". . . People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshipping and serving them – that is why he brought all this disaster on them.'"
2 Chronicles 7:22 (NIV)
Most Saturdays I post political updates. It's well known these links support the Conservative point of view and expose and contrast the liberal rhetoric and proffered lies in the mainstream media. I have friends on "both sides of the aisle", but it's no secret we support opposite candidates and philosophies. I've been de-friended for posting my political stances and for coming against lies perpetrated by the left. I don't just give my opinion. I have equal statistics - and usually more – to support the opposition to the left's assertions. Generally, the left resorts to name-calling and insults - not by my friends but by some of those that share their opinions. I'm still trying to come up with one good thing President Obama has done for this country. One. Good. Thing. Since he wanted to bring Osama bin Laden to trial and had to be coerced into killing him, I cannot think of one. So, I continue to post these articles and links in hopes that they prove valuable to some who are acquiring information that is often hidden from the general public by people in the news media who are anything but real journalists. I cannot see one good reason to re-elect a president who blames everyone else for his failures and has failed in so many real and factual ways and who has no love for this country the way it was founded.
http://michellemalkin.com/2012/10/04/yesterday-was-national-empty-podium-day/
http://www.mittromney.com/jobsplan
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Obama-Bin-Laden-Book/2012/10/03/id/458528?s=al&promo_code=10413-1
Father, you know the end from the beginning. You know the times and date the destruction will come. We plead for your mercy, for the salvation of souls, and for the love and power of God to be ratcheted up in these coming days. We love you, Lord, and we do humble ourselves before you, ask for your forgiveness as we repent for our sins and those of our country. Please forgive us and rescue us from the evil one. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
I do hope you enjoyed the pictures of the last few days. When it's nearing 11 PM and I've got nothing to say, I discovered looking at some pictures gave me a breath of fresh air. So. Whatever you do, if you decide to look up "free pictures of fun", don't. Make it "funny" or "enjoyable times" or anything but "fun". Now of course, some of you will go directly to that caption. (I probably would too.) All I can say is beware. Some people's idea of "fun" pictures will shock you. Enough said.
Writing takes us all over the map physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Some writers actually travel to faraway places for "research". Good for them. I would too if I could. Some study maps and Google places for precise information. Nothing beats setting foot on physical ground, but authors do the best they can with what they have to capture the beauty, the history, the rugged terrain, the horrific, whatever the enticing material for scenes and story backdrop to make the story richer and more visual.
Investing the emotion it takes to build characters can be exhausting depending on your approach, your predicaments, your passion. I know this much: I am passionate about the people in my books. And I can tell when an author has little emotion invested in their created characters. If you can't muster passion about these people, how do you expect the reader to find some? Years after writing a novel, I can return to certain pages and live inside the skins of those characters. I've cried writing passages and rereading them years letter. Crazy? Silly? Fine, but it's true. I'm 100% invested in these people.
The kicker is the spiritual investment. Transmitting the reality of the spiritual realm via the gospel, the supernatural, or any facet of the biblical approach or context or message in story requires extra care. Anyone can write biblical principles into novels – whether or not they intend to do so. Anyone can write preachy passages about Jesus or in the broader sense God. I think it takes real effort and divine inspiration to communicate the beauty and truth of the God of the universe within the pages of stories. To transcend the earthly versions of such efforts, to rise above the obvious, to make the spiritual passages of novels originate within the core of characters and story is no easy job. That's why I suggest it takes divine help to be effective, to be profound, to be moving, and to make the story better than it would be without any mention of the spiritual aspects.
The fullest and richest characters reveal the three-part makeup. We all contain these dimensions and without them, no matter how beautiful the prose or enticing the story, two-dimensional characters portray incomplete images.
God, you're all I'm livin' for . . . Help me to write what you want me to write, the way you want me to write it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Sometimes it's all we can do.
Young or old.
And even when we feel like an . . .
Thank you, Lord, that we can still find a way to laugh and have fun – in spite of the ugliness that exists beside your beauty and truth. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Need to get away?
God, what wondrous beauty. What must heaven look like? Thank you for your divine inspiration. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Got a dream car anyone?
Lord, you've created beauty in so many ways and in so many things. Thank you for all the wonderful ways you've blessed mankind with the essence of creation. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Characters almost unanimously matter more – or as much as – the plot in storytelling. Some readers are far more sensitive to characters than others, but most readers will admit how the characters in a story are written/portrayed matter in how much a story is enjoyed.
