Super Bowl XLIV had a thrilling finish, a victorious underdog, and a great backstory, with the trials that the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Region have endured. This helped it to be the most watched TV program ever.
At the heart of this was New Orleans QB Drew Brees. He had his own hard-luck tale. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers, but struggled his first few years. The Chargers grew frustrated and drafted a replacement, Philip Rivers. Just as they did this, Brees became a good quarterback. He was undersized, but his intelligence, mobility, and competitive nature helped him keep his understudy on the bench.
The last game of the 2005 season was momentous for Brees. The Chargers were out of the playoffs, but he fought hard in the game. He lost a fumble in the end zone, and rather than staying out of the fray, he dove to try and save his mistake. Instead of getting the ball, his right throwing arm was crushed under huge bodies, and he had a terrible tear in his shoulder.
The Chargers were considering what to do with him, so the injury made it easy to say goodbye. Brees had surgery, but was looking for a team to pick him up. The Dolphins sorely needed one, but they felt he was too risky.
This opened the doors for him to become a Saint.
He spoke in interviews leading up to the Super Bowl that he and his wife felt like coming to New Orleans was “a calling.” The team was displaced during Katrina, and the owner thought about moving his team elsewhere, perhaps San Antonio. It was a risky place for players to go, but New Orleans took a chance on several people discarded by their prior teams.
Four years later, Drew Brees is a champion QB and MVP of the Super Bowl. It was hard to miss his teary eyed celebration with his young son after the game. I hadn’t heard whether Brees was a Christian or not prior to the game, but he started using the platform he won to give glory to God. As he says in the interview before (which was before the Super Bowl, but I hadn’t seen it), what was the worst thing that could happen to him actually turned out to be a huge blessing, considering it brought him to New Orleans. He is more than just an athelete. He and his wife are spearheading charity work to help rebuild a city that still needs lots to recover.
This made me think of a trial of my own. When I first started blogging in 2006, a couple of months into it I lost my job for fluke circumstances. The funny thing was, God set everything up. It was a hard time to be unemployed even though my bosses had said they liked me and couldn’t fault my work. I knew God would see things through, as He promises in the Word, but it wasn’t easy.
I don’t have a Super Bowl ring (and never will, unless I buy the Cowboys from Jerry Jones), but looking back, I am in a much better situation. I have a good, secure job with a great schedule for my family. Since then I have a new house and a wonderful daughter. I will soon have some financial flexibility, and I hope to be able to do some things for the Lord through this.
Trials will come. People who claim Bible promises don’t usually turn to the passage that talks about there *will* be suffering, but it happens to the best of God’s people. Hopefully, stories like mine and like Drew Brees can be an encouragement that God truly does work all things good to those He loves and has called according to His purpose.
Check out the interview with Drew Brees below for more insight. He’s a cool guy, and one of my new favorite NFL players.
Jason says: I’m reading this book. It is much slower paced than his first novel, so I didn’t have time to finish. I’m pushing through and hope to have a fuller review later. Until then, check this out: ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Don Hoesel was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, TN home. He works as a Communications Department supervisor for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal.
Don and hopes to one day sell enough books to just say that he’s a writer. You can help with that by buying whatever his newest novel happens to be.
He lives in Spring Hill with his wife and two children.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Every family has secrets. Few will go as far as the Baxters to keep them. Bestselling novelist CJ Baxter has made a career out of writing hard-hitting stories ripped from his own life. Still there’s one story from his past he’s never told. One secret that’s remained buried for decades. Now, seventeen years after swearing he’d never return, CJ is headed back to Adelia, NY. His life in Tennessee has fallen to pieces, his grandfather is dying, and CJ can no longer run from the past. With Graham Baxter, CJ’s brother, running for Senate, a black sheep digging up old family secrets is the last thing the family and campaign can afford. CJ soon discovers that blood may be thicker than water, but it’s no match for power and money. There are wounds even time cannot heal.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Hunter’s Moon, go HERE
Jason says: I’m reading this book. It is much slower paced than his first novel, so I didn’t have time to finish. I’m pushing through and hope to have a fuller review later. Until then, check this out: ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Don Hoesel was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, TN home. He works as a Communications Department supervisor for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal.
