Another Book Idea

Looking ahead, there was nothing that he could do. No where to run. Thus far, he had escaped the enemy troops, but he could see them encircling his men off in the distance. I am the one to lead them, he thought, so I must find a way through this ring of steel. All at once it came to him: drive a wedge through the men that are holding the edge of the forest. If I can get the men to the forest, we can disappear and regroup.

“Captain! Regroup and push toward the forest!” he yelled. At his command, the Five turned and immediately began marshaling the troops toward the West. Captain Drake, a man so thoroughly versed in the art of war, was the commander of his personal guard. The Five, as they had come to be known, were his most precious protectors: his life. They were with him always, and while the captain commanded the personal guard, the unit moved as one.

Aiden had been pushing through the enemy ranks, doing what he could to find an opening, but nothing seemed to be working. The only choice they had was to head West into the Dark Forest. It had been given it’s name, because of the shadow that enshrouded all that were lost to it. Men went in, but only spirits returned.

“Lord Aiden, you have to follow us now! We can’t withstand them any longer.” The captain had formed the men into a wedge and they were driving swiftly through the enemy ranks. The enemy was overbearing, but they began to shrink back from the shadows cast by the trees.

Before he knew it, two sets of muscular hands were pulling him back toward the rest of his men. Aiden realized that, had he wanted to escape their grip, there was no way that he could possibly break free from the hold that his protectors had over him. He was a man of no mean size, but in their grasp he was helpless. They carried him back into the middle of the group, and only when they were assured the protection of the guard did they release him.

“Quickly men! Into the forest before they change their minds.” Aiden had just condemned them, sent them to their destiny.

They followed an unmarked path deeper into the forest. There were scouts that went ahead and behind to carve out the trail and then mask it after the guard had passed. The Five remained close to Aiden, not wanting to lose him for another second in the depths of the shadows. Only after they were an hour deep into the trees did he command them to stop.

“My Lord, Keira and I take offense to you calling us all men.” Anna always seemed to make the most noise. While it was true that she and Keira were the only female guards, they were every bit as impressive as the toughest of Aiden’s men. What they lacked in pure strength, they made up for in ruthless speed and determination. “We have been part of the Five for almost a year and still you treat us like all the rest. We’re your favorite, so you should really start treating us better than the rest of these brutes.”

Captain Drake opened his mouth to speak, but at Aiden’s signal, backed away. “My favorite?”

“Yes, Lord. Without us, you would have no one of intelligence to protect you. Our finesse is the only thing keeping you alive. In fact, without us, you would have no idea how to treat a lady and would lose your bride to carelessness.”

“You’re right, I would be nothing without you. Since you are such an invaluable asset to my guard, please make yourself useful by setting up camp.” While Anna stormed off with a pleasant smile for having ruffled his feathers, Aiden tried to gather his thoughts and set up a plan for getting out of the forest. “Captain, I need a report. Where do we stand?”

“My Lord, we just finished the count. We lost Finn.”

No! Losing men in battle was always a burden that he bore, but Finn was one of the most lovable men in the guard. Without Finn, there would be no laughter in the midst of a storm. “Did he make it to the forest?”

“No, sir. There is no sign of his body. We only noticed that he was missing when we stopped.”

“Very well. What is the condition of the rest?”

“Surprisingly unscathed. It appears that, despite their overwhelming numbers, they were afraid to fight in the shadow of the trees. Our detachment is small, but the men fought well.” At that, Anna turned her glare upon Drake. The captain cleared his throat and quickly followed with, “But, none fought as fiercely as our two fine ladies.”

“We’re soldiers. Don’t try and belittle us by calling us ladies.” The look that she was giving the captain was even more ruthless as she cleaned the blood from her sword. “Besides, if we wore pretty pink dresses, the lot of you couldn’t keep your eyes off of us.”

“Captain, ignore her and finish the report.” Aiden had to ignore the banter and set a plan for taking care of his troops. One was enough. If they were caught, again, by the enemy, they would lose more than one.

“Yes, sir. As soon as you commanded us to stop, I sent forward and reverse scouts to check our location. I expect them back within the quarter and we’ll be set to plan the next move. Only one of us has traveled this forest before, so you will have to direct us from here.” With eyebrow arched, Drake’s expression was as cold as ice. No one had ever come out of the forest alive until Aiden. Even then, he wasn’t sure how he had done it, except that he had help. “How did you get through the first time, Lord?”

Aiden was in no mood to argue, again. He had to think through his new plan. “Let me know when the scouts arrive. I need the next fifteen minutes to think.”

