by Jason Joyner | Jun 18, 2007 | Blog, CSFF, fantasy, fiction
Here it is again, the Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog tour. I always enjoy this tour, as there is more interaction with so way cool people. Some are writers, some are readers and fans of speculative fiction.
I definitely fall in the latter. I admire those who can think up whole worlds and all the logical outworkings of the details of these places. And I thought my imagination was active!
This group of fans tend to be more vocal and supportive of the types of work we enjoy. Our inner fanboy (or girl) must be satiated! We crave more. More good fiction to read. More opportunity to explore spiritual themes without the conventions/limitations of regular fiction.
This month we are focusing on Sharon Hinck’s new book, The Restorer. As I’ve seen her describe in an interview, it is not an easy book to label. For starters, think fantasy meets mom-lit. If that doesn’t catch your eye, nothing will.
Susan Mitchell is a believer and a harried soccer mom, keeping up with two teenagers and two younger kids. Feeling as though she’s missing out on the adventures the Lord has for her, she is wearing thin. When her husband Mark renovates the attic as a private place for her to steal away, she only anticipates a little peace and quiet. When she is pulled into a portal and falls in the dirt with a sword by her side, she is in for a lot more. Could she actually be the foretold Restorer?
I’ll check back in with my review tomorrow. I also plan on visiting my other tourmates and pulling together some of the insightful reviews and commentary. Check back on the 19th and 20th for more with the CSFF tour.
Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver
by Jason Joyner | Jun 18, 2007 | Blog, CSFF, fantasy, fiction
Here it is again, the Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog tour. I always enjoy this tour, as there is more interaction with so way cool people. Some are writers, some are readers and fans of speculative fiction.
I definitely fall in the latter. I admire those who can think up whole worlds and all the logical outworkings of the details of these places. And I thought my imagination was active!
This group of fans tend to be more vocal and supportive of the types of work we enjoy. Our inner fanboy (or girl) must be satiated! We crave more. More good fiction to read. More opportunity to explore spiritual themes without the conventions/limitations of regular fiction.
This month we are focusing on Sharon Hinck’s new book, The Restorer. As I’ve seen her describe in an interview, it is not an easy book to label. For starters, think fantasy meets mom-lit. If that doesn’t catch your eye, nothing will.
Susan Mitchell is a believer and a harried soccer mom, keeping up with two teenagers and two younger kids. Feeling as though she’s missing out on the adventures the Lord has for her, she is wearing thin. When her husband Mark renovates the attic as a private place for her to steal away, she only anticipates a little peace and quiet. When she is pulled into a portal and falls in the dirt with a sword by her side, she is in for a lot more. Could she actually be the foretold Restorer?
I’ll check back in with my review tomorrow. I also plan on visiting my other tourmates and pulling together some of the insightful reviews and commentary. Check back on the 19th and 20th for more with the CSFF tour.
Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Russell Griffith
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver
by Jason Joyner | Jun 17, 2007 | Blog, Father's heart, Jesus
I have been wonderfully blessed with three special boys (yes, so far we specialize). I know that it is by God’s grace, because I do not deserve my beautiful wife and these three gifts from heaven that we have to raise.
However, I still have some issues when Father’s Day comes around. My father died of a heart attack at the age of 52; I was only 5. My mother did over and beyond what she could in my life, but there was always a void from being fatherless. Part of it manifested through being one of the youngest and smallest in my class. I don’t know for sure, but I believe that I would’ve had more self-confidence and ability to stand up for myself if my dad had been around. I never quite fit in with my peers. High school was an awkward time for me, to be sure.
After high school I attended a Discipleship Training School through YWAM Montana . This is an intensive three month training program, emphasizing the character and ways of God, followed by a two month practical outreach. It was an amazing time that really cemented a lot of things in my walk with the Lord. Nothing compared, however, to the teaching of David Graham on the Father’s heart.
He shared for a week in September about how the Father loved us so unconditionally. He described the adoption we have in Him, and how it made us sons and daughters of the King. Me, a prince of Heaven? It sounded wonderful, but it was all head knowledge. Thankfully, God has a way to move beyond our intellect.
David was speaking out of Romans 8 and Galatians 3:26 – 4:7 one day. He shared how our adoption gives us the stature of God. We take on His character and standing through this. As he described how God “sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Gal 4:6, NKJV) Abba is an Aramaic term that shows deep affection, like the term Daddy in modern America. This hit something deep within me, and I felt the churning of emotion and hurt inside.
David began to minister to different people in my school who were undergoing similar revelation from God on what it meant to be a child. Finally, it felt as if a fount, long blocked up by junk in my life, was released. A torrent of emotion and pain flooded out of me, washed away with divine love from my heavenly Father. No longer was I fatherless. No longer was I insignificant. I was a child of the King. So much fear, self-doubt, and insecurity was cleaned out of my life that day. I truly felt like a “new creation” at that time.
