Bittersweet--Dark chocolate

Tonight is like dark chocolate to me. It's bitter when you bite it, it's hard to start on, you're not sure if you are indeed going to like it....Then it's sweet. Then the real pleasure comes. That's the way tonight is for me. Overall like most people I resist change, I resist the unknown, a huge amount of my identity deal with being sick, 2011 could be the third entire year--or it could bring healing. I have many spoons in the pot of what I'm working on as a person, I know God will remove some. Which ones? I don't know. But is there going to be spoon changes? Yes. The mixture will be sweeter---but with the sweet I wonder if like the dark chocolate a little tinge of bitter is mixed in. Friends, will I gain more? Lose more? Time will tell, God knows the sweet and the bitter. Like the darkness of the chocolate brought by the cocoa, my soul and life will be shaded by what God brings in. Changed forever, and in reality, quite irrevocably. When I look to the new year I feel fear, I hate the unknown like most of us. An adventure, give me everything you got ;) But when unknown is bundled in a mix where I don't know what God wants for me, and what He'll bring, give me a bed to hide under. The sugar in the chocolate is like the blessings God showers on me. My 3 hour meeting with a guy I know, heart to heart between two men striving for the Lord. It was wonderful! But the bitter mixed in as well, my muscles also shook the entire time. What sugar will got stir in this year? What trials will stir the mixture and even it out? A job would be sugar to me, how sweet...right now I can't, next year? Only God knows. I don't usually do these things, but tonight my heart is heavy, I'm going to write a list of things I'd like to be next year. Maybe I'll share it. Maybe I won't. If you read this post, try it. See what God does--I'm sure going to.


Love to all my brothers and sisters in our Lord Christ Jesus,

Millard


(This is an edit in) No it's not poetry, I tried but that's not my skill right now. What it is? A heart felt pondering and acknowledgment of God.

Lord a new year springs from the old,

Oh father were that I eager and bold!

But the old year’s trials are fresh to my mind,

My souls’ constantly in remind.

I wish that I could yell and shout!

I could exclaim what I am to be about.

The plan you hold for me,

Unfolded yes oh so carefully.

Yet I can’t Jesus, I can see the plan,

I can barely see what is laid before me now.

Oh God please lighten my burdened soul!

It cries for your healing touch, show me thine goal!

Where to go at your command,

just show me and I’ll

But Lord the new year it looms with such might,

and in this frail heart of mine, it gives a great fright!

But in this new year, I know you loom as well,

And your shadow cast, now that’s swell.

So behind the unknown you craft,

your plan unknown to me, but not to you.

Through fog and through dessert,

your plan will you lead.

But Lord, before this plan plays out,

Before it’s set in place.

Jesus I know one thing,

You know my needs.

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It seems somehow right--TRIBING

[This one is new and improved. Please watch in Full screen for best quality.]

Or!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV6C_R9qcno

Hey there! This seems appropriate..the 100th post on my blog, and something about how it all started. Tribing. It's almost eight minutes, so buckle up ;) I hope you enjoy the problems that an X tribe leader faces.

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Two in the same day...

After probably...1 or 1.5 hours. I have no clue really :P

I know right? You're like..but Millard, I totally already was at your blog once today. ISN'T THAT ENOUGH!? Hm..no ;)

Anyway...after probably four hours of work today, I finished my first good, and real blender project by myself :) Leighton's' help prior in other projects was absolutely crucial.

The Finished Product.

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Behold!

Behold...a lego creation! Courtesy of Leighton(Aka Blender guy) I had a lego model! And with repeated trial and error, not to mention and insane amount of blender renders...We have--The flipping lego!!

Enjoy ;)


Millard

P.s. I also have a new storyish thing up:D

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A very special Christmas

Hey guys! If you've read the post previously you heard me say I'm not a big presents guy? Well that's true--like I said ;) But, I received two really amazing presents this year. Both took a large amount of work for my family, and sister respectively. My eyes threatened to mist over when looking at them, it was really special. I just wanted to share some of this specialness...

A photo album complete with elves.

And a poster with sayings..I love sayings.

