After Hurricane Helene

The needs are shifting . . . and will shift again.

So many people have sent immediate-need supplies to help after Hurricane Helene. Thank you so much. I live in Ashe County (not to be confused with Buncombe County, where Asheville is) and it has been a blessing to our community! Those who can be reached have been able to get food and water as needed. Volunteers are being fed. These needs will be ongoing for a long time.

Rescue efforts are still ongoing in certain areas and some people still have not been reached due to their roads or driveways being completely washed away. Aside from this, the biggest problems right now are power outages (which the power companies are doing a phenomenal job of restoring) and many of our bridges and roads have been destroyed.

I have been hearing rumblings about a conspiracy to keep help from the area – that people are being turned away with truckloads of goods.

I do not know anything about this firsthand, but I would urge you to consider reaching out before coming to the area to deliver goods at this point. The needs are different everywhere. Here in Ashe County, people don’t need clothes right now if their homes have been destroyed and they are sleeping at the high school. In Asheville, I know looting is a huge problem and they are probably trying to handle things in a completely different way. (And when I say looting, I don’t mean stealing food they need to survive . . . I mean stealing guitars from a damaged music shop, so don’t even . . .)

We APPRECIATE all help – we’ve been asking for it – and we thank you for all that you’ve already done. We’ve always had the poor among us and the food banks will continue to be grateful for the donations of food, formula, diapers, etc. There are people who are going to need these items now more than ever.

Once our infrastructure is functioning again, please remember that many homes were destroyed or are now uninhabitable. We already had a housing shortage and now I can’t even imagine what that is going to look like, especially with winter coming.

I’m not sure what the answer is, I just know that our needs are shifting . . . and they’re going to continue to shift. I still recommend Samaritan’s Purse. For the longer-term needs, Appalachia Service Project may also be a good one. My husband served with them back in the early 80s and they are still going strong with an excellent rating on Charity Navigator. They will be mobilizing volunteers to serve with long-term recovery efforts and have a place on their website to leave your contact information, skill sets, etc.

Whatever you do, don’t forget about us. Although our needs are shifting, we still need help and are GOING to need help for a LONG time.

And whatever you’ve already done, thank you!

This Black Mountain crayfish tried

life on the road for a few days.

Stupidest. Meme. Ever.

This meme has been making the rounds lately:

“In 1000 years, people won’t understand the difference between ‘butt dial’ and ‘booty call’ and THAT is why the Bible cannot be a reliable resource.”

Cute.

But stupid. Very, very, stupid.

First, it assumes humankind will either not have access to the trillions of documents that currently exist or, that they will not be able to interpret/understand their context.

Secondly, it assumes that the Bible, likewise, stands alone without other documents, or that modern humans are unable to interpret/understand those documents and the context they provide for Scripture.

As a simple case in point, let’s look at the crucifixion of Christ. Some people contend that Jesus was crucified on a tree or a stake because the Bible states that Christ was “hanged on a tree” and because the Greek word, stauros means an upright stake. But examining the Greek work for ‘tree’ (xulon), we discover that it means wood, a piece of wood, or anything made of wood. If Jesus had been crucified on an actual tree, it would have been more appropriate to use the proper word for that—‘dendron’. And history tells us that many people were often crucified by the Romans on a stake, which was essentially a cross with no crossbeam. In this case, the hands of the condemned were raised above their heads and then nailed to the wood with a single nail.

As things change, the words to describe them do not necessarily change with them. This has been true in the past as it is now. Think about how the word “record” was once used to refer specifically to a vinyl record. It now has a broader meaning which can refer to any audio recording, and one must specify "vinyl” if they want to indicate they are speaking about a true vinyl record.

Similarly, from the time people were first crucified by hanging them on a tree or a stake until the time Christ was crucified, the words to describe the event had not changed, but the methods definitely had. The Romans had perfected crucifixion by the time Christ died for our sins so that the condemned would suffer in agony for as long as possible. The Romans had by this point discovered that when the arms were directly over their heads, the convicted died relatively quickly. (This is due to the fact that the diaphragm must be able to move down in order to breathe in. When the hands are over the head and the body is suspended beneath, the weight of the body pulls on the diaphragm, causing the air in the lungs to remain there and not be expelled sufficiently, resulting in a form of suffocation.) In order to prolong the suffering, the Romans began adding a crossbeam in an effort to prevent the weight of the body from putting so much strain on the diaphragm. The condemned would naturally push up on their nailed feet to breathe properly (as their body still would sag down even in this position). In some cases, a small wooden platform was added beneath the feet so that the doomed person could prolong their life, and their agony, even longer.

