The Journey

A Shining New Year

2012-01-01T11:27:00.001-08:00

As 2011 silently slips into the night, a shining new year begins. Welcome, 2012!

I read this somewhere and it not only blessed me, but set my perspective right. My prayer is that it blesses you as well.“When the time was right, the sea parted, the walls fell down, the lions went hungry, the sun stood still, the star appeared, the waves were calmed, the stone was rolled away, the Lord ascended…And when the time is right, the King of Kings will return. God is never early and He’s never late—He’s always right on time and His plans for you are good.”

For writers in particular, waiting can be difficult, even painful. Rejections pile up to a point where you might question whether or not you can even write. You are pummeled with doubts as the enemy and your flesh screech into your ear, “You’re not a writer. Give it up. Get a real job. You’re nothing but a dreamer.”

Satan’s a liar; flesh is unreliable.

Let me encourage you; if God has gifted you with the ability to write, do it with all your might. Apply every necessary effort to learn and grow as a craftsperson. Keep your prayer life open and in touch with Him. And in the words of Winston Churchill, “never, never, never, never give up.”Trust God’s impeccable timing and keep pushing onward. 2012 is full of hope and bright expectation. For many of you, God is about to astound you with His presence; He’s going to deliver the fulfillment of His promises to you in amazing ways. When He does, remember, “…you did not gain possession of the land by your own sword, nor did your own arm save you, but it was by God’s right hand. His arm, and the light of His countenance…” Ps 44:3

Give God all of the glory; it’s His in the first place.

For many of you, 2012 is going to be a time of continued waiting. This does not mean God is ignoring you. Quite the contrary. He’s actively growing you, shaping you, helping you hone your skills. Let Him do so with everything thing you have in you…and do it joyfully. And in the words of Winston Churchill, “never, never, never, never give up.”The world is full of starters, but it’s the finishers who count.

Reflections of the Past

2011-12-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

This time each year, I take a few days to fast and pray. I reflect on the passing year and all that God has brought me through. The last couple of years have been a wild ride, but He remains faithful. He’s faithful to meet me where I am, but not to leave me there. Not once have I set aside this time for Him when He’s not been there for all of it.

Reflecting on the past is beneficial in several ways:

1) It’s a clear demonstration of where I started and where I now am. People like me need to see progress sometimes—forward movement, some fruit for my effort. Reflection provides this. Journaling is a great way to see your journey.

2) It’s a clear lesson in what not to do. Choose not to make the same mistakes. Someone once said the definition of insanity is to do the same thing again but expect a different outcome. Learn the right lesson from past failures—check.

3) It’s dead. Leave it buried. While reflection on past failures and triumphs can be beneficial, don’t live there. Nothing can change what has already happened. In light of failures, in particular, leave them dead and buried and move forward. Too many get sympathy when sharing past difficulties. This can become a deadly trap, a deterrent to emotional and spiritual growth. Grieve, repent, receive forgiveness, and let go. Being a perpetual victim is a slap in God’s face; it implies He doesn’t have the power to heal.

4) It’s dead. Leave it buried. Reliving past successes can be a joyous event. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating and testifying of God’s goodness, of miracles, of success in ministry or life. However, don’t leave it at what God did in the past. Rejoice, let go, and move forward. God’s not through with you yet! In His infinite variety, He’s got much more in store if you’ll only set your face on the future with Him. Nothing is more boring that to listen to some successful preacher pontificate about what God “used to do” in his/her ministry. The question always arises in me: “What is God doing in your ministry now?” Often nothing.

Stagnation by living in past successes is just as constipating as living in past failures.

So, here’s the challenge: What will you let go of this year? What step will you take in trusting God? Get alone with Him even a few evenings; set the food, television, phone, computer, and iPod down and get on your face before Him. I guarantee that if you get serious with God, He will get serious with you.

What have you got to lose but stagnation?

Making Disciples

2011-10-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

Christians waste a lot of time trying to figure out where we belong, and what we’re supposed to be doing. I know I have. One of the reasons I love Oswald Chambers’ writing so much is because he was so gifted at condensing the vast down to the choicest nuggets. Jesus hasn’t asked you to do great things. He’s never asked you to save souls. That’s the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit.

How’s that for clarity of purpose?

What Jesus did ask (actually it’s a command) is that you “Go and make disciples.” A closer look at this statement revels at least two things.

First, there is action required. Jesus said, “Go…” Movement on our part is indicated. I found it interesting that in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus explains the disciple’s work: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the world.” They had marching orders. Once the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they are to go, and share, and make disciples.

Yet a couple of chapters later, even though the Holy Spirit had come and filled them with the power to witness, the disciples were still hanging out in Jerusalem. They haven’t gone anywhere! Pay special attention to the fact that this is when the persecution starts. What happened as a result of persecution? The disciples scattered like rats to all parts of the world. This is when they went and made disciples.

I love God’s nudges.

Second, you might notice that Jesus instructs us to “be witnesses to Him”—tell people about Him. People don’t need programs, more social events, or even fabulous churches. What people need is to know Christ—the Person He is. Helping people discover and nurture a vibrant relationship with Christ is the highest calling to which anyone can ascribe.

Third, you might notice the demographics that Jesus uses: Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria, the world. To liken this statement to today’s world, He might say, “your hometown, your community, your state, your world.” In that order, please.

There are people in your immediate sphere who need Christ. No one can witness to them better than you. You’ve already got relationship, they already trust and know you. Tell them about Jesus, disciple them so that they grow stronger in their relationship with God. Then set your aims on your community, state, and finally world.

Jesus has positioned you exactly where you are to disciple those around you. Train, love, and correct them faithfully and with all your might. Rely on the Holy Spirit to open times of dialog and windows of opportunity. The Holy Spirit will empower you to instruct and teach not only with actions, but with words. Become a disciple-maker and leave the soul saving up to God. Witness, surely, but focus on discipling those around you who are already in the kingdom. It will reap eternal benefits.

The Key to Everything

2011-10-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

I read a book titled The Key to Everything. In it, the author claims that service (servant’s heart) is the key to being a Christian and making a difference in the lives of others and in this world. It isn’t. Obedience is.

Uck. I said the O word. As Christians, obedience is nonnegotiable. Until we learn to obey God in everything we think or do, we’re of little use to Him--or those we claim to love. We embrace service because it feeds our egos; it looks good to others; it gives the semblance that we’re doing something for God; we’re really good Christians because we do all this stuff. Yet, God isn’t interested in humans doing, but humans being. Becoming is more important than doing. It’s also a lot harder.

Obedience costs.

Is your body obedient to your spirit? When’s the last time you prayed on your knees interceding for others? When’s the last time you fasted for spiritual growth or on behalf of another? How do you care for your physical body? Are you out of shape, overweight? Do you put good things into your body to nourish it and keep it lean and mean? Do you exercise regularly?

Are you feeding your spirit with the same degree of care you feed your body? How many scriptures have you committed to memory this past year? How much time do you spend in the Word daily? How do you expect your spirit to grow if you don’t feed it properly?

Neglecting these crucial aspects of obedience, can make or break your spiritual walk. It can make the difference between a victorious walk and a defeated one. Think of it this way, if you fed your body as shabbily as you feed your spirit, what would you look like? Would you even be alive?

Obedience costs.

You make time for what’s important to you. It’s hard to hear but there it is. Intimacy with Christ, and effectiveness as a Christian requires the sacrifice of time and effort; it requires giving up your own rights in deference to Christ’s. If knowing Christ is important to you, you’ll make time for that. If growing in Christ is important to you, you’ll make time for that.

Many times I’ve heard people say, “I’d give anything to have…” You fill in the blank. Reality is that it’s not a matter of what you’d give, but what you’d give up. If you want a healthy body, are you willing to get up earlier to work out daily? If you want that trip to Ireland, are you willing to save and stop splurging? What are you willing to give up in order to walk in obedience?

Truth is truth. Period.

2011-10-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

I read a sign recently. It said, "Truth is truth even if no one believes it. A lie is a lie even if everyone believes it."

Profound.

Too often today Christians shrink from telling a biblical truth because we're afraid of what people might say, or what they might call us. So, we don't say anything. I've linked this blurb to a video clip that illustrates why we should share the truth--the only real truth. Please listen to it.

Too often Christians give up sharing the gospel because people have finally come up with the definitive rebuff. Here's an example:

Joe Christian: "Jesus said there is only one way to heaven."
Sally Sinner: "Well, I don't agree with that."

Society simply disagrees with the Bible, or discounts the Christian as an intolerant fool who believes all that stuff. To make such a statement as Sally Sinner in the aforementioned dialog, one assumes their opinion is as valid as God's! Think about that a minute. The supreme arrogance of the human species to think that whether or not they agree with Scripture will change its truth is a revolting irony. But there you have it.

Still, Christians are required to share their faith; whether or not people believe does not expiate our obligation. Watch the link. http://youtu.be/ZhG-tkQ_Q2w

It'll change your perspective.

Be Who You Are

2011-09-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

If I have a mantra to wave as banner over my life, it would be: BE WHO YOU ARE! And spit in the eye of anyone who tells you different. Okay, the spitting thing maybe not.

In his prison epistles, Paul banged this nail repeatedly. Too often in today's plastic world, with plastic money, plastic cars, and plastic people, we lose track of who we are. We miss the uniqueness that makes us us.

Ask the next five people you meet if they can list ten awesome qualities about themselves, ask them what they're good at, what their passion is, what’s their purpose, and I'll bet you meet with more blank stares than anything else.

God created you exactly like you are (speaking of gifting, aptitudes etc.). He has a purpose for your life; He’s equipped you with the necessary tools to accomplish His plan. How cruel it would be to ask you do drywall the castle and then give you a waffle iron, thermometer, and nail file with which to accomplish this. Yet, this makes about as much sense as asking you to be a bookkeeper and give you the gifts of mercy and compassion (or vice versa).

Christians want to serve, to help, to make a difference. Over the years, we've cultivated a brand of Christian that sets the standard. If you're outside these boundaries, then something is wrong with you. Here's an example: Women are to be quiet, submissive and gentle creatures. Men are to be the leader, authoritative, and confident.

What happens to the poor sot that God creates—a man who is gentle, tender, and easily moved to tears? Or, the woman God has gifted with strong leadership ability? Historically, the Church rejects or tries to reform such people. Historically, the Church places heavy constraints on such people (I speak of women in particular here).

This morning, I was part of a webinar and I asked the question: What does it tell us when our culture rejects the gifts God has placed within the individual? What does it tell us about the way the Christian culture reacts to God's specific placement of these gifts?

They disagree with God. The created disagrees with the Creator.

They reject the gifts because it smacks against their own prejudice and preference. God forbid. In reality, by rejecting a person's gifts, they reject God. By their action, they tell God He was a fool, or that He's made a mistake. God forbid.

Dear friend, let people be who they are in Christ. Stop trying to make them fit into a mold so you feel comfortable. Stop trying to get them to act a certain way or think a certain way. Encourage them to blossom as the flower God designed them to become. Help them reach full bloom and then glory in the differences. Watch them grow and become. Learn to let go and let God...

The Widow's Might

2011-08-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

We know the story of the widow's mite in Scripture. This past weekend, I met two recently widowed women, who, while still mourning a great loss, were able to participate in our family's annual celebration of life. I salute their courage.

While engaged in a deep conversation with the one, she related her desire to reach out to other women in similar circumstances. We discussed her starting a blog on the lessons and the journey of widowhood, of the restoration of joy, of the rediscovery of her own person—her unique identity—these many months after her husband's passing.
Her intelligent and clear articulation of lessons she's learned inspired me personally. At seventy-something, she’s bright, full of life, passion, and a richness of wisdom I can only aspire to. Yet, she timidly asked what I thought of her starting a blog that openly deals with the struggles and joys of widowhood from one who has been there.

It was all I could do to keep from shaking her till her freckles fell off! YES! Get the blog up!

Our culture doesn't value age; it doesn't value wisdom unless it can generate capital. We don't value pain. Yet, these things create a complete human being with the ability to focus on someone other than self, to reach out and grow and become. This woman exudes grace under pressure, and in the rediscovery of former loves—art, music, and painting—she has come to a joyful acceptance of this season in her life. In resolve, she pushes onward and the twinkle in her eye tells me she will succeed magnificently. I salute her resolve.

In sharing her story with me, she explained the only way she could have navigated these stormy waters was because of Jesus—her constant Friend, Companion, Comforter—her Champion. Giving Him credit for where she's been and where she’s at set the stage for where she’s going. I salute her humbleness.

I don’t know what she will title her blog, but when it's up, I'll let you know. Until then, value the older women in your life, learn from them, and celebrate with them. Cry when they remember lost loved ones, laugh when the joy returns to their eyes, dance with them when they achieve. When they paint, sing, dance, hike, camp, and go on cattle drives—celebrate!

When they take on life with fists clenched, arms cocked, and feet firmly planted, salute them. When they choose zumba over the RV junket to Phoenix, salute them. When they choose karate over rocking chairs, salute them. Value their wisdom, treasure their contributions. And be sure to let them know it—often.

The Betrayal by Jerry Jenkins

2011-08-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

I must admit I've not read many of Jenkins' books. The few I have read were worthwhile--including The Betrayal. Jenkins may be the master of witnessing on the sly as his main character (Boone Drake) navigates the plot. This detective fiction is action-packed, with more curves and turns than a bag full of paperclips. Boone is a police officer who has been seriously wounded in the line of duty, but is a fighter. Perhaps that is his most redeeming quality--he never gives up. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that Boone was betrayed, but finding the betrayer's identity proves challenging. There are times when the pace is riveting and it's a race to turn the pages. Yet, Jenkins slows to plot from time to time to allow the reader to breathe.

Boone and his girlfriend struggle with walking a Christian walk, both have made their share of mistakes, but are now living right. Yet, they're hit square in the face with the results of past sins. I give Jenkins kudos for not sugar-coating this aspect of walking with Christ. Christianity isn't for wimps. Jenkins does a good job portraying nominal Christians and the struggles they have in trying to combine the world with their faith. No soft-soaping, he just puts them out there and lets the reader experience them.

Basically a plot-driven novel, a couple of the characters shine. I personally fell in love with Carl (a relatively minor character). What a hoot! All in all, this is a quick and thrilling read that shares the gospel in an unassuming way.

Take the Jump

2011-08-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Our God is an awesome God. I struggle with keeping Him high above all else. He's the creator of the world; by His mention I breathe, exist. Though many curse Him with the very breath He gives, He still gives it. Always, always He desires real relationship, deeper intimacy, and authentic covenant union with us.

Think of it.

By His word, the world continues being. By His word, the sun rises and sets--even for the millions who hate His guts and treat Him like a byproduct. By His word, your heart continues beating, your lungs continue taking in oxygen. I think of how deep His love to tolerate such thanklessness from those who live simply because He wills it.

Love so amazing.

So, here I sit, thinking. Do I continue on with the same old comfortable relationship I now have with Him? Or, do I dive into the depths of His being, casting all abandon to the wind? What does He want? Is He fulfilled with the way we now relate? Do I even consider what's in this relationship for Him? How much of me do I give Him? How much will I give Him?

Personally, I despise mediocrity.

I can't stomach mundane, or status quo. I'm jumping. I'm coming out of the wilderness, out of the comfortable, uneventful folds of the mediocre. I jump into the unknown depths of Jesus, casting off all self-consideration. I don't give a flying fig what others think. I don't care if I look foolish. I don't care if I am foolish. I'm jumping.

I want Him to delight in our relationship. I want Him to smile when I come into a room. I want Him to be well-pleased with this child. I don't want to stand before Him one day and hear, "Well, you did pretty good." I want to give Him a full reward for His investment in me. I want to hear, “Well done!”

Coming Out of The Wilderness

2011-07-15T13:09:00.001-07:00

In my journey with the Lord, I’ve endured much, overcome much, and suffered much. Of late, Proverbs 13:12 seemed to be the banner over my life. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick….” That song beat in my head like a hammer. The ring of it, in clear peals confirmed its sturdy truth.

There’ve been days when I didn’t want to get up and fight. Days when I prayed earnestly, “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus,” and days when I battled negative thoughts in such multitude that I became physically weary. If hope is deferred too long, we can give up, go back to the wilderness, and wither to death—a fact I've shared with God on more than one occasion.

This struggle puts me in mind of the children of Israel. The biblical account of the original generation coming out of bondage in Egypt to freedom in the wilderness is a striking one. Within weeks of being set free, they got close enough to the Promised Land to actually touch it—to touch it! Yet, because of their stinking attitudes, they died in the desert.

Many valuable lessons can be learned here.

One: Attitude can kill. To come out of the wilderness, you need the attitude of Caleb and Joshua. Of Caleb, the Bible says that he “had a different spirit.” Caleb and Joshua were the only two who had the right attitude. They experienced the same slavery, the same wilderness existence, and the same miracles. Yet they were worlds apart in the way they perceived these events, and the way they experienced God Himself. They knew (because they knew God) that they were well-able to overcome and enter into the Promised Land.

Two: Attitude impacts community. Because of the wilderness-mind of the eight spies, the entire nation (including Caleb and Joshua) were sentenced to penance in the wilderness until the original generation died off—forty years of misery because they doubted God and complained. They refused to set their minds on their new life, new freedom, and new possibilities.

But that is only half of the story. The second half of Proverbs 13:12 states, “…but when desire comes, it is the tree of life.”

At the end of forty years, God again began moving His people into their inheritance. This time, it was different. This generation received an attitude adjustment, and onward they went into the Promised Land. Onward they went out of the wilderness. This last portion finally hit me between the eyes: You can come out of the wilderness. Sometimes it feels like you’ve been there so long that there aren’t other options. Not so. The wilderness was never meant to be permanent. It’s a phase, a stop-gap, a temporary lodging, a bridge from slavery to abundant life.

