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grief

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God Always Has a Plan--James H. Pence

Humanities & CultureSpirituality and Faith

3 months ago

I gradated from the Christian Writers Guld and read a lot on the writing craft.  James H. Pence Blind Sight is everything they tell you to do in writing a great book.  I was hooked from the first sentence.  The setting was a character, adding to the suspense.  Second hand characters were painted with full dimensional strokes and the protagonist is written so well I want to journey with him.  If you have a reader on your Christmas list, bless them twice.  I loved Blind Sight and I'm lookinf forward to reading Terror by Night.  Read below to read more of how God used Blind Sight to minister to a man who lost his family and bring about Terror by Night.

 

Publisher: Tyndale
Hardcover: 288 pgs
ISBN-10: 1414334761
ISBN-13: 9781414334769
Retail: $22.99
Publisher:Tyndale
      Paperback: 364 pages       
   ISBN-10: 1601454384   
ISBN-13: 978-1601454386
Retail: $17.95
 
 
How James H Pence Met Terry Caffey...

Terry Caffey and I met through my karate for homeschoolers class. Back in 2005, his wife Penny brought two of their three children and enrolled them in my class. Erin their oldest daughterand Tyler their youngest son or two of my students. Over time, Erin and my daughter Charlene became very good friends. As a matter of fact, Charlene would often stay with the Caffey's when my wife and I were traveling.

Somewhere in there I gave Mrs. Caffey a copy of my novel Blind Sight. I don't remember if she read it, but she was a big reader so she probably did. As far as I know Terry had never read it.

About six weeks after his family was murdered and his house burned, Terry returned to his property and stood on the ashes of his house crying out to God. His burden that day was to understand why God had taken his family and left him behind without them.

As he was praying, he noticed about 15 feet away a brown scorched page from a book leaning up against the trunk of a tree. He went over and picked it up and read it. It just happened to be a single page from Blind Sight that had survived the fire.

But it wasn't just any page. It was the page where my main character, a man who had lost his family in an automobile accident, came to grips with God's sovereignty in his loss.  When Terry picked up that piece of paper the first lines he read were, "I couldn't understand why you would take my family and leave me to struggle along without them but I do believe you are sovereign. You are in control."

It was as if God had saved or preserved that piece of paper to remind Terry that he still cared.

Some time ago, when I was struggling with my own depression over the fact that Blind Sight hadn't sold very well, I gave my book back to God. And I told the Lord that he would just use it in someone's life I would be happy. And boy did he use it in someone's life. From the standpoint of a writer I can think of no greater honor than for God to use my words to change someone's heart.

A few weeks after I learned of the connection between Terry and my book, we got together and began to discuss the possibility of telling this amazing story in book form.
About Terror by Night:
 
(Greenville, TX) – A father denied his daughter dating privileges with a certain young man. Typical teenage behavior might have included pouting, a bad attitude or perhaps even a yelling match. Never in a million years would Terry Caffey have suspected it would involve murder. Yet, in the early morning hours of March 8, 2008, Terry’s whole world turned upside down. His wife and two sons where brutally murdered and burned in the house they lived and Terry was shot twelve times…by his daughter and her friends. 
Terry Caffey and James Pence reconstruct this tragic yet strangely beautiful true story of God’s sovereignty, forgiveness and grace in Terror by Night. As if the story of Caffey’s family wasn’t enough, readers will be captivated by the way God ordained the meeting between the Blind Sight author and Caffey with a burnt page from Blind Sight found at the crime scene.
 
About Blind Sight:
 
No one plans for bad things to happen. No one plans on losing their family. No one knows how to move on after horror strikes. No one. Not even Thomas Kent. After receiving a strange phone call from a long-ago friend requesting Kent to pick up a package at the airport, Kent begins a spine tingling, suspense filled journey in which he hopes to reunite the package (his friend’s children) with their mother, Justine, a traitor in the Fellowship for World Renewal Cult. Twists and turns in this page turning drama make Blind Sight not only a journey of extreme action and thrills, but one of discovering the sovereign plan of God.
 
 
James H. Pence is a full-time professional writer and editor living near Dallas, Texas. James is a multi-talented writer who has been published in both fiction and nonfiction. His publishers include Tyndale House, Kregel, and Osborne/McGraw-Hill. James holds a master’s degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in creative writing and journalism from Dallas Theological
Seminary. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from Dallas Bible College.
 
James is also a vocalist and gospel chalk artist, and he regularly uses his talents to share the gospel in prisons. James is the author of Blind Sight, a gripping novel about mind-control cults and coauthor (along with Terry Caffey) of the new book: Terror by Night: The True Story of the Brutal Texas Murder that Destroyed a Family, Restored One Man’s Faith, and Shocked a Nation.
 
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Another breed of cancer survivors

LifestyleHealth, Sports & Fitness

3 months ago

Wikipedia defines a cancer survivor as “… an individual with cancer of any type, current or past, who is still living.”

I am pretty sure that the definition should be amended to include those who lost a loved one to cancer.

You see, we – my grandparents and sisters and dad, and all of my mom’s good friends and family – we are cancer survivors as well.

We are the leftovers of my mom’s brain cancer.