 

 

 Thanks all!


Note: I even found out other elves got in on this surprise <_<

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Christmas time

        Sometimes when it gets to around Christmas time I get my priorities messed up. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Christmas! But I don't think that I always love the right things. I'm not a presents person, I'd be just as happy, if not more, to get zero presents, and send some to my friends and family. I just am not a person who likes getting gifts. Not to say I'm ungrateful ;) You should hear about some of the tricks my family has played on me....man they played me like a fiddle <_<

Anyway, my problem is more often, I sometimes see Christmas time as a time to eat lots of pies, cookies, cake, candy, etc. Or....a time to do nothing but sit around. Neither are inherently wrong, but when those become my priorities, they are. Maybe your thing isn't the cookies or seat time/sleep time, maybe it's the getting of gifts, or maybe...it's the giving. Before you shoot me and move on to a more interesting blog post because I took a poke at giving gifts--hear me out, please!

I think giving gifts is wonderful, seeing the looks on peoples' faces when you give them something totally surprising. Or you wrap a gift and hide it's true nature.(Bwahahhah!) But, I think that was can also get sucked into the giving of gifts, Remember? That's what is preached in a lot of places, I've heard it. "It's all about giving." Great....Or is it? Giving is great, but what if in this push for giving---we miss something more important than sending that train, or package, or book, but we miss what started this whole thing. Is that any better than losing sight of the goal of the day because of wanting to give? Or to eat? Or to sleep? What was God's interjection? (And yes I know Christmas was a pagan holiday)


But rather than totally try to take apart an age old tradition of pushing giving, maybe I should do this instead. I'm going to take just a moment to give you one thought to think about when you remember this Christmas.  

Four hundred years broken by a baby's--whimpering.

(Wait--you mean cry right? No, I mean whimpering :P Having been informed that babies cannot properly cry for quite some time. So besides the technicality.... ;))

Four hundred years of silence, no word from God, and then...a baby comes. The living reflection of God. God became man, sinless, pure, and born to save the world he came into. Into a dirty world, messy, unpleasant, and from his perspective, no doubt wholly bright and not fun! But---Christ came. The first sound after four hundred years from God, was a baby whimpering.


This isn't original, this isn't profound at least not the way I said it. But, maybe, just maybe, you'll see the nugget that I did. That sound---of a baby whimpering.


The tree JPG is from Wikipedia.

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Giveaway from NLT!

 Hey! I got an email from Tyndale this morning about a contest that is being run by The New Living Translation :D They have all sorts of awesome prizes for bloggers, like me, willing to tell people about it! You could win Bibles, NLT products, even a grand prize trip! Those are some seriously sweet prizes for my blogger buddies! So...seriously, check out their facebook page!

 

 

Millard

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Giveaway is over! The Winner is...

 

And number 15 is.........*checks notes* *doubt checks* *triple checks* *qu--* Oh right. Who won? 

Eagleswings!! 

Congratulations Eagles! Please email me your address and we'll see if we can't get that book on it's way. 

Thank you to everyone that made this giveaway a success. Thank you Mr. Davis!

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Wow! Blender Mania!

Hey guys!

I just wanted to share some of the cool things that happened to me today! Two big ones ;D I completed....TWO blender projects! One I just started today! Yes'r! And no..the other one had been a WIP for awhile but mainly that's my fault ;) However, first I'd like/also need to thank Leighton. He's an amazing blender user/master, even if I do tend to chat him during dishes ;)

So..why am I thanking someone? Here's why.

Yeah, pretty sweet if I do say so myself ;) Thanks Leighton!

To let everyone know, Leighton is offering Blender tutoring through his website. Check out some information on it here! Check it out :D

I'm also starting a new page on the blog for blender projects, that way--no matter when I start and stop, I'll be able to keep reminders of them up and about for myself, as well as maybe for you too!
Note: You can schedule an interview with the Short lego guy, contact me, I'm his agent.

I have a video I made that should show up tomorrow....

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Forum Art

 What can I say? I love it.(:

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An interview with Amanda Bradburn!

