What in the World is Going On? by Dr. David Jeremiah

From the Back Cover:
The Bible has plenty to say about end times. But until now, there has been no other book that-in straightforward prose that's easy to understand-gathers ten scriptural prophecies, lays out a chronological checklist, and offers a guideline for sorting it all out. In What in the World Is Going On? Dr. David Jeremiah answers the hard questions, including these: How is prophecy playing out in modern Europe? Why does Israel matter? How are oil reserves and Islamic terrorism related? Does the United States play a role in prophecy? How should we live in the end times? 





Events unfolding in today's world are certainly unsettling, but they need not be confusing or frightening. Now you can know the meaning behind what you see in the daily news-and understand what in the world is going on!

~--------~

By the time I had finished reading the first page- no, the first sentence- of What in the World Is Going On? I was completely sucked in. When I stayed up late into the night reading the first chapter, I felt as though I knew more about Biblical prophecy and the end times than I ever had in my whole LIFE. And that was only chapter 1 of 10!
Everything, from the rapture to the return of Christ, was explained in a simple and cohesive manner that never confused me or caused me to have to stare at the page for ten minutes before I finally understood what Dr. Jeremiah was trying to get across.
If I ever need to explain to someone what will take place during the end times, I know I can always pick up What in the World Is Going On? and the Bible and be totally equipped to make a clear explanation.

Easily, this book has earned itself 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat.


This complimentary copy of What in the World Is Going On? was given to me by Booksneeze.

Six Reasons Why Magazines Are Stupid

Okay, so that's actually quite an exagerated title. Magazines aren't really stupid... just some things about them are. =P In fact I used to LOVE getting my American Girl magazine in the mail every other month... I even now like flipping through my little brother's Lego magazine and looking at the Star Wars sets. But as we were traveling to Nebraska yesterday my mom was reading a few magazines and these things popped into my head.   6 things about magazines that I find silly:

1. You can read a 200 page magazine in about fifteen minutes to half an hour. It takes about 1-4 hours (just a guess) to read a 200 page novel (small print)

2. It's about the same things over and over again, basically. (How to shed 2 pounds in two weeks; How celebrity moms handle kids, husbands, and life; What the First Lady thinks about stuff; etc.)

3. The cover model's head usually covers part of the title.. I mean, what if a foreigner came over and was looking at the magazine rack in Wal-Mart?  They'd be like, "Goodeeping? [GoodHouskeeping] Reok? [Redbook] Outoorife? [OutDoorLife]"

4. You've got at least 30 pages with ads on there, and some of it isn't an ad! It's the side affects for Advil or something! And who wants to read THAT?

5. There usually aren't any useful columns... (unless you're reading something like a hunting magazine that tells you how to clean your duck decoys)

6. The recipes are beyond my cooking skills.


**This post is not meant to slam any magazines or offend their readers. It is for entertainment and amusing purposes only**

Haha, this post is more of a filler. I couldn't think of anything else to blog about XD

In His Service,
Brenna

I Was Tagged by This Crazy Dude....

Wow, I mean, WOW. This is SO awesome. TWO blog awards??!? Dude. This. Is. Wicked. Lol =P But seriously, it totally made my day when I found out I had been awarded twice by Nathan. These are what he gave me:

(I felt especially honored by this one)

Okay, now I'm supposed to answer these questions:

If you could write one word, what would it be?

Frolic

Use one word to describe yourself.

Unbalanced

What is something random about you/your writing that you'd like to say right now?

I hate writing from prompts. Besides the fact that I'm terrible at it, I think real, pure stories come from God, not other humans.

Think up an absurd title for a book.

The Lame (Current) Thoughts of Doofus, A Dead Dingo

What is the strangest sentence you can think of?

"Used to be I'd scream like a mashed cat when you wanted to spend that kind of money." (Something my dad said once...)

What do you write?

