Christians Read

A Secret for Dealing with the Exasperating People in Your Life by James L. Rubart

Posted on October 15, 2013 by James L. Rubart

(I previously published the following post on my James L. Rubart site, but due to the response I received, I think it’s worth running again for those of you who aren’t subscribed to my personal blog,)

Do you have anyone in your life that treats you poorly again and again in ways that makes no logical sense? I might be able to help you deal with it.

But first—to set up my insight–I have talk a little Survivor (the TV show.) There’s a contestant on the show this season that is the epitome of treating people poorly.

If you’re a fan, all I have to do is write the word, “Colton.” If you’re not watching, here’s a ten second recap:

Colton was a contestant (he quit the show last episode) who played a few seasons back, and returned for this season, called Blood vs Water. Previous players have come with a loved one and have been split into opposing tribes.

Colton is probably the most racist, bigoted, cruel, bullying person I’ve ever seen. Viewers loathed the guy, but CBS had to secretly love it. (To be compelling, a story needs an intriguing villain, right?)

After he quit a few weeks back, Colton skittered over to the other tribe and sat on his guy’s lap. (Colton is gay.)

When he did this, something tweaked in my brain. Sit on his loved one’s lap? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a grown man sit on the lap of their significant other, gay or straight. It was extremely strange behavior. That’s when I realized something that has helped me with my difficult relationships for many years now.

Colton’s behavior was completely appropriate, because Colton is two, maybe three years old. Not physically or intellectually, but emotionally. My guess is something traumatic happened to Colton in his very early years and he’s been frozen emotionally at that age ever since.

So when he was put in a particularly difficult situation (Survivor ain’t easy physically or emotionally from what I’ve seen and been told) the three-year-old came out. What three year old isn’t going to crawl up on the lap of the person they think can comfort or protect them?

A Light Bulb Went Off in my Life

A number of years ago, I had a close friend who continued to behave in a way that frustrated me deeply. But when I learned he had a brutal incident happen in his life at age 12, and I compared his actions to my then 12-year old son, all his strange decisions and hurtful actions made sense.

Darci and I started looking at our extended families this way. Bingo! Instant insight and understanding.

Is this making sense to you? Can you look at some of the people around and start to understand why they act like they do?

You Might Want to Stop Reading Here

The truth is 99% of us have been wounded when we were young, and if you’re willing to buy into my theory above, it means we probably need to admit we might be much younger emotionally than we realized. That we’re also frozen.

But that’s okay. That’s when healing can begin. It’s when Jesus can come into the broken area and start to put the pieces of our heart back together.

Also, when we realize most people’s strange behavior comes out deep pain from long ago, we might start having more compassion for them.

Even for a guy like Colton.

Even for little boys and girls like you and me.

Posted in Honored Alumni, James L. Rubart, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Believe . . . Anyway

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Vicki Hinze

Some people are born with innate faith. They don’t seem to work at it; faith just is for them. Others seep into faith—or it seeps into them—as they grow and experience and live life. Still others, some who might be ardent disbelievers, get body-slammed and even as much as they’d like to deny belief, they can’t.

While all of these experiences are different and the experiences to the individual are highly unique to them, these folks all end up in the same place. They believe.

But there are others. Those who still seek, who want to believe, crave and yearn for belief, but struggle and doubt and can’t seem to find it.

Of all of us, though admittedly getting body-slammed isn’t fun, my heart aches for these struggling seekers most of all. You see, even the most difficult search is easier when you’re not slogging through all that sludge alone. When at core level you have an innate and quiet confidence that you’ll find what you need. Struggling seekers have only the struggle for company. The struggle, and doubt. And that is a hard, lonely road to travel.

There hasn’t been a time when I didn’t know God existed. There have been many times when I’ve wondered if he wasn’t taking long nap, or if he’d finally gotten fed up with all of us, tossed up his arms and turned his back. (He doesn’t do that and I know it, yet I have wondered at times if maybe he’d changed his policy.) I’ve wondered many things about God; some logical and reasoned, some whimsical and tinged with comforting images fraught with fantasy. But I have never not known that He exists.

And I’ve only just discovered how very lucky that makes me.

Regardless of what happens, I know that God is aware, with me, holding me up when I’ve reached my limit, and that when I can’t, He can. That fortifies me.

When the world beats me up, I take refuge in Him. When I’m wounded, I heal in His protective hands. He fortifies and sustains me, and I know that no matter what happens, He’s there, comforting and guiding me, loving me unconditionally, never forsaking me, and He reassures me of all this and more in subtle ways—and not-so subtle ways, depending on how attuned I am. If I need a tap, I’ll get a tap. If I need a sledgehammer, I’ll get that, too. Do I have proof God exists?

Yes, proof sufficient to me. A lifetime of experience with incident upon incident and awareness upon awareness evidence I cannot dispute.

But what about those who haven’t had a lifetime of experience? Who haven’t sought or found that refuge and protection? Who lack firsthand knowledge of God working in their lives—lack any relationship with Him?

The thought alone hurts my heart. Let’s face it, life can be tough at times, and some times, it’s downright mean. During those times, it tries the soul to face challenges with God. I can’t imagine the additional challenges of facing them alone.

Think about it. Confronting death and dying without knowing that this life is but a twinkle in time and eternity is much, much longer. Without knowing God is there and this life isn’t all there is. Imagine being told you’re terminal, and there’s a long struggle ahead, and having to face that without faith that when you can’t handle what’s to come, God will.

That’s a hard, lonely, frightening road. And there are those who travel it. Their agony in doing so is far too easy to imagine, and the absence of being assured of all the promises made to carry us, comfort us, provide for us the needed means.

There are times when we know what we need. But there are also times when we’re so far down, so overwhelmed, so lost that we don’t know. We feel beyond reach, beyond hope. But we are not. There is no place we can go, nothing that can happen to us that is beyond God.

That truth is one of many that I’ve read in the Bible over and again. But it’s also one I didn’t fully grasp until exploring the issue in a novel. The question arose: Can a person get to a place that is beyond God? Intellectually, I knew the answer, but I sorely needed to see a practical application. One life where that specific question was called and answered. I wrote my way through it in FORGET ME NOT.

vicki hinze, christian fiction, inspirational, forget me not, crossroads crisis center

Forget Me Not
Crossroads Crisis Center
Book 1

In it, a woman loses everything except her life. Her identity, her memories, her sense of everything . . . except her faith. She has nothing but faith. And is tried mightily by enemies—all unknown. And yet through her trials and challenges, she retains that certainty that nothing is too big for God. He’s with her, and if she continues to walk in faith, she’ll find her way.

Much happens to her that was totally unexpected. It seemed throughout the novel, I was just as surprised as readers, and I was supposedly creating this story. But things changed, twisted, became more complicated. Most of the time, I felt as if I were trudging along behind the character trying to stop stepping in mud puddles and squishing mud between my toes. Still, this was an important question. For me, but also for others, particularly those who were lost. And so I trudged on, trusting that what was needed would be conveyed.

Some would call that taking a leap of faith. But honestly it was a series of leaps and a determination to find the answer and a heartfelt certainty that because the question had been called, the book had its own purpose. To fulfill it, it had to be finished. And so it was. And the answer was there.

Maybe, I thought, it’s natural for writers to write their way to answers to their questions. But then I heard from readers, and they were seeking those answers, too. Some had the intellectual answers, but like me, wanted to see a practical application.

Interestingly enough, some readers wrote who had doubts settled. Some raised other questions that I’ve gone on to explore in other books. Some who didn’t believe opened their mind to the possibility. Some ardently refused to believe, but for some, it was that something extra they’d sought.

And I learned that purpose is multi-purpose, according to need. And that was a significant lesson for me as a writer, a reader, and as a human being. It showed me that sometimes we have proof. Sometimes we choose to believe . . . anyway. Either way, when we seek, we discover the truth.

Blessings,

Vicki Hinze

Posted in Uncategorized, Vicki Hinze | Tagged Christian fiction, crossroads crisis center, forget me not, inspirational, Vicki Hinze | 1 Comment

Autumn Is Here by Tara Randel

Posted on October 11, 2013 by tararandel

I have to admit, I have always loved Autumn. Growing up in New England, I couldn’t wait for the leaves to change colors. The air was crisp and cool, the nights chilly. The days grew shorter. I remember raking leaves so my brothers and I, along with the neighborhood kids, could jump in the piles. Once the leaves had been gathered up, neighbors set them on fire, filling the air with the unmistakable scent of burning leaves. I have childhood memories I’ll never forget.

Now I live in Florida. No changing leaves here. It’s October and we still have temperatures in the high eighty’s. But the mornings are cooler, so I can go on my deck to read the newspaper. Still, I miss the weather change. So how do I fix that?

I go way overboard decorating my house. I have ceramic pumpkins, ceramic leaves, artificial fall foliage hanging everywhere, scented candles, you name it, I probably have it displayed somewhere in my house. I even drink pumpkin flavored coffee! All my goodies may not be the real thing, but in my heart I’m enjoying my favorite time of the year.

Am I the only person to go overboard with fall decorations? Let me know how you decorate. If fall isn’t your favorite time of the year, what holidays do you wait for each year?

