Sunday, April 29, 2012

Today I embark on a new venture - an interview with Addy Townsend, the main character in my novella, THE BLESSING SEER.

Addy, introduce yourself to the readers.

I'm Addy Townsend. I'm a pastor's wife and a part time dental assistant. My husband is Griffey, and I have a daughter, Elianna who's in college. We live in a quiet little neighborhood in East Tennessee.

As a pastor's wife, you probably have a lot of responsibility in your church.

I am involved in my church, naturally. I sing in the adult choir. I also work in the nursery during Sunday school, because I just can't get enough of those little ones. I'm in a women's Bible study group once a week. I'm not much into leadership - I leave that to Griffey. He's the gifted one there. Sometimes I've wondered why God made me a pastor's wife because I don't feel I add much to Griffey's ministry. Griffey disagrees, but I feel I could support him more.

While we're on the subject of church - What spiritual gifts do you have?

Well, the two big ones that I identified were encouragement and discernment. I often wonder if the encouragement gift was a mistake. I'm not very outgoing, so I don't think I fulfill this gift.

What about hobbies or pasttimes?

My favorite pasttime is reading. I particularly love to read anything by Karen Kingsbury. I enjoy getting lost in a Christian fiction.
I do also try to stay in shape by walking in our neighborhood. I've been fairly consistent in this for several years now.
I'm not sure if this qualifies as a pasttime, but I love to eat Chinese food with my friend, Emily. We eat and talk once a week, on one of my days off.

What goals do you have for the future?

Hmmm. I must admit that I have been praying about this very thing recently. I've felt in a rut. I asked that God would show me how I might do something of significance for Him. I'm a little fearful He might ask me step out of my comfort zone for such an endeavor. But, I'll see what He has in store.

Thank you, Addy for stopping by. You'll have to visit again and let us know what God leads you to do of significance for Him. I'd be interested to hear about that.
Read more about Addy in THE BLESSING SEER from Harbourlight. Release date coming soon.





Wednesday, April 25, 2012

My Worship

These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.  Psalm 42:4

      The procession referred to in Psalm 42:4 was a parade of heroes after a victory.  It is interesting that they processed to the house of God to offer thanks and praise to the true source of victory.  Weekly worship might be similar for us – are we not in a battle all week?  We need to come triumphantly as we have a hero or a Savior to praise for our preservation. 
     Growing up in a Christian home, I began going to the house of God before I could walk.  At the age of eleven I accepted Christ as my personal Savior at a revival.  After that I remember leading out in worship with enthusiasm and feeling a communion with God.
     Jesus warned the Pharisees in Mark 7 that they had become caught up in their traditional rules.  Their focus was misplaced; their hearts were not devoted to God.  Unfortunately I often fall into this ritualistic attitude.  I say all the “right” words and act all the “right” ways, but my heart is far from the ideal relationship.
     Sunday worship can easily become a spectator sport that is not even close to the worship God desires and expects.  When I think of all God has done throughout my life, not to mention just today, I should be anxious for worship.  I should run through those sanctuary doors as the Psalmist says, leading the procession, praising and pouring out thanksgivings to God.
     Let’s decide to not go through the motions.  Let’s worship God our Savior.  What can you do today to show God how much He is worth to you?

Lord, help me to worship You in Spirit and in truth,
not just go through the motions.  Worship is for You,
but I will always reap the benefits if I focus on You.