Mostly Christian fiction and fantasy, though right now I'm outlining sort of a love story *hears guys gagging in the background*

If you had a weird disease and could only make one sound over and over, what would it be?

Woof.

Here are the rules all ye tagged people must abide by:

1. Post about the award

2. Award 3 other people

3. Answer the tag

I hereby award these people: Brayden Hirsch, Silver Angel, and Jacob Parker



Now for the next one:


Awesome! I have a stylish blog? Neato :D

I have to list five random things (This is going to be fun...)

Pickles are tasty
Napkins are overrated
Skillet is amazing
I can't wait to get through "The Last Battle" so I can move on to "Venom and Song"
Night is the best time to read

I now give this award to: Seth Reid and Millard (you can post it on your regular blog, I just used this blog cause I couldn't remember the url to your other one =])

Same rules as last time apply.

That's all of 'em! Thanks again Nathan!

In His Service,
Brenna

Camp Grace 2010!!! WOOT!!!!

Last week I was at the most amazing, fun, cool, awesome, fantastic, enjoyable, great, and all around spectacular Christian camp in the whole wide world. It's located on a sort of smallish mountain in the Laramie Peak mountain range in Wheatland Wyoming. This was the fifth year I've attended the camp, and guess what? I was in the senior division! (and will be for the next three? years) 'Twas awesome =] I had the greatest cabin-mates, team-mates, class-mates, and teachers.

What do you do at this camp? That's easy: Learn about God and have a boat load of fun!

You have three classes throughout the day (mine were "The Revelation", "Grace U", and "Wild or Wise; What Will YOU Choose") You also have your three meals, recesses, a Singspiration time, a time to learn about missions, and crafts or recreation. Later is a clean up time, a rest and study period, and after that... SURPRISE TIME!!!! (will later go into a story about that...) Then you have cabin devotions, evening service, and then bed time.

Surprise time: This is where the counselors and camp helpers perform super funny skits AND it is also a time where campers can volunteer to do crazy things. What did I volunteer for? Camp Grace FEAR FACTOR! Me and a boy were chosen out of the crowd of campers and were sat on a bench and given, guess what, SPAM. Whoever ate the most spam in one minute won.
Now, for those of you who have never eaten spam or don't know what it is, it's this: DISGUSTING. It's this ground up mysterious stuff (kind of like no one knows what's in a hotdog) that's really greasy in a can, that old people tend to enjoy.
Anyways, I just started shoving the stuff in my mouth, and at one point I was sure I was going to give into my gag reflexes and vomit the stuff, but I used my awesome will power and continued eating it. I didn't have much competition though, because the other kid was just nibbling at it, and by the time a minute was up I had about two thirds of the stuff eaten. I won that round! Yay! But for the rest of the day my stomach wouldn't stop rolling. >_<
So then for the finals, I went against two boys and another girl who had won other rounds. The plate they gave us to eat off of had a dog biscuit on it, some oysters (thankfully not the Rocky Mountain kind, hehe), pickled beats (which I detest), and mashed pea baby food. I went for the dog biscuit first because that was a familiar food (I had eaten dog food as a little kid), then attacked the baby food, and got a few oysters eaten, but I looked over at Laura and all she had left was the baby food. So I quit eating then and she won. Yay Laura!!! =) I was very impressed by her iron stomach, because she didn't puke after all that.



My mom was a cook again this year, so that was fun to have her around (and get to shower in her private shower! Even though the only temperature on it was ice cold, I would much rather be cold than not have any privacy)

Oh, and we actually had a mouse in our cabin. ACK! So I had a couple of Oreos in that tube plastic wrapping, and I'd had it on my bed, but when I found out there was a mouse living with us, I put the oreos (in the wrapper) on the floor so the mouse wouldn't climb on my bed to get the tasty morsels. Thankfully when morning came I discovered that my oreos had made it through the night un-nibbled. YES!! =D

For recreation (I never do crafts) we got to play volleyball and an awesome game called Human Stratego (VERY FUN). Then on Thursday we got to climb up a hill for rec, and on Friday we got to have a water fight.

