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Today is we celebrate Epiphany, the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ, particularly the visitation of the Wise Men showing God's revelation of Himself to the Gentiles. I wanted to share a poem from a book I just finished reading, Watch for the Light. Love Alone The child we seek doesn't need our gold. On love, on love alone he will build his kingdom. His piercéd hand will hold no scepter, his haloed head will wear no crown; his might will not be built on your toil. Swifter than lightning he will soon walk among us. He will bring us new life and receive our death, and the keys to his city belong to the poor. -Gian Carlo Menotti...

I don't do much (any) creative writing, but I do love fairy tales, so wanted to pass this on. Stephanie and Simcha are hosting a writing contest. So the prince has rescued his princess... the beautiful maiden has been saved from the curse...the wicked witch has been vanquished once and for all...and then what? For all those of you who have wondered about what comes after the Ever After, or how the fairy tale might have turned out differently with just a few adjustments to the plot, now is your chance to find out. For this contest we are going to focus on the story of Cinderella and all of the myriad of ways this popular fairy tale can be told. You can re-imagine any aspect of the Cinderella story or even choose just one of the story’s themes to play around with. Perhaps you might retell it from a different character’s perspective...

Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God. ~Ray Stannard Baker...

It's a Halloween-themed Word Lib. Here's my finished story. The Warlock's Halloween Revenge This Halloween, Bob the witch - well, actually, he was a warlock, a scarlet warlock - wanted a very angry costume. He was tired of the other witches (or warlocks) flying at him. In the past he'd been an asinine werewolf, an ebony vampire, the main character from his favorite movie Practical Magic, even a woody fairy. But did anyone ever say, "Glassy costume, Bob!" to him? No, they didn't. They all just extinguished at him, and one time they made him wear a house on his back all night. But this year, it was going to be different. This year he'd have his lightly deserved revenge on all 43 of the other witches (and warlocks) in his coven. Because he had a spell to create the ultimate costume. He'd found it in the lake, under a pedestal. The local tribe of the...

First, a reminder. I have a game giveaway going on, one copy of Rowboat. Enter here. Infinite City Designers Brent Keith Manufacturer: Alderac Entertainment Group Artist: Charles Urbach Players: 2 - 6 Time: 45 minutes Ages: 10 and up We played this game twice last weekend. One of our friends brought it up to the cabin with him, but since he's from out of town I'm not sure when the next I'll get to play it is and I wanted to write my thoughts while it was fresh in my mind. Here's the blurb. Sometimes, the whole theme of the game is easy to tell from the part and rules, sometimes it isn't. I think this is one of those half and half times. The architects of the future have drawn inspiration from every age. The cities of the future grow as quickly as the population demands and stretch endless miles. Control of the Infinite City means power and wealth but the...

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth Why did I love this book? Not the plot which was, even I have to admit, over the top. A vampire has sworn to protect and follow the orders of the President, this time fighting a modern Dr. Frankentstein type character, who at one point in his long life was an evil Nazi. Was it the characters? Not really. Cade's a vampire fighting against becoming a monster, his new side-kick Zach Barrows is a young political whiz kid who has no idea what he's getting himself into. Both good characters and Zach does show some growth through the novel, but neither are really unique. Is it the lack of a love interest for the sexy vampire? I had hope, really. "I thought vampires were all sex gods with the ladies." Cade looked at him. "What gave you that idea?" "Uh . . . late-night TV, mostly . . ." "Humans are our food. Do you want to have sex with...