.

“And none of your games, either, Ewan. I mean it. I’m not in the mood.”

Back to school

2008-08-03T19:22:00.002-05:00

Wow, can you believe that it's actually August already? Where did the summer go!? It feels like yesterday when I woke up and realized it was the end of June.

Anyway, school starts for me tomorrow. "TOMORROW! Why so early?" You might ask. Well, you see, I am homeschooled, and in order to take time off of school during the year for vacation, and family reunions, etc, we have to start early. Otherwise we'll get behind... like I did last year.

But this year I'm making a commitment to work harder at school than I have before - to make sure that I not only stay on schedule, but that I don't get distracted by the internet, or a book I may be longing to read. Oh, and school includes violin and guitar practicing. I gotta remember that. I'm going to set goals for myself this year, such as practicing each instrument for so long so many days. I've gotten out of the habit this summer, and I aim to get back into practicing. I also encourage you to set goals for yourself this year. It will help you accomplish more things.

Do everything as unto the Lord. Spend time with Him - even when you're doing school! If something's difficult for you to understand, tell God about it and ask for Him to help you. If you understand something well, praise Him for it. And even if you're just not in the mood for school, do it anyway, knowing it pleases God.

In Christ,

Mary Anne

Watcher in the Woods

2008-07-21T12:53:00.003-05:00

It's May 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!

Robert Liparulo

and his book:

Watcher in the Woods: Dreamhouse Kings, Book #2

Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert Liparulo is an award-winning author of over a thousand published articles and short stories. He is currently a contributing editor for New Man magazine. His work has appeared in Reader's Digest, Travel & Leisure, Modern Bride, Consumers Digest, Chief Executive, and The Arizona Daily Star, among other publications. In addition, he previously worked as a celebrity journalist, interviewing Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Charlton Heston, and others for magazines such as Rocky Road, Preview, and L.A. Weekly. He has sold or optioned three screenplays.

Robert is an avid scuba diver, swimmer, reader, traveler, and a law enforcement and military enthusiast. He lives in Colorado with his wife and four children.

Here are some of his titles:

House of Dark Shadows (Dreamhouse Kings Book 1)

Comes a Horseman

Germ

Deadfall

Product Details

List Price: $14.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595544968
ISBN-13: 978-1595544964

Personal Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed "Watcher in the Woods," the sequel to "House of Dark Shadows." It's an amazing book that I couldn't put down. The author kept me holding my breath, waiting to see what would happen to the King family next, who are frantically searching for Mrs. King in mysterious portals while attempting to live a normal life. But in the mean time, a stranger shows up in their house, demanding that they leave! There are so many other unexpected twists to the story that add even more suspense to the already action filled adventure! I had so much fun reading this book, and I can't wait to find out where the Kings go next!

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

1

At twelve years old, David King was too young to die. At least he thought so.

But try telling that to the people shooting at him.

He had no idea where he was. When he had stepped through the portal, smoke immediately blinded him. An explosion had thrown rocks and who-knew-what into his face. It shook the floor and knocked him off his feet. Now he was on his hands and knees on a hardwood floor. Glass and splinters dug into his palms. Somewhere, all kinds of guns were firing. Bullets zinged overhead, thunking into walls—bits of flying plaster stung his cheeks.

Okay, so he wasn’t sure the bullets were meant for him. The guns seemed both near and far. But in the end, if he were hit, did it matter whether the shooters meant to get him or he’d had the dumb luck to stumble into the middle of a firefight? He’d be just as dead.

The smoke cleared a bit. Sunlight poured in from a school-bus-sized hole in the ceiling. Not just the ceiling—David could see attic rafters and the jagged and burning edges of the roof. Way above was a blue sky, soft white clouds.

He was in a bedroom. A dresser lay on the floor. In front of him was a bed. He gripped the mattress and pushed himself up.

A wall exploded into a shower of plaster, rocks, and dust. He flew back. Air burst from his lungs, and he crumpled again to the floor. He gulped for breath, but nothing came. The stench of fire—burning wood and rock, something dank and putrid—swirled into his nostrils on the thick, gray smoke. The taste of cement coated his tongue. Finally, oxygen reached his lungs, and he pulled it in with loud gasps, like a swimmer saved from drowning. He coughed out the smoke and dust. He stood, finding his balance, clearing his head, wavering until he reached out to steady himself.

A hole in the floor appeared to be trying to eat the bed. It was listing like a sinking ship, the far corner up in the air, the corner nearest David canted down into the hole. Flames had found the blankets and were spreading fast.

Outside, machine-gun fire erupted.

David jumped.

He stumbled toward an outside wall. It had crumbled, forming a rough V-shaped hole from where the ceiling used to be nearly to the floor. Bent rebar jutted out of the plaster every few feet.

More gunfire, another explosion. The floor shook.

Beyond the walls of the bedroom, the rumble of an engine and a rhythmic, metallic click-click-click-click-click tightened his stomach. He recognized the sound from a dozen war movies: a tank. It was rolling closer, getting louder.

