Mid-month Mention: Prayer is the Best Support

I need to compose a mid-month mention post full of helpful and uplifting links. At this point, I cannot do so. I am still feeling numb from a hellish week we endured. Much of it, I cannot share. I will share what I can.

At 5:30 a.m., on the last Wednesday in May, I was downstairs having my devotions. After a large thwump, the power went out. I tried to fumble my way upstairs without spilling my coffee. I crept toward the bathroom (where I keep the candles), tripping over Toby (ugh!). Unfortunately, candles themselves are of no use if you can't find matches or a lighter. I also could not, for the life of me, find the flashlight on my phone (I never use it). Our large flashlight had dead batteries. Great!

Finally, John woke and immediately called the power company. All was still black outside so no indication of what we were dealing with. The sun rose, revealing the true scenario. Another limb had fallen from a tree out back. It took out the entire pole and unit in the back yard. The power company arrived to deal with the situation. My husband hooked a generator up to the kitchen refridgerator.

We waited and waited. Trucks filled the driveway, blocking the garage so we could not take our other cold food elsewhere to store. Here are some photos I snagged of the damage - again, I apologize as photography is not my strong suit (is anything?):

I sent out a prayer request to my family, acknowledging my gratitude that it wasn't worse because at least the limb did not, once again, take out portions of the roof like last May. In response, I received messages that sounded like, "Wendy is so put-upon, Lord; help her with yet another complication to her life." Or, advice as to what we should do: "Start cooking [um, no power!] or grilling as much as you can [much of the time it was pouring rain]."

Then, there was the biggest kicker: "Perhaps you should consider having a tree-trimming company come out to assess the property, if you can afford it." Hmm. If only we had thought of that. Wait, we did, long before this! We had tree-trimmers come. They cut down one perilous tree, but explained they cannot go near limbs near power lines. That is the jurisdiction of the power company. We had the power company come out and assess. They claimed there were troublesome areas, but they'd have to get to it later. Unfortunately for us, later was not soon enough. A new pole had to be put in and the power was not restored for 7-1/2 hours (we're grateful for their quick work and know it could have been out for longer than that). We lost some food from the garage fridge, which had climbed to 52 degrees.

Needless to say, when even greater difficulties descended at the end of the week, I did not feel warm fuzzies about sharing. Instead, I fasted and prayed on my own. I did not reach out with prayer requests to family members full of advice. We continue to cling to God, the only One who can do the impossible. In these other dire situations, we need miracles! [Praise God, we saw dynamic answers to two specific importunate prayers!] 

We continue to beg God to change hearts and transform lives. How I pray God will redeem the years the locusts are eating! Please, if you are a praying person, lift our family up in prayer. And if someone asks you for prayer, think twice before launching into advice 😉, just 🙏! After all, it's the BEST thing you can do!

Added 6/11/26: We woke to another tree down. It broke at the trunk. Ridiculous! Again, we are so grateful it did not damage the house. Nobody has come out yet to chop down and take away the other limb, so now that job is just bigger. You can see the ruts in the grass from where they took equipment back to extract the old power line and pole. That's 3 downed trees in a little over a year. Add in the limb that took out the garden fence while we were away at Bryce's wedding in September 2024, and it makes 4. Sheesh!

 

Book Review: The Tupelo Grove Series

Colleen Coble and Rick Acker begin their Tupelo Grove series with What We Hide. Other readers in the Christian Fiction Reading Challenge suggested these books really need to be read in order. Thus, I took their advice. Thankfully, the pages flew by and I couldn't stop reading. Plus, the authors kept me guessing until the end. I love that!

Teacher Savannah Webster finds a dead body at Tupelo Grove University. Even though she is currently separated from her lawyer husband Hez, she calls him in to try to clear her name. He wants to convince her he has changed, but she is hesitant to trust again after tragedy ripped their relationship apart. Someone is selling off artifacts from the university's collection. Who is trustworthy?

Every page uncovers a new secret or an unexpected wrinkle. If Savannah is cleared, will her sister Jess be arrested for embezzlement and two murders? How much does Jess really know? Savannah's feelings for Hez simmer and her faith in him is restored by his drive to find the truth. But, the stakes are high and the criminals will pull out all stops to keep their crimes hidden.

Where Secrets Lie offers another adrenaline-rush story. Savannah and Hez continue to try to unravel the artifact smuggling scheme. Danger intensifies. Savannah's job is at risk. Hez's health is compromised. The plot thickens. Their relationship, and the survival of the university, is in danger.

