Oh wow!  What a great ending to the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan!  This sweet book had me thinking about many different things while I was enthralled in reading.

First, I am thoroughly enjoying learning Greek mythology!  I have never wrapped my head around it in the past, mostly because I didn’t care to learn, but I’m finding it hugely entertaining.  These books are a good way to learn the mythological figures.

Secondly, my thoughts are entangled in the father/child relationship, and how pivotal it is to the healthy development of children into strong and resilient individuals.   The characters constantly face the fact that their relationships with their absentee fathers are strained to say the least.  In some cases, the demigods (half-bloods) use this fact to their advantage.  In these cases, they learn to work through their offense and remain emotionally stable despite their occasional frustration or temptation to yield to bitterness.  In other cases, however, this offense, this father wound, affects them to their very core, producing a being so infected with bitterness, that it’s poison pulses through every vein.  The parallel is found every day in real life.  Whether this abuse in the form of neglect comes from an earthly father, or a spiritual father figure, or even someone thought to be a close friend, the wounds’ effects make their way into the earthly dimension daily.  This constant struggle with the flesh can cause us to become embittered, or we can allow God to use this rejection to produce some godly fruit of love that covers a multitude of sin.  Easier said than done.

Third, a quote in the book struck me for whatever reason, and provoked me to process it further.  Hermes was speaking to Percy and said, “Percy, the hardest part about being a god is that you must often act indirectly, especially when it comes to your own children.  If we were to intervene every time our children had a problem… well, that would only create more problems and more resentment.  But I believe if you give it some thought you will see that Poseidon (Percy’s father) has been paying attention to you.  He has answered your prayers.  I can only hope that some day, Luke may realize the same about me.”  This quote spurred thought on two levels.  First, at times, we don’t see the hand of God, or hear the voice of God in the way that we want.  Maybe God isn’t as tangible at times as he is at other times, and we have a tendency to get frustrated.  However, God is still at work in our lives, and he is answering our prayers, and hasn’t left our side.   My second thought was provoked in part, due to something I read yesterday.  I read of the disservice that is at times done to new believers in Christ, when we think that they can’t hear the voice of the Holy Spirit because they are new Christians.  And instead of teaching them to hear His voice, and leading them to God, we lead them to man and to rules and regulations because we fear that they may fall away.  How true is this?  Yes, new believers need to be taught, counseled, and nurtured.  But they need to be taught how to hear from Him, and counseled in the word of God, and nurtured in the love of God.  I get frustrated when people feel the need to direct other Christians’ lives into the path that they think God has for them, instead of realizing that God speaks to ALL His children.   God spoke to the new Christian to call him to Himself.  He provoked that person to hear his voice, and turned his heart to Him.  He knocked on the door of his heart, and the new believer heeded that knock and opened the door.  The new Christian listened to the voice that brought him to God, and yet people think that that very voice can’t bring the new believer into further sanctification and purification, but rather they need to be directed to people to get counsel on every issue.  How far have we come when we think that we are the ones saving people and not God? Oh sure, we don’t utter such things, but we say it every day, when we assert that position in their lives.  How far have we come when we ask people why they haven’t spoken to us regarding a life issue rather than asking them if they have spoken to the Counselor of the issue, and ask of them what He said?  I say all this to say, that some times, we need to step back, and realize that God is the One in control, and that we just need to act indirectly in leading people away from their natural tendencies to seek man’s approval and direction, and back to the heart of God.  When we intervene every time a new Christian has a problem, we are simply creating a co-dependant believer without the tenacity to fight the good fight.  It’s a huge disservice to the body of Christ.

Finally, a particular scene in the story touched me.  (Spoiler alert) At the end of the book, Poseidon, Percy’s father invites Tyson, Percy’s brother to come into his ‘domain’ and train or intern, learning how to make weapons.  Because his father had never invited him into his ‘kingdom’, he had never seen his house, or his domain, and he had previously mentioned desire to do so, this was a perfect opportunity for Percy to be jealous, and for a moment he was tempted to be.  Instead, he was genuinely happy for his brother, and sad to see him go.  This touched me because it reminded me of a scripture that I read the other day.  Proverbs 20:6-“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man”.  I have found that rare is a friend who ‘proclaims your goodness’ or celebrates your wins, your accomplishments, your favor without envy.  It takes a truly faithful friend to look at someone else’s success and in all honesty appreciate that it happened to them rather than yourself.  God help me to be such a faithful friend.

