Five Year Old Theology

As in, theology from a 5 year old.

The other night my middle, precocious boy launched into this without any solicitation:

Satan was an angel but he decided he wanted to be God and turned bad. He took the angels with him, not all of them but lots. Satan and the angels attacked God, but He whooped them on the bum!"

And yes, he said "bum". From the mouths of infants... :D

Writing Dissection - Part Three

Yesterday I did a passage breakdown on a passage from John Aubrey Anderson's book Abiding Darkness. Today I want to look at a smaller passage from 2/3's through in Wedgewood Grey:

Ceedie stepped close and took the jacket from him. "Put your arm in here, then stand still." She got him jacketed by standing on her tiptoes. When he was dressed, she patted his good arm and momentarily set the stability of his knees back twenty-four hours when she locked eyes with him. "You stay calm, now, an' be nice to the other children."

"Yes, ma'am." The special attention caused his cheeks to use blood he couldn't spare.

Again I'm doing a small section without context to appreciate what can be done in just a small blurb. Seven sentences, including the dialogue.

There is much less than the passage studied yesterday, but we learn about Ceedie and the man (Jeff Wagner) quickly with good description. What I see is this:
1. Ceedie is short or Jeff is tall ("standing on her tiptoes").
2. Jeff has an injured arm (she helps him with the jacket, "good arm").
3. It was a significant injury ("set the stability...back twenty-four hours") that probably included some blood loss ("use blood he couldn't spare").
4. There is attraction from Jeff for Ceedie (his knees weaken when she locks eyes, the blush).
5. He is going into a confrontational situation ("be nice to the other children").

The example from yesterday was more of a keystone passage, set apart at the beginning of a chapter. Becky commented on the flowery description. I would agree, except that in the context it sets up tension/suspense as well as reinforce characterization already begun.

Today's passage is in the midst of dialogue and action as Jeff's FBI supervisor comes to confront him about being out of action. It is a quick break of description, but it accomplishes a lot in its brevity. Reading it in context, we pick up on Ceedie's increased attention to Jeff that was absent earlier.

Now, all that information can be given to the reader in different ways, but isn't it more fun to see a weakened, tall agent feel the effect of the blushing. To me, this type of writing enriches the story and the enjoyment from just following a plot to savoring the style and craft in a book.

That's all I have for now. If anyone has anymore comments, I'd love to hear from you on this. I've enjoyed reading, discussing, and dissecting these two books, and I'm grateful to Mr. Anderson for sharing with me. Look for book three in the Black or White Chronicles in August 2007.

Now I have to think of a new topic... aw, fishsticks...

Writing Dissection - Part Two

Continuing from yesterday, here's the passage I want to discuss.
From early in Abiding Darkness:

Every day for the rest of his life, he would recall that she had been grinning. She was turning away from him; the movement lifted the short-cut hair in seeming slow-motion, moving it up and away from her like strips of ribbon on a fast carousel. A halo of water droplets escaped the brown tendrils and caught the afternoon sun life dozens of transparent pearls. The pearls arced away from the girl and fell in a perfect circle. Water ran down brown legs from the rolled up overalls, her knobby little knees bent, her body leaned out slightly, tanned arms lifted, and her knees began to straighten. And he'd remember how fast the grin changed to something else.

There are a lot of good things that happen in this passage. The key point, I think, is the statements that bracket the paragraph. "Every day for the rest of his life." There is already suspense building up from what we've seen in the story so far. But with this one statement, it tells a new reader that this is a key event in the book, if the character is impacted so strongly by it. It sets us up for expecting a lot out of the coming narration.

Coupled with that statement is the grin. Without reading anything else, we get a picture of youthful exuberance. The change at the end signifies a change that tears us away from this bliss and into the danger the author has been building up.

The grin goes along with the slow-motion description of the little girl's jump. This passage doesn't tell us that she is about to jump in the lake, but the leg extension, water droplets in the air, and water running down the leg all build the picture. It seems to me a good example of the old writing adage, "show, don't tell". How boring if he simply said, "she started to jump in the water when she suddenly saw something bad."

We also have a good picture of the girl. Sure, we know a lot about her from the first three chapters. However, the impression we have of her is reinforced with the mention of the different elements in this passage. Tanned arms/brown legs? It is summer and she spends a lot of time outside. Grinning? A happy child. Rolled up overalls? Sounds like a tomboy to me. Knobby little knees? She doesn't seem very big. The addition of these scattered descriptives paint a fuller image of Missy Parker, and helps her jump off the page.

