July 2008

I’ve been reading through the gospels the last several days. Matthew and Mark have a lot of similarities, and Luke follows them in many ways, but Luke tends to say things a bit differently, and I find those differences intriguing.

One difference had to do with a portion of chapter 17, which struck me afresh at this reading. Verses 7-10 say:

“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

The passage comes right after the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus then likened faith to a mustard seed. (If you’ve never seen one, they are about the size of two pinheads, round, and yellow – in other words, very small.) But after this comparison, Jesus gave the example of servants just doing their duty.

And isn’t that how faith acts? We hear the truth through the Word of God, and we do what it says. Our duty is to obey it. We aren’t to act as lords over others or carry an attitude that suggests we are entitled to more or should be treated better than anyone else. We just do what we’re called to do.

I guess I hadn’t really thought about faith and duty being intermixed like this before, and though I have been trying to develop a better servant’s heart, I hadn’t considered unworthiness in the same context. But they fit together perfectly. To recognize our own unworthiness keeps our attitudes more toward humility and to work with a servant’s heart shows our obedience. None of this comes naturally, which is where faith comes in. We believe Him, therefore, we serve Him who is worthy.

It’s our duty…

When the day began, I did not expect to spend part of it in tears. Had that been the case, I might not have wanted to get out of bed. But the day started instead on a good note. We attended a wedding last night, had great fellowship with some old friends, ate some tantalizing desserts, and in all enjoyed ourselves.

Today promised to be productive – if you count cleaning and laundry in those terms. Shadow barged into my room this morning needing affection, apparently because Tiger was getting his hugs from Randy. He’s become such a needy cat since he’s adjusted to Tiger. They get along pretty well though, which is a small miracle in itself.

Tiger likes to sit on the windowsill and look into the backyard. He chatters when he sees a bird, squirrel, or bunny. His chattering sounds more like uncontrollable teeth grinding than kitty talk. His jaw was moving fast and he was definitely watching something in amidst the weeds (this was not a good year to garden). We peeked beside him trying to see what he could see and lo and behold, a baby mouse was climbing the weeds munching.

Cute little thing, as long as he stays outside! The fact that he was so small worries me just a bit. That could mean he is a baby, which usually means there is a mother and possibly siblings. I’d go outside and whack the weeds, but mice and I don’t like each other much…besides, bunnies like our weeds too, so I suppose we are being somewhat kind and good to nature in feeding the wildlife.

The day progressed. I’ve managed, with a small amount of satisfaction of late, to learn to hang curtains using a drill and screws for the rods, replaced toilet seats, which I prefer over mice, despite the distasteful job, and cleaned bathrooms, which is just one of those have-to-dos. Chores finally at a point where I could leave, I grabbed what I needed and headed off to see my dad at the nursing home.

I didn’t expect to cry today. The nursing home has been really good to my dad, and I’ve had very few complaints, and even those were promptly cared for. But twice now I’ve had to deal with workers there who seem to have a chip on their shoulder. (On the other hand, most people there are usually kind and caring, so an attitude like this always surprises me.) I try to be kind in response, but also protective of my dad. History has proven that some of their assumptions have been wrong. I don’t like to be confrontational, but I do believe God would have me speak up for the defenseless – and my dad is definitely that.

I’ve noticed in reading the gospels these past few days how often Jesus spoke candidly. We so often see Him as gentle and compassionate, which He is. But as I said in my last post, we miss His authority. He humiliated the teachers of the law and the Pharisees on more than one occasion. He called hypocrisy what it is, and spoke truth even when it offended someone. He also didn’t let himself get into debates or arguments with people. His responses typically silenced them. Or He kept His mouth shut (as He did at His interrogation before they crucified Him.)

I’ve been thinking about this in relation to how I treat others. Do I sidestep the truth in order not to offend? I don’t like confrontation, but what happens when you have no choice? This woman wanted to argue with me today, instead of listen to my concerns. Clearly something was bothering my dad the whole time I was there. Fortunately, this nursing home takes the family’s concerns seriously and those decisions are not left up to just one person. Hopefully, things will be resolved soon.

These interpersonal relationships with men and women are a challenge far bigger than weeds in my garden or mice in my yard. I didn’t expect to get sideswiped today. Or cry all the way home.

But I’ll get through it. Tomorrow is another day…

I’ve had an insatiable desire of late to read the Bible. I don’t say that to sound pious, as I’m rather surprised by the desire myself. I’ve always loved God’s Word, and have read it often as many Christians do. But this hunger is different. It’s the type of hunger I have when I read page-turning fiction. I can’t get enough, and I long for time in the day to disappear to my room to read.

