Coming . . .

     Cindy Thomson!

Have you read Cindy's Brigid of Ireland? No?

Then don't miss her upcoming interview on March 10th!

She's giving away a copy of her Celtic Wisdom book!


Quote:
Not being able to govern events, I govern myself. --Michel de Montaigne
Blessings!

   Wild,
Beautiful
    and

Dangerous

Imagine: moving through the water with a beautiful killer whale beside you. One that you've loved, trained, worked with for years . . .

But now, the black and white creature is showing her wild nature . . . a nature that has been tamed--to a degree. A nature that has been altered--in a minor way, so that she obeys commands and shows off and stuns crowds with her performance. Still, a wild nature.

Whether obeying its killer instincts or whether from wanting its trainer close and trying to show affection to you, you're suddenly on the receiving end of unwanted attention . . . This killer whale has pulled you under the water--a habitat outside of your limits after a certain amount of time and without the proper equipment--and . . . 

with your waist clamped between its jaws, you have minutes or seconds before you're dead . . . what are you thinking?

I'm fascinated with animals. Wild or tame, most of them have a loneness, a dignity about them that commands attention. They are creatures that are beautiful. But wild. And dangerous.

If you heard the latest about the killer whale in Florida who killed Dawn, the trainer, it will refresh your memory that wild animals are dangerous. Especially when big.

A few tidbits about killer whales:

• There's some research that says due to the killer whales superior brain power, pitted against the great white shark, they'll come out on top. How? Not my strength or size, for sure. But by flipping the whale over, who promptly goes into a trance and is at the mercy of the killer whale.
• While there is no known instance of a killer whale attacking a human in the wild, the number of shark attacks continue at the rate of more than one a week.
• Average life span in the wild: 50 to 80 years

And a few more:

• Their size is relative to a bus: Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators.
• They feast on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even whales, employing teeth that can be four inches (ten centimeters) long. They are known to grab seals right off the ice (ouch!). They also eat fish, squid, and seabirds.

Makes you realize that there are some things in our personal lives that we need to stay away from. Things, that without God's help, we have no business messing with. Places, where we shouldn't go. People we should avoid. Weaknesses in ourselves we should guard against. Words that should never be spoken.

In Corinthians God promises that he won't let us be tempted beyond what we can handle. Satan brings temptations to all of us, but God is bigger and more powerful. We can rest in that knowledge!

Quote:

Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second, when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied. --Pearl S. Buck

Blessings

WINNERS!

Yep, I'm announcing TWO winners!

• Christine won Robin Shope's book. LAST CALL, Christine, please contact me. You have until tonight at 7 p.m.
• Second choice for Robin's book:  Sherry Kuhn!! If I don't hear from Christine by tonight, please contact me with your address, Sherry, and I'll pass it on to Robin so you can get your book.

• Doug, you won a copy of Toni's book!!! Please send me your address so Toni can get her book out to you!

Thanks, everyone!

Blessings!

Catchy Books . . .


A Stray Drop of Blood by Roseanna White

(Biblical)

Riveting.

Powerful.

Complex.

Laurie Kingery's The Outlaw's Lady . . .

(historical)

Touching.

Captivating.

Real life characters.

Before the Season Ends by Linore Rose Burkard

(Regency)

Delightful.

Intoxicating.

Romantic.

The Easter Edition by Robin Shope

(Contemporary)

Fun.

Heart-touching.

Believable.

Dwight Ritter's Emerson the Magnificent . . .

(for the old and the young)

Entertaining.

Charming.

Original.

Quote:

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."   — Dr. Seuss

Blessings!

A Bagpiper Tale . . .

Warning! If you hate to laugh, DON'T read this tale. :)  If you're needing a laugh today, read    on . . .

As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a grave-side service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky back-country.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost; and being a typical man I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight.

There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down, and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around . . . I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played 'Amazing Grace,' the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, and we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car.

Though my head hung low my heart was full.

As I was opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "Land of the living, I never seen nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for over twenty years!"

Quote: Wouldn't it be nice to have this said about you? Consistent and persistent!
 
Blessings