Greenbacks

Congress authorized the first printing of paper money on July 17, 1861. These bills were quickly called greenbacks, because the backside was printed in green ink.. There had been other temporary paper money in the past, most to serve a special need, but this was the first permanent paper money to be used for legal tender.

The paper money came about because of the Civil War. Within a short period of time leaders began to see they'd underestimated the cost of the war.  When President Lincoln sought loans from banks, mainly ones in New York, they wanted to charge  24-36 % interest, which he found unacceptable. He charged Secretary of Treasury, Salmon P. Chase with finding another way.

This money's use evolved over the next months. The value of the greenbacks also fluctuated At it's low, it took 258 dollars in greenbacks to equal 100 in gold, but the victory at Gettysburg caused it to rally and be worth 131 dollars to 100 in gold. The idea of paper money had come to stay.

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Turn Back

The book of Ezekiel tells of the downfall of Israel and some of the nations around them for turning their backs on God and going their own, wrong way. There are always consequences to disobeying God. We are told of several times in the Old Testament when Israel became wayward for such a long time that God finally allowed them to be conquered by the enemy, not only for punishment but to eventually bring them back to their Lord.

Secular history shows us some of this, too. Strong, vibrant civilizations that eventually became corrupt and immoral fell. Egypt, Greece, and Rome are three major examples. We really do reap what we sow, and we can't disrespect others, mistreat those who have opinions different than ours, and encourage immorality and hope to prosper. 

In so many ways, the United States of America is headed down the wrong path as a society. We are more concerned with being gender neutral than with establishing strong family units. We are too busy spreading hate under the guise of stopping those with narrow minds to maintain the open climate of freedom that our forefathers worked so hard to build. It's more important to us to protect the rights of criminals and illegals than it is to teach a respect for authority and the need to be law-abiding citizens. As a society, we seem more concerned with having our own way than doing what's right.

It's time for America to wake up and realize that we need to be "one nation under God with liberty and justice for all" again. Years ago, Nikita Khrushchev told us, "We will destroy you from within." Is that happening? One of our former presidents said it quite well, "And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."  Have we forgotten that we're one nation under God? Will America turn back to the One who made us great or continue on a path of self-destruction? Only we, the people, can determine that.

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An Audible Experience

Audible cover

Well, I've done it. The producer and I finished the project for my first audible book on Amazon last week, and ACX is now reviewing its technical quality. Hopefully, With Summer's Songs won't need tweaking and will be released in a few days. 

Voice too mature and sad

I am the type of person who
learns best by doing, so I just dived in without knowing much about the process, but I had a good experience. I first posted the project trying to attract producers, another word for narrator. I did have one lady audition, but her voice sounded too old for my main character, and she sounded sad and gloomy. 

After that, I decided to actively seek my own narrator by listening to the samples they've posted on ACX. The first one I asked to audition was afraid to give me her email address and appeared difficult to work with, so I declined and continued to look. I found Elisabeth Lagelee, liked her audition, and offered her a contract, which she accepted. She turned out to be a good choice. Here is the recommendation I gave her:

I chose Elisabeth Lagelee to read my book for audible publication because of her clear and expressive voice, and I've been very pleased. She worked diligently without complaint to get it right and finished well within the time frame of our contract. She is easy to work with, listens to all suggestions, and tries to please. I am very impressed with her and her work ethic and would highly recommend her.

The project turned out to be time consuming. I must have listened to the book through about three times before we finished.  I also had to design a square audio cover for it. However, all went well, and I found it very satisfying. I would be willing to put another one out after we get With Summer's Songs released. I'll post notices as soon as this one comes out, and you can have a look.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee first published To Kill a Mockingbird on July 11, 1960. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize and became very successful. Today it's considered a classic of modern literature. The book is filled with quaint Southern charm, but serious themes lay just beneath the surface.

I served as a missionary in the Philippines for a semester, teaching high school English at a private, Christian school established mainly to educate the children of Bible translators. The principal chose To Kill a Mockingbird for the seniors to read, even before he met me. I told him he couldn't have chosen a better novel for a Southern to teach. I hope my students had as much fun with the book as I did.

To Kill a Mocking Bird was Harper Lee's only published novel until Go Set a Watchman came out on July 14, 2015. Lee refused to make any public appearances after 1964. Still, her first book has had a huge impact on American culture, either as a novel, movie, or play.

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Sacrifices

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul (Leviticus 17:11).

In Numbers 15, God told Moses about the sacrifices he wanted His people to make to atone for their sins. Not only did they give up some of their resources and repent, but such acts also kept their focus on God and doing His will. However, even with specific laws and sacrifices to do for breaking them, man continued to go astray, and it became too much.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

The coming of Jesus changed all this. He became the ultimate sacrifice that would save all mankind if they would only accept Him as their Savior. The blood shed by He-Who-Knew-No-Sin would atone for any and all sins. In addition, after His resurrection, He would send the Holy Spirit to help us keep our focus on God.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1-2).

But God still expects sacrifices from us. He expects us to sacrifice our selfishness for the good of others and His kingdom. When we lay all that we have and all that we are on His altar in complete surrender, then we can become all that He intends us to be. What a wonderful life!

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name (Hebrews 13:15).

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Predictable or Unhappy Endings

In book reviews, I read complaints over and over again that books, especially those with some romance in them, are too predictable. I don't mind predictability if it means there'll be a happy ending, and I would be very upset if I spent my time reading a book that concluded with an unhappy ending. Certain genres seem to necessitate some degree of the expected.

I've read books that try too hard to provide a twist. The worst ones end up trying to trick the reader into believing one thing, when something else has really happened. I hate this technique, because it doesn't make sense to me. If I'm in a main character's point of view, he or she is not going to be thinking in a misleading way. In essence, the author ends up lying to the reader for a while.

As you can tell, in a contest between being unpredictable and having and unhappy ending or being predictable and having a happy ending, I would choose the latter hands-down. However, the best scenario is to be less predictable and still have a happy ending. I've read authors that do this well. However, if you like romances, you'll likely know how the novel is going to end. But it's still fun to see how it gets there. If you had to choose between the two, what would your choice be?

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The Declaration of Independence

King George III

Conflict between the American colonies and England had been mounting, and the colonists were becoming frustrated. They were being taxed beyond what they considered reasonable, far more than the citizens in England were paying. They were informed that the taxation was to help pay for the French and Indian War, where British troops were sent to protect the colonists' lands. However the colonists kept saying this would only be fair if they were given representation in Parliament, which levied the taxes.

Thomas Jefferson

American leaders began to see that nothing they said made any difference and they needed to do something to break the stalemate. The Continental Congress, on the recommendation of John Adams, chose Thomas Jefferson to draft the document that would become known as the Declaration of Independence. The Second Continental Congress adopted it on July 4, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House, which we know as Independence Hall.

Although many have stated otherwise, this document did not give us our independence. We had to fight and win the Revolutionary War before that happened. However, it did lead to our independence. That's why we celebrate July Fourth as Independence Day.  Parts of it has become famous all over the world.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

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