Sunday, April 22, 2012

"It's easy, after all, not to be a writer. Most people aren't writers, and very little harm come to them." -Julian Barnes
"If you want to write, to really create anything, you have to risk falling on your face." -Allegra Goodman

Writing means taking a risk. Why? Behind that written fiction are truths and emotions from inside of me. When relating heartbreak through a character, I draw from my own heartbreaks. Should I want to emit tears in the reader, I must make myself cry. Evoking a chuckle must cause me to grin. The risk here is deciding if I will open myself up enough to express the deepest of my thoughts and emotions.
I remember the first time I allowed someone to read a novel I had written. I cautiously handed it over wondering if the reader would think me totally insane. Imagining her bent over my words made me feel so vulnerable. But, when she spoke with me about the story and told me what she had gleaned from it, I was thrilled. The reader actually "got it."
So, I take the risk even though it would be easier to not be a writer. I risk falling on my face in hopes that the message God weaves into my stories will touch someone.
Sometimes what God calls us to do involves risks. What risks do you need to take for Christ today?

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Blessings from my week:

1. A new baby boy was welcomed into the world on Monday born to a couple in our church. Happy Birthday!

2. My daughter and I survived the Tyhpoid shot we were dreading. One shot closer to our mission trip to Haiti in June.

3. Met and prayed with five other Christian authors in my area.

4. Had someone heed God's nudge to pray for me and encourage me. Thanks Lisa.

5. Found time to work on a novella for a project I'm doing with three other authors.

6. Read some really inspirational blog posts from authors I'm now following after connecting through the current ACFW course. Keep up the good work y'all.

7. Stopped to admire and thank God for the sunshine and clear blue sky that caught my eyes on the way to the mailbox. What an Artist!

As always, God, I don't deserve any blessings, but You continue to shower me. I'm humbled and thankful.

Maybe a reader has experienced a blessing - share it by leaving a comment, and we'll share in being thankful for it.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
2 Timothy 4:1-5 "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."

Do you sometimes read scripture and think it could have been written today? These passages from Second Timothy always hit me that way.
We have people who only care for themselves and prove it by stomping on everyone that gets in their way. Abuse of every form is rampant. The news is full of brutal crimes committed against others by those who are totally out of control through use of drugs and alcohol. No one is encouraged to forgive but to get even or even better, to make the other person look worse than they made us look. We see people only concerned about pleasing themselves with no regard for God. Some even claim to know God but don't behave like they do.
What is the advice from Paul? "Have nothing to do with them."
The second passage is a charge from Paul that we as Christians should heed along with Timothy. We are to be prepared at any time to tell about Christ. Though we see "preachers" and "teachers" who say what people want to hear not what they need to hear, we must keep to the business of the kingdom. Even though we may suffer ridicule or be ostracized, we continue to spread the gospel in the way God has called for us to do.
Stay strong and keep the faith my brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in these "last days" we live in.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Welcome to Staci Stallings - my guest for today.

Repent!

If you’ve been in church any length of time, you’ve no doubt heard the word “repent.”  I’ll bet you even know what it means--to feel  sorry or contrite for something you have done.  When we confess our sins, we repent or say we’re sorry and will not do that thing again.

Good.

But there’s another way to look at the word “repent.”  The prefix “re” means to do again.  Some words that use re include:  redo, rework, rewire, reread.  It means to do whatever it is again.  For example, I could rewrite this message if when I’m finished it makes no sense (which is always a possibility!).

So the word “repent” begins with re.  To do over.  But then the question becomes, “To do WHAT over?”  This is where the story gets interesting.

I remember from way back in my English teaching days, my kids had to learn long lists of Latin and Greek root words.  The idea was that if they learned the root words, they could put them together and decode words that used those root words.  It was a very effective way to learn a lot of vocabulary words very quickly.

One of those root words was “pent.”  I went to dictionary.com and had to go the long way around to find this.  The Latin root pent comes from the Latin word pensar, which means “to think.”

Ah-ha.  That was my first thought when I was listening to someone talk about this word.  Wait, pen/pent means “to think.”  So RE-pent would mean “to think again.”

For one moment let’s put aside what we normally think the word repent means, and let’s consider the possibility that it means to re-think.

When Jesus says, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  Consider what that means.  Yes, it means to be sorry for the junk you’ve done and are doing, but it ALSO means, “Rethink your life!  Rethink what you are doing, how you are living!  Rethink this moment for you are no longer under the world’s dominion.  The KINGDOM of GOD is here!”

Let me ask you.  Are you saying you’re part of the Kingdom but living according to the world.  Rethink that position.  Do you get up and go to a job you hate because it pays the bills?  Rethink that attitude.  Maybe you need a different job, or maybe you need to start being the Kingdom where you work.

Is your household peaceful?  If not, maybe it’s time to “rethink” some things about how you’ve set up your world.  Is your marriage in harmony?  If not, maybe it’s time to “rethink” how you are treating your spouse and what you’re allowing to be in your lives that is not conducive to harmony.

To be honest, I love this concept because the truth is I am sorry for my sins, but sometimes it’s not the outright sin that’s holding me back.  Sometimes it’s my way of thinking that is stopping God’s Life from flowing in mine.  I need on many occasions to “Repent!”  to “Rethink!”  what I’m doing and why.

I invite you today to look at your life.  What areas could use some “repenting”?  Where might it be a good idea to rethink what you’re doing and why?

What are you waiting for?


Copyright Staci Stallings, 2008



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Monday, April 16, 2012

Have you read the little book by Max Lucado called IT'S NOT ABOUT ME?

When I was a child and became a little too full of myself, my mother would say: "I think you need to be taken down a notch or two." Sometimes, I need to hear that ringing in my ears again. I can make writing or any other task or accomplishment suddenly become all about me. But, guess what? It's not about me.
Max Lucado states: "God doesn't need you and me to do His work. We are expedient messengers, ambassadors by His kindness, not by our cleverness."
God has chosen us to be messengers which means we simply share the message He gives. He has allowed us to be His ambassadors which means we represent Him. The spotlight is not meant to be on us to highlight ourselves, but it is to be a reflection of His glory.
Lucado gives two great examples of this: "Pony Express riders didn't take credit for kind letters. Gallery guides don't deserve applause for great art. And we entrusted with the gospel dare not seek applause but best deflect applause. For our message is about Someone else."
"God lets you excel so you can make Him known."
Personally, I need to remind myself daily that any success I have in writing really isn't about me. God allowed me to sign a contract for THE BLESSING SEER to make Himself known not me.
I pray that in everything I do if I need to be taken down a notch or two, that God will remind me that it's not about me.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Be the Best Armpit You Can Be!

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body, so it is with Christ.  1 Corinthians 12:12

     When my husband was in seminary, one of his professors regularly arranged the student desks in varying shapes.  Each time the students would try to figure out what the shape represented.  On one particular day as my husband entered the room, the professor suggested he might want to sit in a specific spot.  The class was baffled as to what shape they were supposed to be.  The professor then revealed that today they represented a body.  As they began to identify the parts of the body, my husband realized he was the armpit.  Not a very glamorous part but a necessary one.  The professor went on to elaborate on the analogy of the human body to the body of Christ.
     Think about your body.  There are parts that are more visible and seem more important than other parts.  But, is that true?  Your head is important; it contains your brain and sensory organs such as eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.  However, where would your head be without your neck to support it?  How about your legs and feet?  To travel about you must have them.  Your toes would seem rather insignificant, unless you have ever experienced an injured one.  Those little appendages serve to balance you as you walk or run.
     Paul used the human body as an analogy to the body of Christ because everyone can relate to it.  Just as the head seems all important, there are those in the body of Christ who are more visible and seem more important.  However, for the body of Christ to function properly, it takes all of the parts working together to accomplish what God has purposed.  Thus, there is not one part that is more important than another.  This means, if you are an armpit, be the best armpit you can be for you have an important part in the body that no one else can fulfill.

Lord, help me to find my place in the
body of Christ and then strive to fulfill
my role to the best of my abilities.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Blessings from my week:

1. My Wednesday night kids remembered the Bible story I told them.

2. I enjoyed an uninterrupted dinner out with my husband and daughter (rare for the pastor's family right now).

3. Received an unexpected offer to design a postcard for my upcoming novella release.

4. Honored to have fellow ACFWers follow my blog.

5. Enjoying connecting with other ACFWers by following the great posts shared on their blogs.

6. Received encouragement from my friend, Brooke, at just the time I needed it - thanks for listening.

7. Honored to be a guest on Jessica Keller's blog. Please check out my post about "They" - those people who seem to have it all together. http://www.jesskeller.wordpress.com/

Thank You God for the blessings you bring my way to keep me going.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Rush, rush, rush
That seems to be the theme of my life. I'm always rushing to church for a meeting. Or, I'm rushing to make a dent in all of the dirty dishes and laundry. Or, I'm rushing to fit in some writing time between my responsibilities as Mom and homeschool teacher. I allow myself to become so rushed that I push God out. Satan will use whatever he can to pull me away or distract me from the Lord. The easiest wedge he can drive for me is this rushed feeling. He is good at making me feel inadequate so that I press harder to become superwoman. But, guess what? God didn't call me to be superwoman.
The remedy for rush, rush, rush is "Be still and know that I am God." This isn't another activity to fit in but an attitude. When I feel harried by the demands of life, I need to stop and pray for God to still my spirit. This doesn't cause the laundry to disappear or the meetings to be cancelled, but I am certainly in a better frame of mind to tackle all of it.
The last portion of Psalm 46:10 is not often quoted, but it states God will be exalted among the nations and in the earth. This shows me the importance of pausing to acknowledge Him. He will be praised and honored, but will I slow down long enough to join in the chorus? If I can't stop long enough to acknowledge God, my priorities are definitely in need of review.
"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Are you listening to me?
Have you said this before? I have - to my daughter and my husband and to my students when I taught middle school English. It is frustrating to feel you have wasted your time and your breath when you've been ignored or only half-heard. When someone doesn't listen to you, you tend to feel that the other person doesn't respect you and the words you say. In addition, if you have given directions, that person will probably not follow or at least not get it all correct. Have you thought of an example when your words have been ignored? Is your blood a little on the boiling side just to think about it? Yeah, me too.
This must be the same feeling God experiences when we do the same thing to Him.
James 1:22 The Message translation puts this way:
"Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!"
When we sit during a sermon thinking about everything but what is being said, God says: "Are you listening to Me?" When we hurry through our Bible study just to check it off our to-do list, God says: "Are you listening to Me?" When we pray down our list of "I wants," God says: "Are you listening to Me?"
By not really paying attention, we are showing God that we don't respect Him or His words. Our half-hearted listening means we don't have all of the information to do what it is He wants us to do.
We must be intentional about listening to God not allowing His Word to go in one ear and straight out the other. We are supposed to act on what we hear. How can we do this if we don't pay attention?
Reading further in the James passage we find that if we do pay attention to the revealed counsel of God, we will be blessed in what we do.
I always told my classes that God gave us two ears and only one mouth because He expects us to listen twice as much as we speak. Perk up those ears. Don't miss out on what He is saying.

Monday, April 9, 2012

What I Like About Writing Fiction
Confession: I am tired today. I heard that hearty amen in agreement. My exhaustion today can be blamed on Alex and four unnamed people who work in forensics and detective work. Perplexed and wondering where I spend my evenings? You just checked my profile again thinking you noticed I was a pastor's wife. The people I mentioned were in dreams I awoke from very early. Alex is a character in a manuscript I have been trying to rework. The unnamed people - who knows, probably a new book in the works.
Personally, I have gotten many ideas for my writing while in bed. My debut novella, THE BLESSING SEER, came to me within moments of laying my head on the pillow one night. I had to sit up and write down the outline which came all at once. This is why you will find paper and pen by my bed. After some thought, I decided that when I go to bed, I finally stop my everyday busyness and let my mind ponder things.
So here's the real confession: This is what I like about writing fiction. I love it when a little idea or a character roams around my head, and the creative juices start flowing. I always loved playing make-believe when I was young. Now I just write it down and embellish.
I especially enjoy when I reread a recently written passage and find myself moved by the words. I pinch myself and say: "Wow, Did I write that?" Then, I feel there is a chance that a reader might just get the same feeling. That motivates me.
When I'm in the writing mode, I can lose track of time and not notice what's going on around me. There have been several nights my little desk lamp was the last one glowing because my hubby and daughter have long been in bed leaving me to my scattered pages and three-ring notebooks.
Thank You, God for giving me the nudges in the night that become stories to share about Your goodness and provision.
So, what about my writing friends out there? What do you like about writing fiction?

By the way, if you recently read about the new Christian Romantic Times online magazine, due to unforseeable circumstances the address has been changed to http://www.lovelychristiantromance.com/.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Easter Sunday - What's all the hype?
We know Jesus cancelled our sin-debt on the cross. That was His purpose, right? So, why did He need to rise from the grave and come back to life? Jesus conquered death. We need not fear death anymore.
I love the way The Message translation puts it in 1 Corinthians 15:55-58:
"Death is swallowed up by triumphant Life!
Who got the last word, oh, Death?
Oh, Death, who's afraid of you now?
It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three - sin, guilt, death - are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!"
Sounds like a cheer! We should cheer, because just as the song says - "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future. And, life is worth the living just because He lives."
Live in the truth of what Jesus accomplished for you not only on the cross but rising from death. Tell somebody - He is risen. He is risen indeed.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

A few years ago my preacher/husband had a cross constructed and placed right in front of the pulpit. He was asked if he wanted it moved to the side because everyone would have to look around it to see him when he preached. He left it there and used that cross as an object lesson.
He mentioned that we love to sing the song that begins, "On a hill far away, stood an old rugged cross." But, do we put that cross on a hill too far away?
On this Friday we remember the events of Jesus' death on the cross. We need to move it from that hill far away and examine it up close and personal.
Jesus was God's only Son. The Son had always been. Read John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." How hard it must have been to send His Son on such a mission. God the Father pronounced His love for Jesus - "this is my beloved Son..." Jesus wasn't some angel or extraneously created being. This was His Son.
I have often tried to fully convey this idea when speaking at women's conferences. I will tell the women that I love them but not enough to give my only daughter up for them.
But, God's love didn't stop there. As Christ hung on that cross he cried at one point, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" I don't begin to say that I understand how the whole transaction occured, but at that moment all my sins and all the sins of everyone past, present, and future were put upon Jesus. Being a Holy God, He couldn't look upon the sin, so He was forced to turn His back on His Son. Jesus bore that pain, so we would never have to. "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
So, on the cross Jesus paid my sin debt so I would never have to be separated from God. In essence, there was a chasm separating me from God, and the only acceptable bridge was the cross.
I need to keep the cross near lest I forget about that sacrifice, and I need to keep it near to share what it can do for a lost and dying world separated from God.
What about you? Where's the cross in your life? If it's on a hill too far away, bring it closer and examine it again. Praise God this Easter for providing a bridge.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Your church is having a Maundy Thursday service. What in the world is that? What does that have to do with this Holy Week?
Maundy comes from the word mandate. Originally, it would have been Mandate Thursday, but through the years the terminology changed to maundy. A mandate is an authoritative command. But, what does mandate have to do with the Thursday of this Holy Week?
Jesus gathered with his disciples in the upper room to celebrate Passover. This commemorated when the death angel passed over those of God's people who had the blood of the lamb upon their doorposts. A Passover meal entails several items eaten to symbolize and remind the Jewish people of God's delivering them from Egypt.
But, after that Jesus instituted what we call the Lord's Supper or Communion. This is when he blessed the bread and said: "This is my body." He also blessed the cup saying, "This is my blood." As He performed this first Lord's Supper, He mandated that the believers do this to remember Him. He also said it should be done until He comes back.
As we attend Maundy Thursday services, let's strive to follow Jesus' command to remember His sacrifice for us. He became the Lamb whose blood was poured out to cleanse all sin - once and for all.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Do you enjoy reading Christian romance? If so, you must check out a new online magazine: http://www.christianromantictimes.com/.
