The Promises She Keeps (Book Review)

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

Here, for my Soli Deo Gloria sisters & everyone, is a review of one of the latest books I’ve read…

Healy, Erin. The Promises She Keeps. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 2010.

Image from Amazon.com (link is below)

I would have bought this book just for the cover illustration. It perfectly captures the danger and suspense that the book serves up.

Promise, a singer who expects to die young from cystic fibrosis, wants to be remembered by people. But then she apparently starts cheating death. Can she keep doing so?

Porta, a sorceress who expects to find the secret to immortality, wants power over people. So far she has power only over her son, Zack.

Chase, a man with autism, carries visions and messages — while Chelsea, his twin sister, carries a lot of responsibility.

All four of their paths criss-cross as Healy weaves together seemingly unrelated threads from their pasts. Warning: while most pieces of the puzzle eventually fall into place, don’t expect all your questions to be answered. Still, I found this uncanny suspense story both touching and satisfying.

Click here to see the book on Amazon.

OR, Click here to read more about it at Erin Healy’s Website!

Thanks for reading,
Jan

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Eensy Weensy Spider

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

Several weeks ago Heather, my sweet daughter-in-law, invited me to do the bicycle portion of a sprint (short-distance) relay triathlon. She will do the swim and run parts. It’s pretty exciting… now we’re not just mom/daughter, not just friends… we’re teammates! Ever since then, my view of cycling has changed. In fact, the whole world looks different.

Before: Yeah… bike, fitness, whatever.
Now: What if I get lapped on a two-lap course? How embarrassing!! I better find out a little about time-trialing!

Before: I’ll take this road. It’s flatter than the other way.
Now: Aack! The triathlon is in Austin! I’ve got to pull some hills, people!

Before: Why pedal when you can coast?
Now: Must practice holding a 115-rpm cadence for at least a minute.

Actually, I could use some coaching. Enter Brent. He doesn’t wear a whistle or carry a clipboard, but he does have some competitive experience AND a fancy-schmancy, GPS-enabled bike computer that tells you more than you care to know about your ride. He has suggested some helpful training strategies and fine-tuned my bike.

But then he had to start meddling. Last weekend he invited me to ride with him, and thought it would be good training to ride up an obscure little backroad called Texas Plume Road.

You have to understand: I ride down Texas Plume. I don’t ride up Texas Plume. That thing is steep. I didn’t know how steep; I only knew that when I rode down it like a sensible person, I hit 32 miles an hour. In low humidity, my hair would start to smoulder. At the bottom, where it ends at a four-lane divided road, Texas Plume levels off just enough so you can stop at the stop sign instead of hurtling past it and getting run over by some innocent guy in a pickup.

So, yeah, I scrupulously avoid riding up that particular hill.

But now I’m training to compete in a triathlon. At least, training to not embarrass my daughter-in-law to death in a triathlon. Either way, for the first time ever, I felt motivated to try climbing that hill. Off we went, along our usual rambling blacktop roads.

The route was familiar enough. At least I knew I wouldn’t get lost. All you do is cross the highway, turn south on the access road for a bit and then turn onto that four-lane road, the one with Innocent Pickup Guy driving past the stop sign. It goes downhill too, but at a more gentle grade. Turning to go up Texas Plume Road, it starts out pretty easy. For about 20 feet. Then you’re climbing. Then it gets steep.

So we turned onto Texas Plume, and I felt pretty strong. For about 20 feet. Then I was climbing. Then it got steep. I looked down to make sure I didn’t have a flat tire.

“Seven percent grade,” Brent called back to me. I gritted my teeth but I was handling it.

After a bit, it seemed to get tougher. I looked down to make sure I didn’t have two flat tires, which is what it felt like. “Ten percent,” Brent said.

When we came to an almost-flat spot, I quickly downed some Hammer Gel and some water. Seconds later, we were climbing again. The tendons in the back of my right knee reminded me that they had recently been strained, so would you please back off, already? But it was too late. I couldn’t have gotten off the bike without falling backward.

What can you do? I shifted to my very, very lowest gear and stood out of the saddle. Seriously, I could have walked faster. My knee started whining in earnest. I joined in. “Twelve percent,” was Brent’s sympathetic response.

“If I don’t make it, ride on home and bring me some ice,” I gasped, “and a car.”

Well, I did make it, to the top of the hill and all the way home where I promptly iced my knee. But that climb nearly did me in. You could have knocked me right back down that steep hill with a squirt gun.

Maybe that is why, every time I think of Texas Plume Road, a little tune runs through my head: “The eensy, weensy spider went up the water spout….”

Thanks for reading!
Tailwinds,
Jan
PS: This week I am linked up with Jen and the Soli Deo Gloria sisters!
I also joined the blog party with Rachel Anne and the Company Girls. (Click on over if you’d like to peek at Rachel’s latest professional project.)

Posted in Thoughts on Two Wheels | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Send “Somebody”

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

I’ve been reading through Matthew’s gospel lately. I’ve already read it several times over the years, but I keep finding things I never noticed before.

That Matthew… he was a tax-collector by occupation, you know. Methodical, detail-oriented, a good record-keeper — exactly like I’m not. Still, I appreciate the detail he put into his accounts of Jesus’ time on earth.

At the end of Chapter 9, he describes a period when Jesus had been healing a lot of sick people and freeing others from demons. Then he logs the words Jesus said to his disciples, while looking over a harassed, helpless crowd. With compassion, Jesus said: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (vv.37-38).

Just between you and me, that has always been my “bailout” verse. Don’t get me wrong; I care about people and all. I will cheerfully fix meals, donate toward charity, run errands or watch a neighbor’s children. But I’m not very good at telling them about God’s love. I tend to stammer. Or I somehow manage to come across as “holier-than-thou,” which I know better than to think I really am. Fear of making a poor impression cements my lips together.

So instead of feeling responsible for sharing God’s love, I can just ask God to send somebody else to do it. Right?

Well, Matthew busted that little bubble for me the other morning. I was about to start Chapter 10, but went back to re-read the verses leading into it, about asking God to send out workers. Then, the very next thing Matthew records is Jesus calling those same twelve disciples together. He reports that Jesus gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (Matt. 10:1, emphasis mine. I mean, the word just sort of jumped out at me).

What’s this? Jesus tells the Twelve to pray for more workers, then he turns around and tells them, “You’re it?”

Sure looks like it.

Maybe, when I pray about some need, I should make sure I am willing to be part of the answer.

Thanks for reading,
Jan
PS: At Finding Heaven, Jen shares refreshing thoughts and encouragement with the Soli Deo Gloria sisters and everyone else! Stop by if you have a few minutes.

Posted in A Page From My Journal | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Healthy Skepticism

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

I’m linking up with Jen and our Soli Deo Gloria sisters!

“You’re such a Doubting Thomas!” When I hear someone say this, it’s usually meant as an insult, as if Thomas were not much better than Judas the betrayer. But I suspect we have been misjudging the guy. Let’s look at his doubt.

In Chapter 20 of his gospel, John, the best friend of Jesus, tells what happened on the first evening after Jesus rose from the dead. His closest disciples were hiding out in a locked room for fear of the Jewish officials. But then Jesus himself “came and stood among them,” John doesn’t say how. He showed them the nail scars in his hands and the spear gash in his side. They were overjoyed to have him alive again.

Thomas was absent that evening, so he didn’t see Jesus. Of course, his friends took the first chance to tell Thomas the good news. “We have seen the Lord!” That’s when Thomas gave the reply that sealed his reputation:

But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Was Thomas saying that he didn’t want to believe Jesus had been resurrected? After all, Jesus had repeatedly criticized members of the religious establishment for their unbelief. Even though they had the prophets’ writings and saw Jesus fulfilling prophecy after prophecy, they refused to believe in him. But the Gospels make it clear that they were motivated by pride and ambition. What about Thomas?

Okay, fast-forward about a week. The disciples had hunkered down in a locked room again. This time all eleven, including Thomas, were together. Again, Jesus appeared in the room and told them all, “Peace be with you.”

And then he turned to Thomas. “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” He didn’t criticize Thomas, but simply offered him the very proof he had asked for. And did Thomas take him up on that invitation?

Well… not exactly. He didn’t need to, as it turned out. Instead of barging up to the Lord to touch the scars for himself, Thomas immediately responded, “My Lord and my God!” He was convinced.

As near as I can figure, Thomas was not unwilling to believe. He just wanted to make sure he believed the truth. And that isn’t a bad thing. A little healthy skepticism keeps you from chasing every random wind of doctrine you hear about. Thomas just wanted some evidence, and the truth can always stand up to the evidence.

I’ve heard that in one attempt to discredit the truth of the resurrection, someone advanced the theory that the disciples saw Jesus alive just because they wanted it so badly. A wishful-thinking-induced hallucination, or some such. It seems unlikely that a bunch of terrified fishermen could or would delude themselves like that, not to mention the hundreds of other people who saw Jesus after he rose from the dead.

But even if a person could see a miracle just from wanting to, Thomas’s demand for hard evidence left no room for wishful thinking. Quite the opposite. His very skepticism gives his eventual belief all the more authority.

Jesus had one more comment for Thomas. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” I can’t help thinking that Thomas unknowingly helped provide part of that blessing through his care in making sure of the facts. The truth of the resurrection has already stood the test of a contemporary skeptic, so we who have not seen can believe.

May we all follow Thomas, then, in calling Jesus “My Lord and my God!”

Happy Easter. Really.

Thanks for reading,
Jan
PS: Thomas wasn’t the only skeptic. Check out chapter 16 of Mark’s gospel. Jesus appeared first to a couple of women followers. When they told the guys, none of them believed the news either, until they saw Jesus. So let’s all get off Thomas’s case.

PPS: If you’re wondering why Jesus died in the first place, see Romans 3:21-26.

PPPS: All Scripture quoted is from the English Standard Version.

Posted in A Page From My Journal, Near As I Can Figure... | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

James Bond Wants My Vacuum Cleaner

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

My vacuum cleaner has it in for me. If you’re familiar with the history between me and my appliances, this will not surprise you.

The old vacuum, may it rest in peace, was pretty simple. You just set the carpet height for “low,” “medium” or “shag,” plugged it in, turned it on and tangoed around the room with it. But you couldn’t use it on bare floors, only carpet.

This newer one has a permanently fixed hose for attachments and offers to vacuum bare floors, too. Add to that the expanses of tile in our house and two shedding dogs, and you can see why we chose it.

Ah, but “more versatile” also means “more complicated,” doesn’t it? This particular model has three different knobs/levers, all of which must be synced for successful vacuuming. (For a half-hour aerobic workout combined with strength training, right in your own home, just turn all the settings and latches to the correct positions for whatever vacuuming you want to do. The actual vacuuming job, once you’ve turned the thing on, counts as extra bonus points.)

The biggest knob and the easiest to turn, not that it’s all that easy, is located right at the top. It directs the suction either through the hose or from the floor. So far, so good.

Let’s say you set the first selector to “floor.” Then you turn to the base of the machine. This is where things get sticky. The Carpet Height Selector has nine settings, from High to Low. Inexplicably stuck in between Low and Kind-of-Low is the setting for Bare Floor.

A toggle switch to the right, marked “Brush Roll Control,” is deceptively easy to switch from Carpet to Bare Floor. I say “deceptively” because the blasted thing often pretends to go along with your choice, but switches itself once you turn on the vacuum. At that point it becomes almost impossible to switch back. Whichever setting you want, it will without fail revert to the other one.

Last, you have to press the handle release so the vacuum will unbend and you can push it around. DO NOT attempt this unless you have sturdy shoes on. Even Brent almost has to jump up and down on the release before it will… um… release.

But instead, suppose you set the first knob to “hose.” This is more fun, as you get to fix the attachments onto the basic hose, matching extenders and nozzles to the job at hand. Afterward, of course, you have to put all the pieces back into their cubbyholes on the body of the machine. Vague diagrams help a little. It’s like playing with a Transformer.

One day the pretty spring weather called to me. I went out and started pulling weeds in my veggie garden, which was still damp from the last rain. Soon I ran inside the house to answer the phone, without removing my gardening shoes (“my gardening shoes” = a technical term for “my oldest sneakers”). Hours later I noticed the kitchen floor was littered with little dried mud pellets which had fallen off my shoes.

“Boy, it’s a good thing I can vacuum bare floors!” my optimistic self enthused.

After ensuring that the vacuum was set to suck up from the floor and not through the hose, I wrenched the Carpet Height knob around and flicked the toggle switch up so that both were set to “Bare Floor.”

I was barefoot by this time, so I had to slip one foot into a shoe while I jumped on the handle latch until I could get it released. Finally I turned on the vacuum, which proceeded to fling dozens of tiny dried mud pellets at my bare toes. Yep, the brush switch had toggled itself back to Carpet.

It has Transformer capability, ninja skills and secret weapons. And that is why James Bond wants my vacuum cleaner.

Any ideas on how I can finally Bond with my appliances?

Thanks for reading,
Jan
PS: I’m linking up with Jen and the Soli Deo Gloria sisters and Rachel Anne’s Company Girls!

Posted in I Remember When... (my OWN stories), Maladjusted Mondays | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

I’m Meeting My Deadline. So There.

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

I’m linking up for some virtual coffee with Rachel Anne and the Company Girls!

I’m a writer, but I almost never write about writing* because I’m always trying to learn everything I can about writing from other writers. In other words, I’m no expert.

Fortunately, I have access to people who are experts. That is, I read some of their wonderfully helpful blogs. Recently I read some hints for kick-starting yourself when you are trying to write but instead find yourself awash in writer’s block, self-pity and doughnut crumbs. By now, of course, I can’t find the actual post, but I remember the author saying something like, Make self-imposed deadlines and force yourself to meet them. The discipline actually fosters creativity.

Well, this has been a week of craziness and interruptions, during which I asked what day it is several times. I decided at about 9:00 last night (that was Thursday, wasn’t it?) to set myself a deadline: I would write a blog post before 10:30 PM. I didn’t even have a topic in mind.

First, I finished and sent in two magazine features that needed only final revisions. Then my eye fell on the notes I had taken at the Dallas Area Writers Group meeting this past Tuesday. It was a Critique Night and, though I didn’t bring anything to read, I picked up some tips from the critique panel as they commented on other people’s work. That sounded like a good, helpful topic. Here, then, are five valuable pieces of advice from the DAWG Critique Panel:

1. “Internal dialogue,” where the writer includes a character’s silent thoughts (often in italics) slows the story down too much if you use it during a conversation between characters.

2. When a character is waiting for something or just walking along, you can have him reminisce so the reader can pick up his backstory, or how he got where he is now. But don’t try to give any backstory during an action scene.

3. Sensory details such as sounds and smells add valuable “color” when you are setting a scene.

4. But, if you spend too much time on those details or use too-elegant language, the scene can get bogged down and sound overwritten.

5. When describing a character’s thoughts, keep them at a level of sophistication consistent with his ability. A young child, for example, may feel ambivalence but will not understand it and cannot put it into words.

Now, maybe you noticed that I used the phrase “last night” to refer to my deadline for the post I am still writing. I must admit, I started so late that all I actually got done before 10:30 was to circle the ideas I would use. But I didn’t feel guilty, because I had made good use of that hour-and-a-half, and got two things turned in early. And so my last tip, which I discovered for myself, is:

Self-imposed deadlines can be moved if necessary.

Also, expert writer What’s-Her-Name was right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Footnote: Aside from referring to expert writers’ advice or laughing at my own difficulties, I can think of only one exception: A long-winded grammar explanation that I posted in about my fifth week of blogging.

Thanks for reading!
Jan

Posted in Fictional Forays, I Remember When... (my OWN stories) | Tagged , , | 2 Comments