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Five pair of boots. The long and short of them. Yes, you have to have the legs for the long ones. I love them all. I used to have a pair of black thigh length calfskin boots with a flat heel. Loved them. Had to rig a belt through the loops at the top under my dresses to keep them snugly up, but I didn't care. And I never would've warn them like the top model. Mini-dress, yes. Micro-mini. No. Those boots were awesome. And I was 20 years old at the time. I have two pair like the short ones in these pictures, one brown, one black. I have a pair of black mid-calf leather boots and one pair of black knee-high boots with a high heel, two pair of boots used to exercise Thoroughbreds, one brown, one black. So. That's this Friday's Five.
Lord, you've put up with me for so long. How grateful I am for that. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Sheer elegance with a touch of rustic finishes. Gorgeous. Love this one.
Father, heaven must be spectacular because you've allowed tremendous beauty on this fallen earth. In spite of us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
So. If it came right down to it, what is the percentage of Christian novels you read compared to those of the general market? I'll tell you my estimate: 80/20 Christian novels to secular.
I can also tell you it used to be 100% to zero. I spent 30 years in the world believing in God but not knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord. I spent the last 10 years before my salvation delving into worldly ways, essentially knowing right from wrong and rebelling into wrong areas. My rebellion wasn't against my parents because I loved and respected them and recognized that how they'd raised me was the way life should be. I think I rebelled because I wasn't "happy" so I tried sampling the other direction. That might've been fun for awhile, but it certainly didn't solve my "happy" problem - it only made it worse.
When I met the Lord, I didn't want anything to do with certain things I used to do so I began my Christian reading with the amazing Frank Peretti. Loved his novels. And that's how my reading stayed for many years.
However, in recent times, as Brenda S. Anderson noted in her guest post here, the authenticity of several Christian novels has suffered from rigid requirements to keep them "clean". Most of us realize life is dirty. Sometimes dirty low down. Does that mean we must saturate our work with filth? No. In fact, it makes the opposite true. We expose the dirt for what it is by writing authentic stories with real life un-sanitized situations and emotions but not focused on the vile. It certainly can be done and done well.
If you ever had the privilege of reading The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson, you know exactly what I'm talking about. A tremendous story of love and loss, defiled dreams and rewarding fulfillment, an incredible story with plenty of the ugliness and beauty of life and love.
The menu in Christian fiction, also acknowledged in Brenda's post, has been restrained significantly. Amish novels flooded the market. Historical romance is all that's offered according to Brenda Jackson instead of the inclusion of historical epics without the predominance of romance. Romantic suspense dominates the mystery/suspense genres.
Most of us who read Christian fiction do it because we don't wish to be inundated with f-bombs, total irreverence, and explicit sex scenes. Granted, not all secular novels include these things, but it's fair to say that most of them take part in at least one of them.
So . . . your percentages?
God, thank you for rescuing me. I never deserved your love but am so grateful for it. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.