Friday Fiction: What's Good for the Goose..

Friday Fiction is hosted this week by
the amazing Joanne Sher at her blog "An Open Book".

I had have fun writing this story for the "Good and Bad" challenge after our beach vacation. This (unfortunately for him, fortunately for me) is based on truth -

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WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE...

Angela squinted up through her sunglasses, trying to gauge the time by the movement of the sun. Her eyes squeezed shut involuntarily, and spots of lights flashed inside her eyelids. “Auuggh. Honey, what time is it?”

She raised herself to rest on her elbows and opened her eyes enough to peek at her husband. Josh was comfortably planted in the shade of the beach umbrella, and engrossed in the latest John Grisham best seller.

“Josh! Honey, your toes.”

“Huh?” His attention finally diverted from the novel, Josh looked over at Angela.

“Your feet are in the sun. Looks like your toes are getting red. What time is it, anyway?”

Josh scootched up from his slumped position in the folding chair and pulled his feet up under the protection of the umbrella.

“And grab me a water, will ya?”

“Yes, your highness. Anything else your servant can do for you?” Josh lifted the lid on the cooler and pulled a dripping water bottle from the melting ice.

“Just the time, Jeeves. Is it time for me to turn over?” Angela had let her head fall back and her eyes close again, so didn’t see it coming. Josh scooped a double handful of ice and water from the cooler and flung it over her. She bolted upright and let out a gasp, followed by a contented purr as the breeze further cooled her sun-heated skin. “Mmm. Nice. More.”

“Go ahead and turn over. You’ve got some good color on your front.” Josh shook the excess water from his hands in her direction. “It’s time for me to go on up to the room, though.” He bent over in the chair over and poked at his toes. His fingertips left white echoes where they had pressed into his flushed skin. “Sorry, babe.”

“I know, hon. I’m sorry too. I’ll walk up with you. I could use a potty break anyway.”

***

The contrast between Angela’s long, brown fingers and his red, puffy toes as she soothed lotion into his fiery skin was not lost on Josh. “I hate the beach.”

“You don’t hate the beach. You hate what the beach sand and sun do to you. The beach is beautiful and you know it.” The color contrast wasn’t lost on Angela either, and she wondered again what God was thinking when He had mated her with Josh: the bronze sun goddess, who soaks up every available ray, and the ghostly-white shade seeker, who is allergic to the sun.

Not content merely to cause him to burn, God makes the same sun that sustains life on this planet poison to her husband. An hour under its penetrating rays causes Josh’s skin to break out in an angry, itchy rash. The red bumps spread and congregate, leaving swollen pustules in their wake. Even with SPF 50 sunscreen slathered from head to toe, Josh’s skin sizzles and bubbles when exposed to the sun for too long.

Angela squirted another dollop of aloe lotion onto Josh’s foot and caressed it into his hot toes. “Sun gotcha good, hon.”

“Yeah, the sand probably rubbed off the sunscreen.”

“I told you we could sit up on the patio. You would have been under the shade and I could still get sun.”

“I wanted to walk on the beach. I wanted to dig my toes into the sand.”

“So you hate the beach huh?” Angela smirked at her husband, and winked.

Josh reached over to brush sand from her brown shoulder. His fingers seemed to glow against her dark skin, and he let them linger. “I remember when I used to get this brown. I practically lived at the neighborhood pool.”

“Uh huh. And you won the diving contest.” She tilted her head and nuzzled his hand with her cheek.

“Evil sun.”

“The sun’s not evil, hon. Your skin, maybe. But look what the sun can do.” She hooked a finger under the edge of her bathing suit, and gave Josh a peek at the milky skin under the surface. “Tan lines.”

“Mmmm. Tan lines. Yeah, that’s a good thing. Can I see more?”

Angela slapped at his hand and squirmed away laughing. “Nope. Not yet. Enjoy the AC for a while, and I’ll be back later to reveal the masterpiece the sun painted.”

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My poor hubby's toes four days later...

A Cloud of Words

As if I didn't have enough things to waste time on, I've found www.wordle.com. This is a "wordle", or a word cloud, of my blog. The more a word is used, the bigger it is. I guess I talk a lot about God. :) I also use the word "just" too much.

I though this was cool and just wanted to share. (and I just said "just" again.)






"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes."
Psalm 18:24 (Msg)

WFW: The Way of Man

I was wondering if I was going to contribute to Word-filled Wednesday this week. No verse had really spoken to me (or I haven't been listening, more likely.) A friend posted as her FaceBook status tonight "Jeremiah 10:23". I looked it up, and it was just what I needed to hear.

O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps

I was inspired to find a picture to go with this verse. I didn't find quite what I was looking for, so I settled on a different type of picture. I put the verse in and added some font-fun, and then took time to study this photo more as I was meditating on the verse.



