Into the Fire

Friday Five

 

                        
                 

Five favorite scriptures:

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Isaiah 49:16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

 

Beautiful words, Lord God Almighty.

Which is the hardest to do?

 

 

As human beings we are born into sin. We all have that in common. It has been contended via discussions and in fiction that we are all capable of heinous deeds given the wrong circumstances and temptations. I do agree that we can be pushed to far places beyond where we'd like to go, but I'm not so sure that all of us would resort to depraved actions. By my saying that, please don't assume I'm excluding myself from the crowd that would. I don't know what I'd do under the kind of pressure that makes people crack.

So, as writers, which do you think is easier to create: the bad guy/villain or the good guy/hero? Same question concerning female characters. Women have so many shades of evil. Is it harder to create a bad guy or a bad girl?

Here's what I've discovered. It's very difficult to not write a stereotypical villain, male or female. After all, as human beings, we have similar tendencies. We can be grouped physically, psychologically, and even spiritually. It's not absurd to notice villains contain similar attributes which lend them to familiar caricatures.

So. What do you think? Is it easier for you to do the good guy/gal or the bad guy/gal?

 

Father, we wish to die to self daily to keep that evil flesh from getting its way. Help us to be the ones you called us to be. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

Reading anyone?

 

                                   

 

Is there a time of the year when you read more?

Favorite place to read?

 

Father, thank you for the joys of reading. It's a gift to read and write. Thank you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Redefining The American Dream?

 

   

 

Since when did the "new normal" replace The American Dream? Since learning institutions have tried to peddle the lies about the beauty of realizing The American Dream? Denouncing it, defiling it, denying its significance?

Here's what The American Dream means to me. It means that if you're an American, you're equal to every other American. If you're not an American and want a piece of The American Dream, you come here legally, you become a citizen, and everything that I can attempt to do in this country is available to you.

The American Dream includes liberty. You choose your religion, your education, your job(s), career(s), your hopes and dreams. You work for everything you want. You achieve a version of success by trying your best and making sure your hard work counts for something. If it doesn't, you try something else. It's not about wealth, but wealth can be a benefit. It's about earning a living, learning to be content, finding what you love to do - and if it can't be that perfect job, perhaps it can be a fun hobby - and giving your best to accomplish your goal.

The American Dream found its life in the Scriptures. Its origin is based on godly principles and their applications.

The "new normal" squanders all the principles of The American Dream and denigrates the beauty and majesty of working for something valuable. The new normal brings laziness and complacency and encourages dependence instead of energy, innovation, and inspiration. The new normal is a disgrace to the vigor and purpose of The American Dream. It should be eliminated from our society and buried with its lack of vision and substance.

The American Dream holds sacred all that God ordained for the human race in its practical administration. It's honorable and desirable. Its restoration into the hearts and minds of the citizens of America must be attained to sustain this country as it was meant to be. 

 

God, you built this country. Its beauty is your creation. You've blessed it with your favor because it was founded on your principles. Please remember us as we fight to restore what is valuable in your sight. In the  Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Not easily impressed . . .

 

      

 

I'm not in the high school frame of mind when it comes to the writing world. Admittedly, that's a bit unfair, but let's be real: the publishing world is clique-y. Since it's important to make good impressions on future business associates, all you have to do to be reminded of what it felt like to either be in the "popular" crowd or aspire to be in the "popular" crowd, is to read the blog comments on professionals' posts, be it their blogs, Facebook, or Twitter. Idolatry is alive and well in the publishing industry.

Hey, for a short season I felt like every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the professionals held special benefits for all who read or heard them. Until I realized most of what is advised and discussed has to do with the "rules" of writing, conduct, and solicitation. This is no doubt for the convenience of repeating solid advice to the ever-present newcomers to the writing world. If the pros can get them schooled early, just maybe that stack of ill-written or undesirable manuscripts in the slush piles will diminish. Not likely, but getting ahead of the curve never hurts.

Some of the pros go the distance for future clients, show their generous spirits and humility. Others elevate their noses in the air ever so slightly just like that one blonde who dated the senior QB in high school used to do.

In reality we're all just people at different places in the writing universe. Equal in every way except in our writing appeal. The old phrase "to each his own" really holds significant meaning when your writing is being evaluated, and it's important to realize that just because you're not in the "in crowd" writing-wise doesn't mean your writing isn't any good. It can mean that, but it isn't a given.

I'm not easily impressed with professionals. It's not that I don't admire the success and acquired knowledge. I do. However, they're just people with their own set of tastes, "rules", motivations, and decisions to make. Just like you and me. 

 

Father, we're not special. You make us worthy in your Name. Apart from you, we can do nothing. Help us to remember our equality in you - and act accordingly. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

 

 

 

Sunday's Offerings

 

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret - it leads only to evil.

For evil men will be cut off,

but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

 

Psalm 37:7-9 (NIV)

Trending . . . Thanksgiving

 

                         

 

Giving thanks has become a current trend. Facebook, Twitter, blog posts all state a variety of "Thank yous". It's a trend. Not a bad one certainly, but a trend nevertheless.

If we have to be reminded to give thanks, one of two things is happening. One: things are really tough at present. Two: we're too self-absorbed with the everyday of life to recognize the very air we breathe is a gift.

I'm going to give thanks here for two parents who grew up in hard times in a hard place. My mom contracted small pox as a young girl but recovered. My dad had a touch of scarlet fever as a child and recovered. They knew if they wanted anything in this life they would have to work for it. And work hard since their young lives were filled with hardship and tough times. My parents followed the American dream and were rewarded with its realizations. They were grateful to be able to work, to earn their livelihoods. For everything my dad accomplished he remained thankful and humble and generous. Mom made our home a sanctuary. A place where Dad could come home after many hours at his job and have a hot meal, Mom's delicious baked desserts, and a quiet household where he could unwind in peace. A place where I could count on her every day of my life until she died. Montavani Strings sometimes played on the Hi-Fi or the Tijuana Brass or Louis Armstrong until I commandeered it in high school and blasted rock 'n' roll from its ample speakers.

I'm thankful that I spent some years in the world - for one reason. I know intimately what it's like to be lost. I know what sin is and don't have to wonder if I did something wrong or if I really need a Savior. I rejected being "good" because it didn't make me happy. So I tried being "bad". Not realizing I could never be good on my own. Being bad didn't come easy, but I mastered it. And it reaped a great deal of pain. As it always does. Salvation didn't wipe out the pain or erase the scars, but it slowly and patiently changed my heart and gave me real life.

Our days on earth are numbered. We have so many choices to make from the age of accountability to the end of our days. One of the primary options is to find a way to stay thankful. The decision doesn't always come easily, and, frankly, I don't see it much in those who labor through life without Jesus Christ. Come to think of it, if you have no God, who do you thank for anything? Ultimately, you can be thankful for the opportunity to experience life or you can selectively pick and choose what makes you thankful. 

I'm not trending toward thanksgiving. I am Thankful.

A joyous and thankful Thanksgiving to you and yours.

 

Thank you, Jesus. You're all I'm livin' for.

 

Play to your strengths . . .

 

  

Physical strength varies even within people who are the same size. Some smaller people have remarkable strength while some large people show limited physical capability. All kinds of physiques can train to gain strengths, but each individual possesses different talents which aren't always visible in physical demonstrations.

I'm only 5' 4". When I was young and working at the racetrack, I developed some decent strength for my size and weight. Handling Thoroughbreds and tugging on hay and straw bales force you to get tough. You push yourself to do what you couldn't do before you gained the experience and reps.

When writing, you have to play to your strengths as you develop ways to compensate for your natural weaknesses. I've been told and I tend to agree that my writing strengths show up in character development and dialogue. No wonder I don't write complex plots, huh? Not to say I can't improve on my natural strengths but good to know I at least have been complimented on them.

I don't have a formula for the weight lifting exercises involved in perfecting your writing strengths, and I tend to shun the instructions that guarantee or suggest a slam dunk approach. All I can offer in the practical sense is to keep working out. Read and write - the best exercise for honing your strengths and developing the weaker areas.

And pray. Like you believe in it.

 

Father, please help me gain what I lack in all areas of my life. You're all I'm livin' for. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Understanding . . .

 

 

I can't take a steady diet of it, but when reading Vince Flynn, I do understand why the Christian reading world resorts to reading secular literature. Most general market fare contains cussing, but if it's used sparingly, I confess it works to establish a reality that can fit the scenes and plots of stories centered on life in this world.

