Recently, I had one of those odd life-connections-I-can’t-explain events happen to me, starting on Saturday. Does this ever happen to you? You get one of those jolting reminders that God is very much in control? Disaster about to Happen While passing through our basement, I realized a good section of the southeast corner was submerged. The floor drain—or something below the floor drain—had decided to go on strike, and all the water from my daughters’ baths had pooled all over the floor instead of going down the drain like it was supposed to. The soapy water was slithering its way toward my very un-basement-like home office (which had required a good bit of money and man hours to build), and I could see disaster about to happen. I grabbed buckets and filled them, sprinted up the stairs, and emptied the buckets in our yard . . . as quickly as…
Read more
See Part 1 and Part 2. Some Christian reviewers have praised The Hunger Games because it describes good versus evil without moral ambiguity. I would have to disagree. There’s more gray than black and white in this novel (see Part 2 for my discussion of killing in the story). Katniss is also a very gray character. She has good qualities (self-sacrifice), but she does some bad things too (euthanasia). She is likable, but she doesn’t always do the right thing—which, by the way, is typically of what makes for a memorable character. Readers don’t like a character who is too perfect. Katniss is flawed, but is she too flawed? To be fair, Katniss doesn’t act like a believer for the very reason that she isn’t one. She doesn’t know any better. But I do think there is value in considering her situation and evaluating what a believer might do if he…
Read more
See Part 1. This novel made me think. A lot. What if my name were drawn in an annual death lottery and I was released into an arena where twenty-three other people wanted me dead? What would I do? What would you do? Would you try to kill them before they killed you? Would you fold your arms across your chest and refuse to play in the Games (and very quickly be killed)? Or would you—like little Rue—run, hide, and simply try to stay alive? Anyone who gives this chilling dilemma serious consideration can’t help but sympathize with Katniss in her plight. Yes, The Hunger Games offers a very dark and disturbing premise most of us would rather not consider. And the premise is even more disturbing because teens—in some cases, children—are the ones doing the killing. But all things considered, The Hunger Games is a story about war, except kids are the ones…
Read more
Based on a true story It was the perfect summer day. Pristine blue sky. Simmering warmth. Just enough unobstructed sunshine to heat my pumping bare arms. I maintained a measured, quick stride up G Street past ranches and bungalows with my beagle, Patches. Nike running shoes? Check. Shorts and T-shirt? Check. MP3 player, earbuds, and playlist ready? Check. After being chained to the chair in my basement office, the prospect of being outdoors after a long day of editing was heavenly. My neck ached, and I longed for the solace only woods, fresh air, and sunshine could provide. I was walking my dog—or maybe she was walking me—toward that sun-dappled forest path that led beyond the subdivision and quite literally into the woods. Where the road ended, the path began—little more than two ruts carved between the trees by four-wheeling joyriders. Ahead lay the promise of sunny meadows, wild raspberries,…
Read more