He reached the wall and dropped to his knees. He peered out onto the dirt and cobblestone streets of a small village. Every house and building was at least partially destroyed, ravaged by bombs and bullets. The streets were littered with chunks of wall, roof tiles, even furniture that had spilled out through the ruptured buildings.

David’s eyes fell on an object in the street. His panting breath froze in his throat. He slapped his palm over his mouth, either to stifle a scream or to keep himself from throwing up. It was a body, mutilated almost beyond recognition. It lay on its back, screaming up to heaven. Male or female, adult or child, David didn’t know, and it didn’t matter. That it was human and damaged was enough to crush his heart. His eyes shot away from the sight, only to spot another body. This one was not as broken, but was no less horrible. It was a young woman. She was lying on her stomach, head turned with an expression of surprised disbelief and pointing her lifeless eyes directly at David.

He spun around and sat on the floor. He pushed his knuckles into each eye socket, squeegeeing out the wetness. He swallowed, willing his nausea to pass.

His older brother, Xander, said that he had puked when he first saw a dead body. That had been only two days ago—in the Colosseum. David didn’t know where the portal he had stepped through had taken him. Certainly not to a gladiator fight in Rome.

He squinted toward the other side of the room, toward the shadowy corner where he had stepped into . . . wherever this was . . . whenever it was. Nothing there now. No portal. No passage home. Just a wall.

He heard rifle shots and a scream.

Click-click-click-click-click . . . the tank was still approaching.

What had he done? He thought he could be a hero, and now he was about to get shot or blown up or . . . something that amounted to the same thing: Dead.

Dad had been right. They weren’t ready. They should have made a plan.

Click-click-click-click-click.

David rose into a crouch and turned toward the crumbled wall.

I’m here now, he thought. I gotta know what I’m dealing with, right? Okay then. I can do this.

He popped up from his hiding place to look out onto the street. Down the road to his right, the tank was coming into town over a bridge. Bullets sparked against its steel skin. Soldiers huddled behind it, keeping close as it moved forward. In turn, they would scurry out to the side, fire a rifle or machine gun, and step back quickly. Their targets were to David’s left, which meant he was smack between them.

Figures.

At that moment, he’d have given anything to redo the past hour. He closed his eyes. Had it really only been an hour? An hour to go from his front porch to here?

In this house, stranger things had happened. . . .

Mixed Bags

2008-06-21T11:48:00.001-05:00

It's June 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!

Melody Carlson

and her book:

Mixed Bags (Carter House Girls, Book 1)

Zondervan (May 1, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

In sixth grade, Melody Carlson helped start a school newspaper called The BuccaNews (her school’s mascot was a Buccaneer...arrr!). As editor of this paper, she wrote most of the material herself, creating goofy phony bylines to hide the fact that the school newspaper was mostly a "one man" show.

Visit the Melody's website to see all of her wonderful and various book titles.

Don't miss the second book in this series: Stealing Bradford (Carter House Girls, Book 2)

And one of her latest, A Mile in My Flip-Flops will be featured on FIRST Blog Alliance on July 1st!

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (May 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310714885
ISBN-13: 978-0310714880

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

“Desiree,” called Inez as she knocked on the other side of the closed bedroom door. “Mrs. Carter wants to see you downstairs.”

“The name is DJ.”

“I’m sorry, but your grandmother has instructed me to call you Desiree.”

DJ opened the door and looked down on the short and slightly overweight middle-aged housekeeper. “And I have instructed you to call me DJ.”

Inez’s dark eyes twinkled as she gave her a sly grin. “Yes, but it’s your grandmother who pays my salary, Desiree. I take orders from Mrs. Carter. And she wants to see you downstairs in her office, pronto.”

DJ grabbed her favorite Yankees ball cap and shoved it onto her head, pulling her scraggly looking blonde ponytail through the hole in the back of it.

“You’re wearing that?” asked Inez with a frown. “You know what your grandmother says about — -”

“Look,” said DJ. “My grandmother might pay you to take orders from her, but I’m a free agent. Got that?”

Inez chuckled. “I got that. But you’re the one who’ll be getting it before too long, Desiree.”

“DJ,” she growled as she tromped loudly down the curving staircase. Why had she let Dad talk her into living with her grandmother for her last two years of high school? She’d only been here since last spring, late into the school year, but long enough to know that it was nearly unbearable. Boarding school would be better than this. At least she’d have a little privacy there and no one constantly riding her — -telling her how to act, walk, look, and think. She wished there were some way, short of running away (which would be totally stupid), out of this uncomfortable arrangement.

“There you are,” said Grandmother when DJ walked into the office. Her grandmother frowned at her ball cap and then pasted what appeared to be a very forced smile onto her collagen-injected lips. “I want you to meet a new resident.” She made a graceful hand movement, motioning to where an attractive and somewhat familiar-looking Latina woman was sitting next to a fashionably dressed girl who seemed to be about DJ’s age, but could probably pass for older. The girl was beautiful. Even with the scowl creasing her forehead, it was obvious that this girl was stunning. Her skin was darker than her mother’s, latte-colored and creamy. Her long black hair curled softly around her face. She had high cheekbones and dramatic eyes.