As with novels I review from time to time, I can’t ignore these wonderful books of Scripture I’ve just read. Job was the first, which I commented on a few weeks back. Job’s story is heart-wrenching, a pain-filled tale with deep, thoughtful questions. It also contains some of the best descriptions of God and His authority over creation in all of Scripture.

From there I read Galatians and 1 and 2 Peter intermixed with Genesis and 1 and 2 Samuel. The latter two books have been read in relation to my writing, but I love the books just the same. If you’ve never read David’s story in these books, don’t wait! They are a fascinating read.

The last few nights I’ve read Matthew and Mark. It is interesting to see how two different authors describe some of the same events in the life of Jesus. Matthew used a lot of quotes from the Old Testament to prove that Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures as the Christ had to do. He wanted the Jewish people to recognize Jesus as their Messiah. Many did. Even today many still do. I pray for Israel and her people that they may see this truth soon.

Three things stood out to me in the book of Mark. The first was his mention of Jesus when he was tempted in the desert by the devil. He says that Jesus was with the wild animals in the wilderness and that angels ministered to Him after the temptation. While I remembered reading about the angels ministering to Him, I had not recalled mention of the wild animals. I pictured the Judean wilderness we recently visited. I’m not sure what animals live there other than foxes and goats and gazelles, but I suspect lions and even bears could be out there somewhere too. Imagine how those animals felt to be in the presence of their Creator. He could speak their language. They would have obeyed Him as the wind and waves did. Did they fear Him? Or did they gather around Him to comfort Him?

The second thing that I noticed was how often Jesus pulled His disciples apart from the crowd to listen to them or to teach them or to give them a much-needed rest from the masses. When He spoke of the future and things to come, Mark tells us that only Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him what to expect in days to come. Jesus wasn’t afraid to send the crowds away or get away by Himself to spend time with His Father.

Lastly, I was surprised at how in His earthly ministry Jesus commanded much respect, even fear. He spoke as “one having authority and not as their scribes.” People fell on their knees before Him in supplication, afraid. Demon possessed men, a synagogue ruler, a woman who was healed, a foreigner, a blind man – people from all walks of life approach Him trembling, falling on their knees before Him as one who deserved to be worshiped.

Someday, “every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Even those who mocked Him. Even those who crucified Him. Even those who hate Him still.

But then, as now, some of them recognized His authority, His power, His right to rule, and they fell to their knees before Him. They begged for His mercy. They asked His permission to be allowed to touch Him.

He wasn’t afraid to speak the truth or worried about offending human religious leaders. He rebuked, commanded, and comforted according to the need. He deserved the respect some gave Him. He will receive that respect someday utterly and completely.

In Job, God shows His authority over all creation. In Mark, Jesus shows His authority over the same. If you haven’t read either book lately, I encourage you to do so.

Shalom~

Sometimes, when I think about sin and the effect it has on the human race, I think about its roots. If you believe the Biblical account of Adam and Eve, which I do, then you believe that sin began with Adam. Romans 5 says ~

…sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…

The thing is, if sin began with Adam, why did we have to inherit it? Why couldn’t each individual born since Adam have the same opportunity, the same choices? If we were not born into sin, if we had been born sinless, then perhaps one of us would have chosen not to sin as he did. Seems fair, doesn’t it?

This thought troubled me for a few days, and I asked the Lord why? What was it about sin that had to be passed down to every single person born since Adam?

As I pondered the thought, I realized that sin isn’t just a genetic disorder that may or may not be passed on to one’s offspring. The curse of sin is death, and once it was set in motion, it could never be undone. Adam knew the risk. God had told him that if he ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil he would die. The serpent lied to Eve and told her she wouldn’t surely die. So Eve believed the lie. Adam knew better and ate of the fruit anyway. Once they disobeyed, the curse descended upon them permeating their genetic makeup in such a way that it became part of the human race, as impossible to live without as blood or brain cells.

The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification…through the one man, Jesus Christ.

For God to have given each person the same choice as He gave to Adam, He would have had to destroy Adam and start over with a new sinless man. Adam and Eve’s children could not be born in innocence. They already carried the genetic death disorder and would carry the scars of sin and pass them down to every generation to come. Born in sin, every one of us also chooses to sin. There was no escape. Until Jesus came, born not of Adam’s seed but God’s, born in innocence – sinless. He was given similar tests, many times over, like the one Adam faced at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and thanks be to God, He passed.

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous…so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So while for a time I considered it a bit unfair that sin condemned us all on account of one man’s choice, I realized that fairness from a purely just point of view would have been to destroy the sinners and wipe out the human race. God could have started over again with a different race perhaps, but since we are all descended from Adam, we wouldn’t be here or have a chance to live at all if He had done such a thing. It was mercy that sent Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and mercy that allowed death’s consequences to prevail to remind us of sin’s existence. If nothing else, we can never be good enough to escape death – it is a constant reminder of the fall from innocence.

