New Steps and Old Monuments

As I advance in years, my perspective progresses. I attempt to lean not on my own understanding, but to seek wisdom and discernment. On a lighter note, I am working on margin in my schedule for the unforeseen, all the while praying for direction. Why employ this opening to the blog today?

It is often unplanned experiences, side streets, and extra stops that can bring the most joy in life and in travel. Yet still we tend to aim for the main events and major attractions. Why is that the case? Do we have fomo (fear of missing out)? Do we think that because people deem an occasion or site worthy, we must explore the possibility or location? Whatever the reasons, I suggest consideration of alternatives. 

For a writing research trip with Cindy Stewart (former HHH blogger and author of Abounding Hope), we planned months in advance the sites we would visit. As is often the case, our schedule changed. These alterations are some of my favorite portions of the trip. What did I learn? Leave space in life for the unexpected. Be flexible. Above all, abide. This leaves room for God's plans. As I discovered in recent years, His are better than any I could design.

Additional stop #1 on our trip - Amiens, France. This is a small town located just 112 km (70 miles) north of Paris. It is northwest of Caen, which appears in prior posts. Amiens is a magnificent medieval village that offers a cathedral, views of the Somme River, and interesting tidbits to delight history enthusiasts. Oddly enough, it is not listed in the guidebook for France I used. Perhaps less attention lends itself to the quaint ambiance?

Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens featured in the image at top and three below, is a Unesco Heritage Site. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. In fact, two Notre Dame de Paris could fit inside the 200,000 cubic meter structure. It soars 42 m (137.8 feet) in height. Three master builders completed this edifice from 1220 - 1288. The elevation, sculptures, and stained glass allow this cathedral to serve as a model for Gothic architecture. It did influence many Gothic cathedrals built in the succeeding centuries. Notice the intricate and plentiful figures on the exterior. We could not take photos inside. Imagine the beautiful interior or plot a visit to Amiens to peek for yourself.

Key aspects of this monument are additions and alterations over the years that retained the nature of the structure. At the end of the 13th to the beginning of the 14th century, chapels constructed between the buttresses did not affect the interior. Over the proceeding years restorations occurred that offered enhancement. The cathedral survived religious wars, the French Revolution, and for the most part, both World Wars. Listed as an Historic Monument in 1862 and inscribed with Unesco in 1981, this site remains protected for future generations.

Continuing on and strolling through Amiens offers a glimpse into medieval life as well as current adaptions. The Quai Bélu (below) in Saint-Leu once supported the area's milliners, tanners, and weavers. Now, this lively strip serves diners at shoppers. Can you imagine women with baskets over their arms, collecting fish from the monger and produce from the farmers? 

What shoes did they wear on these cobbled streets? What about their clothing? Since the dyers supported this location, did they sport a variety of colors? While little changed in this landscape, attire and goods evolved many times since the 1200s. 

Now for a few whimsical notations, take a gander at this photo at right. "Where everybody knows your name..." 

In the subsequent photos, do you see "L'Homme sur sa bouée?" The Man on His Buoy? As visitors cross le Pont de la Dodane, they observe a statue nestled in the Somme River. Phase one originally made of wood got a makeover and now consists of a more durable option in stainless steel. Stephan Balkenhol, a German artist created the piece in 1991. The Amiens museum team worked to design the updated version. I read a piece stating Amiens students dress him up on occasion for fun. He modeled t-shirts, hats, bags, a buoy (ironically), and even another statue dangling from his shoulders. 

            

Can you recall a time in your life where the day unfolded contrary to what the calendar required, and the results are cherished memories? Did you take a trip that opened new horizons that were not in the guidebook? Please comment and share your stories.

As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator and later as an editor for an online magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with 118 Plans on the Bible.com app, in 44 languages.

Rebecca lives near the mountains with her husband and a rescued dog named Ranger. If it were up to her, she would be traveling - right now. Visits to their two grown sons would be first. As a member of ACFW and FHLCW, Rebecca learns the craft of fiction while networking with a host of generous writers. 

Connect with Rebecca: Facebook Goodreads Instagram Pinterest X (formerly known as Twitter)

A FORGOTTEN RECORD-BREAKING AVIATRIX

By Mary Davis
 

“I would like to think those flights of mine have a small corner in the history of achievement.” Lores Bonney

 

Maude Rose “Lores” (Rubens) Bonney

 

One would think with all those names that a person would be remembered. One would think that setting flying records would afford a person to be remembered. But alas, Lores Bonney faded into obscurity for most of the rest of her life.

 

Born Maude Rose Rubens on November 20, 1897 in Pretoria, South African Republic, her parents moved to England when she was four, then to Australia two years later in 1903. She didn’t like her given name so adopted the name Delores, which was shortened to Lores (pronounced Lor-ee).

 

“To put it bluntly, I was a rebel.” Lores Bonney

 

Her German-born father sent her to a German finishing school in 1911 to rein in her unruly behavior. She learned German, French, and became an accomplished pianist. While performing her first concert for Kaiser Wilhelm’s sister, she got a serious case of stage fright, feigned a nosebleed, and ran off the stage. Her first and last performance.

 

In 1917, while working for the Red Cross during WWI, she met and married Harry Bonney, nineteen years her senior. Though they wanted children, their marriage bore them none.

 

In 1928, she met Bert Hinkler, her husband’s first cousin once removed. He was an acclaimed pilot, having been the first to fly solo from England to Australia earlier that year. He took Bonney up in his Avro Avian biplane.

 

“It was the answer to my dreams. I adored birds, and there I was literally feeling like one. There and then I decided then to become a pilot.” Lores Bonney

 

But not merely to fly, she wanted to break records. She secretly took lessons while her husband golfed, because she didn’t know if he would approve. Her first lesson was on August 6, 1930. Within a year, she earned her private pilot’s license and confessed to her husband. His response was to buy her an airplane, a de Havilland DH.60 Gypsy Moth, which she named My Little Ship.

 

The first record she broke was in 1931 when she flew from Brisbane, Australia to Wangaratta, Australia. She spent Christmas with her husband, but wanted to have supper with her father the next day. She took off at 4:30 am and landed at 7:20 pm in time for supper. The longest one-day flight by a woman.

 

The second record was being the first woman to circumnavigate Australia’s mainland by air in 1932.

 

The third record was in 1933 when she was the first woman to fly from Australia to England, taking off on April 10, 1933. She wanted to make the same flight Bert Hinkler had set a record for. As with any of these kinds of early records, the trip was fraught with difficulties.

 

Lores Bonney overhauls her machine, April 11, 1933

 

With Victoria Point, Queensland, Australia only 50km away, Bonney ran into a terrible storm but felt she could fly through it. The clouds darkened and lightning cracked around her. The strong winds buffeted her about, and she feared the wings were going to get torn off, so she turned back to an island she had flown over.

 

She needed to make an emergency landing before the rain engulfed the island. With the tide out, she spotted a strip of wet, firm sand to land on. She made a smooth landing rather than her usual kangaroo-hopping ones, with no one there to witness it except a lone buffalo in her path. She turned to miss the beast, causing the aircraft wing to hit the water, flipping the plane. Bonney was trapped in the cockpit underwater part of the time when the waves rolled in. The harness release pin was bent, inhibiting her frantic efforts to free herself.

 

“What an inglorious finish — to be drowned in my cockpit, upside down.” Lores Bonney

 

After some struggle, she freed herself and got out of her wreckage. The wings, rudder, propeller, and tail fin were all smashed, only the fuselage and engine were relatively undamaged. After six days on the island, she and her aircraft were taken to Calcutta where it took a month to repair. Undeterred, she continued on to England on May 25, 1933 and touched down in England on June 21, 1933.

 

Then in 1937 came her fourth record when she was the first to fly from Australia to South Africa. She flew her newly acquired German Klemm L32 monoplane, named My Little Ship II. She ran into many difficulties along the way; torrential rains, sandstorms in the Middle East, bureaucrats, stranded during a bush landing, and heat so hot she couldn’t touch the throttle with her bare hands. Also, the glue on the soles of her shoes melted from the hot rudder pedals.

 

Though repairs took only three weeks in Khartoum, she decided to wait another three days for Amelia Earhart so she could meet her fellow aviatrix. Earhart and Fred Noonan were on their infamous ’round the world flight and due to stop in Khartoum any day. Hearing no word of where the pair was, Bonney decided she could wait no longer and took off on July 10, 1937. Earhart and Noonan landed two days later. Unfortunately, they disappeared shortly thereafter, and Bonney never got to meet her.

 

It took her another five weeks, including several repairs and a broken altimeter that nearly led her into the side of the mountain, before she finally landed in Cape Town, South Africa.

 

After WWII, she hung up her wings, partly due to age and diminished eyesight.

 

“I always liked to say I traveled the world with a Gipsy [sic].” Lores Bonney

 

She died in 1994 at age 96 of pneumonia. In 2017, an electoral district was created and named after her in Queensland, and in 2019, the Lores Bonney Riverwalk was opened in Brisbane, Australia.

 

 
MRS. WITHERSPOON GOES TO WAR (Heroines of WWII series)
3rd Place 2023 SELAH Award

A WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) flies a secret mission to rescue three soldiers held captive in Cuba.

Margaret “Peggy” Witherspoon is a thirty-four-year-old widow, mother of two daughters, an excellent pilot, and very patriotic. She joins the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). As she performs various tasks like ferry aircraft, transporting cargo, and being an airplane mechanic, she meets and develops feelings for her supervisor Army Air Corp Major Howie Berg. When Peggy learns of U.S. soldiers being held captive in Cuba, she, Major Berg, and two fellow WASPs devise an unsanctioned mission to rescue them. With Cuba being an ally in the war, they must be careful not to ignite an international incident. Order HERE!

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of thirty-seven years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub

 

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maude_Bonney

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2017/03/lores-bonney-the-forgotten-aviatrix/

https://www.historynet.com/lores-bonney-australian-female-pilot/

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bonney-maude-rose-lores-27042

Unexpected Legacy Series: John Mark (The Runaway)

By Matthew J. Elliott

As I have often claimed, researching biblical concepts is one of my favorite hobbies. It comes from my college days at OkWU. Many of the classes I took while earning my degree in Biblical Studies were directed studies. This means that I worked one-on-one with my professors on research projects that focused on Bible events and the characters we read about in Scripture. Some of the most memorable encounters and revelations in my faith came from those stories and that is a legacy left to me by my professors. At first, I only took the directed study courses so I could get out of sitting in the classroom and avoid taking exams. All of my final projects required me to investigate topics that were confusing to see others. Why am I sharing about me when the title of this post is about John Mark's unexpected legacy? 

Antique Scroll similar to what John Mark wrote on

It all ties into why I do what I do as a writer today. It was the legacy I received that opened my eyes to people like Brother Lawrence, Madame Guyon, Barnabas, and even Gene Edwards whom I intend on writing about next month. More importantly, though, I share this seemingly random information about my past, because John Mark's past is very similar to mine. He was a well-educated young man, even before being mentored by men like Barnabas, Paul, and Peter. The knowledge we both received, in the beginning, was about the research, the topical information, and the historical details. It was not until we both experienced real aspects of our lives that we began to learn about our true Legacies.

While my legacy is still unpredictable in many ways, the legacy left behind by John Mark is a phenomenal example of internal growth and acceptance. It was only through the experiences he had in places like Cyprus, Rome, Ephesus, Jerusalem, and Alexandria that he began to see his true calling.  As an educated young man, John Mark knew who Jesus was. He knew that there was something significant about his three-year ministry, and to an extent, what would happen in the end. His mother, Mary, hosted many of the believers in the upper room of her home in Jerusalem. (Acts 12:12) Many even believe it was in her home that Jesus appeared to his followers and told them to wait for the spirits coming. While there are no claims in Scripture that John Mark ever met Jesus, he did have many encounters with those who did.

Wikimedia Image of John Mark

As a much older young man, John Mark found himself assisting Saul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey, probably believing that he was unstoppable, only to learn through some misguided experiences in Cyprus that he was not ready to accept the calling he imagined. Abandoning Saul and Barnabas in Pisidia (Acts 13:13), for reasons we have little documentation on, was one of the worst, and yet, best decisions he would ever make. While some believe it was out of fear of the unknown, or even that he received word his mother was ill, we will never know. The reality here is that making that one choice changed his life, forever branding him as the runaway. There is so much more to his story than being branded in this way and his legacy, in this writer's opinion, is worth discovering.

After making his way back to Jerusalem, John Mark spent a great deal of time learning about his faith under the watchful eye of Peter and others who remained in Jerusalem during the persecution that was taking place. At some point during this time some believe that Peter began sharing the stories we find in Mark's Gospel. As an educated man, it fell to John to write those stories down. Other parts of his story claim that John Mark may have been commissioned to leave Jerusalem and travel to Alexandria, where he among others, planted a church. In the wake of the controversy about Circumcision, a meeting of the believers was called in Jerusalem, and John Mark and others were called back to Jerusalem from their prospective missionary journeys. (Acts 15)

AI Generation of The Jerusalem Council 50AD

In taking part in this Jerusalem Council, John Mark was reunited with Barnabas and even Paul. At this point, we lose sight of what happens with John Mark and don't hear about him in Scripture until Paul is in Rome. Somehow between the Jerusalem Council, believed to have happened in 50AD, and arriving in Rome, which happened around 60AD (Col. 4:10), John Mark has found himself and is considered a valuable asset in Paul's ministry. Something had to change because when Barnabas recommended bringing John Mark on the second missionary journey, Paul was so much against it that he broke his partnership with the man he'd spent years ministering alongside. (Acts 15:36-42) What could that change in John Mark have been though? Was it just that he matured with Age? I am not sure it was!

In my upcoming book, The Cyprus Journal, John Mark has some experiences that could explain how this change took place, but that is not where I'm heading with this post. I honestly believe that when Barnabas took him to Cyprus, he gave John Mark the time he needed to learn the true meaning of leaving a Legacy behind for future generations. I also believe that hearing the gospel story through the hearts of those who knew Jesus personally opened his eyes to the possibilities. Sometimes we need to open our eyes and look at the world around us. Sometimes the lessons we learn teach us the value of acceptance and that is where John Mark truly finds his calling. The legacy he left behind proves that no matter how far we stray off the path, we can find our way back. No matter how many times the fears of life take hold of us, we can overcome them and embrace who we are meant to be.

~ Biography ~

Matthew James Elliott (M.J. Elliott) is a passionate writer who loves to encourage and inspire others. He has served in various ministry roles for over 15 years, which has given him a unique perspective on people and Biblical History. Matthew holds a degree in Biblical Studies from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, with a focus on Pastoral Care, Christian Education, and Worship.

Matthew is happily married to Traci, and they have three children named Leyla, Caleb, and Hannah, who bring them immense joy and inspiration. As a writer, Matthew's goal is to share love, equip others, and edify them for the greater good. He loves connecting any amount of scripture to his stories and uses his knowledge of Biblical History to do so often.

You can find Matthew's works on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, and His Website. He has written Devotionals, An Episodic Series, Novellas, and even Commentaries for The Gospel Daily.

~ Highlighted Release ~

The Cyprus Journal is Coming Soon! May 5th, 2024!

One Young Man. His Significant Story. A Witness of the Early Church.

Many knew him as the young cousin to Barnabas the Encourager, the son of Mary who offered her home to honor the Savior and those who followed Him, or even the man who abandoned Paul on his First Missionary Journey, but there is more to his story. His story is one of new beginnings, a promise fulfilled, and a man who overcame fear of the unknown.

----

Sources:

Scripture is from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

April 2024 BOOK DAY

 GOOD BOOKS ARE BLOOMING EVERYWHERE

 

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Boxed Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

 

BRIDE BY BEGUILEMENT

By Debbie Lynne Costello

Kirsten father’s last will and testament stipulates that she must either marry, lead the plantation into a first year profit, or forfeit it to her uncle. Thefts are hurting the profit and marriage is proving no easy option. Every suitor seems more enamored with the land than with her. Silas’s last year at veterinary school ends abruptly when he is called home to care for his young orphaned sisters. Troubles compound when he finds an insurmountable lien on the family home and an unscrupulous banker is calling in the loan. How will the two overcome pride and distrust to find real happiness?

 

 

PRECIOUS JEWELS

By Nancy J. Farrier

Forced to marry a stranger—Will she ever find true love? On a trip to the barn during a winter storm, Megan Riley stumbles over a nearly frozen man. She helps Jesse Coulter into the house and nurses the stranger back to health as she anticipates her parents' and brother's return from town. Several days pass before Megan learns that her parents and brother are dead. Then the preacher and banker who brought the news discover the man staying under her roof. How can Jesse help this your woman who saved his life?

99¢

 

 

 

WHEN HOPE SANK

By Denise Weimer

The Civil War has taken everything from Lily Livingston. Speaking up proved too costly in a part of Arkansas overrun by spies and bushwhackers. Lieutenant Cade Palmer is crowded onto the Sultana with other paroled POWs for the journey north. But a fiery explosion rends the steamer and empties two thousand men into the Mississippi River. Recovering from wounds that might end his career as a surgeon, Cade threatens Lily's defenses. How can she tell him she might've prevented the tragedy if she'd reported a suspected saboteur's claims? When encoded messages pass through the hotel, will Lily follow her convictions?

 

 

 

BLEAK LANDING

By Terrie Todd

In the dead-end Canadian town of Bleak Landing, Irish immigrant Bridget O’Sullivan lives in a ramshackle house as the Great Depression rages. The fiery redhead lands a job at a garment factory, the first step on her journey to shed her past and begin anew. When her father dies, Bridget―now a striking and accomplished woman―returns home to claim her inheritance. But she has no identification to prove her stake, and no one in town recognizes her―except her old nemesis, Victor Harrison. Now a war veteran, can Victor prove he’s a changed man worthy of Bridget’s forgiveness and more?

 

 

 

TITANIC: LEGACY OF BETRAYAL

A Time-Slip Novel

By Kathleen E. Kovach, et al.

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection. Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart. Review: “I told my wife to move this book to the top of her reading list... This titanic story is more interesting than the one told in the Titanic movie... She will absolutely love it.”

 

 

SPIES & SWEETHEARTS

By Linda Shenton Matchett

She wants to do her part. He’s just trying to stay out of the stockade. Will two agents deep behind enemy lines find capture… or love?

 

 

CACTUS LIL’S BIG CITY DEBUT

By Donna Schlachter

When Peter and Lily arrive in New York City for their honeymoon, they learn of Uncle Phillip’s mysterious disappearance, and are pulled into the dark underside of the Big City, then thrust onto the front pages of the newspapers as ‘persons of interest’ in the investigation. Can they survive the onslaught of attention on themselves, their marriage, and the seedy side of the publishing industry? Or can they discover who is behind this nefarious act, save Uncle Phillip—and themselves?

 

 

 

WALTZ WITH DESTINY

By Catherine Ulrich Brakefield

From out of the pages of the Great Depression comes the Big Band Era. Esther (McConnell) Meir is in a story-book romance that swirls into a rendezvous with destiny when Eric Erhardt is swept up into Hitler's diabolical world. "…of Waltz with Destiny…The message of the Destiny series is even more applicable today than when it was first released. Praying for America’s repentance and to embrace God like never before." Debra B.