The Mysterious Man in Episode 1: Once Upon A Time

I thought Mr. Mysterious in Manhattan looked like Prince Philip. Then I thought he was Captain Hook. (They'll all dark haired and handsome.) Now I don't know who it could be.

If it's Bae, Bae knew about the curse and lived outside of Storybrooke successfully. How did he find out about the curse? How did he find out about Storybrooke? When he left none of that happened. I doubt he's been roaming around Maine making sure Daddy didn't come looking for him. 

This character knew about the curse, and the curse being broken upset him. Did you see his face at the word "broken"? Plus that was the title of this episode. He had a picture of the clocktower in Storybrooke on his wall in the background. And Charley's Girl, the song, was significant. I looked at the lyrics. All I can think of is: Charley's girl is Emma? And Emma's gonna do something to this guy?

Also, this guy lived in a pretty crappy apartment. Someone came to this world and got away from Storybrooke only to have to struggle to make ends meet. No magic, right? He didn't seem unhappy in the apartment (despite it being pretty crappy and the elevator pretty horrible-looking and dangerous). He seemed more upset about losing that phone than anything. He seemed like it'd been a bad day and losing the phone made it worse. Til he got the postcard. So someone who knew about the curse knew about him and sent him a note. I think I remember Regina in the season finale sent the dove out from her window? 

So I think he's an unnamed FT character. And I think he knew about Emma. And I don't think he was happy about the curse getting broken. 

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Sunday

My great adventure did not end Saturday night with our team meeting.

There was still Sunday.

So I got sick about 8:30 a.m. and woke up - disappointed I couldn't sleep in. I knew I wasn't going back to sleep (thanks, 8 a.m. classes). I texted one of the others and she invited me to breakfast. I go down looking like some sort of bum (I couldn't believe I looked the way I did, but remember I felt a little sick). Well, Reggie's there. He wants to eat breakfast with us. I always looked super professional and put together, so I'm superbly embarrassed about my appearance (I'm in black gym shorts and a purple tank top). Lesson learned in Fashion 101! Always be prepared for anything, including a surprise breakfast with your boss. Everyone was super laid back about it, of course. No one said anything.

Pash and I gave out copies of the Working Press to random people at breakfast. Then we ate. Then Reggie joined us for about thirty minutes; he only ate cereal with bananas. It was awesome when he points at the broadcast reporter on the TV and says, "I was his editor when he was first starting out." He said it so chillaxed and Reggie-like about it that I was like, "Whoa." Pash was too. It was kinda funny. He could easily say that about me in 20 years. (I have no idea how much time had passed since he'd been the man's editor.)

He offered to pay for breakfast but Pash turned him down - for both of us. I gave her my "let-people-bless-us-if-they-want" belief (I'll share it here sometime) after he left. But I wasn't too upset (I really wasn't, Pash). I had spending money and Reggie had been extremely generous the entire trip; he paid for most of our meals.

Pash mentioned wanting to go to Miami. Reggie bummed my phone off me and called a friend, but she didn't pick up. He then told Pash everything she could do in Miami and said it was a great idea. I was sad I couldn't go with her, but I was leaving at 3 p.m.

Reggie said bye. I was sad. He's so nice and fun and awesome. I can see why everyone loves him and why he is so awesome. As far as I know, I do not have his number. There's a random number he called from when he was looking for my address. It's somewhere on my phone, but how can I ever find it?

I managed to get Jen's number. Apparently at one point I was supposed to text her about hanging out Saturday. Since I didn't know the plans, how could I tell anyone else?

At the buffet, I got as much portable non-spoilable food I could stuff in the to-go box for the plane trip. I was getting the most out of that $20 buffet (gratuity included).

After breakfast, Pash and I go our separate ways. Lorraine was waking up and then we went down to meet the rest of the gang. We went to the beach, which I dove into in my clothes (not the jeans). Pash and Ryan swam but the others stayed on the beach. I told Pash the water probably scared them. I love the beach. I think I may have been born to live at the ocean (kidding, living on the coast is mega expensive. Nice to visit though).