Today I'm honored to have an interview with Ms. Amanda Bradburn! I can't wait to see what you guys think of it! So without further ado...we will probe her to her soul.

•   How did you get started writing? The initial catalyst was probably boredom, honestly. My first book was co-authored with two of my friends during a homeschool group. I was seven. J

•  Why do you write, what drives you to write? I love it. I can’t NOT write. It’s something that comes very naturally to me, and I’d feel incomplete without a pen and paper somewhere nearby with my scribbles on it.

•  How does your Christian faith play into your writing, does it? Christianity is a part of everything I do. Mat 22:37  “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” I don’t want to preach, but I want it to be obvious that by what I write and how I write, that I am salt. (If this makes no sense to

•    What one author has been the most influential towards making you a writer? Rote answer: (sorry) Tolkien. Yes, I know. Every fantasy author says that, but it’s true. I never would have written fantasy if Tolkien hadn’t written a book that got made into a movie in 2001. (The Fellowship of the Ring). Before I saw that, I was writing mystery.

•  How do you manage to juggle college, social life, and writing? *laughs* Carefully and with much loss of sleep. You can live on less than the specialists say, let me tell you!

•   After reading your book, soon to be books, what is the highest compliment you could be paid? There are a lot of compliments that an author covets. “I couldn’t put it down”, obviously. “I can’t wait until book two (or whatever comes next)”, also.  Honestly, the highest compliment is not a sentence, it’s actions. It’s telling a friend that they loved The Keepers of Elenath and spreading the word. That’s the best compliment my book could ever get.

•   What is one unknown fun fact you can tell our readers? I have lots of unknown fun facts! Hmm… I used to be so shy that I could not answer the telephone. J I’m not that way anymore! ( I don’t know what happened…so sad…)

•   Can you give us a short synopsis of your first book, The Keepers of Elenath? The words “short synopsis” and “Elenath” will never belong in the same sentence.              The Keepers of Elenath combines the fate of a nation with the journeys of a princess and the struggles of an escaped slave boy. Something evil is waiting… and it has come so close. The ultimate weapon, a vial of dragon venom, has been found. Those who try to stop it are hunted. But they aren’t the only ones.

•   Finally, if you could tell young aspiring writers one thing, what would that be? Writing is tough. You’re going to love it, and sometimes you’re going to wish that you didn’t. People are going to hurt you (people do, you know), but you will gain some wonderful friends. People will genuinely want to help you. Anyway, don’t give up. You might feel like it. In fact, I’ll guarantee you’ll feel like it. Don’t do it. Don’t give in.

Thanks Ms. Bradburn!

Millard

To check her awesome site! (To which my wicked looking hand drawn blog button links too...) click here!

If you're thinking about buying the book, shoot me an email, I'll see if I can't set something up for ya--along the lines of something neato ;) Just to let you know---all books sold with an audio book code! So an audio books AND a normal book :D

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It's over

Tribe building is over, thoughts?



Also I've joined Eagleswings in her challenge to read through the entire Bible before January first. This is a challenge..I haven't started yet! ;) Join us!

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By Darkness Hid Jill Williamson

Achan of Cham is a stray just fighting to live life, and hoping one day to be able to marry the girl he loves…..when suddenly, his life is turned upside down. An ex-King’s Guard warrior takes a shine to him, and takes him as his squire. Life is looking up, he has hope of one day being something more than a stray, hope to someday marry Gren and hope to have a real life besides servitude. But both hopes are snatched away in a fell swoop as his day at the tournament is cruelly ended forcing him to serve those that earlier, he had been on even ground with them. But not just that, Gren’s hand is sought carelessly by Prince Esek forcing Achan to make sure Gren is safely married quickly—to someone else. Even Sir Gavin, the King’s Guard warrior, seems to have deserted him, but is that really the case? And the voices, what of the voices? His momentary lapse in morning tonic seemed to allow the cacophony of voices to pummel his head, who are they, and what do they want?

