Flashback Friday - Here Comes the Bride

What is the earliest family wedding you remember attending? Did your family attend many weddings when you were growing up? What do you remember of them? What was typical of weddings you attended? Were you ever in a wedding as a child? As you became a young adult were you in lots of weddings? What roles did you have? Did you catch the bouquet (or garter)? What "royal" or newsmaking weddings do you remember and how old were you? For the gals, were you one who planned your wedding repeatedly as you werer growing up or was it not a big deal to you? What have you noticed that is different about weddings today, and do you consider it for better or for worse?

A cousin got married when I was pretty little - maybe five or six? It's funny; I don't remember anything about it except for her wedding dress hanging on the closet door at their house. It's one of those "snapshot" memories of my childhood.

I loved, loved, loved weddings when I was little. It seems like there were quite a few of them at our church. My daddy always let me sit on the aisle so I could see better. Our church didn't have a center aisle, so the bride went up one aisle with her dad and then after the wedding, the bride and groom went down the other aisle. So the left aisle was for friends of the bride and the right aisle for the groom's side. Of course, if you knew both, it didn't really matter, and it was always a bit of a conundrum whether it was better to watch her walk in or watch their happy recessional!

I was always "collecting ideas" for my own wedding. I've always been a romantic. I loved bridal gowns with long trains that trailed down the steps and knew I wanted one like that. I knew I did not want a flower girl. Of course, growing up in the 70's there were all sorts of different styles of bridesmaid dresses and color combinations that went in and out of fashion!

When I was ten my brother got married. I was really excited about that. My sisters and I were in the house party. They cut the wedding cake and I got to help the best man's wife cut the groom's cake. I thought that was such a big deal! I really wanted to catch the bouquet but of course I was too young, and my new sister-in-law's sister gave me the long-stemmed rose she carried as a bridesmaid instead.

From the time I was a sophomore in college until just after I graduated, I was in umpteen weddings. I eventually lost count, but it was probably close to twenty. I was a bridesmaid in about half of them and in the house party in about half. And I was maid of honor for my best friend from high school/church. (I would have been in at least one more wedding, but two friends got married on the same day in two different cities!) It was so much fun and I loved it, but it was hard at times because I wondered if I was destined to be "always a bridesmaid, never a bride," in spite of catching my share of bouquets.

I am just a few weeks younger than Princess Diana was, so I vividly remember that royal wedding and I was entranced by it. I wasn't one to buy souvenirs and go nuts over it, but I did get up early and watch it on TV; I loved the pageantry and the beauty and romance. She represented every little girl's dream - a beautiful girl marrying her prince. Three decades later, today's royal wedding just doesn't have quite the same appeal to this old married woman!

Or to my teenage girl! Knowing what a morning person she is (NOT!), I asked her if she was going to get up and watch the wedding at 5:00 am and this conversation ensued:
,
My Girl: "Tell me there are not people who will do that!"
Me: "Oh yes, there are!"
My Girl: "Why? It's just a wedding!"
Me: "Ah, but it's a royal wedding."
My Girl: "So they'll be wearing crowns. You can get one at the Dollar Store."

Suffice it to say we'll be getting up at the regular time this morning!

I had not been to a wedding in quite a few years until relatively recently, but now the children of our friends are starting to marry off. Several the trends of weddings today are so different and interesting to me--and I don't mean interesting in that slightly negative way we sometimes mean it! I really do find it fascinating how everyone does the same thing! One is the fact that there are no house parties any more. Everyone has "professionals" cut the cake and serve the punch. House parties were a great way to involve friends in your wedding! Especially ones that were good friends but not close enough to be a bridesmaid - or if you couldn't afford or want a really big wedding.

The other interesting thing is how all the weddings are monotone now - all the bridesmaids are in slate or gray or taupe. Does anyone choose colors for bridesmaid dresses anymore? I'm not talking about the rainbow pastels of the 70's - I don't even see a dark blue or green; but then I guess those are considered jewel tones of the 90's.

The last thing that is new is the "pre-invitation invitation" or the "save the date" card. I'm glad I didn't have to do that; it was challenging enough getting my invitations ordered, addressed and mailed. Having a whole 'nother set to do (and most of these that we receive are postcards with photo collages!) would have really stressed me out!


Now it's your turn! Share memories of weddings from your childhood on your blog and link up here!

Flashback Friday Prompt

In the Spring a young man's fancy
lightly turns to thoughts of love
from Locksley Hall
by Alfred Lord Tennyson

And this week, it seems that much of the world's fancy has turned to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton!

What is the earliest family wedding you remember attending? Did your family attend many weddings when you were growing up? What do you remember of them? What was typical of weddings you attended? Were you ever in a wedding as a child? As you became a young adult were you in lots of weddings? What roles did you have? Did you catch the bouquet (or garter)? What "royal" or newsmaking weddings do you remember and how old were you? For the gals, were you one who planned your wedding repeatedly as you werer growing up or was it not a big deal to you? What have you noticed that is different about weddings today, and do you consider it for better or for worse?