I lugged my stuff downstairs to the hotel lobby, where the gang gathered for our last goodbye. Everyone was there.

We laughed, talked, swore to look each other up on Facebook and Twitter (if we hadn't already), joked we'd go to a reunion in Anaheim (yeah, California) for the 2013 national convention, and then we hugged like we'd known each other forever and were moving away from our family.

Then I got on the Go-Shuttle, gave the driver too much of a tip (he was kind of annoying) and wished I'd taken a cab with some of the others so I wasn't alone with annoying driver, silent girl and journalist man. It would have been cheaper. And more fun.

I got in line, got questioned by a gruff TSA worker (it was one question about my sea shells), got my carryon bag checked for free due to a completely-booked flight, and left Fort Lauderdale.

I was so sad to leave. Glad to see my friends in good old Cape, but sad to leave my new friends.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Saturday

Lorraine, Paige, Holly and I. Some of the interns decided to hang out on Saturday night after we were officially done for the internship.

Saturday was the last day we worked on publishing a paper. At the budget meeting, we learned that everything going on the front page was going to be late. I decided that page 1 and 16 (the jump page for the front page) was going to be mine. The others agreed. One of the other page designers decided to do the center spread for the first time. The guy who pretty much did the graphics agreed, and we set to work. We sent a couple of pages early, about three before 5 p.m., which was actually pretty decent, I thought, considering we had like two stories finished. The reason we had so few stories was because the first days the pre-written stories were used, as much did not happen then.

Throughout the day, past presidents of SPJ came in and told us that the paper (the two published issues so far) looked great. People were actually calling out the page designers to tell us the paper looked fantastic. I was nearly bursting, and I think the others were too. They were impressed with the stories and the photos; he said in the past that some of the stories were so offbeat that the readers wondered if the staff members were even in the same city. I don't think that's something they tell everyone.

Everyone seemed to know where we were and wanted to see us work. Yesterday's paper had names spelled wrong. We checked carefully for that in the proofed pages, and published a correction. The SPJ Creative Director told Laura, our supervisor, that the paper looked great, and she said he was impressed. He works for SPJ so I was pleased about that.

In the midst of laying out pages, we had a dinner invitation.

We went to the awards banquet dinner (for free that cost $40). We had salmon and steak; while I liked both, I switched my steak for salmon with my roommate and the other page designer. She was from Texas and we kept joking she was a real Texan (because she mostly just liked the steak). I adored that salmon; it was so good and tender. The male page designer got the vegetarian dish and I ate his Key Lime pie because I love Key Lime pie, but I ate a piece and a half only because it was so sweet.

At the banquet, everyone cheered for us when they introduced us, and the professionals were called "volunteer professionals" on the powerpoint. We were listed with our position, title and university. Then, we left early to finish the paper.

We finally got all the pages laid out, but editing took awhile and there was some confusion. I did a lot of the proofing because I'm used to the process, and it went quickly. I PDFed a lot of pages as well and sent them, but of course the others did as well. But, we finally finished the paper.

We missed our official deadline by 15 minutes. But we were done before midnight, and everyone seemed relieved we were done. We cheered.

We had our final closing meeting at midnight. We were supposed to have it on Sunday, but our boss had a dinner date on Sunday night and had to catch an early flight out. It was a lot of fun; we pretended to plan another paper on Monday, a fun one with what tourists could do in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He told us to send thank you letters to the Miami Herald. We exchanged business cards with the professionals. Our boss told us to email him our resumes after Oct. 1 and he would look at them. He told us one page and three references with phone numbers. When I gave him my business card, he had me sign it. We hugged everyone and then we left.

The night wasn't over, though. I went to the beach with one of the reporters, Pash, because I wanted to see it at midnight. We talked for a little while. She went to bed but I wasn't tired. I got a text from the other students and went to where they were. I went with another one who wanted to go that I found in the hallway. In the cab we were in we found $7, enough to cover our trip! 

We got to the bar.