Posted in Tara Randel, Uncategorized | Tagged autumn, decorate, favorite | 2 Comments

When Fiction Meets Real Life by Julie Arduini

Posted on October 9, 2013 by juliearduini

Last month I told you how I finaled in a photo contest and was mortified because the process was through Facebook voting, and that meant marketing against other pictures.

Well, I won.

It was a great marketing test as potential readers of my contemporary romance books set in the Adirondacks came out and not just voted, but shared my plea and encouraged others to vote, too. The win was solid, and I’m completely grateful for the people who believed with me.

The prize was a 2 day stay at a lodge in Speculator, New York, where my first contemporary romance is based. I also received a gift certificate that I could use at the local grocery store, Charlie Johns, or the nearby Speculator Department Store. I was able to bring my mom and show her the area I love. We were able to spend quality time that we rarely have because I live 300 miles away.

I was also able to connect with my fiction characters in their own neck of the woods. It was a surreal experience.

Spectacular Falls is my first contemporary romance and it’s finished and under consideration.

Here’s a blurb:

Jenna Anderson, sassy city-girl, plows—literally—into Adirondack village, Speculator Falls, with a busted GPS. She gets a warning from the sheriff but has ideas for the senior center to prove she belongs in town as their director. Town councilman Ben Regan is as broken as the flower box Jenna demolished. He’s grieving and wants to shut down the center before there’s too much change and heartbreak. They work on community projects and build a slow relationship, but the council needs to vote on the senior center’s future. Can Jenna show Ben both her and the center are worth trusting?

The story is of course fiction, but based on real things.

Speculator Falls isn’t real, but an embellished village of what is, Speculator.
Jenna and Ben are my imaginary friends. Jenna is a compilation of people and has elements of me included.
I worked with senior citizens for over a decade. To me, Howard, Shirley, Dora, Roxy, and the other seniors are a composite of the volunteers I had the pleasure of working with.
Ben came to mind long before I was married, an Adirondack dream man of sorts I created while visiting Speculator. Fast forward 20 years and when I received the gift certificates, I realized the owner who manages Charlie Johns and other enterprises was probably the person with the closest job in real life that mirrors Ben. I’m sure he was wondering why I was looking at him, but I kept thinking, I think this guy is Ben, if only by job and manager of the store my fictional JB’s is based on.

Here are some pictures I took that led to other surreal moments where fiction and reality clashed. If you write, do you have those surreal moments too? I’d love to hear about them.

In real life, this is the grocery store, Charlie Johns, in Speculator. In my fiction world, I visualized this when creating JB’s in Speculator Falls.

In reality, this is the view from the Melody Lodge in Speculator. For me, this is what I see when I write scenes from Ben Regan’s cabin home. When Jenna first visits, that’s what she sees off the porch and instantly falls in love. Her feelings for Ben? They don’t happen as fast as the surroundings. 🙂

It’s a beach area right in Speculator, but in this writer’s mind, it’s the view Jenna has when she visits her pastor’s home. The Reynolds family lives across the street, and see this every day. Isn’t it surreal?

It’s a trail in Speculator that they made sure was handicap accessible that leads to the Sacandaga River (I think!) I used this very place as where Ben and Jenna share a moment not long before the town council showdown meeting.

Posted in Julie Arduini, Uncategorized | Tagged Adirondack Mountains, Charlie Johns, contemporary romance, fiction world, Julie Arduini, Melody Lodge, reality, Sacandaga River, Speculator | 2 Comments

Romance Addiction by Hannah Alexander

Posted on October 8, 2013 by alexanderhodde

Have you ever experienced a painful breakup? I’m talking romance right now, though I know the loss of a friendship can be devastating. I’ve experienced both kinds multiple times, and after decades of struggling to learn how to handle a breakup right, let me tell you that the first instinct for me was to find someone else to love immediately.

Wrong choice. Not only did I find myself bouncing from romance to romance without time to breathe and get to know myself, for many years I didn’t take time to stop and listen to the One who could put my heart back together again. I lived with a shattered, unmended heart, looking for some man to take the place of the one I lost, and when one relationship ended, I rebounded into yet another destructive relationship.

I see this happening all the time with friends and acquaintances. You’ve heard the term “being in love with love”? It’s a bad place to be. Of course, when you’re in a situation like that, your hormones are all over the place, and you don’t recognize it for what it is. That’s when friends help. Good, solid, honest friends aren’t emotionally charged about your object of love, so they can see things that are invisible to you.