(Please do not include memories of your own wedding in this flashback.)

Share your memories on your blog tomorrow and come link up here.

Who is My Shelter>

Unfortunately, this book has not arrived in my mailbox (or in the other CFBA reviewers' boxes) yet. I'm looking forward to reading it when it appears.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Who is My Shelter Thomas Nelson (March 1, 2011) by Neta Jackson



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Neta Jackson is the author of the popular novel series, *The Yada Yada Prayer Group*, and a spin-off series called *The Yada Yada House of Hope.* These novels were inspired by a real women's Bible study and prayer group that, as Neta says, "God has used to turn my life upside down and rightside up." Neta and her husband, Dave, are also an award-winning writing team, best known for the Trailblazer books--a forty-book series of historical fiction for young people about great Christian heroes (see www.trailblazerbooks.com). The Jacksons are members of a multi-cultural church in the Chicago area, and the parents of three grown children, including a Cambodian foster daughter, all with families of their own.


ABOUT THE BOOK

In Jackson's fourth Yada Yada House of Hope Christian evangelical novel, Gabby Fairbanks is now settled in her new apartment at the House of Hope. But she is being pulled in several directions at once and has some hard decisions to make.

Philip, her estranged husband, is in a lot of trouble with a rogue cop from whom he borrowed money and also with his partner at the commercial development firm after he takes company money to cover his gambling losses. Lee Boyer, the Legal Aid lawyer who has become a friend to Gabby, now wants to be more. Gabby must decide whether to give Philip another chance, as their sons, Paul and PJ, hope, and she turns to the folks at Manna House, where she works, and the Yada Yada Prayer Group to help her discern God's plan for her.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Who is My Shelter, go HERE

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Joyce From This Side of the Pond has another Wednesday Hodgepodge assortment of questions to ponder today. Come join the fun!

1. What is something that bothers you if it is not done perfectly?

I notice Joyce is using the singular form of the word something. There are a whole pile of answers I could list, from spelling to steak to symmetry to blog posts to hanging tablecloths and more.

Housekeeping? Notsomuch.

2. What is one of your best childhood memories?

You can read a bunch of them every Friday on my blog at Flashback Friday!

3. Do you plan to watch the Royal Wedding and when was the last time you wore a hat?

No on the Royal Wedding. I may look at pictures online. I was enamored of the whole Charles & Diana wedding, but I was 20 and single. Now that I've had my own wedding and my own prince and I'm a decade or three older, it's really not that big of a deal to me. In fact, it really makes me a little weary because of all the talk of Kate being so "common" (her parents are "just" millionaires!) plus, they've been living together for years. I've gotten where most of the attention paid to celebrities makes me sad and is just a reminder that "man looks on the outer appearance but God looks on the heart."

The last time I wore a hat? Easter when I was in first grade, I think. And I hated the way the elastic would snap and sting my chin!

4. Where do you fall in the birth order in your family? Do you think this has influenced your personality?

Baby of the family. But I was also an only child from sixth grade on since my older siblings had all left for college or married by then. Yes, both of those affect my personality. I'm a weird combination.

5. Where do you think you spend most of your money?

Groceries and household items.

6. When you need to confront someone would you rather communicate in person, on the phone, by email or by letter? Why?

By proxy.

I hate confronting people. I did have a situation a few weeks back where I had to address something with someone and I did it in person and it went well. I absolutely dreaded it though.

7. Dodge ball, freeze tag, kickball or jump rope? You have to pick one.

I love to watch people jump rope, especially those teams like on the movie Jump In.

(Hey, she just said I had to pick one. She didn't say I had to do it!)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

There's nothing as official looking as your son's box of high school graduation announcements. And the little name card insert.

Mine is the Night

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Liz Curtis Higgs

and the book:

Mine Is the Night

WaterBrook Press (March 15, 2011)

***Special thanks to Cindy Brovsky of Random House Inc. for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Liz Curtis Higgs is the author of 28 books with three million copies in print, including: her best-selling historical novels, Here Burns My Candle, Thorn in My Heart, Fair Is the Rose, Christy Award-winner Whence Came a Prince, Grace in Thine Eyes, a Christy Award finalist, and Here Burns My Candle, a RT Book Reviews Award finalist; My Heart’s in the Lowlands: Ten Days in Bonny Scotland, an armchair travel guide to Galloway; and her contemporary novels, Mixed Signals, a Rita Award finalist, and Bookends, a Christy Award finalist.