DJ noticed her grandmother smiling her approval on this unhappy-looking girl. But the girl looked oblivious as she fiddled with the gold chain of what looked like an expensive designer bag. Not that DJ was an expert when it came to fashion. The woman stood politely, extending her hand to DJ.

“I’d like to present my granddaughter, Desiree Lane.” Grandmother turned back to DJ now, the approval evaporating from her expression. “Desiree, this is Ms. Perez and her daughter Taylor.”

DJ shook the woman’s hand and mumbled, “Nice to meet you.” But the unfriendly daughter just sat in the leather chair, one long leg elegantly crossed over the other, as she totally ignored everyone in the room.

Grandmother continued speaking to DJ, although DJ suspected this little speech was for Taylor’s mother. “Ms. Perez and I first met when my magazine featured her for her illustrious music career. Her face graced our cover numerous times over the years. Perhaps you’ve heard of Eva Perez.”

The woman smiled. “Or perhaps not,” she said in a voice that was as smooth as honey. “According to my daughter, kids in your age group don’t comprise even a minuscule part of my fan base.”

DJ smiled at the woman now. “Actually, I have heard of you, Ms. Perez. My mom used to play your CDs. She was a serious Latin jazz fan.”

“Was?” She frowned. “I hope her taste in music hasn’t changed. I need all the fans I can get these days.”

Grandmother cleared her throat. “Desiree’s mother — -my daughter — -was killed in a car accident about a year ago.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

DJ sort of nodded. She never knew how to react when -people said they were sorry about the loss of her mother. It wasn’t as if it were their fault.

“Desiree,” said Grandmother, “Would you mind giving Taylor a tour of the house while I go over some business details with her mother?”

“No problem.”

Grandmother’s recently Botoxed forehead creased ever so slightly, and DJ knew that, once again, she had either said the wrong thing, used bad grammar, or was slumping like a “bag of potatoes.” Nothing she did ever seemed right when it came to her grandmother. “And after the tour, perhaps you could show Taylor to her room.”

“Which room?” asked DJ, feeling concerned. Sure, Taylor might be a perfectly nice person, even if a little snobbish, but DJ was not ready for a roommate just yet.

“The blue room, please. Inez has already taken some of Taylor’s bags up for her. Thank you, Desiree.”

Feeling dismissed as well as disapproved of, DJ led their reluctant new resident out to the foyer. “Well, you’ve probably already seen this.” DJ waved her arm toward the elegant front entrance with its carved double doors and shining marble floor and Persian rug. She motioned toward the ornate oak staircase. “And that’s where the bedrooms are, but we can see that later.” She walked through to the dining room. “This is where we chow down.” She pointed to the swinging doors. “The kitchen’s back there, but the cook, Clara, can be a little witchy about trespassers.” DJ snickered. “Besides, my grandmother does not want her girls to spend much time in the kitchen anyway.”

“Like that’s going to be a problem,” said Taylor, the first words she’d spoken since meeting DJ.

“Huh?” said DJ.

“I don’t imagine anyone is going to be exactly pigging out around here. I mean aren’t we all supposed to become famous models or something?” asked Taylor as she examined a perfectly manicured thumbnail.

DJ frowned. “Well, my grandmother did edit one of the biggest fashion magazines in the world, but I don’t think that means we’re all going to become famous models. I know I’m not.”

Taylor peered curiously at her. “Why not? You’ve got the height, the build, and you’re not half bad looking . . . well, other than the fact that you obviously have absolutely no style.” She sort of laughed, but not with genuine humor. “But then you’ve got your grandmother to straighten that out for you.”

DJ just shook her head. “I think my grandmother will give up on me pretty soon. Especially when the others get here. She’ll have girls with more promise to set her sights on.” At least that was what DJ was hoping.

“Has anyone else arrived?”

“Not yet.” DJ continued the tour. “This is the library.” She paused to allow Taylor to look inside the room and then moved on. “And that’s the sunroom, or observatory, as Grandmother calls it.” She laughed. “Hearing her talk about this house sometimes reminds me of playing Clue.”

“What?”

“You know, the murder game, like where Colonel Mustard kills Mrs. Peacock with a wrench in the observatory.”

“Oh, I never played that.”

“Right . . .” Then DJ showed Taylor the large living room, the most modern space in the house. Grandmother had put this room together shortly after deciding to take on her crazy venture. Above the fireplace hung a large flat-screen TV, which was connected to a state-of-the-art DVD and sound system. This was encircled by some comfortable pieces of leather furniture, pillows, and throws.

“Not bad,” admitted Taylor.

“Welcome back to the twenty-first century.”

“Do you have wireless here?”

“Yeah. I told Grandmother it was a necessity for school.”

“Good.”

“This house has been in our family for a long time,” said DJ as she led Taylor up the stairs. “But no one has lived here for the past twenty years. My grandmother had it restored after she retired a -couple of years ago.” DJ didn’t add that her grandmother had been forced to retire due to her age (a carefully guarded and mysterious number) or that this new business venture, boarding teen “debutantes,” was to help supplement her retirement income. Those were strict family secrets and, despite DJ’s angst in living here, she did have a sense of family loyalty — -at least for the time being. She wasn’t sure if she could control herself indefinitely.

DJ stopped at the second-floor landing. “The bedrooms are on this floor, and the third floor has a ballroom that would be perfect for volleyball, although Grandmother has made it clear that it’s not that kind of ballroom.” She led Taylor down the hall. “My bedroom is here,” she pointed to the closed door. “And yours is right next door.” She opened the door. “The blue room.”

Taylor looked into the pale blue room and shook her head in a dismal way. “And is it true that I have to share this room with a perfect stranger?”

“Well, I don’t know how perfect she’ll be.”

“Funny.” Taylor rolled her eyes as she opened a door to one of the walk-in closets opposite the beds.

“I try.”

“It’s not as big as I expected.”

“It’s bigger than it looks,” said DJ as she walked into the room and then pointed to a small alcove that led to the bathroom.

“Do I get any say in who becomes my roommate?”

“I guess you can take that up with my grandmother.”

Taylor tossed her purse onto the bed closest to the bathroom and then kicked off her metallic-toned sandals. “These shoes might be Marc Jacobs, but they’re killing me.”

“So, you’re really into this?” asked DJ. “The whole fashion thing?”

Taylor sat down on the bed, rubbing a foot. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good.”

DJ felt the need to bite her tongue. Taylor was her grandmother’s first official paying customer to arrive and participate in this crazy scheme. Far be it from DJ to rock Grandmother’s boat. At least not just yet.

“Well, thanks for the tour,” said Taylor in a bored voice. Then she went over to where a set of expensive-looking luggage was stacked in a corner. “Don’t the servants around here know how to put things away properly?”

“Properly?” DJ shrugged.

Taylor picked up the top bag and laid it down on the bench at the foot of one of the beds and opened it.

“Don’t you want to go down and tell your mom good-bye?” asked DJ as she moved toward the door.

Taylor laughed in a mean way. “And make her think she’s doing me a favor by dumping me here? Not on your life.”

“Here are some more bags for Miss Mitchell,” said Inez as she lugged two large suitcases into the room, setting them by the door.

“Put them over there,” commanded Taylor, pointing to the bench at the foot of the other bed. “And don’t pile them on top of each other. This happens to be Louis Vuitton, you know.”

DJ saw Inez make a face behind Taylor’s back. But the truth was DJ didn’t blame her. Inez might be a housekeeper, but she didn’t deserve to be treated like a slave. Suddenly, DJ felt guilty for snapping at Inez earlier today. She smiled now, and Inez looked surprised and a little suspicious. Then DJ grabbed the largest bag, hoisted it onto the bench with a loud grunt, and Taylor turned around and gave her a dark scowl.

“Thank you,” she snapped.

“Later,” said DJ as she exited the room with Inez on her heels.

“Mrs. Carter wants to see you downstairs, Desiree,” announced Inez when they were out on the landing.

“Again?” complained DJ. “What for?”

“Another girl just arrived. Your grandmother wants you to give her a tour too.”

“What am I now?” asked DJ. “The official tour guide?”

“That sounds about right.” Inez gave her a smirk.

DJ wasn’t sure if she could stomach another fashion diva with an attitude problem, but on the other hand, she didn’t want to risk another etiquette lecture from her grandmother either. Once again, she clomped down the stairs and made her appearance in the office, suppressing the urge to bow and say, “At your ser-vice, Madam.”

“Eliza,” gushed Grandmother, “This is my granddaughter, Desiree Lane. And Desiree, I’d like you to meet Eliza Wilton.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Desiree.”

DJ nodded. She could tell by how formal her grandmother was acting that Eliza Wilton must be someone really important — -meaning extraordinarily wealthy — -even more so than the Mitchells. And that’s when she remembered her grandmother going on about “the Wilton fortune” this morning at breakfast. Of course, that must be Eliza’s family.

“Nice to meet ya, Eliza,” DJ said in a purposely casual tone. This girl was pretty too, but not like Taylor’s dark and dramatic beauty. Eliza was a tall, slender, impeccably dressed, blue-eyed blonde. She wasn’t exactly a Paris Hilton clone — -and she didn’t have a little dog as far as DJ could see — -but there was a similarity, except that Eliza’s face was a little softer looking, a little sweeter, but then looks could be deceiving.

DJ wondered if the Botox was starting to wear off, as her grandmother studied her with a furrowed brow, probably comparing her to Miss Perfect Eliza. Naturally, DJ would not measure up.

“Eliza is from Louisville,” said Grandmother. “Her parents are presently residing in France, where her father just purchased a vineyard. But Eliza’s grandmother and I are old friends. We went to college together. When she heard about what I was doing up here in Connecticut, she encouraged her daughter to send dear Eliza our way.”

“Lucky Eliza,” said DJ in a droll tone.

Eliza actually giggled. Then Grandmother cleared her throat. “Desiree will give you a tour of the house,” she said. “And she’ll show you to your room.”

“Which is . . . ?” asked DJ.

“The rose room.”

