"Mending Fences," my second novel

     April heard the sound of a child screaming and the soul-wrenching sob of, "Dear God, no!" escaped her lips at the same moment the brakes squealed and crunched metal. The glass April had been washing shattered on the floor. Please, God, don't let it be Cassie. Her heart seemed to pound in rhythm to her mind's cry. She would always remember the ticking clock seeming so loud and slow while her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. Her eyes noted the time as she raced out the door, unaware of the dishrag she still held. The clock showed six-twenty-three. They had just finished supper, all except Robert, who was away--again.

     This is the opening paragraph of my second novel, self-published and available as an e-book from amazon.com. Post a comment. let me know what you think.

"Vengeance," my first novel

     Drip. . . drip. . . plop. . . drip. . . plop. . . limestone droplets dripping on my head, dripping down my back, my face, my arms. Dripping, dripping, in this cold, clammy, dark place. Odious smell of vermin. Shrieks. Bats? Rats? Creeping things. Palpable darkness. Water running down the pit. I can hear it dropping to the bottom, a deep sound. Can't see my feet, can't see the walls, can't see my hand in front of my face. Screaming, screaming. Oh, my God, it's my own voice and I'll never get out of here!

     This is the opening to my first novel. The person in the above paragraph is the nemesis of the main character, Fawn Larson. Fawn is hald Native American and half white. She clings to her Native American faith while God is seeking her heart, wanting to give her inner peace. What will it take for God to get Fawn's attention?  Available in paperback from barnesandnoble.com

Did You Know You Were Lost?

     Luke 19:10 says, "For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." These are just a few of the words of Jesus the Christ, the son of the living God, in fact God in the flesh (read the gospel of John chapter one). The Bible teaches us that we are all sinners. We cannot be born a Christian. We are unable to save ourselves from our sinful nature. We all have gone astray, and turned everyone to his own way (Isaiah 53:6). Until we meet Jesus and ask Him to forgive us, we are lost in our sin and on our way to hell. BUT JESUS, GOD IN THE FLESH, LEFT HEAVEN TO COME AND SEEK YOU! He is trying to win your heart, to save you from your sin nature. Not that you will ever be perfect in this life but He will help you live right in the sight of God, that you may live in paradise with him when this life is over. He wants to be your best friend.
     What great love God has for you. You are special to him. He created you on purpose because he loves you, even when it seems no one else cares. I'm writing this because I care.

     If you would like a free bookmark, leave a comment on any of these posts. E-mail me your name and address (I will not share it with anyone) and I will send you a bookmark made just for you. You can choose a rainbow, butterfly, bird, house, or favorite poem (short, no more than 8 lines). You can also choose a favorite flower. I look forward to hearing from you.

Those Were The Good Old Days!

I was reading my devotional materials this morning and the above was the title of one of them. This material is not copyrighted so I am going to copy it here. Consider Hebrews 10:32a which admonishes us to remember days gone by. Here's the story:
     A pastor and his wife took a day trip to the birthplace of Ulysses S. Grant, taking in his boyhood home and the one room school he attended. While there the pastor picked up the "Teacher's Rules" that they had to abide by back in those 19th Century southern Ohio school rooms. Here are just a few: Female teachers could not marry or even company with men while under contract. They had to be home by 8:00 p.m. They could not loiter at ice cream stores or ride in a carriage unless with her brother or father. They could not smoke, wear bright colors, dye their hair or wear skirts shorter than two inches above the ankle. Men teachers had to fill lamps, clean chimneys and haul water. They could only court one night a week or twice if they went to church. If he smoked, used liquor, went to pool halls or got shaved in a barbershop he would have to give reason for people not to suspect his worth and integrity. Oh, and after working five years, without fault, could get a raise of a quarter a week with the board's approval.  Copied from Baptist Bread, November/December 2012 issue.

This may seem ridiculous in our modern day but consider: teachers back then were not being accused of raping/molesting students; they were not engaged in pornography; and they didn't get in trouble for having affairs with students. The rules may have been severe, but which would you rather have--severity and integrity or hedonism and danger for your children? I Thessalonians 5:22 tells us to abstain from even the appearance of evil. Like it or not, people judge you by the actions and attitudes they see and you can't stop people from doing that. What kind of reputation do you have? What kind do you want?

If you leave a comment AND would like a custom made bookmark sent to you, e-mail me at aletak60@gmail.com. Put bookmark in the subject line and send me your mailing address. I will send you a bookmark and will not share your name or address with anyone. God bless.

The Perfect Gift

Have you ever seen the movie "The Christmas Box"? I love this movie. It puts things in perspective. Richard Thomas's character is working hard to provide a better life for his family. Great! Every woman wants a man who will be a good provider for his family. It builds trust and security, peace of mind. It's not just accepting responsibility, but embracing it! But the harder he works the more time he's away from his family. He's so intent on their future that he sacrifices the present.

