The Saturday Six

One.

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One of my friends sent me a link to some Fixer Upper articles, and I especially liked this one containing an interview with the wife of one of the couples whose house was featured this season. {They are the family that did NOT choose the house that Joanna ended up buying and making into the B and B.} Some fun behind-the-scenes tidbits to read about!


Two.

Some of you have asked me to let you know when I have a speaking engagement that you could attend. I don't always post about them ahead of time, because many are for a church retreat or banquet and are geared more toward that church specifically rather than being open to the public. But I am part of an event in April that is open to anyone, so I thought I would tell you about it. It's actually not in Indiana, but if you want to take a road trip, here's your opportunity! I'm a breakout session speaker at the Women's Break Away Event hosted by Faith Alliance Church in Chilton, Wisconsin. The event takes place on Saturday, April 9th and features Jennifer Sands as the Keynote Speaker. Jennifer is a 9/11 widow, author, and speaker. {I remember Lynne interviewing her about one of her books when I worked at the station.} It's a one-day event with breakout sessions on a variety of topics, and the best part? It's free! So in case you're looking for a fun girls-day-out and you're near Chilton or want to travel there, I thought I'd let you know I'm part of the day!

Three.

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This party. I want to have one. Or ten. Doesn't it look like SO MUCH FUN??????? {Overuse of question marks. Don't care.}

Four.

While packing the other day, I found an old picture of me with my Dad on our trip to Niagara Falls about thirty years ago. I had ALMOST a remake from my trip with Ryan last fall. Too bad I didn't know to ACTUALLY recreate the picture, because you know how I love to do that!!! Anyway, what amazes me the most is the skyline growth behind us!! 

Five.

I grew up in a home that wasn't touched by divorce, and I know that is really unusual in this day. But Ryan's parents are divorced, and this post so accurately describes the family I married into. While I know there was deep pain - and probably always will be, in some ways - surrounding that divorce so long ago, the family I know now is loving and respectful and kind toward each other. I am grateful for extra in-laws and siblings, and for the healing that has taken place.


Six.

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I approach Biblical fiction very carefully, because I think that genre walks such a fine line. On one hand {and the biggest hand!}, I think authors have to be very careful about how they present the truth of Scripture within the setting of fiction, and I want to be wary of anyone who may misrepresent the Word of Truth for the sake of story. On the other hand, I think it's easy to forget that the people chronicled in the Bible were real people with real lives and real emotions. Reading Biblical fiction helps me remember I have much in common with the core of who they were.


You might have heard that there's a new movie out called Risen, but you might not know that Angela Hunt wrote the novelization of that movie, also titled Risen. I read it this week and am excited to tell you about it.

Risen tells the story of a Roman Tribune named Clavius, who is assigned by Pilate to keep Jesus' followers from stealing His body after He is buried. Clavius was present at the crucifixion and is intent on working his way up the ranks of the Roman military. When the Body goes missing, Clavius is charged with finding it and presenting it to Pilate before the whole thing creates a fresh uproar among the people.

One thing I really loved about this story was the fresh perspective it brought to me about a section of the Easter account that I never give much thought: the mystery of how Jesus rose from the dead from the perspective of those who were not believers. If you grew up in church, you celebrated Easter, but the reading comes to a close after the empty tomb. That is just the beginning of this story. It opens with the Crucifixion and moves on from there to explore the belief and doubt of followers and skeptics alike. I've never before considered what that might have been like.

I was highly impressed with the detail to Scripture. Yes, Clavius is a fictional character, as is his assistant and Rachel, a young Jewish woman who has captured the heart and affection of Clavius. But if you're familiar with Scripture at all, you'll recognize not only other people throughout the story, but also pieces of the Bible itself, recounted in conversational form. I found nothing that alarmed me as a misrepresentation of Scripture as I read, and that impressed me.

I have not seen the movie, but my sister has, and she said it was quite gory. The blood and gore doesn't come in so much from the Crucifixion, as you might expect, since it is actually a minor scene in this book, but from all the fighting among the Roman soldiers. I actually am not sure I want to see the movie, because I struggle to handle graphic scenes like that, and my sister said there are many; she had to look away often. But in reading the novel, I could capture the truth of the story without being sidelined by the violence. So if you struggle with graphic violence on screen, reading the book might be a far better choice for you.

They market this book and movie as "the story of the Resurrection as you've never seen it before," and that is highly accurate. I think if you read it, you'll have a fresh appreciation for the confusion, doubt, and victory the people living in that day experienced!

* Thanks, Bethany House, for making a book version of the movie available and for sending a copy my way in exchange for an honest review. *