Patriotism on the Tarmac

This touching patriotic story comes from one of our own special guest judges, Virginia Smith:

On an American Airlines flight Tuesday from Louisville , Kentucky to Dallas, we were getting settled in our seats and preparing for takeoff. The last of the passengers were still stowing their carry on luggage when the pilot came over the intercom.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to someone I’ve been chatting with up here. A passenger on this flight, William,is in the Army, and he has been home on a two-week leave visiting his family. He’s returning to Iraq today. I know this will embarrass him, but when I have a serviceman on my plane, I like to express my deep gratitude for their service. Please join me in wishing William a heart-felt thank you for serving this country.”

The entire plane erupted into unanimous applause. The media likes to remind us constantly that the majority of the people in this country are not in favor of the war in Iraq . Even so, it made me proud that every person on that plane was eager to show this young serviceman that they care, and that they appreciate the sacrifice he is making by serving our country.

Patriotism in New Zealand

Regular Pixel Debbie Roome lives in New Zealand, but she sent some BEAUTIFUL patriotic photos taken there throughout the year.

Thanks for sharing these great images, Debbie!

What do you have planned?

Since it's so quiet here on the blog - I'm hoping all of you are going to flood me with entries Saturday morning with photos and essays about your celebrations Friday night - I decided to post our plans for the weekend.

But before I do, a confession. (Yes, we've already determined July must be "Confession Month" because everyone seems to be doing it!) My confession: Each morning, after my Bible study, as I'm trying to wake up and warm up, I visit blogs. It keeps me "in the know" with the publishing industry, and with happenings in the lives of my friends. I am inspired, encouraged, and sometimes tickled so much I have to explain why I'm so hysterical. So today, I'm going to share with you some of this morning's reading:

You must read this thoughtful patriotic post by friend and fellow writer, Virginia Smith. Check it out on FaithChicks!

T. Suzanne Eller's post today - and for the past couple of days - cracked me up.

Over at Mary DeMuth's blog, I'm so enjoying her trip report - she and 12-year-old son Aidan just returned from Ghana. Aidan is working diligently to provide water for one of the villages over there - raising money, making people aware. Their journey - even before they left the U.S. - is tremendous. Inspiring!

There's always fun going on over at Kaye Dacus's blog - and she even has her own resident heckler (waving at Caleb!), so there's great interaction, too!

Boomer Babes Rock is always a happenin' spot, too.

Connie Pombo's blog always transports me somewhere - reading her posts are like a mini-vacation without ever leaving home. I can't explain why - possibly her fresh writing style, or beautiful photography. Or maybe it's her theme - which is my own personal motto - "Living Life Passionately." A treat with every visit.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a writer's conference a couple of hours from home. I got reacquainted with some writers I'd met once before, and made many new friends. One of the conference leaders is Cheryl Wray, and I discovered she has a blog, too.

And you've GOT to check out the giveaways and promotions on Tekeme Studios. They do BEAUTIFUL unique work, and have some GREAT prices for all sorts of graphic design - blogs, Web sites, business products like logos, business cards, postcards, and invitations.

Ok - that's enough blogs for now.

So what are you doing on the 4th?

We're going to see Tim's cousin perform in the Capitol Sounds concert band. They're performing at a river amphitheater, and we'll take in a picnic and watch fireworks after they perform. Since we normally stay home for a quiet celebration, I'm really looking forward to our outing.

As we go through the weekend, do me a favor. Thank a soldier - the freedoms we enjoy - and sometimes take for granted - would not be possible without the sacrifice of so many.

Send in your patriotic thoughts, memories, photos - I'll post them and you'll be registered to win a HUGE box of books at the end of July!

Love Starts with Elle!

This week's CFBA pick is Love Starts with Elle by Rachel Hauck. This book, Rachel's second set in the lowcountry of South Carolina, follows Sweet Caroline. I love both these books, but I think Love Starts with Elle is Rachel's best book yet.

LSwE offers up a few surprises, and provides a very satisfying ending. One thing in particular that I noticed about this book were the names. As a writer, I spend extra time picking out just the right names for my characters, so all my books don't have the same Toms, Dicks, and Harrys each time. Because of that, I am very appreciative that Rachel apparently did the same. The names chosen for her characters reflect the time, the place, the mood, the character, the purpose of the book without being intrusive or distracting. The names she chose gave her book a realness that probably would not have been accomplished with others, and helped create memorable characters who live on in the reader's mind well after the book ends.

Overall - a great read, and well-worth the money spent to buy a copy.

(And it still makes me want to move to Beaufort!)

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Love Starts With Elle

(Thomas Nelson - July 8, 2008)

by

Rachel Hauck

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rachel Hauck is a forty-something child of the '60's, '70's, '80's, '90's and '00's, who roller skated through the '70's into the '80's with Farrah Fawcet hair and a three-speed orange Camero. She graduated from Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes!) with a degree in Journalism.


After graduation, she hired on at Harris Publishing as a software trainer, destermined to see the world. But, she's traveled to Ireland, Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, Australia, Canada and the U.S. from California to Maine.


Rachel met Tony, her husband, in '87, at church, of all places. They married in '92. They don't have any children of their own, just lots of kids-in-the-Lord and they love them all. However, they do have two very spoiled dogs, and a very demanding cat.