Visit the author's website. You’ll also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The emotional and spiritual journey that began with Here Burns My Candle (WaterBrook Press, 2010) soars to a triumphant finish in Mine Is the Night (WaterBrook Press, March 15, 2011) a dramatic and decidedly Scottish retelling of the biblical love story of Boaz and Ruth. A compelling tale of redemption and restoration, the latest novel from best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs transports both story and reader to 18th century Scotland, where two widows are forced to begin anew.




Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (March 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400070023
ISBN-13: 978-1400070022

MY THOUGHTS:

I have been eagerly waiting for this book ever since I read Here Burns My Candle (reviewed here), and this novel was every bit as delightful as I anticipated. This is a beautiful retelling of the story of the Biblical story of Ruth, set in 18th century Scotland. Rich in historic detail, this novel captured my heart from the beginning. Liz Curtis Higgs has penned an incredible story full of hope and faith, redemption and renewal, protection and promise, all pointing to our own Kinsman-Redeemer, the Lover of our Soul. This is truly a series not to be missed.

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Foul whisperings are abroad.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Selkirkshire

26 April 1746

The distant hoofbeats were growing louder.

Elisabeth Kerr quickly pushed aside the curtain and leaned out the carriage window. A cool spring rain, borne on a blustery wind, stung her cheeks. She could not see the riders on horseback, hidden by the steep hill behind her. But she could hear them galloping hard, closing the gap.

Her mother-in-law seemed unconcerned, her attention drawn to the puddle forming at their feet. A frown creased her brow. “Do you mean for us to arrive in Selkirk even more disheveled than we already are?” Three long days of being jostled about in a cramped and dirty coach had left Marjory Kerr in a mood as foul as the weather.

“’Tis not the rain that concerns me.” Elisabeth resumed her seat, feeling a bit unsteady. “No ordinary traveling party would ride with such haste.”

Marjory’s breath caught. “Surely you do not think—”

“I do.”

Had they not heard the rumors at every inn and coaching halt? King George’s men were scouring the countryside for anyone who’d aided bonny Prince Charlie in his disastrous bid to reclaim the British throne for the long-deposed Stuarts. Each whispered account was worse than the last. Wounded rebel soldiers clubbed to death. Houses burned with entire families inside. Wives and daughters ravished by British dragoons.

Help us, Lord. Please. Elisabeth slipped her arm round her mother-in-law’s shoulders as she heard the riders crest the hill and bear down on them.

“We were almost home,” Marjory fretted.

“The Lord will rescue us,” Elisabeth said firmly, and then they were overtaken. A male voice cut through the rain-soaked air, and the carriage jarred to a halt.

Mr. Dewar, their round-bellied coachman, dropped from his perch and landed by the window with a grunt. He rocked back on his heels until he found his balance, then yanked open the carriage door without ceremony. “Beg yer pardon, leddies. The captain here would have a wird with ye.”

Marjory’s temper flared. “He cannot expect us to stand in the rain.”

“On the contrary, madam.” A British dragoon dismounted and rolled into view like a loaded cannon. His shoulders were broad, his legs short, his neck invisible. “I insist upon it. At once, if you please.”

With a silent prayer for strength, Elisabeth gathered her hoops and maneuvered through the narrow carriage doorway. She was grateful for Mr. Dewar’s hand as she stepped down, trying not to drag her skirts through the mud. Despite the evening gloom, her eyes traced the outline of a hillside town not far south. Almost home.

The captain, whom Elisabeth guessed to be about five-and-forty years, watched in stony silence as Marjory disembarked. His scarlet coat was drenched, his cuffed, black boots were covered with filth, and the soggy brim of his cocked hat bore a noticeable wave.

He was also shorter than Elisabeth had first imagined. When she lifted her head, making the most of her long neck, she was fully two inches taller than he. Some days she bemoaned her height but not this day.

By the time Marjory joined her on the roadside, a half-dozen uniformed men had crowded round. Broadswords hung at their sides, yet their scowls were far more menacing.

“Come now,” Mr. Dewar said gruffly. “Ye’ve nae need to frighten my passengers. State yer business, and be done with it. We’ve little daylight left and less than a mile to travel.”

“Selkirk is your destination?” The captain seemed disappointed. “Not many Highland rebels to be found there.”

“’Tis a royal burgh,” Marjory told him, her irritation showing. “Our townsfolk have been loyal to the crown for centuries.”

Elisabeth shot her a guarded look. Have a care, dear Marjory.

The captain ignored her mother-in-law’s comments, all the while studying their plain black gowns, a curious light in his eyes. “In mourning, are we? For husbands, I’ll wager.” He took a brazen step toward Elisabeth, standing entirely too close. “Tell me, lass. Did your men give their lives in service to King George? At Falkirk perhaps? Or Culloden?”

She could not risk a lie. Yet she could not speak the truth.

Please, Lord, give me the right words.

Elisabeth took a long, slow breath, then spoke from her heart. “Our brave men died at Falkirk honoring the King who has no equal.”

