Ethel Barrett - Chapter Six

Here's Ethel Barrett in a 1950 public relations photo. She recorded hundreds of children's stories for companies like Gospel Light, Regal Books, Sincord, and Christian Light Publications. In addition, she published over 40 books with many of those same companies in addition to Zondervan Books.

Ethel was nominated for a Grammy Award, received the Story Teller of the Century Award at the Christian Storytellers Convention in 2007. She was also a close friend of Henrietta Mears.

Only part of her story is told in "Life Attempt". I need to write another book to tell the rest of her story.

Gary earned the Sergeant rank in 1970. He was 31 years old. The person on the left is a Captain I believe... if someone recognizes him it would be good to know his name.

Medal of Valor Award Ceremony at Dodger Stadium

In recognition of being awarded the Medal of Valor, LAPD Sergeant Gary W. Barrett stands before a huge crowd at Dodger Stadium in 1972. In the background are the other LAPD officers who were recognized for their own acts of bravery that year.

One of them, second from the left, is a woman... the first female officer to be awarded the medal in the history of the Los Angeles.

Life Attempt for Kindle

Not sure how I did it - but I found the time to do a rough edit on Life Attempt and get the entire book posted on Amazon.com for eBook readers. Anyone with a Kindle or iPod eBook reader can read the book. It's available here for the cost of a Venti latte. I'll post some pictures next so you can see the faces behind the powerful story. Please get the word out about the book.

BTW, if you don't have a Kindle or iPod you can still read the book on your PC. Just download the free Kindle reader for PC at Amazon.com.

Willamette Writers Conference

Going to meet with some editors and agents between Aug 5th and 7th at the conference here in Portland. I have "Life Attempt" all packaged up and ready to go... just need someone to listen long enough to catch the wonder of the story. Here we go!

Driving Down Risk Road

No matter what I do in life I can't seem to avoid turning down this road. It's uncanny. When faced with a decision of safety versus danger... I still pick danger. This is playing out its unmelodic tune in my personal life now. There are downsides to the life of adrenaline love. I'm sure you can attest.

Peace. MB

Silent Friday

Today He chose to be silent.

While hanging on the cross, they teased His, saying, "So, you can apparently save others but you can't save yourself?" He did not respond. He did not act on His own behalf. He chose not to save himself.

Earlier that same morning, when he had a chance to defend himself with the one person who could save him from death, he again said nothing.

"Herod asked Him many questions, but He made no reply. Meanwhile, the chief priests and the scribes stood by, continuing vehemently and violently to accuse Him. And Herod, with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and scoffed at and ridiculed Him; then, dressing Him up in bright and gorgeous apparel, he sent Him back to Pilate."

I learned recently that the Latin root for the word "sacrifice" is to "make sacred". Through His silence, combined with His suffering, I can see how he made life sacred. I can see how he made life more sacred - not just through His death - but through the way He died. The catholics believe, through His choice to not save himself, that He also made suffering more sacred. His passion.

I know that many people suffer and die. Some longer and more brutally than 6 hours on a cross or two days of torment and death. Some suffer for years in severe pain. In Haiti, right now, there are thousands of people who had limbs amputated with nothing more than a hacksaw, with no pain medication. Their suffering continues to this day. None of them had the God-given power to say "Enough!". None of them could pull the God card, reversing their own fortunes in a moment of time, calling in the angels, and saving themselves. They have no choice but to suffer. It is so heartbreaking.

Lord, help me be more silent. Help me do what I can to relieve the suffering of others. Help me understand things that are deeper, sacrificial, and meaningful to those around me. Help me Lord.