Two of the nights during the week were dress up nights where you dress up fancy-like, and then on one of them there's a talent show before chapel. I didn't participate, but some of my friends did, and they had some really cool stuff that they did!

On Friday night after chapel we all gather around a bonfire and people can come up and share their testimonies or tell about what God has been doing in their lives. It's a really neat event.

To view the rest of my CG pics, go here: http://img25.imageshack.us/g/life058.jpg/


Well, that's about all I have to say about camp. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings!

In His Service,
Brenna

Tribe Building!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper are doing Tribe Building again to promote their book, Curse of the Spider King, the first novel in the Berinfell Prophecies, and the second one in the series that you can pre-order on Amazon called Venom and Song.
This is an amazing opportunity to make friends, have something awesomely fun to do this summer, and get tons of great PRIZES!!!!!!
I'm participating in the SilverTree tribe again this year, led by Nathan R. Petrie (aka Keeneye). We heartily welcome new members! For more info on how to join you can go here: http://www.heedtheprophecies.com/theunderground/
Or shoot me an email! 1tallcowgirl@wildblue.net

In His Service,
Brenna

Top Five Books for April

5. This is a very difficult decision, but I think that Nightmares Edge by Bryan Davis has earned fifth place. I might not have enjoyed it as much because I had stopped it in the middle and then restarted a while later, but I also felt a little confused at times about what was happening. It moved super fast, and sometimes I had a hard time picturing what was going on.

4. BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker. Okay, so the beginning of this one was great. And so we're all excited for the grand finale, the huge twist, and.... it just went pwooosh in the last few chapters. So I was left sitting there, thinking, "Wait, that's it? Wha- What happened? Where's the giant BOOM?" I don't know, but it seemed like it was just too easy for the main character, Ryan Evans, to defeat BoneMan.

3. Blink of an Eye by Ted Dekker. This book was amazing, and I learned a lot about Saudi Arabia =D It was just great. Nough said.

2. Green by Mr. Dekker. It made the Circle Trilogy come full circle. (I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself from the cheesy pun) It filled in so much stuff from the other Circle books and especially the Paradise Novels. Although it seemed to lack the strength the previous novels in the Circle had shown, it was still magnilicious. (Lol, Circle joke :D)

1!!!!. Numero Uno goes to..... *drum roll* Thr3e by Teddy Dekker!! Yay for mister Ted! *confetti*
Thr3e was just... just... breathtaking! It kept you guessing throughout the whole novel, which is what I love about Mr. Dekker. He is an amazing contemporary writer if there ever was one.

Thanks for reading!
In His Service,
Brenna

The Bridges

I was walking along the edge of an extremely wide crevice one day, when I noticed a bridge up ahead. I quickly ran to it to see if it could take me across the crevice. When I reached it I noticed several things: There were many people gathered together on the bridge, it only extended a little ways across the gap, and there was a sign posted by it. The sign read, "Appearances". It was then that I saw what was on the other side. A very large sign that read, "God".
I saw another bridge up ahead. I hastily made my way towards it, and I saw that it too only came halfway across the crevice. Again many people were gathered on it, and again I saw a sign posted by it. This sign had the words, "Good Works" on it.
Disappointed, I ran on and on from bridge to bridge, searching desperately for the bridge that could take me to the other side of the gap. Finally, just as I was about to give up my search, I saw a bridge with not as many people on it as the others. This bridge, however, stretched from one end of the crevice to the other. I was elated. I had found it! I had found the bridge that could take me to God. The sign by this bridge had letters written in blood red. The letters spelled out the words, "Jesus Christ".

