The Cold War

U. S. President, George H. W. Bush, and Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev, declared that the Cold War was over on December 3, 1989, in a meeting off the coast of Malta. The "war" had escalated since 1946 before it began to wane. The end of World War II basically left the United States and the Soviet Union as the top world powers, and yet they had vastly different ideologies, economic strategies, and political systems. As other Eastern European nations fell under Soviet control, tensions increased, and phrases like "Soviet Block" and "Iron Curtain" became buzzwords of the day.

As a part of these differences, the communists built a wall between East Germany under Soviet control and the more democratic West Germany. It was started August 13, 1961. Perhaps the climax of this Cold War occurred in the standoff between President John F. Kennedy and the Soviets over Cuban missiles in October of 1962. During these early sixties, Americans were encouraged to build bomb shelters due to the severe threat. Even the space race became a part of cold war posturing. 

 George Orwell had first popularized the term "Cold War." In 1945, he wrote an essay, "You and the Atomic Bomb," in a British newspaper. Following that, he wrote about the country being "in a permanent state of 'cold war' with its neighbours." The announcement in 1989 was an official declaration that some of these tensions had eased, and the world breathed a sigh of relief. 

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All Good Things

And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17).

How many times do we take credit for God's blessings. We strive to provide a good life, make things happen, and to become successful. We seek profit, prestige, and power. Yet, when someone obtains these things, the person may find they weren't the blessing he or she supposed. What they gained did not equal what they had to give up to get it. Worldly pursuits never satisfy in the end.

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:!8a)

All truly good things come from God. When we rely on Him, His blessings always last and satisfy for He is our greatest blessing. His presence sustains us and gives us an abundant life, regardless of material things. What a privilege it is to grow close to Him, to feel His love so strongly that it brings tears to our eyes. How it nourishes our souls to see blessing after blessing come - blessings we didn't even ask for, but he gives, not because we are good and deserve them, but because he is good and wants to bestow good things on His children. If we make Him our All in All and give Him all of ourselves, all the blessings of Heaven will be ours. Hallelujah!

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father" (James 1:17a).

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The Length of a Book

Does how long or short a book is matter? At one time I wouldn't have thought so. As I have heard many authors say, I would have agreed that the length of a book should be determined by the content. Some stories or subjects take longer to tell than others. And, although there is certainly truth in that, the number of pages in a book seems to matter to readers.

I've noticed over the years, the size of novels have tended to get smaller. However, a novel needs to be long enough to develop the characters and plot. It's been my experience, if a book is much under a hundred pages, it tends to be too shallow to leave me satisfied. I've found that most readers agree. It's better not to publish one until it's fleshed out and ready. I've read several novellas lately that would have been wonderful if they'd been developed into a novel, but, as they were, they fell way short of expectations.

However, a novel that goes on and on can also lose the reader's interest. These novels tend to be too descriptive, have too many characters, or be repetitive and belabor points. Reviewers may list them as "boring" or readers may give up on the book before they get to the end. Society has changed since the days of the classics, and people are even more aware of how they spend their time. We have more choices than ever before, and a book needs to be succinct and to the point. If something doesn't move the story forward, it probably shouldn't be there.

There are, of course, exceptions to all this, but I've found these things true in general. I've been giving the matter much attention, both from a reader's and a writer's standpoint. The most successful length with readers seems to be between 200 and 295 pages. The more a book goes over 300 pages, the more special they need to be to have readers give them five stars. Most people will think twice about buying a book over 400 pages anymore. Do you have a preference as to the number of pages in a book?

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King Tut's Tomb Discovered

On November 26, 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter and his crew opened the tomb of King Tutankhamen and entered to find it still intact. This created a flurry of media storms, and interest in Egypt and Egyptian treasures surged. Tutankhamen was part of the 18th Egyptian dynasty and ruled from about 1332-1323 BC. He is also known as "the boy king," because he came to the throne at age ten, and died at nineteen.

King Tut married his half-sister, Ankhesenpaaten, which was not uncommon in most parts of the known world at that time. Some biblical figures, like Abraham, did something similar. Tutankhamen had two daughters, but they were both stillborn and buried with him. Most historians believe this king had powerful advisers, since he came to the throne so young. He sought to restore diplomatic relations with other countries, which had weakened under prior rulers.

