Making Amends

I will admit it. This morning I dined on cotton candy and a diet dr. pepper. Awful I know, but what is a girl to do when hubs reads a text I sent to him last night at the Cardinal game asking him to bring some home for me instead of getting himself something to eat? Well, I wasn't just going to let it sit there on the table! It was an act of necessity. It had to be eaten this morning or gasp! It would have to be thrown away!

So back to making amends. I am trying to eat healthy as well as following a gluten free diet. So right after my tasty treat of boo cotton candy I decided to bestow this lovely treat on hubs tonight for dessert. I've never made a peach/blueberry crisp before and I'm not sure how it's going to taste. My thought is neither of us has anything to compare it to so it should be good. As long as he doesn't figure out right away that it's made with gluten free ingredients.

Since I was in the kitchen I thought I might as well bread some chicken tenders for tomorrow's dinner and then continued on with making a mess by making my own mozzerella sticks. Something I don't eat often but have missed ordering. As if that wasn't enough to destroy the kitchen I read on celiacmaniac how good whipped coconut milk is on fruit. So I whipped up some to put on our peach/bluebery crisp tonight.

I don't know if I've made up for eating the yummy cotton candy or for asking for it, but it was worth a try.

Now, I have to clean the kitchen. It's scary in there!

Winner is Robin!

The winner of Randy Singer's Justice Game is Robin. Congratulations!

Randy Singer: The Justice Game review, interview and giveaway!

The Justice Game by Randy Singer

The first twelve pages will have you holding your breath. No kidding. It’s intense and you feel that tension. Your pulse races and your mouth gets that cotton ball-dryness. You wonder how is this going to end?

It ends in a trial and a verdict, one you will agree or disagree with--strongly. I agreed. Can’t tell you what that verdict is, you have to read and decide for yourself.

Singer has taken a very hot topic—gun control, both sides are represented well in this case, but all is not as it seems. There is some trickery involved.

I found this to be a jarring wake up to what just might be happening in high-profile cases. If it isn’t, now that the idea is out there I’m sure someone will figure out how to do it.

Am I driving you crazy by not giving you enough information about the plot and characters of this book. Too bad, go buy it, read it. Decide for yourself. It’s just that good.

What’s even more fun? A chance to win this book. Leave a comment AND your email! A random winner will be picked and mailed an autographed bookplate and a certificate to get the book free from your local Christian bookstore or from Tyndale!

This contest ends Wednesday July 29^th at 12:00 a.m. central standard time. Winner will be notified by email.

Following is a Q&A with Randy

Randy Singer, The Justice Game

1. Randy, you bring a unique perspective to your writing because you are also an attorney and a pastor. How do you juggle these three things and still have a life?

It helps that I love doing all three. It also helps that, while they’re all very different, they draw on common skill sets. For example, principles of powerful story-telling are important for a pastor, lawyer and (obviously) writer. I’m a little ADHD and like being able to go from one thing to another. I tell people it’s like crop rotation—keeps things fresh. And, to be honest, writing is more like relaxation for me than a job. It gives me a break from the pressures of the other “real life” jobs and lets me go into a world where I get to control things! (Can we say “God complex” here?)

But none of that really answers your question. Three things help me juggle. One, I try to stay focused on the big stuff. It’s not that I do the little stuff second, I try not to do the little stuff at all. Second, I stay focused on what I can do well and let others worry about the stuff that is out of my control. In other words, I’m a master at delegation (think Tom Sawyer and the white picket fence). And third, I’ve learned to get comfortable with the fact that I will always have stuff in each of these areas that does not get done. As long as the ball is moving forward, I’ve got to be satisfied with that.

As for the part about having a life—I would have to object to that question on the grounds that it assumes facts not in evidence.

But seriously--I thank God that, in His grace, He allows me to do three separate things that I love doing so much. My prayer is that I might bring glory to Him in three different ways as I minister in each of these areas. (And yes, being a lawyer is a ministry.)

2. In all your novels, you often address a particular topic. How did you decide to address gun control in The Justice Game?

I like to write about moral issues that have no easy answer. On the issue of gun control, there are some pretty strong emotions on both sides. And people have typically trenched in—spouting off rehearsed arguments rather than trying to understand each other. But when you frame the issue in the context of a story, you can sometimes by-pass the automatic intellectual defenses and speak straight to the heart. I tried to create compelling characters on both sides of the story to help readers sort through the types of honest arguments that people of good faith make and then decide for themselves.

