Into the Fire

Passionate thoughts about the world of writing and the Power of God

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Passionate: right or wrong. Writes love stories with a passion. Raw Romantic Redemptive

  • Aaahh, the irony . . .

     

    Sometimes the writing biz mystifies me. Truly. The advice surfaces from one author and is parroted by many. An editor states an opinion of how a manuscript is made better doing such and such, and that becomes the only way to write a story, to put words together, to produce a well-written novel. Over and over again. Blogs, editor sites, agent commentary. Cacophony. Caca.

     

    The irony comes from the same song of instruction while looking for “fresh” voices, unique styles. The irony continues when the literature that leaves the publisher proves to be mediocre. The irony plods on when instructors contradict each other’s instructions. And even more irony when those who produce this questionable fiction become authorities on how to write.

     

    Sometimes it’s fascinating. Other times it’s nauseating. A little less irony . . . please.

     

    Lord, you made us all unique even with our common bonds and threads. Thank you, God, that your imagination never stagnates and that you take pleasure in leading your people to accomplish what you ordained for each of them. Glory to God. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • When it all comes due . . .

     

    Perhaps I sound a bit morose lately. Not meaning to. A lot of inspiration for death talk. Which leads to life talk. Because if you can read this, you’re still breathing.

     

    My friend Kirk who I met at a writing conference last May has four children. His youngest, who is still at the toddler age, already possesses a donor liver. Last week this child was back at Children’s Hospital with potentially scary and worse consequences, more testing, a CT scan, and many prayers accompanying her visit. The bravery of the parents, the siblings, and this little child would humble us all. Part of the news was good. Perhaps Kirk will stop by and fill us in on the rest of the results.

     

    A few of you diehard baseball fans might know that The Voice for the Seattle Mariners passed away in his home at the age of 75 from a heart attack. One moment Dave Niehaus was fine, the next he was gone. People who knew him personally, of course family, but also all kinds of professionals in baseball and out, long-suffering Mariner fans, spoke of him with wonderful stories of his kindness, his huge appreciation for his job, his love for baseball and baseball players, his mentorship in the role of media representative, always communicating great respect.

     

    A friend’s dad left his family recently after an excruciating battle with lung cancer. He died waiting to see Jesus after much of his life was spent without Him. He was a father and grandfather, a friend to many, and people here will miss him for who he was to them.

     

    If you read my blog post regarding Sandi Rog’s new discovery of cancer in her body, you know how dreadful the C-word sounds. Death comes instantly to our minds. Healing a very distant second and not guaranteed. Amidst the joy of the release of her new novel The Master’s Wall, she faces prospects none of us want to engage. Wife, mother, friend, Sandi is a cherished lady. An asset to God’s kingdom.  

     

    Christians know dead people pass on to the next and final place. They don’t generally welcome the process of dying unless the suffering forces them to want it hurried along. Dying is not the anticipated goal, but the eternal prospects of being in God’s holy heaven sounds absolutely . . . well, divine. The pictures the Spirit painted with His words in Revelation have inspired the imaginations and intense studies of many people of faith. Those of us who love Jesus desire to go to be with Him. Especially when the crises of this life nearly overwhelm us—the betrayals, the prejudices, the diseases, the corruption. Really it’s the sin. Ours, theirs, everyone’s. We want to rid the world of it, but at a more personal level, we wish our own would somehow disappear. That we could be the people we want to be instead of always finding a way to stumble and mess up—the people God intended us to be at creation, the people He designed us to be. Once flawless, now terribly flawed.

     

    This existence remains temporary. Not just for Christians but for everyone. People choose to believe whatever they want about life, death, and the afterlife. Without biblical explanations the ideas range from a dead stop to the occupation of another kind of life in the next. When it all comes due, only the truth matters.

     

    Who did we touch, affect, and to whom do we matter? Who will miss us, what we’ve done? Who will smile and tear up at the memory of who we were?

     

    And still most important: who will welcome us after our breath on earth is done?

     

    God, we choose you. In the Name of Jesus, may we honor you in all we do. Amen.

  • Help for a friend . . .

     

    Hey all,

     

    This is Daniel DeGarmo with DeWard Publishing Company.
     

    I'm sure all of you are aware of Sandi Rog's latest battle (with cancer – Type T-cell Lymphoma) that just began last week. As you can imagine, she's devastated, especially considering the timing of all this as her first novel, The Master's Wall just released last Monday.

    Well, considering we are a small publishing company and can pretty much do whatever we want, my business partner and I have agreed to donate an additional $1 per book to a Fund that I'll be setting up this week.

    Just so no one thinks we are being shady about the whole deal, this is above and beyond the royalties that Sandi (and her agent) is already incurring with every book sold. The purpose of this fund is to help out Sandi's family (husband and children) while she is laid up fighting for her life.

    What I need from you is simply spread the word. For every copy of "The Master's Wall" that is sold (including Kindle and Nook) we will donate $1 to this Fund. I'll also be setting it up so that it can receive regular donations if anyone is interested in just helping out financially.