Of course, thought DJ as she led Eliza from the office. Next to her grandmother’s suite, the rose room was probably the best room in the house. Naturally, someone as important as Eliza would be entitled to that. Not that DJ had wanted it. And perhaps her grandmother had actually offered it to her last month. DJ couldn’t remember. But she had never been a flowery sort of girl, and she knew the rose wallpaper in there would’ve been giving her a serious migraine by now. Besides she liked her sunny yellow bedroom and, in her opinion, it had the best view in the house. On a clear day, you could actually glimpse a sliver of the Atlantic Ocean from her small bathroom window.

DJ started to do a repeat of her earlier tour, even using the same lines, until she realized that Eliza was actually interested.

“How old is this house?”

“Just over a hundred years,” DJ told her. “It was built in 1891.”

“It has a nice feel to it.”

DJ considered this. “Yeah, I kinda thought that too, after I got used to it. To be honest, it seemed pretty big to me at first. But then you’re probably used to big houses.”

“I suppose. Not that I’m particularly fond of mansions.”

“Why aren’t you with your parents?” asked DJ. “In France?”

“They’re concerned about things like politics and security,” said Eliza as they exited the library. “In fact, they almost refused to let me come here.”

“Why?”

“Oh, I think they felt I was safer in boarding school. If our grandmothers hadn’t been such good friends, I’m sure they never would’ve agreed.”

“So, you’re happy to be here?” DJ studied Eliza’s expression.

“Sure, aren’t you?”

DJ frowned. “I don’t know . . . I guess.”

“I think it’ll be fun to go to a real high school, to just live like a normal girl, with other normal girls.”

DJ tried not to look too shocked. “You think this is normal?”

Eliza laughed. “I guess I don’t really know what normal is, but it’s more normal that what I’m used to.”

“But what about the whole fashion thing?” asked DJ. “I mean you must know about my grandmother’s plans to turn us all into little debutantes. Are you into all that?”

“That’s nothing new. Remember, I’m from the south. My family is obsessed with turning me into a lady. That was one of the other reasons my parents agreed to this. I think they see the Carter House as some sort of finishing school.”

Or some sort of reformatory school, thought DJ. Although she didn’t say it out loud. Not yet, anyway.

Delay

2008-06-18T10:44:00.003-05:00

I shall be late in posting a review for "Mixed Bags" - a book the Teen FIRST group is reviewing - due to the fact that I'll be out of town on the 21st of June (the day we're supposed to post the review) and will not have access to the internet. I will post the review on the 24th of June.

EDIT

I was able to get internet access, so I went ahead and posted it. :-)

House of Dark Shadows

2008-05-21T12:19:00.003-05:00

It's May 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog
tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an
author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!

Robert Liparulo

and his book:

House of
Dark Shadows: Dreamhouse Kings, Book #1

Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Kings family moves to Pinedale, a small town in California. They make the decision to reside in an old rundown Victorian house in the middle of the woods because it's spacious and not at all costly. But Xander, the eldest child in the family, right away notices strange things. Noises coming from the wrong directions. Large footprints outside the house. The longer the family stays there, the weirder things get.

I thorougly enjoyed reading this book. I soon grew attached to each of the characters and was quickly engrosed in the plot. All the twists and turns occupied my mind and I frequently found myself wondering about certain mysteries in the book. I can't wait to read book two!

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

A house of which one knows every room isn't
worth living in.

-Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Prologue

Thirty years ago

The walls of the house absorbed the woman's screams, until they felt to her as muffled and
pointless as yelling underwater. Still, her lungs kept pushing out cries for help. Her attacker carried her over his shoulder. The stench of his sweat filled her nostrils. He paid no heed to her frantic writhing, or the pounding of her fists on his back, or even her fingernails, which dug furrows into his flesh. He simply lumbered, as steadily as a freight train, through the corridors of the big house.

She knew where they were heading, but not where she would end up. In this house, nothing was normal, nothing as it appeared. So while she knew in advance the turns her attacker would take, which hallways and doors he would traverse, their destination was as unknowable as a faraway galaxy. And that meant her taking would be untraceable. She would be unreachable
to searchers. To would-be rescuers. To her family� and that realization terrified her more than being grabbed out of her bed. More than the flashes of imagined cruelty she would suffer away from the protection of the people who loved her. More than death.

But then she saw something more terrifying: her children, scrambling to catch up, to help. Their eyes were wide, streaming. They stumbled up the narrow staircase behind her attacker, seeming far below, rising to meet her. The thought of them following her into the chasm
of her fate was more than she could stand.

"Go back," she said, but by this time her throat was raw, her voice weak.

The man reached the landing and turned into another corridor.

Temporarily out of sight, her son yelled, "Mom!" His seven-year-old voice was almost lost in
the shrillness of his panic. He appeared on the landing. His socked feet slipped
on the hardwood floor and he went down. Behind him, his little sister stopped.
She was frightened and confused, too young to do anything more than follow her
brother. He clambered up and started to run again.

A hand gripped his shoulder, jarring him back.

The boy's father had something in his fist: the lamp from his nightstand! He past the boy in the hallway. His bare feet gave him traction.

Thank God, she thought.