The final installment of the Tupelo Grove series is When Justice Comes. But, will justice flow like a river? Both Savannah and Hez are desperate to win custody of their nephew, but his criminal grandfather holds great power and allure over the boy and the courts. The book holds plenty of moments where characters can only rely on prayer for God's intervention.

I enjoyed this Christian thriller/romantic suspense series. Each book has a compelling plot. The characters interact in believable ways. Savannah and Hez face plenty of tension and realistic conflict. Clearly, both played a role in the dissolution and restoration of their relationship. While things move at a frantic pace, the reader roots for the triumph of good and the defeat of evil.

Book Review: The Elsewhere Express

I'm not much into fantasy books. While I can deal with magical realism, the really out there fantasy novels elude me. The Elsewhere Express is such a beautiful physical book, that I couldn't help but pick it up. Stencils of colorful luggage appear around the edges of the pages. The cover is dreamy and enticing. It is billed as a train that takes you to your life purpose. How intriguing!

Hiraya Sia's parents conceived her to provide organs for their ailing son. This idea is fraught with internal conflicts. Quentin Chen Phillips Jr. is an artist on the cusp of losing his eyesight. This is another conflicting experience. These are the two passengers readers follow onto The Elsewhere Express, an imaginary train built "by the hours people have spent staring out of the window, wishing they were somewhere else. It is in constant motion, fueled by a steady stream of wandering thoughts. Every inch of the train writhes with reveries and vibrates with the constant chatter of conversations people have with themselves." Neither character knows why they have landed on this imaginary train. Raya wants off. Quentin, with restored sight on the train, is desperate to stay on the train.

I will admit, it was a bit too philosophical and woo-woo for me. But, it was a quick and absorbing read. And in the process of watching these two try to find their way and their place on this mythical train, the reader considers lots of scenarios of loss, grief, purpose, life fulfillment, and creativity. I was intrigued to learn that the author is from the Philippines (a place I served in missionary work in the summer of 1987). The writing is good and the premise is promising. Pages fly by. While I wouldn't want to land on the Elsewhere Express myself, it was interesting to visit for a few hours over several days. 

Book Review: Wings of Faith

This Salvation Army biography, Wings of Faith: The Remarkable Life of Harry Read, was written by Dawn Volz. I first encountered Commissioner Harry Read through his poetry posted on Facebook. I had memories of an Army leader in London who impacted my life when I worked at the International College for Officers shortly after my college graduation. It turns out that was Ed Read. Commissioner Ed Read met with me weekly and gave me reading assignments we then discussed in a mentor relationship. Ed is mentioned in this biography. Harry's life impacted many individuals, too.

The focal point of Harry's story is his parachute jump at the 75th D-Day celebration. At 95-years-old, he was fit and brave enough to jump from a plane (higher than the one he jumped from in his teen years). I think I was most impressed to learn that he authored one of my favorite Salvation Army songs, "God's Soldier." It has a rousing chorus of "We're gonna fill, fill, fill the world with glory; We're going to smile, smile, smile and not frown; We're going to sing, sing, sing the gospel story; We're going to turn the world upside down."

Harry's poetry is meaningful and his life exemplary. He and his wife, Win, "walked, spoke, and ministered together as they drew upon each other's strengths, making themselves fully available to the God they served." I appreciated, so much, hearing of his great humility. In an early difficult time, he observed, "The Lord seemed to be saying, 'Harry, there are some things I can only do for you when you're alone.' I've transposed that insight into every difficult, testing situation since." He demonstrated his deep need for God and God's forgiveness. He did not present himself as above the masses, in spite of great responsibility and impressive gifting. I asked for this book for Christmas a few years ago, but only now got around to reading it. I'm so glad I did.

Book Review: Sipsworth

The cover is enticing and the title perplexing. Sipsworth, a novel by Simon Van Booy, tells the story of Helen Cartwright, a woman waiting to die. After spending six decades in Australia, and burying her husband and son, Helen returns to England to live out her remaining years. For the first few hours I listened, I was confused where the story was going. Helen establishes a relationship with a small mouse she accidentally transports from someone else's rubbish into her home.

Two-thirds into the book, the reader's understanding shifts in the most unexpected way. Though slow to get going, this book is thoroughly compelling. It treats so many important aspects of older age: invisibility, loneliness, second chances, the importance of kindness, and legacy. What a delightful journey with an octagenarian and her pint-sized pet!