If we're breaking down this passage, I have a point of critique. The careful description of water drops and such paints this as a slow motion memory, saying "seeming slow-motion" just spells it out for us a little more. There can be a good case for editing that phrase out.

Maybe all of this is elementary, but if nothing else this breakdown is helpful in considering my own writing. We don't want to read a book with every paragraph heavy with description, but strategically placed, it can really set the mood and submerge us into the writer's world.

It seems too much to tackle both passages in one post, so tomorrow I'll break down the passage from Wedgewood Grey.

Writing Dissection - Part One

I am continuing a discussion brought on by the book of the week for the CFBA blog tour, Wedgewood Grey, and its prequel, Abiding Darkness. I am not the greatest writer or editor in the world, but I've been reading a lot of fiction lately, as well as trying to study the craft of fiction. I thought it could be informative to dissect a couple of passages from these books by John Aubrey Anderson.

There are three factors about these books that have drawn my focus over the last two weeks. One is the spiritual message that has greatly encouraged me, but that is a different discussion. The other two are 1) the delightful use of language to paint the setting of rural Mississippi and 2) the great characters that are brought to life by said language. I've enjoyed the story presented in his books, but I've also tried to pick out the aspects that fuel the entertainment.

I've chosen two passages, one from each book, to look at and see how it contributes to what I've mentioned above. I'll quote them without context, and leave this post there. Tomorrow I'll come back to them and present what I see out of them. If anyone has any comments regarding the passages, please share in the comments and I'll bring that into the discussion.

From early in Abiding Darkness:

Every day for the rest of his life, he would recall that she had been grinning. She was turning away from him; the movement lifted the short-cut hair in seeming slow-motion, moving it up and away from her like strips of ribbon on a fast carousel. A halo of water droplets escaped the brown tendrils and caught the afternoon sun life dozens of transparent pearls. The pearls arced away from the girl and fell in a perfect circle. Water ran down brown legs from the rolled up overalls, her knobby little knees bent, her body leaned out slightly, tanned arms lifted, and her knees began to straighten. And he'd remember how fast the grin changed to something else.

From 2/3's through in Wedgewood Grey:

Ceedie stepped close and took the jacket from him. "Put your arm in here, then stand still." She got him jacketed by standing on her tiptoes. When he was dressed, she patted his good arm and momentarily set the stability of his knees back twenty-four hours when she locked eyes with him. "You stay calm, now, an' be nice to the other children."

"Yes, ma'am." The special attention caused his cheeks to use blood he couldn't spare.

See you tomorrow for the conclusion...

Author Interview - John Aubrey Anderson

In continuing to highlight Wedgewood Grey, the latest book from John Aubrey Anderson, he was gracious enough to give an interview to some young'n' blogging up in Idaho.

As his bio says, he was an airline pilot for many years. Doesn't he just look like one here?

Either tomorrow or Saturday I want to post a couple of snippets from both of his books and talk a little about why the particular sections seemed to work, in my opinion. Please check back and add your comments to the discussion! And now, Mr. Anderson please:

1. How long did it take for the story of the Black or White Chronicles to formulate in your head? What was the process for putting it on the page?

There is no reason why anyone should believe this, but tracking the process behind the writing of these stories could not have been done with a Cray computer. But . . . My first and only effort regarding fiction was a two thousand word story I did for our girls twenty years ago . . . a little thing about choices.

In 1997, I pulled that little story out with plans to wrap it around the gospel. I had in mind using it as an evangelistic tool with a non-Christian friend of ours. I found myself "backstorying" in an effort to "set up" my little scene from the short story. Then, in November of 2002, I woke up to find myself surrounded by two or three hundred thousand words. . .and questions about how to get a novel published.

2. Are there any writing tips that you found valuable in writing WG and AD?
Absolutely. Go to a writers' conference and learn how to get yourstory organized before you start.

And on a more serious note: Think less of being a writer and more of writing. From a time standpoint, this is the most demanding job I've ever job I've ever had; one person said, "It's like having homework for the rest of your life."

A writer does not have time to plan for future fame . . . he/she has to be writing and rewriting.

3. Are there any plans for a project after the release of Book 3 in The Black or White Chronicles?
God willing, this series will run for six books. After that I'd like to do a devotional book for men. Following the devotional . . . I just can't say.

4. What type of feedback have you heard from readers regardingspiritual issues in the book?
What I've heard has been interesting to say the least. Mostly, I hear from readers who have encountered setbacks that were, in their eyes, obviously demonic in origin . . . usually having to do with interpersonal relationships.

5. What has been your favorite "author moment" so far in your career?
I went to my first-ever writers' conference, with my first-everproposal, and made an appointment with my first-ever editor. I was carrying a 3-by-5 card and a cup of coffee when I arrived for our talk.