It was for this reason that when the Romans wanted to hasten the death of the prisoners, they would break the legs of those being crucified. Once the leg bones were broken, the dying were no longer able to push their bodies up to aid their breathing. This resulted in death by suffocation much more quickly. If Jesus was crucified by the earlier methods (on a tree or on a stake with his hands over his head) none of the references to breaking the legs would make any sense:

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”  (John 19:31-36)

Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The Bible is not simply translated word for word, without knowledge of history or context.

And THAT is why it IS such a reliable resource.

 

 

 

Where There Is Hope

In the mid-eighties, during our college years, some women who worked with my husband at his summer job gave him a plant as a parting gift before he returned to college. It survived many moves, but a couple of years ago started taking a turn for the worse. I salvaged two sections and repotted them, but one died within a few weeks. The other managed to hang on, but went through some tough times, including a fall that broke off one of its remaining two leaves. I am also ashamed to say that I forgot about it often and it went without water more than it should have. Finally, it got so bad that I almost threw it away.

In the end, however, I couldn't bring myself to abandon it, so I decided to give it one more chance. I potted it in a larger container and covered it with more protective dirt. I moved it to a new window where it had a different view of the sun and where I would see it every day and hopefully remember to water it.

This is that plant a few years later:

It flourished and a couple of years ago needed to be repotted into three separate containers. Today it was time to repot again:

One of the runners was 25 feet long!

Today was difficult for them, but trauma always is. Through it they will be stronger and healthier, reaching far beyond anything that attempts to contain them. They will be able to continue to grow because of what they endured today.

You may have someone in your life who is struggling. Someone who seems beyond help, no matter how much you love them. But where there is life, there is hope. No matter how desperate things seem, there is always hope. Never give up.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

Denial Is So Much Easier . . .

I can’t believe it’s been nearly two years since I’ve blogged! My last post was on Netflix’s Cuties, and it resulted in a woman named Vicki Dalia reaching out to me and inviting me to read The Long Shadow of Darkness: A Season of Remembering and Healing, a book that she coauthored with her husband, Jody. I assured her that I would do so, and—while I may be slow—I’m at least true to my word! I finally finished their work this morning, and I wanted to share my thoughts about both it and the subject matter.

This true story is often difficult to read because the subject matter (sexual abuse, ritualistic abuse, Satanism, and child sex trafficking) is difficult to process. Awareness about such abuse, however, is the first step in preventing and/or stopping it. The book abounded with well-researched information into the inner workings of each of these areas (many of which I previously had no insight into).

There are rather disturbing details present, which could obviously be triggering for some. Also, the material was quite graphic, which could be upsetting to some people. But just as Cuties could not show how damaging certain things on the Internet are to young girls without showing it, there is no way to write about how damaging sexual abuse is without writing about it. I would definitely not say that anything that Vicki or her husband wrote was inappropriate or unnecessary in telling their story. Just be warned though that it is not for the faint of heart.

You may be stopping right there, saying, “Oh, I don’t want to read about that then. I don’t want those unpleasant pictures in my mind.” Yeah. It’s easier to stay in your nice little world where children are not brainwashed and abused, isn’t it? But if good people remain silent and do not stand up to evil, they are no longer good. We must have the courage to act when something is not right, and we must be willing to protect those who cannot protect themselves . . . even if it means putting our own selves at risk. Vicki’s husband commented on her own mother’s inaction throughout Vicki’s life: Denial was so much easier.

Unfortunately, however, it is not always easy to determine when something is not right. There are many children who are in abusive homes (either verbally abusive, emotionally abusive, sexually abusive, or some combination of these three) yet they put on a smiling face and appear to the world as if everything is fine—often more than fine. Some of these children even compensate by overachieving: appearing to their teachers, friends, and extended family as an exemplary student, all-star athlete, and picture-perfect role model. As the authors state: “The invisibility of looking ‘normal’ makes detection almost impossible.”

