Happy Birthday, Mom

Today would've been my mother's 80th birthday. She's celebrating today in that land where birthdays don't matter and time is no more. All is light around her and she is reunited with those she loved and those who loved her. Thank you Lord for the gift of a godly mom and the certain hope that we will meet again.

Shirley L. Poag, a resident of Irving, Texas died on Friday, June 4, 2004 at Riverview Manor Nursing Home in Pleasant Valley, Iowa.
Her husband, Samuel died Thursday, April 1, 2004 at their daughter’s home in Bettendorf, Iowa.

Shirley was born August 11, 1929 in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Forrest & Lucy (Kinsolving) Dudley.
Samuel was born August 16, 1927 in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Samuel L. & Dimples (Chalmers) Poag Sr.
Shirley & Samuel were united in marriage on November 19, 1949 in Dallas.

Shirley was a devoted & loving wife & mother. She was an active volunteer of the Democratic Party and taught 1st Grade Sunday School at the McArthur Blvd. Baptist Church in Irving for many years.
Among the other things she enjoyed were gardening, raising & caring for her roses and bowling.

Samuel was employed as a supervisor at the Dallas Power & Light Company for 38 years and was also the business manager of the IBEW, Local #69 of Dallas. He was an accomplished Golden Gloves boxer and enjoyed bowling. During World War II, he served in the Merchant Marine and in the U.S. Marine Corps as well.

Those left to honor their memories include their daughters & sons-in-law, Gail & Rev. Rick Smith of Bettendorf and Sammie & Stan Jones of Houston, Texas; their son, Craig Poag of Irving, Texas; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. They were preceded in death by their son, Mark; and their grandson, Jason.

Dogwood, by Chris Fabry

Karin-a sleepless preacher's wife, Will--a prisoner, Bobby Ray--the cop, Danny Boyd--the irresponsible brother, Ruthie--the seer, these are the people whose stories are told in Dogwood, by Chris Fabry.

Stories of love and loss, romance and prison, truth and fiction, I found this a fascinating tale of life in a small town after tragedy strikes.

Chris Fabry's characters are real people, not cardboard Christians, who face life's worst the best way they can, some with courage, some with resentment and rage and some in denial. There is a mystery at the heart of this love story and a love story at the heart of this mystery.

Chris Fabry's writing is fast-paced, tight and yet elegant too. To give you an example of what I mean here's part of a passage describing how a son relates to his father.
"Talk to me of a father's love, and I will tell you of baseball. Tell me of a tender touch or a hug that lasts in your memory, and I will kiss you with stories of our game. Walk with me in moonlight and I will tell you of pitchouts, squeeze bunts, and called third strikes...
In the cool of evening, when his work was done, my father and I played catch to the voices of Al Michaels and Joe Nuxhall. We groaned together through the 1971 season and rejoiced at the next and all the way to Oakland...
Baseball cast a spell that drew us together. Baseball was the closeness we shared. We were never able to express ourselves and enjoy each other fuly, without reservation, except with baseball."

Great story, great writing, great read.

Wonderful Wordless Wednesday

I've taken a few pictures I particularly liked lately and just felt like sharing them.
Hoping to bring some beauty and joy to your day,

Grammy Gail

My dear granddaughter Maggie. I just LOVE the light in one and the sky in the other.

And one last butterfly good bye.

They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti

Move over Ted Dekker. “They Almost Always Come Home” is one of those books that captures your attention on the first page and holds your heart all the way till the last.

Libby’s husband Greg is late coming home from a wilderness trip. She’s not sure if she’s mad or glad about that. But either way, it’s all she can think about. By the time the first chapter ended I was hooked on this story of a real woman facing real problems the best way she knows how.

After taking as much waiting as she can Libby decides that anything is better than sitting at home wondering. Her best friend Jenika, and father-in-law Frank insist on joining the camping challenged Libby in a trip retracing husband Greg’s steps to find out what really happened to Greg. At this point the story really kicked into high gear for me and became as suspenseful as any John Grissom or Stephen King I’ve ever read. I felt I was behind the scenes of a real life mystery as it unfolded to the participants.

Libby’s story had me reading late into the night. As the suspense built this book took twists and turns I never saw coming and kept me on edge and nervous and anxious to find out what was going to happen.

Author Cynthia Ruchti’s writing is REAL. You feel Libby’s frustration and fear, her anger and grief; her humor and sentimental moments all ring true. Libby, Jenika and Frank (Greg’s father) seemed like folks I felt like I might run into at the corner store or Wal-Mart. The faith and commitment they exhibit is never overdone, but always just people what people who really care for each other do in a crisis.
It was one of the things that made this book so satisfying to read.

If you’re a mystery or suspense fan you won’t be disappointed in “They Almost Always Come Home.”


Watch the trailer for "They Almost Always Come Home"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZb0by984g

Need a good summer read? "Rooms" is it!

Intriguing, creative, unique, mysterious, fantastic, "The Shack" meets "Back to the Future". These are a few of the ideas that roamed through my head while reading the thoroughly entertaining novel “Rooms” by James L. Rubart.