When I sat down, he smiled and said, "Brother, you're way too laid back."

I smiled back and told him what we both knew. "I'm not in charge of whether or not this book gets published, and frankly, neither are you. I just came to this conference hoping to trim the odds against me down to about ten-thousand to one."

He said, "Well, I've read your stuff, and you're sitting on about fifty-fifty."

THE BLACK OR WHITE CHRONICLES were born right then, right there.

I had heard the words I needed to hear, and I was ready to go home. For the next three days of the conference, at each meal, I had to restrain myself from grabbing the PA away from the conference host and yelling, "Would y'all please vote me off this island."

Blog Tour - Wedgewood Grey

Today's blog tour is brought to you by the letter "W" and the color Grey. (Sorry, couldn't resist) Despite the silliness, the CFBA is featuring Wedgewood Grey by John Aubrey Anderson. This is book two in The Black or White Chronicles. I reviewed book one, Abiding Darkness, on Monday, and I encourage you to read it here.

Wedgewood Grey continues the story of Mose Washington, the simple, God-fearing black man in Mississippi from the first book. He comes to the rescue of a black woman and her son, who are being attacked by a group of white teenagers. The consequences of this encounter send Mose and the boy on the run, draws the wrath of a powerful politician, and brings a FBI agent into the chase. The book turns on the theme of our choices, and the effect they have through our lives.

Many characters from Abiding Darkness are brought back into this tale. Anderson continues to delight with wonderful turns of phrase that make me grin, while simultaneously cursing him that he thought of that particular choice of words first! The FBI agent, Jeff Wagner, is an engaging new addition. The young boy rescued by Mose, Bill Prince, is a quieter character, and just isn't as colorful as some of the others in the Chronicles so far. I was a little disappointed that Missy Parker shows up almost half-way through, and doesn't have as big an impact in Wedgewood Grey . She was such a dynamic character before, and watching her grow up was so enjoyable, that the grown, mature Missy is a little less of a strength in this book. Also, she was so critical to book one that it is a little curious how she fades here. I am hoping there will be a satisfactory conclusion to this point!

Anderson again shines in drawing out his scenes of action and suspense, never giving us a cheap thrill, but milking it for all it is worth. He is wonderful at foreshadowing, but it is not at all obvious where he is going with it. I had to shake my head at a couple of points, thinking the author got me again!

He continues his habit of changing POV within the same passage. I can overlook this due to the stellar writing. I can also tell a little refinement from Abiding Darkness (not nearly as many characters saying, "Mmmm.")

Overall, Wedgewood Grey is a wonderful read in its own right, even though I liked Abiding Darkness a little more. The trouble is, the third book in the series, And If I Die, doesn't come out until August '07!!! Arrrgh!!!

I am planning to do a little study of a couple passages out of these two books, as well as a mini-interview with John Aubrey Anderson, over the next couple of days. Please come back, check it out, and leave comments. Oh, and check out the new widget from the CFBA, the CFBA Amazon store! Now you can order books from our tours, and other recommended reading, all in one place. Kudos to Bonnie for putting it together!

Where the Map Ends Day 3

I wanted to title today's post "where the map begins" for reasons that will hopefully soon become clear!

As we've discussed WheretheMapEnds the last 2 days, I've pondered the discussion of Christian speculative fiction we're having in the tour. It's not just this tour, but prior discussions at A Christian Worldview of Fiction, Speculative Fiction, and other places that have touched on it.

In Jeff Gerke's work at WtME, we have a true fan and advocate for speculative fiction in the CBA. He has a vision for further work in this arena. For those of us on the tour and other readers out there who want to see fantastic adventures in sci-fi and fantasy with Kingdom inspiration and execution, where do we fit in all this?

I think it goes back to Becky's posts on Promotion. The CBA has its constituency, and it serves it well. For the market to realize other niches are out there, those of us who desire good spec fic within CBA are going to, in part, make it happen.

First of all, the Lord in heaven is in control, and His will and ways are paramount. It is important for us to pray into this.

Also, I am reminded of situations like the series Firefly. A show that developed a following in its all-too-brief network life, it was given another chance in the movie Serenity because fanboys (and girls) clamored for more of Joss Whedon's world.

Without that passion and activism, it probably wouldn't have happened. That came to me today - all of the wishin' and hopin' for CBA to rise up to meet this groundswell of support won't happen. Unless we actively show this "groundswell".

We are doing are part by being part of the CSFF tour (Becky's probably doing more than her fair share :D). Can we do more? Maybe.

