Into the Fire

FOR WOMEN ONLY: Be a Mary

If you’re anything like me, you have an opinion on a lot of things. And you’re not afraid to express it. In the flesh you’ll jump in with unsolicited commentary and in the Spirit you’ll regret some of what you said.

I grew up—or attempted to—during the heyday of the “drugs, sex, rock ‘n’ roll” generation. I resisted it for as long as I could before I wondered why I was still holding out or holding onto any kind of innocence. I believed in God but didn’t know His Son.

My generation saw the ushering in of the “Ms.” women, better known as the decline and fall of real womanhood. Don’t get me wrong here. If you’re a woman doing the same work as a man as well as or better than a man, you deserve to be paid accordingly. If in your family, you have to work outside your home and put in as many or more hours than your husband, work together to manage your household chores. If you feel called to engage a job or service in a predominantly man’s field of endeavor, go fulfill your call.

But through all these trials and decisions, never ever forget who God made you to be . . . “But for Adam, no suitable helper was found.” (Gen. 2:20) Many women cannot accept their God-given roles, as if it’s degrading to be a “suitable helper” to the man God has for them. God saw the need, and he filled it with the perfect complement, the one who could meet the loneliness, the one who could inspire the desire to lead, to be responsible, to love emotionally, physically, and spiritually, the one who could maximize who he was made to be. Only a woman made just for him could fill that incredible order.

The woman was made from a man indicating she would always be a part of him, and he would always be attached to her. He would be responsible for this one who owned a piece of him. It was a perfect combination.

Enter the temptation to “do it my way” under the beguiling influence of “female reasoning and logic” and insert the male inertia of not wanting to take responsibility for direct disobedience, and the fatal flaw of sin entered a perfect world setting off the ticking time bomb of utter depravity and eventual destruction.

How generous of God to allow a very young virgin woman named Mary to bear the child who would redeem this fallen mess of humanity. He could’ve done it multiple ways—far more creatively than I could ever imagine—and eliminated the use of a female in the process. This young female was strong in her faith and absolute in her worship of God Almighty. Read Mary’s declaration after her encounter with the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:46-55). Humble obedience. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38)

Mary would be required to follow her husband to a strange town to have her baby, to a foreign country to protect her son, to return to a new city to start life over again. And she would do it. Because it was her call to do so. She fulfilled her God-given role. Her faith and her obedience allowed her to live the most important role of all women in the Bible. She was allowed to carry and bear the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Never again. Once for all. But the female gender was redeemed by being obedient, first to God, then to her husband. Was it easy? I highly doubt it. How many of you women could pack in the middle of the night to leave for a foreign country where you wouldn’t know a soul and couldn’t even speak the language because your husband woke up with a start after hearing from an angel. Not many of us would be too willing, perhaps arguing it was bad pizza. Life was not ordinary for this family. Because God was directly and actively involved. Someone had to lead. Someone had to follow. Mary followed.

Ladies, this isn’t my idea. I’m a strong-willed, independent woman, and my husband gives me a lot of freedom. He respects me spiritually and often seeks my thoughts, even my advice. But when it comes time for the heavy-hitting decision making, he knows it’s ultimately his responsibility to make them because one day he will stand before Jesus Christ and give an account for his manhood. We women will do the same for our womanhood. Do you really want to stand before the Lord and testify that you acted like Eve when you should have acted like Mary?

Every home is different. Every household has its own order. This Christmas I would just suggest to you women who profess to honor Christ, to take inventory of your willingness to obey the One who made the rules, set the tone, gave you life, who adores you, and treasures you, and desires to guide you through the wicked world with His steadying, encouraging, loving hand. He knows you best, and He knows what’s best for you. May we all say along with Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Father, it’s been a long and difficult journey for this woman, as you know. But I’m ever more willing with each hour that passes in my life to obey, to seek your face, to be your servant. There is no better place to be. Help me to be the one you want to be. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Following . . .