With a little help from her friends, her first novel, Lambert's Pride - a romance - was published in ' 04. Her current release is Sweet Caroline from Thomas Nelson. Romantic Times Book Club gave both books their highest rank of 4.5 stars, with Love Starts With Elle being honored as Top Pick!

Visit Rachel on the Web.




ABOUT THE BOOK:



Elle's living the dream-but is it her dream or his?


Elle loves life in Beaufort, South Carolina-lazy summer days on the sand bar, coastal bonfires, and dinners with friends sharing a lifetime of memories. And she's found her niche as the owner of a successful art gallery too. Life is good.


Then the dynamic pastor of her small town church sweeps her off her feet. She's never known a man like Jeremiah-one who breathes in confidence and exhales all doubt. When he proposes in the setting sunlight, Elle hands him her heart on a silver platter.


But Jeremiah's just accepted a large pastorate in a different state. If she's serious about their relationship, Elle will take "the call," too, leaving behind the people and place she loves so dearly. Elle's friendship with her new tenant, widower Heath McCord, and his young daughter make things even more complicated.


Is love transferrable across the miles? And can you take it with you when you go?


Read the first chapter HERE.

Two Featured Books and Contest Theme Announcement

Many of the books featured this coming month on Pix-N-Pens are represented by fellow writer, friend, and publicist Don Otis.

Don is president of Veritas Communications, Inc., a marketing communications and consulting firm specializing in author and corporate publicity. Don has over 20-years experience managing successful marketing communications, author and corporate publicity campaigns.

Otis is also the author of numerous magazine articles, and five books with Fleming Revell, Chosen Books, Shaw/WaterBrook and AMG Publishers. Don and his wife, Jill, live in Cañon City, Colorado.

Otis’s credits also include:

Co-founder of the Voice of Hope Radio Network and Middle East Television
Associate producer for over 200 television programs
Radio talk show host at KVOH, Los Angeles, CA

Now to the books!

With Independence Day approaching, I chose two patriotic books to feature this week.

I realized when I read this first book that I would have to confess a passion when I shared it with you. I wasn't big on American history when I was going through high school. My teachers tried to interest me, but the boring facts and figures never captured my interest. It was only after I became a parent, and started homeschooling that I discovered how interested I was in the human interest stories of our past. American history began to come alive for me as I delved into the childhoods or marriages of our Presidents, or into the travel modes of the various decades.

So one of our featured books this week THRILLED me.

The Faith of America's Presidents by Daniel J. Mount explores the beliefs and religious practices of our Commanders in Chief, from George Washington to George W. Bush.

I found this book intriguing for several reasons, besides its subject matter. The author was a homeschooled student himself, and researched this book while he was homeschooling and then while he was earning his bachelor's degree in American History and Political Science. His age while completing this book was impressive.

Secondly, each President receives a chapter devoted to their lives. Mount narrates a summary of their service, adds historical controversies faced by each one, and then draws an overall conclusion of their faith, based not only on their statements, but also on their actions throughout their lives.

Mount also includes two appendices: one entitled Character, and the other "Our Presidents Who Were Masons."

The opening paragraphs in "Character" state the author's guidelines for the entire book, and I'd like to share them with you:

"Why would an appendix such as this be included in a book on the presidents' religious beliefs? I include it for two reasons:

First, I cannot in good conscience paint a president as a holy, righteous man when the facts suggest otherwise. I have no desire to deliberately misrepresent a president's character.

Second, we know a tree by its fruits. One measure of how deeply a president held his religious convictions is whether his actions line up with his words."

Overall - this book is FASCINATING and would make a tremendous addition to any library.

Our second book being featured this week is The Pledge: One Nation Under God written by William J. Murray.

I haven't yet had time to read this book, but I'm impatient to do so. I've prayed for William J. Murray for MANY years, and have followed his career with interest, and a bit of pride. I thank God for this man's life, for his dedication to the Lord, and for his courage with which he has lived his life. Mr. Murray is the son of the notorious atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair - the woman who fought so hard, and so successfully, to remove prayer from public schools. Her son is now chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition, and works non-stop for the rights of Christians in America and around the world.

Now the Pledge of Allegiance is under attack and William J. Murray has written The Pledge: One Nation Under God to show how you can fight back. From the back cover:

America was founded on Christian principles, and our system of government is based upon the belief that we are a nation "under God." Our rights come from God, not from government.

Learn what the Founding Fathers believed about God and government - and why the idea of "separation of church and state" is nothing more than a myth created by one Supreme Court decision in 1947. Yet, that one decision has resulted in dozens of ill-informed rulings that have undermined religious freedom and exalted secularism as the state-protected religion in America.

The attack on the Pledge is simply one part of this ongoing war against religious freedom in America - a war waged by [atheist Michael] Newdow, the ACLU, and others.

We must take back our nation from the secularists who seek to deny religious liberty.

I cannot wait to read this book. I'll come back here and leave another comment when I finish.

Feel free to leave comments about either of these books any time this week.

Now, FINALLY, for the contest. I hope you weren't holding your breath as I rambled on. I am a passionate American - what else can I say.

The contest theme this week - PATRIOTISM. And since the 4th is on Friday, I'll take entries until noon, Saturday, so you can get in your 4th firework photos, or photos of small town America during parades.

Remember - every entry gains you an entry into the drawing at the end of the month. I explained what we're doing in another post so check here for all the details.