It is only through awareness that we stand a chance at recognizing when something is wrong, and it is only then that we can step in and make a difference. Remember: victims are often treated as culprits. Through OUR education, we can come to recognize victims and help them to speak the truth and break free from their abuse. That is why reading this book is so important.

One of the most interesting parts of the book to me was learning more about how the minds of sex offenders may work. Vicki had the opportunity to attend therapy sessions with some sex offenders and she described one who would “rail at sex offenders when they were shown on TV: ‘They ought to cut their you-know-what off.’” Vicki stated that he had been able to compartmentalize his own behavior. This helped me to potentially understand the mindset of a man I know who often berated his children while they were growing up, severely scarring their emotional psyche. I have never understood the hypocrisy of his current, frequent posting of memes that preach against the exact same conduct. I wonder if he has compartmentalized his behavior in much the same way that the sex offenders Vicki wrote of did?

Trying to unravel what was going on in the head of Vicki’s father was fascinating as well. Like many narcissists, others saw Tom as charismatic, generous, and successful, while Vicki knew the truth: that he was a great salesman and very manipulative. Even Vicki’s own husband—who knew what he had done to Vicki—admitted that he liked the man, and often had a hard time accepting that the things he learned about Tom were true (at one point stating, “It just did not seem like her father—the one that I knew,”). It was remarks like this throughout the book that helped to underscore the importance of reading it because it reminds us that others are not always what they seem and evil enjoys the fact that most people would rather deny its existence than acknowledge it, speak Truth over it, and fight against it.

Most of you know that I have written many books. Honestly, if I were to write a novel with Vicki as the main character and this character went through everything that Vicki actually went through, the book would fall flat on its face and receive terrible reviews. I would be sharply criticized for creating an “unrealistic” story, packed with events for the sole purpose of “shock value.” But Vicki’s story is not a novel, and the true events contained within actually happened to her. So horrific and unbelievable were many of the events that Vicki herself often doubted the veracity of them, but she and her husband put in the painstaking work to corroborate that her memories were indeed accurate. The book describes not only these events, but how they affected her, how she’s overcome them, and what she has done to help others. I greatly appreciated the desire of both Vicki and her husband to serve Jesus through their hardships. Their entire lives have been devoted to serving others, and sharing their experiences with others is but one way they strive to do just that. I believe this book is a tremendous and valuable resource for many, and I encourage you to read it.

Cuties

I didn’t immediately jump on the #cancelnetflix bandwagon after hearing that the movie Cuties promotes pedophilia. I decided to do a little investigating of my own first, for several reasons:

#1 – Cobra Kai

#2 – I know firsthand what it’s like to have someone say things that (while they may be true) are only partial truths. I know what it’s like when someone tells just enough of the truth to make themselves look like pious victims. Netflix supports pedophilia? Really? Supports it? Somehow I doubt that and I’ve just gotten to the point in my life where I’m tired of people spewing half-truths for no other reason than to advance their own cause.

#3 – God has been laying it on my heart lately that I am too quick to judge. While He may appreciate my dogmatic concern for His laws and His precepts, He also wants me to have compassion for others as Jesus did. Do I listen to others? Do I understand their point of view? Have I tried to walk in their shoes?

#4 – Cobra Kai

So, instead of canceling Netflix, I decided to watch Cuties myself so that I could make up my own mind – the one that God gave me. If you don’t want spoilers, quit reading. If you are certain you will never watch it, please continue.

First of all, Netflix stirred up this controversy itself (probably on purpose since there’s no such thing as bad publicity). And if the movie actually played out like the trailer and was simply a preteen dance version of Bring It On, then yeah . . . pedophiles would really enjoy it. As it stands, however, anyone who is hoping for healthy doses of little girls twerking or doing other unwholesome acts will be sorely disappointed.

Yes, those scenes are in there, but they are far from abundant. And while the trailer makes one believe that it will be a fun movie full of music and dancing (I even saw it billed as a “Comedy-Drama”), there was surprisingly little music, little dancing, and nothing humorous at all.

Instead, it is a somber and thought-provoking movie.