I'm very selective of my reading material. Since most of what I read falls into the Christian Fiction category, when I branch out into worldly literature, there are only a very few genres I'll explore. Graphic "romance" doesn't interest me and actually takes the real romance right out of the story and inserts explicit lust in its place.

However, those of us who've been in multiple discussions about Christian literature have participated in the conflicts raised over the use of certain words and situations. Extremes sit on both sides of the invisible fence that exists to allow restrictive requirements in order to qualify for what the CBA is willing to support and promote.

What suffers from sitting on this fictitious fence or residing on the favored side of restrictions is the simple reality of life. The heart of Christianity reaches out to a lost world where bad behavior and language rule. While in our lives we turn away from those things that serve to drive a wedge between us and our Lord, the world has little knowledge of what constitutes sin. If we can't illustrate a desirable contrast to a life of sin, we serve no real purpose in this life. And for a writer, we have a wonderful opportunity to portray little bits of real life within our stories.

Here's where the crux of the dilemma is exposed. If, as an author of Christian Fiction, a writer decides to write stories to entertain the saints, which is a noble goal in itself, the restrictive nature of the requirements can be less of a problem for both writers and readers. If an author desires to branch out in his/her appeal, it's much trickier to adhere to the requirements. It's not a matter of joining the world's behaviors, it becomes a matter of contrast. An accurate contrast to expose the ways of the world as opposed to the ways of a loving God necessitates giving a dose of reality to the words and actions in the story. The characters must come alive on the pages and be relatable to those who read about them.

I love Vince Flynn's novels. They're thrilling, realistic, sometimes contain more cussing than I'd prefer, but the characters are alive on the pages. Real. It's refreshing to read his stories for that one word: real.

Your thoughts?

 

Father, help me to be real when I write. Real. You're the author of real. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Sunday's Offerings

 

Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Delight yourself in the Lord

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Psalm 37:3-6 (NIV)

Friday Five

 

        

The reason clichés stick around is because they contain truth expressed in interesting or amusing ways.

Favorite word for something I like: Cool!

Describe yourself in one word. (You know mine.)

I'm actually stalling my reading of Vince Flynn's latest The Last Man because I don't want it to be over for another year.

What's the last book you read that you loved? (Mine was Kristen Heitzmann's The Breath of Dawn.)

 

Lord, you've given us unique qualities but our humanity unites us. If only we could be one in you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Sad.

 

    

 

When the days turn short in light and long on grey, melancholy slips into the psyche of some. Maybe it's the essence of death as winter approaches with its closure for certain flowers, leaves, and even life.

I also like to say I was born on the first day of fall and hope to use it one day as the opening sentence in a novel. I don't know the intricacies of why the first day of fall rotates dates, but I was definitely born on the first day of fall which is now my second favorite season - or perhaps tied with summer.

I do get the blues as fall approaches. There's a certain emotion, sensuality, and supreme melancholy accompanying fall's arrival. For me, it only lasts a little while. I accept the shortened days, the long nights to come. Each season has its own mood.

Where I'm from we get the spectacular shades and colors of autumn to offset the creeping malaise of winter's barren trees. And we have evergreens to remind us that once again green foilage and vibrant flora will return in  technicolors.

My husband and son share that somber adversity to lost light. Me? Only for the onset of fall. Then it's just the season, that in-between one, and on to Thanksgiving and the joys of Christmas.

Loss makes any season dreary. For a time. Tears seem to overflow. Surprise us in their volume. Will the sadness ever stop? Yes is the short answer. No is the long answer that eventually leads to yes. Here on earth, the answer is no. Perpetual living and dying transpire. In heaven, the future answer is yes - if we choose the road to that holy place. A heartbeat away, yes awaits. How many more we each have - who knows but the One who gave us life?

Today: I'm just sad.  

 

Lord, I know your comfort. Over and over again you've provided it. I still need it. And will continue to. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

A time to be born . . .

 

And a time to die . . . (Ecc. 3:2)

Thank you to each one of you who took it seriously when I asked for prayer for one of our Thoroughbreds. His name was Caleb's Land, and he was a rich dark brown which often looked black. His rear coronet bands were dusted with white, and he had a bold white star on his forehead.

He was born here. And he died here. Young at 15 years.

He got well until Monday when an episode left him very . . . badly. He died that night.