For me, it took the hand of God to break this unhealthy cycle after I, a Christian, married an unbeliever. It was in an emotionally destructive marriage and after a few years I realized that. Unfortunately, I found I was no longer able to feel love for the man I was married to, and yet being a Christian who had drawn very close to Christ during the destructive years, I was determined that I would never divorce. My decision was that I had placed myself in this situation in rebellion against God’s will, and I would suffer through it and try to be a good wife. Most important to me were my stepchildren. They’d lived through too much loss, and I would not do that to them again. It was during this time that I wrote my first novel, and my second, third, fourth…and on and on. None of them sold while I was in this marriage, but I wrote them and knew I was doing what God called me to do. That was the beginning of my career. My passion turned to writing, serving God, learning to follow His every direction.

Years later, still writing, I was given my walking papers. My husband asked me for a divorce and married another woman. Brokenhearted about losing my stepchildren, I told my girlfriends at that time that if I ever even looked at another man, to knock me in the head and put me out of my misery. They agreed to do so if I made a wrong choice again.

For two years, my heart mended, and trusted Christian friends surrounded and supported me. My addiction to romance was broken.

Do you have an addiction to romance? If you have a break-up, do you automatically begin to look for the next man to fill the spot? If so, do the hard thing, and withdraw from the dating scene. Turn to God, ask for wisdom, seek Him first in everything in your life, and He will give you the desires of your heart–in His time. God loves you more passionately than any person could ever love you. Dwell in that love and abide in Him. When you’re healed, He will move you forward into the life He has planned for you. Until then, wait. Always wait.

Posted in Hannah Alexander, Uncategorized | Tagged breakups, divorce recovery, love addiction, romance | 5 Comments

Spiritual Impact of Pretend People by Kristen Heitzmann

Posted on October 4, 2013 by kristenheitzmann

“If travail has a purpose, let me find it now. If honor needs a taker, O Lord me endow. If wisdom is a garment, let me wear it well: if goodness needs a champion, help me dark dispel.” ~ Quillan Shepard

The thing I hear almost universally about my writing is, “The characters are so real,” and there’s a reason for that. While I’m writing, the characters are real. They act and speak and impart things that I put down on the page, sometimes in wonder. So it was an exciting thing for me to see my historical character Quillan Shephard’s poetry used as the foundation for a Facebook devotional on Coffee Break Devotions.

The blogger Lin Lowrimore, broke down the poem phrase by phrase and supported it with her own thoughts and with scripture:

“If travail has a purpose” –

Hebrews 12:11 states “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it”.
No matter the difficult situation in which we find ourselves – there is a purpose and there will be a time when we know the purpose. All we have to do is remain focused on our Heavenly Father through it all.

“If honor needs a taker, O Lord me endow”. The definition for honor is “uprightness, integrity, sincerity or high moral standard”. Scripture is filled with commands from God in HIS Word that we are to be upright, sincere and of high moral standard. Anything less is considered sin. In today’s world the idea of sin is simply not known or not discussed. Shame on us for not being honorable and upright, full of sincerity and high moral standard.

“If wisdom is a garment, let me wear it well”. When told he could ask for anything King Solomon asked for one thing – he asked for wisdom and as long as he focused on God and God alone – that wisdom served him well. How often in our modern lives do we fail to recognize the need for godly wisdom that can only come from the one TRUE God. We should pursue this so that it does become a garment that we wear well.

“If goodness needs a champion, help me dark dispel”. The definition of dark is “the absence or deficiency of light”. I don’t know about you but my thoughts of our world today is that there is a serious lack of light – that we are so engulfed in darkness that it is hard to find the light – THE Light – the Light that is Jesus Christ. We as Christian’s must dispel this darkness – God put us here to make the Light known – that is to make sure Jesus Christ is known.

The whole devotional is available at the link above, but what I want to say here is how incredible an experience it is to have my character’s poetry pondered. I know people will say I wrote the poem–and that’s true in the purest sense–but it was being in Quillan Shepard’s mind with all his travails in The Tender Vine that brought this poem to light, and to me that’s the power of parable or the creative magic of fiction. The separation between author and character that allows his words to stand on their own merit and shine light into the world simply amazes me.

Posted in Honored Alumni, Kristen Heitzmann, Uncategorized | Tagged characters and real lives, Christians Read, kristen heitzmann, pretend people, Spiritual impact | 4 Comments

Don’t Make Me Cry by Elizabeth Goddard

Posted on October 3, 2013 by bethrachg

When I’m reading a good book, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to cry.

Except isn’t that the sign that a book is good? When the tears come on? Don’t misunderstand, I still want a good book to bring on the emotions and even stay with me for days and weeks after I’ve finished. I want a story that takes me places I’ve never been—physically and spiritually. But with so much tragedy and violence and murder in the news every day, with so much real life bringing me down, I need a novel that will help me escape. Remember the old Calgon commercials? Take Me Away!