----

Who likes my epic doodling skills? And the stick people? Awesome, I know. :P


In His Service,
Brenna

Comment Moderation

Due to strangers putting links to websites that are not family, Christian, or follower friendly, I have decided to begin moderating all comments on Posts. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience of others, and yourself, not being able to see your comment for perhaps hours, and sometimes days.
Unless these spammers quit spamming my blog, which I highly doubt they will, I will continue to monitor comments.
To (Hopefully) reduce spamming, I require that unless you are a follower or I don't know you, I ask that you would please email/message me the link(s) that you would like to post in your comment.

In His Service,
Brenna

The Bad Guys: Ulterior Motive

Every story, whether it be a book or movie, needs a villain . And every villain needs an ulterior motive. Why? Because then... the villain has no purpose. He's just someone who wears a cape and yells, "MWHAHAHAHAHA!".
So today we'll talk about what makes the bad guy bad. Why they rob banks and become serial killers. Once you know why they do wrong, you'll be able to write your own villain who has depth and meaning.

Here's a list of fairly well known bad guys (or gals) I'd like to use as examples:

BoneMan
Cruella DeVil
Darth Vader
Sauron
Ixion eh Haref
Butch Cassidy
Satan
The average bully

Greed/Money: Butch Cassidy. He loved money, therefore he robbed banks. That's kind of simple one, and probably the easiest trait to put in a character.

Jealousy: Cruella DeVil and Satan could be put under this. Cruella was jealous of the dalmatian's spotted fur and wanted it so she could have a spotted coat. She was a little wacky, if you ask me.
Satan. He's jealous of God. He wants people to worship him like they love and worship the Lord.
Sauron is, in the beginning, also jealous of Iluvitar. (here's were you get your Tolkien allegory)

Revenge: Ixion eh Haref, my own creation. He wanted to exact revenge from his father for killing his mother, and after he tastes blood and power, he begins to lust for it and wants to then rule the world, so he can be put under "Power/World Domination" too.

Power/World Domination: Probably the most common trait of a villain. Sauron, Satan, Ixion, and Darth Vader all go under this one, for obvious reasons.

Religion: Darth Vader, well, sort of. Darth Vader has been seduced by the power of the Dark Side of the Force (basically Lucas' weird evil, the Force is sort of a religion that all things are controlled by an unseen force that lives within things, much like Asian beliefs.)

Twisted Reasons: BoneMan. He thinks he's the perfect father, and he wants the perfect daughter. He abducts young women and when they don't measure up to his standards, he breaks their bones and leaves them to die.

Another one whom I don't have a person for is Mental Problems. The people who aren't all there, which causes them to kill, among other things.

Problems at Home: the reason accredited to most of your average bullies. They don't have such a great life, so they need something to take out their anger and hate on.

These are some of the main things that cause people to do wrong, and can be the perfect basis for your bad guy.

Starlighter Giveaway!!

Well, I'm not giving away Bryan Davis' newer book, Starlighter, but Nathan R. Petrie is! Just go to his blog, http://whisperedroars.blogspot.com/2010/04/book-giveaway-starlighter.html, post in a comment to be entered once, follow the blog and post a comment to be entered twice, or do the latter things AND blog about it (providing him with the link in your comment) to be entered THREE TIMES!!!!!! How great is that?!?!?! BEYOND GREAT!!! It's AWESOME! So do it now! If you've never read one of Bryan Davis' books, then you don't know what you've been missing. This is a great way to start reading his novels, also. Trust me, you won't be disappointing at all.

In His Service,

Brenna

A new story

I've been reading a lot of Ted Dekker lately, and I'm reading a novella by Brayden Hirsch, so now I'm inspired to write a mystery/thriller too!! So here's the first chapter of a story entitled "The Price of Beauty". Enjoy!