Vrell Sparrow is a young skittish boy grateful to be able to work in the apothecary— but that’s just what ‘he’ is on the outside. But inside the worn and boyish trappings she’s a seventeen year old girl in hiding from a man who would marry her in force to seize her, and her mother’s lands. But when her mistress is  traveling and two imposing armed men come for him—for her, she has no way of getting out of leaving her hiding place without giving away who and what she is.  Bearing the silence Vrell is thrust into a mind spinning selection of events and thrown into the battle for the thrown whether she knows it or not. Her bloodvoicing ability is known and sought after, there are uses for such tools. Her new master wishes for her to come into contact with a bloodvoicer they hear, but only sporadically.  One so loud, so powerful that it hurts her mind. But—what will she find when she gets there, who will she find?

This story by Jill Williamson is definitely epic fantasy. The story is woven wonderfully the flow of the book carries you along almost against your wishes toward the end. The characters were varied, definite, and touching. The story of a stray’s unwelcome rise, and of a girls’ hiding from those who would take advantage of her place was truly…..a story to behold. Thanks Mrs. Williamson!

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Tribes!

Tribe building is ending!

No longer do we try to promote CH's books, Christopher’s Books include:,The Rise of the Dibor,The Lion Vrie, Athera’s Dawn. *Sigh* NO more review posting....for Wayne's either! The Door Within,The Rise of the Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, Isle of Swords, Isle of Fire, Or Sword in the Stars! Or their co-authored ones....Curse of the Spider King, Venom and Song, or the third one! Which I'm going to write to Thomas Nelson for.....Check it out here on the Underground on how you can get in on the action. Ugh! I wish I had some awesome blog post to link you to for Wayne's site...but all he has up is the pre-ending tribe post. CH doesn't even have that! Which is fair I suppose, this one really is more about Sword in the Stars. But you can find out how to tether an Iphone  or Droid ;)

Millard

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Roseta Stone!

Now is the perfect time to give your child the gift of possibilities for the holidays with Rosetta Stone Homeschool — and you can WIN a Level 1 Homeschool program, language of your choice (valued at $249)!

Right now Rosetta Stone is having a special Holiday promotion on our Homeschool Edition program and we’d like you to help spread the word! Everyone can save up to $150 on Rosetta Stone Homeschool by visiting our website at http://www.RosettaStone.com/hsw1110.

By helping us spread the word you can win a Rosetta Stone Homeschool Edition Level 1 program, language of your choice, valued at $249.

This is a computer based curriculum and Rosetta Stone will also include a headset with microphone, and a supplementary “Audio Companion” CD so you can practice lessons in the car, on the go, or where-ever!

Students participate in life-like conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone incorporates listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary and writing along with speaking and pronunciation lessons. For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program to allow parents to easily enroll up to ten students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, grade completed work (the program grades the work automatically as the students progress), and you can view and print reports for transcripts. Homeschooling a lot of kids at your house? This program is designed to enroll and track up to ten students (five users on two computers) and will work for nearly all ages — from beginning readers up to college students.

You all should enter too!


To win this program, copy these paragraphs and post them in (or as) your next blog post, and/OR post about this contest on your facebook page. Then go to the original page at http://www.othersuchhappenings.com/2010/12/rosetta-stone-giveaway-yay.html and leave a comment saying that you’ve posted about, or have linked to, the contest. Please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post, and good luck!

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Sword in The Stars

Wall' here's my review for Sword in the Stars by Wayne Batson!

Sword in the Stars by Wayne Batson: Sword in the Stars is a buckle-up tight adventure complete with cunning and seriously wicked villains, a fun, if violent girl in love with the hero, and a hero worthy of many books.

Alistair Coldhollow is the Iceman. A trained assassin  who does one thing well---kill. When one day he slaughters a woman’s husband, only to have her turn around offer him forgiveness it throws his life out of control. On one of his drinking binges he drinks himself into a Witchdrale induced stupor and wakes up to find himself in a cave—the same cave that the woman and her surviving daughter are in. After reading in the Canticles and Scriptures she provides-- his life is turned around---mostly. Now his skills are lying dormant for now, he is the searcher, or so he thinks, the finder of the Halfanin the messiah of the people.