He reached her in seconds. With the lamp raised over his head, he grabbed her
wrist. He pulled, tried to anchor himself to the floor, to the carpeted runner
now covering the wood planks. But the brute under her walked on, tugging him
with them. The man yanked on her arm. Pain flared in her shoulder. He might as
well have tried pulling her from a car as it sped passed.

She caught a glimpse of the bizarrely shaped light fixtures on the corridor
walls, mostly carved faces with glowing eyes. The bulbs flickered in time with
her racing heart. She could not remember any of the lights doing that before. It
was as though the electrical current running through the wires was responding to
a disruption in the way things were supposed to be, a glitch in reality.

"Henry," she said, pleading, hopeful.

His grip tightened as he stumbled along behind them. He brought the lamp�s heavy base
down on her assailant. If the man carrying her flinched, she did not feel it. If
he grunted or yelled out, she did not hear it.

What he did was
stop. He spun around so quickly, the woman�s husband lost his grip on her. And
now facing the other direction, she lost sight of him. Being suddenly denied her
husband�s visage felt like getting the wind knocked out of her. She realized he
was face to face with the man who�d taken her, and that felt like watching him
step off a cliff.

"Nooo!" she screamed, her voice finding some volume. "Henry!"

His hand gripped her ankle, then broke free. The man under her moved in a violent dance, jostling her wildly. He spun again and her head struck the wall.

The lights went out completely . . . . but no, not the lights . . . her consciousness. It came back to her slowly, like the warmth of fire on a blistery day.

She tasted blood. She'd bitten her tongue. She opened her eyes. Henry was crumpled on the floor, receding as she was carried away. The children stood over him, touching him,
calling him. Her son's eyes found hers again. Determination hardened his jaw,
pushed away the fear . . . at least a measure of it. He stepped over his
father�s legs, coming to her rescue. Henry raised his head, weary, stunned. He
reached for the boy, but missed.

Over the huffing breath of the
man, the soft patter of her son's feet reached her ears. How she'd loved that
sound, knowing it was bringing him to her. Now she wanted it to carry him away,
away from this danger. Her husband called to him in a croaking, strained voice.
The boy kept coming.

She spread her arms. Her left hand clutched at open air, but the right one touched a wall. She clawed at it. Her nails snagged the wallpaper. One nail peeled back from her finger and snapped off.

Her assailant turned again, into a room, one of the small antechambers, like a mud room before the real room. He strode straight toward the next threshold.

Her son reached the first door, catching it as
it was closing.

"Mom!" Panic etched old-man lines into his young
face. His eyes appeared as wide as his mouth. He banged his shoulder on the
jamb, trying to hurry in.

"Stay!" she said. She showed him her
palms in a �stop� gesture, hoping he would understand, hoping he would obey. She
took in his face, as a diver takes in a deep breath before plunging into the
depths. He was fully in the antechamber now, reaching for her with both arms,
but her captor had already opened the second door and was stepping through. The
door was swinging shut behind him.

The light they were stepping into was bright. It swept around her, through the opening, and made pinpoints of
the boy's irises. His blue eyes dazzled. His cheeks glistened with tears. He
wore his favorite pajamas, little R2D2s and C3P0s all over them, becoming
threadbare and too small for him.

"I–" she started, meaning to say
she loved him, but the brute bounded downward, driving his shoulder into her
stomach. Air rushed from her, unformed by vocal chords, tongue, lips. Just
air.

"Moooom!" her son screamed. Full of despair. Reaching. Almost
to the door.
"Mo–!"

The door closed, separating her from her
family forever.

1

Now

Saturday, 4:55 P.M.

"Nothing but trees," the bear said
in Xander's voice. It repeated itself: "Nothing but trees."

Xander King turned away from the car window and stared into the smiling furry face,
with its shiny half-bead eyes and stitched-on nose. He said, "I mean it, Toria.
Get that thing out of my face. And turn it off."

His sister's hands moved quickly over the teddy bear's paws, all the while keeping it
suspended three inches in front of Xander. The bear said, "I mean it, Toria. Get
that–"

At fifteen years old, Xander was too old to be messing around with little-kid toys. He seized the bear, squeezing the paw that silenced it.

"Mom!" Toria yelled. "Make him give Wuzzy back!" She grabbed
for it.

Xander turned away from her, tucking Wuzzy between his
body and the car door. Outside his window, nothing but trees�as he had said and
Wuzzy had agreed. It reminded him of a movie, as almost everything did. This
time, it was The Edge, about a bear intent on eating Anthony Hopkins. An opening
shot of the wilderness where it was filmed showed miles and miles of lush
forest. Nothing but trees.

A month ago, his dad had announced that he had accepted a position as principal of a school six hundred miles away, and the whole King family had to move from the only home Xander had ever known. It was a place he had never even heard of: Pinedale, almost straight north from
their home in Pasadena. Still in California, but barely. Pinedale. The name
itself said "hick," "small," and "If you don't die here, you'll wish you had."
Of course, he had screamed, begged, sulked, and threatened to run away. But in
the end here he was, wedged in the back seat with his nine-year-old sister and
twelve-year-old brother.

