Teen's Car Purchase Prompts Intense Prayer

When my oldest son reached driving age, he took over one of our cars. Two minor accidents should have resonated in our brains when he needed a new vehicle. Alas, it did not. Bryce found a Mustang he wanted and, with a bit of help from us and his grandmother, he bought the car. I presented a prayer on my blog for his care and safety in using that vehicle.

Mere months later, we grieved the loss of that car. Again, with our middle son, we let him drive one of our cars. Sadly, because of the miles he was logging (in trips to work and to visit his girlfriend, who lives quite a distance away), he wanted to buy his own vehicle so that he could drive the amount of miles he desired and not what we dictated. We hoped to shop around for a safe and appealing vehicle, swearing we would NOT help him buy something like a Mustang (still sore memories).

Alas, things conspired out of our control. We were already feeling the crunch of three drivers and only two vehicles, when the darn Pontiac (oh, the money we have plowed into that vehicle for repairs, etc.) began to shudder during his drive home. Unwilling to plow more money into that dying vehicle, Trevor needed another car quick! I scoured the internet and found one he agreed on. It was a Ford Focus and, though it was a half-hour drive away, we were ready to go see it the next morning, last Saturday. Unfortunately, by morning the listing was down.

I went back to the drawing board and found a fantastic deal on a 2000 Chevy Impala with 1 previous owner and only 26,000 miles. How is that even possible? That owner put less than 1,300 miles on it each year. The price was a bit more than we wanted to spend, but appeared doable.

Once again, it was a half-hour distance away. As we pulled into the lot, I had hesitations. Then, Trevor saw the car and didn't like the gear shift's placement or the minimal and hidden cup-holders. I was just as glad because I had a terrible feeling about the whole place. I prayed throughout their test drive and rejoiced when he also turned down a second vehicle they showed him (green - yikes).

He had previously mentioned one day getting a convertible. Indeed, I had taken down information on a convertible for sale at a dealership in the town next to ours. It was the lowest priced car on my list. On Monday morning, we'd have to have two vehicles (Trevor heading to the ranch and Sean to pick up his retainer - yes, the braces are off - yippee!). Thus, we desperately needed to complete plans and secure a second working vehicle pronto. So, I called. We went. He saw. He drove, and we left with Trevor the owner of a 2003 (1 previous owner, 134K miles) Chrysler Sebring for a sticker price of under $4000.

I am again covering the boy in prayer: that he will drive safely, that the car will not turn out to be a lemon (the mechanic we had check it said the previous owner took really good care of it), that he will enjoy this teen-boy-dream, and that he will gain a sense of responsibility in owning this vehicle (of course, my husband officially owns it for another year and 1 month). That sounds like a tall order! Still, I pray for it fervently. Teen boys and cars - a true test of trusting God.

Book Review: Prayers for Parents of Prodigals

The two most effective weapons in the battle for a prodigal child are Scripture and prayer. Scripture bolsters my spirits when the battle seems too intense and prayer buoys my heart when the waves threaten to overwhelm. Linda S. Clare begins each devotional snippet in her book with Scripture and ends each with her own personal prayer. She organizes the prayers in chapters by categories of emotional response to the journey. Thankfully, my prodigal son has been in a much better place. I continue to pray for God to work in his life. Indeed, I beg Him to use his life as a testimony to the power of our omnipotent Father. He can render the changes I cannot. My road with a prodigal draws me deeper into prayer and Scripture. Thus, I can only thank God for this journey.

Book Review: Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children

The Bible is the best resource available for guiding and directing our steps. Why don't I spend more time using it when I pray daily for my sons? I want to remedy that. Jodie Berndt, in Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children: Trusting God with the Ones You Love, provides Scripture's tailor-made prayers both for yourself, as parent, and for your child. The book is well-structured and well-supported. Each section takes on a different aspect of grown children's lives: relationships, work, child-bearing, health, and temptations. Berndt offers prayer principles and a host of personal stories illustrating the effective use of prayer.

It surprised me how the book resonated with similar concepts and sentiments to another recent read, Prayer in the Night. While I prefer more personal prayers, I can see the vast benefit to praying rote prayers when based on God's holy Word. He has given us structured ways to approach Him concerning our children and their needs. Why not use them? If I remember correctly, Tish Harrison Warren also included a passage asking, "Is Jesus enough?", as Berndt's epilogue poses. In the end, God's love for our children far surpasses the love we can muster (even when tempted to think we love our children more than is possible). Moreover, He can carry them when we cannot. You cannot go wrong if you "tether your prayers to God's promises." As Berndt reminds, "God doesn't want us to trust in an outcome, he wants us to trust in him." This is an outstanding resource for any parent wishing to support their children with prayer. 

Book Review: The Lost Apothecary

The Lost Apothecary promised all the things I enjoy: England, history, mystery, and a layered tale from one time to another. Sarah Penner creates compelling characters and a well-paced plot. The audio narrator did an outstanding job of providing realistic American and British voices. I enjoyed this tale, but wish the ultimate message wasn't driven by stereotypes. 