We realized the seriousness of our endeavor right from the startling beginning. When you study the heavens, it’s a shocking discovery to find something new and so specific, something so amazingly bright set in place by some outrageous force. It beckoned to us, and after much discussion we knew we must pursue the phenomenon because not only our minds were in agreement but our hearts pulsed in our chests and stirred us like none of us had ever experienced. This star marked something, and we became determined to follow its marker.

Packing our satchels and gathering our wealth, somehow knowing there would be a requirement at the end of this journey, we loaded our best beasts with our survival gear and treasures and bid our associates farewell. Each one wished us good traveling and remained anxious to learn of this special light in the sky never before noted in the history of the stars. We weren’t entirely sure we could find our destiny with this star, but we knew we were all compelled to follow it.

The journey wore on, long and sometimes difficult. We faced some weather storms and had to rest more than we’d hoped. One thing was sure throughout our travels: the star never once hid itself in the clouds or diminished in its opaque brightness.

At night we wondered aloud to each other why it could’ve appeared at this time, so stark, so evident, so impossible to ignore. So we studied the publications we had, the prophecies of old, and we realized together that there was to be born a king of the Jews, and it was then that we knew this special birth must have a marker because of the unique description of this new king’s life. Something sacrificial would be required of him, something beyond the scope of mankind and the usual service of kings. We dared to assume this child was set apart for things too grand for us to fully comprehend. Perhaps those heavens we studied held a greater message than our simple hearts could compute, and at night when we discussed our journey and the gifts we felt we must bring as an offering, we’d often retreat to silence as we contemplated the magnitude of our destination in this moment in time. We sensed eternity placing its request upon our hearts, and at times we quaked in what could only be called a holy fear.

Since we were all our own personalities, some of us light-hearted and generally jovial, others of us severely focused and serious, we began to notice we had a joining of our souls on this journey and our usual petty grievances with one another which every so often occurred while we argued over the heavenly bodies no longer persisted. It was like we were joined in purpose, resolution, and a kind of faith we’d never known together. This star had presented an opportunity for us to set aside our professional differences, our dislike of certain characteristics in each of us, including ourselves, and I cannot recall one single incident of discord along the occasionally perilous journey.

We approached the great city of Jerusalem and the star shone even brighter—as impossible as that seemed, but we were all in agreement about that fact. Knowing we were in foreign lands, we asked some local teachers of their law about the prophecy to determine the exact location of this tiny king because the star seemed to shine over the entire area. Shortly after seeking our information we were summoned by the Roman King Herod who inquired about the exact time the star had appeared. He made a strange request after telling us to go to Bethlehem, asking us to report back to him so he could go and worship the child.

When we packed up and headed out for Bethlehem, the star, in what could only be referred to as a miraculous compass, once again appeared more specifically and led us right to the exact home of the young child. We thrilled with anticipation for we knew the purpose of our journey was nearing its climax. The mother Mary’s eyes widened at our appearing and the extravagance of our gifts, but she seemed to understand the magnitude of our visit and her gracious welcoming allowed us to experience the marvel of the whole journey and culmination of supernatural events here in this small and common dwelling. Our surprise at the utter holiness of our visit overwhelmed us later that night.

We awoke having all experienced the same intense dream filled with warning not to return to King Herod’s court, so we set off for our distant home taking a different route, never to be the same again.

Following a star placed in the heavens by a holy hand who holds eternity gave us hope we hadn’t previously known. This little king radiated a glory we couldn’t have sensed without him, and we held him in our hearts as we traveled back to our land. We would never leave him behind even though we knew we would never see him again until that one who made the star we followed took us to be with Him.

Sunday's Offerings

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)

Flawed

Most of us don’t need anyone besides ourselves to tell us we’re flawed. Sin-stained and in need of salvation from the moment we breathe outside the womb. Those of us who’ve discovered that Jesus saves also come to know the value God has given to the human kind. It’s sometimes trickier to realize that value originates in His artistry and not in our own vain appeal.

It’s interesting when writers refer to their characters as “flawed”. I assume all characters are flawed since no one is perfect. Perhaps they mean uniquely flawed, abnormally flawed, quirky flawed, whiny flawed, or desperately flawed—in other words: specifically flawed. As in a particular area of their lives. I suppose there are opportunities in speculative fiction/fantasy to assimilate a “perfect” character for story purposes, but those might be the exception.

Sometimes we inject our own specific flaws into our characters because we are self-aware, recognizing and intimately knowing our weaknesses. Other times we observe specific flaws and translate them to the page in a character we seek to demonstrate as needy or brazen or evil. Certainly there are no perfect characters; just some that seem “more” flawed than others.

Within the context of story, characters appeal to us for various reasons. Sometimes it’s because we identify with their flaws or their circumstances or their challenges. Sometimes it’s because we admire their tenacity or their spunk or their intent to work through their unique flaws. It’s tougher to write major characters who won’t be liked by the majority of readers—to hide some redeeming quality under their skin or to insert small measures of likeability in order for the reader to stick with them.

Along the way readers discover what we enjoy and what we can’t stomach and what we will tolerate for the story’s sake. We tend to like a book because of how we relate to the characters whether they’re other-worldly, historical, or contemporary. I loved Mitch Rapp in Vince Flynn’s Pursuit of Honor. He’s the typical hero with some “issues”. Those issues don’t keep him from doing his job even when he’s in conflict with himself. Davis Bunn gives us the “fallen” hero-types and portrays them with such amazing skill that we sympathize and root for them from early on in their stories.

It’s not easy to get inside the head of someone who is not like us. From serial killers to those who just characterize opposite personalities, it takes a kind of keen level of observation skills and a vivid imagination which computes to realism on the page. That character must be real. Somehow the foreign traits, no matter how deplorable or admirable, need to come alive for the reader and not display a caricature.

If you’ve read enough of my reviews, you know the kind of characters I love and the ones I do not. How ‘bout your preferences?

Father, we are yours. Flawed, but redeemed because of you, not us. You’ve blessed us with skills. May we always use them for your glory. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

FOR MEN ONLY: Be a Joseph

As we approach our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, I would like to encourage men today with this message from the Christmas account.

Men today have multiple challenges of all kinds. For example, their visual instincts are exploited by every medium known to the human race, enticing them into sexually sinful thoughts and/or ways. Books such as Everyman’s Battle break it all down for them in a working and understandable way, but many Christian men won’t read the book(s) which identifies the problems of their gender, some because they’re unwilling to face their weaknesses and be required to do something about them, some because they think their reactions are all just part of being a man, and some because they feel hopeless and just can’t take one more jab of criticism from the holier than thou set.

The requirements are stiff for a man in this world. Especially in Christianity. Because Christianity requires a guy to be a man about everything. To step up. To take responsibility for himself, his wife, his family, his place in the body of Christ. It’s a tall order, and it can be daunting.

The Bible tells us in more ways than one, and history bears it out as well, “There is nothing new under the sun.” The only new things are the advanced technological ways to present and exploit the same old problems.

Well, men, if you want to usher in the new year with some fresh resolve, take a look at the earthly father of Jesus Christ, a carpenter by trade, not wealthy, a man of faith, placed in the middle of a difficult dilemma with the young woman he was pledged to marry. (If you’re some wayward wanderer in the blog kingdom, landing upon my title of this entry and certainly not expecting to find anything biblical, of all things, I urge you to complete your reading anyway—you just might learn something.) As most of you know, you can find the account in the following places in the New Testament: Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-23; Luke 1:26-56; 2:1-51.

Joseph had dreams and visions of angels which both challenged and amplified his faith. In the process of receiving life changing instructions through these supernatural encounters, he became an amazing man who is only discussed in these few places in the Bible. When he anticipated having to divorce his pregnant (not by him) fiancée, he thought of her, not wanting to “expose her to public disgrace”. It was after his practical consideration that the impractical took place: specific instruction of the how and who of this anointed child to come. What did Joseph do? “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name of Jesus.”

Through the course of time, Joseph was required by the Roman government to leave his home with his very pregnant bride and travel a considerable distance to Bethlehem for a census where this unusual child was born nearly upon arrival there, started a new life in that town, sometime later was told to leave in the night for an immediate escape to Egypt, travel back to Israel and eventually settle in a not so desirable town known as Nazareth where the family started over once again.

Each decision that Joseph made had to be a difficult one: uprooting his family because of dreams and visions. The consummate man of faith with the family who trusted his ability to hear and obey God’s leading. This was the man God hand-picked to be the earthly father of the Lord Jesus Christ. No one has ever held a more difficult role in humanity. So much weighed upon each decision he had to make. Yet God sent messengers, dreams, and visions to guide him from his simple life as a man pledged to be married to the awesome task of being the husband to the woman who carried the Christ or Messiah.

Never again. Once for all. But, men, I urge you to consider the depth of faith of the man Joseph. Are you willing to listen, dream, endure visions to hear from the living God? And then are you willing to obey? Single, married, divorced—are you willing to make a new commitment to the supernatural God who desires to find men who are anxious to upgrade their spiritual lives instead of just their computers or sound systems or football channels? Are you a real man of God who knows there is so much more available to you, and you want it? Regardless of what’s required of you? Are you willing to hear and obey?

Look at Joseph, an ordinary man of faith, selected to be an extraordinary man because of that faith and willingness to obey the God who asked him to do what some would have considered out of the question, not in their house, huh-uh, no way. What kind of man are you?

Father, your love is endless, your desires often plainly expressed, but you also use unpredictable means to communicate at times. You are the one true God. You make ordinary things extraordinary when you enter into them and participate actively. I am so in awe of you. Help me to listen and always obey. I want all that you have for me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Multiple Choice

Writers face some hard choices. Sometimes the story they desire to tell falls short of publishing expectations. “Not right for us.” “Not what we need right now.” “Not interested.” Advice for writers comes in many forms and ranges from salty sarcasm to passionate pleas.

The writer must face rejection from professionals and once published must again face possible rejection from readers. One thing is for sure: one writer will not satisfy everyone. Some people are tough to please and some people like just about everything.

Writers are warned about posting on the worldwide web. Once it’s out there and someone reads it, there can be fireworks, disappointments, challenges, regrets, or there can be empathy, laughter, tears, or praise. We are told that professionals scan blogs of prospective clients, hoping not to discover something that will shoot down a potential contract.

Controversy often stirs up bloggers and elicits all kinds of commentary. Snarky rants are usually tolerated if they contain sufficient humor. Whining rarely wins much positive attention. But neither does a non-stop bubbly perfection.

Truthfulness is deemed to be essential, but yet writers are told some things are better left unsaid. And some things are. Determining what those “things” might be can be confusing.

A writer is faced with multiple choices every time he/she sits at the keyboard or picks up the pen. Who is my number one audience? Who must I ultimately please? Can I disagree with “the norm”, whatever it is, and do it respectfully? Do I dare?

Just thinkin’ . . .

Father, it’s not supposed to be about us. It’s really all about you. Help us to keep that straight and up front above all other things. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Well . . . wow.

I thought my “Petty Pet Peeves” post was self-explanatory. Light, not dark. Just a few things that bug me—“petty” being the operative word. Small things really except for the Happy Holidays, etc., nonsense instead of Merry Christmas. Inconsequential. Nit-picky but not to be taken too seriously.

Little did I know I would be labeled “joy-less” and have my Christianity questioned. Accused of tearing down to build myself up. Wow! Complaining about nearly everything? Hmm.

Let’s start with book reviews on this blog. I think you could probably count on one hand the number of “bad” reviews I’ve written here. And, honestly, I gave valid reasons for not liking the particular novels and acknowledged that each book would probably find an audience to love it. There have been far more rave reviews posted here than any other kind.

Yeah, I’m defensive. I went through a bunch of my posts to determine whether or not I’m always complaining. I didn’t see that. And I’ll admit I was shocked at the accusations.

So . . . I’m rendered a bit speechless. At least one person is probably glad about that . . .

Father, you know my heart. You’re all I’m living for. Continue to instruct me according to your will and ways. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Petty Pet Peeves

Okay, probably not the best post for a Monday, but then again maybe it’s the perfect post for a Monday. These are just a few things that bug me. Granted, they might shouldn’t. But they do. Okay? Or not.

Angels: Angels don’t bug me at all. I’m grateful for them. But people are not angels, never will be angels, do not graduate to angel-dom at any point in our existence.

Angels: Angels are not “babies” or “cupids” or “ladies”. I do believe they can appear as either sex here on earth as needed, but never, not even once, are they portrayed as “children” or “females” in the Bible. They are powerful, often frightful, of unique designs, and occupy some kind of heavenly hierarchy.

Holiday Greetings, Happy Holidays, Warmest Wishes, Winter Programs

Santa Claus. Not he himself really, but the idea of him being all-knowing. In other words having God-like capabilities. Isn’t it interesting how people can tout “punishment” from Santa for being “naughty” and “reward” from Santa for “being nice”? Duh. So, let’s just make Santa God in order to have Christmas—er, Happy Holidays. Riiighhttt.

Non-traditional “holiday” songs. Songs which touch on everything about Christmas—but not Christmas itself.

Just a few of those things which truly do bug me. Truly.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Apart from Him we can do nothing. I love you, Lord.

Sunday's Offerings

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means "God with us."

Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV)

Meeting . . . The Familiar Stranger

The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry, published by Moody Publishers, is the current featured novel for the CFBA Weekend Blog Tour. Difficult to categorize as far as its genre, The Familiar Stranger falls somewhere between mild suspense and women’s fiction, although esteemed male authors such as James Scott Bell and Randy Ingermanson wrote compelling endorsements for Christina’s first novel.

This is a tough one to review because at any point I risk giving the reader a “spoiler”, and I don’t want to do that. So to begin I will start with how the story is told. In chapters labeled “His” and “Hers” the reader is introduced to Craig Littleton and his wife Denise. From their first person points of view we quickly realize their marital situation is on the skids, and Craig intends to do his version of a remedy. The couple has two sons, the oldest on the verge of turning 16. We assume the 46 year old affluent dentist is leaving his wife for another woman and has calculated a plan he thinks is foolproof.

Craig tells his wife he’s skipping church to go hiking at the Columbia River Gorge, and we are able to follow him in detail part of the way. Next thing we know Denise forgets to silence her cell phone in church and hurries out of the sanctuary to answer the call which tells her Craig has been in a serious car accident. After her best friend drives her and the boys to the hospital, she learns another man was present with her husband and killed at the scene. The attending doctor relays what little information he has and informs her that Craig has been put into a coma to alleviate the pain.

From this moment on their family life changes dramatically. When Craig emerges from the coma, he remembers nothing of his family or his dental practice or his secret life and plans. Craig and the other man at the scene were in an apparent argument by the side of the road when another car hit Craig’s vehicle, but being given this information rings no bells in his blacked-out memory.

Aside from the familiar plotline, the primary weakness in this story for me is Denise. She’s as flighty as a flag in a hurricane and sometimes she’s just plain annoying. This presents a problem when trying to make her the sympathetic character with whom the reader needs to identify and commiserate. Sometimes quite frankly I understand why Craig wanted to take a hike, if you get my drift, not in any way excusing his ugly and hypocritical, cold and calculating ways. Here’s the thing for me: some women are remarkably naïve and quick to judge instead of looking inward to examine their contributions to lack of marital bliss. Whether or not fault can be found, no one is excused for breaking his/her vows to another. In addition to that no one is excused for not forgiving either.

This story has been done in multiple ways multiple times. Christina’s take on it isn’t unique, but I’m quite sure it will garner a certain audience such as those readers who enjoy Karen Kingsbury’s novels (one of which is quite similar in plotline to this one) and that’s no small audience.

Father, continue to provide stories and blessing for Christina as she strives to honor you with her efforts in writing and in her life. Encourage her as only you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.