We are the ones left with picking up the pieces. My mom is gone, but we’re still here, and so many of our daily activities are constant reminders of her death. Whether it’s celebrating my niece’s birthday without my mom – and remembering she was at the previous one – or celebrating my nephew’s birthday – and still feeling slightly shocked that instead of my mother, my dad’s new girlfriend is celebrating with us – these are all symptoms of our survival. (Side note: We really love my dad’s new girlfriend and her sons – but that’s for another post.)

We are the ones who are grieving on a daily basis. The ones who need to figure out where we go from here, what changes we need to make, such as the previously-mentioned deletion of phone numbers and email addresses.

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Mind on a Horizon

LifestyleLove & Relationships

4 months ago

Trickle, the winds, swinging my hairs a bit,
Clears up my forehead, I feel so light,
I roam about on four wheels of god,
Am happy, am sad, am enjoying my life.
The clouds are thick, sun's about to set,
It peeps out of the shadows, to have a last look;
It's going away, only to come back again,
It will shine very soon, on rivers and brook.
I feel am happy, someone asks me from behind,
What am I doing right now?
Am just reopening my mind..
This brain knows only business,
This heart can count all money,
Am accused I have no emotions,
After all these years, doesn't this sound funny?
Beats my heart, on the tunes of life,
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A letter...Never delivered

LifestyleLove & Relationships

5 months ago


Yo luv...hi. This is the last time am gonna tell you a few things. Don't tear apart this piece of paper. A few lines are not gonna harm you. Firstly, wish you a Happy Puja. Won't lie by writing that you are enjoying this puja a lot. But you will get over. Am sure of that. At times, I still get a bit angry on you, coz I try to figure out the reasons for our splitting. But the intensity has gone down. Your presence turned an animal into a man. Your absence has turned the man into a gentleman. Have become much more reserved. You have always been very loving and considerate. But pull down your expectations a bit. Every person has his own pros and cons. You can't customize humans, can you? Don't keep running from your past. You still are the girl whose eyes used to order me. Try to have confidence on people dear, there are good people in this world apart from your family. Trusting people has actually become my problem, coz your departure has hammered the final nail in my coffin; I can't trust anyone nowadays. There's another thing I'd like to tell ya. Try to avoid the corporate world. You are a really good girl, but thus corporate stuff is not your cup of tea. I have always had a bad feeling about this, hence I had decided to make you join my business. Don't let anyone influence your decisions, anyone. There's another thing...try to control your insecurity feeling, coz your words in those moments can hurt someone. The real fight will begin now dear, fight hard. I will keep on updating myself about you from time to time. Afterall am a stubborn scorpio. But don't worry, that's my problem.
I have never ever doubted you. Maybe I used some wrong words or tones, but that's life. Hope someone stayed back in the car with my tired darling on Shashthi night. Know what? When I went to your sister's home to bring you back, I had'nt properly taken food for two days. My legs were shaking a bit, so I asked your mom if I could just rest for 10 minutes. She snapped back ordering me to leave within 5 minutes. She had her reasons, I understand. But that is the biggest insult I have ever received. Still, I never thought of getting even. For love's sake, this much can be beared..right? Never sacrifice your dignity for anything dear, but remember...love is something ethereal. We fight and quarrel with our loved ones only. Long letter eh? Fingers are paining now. I no longer write anecdotes. Have loved and cared for you as much as I can. But guess I have my limitations. Nowadays am doing what my brain is best designed for...am earning money. The irony is, have no one to spend it on. Miss you, my Lady in Red. Love you.
Akash

Wrote her this letter before the Pujas. One of my friends was supposed to visit her, so I thought I would send the piece of paper also. But some problems arose, resulting in the cancellation of the visit. So, it remained undelivered.
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Book Review: Cindy Woodsmall's The Sound of Sleigh Bells

Humanities & CultureSpirituality and Faith

5 months ago


Cindy Woodsmall had me at When the Heart Cries.  I'm drawn to Amish themed books but the plots were becoming so similar I was mixing up authors and books.  When the Heart Cries was so original and such a page turner, Cindy Woodsmall has been on my radar ever since.

The Sound of Sleigh Bells is a comfy bad weather day read.  What sets this book apart is the creation of a relationship through letters, deceit, grief, good intentions, and fear.  The characters were likeable even when not making wise choices.  I loved the contrast how one event could be a dream for one, and a a nightmare for another.

It sounds weird, but I loved the cover.  I guess I'm a sucker for nature pictures but this cover just whispered peace to me.  I know publishers are keeping track of consumer trends, and focus on covers is a big one.  If I just saw this book on a shelf, I'd be drawn to it.  What makes it even better is the writing matches the picture.  I finished the book refreshed, challenged, and at a peace.

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Tears and laughter cleanse the heart. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Humanities & CultureQuotes and Insights

5 months ago


Tears and laughter cleanse the heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Are you holding back long-suppressed emotions? Let your feelings flow, right now.

While some of us wear our emotions on our sleeve, others keep feelings bottled up for decades. Strike a balance. If you are suffering with unexpressed frustration or grief, let the tears flow. Then find a friend to laugh with. Laughter, however artificial it feels, lightens the saddest moments and bonds us to family and friends.

Further reading: Celebrate endings - for they precede new beginnings. - jlh

Life's burdens are lighter when I laugh at myself - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Life is magnificent - just as it comes.

How To Cope With Loss, Grief and the Fear Of Your Own Mortality

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