Eleven-year-old Amy—entering those preteen years that are already so uncertain and frightening—must also deal with the fact that she has just moved to a new town where she doesn’t know anyone and just wants to fit in. She also discovers that her father has taken a second wife and knows that a similar fate awaits her. Muslim women obey their husbands in her culture and she does not look forward to getting married at an early age to a man who will likely hurt her the way her father is hurting her mother. She is already burdened with taking care of her two younger brothers and doing many chores and is feeling oppressed by both her religion and by her family. These events build up and Amy begins to rebel.

There are many films about children who rebel. Sometimes they dance and it’s fun (Footloose, anyone?) but more often it’s not. When children seek out support and approval because they cannot find it at home, they often go down the wrong path: drugs, prostitution, gangs, and—in this case—emulating inappropriate dance moves found on the Internet. Like all rebelling children who head down wrong paths, Amy has no real idea of what she is getting herself into nor the dangers associated with it. Girls of this age are just beginning to discover sex, sexuality, and what it all means, and—believe it or not—they sometimes make mistakes and often learn hard lessons.

Could the story be told without the “explicit” scenes? Not really. We watch Amy view adult women dancing on a phone that she stole, and then we see her gaining the approval of her new friends by teaching them the moves that she has learned. We see them filming these moves to post on the Internet to “get likes”. I don’t know how a filmmaker could convey what the girls are doing without showing it. It’s necessary, not titillating. Would a pervert find them titillating? Probably. But there is so much other stuff going on in the movie, that I think most perverts are going to get bored pretty quickly and move on to something else.

The mistakes Amy makes lead her down a disturbing path, but the ending is—in my opinion—beautiful. I don’t know what happens to the other girls, but Amy finally receives the support she needs from her mother. With that support, we see her attend her father’s wedding dressed neither in the traditional Muslim clothing he bought for her, nor in the provocative costume she wore when she snuck out to a dance competition. Given permission to do what she wants and knowing that her mother will love her and support her (and that just because her mother has chosen to be submissive to a religion and situation that doesn’t make her happy does not mean that Amy is required to do the same), Amy does not chose either extreme. Instead, we see her dressed like a normal, healthy, happy teen and we see her smiling and laughing as she begins down a new path with her new freedom.

It’s fine if you don’t want to watch Cuties and it’s fine if you want to cancel your Netflix subscription because—like Amy—God gave each of us freedom to make our own choices and I’m not going to judge you no matter what you decide. I’m not trying to convince you one way or the other about either.

What I would like to do is to remind you that if you hear something and it seems hard to believe, maybe there’s a reason for that.

Not even Chuck Norris can pour a pancake so thin that it doesn’t have two sides.

New Year – New Book!

Yes, it’s been awhile since I’ve published something—it’s been even longer since I’ve written something! For some reason, I haven’t written very much this past year. Yes, I’ve gone back to graduate school, but to be honest, I didn’t enroll until August and my writing had ground to a halt long before that.

The weird thing is how not bothered by this I was. Writing suddenly and inexplicably went from being one of the most important things in my life to being one of the least—and I still have no idea why. I was totally fine with it though. Well, not totally. I had promised several people that I would write several things and I am still dealing with the guilt of not fulfilling those promises.

So I’ve learned two lessons: #1 – you can’t force writing, and #2 – Don’t ever promise anybody that you’ll write something, because (refer to #1). James 4:13-15 says this: Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.”

One of the projects I’ve NOT been working on for the past year is a novel entitled Taken. The idea for Taken came to me eleven years ago this month. Even though the plot was fully formed in my mind, I struggled with the voice that I wanted to use. As most of you know, I’ve been working with Jenn Faulk on several projects since the spring of 2016, and I asked her if she wanted to help me bring Taken to life. She said she would, and the story quickly came alive. Once we were finished, all that needed to be done was for me to go through it one more time, tweak it here and there, and make sure it was perfect. And so it sat there on my computer, untouched, for months and months. (Have I mentioned that I haven’t written very much this past year?)

I promised myself that I would get it finished over the summer, but I never even looked at it. (Have I also mentioned that I need to quit making promises?) Then school started, and the months continued to roll by.

Last week, however, I finally located the file (it was lost on my computer due to neglect!). I think part of me was worried that it was a horrible story and that I was going to hate it (it had been so long since I’d read it that I honestly had forgotten most of the details!). Fortunately, I loved it! It was exciting to reread it and relive all the fun that Jenn and I had putting it together. And now—11 years after its conception—I am so thankful to God to be able to share our story with you!