But don’t make me cry unless it’s a good, happy cry that I can embrace. I’ve started my share of Christian novels that I’m sure have a wonderful, redemptive message if I could get to the end—but there are some scenarios that I don’t want to live through with the character.

Over the last several years there have been quite a few movies that don’t end well. You know what I mean—and I’m left depressed and wishing I hadn’t watched the movie.

Call me an escapist.

Am I alone?

Posted in Elizabeth Goddard, Uncategorized | Tagged Elizabeth Goddard | Leave a comment

Are You A Patient Reader?

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Maureen Lang

Recently I participated in a group discussion between writers, which also means I was talking to avid readers since more often than not you can’t be one without being the other. We were discussing some of the expectations and differences in various types of books. One writer said she was revising her work-in-progress to include more dialogue, because she wanted to market her book as a romance. It was currently too much of a literary novel, which includes more narrative and thus a slower read than a typical romance. So she wanted to quicken the pace. Another question that came up was how long a romance reader would keep at a book before the hero and heroine meet for the first time. I’ve seen on various loops that editors of short romances allow 3 to 5 pages before expecting to see the first sparks fly between the hero and heroine.

The line of questioning made me realize I’m often an impatient reader, apparently just like many other readers of romance. But isn’t this also true of most books these days? Thrillers start out with a bang, and mysteries with a dead body. Gone are the classic days when writers spend pages and pages showing the character’s simple life before something comes along to complicate it. Stories nowadays start out with the complication.

However, when I sit down with a book that’s 400 pages or more, I’m willing to be a little more patient. Especially with historical romances, because I allow time for the era to be drawn, for details to bring alive the texture of another time. As one of my writer friends said, if the hero and heroine are introduced in the first chapter or two, she’s willing to wait for them to meet because she knows they’re on intersecting paths. That’s true for me, too.

We read our favorite genres because of the heart of that genre. Mysteries for the plot twists and turns, thrillers for the danger, romance to see how the obstacles keeping apart a hero and heroine will be overcome. It’s natural to admit that we’d like to get to the essence of each genre as quickly as possible, perhaps because we live in a microwave society. We not only want it our way, we want it now.

And yet I can’t help but appreciate some of the classics that remind me what it was like to explore a variety of interesting characters, just for the love of characterization. I’m watching an old PBS series called Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens, and in typical Dickens fare the characters are unique and memorable. During my walks with the dog I’m listening to the audio version of Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry and again am loving the various characters who populate the little towns around the fictional Port William. These are the kinds of work that slow life down—but in the most delightful way.

Something I need to remind myself of every now and then!

So how about you? Are you an impatient reader?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged classic vs. contemporary, hero and heroine, impatient reader, reading, Reading fiction | Leave a comment

What’s Wrong with My Taste in Novels? by James L. Rubart

Posted on October 1, 2013 by James L. Rubart

What’s wrong with me?

Out of the five novels I’ve read over the past month, I would only recommend one of them to friends. (The one I really liked was A Cast of Stones, a fantasy novel from Bethany House.)

The Others

A thriller from a multi-bestselling author. I would rate it as good, but not great. It certainly didn’t stick with me. Yeah, it moved along okay and the writing was strong, but nothing distinguished it from any number of thrillers I’ve read.
A suspense story from a multiple award winning novelist. Suspense means we’re not supposed to know what’s going to happen, right? Not much of that in this novel.
A modern day mystery novel from a major publisher. Slow. Tedious. Lots of telling and not so much showing. Language that would have been swell and marvy and keen in 1950, but not so much today. Plus I didn’t care about any of the characters.
A historical novel a friend of mine raved about where the author seemed to use an exclamation point on every other sentence! Maybe he didn’t use it that often! Maybe it just seemed like he did! Maybe that distracted me from the story! I’m not sure! I think it was the predictability that lost me.

You see why I ask what’s wrong with me? Award winning, bestselling, friend-endorsed, major publisher novels. These weren’t self-pubbed vanity books. Am I too picky? Maybe. Probably. But there are certain things that make a novel great for me:

Interesting, compelling characters that surprise me
Writing that isn’t riddled with clichés
A plot that takes twists and turns I don’t always see coming
A innovative, unique theme that makes me think about the novel weeks, months, and even years later

I’ve been told my own novels aren’t fluffy reads. That’s good and that’s bad, because some people want to read light. And the four books that didn’t make my fresh list were on the lighter side. So likely the fault is in me, rather than the novelist.

So talk to me. What do you like in your novels? Do you like both fluff and non-fluff? What do you look for in a novel? And what do you try to avoid?