We hung out with the others, talked and played pool. Some drunk idiot who looked ancient and horrible at the other table tried to talk to me and make fun of me. I was like get away from me. The others said they didn't notice him. He left when the cop supervising came over and sat near the back door.

It began to pour, so everyone decided that instead of walking we were going to have to take a taxi. Then, the guy I found the money in the first taxi with paid for the taxi on the way back. I gave him the final dollar I found in the car in payment. It was pretty fantastic, and fun hanging out with them.

Friday

We are scrambling to make deadline. Kevin had a dilemma. The photographers, reporters and copyeditors were all looking at proofs, trying to make our pages look perfect.

The first paper looked great in print! 

Day three of the internship. We began at 8 a.m. and ended at 11 p.m., missing dinner. But we made our deadline 45 minutes early, as opposed to right on time. Meeting deadline one minute early is still meeting deadline, right?

We found out at the staff/budget meeting after breakfast, a buffet generously sponsored by one of the members of Society of Professional Journalists, that the printer of the paper, the Miami Herald, thinks the publishing of our paper is important. That's so great!

Everyone really liked Thursday's design. Of course there were issues, as with any publication, and things we could improve on, but overall it was a great first issue. Professionals even complimented the paper.

In addition to laying out pages, I also received a story assignment! It was published on page 12 of the second issue, the one published on Saturday! Check it out here:http://workingpress.spjnetwork.org/2012/....

I was really excited. It's an honor, it showed my reporting and design skills off to the professionals and other journalists and gave me a byline!

We mostly worked on the issue. I'm learning a lot about working in a group, collaborating and working on a daily, which is exciting. It was day two of working on the second paper and I adjusted to the demanding pace fine; it's just like Mondays at the campus paper, except everyday.

We had about half the stories done, and three stories fell through.

Still, we made deadline.

Thursday

Page designers work closely with copyeditors. I am proofing pages on my computer.

Day two of the internship began, and we worked from 9 a.m. to midnight. We got our own breakfast and lunch but Reggie provided dinner, which was pizza from one of the local places while we hashed out the details of work and began to work against deadline. Our ideal deadline turned out to be 10 p.m., with the latest being midnight.We settled on the actual pages, finished some of the unsettled templates and found ideas. It seemed like some of what we settled on was different than what we previously invented. It seemed like a lot of things changed and were inconsistent, typical of a short-term publication.

I did feel a little confused about cutlines, photo credits, font sizes, graphics, etc. It turned out the other page designers thought graphics were splashy and visual. They didn't realize that text boxes were considered graphics. Our advisor, however, agreed that text boxes could be graphics. The cutlines and photo credits were another aspect that the guy who put himself in charge of templates kept changing. It was annoying and unstable, and seemed like it was more tightly controlled as opposed to more creative. We did, however, build the templates from scratch. We emphasized lining up the tops, which the male designer consistently broke. When I broke it, it deserved a strict voice. When he did it, it was creative. It's annoying; mine is a mistake, his is creative. I digress.

What did I learn? Cutlines could be put in Photoshop, although they do not show up on their own in InDesign. The photographers, though, could leave cutlines and cutlines didn't have to be typed into InDesign, but copied and pasted from Photoshop. I suppose it's a matter of style, though.

I learned about straightening the text and evening up the top and the bottom. I can see why it's hard for small staff publications to do it; it's time consuming, and when someone is not paid as much, it can be annoying to sit and do it. It really is.

I'm learning to be patient.

I've noticed stuff, too.

It's hard to change styles I've been doing for a year or so and replace them with styles I don't necessary agree with, such as centering the byline and byline title. Also, apparently a lot of publications do "by and then the name" and we don't. It's important to do it, but hard nonetheless.

I've definitely learned the importance of audience and readability as I've been defending it.

My attention to detail is returning as I've been doing it.

I love this internship! It has been a great experience.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

The First Day

The beach in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. We had some free time on Wednesday before our meeting so Lorraine, my roommate, and I went to get lunch. We walked by the beach. Our hotel had its own private beach.