A time to mourn . . . (Ecc. 3:4b)

And we are. We loved you, Caleb.

 

God, you give and take away. Yet will I praise you. In the Name of Jesus.

 

New series TV . . .

 

                            

I'm rather enjoying Elementary on CBS. Anyone else?

 

Father, I can do nothing apart from you. I rely on you for all things. So thank you for the small stuff along with the huge stuff. Your grace is sufficient. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Veterans

 

 

My dad taught me about patriotism. I don't honestly know how he did it, but his love for this country permeated his life. Perhaps it was because he was one of the several children of Italian immigrant parents who made their way to Butte, Montana. Some of you might know Butte used to be a mining town, and it was a rough place. My grandfather who died before I ever had the chance to meet him owned and operated a cobbler shop. My dad and the rest of his siblings worked in the shop. My dad also sold newspapers on the street corners where you had to fight, literally, for the best corners. He later sold flowers and worked in the mines before eloping with my mom on his 21st birthday. He eventually left Butte in hopes of finding a better life in Seattle, Washington. And he did.

I know he was broken-hearted when he tried to enlist during World War II but was rejected because of his feet. They were flat, and he had hammer-toes. Not conducive to miles of marching and just basic hardcore support. I know because I inherited the flat feet.

The rest of his admiration for the military must have been transmitted to me through the years in ways I can't recall. My brother joined the Navy as a young man, but I didn't truly understand it all because I was 9 years younger. I remember being very proud of him and loving to get rare letters from him. One of them told me I'd been voted "queen" of their ship, and you can imagine the thrill of that for a grade school girl in the 50s when we were still quite innocent.

I can't remember never appreciating the military. I had friends who joined or were drafted during the Viet Nam war. Stationed from Japan to Thailand, they returned to a hostile environment of anti-war sentiments and foolish college kids.

All I know is I love the military. I want to honor those who've served. As human beings, they certainly aren't without flaws. Some are a whole lot flawless than others but still human beings subject to all the same weaknesses as the rest of us. What separates them is their desire to serve their country, to relinquish an easier life and yield to the needs of our nation.

All over the world, our men and women in uniform do as they're told and give all of their efforts to protect and perserve the ways of this nation. It's honorable. It's respectable. It's admirable. And we need them.

This day I thank my dad for his love of country, his respect for the military, my brother's service to our country, and every other man or woman who has surrendered their lives to serve the USA. They deserve more acclaim, higher wages, a decent retirement, far more than our congressmen and women. They do far more in their courageous offerings to our country than the average politician but often get less respect.

Veterans, I honor you. Thank you for your noble service to the United States of America. 

 

Father, please guard and protect our military. Please minister the truth of who you are to each one of them. Please bless their service and may they know you as you want to be known. I ask it in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Sunday's Offerings

 

Do not fret because of evil men

or be envious of those who do wrong;

for like the grass they will soon wither,

like green plants they will soon die away.

Psalm 37:1-2 (NIV)

And the beat goes on . . .

 

                                                         
                                       

 

The "beat" twangs and strikes a painful chord. The music isn't lively, pretty, sultry, rockin', or solemnly beautiful. It's off key. Sounds wretched.

The sun shines, the rain falls, whispers of snowfall dot landscapes, and wind blusters here and there. Routine follows people, silence tracks many.

Troubling times lurk, get ignored, glossed over, disregarded. Celebrated cheering accompanies vain attempts at resurrecting something from nothing.

Evil sits quiet in the shadows, howling laughter unheard by the masses. Triumph! it gloats.

Holiness lies pushed to the ground, spit upon, kicked and trampled.

But high above, the watchfulness monitors the wickedness, waits for eyes to search for truth and freedom but finds souls relishing their successful immersion into the vile vomit of the death of virtue.

One day the beat will go on again. Perfectly. In tune. Lovely in melody, powerful in chords of joy. One day there will be songs of life.

 

God, you reign. Over all. Overall. You reign. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

"Guesting"

 

 

 

Gone visiting here.

 

God, you're all I'm livin' for. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Speechless

 

Woe to those who call evil good

and good evil,

who put darkness for light and light for darkness,

who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes

and clever in their own sight. 

Isaiah 5:20-21 (NIV)

November 6th, 2012

 

This is it.

 

God have mercy on the USA and please shed your grace on us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.