Hide and Seek

The action/adventure genre is not a book type I would usually choose. Add in a military story, and it would go down even further on my choice list. However, Hide and Seek by major (Ret) Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky was a book I was glad I took time to read.

My experience with military adventures is that it’s full military jargon and abbreviations that are unfamiliar. Additionally, military culture can be difficult to relate to and follow. In this book the authors took the time to develop the characters to the extent that the military setting becomes unimportant.

The book is about an army special operations (spec ops) unit and follows them through two days of an operation. That said, the two days are packed with danger and trouble with no sleep and no time to relax. Part of what makes the book suspenseful is the story moves quickly between settings. The reader becomes involved with one aspect of the story with the excitement building and then the authors skip to another setting. This pattern continues throughout the book meaning there are no restful parts. The story charges ahead before the reader can catch a breath. This made the book a true page-turner.

The character development was well done. Through the characters, the process of human emotions, grief, joy, fear and humor are drawn descriptively. The female protagonist was described as “not catwalk beautiful, but not overly plain.” That description made her seem very real. 

The head of the spec ops unit was a Christian as were several secondary characters. I liked how the authors took time to intertwine their faith with the story in a way that did not seem forced or artificial. Faith was an integral part of the story not just something that needed to be added to make it a Christian book. I found that I truly cared about each person and not just the protagonists. Even secondary characters became important. I also enjoyed the humor. Even in intense situations humor flourished.

I would recommend Hide and Seek without reservation. It is fast-paced story that will keep a reader involved. 

I received this book from the publisher in return for a review.  All opinions are my own.

Q & A with Alton Gansky and MAJ (Ret) Jeff Struecker, Authors of Hide and Seek

BH Publishing Group  July 1, 2012 ISBN: 9781433671425 400 pages/paperback/$14.99 www.BHPublishingGroup.com Alton, what was it like as a writer to work with a soldierand capture the stories for the new book Hide and Seek? AG: It was enlightening. At first, I thought my biggest challenge would be learning the terms and tools of the contemporary soldier. As it turns out, the great challenge came in understanding the soldier's mind and heart. A novelist must be able to see through the eyes of others, to feel their joy and their pains, andthen put it on paper. In writing this book and the others that came before it, I had to imagine what it was like to leap out of an airplane in the middle of the night, to be hunkered down under live fire, to see a comrade wounded and killed and to stand on a foreign field when my mind was home with my family. Doing so gave me the new insight into the work and the sacrifices made by the dedicated soldier. Jeff exemplifies the qualities of the 21st-century soldier: intelligent, brave, sacrificial, but very human. In my discussions with him I came to understand the split loyalties that every soldier faces: duty, country, family. I tried to take some of the admirable qualities I saw in Jeff andput them into the fictional soldiers who risk their lives and transfer all that to the printed page. I could come up with the plot and the twists and turns, but Jeff had to provide the realism. The series of books has been a real education. I am blessed for having been a part of them.

