Visit with me over here. I apologize. When I posted this, my post appeared at my regularly scheduled time at Novel Rocket. Apparently, I have been pre-empted. Sorry for the inconvenience. Hope you enjoy the snow scene.
Lord, you lead. I'll follow. As best I can . . . In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Fun addendum – at least for me. Courtesy of the amazing T. E. George! Thanks, Tim. http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00AN8XG1O
You recognize the symbol of course. Division. Symbolic, isn't it? One circle above a dividing line with another circle below it.
Christmas brought the dividing line. Jesus Christ was born according to years of prophecy established at Creation. He defined heaven, God's intention for His creation, how sin had severed relationship, and how Jesus had come to set men free from the chains and separation of sin.
He went beyond the Cross to send the Holy Spirit to lead His people into God's prescription for their lives, to aid them in seeking a closer relationship with Him, to renew their minds to right thinking, to unify the purpose of real life, to dispense of and help them utilize gifts and talents ordained by God. Nothing left to chance, to confusion, to ignorance. For the record and history of the human race, its divine purpose, and to caution them about the alternatives which lead to a destined death.
Whether or not the end of world has been predicted by man becomes irrelevant compared to God's mystical explanations of its damnation and destruction and of those who choose to serve Satan instead of Jesus Christ. There most certainly is an end to this corrupted world, but only God knows exactly when it is. In the meantime He built a self-sustaining planet that has survived nuclear bombs, pollution, and men's theories of its imminent death due to a variety of horrible man-instigated causes and crimes.
Is it any wonder that as we head to our inevitable conclusion that depravity is amplified?
"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37–39 NIV)
Prayer and discipline have been removed from schools. Propaganda teaches that babies in the womb are mere masses of cells and valueless. History is being revised. Truth is absent from much of reality. Envy is a staple for those who want more than they've earned or been given. Mob mentality is being cultivated. And "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is scorned and mocked as "old-fashioned". A new "Love" is being defined by an apostate church which invites all people into "The Church" with no mention of sin or accountability or the use of the Bible as the only reference for a God-centered life. The Word is being rewritten with human philosophies just as Colossians 2:8 stipulated:
"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."
Merry Christmas is politically incorrect as atheists fight to demolish nativity scenes everywhere and demand that anything to do with God be removed from public vision.
This is why Jesus came to earth. Because sin was rampant and perversion prevailed. Just as it did in the days of Noah. Just as it does today. Still, Jesus came then and He comes now. Waiting for those who consider their lives. Are they full and meaningful? Are they purposeful? Can people evaluate themselves as contented and without errors? Does anything done give them pause to wonder about right and wrong actions? Is there an emptiness that just can't be filled?
The human condition can never be completely fulfilled here on earth, but neither can it be even partially fulfilled without Jesus Christ. He seals the deal for attaining completion. There's no other way. Does His personal residence make life easy all of a sudden? For some, it actually happens that way. Not that trouble and hardship won't eventually come again. This is earth after all. For others, things get immediately tougher – perhaps with families, with persecution. But what is gained by knowing Jesus puts to rest all other gods, all other lifestyles. If you know Him, life changes. For the better. Always. Because He is the way, the truth, and the life. That makes all the difference.
The sorrow felt at the great division among people today rises all the way to heaven. The great divide was never God's idea, but rests upon the weakened shoulders of a man and woman who thought God's way could be bettered. It never can. And never will.
The "Peace on Earth" was the amendment between God and man. Restored from Eden to the present when a soul accepts the sacrifice of Jesus to once again find a loving Father waiting with open arms. That sacrifice took a sinless life with holy bloodshed and demands a sin-stained human race repent for the sins that plague them all. Paid in full. The resurrection guarantees an eternal future. The only cost is to recognize what's at stake. Heaven or hell. Life or death.
As Christmas comes, remember the God-man born as a babe, bringing life to all. If they want it . . .
Father, you send the Spirit to relentlessly call upon the lost with the Truth of Jesus. May all who hear His words of love come to you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Writers are mostly dreamers. Some will admit to grandiose goals and others will admit to nothing. The desire to produce something of value usually comes from the heart of a writer and finds common ground throughout the community.
Christmas is celebrated by Christians for the gift of Jesus, given to the world. The world in its coarse and sinful ways fails to understand the motive of this gift and often chooses to mock the beauty of such a perfect offering. We give gifts to share joy, and there is no equivalent to the joy of knowing Jesus Christ.
As a writer, I want to share words to touch lives. Whether or not I achieve that, it is my intention. Words can be gifts. Words can wound, devastate, or demonstrate depravity. Words can encourage, inspire, or strengthen. When words assemble with all of these facets combined to form stories, unique experiences can bring readers to tears, to resolutions, to declarations, to somber or joyful reflections. The power of words orchestrated in stories make for potentially meaningful time spent immersed in what they have to say.
So what would make your writer's Christmas near perfect this year?
Father, we're thankful you gave us Jesus. We're still desperate for you. Desperate for your love, forgiveness, grace, and revelation knowledge. Thank you, Jesus, for it all. The fabulous truth of who you are and what you've done for us is overwhelming. Holy Spirit, thank you for tirelessly talking to lost souls, presenting them with the opportunities to choose Jesus. It's always a choice. Thank you, God, for loving us more than we can comprehend. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Better the little the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
Psalm 37:14-17 (NIV)
You're pregnant. You don't want to have a child. You say "it's" just cells, not yet a human. So you can justify killing "it". Then you're not really pregnant because just a bunch of inhuman cells doesn't mean you're pregnant with a child which would require an abortion to rid yourself of the child. But "it's" not a child. Therefore, you aren't pregnant. Therefore, you don't need an abortion. Think it through.
You're an adult. You just charged more purchases than you will be able to pay for in years to come. You can't afford all those items, many of them ridiculous and unnecessary. So you go to the bank and explain you need to borrow more money because you can't afford to pay your bills – or even the interest on those bills. The bank looks at your purchases and declares they can't loan you more money because there's no way they can be paid back and your collateral can't cover the amount. You demand a loan, telling the banker that you have relatives and friends who should give you money to help pay for them. The banker asks why they should have to pay for what you bought. You tell the banker they have more money than you. The banker explains that you would have more money if you hadn't bought all that unnecessary stuff. You reply, "But I wanted it!" The banker replies, "Then find a way to pay for it yourself. No one else should have to pay for your frivolous spending. And we certainly aren't going to loan you any more money for such reckless habitual spending."
Father, may eyes be opened to see and ears be opened to hear. We're desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Five things that make me smile:
My morning Coca Cola
Christmas Carols
New shoes
A good novel
Sunshine
God, you've given me so much. I should smile 24/7. I try to smile often. Thank you, Lord, for a blessed life. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Ah, the love-hate relationship with the adverb. Personally, I enjoy them. Used in the right places, they enhance not detract. Used in the wrong places, like any other type of word, they annoy. To single out a word form to use as an absolute no-no seems ridiculous to me.
Fiction is creative writing. That means inventing a story and telling it in a way that entices the reader. Now if every reader were alike, we writers could adhere to the dogma proffered by some professionals such as NO ADVERBS. NO PASSIVE VERBS. NO HEAD HOPPING. Etc.
However, there's something to be said for enticing the writer. If it's pleasurable for a novelist to stick to the arbitrarily decided rules of writing, then more power to him. This writer is not impressed with the advised rules because they result in formulaic stories, format, and prose. Not interesting taken in large doses.
Words have value and purpose. We all need to write them wisely.
