Fiction Review: Thrill Squeaker

Thrill Squeaker, by Christy Barritt is another delightful Gabby St. Claire mystery, the eleventh book in the Squeaky Clean Series.

Gabby finds herself at the medieval-styled, intricate, black iron gate that says “Mythical Falls.” What she saw behind those gates gave her pause. Restore this place? Seriously? This is a resort destination? Who would travel—like she just had—hours to come here?

But she’d promised that she would help with the renovation, and she would. Chad greeted her with the words, “This is Mythical Falls. You’re in for a real treat.” Soon, the owner arrived, said a few inappropriate lines, and Gabby was pretty sure she didn’t regard this as a sensible place to be, let alone a destination.

The nightmares begin with the first walk around. Clowns. Gabby had a phobia for clowns. And, goofy sections like: Bigfoot Woods, Loch Ness Lake, Area 51, the Bermuda Triangle, and Pharaoh’s Tomb. All of that in West Virginia. Gabby could only shake her head. Soon, she saw the body.

And, it wasn’t a joke. That man really was dead.

As the police arrive, the adventure takes off.

It’s frankly not what I expected, having read several of Christy Barritt’s books and laughing all the way through them. This one certainly has its share of humor and blood—like her others—and her characteristic quirky people. But, it’s also a maturing time for Gabby, and almost half of the story is hers.

This was a great read. It’s got mystery, romance, and a surprising ending. Loved it!

Ms. Barritt’s books are strongly Christian, clean, and they always take on some complicated issues. I think you will enjoy them.

Missional and Realistic

“Make a difference!”

“You can change the world!”

“Reach for the stars!”

I think down deep each of us truly desires to make a difference in the world. We want our own personal purpose in life to spill over and better the lives of others. We hear motivational stories and watch our heroes, and we think, “I can do that.”

But, when we come back down to earth, we see the truth. We’re only little fishes in big ponds. We don’t have platforms like our heroes have. We aren’t nationally known. We don’t even do motivational speaking, and we’re certainly not on tour! “Poor me. I can’t make a difference.” Sulk.

Let me tell you my story. I was a shy girl from the backside of nowhere. I attended a public high school with excellent teachers. When I went to college, I decided to major in art, since that was my primary interest. I minored in English. So, I graduated with a degree in art and later found jobs in that area.

I also met my husband in college and found out he felt the Lord was leading him into missions. I had already surrendered my heart for missionary service, and together we started looking for God’s will for us.

Fast-forward a few years. Our family came to Spain not knowing a word of Spanish. It was so frustrating to be at the “baby stage,” trying to mimic sounds and not knowing how to read. We wanted to impact our world . . . and we couldn’t even talk!

Years later, we started a church with a handful of people. My heart desired to teach women, and there was zero opportunity. Later, there were more women in the church, and we did some ladies’ meetings and Sunday school with them. It was both rewarding and challenging. As in every church, we’ve had our ups and downs. There have been times with more women and times with less. We’ve had opportunities with children, and then there were no children.

All along, I wanted to impact women for the Lord. I wanted to share biblical principles.

How could I do that?

I’ve learned some valuable lessons along this journey. Let me share them with you. 

1. Do what you can in the sphere you’re in. You don’t need a huge platform. You don’t need lots of people. Invest your life, prayers, and sharing in those lives you touch. If there’s one extremely important lesson, it’s this one: bloom where you’re planted, and be content!
2. Ask God for appointments that matter for eternity. I have been amazed how God has led me to share a testimony with people I never would have met otherwise. I could see that He orchestrated our meeting, our talk, and helped me share the gospel in a natural way. The whole encounter could only have been that God arranged it.
3. Remember you’re only one person. When we look for a big impact on the world, we’re probably not being realistic. Yes, serve God with all your being, but realize that God uses all the church to do His work. God’s ministry in the world, your state, or your city doesn’t depend solely on you. Don’t think you can do more than you can. Be realistic.
4. Invent ways to impact others for Christ. I don’t know what your particular natural and spiritual gifts are, but you do. Pray and ask God to give you ideas for how to use them for Him. Two young people gave a sacred concert and invited friends. A woman baked bread and gave it to neighbors that she wanted to befriend. I found that writing my blog—thank you for reading!—reaches people I’ll never meet. There are so many ways you can reach out to the world around you. Use your talents for God!
5. Remember your priorities. The Bible teaches that a married woman’s priorities are: a personal relationship with the Lord, caring for her husband, children, and ministry. Andy Stanley said, “Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise.” We can lose the right emphasis when we’re dreaming of grandiose ministry scenarios, and we’re forgetting that those children entrusted to us are even more important. Our husband needs us. We must keep close to God in Bible reading and prayer. We need to be growing Christians. (Without that, we have nothing to share, anyway.)
6. Accept the different stages of life. When it seems like you have very little opportunity to do what you want to do, maybe it’s not God’s timing. He’s probably using you in a different way. Accept your stages of life as normal and right. Later, God may open up the door wide for you—or He might not. The Bible says that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6).
7. Acknowledge that everyone around you is watching your life. Do you want to impact your little corner of the world? Live a Christ-like life. You’d be surprised who’s watching! Jesus said, If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour (John 12:26).

Let’s make a difference by being godly. Let’s make a difference by following God’s leadership one step at a time. And let’s be content if our ministry seems small in the great scheme of things.

Keep yourselves in the love of God,

looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

(Jude 21)