The longer they drove, the thicker the
woods grew and the more miserable he became. It was bad enough, leaving his
friends, his school–everything!–but to be leaving them for hicksville, in the
middle of nowhere, was a stake through his heart.

"Mom!" Toria yelled again, reaching for the bear.

Xander squeezed closer to the
door, away from her. He must have put pressure on the bear in the wrong place:
It began chanting in Toria's whiny voice: "Mom! Mom! Mom!"

He frantically squeezed Wuzzy's paws, but could not make it stop.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!"

The controls in the bear's arms weren't working.
Frustrated by its continuous one-word poking at his brain–and a little concerned
he had broken it and would have to buy her a new one–he looked to his sister for
help.

She wasn't grabbing for it anymore. Just grinning. One of
those see-what-happens-when-you-mess-with-me smiles.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!"

Xander was about to show her what happened when you messed
with him–the possibilities ranged from a display of his superior vocal volume to
ripping Mr. Wuzzy's arms right off–when the absurdity of it struck him. He
cracked up.

"I mean it," he laughed. "This thing is driving me
crazy." He shook the bear at her. It continued yelling for their mother.

His brother David, who was sitting on the other side of Toria and who
had been doing a good job of staying out of the fight, started laughing too. He
mimicked the bear, who was mimicking their sister: "Mom! Mom! Mom!"

Mrs. King shifted around in the front passenger seat. She was smiling, but her
eyes were curious.

"Xander broke Wuzzy!" Toria whined. "He won�t
turn off." She pulled the bear out of Xander's hands.

The furry beast stopped talking: "Mo–" Then, blessed silence.

Toria looked from brother to brother and they laugh again.

Xander shrugged. "I guess he just doesn't like me."

"He only likes me," Toria said,
hugging it.

"Oh, brother," David said. He went back to the PSP
game that had kept him occupied most of the drive.

Mom raised her eyebrows at Xander and said, "Be nice."

Xander rolled his eyes. He adjusted his shoulders and wiggled his behind, nudging Toria. "It's too cramped back here. It may be an SUV, but it isn't big enough for us anymore."

"Don't start that,'' his father warned from behind the wheel. He angled the
rearview mirror to see his son.

''What?" Xander said, acting
innocent.

"I did the same thing with my father," Dad said. "The
car's too small . . . it uses too much gas . . . it's too run down . . . "

Xander smiled. "Well, it is."

"And if we get a new car, what should we do with this one?"

"Well . . . ." Xander said. "You
know. It'd be a safe car for me." A ten-year-old Toyota 4Runner wasn't his idea
of cool wheels, but it was transportation.

Dad nodded. "Getting you a car is something we can talk about, okay? Let's see how you do."

"I have my driver's permit. You know I'm a good driver."

"He is," Toria chimed in.

David added, "And then he can drive us to school."

"I didn't mean just the driving," Dad said. He paused,
catching Xander's eyes in the mirror. "I mean with all of this, the move and
everything."

Xander stared out the window again. He mumbled,
"Guess I'll never get a car, then."

"Xander?" Dad said. "I didn't
hear that."

"Nothing."

"He said he'll never get a
car," Toria said.

Silence. David�s thumbs clicked furiously over the PSP buttons. Xander was aware of his mom watching him. If he looked, her eyes would be all sad-like, and she would be frowning in sympathy for him. He thought maybe his dad was looking too, but only for an opportunity to explain himself again. Xander didn't want to hear it. Nothing his old man said would
make this okay, would make ripping him out of his world less awful than it was.

"Dad, is the school's soccer team good? Did they place?" David
asked. Xander knew his brother wasn't happy about the move either, but jumping
right into the sport he was so obsessed about went a long way toward making the
change something he could handle. Maybe Xander was like that three years ago,
just rolling with the punches. He couldn't remember. But now he had things in
his life David didn't: friends who truly mattered, ones he thought he'd spend
the rest of his life with. Kids didn't think that way. Friends could come and go
and they adjusted. True, Xander had known his current friends for years, but
they hadn't become like blood until the last year or so.

That got him thinking about Danielle. He pulled his mobile phone from his shirt pocket
and checked it. No text messages from her. No calls. She hadn't replied to the
last text he'd sent. He keyed in another: "Forget me already? JK." But he wasn�t
Just Kidding. He knew the score: Out of sight, out of mind. She had said all the
right things, like We'll talk on the phone all the time; You come down and see
me and I'll come up to see you, okay? and I'll wait for you.

Yeah, sure you will, he thought. Even during the past week, he'd sensed a coldness in
her, an emotional distancing. When he'd told his best friend, Dean had shrugged.
Trying to sound world-wise, he'd said, "Forget her, dude. She's a hot young
babe. She's gotta move on. You too. Not like you're married, right?" Dean had
never liked Danielle.

Xander tried to convince himself she was just another friend he was forced to leave behind. But there was a different kind of ache in his chest when he thought about her. A heavy weight in his
stomach.

Stop it! he told himself. He flipped his phone closed.