On the Essence of Coffee

Thou art beautiful just as thou art
The need for superfluous adornment, there is not
Taking thee plainly bringeth comfort to my soul
Thou art the essence of my revival

When I wake, thou art there
Bringing joy to my beautiful morning
When I return, thou art there
Bringing sustenance to the dull and dreary afternoon

To look for another would be a release of my commitment
So I remain faithfully thine
I will not abandon thee, despite the temptation for another
So please abide with me

Each day our reunion blesses my soul
And I will continually aspire to be with thee
Until the day that my anticipation is fulfilled
Remain pure, strong, and black

The Call of the Wild

Sometimes you just have to go out and have fun. I love hanging out with Nate and Chris, so taking a day hike should be no problem, right?

The Truth in Love

I encourage you to speak the truth in love!

As a believer in Christ, there should be absolutely NO fear to speak the Gospel (or Good News of Christ's redemption) to the world. And yet, we struggle with this daily. Is it because we have a fear of rejection? Are we concerned that our friends will look down upon us? No matter what the reason, I think that if we weighed it against the soul of our friend, their soul would win every time.

Paul said, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (Romans 1:16). His understanding of the Gospel is that it has the power to transform lives - to literally save people from their sin. I hold this same understanding, because I believe that it very clearly outlines the predicament that we were in as we lived in our sin. Our sin separated us from God, but Jesus reconnects us to God.

Many of our friends don’t understand this message. For that reason, I believe that Paul wrote, “First to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” The Church (or the people who have been a part of the community of God for some time) understands the need for salvation, and also understands the method for salvation. We are the “Jews” in Paul’s message. We understand that a Messiah (or Christ, or Savior) is necessary for us to obtain eternal life; but, we have friends that do NOT understand this (the “Gentiles”), and who better to tell them of the method for salvation than the Church?

Very simply, there are people that do not know the power of Christ’s salvation, and we may be the only people that can/will tell them. So what is holding you back? Are you still afraid? Why should your fear keep them from salvation?

Are you still nervous? God has taken all of our excuses away, as evidenced by His repeated message to Moses, Jonah, and many others.

They are lost and need the message. Go and tell them!

On Relationships

Have you ever wondered about the way in which we treat our relationships? I'm not just talking about boy/girl relationships, but just those in general. We wonder why people don't understand us. Or we wonder why we're so different. Or at times we just simply fail. I have some thoughts...feel free to take them or leave them.

Relationships are Important
I don't think that enough of us consider the true importance of relationships. We were created to have a relationship first, and foremost, with God - so obviously this is a big deal in the life of a human. It's part of our internal structure, and yet we place so little value on it that it almost seems meaningless.

If we are to see a visible change in our relationships, then we have to put a priority on those people that we truly value. What are you doing to show them that you care? In what ways have you stretched yourself to be the bigger person? Think about the top five relationships that you own - yes I said own - and take some time to consider how you can step up to make them better.

You Get What You Pay For

This is true with computers, cars, and filters. We know, from vast experience, that we are only going to get value out of something, if we spend resources developing it. No one else is going to make your relationship work for you. You do it!

One way that you can pour into a relationship is to give trust. The saying, "You have to give trust to earn it," really applies in this situation. If you expect a relationship to work and be a two-way street, then you have to show the person that you are willing to trust them and their actions.

This is very telling in our non-verbal communication. We can "say" that we trust someone, but if our face belies that fact, then we have worsened the trust more substantially that we could've realized. Not only have we lost an opportunity to gain trust, but also we have proven that we will take trust back at a moment's notice, and people pick up on that really quickly.

Not Everything is as It Seems

Just because you are feeling uncomfortable, doesn't mean that the other person is. There are times, when one half of the relationship is struggling with something, but doesn't know how to relate it to the other half. This is where trust and communication play a huge role. If the person is to tell you what is going on in their life, then they have to believe that you will still love them when everything has been aired out.

An understanding of the person's mannerisms and communication style can only come with time. Sometimes you don't get it right on the first try, but that doesn't give you license to stop trying. If you think enough of the relationship to start it, then you should care enough to see it through to success, no matter what the obstacle or situation.

Build with a Foundation of Love

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). This is such a poignant verse! I can have all of the communication skills in the world, but if I don't have love, I'm just flailing my arms and shouting, "Look at me! Look at me!" Our relationships are not always about us. If they were, there would be a lot of empty people in the world...oh wait, there already are.

Be the love for that person, even if you don't think they deserve it. It could be the difference that they need. The reality is that they will be there to uphold you in the future, so you take care of them now. Love unconditionally, because Christ first modeled that for us.

Chapter 1A - Suzy, Age 5

Hey Guys -

I just released the first part of chapter 1 for the book "Silence in the Shadows". If you have a chance, please check it out!

I'll also be creating a Facebook page soon, because I'd like to hear some thoughts from the readers about the issues that the kids in the book will face.

The link is: http://silence-shadows.blogspot.com/2011/05/chapter-1a-suzy-age-5.html

Selah: Take a Moment to Pause

During your busy day, remember to think back to the One who gave you life...