This first issue is filled with short romantic stories of all varieties. There are also book reviews for full-length Christian romances.
Please look for my short story, "His Florence Nightingale" and my review of SMITTEN. I'm excited to have written for this first issue and hope to make this a monthly appearance. I'm also proud to endorse a publication with clean and honorable moral standards. With so many indecent sites that can be stumbled upon, it's nice to know there are still publications following our Christian beliefs.
Drop back by my blog and leave a comment to let me know you checked it out.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Easter has become almost like Christmas in that we often just take it for granted. We don't truly think during this holy week what actually occurred over two thousand years ago.
Palm Sunday - we know this was Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Look more closely. As Jesus was riding in on the colt, people laid out their cloaks in the roadway. The disciples praised God saying: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" The Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke them, but Jesus told them if they kept silent then the rocks would cry out.
But, in the midst of this celebratory time, Jesus looked out over Jerusalem and wept. These weren't tears of joy and elation. These were sorrowful tears. He knew that the people didn't really recognize Him for who He truly was. They missed it. God was paying a personal visit, and they missed it. Jesus was offering a peace beyond understanding, but they had their own ideas of who they wanted Him to be. Because they didn't recognize Him as the Messiah, He gave the prophecy of their coming destruction.
What about us today? Do we try to make Jesus be who we want Him to be? Is He someone to run to in times of need and trouble only? Do we grieve His heart when we don't recognize His presence?
We want the salvation but not the committment. We'll call Him our Savior, but we don't want Him to be Lord. If we make Him Lord, we'll have to give over control and let Him be leader and boss.
Beloved Christian brothers and sisters - don't miss out on Jesus this Easter season. Knowing all that would happen when He entered Jerusalem, He still went. Why? He loved you too much to not go on - all the way to death. Don't miss it. Some of those tears Jesus shed were for you.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Today I want to introduce you to Christy Barritt and tell you about her new release, RACE AGAINST TIME.
Christy Barritt is an author, freelance writer, and speaker who lives in Virginia. She's married to her Prince Charming, a man who thinks she's hilarious - but only when she's not trying to be. Christy's a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover who's known for spontaneously bursting into song, and a road trip aficionado. She's only won one contest in her life - and her prize was kissing a pig (okay,okay, actually she did win the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery for her book Suspicious Minds also). Her current claim to fame is showing off her mother, who looks just like former First Lady Barbara Bush.
When she's not working or spending time with her family, she enjoys singing, playing the guitar, and exploring small, unsuspecting towns where people have no idea how accident prone she is.
For more information, visit her website at: http://www.christybarritt.com/.



I had the pleasure of reading Christy's Love Inspired Suspense, RACE AGAINST TIME. And, what a suspense it is! The small-town setting and its lovable characters drew me in. This book is a definite sit on the edge of your chair and hold your breath type of read from the first few pages until the last. Christy had me caring about the characters and wanting to warn them about the impending danger I sensed just around the corner. If you enjoy a good suspenseful mystery, you shouldn't miss this one.


Were it not for her cop neighbor, widowed mother, Madison Jacobs would be dead. Thankfully, Detective Brody Philips interrupts an attempt on her life in the nick of time. But the would-be killer hasn't given up, and each tick of the clock brings the madman closer to finishing what he started. Brody vows to catch the serial killer plaguing the sleepy Virginia town ... especially when he realizes the danger has followed him from the big city. With everyone around him at risk, it'll take everything Brody's got to do his duty and keep Madison and her son safe.