1- Writing awesome spec fic that the editors just can't pass on.
2- Letting publishers know our feelings.
3- Supporting the vanguards that are out there (Kathy Tyers, Karen Hancock, Wayne Thomas Batson come to mind).

That's my thoughts for today. I'm sure I'll have others some other time. No deadlines given. I've enjoyed this tour immensely, and encourage you to check out other tourmates!

Nissa Annakindt
Jim Black
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Tessa Edwards
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Leathel Grody
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Christopher Hopper
Kait
Karen
K. D. Kragen
Tina Kulesa
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
Timothy Wise
Rachelle
D.G.D. Davidson
John W. Otte

Where the Map Ends Day 2

WheretheMapEnds is the focus of the CSFF tour this week, and being a blog interested in writing, it is appropriate to highlight the Tools for Writers section of the site.

The following links are the breakdown of this section of WtME:

Books and Conferences for Improving Your Writing
Getting Your Novel Published—A large and detailed article on the entire process of publication, with several subtopic pages that spin off from the main article (see the full list of subtopics below)
Tip of the Week—Read these tips from beginning to end for a great education on the craft of fiction
Editorial Services—Sometimes it just helps to get professional help with your novel; read this page to learn about the WhereTheMapEnds editorial services
Idea Starters and World Builders [New This Month!]—To help spark your creativity and build your amazing worlds (don't miss the Random Story Generator)

I am always excited to find more resources for the budding writer types. I appreciate the effort of people like Jeff provide for those of us just feeling out way in the murky waters of the publishing world. It's not like Jeff is a stranger to this. Aside from being an editor for 3 different publishers, he is a published author in his own right under the pen name Jefferson Scott.

I invite you to check out others in the blog tour. Some highlights that I've found:

Mirathon - The Mir has a special contest! Also wish her a very happy birthday today!

Rachel Marks - Her very lovely site has a interview with Jeff.

Speculative Faith - See Becky Miller's post for an exciting opportunity.

Sharon Hinck - She also has an interview with Jeff as well.

I haven't made it to all my tourmates, so make sure to check out others in the tour as well. See yesterday's posts for all the participants. I'll have a little more tomorrow.

CSFF Tour- Where the Map Ends

I missed last month's Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog tour, to my chagrin. This time around I'm happy to join with the gang to highlight WhereTheMapEnds.

This site is the brainchild of Jeff Gerke, former fiction acquistion editor for Multinomah, Realms, and NavPress. He has a love for speculative fiction and it shows in all he talks about throughout the site.

It is an impressive work and a good resource for budding fiction writers, particularly those who are working on speculative fiction. One impressive resource is the booklist, which is one of the most comprehensive lists of spec fic I've seen online. He even graciously gives a low speed and graphics version of the page, with Amazon links to the works he describes. If you're looking for good Christian sci-fi or fantasy, this is a great place to start.

The design of the site is very good, although on smaller monitors there's a little overlap with the newsletter registration sidebar that is noticeable. Picky, picky. Well, Jeff is running a pretty high-class setup there, so he needs to polish it up as nice as possible, IMHO.

I'll point out some other great features presently, but check out these fine blogging folk below for more insight into WheretheMapEnds. Oh, and don't miss my review of Abiding Darkness here.

Nissa Annakindt
Jim Black
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Tessa Edwards
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Todd Michael Greene
Leathel Grody
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Christopher Hopper
Kait
Karen
K. D. Kragen
Tina Kulesa
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John Ottinger
Robin Parrish
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
Timothy Wise
Rachelle
D.G.D. Davidson
John W. Otte

Book Review - Abiding Darkness

It is rare for me to come across a book that makes me fall in love with it. The first book in The Black or White Chronicles, Abiding Darkness, is that rare find.

The CFBA is featuring the second book in the series, Wedgewood Grey, later this week, but I wanted to feature the very excellent first book in the series.

John Aubrey Anderson is a retired airline pilot who grew up in the Mississippi Delta. An old writing adage is "write what you know". Now if we all listened to that, we wouldn't have any historical, sci-fi, or fantasy fiction. But in Anderson's case, it is a wonderful thing that he does. He recreates the Deep South of the 40's and 50's in such a way that I feel like I grew up there (instead of the intermountain West).

The story revolves around Amanda Allen "'Missy" Parker, a spitfire 7 year old who is special and knows it! Missy lives by Cat Lake, and along with her older brother Bobby and their black friend Junior Washington, they embark on typical adventures of childhood. Typical, until dark forces conspire to destroy the local community and disrupt eternal plans by striking Missy Parker.