Standing at 5 feet and 11 inches tall, when he died, Tut was lean and trim. Busts found in his tomb gives us some idea of what he may have looked like. No one knows for sure the reason for his death. Some have wondered if he wasn't killed, but more think it happened due to an accident. He had a broken leg shortly before death, and it became infected. There's also evidence he had malaria. Some have speculated that the fall, which broke his leg, may have caused an internal brain injury as well. Regardless, this ended his family's line to the throne.

sarcophagus

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Living with a Thankful Heart

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).

Giving thanks shouldn't be something we do on a special Thursday in November or occasionally, when we think of it. Even thanking God for our food before meals or when we recognize a special blessing is not enough. We need to live with a thankful heart.

As ye therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye with him: Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6-7).




We can cultivate a thankful heart; it's a choice we make. Paul gave thanks in all his situations (and he went through some horrible beatings and imprisonments, among other things) because he knew God would bring about good, even from bad circumstances. Do you trust God that much?

 Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).

In Jesus Calling, Sarah Young writes, "A thankful heart opens the windows of heaven.... Thankfulness opens you up to these experiences [glimpses of heaven's glory], which provide further reasons to be grateful" (p.341). Isn't this a marvelous cycle of blessings -- understanding how great God is and recognizing how good He is to us? Cultivate a perpetually thankful heart and attitude and see how much better your life becomes.

"O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever" (1 Chronicles 16:34).

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Progression of Story Ideas

Readers often seem amazed that I have no trouble coming up with story ideas. In truth, that's the easiest part of writing for me. I usually keep several in my mind all the time. Right now, I have ten, but sometimes there are fewer, and some of these ten might eventually fade before I get to writing them. If they do, that's fine because I would likely have had a rough time writing them anyway. I actually write the ones that stick with me no matter how long it takes to get to them. It's my way of weeding out and selecting the ones that I will be excited to write throughout the process.

When I begin a new manuscript, I often start with the one that's been in my mind the longest because I've usually worked it out more thoroughly. However, it's not all that usual to have one press its urgency on me, and I write it regardless of its order. When this happens, I have gotten to know the main characters well because I've already lived with them for months if not years. I have had individual scenes play out in my mind, and the writing goes quickly once I began.

Once, I had the scenes coming so fast and furious, I knew I had to get them down quickly, or I would never remember it all the way I wanted to. The problem was that I was working on another first draft at the time, and it is my rule to finish one before I begin another. This time, however, I broke my rule. I wrote down the beginning and just the urgent scenes I had for the new one. Then, I went back and finished the first one before returning to finish the newer one. It worked, but I've not had to do that again. I have just finished two novellas set in the Middle Ages and am now working on Unexpected, set in 1961. It has been in my mind for about eight or nine months. As I tell people all the time, having story ideas is not my problem; finding the time to write them all is. There're never-ending so I'll likely end this life with more than half a dozen story ideas rolling around in my mind.

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The Mayflower

The Mayflower finally reached Cape Cod on November 19, 1620. They had spent a little over two months in the turbulent fall Atlantic. It had been a rough voyage for the 102 passengers and estimated crew of 30. Originally, two ships had sailed from Plymouth, England, but the Stillwell kept springing leaks before it got far and had to go back for repairs. Finally, the Mayflower was sent on alone. They had sighted land on November 9th, but they wanted to colonize more to the south. However, they hit bad weather and they turned back to the cape, landing on November 19th.

Just over a third of the passengers were Puritans, who have become known as Pilgrims. They have become one of the icons in American history, symbolizing the beginning of English colonization. The Mayflower Compact the group signed is cited as the recorded beginnings of democratic ideas in the New World. November wasn't the best time to begin a colony, and only 53 survived that first winter. They stayed aboard the ship.

In the spring, Indians in the area helped them prepare for the coming year and we still celebrate the thanksgiving feast they held in the fall of 1621 to honor having enough.  More supplies and other settlers would eventually come, and the colony would survive, despite the adversity. History still remembers them and students still study about them each year.

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