This was Wednesday.

I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., at noon-ish, since I flew. I met several very friendly people on the plane, including one guy who was trying to psychoanalyze me, I think.

I departed from the plane and found the Go Shuttle, which whom SPJ had made an arrangement to offer transportation to the attendees. At the Go Shuttle, the workers and I had a few problems understanding each other and finding my hotel. But, I met my very first fellow internship member, one of the two copyeditors, who ended up on the shuttle with me. What a blessing!

We checked in together. We found out SPJ had arranged to have our WiFi fee, which was a charge in the room. The front desk worker, Natasha, suggested where to eat, how to get to the beach and where to check in.

My fellow worker and I went our separate ways to get settled into our rooms.

I met my roommate and fellow page designer. There was one more page designer we had not yet met.

We walked to the nearest and cheapest restaurant, which was moderately priced apparently for Ft. Lauderdale. I ate a bacon, egg and cheese bagel, which was delicious.

We had our first official staff meeting at 4:30 p.m., where we met Reginald "Reggie" Stuart, journalist, past President of SPJ and Wells Key Scholar recepient, Darlene Superville from the Associated Press and Jennifer Jenkins from the New York Times. They were our editors. I also met Nikki, the photo editor essentially, and Laura, the person in charge of the page designers.

We met the others and everything but their names escape me now.

We broke into our respective groups after the staff meeting. My group began to plan the pages, but first we went to a delicious seafood restaurant with the entire group, paid for by Reggie. There I met more of the fellow staff members on a more personal basis, and had a very adorable waiter I'm not afraid to admit I flirted with. I felt it was mutual.

I also tried jumbalia made in the South by southerners for the first time ever. Yes, Dr. Reiger, I actually went to the South and found jumbalia at a New Orleans-based restaurant and ate it. I had to. 

It was absolutely delicious. Spicy, but delicious. Our waiter, who was absolutely gorgeous and looked like they dragged him out of the backwaters of New Orleans, goes, "It's very spicy."

I said, "Mexican spicy?"

He said, "Spicy."

I said, "Spice it up!"

I drank four glasses of water but I ate almost all of that huge pile of jumbalia. The waiter made jokes about it while I was working on it. I just blushed, which I'm sure he enjoyed, as everyone enjoys my blushing moments. He was such a good waiter. I swear the waiter was flirting with me, though, and I wasn't even paying the bill! I never think that, but I sure thought that then. Even the other girls kinda implied it was so (and we were all flirting with him) and I never flirt with waiters, but man I was sure doing my best then for some reason. I wished all my waiters were like that (I actually usually get fairly decent waiters, but he was AWESOME - I even remember his name, Jesse, because I figured I would have to call for him to get me more water - nope, he was a good table tender - he showed up a lot).

I liked it when the waiter came back, practically dropped his head in my plate, and said, "You ladies want a to-go box?" I was very pleased, because he was definitely surprised I ate so much of it.

We had some fun conversations, me and the others girls, and me and that waiter.

After dinner the others went where they wanted to go. The page designers had a different game to play.

We had to begin deciding layout questions, fonts, styles, theme (apparently, which I do not think we stayed to) and everything. We had no guides. It was exciting, but scary. Naturally we all tried to stay with what we knew - our school newspapers or magazines. But that was three different schools of varying sizes with varying levels of staff. And magazines and newspapers are not married well to each other.

We spent from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. figuring stuff out, and then the male page designer took over a few things (literally just took them away from us) from 2:30-8 a.m. when we re-met to begin our first day on the job.

We decided on a body, headline and subhead font. I had to drill into their heads that italics do not work because audiences have a hard time reading it.

We settled on old-school, over-used Helvetica Nue as a headline and Hoefler Text for body. It's a readable font.

We settled on a flag that the male page designer came up with.

I realize now I've had opportunities I maybe wouldn't have gotten at other schools by going to Southeast, and I'm on par with people from much bigger schools.