The footprints are headed directly toward the mountain, but before this walker can get there, he has to climb a steep dune. Our goal is the Mountain of God, the Highest of High. God is leading us there, and will help us keep a straight path, our goal in focus. He will also help us over the hazards, never letting go of our hand.

When I get to that steep, tall, treacherous dune, I could let go of Him, and make my way around it, meandering until I find a more gentle climb, an easier trek. But there's always the chance that once the goal is out of my line of sight, I'll get lost.

God's way isn't always easy, but I'll never walk it alone. And He'll get me to the top of that Mountain.

Peace, love, hugs, and prayers.



"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes."
Psalm 18:24 (Msg)

Visit Amy Deanne's blog, "The Hundred Acre Wood", for more inspired art!

What is that WORD!

Don't you hate it when you have a word "on the tip of your tongue", to use an overused cliche? You know how it is, the next word, the RIGHT word, right THERE, but just when your fingertip (er, tongue-tip) brushes against it, it skitters away and disappears?




As I write this, I've got a brilliant forum-post reply half written in another Window. I'm on a roll, see; I know exactly what I want to say, and WHAM! I slam into an invisible force field that separates me from the perfect word.

My muse makes suggestions. "Valuable?"

"No. Close, but that's not it."

"Purposeful?"

"Nooo...something like that tho."

We both drum our mental fingers on a virtual table.

GREATNESS!

"NO! That's not even close. [sigh] Time to consult thesaurus.com."



It occurs to me that obedience is like this sometimes.

There I am, see, doing great things, spending lots of time with my Father, "praying without ceasing", living in constant worship, when a barrier is thrown up and suddenly that next act of obedience is just within my grasp...but ungraspable. It's RIGHT there! But no matter how hard I try, I can't reach it. I can't attain it.

Our Father knows this about me. He's always known it, even before I existed. Yet he Loves me. He calls me his daughter, His beloved, His chosen.

He loves me so much, and so wanted to be able to call me His own, that He died for me.

He said, "I will be your God, and you will be my people." He left the throne of Heaven, became a flesh-and-blood Man. He willingly emptied Himself of His divinity. His God-ness.

This Man, Jesus, He was innocent. He was sinless.

Yet He was punished, for me. Because My Father knew I would never be able to obey perfectly.

But Jesus could. And Jesus did.

And then Jesus suffered for me.

He was tortured, persecuted, spat on, and laughed at.

He was executed, even tho he wasn't convicted of a crime.

For me!

And for YOU, too!

God's love is perfect.

Do you know this Love? Please contact me, or a near-by church, if you don't.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal Life."

John 3:16 (New Living Translation)

(And I'm still trying to think of that word. :-D)








"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes."
Psalm 18:24 (Msg)

Friday Fiction: Make Hay While the Son Shines

Wow! It's Friday!!!! Praise the Lord, oh my soul. And Fridays mean FRIDAY FICTION!!

Our gracious and lovely hostess this week is Julie, on her blog, The Surrendered Scribe Please come by - she lets you write your own ending for her entry this week! How fun! Plus you'll find links to some awesome short fiction. Add your own link if you want to share your writing. We'd LOVE to have you join the fun!

When looking for something to submit today, I came across this challenge article that I didn't enter. I didn't think it felt "complete" enough. But I think I've changed my mind. Please let me know what YOU think of this ultra-short fiction piece. And since this ISN'T the challenge, I went ahead and used topic as my title. So THERE! (lol).I did change up a word, tho, just to make a point.

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MAKE HAY WHILE THE SON SHINES

I'm glad I don't need to be here. My soul is alive and well, no revival necessary. Not like some of these poor souls. Hey, but I'm happy to be able to come in support of the church and pray for their revival. You and I got it going on, don't we God?

"....saw a bumper sticker yesterday. I know most of you have seen it. It says, "God is my co-pilot..."

Yeah, I've got one of those! Amen, preach it Brother. I don't do anything with taking God with me! Right, God? You and me.

"...I'm here to say, God is not my CO-pilot. The pilot of an aircraft sits on the same LEVvel as the co-pilot and I am NOT on the same level as God."

I don't.. that's not what it means to me. It's just that God and I are side-by-side.. or.. working together. I..

"I don't ask God to HELP me with ENNnny thing. I ask him to DOO, and then I step aside.. and LET Him.

Ask You to do? Not to help me do? Then.. what do I do? Lord, I don't know how to do that.. or.. not do that. Help me. No, wait...

***

"I know that so many of your lives were touched by Joseph Martino. And Westside Church would not be what it is today without his years dedicated service. You could always count on Joseph to volunteer or lend a hand.

"Joseph stopped me after the revival last night and asked me to pray with him. We sat down in my office, and he confessed to me ,,, and to Jesus ... that he never really understood what it meant to be a Christian. The Truth broke him at the revival meeting last night, and he was made new in Christ, praise the Lord.

