CBLI 2019

Last year, Trevor and I were convinced we were experiencing our last annual Bible camp, CBLI. For years, the high school football team's summer camp has always fallen on CBLI week. Since Trevor intended to play, we figured CBLI was out. Thankfully, we discovered (early enough) in the spring that they moved the team camp dates from July to June. Since we no longer take our attendance for granted, I insisted Sean join us. Still, I worried he might ruin it for me, because his friend was having a big party on the Tuesday night of our encampment, and he would have to miss it because his mother was forcing him to go to Bible camp. Thankfully, the camp had a new draw for him - Great America.

Years ago, when Bryce and I first attended, the camp always headed to Great America on the Wednesday. Twelve years ago (possibly considering it an unnecessary expense), they pulled Great America off the schedule and switched that middle day to a family day (often holding a large picnic with games and a petting zoo). Thus, my younger boys had never really ventured to the amusement park near camp.

Sean surprised himself. He had a great time. The tween track was loads of fun and he made friends easily. Every day, he spent most of his free time with friends at the pool. He didn't even beg to go into town (something we routinely do). The only problem he encountered during the whole week was an inability to find tween friends willing to ride the thrill rides with him. Thankfully, the Lees (a couple on the tween track staff) rode some rides with him prior to the all-camp dinner in the picnic grove. After the dinner, we ran into our cabin neighbors (the Nashes) and I even joined in riding some of the coasters (I only rode the Demon, the American Eagle, and X-Flight).

I spent most of my free time reading in our room. One day, I attempted to read in the hammocks set up near the chapel, but alas a young girl came along (unsupervised) and decided it was her mission to spill me out of the hammock by continuously rocking it, despite my pleas for her to stop. That ended quickly.

One of the really great things about this year was the joint theme covering the book of Philippians. Every track focused on that book of the Bible, so the boys learned from the same passages I studied.

The adult track had outstanding guests in Majors Jonathan and Barbara Rich. Some of the highlights of the teaching included: the idea of being careful not to photo-bomb Jesus, the concept of salvation having three tenses - past (moment of salvation), present (sanctification) and future (Christ's coming), the need to have the gospel on video, instead of merely on audio, the idea of dual citizenship (heavenly is an umbrella over earthly citizenship), and the idea that there is no better antidote to anxiety than to rejoice. He asserted that what we live for can be untouchable if we understand the hardness of life, the alchemy of life (alchemy attempts to turn lead to gold; God is the only alchemist able to take evil and turn it into good), the definition of life (what we base our identity on), and the dynamic of life. The power of the resurrection makes us resemble him (more people, more like Jesus). Mindset is so important; if you focus on Christ, all the rest falls into place.

Some noteworthy soundbites:

"Those who do the most good in this world are the ones most focused on the next." - C.S. Lewis

"Oh, bless the stern schoolmaster that is my wheelchair." - Joni Eareckson Tada

"We have received your application for the Trinity, and we regret to inform you that you do not qualify." - didn't catch the author of that quote, but loved the way it communicated that we are not God.

"The gospel plus something is not the gospel; the gospel plus nothing is everything." ??

"If your 'if' is based on your 'I', your assurance of salvation will always be denied." David Bowden (click here to watch his powerful six minute spoken gospel presentation "If I")

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." - C.S. Lewis

The Athiest and the Acorn story

I enjoyed time with other repeat attenders who have become great friends over the years (Laura Allen and her sister, Emily Southfield; Tom and Cheryl Westberg, Carol Wurtz, and Susan Nash):

Trevor, while stoked to go, ended up really struggling with the transition from the tween track into the teen track. He stayed with his buddies Emmet and Ethan in one of the teen cabins.

We brought along his fishing equipment, but I don't think he really spent any time fishing. Twice I took him along for a jaunt into town. Given our experience with Cedar Point, he was not impressed with Great America (although both boys listed Superman as their favorite ride).

While Sean was acclimating better than ever before, Trevor was begging to go home early (all his smiling photos were taken in the first half of the week). It makes me sad that he didn't come away with better attitudes and memories. Oh, well. Teens! I consider we were greatly blessed by CBLI 2019!

(Special thanks to Jennifer Minter, Laura Allen, Emily Southfield, Carol Wurtz, and Susan Nash for use of their photos.)
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Update: We received shocking news. While we were at camp, I was in a small group with a young woman named Tamara Eagle and Sean swam with her 11-year-old daughter, Nyobee, during free time. The two were on their way (with the grandmother) to a funeral in South Dakota, when a car crash took all three of their lives. So glad we had a brief chance to get to know them. Hoping they enjoyed a wonderful time during their final days of life, at CBLI. We were definitely sobered by this sad news.

Book Review: Rules for Visiting

Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane is such a sweet read. I adored this book because it left me with much to ponder. The voice of the main character is brilliant. While she wasn't as quirky as the narrator in Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, May Attaway is equally endearing and contemplative.

When May receives an unexpected chunk of time off work, she decides to visit a few old friends. These aren't bosom buddies. They are merely women May once considered close. She needs this time to contemplate the role of friendship in life because she is forty and still living at home. Although she keenly observes her surrounding neighbors, she doesn't connect with anyone besides her father and her work colleagues.

Her work is as fascinating as her thoughts on friendship. She is a university gardener. Her elderly father suggests various trees they might select for a memorial after his death and she reviews each suggestion. Interspersed with observations about etiquette and modern communication, May presents an array of information about various flowers and trees. I was thrilled to see her explanation of the Brahma Kamal since I named a character in one of my YA novels after this plant. She also parallels life today with snippets from Beowulf and The Odyssey (both appropriate because, like Grendel, she is an outsider, and like Odysseus, she goes on a journey).

Her consideration of what makes a good friend moved me. May mentions an author whose death leads to myriads of recollections posted online. In the back of the book, Kane identifies the real author behind this example, a woman named Amanda Davis. She died with her parents in an airplane accident on her way to a book tour for a novel she had published. I spent a fair amount of time, myself, reading the fascinating and gushing remembrances posted by her friends and acquaintances. What a marvelous thing to have influenced and blessed so many lives!

I also felt intrigued by the story of May's dead mother. At one point in the book, May observes: "Sometimes I think my mother slowly removed herself from the story until the story simply no longer had a role for her to play.... We had happy times, though our happiness was always a little desperate because it was never an adequate fix for whatever was making her sad. That is how grief infects families." Having battled chronic depression for years, I worry about its effect on my children (I was especially bad off when my youngest two were small, sometimes struggling to get off the couch and care for them). So much to mull over and process.

If you are interested in thinking deeply about friendship or if you plan on taking a trip to visit friends, you might enjoy this book. It is also a great fit for individuals curious about plant life. It left me with a melancholy wish to read through the book again. If you're still not sure about this book, pull it from the shelf and read the seven endorsements on the back cover. I agree with each and every one! It is "engaging," "passionate," "moving," "rich," "lyrical," "smart," and "uplifting."

Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

I'm glad my library had this book on the recent acquisitions shelf. I'm not always in the mood for yet another World War II story, but can never turn down a promising audio book. Thankfully, this summer most of my walk time on the treadmill takes place before my boys are up and around (the book had a fair amount of language and some sex, though not graphically portrayed). It was difficult to listen to because of the conditions in those notorious death camps, but, as with most war stories detailing atrocities, redemption and hope shone through.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based upon the true story of a Slovakian Jew sent to Auschwitz and assigned the job of tattooing numbers on incoming prisoners. Yet, even amid great despair and horrendous terror, a love story emerges. Lale Sokolov falls for Gita the minute he lays eyes on her. Hope for a life together keeps both Lale and Gita from giving into despair.

This book immediately pulls the reader into the atmosphere of the concentration camps. The love story emerges with passion and intensity. The characters are endearing and the pacing consistent. I was a bit skeptical that Lale managed his subversive activities for so long without confrontation and then resumed similar activities after escaping punishment. Moreover, at times it felt like the author pushed the love story to a higher plane than the survival story. Although the prologue seemed to merely rattle off the details of the aftermath of their story (I would have preferred a slower, more leisurely pace), the main part of the story is full of conflict and driving interest. It might be yet another Holocaust story, but it definitely merits exposure. So many endured conditions that might overwhelm comfortable Americans today and their stories remind us of the power of love and the hope of a future.

Book Review: All the Missing Girls

I'm compelled to read certain books because the author takes a unique approach to structure and I, as a writer, wish to observe and learn. I think of the novel, Alphabetical Africa, written in a tight unconventional structure. In the first chapter of that book, author Walter Abish writes only using words that begin with the letter a. In subsequent chapters, he adds words with the further letters, first adding b, then c, etc. The final chapter work in reverse removing all the z words, the y words, etc, until back to only a words. I attempted to read it once. Although a clever construct, it was a terrible experience.

This book, however, turns a structure on its head with more success. In All the Missing Girls, author Megan Miranda, tells most of the story in a backwards order, from Day 15, back to Day 1. From the outset you know a few key factors: ten years ago the protagonist's best friend disappeared and now, shortly after her return to help settle her demented father's affairs and prepare their childhood home for sale, another girl has disappeared. The two appear linked, but the pieces of the puzzle come slowly, and in reverse.

Besides clearing the house, Nicolette Farrell also wishes to confront her father about a note he recently sent, saying he saw the missing girl on their porch. Chapter by chapter new clues emerge. Nicolette's engagement ring is missing. They find the second missing girl's purse buckle in the woods. Nicolette cannot sleep. Her high school boyfriend, Tyler, remains an elusive draw for her. Slowly, things come into focus and make sense.

I would love to study this book further, even though I have no intention of ever writing a murder mystery. The build-up to the climax is expertly crafted. While I didn't feel drawn to any of the characters, I was intensely eager to learn the truth and solve the mystery. It might be fun to read the book backwards, beginning with the final chapter and ending with chapter one (although I would only recommend doing so after reading the book in the intended manner - it was a wild ride and well worth a bit of confusion).

Book Review: Finding Dorothy

I thought I recognized Elizabeth Letts' name on the cover of this recent acquisition at our library. Two years ago, when I was at CBLI, I read her Quality of Care. I thoroughly enjoyed this romp in the world of Maud and Frank Baum (author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and other Oz books). The book alternates back and forth from Maud's life story to her encounters with Judy Garland during the filming of The Wizard of Oz movie.

At first, the movie bits felt intrusive to the much more interesting story of Maud's life story. I wished the author had written the book in a straight chronological order and even wondered if she should have left out the whole story line of Judy Garland. However, by the end of the book, I appreciated the structure the author used and came to understand her purpose. Indeed, Garland's role served as a pinnacle to the life events that led to the book and eventually fleshed out in the movie.

Maud Gage is the daughter of a tireless women's rights campaigner. Her mother keeps her older sister home because of a nervous condition. Maud senses the family's hopes center on her when she heads off to college. But she is not enthusiastic about a degree and ends up falling for a young actor named Frank Baum. Letts does a fine job of presenting the story of their courtship and marriage and paints a realistic picture of the challenges and difficulties of life in that time.

By the end of Finding Dorothy, I learned much about the author and his wife, the book's importance, and the struggles associated with filming the successful movie. This fictional tale, based on solid research, promises to take you (the reader) from your own Kansas, to that place "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." We all experience a sense of longing and books often take us into that anticipated realm. It left me grateful to Frank Baum for persisting through the tragedies and doing the work to offer the world the alternate land of Oz (a land of ooh's and ahh's).

Book Review: The Fast Diet

I am on a two-pronged mission: to lose the 15 pounds I picked up over the past few years and to strengthen my brain health hoping to stave off dementia. The first prong is easy to assess. I'm down 11 pounds and hope to lose possibly 9 more. The second prong seems more a toss-up. I cannot say that I feel more mentally alert or that I no longer forget things or people. But, I definitely believe I am healthier today than I was when I began this experiment, 3 months ago. I revamped what and when I eat.

Ever since I read The End of Alzheimer's and The Circadian Code, I've hoped to attempt their suggested protocols. Indeed, I am fascinated with the ideas of intermittent fasting. To clarify, this fasting is not a spiritual discipline. It would be great if I incorporated such a focus, but I haven't. Mostly, I avoid carbs and sugars (although I'm not strict about it - I allow dark chocolate and even made a pan of spinach-mushroom lasagna to share with my husband). I try to fill my meal plans with plentiful amounts of eggs, chicken, salmon, shrimp, nuts, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, avocados, strawberries, blueberries, and salad. In addition, most days I limit my eating window to 10 to 12 hours (fasting between 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. or 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.).

