Freedom in the Midst of Freedom (A More To Life Magazine Blog)

“I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” Psalm 119:45

Even though Memorial Day became a federal holiday in 1971, one of the first public “Memorial Day-like” tributes ever recorded was in 431 B.C. The Greek general, Pericles, delivered a funeral address, praising the sacrifice and valor of those killed in the Peloponnesian War. The speech has been lauded for its moving and lasting sentiment, compared, most memorably, to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Poignantly, in light of the last few months with the Coronavirus, Pericles died two years later from the plague which ravaged Athens. One-third of the population died, and modern physicians have concluded it was a measles outbreak, based on symptoms reported and recorded by the doctors and historians of the day.

Despite the solemnness of Memorial Day and all it entails, taking time to reflect does remind us of our freedom. The one overarching goal for which all the men and women honored on this day fought. And it’s the same overarching goal for which our brave men and women today fight.

For those of us who serve Almighty God—whether it be on the dirty battlefields of men or the spiritual battlefields of the eternal, this day should remind us of our freedom in Christ too. A freedom that reaches beyond war. Beyond heroes. Beyond even physical, political, or financial freedom. God’s precepts put to death, once and for all—as C. S. Lewis put it, “money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” Freedom being at the top of that list.

Today, may we as believers seek after God’s precepts so we may be able to walk about in a freedom that surpasses all human understanding and gives hope to those in search of it.

To see the complete post with endnotes, click HERE!

Humor in the Midst of Intensity (A Seriously Write Blog)

During this “pandemic” we call the COVID-19 Coronavirus, there have been some funny things that have come across my social media feeds. Some of the ones that made me laugh out loud were:

Three hours into homeschooling: One is suspended for skipping, and the other one has already been expelled.

Day 4 of Homeschooling: All my students passed for the year today.

(Picture of a mother holding a cloth in front of her son’s face): Day 7 of 

Homeschool Biology: Testing to see if Chloroform has a smell.

(Picture of a man’s belt draped over a doorknob): Just hired an assistant principal for our homeschool.

(Three weeks into the stay-at-home order): Is it okay to shower now, or do I just keep washing my hands?

Click HERE to see the rest of the story!

The Author Behind the Story series - Neena Gaynor

We here at ckevinthompson.com hope everyone is doing well! We hope you're being allowed outside...able to do some shopping, besides groceries...able to work...able to walk on a beach or through a park or wherever, just as long as it isn't from the easy chair or sofa to the refrigerator! Right? 

COVID-19 or not, it's a small world. I met our next guest through our publisher. My latest novel, The Letters, and her latest novel (which we'll talk about more in a moment) are both published by Mantle Rock Publishers (which was just bought by Scrivenings Press). In the midst of working with a new publisher, as an author, you tend to get to know the other writers, expanding that network, and just getting to meet some great people. 

In the midst of getting to know our next guest, it turned out that I already knew her mother-in-law. I had met her back on 2013 at the Reader's Favorite Award Ceremony in Miami. Her mother-in-law was the president of RF! I have pictures of us standing on stage as I received my award.

Small world, indeed.

So, without anymore trips down memory lane, let me welcome to our Florida front porch my fellow MRP author, Neena Gaynor! It's warming up down here in FLA. We're getting into that summertime pattern of hot, rain, humid. Rinse. Repeat. So, pull up a chair, Neena, grab some iced tea, and give us a quick bio, would you? In fifty words or less, who is Neena Gaynor? 

Hello there! I’m Neena Gaynor, a former nurse who has spent much of the last decade traveling with my husband, Wade, a former professional baseball player. After changing our address 29 times and moving a young family all around the US, I’ve learned to embrace the peace that only comes from the steady accompaniment of Christ. Today, I’m happy to be back in our old Kentucky home, beekeeping, writing, and being Mom. I’m excited to share about my newly released debut novel, The Bird and the Bees.

Where did you go to school? 

I graduated with my Bachelors and Masters in Nursing from Western Kentucky University. It was also there that I also met my husband.

Smart girl. Got the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Science (Nursing), and got the "Mrs." degree too. That happens a lot, doesn't it?

I’m going to give you a shotgun list of favorites. List your favorite in each category and then tell us in one sentence why it is your favorite. 

Favorite Song of All-Time: Country Road – John Denver

Favorite Non-Fiction Book (other than your own & besides the Bible): Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis (Love that book! I use it as a quote in the front matter of my Blake Meyer series!)

Favorite Bible Verse: So hard to choose one! John 10:10 maybe?

Favorite Movie: Meet the Parents

Favorite Actor or Actress: Audrey Hepburn

Favorite TV Show: Downton Abbey (My wife is watching that right now!)

Favorite Novel (other than your own): Redeeming Love – Francine Rivers

Favorite Author (other than you): Wendell Berry

Favorite Sport: Baseball

Favorite Team (Can be any sport, any level): WKU Hilltoppers!

Favorite Subject in School Growing Up: English/Lit

Favorite Subject Now: Literature

Favorite Teacher in School: Mrs. Burton- 4^th Grade

Favorite Time of the Year: Summer

Favorite Place to Vacation: Clearwater Beach, FL (I have to admit, I have lived in FL most of my life, and I have never been to CB... Never been to Key West either... Guess I should get out more.)

Favorite Drink: Coffee (Yes! I love Coffee.)

Favorite Food: Watermelon (Uh, no...)

Tell us about what project you are currently working on.

As a mother, I’m constantly reading children’s picture books. I’m working on something that would share my delight and the importance of honey bees. I’m particularly partial to my test readers, my two little boys. They’re the ones with the great ideas.

What surprised you the most during the research for the book you are currently working on?

The main character in The Bird and the Bees has been propelled out the Appalachians to the unfamiliar northwest shore of Pennsylvania. She’s skeptical and hurt by deep, secret wounds in her past, and she’s guarded her heart by erecting walls around any sort of vulnerability or hope for love. After I had already determined that Larkin would be living in Presque Isle with a view of the

lighthouse, it was a wonderful discovery to learn that the actual lighthouse in Erie was constructed with a five brick-deep thickness to withstand storms. Moments like this is when writers happy dance over symbolic happenstance!... or maybe that’s just me. ;)

Writers get it. Others think we're nuts, I do believe.

How do you come up with the names for your characters?

Choosing character names was an experience much like being a parent, and I kept changing the names in The Bird and the Bees as they would develop. I wanted the name to represent my hopes for fictional lives. I ended up looking at baseball rosters and in botanical field guides for inspiration. I also decided I either need more babies or dogs or maybe just more fictional characters to name because there are so many great ones out there. ;)

If you had one person you could meet (think ONLY Bible characters here) and could spend as much time as you wanted with that individual, who would it be besides Jesus? 

If I can’t choose Jesus, then I would definitely choose his mother, Mary. She was the first to trust and follow Jesus, and is a model of faith through her total surrender to the will of the Lord. She is the mother of Jesus, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, and a daughter of God… I’d say the conversations could be endless!

We know “Readers are leaders, and leaders are readers.” Is there a book you’ve read in the past five years or so that has helped you become a better you? If so, which one was it, and how did it affect your life? 

There’s a short little read by Elisa Morgan called, She Did What She Could. It takes the story of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume in Mark 14:1-9 and expounds on the words of Christ that this lady “did what she could.” Morgan takes everyday examples of regular women making choices not to do something crazy or impossible, but being active and intentional in the moment. Maybe they can do something amazing like adopt a child, or buy groceries for the person behind them, or say a prayer for the homeless they see hurting. The point is there is always something we can do, we just tend to do nothing because we think our offerings aren’t grand/won’t be remembered/seem menial. Doing even the smallest act of service or sacrifice is a glorying Christ.

Sounds like the heart and soul of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). All the servant with one talent had to do was do something with it. Not hide it in fear.

Neena, it's been a pleasure having you on as a guest. Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about you, or anything we didn’t cover? 

Writing The Bird and the Bees took off when I determined "the what" I wanted readers to glean from the gritty story of Larkin. The theme of the book is the power of choice. I believe much of our lives are a result of the choices we make, big and small. What we are experiencing right now with the Coronavirus points to the fact that there are some things in life we would never choose. I still believe we determine our response, and the best response is always to choose Jesus. Choose Him in the moment. Choose Him every day.

Amen.

Readers, thanks for stopping by and getting to know another author in our series, The Author Behind the Story. If you wish to get to know more about Neena's writing, you can find her in cyberspace here:

www.wordslikhoney.com

www.instagram.com/neenagaynor/

www.facebook.com/neenagaynor/

Until next time, may God bless America, and may America - now more than ever! - bless God!

Kevin

www.ckevinthompson.com