Some prefer odd, quirky, off-center characters and stories. Others prefer high-action heroes. Some like "sensitive", near perfect, gorgeous, wealthy, tender, or fragile. Others like rough, crass, or hard-edged characters. Regardless of what a reader enjoys, if enough readers don't invest their attention and emotion into your characters, chances are their interest in your story won't entice them to continue with your work. Some won't finish your novel. Others will grudgingly read the story if engaged in the plot but won't maintain the same investment and interest if they don't like the characters you've created.
One of my all-time favorite female characters is Sibella Giorello's Raleigh Harmon. She's an FBI agent who takes chances and at times plays outside the legal lines of her job, landing her in a heap of trouble but accomplishing the "necessary" in the process. She labors over her decisions in every area of her life, proves emotionally vulnerable to loneliness and stress over the psychological loss of her mother, what she believes was the murder of her beloved father, and the estrangement from her cold and distant sister. She loves God but often feels like a disappointment to Him and everyone else in her life. She's attracted to another agent but will not succumb to his "charms" or her feelings for him. She's complex, tender, tough, and humble. And I love to read the stories centered on her cases, her conflicts, and her sensitivities. In every novel from the first (seen below) to the latest (The Stars Shine Bright), more layers show up in her makeup. Sibella does a magnificent job of making Raleigh intriguing and desirable as a character.
Characters run the show. If they fail to be interesting, the "show" might close early and never get an encore.
Father, please continue to help each one of us who depend on you for every word we write. Apart from you, none of us could write a thing. Give us what we need to serve you the way you desire. Please. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
". . . Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
Luke 21:33-36 (NIV)
If you're tired of the mainstream media's assaults on truth, please read the following articles.
Obama's version of "recovery":
Taxes just for the "rich":
http://www.newsmax.com/GroverNorquist/List-Obama-Tax-Hikes/2012/09/27/id/457889
Freedom of speech?:
http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/jimhoft/matt-kibbe-and-freedomworks-join-conservative-lead
Against what he uses:
http://www.newsmax.com/US/Citizens-Bossie-super-PACS/2012/09/21/id/457105?s=al&promo_code=10259-1
Medicare misleads:
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/09/24/fact-check-obama-misleads-on-medicare-taxes-and-regulations/
Cozy visitor:
http://michellemalkin.com/2012/09/26/who-is-white-house-visitor-hisham-altalib/
Foreign policy:
Saving social security:
Recession reasoning:
Father, we're desperate for your mercy, your discernment, everything you are. Please deliver our nation from evil. We humble ourselves and ask forgiveness. Please. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The current politically correct culture strives to strip men of their manhood and women of their femininity. Politically correct means gender-neutral. It means not acknowledging the differences in the male/female dynamic and discouraging those interactions which reflect it.
I suppose the sexual harrassment policies need to be in effect to some capacity. Let's face it: both men and women step over the line when it comes to sexual innuendoes, touching, and "looking" at each other. But if you've ever had to sit through a Human Resources meeting on what can be "perceived" as sexual harrassment, you will realize you better keep your persona much like that of a robot at work. Don't look, touch, move, speak anything that can be construed as sexual. Or else.
Perception can be everything. Giving a compliment can be perceived as a seductive invitation. Acknowledging someone's new hair cut, an attractive dress, suit, or tie – it can all be construed as "sexual" innuendo.
Heaven forbid you ever get a compliment from a man at work. Or give one to a man.
There's a difference between looking, leering, and lusting. Although men are singled out for being the masters of all three, women can hold their own in this department.
Men. Healthy, totally male men like to look at women. Decent men learn how to discipline themselves in that regard. Some women love to test them in this area. And some women act as though when their sultry suggestive clothing is engaged by the eyes of men, that men are the dogs. I suggest that women might be the female version of said dogs. What can you expect if you play to a willing audience? Women can dress well without overtly displaying their bodies' assets. Believe me, if you have them, they'll get noticed either way. So knock off the temptress efforts and the feigned disgust if you get comments or looks you don't appreciate.
Ladies, don't expect men to change who they are because you've decided they should be something else. "Sensitive" "Effeminate" "Metro-sexual" ? Whatever.
Let men be men.
Father, you designed us. You gave us different makeups and biologies for your purpose. You know how we were before sin corrupted us. You restore us when we return to you. Help us all to be respectful of what we once were before sin bested us. Help us to remember who we are in you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