But on a larger scale, the issue of gun control is not really the focus of The Justice Game. The more important issues raised are these: (1) In America, can you “game” the criminal justice system? I have proposed a hypothetical system in The Justice Game that could do just that. (2) Can the main characters in the novel escape their past sins (and secrets) or will they let themselves remain captive to them? I once heard Rick Warren say that courage comes when you have nothing left to hide. That’s a concept I explore in The Justice Game.

3. As an attorney, you served as lead counsel in a school shooting case in Virginia. What happened and what impact did the case have?

This is from the author’s note at the beginning of the book:

On December 16, 1988, a fifteen-year-old student named Nicholas Elliot took a Cobray semiautomatic handgun to Atlantic Shores Christian School and opened fire. He shot and killed a teacher named Karen Farley and wounded an assistant principal, then burst into a trailer where a Bible class was meeting. When he attempted to open fire on the students huddled in the back corner of the trailer, the gun jammed. The Bible teacher, Hutch Matteson, tackled Elliot and prevented the kind of tragedy that hit Columbine High School in Colorado several years later.

Atlantic Shores was the school where my wife taught. It was the school my kids attended (though they were not there that day).

And when I learned that Elliot had purchased the gun illegally from a gun store in Isle of Wight County through a transaction referred to as a “straw purchase transaction,” I represented the family of Karen Farley in an unprecedented lawsuit against the gun store.

The verdict shocked everyone.

In terms of the impact this real case had on my writing—it made the writing of the book both harder and easier. Harder because we lost a friend in the Atlantic Shores shooting and it was difficult to relive the emotions of the shooting and subsequent case. Easier because authors should write what they know best. I didn’t have to imagine what the feelings of the attorneys would be as they tried this case of national importance on an issue with such raw emotions. I had walked in those shoes. From that perspective, this book might be the most realistic book I’ve written.

4. You had your readers determine the verdict in the court case at the center of the book. Why did you decide to go this route?

Two reasons. First, I thought it would be fun to create an interactive experience for readers. We put together a fake newscast with snippets of the closing arguments—just enough to inform readers about the case and let them vote. Second, I was trying to be balanced on this issue of gun control. What better way to demonstrate balance than to let the readers decide the verdict? Oh yeah, and third (if it’s not too late to add a third), the book ends up being about much more than just the verdict in the gun case. I knew that the ending would work out fine whichever way the verdict came out.

5. This spring marked ten years since the shooting at Columbine. How do you think that tragedy impacted today’s gun laws?

I think Columbine had a greater impact on school security than it did on our nation’s gun laws. I can’t trace a single national change in gun laws to the tragedy at Columbine. Even here in Virginia following the shootings at Virginia Tech, there was little that resulted from that tragedy in terms of additional gun control. In each case, the argument can be made that no matter what gun laws you have in place, the criminals will still be able to get their hands on guns. Restrictive laws only make it harder for law abiding citizens.

6. This is an issue that people feel very strongly about, one way or the other. Why do you think it is such an emotional issue for people?

Guns are powerful symbols of individual freedom and the right to protect oneself. Gun enthusiasts tend to be distrustful of government (for good reason) and see the right to bear arms as a bastion (pardon the pun) against governmental intrusions on individual rights. They also believe that it is ultimately up to them, not the government, to keep themselves secure in their own home. Take away their guns, and you’ve taken away their ability to defend themselves. On the other side, many people who believe in gun control have seen or been a part of needless tragedies where easy access to guns has proven deadly. Years ago, high school students might get in a fist fight and one or the other would end up with a bloody nose. Now, gangs use guns to settle scores—resulting in pointless homicides. Gun control advocates would argue that a gun should be at least as hard to get as a driver’s license.

Protecting your home, self-defense, the slaughter of young men in the inner city—these are emotional issues, all centered around the gun control debate.

7. How has the church typically viewed the issue of gun control versus gun rights?

Which church? White evangelical churches tend to be pro-gun. They typically emphasize the individual rights of citizens to protect themselves and safeguard themselves from a tyrannical government. African-American churches, especially those in the inner city, are typically in favor of more restrictions on firearms. This is because their families feel the brunt of gun violence.

8. What do you see happening in the national gun debate going forward?

Not much movement on either side. President Obama has been the best thing for gun store owners since the invention of the revolver. Fear that Obama might push for greater restrictions on gun usage has generated record sales in most stores. But the fact of the matter is that President Obama hasn’t shown much stomach for a fight on this issue. On the judicial side, the Supreme Court recently recognized that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms for individuals, not just militias as some gun control advocates had previously claimed. (There is some dispute over whether this just applies to the federal government or also the states). But the Court also said that the right was subject to reasonable regulation and control. You could hear the “Hallelujahs!” from attorneys everywhere since this virtually guaranteed a case-by-case fight over what regulations might be reasonable. So in summary, I think we’ve reached a stalemate on the gun control debate with the exception of these legal skirmishes over the details of attempts by cities and states to regulate the right to bear arms.

9. Since we’ve been discussing a heavy topic, we need something lighthearted to close out this interview. What’s your best lawyer joke?

It’s not actually my best, but it’s pretty quick.

They’ve started using lawyers instead of rats in laboratory experiments for three reasons: (1) there are more of them; (2) the scientists would sometimes get attached to the rats; and (3) there were some things the lab rats just wouldn’t do.

Walk by Faith

Josh gave this to his dad one year. He liked that it was made of stones since his dad works with rocks and bricks. It's hanging in our shared office where I can see it every day. Most days I 'see' it but I don't think about it much. Then on days like today the meaning of walking by faith tugs at me, reminding me that I do need to walk by faith and not by sight.

Yesterday, Ed's Aunt Bertha died. She was 89 and so energetic, fun, sparkles in her eyes, full of life and then--she wasn't. Did she walk by faith? I think so. I think someone who finds joy in every day in everything walks by faith most days. And someone who is in the midst of the worst times in their life and still calls upon God for help walks in faith.

I've been in both of those places, but most to the time I just walk, get the errands finished, a chapter written, a photo taken, a phone call made, dinner on the table. I do these things without thinking is God taking care of me? Wait--isn't that what walking in faith is? That God will take care of my life without me worrying about it? Whoa! Lightening bolt time for me. I had not considered that. I'm writing this as I'm thinking-sorry if it rambles you can quit reading at any time. :)

I finished reading Demon: a Memoir by Tosca Lee this week. The very idea that there were creatures on this earth before the garden of Eden was something I knew, but didn't really think about. The idea of being cast away--no longer able to be a child of God or wanted by God as in the case of the Demon in Tosca Lee's book is bone chilling. To hear the Demon discuss the creation from his point of view and how it affected his existence and how we humans take God's love for granted His forgiveness as an 'okay, thanks, now let's move on' attitude shook me. I've been there. I want to change that. I want to be more aware of what has been offered to me and be thankful.

I recommend picking up Demon: a Memoir by Tosca Lee even if you're just wondering what the fuss is about, how can Christians accept that bad things happen when there is a God. It's an easy read, not always pleasant but very cleverly written. Thanks Tosca for writing it.

Summer Sunset on Lake Erie--Camp Pioneer

It's the last night of camp and I finally felt well enough to wait for the sunset. I had seen glimpses of it all week. All of them were spectacular. This time I was willing to wait it out with my camera.
It took awhile and I'm not very patient but eventually it went down and touched Lake Erie.


While I was waiting for it to get lower I took this shot through the gliders at camp. I love this one! The theme of Camp Pioneer is a Warm Place in the Son, the photo captures that I think.

Camp Pioneer--post four

Here we are Niagara Falls-the American side. I am terrified. I just want to get off those slippery steps and away from what I consider a huge risk! I mean look at that water and what's keeping it in place? A bunch of rocks! Sure it's been fine for hundreds of years, but what if this is the day the rocks start to slide? My friend, Marty calls this the honeymoon shot.

Isn't it amazing the way the water just seems to float in the sky? I was impressed.

Camp Pioneer--post three

Lots of projects were completed at camp. The gliders were a memorial gift to the camp. They weren't a kit! Several adults and lots of teenagers helped build these gliders, chairs to match and planter boxes from pieces of wood. I'm sure there is a technical name for that wood--like 2x4's or something. There was another group that built nice wood platforms to set them on. And the placement in front of Lake Erie is perfect. I'll show you that in another blog post. I have amazing sunset photos to share.
This is the huge project Marty, Mandy and I worked for hours reorganizing. This craft shed hadn't been cleaned out since 1998. Now if you have your own craft room you can probably come close to knowing what this looked like before, but before you picture it imagine 20 camp counselors every year coming in and digging through boxes and not putting things back. Wait, there's more! Now imagine a mouse community--population size unknown making homes within those boxes. Okay now I can see you backing away from the monitor. You have the picture! I had the photo but because my memory card was full I had to delete a lot of them. We had about 5 wheelbarrows full of trash to cart off as well. Looks good doesn't it. The cabinets in the back weren't there when we arrived. Another group of helpers (thanks, Dave, Dave, and Ed) that found them and brought them in for us to use, they even made a counter top.
Yet another project was to paint Leah's house. That's my friend Lauriann on the ladder she paints every year, behind her is Laura, she paints too. Self prounoucned project manager Gary has climbed that ladder yet. The house looked much better after scraping and painting. New trim was made and installed too.
This firepit was in another place. They moved it further away from the edge of the cliff. Lots of sand in wheelbarrows. That's Ed in the left corner and Dave with the rake.

Some of the other projects were painting and repairing a back stop. I helped with the paint and had sparkly arms for a week. I didn't mind, I like sparkles!
Another fence was installed in front of the camp, a basketball hoop, tether ball pole and flag pole were concreted in place. A bathroom was remodeled, cottages were stocked with dishes by Darla and Gwen, steps were built and I'm sure a lot of other things I didn't see were done.

I know a huge military tent was set up for the campers coming after us. Kids with a deployed parent get the chance to come to camp and during their stay spend some time in a barracks tent much like the one their parent's are staying.

more later, sunsets and a very big waterfall!

Camp Pioneer--post two

Can you tell by my expression that I'm not sure what camp is going to be like for me? This is our first night and I was ready to bolt, run to the truck and take off back home!

I'm glad I didn't. After breakfast every morning we sang praise songs, Pastor Vern and Marty played guitars the first day, later they were joined by their daughter Kristen on drums, Gurdy on a beatbox and Richter and Danny on more guitars.


These are the preschoolers, look at those faces! We had so much fun learning about putting on the armor of God!


Kidz Corner all cleaned and organized. Mandy helped Marty and I get it back into a safe place to play for the kids above and those who come after them the rest of the summer. Like my shirt? It's my favorite. I use it for all things messy! I like having that YardLines logo, kind of like having Ed with me all the time.

Our worship leader, Pastor Gary used these videos from one time blind for discussion.


They are still making me think about how I'm living my life.

If you have time hop over to Crystal Laine Miller's site and read about me when I was a kid. And there's a book give away too, so leave a comment and an email on her blog!

Camp Pioneer--post one

I spent last week at Camp Pioneer in Angola, New York. My church goes there every summer for a servant event. They do odd jobs and big jobs to get the camp ready for summer campers. This was my first trip there. I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard about refurbished cabins, cottages being built and beautiful sunsets. No one told me about the daisies. They are my favorite flower and they were everywhere.






I arrived at camp sick. Not fair! I had a terrible cold most of the week making it difficult to have a good time. Ed, had lot of fun though. Since he can eat regular food he was able to go to the dining hall for his meals. He said there was a lot of singing before and after each meal. I like to sing. While he was doing that I was in my room with my gluten-free meal and a book. Since I felt awful that was a nice break.

The first day I and my friend, Marty worked with the preschoolers. I love working with kids that age. When I started my 'career' I intended to get a degree in early childhood, the college I was at didn't have that program so I switched to a degree in learning disabilities/behavior disorders and minored in psychology. I clearly strayed from my path. Working with the little ones gave me such joy (even while feeling terrible!) Later that afternoon we tackled kids corner. What a mess! It hadn't been used since last summer and a lot of inappropriate things had found there way inside, like an electric shaver! That could have been fun for some budding barber!

more to come.....
Diana

Awarded and passing it on to others!

How cool is this? My own lemonade stand. Delightful Dwelling nominated me for it. So now it’s time to pass on the blog award to 10 other talented bloggers who display great “attitude and gratitude.” It’s hard to pick just 10 but here they are:

Slice of Book Pie keeps me entertained with her clever wit and photos.

Shabby Chic Cottage has a terrific L that she made. I want to try this project too!

Writer Unboxed never know who will turn up on this blog but it's always interesting to read.

A Spacious Place great book reviews here!

Gluten-Free Girl without her I would be lost, not knowing
there are wonderful foods out there that I can eat.

Sew Forth Now offers me an excellent monthly podcast on sewing.

Michael Hyatt so much to learn from him if you're a writer!

Routines for Writers just looking at that blog makes me feel productive!

Inspiration for Decoration great ideas for my home and for the places my characters call home!

Camy's Loft always fun to read and she gives away books!