This Day in History November 6, 1976

By DoD (US Army website images collection) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Today we salute one of America's own.  On this date in 1976, Pat Tillman was born.  He excelled in football in high school, and went on to play for Arizona State University--where he also graduated with a degree in marketing in less than four years and a high GPA.  In 1998, the Arizona Cardinals drafted him.

He gave up high-paying contracts and more to enlist in the army with his brother May 2002.  On April 22, 2003, he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.  There are still many unanswered questions concerning his death in spite of inquiries.  He paid the ultimate price for this country that he loved.

For more information, please check out:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4815441/ns/world_news/t/ex-nfl-star-tillman-makes-ultimate-sacrifice/#.UJkPsm_A-So
http://www.biography.com/people/pat-tillman-197041
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Tillman
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/pat-tillman.html

This Day in History January 2, 1980

In order to appreciate this day in history, I think I need to give you some background information.  (Well, I know I need it, so maybe you do, too.)  If you were around in 1979, you might remember the Cold War that existed between the U.S. and the USSR (Russia).  They were Communist, and things were tense between us and them.  Even I remember that!

In December of 1979, Russian paratroopers landed in Kabul Afghanistan, a country that was already in civil war.  The Muslims were against the current Prime Minister who wanted the country to become more Westernized.  According to the Russians, the Prime Minister had invited them to the country to support him and work against the terrorist Muslims.

On December 27, 1979, the Russians shot the Prime Minister and replaced him with someone the Russians liked.  He needed 85,000 Russian soldiers so he could remain in power.  President Carter's press secretary called  this Russian action "a serious threat to peace."

It was on this date in 1980 that President Carter's administration made some serious changes in his administration concerning the Soviet Union.  He stopped talks with them concerning the nuclear arms treaty, and he recalled the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union.  The actions were intended to point out to the USSR that the military action in Afghanistan was unacceptable.

In addition to these measures, Carter's administration considered boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics that were to be held in Moscow.  He also considered trade restrictions against Russia.  And indeed he followed through.  There was a ban on grain export to Russia, and the Summer Games were boycotted.

Indeed, this was a difficult time in our nation's history.  I do not remember this exact date in our history, but I know that things were pretty tense between the two countries.  I remember my amazement when it was announced that the Soviet Union collapsed.  I thought it would never happen.  I am so glad that we never went to war with USSR.  I think much life would have been lost.

For further reading, please check out these sites:
http://www.history.co.uk/this-day-in-history/January-02.html
http://www.guidetorussia.com/russia-afghanistan.asp

Well-Spoken Wednesday--Freedom's Stand by Jeanette Windle Book Review

Summary from goodreads:


Jamil renounced a life of jihad when he encountered the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, but villagers and authorities in the hills of Afghanistan respond with skepticism . . . and even violence.
Relief worker Amy Mallory is shocked by the changes in her organization—changes with dire implications for the women and children under her care. And concern for her former assistant, Jamil, weighs heavily on her heart.
Former Special Forces veteran Steve Wilson faces off against the riots and corruption of Kabul’s upcoming election. He's looking for something that will give his life purpose but is confident that he won’t find it in Afghanistan.
All three are searching for love and freedom in a country where political and religious injustice runs rampant. But when religious freedom becomes a matter of life and death, they discover that the cost of following Jesus may require the ultimate sacrifice.





Freedom's Stand by Jeanette Windle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay, I'll be honest.  I was not excited at all about reading this book at first.  Modern novels like this don't usually grab my attention.  Well, I will say the author did a fantastic job of drawing me in from the very beginning.  I wanted to read the book and find out what happened to the girl at the start of the story.

Unfortunately, the author lost me again as the next chapters came about.  It became a chore to wade through all the characters and the story and try to fill in the missing pieces.  I planned on giving it a 3-star rating for this reason.

As I continued to read, I realized that the author was merely giving me background pieces to the story, and I found myself emotionally attached to the characters.  I struggled to put it down as I read through the halfway point and beyond. All the stories seemed to weave together in a wonderful way.  I decided that a 4-star rating would be highly appropriate.

That is until I read the last 100 pages or so. I thought I had the book figured out, but the author added in some unique twists and turns that I was not expecting.  I had found myself telling my mom all about the book.  In fact, she was almost getting a play-by-play summary of it.

When it came to the end, my questions were answered, and it ended the way I wanted it to.  It ended the way it had to.  I so appreciated the fact that the author wrote a book that portrayed the truth of Afghanistan and its people.  I honestly knew very little about this country, and it is clear the author held a special place in her heart for the people there--especially the women.  I also loved the easy way that the gospel was presented in the book.  It strengthened my faith and made me realize how blessed I am as an American woman.

So why did I rate it 5 stars?  Because it was clear that what I thought was weakness towards the beginning grew and caused me to connect with the book in a unique way.  Any book that is able to accomplish this goal certainly deserves my highest admiration.


View all my reviews

About the Author:

    A daughter of American missionaries, Jeanette Windle grew up in the jungles and small towns of Colombia, now guerrilla hot zones. In 1981, Jeanette graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Biblical Studies and Theology from Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta. In 1985, Jeanette and her husband Martin moved to Bolivia to work with a nondenominational Christian mission organization. While her husband served as director, Jeanette worked with women and children at risk in varied regions of Bolivia.

         Jeanette began her publishing/writing career producing Spanish-language educational and inspirational material for women and children at risk as well as writing articles for a variety of international publications. This was followed over the next years by eight children's books, including the six books of the Parker Twins Adventure Series, a young adult mystery/suspense series set in a multi-cultural background, and a teen novel, Jana’s Journal. Her first major adult political/suspense novel, CrossFire, set against background the counter-narcotics war in Bolivia she was witnessing firsthand, was released in 2000. This was followed by The DMZ, set in the guerrilla zones of Colombia where she grew up, and FireStorm, all published by Kregel Publications. Betrayed, set in the background of Guatemala's fifty year civil conflict, was released by Tyndale House Publishers in 2008. Her most recent novel, Veiled Freedom, set in Afghanistan, released by Tyndale House Publishers, was a 2010 Christy Award finalist and 2010 Christian Book Award finalist. Its sequel, Freedom's Stand, released June, 2011, was nominated AWSA (Advanced Writer Speaker Association) 2011 Golden Scroll Novel of the Year.

         Jeanette and her husband Marty moved to Miami in June, 2000, when her husband assumed the position of Vice-President of General Services for Latin America Mission, a nondenominational Christian mission organization working throughout Latin America. In January, 2006, they moved again to Lancaster, PA, when Marty accepted the position of President of BCM International, another nondenominational mission organization serving in 50 countries on five continents.

        Jeanette is editor of BCM World magazine, speaks and travels extensively both in the U.S. and internationally, and serves as consulting editor and mentor in developing writers  from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Spain, Croatia, Philippines and more. She is recipient of Focus on Fiction’s 2005 Deserted Island Book Award (i.e. the reading material of choice if one were headed to a deserted island). Jeanette is also recipient of the South Florida Writers Association 2004 Celebrity Author’s Award and 2002 Mabel Meadows Staats Award. She served for three years as VP of Publication for the South Florida Writers Association and president of Miami-Dade Christian Writers and is currently president of Lancaster Christian Writers. Marty and Jeanette have four children.

(Source: http://www.jeanettewindle.com/about_the_author.dwt)

Tyndale House Publishers has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book or ARC.