The students are really nice, the others, photographers, reporters, copyeditors. They know their stuff (at least mostly). I love the professionals and the guidance. They're people too. They're amazing and awesome and know what they're doing. And, best of all, they're old school. I love working with them. They're very positive. So far, it's been interesting, but a little aggravating. I almost wish I had come down as a reporter now. I had to chose something, and I chose page designing back before I was managing editor. I don't regret it, of course. Doing everything here on such a demanding schedule would have made meeting deadline nearly impossible.

I'm learning so much and walking a lot too.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my trip!

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Walking Around Cape

So today I did something I really wanted to do. I walked from Candlewood to Dollar Tree/Walmart. It's exactly one mile, or 1.5 kilometers. Round trip it's two miles, or two kilometers. I was gone for an hour and a half; it was thirty minutes each way for me, and thirty minutes in the store. I'm pretty tired, but also energized. Every time I go to Walmart, or the mall, or Bread Co., or McAlister's, or even Big Lots, I want to walk.

Cape is supposed to be a college town. I suppose it is, somewhat. But it isn't at the same time. There are no sidewalks, there are no bike lanes, and Walmart is as far away from the campus as one could possibly get and still be in the same town. When people build for the long run and are obsessed with money, I guess they don't care. Few people are really "going green" by printing on both sides of paper, reusing paper, etc. It's to cut costs, which is all that really matters. It makes them feel better to think that they're saving trees, but it's making them feel better not to use so much money on paper and they can buy fancy computers and software for their computers so they can be lazier and forget how to write. And, in reality, they're saving a buck. Just like some people who walk everywhere aren't really trying to save on gas to "help" the environment; they're trying not to use so much gas and cut down on their costs. I'm doing it for exercise and to save gas money. I will admit it. The environment just gets the credit for people's actions.

Anyway, back on topic.

I want to build my endurance to walk to the campus and back on Sunday mornings. (Sunday mornings would be the safest time, since Cape is not set up for walking. It has a highway that runs through town all the way from Walmart and beyond to the river and you have to cross it to get to the other side, i.e, the college campus.)

I hate crossing highways or big roads. It's the only thing that's deterred me from walking to the campus so far. It's only three miles there and then three miles back. That, and I don't know how long it might take me. Walking one mile was thirty minutes, so an hour and a half, it would seem like, to go three miles.

Guess what was scary about walking today? Not getting mugged. Walking across the bridge that crosses the highway. There's no crosswalk, and it may seem not so busy, but it's very busy when someone is walking compared to people driving cars. That's why no one walks anymore.

I believe at least twelve or more cars passed me in that 20-foot span one way, and at least eight or more cars passed me when I was returning across it. I couldn't walk on a curb or anything, because it wasn't there. It was very narrow, and cars had to drive half in the other lane around me. It's annoying for both of us!

Of course, some people could be more polite. Like, I was walking on the side of the road, and there was consistently always at least one person driving past me. They could easily be in the other lane and then get back over. Most cars did do that, but a couple just stayed in that lane. And those people that stayed in that lane always looked like they thought I was going to jump out in front of their car. Save your worry. Not happening. But save yourself worrying and drive in the other lane, at least around the person walking, especially when you can get over. I was forced to walk in the grass as a result, which I think contributed to my slower pace.

One guy in a red mustang honked at me. I looked over and he was grinning at me. I have no idea why he was doing either.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Trauma Plan

Trauma Plan is the first book in the Grace Medical series. It follows Riley Hale and Jack Travis. Riley is a nurse in an ER. She was injured in an attack, and now the hospital won't let her return. She wants to volunteer anywhere to prove to everyone that she's still a good nurse, so she goes to a free urban clinic, where Travis is the doctor. His clinic is on the verge of being shut down, but he's determined to save it. Soon he goes into battle mode to stop it - and Riley begins to wonder if she's in over her head.

Trauma Plan was an engrossing book. I really loved the characters and the plot was engaging and thought-provoking as well. It made me want to read more of the books in the series as they come out.

