The Book of Eli

(SPOILER ALERT: Don't read this if you've never seen "The Book of Eli" and you plan to!)

I'm not much of a movie person. I would much rather sit and jam to music than watch a movie, and when I do I prefer a comedy. However, we watched "The Book of Eli" last night and I was absolutely blown away by its powerful message.

The story takes place after what is referred to as "the flash" and "the war", which one can only assume means a nuclear and/or world war. Very few people survived and the land is barren. Water is a commodity that is traded for other goods because it is so difficult to find.

After the war, only one King James Bible is left in existence and it is entrusted to one man, who has been instructed by God to "go west" and share it with a new, lost world. Those born after the war have never even heard of it. Knowing the entire world was without hope and direction, God places the book in the hands of Eli (Denzel Washington) and promises to protect him from everyone and everything on his journey.

Eli is met with powerful resistance along the way by a thug and his small army who want the Bible to control their city, and to take over control of the rest of the world.

It may seem like I've given away most of the movie, but I assure you... there is so much more to this tale. It is by far one of the deepest movies I have ever seen. There is a lot of violence and profanity, but it is not gratuitous. Unlike many of the overtly "Christian" movies out there, this is true to life. The violence and the profanity showcases both the struggle between good and evil, and, at times, the power and might of God. (Well, maybe not the profanity, but some of the violence.)
It is a reminder that, yes, God loves us, but there will come a day when God will kick evil to the curb in a way that shocks everyone there to see it.

Faced with the decision to give up his copy of the Bible and save his friend, or hang onto it and watch her die, Eli ultimately decides to give to his enemies. He continues west without the book, which his friend cannot understand. When his enemies get back to their base, they discover that the Bible is in braille and only one person there can read it, but she refuses to translate it. His evil empire begins to crumble, with no leader and no biblical authority.

Eli reaches San Francisco and Alcatraz Island, which is no longer a prison but a hub of technology where the few great minds that survived the war are trying to re-start the world. They have copies of most of the great works from "before" - an almost complete set of the Encyclopedia Britannica, Shakespeare, compositions by Mozart, etc. No Bible, however.

Eli read his Bible every day. So when he reaches Alcatraz, he recites the Bible, word for word, verse by verse, as it is copied down onto paper by hand. Eventually, they develop a printing press, and the Bible is copied over and over and distributed the world around.

This movie is a beautiful testament (no pun intended) to the power and hope that is the Word of God.

I am not a movie buff, but this is one flick I will be buying and keeping in my library. I walked away from it cherishing my Bible, and understanding how important it is to know it inside and out, so that it is written on my heart. God's Word doesn't need a leather cover. It just needs a willing person to cling to. Pin It

Yours Truly

Back in 2002, my brother turned me on to blogging. I had never published anything in my life, but I wanted to be a writer, and the idea of instant gratification was very appealing to me.

My first blog was Fidler on the Roof. It became very popular during the 2004 election because I was extremely conservative at the time and blogged for a number of political blogs that drew readers. I also wrote about my painful background and my faith in Christ, and in that same year, I was offered a book contract with Relevant Books, thanks, in part, to my blog.

And, let's be honest. I'm very charming.

My book, Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For the Better or the Absolute Worst, came out in June 2005.

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about nine years ago, at the age of 23. I had lost just about everything - I couldn't hold down a job, I was practically a hermit, and my young marriage was falling apart. Sometimes I spent weeks in bed, suicidally depressed; other times, I spent a week or two without any sleep whatsoever - manic and angry. It took about six years to find a combination of medication that truly helped me. I'm happy to say that I rarely have symptoms anymore, and when I do, they are far less frequent and severe. God, my husband, and I saved my marriage (my book is about the first 4 years of our wedded bliss nightmare) and I am a functioning, happy human being.


These days, I'm a freelance writer, wife, and "cat mom." I collect coffee cups and drink too much coffee. I waste time playing Tetris and watching stupid comedies on TV. I decided to abandon reason my day job two-and-a-half years ago to write full-time from home, but quickly discovered that home is the world's most distracting place to work. For about three months out of the year, I try to convince myself and the rest of the world that I am athletic and physically fit. I love nature in small doses. My favorite food is anything I don't have to cook.

This blog is about all of that, plus some other stuff. I want Christians to understand mental illness. In my experience, many of them don't. I hope this blog will be a teaching tool and a support for those that suffer, and those that love them.

But this is also where I write about the crazy things that happen to me. Everyone says that crazy things happen to them, but trust me... crazy things happen to *me*. Read on. See for yourself. Have a laugh at my expense.

Blog on, my friends.

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Comfy In My Own Skin

Ever since I went to see Amy Grant in concert on August 1, I've been a little lost. Hearing her songs live, and shaking her hand backstage reminded me of another time and another place in my life. I was 18 years old, a college freshman in Nashville, and a wannabe songwriter.

It was the best time of my life, and the worst time of my life. I was a star-struck teenager living in a big city for the first time. Like most college kids, I found my share of trouble and did my fair share of stupid stuff. I loved Nashville - the city itself - and had a number of once-in-a-lifetime experiences there.

I dropped out of college that first year and moved back to Pennsylvania, intending to go back permanently as soon as I was financially able. A year after moving home, I was good to go. I was about to start packing my brand new luggage when I met the man who would become my husband, and that fast, all of my plans changed.

I wanted to move back to Nashville after we got married, but Scott wanted nothing of it. I had a choice to make, and I chose love. I chose the husband, the house with the white picket fence, and the kids running around in the yard. Or so I thought.

It wasn't long after we got married that our marriage began to fall apart. Through many years and much hard work, we pieced it back together and made it beautiful again. Ten years into this life together, we are going strong. But we don't have the house and the white picket fence. We have the apartment with the unidentifiable bugs on the deck and the crazy ghetto neighbors. Parenthood has eluded us, as well. Maybe it always will.

So I've found myself thinking about the past, wondering what it might have been like if I had chosen Nashville over Scott. Would I have become a successful songwriter? Would I have plenty of money to play with, fewer worries, and more fun? It has been a long time since I really yearned for Nashville. Ever since seeing Amy... I have been.

Then, Scott pulled me close to him last night and said, "You're my girl." I knew then and there, I am where I am supposed to be.

People trade in love for all kinds of stupidity. They trade in commitment for the easy way out. Usually they trade it in for what could have been, or what they perceive life could be like in the future. One by one they crumble. It could have been us. It almost happened to us.

I could have packed up and left everything behind. The marital problems, the financial problems, the crappy jobs, everything. Had I done that, I would have missed out on the satisfaction of having fought it out with my husband and, in the end, won. I would have traded a terrible marriage in before it had the chance to blossom into something beautiful.

No town or "dream" is worth such a loss.
So I am comfortable here, where I am, at this very moment, in my own skin. I would not trade a thing. Pin It

Burned (By Stupidity)

At long last, a day at the lake. Just what I had been wishing for!

For 5 hours, I swam and played with my nieces and a friend. Five hours of sunshine, water, and relaxation. It didn't occur to me that I should put some suntan lotion on. I don't know why, since I ALWAYS wear it when I'm outside. Even when someone told me I was looking "pink", even then I didn't whip out my bottle of Hawaiian Tropic. Nor did it cross my mind that two of the medications I take say to "avoid prolonged sun exposure." Oops.

Several times, I swam out as far as I could go without being hit by a speed boat. No one goes out that far, the water is deep, and it's fairly quiet, I like to swim out there and just float on my back. No balls being thrown over your head, no rocks to step on, no 10-year-olds wanting to cling to you because they can't touch the bottom. While I was out there, I realized I had a pounding headache and an upset stomach. I blamed it on sea sickness and slowly swam into shore.

Once I reached land, I peeked into my bathing suit top to find out what was itching me. I was covered in sand, sludge, and green algae that looked like fur. Disgusted and done with swimming for the day, I went to the showers, which are public, so I had to lean forward and let the freezing cold water splash down the front of me. I went into the locker room to change and that's when I realized it wasn't sea sickness that was bothering me. I was burnt to a crisp.

I saw that my entire body was lobster red, and realized I could reach around to take my suit off. Disrobing was a lengthy process, complete with ouches and AUGHS!!! I came home and basically coated myself from head to toe with aloe gel, then took 4 ibuprofen. I then took an excruciating REAL shower.

I never get simple sunburns. At the Creation festival in 1997, I got sun poisoning which required an ER visit, several days spent in bed, and sitting in ice. Three years ago I got so burned while visiting Atlantic City, I had chills and flu-like symptoms the whole way home, and then my shoulders turned into giant orange blisters. At the time, I hadn't had my breast reduction surgery yet, and I couldn't wear a bra because of the blisters. I could possibly get away with going to a job bra-less now, but definitely not then. As a result, I missed almost a week or work.

I suspect I will make some dermatologist very wealthy one day. Pin It

Tired

Today is the day I try to figure out who is lying to me. I'm going to look over my notes and figure it out. I'm praying God will show me who is in the right, and who is in the wrong, so I can stand with the right people. If I need to apologize, I'll apologize. I just want to know.

I'm sick of being used. I'm going to define the word "family" once and for all... I hope... with God's help. Pin It

Words of Advice

If you're a businessperson... don't be rude to the person writing an article about you. Don't ever make writers angry. Especially if they're freelance, like I am. It's a great way to get bad publicity.

Enough said. Pin It

You Just Never Know

I wish I could elaborate, but I can't. Still, this is my blog, so I'm going to vent here.

There is a good chance that *I* am the fool. And, if I am, it changes everything. It changes it drastically. It changes it in a life-will-never-be-the-same-again kind of way.

I don't want to be wrong.

But if I am... I'll have to eat this sneaker.

Last night, I prayed for guidance and wisdom... for God to effectively open my eyes to the truth. This morning, I opened my Bible to read it for the first time in far too long. Leviticus 6.

Funny how even when God answers you directly, you spend the next few hours trying to dismiss it away. Pin It