Jeff, now that you are retired from active service, do you reflect on some of the stories that developed differently than what you thought they would? JS: I don't think that being retired from active duty in the US Army has changed the way that I reflect on these stories, but it has given me a greater appreciation for the quality of men and women in the military. Now that I am a private citizen (so to speak), I have the chance to compare the work ethic, the sense of duty and the patriotism of the men and women in the military with the rest of the US population. I never realized how different many warriors are from the citizens that they protect andserve. I am also seeing the selflessness and sacrifice of the military family compared to that of the average family in our country and am surprised by these differences. Alton, did the process or the relationship change the way you view those in the militaryand what their families go through?  AG: Absolutely. I always knew there was great sacrifice involved in being a soldier. Coming from a Navy family I even knew the families of military made their share of sacrifices. Writing about them, however, made it real for me. One thing every novelist does is to insert himself or herself into their characters–good or bad. It can be an emotional roller coaster. Writing these books has tattooed the image of their sacrifice on my mind and heart. From the beginning, Jeff insisted that we show the heroism of those who remain home while their husbands and fathers face death in some foreign territory. In the case of our heroes, they did not even have the satisfaction of knowing where their loved ones served. In many ways, they waited in the dark. I've always admired those who serve in the military, but now I admire their families just as much. Jeff, what are your thoughts on this? JS: Writing with Al has been eye opening for me personally. He really gets it. I have never known someone to be able to pick up the dedication and motivation of a warrior and their family as quickly as Al. On a couple of occasions, I commented to Al that he writes like someone who has been in the Army all his life. He has a great grasp on what a warrior's family goes through when the phone rings in the middle of the night and they have to say goodbye to a loved-one, knowing that they may never see them again. It takes a special kind of person to be a military family and Al depicts that as well as anyone I know. Alton, do you have some funny stories about connecting with Jeff while he was still in active duty? Code language?  AG: Mostly I teased Jeff about the superiority of the Navy or the Army. I don't think I've been able to convince him yet. There were a few interesting times when we would exchange e-mail or talk on the phone and I had no idea where Jeff was. I would simply receive a quick note that he was going to be out of town on business. There were times when we spoke that I was pretty sure he was in some far-off part of the world. I still don't know. In one of the previous books, I had written a scene that I was especially proud of. I struggled to get the details right, to create a believable scenario. When Jeff was reviewing the scene he called to say, “You can't use that.” I argued that it was a good scene, that it helped the plot, that it tied up some loose ends. He agreed then told me to take it out. When I asked why, he replied, “You aren't supposed to know that.” I protested that I didn't know it. I'd made the whole thing up. He sympathized with me and told me to take it out. I've often wondered what I got right. Jeff, what are your writing goals now that you are not in active service? Do you have more leeway/freedom to pursue some things that you were not able to previously? JS: My writing goals have become a bit more ambitious now that I am retired. For the rest of my life I will have to balance describing cutting-edge military technology and procedures without giving away national secrets. (Some of those secrets I have sworn to take to my grave.) At the same time, I think the reader deserves an accurate picture of what life is like for a warrior on a dangerous mission somewhere around the world tonight. I hope to be able to continue to paint that picture for readers. I also had to balance a very difficult workload of trying to communicate with Al and writing some of these books while I was away in Afghanistan or in Iraq. (Needless to say, my mind and attention were a bit preoccupied at those times.) Now that I am retired from the Army, I hope to be able to dedicate more time to writing books that will exalt the great name of Jesus and inspire readers. Alton Gansky is a Christy Award-nominated and Angel Award-winning author who writes to stimulate thinking about spiritual matters. He served as a pulpit minister for twenty years and has published nearly thirty books. Chaplain (Major, Ret) Jeff Struecker is a decorated member of US Army Rangers, the Army’s most elite fighting corps. His personal experiences in Mogadishu, Somalia were documented in the New York Times bestseller and major motion picture Black Hawk Down. During his thirteen years of active duty, he also fought in Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Iris Gold in Kuwait. As a chaplain Jeff has done multiple tours in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Now retired from military service, Struecker currently serves as the associate pastor of ministry development at Calvary Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia. For more information visit www.JeffStreucker.com And www.AltonGansky.com

Faith and Other Flat Tires

Andrea Palpant’s Faith and Other Flat Tires is a personal memoir about the doubts about God she developed as a missionary child in Africa.  There were a lot of things I liked about this book.  For example the writing was incredible.  Being a writing instructor myself, I always get a little giddy when I come across a Christian book that actually shows some knowledge of the craft.  Palpant’s background in Communications definitely shines in this book and makes it an enjoyable read.

Her story is also fairly typical of God’s grandchildren, a.k.a. kids who grew up with true believing parents that wanted nothing more than to serve God with all their heart.  These kids usually don’t really get their parents or the God they serve but have a hard time finding any contentment in the world.  Until they really give their lives to God and have their own relationship with them, they also can’t find contentment in the church, so they end up thrown all over the place in their beliefs. 

Been there, done that.

The major drawback of the book is that she structures it around John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and the journey that Christian takes, but she definitely focuses more on Christian’s pratfalls, then on some of the elements of Bunyan’s metaphor that exemplify God’s part in our walk like Help, Goodwill, Faithful, Hopeful, The Shining Ones, the Lord of the Hill, etc.

The lack of these characters’ traits shows through in Palpant’s memoir as well.  Even in the grand climax where she returns to church, she doesn’t necessarily do it because she finds much hope there, but just because it’s better than the other options.  There’s no relationship with Jesus, no revelation of God in her life, just a meandering fall back into church community.  It’s a lot like Ignorance stumbling up to the City on the Hill in Pilgrim’s Progress.  It doesn’t go well for him.

So I’m torn.  I really liked the book, but in the end I’m not sure where Palpant stands when it comes to faith.  Did she decide to follow Jesus or not?  I hope that I’m just missing something and the answer to that question is “yes”.  But I certainly wouldn’t recommend the book to anyone struggling with their faith.  It’s just as likely to turn them away from God, as turn them back to Him.  On the other hand, she paints a really good picture of the struggle of faith that every child who grows up in it will undoubtedly walk. 