Our world (not just the United States) begins planning for Christmas in October. We're already past Thanksgiving before it even arrives. I hear families bickering and complaining about having to spend so much time together as the holidays approach because THERE'S A SALE AND I'M GOING TO MISS IT! What???!!! Time out, folks! Why is a bigger, brighter, TV, or newest Kindle or Iphone or Ipad so important? Those are things and they don't love you back. They don't even care if they get used or not. They are tools, and if they are making your life more complicated, they are not doing their job.

Our gods have become today's technological wonders and tomorrow's old and inferior products. Wake up and see the stark whiteness behind the words! My favorite part of the movie is when Maureen O'Hara asks Richard Thomas if he knows what the first Christmas gift was. He's baffled by the question and says sort of half-sarcastically, "A tie?" She just looks at him. He says he'll think about it some more. Finally, at the end of the movie, he gets it. The very first Christmas gift was--can you guess? It was LOVE.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

I will send a custom made bookmark to everyone who responds to this page beginning Dec. 13, 2012. Just send me an e-mail to aletak60@gmail.com with "bookmark" in the subject line. I'll be using snail mail so leave your mailing address. I will not share it with anyone else.

Don't Throw Away Your Old Toothbrush

     I have a couple of thoughts on this and they are not connected, to please bear with me. The first thought is a practical application. I keep two old toothbrushes on the back of my kitchen sink and one in the bathroom. The reason? In the kitchen, I use one to clean the beaters for my mixer because it's hard to get the ends clean with the dishrag. It also works on wire whisks. The other one is used to clean around the grout on the sink and the drains. The toothbrush in the bathroom is used to clean my combs. No more soaking and waiting for the combs to dry. I put a little soap on them, run warm water over them slowly and use the old toothbrush to get between the teeth of the comb. Done in two minutes! Then I just rinse off the soap.
     My second thought about toothbrushes is this: Consider what a small thing a toothbrush is. (I know that was a grammatically incorrect statement. Never end a sentence with a preposition.) The toothbrush is small and really doesn't do much. It only gets used two or three times a day, and then only for a short time. Yet it is a very important part of our lives (or should be). Think about the job it does. What would happen to your teeth if they were never brushed? What would happen to your breath and your gums? Your teeth would decay and rot away (which some will do anyway just due to wear and tear); your breath would be most foul, and your gums would get infected, and the infection would spread to the rest of your body.
     Do you ever feel insignificant, like your toothbrush? Do you sometimes wonder if you have any purpose or value? Rest assured, my friend, God holds you in high esteem. If you were the only person left on earth, Jesus still would have left heaven to die on a cruel cross, to take your penalty for your sins, and offer you eternal life. He is risen and He is still offering you eternal life. He leaves the decision up to you. If you want to know how to get to know Him, leave me a post. Actually, I'd like for my readers to leave me a post anyway. Let me know what you think. This is an open forum. All comments are welcome. We learn by discussion. Have a blessed day.

And We All Fall Down

Holidays are often stressful for families. Great expectations abound and feelings of resentment and inadequacy bubble and boil like an over-full pan of gravy. We try to get our emotions under control and someone says something or looks at us in a way that makes us want to crawl in a hole and knock their head off at the same time. What can we do? Should we just keep to ourselves and deny the pleasure of the relatives we do get along with? What about their feelings? Sometimes it just gets to be overwhelming and despite our best intentions, we lapse into taking "just one drink," or "just one whatever." Only it doesn't stop with one.
I've never struggled with drug or alcohol addiction but I have friends and loved ones who have. I've watched the turmoil. I witnessed the guilt, repentence, doing better, and another fall cycle. I don't claim to have all of the answers but I serve a God who does.
God loves you right where you are. He wants to take your burdens, your frustrations, your heartaches, your failures. He wants to give you peace. He's waiting for you to ask Him. Once you've asked you have to let Him in. Colossians 3:15 says, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts." It is a choice. You have to be quiet and let it come in. Savor it. Wallow in it. Thank God for giving you His peace.
Many times in the Bible we are told God will neve forsake His children. You can trust Him. He never changes. He is just and holy and forgiving. When you are weak He is strong. He promises that His grace is sufficient for you. He promised He will never tempt you beyond what you are able to handle but will always provide a way of escape. The important thing to remember is not to give yourself opportunity to fall. "Give no place to the devil. Don't provide opportunity for your flesh to win. When temptation hits turn around and run in the other direction.
If you do fall, don't beat yourself up. Ask God to forgive you. Then read Romans 8:1--there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Just try again.
I hope this helps. God bless you and have a wonderful Christmas.