Key things to consider if you want out of the wilderness and into the inheritance God has promised: 1) Attitude changes must occur, and not intermittently. Strive to saturate your thinking with scriptures, verses, and the promises of God until you are meditating on them throughout the day—every day. 2) Prepare yourself to move when God blows the trumpet. Many sit around the campfire, waiting, twiddling their thumbs, and thinking good thoughts, but do not actually prepare to exit. Be ready, watching, and faithful in letting God develop your character as you wait on His timing. Meantime, reach out to serve those around you, helping them to prepare for their exoduses. 3) God hasn't forgotten you. He knows exactly what you need, when you need it, and when to bring you out. Trust Him in your thoughts, your words, and your work.

A final encouragement: When God brings you out, don’t forget to allow yourself to rejoice, shout, and celebrate! What He’s done is mighty. Hold nothing back in sharing the victory; rejoice with everything you’ve got, and then thank God with everything you’ve got.

Only in Jesus is There Life After Stupid

2011-06-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Great sentiment. Truth nonetheless. I think back over my life at how many choices I’ve made that belong in the “stupid” column. It’s just a rough estimate but that column alone should reach the moon any day now.

Enter Jesus.

In worship, I sometimes reflect on where He’s brought me from. Coming into relationship with Him, I had nothing to bring to the table except junk that shouldn’t have been there in the first place: Destructive habits, stinking thinking, poor character, bad judgment, and flaws too numerous to mention. Not one desirable thing could I offer Him except my heart, and even that was broken and beat up.

Jesus accepted my offering.

What a difference He made! When looking at where I started and where I am today, I cannot explain how He did it, but I give Him glory for the great, tedious, and steadfast transformation He’s accomplished in me. No matter how big the obstacle, no matter how black the journey, no matter how bitter the trial, He’s never been hampered by it. Not one stupid seed I’ve ever sown has been beyond His ability to transform. How amazing is that?

It’s as if He changes the nature of the seed.

Take it from someone who’s walked through the barren blackness of despair; Jesus is able. He is willing. He is waiting to transform you. No matter what you’ve done or how many failures you’ve had. None of it is more that He can restore. You can try other things, you can grab for do-it-yourself quick-fixes, you can medicate, you can ignore, but nothing fixes stupid like Jesus does.

Be Ready

2011-05-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Be ready is different from get ready. The Christian walk is one of constant preparation, but at some point there is a "be" ready. Applying this to my writing, I could spend a lifetime reading about the craft, practicing, preparing, but if I never get to doing I'm not going to progress. Sometime I have to stop collecting information; sometime, I have to take the plunge and write. Not only write, but send it off to the editor, take the risk. Take the risk and knock on agent's doors.

Frankly, this stinks but it's necessary to grow and improve as an artist. The truth is that I can have all the natural talent in the world, but if I never prepare, grow, improve, it will amount to nothing. So, as a student studies for years to earn a degree, I too, put in necessary work and sweat so that I will be published. I don't want a publisher to finally knock on my door and wait while I scramble to get my manuscripts up to snuff.

Be ready, not get ready.

The Choice Factor

2011-04-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Life is about the choices we make. When we invest in a stock, we expect to reap the reward of that investment. When we eat properly, we expect to reap the reward of that choice. When we perform well at work, we expect to reap the consequences of that choice.

Yet, when it comes to making a poor decision, it’s a human tendency to run from the consequences, or worse, blame the choice on someone else.

For example, a woman choosing to have sex without birth control, and ends up pregnant; or a man chooses to stop paying his taxes, and ends up in jail; or a teenager chooses to try drugs, and ends up addicted; all of these things are the results of individual choices. Each person is endowed with the right (and responsibility) to make their own choices. It’s God’s wish that we learn to make only good choices, but He leaves the final choosing up to us.

We’ve known people in some or all of these instances. How many who get caught in reaping the consequences of their own poor choices actually stand up and admit they’ve sinned and will take what’s coming to them?

A wise man once said, “Of course you should love your enemies. You made them.”

In America, there is a deadly thread of thought woven into the fabric of our culture: “You’re a victim. It’s not your fault.”

This blanket absolution kills the soul. It circumvents God’s natural order and way of teaching His children how to make proper choices. Too many people get in God’s way and thereby actually contribute to a person’s demise.

Is it an act of love to prevent someone from learning a valuable life-lesson? Is it an act of love to offer a person a way out other than God’s way?

To repeatedly chant that nothing we’ve ever done is our fault, is a great disservice to our society. It’s smothering because it never holds people accountable for their choices; it is an act of cruelty. There’s nothing loving about it.

Yet, we’ve convinced ourselves that we know better than God. We’ve come up with therapy sessions, social service programs, and intervention groups. We’ve legalized abortion so that there will be no unwanted pregnancies. The big lie in this movement is that it was supposed to end unwanted children. Only children who are wanted would be born. It would eliminate child abuse. This was the mantra of prochoice zealots.

These decades later, is that the case? Both unwanted pregnancies and child abuse are at an all time high. So much for man’s logic. Yet these were the lies proponents fed us, and we made choices. Some chose to do nothing, and their silence impacted the voting. Others abandoned God’s camp, tired of the rhetoric, and compromised with the world.

Have we as a Christian community stood up, confessed our sin (of either indifference, or defection) and asked for God’s forgiveness? Have we measured our own actions according to the Bible to ensure we’re living out a biblical worldview?

I encourage each of you to examine all of your own choices. Where have you strayed from God’s plumb line? Where have you been silent when you should have spoken up? Ask God for forgiveness and then get back on your feet, ready for walking in His light.

I’ll close my rant with this thought: When issues of culture clash with the Bible it is always the culture that is at fault. Always.

You Know You're an Editor if...

2011-03-26T08:54:00.001-07:00

Ok. Here it is. The sister article to, You Know You're a Writer if..."

You remove hangnails with a razor blade.

Roget, Webster, and Strunk and White are your favorite late night reads.

You fully understand the concept and the rationale for writers' deadlines, hard deadlines, and real deadlines.

A dangling participle makes your eye twitch.

The top ten best reads of your life are all reference books.

You have a three-year supply of red pens, in every room, in every vehicle, and in every briefcase you own.

Your life’s mantra is, “So many manuscripts, so few garbage cans.”

The last author you rejected stands, commits hari-kari before your eyes, and you remark, “Are you finished? Good, now get to your rewrites.”

You ask God to send you one, just one, author who doesn’t burst into tears when they receive your critique.

You have your dental work done without anesthetic.

You’ve gotten into the habit of going to the mailbox or opening your email with a red pen between your teeth.

The neighborhood dogs get vaccinations in case you have rabies.

You can’t remember the last time you got eight consecutive hours of sleep.

Nehemiah is your favorite Bible character because when people irritated him, he slapped them and plucked out their hair.

You have a poster of John the Baptist on your office wall lovingly entitled, “MY HERO.”

Another weeping author tells you that this is her 300th rejection, and you listen for five seconds then reply, “Yep, life sucks and then you die.”

You actually know that attaching an ing to a verb doesn’t automatically qualify it as a gerund.

You understand that a colon is not part of the intestinal tract.

You know that the “creative process” and “poetic license” are just excuses for lazy writers to avoid learning proper grammar and punctuation.

You’re office is wallpapered with 22 pound bright white paper.

Upon receiving a virgin manuscript, an evil chortle escapes your lips while you shout, “The power! Oh, the power!”

You could put your entire heart into a thimble and still have room left over—that is, if you had a heart.

You Know You're a Writer if...

2011-03-20T09:36:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd share a collection of mine. I collect quotes; here are a few thoughts (from great minds other than mine) that I've gathered. Those writers out there will identify, no doubt.

You know you’re a writer if…

Your purse is stuffed with random pieces of paper napkins with book notes scribbled on them.

You know you’re a writer if your friend tells you a heartbreaking story and you pull out your pen and notebook and say, “Right, keep talking.”

It’s five PM and you’re still in your jammies and the dog hasn’t been out since yesterday.

You would rather talk to the voices in your head than the person sitting next to you.

You know the research librarian’s office, cell, and home phone numbers but can’t remember your own.

You’ve ever said, “The voices are getting louder; I must go write.”

When talking with others, you mentally edit their dialogue.

You have a momentary reality lapse and mention your characters’ situation as a prayer request in Sunday school.

Romance means finding a way to keep two people apart for at least ten chapters.

Internal conflict has nothing to do with your parents.

External conflict makes you giddy with excitement.

Air, water, and food are second to chocolate, caffeine, and a really good pen.

The last conversation you had was with an imaginary person.

A hook has nothing to do with fishing, and everything to do with sleep deprivation.

A style guide is not a measure of how good you look, but how much you don't know.

Plot isn't where the body is buried, but how they died.

Pacing isn't a nervous habit.

Setting has absolutely nothing to do with how many you expect for dinner.

Bed and breakfast describes your office space.

You read out loud to your dog to get confirmation that your prose is working.

2011-03-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog. Life keeps getting in the way. Too, I sometimes wonder whether another blurb will benefit anyone. We’re drifting away from personal communication in favor of impersonal communication. What once was done face to face has been substituted by pecking out half-messages on a teensy keyboard. We’ve told ourselves the usual old saw: it’s progress. Carried in that axiom is the implication that progress is a good thing. Not always. History has proven that. As an instructor of communication studies, I grow increasingly concerned by how unimportant human interaction has become. People aren’t valued enough to spend time with.

Technology replaces touch. Texts replace time. Innovation replaces intimacy.

Perhaps nowhere is this bent toward mechanicalizing communication more disconcerting than in our relationship with God. He doesn’t text. He doesn’t tap out a message on an ipad, cell phone, or computer. He’s still communicating face to face, and through His Word. How will our lust for the fast and easy impact our spiritual destination? It’s a sobering thought. Yet, society as a whole craves what is easy, fast, and—frankly—phoney. Starbucks relationships give us the impression of real intimacy without any of the mess of actually having to work at it.

However, these “just add water and stir” relationships aren’t lasting ones. They don’t nourish our spirits, they don’t encourage us to engage and invest in one another. Quite the opposite. We’re becoming more disconnected by the hour and no one seems to care about that. We’re all too busy with the newest techno-gadget to notice that we are slipping further from knowing how to work real relationships.

My prayer is that we (especially Christians) will wake up to the alarming trend for the quick and easy. God isn't quick, and at times, He isn't easy, but He's always God. He set the standard for healthy relationships by His example and in His Word.

This kind of relationship equates to effort, and many simply do not want to expend energy in order to have a healthy relationship--even with God. This is certainly a choice but not a wise one. By our preference for Starbucks relationships, we are sending a message to our friends: you aren't important enough for me spend time with.

Real relationships require: commitment, investment, and time. Accept no substitutes.

My Brother's Keeper

2011-02-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

Oswald Chambers writes, “Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people?” Yikes. Is he kidding? Nope. Yet many of us live like we are an entity unto ourselves, as if we exist in a vacuum.

Stop it.

Get the “to God” part of that sentence. Whether or not you agree is of no importance; the fact still remains that you will stand before Him to explain your choices in life. We don’t have the luxury of living any way we choose and shirking our Christian responsibility to one another.

I know many who attend church on Sunday morning and head straight from there to party at the neighborhood bar. I know many who slink into bars on Saturday night, grab a sex-partner for the evening and, yep, you guessed it, are in church Sunday praising God. To these, church is a social club; it makes them feel good. But, these people are not in relationship with Christ; in fact, it is safe to say they haven’t got the vaguest inkling about Christ other than He’s that guy who was in the film The Passion of the Christ.

If you’re one of these, you need to know: By your example, you teach your children to be superficial, disconnected, and phony in relationships. By your example, you tell the world exactly who you are: deluded and fake.

Such individuals will argue with the Word of God. I’ve actually had this conversation: Me, ‘The Bible teaches that your mouth speaks what your heart is full of. (This individual cusses like a trucker).’ Her reply, ‘Well, I have a different opinion about that.’

Really? You disagree with God?

So, what she’s repeatedly demonstrated to me is that since her opinion ranks higher than God’s, she’ll keep right on with her filthy communication. Imagine what this tells the soul searching for a relationship with Him. “Hey, you blanket-blank, let me tell you about my blanking relationship with Jesus.”

Yeah, right. What she’s full of is self not Christ.

I know of mothers who sleep around (because it’s the thing you do at the end of each date—if the guy doesn’t smell) and are rendered ineffective to teach their daughters anything about remaining sexually pure. When I mentioned that the Bible calls adultery and fornication sin, she offers her opinion. She says, “But it’s fun.” She too, is setting her own logic above God’s. That would add idolatry to her growing list.

So, if you go to church on Sunday and live exactly as you please the rest of the time, you aren’t doing God or humanity a service; in a very real sense it is an act of hatred toward those you profess to love. Worse, it is an act of indifference.

When you put “I” on the altar of worship, when you refuse to be deprived of any pleasure, it’s a supremely selfish and ugly homage to the depravity the Jesus Christ came to free you from.

How you live will have eternal impact on those you profess to love. From today onward, how will you choose to live: in self or in Christ?

I Will Rejoice

2011-02-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Seriously. I will rejoice and be glad in it, if it kills me! Ever had a day like that?

Me too, but not today.

Today I sing, dance, praise, and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Freezing temps are one thing, but freezing temps without sunshine stink, frankly. In meditating on God and all we’ve been through this last year, I am thankful for having survived 2010. I am thankful for the evidence of spiritual growth He’s shown me. Even when I’ve been unaware, He’s still faithfully at work, refining, shaping and transforming me.

He’s teaching me how to rejoice, how to celebrate all of the good and beautiful things He brings to my life—even when I can’t see them yet.

Persistence: the Key to Everything

2011-01-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

If you’ve been a Christian more than ten minutes, you’ll realize that Christianity isn’t for wimps. The instant you change spiritual kingdoms, you gain an active enemy—actually several of them.

First, your flesh quickly decides that it loved getting its way…all the time…without exception. Second, your mind quickly decides that it loved getting its way…all the time…without exception. Third, Satan has lost one of his minions, yet another of his subjects has defected and gone over to the other side. That ticks him off.

Are you getting the picture?

With the new kingdom, come new kingdom responsibilities and disciplines. To be sure, the best, smartest decision I’ve ever made was to accept Christ as my personal Savior. The second best decision I’ve ever made is one I’ve constantly chosen for the last 40 years: I choose to stay in Christ’s kingdom.

As many of you, 2010 was, without contest, the single worst year of my memory. Yet, all the breaking, all the crushing, all the refining to my spirit, ego, mind, and flesh has been in the capable hands of the Master Potter. Maturation will come because I know the ability of the Potter not because of my own effort.

In high school, I took a pottery class for an art requirement. It is an appropriate analogy. The clay arrives in large plastic-lined boxes (in its natural form from the earth). We were instructed to cut a glob off, slap it on the wheel and start spinning it. What is interesting is that for me to form it into something, I needed to apply pressure. One little slip of the hand ruined my vessel. Also, I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to have mastered the structure, have it minutes from being kiln ready, only to find a tiny bit of gravel or wood. Guess what? I had to pick out the wood because if I fired it with the objectionable piece, it would explode in the kiln.

Removing the object and smashing the clay flat was the only remedy.

Yet, it is the only way to salvage the clay. It is the same with God. So 2010 was the year of being smashed flat on numerous occasions; in remembering the pottery class, I choose to see the positive aspects of having the bits of rubble picked out, having God smash my clay flat, and then lovingly apply the necessary pressure to transform me into the vessel He chooses.

Painful? Yes. Worth it? Yes. But God's persistence helps make us the best we can be. His faithful commitment to finish what He starts is a reason to celebrate.

The Voice of Truth

2010-12-31T12:17:00.000-08:00

I’ve taken stock of 2010; in many ways it was one of the worst years of my life. Being beaten down, crushed, bruised, and molded in a spiritual sense is painful, but this year the crushing was particularly fierce. Batting away negative, destructive thoughts was a fulltime occupation.

2010 was a bloody-knuckled battle to the last day. Words like: failure pounded my mind and pierced my soul. Black days loomed one upon another and there seemed no hope of rescue. It was as though God had forgotten me—or worse, abandoned me.

Another slug-fest in the battlefield of the mind.

Trying to surmise 2010, I listened to a song that encapsulates the entire year: The Voice of Truth. No matter what the world says, no matter what your own mind says, no matter how people perceive you, no matter how you perceive yourself, the only voice that rings true every time is His voice.

What a blessing!

This morning, I read in Jeremiah 32 and 33 that His plans are good, He will rejoice over me, He will bring good to me, His covenant with me is permanent and no one can break it. This is the voice of truth. The voice of encouragement, and I am encouraged that the God of all creation takes time with this daughter to encourage and build-up.

So, I encourage you to open His word and lay hold of the promises of a loving, patient God who is all about success, edification, and promise. Devour His word, live on it daily and you too, will come out of the darkness to the bright shining new day.

I understand that circumstances are not the authority, people (even well-meaning ones) are not the authority, my own self is not the authority. God is. Enough said.

How are you Molding your Clay?

2010-12-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

You are what you eat. Old slogan. Timeless truth.

The Word is clear on this: Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Bodies. Physical flesh. Hands, feet, arms, faces. Are we caring for these clay temples? Tents, Paul called it. I wonder how many Christians actually agree with the Word—God’s decree—on the topic.

Do you agree with God? The evidence is written in your physical body.

How have you cared for your temple? Are you overweight, soft-fleshed, malnourished? Do you eat properly? Exercise regularly? Do you get enough sleep? What kinds of entertainment do you choose? If it’s sitting in front of a computer or television, can you change it to something physically beneficial?

Is your temple lean and mean?

You can’t fight effectively unless you’re on top of your game. I look at the sorry condition most of America is in physically; the Christian community is no exception. We are the only nation in the world with fat poor children; sad but true. Sadder still, it’s preventable. By our continual slipping into lackadaisical flabbiness, we are lured closer and closer to destruction.

The Christian walk is a complete walk.

It is impossible to be Christian only in spiritual things. God says otherwise. Every part of our existence—finances, physical bodies, mental capacity, included—is Christian. We like to compartmentalize. It makes us feel better.

I used to weigh 265 pounds.

On my five foot, five inch frame, you can imagine how hard life was for me. Through the grace of God, I lost 147 pounds and am now exercising regularly. It escaped my notice just how sad my physical state had become until I started exercising. Now I feel it if I don’t exercise. There is a freedom in offering my physical body a living sacrifice to God. He gave it to me; the least I can do is keep it fit. The added benefit is that I am no longer dragging around 147 pounds; I am healthier today than I have been in many years.

I have a ways to go and I am learning to feed my temple properly. This means I don’t always get my way; getting my way got me morbidly obese. God’s way is much better. My goal for the New Year will include better nutrition and more exercise as a form of worship to my beautiful Creator for giving me this temple.

Crisis of Faith

2010-11-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

Crises of faith are part of the normal Christian experience. Never let it be said that walking a real Christian walk is easy. Someone once said, “Christianity isn’t for wimps.” By this, he was referring to real Christianity not those who think they are Christians simply because they attend church regularly; not those who never attend church, but because they believe in God and live in the United States, call themselves Christians. I am talking about people who live biblically, with a biblical worldview.

This type of Christian is hard to find in these United States.

Real Christians will face many crises of faith. It’s how God builds our character; it’s how He builds trust and dependence on Him. These crises are difficult to endure. Sorry to be the bearer of hard truth, but there it is. I’ve always wondered why we couldn’t just have one gigantihugic testing, pass it, and move into living victoriously. That seems much less painful.

Allow me to encourage you with the Apostle Paul’s personal experience.

Shortly after he was saved, God took him away by himself for a period of years. If you find yourself in a season of inactivity like Saul did, do not despair. Perhaps you felt effective for God in the past, but things have changed. You feel like it is over, and you do not know if God will ever use you again. Do not worry. If you know in your heart that you are doing your best in obedience to God, that is all you can—or need to—do.

Waiting is hard.

Sometimes we can feel abandoned in the desert, no one knowing or caring we’ve been dumped in extreme and forgotten conditions to waste away to nothingness. Useless, powerless to gain God’s attention in our pointless existence, it is easy to slip into discouragement. Yet, God has given us ample encouragement in His Word. Paul is one example. After his conversion, what happened to him? This eminently qualified, gifted, superior specimen? He was dumped in the desert of “wait for God,” that’s what. As blunt as Paul was after God refined him, I can scarce imagine him before God refined him.

So, there you have it.

The desert of waiting on God is a favored method of His. He uses the time to refine our character, to give us vision, to prepare us to fully function in the purpose to which He’s called us; He uses the time to prepare others to receive and support us. The waiting and pruning hurts, but it is for our good. Trust Him, let Him snip away, and never forget: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Go to His Word, seek a real Christian friend for encouragement, but never, never, never give up.

Walking the Walk

2010-11-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

In the larger scheme of things, it amazes me how much God is interested in the smaller scheme of things. When I feel small and insignificant, unnoticed, and unimportant, He has a way a letting me know that I matter; my time here matters; my contribution matters. Nothing I’ve ever done for Him or in His name is wasted or forgotten. He notices. He remembers.

Yet some days it’s hard to hold onto that.

I am a person of high standards; I like quality in everything that I do so it’s hard when I fail or miss the mark. No one beats me up more than me. Then, when I am on my knees before Him, He speaks encouragement to me. When I devour His Word, He speaks kindly to me, teaching me that it’ll all work out. He takes the time to notice me, my pain, my sincere heart, and He comments on that. He notices every nuance of my person; every tilt of my head, every gaze, every praise from my lips.

God moves in mysterious ways.

Time and again He’s shown me how much He’s committed to me. God committed to me. It is natural that I should commit my life, my self to Him, but Him to me? How staggering the thought. The God of all creation is committed to me—a nobody, a nothing. By His high esteem I am changed. I am validated and qualified to come out from the dung heap into His marvelous light. It is His validation, selection, and by His mighty hand that I am created. I am recreated, reformed, transformed into someone of great personal value to Him.

By the world's standard I may continue in my unimportance, but God holds me in high esteem. I hold that truth tightly and wait for His Word to me. I wait with an expectant heart, an open ear. I wait for His confirmation of me. Meantime, He continues to refine me and work on my behalf.

And once again, the Person He is amazes me.

Emotions and Other Christian Crutches

2010-11-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

Reading Oswald Chambers this morning, I am put in check by his comment: “We should struggle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus.” Yet, how often I allow my emotions to rule me.

Perhaps it is a human condition but we often put emotion over sense—even over the Word. Emotions are not intrinsically bad, or good. They just are. In reading C.S. Lewis, emotions are helpful for telling us about the inner condition we’re so adept at ignoring. It works that way with pain. It’s there to tell us something. So, the lesson is not to ignore emotions.

Don’t let emotions control, either.

Thinking back, when I act on emotion, it’s often to indulge my flesh not at the benefit of my spirit. Over time, I’ve learned to acknowledge the emotion but not let it rule me or my decision. The bottom line with every Christian is the Word. No matter what I feel, I need to stand on the Word as the basis of my decision-making. It is infallible. Emotions are not.

Fear. That’s a big one. As I continue on in my ministry, I am surprised by how many Christians operate on a base of fear. Fear taints or rules every serious decision they make. We will not say the hard pieces of the Gospel. We will not confront sin. We continue to hide behind the door of “telling the truth in love,” so that we do not have to take a stand for the Gospel. That word (love) is so distorted in our culture today, it no longer has meaning.

Fear. We do not war against flesh and blood. Haven’t we figured that out, yet? The second fear rears its ugly head, we should rejoice because we’re on the right track! Fear is there to dissuade us, deter us. Its very presence is a testament to the fact that we’re making headway into Satan’s turf. Yet, it is at this moment that Christians often back off.

I’ve heard all the excuses.

Here are some: I don’t want to be seen as mean. I don’t want to come across as rigid, intolerant, and harsh. I don’t want to judge people. There is a key term here: I DON’T WANT TO. That’s the crux of it. That is the reality, but we're very cleaver at Christianese and Christian babble that make us sound like we're living holy. Christians in America are growing increasingly ineffective, impotent, and useless. We're growing more worldly by the hour.

I say this to our shame.

How sad it must make Jesus, who died such a public, degrading death so that we could inherit eternal riches. How do we show our thankfulness? Cowering in corners while our society glorifies its pet sins: Homosexuality, Abortion, Rebellion, and Rampant Spending.

Wake up, folks!

We’re in a war and the booty is not nations and lands. The results are as real and as permanent as it gets. But, do you really believe that? Someone said: Live like God exists. That’s powerful. Do we live like God exists? Examine every behavior, every thought, and every motive. Do these demonstrate that you know that God is listening, watching? It is a sad day when we've got to clean up the weak and ineffective Christians before we can get to the business of God’s kingdom-building.

My encouragement? Get up, ask forgiveness for your lethargy, and get moving for God. It’s that simple.

Shortcuts and Suffering

2010-11-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

Oswald Chambers said it best, “When it comes to suffering, it is part of our Christian culture to want to know God’s purpose beforehand. In the history of the Christian church, the tendency has been to avoid being identified with the sufferings of Christ. People have sought to carry out God’s orders through a shortcut of their own.”

Ouch. That one hurts!

I’ve been mulling this quote for the past few days. Namely, because I’m guilty of taking shortcuts. My own personal wiring is short on patience and long on accomplishment. However, as I’ve come to know Christ more intimately, He’s taught me the value of His timing and why waiting is imperative. It’s a humbling experience that I value.

It’s also stinking hard to do. So is sharing in His suffering.

I do not know anyone who, in the flesh, says, “Hey, bring on the suffering!” Pain is an anathema. Whether it is the pain of being shunned for my faith, being called intolerant, judgmental, and critical; whether it is a friend (or two or six) who will no longer fellowship because we’ve turned Christian; whether it is our heavenly Father who tells us to deny ourselves; all of these things cause suffering. Is it because God is mean?

Hardly.

Many times the suffering is in direct response to our own prayers! Let me ask: when you ask God to make you one with Him, this is one way He accomplishes it. Paul said, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, (Most of us stop reading at this point but there’s more. Read on.) and the fellowship of His suffering.”

One thing I love and respect about God is that He’s straight with us. He tells us beforehand what to expect. Then we get angry with Him because it happens! Satan does just the opposite. He gives the good first, and then comes the bondage, addiction, loss and destruction of lives, relationships, and finances—the snake.
I’ve learned the hard way far too often. Been there, done that, don’t want the tee-shirt.

1 Peter 4:13 says, “…but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings…” Is he nuts? Yet, Peter does say to rejoice. When’s the last time you shouted, “Whaaahoo!” while going through a rejection, loss of a job, or adversity because of your Christian testimony? Well, here’s yet another opportunity to identify with Christ. How is rejoicing possible under such circumstances? It would be a cruelty if there were not a supreme and ultimately positive outcome.

God always has a plan; He’s always in control; He’s always working toward building our character. If we will submit to Him,(whether or not He tells us His purpose), we will become the very fragrance of Christ. His purpose will come to fruition and in the process, we grow spiritually. Much of my own personal and deepest healing came by way of submission and pain. I stopped wanting to control and protect myself from pain. The problem with that is that I continued to stuff the pain rather than release it to Him. Finally, I allowed God to go anywhere He wanted—to the deepest part of my core—and heal me.

Painful? You bet. Transformational? Oh, yeah.

This is not to say that we develop the warped habit of self-inflicted pain, or wearing pain like a banner. But, when He asks us to lay aside our ambitions, pride, vanity, self-pursuits, right to speak, right to have our own way, and so on, let Him. Rejoice in the fact that Christ trusts you with suffering. Remember that you are not in it alone. He's with you even in the blackest muck.

The gauntlet of challenge has been thrown down. Will you pick it up?

Will you allow God complete and unhindered access to the deepest part of you? This kind of suffering teaches us many things: It shows us that Christ identifies with our pain. It also demonstrates the power of God to transform. When this occurs, it empowers us to identify with others who have not yet taken the leap of faith in God, and are still suffering unnecessarily.

Pick up the gauntlet. I dare you.

Captivating Thoughts

2010-10-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

We live in a world that grows harsher by the day. Some days, it’s a wonder that any of us get out of bed. Perhaps it’s a tendency of human nature, but human beings seem to focus only on the negative aspects of life. Think about it. How often is your first thought, “Hey, the car won’t start, but I’ve got so many things to be thankful for”?

If we are to live like biblical Christians, we are to think like Christ.

That is singular in itself, but consider what it means to think like Christ. He was mobbed on a daily basis. Desperate, poor, pawing people swarmed around Him like gnats. Yet, He was never morose, or negative in His outlook. He did not see limits or meager crumbs given to the never-ending throng of need. He saw only God’s limitless potential to heal, set a right, transform, and regenerate what Satan destroyed.

He controlled every thought—taking it captive, Paul calls it—and made each thought obedient to God. If you’ve ever tried it, you know how difficult it is. If you’ve never tried it, give it a go. For one full minute, think nothing but godly thoughts. Let no other thought enter your busy craniums.

Painful. I know.

Yet, it is to this obedience that God calls each of us. Pray for me as I endeavor to continue bringing every thought captive. I trust God to give you the courage and strength to achieve a godly thought processes. With His strength, I can do it; so can you!

Do You Glorify God in Your Giftedness?

2010-10-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard Jim Watkins teach a couple of times. He’s a gifted, practical, humorous speaker. If you ever have the opportunity to listen and learn from him, I enthusiastically encourage it. His latest lesson was on using one’s gift of writing to write: not write for profit, or notoriety, or for success. Simply use one’s gift to bless others.

For example: write notes of encouragement to shut-ins or persons in your church who are fighting long-term illness or catastrophe. He went on to recommend 23 more rejection-proof ways to use one’s gift for the benefit of others and to the glory of God. Yet, these are not popular venues because they do not allow for the writer’s ego to puff up. They are humbling, gentle, giving acts of writing.

I must say, I was convicted.

How right Jim is. So, I will pass on his encouragement. WRITE people. Use, hone, and develop your gift of writing in whatever way you can find. Remain teachable no matter who is teaching. Remember, God used an ass to teach Balaam. To restructure a scripture: Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might.

I’ve mulled over how much I put into my writing. The answer is: not nearly enough. If I am doing this for His glory (not mine), then I should write with excellence, passion, and total abandon to His cause not mine. A question begs asking: what are you really writing for?

I’ve seen well-known Christian authors who step on top of you to get the agent before you do; who demean and put down others in order to make themselves shine; who are abrasive and aggressive in sales, marketing, and beating everyone else to the next customer dollar. I’ve been at Christian conferences where so-called Christians literally trample one another to get to sign up for an appointment with an agent before the slots are filled. Elbow-gouging, shoving, even hostile words; I’ve seen it all.

These folk convince themselves that all of this unChristlike behavior is approved of by God because “God called them to write.” That’s nonsense. God never approves of inappropriate means to get appropriate things. Yet, these folks continue on with such ugly behavior.

What’s worse is that they do it in the name of God.

This speaks much of their walk and relationship with Him. It speaks volumes about true motivations. If you are such a one, examine this prayerfully. Nowhere in scripture is it permissible to tromp on the little guy. It doesn’t make God shine. It doesn’t bring Him glory—quite the reverse. The Word teaches quite the opposite. Jesus taught that we are to take to lowest seat, in deference to others.

Apply that, people.

Now, if you find, like me, that you’ve not been giving writing all you’ve got, that you are writing for selfish reasons, or that you’ve been swept away with the desire to publish at all costs, stop a minute and reflect. Ask God to center you again and look for places you can write to minister to others. I’m sure there are shut-ins in your church, those going through very difficult times, those who think no one even knows they’re alive. We are a body and your simple gesture of encouragement may be just the thing to help them over the hump.

At the very least, it will delight God’s heart, save bruising your neighbor, and possible public embarrassment for you.

Battlefield of the Mind

2010-09-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Frustrated? Confused? Try Nelly’s Nerve Tonic! Guaranteed to calm the savage breast, quiet frazzled nerves, and bring total peace.

Sound idiotic? Sure it does. Yet, don’t we flock to the world’s answers for what ails us. Friend, good news, it’s all in the Book. Proverbs 12:25 tells us: Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.

Mull that a minute. If I hold anxiety in my heart it causes depression.

How does anxiety get into the heart? It is safe to say that since Christ’s death and resurrection, the Christian walk is made and destroyed between your ears. The mind is the key, friend. Do not allow negative thoughts, defeatist thoughts, demoralizing ideas, destructive thinking to dwell in your craniums. This is not a simple matter of the power of positive thinking—that’s the world’s idiotic solution; it is an offshoot of a solid biblical principle: take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. What does that look like in real life?

It’s stinking hard to retrain your thought life.

I will guarantee that if you will do whatever it takes to force negative and sinful thoughts from your mind and replace them with good, godly, productive thoughts, you will see transformation in your life. I say that in full confidence because that’s what the Bible teaches. As I teach my students, practice makes permanent. No time like right now to start practicing.

I detest self-help gurus who tell us that we need to do this, or that, or the other thing but DO NOT TELL US HOW TO DO IT. Their tidbits are useless. Fortunately we serve a loving God; He will not leave us alone to battle it out; He’s already provided a way. Jesus. You do your part in training your mind to think in a transformational way, He will enable you to succeed. Call on Him when you’re overwhelmed. Here’s the amazing part, He even gave us the topics we should fill our minds with.

Philippians 4:8 has the list. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of a good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—think on these things.”

Write this scripture down and carry it around with you. Check your thoughts: if it isn’t on the list, bat it away and replace it with something on the list. This is how you do it. Every day.

Memorize scriptures, or uplifting hymns and songs of praise. It doesn’t do a whole lot of good to stop thinking negative without replacing the old with the new thoughts. Soon, you’ll be thriving in your thought- life. Anxiety will be far from you. You will find that you think in terms of possibilities rather than why things can’t succeed.

On the day this becomes a realization to you, remember to stop and thank God for His incredible wisdom and for caring about every single detail of your life.

Stick Your Toe in the Water!

2010-08-23T17:55:00.001-07:00

I’m a writer, he’s a writer, she’s a writer, we’s a writer, wouldn’t you like to be a writer too? Knowing the kind of clay writers are crafted from helps me understand the creative mind and temperament. Yet, even though I’m one of them, writers never cease to amaze me and not always in a good way. We’re also loners and notoriously undisciplined—even lazy. Especially when it comes to doing any other thing associated with this business than writing. I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard, “I’m a writer and I can’t let anything get in the way of my creativity.”

Especially not that money thing.

There is a business side to writing and it behooves us to learn all we can about how to market our books. Ask the next writer you meet how much they know about their marketing plan and you’ll probably hear something like, “I’m the creative part of this venture. The publishing house takes care of all that stuff.” When you do hear this, send me the dollar. It’s rightfully mine.

Enter the lazy or fearful writer.

Many do not want to learn about the yucky business part because they fear it will stifle their creativity. Yet, if you don’t know how to market what you’ve written, it will sit in a storeroom somewhere not reaching anyone. One writer came away from her first writer’s conference disillusioned. She said, “I am writing for God and all they talked about was making money.” Add to the beast (being a writer) a relationship with Christ and that changes everything.

Let’s look at this money thing.

God has given you a message that you just know will change the world. You’ve prayed over it, written it and find yourself smack up against the Machine: no publisher will touch your book because they don’t feel it will make money. “Evil! Money-grubbing, fiends!” you say. Yet, if you were to self-publish your book, wouldn’t you need to make your money back? Why then do we expect publishing houses to operate any differently?

The truth is that most publishers do not make money on book sales, they make money selling rights. (I just threw that little tidbit in to whet your appetites.)

This brings me to the point of my current filibuster: Lazy or fearful writers. If you never get out there and try to learn marketing, you’re sure to fail. That’s a 100% guarantee. What have you got to lose for trying? You’ll at least gain experience and be better prepared next time.

Let me blow another excuse out of the water.

“I’m a poor starving writer. I’ve no budget for frivolities like learning to market my books.”

I’ve been part of an online teaching seminar for the month of August. It has been excellent. The panel includes over a dozen top of the industry persons. I’ve learned more about marketing, sales, the creative process, the publishing industry, the mechanics of writing, and how to combat various obstacles, in this month than I have perhaps in my writing career. AND IT WAS FREE. Do you think I could get anyone interested in participating in this with me?

You guessed it. Nada, zip, zero, none. No one was interested. That’s on you.

I am so glad I took the plunge for many reasons, not the least of which is that I no longer fear the business side of this machine. I have tools with which I can take these books farther and with more impact. My vision and mission is clear.

Here’s my tip: Terry Whalin is extremely helpful in sending out information with free seminars, webinars, and so on. Google his sight and join in. Learn all you can and many of them are free so you’ve got no excuse. Take the plunge; I’m here to testify that all of my creativity is still intact and untainted by learning about the business. I survived, you will too.

Take the Leap!

2010-08-15T19:56:00.010-07:00

If you think about it, God loves risk-takers. Seriously. To launch the church, He put all He had in His Son and a handful of nobodies. Risk-taker. Big time.

Writers are notoriously solitary; we are creative, artistic people who see the world and all its glory--and all its yuck. We write from pain and woundedness; we lay it all out there.We write the glory, the joy. We write because we must. The words must come out. Jeremiah said he grew weary trying to hold back his words. We modern day scribes are no different. Yet, I must ask: What do we do with our writ when it is complete?

Shove it in a drawer is the general practice.

Here's where the risk-taking comes into play. Write it--no problem. Send it to an editor. Screech, the brakes engage. What do you mean, "Send it to an editor?" You mean, like to have someone critique it? No way.

I can hear your heads nodding.

I've made a huge decision. I'm sick of writing and shoving my scribbles into a drawer. I have a practical streak a mile wide; it got the better of me. I've spent too much time and energy writing my novels to deposit them into the wasteland of the bottom drawer. I saved up money and hired an excellent editor. I then mailed my manuscript to him and challenged him to do his worst. I can't improve as an author if I refuse to open myself and writing up to close inspection from an expert.

Rip it to shreds. Light it on fire and send me the ashes (an ugly suggestion but it happened to a now famous author).

I write for a purpose: ministry to others and for His glory. My writing will achieve neither of these purposes if I throw it into the abyss with the rest of my notes. So. There you have it. My baby is now in the hands of an editor. If you hear a primal scream, it will me be reading the red slashes abundantly speckled across the pages of my manuscript. I'll get over it. I'll learn and put into practice the advice of my editor.

One day, when you see my book on the NY Times best seller list, you'll know why.

Working Relationships

2010-07-31T17:35:00.000-07:00

I wonder too much sometimes. That's the problem with having brains. I use them and ponder. I wonder things like: how many friends would we have if we treated them the way we treat God?

If we treated them with the same flippant disregard we treat Him, if we only wanted to take from them and not give? How many friends would we have?

What if we only talked to them when we wanted something, or needed something? The rest of the time, we shunned them because they are high maintenance? They actually expect a little respect, concern, care. How long would such a friend stick around?

Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.

Yet, we often treat God this way. We won't give Him the time of day unless we need or want something. We don't talk with Him daily, yet we text people that actually matter to us incessantly. We expect God to do all the giving; we do all the taking. What a nice convenient (yet parasitic) relationship.

I wonder how fulfilling such a relationship is for God.

I look at the imbalance; how much did He give in order to have relationship with us? Ever seen The Passion of the Christ? The quality of His sacrifice is in direct correlation to how much He values us.

Let's examine the flip side.

What have we sacrificed for Him lately that would demonstrate how much we value relationship with Him? Anything? How much time do we spend reading the Bible? Or, thinking about Him? Or, speaking words that would delight Him? What kinds of things do we say that indicate how we really feel about relationship with Him?

I heard a relative make a sarcastic remark about not attending church. In response to a gentle bit of humor I made about getting out of church by being in the hospital, she said, "If I don't want to go to church, I won't go. I don't need the hospital for an excuse." How selfish can a person get? God has given her the very breath in her lungs, He's healed her of cancer, He's given her beautiful and healthy children. He's provided a way when no one else on the planet even cared. And this is the thanks He gets?

It is sad to make light of the privilege in having relationship with God.

I think of the great sacrifice to Him, the cost to Him and countless others so that we have the freedom to worship and this is the kind o flip ingratitude He receives? God forgive us.

I examine my own attitude about Him; God, never let me get so calloused or ungrateful that I treat you like You don't matter or, that I don't appreciate everything You've done for me. The very breath I breathe is a gift from you. Let me never forget everything you sacrificed so that I can have the air in my lungs to praise You. Help me remember so that such unfeeling things never tumble from my lips.

I hurt for Him; how His heart must ache at such thoughtlessness.

The Belly of the Whale

2010-07-24T10:19:00.005-07:00

Life stinks sometimes. Not a warm and fuzzy truth but true nonetheless. Yet, no mountain is insurmountable to God. No challenge puts Him off His game. Nothing is intimidating to Him. Evil, darkness, opposition, and failure aren't even factors He considers. These simply are too insignificant to enter into the equation--or His plans.

Amazing.

Jonah must have had these thoughts bobbing around inside the big fish. I think about people like Jonah when I am low. I consider God's truths and embrace them. I hang onto them in the face of opposition. With them I spit in the eye of defeat. I hold on to these everlasting truths not because of my tenacity, my strength, my anything.

They are true and abiding in surety not because of anything I've done. They are sure because of their Author. God's character, not mine, is the reason evil and darkness flee when His light is in me; opposition and failure are tools He uses to craft me into that unique person He saw from before the foundations of the earth.

Amazing.

Perhaps my greatest challenge--and yours--is to quit striving to achieve His promises. Perhaps the task is to rest in Him, allowing Him to work, trusting Him to be actively working to fulfill His word. It makes sense: It's His word, He's obligated to keep it.

Yet, as the days of the fulfillment of His promise wears long, discouragement seeps in. Being in the belly of the whale stinks. Stomach juices sting us, the smells of digestion overwhelm, the hopelessness of our position seems certain. Remember, God gave His word. He takes it as a matter of character to keep it.

When ultimate victory is long in coming, never give up hope that it is coming; God is still actively working on our behalf even though we may not see it with our eyes. He gives us assurance daily that He is faithful. Ever seen a sunrise? A testimony of His faithfulness. Get in the Book because it's full of testamonies of God's faithfulnes and sure participation in our lives. Rest and relax in the joyful assurance that if He says it, He will bring it to pass.

Dance, praise, and laugh in that knowledge.

You Are What You Eat

2010-06-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

In reading a post on Facebook the other day, I am reminded what little consideration we Christians give to where we get our spiritual food. The author of the post gingerly commented that she was going to a meeting of a fairly well-known evangelist. This particular evangelist is what the Bible would identify as a false teacher. Yet, here was this seemingly intelligent Christian author on Facebook gushing over said evangelist!

Hello, people! Get a grip. We are responsible to God for who we listen to.

Do we not read the Word? Do we not believe what God tells us about where we get our spiritual nourishment? Second Peter is a gold mine of helpful information in detecting which teachers are false and which are not.

Here’s a biblical checklist that my study Bible provides to help identify a false teacher. No more being deceived by these folk. A false teacher:

• is led by the flesh
• seeks to obtain power or gain for him/herself from the ministry (and usually at the sacrifice of low-income persons)
• initially, his/her message may not be false, but his/her motivation in ministry is fleshly
• appeals to the flesh in others, offering them some carnal our soulish satisfaction.
• ultimately introduces some doctrine that is contrary to the truth.
• brings about distrust of true ministers of God

So, what’s our responsibility in all this?

We should know the Word enough to detect when we’re being lied to. This is not something the average Christian likes to do. We prefer the pastor do all the reading, studying, and interpreting. Problem: what if said pastor is a false teacher? How would we even know?

Answer: Study the Word for yourself.

The Word of God is the measuring stick. This is the only effective way to detect a false teacher. Eventually, a false teacher will all drift from the truth of God’s Word because it deters them from their goal of gain and popularity. Each of us must use the Word of God to measure the words any preacher speaks, and any variation or imbalance in what is taught must be questioned. Reject any teaching that denies the lordship of Jesus.

We must also be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in this judgment. We are to judge only the teaching. God will judge the teacher.

Crafting the Craft

2010-05-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

Writers are an unusual breed of animal. Attend a writers conference if you want visible proof. In most people's perceptions, we walk off beat, turn left when everyone else turns right, we skip when everyone else marches, and we find everything fascinating. We get lost in minutia, flora, fauna, on the way to the mall. We have more bits of useless information stored in our overactive craniums than the average Joe. We covet alone time, solitude, and quiet.

We need these in order to create worlds on the page. We obsess over words, commas, semicolons. We are thrown into a dither when the right simile escapes us. We plot, diagram, and create characters while dozing off at night--or in the tub, or driving down the road, or having our hair done. Writers are hardwired by God with the ability to see, to see at a level others miss, to see in order to communicate the human experience on a blank piece of paper.

I acknowledge this heartily.

These wonderful gifts that enable us to write are a double-edged sword (couldn't resist the Biblical imagery). When left in an immature state, these very abilities can cause us to procrastinate, to wander aimlessly from one conference to another, to underachieve, to dream rather than do. I've been to a variety of writers conferences and without exception, I've met fruitless writers at each one.

These writers spend all their time planning to write, planning to pitch, and planning to be published. They never get around to the doing part. I'll be the first to admit, I don't like the disciplines of writing. The research, incessant note taking, and sitting hour after hour day after day typing. Pouring over dictionaries and the thesaurus to insure every word is perfect. Bearing my soul, reading yet another book to help me become the writer God intends me to be. Most, I dare say, agree but, it's a fact. Rather than argue with it, accept it. Fruitless writers talk the talk but never get around to doing anything.

Do, honey, do. Stop telling us that you're going to. Just do it!

They suffer from what I call the Butt in Chair syndrome--they won't put their butts in the chair and pound away at the keyboard. I've heard all the excuses. Many fear they won't be able to write once they sit with the blank screen staring back. My question is: how would they know? They've never sat long enough to type anything.

Bottom line is this: sit, type, do. Stop the writers conference groupie thing and write. Don't talk about writing, don't think about writing, don't plan writing. Just do it!

Not all of us Yack

2010-05-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

I walked into the middle of a heated debate some time ago. My best friend and one of her friends were duking it out verbally. Her friend (a gentleman) was developing a Bible course for young marrieds. In preparing for the course, he'd mentioned that men do not like to "hear women yacking all the time."

Like any decent female, my best friend took exception to this term. She stated soundly that she never "yacks." What she has to say is relevant and worth listening to, else she doesn't say it. He disagreed about the yacking part. He tried (in vain) to point out that women and men are created differently. Women like to "yack" (his term, not mine) and that men simply do not care to hear it. He went on to extol praise on the males of creation for their seemingly endless endurance over the ages. Pat, pat, pat, on the back. The point he tried to make was that "weren't they nice guys for doing this?"

I stood by silently watching the joust. It was quite entertaining. My best friend's husband wisely chose to hide behind a newspaper.

As the debate heated up, it was painfully obvious that this man was fighting a losing battle. His face turned red. His forehead veins throbbed. Women have larger cerebral cortexes and medulla oblongatas (or is it oblongti?). He should have known this. I contemplated telling him that since his class was to marrieds that at least half of them would take offense to the word "yack," the other half would be hiding behind newspapers.

Lest I be accused of yacking, I restrained myself from explaining to him that both his word choice and his attitude were condescending. I mulled whether I should enlighten him: if his intention was to communicate an effective lesson to his entire audience, he might want to select another, less provocative word; like diarrhea of the mouth. Wait. That's four words. Okay, how about loquacious? That one even sounds nice.

The aforementioned debate ended, as many often do, with him clinging to his manly man life raft grasping for any available out. His came in a desperate plea to my best friend's husband (still hiding behind the newspaper): "Hey, what do you think about this?" The husband peeked over the top of the paper and stated: "You're on your own, buddy."

Poor thing.

With that nail in his coffin, the man gave up. My best friend, although her feathers were still ruffled, explained that if he wanted to reach the women of his audience, he might choose another word.

Hmmm? Now, where have I heard that before?

Feed the Need

2010-04-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

The church is fast becoming a product for consumers; a spectator sport. Many view church with no more validity than going to a ballgame. Yet, there is a deep innate hunger in us that cannot be quenched by booze, parties, fame. It cannot be filled by success, money, knowledge, or romance.

Pascal put it best, "What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself."

Church is more than entertainment, more than a social club, it is the one place where we can go to fill this void. We may not always want to hear what's being said. We may not like being challenged to live a better life but we need to hear these things. Easter once again reminds me how deeply I need refreshment, refilling in my spirit. The endless desire to relate with my Creator compels me to seek Him. Like many, I've learned that nothing the world has to offer speaks to the real issues relevant to my existence like worship does.

Trying to fill the void with anything other than God Himself is like putting water in your gas tank. You've filled it with something but not what it needed. Your spirit needs fellowship with its Creator.

Feed the need.

Penalties and Consequences

2010-03-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Oswald Chambers said, "One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it." It is statements like these that make me pause; a spiritual slap in the face. Chambers goes on to say that the "penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin."

Our churches are prime examples of this encroachment. The church overall is becoming more and more like the world to the extent that in many, there is no difference. This ought not to be. Pastors, have you stopped believing that one day you will stand before God to give an account for your leadership?

Why don't we rip out those sections of the Bible we no longer deem relevant? Go ahead, I dare you. It's not that big of a stretch if you already live like you don't believe it. Tear the pages out and be done with it. At least be honest about your insincerity and hypocrisy. God forbid you add deceit and cowardice to your growing list of sins.

Run-of-the-mill Christian, this goes for you as well. When did a rule get passed that you get to decide which parts of the Bible you'll accept? When did you decide that biblical living was optional? It isn't. We do love our pet sins, don't we? We love them so much we now call them other things so we don't have to feel bad. Yet, the timeless truth still stands: God's the one that gets to decide, not you.

Serious-and-for-real Christian, why aren't you confronting those around you? The world depends on your straight talk and true walk. Get noisy about injustice, hypocrisy, spiritual laziness. Remember who you represent. Keep Him in the forefront of your thinking, passions, and heart. Seize the goal that when you stand before Him, you will hold your head high and hear Him say you've done well. You are well-pleasing to Him. You did not slack. You did not shirk. You did not compromise.

Securing a Literary Agent: A Perspective

2010-02-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

I've been doing this writing thing for a few years now. I've been told I'm a very good writer by some of the best in the business (who then followed with a swift rejection). Hey, I'm a writer. I've got the hide of a water buffalo.

I've read the books, attended writing conferences, taken courses, joined a writers group (or two). My writing is better today than it's ever been--yeah, me!

I've had my work ripped to shreds, gone back to the table, rewritten till tendinitis reached my armpits. I decided (with the assurance of some seasoned vets in my writers group) that I was "agent ready." Yeah, me!

I pitched to one of the best (from what I hear) in the biz. He offered kind words, praised my work, and then said, "I'll pray for you as you seek another agent." Rude. Condescending.

I worked harder, prepared through another year, and pitched to another top agent. He read, complimented, said it was the best work he'd read that day then told me not to submit until it was 95% ready. He then went on to explain that new writers were too much work for what he was able to get out of them. Rude. Terse.

Another year passes and, yes, I improve and pitch to the biggest, bomb-diggity editor of all. She reads my work with great interest. She comments several times that this is good, really good. Then, she sets the manuscript aside and said, "This is really good and I'm turning it down but I don't know why." Confusing.

I'm going to share some frank observations from this side of the agent's desk. I have a secret to share, people: Agents work for you not the other way round. It has been my experience that somehow in mess that is publishing, many agents adopt the attitude that you work for them. Yet when the paychecks roll in, it's you paying their bills. To be precise, the agent-author relationship is mutually exclusive. One can't exist without the other, though many have forgotten this.

Word to the agents: When a writer forks out the dough to attend a writers conference, when a writer summons the courage to sign up for a 15 minute conference with you, when said writer makes her pitch with quaking hands and trembling lips, have the decency to listen. Have the kindness to sit and hear her no matter how ridiculous the story sounds. It's our 15 minutes and you've agreed to participate. Keep your word.

I know a writer who'd no sooner sat down than the agent said, "I can't sell this stuff." He summarily dismissed her. I am not exaggerating when I say she wasn't there more than 2 minutes; I know because I happened to be next in line. Rude.

Excuse me?

AGENTS, THESE ARE MY 15 MINUTES, NOT YOURS. The very least you can do is shut up and listen respectfully. That writer was hurt unnecessarily because it was easier for the agent--whom I've lost all respect for--to cut her off at the knees than keep his end of the agreement. If I want to talk about the color of an agent's shoes for the entire 15 minutes, that's my business. This type of agent thinks it's all about him. I've never seen an agent who paid their clients. They may have connections and get contracts but that is their job. No contracts, no pay.

Word to the writer: Seek out an agent with integrity and reputation for being ethical and honest in all his ways--not just when people are looking. You, dear writer, interview them. Don't just grab the first one that says yes. Personally, I want an agent I can trust to represent my values and goals not one who will bend the rules to get a sale. I don't want one that treats people rudely, unkindly (who doesn't demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit) when I am not watching. I don't want to be labeled as rude, unkind, a person who steamrolls over others to get what I want because I've made an unfortunate alliance with such an agent.

I want an agent who loves my work and sees my heart as well as my potential. I want an agent who is not too lazy to work with me, encourage and develop me, and tell me to go back to the drawing board and hash my novel again. I'm not afraid of working hard or as long as it takes. I'm not afraid to have honest or even harsh critiques about my work but, I want an agent with the same values. An agent I can trust.

The Great Love Chapter

2010-02-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Ever read 1 Corinthians 13? In the Christian realm it's considered the great love chapter. It's quoted at funerals, weddings, and touted ad nauseum from pulpits since its inception. The "love" chapter, by which all Christians everywhere are measured. If we're living like Christ commands, we are to use this chapter's writ as our plumbline. So, we, in sincerity, struggle to be nice to everyone. We give due diligence to our words--we aren't to offend anybody either. We strive to navigate every single minute of every single day with a Christlike smile. We share only the good, pleasant passages in the Bible because we don't want to be unChristlike and say mean things or make people uncomfortable. And we do it based on this "love" chapter.

In the first place, we confound the teaching of this chapter by diluting what love actually means. We love our dog, we love chocolate, we love sunshine, we love money, we love status, we love relatives, children, and spouses. We love a good sale, we love entertainment. And always, this love means that there's something in it for me.

There are only two types of love mentioned in the Bible: Phileo and Agape. Phileo is a love based on emotion and returned affection (there's something in it for me). This love is based on how others behave toward us, on people liking me back. This is the convoluted convenient love most of us think 1 Corinthians 13 is speaking of.

It isn't.

Agape is a spiritual love that transcends phileo (and all other types of love), it is unconditional (I love whether or not I get anything out of it), it is not dependent on the other loving me back; it is extended through the spirit rather than emotion. In fact, agape isn't based on emotion at all. It's loving because the subject (you and me) needs it. Agape, then, is the object not us; agape is the point. We don't deserve this love but we do need it. This is the love of John 3:16. For God so agaped the world that He gave His only Son... Yet, we view this verse in particular as oozing with sentimentality and gushing with emotion. Jesus came because He was prompted by His overwhelming emotion to save me. Really? Setting aside the fact that the Bible uses agape in this verse, let's examine this gushy nonsense further.

If God sending His Son was based on emotional love (Phileo) as we understand it, we need to look at the object of His love (again,you and me). We were rank sinners bent on hating God's very guts. We lived any way we felt like and didn't ask anyone's permission. God was an intrusion to our fun-getting, our freedom, our overwhelming self-centeredness. We worshiped other gods: food, sex, gambling, work, drugs, alcohol, status, and the reigning king--money. We soundly rejected all things holy and God Himself. Yet, agape moved Him to send His Son to die for this crummy bunch of no-accounts. Thank God that it wasn't based on our loving Him back.

So, now we come to 1 Corinthians 13. It is agape here, too. This love will say hard things to people because they need to hear them said. This love will do as God directs regardless of whether anyone likes you or approves of you. This love will sacrifice whether or not people appreciate it. This love will endure ill-treatment, neglect, and being ignored. This love does not gloat when others are brought low (even if they deserve it). This love will not drink wine in front of a weaker brother or sister if it will cause them to stumble in their walk. This love seeks to please God first no matter what the cost. This love is not the watered down, meaningless, feel-good counterfeit we so accept today.

Go ahead, phileo your dog, kids, spouses, friends, and cars. But also, agape your family, co-workers, spouses, fellow Christians, and strangers. This is what the world is craving. The cheap imitation does not suffice.

The overwhelming number of instances of "love" in the New Testament is agape. For further study and citations of which love the scripture is using in which verses, here's an excellent link. http://www.godandscience.org/love/biblicallove.html#n08

Why Don't We Call Sin Sin?

2010-01-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

I'm a thinker. I'm a Christian. Naturally, I think a lot about the state of Christianity in America. Doesn't everyone? In one of my many moments of musing, a thought struck me: Why don't we call sin sin anymore? Too archaic? Too negative? It got voted out?

I was not informed we were voting on this.

As the church in America slumps ever closer to lethargy and uselessness, I have to ask when we all got together and decided to get rid of this derogatory word. It's a bummer, you know, to tell someone they're sinning. It's not nice. Mean, in fact. If we call sin sin, they won't come to our churches, they won't join our youth groups, they won't put money in the offering plate.

Someone should have told Jesus. He still uses the word.

The church's warm embrace of a secular worldview is evident in such things as: sin isn't sin anymore. It's now issues, or problems, or weaknesses, or, my personal favorite, addictions. No one is responsible for their choices--it's OCD, MPD or chemical imbalance but it's not because I choose to break God's commandments and do as I please. That would make me a--dare I say it?--sinner.

As a friend put it, "it's a way of removing personal responsibility. It's easy to argue that weakness or issues are not our fault or in our control. However, if we call our choices sin we have to acknowledge that we're responsible for the choices we make--and the repercussions that follow."

Ouch. That's mean. She must have issues.

This is one evidence that the world has effectively infiltrated the church. It's getting so you can't tell a church service from a football game. Here are a few things I've witnessed in church during the service: A woman tweezing her chin hairs, a man eating his child's entire bag of apple slices. People listening to football games, walking on the padded pews with shoes on, drinking lattes and sodas--and these are the adults. Cell phone conversations and texting abound during the service. I gotta ask: Why are these people in church? Do we check our manners at the door? Who decided that worship is no longer about God? If someone came into your home and treated you with as much disrespect, how would you feel?

In the Message, Paul put it like this: "...I find that you bring your divisions to worship--you come together, and instead of eating the Lord's Supper, you bring in a lot of food from the outside and make pigs of yourselves. Some are left out, and go home hungry. Others have to be carried out, too drunk to walk. I can't believe it! Don't you have your own homes to eat and drink in? Why would you stoop to desecrating God's church? Why would you actually shame God's poor? I never would have believed you would stoop to this. And I'm not going to standby and say nothing." 1 Corinthians 11:20-22.

God deserves better than this, people. Give Him His props.

The tragic thing is that we've traded the power of God for the tinsel of social acceptance. We aren't able to touch our communities, our world anymore--not in any relevant way. If you're child was dying of an incurable disease, would you take him to your church to be healed? Oh, right. Take him to the hospital. We don't need God for that anymore. People, God is still God. He is still Almighty. He is still all powerful. The problem isn't with Him, it's with us. We've grown all warm and cozy with pet sins--pardon me, issues. We're victims with no responsibility for our actions. We can't help the things we do.

Liar. Well, that's what it amounts to. Okay, I'll buy deluded but that's as far as I'll stretch.

I've said all that to say this: The church in America is in trouble. Many no longer proclaim God's word but have drifted to the safe, feel-good topics that won't offend anyone (They're making millions, by the way). I've illuminated a few but these are signs that the church is losing it's power. We're trying to blend in with the world and still be Christian. It can't be done. This is a sell-out and renders the Church neutered, ragged and ineffective.

A Living Sacrifice

2010-01-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

In reading Oswald Chambers this morning, I am moved by the power of his words. (In reference to Abraham sacrificing his son) "This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not--'Lord, I am ready to got with You...to death" (Luke 22:33). But--I m willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God."

It strikes me how little acquainted we Americans are at sacrificing. Credit card companies have built a billion dollar industry telling us we shouldn't have to wait for what we want. Commercials from every end of industry tell us we deserve, we don't need to wait, we don't need to sacrifice and work for what we want. In the old days, a person worked, saved the money, then bought an item. The god of entitlement slowly crept in, stabbed down its talons, and took us by the throat.

We're not entitled to anything.

I am no one special. Neither are you. Christ is. He lead the way, sacrificing much in life in order to bring us the abundance we now enjoy--and squander. No where is this more tragic than in the church (and in Christians in general). Are we gracious only when it benefits us? Are we kind only when we get some bang for our buck? Is the slogan, "What's in it for me?" your daily mantra?

What if Jesus thought like you do? I shudder to think. But there it is.

Let me ask: How much time to you spend praying daily? How much time do you devote to reading God's word daily? Is church another social club or are you involved and accountable to a local body? When is the last time you fasted and prayed? When is the last time you lead someone to the Lord? When is the last time you visited a shut-in or fellow Christian in hospital? Do you actively support missions? When is the last time you sat around the table of home-cooked food with your immediate family?

Now let me ask: When is the last time you went to the movies? How much time daily do you spend watching television daily? How much time do you devote to shopping? Or, going out to eat? How much money/time do you spend on: sports, beauty, entertainment, fun?

Our priorities are decidedly lopsided.

Yet, the only way to a real and vibrant life in Christ is through the same sacrifice He made--the sacrifice of your life in surrender to God. Many will choose continued selfishness but, in your life, is there no one you'd sacrifice for?

God's Got a Plan

2009-12-28T11:11:00.001-08:00

As I prayerfully consider the coming year, I focus on what God would have me do in terms of writing. I contemplate mountains of mediocre Christian fiction and pray for the knowledge and ability to hone my skills to a higher level. When I stand before Him I do not want to hear: "Well, at least you tried."

Personally, mediocrity nauseates me.

I've never found it to be an acceptable quality for a Christian and it should be the bane of a Christian leader's existence. Yet, the reality is that one only need look at the nearest discount book table to see the overwhelming result of inferior effort and compromise. Writers sell out at an alarming rate. Somewhere in the pursuit, purity of intent and purpose changes.

Compromising Biblical values also nauseates me.

Too few Christians even know what a Biblical worldview is, let alone live by it. Evidence is clear and abundant: Christian vampire books, Christian fantasy and horror, Christian eroticism. Read the Book, there is nothing Christian about such things. In fact, God sent His Son to be cruelly murdered so we can be free from these bondages. To profit by them--especially in the name of God--is repugnant and frankly, a slap in God's face. But there are many "Christian" writers who convince themselves that God told them to write and look, see, my book is published so that means God likes it too.

Again, read the Book. It means nothing of the sort.

Back to prayerful consideration of my 2010 plan. Here's my revelation so far: It's not my plan. Looking back over my life, I've had scads of goals but He's always managed to direct me exactly where He wants. I am thankful for this. I'm taking three days this week to spend alone with Him developing my specific course for next year. Experience has taught me it's a much better way to approach planning. The reality is my proposal means nothing. His plan is all that matters. It stands to reason that He's the one I should seek in the building of it.

My focus for the coming year is to follow the plan He gives me and to do it with honesty, integrity, and uncompromisingly. When I stand before Him, I don't want to be ashamed of one word, one motive, one tittle. I want to hear Him say: Well done. You stayed faithful. You did not sell out.

Whatever He Does

2009-11-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

Psalm 1:3 is great teaching. "And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]." The Amplified Bible

In reading this a few mornings back, I was struck by the fact that we are required to do something in order to prosper. Notice it doesn't say, "whatever he thinks about doing shall prosper." Whatever he does.

Writers are strange creatures. Face it, we're a little off kilter, our plumb line is not quite as straight as the rest of humanity. We see the world in a vastly different way; it's what makes us good writers. However, we also spend way too much time alone and we're notoriously undisciplined. Many can't fathom ever reaching a deadline on time let alone ahead of schedule (although, maybe it's a good thing because if we ever did finish on time, our agents would probably stroke out). Read writer's blogs. I know of at least one well-established author who, 4 months from deadline, asked readers for a plot because he/she hadn't started the book! Poor us. When faced with sitting down in front of the computer screen one more day, we often find other important things to do: catching butterflies, taste-testing chocolate, picking lint from our navels.

Talent. Having it isn't enough. Yet many (especially the neophytes) slap down a story, zip it to a publishing house and can't understand why some editor isn't beating down their door with a zillion dollar contract. Do your homework, folks. Learn something about the business end of the publishing world. Do your homework, read books on how to improve and hone your skills. Join a competent writers group and have your work regularly critiqued. If you can afford it, attend a writers conference yearly. As this scripture teaches, we need to put some perspiration and muscle into our writing else the promise remains unfilled--this is the qualifier.

Discipline. We will never succeed without it. I know, it's an ugly word, like drinking cod liver oil, but success depends on it. On those nights when friends call to invite us out but we've committed to 3 hours of writing, what do we say? We say: No. I know, it hurts but if you practice saying it, the gag reflex is desensitized and one day it will flow from your lips with real conviction instead of an anemic dribble. What I've learned is that great writing is a product not just of talent but of discipline and ...

Teachablity. Another four-letter word. Many of us are simply not teachable. I've met writers--bright, exceptionally intelligent, with a ton of ability who think they know better than everyone else. They say things like (and I've actually heard these): "Writing classes are for those other people. I can teach myself. I don't need to listen to editor after editor who tells me the same thing about my work. They don't know what they're talking about." What this demonstrates is an unwillingness to learn--even a haughtiness because somehow it's insulting to a person's intelligence to have to learn from lesser mortals. Yet, the Bible is clear, Christians are to be and remain teachable. It's no fun to have an agent blast our work, it's no fun to receive yet another rejection letter, it may be a humbling experience but it is for our good. We can learn something positive from each of these.

I am encouraged by God's word. Every time I've decided maybe I should give up and pursue some less painful career (walking on hot coals, for instance), He encourages me to keep at it. God says it like it is and in this instance, I know that the more perspiration I invest in my writing, He will eventually honor His promise.

Christian Writer or Writer Christian?

2009-11-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

We all make choices. We are all accountable for our choices. Not Bob's choices, not Suzie's but our own. In reading the glut of Christian fiction on the market, I come to realize that not all Christian novels are, in fact, Christian. Many could easily pass in the secular market.

Two things are at issue.

First, and most irritating, are Christian writers passing off blatantly secular writing as Christian. Take the newest foray into secularism, Christian vampire novels. No such animal as a Christian vampire novel. Ignoring the oxymoron, this is a secular novel and should be marketed as such. Yet, many writers (and I've had lengthy conversations with one in particular), claim "God told them to write it as a metaphor for the struggles in life"....bla, bla, bla. Nonsense. God didn't tell them any such thing. What irks me is the feeble attempt to couch the real motivation: I want to publish, I want to sell lots of books, I want to make a name for myself.

There's nothing inherently wrong with that.

Second, I take issue with the deception: an author peddling such work as some dispensation from God when it's clearly a marketing tool. Be honest--remember, you're a Christian. If the truth is you want to sell a zillion copies, be honest enough to admit it. To claim, in the name of God, that what you're peddling is in any way Christian is a slap in His face. Worse yet is to claim God told you to write it. Spare me! He has not, and never will, contradict Himself. Why would He put the seal of approval on a subject He sent His Son to free us from? It contradicts His nature.

He sent His Son so that we don't have to participate in the grimy, degrading, vile side of life. So that we no longer have to worship Mammon, or fame, or the world's value system.

Write vampire novels. Sell zillions of them. Just don't peddle them in God's name. Remember, it is you who will give account for your choices. This takes me to the title. Am I a Christian who writes or a writer who is a Christian? This is a relevant question every single Christian writer should grapple with. There's a marked difference between the two.

Which will finally reign supreme in your life?

If I am a Christian who writes, my writing will point people to Christ. It will represent His nature, character, and teaching faithfully and accurately. It will encompass the whole counsel of God. It will not be flavored with my personal brand of doctrine, or prostitute the truth for a buck. If I am a writer who also happens to be a Christian, I will write what sells and be honest enough to admit that. Again, nothing inherently wrong in that. The trouble is when I deceive both myself and my readers into believing I am doing God a service by schlepping my work as one thing when it is the other. If I am a writer first, write, sell, be honest about my motives. If I am a Christian first, write, sell, be honest about my motives.

Pretty simple, really.

Feasting on Crumbs

2009-10-25T08:43:00.001-07:00

I've often considered the woman who came to Jesus for deliverance for her daughter. Matthew 15:22-28 tells it this way: ...Jesus took a trip to Tyre and Sidon. They had hardly arrived when a Canaanite woman came down from the hills and pleaded, "Mercy, Master, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly afflicted by an evil spirit."

Jesus ignored her.

The disciples came and complained, "Now she's bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She's driving us crazy. Jesus refused, telling them, "I've got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel." Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees, and begged. "Master, help me."

He said, "It's not right to take bread out of children's mouths and throw it to dogs."

She was quick: "You're right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master's table."

Jesus gave in. "Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!" Right then her daughter became well. (The Message)

Many lessons can be gleaned from this passage: The woman, though not an Israelite (and therefore not part of the crowd Jesus was sent to preach to first), had the temerity to ask for something that was not hers. Many of us quit asking Jesus because He doesn't answer immediately. Many of us quit asking because we don't get the response we wanted. Even more of us don't attempt to ask once because we don't think we're part of the in-crowd. We're not good enough. We don't rank as high as a deserving person.

Yet, the woman persisted and began to harangue the disciples; they scattered like rats on a sinking ship and tried to pawn her off on Jesus. Jesus left the matter in their hands because His mission was to Israel. Testing is going on here, people. Testing of the disciples, testing of this woman's faith. How determined was she to attain her daughter's healing? She was bold, that is certain but, did she have the tenacity and determination to keep pressing until she got what she came for.

Read it. "Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees, and begged. 'Master, help me.'" Tenacity isn't regarded much these days. It is particularly true of women. When we're tenacious it's called aggressive, bossy, domineering. Yet, here she was, being tenacious. What did it get her?

"He (Jesus) said, 'It's not right to take bread out of children's mouths and throw it to dogs.'" Ow.

He basically called her a dog--put her on the same level, anyway. Most of us would have quit right there. Was Jesus being mean? Surely His words cut but what was He after? Testing is going on here, people. How deep was the woman's commitment? Was she willing to be put in her place in front of everyone? What was she willing to sacrifice to secure her daughter's healing? In the face of the insult, the woman responds showing her acknowledgment of who she was, but continuing to cast aside her own embarrassment to attain what she came for: the healing.

Tenacity at it's best. Focused determination.

How did she respond to the insult? "She was quick: 'You're right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master's table.'"

She agreed but added, "I'll take the crumbs. Just give me a crumb." This bold demonstration of faith under pressure so moved Jesus that He not only healed her daughter but commended her giant-sized faith. He established her, in front of everyone, as the model of faith.

Her persistence, tenacity, and boldness were rewarded. Her willingness to suffer the sting of rejection (by Jesus first, and then by the disciples, then by Jesus again) resulted in fortifying her determination, not extinguishing it. Her fortitude in seeking healing allowed her to endure the sting of public embarrassment and rejection for her motive was to do whatever it cost to secure healing for a loved one.

Jesus rewarded her great faith by giving her exactly what she came for. The woman was insulted and tested publicly; she was blessed and affirmed publicly. In applying this lesson to my own life, I recall many such instances. "I'll take a crumb, Lord. Even a crumb. But I'm not giving up."

As a result, I've received many healings and blessings personally. I've also seen Him heal and bless those I love because of His nature, because He values faith, because He values tenacity. Keep asking, keep pressing, the answer is on it's way.

Characterizing The Female of the Species

2009-08-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

As Christian writers, we often lose touch with the real state of the world in which we live. A continued observance of mine is that real sin and real life challenges are not present in Christian fiction--not in any meaningful way. Many friends no longer read Christian novels because they do not speak to today's Christian woman, nor today's Christian. They focus on a narrow sliver of the book-buying market because it's less of a risk. This leaves the rest of us craving for a heroine that has her wits about her--and demonstrates it; who isn't afraid to get a little stink on her when witnessing to a drunk; who doesn't back down from today's social issues. You don't see this in Christian novels.

It's not there.

What we get is a gaggle of sickening-sweet female characters with no more idea how do pray with a drug-addicted mom than she can fly under her own power. But she is entertaining. You, me, each of us are placed here in this period of time to minister to this generation--for such a time as this. If God wanted us living in the 1950's, He would have placed us there. We can't live blissfully unaware of how deeply sin permeates the world.

Our novels reflect an abject refusal to minister to this generation.

Our novels do not reflect child abuse, drunkenness, drug addiction, infidelity, incest, spiritual warfare, intercessory prayer or sacrificial living. They do not reflect the power of God to heal, restore, transform, and regenerate the most diseased soul. They do not reflect God as Almighty, God of the Angel Armies, Jehovah-jireh, King of kings, Lord of lords. The God that still works miracles on a daily basis. But He is portrayed as very nice.

Christian novels do reflect the overwhelming focus on the buck (rather than evangelism nor even accurate Biblical information). Here's an example: In the secular market, vampire books are all the rage. So, hey, let's write Christian vampire novels. Right. Christian and vampire, they belong in the same sentence. Not. Yet many novelists (who also claim Christianity) will convince themselves that "God gave me this story" and that somehow everyone is supposed to overlook a book steeped in satanic imagery. We're not supposed to see it for what it is: a travesty. There's nothing Christian about such books. But, they are entertaining.

How can we, as Christian writers, speak to this generation? Begin first by creating real characters. I say this specifically of females in Christian novels. I've worked with women of God who put the devil to his heels as a matter of course. Who are not afraid to perspire in prayer; not afraid to get wrap their arms around a homeless person and welcome them in the church; not afraid to get a little dirt on them. We need characters with grit, tenacity, and meat to their substance. Women who know God and how to pray. When Christian writers start crafting relevant messages to this generation, then I will start reading Christian fiction again.

Until then, I'll stick with the Bible.

It has strong women, not afraid to risk public condemnation, not afraid to lead appropriately, not afraid to stand on God's word no matter what. Ever heard of Deborah? Abigail? Phoebe? Rahab? Ruth? Mary Magdalene? Women with some meat to their character.

What else of human nature is in the Bible? Rape, incest, murder, drunkenness, greed, deceit, stealing, adultery, lying, corrupt governments, oppression of lower classes, wickedness at every level. If God set the standard to face life issues head-on, why then aren't we following suit? Why aren't we writing to our generation? Many use the pat answer that the business end of the writing world gives: no market. I'd like to make a correction to that statement: No tapped market. I'm here and I'd like to see such books, many of my friends who no longer read Christian novels feel the same way.

We're here. We're untapped. We're waiting.

Ever Had Your Ears Pinned Back?

2009-08-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Pastor pinned my ears back yesterday. As I sat in the service listening to his message, the Holy Spirit nudged me repeatedly. Pastor shared a passage that he's resourced these 50 years; it is of primary import for Godly leaders. Here it is in it's entirety:

If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will no be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful, may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. God may let others be great, but keep you small He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this is to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch one you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time which other Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you. God will take you at your word; if you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot.

Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which hers are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom; When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.

Author: G.D. Watson

Lessons I've Learned From Birds

2009-07-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ever notice birds? I mean really notice. They can teach us a thing or two about life, about God, about the way to do things. The Bible talks about birds--a lot. In conversation the other day, a friend disclosed a comment made by her husband. In reference to their business and the economy, he said he wasn't worried because God feeds the birds. In context, his intimation was that he didn't have to do anything but wait for God to fix things. Yet, nowhere does the Bible say that birds sit idly on tree limbs with their mouths open waiting for God to dump in a worm. God supplies their feed but they have to actively seek it.

I wonder how many of us, sit, twiddling, waiting for God to do everything? Do you think He tires of our lazy passivity?

Some time ago, a family of crows decided to take up residence in a tree just outside my bedroom window. All went well until it was time to kick Junior out of the nest. Crows cawing is one of the most annoying sounds on the planet. I woke to a constant carping from this irksome creature. Storming outside to see what was going on and why I was being deprived of sleep, I discovered that Junior (nearly as big as Mother Crow) sat next to her with his mouth open insisting she feed him. Mother's answer? She pecked him in the head. Two or three more times he tried and then decided to flap over to Father Crow and try his luck there. Cawing in desperation now, he sat next to Dad with his mouth open. Father's answer? He pecked his son in the head. Three or four more times the youngster begged and received the same treatment. Then, the light dawned and Junior flapped off the branch and into the skies. Poor thing had to feed himself.

You can learn a lot from birds--even annoying ones.

It put me in mind of us as Christians. How long do we attend church expecting the pastor to do all the feeding and we all the receiving? Do we rely solely on the pastor to give us doses of the Word? When was the last time you fed yourself? The last time you read and studied the Bible on your own? There is great benefit in developing this discipline. Pastor won't be around forever, governments are changing daily, stripping away our religious freedoms.

It isn't the pastor's job to continually feed children that refuse to feed themselves. In reflecting on the crow family, I wonder whether it might not benefit the Body of Christ if pastors began to peck us in the head. There's a dying, wounded world around us; they are in peril of their eternal lives. That's the truth of it. And, when we refuse to become responsible, spiritual adults, they will suffer for it. This is not to say you no longer need the church, on the contrary, as you grow in maturity, you'll need it more but feed on your own as well.

I encourage you to learn from the birds. Take the leap off the branch and into the air, feeding yourself. What a magnificent change from sitting, squawking for tidbits from our spiritual mentors. You're strong enough, you can do it.

Endings & Beginnings

2009-07-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

I just moved into another house. In unpacking, I picked up a 4-sectioned Clifford plate that my grandson eats from when he visits. I bought it when he was 2 years old; he's now 9. I contemplated whether to toss it because he's outgrown it. Or, should I keep it for sentimental reasons? It seems sad to let it go as I recalled many wonderful times we shared over that plate. The truth is that my grandson keeps growing up and that he is no longer my pudgy-faced elf. He's growing up, whether I like it or not. It's a fact of life.

I hate endings.

Yet, as I've matured, I know that endings are also beginnings. While his infancy is over, his preteens are in full swing and I can enjoy them with him in a larger variety of ways. And for this I am thankful. I celebrate this part of his journey with him.

It is the same way with our spiritual walk. Ending a spiritual infant stage brings many sad moments and even grief over growing up but the journey becomes richer and more fulfilling as we mature in Christ. Many shun spiritual adulthood and try with all their might to hang onto being a spiritual baby. The writer of Hebrews admonished the church for this very thing when he said, "For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God's Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food." Hebrews 5:12, Amplified Bible

Yet, the end of spiritual infancy is what it's about. Nowhere in scripture does it indicate that some are exempt from growing up. Imagine what the world would be like if the human body refused to grow. Or, if we refuse to grow up emotionally. Not productive people, these. Yet, Jesus calls us into our adulthood. He set the precedent; we're to follow it.

So, grieve an ending if you need but remember, endings are also beginnings.

By the way, I decided to ask my grandson whether he wanted to keep the plate or toss it and get a new one. He looked at it and said, "Keep it."

I'm smiling.

Idol Worship

2009-05-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hosea 9:10b tells us, "They became an abomination like the thing they loved." In other words, you are what you love.

Idol worship is still alive and well among God's people. We may not worship graven images, little icons, or golden statues but we still have an abundance of idols. What is an idol, exactly? It's something you give power that it doesn't have. Do ding dongs lure you out of bed and down into the pantry? Can you hear them calling, "I'm down here, come get me!"? The reality is that ding dongs have no power. They are a compilation of foodstuffs and chemicals. Those who serve the god of gluttony give power to food.

How do you tell whether something is an idol? Here's four ways:

1. Time. How much time do you devote to a thing? Say, television? How many hours a week do you sit, glued to the tube? Which programs do you rush home to so you don't miss them? Which programs do you record faithfully if you're going to be gone? Do you schedule your day so that you will not miss a beloved program?

2. Thought. If God doesn't have your thoughts, He doesn't have you. What dominates your thinking? Entertainment, politics, gossip, fun, worry--these are the usual suspects. How much mental energy do you invest thinking about these things?

3. Speech. Your mouth speaks what your heart's full of. Have you ever listened to what comes out of your mouth? What topics delight you? What kinds of words tumble from your lips? I used to work for a local ministry, filled to the brim with Christians. Yet, at our weekly staff meetings as we sat eating lunch together, talk rarely included God. However, if I wanted to know who'd been voted off the island or which contenders were still on American Idol (irony noted), all I had to do was listen. For 2 years, this was the norm. It struck me both odd and sad that week after week the bulk of conversation held no mention of God.

Here were acceptable topics of delight: clothes, shoes, hairstyles. These were relished with zeal. Motorcycling, piloting, and sports--these too, were greatly prized topics. God was not.

4. Have someone take it away. Is food your idol? What happens when someone gets between you and a pork chop? When someone tells you you can't have it? When someone says you need to cut back on eating? What happens in your mind and body? Do you rebel? Do you become defensive? Angry?

As many know, I've lost 137 pounds. Quite obviously food was an idol to me. Here's a lesson God taught me during my weight loss journey. He asked a question: How much time do you spend thinking about food? Hmm. I'd never really considered that. So, for the next week I made special note of how often I thought about food--buying it, cooking it, eating it, preparing it, storing it, reading about it, looking at it. I watched an average of 8 hours a day on the Food Network. During and in between programs, I'd engulf myself in cookbooks. Generally, I had no less than 30 from the library at any given time. I especially loved the ones with pictures.

About a week later, the Lord broached the subject again. I admitted, "Wow! I think about food constantly." He gently followed my statement with another question: How much time to you spend thinking about Me?

I must tell you, this cut me to the quick. The full impact of His statement penetrated my heart. The truth was that I rarely thought of Him at all. I knew then, that food was a idol I served with great zeal, I devoted time, energy and passion to this idol. I served it with all my heart. My behavior shouted who my god was. Oh how thankful I am to my Father for showing me this. Repentance restored me to the one true God.

Let me challenge you.

Time. How much time do you spend alone with God? Do you arrange your day so that you're sure to make your appointed time alone with Him? Do you run to your time with Him with the same delight as you to give your favorite program? What would happen if you switched? For example, give God the hour during your program. Shut off the television and spend that time with God instead. You won't regret it.

Thoughts. During the next week, pay particular attention to what goes on in your mind. On what kinds of things does your mind dwell? Criticism, gossip, mean thoughts about others or yourself? Your favorite foods, activities, programs? How many times a day do you think about God, or Godly things, principles, or His Word? Do you ever meditate on Biblical principles? Compare the sheer amount of time you invest in things other than God.

Speech. Your mouth speaks what your heart's full of. During the next week, pay attention to what comes out of your mouth. In your workplace, your church, your home--listen to your conversations this week. What you discover may shock you.

Take it away. Try to do without your idol for a period of time. What happens inside you when you stop watching your favorite program? What goes on in your mind and body when you fast for even one meal? What happens when you turn the television/computer/text messages/phone off for an entire week? Is internal angst stirred up? Do you get angry? Defensive? Lonely? Do you invent reasons why you can't do without it for a time?

In If You Will Ask, Oswald Chambers wrote: "The great difficulty in intercession is myself, nothing less or more. The first thing I have to do is take myself to school. My first duty is not to assert freedom, but to find an absolute master."

Something will master you. You get to decide what that something is. Choose Christ.

Choose Christ for He is the only good Master. He's the only one that restores, heals, transforms for good. The others may be fun, may be profitable for a time, may be satisfying but all these benefits are temporary. Only with God are the benefits permanent, always good, always restorative. Regardless of what the world shouts, He's the one true God. All else is but a poor imitation. Why settle for less than the best?

Attitude and Worship

2009-05-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

We don't reverence God anymore. I just finished reading the book of Ezekiel and God goes into great detail to explain reverence, holiness, and worship. Not all worship is acceptable, you know. Isaiah 1:11-15, God tells us, "What purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? I have had enough of your burnt offerings...I do not delight in the blood of bulls...I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear..."

Yikes. That's sobering. Yet, we approach God with the same insincerity and slapdash attitude as did ancient Israel. We too, act like any pittance we throw God should suffice, especially if we're not inconvenienced.

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to usher at a Ladies Retreat. In our training, we were asked to make sure no one entered the sanctuary with food or beverages. During one of the sessions, I spied a woman sipping a latte and offered to show here where she could finish it. She paused a moment, then stood to follow me out. She said, "I was going to rebel but decided against it."

I see how we enter the sanctuary to come before a holy God and I am sick at heart. We come with soft drinks, lattes, and cell phones (yes, I've seen people actually talk on them during worship). You mean to tell me that you can't sit one hour without these things? I wonder what these people would do if I behaved in their homes with the same disrespect that they show God. Would they likely have me back?

Picture this. We've just met and you invite me to your home. When I arrive, there's a sign on the door, "Please do not bring drinks into the house." Ignoring it, I walk with a latte, plop down on the couch and kick my feet up on your coffee table. You are watching a T.V. program I don't like so I walk over and change it without asking. I leave used tissues and garbage on the sofa. I see a friend across the room so (with my shoes on) walk on furniture so I can get around everyone and to my friend. When you, the host, have had enough, "You politely ask me to refrain and show some courtesy." To which I reply, "You're mean! I'm never coming here again."

It sounds ridiculous.

Unfortunately, I've seen these very behaviors in many services and in many churches. I was even in one church where a cockatoo was allowed to roam about because the owner didn't want to leave it home alone. Adults and teens walking on the pews rather than wait until an isle is clear. Adults texting and slurping lattes during worship. Adults kicking off their shoes and propping their feet on the back of the pew--and in their neighbor's hair.

Newsflash. Worship isn't for you. It's for God. If you can't do it for Him, show some respect for the furniture at least.

What all of this leads up to is this: our attitude in coming to God, in approaching a holy God, is often sloppy and disrespectful. We lumber in with all the aforementnioned goodies, plop down on a pew, sing a song and expect that God will be pleased with it. Why should He? Do we even consider the Person He is? Do we have a clue what He likes, what pleases Him? Do we care how our thoughtlessness might hurt Him? Are we really saying that we can't sit respectfully for an hour--an hour--without texting our friends, drinking a latte, or propping our feet on the back of a pew? Come on, people. We're not children.

In our minds and in our hearts we must be clear on why we're in church. Be clear on Who worship is for. Be clear that at least for one hour (of 168 hours of the week) we can behave like God matters, like His feelings matter, like we really do love Him.

In discussing this with many church leaders, I've heard a myriad of explanation. Most "don't want to hurt people's feelings." Excuse me? People's feelings? What about God's feelings? If we cared as much for God's feelings as we claim for people, perhaps the Church wouldn't be in it's present pitiful state. He deserves the highest praise, pure praise, praise from a pure and contrite heart.

The Passion of the Christ

2009-05-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

Many of us do not think of Christ as a passionate Person. Our finite caricatures often depict Him the model of gentility, soft-spoken, quiet. While He no doubt had these qualities at times, what other qualities did He possess? Do we love the whole Person He is if we only accept the palatable facets of His being?

Let me ask this: Do you feel like a person cares about you when they only want to know parts of your makeup? Say friends only want to be around you when you're funny, or in a good mood. Say these friends avoid you when you want to sit and have a serious conversation. Does this make you feel loved for who you are?

All of who you are?

Humans are funny creatures. We make it a habit to behave like I've mentioned. We like positive emotions and shun negative ones. We like fun and shrink from pain. Yet, some of the deepest lessons we learn are the result of pain and negative happenings.

I reflect on my own treatment of God as a Person. Do I treat Him like a vending machine, putting my prayers in the slot, pulling the handle, and expect my answer only to walk away without acknowledging the Person He is? Do I only love parts of His Person?

I am a woman of much zeal and deep passion. I have an intensity and zeal about life, people, and especially God. For many years, others misunderstood this and brought about much destruction to my emotions because, to them, Christian women aren't supposed to be full of anything but sweetness and syrup. I beat myself up and tried hard to make myself conform to their standard of righteousness. One day in prayer, I cried out to Him and said, "I've tried but I can't be like that." Do you know what He said?

"When did I ask you to?"

What a healing revelation that was for me; transforming at my very core. Over the years, I've still been pegged as too energetic, too passionate. I've learned to accept who I am and how He created me. Others may not agree but that's okay. I'm passionately in love with Jesus. I'm passionate about sharing the Good News. I'm unashamedly passionate about sharing what He's done in and for me. I make no apologies.

I will not say that it doesn't sting when people misjudge me. I'm human. However, it no longer wounds me. I've often asked God why He made me like I am. The answer is simple: I've been equipped with the appropriate gifts to accomplish the task He's set for me to do. How silly and nonfunctional it would be to expect me to build a house but not give me the tools to do it. With God, it's that same way.

Okay. So, I'm zealous, and focused, and deliberate in how I serve Him. But, I admit, some days, I'd like to be the quiet, demure type. Life's somehow easier for women who fit neatly into the religious stereotype. The other day, while reading the Scripture, I came upon Zechariah 8:2, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; with great fervor I am zealous for her."

My study Bible expounds on the word zealous. It means, "to be zealous, filled with zeal, full of emotion; to be passionate; also to be jealous or envious; to be highly possessive of something...This is not a negative word though, as it is the zeal of the Lord that will bring about the Messiah's eternal reign...In the present reference, God is either zealous with burning zeal for Zion, or jealous with burning jealousy, or perhaps fanatic over His Jerusalem..."

Wait. Whoa. God has zeal? God has passion?

Oh, my goodness. So the God of all the universe is passionate. He is full of emotion, passion, zeal. I'd never really thought of Him in this light but it is a step closer to knowing all of who He is. I felt both joy and comfort in learning that my zealous self is in good company. It touched me deeply that God took the time to teach me, and minister healing to me by showing me this verse. He is amazing and the more I know Him, the more I know there is to know.

Wait...and Other Four-Letter Words

2009-04-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

David wrote: "I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, and herd my cry." Psalm 40:1. I researched the verse a bit because the word "waited" popped out at me. Of course, any derivative of the word has been popping out at me for some time: wait, waiting, waited. In this particular verse, waited patiently means (in the modern vernacular), "I waited, and waited, and waited..."

This is not what I wanted to hear. I don't like waiting, but I think that's a malady of human nature. I learned long ago not to pray for long-suffering (you'll get it with both spiritual barrels, if you do). I pray for short-suffering and some days even nano-suffering. (My flesh prefers nano-suffering.)

My spirit, is another matter.

God has been working diligently and with a great deal of patience to teach me a discipline I need to learn: wait. It seemed every time I opened my Bible a wait verse seized me. Habakkuk 2:3, ...though it tarry, wait for it. Turn quickly to Isaiah...wait verses. And I don't even want to mention the Psalms. David was the king of waiting. He waited watching the mulberry bush. He waited in caves. He waited in other countries. In the wilderness, he waited. Many's the time I wanted to take my pencil and scratch out that word! David had the ability to wait.

I think I'm missing that gene.

I'm a get-it-done kind of person and could not see the value of waiting when there was work to be done. Yet, God in His sovereign wisdom knows how much I needed to incorporate this discipline. Slowly (ack), He's taught me the benefit of waiting for Him. That's the key. The point was never to just sit idly twiddling my thumbs. It was to wait for His timing before proceeding.

For high-octane people like myself, to wait can be excruciating. But, I've come to relax in the knowledge that He knows full well when to move. This discipline of waiting teaches me that I can trust God at a level I never knew before.

Keeping Your Focus

2009-04-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

Rejection. In many cases, an ugly word. None of us like being rejected. It feels like we're being shunned, refused, told we aren't good enough. Yet, as Christians, rejection is part and parcel of our being. The world rejected Christ, they will reject us too. As impeccable as His character is, He even tells us to expect it.

As Christian writers, we amplify the cruelty by necessity: the query letter, the book proposal, the pitch. Every time we enter the coliseum and face the roaring, bloodthirsty crowd, we risk rejection--again. What's worse, we do it on purpose! It's part of the job, goes with the territory, it's stuck to us like glue (to name a few appropriate cliches). Understanding this is part of the job. We mature, internally secure individuals behave logically and learn to receive rejection well, right?

Not.

I just finished reading a blog of a well-respected, multi-published author sharing how he was in a bad mood because of a rejection. Thank-you, Jesus, I know he's human. I appreciated his frankness and transparency. Yet, in reading his experience and encouragement, I was struck by another thought: eyes.

Where do we focus our eyes? Let me share something. If you send out your best writing ever and it is still rejected, it doesn't mean it's not your best writing ever. It means the publisher is saying, "No, thank-you." It may not fit their line, it may be they already have a similar one that beat you to the punch. It may mean God wants the manuscript to go elsewhere. Publishing is full of stories of wildly successful books that were first refused by other publishing houses--sometimes several houses. Rejection didn't make the writing bad.

As a Christian, I also ask: What are we focusing on? Is it to write well to bring glory to God? That is the reason a Christian should write. It has supremacy over every other single reason. It is the one clarion difference between the secular writer and Christian writer. If this is not your one guiding, passion, maybe it's time to reconsider why you write. Maybe it's time to reconsider writing to a Christian market.

If we purpose to write for His glory first, rejections are easier to process. If God is truly in control of your writing, shouldn't He get to decide where your manuscript goes? This scripture may help to keep our perspective clear: The earth is the Lord's and all its fullness. All of it.

Everything belongs to Him--even you, even your writing. When we focus on rejection and its accompanying emotional impact, we've been tricked into dwelling on the wrong thing. Feel the sting, turn it over to God and remember that He's in control. It is a healthy way to process rejection. Many writers give up before they ever experience success. Many writers quit because they no longer experience success. Have you learned to focus on the wrong thing?

Let me encourage you to keep three things in mind: First, don't take rejection personal. They aren't rejecting you, they are saying, "No, thank-you, to your work." Second, prepare yourself before you open the letter. Talk with the Lord, ask Him to prepare your heart for whatever may come. Third, let God be in control of your writing--all of it, every aspect of it. Even the refusals.

Bringing glory to God in your rejections is as necessary as bring glory to Him in your successes.

He Must Increase

2009-03-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

I've lost a total of 137 pounds. That's not the amazing part of my weight loss journey. The amazing part is how I lost it. No surgeries, no fad diets, starvation, or bizarre exercise regimes. In fact, if exercise had been a requirement, I wouldn't have started dieting. No, the amazing part is Jesus. Pure. Simple. And true.

My story isn't much different from every other woman who struggles with weight. Hundreds of fad diets and commercial lies later, I was bigger than ever and miserable. I could barely walk, let alone stand. In a real way, prisoner to my own body.

The odd thing about my weight loss is that I had given up. I'd kept telling myself the lie that "I'll start it someday." Jesus spoke to my heart one afternoon and I picked up a faith-based weight loss book. I committed to reading and applying 1 chapter. That's how it started. But over the next 2 years, what happened that astounded me was not the weight loss but the intimacy with Jesus.

As I learned about the fact that I had made food an idol, that I worshiped it, and that, if I gave up my idol and worshiped Jesus, I was becoming healthy on the inside as well as the outside. Much of why I ate was because of deep wounding, boredom, comfort. I found that when I let Jesus in to heal these things, I no longer craved intimacy with food but Him.

He nourished me in true and healing ways. Food did not. He comforted my broken spirit. Food did not. He made me feel loved and cared for. Food did not. What an idiot I'd been for thinking food had some sort of magical power. The reality is that food is fuel and nothing more. It has no real power. That's the way it is with idols. The only power they have is what we give them. Food was not my friend. It did not care whether I lived or died--a high price to pay to this idol.

I'll take Jesus, thank you.

Because of His constant and faithful attention, I am more whole today than I ever thought possible. I share a depth and intimacy with Him, I thought was only for a few favored ones. I am profoundly changed not only physically but spiritually. I'll never be the same again all because, He cared enough to teach me to trade an abusive idol for a God who is real, powerful and alive. An awesome God who loves every single thing about me!

In a true sense, the words of John the Baptist ring clear. "He must increase, I must decrease." Because I let Him increase in my heart and life, I literally decreased in size. While John was not referring to this specifically, the principle of my weight loss is encapsulated therein.

Wondering in the Wilderness

2009-03-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

I contemplate the Biblical account of the children of Israel, wandering through the desert, eating manna day in and day out, sand in every conceivable nook and cranny. Hot, dirty, no grocery stores, no conveniences of any kind. Just sand, sand, and a little more sand punctuated by searing heat, stinking cows, belching camels, and a cataract of complaints.

I feel sorry for Moses; how many times a day did a complaint fall on his ears? "I'm thirsty," "I'm hungry," "I'm tired," "I'm hot," "You don't know what you're doing," "Some leader you are!" (And that was probably just his wife!) Poor Moses. Doing God's will, trying to lead His people well, and what did he get for it? A cacophony of grumbles.

I have to admit, the wilderness experience stinks, yet God directs each of His children through their own wilderness. The flesh loathes it, the spirit often wonders what is going on. What's the purpose of suffering? Wandering blindly from one miserable experience to the next? Why doesn't God answer immediately to my plight?

A few years ago, I indulged in a rather good gripe. I explained to God how unfair life was--how unfair He was. For years, I prayed for a spiritual breakthrough, but felt like my prayers rolled off my lips and sank with a thud to the floor. As hard as I tried, I couldn't get any forward momentum in my relationship with Him. I felt like He was a million miles away and that I was no more than a tiny grain of sand on the shore. How could He find me in all of that? Did He care to find me?

One evening, I read a footnote at the bottom of a page in my Bible; it was about the wilderness and its purpose. It stated that the wilderness is not a place of punishment but of privacy. That hit me like a ton of bricks. All these years I'd been complaining and whining that He was unfair and didn't notice my pain when nothing could have been further from the truth.

In contemplating that period of my life, I realized that much of the ugliness in my personality had been slowly whittled away. I'd matured spiritually and emotionally. Much of the destruction that occurred in my young life had been healed. My character had been developed, and my commitment to Christ solidified--all in the wilderness.

I think it safe to say that those who knew me prior to that time would agree that I could be pretty caustic when riled. That was gone. The pain from previous wounding, gone. The false beliefs taught by the world and Satan, gone.

God takes us to our wilderness experience to protect our privacy. In dealing with the depths of our woundedness or ugliness, He works on this privately--not in public, not in an exploitative way. He does not shame us but does confront. Then, He heals and restores. When we come through it, we are much improved and prepared to face the next phase of our journey.

When I fully realized all He accomplished in the wilderness, I had to repent of the grousing and of misjudging Him. I had to thank Him for not only bringing me to this seeminly barren place but for walking it with me. Since that particular time, I've experienced several more (though none as long-lasting). While it is still unpleasant, I've learned to trust Him, to sit and learn from Him, and to allow Him to accomplish in me whatever He chooses.

I can truthfully say that I am thankful for my hot, gritty, deserts for in them I've come to know Christ in a powerful and intimate way, I've experienced a level of wholeness I'd never thought possible.

Search for Significance

2009-03-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

In a world bombarded with skewed thinking, shallowness, and empty dreams, it is easy to get off course and begin to believe that life is about being thin, beautiful, and plastic. It is easy to believe that my worth is in how much money I make, the prestige of my position, and the model of car I drive. It seems that to qualify and compete in today's ever changing ideal of feminine, I am required to have Starbuck's relationships, artificial nails, the right hair cut, and the depth of a birdbath.

What if I am different? What if I want real rather that the plastic life the world offers? Where do I search for such a life? Does it even exist? Is there a place I can go where I am fully accepted--just like I am? Fat, wrinkled, old, poor, whatever--a place where none of these things matter? Does such a utopia exist?

Is there a person who would accept me as I am, foibles and all? I can be rather hard to like sometimes, will I still be received with open arms? As much as I might like to think otherwise, I can be disagreeable and even unpleasant. I'm a noisy, sometimes brassy individual who says the wrong thing sometimes. Is there such a person who would love me anyway? Who would love me as I am but love me too much to leave me like I am?

There is such a place. There is such a Person. His name is Jesus. He's the only One who's ever loved me unconditionally and appropriately. He accepts me exactly like I am but refines and chips away the lies I believed to reveal the truth of who I am. He created me and only He knows the truest part and purpose of my being. He's been faithful to me when I've been unfaithful to Him. He's been loving and present even at the ugliest, most difficult parts of my life. He shares it all and has never once shirked His responsibility or commitment to me. I stand in awe of His magnificent, impeccable character and count myself privileged that He'd allow me to share His heart.

Value

2009-02-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

Oswald Chambers said, "The issue is never of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself." How amazing is that? He values me when others reject. He seeks me when others forget. He lifts me up when others tear down.

Why I matter boggles the mind but I learn from the example He set. I required redemption, the need to be ransomed. Here are some definitions of the word: the redemption of a prisoner, slave, or kidnapped person...the sum or price paid or demanded...a means of deliverance or rescue from punishment for sin, esp. the payment of a redemptive fine.

In a literal sense, I'd been kidnapped and my kidnapper demanded an exorbitant price. God gave His Son as payment. The price required was high but He paid it willingly and with joy! In the Person of Christ, God offered up the very best He had; highest quality, supreme extravagance and great personal expense to God.

How humbling to consider this great sacrifice unselfishly provided as a ransom for me. Me, an insect in the great scheme of life but so highly prized that God gave everything He had--holding nothing back--to win me.

What can I give to the King? The very thing He paid the ransom for--me. I can give Him me.

Amazing God

2009-02-14T14:53:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, a friend encouraged me to ask God to amaze me--a challenge, I thought. But last week as I talked with God, I said, "Father, amaze me. I don't care how. You pick, but amaze me." A few days later, I received a phone call from a friend I hadn't seen or heard from in 33 years. Frankly, I didn't know he was still alive. At the time, I had no idea how he found me but even as I write this blog, am amazed by God's ability.

Reduced to speechlessness is not an occurrence that happens to me often. But I am humbled that the God of the whole earth would take the time, the care, to listen to one of His daughters personally. This God who names the stars, can hold the heavens in the span of His hand cares enough to give such gifts to me. I have an awe in my spirit that I have never known before; God, in His magnitude can also be so intimate.

Why I matter to Him I do not know but how thankful I am for it. There is a largeness about God that makes me revere Him but I also ask myself where in my life have I made Him small. There is a song, the words go like this: "I have made You too small in my life. Oh, Lord, forgive me. When I have believed in the lie that You were unable to help me. But now, oh, Lord, I see my wrong. Heal my heart and show Yourself strong. And in my life and with my song, oh, Lord, be magnified."

I have made Him so small but He has not changed from the powerful, passionate God of the Bible. He is still almighty, all powerful, a strong tower, the God of the Angel Armies, in control and mighty. His strength has not diminished one molecule over time; He's as powerful and able today as ten million years ago. But we limit Him. We think too small and only ask for easy things.

This encounter with God amazing me has challenged me in ways I never thought possible. But, I have a deeper realization that He is the God of the impossible. The scripture teaches that nothing is impossible with God--I should also add, nothing is impossible for God. Today, I stand with my eyes on Him. I am looking with expectation for what He is going to do. He's a planner and does everything with a specific set of purposes.

Making God small fits our instant, quick-fix mentality but it deeply saddens me. How many times have I done Him the disservice of keeping Him in a controllable little box? Am I comfortable with a small, manageable God? I am put in mind of a line from the Chronicles of Narnia. The discussion was between Mr. & Mrs. Beaver and the girl. Aslan, they told her, "was not safe." There is an aspect of God's Person that isn't safe. He can't be confined, controlled, or dictated to. He is often unpredictable, difficult to understand, and imposing. My encouragement to you, is to let God be large in your life.

Let Him amaze you.

Worship! Who's it for, Anyway?

2009-01-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished a time of worship and reading His word. In browsing through the book of Isaiah, I was struck by the fact that God rejected Israel's worship and sacrifices because they were done from a detached and insincere heart. In other words, they performed the physical duties of worship but their hearts were far from God.

How many times do we perform worship from a since of duty rather than as a natural response to a dynamic relationship? Oh, how He longs for fellowship. Read the Old Testament some time and you'll discover how many times He called out to His people in a desire to restore their broken relationship. Quality of worship is directly related to quality of relationship.

How many times do we view worship as something that is for our benefit? How often do we enter in and participate in worship so we can leave feeling better? Our eyes, like the Israel of Isaiah's time, are on the wrong thing. Our heart motivation is off course and self-centered when we approach worship like this.

I'll tell you a secret: worship isn't for us.

Who is worship for, anyway?

God. Because He's worthy of praise, because He's worthy of all our love, devotion, and time. Worship is a select slice of time we purposely set aside to offer Him a sacrifice. Today, our sacrifice may not be of sheep and goats but we still sacrifice. We sacrifice time by setting it aside just for Him. We sacrifice flesh (our bodies) to kneel, raise our hands, praise with our lips, and express thanksgiving. We sacrifice our thoughts by concentrating our thoughts solely for Him during our time of worship. We sacrifice our will by putting Him first and staying to bless Him, to thank Him, to delight His heart.

Worship is more than just a time set apart to glorify and thank Him. Our lives are worship--every single thing we think, feel, and do can be an act of worship. Whether or not we get anything from worship is irrelevant.

Finally, I am struck by one last reality: We don't worship God because things are going well. We worship God because He's worthy.

As I Sit Before the Lord

2009-01-11T23:19:00.000-08:00

The world can be a cruel place. Daily I am bombarded by shallowness and the "every man for himself" mentality. It's difficult to feel valued in such an environment. I work hard to shut out the callousness and hollow shout of the world but some days it pounds down on me. So, I drag my battered self home. Home and into my room for time alone with Jesus. Oh, what a blessed sanctuary surrounded by worship music and His presence.

He is my one remedy. As I sit before the Lord, it is a sacred trust; I pour out my self to Him. He, in turn, mends me and teaches me who He is. Often there are only tears but tears, He understands. He listens, comforts, encourages and speaks peace to me.

As I sit before the Lord, in the quietness, I understand how much He values me and what my purpose is. I am restored and rejuvenated there and I always leave more whole than when I came in. I have no clue how He does it but He is the Master at soothing a savaged soul.

As I sit before the Lord, I often enter feeling very small but leave realizing how important I am to Him; His gentle assurance resonates deep within me. I find that I cannot hold onto the faulty shouts from the world. I cannot believe that there is no hope. Time with Him erases the lies and firmly reestablishes His truth. He redirects my focus.

I will not measure up to the world's standard for its origins are foreign to me. But I will always measure up in His eyes. I cherish my moments alone with Him and have learned not only His works but His ways. His heart is large and He never ceases to uplift. As one might expect, He always has the right nugget of truth to share. Restoration occurs deep within my being faithfully as I sit before the Lord.

Dolichocephalic: another ten dollar word

2009-01-04T23:30:00.000-08:00

What a nice way to be told I have an egg-shaped head--dolichocephalic. That's what it means. A hundred years ago we could insult some one in grand style. Now we just say "What an egg-head." I recently watched a Lord Peter Whimsy flick. He used the term--and countless other five syllable, ten dollar words. Amusing, charming, he can insult a person with the loftiest vernacular. A florid stream of dialectical ingenuity--expertly crafted--rolled off his tongue and over his lips with silken fluidity.

Such is not the case today. How far we've sunk. According to the Oxford English Dictionary there are 200,000 words in the English language (excluding jargon and slang). 200,000 actual words. The average person utilizes only 10-20,000 of them. What a sad and tragic waste. Think about it as a writer or speaker. Instead of describing a man as having a prominent forehead, you could say he looked encephalitic. Rather than the mundane "she's fat and buxom," you could say "she's zaftig." Rather than "he had unremarkable features," you could say "he had an unprepossessing countenance." Is your sister cheap? How about saying she's parsimonious? Does your antagonist have the backbone of a jellyfish? How about saying "he's pusillanimous? Or even better, a pusillanimous polecat? Oh, do the multi-syllables roll so sweetly off the tongue! At best, you'll get an A for effort and give your atrophied tongue a workout. At worst, you'll confuse the dickens out of your friends and loved ones.

The English language is one of grandeur and splendid possibility. Even as writers, we use very little of it's limitless possibility. Why? I'm told that the average Christian fiction is written at a seventh grade level--the supposition is that this will reach the greatest number of readers. Yet, something wonderful and extravagant is missing at that level of writing. Read Dorothy Sayers, or better yet, watch one of her Peter Whimsy flicks. The old classics are great examples of the glorious and well-crafted use of the English language. I celebrate their triumph and mourn the loss. We have banished lofty English usage to a disused, cobwebbed literary corner and glorified modern grammatical laziness. We aim for easy rather than quality. As a writer, this saddens me. We've sacrificed much and gained little in return.

I know of many who no longer read Christian fiction because of "a consistent lack of quality" (their words not mine). They've gravitated to secular fiction to fulfill this need. Sad. I dream of leading a grammatical revolt. One which will result in an united love for each word Oxford hides within its pages. Alas, such may never be...but I can dream, can't I?

Attitude is Everything

2008-12-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

Five minutes. What's five minutes? That depends on our attitude toward our circumstances. If it's all we've got left to live, five measly minutes are nothing. If it's what have to wait to flee from a burning house, it's an eternity. Yet, reality is that it's the same five minutes.

Notice how circumstance impacts the way we view reality. It's this way with endings. As the old year winds to extinction, we tend to take stock of our life, of the year. Television focuses on famous deaths and catastrophic losses. We hope next year will be better. We don't like endings much, unless it is a release from pain or say, the completion of a prison sentence. Then endings are good.

Let me challenge your thinking: Endings are also beginnings. We cannot avoid change but how we view it is entirely up to us. It is not the cessation of a thing that is the root of the problem. Take King David, for example. We sometimes feel like the whole world is against us, and in his case it was literally the truth. David scurried through caves and wilderness fleeing for his very life. No one justified his innocence, and his army was comprised of the area's most degenerate, misfit, malcontents no one else wanted. A handful of bedraggled nobodies is what David had to start a kingdom with. Mom wasn't around to cheer him on, no family to speak of, no one to put a supportive arm around his shoulder and offer encouragement. He scavenged for food and shelter for not only himself but his ever-growing army--including women and children. He could have buckled under the heavy weight of his aloneness but what does Scripture record?

1 Samuel 30:6 tells us of once such instance. "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."

Think about that last line. David encouraged himself. And who did he look to? The Lord his God. That's the only answer. It is a stark reminder exactly where David's relationship and priorities were: with God, to God, for God. Many Psalms record David's despair, anguish, being betrayed, and turmoil but, he concluded by encouraging himself and giving praise to the One who mattered most.

While it is a sad reality that we may literally have no one to come alongside us for support, there is always a loving God standing, waiting, ready to encourage. If our attitude is to focus on our aloneness, we will surely fail and depression will follow. Our eyes are great deceivers. What we see is not reality. What is unseen is real.

If our attitude focuses on God's constant fellowship and presence, hope reigns, trust develops, and joy will come. Endings do not limit God. He is still Almighty. He is expert at creating good from hopelessness. David's life is a testament to the fact that God is the creator of bright new beginnings. Welcome God into your darkest hour, then let Him create beauty from the ashes of your circumstances. It's what He does best.

Who Invented Lip Waxing?

2008-12-18T21:16:00.000-08:00

Cruel, sadistic, misanthropic. Someone somewhere must have had these qualities to ever conceive of an idea so spiteful--waxing body parts! I thought this kind of thing went out with thumbscrews. No doubt a group of inebriated youths sat around one listless night, bored to distraction when the thought eked from their gin soaked brains. At such times, new and fanciful inventions erupt spontaneously from the collective mind of the group. I base my opinion on years of watching America's Funniest Home Videos.

I've recently had my lip and eyebrows waxed. At no time was I informed that the molten wax strip would not only remove unwanted hair but the top 3 layers of epidermis. I was not informed of the eye-blinding pain--and was flustered when the beauty technician kept shushing me because she claimed my shrieks of agony bothered the other clients. Side effects were never discussed. Can you say "welts?" The technician handed me a mirror so I could admire my new, youthful appearance. My right eyebrow was lovely but only half my left eyebrow was still attached. It's an ugly way to find out my technician was myopic.

The most egregious insult lingered to the last. After having parts of my face savaged, bespeckled with welts, and leaving with only 1 1/2 eyebrows, this person actually expected me to pay her! You must be kidding me. Imagine the look on her face when I erupted with laughter. Then a heinous image flashed in my mind: if she calls the police, I'll end up with the world's worst mugshot. Helped by my good conscience I reluctantly forked over the cash.

I've said all that to say this: People, in the spirit of comradery and true neighborliness, when the gift certificates come rolling in this Christmas, inspect them thoroughly. If you get one for a waxing, run screaming and toss it into the trash. I inform because I care. In closing, does anyone know how long it takes for an eyebrow to grow back?

An Audience of One

2008-12-07T14:38:00.001-08:00

Let me paraphrase Calvin Miller: Writers are notoriously solitary folk; we spend far too much time alone.

In the process of writing, it is easy to bog down in the minutia and lose focus. We write for various reasons but to what purpose? It is often necessary to take stock of why we write. What motivates us? What fuels the indefatigable desire to communicate?

Ask: What is my purpose in writing? For many Christian writers, it's publication. If that's all that truly motivates you, the rejections will come with hurricane force and be crushing. Think about the reality of using a Godgiven ability for profit only. One, it's the very antithesis of God's character. Two, the book of Acts has something to say about this. You may recall a man named Simon the Magician. He was the big man on campus until Peter and John blew into town. Acts records that he even became a believer. But his heart (motive) wasn't right and he tried to get Peter and John to sell their trade secret so he could profit by it. What happens next is a clear teaching to us today.

The Messages puts it this way: Acts 8, When Simon (the magician) saw that the apostles by merely laying on hands conferred the Spirit, he pulled out his money, excited, and said, "Sell me your secret! Show me how you did that! How much do you want? Name your price!" Peter said, "To hell with your money! And you along with it. Why, that's unthinkable—trying to buy God's gift! You'll never be part of what God is doing by striking bargains and offering bribes. Change your ways—and now! Ask the Master to forgive you for trying to use God to make money. I can see this is an old habit with you; you reek with money-lust." It's where we get the word "simony."

Ask: What do I hunger after? We are put on this earth for primarily two reasons. To bless others and glorify God. Let this be your guide when you write. God Himself is the starting point. He alone knows what He's purposed to do with your writing. Let Him lead.

Ask: Whose your audience? Personally, much prayer and submission was required to be one with the idea that it is Him I write for--Him alone. While I endeavour to study and apply new learning to my craft, I continue to improve daily. I am also at peace with my gift being ultimately His. He's free to do with it exactly as He pleases. Writing for His glory encompasses writing in truth, clarity, and authenticity. It includes writing in integrity for His purpose whether or not there is personal gain. Check out a few of the Old Testament prophets. Jeremiah (for one) was expressly told (by God) to write down the things He spoke. And his message was summarily rejected over, and over, and over. Discouraged and frustrated, he even stopped for a time but found he couldn't contain the message. He said it was like fire shut up in his bones. Finally, he realized it was more important to please God than man.

Lesson. Being a faithful scribe doesn't mean anyone will listen, or that anyone will even read your work. But, if you're doing it all as unto the Lord, He will use it as is best. I mean, think about it. How lost we'd all be today (and down through the centuries) without all of Jeremiah's compositions. He had no way of knowing the large plans God had. I, for one, am eternally thankful that Jeremiah stayed the course and remained faithful to his calling. He wrote for an audience of One.

Stewardship in all Things

2008-12-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

Sunday I finished teaching another course of Boundaries (based on the book by Dr.s Cloud & Townsend). Each time I teach I am amazed by how much I learn. This round, I am struck by the thought of good stewardship. Not only of the usuals: money and resources but of time, talent, and body.

Many of you know that I've lost 137 pounds, yet in that, I hadn't fully grasped being a good steward of my physical body. Losing the weight was good (indeed) but now I embrace the knowledge that I should also bring my body into physical health through exercise, proper diet and sleep. Good stewardship of this Godgiven gift.

Time. I've experienced the total disregard of personal boundaries in this area. I once worked at a ministry that actually taught Boundaries yet, the higher up a person's rank, the less they observed other's boundaries. I even had a sign on the door (politely asking not to be disturbed if the door was closed) which many completely ignored. Ironically, on numerous occasions, if a coworker did see and respect the sign, they'd beep me on the phone to see if they could come in. The underlying thought is that they technically respected boundary. Obviously, it was still violated because of the phone interruption.

Reflecting back on this experience, I learned that my time was not mine. It was for any and everyone to help themselves. I had nothing to say about it. In several instances, I was considered rude and inconsiderate because I politely asked not to be disturbed so I could do focus-work. I cannot tell you how difficult the struggle to keep this particular boundary in a Christlike manner. It became clear that I needed further instruction so that I could grasp the concept that a specific amount of time is allotted to me. I need to govern it well; how freeing. Permission to use my time as part of good stewardship. How refreshing to read the book once again and bone-up.

Talent. Frankly, this one leaped off the page and attached itself to my cranium. The first read through the book was the first time in my life that I'd ever considered that talent should have boundaries. Never had I entertained the notion. I'm accomplished in many things but, in many cases, have not developed them to any significant degree. These natural abilities came easy to me so, I took them for granted. The Holy Spirit convicted me and since that time, I have an entirely new perspective. I endeavour toward good stewardship in all aspects, in all of my gifts, and all of my abilities. The ultimate goal is that in so doing, I'll bring glory to Him--the Giver of the gifts.

For writers, it is often difficult to sit down and learn the craft of writing well. It requires endless hours of study before even one piece is put to paper. The world is teeming with would-be authors. In contrast, the world is woefully devoid of writers willing to put in the necessary perspiration to learn before they submit. In my quest, I've met scads of people and see one overwhelming common denominator. There's a difference between those who get published and those who do not. Published author's are willing to do whatever it takes by way of study, learning, prayer, and networking. The rest believe that simply because they have the gift or desire, they shouldn't have to do all that tedious, boring stuff.

Let me share a Biblical truth. My best friend is a published author and she puts it succinctly: Study to show yourself approved to God. Study. She's been a great source of encouragement because she, who's been published countless times, still has a humble, teachable spirit and is willing to learn to be even better at her craft. Wouldn't we all like to soar? God doesn't allow it, I think, because we are not ready for it. If you will sit, and learn with a humble teachable spirit, then apply your new found knowledge with due diligence, He will bless it. He's promised to, and He always keeps His word.

It's All In The Timing

2008-11-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

To everything there is a season--a perfect point in time when the blossom opens and conditions for fulfillment are perfect. The trouble is that most of us don't want to "waste time" waiting for that divinely inspired moment. Yet, the Bible brims with examples that teach doing things God's way and in His time will reap tremendous benefits. Last Sunday in the morning service, the Spirit spoke to us: Be still and know that I am God, be still and see the salvation of the Lord. Wow.

When we strive by our own human efforts to achieve for God, we often leave Him in the dust. We often do this in His name and for His cause. But, it is God's habit to work in His unique style and in His perfect time. While this aggravates and confounds many, it makes perfect sense. He's the one with the plan and the wherewithal to carry it out. It stands to reason to wait on Him and then move when and how He directs.

King David is a perfect example of how to wait on God. Twice he had Saul in his grasp and could easily have killed him. If anyone deserved to be helped into the next world surely it was Saul. If you'll read the account in 1 Samuel 24, David again had Saul within reach, his men whispered in his ear, "Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish," (NLT). Yet, even with what--by human standards--would be viewed as a God-inspired opportunity to avenge, David did not move but waited for God. Amazing.

To the eye, things often seem correct and the timing perfect but let's learn the lesson David so aptly exampled: to everything there is a season and only God knows the right way and time to bring a thing to fruition.

Perhaps no where is this more applicable than to the struggling writer. I've met countless who are sincere in relating that they know God has told them to write. Yet, in their struggle to get into publication, they often lose sight of God's purpose and timing. Writing and publishing are two very different things.

Many do not want to be still and learn, be still and network, be still and improve their craft. Many either give up or take the reins into their own hands and self-publish., thumbing their noses at the establishment. The next time you're on an author's website, or better yet, at a writer's conference, ask an author how long it took them to get published. Ask what steps they had to take in order to improve their craft. Their answers might surprise you.

The commonality is that they, too, believed God wanted them to write. The difference is that they were willing to close their eyes in simple trust, learn their craft, and wait for God's timing. If God has called you to write, write. Be faithful to the calling and message, focus on Him--not getting published. Do all that you can to improve your craft and remain teachable. Then, leave the results up to Him.

Beginning with Jesus

2008-11-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

I spent the morning with Jesus: in His word, in worship, in song. I am struck by how profoundly beginning each day alone with Him impacts me. It changes me, and sets the tone for the remainder of my day. In these times of intimacy, I become more the woman He intended from the before the foundation of the world. He had in mind a particular person when He crafted me (and you). When I make special time for Him, we grow together, He is put in His proper place (first) and this time becomes an act of worship. He comes before everything else.

I've often struggled with creating a place and time that is just for Him but the effort has been worth it. A certain sweetness is now a component of our time together. The world screams that if we aren't doing something, we're not being productive. This attitude has even infiltrated the church. As a result, many are more human-doings than human beings. Yet, with God, becoming is what it's all about--the process is more important than personal achievement. This gets convoluted when church is added to the mix. Many equate being busy with real accomplishment. Busyness often masks real work but it is tempting to our flesh because it looks like we're productive. In worship, with no distractions, no interruptions from phones, computers, radios, or television, I've learned that He is able to do more in a half hour than I can in weeks. All I need do is submit and let Him; get out of His way.

While it may not seem like a huge lesson to some, for high-octane folk like me, being still before Him is a daunting challenge. And it is in my mornings with Jesus that He centers me, restores me, and renews me.

How many query letters does it take to drive an author insane?

2008-11-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

I've been writing for several years. I've researched and written a master's thesis. And believe me when I say that none of it compares with having to write topnotch query letters. Truthfully, I'd rather give birth through my nostril. Yet, there is a bright lining to this dismal cloud. I attended a writers conference recently and pitched to an agent. He thoughtfully read my query letter and replied, "Wow, this is a good letter." He then gave me permission to send him my MS.

It took all the fortitude and self-control I possessed not to snatch it from his hands and run through the crowd, waving it in the air and shouting, "I wrote a good query letter! I wrote a good query letter! Wa-hoo!" What a thrill to have succeeded at something that, for me, is painfully difficult.

To those of you who still find this task daunting, here are some things that helped me: keep trying no matter how tempted you are to give up. There is an excellent book by Terry Whalin, Book Proposals That Sell, and one especially for fiction writers, How to Write a Novel Proposal. Lastly, get a book on how to format letters, MS's and so on. The one I use is Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript by Cynthia Laufenberg.

Woe is I, again!

2008-11-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

Hello All! I've just been through a harrowing experience--my blogsite crashed. And as technically deficient as I am...I'll leave the imagery up to you.