This sets off a tale of suspense that will pull you into its world and touch you with tales of heroism and tragedy. Anderson is masterful in drawing out scenes of tension, keeping the stakes high while slowly developing the material for all it is worth. The key incident of the book spans chapters, but at no time does he seem to be prolonging it artificially. It gives the effect of savoring the action, not being cheated by having it come to a head too quickly.

Part of the secret of his success comes from the delightful people and characterization he creates. His characters are rich and vibrant. The dialogue of the South comes across realistically without being forced. If I can create just one literary character that approaches the vitality of Missy Parker or Mose Washington, I will be well-pleased.

Anderson succeeds in one other area that takes Abiding Darkness from enjoyable to transcendent. He speaks on matters of truth and sacrifice that are deeply moving. I am not an emotional guy, but he had me in tears on the bus ride home from work one day. The next day, I was laughing out loud (my fellow travelers might think I'm a head case, LOL!). I don't read read fiction to be uplifted in my spiritual life, but this tale has affected me in more than just an aesthetic way. The amazing thing is, all of this comes naturally in the story. The characters are real, so it is real to see them share their faith. To me, it almost always seems appropriate in how these truths are brought out.

No work is perfect. The main weakness I discerned in his writing was a habit to move around in point-of-view (POV) characters within a scene - sometimes I had to read back a paragraph to find who was thinking/doing something. One of his scenes of faith discussion loses the veneer of being there in the story and almost becomes preachy.

Overall, I am highly impressed with Abiding Darkness. As another reviewer wrote, it is the type of book you want to immerse yourself in, but you read slower as you approach the end so you don't have to leave then denizens of Cat Lake. If you enjoy qualilty storytelling, read this book. If you aspire to write, get this book and study it. It will be time very well spent.

Check back later this week for my review of Wedgewood Grey and a further discussion of the writing of John Aubrey Anderson.

Relief

There's a fresh wind blowing in Christian fiction. Relief Journal is a new quarterly fiction journal that has high aspirations for bringing new literary works in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to people. An acquaintance from Faith*in*Fiction, J. Mark Bertrand, is the fiction editor.

From the look of their site, they have professional aptitude to match their ambition. I have ordered the first volume, and am anticipating its arrival. I will let you know more after I get it.

Check it out if you have any interest in Christian fiction.

Kingdom of Heaven

I saw a fairly disturbing snippet of Oprah yesterday. On the show they were talking about a book called The Secret. Some attractive and well-meaning people were talking about it earnestly. I don't fault any of them (don't know 'em, didn't watch long enough to find out), but the part that I saw had a flawed concept, and I wanted to address that.

Apparently the book in question talks about the law of attraction, saying that we receive what we think about. If we think about the obstacles in our path, that's what we'll get. If we think positively, and think about-say, the promotion we want, that's what we'll receive.

This all comes from the worldview that people are basically good, and we just need to think/do good and everything will be alright. Nevermind that this bedrock of postmodern society doesn't work and isn't changing life as we know it. There was a quote on the show that was the main kicker for this topic.

As a Christian, Maureen says she believes in heaven and hell, and she's concerned that The Secret's promotion of free will and personal choice imply that you do not face a final judgment.

James says that while he honors Maureen's Christian belief system, he suggests looking at the concepts of heaven, hell and judgment in a different way. "Jesus the Christ said the kingdom of heaven is within. He didn't say it was out there somewhere—[he said] within. And so is it possible to consider that the kingdom of hell is within as well?" he says.

"The kingdom of God is actually in us, and what comes out of your mouth, what you think about, how you express—you're either participating in the realm of ever-expanding good or you're cutting yourself off from the realm," Michael says.

Michael suggests that instead of living a life preparing for some ultimate reward, you should live in the now. "When you're anticipating some future good, you're preventing that good that is all around you from expressing through you," he says. "[Don't] put life on the layaway plan and try to anticipate that it's going to get good in the future."

It is too bad that this is the idea Michael has about the Kingdom of Heaven. I'm afraid to say that Christians can give support to the idea that all we're doing is putting "life on the layaway plan" by focusing on eternity rather than what is going on today.

The truth is that Jesus came to proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. As Christians, we are to live a life by faith. According to Romans 8, we live a resurrection life. In short, we look ahead to the life we will have when we are with Jesus, and by faith walk as if we were there now. According to Francis Schaeffer:

It means that, through faith, I am to die to all things both good and bad, but then to take my resurrected body, as though I had already been raised physically from the dead, and step back into this present world, to serve in the power of the indwelling Spirit.
(The Finished Work of Christ, pg 188)

As we walk as children of God, we are to bring light and life to those around us. Jesus said that "no man knows the hour" of His return. Keeping our head on a swivel trying to see if He's come back yet isn't going to help this world. By showing the love of Jesus in living out the example AND telling them about His great gift of salvation. The Kingdom will grow as we work with what God is doing to bring people to Himself. The Kingdom is invading this present age, but not as those on Oprah would suggest. It is only through people submitting to Christ as Lord that it is here. There is still a future aspect of the Kingdom, when it is fully revealed at His second return.