Don and hopes to one day sell enough books to just say that he’s a writer. You can help with that by buying whatever his newest novel happens to be.
He lives in Spring Hill with his wife and two children.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Every family has secrets. Few will go as far as the Baxters to keep them. Bestselling novelist CJ Baxter has made a career out of writing hard-hitting stories ripped from his own life. Still there’s one story from his past he’s never told. One secret that’s remained buried for decades. Now, seventeen years after swearing he’d never return, CJ is headed back to Adelia, NY. His life in Tennessee has fallen to pieces, his grandfather is dying, and CJ can no longer run from the past. With Graham Baxter, CJ’s brother, running for Senate, a black sheep digging up old family secrets is the last thing the family and campaign can afford. CJ soon discovers that blood may be thicker than water, but it’s no match for power and money. There are wounds even time cannot heal.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Hunter’s Moon, go HERE
In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her…
Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston’s wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.
Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything.
As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?
— I have Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand to thank for taking my wife away for a day. I “met” both of these authors when the faith*in*fiction blog and forums were active. Deeanne was the first acquistion from that eclectic group, and Mark was the philosophical heart.
When Deeanne’s first books came out, I bought them for my wife (I’ve actually ALWAYS wanted to read them too, but I forget to grab them in my large stack of to-be-read books). She became an instant fan. When I saw that she teamed up with Mr. Bertrand, I knew I couldn’t resist.
I wondered how my wife would like this blending of the styles (since Mark fancies crime/mystery novels).
She loved it.
She finished it in one day. I have to get up quite early to get to work, but she wouldn’t come to be with me (“I only have 30 pages left!”). And before I could get my hands on it, she lent it out to a friend.
Thus, I don’t have my own opinions on the book yet, but she shared her thoughts. She loved the characterization, feeling that she really knew the characters in the pages. The suspense really drove her to stay up late and finish, as the twists and turns had her hooked. She especially enjoyed the hook at the end. Her final words to Deeanne and Mark: write another one!
Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called “I Did It!® Productions” and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.
J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.
If you’d like to read the first chapter of Beguiled, go HERE
In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her…
Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston’s wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.
Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything.
As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?
— I have Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand to thank for taking my wife away for a day. I “met” both of these authors when the faith*in*fiction blog and forums were active. Deeanne was the first acquistion from that eclectic group, and Mark was the philosophical heart.
When Deeanne’s first books came out, I bought them for my wife (I’ve actually ALWAYS wanted to read them too, but I forget to grab them in my large stack of to-be-read books). She became an instant fan. When I saw that she teamed up with Mr. Bertrand, I knew I couldn’t resist.
I wondered how my wife would like this blending of the styles (since Mark fancies crime/mystery novels).
She loved it.
She finished it in one day. I have to get up quite early to get to work, but she wouldn’t come to be with me (“I only have 30 pages left!”). And before I could get my hands on it, she lent it out to a friend.
Thus, I don’t have my own opinions on the book yet, but she shared her thoughts. She loved the characterization, feeling that she really knew the characters in the pages. The suspense really drove her to stay up late and finish, as the twists and turns had her hooked. She especially enjoyed the hook at the end. Her final words to Deeanne and Mark: write another one!
Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called “I Did It!® Productions” and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.
J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.
If you’d like to read the first chapter of Beguiled, go HERE
On the 600th post of this blog (whoa), I’m happy to finish off this CSFF Tour with my review of our feature book North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson.
The last two days have been my take on a whimsical overview of North! and the previous book On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Whimsical, because that’s the tone that Peterson has used for this series. You can tell he has a lot of fun writing these books.
