Novel Journey's Christian speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, and horror), panel Part Two, featuring Rebecca Miller, Jeff Gerke, and myself:
Christian Speculative Fiction Panel -- Part Two
Part one generated 400 new Novel Journey hits, and thirty-three comments. I take that as a sign that genre fans don't hang in literary circles.
To read Part 1, go to Novel Journey's February archives:
Last week we went on a road trip and took my cousin to New Orleans.
Doesn't Dad look nice in the hot pink feather boa? Mom put it 'round his shoulders because he looked cold when we sat at a table by one of the restaurant's open doors so I could sit with them. Later Dad tried to put it around my Pet Voyage (said with a French accent) carrier but I wasn't having any of it!
Here is my cousin Mike (from Vancouver) and Dad (Frank Creed) standing in front of our table. Mike carried that silly Mardi Gras glass around and he kept getting it refilled. I'm not sure the French Quarter is any place for a kitty . . . see those beads Dad is wearing? Yup, you guessed it, he tried to dress me up in them too.
I ride shotgun while on road trips so I can check out passing truckers and maybe get a wave or two. Notice the mandatory "halter top" and lead I have to wear while in the car. Yeah, I can roam the vehicle from front and back to the food/ water and kitty facilities, but how embarrassing!
I like to have my 'Nice' (an old blanket) on someone's knee while I'm in charge of directions. Although it may appear that I am pointing out the way to the driver, here I am actually steadying myself from that long bumpy ride over Lake Ponchatrain . . . which occured after the half hour it took us to get out of NO and before the one hour we spent traveling in circles in Mandeville (I know right? obviously I wasn't in charge of directions at this point).
By Mavis
Received this from my sister-in-law . . . she and my wife can relate all too well since they are still farm-kids at heart.
(NOW AT San Diego MARINE CORPS RECRUIT TRAINING)
Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well. Hope you are.
Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled up.
I was restless at first because you get to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. But I am getting so I like to sleep late.
Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.
Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm water and nice soap.
Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food, plus yours, holds you until noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.
We go on 'route marches,' which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. A 'route march' is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.
The Sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot.
The Captain is like the school board. Majors and Colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.
This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing.
I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why.
The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges They come in boxes.
Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6' and 130 pounds and he's 6'8' and near 300 pounds dry.
Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.
Your loving daughter,
Alice
Natalia (short story, March 2009, Wayfarer’s Journal e-zine)
My seventh published work of fiction--and this one's free!
http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/
http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/creednat.htm
Biblical cyberpunk: near-future high-tech dystopian sci-fi featuring a direct interface between the computer and human mind.
See if you can tell which character in this story was inspired by my daughter. 8D
Until a few years ago, I was a global warming skeptic. The evidence I've seen has changed my mind. A recent blog about the evidence for global warming received good reader response. Many Christians tend toward distrust and fear of science, and global warming is nearly as divisive as Creationism. Pundits on both sides of the political issue are paid to play-up the propaganda, and easy-to-believe arguments are presented for both sides of our two-party system. While even scientists disagree on climate change, there are fewer skeptics. Let’s dig past the first round of issues, and see what lies beneath. Here are a few questions:
Some have claimed that areas of the world are colder. Global warming people point to records of warmer temperatures and proof of melt at both poles. What similar objective evidence exists of consistently colder trends and cycles? A few cold winters in Chicago obviously do not make up for polar warming. What locations on Earth have grown colder, and what are the sources of this information?
It's a big coincidence that this is happening only a century after heavy industrialization, urbanization, and deforestation. One can't prove a negative, but what evidence is there that global warming is from carbon emissions and greenhouse effect, and not a solar warming trend?
Government's job is to protect citizens--that is why laws are passed. Do citizens need protection from global warming? Answer that question geographically and for future generations.
Acid rain damage has been tracked downwind of heavily industrialized areas. Places like Mexico have pools up and down their beautiful coasts because sewage is on the beach. Third-world countries with few laws against toxic dumping have already trashed environments. Oil slicks on the oceans measure miles across. In spite of all this, some believe that short of weapons of Mass destruction, mankind cannot destroy the Earth. If we've already invented one way to do it, it's unreasonable to hold that another is impossible. An argument against abortion says that even if human life begins later than conception we should err on the side of caution. Should not the same argument be applied to the condition of the planet that we’re leaving for later generations?
Evidence shows that Christians all through history thought they lived in the end times. What if the Second Coming is still thousands of years off? If we abuse this planet long enough, the day will come when humankind is in need of space travel. It is possible that people playing bonsai-tree with the planet are having an effect. Web links and proof I've seen all appears very one-sided. What can it hurt to be careful now rather than sorry later?
