Snapshots and Synapses

Published in paperback on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Shepherds-Letter-Mitchell-Malloy/dp/1973415933/ Copyright © 2007 Mitchell Malloy All rights reserved. ISBN: 9781973415930 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS All our talents come as a gift from above, and all we do is to imitate the Great Giver with gifts of our own. Soli Deo Gloria!

I’d been looking forward to this weekend for weeks… no months! It had been too long since I was able to hang out with my college friends and being back at the university made it all that much more special. There were definitely some changes, and all the students seemed so much younger than when I went here, but some things just don’t change. Like the guy on the street corner.  The man was older for sure, but it had been 10 years since I graduated from college. He was still on that same street corner, still preaching the same message: “Repent! The end is near!” People laughed at him, just like I remembered doing when I attended the university, but still, no one talked to him. Oh, sure, they talked at him, with jeers and ridicule. They talked about him, too, but they were more interested in getting to their next party. I decided to approach him; let him know what I thought: “Hey man! I remember you being here 10 years ago, and it seems like you’re having less luck reaching people now...

Years ago, I wrote a Christmas short story that's now available on Amazon. The Kindle ebook will be available for free from 20-DEC to 24-DEC. Although a work of fiction, I believe the story truly explains the real meaning of Christmas. It starts off pretty traditional before taking a quick pivot.  If interested, follow the link to Amazon. The story is called " The Shepherd's Letter ".  I hope you enjoy... Merry Christmas!

The Lord has risen indeed, hallelujah!  Easter and Christmas are my favorite holidays, and I wrote a short story available on Kindle for both Christmas and Easter. It is called  The Shepherd's Letter  and is available for free download from Saturday, April 3, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT to Monday, April 5, 2021, 11:59 PM PDT.  Or select from below if you want to read some of my previous posts for Easter:  Who Is This Person, Jesus? Easter Presents Easter: An Absurd Celebration Why Easter?

Easter and Christmas are my favorite holidays, and I wrote a short story available on Kindle for both Christmas and Easter. It is called The Shepherd's Letter and is available for free download from Saturday, April 3, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT to Monday, April 5, 2021, 11:59 PM PDT.  Or select from below if you want to read some of my previous posts for Good Friday:  Prayer for Revival on Good Friday Contextual Friday Good Friday 2020

 I wrote this story years ago and try to make it available for free during the Christmas season. The kindle ebook is available for on  Amazon from 27-DEC through the end of 2020.  So if you are still in the mood for a little bit of Christmas (and maybe Easter too), you can find it here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ANBX11Q .

Autumn is a wonderful season. There really is no “typical” Autumn. There are Indian Summers and early snows. There is an Autumn to every year and every geography. It looks different every time and every place... yet “Autumns” are not without commonalities.  Autumn is a time of transition... a scary time for some... an abundant time for others... a promise of conclusion... a threat of insufficient provision... a busy time. It comes at different times in different hemispheres. I grew up in Indiana, in the heartland of America. Autumn is typically a short season there: summers are often long, hot, and humid while winters are extended periods of bitter cold. Spring jumps out of nowhere, and Autumn falls quickly upon the residents of this Midwestern state. There is no warning. One week the ambient air is hotter than your body temperature and the next week you could be shivering in a thick jacket. Autumn never looks the same, but it always accomplishes the same thing. There is an Autumn ...

“Hey Babe, you’re back! So was it as bad as you thought?”  “Look, I wasn’t nervous about a shot! I was just mad that they want to force me to get it… and no, I didn’t… I mean, I haven’t…” “What? You backed out? Seriously! Did you even go!? Where have you been all this time!” “Look honey… Umm. Sit down with me, will you? I’m still processing this thing. It was… different. I wasn’t expecting... I… give me a minute to collect my thoughts, okay?” Mark sat down on the couch and patted the place next to him, imploring with his eyes for Sophia to join him. He was gone for so long, she had just assumed he needed time to build up the nerve to get the shot, but now she realized he must have been working up how to talk with her about this… whatever this was. “What’s wrong?” she asked, much more calmly than she felt. She snuggled next to him, wrapped his arm across her torso and leaned in with her back towards him. He sighed. It have might have been with whatever he was going to tell her, b...

“This is a little unusual.” “I know, but she always liked to feel special, and she has always felt uncertain and scared about this moment, knowing it would come.” “No one is going to shout ‘Surprise!’, are they? God, I hope not!”  “No. No, not this time.” He said, smiling broadly with a twinkle in the eye. “They all know how she feels. But this is going be fun! I’ve been looking forward to this so much!” The young woman was cautiously walking toward them from the darkness, toward all of them, looking both concerned and confused, definitely nervous. She was beautiful! Dark hair, dark eyes, looking to be in her late twenties or possibly thirty. Like many others before her, she was confused and relieved to no longer feel the stiffness, the aches, the constant pain throughout her body. It both added to the confusion, yet encouraged her with each step. Not many people had this large of a reception, so many that knew her and were waiting for her.  The first one she recognized, the o...