That was 9/24/91. It was my 18th birthday. It also became the first Father’s day that I truly could comprehend. Now I have a Father in heaven that looks over what I do, and it is my greatest joy when I hear, “Well done, son.”
My prayer for my boys is that they will understand the Father’s heart for them without going through the turmoil that I did. I also pray that anyone who reads this, and doesn’t know about the glorious freedom of the children of God, will also experience God as their Father.
by Jason Joyner | Jun 17, 2007 | Blog, Father's heart, Jesus
I have been wonderfully blessed with three special boys (yes, so far we specialize). I know that it is by God’s grace, because I do not deserve my beautiful wife and these three gifts from heaven that we have to raise.
However, I still have some issues when Father’s Day comes around. My father died of a heart attack at the age of 52; I was only 5. My mother did over and beyond what she could in my life, but there was always a void from being fatherless. Part of it manifested through being one of the youngest and smallest in my class. I don’t know for sure, but I believe that I would’ve had more self-confidence and ability to stand up for myself if my dad had been around. I never quite fit in with my peers. High school was an awkward time for me, to be sure.
After high school I attended a Discipleship Training School through YWAM Montana . This is an intensive three month training program, emphasizing the character and ways of God, followed by a two month practical outreach. It was an amazing time that really cemented a lot of things in my walk with the Lord. Nothing compared, however, to the teaching of David Graham on the Father’s heart.
He shared for a week in September about how the Father loved us so unconditionally. He described the adoption we have in Him, and how it made us sons and daughters of the King. Me, a prince of Heaven? It sounded wonderful, but it was all head knowledge. Thankfully, God has a way to move beyond our intellect.
David was speaking out of Romans 8 and Galatians 3:26 – 4:7 one day. He shared how our adoption gives us the stature of God. We take on His character and standing through this. As he described how God “sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Gal 4:6, NKJV) Abba is an Aramaic term that shows deep affection, like the term Daddy in modern America. This hit something deep within me, and I felt the churning of emotion and hurt inside.
David began to minister to different people in my school who were undergoing similar revelation from God on what it meant to be a child. Finally, it felt as if a fount, long blocked up by junk in my life, was released. A torrent of emotion and pain flooded out of me, washed away with divine love from my heavenly Father. No longer was I fatherless. No longer was I insignificant. I was a child of the King. So much fear, self-doubt, and insecurity was cleaned out of my life that day. I truly felt like a “new creation” at that time.
That was 9/24/91. It was my 18th birthday. It also became the first Father’s day that I truly could comprehend. Now I have a Father in heaven that looks over what I do, and it is my greatest joy when I hear, “Well done, son.”
My prayer for my boys is that they will understand the Father’s heart for them without going through the turmoil that I did. I also pray that anyone who reads this, and doesn’t know about the glorious freedom of the children of God, will also experience God as their Father.
by Jason Joyner | Jun 16, 2007 | Blog, CFBA, fiction
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
As I Have Loved You
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nikki Arana is an award-winning author of highly-acclaimed inspirational women’s fiction who weaves today’s social, political, and spiritual issues into her novels. She has received numerous awards, including the Excellence in Media 2007 Silver Angel Award for The Winds of Sonoma.
The book was based on the true love story of how Nikki met her future husband Antonio as he was cleaning the stalls of her parents’ Arabian horses. Nikki and Antonio have been married for over thirty years, have two grown sons, and live in Idaho.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Contemporary Struggles…
…A Single Mom and College-Ages Son.
Leigh Scott is a widowed, single mother who wants the best for her son Jeff. She would like him to graduate from college, land a secure job, and start a family. However, Jeff, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) at a young age, has a God-given compassion for people. And his non-judgemental acceptance of all has unintended consequences.
Jeff starts dating Jessica, a girl with a questionable past and seemingly non-existent future. Soon, Jeff’s grades drop as quickly as his sober determination to achieve the goals he’s worked toward all his life, and Leigh finds herself caught ina relational tornado
To complicate matters further, Leigh is an author with a looming book deadline, a father battling cancer, and her former boyfriend and first love, a strong Christian Native American, coming back in her life.
Arana weaves a multi-layered, emotional family saga that brings the peril of judgement, the need for forgiveness and the gift of love to light
by Jason Joyner | Jun 16, 2007 | Blog, CFBA, fiction
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
As I Have Loved You
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nikki Arana is an award-winning author of highly-acclaimed inspirational women’s fiction who weaves today’s social, political, and spiritual issues into her novels. She has received numerous awards, including the Excellence in Media 2007 Silver Angel Award for The Winds of Sonoma.
The book was based on the true love story of how Nikki met her future husband Antonio as he was cleaning the stalls of her parents’ Arabian horses. Nikki and Antonio have been married for over thirty years, have two grown sons, and live in Idaho.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Contemporary Struggles…
…A Single Mom and College-Ages Son.
