A Satisfying Sequel

What I've been reading...

I just finished reading Life Everlasting, by Robert Whitlow, which is the sequel to Life Support. Actually, to call this a sequel is a bit of an understatement. It’s more like “Volume Two.”  Set in Santee, South Carolina, both books feature Alexia “Alex” Lindale, an up-and-coming divorce lawyer who finds her life, and her legal practice, dominated by her overbearing client, Rena Richardson.

We know, but Alex doesn’t, that Rena is slowly but surely going insane, and that she is guilty of trying to kill her husband, Baxter, by throwing him off a cliff. Throughout the first book, Baxter was lying in a coma, while Rena struggled to have life support removed before he might wake up and identify her as the attempted murderer she is. Working against her, unknowingly, was Ted Morgan, who is using music therapy to channel God’s healing power into Baxter’s paralyzed body. Ted, by the way, and Alex, are rapidly falling in love.

In Life Everlasting, Rena’s plans continue to unravel as Baxter begins to awaken. Alex tries to sort out her faith and her feelings for Ted. The police are closing in on the truth. And, a crime syndicate has its own reasons for wanting to cover up what really happened on the cliff.

I’ve got to say, while I enjoyed Life Support, I found Life Everlasting to be even more engaging. The characters have become far more complex and three-dimensional. The plot twists are more surprising, and the excitement continues to build throughout the story. The only disappointment is that the ending seems a bit contrived, as all the loose ends come together too quickly.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve not been much of a fan of Christian fiction, because too many authors put the religious content first and the story second. Whitlow successfully weaves faith into this legal thriller so that it become an integral part of the story, rather than an obligatory add on.

I recommend you read both books, in order. I’m glad I did. You can read more about it at www.christianbook.com.

The publisher, Thomas Nelson, provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Mexico Report

My wonderful wife, Kathy, and my amazing daughter, Natalia, recently traveled with other members of our church on a mission trip to Mexico. Here's a letter they sent to family and friends describing their experience!

Dear Family and Friends,

Natalia and I had a wonderful time together in Mexico, and our church team, along with another church, built five two-room houses for five families in just four days!

The best part of the experience for me was being with Natalia. She is turning into an awesome teenager, a hard worker, and is great with children. She spoke with the kids in Spanish, played with them, carried them around, and just loved them. She helped with the Vacation Bible School (as did I) every day and hung out with the kids afterwards. She was just thriving--except when she got mad that the guys weren't letting the girls help to put on the roof!

Natalia and I shared a tent together, made shadow puppets at night, and helped each other get organized in the morning (mostly she helped me!). At night the whole group (about 70-75 men, women, teens, and children)  sat around the campfire singing songs of worship and sharing stories and thoughts from the day.

The Lord blessed us with relatively cool weather during the day (no higher than 85 degrees--honestly). The sun was intense, but a cool breeze would stir from time to time. I learned how to lay a foundation, hammer nails almost as well as the guys, mix cement, and make and spread stucco. I had the joy of speaking with the widow whose house we were working on, and she shed tears of grief over the loss of her husband three years ago and tears of joy over receiving the addition to her house.

Let me explain that "our family" consisted of this widow and her two adult sons who still live with her, though they are in their thirties or forties. Their house is on the side of a hill in the town. They and a number of other families were relocated from the region of Chiapas (where they lived in what was essentially a drainage ditch that repeatedly flooded) to this impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Tijuana. They were given old pieces of scrap lumber and left to rebuild their houses and their lives.

Our family's first room contained two beds, a dining room table, a TV, a photo of the husband/father, and his ashes. It was quite cluttered with other dingy possessions, no windows, and a packed dirt-and-rock floor. The next room was quite small and had a rickety table, a propane stove, a few pots and pans, and a makeshift shelf for a few plates and cups. Every time it rained, water flooded into the kitchen and blew in through the shabby roof. Under the kitchen table, on the dirt floor, were two hens, a few chicks, and some eggs that hatched while we were there. The kids were fascinated to watch the chicks hatch, and then to hold them and watch them grow in the few days that we were there. (On the last day a few of our team members built a chicken coop for the chicks and hen, to protect them from the neighbors' dogs.) The family used these chickens for their eggs, for their meat, and would sell some for cash.

It was behind the kitchen that we build an 11' by 22' house/addition separated into two rooms with a cement foundation/floor. The new construction has glass windows and a door that locked. It had stucco walls and a tarred slanted roof. The family was planning to move their beds into those two rooms and create a true living room in their outer room. Our team also connected the old kitchen roof with the roof of the new addition in hopes that the kitchen would now stay dry during rainstorms.

The two sons have worked in construction and stuccoed three walls of their new home in the time that our team struggled to stucco one wall! The sons took pride in their work, and it looked very nice when they were done. They even had a friend come join them for a while. They also put an smooth, expert finish on the foundation floor, which we had left rather bumpy the day before. It was great that they could work alongside us and take ownership in the building of these rooms.

There were many tears flowing as we gathered together on Thursday afternoon to dedicate the house to the Lord and present the family with their keys and some small housewarming presents. Our prayer is that the Spirit of the living, loving God will shelter their hearts and lives as the new addition to their house shelters them.

Thank you for your financial support and prayers as we participated in this trip! God bless you always! Perhaps someday you will also be able to travel to another country (or impoverished parts of our country) and help those in need. Not only does it help those in need--it changes us!

Love,

Kathy (& Natalia) 

P.S. It's not too late to donate to our trip support, as some funds are actually still needed to pay off our expenses. Please prayerfully consider donating if you haven't already. Just click HERE!