Coming Home

This month I'm participating in the Blog Chain over at ChristianWriters.com There's a great group of Christian authors participating in the blog chain and you can read their posts in the little widget to the left there with the cute blue quill pen.

This month the topic is 'Coming Home'. And who can think about that topic without fond memories of family get-togethers, with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner on a groaning table, staying up until all hours eating, talking and laughing, that cottony-soft feeling of warmth and acceptance, of love and familiarity?

Soldiers no doubt have that feeling when coming home from war or a long deployment away. Just to have that chance to hug and feel a sense of peace and belonging.

It's a great feeling, and I have many homes here on earth that I can come home to. My brothers' houses, my sister's house, my church, or my in-laws have become homes away from home, but nothing compared to the home I have with my wife and kids. The chance to relax and laugh with my family, or lounge and play a game or watch a movie.

Family does tend to make a place a home. It's not so much the physical dwelling, the structure, the yard, that makes a place 'home'. It's the people. I think I understand that concept much better since our house caught fire and we had to live elsewhere for months. Though those days are behind us, even the small apartment we shared while our house was getting 'fixed up' became home, because there were people there that loved me unconditionally, that accepted me, even knowing all my faults.

Still, even my own home here on earth has no comparison to the real home I have in Heaven, waiting for me at the end of time. And whether it's a mansion or apartment, a tent or an RV, doesn't much matter because of who I'll be with. You see, this world is not my real home, and for any Christian this is true. Our home is in heaven. And what a family reunion we're going to have when at last we come home from this 'battlefield.'

I'll leave you all with a song I wrote for just such a homecoming. The lyrics I'll post below, and if you click on THIS LINK it will launch a player where you can hear the song. It's called

Forever and a Day

Verse 1:
It was such a little thing to you
You've forgotten that it happened
But I never will forget it
Forever and a day!
You spoke a kind word to me
And gave me food to eat
And I wrote it down upon My heart
Forever and a day!

Chorus:
And Now, now that you've come home
I wrote it down for all the world to see
That even though you acted out of Love,
You didn't know the homeless man was Me!
And here, here before My throne
I'll tell the world the truth for all to hear!
That though I was right before your eyes
In a brilliant disguise
You gave selflessly
Forever and a Day!

Verse2:
No one would come near Me.
They had Me locked away.
And yet, you came to see Me
Although you were afraid.
I wondered if you really cared,
But I know I saw you pray.
And I'll cherish that within My heart
Forever and a Day.

Chorus:
And Now, now that you've come home
I wrote it down for all the world to see
That even though you acted out of Love,
You didn't know the prisoner was Me!
And here, here before My throne
I'll tell the world the truth for all to hear!
That though I was right before your eyes
In a brilliant disguise
You gave selflessly
Forever and a Day!

Verse3:
No one could have seen you
When you knocked upon My door.
You left a box of clothes for Me
When you ran away.
You didn't want the credit
But I saw you anyway!
And I never will forget it
Forever and a Day!

Chorus:
And Now, now that you've come home
I wrote it down for all the world to see
That even though you acted out of Love,
You didn't know the needy man was Me!
And here, here before My throne
I'll tell the world the truth for all to hear!
That though I was right before your eyes
In a brilliant disguise
You gave selflessly
Forever and a Day!

Review: Tales of the Dim Knight

Today's post is a review of a hilarious comic-book style action adventure called Tales of the Dim Knight
by Adam and Andrea Graham.

Here's the author's blurb:
Mild-mannered janitor and superhero fanboy Dave Johnson gets all his wishes at once when a symbiotic alien gives him supernatural powers. But what's he to do with them? Follow his zany adventures as he fights crime and corruption while trying to keep his family together and avoid being sued for copyright infringement.



My Take:
From Captain America to TMNT, almost every superhero I've ever heard of is paid some homage in this adventure.
I sat down to read this book one cold day in December and practically couldn't put it down. My family wondered what I was giggling about. It's just because the superhero lover in me was taking out baddies along with Dave.

Dave Johnson is a likeable dim-witted janitor who never grew up. He still packs his lunch in an X-Men lunchbox and plays with action figures with his two boys.
His marriage is on the rocks but he can't see it, so lost is he in his comicbook world.

But when an alien artifact shows up in the secret FBI warehouse he keeps clean, he accidentally bonds with it and becomes the superhero Powerhouse, a squeaky clean
rocket-propelled image of his boyish fantasies.

As Powerhouse, he fights petty criminals, drug lords, even jay-walkers in his efforts to keep the streets clean. But when the criminals fight dirty, Powerhouse is too clean to handle the mess. So he invents a darker superhero, the Emerald Avenger, to fight back.

Dave plays both parts, Powerhouse, and the Emerald Avenger, well. That is, until the criminals hire the Emerald Avenger to eliminate Powerhouse!
How will the hero(es) get out of this jam? Tune in next week...

Oh, wait, it's a book review, not a comic book series...

Ahem. Where was I?

Oh, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through the pages of comic book land, where good vanquishes evil and there are also the timeless subjects of redemption and self-sacrifice.

While this reads like a kids book at the outset, there are a few things in it that some parents might consider, like drug use and human trafficking.
For my part, I would let my teens read this in a heartbeat.
However, if you are concerned you might check out what the authors say about the subject.

Speaking of the authors, I think they did a fantastic job of joining comic book action with a solid Christian message. Here's a picture of them.

All in all, I found Tales of the Dim Knight to be a well-written fast-paced action adventure with a timeless message worth reading.

Click HERE to find out where you can buy it!

I received an electronic copy of this book for the purpose of this review.