Father, you write on the hearts of man, giving purpose and meaning. We're desperate for your Word, your touch, your wisdom, and forgiveness. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Christmas is a big deal at our house. We love it. Therefore it's a process to decorate the house. So I congratulate all of you who've managed to deck your halls already, but my house is a disaster right now with all kinds of lights and decorations strewn in rooms and all over the floor. It will look lovely soon. Soon. It will. It must.
I'm happy to say I only have some stocking stuffers left to buy. Shopping is done. But then there's the wrapping . . .
Those of you who know me are well aware this is not our focus for Christmas. We celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the peripheral beauty as it is: peripheral. It's my favorite holiday, and every year the whole picture of God's love is renewed in a fresh way. Thank God for who He is and what He's done for us.
Father, we love you. We need your mercy, grace, forgiveness, and joy. Help us to honor you in all we do. Always. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Yes, "it's" a baby. Sixteen (16) weeks old. Legal to murder in the USA.
And when you want to use the rape argument to preserve killing children inside the womb, my beloved grandmother was the result of a rape. Her mother was just 15 years old when her sister's husband raped her. Lila was the beautiful result of something heinous. God can make beauty from ashes.
How do you justify carving babies from mothers' wombs?
Father, we know we face judgment. We are living as a nation under judgment for slaughtering your unborn creations. Please forgive us. So many of us are lost in our sins. We're desperate for you. Holy Spirit, convict our hearts. Help us to turn from our evil ways. Save us from ourselves and the evil one. We ask it in the Name, Authority, and Blood of Jesus, Amen.
If you read a steady diet of general market fiction, you're probably familiar with generous portions of worldly philosophies associated with secular humanism.
We know there are Christian authors who write for the general market, some who've chosen this career path from the beginning and experienced success. Other authors started their pubishing careers in the Christian fiction industry but crossed over to the general market.
The reasons for crossing over range from a larger market for their particular style or genre in the general market to the imposed restrictions by CBA publishers which interfere with an author's creative choices.
Primary complaints regarding Christian fiction appear in both legitimate commentary and from those who simply don't prefer the strong spiritual content. The legitimate commentary is less critical, more observational, and usually formed after reading a considerable amount of all kinds of fiction. Other criticisms have been offered after reading a significantly limited amount of Christian fiction with a seemingly built-in resistance to anything which portrays honest spirituality. However, what both of these types include as their common thread is the "preachiness" of Christian fiction.
I've read widely in the Christian fiction market, and I write Christian novels. I know what it is to read and write preachy fiction. In reality I think it can be done well and poorly. And I've read both kinds. One point often ignored by some who read in the general market is that those authors can get equally preachy concerning their views of and lifestyles in secular humanism.
Christian authors write to entertain, minister, give hope, and add meaning to simple and difficult life subjects. Each one recognizes the purpose of committing words to the page and mostly takes their instruction from the Lord of his or her life. These authors write in many different genres, styles, and voices. Christianity shows up demonstrably or quietly. Bold or covert. In a few CBA novels the gospel isn't really present, and in others conversion is explained.
Christian authors in the general market often state their worldview permeates their stories without making the "God-thing" obvious. They insist they can reach a lot more unbelievers with subtlety. And who can argue with them? No one can say for sure exactly what and how writers will be used. The important thing is to obey whatever God has for each one of us.
But I think it's important to emphasize the case for Christian fiction, why it matters in the world of the publishing industry. There are many excellent authors who pen Christian fiction. They deal with life issues, hard ones. They offer hope in the midst of tragedy using all kinds of genres, both overtly and covertly. Some of these books can be given as gifts to the lost – preferably with the Lord's direction. Giving Jesus a place in fiction by portraying who He is and what He offers must be done organically within a story and meaningfully with the best of prose. There is nothing more valuable in this hard life than offering Jesus Christ as the only true lifeline in a lost world filled with secular philosophies that add nothing of eternal value. This is why Christian fiction matters.
Father, help us to do what you have for us to do. Help us contribute to your kingdom. Help us to be the ones you designed us to be. Apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