Posted in Honored Alumni, James L. Rubart, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

A Love for Books? by Kathi Macias

Posted on September 30, 2013 by alandkathi66

Almost all writers are also readers, though not all readers are necessarily writers. But writers, readers, or both, I think we can all agree that we are thankful for books.

I’ve been thinking about that a lot as we approach the fall holidays, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas. One of the best emails I got last year during this season was from one of my readers who said, “I loved your book so much that I bought copies to give to all my friends and family for Christmas!” Of course, I only got one email like that and would have loved a whole pile of them, but it re-enforced my long-standing gratitude for books, a gratitude that began long before I ever published my first one.

Most of us are privileged to live in a time and place where we can easily and readily purchase a book whenever we please. It hasn’t always been so, and in some parts of the world even today, it still isn’t. Down through the centuries people have paid a great price for writing, printing, distributing, owning, or reading certain books. The Bible, of course, is at the top of that list. I, for one, have more copies of the Scriptures than I can count, and I imagine you do too. And I don’t have to hide them under the bed or in a hole in the backyard for fear of being arrested should the wrong person spot them and report me to the authorities. Still, can you imagine the different level of appreciation someone in that position would have for a book—the Bible or otherwise—than you and I might have, since we are able to own them so freely?

One of my favorite (and most read) books, second only to the Bible, is Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. I read at least one story from it nearly every day, and each time I do it moves me to pick up one of my Bibles and caress its cover, savoring the life-changing richness of its contents and whispering yet another prayer of thanks to its Author. So many have been imprisoned, tortured, even killed for daring to own just one page of this Book above all books, and here I have access to more versions and copies than I’ll ever need. Now, in addition to the many leather-bound copies on my bookshelf and on my desk, I also have copies on my Kindle. Do I truly realize how blessed I am to possess such treasures?

This year, as we progress through the fall season, especially Thanksgiving, may all of us who consider ourselves lovers of books take just a few extra moments to utter a prayer of thanks for the many books we are privileged to read each year, particularly the Holy Scriptures, authored by the King of Kings and autographed in His blood.

Posted in Kathi Macias, Uncategorized | Tagged A Love for Words, Christians Read, Kathi Macias | Leave a comment

Perseverance by Tara Randel

Posted on September 26, 2013 by tararandel

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3

I recently started a Bible study on the book of James. Right off the bat, verses 2-3 hit me right where I live. I’ve taken a few days to sit back and let the words sink into my spirit. It’s no coincidence that I start a study and find the words to be timely and have impact on my life.

Perseverance- to continue a course of action in spite of a difficulty, opposition

This year, my husband and I have lived these verses. With the death of our daughter, we have grieved, asked questions, and tried to figure out what our life will look like in the future. The thing I’ve learned, and this amazes me about God, is that it’s all right to ask questions. Even the hard ones. God is way bigger and way stronger than I am. He can handle the gut wrenching questions and still be loving and merciful, not angry that I would dare pose such anguished questions to Him.

So I asked. Lots of questions. And found that God answers if we listen. I have probably spent more time in prayer and study this year than ever before in my life. Because of this, I have walked into a new dimension in my relationship with God. I have a better understanding of the Word and how to apply it in my life. I look at people differently, with more mercy and compassion. We dealt with a lot of nice people during my daughter’s illness and it showed us that the world isn’t all bad. Probably the most important thing that came from losing my daughter is that I view eternity differently than before. Now, I make spiritual decisions in light of eternity, not from a world view. This change of thinking has really impacted my life, in all areas, even my writing.

I recently spoke to a youth group, and of course, the topic of my daughter’s death came up. I was able to take the tragedy and turn it around to make the kids think about the choices they make in life. My daughter choose to serve God and because of that she is rewarded by now residing in Heaven. Let’s face it, that’s the ultimate goal. Some get there sooner than others.

My husband and I have been Christians for along time. Did we grieve over my daughter’s death? Yes. Did we ever think about walking away from God? Never. He has been too good, too steady in our lives. I couldn’t imagine not having his strength to fall back on in the tough times. And because of His faithfulness, I will see my daughter again one day.

My prayers is for those who know the Lord to move into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. There is so much joy to be found there. And for those on the fence? Give your relationship with God a chance to grow. You won’t be disappointed.

Posted in Tara Randel, Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, death, difficulty in life, joy, perseverance, prayer, study, Tara Randel | 2 Comments

The Resonating Quote by Julie Arduini

Posted on September 25, 2013 by juliearduini

Last week our pastor gave a sermon that not only had great principles, but even a statement that seemed off the cuff. It’s still resonating with me, a week or so later.