"He asked me if he could give you his testimony tonight, and make his confession public. He wanted you ALL to share in his new understanding ... Oh, if only that could be so! What a testimony to revival that would be! But, as you grieve for our brother, Joseph, also celebrate with joy, knowing he is in the presence of the Lord."


(c) Catrina Bradley 5/8/09




"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes."
Psalm 18:24 (Msg)

Book Review: "What In the World Is Going On? 10 Prophetic Clues You Cannot Afford to Ignore"

What In the World Is Going On?: 10 Prophetic Clues You Cannot Afford to Ignore by David Jeremiah

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars


Never has world news, history or prophesy been so readable and understandable.

I try to follow current events, especially those in the Middle East, but I get bogged down in the myriad of details, like who are the good guys and who are the baddies. Same with Biblical prophesies. There are just so many and so much going on, I can't keep it all straight. Dr. Jeremiah hits the major points, and lays out it all out in a way that makes sense AND enthralls. He offers concise but complete teachings on end times prophesies from the Old and New Testaments as a backdrop to very relevant current and recent world events. He then ties it all together into an eye-opening experience.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone at all interested in the current state of our nation and our world, and where we might stand in God's unknowable timeline. Although no one knows the day or the hour when the Son of God will return, He did tell us the signs to look for, and He told us to watch and to wait.


View all my reviews.



"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes."
Psalm 18:24 (Msg)

Friday Fiction: I'll Have What She's Having

HELLO!! Welcome to another edition of Friday Fiction. Please drop in on our gracious hostess this week, Sharlyn, and say hi. She's Dancin on Rainbows, and would love to add you to her dance card. You can read some awesome short fiction, and even add a link to your own bloggy story if you want to!

Today I'm sharing with you a product of Jan's Master's Class on the Faithwiters.com message boards. Produced after her lesson on Tenses, this article was solely an exercise for me in writing first person/present tense. When I finished writing Beth's "monologue", I decided it needed to be something, but what? I decided on an email message, but commentors suggested a voice mail message would be better. I think I agree, although it would be a LONG voice mail.

At any rate, here (unedited) is my "throw-away" practice exercise that was honored with an Editor's Choice award last week!

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I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING


From: beth1995@freemail.moc
Date: April 14, 2009
To: ed.wilson@freemail.moc
Subject: Us


I finally figured it out, Ed.

You and me, we’re like coffee and ice cream. Yep, that’s exactly what we are -- coffee and ice cream.

It hit me today at the café. See, this stranger lady comes in, all poshy poshy poo poo with her hair done up and wearing this fancy schmancy outfit, and she orders coffee and ice cream. I’ve never had anyone to order that particular combination before, but I smile even though I think she’s coo-coo for coconuts and I go off to get her order. I’m wondering about it though. (You know me, always wondering about stuff.) I guessed that maybe when the coffee burns your tongue, the ice cream freezes the burn, and then the hot coffee thaws out your frozen mouth, and then…well, you get the picture.

That kinda reminded me of us, Ed. I’m like the coffee and you’re like the ice cream. (Wait - hear me out!) See, I get all het up and on fire about something, but it’s just too hot for you to handle and it starts burning you up. So you dowse the flame with your cold, clinical logic. (You’re sweet, Ed, but you tend to be as cold as … well … as ice cream.) Then my spirit ends up all frozen and numb with discouragement.

All this is going on in my head as I pour a cuppa for the poshy poshy poo poo lady and set her ice cream in front of her, and as I top off the other java drinkers, and as I snag the empty plates from the table of four. With each bundle of silverware I wrap, I count off another example of a burning bright idea that you’ve iced down.

I look over to check on Ms. Poshy Poo, and I watch how she savors the oppositeness of the two treats. She doesn’t let the coffee burn her mouth, or wait for the ice cream to freeze her tongue; she puts a spoon of ice cream in her mouth and then right away takes a sip of coffee. Then she smiles a blissful smile.

By now it’s time for my break, so I decide I just have to try this coffee and ice cream combination. (It was the blissful smile that convinced me.) I follow Ms. Poshy Poo’s lead, sampling a bite and a sip, and inside my mouth an amazing thing happens. The coffee melts the ice cream while the ice cream cools the coffee, and the two become one blissfully warm, ushy gooshy, sweet and pungent concoction.

Of course you know all this time I’m still thinking about us, Ed, about me being coffee and you being ice cream. But now I’m seeing a different take on the combination.

Ed, I’m so sorry that I only ever saw why we weren’t working out, and never even thought to look for how we could. I'm hoping you'll forgive me. After today, I’m thinking we might make this marriage work after all.

Can we try again?

I’d like to come home and melt you, Ed -- but just a little.

B

(c) Catrina Bradley 4/15/09

All Glory, praise, and honor go to Him Who is Worthy.

Cathy

"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes."
Psalm 18:24 (Msg)