Continued from  Reflections of a Watchman He liked this room. It was high enough to give him the perspective that he needed but not so high that egress would be difficult. He had to keep moving so he could provide the others with timely and accurate information as they advanced. But, yeah, it was a good room. The curtains were still hanging and functional even though the windowpanes were half missing. There was even a bed in the corner. The sheets had been pulled tightly some time ago by someone who never returned to find rest, time before lawlessness took over this area. Yeah, the room was perfect for his needs tonight. Hey, and it even had reading material! Torn out and tac’d into the wall were newspaper clippings and papers that had been printed out, strings connecting the different pieces. One in particular caught his attention: Washington Tribune – Op Ed February 6, 2021 Editor’s Note: the following opinion demonstrates the Tribune’s continuing commitment to provide disse...

Walking through the war-torn rubble that used to be a city, the man paused and stared at the doll wondering whose blood now covered the toy. Where was its former owner now? So much had happened so quickly. The years since 2020 were a blur of activity… an assault against a society that could no longer tolerate change fatigue yet couldn’t stop to absorb the facts and see where it was all leading. In many ways, it was not a surprise. Just like the first Civil War in the mid-1800s, civil dialog had stopped in both government and society. Both sides had become so focused on what they believed that discourse disintegrated into disagreement, further dissolving into demonization of anyone with an opposing viewpoint. Mistrust grew as did the name-calling. Soon, brother was coming to blows against brother and militias clashed, soaking American soil with blood. Blood had soaked this cloth toy as well. The doll was now in his hand, replacing the rifle that he had gently laid down. Although covered...

My freshman year in high school I was bullied by another guy, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. He would sarcastically make comments about me in mock praise, and at the time, I remember feeling so frustrated. I knew his words were insincere, but I couldn’t confront him directly or call him out on his attacks. I finally figured out that if I “praised” him with equal sarcasm, he would eventually stop.  I feel that same frustration with what has now become an obvious attack against the things I believe. The words are smooth and nice, filled with empty platitudes that everyone should support, but the results and trends are destroying freedom, not just in America, but throughout the world. Sadly, Hitler’s minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, was correct when he said that people will believe a lie if repeated often enough. I wonder how many people take the time to look at the facts, both what is known and unknown, and examine what people have to gain from their position. ...

I woke up and started to cry again, eyes welling with tears as I recalled the events of the previous day. In exhaustion, I had finally ended the day with a restless sleep, awakening repeatedly to a cacophony of emotions and inner voices:  Gone. Empty. Worthless… Meaningless! Three years of my life… lost! It had all been a lie!! It was like this last night, wavering between grief and anger: sorrow at his death, angry that he let it happen… and disappointment… so disappointed in my actions. “No sir! I’d never abandon you!” Yet within hours, I pretended as if I never even knew him. So disappointed… but what was he thinking? I tried to defend him! I was quick to grab the sword away from that fellow and strike, but the Master reprimanded ME… and then healed the guy that took him away! All those miracles that he performed, but not one for himself, not even when he needed it most. Not even then! And if not for himself, what about us??? Surely he knew that we needed him!! I wonde...

copyright ©2010 Mitchell Malloy (http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/ ) (Continued from Chapter 2: The Tempest ) “Before I chase him down, what should I know about King Ahaziah?” Ginath asked his sibling as he prepared to depart the larger army. Obed looked at his younger brother. Although Ginath was only slightly younger, he almost could have passed for Obed's son. Lean and tall with jet black hair and a beard, Ginath looked to be in his late twenties rather than upper thirties. “Are you only taking two warriors with you and the king?” Obed asked. “Ah ha! I see what King Jehu means: do you always avoid answering?” laughed Ginath with a huge smile piercing through the thick, black beard. “I was not avoiding your question, I only wondered...” Ginath interrupted him: “Relax, Obed! You are always so serious! I am taking the only two riders who can keep up with King Jehu and me. Should Ahaziah reach his own army before we catch him, I will regret not having this entire army ...

copyright ©2010 Mitchell Malloy ( http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/ ) (Continued from Chapter 1: Duty ) Obed brought his chariot to a stop as Jehu ordered the army to a halt. The thunder of the chariots disappeared into an eerie silence, interrupted by the occasional cough of a dust-stricken soldier or the snort of a weary horse. With the exception of these intermittent sounds, the only noise Obed could hear was the whisper of wind in his ears. His brother was positioned slightly behind Jehu, and from his position to the right of Ginath, Obed had a clear view of the two approaching chariots. King Joram of the Northern country was accompanied by his nephew, King Ahaziah of the Southern kingdom. Obed knew them both well. As the two royal chariots continued to approach the army, Obed allowed himself to drift into thought. He realized they had come to stop in the Royal Vineyard, purchased by Joram's father from Naboth the Jezreelite shortly after he “enlisted” in the Royal Guar...

copyright ©2010 Mitchell Malloy ( http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com ) From a distance, the grumble intensified like a growing thunder clap that refused to end. And as the low-lying dust cloud approached, small flashes resembling lightning bursts reflected off the armor of the approaching army. Hooves beat the ground with the ferocity of a thunderstorm, leaving the soil pocked and up-rooted. The raucous sound was accompanied by the clack and chatter of chariot wheels, the clinking of armor and the occasional grunt of a warrior as they stoically rode the thunderous wave of invading chariots. No word was spoken. No word would suffice. This mission would bring to conclusion the soldiers' frustrations... one way or another. Growing thunder. Foreboding lightning. The storm was coming, and it seemed long overdue. The driver of the lead chariot stole quick glances at his passenger, trying to glean some understanding of the thoughts that consumed his general. His leader's eyes were ...