So I take the Oprah episode in two ways. In one way it is a rebuke. Christians need to be about loving people, and loving is not just an attitude but action as well. If we are seen as "too heavenly minded to be any earthly good", that isn't how we are commanded to live.

On the other hand, the world won't understand that the true "heavenly minded" will be the ones who make the most difference in this world, because we see the light of God and reflect it, helping others to see the Way. On Amazon The Secret is described as an ideal that permeates all cultures and religions, being brought forth all together for the first time now, although people like Plato and Jesus walked in it. Um, not my Jesus, sorry. My Jesus was the Son of God who was and continues to be rejected by the world. He was not just one of many great teachers in history. Without revelation, man cannot understand Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven, or His followers.

It is incumbent on us who call on His name to show the Way as best we can, knowing that it is Jesus that will ultimately draw people to Him.

Musical Minstrel of Ministry

I was blessed yesterday and today by a visiting speaker, Dick Williams. This man of God travels around with a gentle prophetic ministry of encouragement and exhorting the body of Christ. If you've never heard him, he's unlike any speaker I've ever heard.

He usually ministers with guitar in hand. As he talks, he strums gently on his 12-string, and often launches into song. He is poetic and lyrical in how he presents the truth of God. He is also quite gifted in how he gives personal words of edification to people in the audience. He doesn't know me from Adam, but he spoke a word to me yesterday that was spot on.

He talked about the ministry of the prophetic, which can be a controversial topic. However, he presented it with grace and making it understandable without a "Twilight Zone" factor. To quote Dick:

The testimony of Jesus (Rev. 19:10) is what He Himself communicates to people and prophetically through people. Therefore, truth spoken prophetically will be permeated with who Jesus is. He is majesty, might, light, and love. One or more of all of these ingredients will characterize true prophetic communication.

I could really launch into a lot of posts regarding what he taught, but that's not my intention. But if anyone is curious and wants to ask questions, leave a comment and we'll discuss it privately.

Books R' Katie

If anyone is looking to expand their library of Christian fiction, then Katie Hart may have the answer for you. She is an avid reader, and is looking to 1) make some room to move around and 2) make some dough to get a car to move around!

She has a good deal of only $5 per book. See her blog for more details.

CFBA Tour - Christian Writers' Market Guide 2007

This week we have a special feature for the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance: A work that is non-fiction, one that none of us have read from cover to cover...

If you are interested in any kind of writing for the Christian market, then Sally Stuart's guide is it. It not only has updated listings on publishers for all sorts of projects, it is a great resource for writers with lists of different places for writers to find advice and help. I spent time studying the 2005 version while first developing a desire to write, and it encouraged me that I could, maybe someday, be a published writer (in some form or another).

For more than twenty years, the Christian Writers’ Market Guide has offered indispensable help to Christian writers. This year, for the first time, this valuable resource comes with a CD-ROM of the full text, so you can search with ease for topics, publishers, and other specific names.

The 2007 edition also includes up-to-date listings of more than 1,200 markets for books, articles, stories, poetry, and greeting cards, including information on forty new book publishers, eighty-three new periodicals, and thirty-four new literary agents. Perfect for writers in every phase, this is the resource to get noticed–and get published.

It contains listings for: 695 periodicals, 228 poetry markets, 355 book publishers, 133 online publications, 29 print-on-demand publishers, 1185 markets for the written word, 321 photography markets, 31 e-book publishers, 122 foriegn markets, 112 literary agents,and 59 newspapers.

It also gives you comprehensive lists of contests, writers groups and conferences, search engines, pay rates and submission guidelines, editorial services and websites.

Christian Writers’ Market Guide is a "must have' for any serious Christian writer that is looking to get published!

Make It So!

Finally, vindication.

Click here to protect your heart.

I call upon corporate America, in the spirit of Jean-Luc Picard, to "Make it so, Number 1."

(Not like we're doing things all that important anyway...)

The Right Separation?

What would you say if a program existed that helped improve recividism rates for prisoners dramatically, was validated by peer-reviewed studies, and was partially funded by private parties to make it even more attractive for cash-strapped states? Sounds like a great thing, considering the financial crunches of many state budgets. Even better, considering the physical crunches of housing too many prisoners, releasing them only to see many rebound because they didn't learn how to properly cope with life in the first place.