And it’s well-written. Let’s not forget that.

Ultimately, I’m on the fence with this one.  I liked it, and I didn’t like it.  I’d recommend it, but I’d also not recommend it.  I guess you could say that Palpant’s confusion about how she feels about faith has left me feeling confused about how I feel about her book, which I’m sure leaves the reader confused about this review.  And if you’re wondering if this is the book for you, all I can say is ‘maybe’.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Who Owns Your Stuff?

When I first came to Christ, all I really had to my name was a car, a laptop, and some clothes.  The clothes got too big because I didn’t have much money for food, and the laptop’s hard drive went out because it was old and cheap.  My car . . . well my car had its moments. 

I remember several times sitting in a parking lot turning the key again and again, my heart sinking as the engine puttered and wouldn’t start.  In those moments, I would pause and pray a simple prayer: “God, this is Your car, and all the money I have is Your money.  If You want to spend Your money fixing Your car, that’s fine with me.”

Then I would turn the key one more time, and amazingly the car would start right up and run just fine.

On the flip side of that coin, I really meant it when I said all the money I have is God’s, and I’ve never presumed to tell God what He ought to do with it.  A lot of times it really hurt to give.  One time He asked me to give all the money I had in my account to a missionary.  It meant I probably wouldn’t be eating for the rest of the month, but I did it.  The next day I got a check in the mail from someone I hadn’t talked to in years for the exact amount I had given the night before.

Even now, my family spends our money as God leads rather than by our own financial security, though we have a lot more than when I started this journey five years ago.  I still trust God implicitly to provide for our needs, and you can too.

Why?

It’s simple really: "Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.”  (Deuteronomy 10:14) 

There’s nothing in this Earth that belongs to anyone but God.  There are good stewards, poor stewards, righteous stewards, and wicked stewards, but there is no such thing as private property in the kingdom of God.  It’s God’s property, every last bit of it.  From the smallest atom, to the grandest galaxy, everything is the Lord’s.

So, how do you think God would have you use His house that you live in, His car that you drive, His money you put in the bank and investments, His food you keep in the cupboards, His clothes you’ve hung in the closet, or His days that He’s appointed for your life? 

Before you answer that, I invite you to pray that He would lead you in your stewardship of His stuff, so He might have all the glory and honor. “For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Plugging Holes

I love to give God glory for what He’s doing in my area, state, nation, even around the world, and so I often seek out those that I see have a heart for God and talk to them, rejoice with them, help where I can, and most importantly pray for and encourage them.  There are times though when this gets me into trouble, particularly when I run into someone in ministry who’s got their eyes on the waves in the storm.

It usually runs something like this: “I’m so glad God sent you to me.  We need you to serve in our children’s church, youth group, Sunday School, worship team, fundraising, donating, etc.”

Obviously I can't help them all, so my heart breaks for them.

But here's the thing: if there are holes in your ministry’s boat, you can’t plug them with people.  It will be like those silly cartoons where for every person you plug into a hole, two more appear, and in the end the boat sinks. 

When the disciples’ boat was sinking, Jesus didn’t wake up and yell, “Oh my goodness!  We need more man power to keep afloat!”  “He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?’ Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.” (Matthew 8:26)

If there are storms brewing, if it seems like everything is going wrong, if there isn’t enough money, if the ratio of kids to adults is too high, and everything’s out of control, your ministry doesn’t need more people to help out; it needs Jesus!

If you surrender it to Him, and base your success and failure all on obedience to Christ, He’ll calm the storms, He’ll bring salvation, He may even plug the holes, but please don’t assume anyone who comes up and asks you how things are going is the answer to your problems.  I can tell you right now; they’re not. 

If God sends someone to plug your holes, it will sound a lot more like this: “Hi, my name is . . . and God has called me to . . . for you.” That’s the person you want.  That’s the person who will be faithful to help you whatever the cost.  That’s the person who will pray fervently and work tirelessly for the kingdom work God has laid on both your hearts. 

Don’t settle for a warm body to plug the holes in your ministry.  In fact, I would say if the person does not say God sent me to help you, turn them away.  And if they do say God has sent me to help you, ask them how.  It may not be in the way you think you need help.  After all, this isn’t your boat you’re sailing; it’s God’s.

Seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added unto you.

If you want an example of this, I invite you to watch the story of George Muller below:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6