“You can hang on, or move on.”

I tend to be a black or white perspective person, so this quote got me.

There are so many circumstances in my life where this quote applies.

Writing delays (I lost months of writing time with a broken wrist.)
Marriage challenges. I’m human, and so is my husband. We’ve had mountains, and we’ve experienced valleys. When we’re in a hard place, it’s tempting to remember our words as much as I take notes during sermons.
Other relationships. Family and friends are our inner circle and safest people. That’s probably why the wounds run deep.

I’ve walked out the hang on choice, and it turns into a slow crawl filled with burdens we aren’t meant to carry. No matter how busy my schedule, the topic I’m not willing to let go dominates my thoughts. My conversation. My everything. Because I’m so wrapped up in hanging on, even innocent statements from others become more proof in my eyes that I was done wrong. It’s a toxic way to live, and dare I write, contagious. I’ve been in an environment with one person hanging on. And it didn’t take long for the entire room to be transformed and sharing the negativity.

I’ve also marveled in the path called moving on. It isn’t the easier choice, but it is the healthier and most blessed way to live. Sometimes I only moved forward in baby steps accomplished by uttering the name of Jesus over and over. That’s still a victory, and I don’t take those moments for granted.

There’s so much to be angry and stay furious about. But hanging on is a toxic choice that affects others, and your own walk with the Lord. Moving on is a slow process, but it’s healthy and you can’t put a price tag on the blessings.

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Posted in Julie Arduini, Uncategorized | Tagged choice, choose, Faith, forgiveness, grudges, hang on, Julie Arduini, move on | Leave a comment

Love For the Rest of Our Lives by Hannah Alexander

Posted on September 24, 2013 by alexanderhodde

I believe in lasting love with the right person until death we do part–and even then I want to walk hand in hand with Mel through eternity. Call me a starry-eyed romantic–Mel would laugh. I’m not nearly as romantic as he is, which would make sense, because he’s the one who taught me all I know about how to have a good, happy, loving marriage.

Mel was the one who taught me how to turn away wrath–usually by example when he turned away my wrath–with a gentle answer. That was a hard lesson to learn due to past experiences, but it was the best one. He also taught me how to speak words of encouragement daily, and I’m finally catching on–when I have a tender thought about him, when he makes me laugh, when he screams at a spider–I tell him I love him. Or show him, by killing the spider for him…or perhaps, if it’s a writing spider, I’ll gently move her outside and name her Charlotte.

Mel is the one who tends to believe the best about me. He trusts the motives of my heart, even if I don’t. His trust in me makes my heart truer. You want romance? I’ve got romance.

Mel works with beautiful women all day, women who speak his language in the medical field, who are fun and intelligent and whom I couldn’t begin to emulate, but Mel has shown me through the years that he’s a one-woman man, so I can relax and put away the jealousy.

You want a good hero in the next novel you read? I took all my unpublished manuscripts when I met Mel, and as I got to know him better during our year and a half of dating, I gradually redrew every hero in each of my stories to reflect the kindness, the true heart, the love that shines from Mel’s eyes, and placed bits of pieces of his character and personality into these men to bring them to life. It wasn’t until then, when I met the man of my dreams–who treated me with respect and gentleness–that I wrote the kinds of characters that sold my books.

You want love for the rest of your life? Practice kindness, find the way your beloved most loves to be loved, and show that to him. Seek goodness in a man, strength, ethics. There is nothing stronger or more appealing than the power of a man who walks in truth. That’s the kind of man you want. If you’re married to someone who doesn’t live up to your expectations, then search for the good he does have, and love those things about him. Make him feel loved by you.

Just a few words of advice I learned from the man in my life. I love romance when it’s real. Some of my first words to Mel on our first real date were, “I promised myself never to date another man who isn’t a rabid Christian.”

“What would you call a rabid Christian?” he asked.

“Someone who lives so completely for God that the normal person would call him crazy for Christ.”

“Well, isn’t every Christian supposed to live like that?”

Yeah. Romance. It all comes from God, and it’s the best, most satisfying way to find the love of one’s live.

Posted in Hannah Alexander, Uncategorized | Tagged Love for a lifetime, real heroes cry, romance, true love | 2 Comments

Christian Fiction v Clean Read: Are You Confused? by Vicki Hinze

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Vicki Hinze

Christian Fiction v Clean Read: Are You Confused?

In the past few months, I’ve often been asked what is the difference between books that are labeled Christian fiction and books labeled Clean Reads. I thought I’d address in case you’re confused by this labeling of books.

Christian fiction is fiction that has a distinct and deliberate Christian element. It can be told from a Christian perspective, or told by a non-Christian perspective, but the Christian element is in the novel.