A cryptic letter arrives giving Micah Taylor a beach-front mansion from a relative he never knew. Micah Taylor is the man every woman wants and every man would like to be. Successful, good-looking, and smart enough to build a million dollar business and still remain a nice guy. As bright as Micah’s future looks, he’s not a man without a past and in getting to where he is today, he may’ve lost some of the best parts of himself.

Even though the house located in the place of the greatest tragedy of his life, Micah decides to check it out. What he gets is way more than what he sees. A house whose footprint changes daily, sometimes hourly? As far as real estate goes, this house is a dream built exactly to his tastes. Or maybe it’s a nightmare because with each new room Micah finds a new set of questions buzzing in his mind, disturbing his sleep, questioning his existence.

Along the way Micah meets his new BFF and a lovely straight-shooting young lady who seems to good to be true at times. But the one thing they all have in common is their search for the Pearl of great price.

“Rooms” is an unusual book. It is a fantasy with a big heart, a journey with twists and turns, missteps and surprises. Yet through it all is an undeniable feeling of God’s love, protection and care for His children. I love that! In the end I found myself asking the same questions as Micah, seeking the same truth and freedom and knowing it is worth the trip. It's a book I'll remember for a long, long time and I like that.

Daily Devotions Inspired by 90 Minutes in Heaven

I depart from my year-long review of Christian fiction today to share a great devotional book I've just finished reading. It turned out to be one of those books that just speaks to your heart exactly what you need to hear each day, and of course I had to share that!

Don Piper is man who lives with pain. But he doesn’t wallow in it. In 1989, he was pronounced dead by EMTs for 90 minutes in a car accident. After returning to life, he spent months in the hospital recovering from his injuries and still today lives with the resulting pain from the accident.

I also live with pain. Due to arthritis, physical pain is a given in my daily life. I’m also terribly sensitive to the normal big-time pain killers (such as Vicodin) so I pretty much refuse to take them.

I’ve often asked God about the “why” of pain, of being unable to walk even a mile a day I used to, the ability to work out at the gym. Then I picked up “Daily Devotions Inspired by 90 Minutes in Heaven” by Don Piper and Cecil Murphey.

Reading the devotions in this book has renewed my faith in God’s providence and reminded me that I’m not alone in my suffering. Just knowing there are other believers fighting the same battles, trusting and persevering and looking forward to heaven for our complete healing is a fantastic blessing and comfort.

Don and Cec write for people not saints. The devotions are full of personal stories; lessons learned the hard way and inspiring scriptures on every page. I especially loved the prayers at the end of each devotion. These moments with God expressed the desire of my heart beautifully.

If you are a person who sometimes wonders about what God is doing in your life, if you’re going a rough patch or even if you’re just wondering about heaven and what God has in store, this would be a wonderful 90 day journey for you to take. The end will leave you comforted, peaceful and closer to heaven and to the Lord.

http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Inspired-Minutes-Heaven/dp/0425232085/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276349033&sr=1-1

Don't forget to say "Thank you"

Remember the first thing out of your mom's mouth after opening your presents on Christmas morning? For most of us it was "Tell Uncle Clyde, Grandma, Daddy thank you!" Sometimes we did it joyfully, sometimes with resignation, but saying thanks was the expected reaction after viewing your Christmas loot.

Then there were the "thank you" notes to write for all those great presents that came from family and friends far away. I had a rule for my kids. After Christmas day, no playing with/using the new gift until the "thank you" note was written. It was painful, but my kids learned that a simple "thank you" meant a lot to the person who "gifted" them making the giver feel appreciated and loved. In fact, one of my kids used her stellar ability to pen "thank you" notes in a job for a Hollywood TV show and later at a major university.
Telling people you appreciate them--it's a good thing, as Martha Stewart used to remind us.

Many of the readers of this blog are familiar with their co-author Cecil Murphey. His generosity with his time, talent and resources have touched the lives of many readers and writers, both professionally and personally.

Has Cecil Murphey been a source of help to you in your writing journey? Maybe he encouraged you along the way, provided a scholarship to a writing conference or even used your story in a compilation book.

Perhaps, like me, you're a reader and you've found just what you needed to hear one day while reading a book Cecil wrote or co-wrote. A word of truth encouraging you to keep looking up, God is watching and loving and understanding you just where you are. And maybe it's time to say "Thank You".

June is "Cecil Murphey Appreciation Month". I once read a quote once that said it's not the things we do that we regret the most, but the things we leave undone, the words we leave unsaid. If Cec has touched your life, this would be a great month to tell him so.
Why not take a moment drop Cec a note via his web site or through his assistant,Twila Belk, and tell him what his ministry has meant you? It's a chance to give back a bit of the blessing you've receieved.

Cec's contact page is http://themanbehindthewords.com/contact.html


Finally, just let me say to Cecil Murphey, author extraordinaire:

"Thanks Cec, for letting God use you to bless my life and the lives of so many.

Thank you for not telling God "No" when He changed your directions and put you on new paths.

Thank you for keeping the faith when things turned painful, in the face of physical illness, the loss of your home and so many other hurts no one else will ever no about. You kept trusting and obeying. I'm grateful to God that you did.

Your life and your writing have blessed me, helped me and brought me closer to God.

May God grant that each day you continue your walk and each day you are closer to Him. May your best days be still to come."



To read more about Cecil Murphey Appreciation Month
http://www.yvonneortega.com/blog/?p=108