Then what would you say if a judge threw out this program and ordered the sponsers to pay back money received in a legal contract, because of erronous views of how the program worked and who sponsered it? Sounds like a bad idea, right?

That is what is going on with the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) in the state of Iowa. Sponsered by Prison Fellowship (see link on right), this program has remarkable rates of success. However, the judge ruled that it violated the separation of church and state, even though it is a voluntary program to participate in for the prisoners. Worse, the judge went on to characterize evangelicals in broad catagories as almost cultish.

Prison Fellowship has filed an appeal, and oral arguments in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals are scheduled for tomorrow, February 13th. I would encourage you to read more about this here and here, and keep the lawyers and judges in prayer tomorrow. IFI is an opportunity to reach the lowest of society with the gospel, while also helping reduce crime and society burden. How the judge could see this as a bad thing is mind-boggling, but the beauty of our freedom is there are checks and balances. Let's pray for true justice, and that the IFI program can spread to touch more broken lives with true healing.

Any Given Sunday

Wow. An actual day of rest. Usually Sundays are pretty hectic around here, at least in the morning. Doesn't seem to matter what time we get up, we are always on the run getting to church. Beccy warms up with the worship team while I teach the adult Sunday school class. Then church, where my love leads worship and I do assorted things, whatever needed during the service. Sound board, usher, nursery - just point me in the right direction. Often in the afternoon we take it easy, but we're usually worn out by that time.

Today the boys and I were all fighting colds, so we decided to save our friends at church the company of our germs. Bec still had to go, so it was a boys' day. It was nice.

The boys asked me to draw them some superheroes, so we tried our hand at Spiderman, Batman, the Flash, among others. Whoa, I can still draw, somewhat. Later on they watched a DVD rental of Justice League while I soaked in a relaxing bath reading Relentless.

In the afternoon the boys entertained themselves while I worked on a short story I've been writing for a little while. Beccy ran home for lunch, then went off to a scrapbooking date with some other ladies. I missed her, but again it was just a restful day.

There's something to this "day of rest" thing. I wonder if we partake of it enough?

Blog Tour - The Longing Season

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducting The Longing Season (Bethany House July, 2006) by Christine Schaub.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Christine Schaub is the author of the MUSIC OF THE HEART series, including Finding Anna, the “rest of the story” behind the writing of the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” (October 2005) and The Longing Season, the story behind “Amazing Grace” (July 2006) with Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Books.

ABOUT THE BOOK: All of the books in the MUSIC OF THE HEART series are based on a hymns and their histories. The Longing Season is about one of the greatest redemption stories of all time: John Newton and his song, Amazing Grace.

Nature conspires against him, tossing the ship like a toy. Directionless--just like his life. It seems his odyssey will end here, in the cold Atlantic.

Grief and terror grip his heart, but he will not surrender...not yet.

She reads the sentence again and again.

The first day I saw you I began to love you.

He'd written the words, sealed and posted them, then vanished.

She has a choice--turn toward the future, or wait, wating and hoping.

And so begins her season of longing.

"Good Morning God"

One of my favorite speakers, Tom Brock, is in town for a couple of days. He always brings a word that is encouraging, yet convicting at the same time. He never fails to call us up into the destiny that Jesus has for us as His church.

One of his favorite phrases is, "Are we waking up saying, 'Good morning God!' or, 'Good God, it's morning.'" Last night he shared how we are to be more than survivors, just getting by in this ol' world. He noted that people will say, "Oh, I'm doing pretty good, under the circumstances." Tom says that we shouldn't be under the circumstances, because that is not the place that God has for us!

He spoke something pretty profound: Often times in the church we focus on being "better fellowshippers" with God. You know how it goes: "Oh Lord, I just wanna be closer to You." Tom suggests this might be the problem.

We are not here to sit in church to learn how to be perfect people. We are sent as Jesus was sent (John 17). What was Jesus sent for? "To save the world through Him" (John 3:17). We are not called to hole up in church until Jesus comes back for us. We need to engage the world, reaching out around us to the lost. When we do that, we are in the purpose of God for our lives, and we are doing more than just "making it" in this world.

Tom's back for more tonight. Maybe I can share a little more profound and pithy at that time!

The Winners of the Super Bowl

Yeah, I'm posting this 1 1/2 hours before the game, but I already know of winners of today's big event.

Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are two men who deserve to be coaching in the Super Bowl. They exemplify character and strength. And they are both committed Christians.