******

The man sitting at the desk pulled up a file on his computer and browsed through its content. Trent Wilson sighed. After fifteen years in the FBI he’d never come across a case as peculiar as this one. There was a nock on his door. “Yes?” he called. Jennifer McAllister stepped into his small private office.
“Another murder, sir.” The tall, slender, and very beautiful woman dropped a folder on his desk.
“Brief me.” Trent said as he opened the folder.
“DNA confirms the victim as Tina Johnson, a twenty year-old, born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. Found propped up in a display window in a small shop called Chic Boutique.” Jennifer pointed at one of the pictures protruding from the folder. “Hair was chopped off, makeup was smeared over her face, and-”
Trent finished for her. “’The Price’ was written on her forehead in lipstick.”
“You got it.”
“And let me guess, exceedingly gorgeous?”
Jen pulled out a photo and laid it on the desk for him to see. “This guy definitely has a pattern, doesn’t he?”
Trent nodded and studied the picture. A slender young woman with black hair and bright eyes leaned up against a tree. The photo was probably taken for senior yearbook. “Definite pattern, but two things are constantly inconsistent.”
“Time and place.” Jen supplied the answer, even though it was a rhetorical question.
“Bingo. Any of his DNA found on the body or on the scene?”
“Nothing, as always. Just the facts we know already.”
Trent ran them through his mind absently. Roughly one hundred seventy pound male, size 12 shoe, always paid in cash, drove a 1998 Dodge Ram Quad Cab with Bridgestone tires, and had a thing against beautiful females. But it was more than that, wasn’t it? People don’t just go around killing attractive women in a pattern without an incentive. For the first time ever, Trent was having a hard time getting into the murder’s mind. What could possibly posses a human to kill God’s gift to men? And then he mutilated them, making the victim look like she’d just been hit by a train and let a toddler scribble on her face with cosmetics. Weird. Jennifer seemed to read his mind.
“This guy’s a psycho, huh? Creeps me out.” His co-worker, and best friend, faked a shudder. A slight grin tugged at Trent’s lips, but it quickly faded.
“Not just that, he’s also a pro. Definitely a reason to keep your doors locked at night, especially people like you.”
Jennifer laughed. “No fraternization between agents allowed, mister.” Trent chuckled. He and Jen had been tight friends since law school and nothing even relatively romantic had occurred in their ten years of being around each other on a regular basis. She was like the sister he’d never had. And the mother.
“So to get this conversation directed back towards the case, what’s the Chief say about this? Who’s he sending to the crime scene?”
Jen shrugged and leaned against the wall opposite his oak desk. “Just muttered something about no progress on the case and how the FBI wasn’t what it used to be and sent me on my way to you. Said he’d be sending you, me, Banks, and the usual team.”
Trent massaged his temples. “Thanks, Jen. Remember to notify Banks about this.”
“Sure.” She turned to leave but paused and turned back to face him. “You okay, Trent? You look pretty burned out.”
Special Agent Wilson forced a grin. “Nothing an Advil and a nap won’t fix.” Jennifer smiled softly and closed the door behind here, leaving Trent in solitude.

I want to know!

I want to know what genre YOU write! Just vote on the poll thingy over there or comment :]

I write mostly Fantasy, but write now I've just started something that's mystery/thriller (aiming at Dekker style). It's definitely a change for me, but it's always good to expand your horizons.

Umm.... Wow, I should really post more often. As a side note, any blog ideas would be a great help. Email, Facebook, or comment somewhere here to let me know if you have any great ideas. Thanks!

In His Service,

Brenna

I Got Interviewed!!!!!

Today, on a blog called Write Big, an interview with someone was posted. You guessed it- it was an interview of me!!
Brayden Hirsch, a young writer from Canada, is the author of the blog Write Big and is having a series called The Young Writer's Spotlight, where he interviews teenage writers like me. Please check it out! Just follow the magical link for easy access. http://writebig.wordpress.com/
In His Service,

Brenna Dixon

Top Five Best Books I Have Read This Month

5. Starting off the list with number five, the book entitled Adam, by Ted Dekker comes rolling in. Though fast paced, gripping, and extremely well written, this book had a little too much medical terminology for me and didn't quite intrigue me as much as his other novels.

4. The Lion Vrie, written by Christian author Christopher Hopper, takes fourth place. The Christian values placed into the book was amazing, and I think Mr. Hopper is a very good writer, though he sometimes tended to get a little sidetracked at times, and a lot of journeys and traveling takes place.

3. Black, by Ted Dekker, steals third. Though I'm kind of cheating by writing this because I'm only half way through the novel, it is definitely promising. Filled with Ted's signature writing style and a good dose of humor.

2. Curse of the Spider King, by authors Christopher Hopper and Wayne Thomas Batson. A book I would totally recommend to ANYONE. It was very good, had great humor and action sequences, and put a new twist on elves as we know them.

1. We finally come to the most sacred number of all countdowns, the number everyone looks to with anticipation. NUMBER 1!!!! Though I had to do some debating on this, I finally decided that first place goes to Skin, by Ted Dekker. What I really liked about this book was that it kept you turning the pages long past bedtime, and causes you to pause and ponder things throughout the whole novel. Who is the killer? Why does the town keep disappearing? And how do you explain the microchips implanted in the main characters' heads??!?!?!?! I LOVED this novel, period.

Script Frenzy '10

Some of you may know of a little deal called National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. I tried that last November and didn't get my 50k plus word quota met. But that definitely has not dampened my spirits any. Oh, no! Now, with the help of my trusty sidekick and bestest friend in the world, Jessica, I am taking on NaNo's sister event, Script Frenzy!!!!!!
During the month of April people (who may or may not have co-authors) write like crazy to create a 100 page script. The script can either be a screenplay, stage plays, TV shows, short films, comic book and graphic novel scripts, and adaptations of novels.
We are getting together today to outline our screenplay. Here's the basic summary that we've sort of came up with already: A young man who used to be a military sniper is abducted by a secret group and becomes paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the neck by his abductors. His memory is wiped out and the group rigorously trains him to become the worlds best assassin. Now, only his past girlfriend can help him ressurect his hidden memories and help him to become what he used to be: A God loving and noble man of integrity.\
The script is called "Redemption" for now. I will constantly keep you updated from today thru April on our progress.

God Bless,

Brenna

Sheep Shearing, Spring Break, and Freshman Pre-Registration!

The title of this post pretty much sums everything up. I am currently surviving the third day of my Spring Break, the first of which was spent helping my Nana and Papa shear sheep.
To elaborate on the art of shearing shee- what? Why is my Spring Break so early? Well, the fact of the matter is that the Lusk school system is odd if nothing else. They have their Spring Break meticulously planned around Regionals. So as I was sayin- Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm homeschooled, so I could easily have planned my own Spring Break at another time, but having my schedule in sync with my brother's is easier on all of us.
*clears throat and looks around* As I was saying, when Papa and Nana shear sheep they have a business from Kacee, Foley Shearing, come and actually do the cutting of the wool. We just push the sheep up the chute and into their trailer. But pushing them up the chute is an art all in itself. See, sheep are very very different in personality compared to the cow (which is the kind of animal we own and I spend the most time around.) So instead of scaring them from behind as you would do with a cow, you run towards them! Crazy, right?

Well, that was a boring lesson on how to shear sheep... I'm sorry.

Onto a slightly more interesting topic. Last week I got the Freshman Pre-Registration form! WOOT! Here's what I signed up for:
English 9, Algebra, Computer 1, P.E., Physical Science, World History, Art 1, and Guitar.

So... have a nice day and happidy spring break!

A book interview with Elizabeth Harms, author of The Forgotten 3

Alone. Confused. Scared.
Years forgotten, people missing, evil occurring. There aren’t many who believe him, but there is one who needs his help and friendship more than anything else.
It’s life or death. What’s done is done. No going back. No second chances. It’s up to Travis to do what he thinks is right, and pay for the consequences later.
He has to find them. He needs to escape. He has to protect. He needs to remember…


That is the plot of Elizabeth Harm's wonderful book, The Forgotten 3. I've read it, and I think it is amazing! Elizabeth, or Bessie as her friends call her, though only eighteen is a very gifted author, and I think she could storm the world (or at least the United States) with her book.

