Rowdy Cat Games

Quick nimble twitching
Cattail mimics whiskery white
the motor rumbles. 

Lighthouse Keepers

Weathered and worn a lighthouse stands
burdened by the danger on shore.
It's steady in its purpose above the peril.
But fellow keepers, Where have you gone?
All along the shore your lights extinguish
broken by waves and storms.
Don't let the clouds chase you inside!
Stand fast, kindle your flame, and remember your cause.
Men are traveling too close to the ragged shore;
their ships will crush against the rocks by the weight of the sea.
Their cargo is heavy and too much to bear.
They will be lost to eternity. 
Protect the light and care for the beam,
there are men's souls at your feet.

Book Review: The Scroll by Grant R. Jeffrey and Alton L. Gansky

The Scroll by Jeffrey and Gansky is an easy pick for a lazy afternoon read.  The main character, David Chambers, has lost hope and in the midst of personal and occupational turmoil. As a result, he doesn’t seem to like himself, God, or his life much at the present.  But like real life, David Chambers’ story shows how often, in the most unlikely times, that one’s perception of God’s presence and faithfulness are refreshed and rejuvenated.  David’s anger isn’t as resilient against hope as he thought it was.  There are elements of intrigue and mystery woven in the plot of The Scroll, but at the heart of it is the redemption of a man’s faith and purpose.  

WaterBrook Press, 2011. 

ISBN 9780307729262

BOOK REVIEW: Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson. Tyndale House, 2002

Dee Henderson’s literary craft is a pleasant read for any lazy afternoon and highly recommended if you enjoy reading light romance and/or light detective fiction (light, in that there is neither graphic detailing of crime scenes or love interest, nor is there a shift in narrative to the kidnapper’s perspective). Henderson adds a bonus to her novel, because she writes with a Christian worldview.

Danger in the Shadows by Henderson is loaded with plot details that move the story along easily. The main character, Sara Walsh, is in protective custody with FBI agent Dave Richman in the lead. There are several constant conflicts, external and internal, in Sara’s life. First, there is an underlying one presented by Sara’s long-ago kidnapper who remains unidentified and at-large, but with Agent Richman closing in. Within herself, fear plagues her, manipulates her doubts, and at peak levels of stress, threatens to break her. Lastly, Sara struggles with the intensity of high security protocol and the cost it requires of her – no personal relationships; she longs to be free of fear and to be free to find happiness in her future. Through the course of Sara’s story, her understanding of God’s provision, security, and strength take on new and deeper meaning.

BOOK REVIEW: From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology by John Dyer.

BOOK REVIEW: From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology by John Dyer. Kregel Publications, 2011. ISBN: 9780825426681.

From the Garden to the City by John Dyer is the suggested reading assignment for the group participants of the monthly ILRC Share and Care meetings facilitated by Associate Dean of Administration and Collection Services Lowell Walters. The first review session was only an overview of Dyer’s introduction and first chapter, but it was a full session of philosophical Q&A regarding good versus evil and where technology stacks up. Continued reading will hopefully generate as animated a group review in future meetings. 

The book’s message is wrapped up in its medium (one learns this application by reading the book); its medium begins with its author. John Dyer’s background is one richly mixed with information technology and theology, and so, his insight includes both in equal measure. From the Garden to the City is an easy read, does not require much on the part of its reader, and is logically developed between the points he wishes to make. What are those points? 

There are several points about technology which he investigates, but two speak the loudest to me. First, that technology has been around since the Garden of Eden and, second, that classifying technology as neutral simply because it lacks a moral compass, or soul, is an incomplete and inaccurate summation of its existence. Dyer offers great detail, both with historical anecdotes and Scripture, which argue these points. For me, I appreciate his assessment that technology is “the means by which we transform the world as it is into the world that we desire [and] what we often fail to notice is that it is not only the world that gets transformed by technology,” but us as well.

Pirates Cross the Sky

Tall dark buccaneer

Sails a thund’rous horizon

Beckoning grey ships

Pirate’s fake slumber

Cool friends softly blow

Breezes kiss against the cheeks

Alas the black flag rises

Two pale bones cross late

Lightning cleaves fierce mates

Fast the ship descends

Terror marks the sky

Bountiful the grey ships bleed

Tumult’ous affair

Dark buccaneer changes pace

Calming seas give chase

Fine purple linen

Scarlet-orange primrose

Great buccaneer now slumbers

Quiet horizon

Wispy ghosts of ships

Vanish from all sight

Noble star ascends

Evening guide of ancient days

From black velvet peeks

Blazing fires arise

Stream blue, red, and white

Harvests of bountiful light

With thund’rous fanfare

Crowd’s applause defends

Cascades of pirate delight

Quickened murmurs pray

Merry crickets fiddle strong

Buccaneer’s parade