Waiting for Columbus

Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk is a kind of sensuous novel I think. I certainly would like to meet the Columbus from this book who loved wine, women and adventure. I'm pretty sure he didn't look like the real Columbus in the picture to the left. The great things about books is you can kindof make them look like they want. I'm pretty sure my Columbus would be handsome!

A man is brought to an institution, he truly believes he is Christopher Columbus. He tells wonderful stories with a charisma that draws people to him. He tells stories of his desire to find the new world, stories of women he has made love to and how that loving feels, stories of his doubts. Are the stories real and true, or are they false? To tell more would ruin your own chance to be drawn into the world of Waiting for Columbus!

Saints in Limbo

It was the kind of day when even the lost believed. When possibilities were larger than reason, when potential was grander than circumstance, when the long dark days of doubt were suddenly cast off and laid to rest. Brushed away with a smile and a certainty. And in this moment, from this place, you knew the real magic could happen.

Okay, I started this at around 11:30 last night (my husband was snoring), and ended up staying up till 2 am to finish it. If you were as attracted to this very first paragraph in the book as I was, you will want to run to the library and get Saints in Limbo by River Jordan. This is the first book I've read by her, but am eager to read more from this wonderful storyteller. I did not know this book was christian fiction--it is definitely the good variety of christian fiction. I didn't think it was smarmy at all. I truly dislike smarmy christian ficiton! She uses wonderful language as well, something that is often missing from many genres of books. For example:

The firstborn leaves of March had sprouted into the tiniest sea of baby green. The world was breathing in and out, moving everything in its path slightly, and on due course, with a gentle, four-edges-of-the-earth kiss.

Isnt' that great? I'm not going to return this book to the library for a while, it's worth a re-read.

A Quote to Ponder

A quote from Dallas Willard (The Spirit of the Disciplines) to ponder:

The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age for spiritual heroes--a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith and in spiritual character and power. The greatest danger to the Christian church today is that of pitching it's message too low.

Quotes like this really tempt me to buy books (who can read this and not want to read the book!). I'm guessing it's sinful to keep satisfying that lust!

Somehow this makes me think of the battle scene in Lord of the Rings, the one where they really don't think there is any remote chance that they will win or survive, then "light" (Gandolf) parts the way and brings hope. This may seem a little weird to some of you . . .

Wierd Dreams

There are a lot of things I won't miss about my cycle when (and if) I ever do get finished with the darn thing, but one thing I will miss is weird dreams. I don't always have this happen, but this time I did. So okay, I'm driving a semi truck, and I don't even know how to drive a semi truck. I'm coming up to some hills covered with water, and I don't know how to stop or slow down. To make matters worse, there's a cow walking really slowly in the water on the road in front of me. I don't know how I manage it, but I do slow down, and manage to avoid the cow and an accident. Then, somehow, I'm at a house, and there's a woman there in a wedding dress. But where did the wedding dress come from - all I really know about this is I know it's not hers because her's has gold thread through the ruffles at the top. So this is all really strange, but even stranger is, running through the dream there is a song kind of humming through me, I know the tune, but the only words that I know are Jesus, He's all you need. This is an actual song, but I just can't bring it to mind right now. The cool thing about this is, as it's humming through me, and I'm thinking about the Bible verse about how you will always have trials, and that you should meet these trials with joy, I'm realizing, it's not joy, laugh laugh joy, but joy, deep contentment humming through you, because, after all, Jesus, He's all you need. Very strange, but good in that strange weird dream sort of way!