I would say the book gets a nine out of 10.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

What a Christian Girl Is (And Isn't) Looking For In a Guy

Well, I can't speak for the entire female race, but I think that some people can relate.

What are girls looking for in a guy?

Here's what we're not looking for.

We are not looking for a forever "boyfriend."

We are not looking for a rich man, but a man who we can trust to provide for us.

We are not looking for a man who will boss us around, but treat us fairly and protect us.

We are not looking for a clingy guy, but we are not looking for a distant guy who can't share his feelings. We don't want him to necessarily be crying all the time, that freaks girls out, at least me, but you can show some sensitivity every once in awhile.

We are not looking for a cocky man, but a confident man, who knows himself and the Lord.

We are looking for love and respect.

We are looking for a man trying to grow in the Lord, and who follows His guidance. "Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight."

We want to be cherished. "He who finds a wife finds favor from the Lord."

We want to find a man we can raise our children with, and not be concerned that they will 

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

The Dark Knight Rises from the flames

Warning! May contain spoilers.

So I went to the IMAX midnight premiere of the conclusion of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, and watched it with Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Batman, and Bane. No Catwoman or Robin, unfortunately, in my theater.

In the movie, I was excited to see familiar faces from Inception, including Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and Michael Caine, to name a few.

The movie, by the way, was the best one of the series. The action was nicely placed between dramatic music and heartfelt conversation. And I always respect a director who never backs away from not turning his evil villains good or his good guys bad.

The Dark Knight, aka Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, played by the brilliant Christian Bale, has been in hiding since he took the fall for killing Harvey Dent (Two-Face). The police commissioner, who has a connection to Bruce Wayne viewers have to watch to find out, has used Harvey Dent's name to create law and order under the Dent Act. Alfred tries to encourage Batman to interact with the world, but it takes Catwoman, the idea of Bane, a young detective and a reminder of his duty to save the world to really get him out of his funk. Add a nuclear bomb set to destroy Gotham City, which really reminds me of New York City, and a pretend revolution, and Nolan creates a beautiful movie.

And it just goes from there.

And this movie isn't just your-average-superhero-saves-the-day movie. Just like Christopher Nolan always tries to create a puzzle and add unexpected twists (he even had some that caught me by surprise, and I call a lot), this movie had symbolism, action, drama, revenge, hate, romance, betrayal, and the ultimate act of love - sacrifice. After all, as Batman keeps saying when people remind him that's he's given Gotham City everything, he always replies, "I haven't given them everything."

This movie definitely has elements of post-modernism (the era of film we are currently in), which I just learned about in my film history class. (That class was so informative, I look at movies differently now).

And guess who else makes an appearance? That I can't tell you, but I'll tell you, you may not have called it, but I did.

And guess what were trailers on the movie? That's right. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and a new Superman movie directed by Nolan, Man of Steel. Superman might just have a chance now, although I don't think anyone can beat Christopher Reeve (what's up with all these brilliant Christophers?). I know with Nolan's touch the Dark Knight Trilogy turned around.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Author's "Flame of Resistance" debut novel excellent

Flame of Resistance by Tracy Groot centers on the French Resistance during World War II. The Resistance goes against the Germans in order to return France to the French and rid the country of the Germans.

When a downed American pilot becomes pivotal in a plot against the Germans, a prostitute forced into her profession by circumstance who's a patriot will also become a key part of the plan.

This is a modern retelling of the biblical story of Rahab.

The book is compelling, moving, and interestingly written. Readers will sympathize and emphasize with Brigitte and root for both. The leaders of the French Resistance are just as memorable. There a lot of plot twists as well. An excellent read and a different look at the second world war and the effects German occupation had on Europeans and the little flame of hope for freedom that burns inside all of humanity, seeking God and longing to be free of oppression.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

The Scarlet Thread weaves two generations together

The Scarlet Thread shows the power of unity throughout the generations of the female members of a family.

A modern young woman in a struggling marriage discovers her ancestor's journal, an Oregon Trail pioneer in the 18th century. Her ancestor believes in God, and through reading about her experiences, Sierra starts to believe in God as well, which begins to change her life.