Wanting even more evidence to support the efficacy of intermittent fasting, I picked up this book by Dr. Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer. The Fast Diet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting is a quick and easy read. The authors suggest a 5:2 plan - 5 days of normal eating and 2 days of restricting calories to 500 for women and 600 for men. Although it was great to read the many testimonials at the end of this book, I doubt I will begin to count calories. I prefer to think of what I'm doing as time-restricted eating and a roughly ketogenic diet. My only complaint about the book is that it could have been a brief e-book (or perhaps I would have preferred to watch the show that triggered this book - a British Horizon program called Eat, Fast, and Live Longer). I agree with everything touted in this book and plan to continue with intermittent fasting. If I lose the further 10 pounds, I will maintain the weight loss by restricting my eating selections and time-frames. At this point, I'd have to say "try fasting - it helps!" I still recommend the previous two mentioned books, over this one.
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I did not copy down any recipes from this book, but copied down quite a few from two other books I skimmed. In The Keto Reset Diet, by Mark Sisson, I obtained recipes for Burger Skillet, Egg Muffins in Ham Cups, Chicken/Broccoli Casserole, and Pizza Bites. From The Beginner's Guide to Intermittent Keto, I secured recipes for Blueberry Almond Pancakes, Almond Crusted Salmon Patties, Keto Bread, and Zucchini Fries. Can't wait to try these ketogenic recipes. Heck, I even made up a recipe of my own one night, zapping some zucchini noodles in the microwave while heating jarred alfredo sauce with diced chicken and frozen spinach on the stove, then combining them.

Book Review: How to Forget

How to Forget by Kate Mulgrew was a hard book to read. The writing flowed seamlessly, and the story was absorbing. However, given my own mother's early stages with dementia, it was difficult to observe the journey play out in someone else's life. Still, I could not look away. The author's storytelling skill enthralled.

Kate Mulgrew is apparently a well-known actress. Having never watched Star Trek, Ryan's Hope, or Orange is the New Black, I wasn't familiar with her. She must be both a talented actress and a skilled writer. She weaves, in two parts, the stories of her father and her mother. Her father, when diagnosed with cancer, decides not to pursue treatment. Her mother battles Alzheimer's. This memoir details Mulgrew's humble origins, but focuses primarily on her parents' lives rather than her own. She doesn't spare her own opinions about matters and seems unconcerned about the differing perspectives of her siblings. I always wonder what it would be like to publish a memoir and experience the friction of different viewpoints. My life hardly bears revealing through a memoir, so I doubt I'll ever need to worry.

Nobody Cares!

(Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash)

The universe has conspired to send this repetitious refrain (already clamoring) into my ear, heart, and soul. I keep encountering the sobering message, in regard to my writing, that nobody cares!

In flipping through the May/June edition of Writer's Digest, the words of Reni Roxas first hit my ears:

"Here's the sorry-ass deal if you are an unknown writer: The world is not waiting for your novel. Nobody cares if you finish it, not even your mother.... Nobody cares. But one. You. You care. Desperately."

How true! My mother will not care (she cannot, thanks to her dementia). Indeed, not a single member of my family, immediate or extended, reads my blog.

In my morning devotions, I am in Ecclesiastes:

"Meaningless! Meaningless!... Everything is meaningless. What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?... Noone remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.... Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." (Ch. 1:2-3,11 and Ch. 2:11 - NIV)

And then, also, in Luke 10, I read the story again of Martha and Mary, where Martha begs Jesus to chide Mary for not focusing on the work at hand, only to be told by Jesus that Mary has chosen what is better. Later, in the same day, I received an email newsletter from Jordan Raynor addressing this same chapter. He wrote: "Martha wasn't focused on what mattered most. In that moment, the most essential thing was ... sitting at the feet of Jesus."

In my current research for a non-fiction work I'm pursuing, it was hammered into me again:

"Nobody cares about your silly book. Nobody cares about my silly books.... What we write doesn't matter half as much as how we live, how we love each other." - Martha Beck

So, how am I living? Am I sitting at the feet of Jesus? How do I love others? Not well enough, I have decided. I am currently dealing with the fall-out from a large blow-up with my sister (never one I have gotten along with well). I cannot see my way to reconciliation or any redemption in the relationship. Is it her unwillingness to see her role in our dysfunctional dance or is it my inability to forgive and forget wounds inflicted. Moreover, other relationships have fractured as well, and for several I am at a loss to know exactly where I went wrong. Somewhere along the line, it seems I've done something to alienate or estrange.

I'm hearing the message loud and clear. Yet, I'm stymied. I don't know what to do with this theme. I would say instead of "doing" I need to focus on "being," but even that rings hollow. Dust to dust, I will be!