Leigh Scott is a widowed, single mother who wants the best for her son Jeff. She would like him to graduate from college, land a secure job, and start a family. However, Jeff, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) at a young age, has a God-given compassion for people. And his non-judgemental acceptance of all has unintended consequences.
Jeff starts dating Jessica, a girl with a questionable past and seemingly non-existent future. Soon, Jeff’s grades drop as quickly as his sober determination to achieve the goals he’s worked toward all his life, and Leigh finds herself caught ina relational tornado
To complicate matters further, Leigh is an author with a looming book deadline, a father battling cancer, and her former boyfriend and first love, a strong Christian Native American, coming back in her life.
Arana weaves a multi-layered, emotional family saga that brings the peril of judgement, the need for forgiveness and the gift of love to light
by Jason Joyner | Jun 14, 2007 | Biblical worldview, Blog, pop culture
Dick Staub is on the forefront of dealing with Christianity and pop culture. He has a blog post that is so good in describing the “culturally savvy Christian” I wish I could steal it and post it here as mine. No such luck however. A quote from the article:
So what is a CSC?
A CSC is serious about faith, savvy about faith and culture and skilled in relating the two.
Go check out the main article. His book of the same title is high on my wish list. Also, you can sign up for his update Culture Watch. Good stuff.
by Jason Joyner | Jun 14, 2007 | Biblical worldview, Blog, pop culture
Dick Staub is on the forefront of dealing with Christianity and pop culture. He has a blog post that is so good in describing the “culturally savvy Christian” I wish I could steal it and post it here as mine. No such luck however. A quote from the article:
So what is a CSC?
A CSC is serious about faith, savvy about faith and culture and skilled in relating the two.
Go check out the main article. His book of the same title is high on my wish list. Also, you can sign up for his update Culture Watch. Good stuff.
by Jason Joyner | Jun 13, 2007 | Blog, soccer
My oldest son Nathan has a mid-summer birthday, so he hits the cut-off for his soccer league just right. Last year he was the youngest and smallest on his team (made for the NBA, we are not). That didn’t deter him, as he ran hard and mixed it up with any of the kids out there. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to score a goal last year, although he came close a few times.
He was a little bummed, as my middle boy Matt was a scoring machine on his team (TWO separate hat-tricks, thank you very much). Of course, Matt was on the U-6 (under six) while Nate is on the U-8 team. The difference is two more players and a little more skill. With the youngest kids, the ball is usually stuck in a group of kids falling all over each other. Pretty cute, but if a kid like Matt has the sense to pop the ball outside and go up the field with it, he can get goals easy.
Nate was a very good defender though, and he realized that with a little encouragement from us. He knew he stopped a lot of goals, but he still wanted to score. Who can blame him?
This year I anticipated would be different. He would have a year to grow and be in the middle of the group. Except…they changed the cut-off date for teams and birthdays. So he is the youngest and smallest on his team! However, he is one of the more knowledgeable kids as far as soccer goes, and continues to hustle and show no fear in getting in there after the ball.
Setting: Soccer fields at MVMS, 3rd quarter. Game is still close, 3-1 in our favor (go Jaguars). Our team is pushing down the field again. Suddenly, from the left wing, Nate nails the ball and the ball squeaks in from an almost impossible angle…
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!
(Yes, I’ve watched soccer on Univision before – more exciting than ESPN!)
I’m very proud of you my son. You persevered, and you got it at the right time. Keep up the great work!
by Jason Joyner | Jun 13, 2007 | Blog, soccer
My oldest son Nathan has a mid-summer birthday, so he hits the cut-off for his soccer league just right. Last year he was the youngest and smallest on his team (made for the NBA, we are not). That didn’t deter him, as he ran hard and mixed it up with any of the kids out there. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to score a goal last year, although he came close a few times.
He was a little bummed, as my middle boy Matt was a scoring machine on his team (TWO separate hat-tricks, thank you very much). Of course, Matt was on the U-6 (under six) while Nate is on the U-8 team. The difference is two more players and a little more skill. With the youngest kids, the ball is usually stuck in a group of kids falling all over each other. Pretty cute, but if a kid like Matt has the sense to pop the ball outside and go up the field with it, he can get goals easy.
Nate was a very good defender though, and he realized that with a little encouragement from us. He knew he stopped a lot of goals, but he still wanted to score. Who can blame him?
This year I anticipated would be different. He would have a year to grow and be in the middle of the group. Except…they changed the cut-off date for teams and birthdays. So he is the youngest and smallest on his team! However, he is one of the more knowledgeable kids as far as soccer goes, and continues to hustle and show no fear in getting in there after the ball.
Setting: Soccer fields at MVMS, 3rd quarter. Game is still close, 3-1 in our favor (go Jaguars). Our team is pushing down the field again. Suddenly, from the left wing, Nate nails the ball and the ball squeaks in from an almost impossible angle…
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!
(Yes, I’ve watched soccer on Univision before – more exciting than ESPN!)
I’m very proud of you my son. You persevered, and you got it at the right time. Keep up the great work!