"God is the center of my life," Smith told the media during a Super Bowl press conference earlier this week. "It controls all that I do. I hope I don't have to spend my time telling my players I'm a Christian. I hope they see it in my life every day."

I've always been a Dallas Cowboys fan, but I am relieved that we are rid of the Big Tuna, Bill Parcells. He is seen as a coach in control, but it is by intimidating and berating his players. In contrast, Tony Dungy has this to say of his sideline rival for today:

"He does things the right way," Dungy said of Smith after the Colts and Bears each won their conference championship games. "No profanity, no intimidation, just helping his guys the best he can—and that's the way I try to do it. I think it's great that we're able to show the world not only that African-American coaches can do it, but Christian coaches can do it in a way that we can still win."

I don't care who you root for in this game. I really don't have a strong opinion who wins in this one. But I would like people to know about the great type of men that will be coaching their teams this Sunday.

"The Lord set this up in a way that no one would believe it," Dungy said after the Colts and Bears advanced to the Super Bowl. "The Lord tested us a lot this year, but he set this up to get all the glory."

All quotes are from the Christianity Today web article "Christian Coaches Face Off for Super Bowl XLI".

Blog Tour - Germ

"If you breathe, it will find you."

With a tag line like that, you know that you're in for quite a ride. This is the world that Robert Liparulo envisions in GERM, his latest novel. The latest book in the CFBA tour is quite the page-turner. I gave a sneak peek into GERM back in December, as it made my Top Six for Oh Six.

Liparulo explores the possibilities of "designer viruses" in this book. He sets up a tale of a vengeful biological weapons scientist, who manages to mutate the Ebola virus into a targeted killer that will only manifest with those who have certain DNA. If you don't, you just get a cold. If you are the unfortunate one, death will be merciful if it comes quickly via heart failure. Otherwise the torture of having internal organs liquify will be your fate.

Even though the book has a lot of biology in it, he wraps it around a slam bang action novel. You can't count on a protaganist always making it out alive! Despite the premise, the biological warfare takes somewhat of a backseat to the non-stop action. Being a biology major and a health care professional, that was slightly disappointing - but it didn't stop me from enjoying the whirlwind.

The plot is the standout point. As I said in my Top Six post, I started to skim a few pages when I got this and ended up disappearing for an hour to read. There is minimal down time. If suspense/thriller is your thing, you won't be disappointed.

He does a good job with the characterizations as well. Julia Matheson is a well-done protaganist, with doubts and strengths that show at key times in the book. Sometimes she gets introspective at interesting times, but this is a quibble. There is a subtle message of reconciliation and the value of sacrifice in here as well. It is too bad that this book gets sequestered in the Christian section at Barnes and Noble, because it would appeal broadly to any suspense fan.

My biggest (yet minor) criticism is the recurrent theme of the "super-assassin" that I've been seeing crop up in several Christian books. Sure, these guys have extrordinary skills that keep the pressure on the heroes, but it seems like a handy literary device that is being used a lot lately. Liparulo multiplies the effect in GERM (you have to read it to see!). Also, he seems to have a fascination with the mettalic taste/smell of blood. You'd think characters were bleeding pennies as much as the "copper" description is used. On that note, it is one of the bloodiest (if not the most) CBA books I've ever read. If battle damage is not your thing, then do think twice on reading it.

Overall a very entertaining and engrossing read. It combines real world fears in a thrill ride that will keep you turning the pages. For more great info, check out CJ Darlington's interview with the author, as well as others on the CFBA tour.

Let Justice Roll

"Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream!" - Amos 5:24

Anyone who is interested in social justice, not only Christians, should be concerned about the following item.

According to Breakpoint, the country of Myanmar (Burma) is ordering that "Christians be wiped out" (from a report in the 1/21 edition of the British newspaper the Telegraph.) The world has learned what can happen if one group of people targets another for destruction. From Nazi Germany to Stalin to Rwanda and the Balkans, unspeakable evils can be attempted by misguided people.

A quote from the article from Breakpoint reads:

This is all part of a pattern of persecution, which includes “ethnic cleansing” of Christian minority groups, the destruction of villages, forced conversions, and even rape and murder. It’s part of the regime’s attempt “to create a uniform society in which the race and language is Burmese and the only accepted religion is Buddhism.”

I encourage anyone who reads this to pray and, if so inclined, to contact your representatives about pressuring China to apply pressure on Myanmar. We've learned painful lessons of what happens if we don't speak out. I would cry out if the situation were reversed - it doesn't matter who it is, no people group deserves terror like that. Standing for fellow Christians makes it even more pressing.