This novel is a companion novel to the Chop, Chop series, but it didn’t start out that way. While I was finishing book 7, Alone, I found myself wishing that Taken could be tied in to the Chop, Chop series somehow. The plot for Taken was pretty set and tight, however, and I knew that I couldn’t (or at least shouldn’t) manipulate it just to make it fit in with another series. Suddenly, however, I wondered if I could manipulate Alone instead. The answer was that yes, I could, and so I added a character and several scenes to Alone to tie Taken in with the Chop, Chop series. The funny thing is that I can’t imagine Alone without those changes—even if Taken had never been written.

But I’ve already said too much. I don’t want to give away any spoilers for Taken. Those who have very recently finished the series along with the most rabid fans of Chop, Chop (those of you who are best friends with these characters who live in my mind!) may immediately see the connection between Taken and the Chop, Chop series. The rest of you, however, probably won’t “get” it until the very end. Whichever category you fall in to, I hope that you will love it.

Oh, and one more thing—getting Taken ready for publication this past week has kind of flipped a switch in my brain or something and I’ve been back to writing for the first time in about a year. Hopefully I’ll have some other things to share with you during 2018 . . . but no promises!

Controversial and Very Expensive? Yes! But Here’s Why I've Changed My Mind . . .

I’ll admit that when I first heard about the board’s recent decision to require the installation of power strips in all of its system's school buses, I was appalled.

$3,740,000 diverted from education so that kids who already spend way too much time in front of a screen could charge their devices?

Yeah. I don’t think so.

I was actually so upset last week when I learned about this decision that I started an online petition against it and even went so far as to sign up to speak at next month’s board meeting to publicly protest.

Over the course of the past six days, however—while doing the research necessary to prepare myself for the meeting—I have been forced to truly consider the arguments that have been made in favor of outfitting our system’s nearly 1,600 buses.

To those of you who initially agreed with me and signed the petition (over 12,000 signatures so far—totally blown away you guys!!) I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Like me, I know that you only want what is best for our children and what makes the most sense for our public education system.

It is actually because of that desire to do what is best for our children that I’m asking for a few more moments of your time while I explain why I am officially withdrawing my petition and will now fully support the measure as outlined by the school board at their meeting next month.

Here are the reasons I believe this move will actually result in positive changes that will wind up being well worth the money:

#1 - Even in schools where PED (personal electronic device) usage is prohibited, it is widely recognized by teachers and administrators that students use their phones all day, every day. By the time our children get on the bus to go home, their batteries are nearly dead and many do not have the power they need to make it through the trip home. With the issue of battery drainage no longer a threat, students will now be able to complete a wide variety school assignments during their (often long) bus ride.

#2 - Studies show that introverted students realize the greatest benefit of on-bus PED usage. When devices are not allowed or not otherwise supported by power strips on board, social anxiety reports skyrocket.

#3 - A neighboring school system (which successfully implemented a similar program nearly two years ago), reported a 133% decrease in fights on buses in just the first two weeks. This dramatic reduction in altercations was maintained for over a year, resulting in the dismissal of nearly 400 bus monitors and a savings of over $200,000. Since our system is considerably larger, we can naturally expect our savings to increase proportionally.

#4 - Nearly 30 assistants and 20 teachers will lose their positions due to the budget cuts necessary to cover the expense of outfitting each bus, but if all of these employees come only from underperforming classrooms, the loss could actually be beneficial to each school affected. Getting bad teachers out of the classroom is always a good thing and students will be better off in the long run.

#5 - The on-board outlets—while expensive (nearly $2,300 per bus)—will be provide three AC/DC strips as well as three USB ports per seat (not per row as originally proposed). This means that each student can power up to three devices if they sit two to a seat (or two if they sit three to a seat).

#6 - Students from lower-income households will now be able to charge their iPhones, tablets and laptops without using expensive electricity and draining their family’s already tight budgets.

As you can see, the benefits for outfitting each of our systems school buses with power strips will greatly outweigh the few negative aspects that have surfaced in the course of recent discussions.

I hope that each of you will strongly consider joining with me to fully support this measure, and I also hope that you have a wonderful April Fool’s Day.

Many blessings.

L.N. Cronk