The sword in the stars has appeared, Thel-Mizaret is the destination and he will find the Halfanin, whatever it takes. Enter… Abbagael a woman who’s decided to marry Alistair, almost with or without—his consent. Her love for Alistair is beautiful in the way it typifies Christ love for the sinner even as Alistair struggles with his addiction to witchdrale and a war that has more knots than a—uh..knot.

Also, some of the parallels and allegorical effects in the book were awesome. Especially, “My Father’s book.” I had to pause when I read it. Beautiful.

With the impending…then in place, war. Alistair’s skills are wonderfully highlighted giving me the chills and making me wish with all my heart I had his skill with the blade!!!!!!!

The book has incredible potential, in fact, I found that Alistair Coldhollow was the coolest person I think Wayne’s ever crafted. However, my qualms with the book deal mainly with the lack of realism in some areas. No one batting an eyelash as Alistair and Abbagael go into the forest for days by themselves with only the baby. And the lack of explanation by the author. Once again, I found massive potential in the book, I just needed more things fleshed out for myself. Don’t take me to the doorstep then keep me out!

Mr. Batson, I love your work, and God’s blessed you with amazing ability. Keep up the writing, just remember, as a reader I want to follow everything and know it all ;) Keep me in the light a little more next time, will ya?

Find the book at Deepershopping here.
Find more fantasy at Deepershopping here.

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Update..giveaway, and life ;)

Hey guys, the giveaway! It's going GREAT! Already six entrants! :D But--just to give you the competitive edge ;) The most entries anyone has is four!!! That's right, FOUR! So spike those entries, gain an edge, who wants it, and who's pretending. *Intense sports face*


And now.....anyone else ever had keys get submerged in the gutter? Like car keys? It happened at my house. *chuckles* And boy is it a story....

Check out these pictures I took earlier :) I never realized how insanely huge a door is compared to me!! :P It was seriously hard to fit the whole thing in the picture!

My door :)  It says, "Joy to the world"

The door to the garage. (Dont' ask me why we did this one)

For the life of me I couldn't get a good shot of Pingpong's...so here is the pattern at least.

Now then, any other people or families out there that put wrapping paper on their doors? It's wonderfully fun!



Millard

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Giveaway!(Closed)

Hey There!!

Here we go, the moment I've been waiting for.......I'm giving away a personalized copy of Eternity's Edge by Bryan Davis, graciously provided by Mr. Davis!! So, get those entries going, good luck have fun!
Note: This copy is signed to you.

This contest ends on the 18th!

1. You must do this to be eligible for any other entries. You can follow this blog. A follower widget should be located on the blog's sidebar. (earns 2 entries)
2. You can post about this giveaway on your blog. Comments MUST have a link. Limited to twice a week. (earns 2 entries)
3. You can tweet with a link to this post. Comments MUST have a link. Limited to once a day. (Earns one entry)
4. You can read any of my reviews, or (lone) interview on this blog and comment on it. (earns 1 entry) Update: Must post link where comment can be found. And must be on reviews you have not commented on before.
5. You may link to this giveaway on facebook. You MUST email me a screen shot of it. Limited to once a day. (Update! now earns 2 entries) I will not count this entry if you do not email me a screen shot.To take a screen shot:Press PrintScrn, then CNTRL+C. Open Word, Open Office 'word' or anything that can handle photos. Then paste this "screen shot" by pressing, CNTRL + V, or Right click + V. There you go! A photo of your screen :)
6.  You may get someone else to follow, please have them comment and say who told them about the blog.(worth 3 entries)
7.  If you come up with something you want to ask if you can do for entries, ask in the comment section, I am open to ideas! 

This giveaway is open to all USA residents and I'm working on seeing if I can't get this as a go to Canada :) 
Trying to work out postage, Squeaks, Sotk. If we can figure out what the postage is up to you guys, and it's reasonable, something under 6-8 dollars for the book, go for it!  But as a disclaimer, I can't say for sure if it will be, I'll edit the rules once I can rule in or out Canada.




Good luck, have fun, ENTER!

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