At the end of the eighteenth century, Nella works from a secret apothecary shop to aid women in offing the men who abuse and misuse them. Driven by her own story of betrayal, she conjures poisons that are difficult to trace and meets her clients in her hidden shop on Back Alley. When a twelve-year-old girl fetches poison for her mistress, Nella cannot imagine what terrible outcomes this girl will set in motion.

In present day, Caroline Parcewell flees to London on what should be her tenth anniversary trip. She is alone, having just caught her husband in an affair. Grieving the loss of her marriage and her hopes for a baby, she joins a group mudlarking on the Thames. What she finds propels her into a search for the truth about the apothecary killer. However, before answers fall into place, her troubles in the present meet up with the troubles from the past and place her in a precarious position.

I'm not sure why men have to be bashed. Every man in this novel, but one (the mudlarking leader), is unfaithful, precipitously judgmental, or abusive. Why must we paint with such broad strokes? Seriously! And the end? Caroline rids herself of her problems and affirms her own strength and purpose. So, while the story was a good one, it left me with an unpleasant taste in my mouth. Not all men are monsters, any more than all women have hidden strengths just waiting to shine. Moreover, I hate this message: Trouble in a relationship? Ditch it and assert yourself! What looks like a happy ending leaves me less than happy. 

Book Review: Spark

Before starting Spark, the fourth book in the Swipe series by Evan Angler, I dug again on the internet to see if I could learn anything more about the mysteriously absent author. I found this teen vlog by Celestria (note: spoilers). I am 100% with her! Where in the world is Evan Angler? Why did he ditch the series before finishing it? When, if ever, will we get another installment? I also agree with her assessment of this fourth book. Just didn't care for it all that much. The first irritation was the shift from familiar to foreign soil and language. It grows tiresome when you cannot read multiple lines and must glean possible meanings from the context. 

This time around, the main character is a street urchin in al-Balat. Unlike Logan Langley and his friends, she never wormed into my heart or affection. The plot is confusing and endlessly weaving. It was hard to tell where things were happening when the setting shifted again and again. The Antichrist character didn't ring true to me. He lacked the expected charisma and strode to power on the coattails of luck. It seemed a weak attempt to weave together these disparate characters (Logan and the Dust, Commander Cylis, and Ali, some sort of savior figure). 

Moreover, the virtual reality and technological aspects of the story's development didn't entice me. I still would happily read a fifth or sixth book, should they ever appear, but feel less driven for answers now. Will Evan Angler ever reappear? Will his books resume where they left off? Did he merely run out of ideas and material or is he being held by D.O.M.E. (the Department of Marked Emergencies), desperate to get back to Beacon? Ha!

I enjoyed the series (what we get of it). You might, too, so check out my previous reviews of book one, book two, and book three.

Book Review: Storm

Storm is the third book in Evan Angler's Swipe series. This book contains an unexpected, unique twist I've never encountered before - quite clever! I'm plowing through the series and hope to convince Sean to read them as well, before they are due back at the library. In this installment, Logan doesn't know if he can trust anyone, but a storm is brewing that threatens both marked and unmarked citizens. Some of the alignment with current scenarios is uncanny! Still cannot decide if they snatched this author for knowing too much or if his disappearance merely drives book sales. I recently learned that this was intended as a six-book series. Sadly, we are left with only four, so I'm sure the next installment will leave me hanging. I have already started book four. So far, the books are riveting.

Follow these links for reviews of Swipe (book 1) and Sneak (book 2) in the series.

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Book Review: In the Company of Cheerful Ladies

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, book 6) provides plenty of further ruminations about life in Botswana. Each character encounters intrigues. Someone from Mma Ramotswe's past shows up demanding hush money. Mr. JLB Matekoni must learn some hard truths about the renters of his house. While Mma Ramotswe knocks a man off his bicycle, Mma Makutsi bumps into love. Blackmail, an attempted burglary (where Mma Ramotswe almost crushes a man hiding under her bed), her beloved white van stolen, and embezzled funds - the plot thickens and the characters shine.

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Book Review: Swipe

What if you had to provide proof of a tangible mark in order to buy or sell, to get a job, or to have a bank account? Scripture has prophesied such a time is coming. Evan Angler, in this first book of his Swipe series, takes this premise, creates the hypothetical scenario, and places tween/teen characters into the mix. I think he does an outstanding job in fleshing out what, until now, seemed like science fiction. This premise is not science fiction. Today, we face a world none too different from the one Angler presents in these middle-grade apocalyptical books.

Back cover blurb: "Logan Langley is just months away from his thirteenth birthday and the biggest day of his life - the day he will finally be Marked. The Mark lets people get jobs, vote, even go out to eat or buy concert tickets. Becoming Marked means becoming free. Or so he is told. Five years ago when Logan's sister went to get her Mark she never came back. Now Logan can't shake the feeling he's being watched... and then he finds the wire."

Angler not only provides a believable scenario (a drive for comprehensive compliance that pressures the unmarked), but also believable characters. Logan wants to know what went wrong with his sister's marking ceremony. His new friend Erin wants to find a way back to her old home in Beacon, to a time when her family was still intact and her father not yet assigned his top secret mission. Together, these tweens chase down the truth. This book grabs you and doesn't let go. Now that I have both the first and second book (Sneak) under my belt, I'm anxious to read the final two in the series. I'm also eager to discover why Evan Angler's social media presence abruptly disappeared not long after the publication of his fourth book. Hmm. Is it a publicity ploy? Or does Angler's premise hold some truth others don't want him revealing?

Book Review: Win the Day - Highly Recommend

Ever since I read In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, I've been a fan of Mark Batterson's writing. The only book of his that I didn't enjoy was If. I wouldn't have picked this book for the title: Win the Day: 7 Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less & Accomplish More, but the author name alone lured me. You can count on Batterson to challenge you out of your comfort zone. He reminds we have a bigger God than we often acknowledge, one who can turn impossible dreams into realities if aligned with His will. Every time I read a Batterson book, I come away super-charged to pursue my impossible dream and my view of God enlarges. Batterson is a master at memorable turns of phrase (although, I'm guessing he borrows many of these sayings from other writers).

It is important to express one caveat. Some people have faulted this author for subscribing to New Age "name it, claim it" philosophy. They balk at his suggestion to use imagination to dream bigger and pursue more. I would venture to guess some of these critics present their arguments without actually reading his books. They hear of the story of a sage encouraging others to pray a circle around a person, problem, or project, and they jump to a conclusion that Batterson credits individuals as the source of their success. The author is very clear in drawing attention to God as the source of all power to accomplish anything. Our grit isn't enough; it must meet His grace.

Moreover, "in His will" is key. Batterson is not encouraging the reader to pray a circle around an idealized version of life where you ditch your spouse and find a better model. Plus, I believe God cares more about one-on-one evangelism than filling mega-church pews with thousands upon thousands. The goal is not numbers. The goal is souls. Like many mega-church leaders, Batterson uses too many personal examples, but he tries to return the focus from himself to the One who implanted and fulfilled the dream. So, I don't align entirely, but I don't fault him either.

Win the Day encourages readers to "do what lies at hand," and "live in day-tight compartments." Give your all to the one day before you. Here are a few of the memorable phrases I jotted down: "You may not be responsible, but you are response-able." "God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God." "Reverse engineer the people you respect." "If you do little things like they're big things, God will do big things like they're little things." Another one that I shared with my son (besides an outstanding illustration about why ranchers keep the runt of a litter), is "the key to landing your dream job is doing a really good job at a really bad job." I came away wanting to "seed the clouds," by dreaming big, thinking long, being present, and praying hard.

I want to spend some morning writing time processing some of his assessment tools. What is my signature story? What subplots have defined my life? Are there habits that are wasting my time, talent, and treasure? So, I will take time to list my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and then will ask, "What is important now?" I hope to identify symbols of my life that make each day more meaningful (an excellent story about a man who saved the ticket to a flight he survived because he was running late). This book is an excellent tool for honing in on the opportunity of each new day and pressing on toward the God-sized goals and dreams He has etched on your heart.

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If you're looking for more, listen to Jordan Raynor's podcast with Mark Batterson.

An Inconsequential Rasp in the Deafening Roar

 I don't want to be a somebody.

I just want to write.

But, everybody knows

Nobody takes a chance on a

NOBODY!

Photo by Cookie the Pom on Unsplash

Book Review: Sneak

I rarely purchase audio books, but am always on the look-out since I listen during every treadmill session and often during car trips. Trevor got his driver's license at the end of May. Before that, I spent lots of time in the car. Each trip to and from Trevor's ranch job took almost twenty minutes (plus I often killed time listening while waiting for him). Add on trips to take him to visit his girlfriend and trips to transport Sean from track practices and meets, and football practices, and we were putting about 600 miles a week on our vehicles (prime audio book time whenever the boys were not in the car with me).

Thus, when I happened upon this audio book, Sneak, at a thrift store for a couple bucks, I took a gamble. I discovered, post-purchase, that it is the second book in Evan Angler's Swipe series. If I hadn't purchased it, I might have given up after one disc. The first problem? Oasis Audio fails to track their CDs in 3-5 minute increments. Instead, the tracks run around 15-25 minutes long. Since my treadmill CD player doesn't skip to the middle of tracks, I'm often stuck waiting for a track to finish. Moreover, the narrator's voice was a bit grating. I applaud him for providing distinctive voices with so many characters, but still felt it came out whiny and high-pitched. Thankfully, I overlooked those two drawbacks.

Once two discs in, I was hooked on the story line and far more willing to continue. Indeed, I now hope to encourage my youngest son to read the middle-grade series. It has boy appeal and is a timely tale. Set in a future where you must receive a mark to "swipe" in order to buy goods and services, Logan Langly is on the run as a "mark-less" after escaping his marking ceremony. He hopes to find and rescue his older sister who disappeared after her marking ceremony. She is rumored to be held in a high-security prison called Acheron, where escape seems hopeless. Will the other mark-less, known as "the Dust," be able to help him evade D.O.M.E. (Department of Marked Emergencies)? Will they be able to rescue Lily? Can Logan find the answers to his many questions? This fast-paced tale could have been pulled from today's news. What a riveting introduction to this Christian apocalyptic series!