Either the story is structured and unfolds based on Christian principles, or one (or more) of the characters are Christian and they face the obstacles and events in the stories from that perspective. Perhaps the main character is not a Christian at the beginning of the story, but as a result of events encountered during the story, becomes a Christians at the end of the story. The story can also be seated in a Christian theme.

Regardless of how the Christian element is injected into the story, it is significant to the story and plays a key role. In other words, if that Christian element were removed, then the story would be a different story.

A Clean Read is a story created for the general market and not specifically for the Christian reading community. It follows many of the dictates for Christian fiction, in that there is no premarital sex or foul language. Obstacles and challenges are met and faced through a variety of means, but in Clean Reads, you won’t find explicit sexual conduct or bad language.

In either, because fiction emulates life, you will find bad situations, challenges that must be faced and overcome. But in Clean Reads you can include a religious or faith element but one isn’t required. In other words, a story might be seated on Biblical principles but the Bible not be mentioned.

Some Christian authors write both Christian fiction and Clean Reads. I’m one of them. Now I wrote for a long time before writing Christian fiction and I began writing Clean Reads after then. So some of my older books (many of which are being republished by publishers) are general audience reads. But once I began writing Christian fiction, I eliminated those aspects mentioned earlier from my work. Still, I didn’t want to leave the readers without my books, so I began writing Clean Reads, too.

I firmly believe this is what I’m supposed to do. Go to people where they are, as Christ did by example. So I continue to write many types of stories in many genres, and for many different types of people. Some are Christian fiction. Mystery and Romantic Thrillers, mostly. Some are Clean Reads. Romantic suspense and mystery, mostly.

Over the past twenty-five years, I’ve written just about all kinds of novels with the exception of horror. (I write healing books, and healing and horror haven’t meshed well for me.) So all of my books have healing themes and I use suspense, mystery and romance in each of them. In some, there’s more suspense. In others, more romance. But those things remain in my books whether they are Christian Fiction or Clean Reads.

Why is that?

Because every author has an author theme and writing healing books—books where the characters face tough battles but heal—is mine.

And because for me to love a book, it must have suspense, mystery and romance. I like many other books or books without those three elements, but I don’t love them. And I promised myself many years ago, I wouldn’t invest my time—that’s my life—in writing books I don’t love.

So I’ve always written healing books with elements of suspense, mystery and romance. And for the past few years, those books are either Christian fiction or Clean Reads.

It’s worth mentioning that writers construct books based on their own perspective. It comes through deliberately and unintentionally, in what we deem is important enough to get on the page. In the way we see things. Our perspective shapes the story. So you will see Clean Reads that are seated in Biblical principles because it’s how believers think and the prism through which they see things.

Can an author write books outside that prism? Yes. But they rarely do because it isn’t natural to them.

So Christian fiction contains an overt Christian message (not to be confused with soapbox or preaching to readers). The message is interwoven into the novel’s fabric. Clean Reads are those suitable for most readers and doesn’t carry an overt Christian message.

Hope this clears any confusion.

Blessings,

Vicki

VICKI HINZE

Posted in Uncategorized, Vicki Hinze | Tagged Christian fiction, clean reads, Vicki Hinze | 5 Comments

WHEELING ALONG WITH EASE by Yvonne Lehman

Posted on September 20, 2013 by yvon63

Two neighbor children, a four-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl, ride their bicycles that have no pedals. I watch them from my upstairs office window as they ride along the street that’s fairly level. They push with their feet and when they get the bicycles rolling they lift their feet and steer the bicycles, not with pedals, but with balance.

I realize that’s a really neat idea. They’re learning balance which is much neater than having them pedal, lose balance, fall, scrape their knees or break their arms. Having balance is the most important part of the bicycle ride, not the pumping of the pedals.

After they have balance, the pedals can be added and the children can ride with, or without the pedals because they have balance. They can coast down the hill without fear. They can push the bicycle up the hill with their feet. Learning balance first will make their future journeys more enjoyable.

That brought to mind balance in writing, or in life really. I remember my children cramming for exams (well, I’m guilty too). But learning to balance a study-schedule or writing-schedule can make things easier, whether it’s an exam or a writing project.

Too often I’m at the end of a novel with a deadline looming. My writing goes much easier when I practice balance. Instead of procrastinating at the beginning of the writing and then cramming it in at the end, life and novel-writing work best when I have a schedule. I can veer from the schedule when needed, but accomplish so much more when my time is balanced.

Now, I will pick up my feet and my creative wheels will take me through the novel writing journey with perfect balance and ease. Well… forgive me for that. I am a fiction writer. But, balance in life being an asset is a fact.