I had an awesome opportunity to interview Bessie about her book, and I hope you will enjoy it.






Brenna: How old were you when you began your novel?


Bessie: I was twelve-years-old. The story of Travis Brent wasn't my first idea. I was writing a story that was very similar to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and after I noticed that I was "stealing" J.R.R. Tolkien ideas, I knew I needed to change a few things. So after a few years and many rewrites, I finally had my OWN idea.

Brenna: Do you remember what you were doing at the time the idea to write a book came to you?

Bessie: I was reading J.R.R. Tolkien book, The Hobbit, and decided I wanted to write my OWN epic.

Brenna: Did you develop a close bond with your characters after a while?

Bessie: Yes, I did. I put a lot of my characteristics into Travis Brent -- the way he reacts to certain situations, his attitude and outlook -- almost everything you see in Travis has a lot to do with my characteristics. So I had a very close bond with Travis. And Sierra Claire... I LOVED working with her character. Every one of us has a little bit of the British Redhead inside. Some show it more than others ;). But I had a close bond with Sierra Claire, and enjoyed developing her throughout the book.

Brenna: Who published your book?

Bessie: Publish America. www.publishamerica.com

Brenna: Can fans be expecting to see a sequel to The Forgotten 3 on the horizon?

Bessie: Yes, hopefully. I'm working on a sequel, but right now have only progressed not even half-way into the outline. So it may be a while ;)

Bessie's book can be purchased at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Battling Evil

Dalthenya crouched on the leaf-strewn ground and began to wait. Seconds passed. Minutes. Finally hours. Yet he waited without moving. What did he wait for with such astounding patience? The enemy. The Reolai.
What was the Reolai? A beast so terrible and treacherous that even the most faithful could not resist it. Except Dalthenya. The king had sent him on this mission because he was special. So unique, in fact, that no one else knew about him except the king.
"Dalthenyaaaa....." His name floated on the breeze like an eerie whisper full of foreboding danger.
Dalthenya tensed. This was it. The Reolai was here. Dalthenya scanned his surroundings. Trees, vines, boulders, poisonous plants. Everything was as it had been three hours ago.
The voice drifted by his ear again, carrying his name.
But Dalthenya did nothing. He could not risk falling into the path of the Reolai. The Reolai must come to him.
"Dalthenyaaa.... Listen to meeee....... You are putting yourself in great dangerrr..... Flee noowww...." Tempting words that could break any normal man, but not Dalthenya.
For the first time in a day Dalthenya spoke. "Come to me, O Reolai. I know you lurk here. If you are as fearless as they say, come and face me." His voice was deep and commanding, and shook the trees that he was sitting by.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of red. "You cannot resist the chance of killing me, Reolai. You shall come and try."
He heard quick, frantic breathing to his right, but he kept staring straight ahead. "Come. Come, and reap the rewards of killing me."
"You shall dieeee......." The Reolai jumped out in front of Dalthenya and swiped a talon at his face, barely missing it. The red and black scales and feathers glistened in the sunlight. His sharp, bird/wolf like head hung suspended from a long neck in front of Dalthenya's face. It's beady red eyes seemed to be trying to penetrate Dalthenya's soul, to find some weakness in him. It's long tail swatted the empty air behind him.
Dalthenya set his bow on the ground because he would never be able to fire an arrow with this beast breathing down his neck. He slowly drew out his golden dagger and held it by his side.
"Your evil has thrived too long in Ethias. I will banish it now."
"Evil shall always remainnn.... People's hearts shall always be corrupted by my stainnn.... Evil will always find a wayyy...."
"You lie not," Dalthenya answered. "But I will offer a way of escape from evil."
The Reolai's beak snapped and his head thrust towards Dalthenya's throat. Dalthenya grabbed his scaly neck and pushed it away and swiped his dagger forward. He missed the Reolai's body.
At the same time, the Reolai freed itself from our hero and bit down on his chest, and Dalthenya pushed his dagger through the Reolai's heart. Both eyes widened in shock.
"It is finished..." Dalthenya said with his dying breath. "I go home to my King today, for I have completed my purpose."
The two figures dropped to the ground. Dead.

Meeting Her Maker

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She slowly opened the door. Stepped inside the room. It was all in slow motion. She was trembling.
She knew this day would come. It had to. But now she looked back on her past and was filled with doubts. Had she walked in the Light? Was her faith strong? Questions swarm in her mind as she stepped forward, towards her freedom. Or her doom.
The piercing white light grew brighter as she stepped nearer to it. Oddly enough, her bare feet that slapped against the smooth floor made no sound in the silent room.
She trembled at the sight which she had traveled across the chamber to see. She fell to her knees and sobbed at the base of the throne. She couldn't bring her eyes up the the light in front of her. It was too bright to look upon.
"I'm sorry! Father, father, I'm so sorry. I don't deserve to enter into your eternal kingdom! I am but a sinner, oh Lord. I did nothing that is worthy of even a glimpse into your realm. I don't deserve to even be in your presence."
The light in front of her said nothing, but set His hands upon a book on His lap. Opened it. Flipped through its pages. Smiled.
"Weep not, My Child. It is unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven. Your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life." His voice was indescribable. He continued, "The passage to Heaven is not made by how few sins you committed or your good works. Nay, it is granted to you by faith alone. Faith in the Lamb, the Word made flesh." and He scooped her up into his arms and said, "Welcome Home, Daughter."


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So this is the first short story in my Short Story Series! It didn't turn out quite as poetically as I imagined it last night when it came to my head. I didn't write it then because I had to go to bed and couldn't get on the computer anyways :p
Please critique!

Short Story Series!

Lately I've been needing some motivation to just sit down and write. So a little idea hatched inside my mind. Write short stories to post on here.
Not only will it get me back into the mood of writing, but will also help to hone my skills.
I will also be taking suggestions on topics to write about. You can never have enough ideas to choose from!

And remember this when I post stories: Please, please, PLEASE feel obliged to criticize! From correcting spelling errors to pointing out sentences that don't make any sense.

So... ideas anyone?

Avatar Review

Weell... As you can tell, I haven't blogged in ages, and for that I've probably bored a ton of people (So Sorry!!!!) I just haven't had time to get on the computer at all lately.

So the subject for today is....... Avatar! (In 3D!!)

I went up to Casper last week and watched it with my Nana, and we both loved it.

Pros =D : The animation was so realistic that you could almost say that the Nav'i (the tall blue people) where humans in costumes or something.
The 3D was just awesome. Period.
It was really action packed and so intense that I could hardly think to get the candy out, I was so engrossed in it.
The story line was pretty cool.

Cons =( : It was pretty environmentalist-y in subtle ways.
The natives of Pandora worshiped the "All Mother" or in a recognizable term, "Mother Earth".
Yes, there were some bad words. =/ Too bad.
Probably nothing you'd let your 3 or eight year old watch, for the intensiveness of it and all. (hence the rating of PG-13)

But the good definitely outweighed the bad in my humble opinion. I think it would be worth watching again. =D So I would have to give it a rating of **** (four) stars.


God Bless,
Brenna Dixon

Rise of the Dibor: Awesome book, sweet video

Drum roll please!

*Duuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh* And the winner of the Lord of the Rings Versus Chronicles of Narnia competition is...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Chronicles of Narnia!!!!!!!!!!!
*Confetti flies everywhere* Congratulations! You've just won a contest and didn't gain anything!! Yay for you!

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Thank you all who voted on the poll!