On his mental list of the reasons to hate the move to Pinedale, he
moved on to the one titled "career." He had just started making short films with
his buddies, and was pretty sure it was something he would eventually do for a
living. They weren't much, just short skits he and his friends acted out. He and
Dean wrote the scripts, did the filming, used computer software to edit an hour
of video into five-minute films, and laid music over them. They had six already
on YouTube–with an average rating of four-and-a-half stars and a boatload of
praise. Xander had dreams of getting a short film into the festival circuit,
which of course would lead to offers to do music videos and commercials,
probably an Oscar and onto feature movies starring Russell Crowe and Jim Carrey.
Pasadena was right next to Hollywood, a twenty-minute drive. You couldn't ask
for a better place to live if you were the next Steven Spielberg. What in God's
creation would he find to film in Pinedale? Trees, he thought glumly, watching
them fly past his window.

Dad, addressing David's soccer concern,
said, "We'll talk about it later."

Mom reached through the
seatbacks to shake Xander's knee. "It'll work out," she whispered.

"Wait a minute," David said, understanding Dad-talk as well as Xander did. "Are
you saying they suck, or that they don't have a soccer team? You told me they
did!"

"I said later, Dae." His nickname came from Toria's
inability as a toddler to say David. She had also called Xander Xan, but it
hadn't stuck.

David slumped down in his seat.

Xander let the full extent of his misery show on his face for his mother.

She gave his knee a shake, sharing his misery. She was good that way. "Give it
some time," she whispered. "You'll make new friends and find new things to do.
Wait and see."

Chosen

2008-04-21T12:06:00.002-05:00

It's April 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!

Ted Dekker

and his book:

Chosen (The Lost Books, Book 1) (The Books of History Chronicles)

Thomas Nelson (January 1, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ted is the son of missionaries John and Helen Dekker, whose incredible story of life among headhunters in Indonesia has been told in several books. Surrounded by the vivid colors of the jungle and a myriad of cultures, each steeped in their own interpretation of life and faith, Dekker received a first-class education on human nature and behavior. This, he believes, is the foundation of his writing.

After graduating from a multi-cultural high school, he took up permanent residence in the United States to study Religion and Philosophy. After earning his Bachelor's Degree, Dekker entered the corporate world in management for a large healthcare company in California. Dekker was quickly recognized as a talent in the field of marketing and was soon promoted to Director of Marketing. This experience gave him a background which enabled him to eventually form his own company and steadily climb the corporate ladder.

Since 1997, Dekker has written full-time. He states that each time he writes, he finds his understanding of life and love just a little clearer and his expression of that understanding a little more vivid. To see a complete list of Dekker's work, visit The Works section of TedDekker.com.

Here are some of his latest titles:

Adam

Black: The Birth of Evil (The Circle Trilogy Graphic Novels, Book 1)

Saint

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

beginnings

Our story begins in a world totally like our own, yet completely different. What once happened here in our own history seems to be repeating itself thousands of years from now,

some time beyond the year 4000 AD.

But this time the future belongs to those who see opportunity before it becomes obvious. To the young, to the warriors, to the lovers. To those who can follow hidden clues and find a great

treasure that will unlock the mysteries of life and wealth.

Thirteen years have passed since the lush, colored forests were turned to desert by Teeleh, the enemy of Elyon and the vilest of all creatures. Evil now rules the land and shows itself as a painful, scaly disease that covers the flesh of the Horde, a people who live in the desert.

The powerful green waters, once precious to Elyon, have vanished from the earth except in seven small forests surrounding seven small lakes. Those few who have chosen to follow the ways of Elyon now live in these forests, bathing once daily in the powerful waters to cleanse their skin of the disease.

The number of their sworn enemy, the Horde, has grown in thirteen years and, fearing the green waters above all else, these desert dwellers have sworn to wipe all traces of the forests from

the earth.

Only the Forest Guard stands in their way. Ten thousand elite fighters against an army of nearly four hundred thousand Horde. But the Forest Guard is starting to crumble.

one

Day One

Qurong, general of the Horde, stood on the tall dune five miles west of the green forest, ignoring the fly that buzzed around his left eye.

His flesh was nearly white, covered with a paste that kept his skin from itching too badly. His long hair was pulled back and woven into dreadlocks, then tucked beneath the leather body armor

cinched tightly around his massive chest.

ìDo you think they know?î the young major beside him asked.

Qurongís milky white horse, chosen for its ability to blend with the desert, stamped and snorted.

The general spit to one side. ìThey know what we want them to know,î he said. ìThat we are gathering for war. And that we will march from the east in four days.î

ìIt seems risky,î the major said. His right cheek twitched, sending three flies to flight.

ìTheir forces are half what they once were. As long as they think we are coming from the east, we will smother them from the west.î

ìThe traitor insists that they are building their forces,î the major said.

ìWith young pups!î Qurong scoffed.

ìThe young can be crafty.î

ìAnd Iím not? They know nothing about the traitor. This time we will kill them all.î

Qurong turned back to the valley behind him. The tents of his third division, the largest of all Horde armies, which numbered well over three hundred thousand of the most experienced warriors, stretched out nearly as far as he could see.

ìWe march in four days,î Qurong said. ìWe will slaughter them from the west.î

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T18:18:00.002-05:00

Hallelujah! The King has risen! May God bless His people as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ!