Author Archives: Janet Sketchley

About Janet Sketchley

Janet Sketchley is an Atlantic Canadian writer whose Redemption’s Edge Christian suspense novels have each been finalists in The Word Awards. She's also the author of the devotional collection, A Year of Tenacity. Janet blogs about faith and books. She loves Jesus and her family, and enjoys reading, worship music, and tea. Fans of Christian suspense are invited to join her writing journey through her monthly newsletter: bit.ly/JanetSketchleyNews.

Our Shepherd

4 Replies

He guides me along right paths,
bringing honour to his name.
Psalm 23:3b, NLT*

Psalm 23 is probably the best-known psalm, and it’s such a comfort, whether we’re in the green meadows or in the narrow valley of the shadow.

Our Shepherd is with us, resourceful to nourish us, powerful to defend and rescue, wise in His leading and rewarding us for following.

We can get to thinking it’s all about us, and there’s a lot of “us” in the message.

Today’s verse reminds me of the bigger picture: the psalm—and life—is about revealing the character and nature of our Shepherd. It’s about Him.

Thank You, God, for the care You give us. You provide, protect, guide and reward. The way You treat us reveals more about You than about us. You are the Holy One, worthy of all honour and praise. Help us follow obediently, not just to stay safe but to give You glory.

∞

Our song this week is the traditional Irish hymn, “The King of Love My Saviour Is,” sung here from the Maranatha Celtic Hymns recording.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Review: Sinking Deeper, by Steve Vernon

4 Replies

Sinking Deeper cover artSinking Deeper: Or My Questionable (Possibly Heroic) Decision to Invent a Sea Monster, by Steve Vernon (Nimbus, 2011)

Fourteen-year-old Roland lives in the dying seaside town of Deeper Harbour, Nova Scotia. His parents have separated, and when he’s with his police-chief father, he sleeps at the jail while his dad does night patrol.

Except when his grandfather convinces him to sneak out for some prank-type vandalism. That’s how the story opens, and lest parents be concerned, there are consequences and restitution. There’s also, through a madcap series of events, the inspiration of how to revitalize the town’s tourist industry so Roland’s mom won’t make him move to Ottawa in search of a better future.

Roland, along with Grandpa Angus, 15-year-old Dulsie, and her father Warren, will create a sea monster. And they do—through spreading rumours and building an actual “Fogopogo” for the townspeople’s “sightings”.

The story is told in the first person with evocative descriptions like this one:

I … squoodged the sleep-sand out of my eyeballs with the sides of my fists. (p. 3)

And observations like this one:

The idea that had been sneaking around the basement of my imagination jumped up and smacked me directly between the eyes. (p. 30)

This is a fun novel, heartwarming in places, and with plenty of humour. It also has plenty of depth, which, sadly, makes for a more realistic ending than I’d hoped. But the characters are delightful, and Roland discovers new layers to these people he’s grown up with and thinks he knows.

I heartily recommend Sinking Deeper for young adult readers and adults who are still in touch with their 12-to-14-year-old selves. Sinking Deeper was nominated for the Silver Birch and Hackmatack Awards.

Steve Vernon is the author of four collections of Maritime ghost stories, the children’s picture book Maritime Monsters, and more. He and his publisher, Nimbus, are local to me, but I heard of this book through a blog giveaway (and won!) You can learn more about Steve Vernon at his blog and on Facebook.

[Review copy won from Polilla Writes.]
Related articles

Three strangers walk into a bar…

6 Replies

Okay, two of them know one another, but they’re all strangers to me.

And it’s not really a bar (I think).

And they’re outside of it.

Celebration cake with candle.This week I made my annual “birthday” cake for my fictional friends, and it’s got me reminiscing. Some of these folks have been in my head for 19 years now. We have a fair bit of history.

Today, though, I’m thinking of my newest imaginary friends, hence the three strangers outside the local watering hole.

It’s a rough-ish, small building that sells some manner of food and drink. I think it’s wooden. It’s on a backwater-type planet somewhere.

I don’t know their names yet, nor their genders. I think two are female. For now, my notes read:

  • T = travelling character
  • D = disappointed character
  • W= wonder character

T is a stranger to this planet and needs to get to another one. S/he needs D and W to provide transportation. D refuses, and for W to return to that planet could mean death.

It’s possible that D is actually my old friend Sera, in which case I know she’s a former assassin, a crack shot, and the sort of person you want guarding your back. W is an older character and some manner of mentor to D/Sera. I have a special fondness for W and a few inklings into his/her past. W hasn’t had an easy life.

T, main character, isn’t talking to me yet.

I am so looking forward to this! Discovery is the best part.

Updates will be slow and sporadic, because I’m concentrating on fine-tuning the story of Carol, Paul, Joey and Patrick, another crew of my imaginary friends.

March is birthday month here at Tenacity. If you haven’t entered the draw yet for a copy of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider, follow the link to the blog birthday page. [Edited: draw is closed now.]

Taking God for Granted

4 Replies

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
Romans 1:21, NLT*

Knowing God but not worshipping Him or being thankful leads to terrible depths. God lets us find out the hard way, and what’s saddest is that some never see and turn back.

The context here is people who turn away from God. They know about Him but don’t care. I wonder how many start out with that intent and how many drift away because they aren’t paying attention to God.

That troubles me, because I know plenty of good people who believe in God but don’t seem to think about Him. Sure, He’s there to turn to in a crunch, but what if their spirits harden and they won’t call out to Him for help? What if they believe the enemy’s lies about God and decide there’s no point?

And what about those of us who know and love God? This is a warning for us too, not to take God for granted and let our relationship stagnate. It takes discipline and intentional effort to keep a strong, daily connection with our God. There are so many distractions and drains on our time.

Father, I don’t want to slide away from You even a little distance. You are life itself. There’s so much more of You to know; draw me deeper into relationship with You. Let me know You better so I can more fully trust and obey You. And please, by Your grace, draw back the ones who are slipping away. Help them see, help them choose Your life. Our whole world needs You, Lord. We’re no good on our own. Open eyes, soften hearts, draw many to Yourself.

∞

I know we’ve had this song last week, but it fits so well today: Here’s Michael W. Smith with “Draw Me Close to You.”

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Review: Hill of Great Darkness, by H. C. Beckerr

Leave a reply

Hill of Great DarknessHill of Great Darkness, by H. C. Beckerr (WestBow Press, 2011)

In the year 2037, a prototype spaceship called Magellan sets out from Earth on a mission to test a revolutionary new propulsion system—and disappears. The US government will label what happens next “The Magellan Incident” and bury it deep in classified files. An international terrorist group will use whatever means necessary to find the truth and use it for mass destruction.

There’s much to like about this story. The technology is clever and plausible (to this non-scientist reader), the spacecraft itself is funded privately instead of being tied to a particular government’s agenda, there’s a terrorist threat, there are interesting characters, and there are surprises. There’s even a link to the past and the mysterious disappearance of the Native American people known as the Mississippians, of whom I had not heard.

The story is narrated from an omniscient viewpoint, complete with sprinkles of dry humour. While the voice is natural for relating anecdotes over coffee, the low-key delivery often “tells, rather than shows,” which might better suit a literary tale than an action-based plot.

The characters are a mix of heroes, scientists, ordinary folk and villains. Perhaps my favourite is Simone Syette, a brilliant Ugandan scientist who speaks her mind, trusts in Jesus Christ, and is the inventor of Magellan‘s drive unit. It’s clear that the author knows and loves his characters and has put serious time into developing them.

Hill of Great Darkness is a good story that could have been fantastic. The elements are all there, waiting to be teased out by a gifted editor. I’d love to see what Marcher Lord Press would have done with this.

The novel is well worth reading, and the ending sets up a sequel. You can read an interview with H. C. Beckerr at The Old Stone Wall (that’s where I won a copy of the book)  and connect with him on Facebook. Hill of Great Darkness is available in softcover, hardcover, and ebook formats. Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.

[Review copy won through a giveaway at The Old Stone Wall. Amazon links are affiliate links for The Word Guild.]

Related articles

Celebration Month

3 Replies

Celebration cake with candle.The earliest notes for my foray into the mad adventure known as fiction writing carry a March date. I’ve chosen March as the “birthday” month of my fictional characters imaginary friends, even those who have told me their “real” birth dates. My family thinks I’m crazy, but they never turn down free cake.

This blog began in March, too, and in 2013 I’m celebrating 5 years. Names have changed (the blog used to be God With Us: Finding Joy, and I used to write under the pen name of Joanna Mallory) but the focus is much the same.

God has given me a devotional every week. For five years. I love the chance to share what He’s showing me, and to see how sometimes He uses it in readers’ lives.

I’ve enjoyed spreading the word about books I’ve read and authors I’ve appreciated. Especially Canadian authors who are Christian…

And the blogging friends I’ve made, a few of whom could be my sisters separated at birth… some of you I won’t meet before Heaven, others I’ve met at Write! Canada, but it’s our online conversations that have rooted the relationships.

In celebration of it all, I’m giving away a free copy of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. To find out more, visit the Blog Birthday Party page. [Comments left on today’s post won’t be included in the draw… you need to go over to the giveaway page. Edit: The party’s over, and the page is gone now.]

So… join the celebration, and help yourself to a slice of virtual cake!

Quiet Times with God

5 Replies

My child, eat honey, for it is good,
and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.
In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a bright future,
and your hopes will not be cut short.
Proverbs 24:13-14, NLT*

I love the invitations to wisdom we find in the Bible, and how they’re free to those who will seek God and draw near to Him. They’re not conditional on our latent intelligence or on our spotless pasts, but they’re based on God and His love for us.

In these verses we’re encouraged to look for wisdom rather than waiting for it to magically appear. The honeycomb illustration implies an eager, childlike search for something we know we’ll like.

Where do we find wisdom?

From God, and through His Book. We need a daily quiet time with Him, to read, pray, listen and learn. It’s not enough to know about Him. We need to know Him.

Daily quiet times are hard habits to get into, and easy habits to break. There’s no point getting legalistic over them or guilting ourselves, but if we can find even five minutes to get alone with God, we’ll be the richer for it.

Morning, after lunch, bedtime, whenever works best for you. Consistency helps, but some schedules won’t allow it. I heard of one person who linked his devotional moments to his morning coffee time—something he looked forward to and something he made sure happened each day.

Often we don’t have time to stop and pray, but I find as I get myself out of bed a bit earlier for my quiet time, the rest of the day goes smoother. We can’t bribe God into giving us pleasant days, but if we’re aligned with His Spirit, we’re better prepared to face what comes.

Father God, what a privilege it is to spend time with You. It’s more than our minds can grasp, but You invite us and You enjoy us. Help us make this a priority in our daily lives, not as an obligation but as a respite, a delight, and a time of refreshing and nourishing. Thank You for Your grace and Your love for us.

∞

A good, soul-quieting song is “Draw Me Close to You,” sung here by Hillsong.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Related articles

Review: Wonders Never Cease, by Tim Downs

Leave a reply

Wonders Never Cease cover artWonders Never Cease, by Tim Downs (Thomas Nelson, 2010)

Nurse Kemp McAvoy’s latest brilliant scheme involves impersonating an angel. His nightly “visitations” to a comatose movie star will prompt her to write a best-selling self-help book, from which he’ll take a well-deserved share of the publisher’s profits.

Kemp is a jerk. There’s no nice way to say it. He really is. Self-absorbed and without conscience. He got kicked out of his residency as an anaesthesiologist for what he calls a “minor” ethical issue, and now he resents living on a nurse’s salary.

He got the angel idea from another best-selling spiritual-insight book and from his girlfriend’s daughter, who claims to have actually seen an angel.

Six-year-old Leah sees a few angels as the story progresses, and that brings her mom, Natalie, into conflict with Leah’s attractive teacher, Matt, and with the school’s arrogant psychologist.

Leah’s voice in the prologue sold me on the book. She’s sharp and funny. The rest of the novel is told third-person, mostly in Kemp’s and Natalie’s points of view.

Wonders Never Cease is a comedy of errors as we watch Kemp dig himself in farther and farther. And it’s a gentle romance as Natalie begins to see the truth about Kemp and to notice Matt’s kindness.

And there are angels.

Author Tim Downs is probably best known for his Bug Man mystery novels. You can learn more about him and his books at the Tim Downs website, and read a sample chapter of Wonders Never Cease.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Related articles

4 Links to Get us Motivated

2 Replies

Can we make a difference? Sometimes the task looks too big. Here are four posts I’ve found really helpful:

When the requirements look like more than we can possibly meet, Bobbi Junior reminds us that God doesn’t ask for perfection–He asks for obedience. Read Obedience versus Excellence.

At Chatting at the Sky, Emily Freeman identifies one thing we’re waiting for (and why it’s time to stop). Follow the link to see what’s holding us back.

At Hearing the Heartbeat, Carolyn Watts writes:  “Most things that matter are way too big for little me. But it’s not my job to make them happen.” What is our job? Read the full post: When it’s Hard to Get Going.

Sometimes it’s not that task is so  huge, it’s the number of things calling for our attention.  For those times, Mary Waind at Beech Croft Tales has some good words on Focus.

Cheerful Hearts

10 Replies

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
Proverbs 17:22, NLT*

I’ve had both a cheerful heart and a broken spirit. I much prefer the cheerful heart!

What interests me about this verse today is the good medicine. Nobody takes medicine when they’re well, but we usually have a few spiritual “germs” in our systems that need fighting.

We’re called to take every thought captive under Christ’s authority, focus on praising God, and not dwell on the negatives. But we can’t manufacture a cheerful heart or mend a broken spirit.

Who gives us a cheerful heart? Who binds up our broken spirits? It’s God.

Our part is to cultivate an openness to Him, to receive what He has for us, to discover Him to be our source of healing and light. And to choose to obey. After all, according to the King James translation, Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Father God, our Healer and Sustainer, grant us cheerful hearts—based on Your goodness, not on our circumstances. Let them be a tonic when we’re in good space, and let them be medicine when times are hard. And when our spirits crack and break, bind us up and renew us, heal our hearts and plant cheer in them again to make us strong.

∞

The song, “Hands of the Healer,” by Fee, has been on my mind a lot lately. May it cheer us today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3-5UfJiP8Q

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Linked with Wednesday’s Word.