He cocked one eyebrow. “Did they now?”

“Aye.” She met the captain’s gaze without flinching, well aware of which sovereign she had in mind. I am God, and there is none like me. She’d not lied. Nor had the dragoon grasped the truth behind her words: by divine right the crown belonged to Prince Charlie.

“No one compares to His Royal Highness, King George,” he said expansively. “Though I am sorry for your loss. No doubt your men died heroes.”

Elisabeth merely nodded, praying he’d not ask their names. A list of royalist soldiers killed at Falkirk had circulated round Edinburgh for weeks. The captain might recall that Lord Donald and Andrew Kerr were not named among the British casualties. Instead, her handsome husband and his younger brother were counted among the fallen rebels on that stormy January evening.

My sweet Donald. However grievous his sins, however much he’d wounded her, she’d loved him once and mourned him still.

Her courage bolstered by the thought of Donald in his dark blue uniform, Elisabeth squared her shoulders and ignored the rain sluicing down her neck. “My mother-in-law and I are eager to resume our journey. If we are done here—”

“We are not.” Still lingering too near, the captain inclined his head, measuring her. “A shame your husband left such a bonny widow. Though if you fancy another soldier in your bed, one of my men will gladly oblige—”

“Sir!” Marjory protested. “How dare you address a lady in so coarse a manner.”

His dragoons quickly closed ranks. “A lady?” one of them grumbled. “She sounds more like a Highlander to my ear.”

The captain’s expression darkened. “Aye, so she does.” Without warning he grasped the belled cuff of Elisabeth’s sleeve and turned back the fabric. “Where is it, lass? Where is your silk Jacobite rose?”

“You’ve no need to look.” Elisabeth tried to wrest free of him. “I haven’t one.”

Ignoring her objections, he roughly examined the other cuff, nearly tearing apart the seam. “The white rose of Scotland was Prince Charlie’s favorite, was it not? I’ve plucked them off many a Highland rebel.”

“I imagine you have.” Elisabeth freed her sleeve from his grasp. “Are you quite satisfied?”

“Far from it, lass.” The captain eyed the neckline of her gown, his mouth twisting into an ugly sneer. “It seems your flower is well hidden. Nevertheless, I mean to have it.”

Abigail's Hope

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Abigail's New Hope Harvest House Publishers (April 1, 2011)
by
Mary Ellis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A word from the author:I grew up close to the eastern Ohio Amish community of Geauga County, where my parents often took me to farmers’ markets and woodworking fairs. My husband and I now live within the largest population of Amish in the country–a four-county area in central Ohio. We love to take weekend getaways to purchase farm produce and other goodies, stay with Amish families in bed and breakfasts, attend country auctions and enjoy the simpler way of life.

This is my first series of novels set in the Amish community.


I would love to hear from readers of Christian novels. Please leave me a post at my blogsite.


ABOUT THE BOOK

As an Amish midwife, Abigail Graber loves bringing babies into the world. But when a difficult delivery takes a devastating turn, Abigail is faced with some hard choices. Despite her best efforts, the young mother dies—but the baby is saved.

When a heartless judge confines Abigail to the county jail for her mistakes, her sister Catherine comes to care for her children while Daniel works his fields. Catherine meets Daniel’s reclusive cousin, Isaiah, who’s deaf and thought to be simple minded by his community. She endeavors to teach him to communicate and discovers he possesses unexpected gifts and talents.

While Abigail searches for forgiveness, Catherine changes lives and, in return, finds love, something long elusive in her life. And Isaiah discovers God, who cares nothing about our handicaps or limitations in His sustaining love.

An inspirational tale of overcoming grief, maintaining faith, and finding hope in an ever-changing world.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Abigail's New Hope, go HERE.



Watch the book trailer:

MY THOUGHTS:
This book brings a different perspective to the Amish genre as it explores the crisis of faith and ethics that occurs when Abigail is arrested after an unexpected call for her midwife services turns into her worst nightmare. Abigail's dilemma, whether to save herself or implicate another individual, is well-depicted. Woven throughout Abigail's story is that of her sister Catherine, who comes to care for Abigail's family in her absence and finds herself drawn to reclusive Isaiah. This is an enjoyable story.

HE'S ALIVE!

A blast from the past. . . Don Francisco, from 1977.



Blessings to you this Easter. He is risen, indeed!

TSMSS - There is a Fountain

Visit Amy's for more songs. Have a blessed Easter.

Flashback Good Friday Prompt

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble,
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

What comes to mind when you "flashback" to that Friday almost 2000 years ago? Have you spent much time reflecting on the events of Good Friday or is it generally a regular day and Resurrection Sunday is the focus? Thinking through the events of that long night and day--the trials, the scourging, the frenzy of the crowd, the walk to Golgotha, the raising of the cross with Jesus Christ suspended from its beams, the vigil as they watched and waited for Him to die, His agony, His tender words to His mother, her grief, the darkness, the soldiers gambling for his clothes, the mocking of one thief and the repentance of the other, the finality as He said "It is finished," the grief as his disciples lowered his body and prepared it for burial--what stands out as vivid and touching to you? Where does your mind usually "park" when you reflect on the crucifixion?

It has only been in recent years that we have attended a church service on Good Friday. When I was growing up, that was not a Southern Baptist tradition. While I can guess that the intent was to differentiate from the more ritualistic observances that some denominations observed on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, I think the pendulum swung too far the opposite direction. It was far too easy to ignore the horror of the cross and skip right over it to the joy of the Resurrection. However, the Resurrection's meaning is that much more profound by reflecting on the agony that Jesus suffered for us.

I was in college when I first "discovered" John 17, the prayer Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Knowing the drops of blood that He sweat as He wrestled with knowing what the next hours would hold, and yet reading the loving prayer that He prayed for each of us in the midst of that just boggled my mind. (It still does!)

I cannot begin to imagine what it would have been like to have been in the crowd that day. As much as I want to protest the fact, I fear that my sin nature would have made me follow the crowd that day and be swept up in the emotion of it all. At the same time, it is nearly impossible to fathom attending a crucifixion as if it were just another event in the day.

Of course since I've been a mom, it's hard not to identify with Mary at the foot of the cross. How distant the memory of the angel's visit announcing that she would bear the Messiah must have seemed as the man who spent his first days in a cattle stall spent his last one nailed to a cross.

Although words can never begin to convey what that day was like, this song has always spoken to my heart.



Share your "flashback" and reflections on your blog and link up here. Blessings to you this Easter weekend.

Flashback Good Friday Prompt

Thanks for your encouragement and prayers on Monday. I have started a blog post several times this week and just haven't been able to get one written. I am really ready for life to settle down, especially as it relates to my health. My tests at the cardiologist's office revealed that the wreck did not cause any issues with my heart, for which I am very thankful, but this shortness of breath is getting very old and I know it's impacting my energy level, both physically and emotionally. Next on the list is a referral to a pulmonologist, so the fun will continue.

For those of you who have been doing Flashback Friday with me since the beginning, you may remember that last year we reflected on the Easter traditions of our childhood years. For those of you who are newer to this weekly meme, you are welcome to use that prompt and post about Easter memories, if you choose. For the rest of us (or all of us!), I had a different sort of Easter flashback in mind.




Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble,
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

What comes to mind when you "flashback" to that Friday almost 2000 years ago? Have you spent much time reflecting on the events of Good Friday or is it generally a regular day and Resurrection Sunday is the focus? Thinking through the events of that long night and day--the trials, the scourging, the frenzy of the crowd, the walk to Golgotha, the raising of the cross with Jesus Christ suspended from its beams, the vigil as they watched and waited for Him to die, His agony, His tender words to His mother, her grief, the darkness, the soldiers gambling for his clothes, the mocking of one thief and the repentance of the other, the finality as He said "It is finished," the grief as his disciples lowered his body and prepared it for burial--what stands out as vivid and touching to you? Where does your mind usually "park" when you reflect on the crucifixion?

Post your "flashback" tomorrow on your blog and come back here to link up!

Not I, But Christ

Reflecting on our Ladies Retreat this weekend which was spiritually and emotionally refreshing. Physically, notsomuch! And I wasn't even one of the gals who stayed up playing games until 3:00 am!

The theme was God's love, and our speaker talked about some of the obstacles that keep us from truly experiencing or sensing God's love. The sessions simultaneously ministered to my weary heart and convicted me. I'm going to be mulling over them in the days to come. That may result in some sharing here on the blog, or it may mean some days the blog is quiet.

There is still much going on in my life with my sister's Alzheimer's and my own health and some tests I ams undergoing as a result of lingering effects of the car wreck I had in February. So my goal this week is trying to balance the "do" that comes with all of that with the "be" that God calls me to and relying on him, not my own self-sufficiency.

And here's a good verse to remember as I begin the busy day:

But when the kindness and love
of God our Savior appeared, He saved us,
not because of righteous things we had done,
but because of His mercy.
(Titus 3:4-5)

TSMSS - Blessed Redeemer

Easter is so late this year that it almost seems like we've skipped right over it! I started to post Casting Crown's beautiful song Glorious Day but it's getting a lot of airtime on the radio and, I suspect, on blogs as well. I love it when the old hymns are given a fresh arrangement so that their timeless truths are enjoyed once again. I'm an old fogie and enjoy the original arrangements, but I'm learning to enjoy some of the newer versions as well. (As long as they aren't too raucous! LOL)

Here's another beautiful old hymn from Casting Crowns that speaks of our Blessed Redeemer and His amazing love, forgiveness, and sacrifice.



I hope Amy's back to host TSMSS this weekend. If she is, be sure to pop over to her blog to say high and visit some other blogs to hear some great music! I'm at our church's Ladies Retreat all weekend, so I'll be scarce around the blogging world.

Thanks to Debbie at Heart Choices for helping me link up when I'm gone!

Flashback Friday - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Mary, Mary, quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row

Do you have any memories of gardens from your growing-up years? Did your parents have a flower garden? Was landscaping important to them? Did they take care of the yard themselves or have someone else do it? What about a vegetable garden? Did your family have one and was it big or small? Any fruit trees? Did your mom (or anyone) "put up" (as we say in the South) or can the bounty from a garden? What involvement did you and any siblings have in planting? Was growing things encouraged, discouraged, or treated with ambivalence? What is your attitude, ability and involvement in gardening today?

This may be my shortest Flashback ever because it's late and I am exhausted! Our flower beds were pitiful expanses of dirt when I was growing up until my granddad died and my mom brought home a pot of kalanchoes and some azaleas. My dad planted those and they went crazy and we even transplanted them when we moved and the front of the house was beautiful!

My dad also loved having a vegetable garden. Unfortunately he planted things I didn't think were edible, like mustard greens, spinach, and other things most kids don't like! I did like the homegrown tomatoes - "only two things that money can't buy: that's true love and homegrown tomatoes!" He especially loved his garden after he retired and he spent lots of time babying it taking care of it and coming up with clever things to keep varmints out of the tomatooes!

As for me, I remember trying to plant a few flower seeds, and once my sister and I planted seeds from our watermelon. I didn't have much luck than, and my thumb is still more brown than green!

Now it's your turn. Share your gardening mrmories and link up here!.

Blood of the Prodigal

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Blood of the Prodigal
Plume; Reprint edition (September 28, 2010)
by
P.L. Gaus



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Paul took an interest in writing fiction in 1993, and with the advice and encouragement of author Tony Hillerman, he began writing mystery novels set among the Amish in Holmes County, Ohio. The first of Gaus's mysteries, Blood of the Prodigal, An Ohio Amish Mystery, was published by Ohio University Press in June of 1999, and a total of six novels have appeared in this series: Broken English, 2000, Clouds Without Rain, 2001, Cast a Blue Shadow, 2003, A Prayer for the Night, 2006, and Separate from the World, 2008. A seventh novel in the series is in preparation.

All of Paul's stories have now been republished by Plume (a division of Penguin Group USA) as The Amish-Country Mysteries, and these editions have been embraced by Christian retailers such as CBD.com, Family Christian Stores, and LifeWay. Future mysteries in the series will still first be published in hard cover editions, as The Amish-Country Mysteries by Ohio University Press, with Plume bringing out the soft cover editions some time later.

Paul and his wife Madonna still travel frequently in Holmes County. He lectures widely about Amish culture at libraries, bookstores, literary societies, and the like, and his books have been featured at Book Expo America and similar professional shows around the country. Paul's novels have been reviewed in prominent journals and newspapers, for instance, Kirkus Reviews, ForeWord Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Ohioana Quarterly, and the New York Times Book Review.



ABOUT THE BOOK

For Jonah Miller, shunned by his Old Order sect and cast into the wider world, the summer begins with his decision to kidnap his ten-year-old son from the home of the bishop who had exiled Miller a decade earlier. In his desperation to retrieve the boy, the bishop appeals for help to the only "English" men the sect would ever approve.

Professor Michael Branden and Pastor Caleb Troyer had been looking forward to the kind of sleepy rural summer they had enjoyed as boyhood friends growing up in the small college town of Millersburg. Instead, they plunge into the normally closed Amish culture to find the boy. When the kidnapping leads to murder, they can no longer keep the case from the law. Working sometimes at cross purposes with his friend Sheriff Bruce Robertson, Professor Branden digs through the past to uncover truths that many would prefer to leave undisturbed. Little does he suspect that even the anguished bishop, torn by an insoluble moral dilemma, tragically does not tell everything he knows about the case. Suddenly the vast tangle of Amish and Mennonite settlements that sprawl among several thousand small farms and homesteads seems less bucolic than unknowable and impenetrable.

As they inquire delicately among the peaceful ones, Branden and Troyer learn that the troubles of Jonah Miller began far earlier than the kidnapping, with his Rumschpringe - the customary wild year before taking Amish vows. But his grand Rumschpringe had exploded into a decade of drugs, whiskey, and women, in the company of people no Amish person should meet.

In the tradition of Tony Hillerman, P. L. Gaus depicts a culture that successfully stands outside the mainstream yet interacts with it in complex and fascinating ways, a culture that is every bit as susceptible to the undertow of the human spirit as any we might know.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Blood of the Prodigal, go HERE


MY THOUGHTS:
This is an interesting book but it is a completely different type of Amish book than most. Although it is fiction, the writing style had more of a documentary, factual feel to me rather than an emotional pull that drew me into the story. It is obvious that the author has spent much time researching the Amish faith and customs. Though some of the descriptions got a tad laborious to me, someone new to the genre will find it informative. Personally, I prefer books to grab my heart and draw me into the story.

The Grandfathers - This DVD Will Bless You

The Grandfathers
(EMG)
Rated PG-13/Runtime: 48 minutes
Click on title to purchase

The Grandfathers showcases both the burden and benefit of the Saint family’s legacy. Jesse Saint, Steve’s oldest son and Nate’s grandson, was not raised among the tribe like his father. He struggles to find his place under the weight of the memory of a famous grandfather he never knew and a heroic father he does not fully understand. This will all change after Jesse travels to the jungles of Ecuador with his family and gradually forms a special bond with Mincaye, one of the tribesmen who took part in his grandfather’s murder. Only then will he confront his family’s past and come to terms with his own destiny. And there he will find his place in this story.

The Grandfathers chronicles the personal quest for greater connectedness and significance. It is also a moving tribute to ordinary people living extraordinary lives in extreme situations. Jim Hanon, the film’s director, states, “Forgiveness is an awe-inspiring virtue that seems to have been passed on by the Saint family and is shared by many among the Waodani tribe—both demonstrate a profound capacity for forgiveness and healthy self-healing.”

Steve Saint consulted with Jim Hanon and Mart Green, EGM’s producer, to help bring the story of his father, Nate, to screen through the feature film End of the Spear and the companion documentary film Beyond the Gates of Splendor. These films trace events leading up to and including the deaths of these men. More than that, they show the impact these events played on the lives of both their survivors and their killers. When the widows and their children went to live among the Waodani—a tribe regarded as the most violent on earth—they became an integral part of an incredible redemptive journey.

The Grandfathers completes a trilogy produced by EthnoGraphic Media (EGM) that includes End of the Spear and Beyond the Gates of Splendor. These first two films, also from award-winning director Jim Hanon and producer Mart Green, tell the unforgettable and inspiring story of the killing of five missionaries by a stone-age tribe deep in the Amazon jungle. The impact of this tragic event lives on today in families of these slain men as well as among those responsible for their deaths.


This inspirational film has been awarded The Dove Foundation seal of approval, receiving its highest honor. In the review, the Dove Foundation praised The Grandfathers, calling it “amazing and soul-touching.” Read the full review here.

EGM is an educational nonprofit organization exploring the critical issues of our time through film and new media. It is a community of visionary writers, artists, and filmmakers that seeks to capture true stories of compelling virtue that speak to the human condition. Visit www.EGMfilms.org.





MY THOUGHTS:
Although I generally review books, I was pleased to have the opportunity to review this DVD. Since I was a child I have heard the story of the brutal murder of the five missionaries, among them Jim Elliott and Nate Saint, at the hands of the Auca tribe in Ecuador, and we have the first two movies in this trilogy. Additionally, my sister just this week is packing up her things after almost 25 years of serving as a missionary in Ecuador, although she has not been in such a remote area as the one where the Saints have lived and ministered.

This is an absolute tribute to God's grace, redemption, and restoration. I loved the comment Jesse Saint made about Mincaye, who is one of the ones who killed Jesse's grandfather, Nate, back in 1956. "Even though it was the same man, the same hands, it was a different heart." What a powerful testimony to transforming power of God's grace. As I watched this, especially as I saw the response to the first showing of the Jesus film in their native language, I was so convicted of how blithely and flippantly we treat the cross, our salvation, and the Bible.

And though I have heard it before, I was once again captivated by the account of what those who killed the five missionaries witnessed following the massacre: the air filled with music and singing and light spilling out of heaven.

My only "dislike" of the DVD is, I'm sure, simply a reminder that I am no longer of the young and hip generation! I didn't care for the combination of the graphics with the live action camera. It gave the movie a rather disjointed feeling to me. But I'm glad I persevered and watched it and I urge you not to let that keep you from being blessed by the story as the third and fourth generations of Saints continue to reap blessings from the seeds sown and watered by the blood of those who answered God's call to go into all the world, whatever the cost.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this DVD free from The B&B Media Group as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Flashback Friday Prompt

Mary, Mary, quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row

Do you have any memories of gardens from your growing-up years? Did your parents have a flower garden? Was landscaping important to them? Did they take care of the yard themselves or have someone else do it? What about a vegetable garden? Did your family have one and was it big or small? Any fruit trees? Did your mom (or anyone) "put up" (as we say in the South) or can the bounty from a garden? What involvement did you and any siblings have in planting? Was growing things encouraged, discouraged, or treated with ambivalence? What is your attitude, ability and involvement in gardening today?

Share your gardening memories tomorrow and link up here!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I don't know if that button shows anything other than Photobucket's maintenance message, but you should be seeing the Wednesday Hodgepodge button linking you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond. When you'er done reading my answers, just click on her blog name if the picture's not back. I haven't been able to do much blog-visiting lately to read the other Hodgepodge answers; every time I get my head above water, somebody or something yanks it back down. I know God doesn't give us more than He enables us to handle, but I do believe I am just about there!

1. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time or have a significant conversation with two people?

Definitely two people. Mingling is so hard for me. I never feel like I quite mesh in any conversation. I am way too introverted for that. I am so thankful my man has never had a job that has required us to do the "cocktail party" type of thing.

2. What objects do you remember from your parent's living room?

The iron combo plant stand/book holder. The couch, and my dad's big chair with the floor lamp behind it. The big upright piano with a million knick-knacks. And of course the TV, first the black & white and later a colored console TV. With the same clock that sat in the same spot for 50 plus years. Oh, and the stereo, once that amazing invention came out in the early 70's.

3. Do you hog the bed? Steal the covers? Snore?

No, if I'm alone the other side doesn't even hardly get unmade. No, I just like what's mine to stay mine; he can have his. Rarely; I'm more likely to talk.

4. Speaking of Easter dinner....what is your favorite way to cook/eat lamb? Or does just the thought of that make you squeamish? If you're not cooking lamb what will be your entree du jour on Easter Sunday?

LAMB?! In the South we eat ham on Easter! With potato salad and deviled eggs. I've never even seen lamb sold in the store, that I know of. Lambs are for following Mary to school, even thought it was against the rules.

5. Let's throw some politics into this week's mix-oooohhh...Do you know the whereabouts of your birth certificate and when was the last time you had to produce it to prove you're you?

Yep, it's in the "important papers" box, and I used it to get my passport.

6. As a child, how did people describe you?

I don't know how children described me. Regarding how people described me when I was a child (Oh those pesky misplaced modifiers!), they probably said I was . . . a child. Albeit a very cute, and oh-so-smart, one!

Seriously, the funniest (well, maybe NOT seriously) thing was what happened when I was born, the 4th child of my parents whose first 3 children were 7, 9, 11 at the time. I am told I was NOT a surprise. Everyone wanted a baby brother. (Well, my being a girl was a surprise!) Anyway, a lady in our church felt so sorry for my poor mom, that she had this new baby when she already had 3 kids, and she had to "start over" when the other 3 were practically half grown. So she came to visit my mom to "cheer her up." (My mom says she didn't need cheering up. She was perfectly happy with her baby. And so was my big brother, once he quit crying because I wasn't a boy.) So the lady talked awhile and finally, as if she couldn't think of anything else encouraging to say, said, "Well, maybe when she grows up she'll become a nurse and then take care of you when you're old."

Um, thanks a LOT, church lady, for prophesying over my sweet innocent little self. Because of course that's just what I did. Sigh. Be careful what you say to moms of new babies!!

7. What do you complain about the most?

Incompetence and lack of critical thinking.

And ladies that jinx you before the umbilical cord has fallen off.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

If you haven't gone to see Soul Surfer, you are missing a wonderful movie! And check out some great interviews and behind-the-scenes videos here! (Technology is amazing! If I didn't know better, I would have thought they amputated Anna Sophia Robb's arm for the movie.)

FIRST - Mommy Whispers

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Jenny Lee Sulpizio

Illustrated by

Peg Lozier

and the book:

Mommy Whispers

Isaac Publishing, Inc. (December 6, 2010)

***Special thanks to Jenny Lee Sulpizio for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jenny Lee Sulpizio, M.S., is a mother of three, wife, business owner and author residing in Boise, Idaho. She is actively involved in her church, her children's school and enjoys tapping into her creative side whenever possible. Mommy Whispers is her first publication in a series to soon follow.


Visit the author's website.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

Peg Lozier is an award winning portrait painter and illustrator whose work is known for color, whimsy, and a sense of fun. Raised in Boulder, Colorado, she now lives with a plethora of pets in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Visit the illustrator's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Mommy Whispers is a children's keepsake depicting the special relationship between a mother and her daughter throughout each stage of life and ultimately, the power of prayer and faith in God throughout it all.


Product Details:

List Price: $12.95
Paperback: 34 pages
Publisher: Isaac Publishing, Inc. (December 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1609200136
ISBN-13: 978-1609200138

MY THOUGHTS::

A mix-up in the mail resulted in my not receiving this book. The author graciously offered to mail me another copy, but it wouldn't have gotten here in time. This does look like a sweet book, and I encourage you to take a peek for yourself.


AND NOW...THE FIRST PAGES (Click on the images to better read them...):