Janet Sketchley's Blog: Tenacity, page 84
March 6, 2015
Interview: Suspense Author Bethany Macmanus
Author Bethany Macmanus
Bethany Macmanuslives in Houston with her husband, daughter, and son. After practicing as an RN for five years, Bethany left the nursing field to pursue a writing passion the Lord planted in her heart when she was a child. Nancy Drew mysteries were her guilty pleasure during those early years, so she naturally gravitates her pen toward the things that go bump in the night, and most of her plots have a psychological spin.
She’s allergic to cheese, Sulfa drugs, and people...
March 4, 2015
Saying Thank You
One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!”
Luke 17:15, NLT*
Ten lepers – contagious, shunned and ritually unclean – had called to Jesus from a respectful distance, begging to be healed. Their faith must have been strong, because Jesus didn’t invite them nearer, touch them, or tell them to do anything particular to be healed (like wash in a specific place – see John 9:7).
He simply told them to go and present themselves to the priests. That was the st...
March 2, 2015
Review: Anna Finch and the Hired Gun, by Kathleen Y’Barbo
Anna Finch and the Hired Gun, by Kathleen Y’Barbo (WaterBrook Press, 2010)
In 1885 Denver, Anna Finch is the youngest of five daughters, and the only one unmarried. She’s far more interested in being a journalist, but her wealthy father would be horrified if a member of his family was known to be employed. He’s frequently horrified anyway by her less-than-decorous behaviour.
When Mr. Finch discovers she’s been out on horseback alone again, disguised as a boy no less, he issues an ultimatum. Ann...
February 27, 2015
Perspective from the Other Side of the Hill
Guest post by Steph Beth Nickel
Many of you may not think of 53 as “the other side of the hill,” and I’m not saying that I’m ready to throw a blanket over my legs, take up knitting, and sit in my rocking chair until the Lord calls me home. Far from it!
However, I’m not 20 anymore . . . or 30 or 40. And that’s okay.
And while I do believe we can make the most of the second half of life by eating well, getting adequate physical activity, and refusing to sit back and leave “the real work” to the ne...
February 25, 2015
Time Sensitive Invitation
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
Luke 13:34, NLT*
“You wouldn’t let Me.”
Those are some of the saddest words in the Bible. Jesus makes the invitation, but it’s up to us to accept Him.
I’ve been reading the Gospel of Luke, seeing again Jesus’ miracles and teaching, watching the stages of revelation and responsibility...
February 23, 2015
Review: Cloak, by Timothy Zahn
Cloak, by Timothy Zahn (Silence in the Library Publishing, 2014)
In a secret room, two men make a choice: Will they kill one man to save a nation? Well, one man plus enough bystanders that nobody knows he was the original target. Turning him into a martyr would only give him more power.
So begins the best thriller I’ve read in a long, long time. A nuclear weapon is stolen in India and transported toward an unknown target, amid as many red herrings as the planners can spread. In the US, a techno...
February 20, 2015
After Heaven’s Prey
Did you ever have a question for a fictional character? I do, sometimes, and I enjoy reading character interviews. Paula Vince, of The Vince Review, sent me a question for Tony Warner ofHeaven’s Prey. (Thank you, Paula!)
This is an “after the novel’s ending” question, so if you haven’t readHeaven’s Prey and you’re thinking about it, you might want to skip this post. Spoilers…
Paula’s question:
Tony, I can hardly imagine what it must have been like, when a sporting hero of yours committed such a...
February 18, 2015
Hypocrisy vs. Holiness
Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.
Luke 12:1a-2, NLT*
This is Jesus’ warning to His disciples. He’s just been todinner at a Pharisee’s house and confronted the religious leaders about their hypocrisy (Luke 11:37-54). Perhaps some of the disciples were there too.
Jesus often called out the Pharisees for their showy ways and love of public admiration, and for...
February 16, 2015
Review: A Cast of Stones, by Patrick W. Carr
A Cast of Stones, by Patrick W. Carr (Bethany House, 2013)
The kingdom of Illustra has a mediaeval feel to it, with horses, knights and magic. The story opens with Errol, a homeless youth, seizing the opportunity to deliver a message to a reclusive priest. The money will buy him more ale, which will push back the memories he can’t face.
Errol is the most unlikely of heroes: scrawny, hopeless and addicted to drink. Yet as he’s dragged unwillingly along with the others on a desperate journey, he...
February 13, 2015
Running and Writing
When you set a personal best, do you call it a one-time success, or try to make it your new normal? Last week I did my best run ever at the gym, but it took everything I had. I wouldn’t have made it without some well-chosen music on my mp3 player.
Running this Monday, I wondered. Could I do it again? Maybe. But did I want to?
Truth: I didn’t want to do it. ButI didn’t want to settle for less. I wanted to have done it, and that meant powering through.
Running is a bit like writing:
small steps add...