An ironic part is that Sierra is forced to move to Los Angeles, just like her ancestor Mary Katherine moved to California as well. A wonderful novel by my favorite novelist, Francine Rivers, The Scarlet Thread brought tears to my eyes. It's an enjoyable novel full of God's truth, a reminder of promises, and the restoration of broken relationships - to each other, to God, and to ourselves.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

The Last Disciple is a fast paced thriller set against Nero's reign

"The Last Disciple" is a fast-paced thriller set in the first century in Rome. It follows a multitude of characters, but these are characters who either personally or intersect with someone who has intersected with Vitas. Thus its leading character is most decisively Vitas, a powerful and respected Roman and a member of Emperor Nero's inner circle. Vitas falls in love with Sophia, a Jewish former slave who becomes a Christian, and marries her. That appears to be the climax of the first novel, along with Vitas amazing and seemingly unrealistic escape from the arena, prompting the next book.

But the most important theme of the book is the different perspective on the book of Revelation, the last book of what we now know as the New Testament. This perspective is different from other interpretations of Revelation, generally seen as the events of The Last Days before The End of the World and the Return of the Christ, when God will right all wrongs and completely destroy Satan and His influence on the world forever (which will happen in some way or another).

It also brings up good points - to modern readers the significance of seven hills or seven stars doesn't mean much, but in the ancient world it would have been symbols of divinity and kings. Imagining a slain Lamb would have been different to the Jews than to the Romans or even modern readers. And, since the events of the crucxification were in their memories and John had actually seen it, it adds even more relevance. I'm interested to see how he handles the rest of the text in the later novels. And the characters are certainly memorable, Nero with his insanity, Helius with his overtures of promiscuity and obsesession with physical appearance and his insecurity in his own power as Nero's right hand, the bruteness of Tigellinus, Chayim and his betrayal. The others, Sophia, Valeria, Maglorious, Quintus, Vitas, even Jonathan who exchanged his life for Vitas' and his family's, are all realistic. All in all, an engaging, invigorating read with a twist.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

The Atonement Child: Redemption Story

Francine Rivers has always been one of my favorite writers, Christian or non-Christian.

The Atonement Child follows Dynah Carey, a young woman who was raped by a stranger and became pregnant. She rejects the morning after pill offered to her by her doctor. She doesn't believe it's possible that she could become pregnant. She does, and her fiancee, unable to cope with what happened and the possible scandal surrounding it if people don't believe she was raped, leaves her. That makes room for another young man, who has always been interested in Dynah, to possibly win her affections. A multitude of twists pepper the story, like her mother and grandmother's guilt over their own abortion stories. When Dynah refuses to abort her unborn child - not easily, of course - that is when her mother and grandmother's guilt and stories come out.

This is a beautiful story about the power of redemption. Our own redemption story can be found in it; Christ sacrificed everything to make sure we were saved, just like Dynah sacrificed everything in her life for her belief in life and Christ.

Rivers communicates a powerful truth: God never leaves us nor abandons us, despite trouble and horrors that come upon us. Good comes out of the bad that happens to us, according to Romans: "God works all things out for the good of those who love Him."

God worked in Dynah's lives and the lives of her doting family, and he works in and through the lives of those who love Him as well as well.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Review: 'Almost Amish'

"Almost Amish" is a how-to book on living the simpler life. It isn't a book that tells everyone to live like an Amish person, though, like one might think when reading the title. It gives advice on the joys of living more simply. The Amish live nearly without technology or any of the modern conveniences of life, yet they manage to be incredibly content. Nancy Sleeth has discovered how to live like the Amish - without actually being Amish. Instead of being plugged in all the time, surfing the Internet all the time, driving and texting all the time, we can start to cut some of it out of our lives - and limit other parts of it.

What I get out of it? When we trim that unfortunate parts of our lives out, we can start to make more time for our family, friends, and faith. We can grow closer to God and deepen our faith in a shallow world where too much activity has become the curse that drives us away from spending time with God.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel