My Favorite Time of Year

I love fall. I live for fall. Fall is my favorite time of year. We don't get a lot of visible changes in the SF Bay area, but I love some of the trees on the street near where we live. As an artist, these color changes just delight me to no end. I took a few pictures today on nice walk with our poochy, Shasta.





Faithful dog Shasta always has her nose in full gear.































I call these city deer. All show and no go. They definitely "illuminate" the night life.

Merry Christmas!

Dark Pursuit by Brandilyn Collins

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Dark Pursuit
Zondervan (December 1, 2008)
by
Brandilyn Collins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brandilyn Collins is known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. She is currently working on her 20th book. For chances to win free copies of her work, join her Fan Club on Facebook. Here’s what Brandilyn has to say about why she wrote Dark Pursuit:

In John Milton’s Paradise Lost Satan’s followers, kicked out of heaven, boast about storming the gates and reclaiming their territory. Beelzebub scoffs at their boasting as merely “hatching vain empires” and suggests a different revengeful scheme: seduce mankind away from God. So Satan visits the Garden of Eden to teach humans the very thing he and his cohorts have learned to be futile—the dark pursuit of hatching their own vain empires instead of following God. He presented man with this “gift” of death, disguised as life. And man fell for it.

Upon this theme of man’s fall and spiritual blindness, I created the characters and events in Dark Pursuit. The story clips along at a fast pace, with much symbolism running underneath.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Dark Pursuit—A twisting story of murder, betrayal, and eternal choices

Novelist Darell Brooke lived for his title as King of Suspense—until an auto accident left him unable to concentrate. Two years later, reclusive and bitter, he wants one thing: to plot a new novel and regain his reputation.

Kaitlan Sering, his twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, once lived for drugs. After she stole from Darell, he cut her off. Now she’s rebuilding her life. But in Kaitlan’s town two women have been murdered, and she’s about to discover a third. She’s even more shocked to realize the culprit—her boyfriend, Craig, the police chief’s son.

Desperate, Kaitlan flees to her estranged grandfather. For over forty years, Darell Brooke has lived suspense. Surely he’ll devise a plan to trap the cunning Craig.

But can Darell’s muddled mind do it? And—if he tries—with what motivation? For Kaitlan’s plight may be the stunning answer to the elusive plot he seeks...

Read the first chapter of Dark Pursuit, HERE.

ABOUT THE CONTEST
Smudge says to leave a comment to win a copy of Dark Pursuit. If you haven't read Brandilyn's books before, now's a good time to start! This story promises to be one of her best!

What's Laminin?

Watch this nine minute clip on YouTube by Louie Giglio. You will be amazed!

And thankful...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanks @ Thanksgiving

When asked to give my testimony, I never know what to say. God didn’t come into my life on a blazing horse, saving me in the middle of some catastrophic event or dark moment. As far back as I can remember, I always remember him being there. Which is amazing since I didn’t grow up in a Christian home.

Yet to look back over my life is to see the constant impression of God’s fingerprints and his divine plan connecting each joy and trial to the next in an amazing display of perfect planning and preparation.

I believe God ingrained Romans 8:28 into the very cells of my body and mind. I knew this truth as a young child before I ever read that Scripture. In fact, everything fell into place the first time I read it, and I finally understood the pattern of my life. That God was, is and will be that pattern.

Read the rest at S.U.M.

Time for Reflection

This morning I finally had time alone to sit, pray, and think. So much has happened in such a short time, yet to think back to the end of September when we were thrust onto this path of surgery and treatment seems so long ago.

We have so much to be thankful for in the midst of this crazy journey, and I believe we've been witness to miracles and so many answered prayers. Last week tests revealed the tumor isn't a PNET, which are always grade 4, but another type that's more like a grade 3 and will need less treatment.

This is wonderful news and, I believe, a miracle. Leslie won't need to undergo chemotherapy, just radiation. My girl may even get to go back to school early next year.

God is good.

And he's so very faithful. He's kept his word every step of the way, and most importantly, never left my side. I don't know how people deal with situations like this without God. I really don't. He has strengthened me every step of the way and given me a certainty that my daughter would be okay.

In this light of this quiet and peaceful Monday morning, I am praising God for his greatness and love. We still have a ways to go, but I know God's there, working in amazing and miraculous ways that we won't fully understand this side of heaven.

I can't wait to one day see the full picture. But for now I'm content in the Father's arms, knowing he has everything well in hand. I pray that for you too. Be blessed.

(Picture: Leslie in her purple and red wig and pink beanie.)