I know… The Sea of Monsters is supposed to be this fun, lighthearted book of adventure, and it was, but I truly appreciated the honest portrayal of other issues.  The Sea of Monsters was a complete treasure.

Captivating.  That one word clearly describes The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks.  I was captivated throughout the entire book.  The characters in the story were incredibly moving, even though at many times, their attitudes and decisions frustrated me.  But I suppose that’s what made them so lifelike.  I enjoyed the transformation of the main character, Ronnie.  She grows from a rebellious troubled teen to a strong young woman.  I liked the fact that she was her own person, a little rough around the edges, but genuine and caring at the same time.  And yet misinterpreted. She always stood up for what she thought was right. She didn’t waver when pressured by others, she stood to her convictions, and wasn’t shy about expressing those views with others, despite their rejection.  I loved it!  I also laughed at the fact that even when she made mistakes or was wrong, she went down wrong and strong.  She always went down fighting.  Her convictions were so set, that even though she made mistakes, she refused to change her mind until hours, days, or weeks after it was absolutely certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that she had erred.  I guess something about that just strikes a nerve with me… in a familiar, laughable kind of way.

So, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief eh?  Not normally “my cup of tea”, but right up the ally of my dear friend Kathryn.  Since she read the entire series in a week, I figured I could at least give one a try and just go for it.  Who would have thought I would have liked it so much? Not me.  I guess I’m just now realizing how much I appreciate familiarity.  Familiarity in the food I’m cooking, books I’m reading, and clothes I’m wearing.  Not one to branch out.  How insanely boring!

After overcoming my skepticism, I couldn’t put the book down.  My husband asked me to join him in getting some food, but I just couldn’t pull away.  Almost an hour later, upon completion of the book, I was ready to eat.  Now that is quite a feat for someone who doesn’t turn away food for anything.  I don’t ever skip a meal!

One of my favorite things about the book was the main character, obviously by the title, Percy Jackson.  I enjoyed his spicy little attitude that got him in trouble more than a time or two.  I took pleasure in the fact that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut to save his life, and his little sarcastic zingers were quite comical.  Even his thoughts were scrappy!  (And I love scrappy!)  I loved that he didn’t back down or cower to the biggest of gods or monsters, but stood his ground with his fiery attitude, his witty plans, and his feisty comebacks.

I guess I could talk more of the story line or his wild adventures, but nah.  It was a good read.  I’ll definitely be reading the rest of this series!

To be perfectly honest, I’m not exactly sure how I feel about blogging.  I mean, do I really want everyone to know exactly what I’m thinking, feeling, how I process things, and see the world, or maybe just the way I see the books I read?  I believe that what people write tells a lot about who they are.  Books in general, in my opinion, tell more about the author than anything else.  That being said, do I really want the world to read my thoughts? Not really, but what the heck?

Let me begin by stating why I am writing.  I have joined 3 friends in a book club, in which we will read books (no kidding huh?), and blog our thoughts.  I look with anticipation more to gabbing it up over a cup of coffee about the books than writing this but like I said before… branching out.

I love love love books!  I love buying books, collecting books, and most importantly, I enjoy reading.  I even collect books that I look forward to reading to my yet to be conceived children.  My perfect morning is awakening hours before my alarm rings to spend even more time reading.  I love to sit for hours in what my husband calls my hole, actually a nook in our bedroom, which contains my reading chair.  I treasure the time when I get to curl up with a mocha, a book or 3 (I never just read one at a time, call it ADHD if you will) and my puppy, Peanut, snuggled up beside me.

It’s peculiar that the more I read the more I realize I don’t know, only endeavoring me to read yet another book.   My list of upcoming reads always contains a good 20+ books.  But I’ll only be reading a few of those books.  Mostly, I believe I’ll be reading the books that this group picks together and then blogging about it.  This will be interesting, because this group of girls reads books much different than what I’m accustomed to, this too will compel me to step out of my comfort zone.  Should be exciting.  Let the journey begin!