But then God, in His immeasurable grace and goodness sent Jesus to destroy death and bring us eternal life. One man brought sin and death. The other brought restoration to God and life eternal. The difference is choice.

Adam’s choice brought us death. Christ’s death offers us life. Our choice is to decide between the two. Both come with birth. Adam’s at our first, human birth. Christ’s at a second, spiritual birth. The difference is that one is automatic, impossible to escape. The other is a gift, a choice we can accept or refuse.

So in the end, if we want to quibble about fairness, we can’t say we didn’t have the option to choose. God went to great lengths to give us that choice.

Now it’s up to us…

The Christy Awards had their banquet a week or so ago announcing this year’s winners in Christian fiction. Some of my author friends, Deborah Raney and Tamera Alexander among them, were finalists and Tammy won in the Romance category! Also, Lynn Austin, one of my favorite Biblical novelists, also won in the Historical category. (Winners are bold highlighted.)

CONTEMPORARY (Stand Alone)

Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin (Thomas Nelson)
In High Places by Tom Morrisey (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson)

CONTEMPORARY (Series, Sequels and Novellas)

Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon (Viking Penguin)
A Time to Mend by Sally John and Gary Smalley (Thomas Nelson)
What Lies Within by Karen Ball (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

HISTORICAL

A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
Tendering in the Storm by Jane Kirkpatrick (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

LITS (tie)

Hallie’s Heart by Shelly Beach (Kregel Publications)
Doesn’t She Look Natural by Angela Hunt (Tyndale House Publishers)
Let Them Eat Cake by Sandra Byrd (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)
Trophy Wives Club by Kristin Billerbeck (Avon Inspire, a division of HarperCollins Publishers)

ROMANCE

Remembered by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
Lightning and Lace by DiAnn Mills (Barbour Publishing)
Remember to Forget by Deborah Raney (Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster)

SUSPENSE

The Cure by Athol Dickson (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay (Moody Publishers)
The Pawn by Steven James (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

VISIONARY

Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead (Thomas Nelson)
Auralia’s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)
The Restorer by Sharon Hinck (NavPress Publishing Group)

FIRST NOVEL

The Stones Cry Out by Sibella Giorello (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
Auralia’s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)
Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee (NavPress Publishing Group)

YOUNG ADULT

Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson (NavPress Publishing Group)
In Between by Jenny B. Jones (NavPress Publishing Group)
Maggie Come Lately by Michelle Buckman (NavPress Publishing Group)

It’s an honor to even be nominated for a Christy – the premier award in Christian fiction – kind of like the Oscars for film but on a smaller scale. Congratulations to all finalists and winners!

In another contest – winners to be announced in September – American Christian Fiction Writers has determined its 2008 Book of the Year Finalists as follows:

Debut Author

* Bayou Justice (Robin Miller writing as Robin Caroll)
* In Between (Jenny B Jones)
* Sushi for One? (Camy Tang)
* My Soul Cries Out (Sherri Lewis)
* Petticoat Ranch (Mary Connealy)

Contemporary Novella (*six finalists due to a tie)

* A Cloud Mountain Christmas (Robin Lee Hatcher)
* Finally Home (Deb Raney in Missouri Memories anthology)
* Mississippi Mud (DiAnn Mills in Sugar And Grits Anthology)
* Moonlight & Mistletoe (Carrie Turansky in Big Apple Christmas anthology)
* Remaking of Moe McKenna (Gloria Clover in the Race to the Altar anthology)
* Sweet Dreams Drive (Robin Lee Hatcher)

Historical Novella

* Beyond the Memories (DiAnn Mills in Mississippi Memories anthology)
* Finishing Touches (Kelly Hake in Missouri Memories anthology)
* Love Notes (Mary Davis in Love Letters anthology)
* The Spinster & The Cowboy (Lena Nelson Dooley in Spinster Brides of Cactus Corner anthology)
* The Spinster & The Tycoon (Vickie McDonough in Spinster Brides of Cactus Corner anthology)

Lits (*six finalists due to a tie)

* Around the World in 80 Dates (Christa Banister)
* One Little Secret (Bottke, Allison)
* Renovating Becky Miller (Sharon Hinck)
* Splitting Harriet (Tamara Leigh)
* Sushi for One? (Camy Tang)
* The Book of Jane (Dayton/Vanderbilt)

Long contemporary

* Autumn Blue (Karen Harter)
* Like Always (Robert Elmer)
* Taming Rafe (Susan May Warren)
* When the Nile Runs Red (DiAnn Mills)
* Within This Circle (Deb Raney)

Long Historical (*seven finalists due to TWO ties)

* Courting Trouble (Deeanne Gist)
* Fancy Pants (Cathy Hake)
* Lady of Milkweed Manor (Julie Klassen)
* Remember Me (Maureen Lang)
* Then Came Hope (Louise Gouge)
* Veil of Fire (Marlo Schalesky)
* Where Willows Grow (Kim Vogel Sawyer)

Mystery

* Days And Hours (Susan Meissner)
* Death of a Garage Sale Newbie (Sharon Dunn)
* Gone With The Groom (Janice Thompson)
* Sticks And Stones (Susan Meissner)
* Your Chariot Awaits (Lorena McCourtney)

Short Contemporary

* Heart of the Family (Margaret Daley)
* The Heart of Grace (Linda Goodnight)
* The Perfect Blend (Allie Pleiter)
* Wedded Bliss (Kathleen Y’Barbo)
* When Love Comes Home (Arlene James)

Short Contemporary Suspense (*six finalists due to a tie)

* Caught Redhanded (Gayle Roper)
* Her Christmas Protector (Terri Reed)
* Nowhere to Hide (Debby Giusti)
* Pursuit of Justice (Pamela Tracy)
* See No Evil (Gayle Roper)
* Vanished (Margaret Daley)

Short Historical (*six due to a tie)

* A Time to Keep (Kelly Hake)
* A Wealth Beyond Riches (Vickie McDonough)
* Canteen Dreams (Cara Putman)
* Corduroy Road to Love (Lynn Coleman)
* Golden Days (Mary Connealy)
* To Trust An Outlaw (Rhonda Gibson

Speculative

* Demon: A Memoir (Tosca Lee)
* DragonFire (Donita Paul)
* The Restorer (Sharon Hinck)
* The Restorer’s Son (Sharon Hinck)
* Isle of Swords (Wayne Thomas Batson)

Suspense

* Abomination (Colleen Coble)
* Black Ice (Linda Hall)
* Coral Moon (Brandilyn Collins)
* Crimson Eve (Brandilyn Collins)
* Ransomed Dreams (Amy Wallace)

Women’s Fiction

* A Promise To Remember (Katie Cushman)
* Bygones (Kim Sawyer)
* Remember to Forget (Deb Raney)
* The Oak Leaves (Maureen Lang)
* Watercolored Pearls (Stacy Adams)

Young Adult

* In Between (Jenny B. Jones)
* On The Loose (Jenny B. Jones)
* Sara Jane: Liberty’s Torch (Eleanor Clark
* Sarah’s Long Ride (Susan P Davis)
* Saving Sailor (Renee Riva)

Of these finalists, I’ve only read a handful of the books, but some of my favorite authors are represented! The books I have read in this list and can recommend for your reading pleasure are:

Courting Trouble
Fancy Pants
Remember Me
Remember to Forget
The Oak Leaves

As you can see, I read too slow – there are so many choices! Many of these are on my want-to-read list. If only I could do three things at once! Sigh. :)

In any case – Congratulations to all of the BOTY Finalists! Can’t wait to see who wins at the ACFW Rewards Gala in Minneapolis in September!

As much as I love writing Biblical fiction, as I mentioned the other day, I am finding it is not without its difficulties and struggles. I never wanted to write about Job because I didn’t want to experience his trials. But David and his wives had plenty of trials of their own. I just didn’t realize how much they would affect me. Of course, I lived through some of those feelings with Michal and Abigail. But now, as I’m beginning Bathsheba, I’m encountering a whole new level of emotion. What was she like before she met David? What were her struggles? How did such a devastating sin affect them both? Just reading the Psalms gives us a clue. Living to please God and then failing, is often where the Psalmists found themselves. During their cries for forgiveness, for rescue, for mercy, they met God and found Him there.

Paul said it best in Romans 7:14-25

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

As I’ve struggled with this sin nature, this living of my own and my characters’ emotions, I remembered 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Have you ever thought why in relation to our sin God is called “faithful and just?” If He were just, which He is, He would have to punish us for every sin. It is what we deserve, after all. But He is also faithful to His own covenant, to His promises – the new covenant in Christ’s blood brought about by His death, burial, and resurrection, the promise to forgive those who trust in Him. And so His justice is satisfied by His faithfulness to the covenant. Only because of His faithfulness and justice can He forgive and cleanse us. We don’t deserve cleansing apart from Him.

Which is exactly what David felt when he cried for mercy after he sinned with Bathsheba. How often did he see Uriah’s bloody, broken body in his mind, knowing that he was the cause? What pictures couldn’t his mind erase of things he could never undo? I imagine the memories played over and over in his head, and the guilt, according to the Psalms, consumed him. So he confessed his sin and begged God for cleansing. And God, because of the covenants He had already made to Abraham and the future promise and covenants He would make in Christ, could in faithfulness and justice forgive.

As He can forgive us as well…