North! is actually a lot more intense than the first book. It is a little dark at times.In Dark Sea, he probably had fun setting up the fictional world of Aerwiar, while the second book takes on the tone of an Empire Strikes Back. The Igibys are forever being chased, hiding, or escaping some impossible situation. The short, punchy chapters keep the action going, and the almost non-stop cliffhangers always leave my boys howling for more (as we have been reading it at night the last couple of months).
Peterson has a wonderful imagination, and it shows in his characters. They are deep characters for a young adult novel. Most of the viewpoint is from 12 year old Janner, who feels a burdening responsibility for his family, in the midst of all the peril. He is a noble young man who has faults, loses his temper, and makes mistakes.
Also, Peterson is a noted songwriter/singer, so there is a lyrical nature to his prose. You can tell he takes care with the words he uses. The result is a finely crafted book that is entertaining and offers some deep insight into the human nature, sin, forgiveness, and rising up to your potential.
As I said, I’m reading it to my boys, ages 9 and 8. My eight year-old thinks it’s the best book he’s ever read, and he’s a good reader. I think it is a great book for reading out loud, because it’s fun enough to really get dramatic with it. It is well-written enough for adults to really enjoy it as well.
If you’re wondering if there is quality Christian fiction out there for your children, then this would be the first place I would recommend. And if you want more information, go to the bottom of Becky Miller’s first post, where she has a list of all those who have posted for the tour. —
On the 600th post of this blog (whoa), I’m happy to finish off this CSFF Tour with my review of our feature book North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson.
The last two days have been my take on a whimsical overview of North! and the previous book On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Whimsical, because that’s the tone that Peterson has used for this series. You can tell he has a lot of fun writing these books.
North! is actually a lot more intense than the first book. It is a little dark at times.In Dark Sea, he probably had fun setting up the fictional world of Aerwiar, while the second book takes on the tone of an Empire Strikes Back. The Igibys are forever being chased, hiding, or escaping some impossible situation. The short, punchy chapters keep the action going, and the almost non-stop cliffhangers always leave my boys howling for more (as we have been reading it at night the last couple of months).
Peterson has a wonderful imagination, and it shows in his characters. They are deep characters for a young adult novel. Most of the viewpoint is from 12 year old Janner, who feels a burdening responsibility for his family, in the midst of all the peril. He is a noble young man who has faults, loses his temper, and makes mistakes.
Also, Peterson is a noted songwriter/singer, so there is a lyrical nature to his prose. You can tell he takes care with the words he uses. The result is a finely crafted book that is entertaining and offers some deep insight into the human nature, sin, forgiveness, and rising up to your potential.
As I said, I’m reading it to my boys, ages 9 and 8. My eight year-old thinks it’s the best book he’s ever read, and he’s a good reader. I think it is a great book for reading out loud, because it’s fun enough to really get dramatic with it. It is well-written enough for adults to really enjoy it as well.
If you’re wondering if there is quality Christian fiction out there for your children, then this would be the first place I would recommend. And if you want more information, go to the bottom of Becky Miller’s first post, where she has a list of all those who have posted for the tour. —
On day 2 of our tour supporting the latest book from Andrew Peterson, North! or Be Eaten, you may wonder “Why North?” and “Why would they be eaten?” or perhaps even “Who’s eating who?”
Never fear, for your questions will be answered.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post about the first book in the series, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, the Igibys are running from the only home the children have known to avoid the dastardly Fangs of Dang. Janner Igiby now knows he is the Throne Warden of Anniera, charged with protecting the king, his younger and impulsive brother Tink. Along with his sister Leeli (the first Song Maiden in generations), his ex-pirate grandfather Podo (complete with peg leg and bushy eyebrows), mom Nia, and family friend Oskar N. Reteep, they are fleeing the grasp of the Nameless Evil that drives the Fangs (known as Gnag the Nameless).
Since the Fangs of Dang are green, scaly, and resemble walking lizards, the Ice Prairies in the North would be the ideal place to hide from them. That is where the Skreean resistance, lead by the mysterious Gammon, hides. Biding their time, they wait to find the key to rid their land of the terrible invaders.
Unfortunately, they have to survive the terrors of Glipwood Forest, make it past the thieving, murderous lot of Stranders of the East Bend, and even face the dark bowels of the Fork Factory.
Will the children, heirs of a lost kingdom, and their family make it past these woes and travails? Will Janner find what it takes to fulfill his position as Throne Warden? Will Oskar again be able to be the Appreciator of the Strange, the Neat, and/or the Yummy? And what of the new and terrible Grey Fangs? The Florid Sword? Bomnubbles?!
As you can see, there are many more questions about this young adult fantasy. Questions that may not be answered here, but you can be sure will be stoked as much as possible as I give my review of the book tomorrow, the penultimate day of the tour!
Oh, and see my pals on the tour for further strange and neat posts (doubt they will be particularly yummy…) —
On day 2 of our tour supporting the latest book from Andrew Peterson, North! or Be Eaten, you may wonder “Why North?” and “Why would they be eaten?” or perhaps even “Who’s eating who?”
Never fear, for your questions will be answered.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post about the first book in the series, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, the Igibys are running from the only home the children have known to avoid the dastardly Fangs of Dang. Janner Igiby now knows he is the Throne Warden of Anniera, charged with protecting the king, his younger and impulsive brother Tink. Along with his sister Leeli (the first Song Maiden in generations), his ex-pirate grandfather Podo (complete with peg leg and bushy eyebrows), mom Nia, and family friend Oskar N. Reteep, they are fleeing the grasp of the Nameless Evil that drives the Fangs (known as Gnag the Nameless).
Since the Fangs of Dang are green, scaly, and resemble walking lizards, the Ice Prairies in the North would be the ideal place to hide from them. That is where the Skreean resistance, lead by the mysterious Gammon, hides. Biding their time, they wait to find the key to rid their land of the terrible invaders.
Unfortunately, they have to survive the terrors of Glipwood Forest, make it past the thieving, murderous lot of Stranders of the East Bend, and even face the dark bowels of the Fork Factory.
Will the children, heirs of a lost kingdom, and their family make it past these woes and travails? Will Janner find what it takes to fulfill his position as Throne Warden? Will Oskar again be able to be the Appreciator of the Strange, the Neat, and/or the Yummy? And what of the new and terrible Grey Fangs? The Florid Sword? Bomnubbles?!
As you can see, there are many more questions about this young adult fantasy. Questions that may not be answered here, but you can be sure will be stoked as much as possible as I give my review of the book tomorrow, the penultimate day of the tour!
Oh, and see my pals on the tour for further strange and neat posts (doubt they will be particularly yummy…) —
Ah, the CSFF Tour is back again! And we have an excellent book to discuss, the latest in the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, North! or Be Eaten. (Please note the exclamation point is part of the title…)
I featured this book in 2009 for another book tour (for which I did receive a review copy of the book, for disclosure purposes, see addendum on page 39084 subsection HK-47).
Wait, there is too much. Let me sum up: – Fangs (they’re bad) invaded Skree – – The Igibys include Grandpa Podo, Mother Nia, boys Janner and Tink, and the youngest Leeli – Nobody likes the Fangs – The Fangs don’t like nobody either – Peet the Sock Man is strange, but he seems to watch over the Igibys – Nia makes great maggotloaf – The Fangs are looking for the Jewels of Anniera, a far away land no one believes in anymore – The Igiby kids don’t know what the Jewels of Anniera are…
(Spoiler for the first book) – The Igiby kids are the Jewels of Anniera
– Watch out for toothy cows – Finally, the Igibys are on the run from the Fangs
If you kept up with that, then you will be ready for more silliness tomorrow! Until then, enjoy my fellow tourmates, who should be able to provide some more useful information, and perhaps more silliness…