    I hope to have more information to share in the next day or so but at least for now I would ask that you would do whatever you can do direct people to buy Sandi's book.

    Sandi has been copied on this email…..Sandi..Please forward this message on to anyone you think would help us out in getting the word out.

    The same goes for you if you've received this email.

     

    I want to close by lifting the following prayer up on Sandi's behalf:
     
    Father, I lift my sister before you as her body has been stricken with disease.
    You know, O God, that she has used her gifts to glorify You and spread your wonderful message of grace and love.
    It is my humble plea that you would bring her healing and complete recovery. I know You can do this, You are the Great Physician.
    Please bring Your Spirit into her home as her husband and children continue to live life without her there. They need You.
    May all that is done bring You glory as our God and Father.
    In Jesus' name – AMEN!

    If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
    Dan

  • Just a glimpse . . . From the Corner of His Eye

     

    Thanks to my friend Dayle who has been demanding—er, coaching—me to read a Dean Koontz novel, thanks to his generosity to send me one, I can now proclaim to have read From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz, originally published in 2000. Hmm. Here are my thoughts on this novel experience.

     

    Let’s start with Dean’s writing. Imaginative, using many points of view, unafraid to make his own rules, metaphorically enchanting as well as caustic and haunting. Intellectually stimulating while capturing banality with precision. Suspense building and often shocking. Meandering yet pointed. Not sure I’d care to take a ride in Dean’s brain.

     

    I thought I’d experienced some weird and lethal killers in the novels of Robert Liparulo, Steven James, and Ted Dekker to name a few, but honestly none compare to Enoch Cain, aka Junior, aka Eenie for utter creepiness. His insidious evil captures the insanity of extreme narcissism magnificently. He’s a horrifying specimen. The spiritual irony of his name was not lost on me.

     

    Detective Thomas Vanadium, friend to Pastor Harrison White, recognizes the false front portrayed by this evil young man and is determined to nail him for his first known crime and those which follow.  

     

    Little Bartholomew is born to Agnes (The Pie Lady) and Joe Lampion under tragic circumstances. His name came to Joe as a result of listening to a preacher named Harrison White who used the little-spoken-about disciple Bartholomew to highlight his sermon about “this momentous day”. That sermon touched so many who had yet to connect but eventually would. “Barty’s” eyes play an important part in this novel and give the title a personal touch.

     

    Little Angel is born to Seraphim White (daughter to Harrison and Grace and younger sister to Celestina) under tragic circumstances with a sad and horrible connection to her grandfather’s sermon.

     

    These two unique and gifted children serve as destined clarions of unseen existences and will be hero and heroine to many.

     

    Quantum physics and mechanics play an obscure role in this story until the end of the chase to apprehend Cain and result in a not-so-satisfying but interesting and surprising conclusion to this unusual story of horror amidst the miraculous.

     

    If you’re looking for rock solid theology dispersed throughout the story, probably better not look in this novel. The religious themes definitely occupy an important part of this story, but some generous liberties accompany them. However, if you enjoy speculative fiction, for me this is the epitome of speculative.

     

    The abundant production of bestsellers by Dean Koontz proves to me that literary fiction with religious undertones and scary subjects is not unwanted in the secular market. You simply have to make it known to that market which pursues haunting horror written with extreme care, a unique style, and characters you’ll have a hard time finding anywhere else.

     

    Thank you, Dayle, for this reading experience.

     

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    Father, your creation is untapped by humanity. We only know so much, so little. Thank you for what you’ve allowed us to know. Your signature is everywhere. Lovely and terrifying. We’re desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Sunday’s Offerings

     

    Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

    John 20:21-23 (NIV)

  • Friday, Friday . . .

     

    This week zoomed by without stopping to rest. Hurried on without being noticed until Friday showed up fresh, brisk, as if arriving on time and not early. Time scrambles by and some days we scarcely notice it passing in haste as we engage activity without measuring the hours and minutes or hustle mercilessly precisely because of those hours and minutes.

     

    So much we wish to do. So much we do not. Cannot. Will not.

     

    Do we waste this precious allotment of time? Yes. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we cram so many things into the day and night times, we suffer mental frustration or physical exhaustion. We fail to see where things might be eliminated for the provision of peace. Other times some of us dawdle with our minutes and hours, visiting the web seeking refuge from undetermined restlessness. We wonder if everything we attempt to do or accomplish is a total waste of time. And we conclude that, yes, sometimes it certainly is.

     

    We ponder that scary question: If you knew you only had a month or a year to live, what would you do differently? The possibility terrifies us. We face our horrid fears of mortality and our failure to maximize our commitment to serving the Lord. Is our obedience real? Is it even our greatest concern? Do we care about the perishing souls? Have we lived sure within our callings and for His purpose, ready to listen and go at His request?

     

    Friday, Friday . . . make it count for something in His kingdom.

     

    God, help me to do just that. For your glory. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.   

  • God Bless the USA

     

    Veterans, we salute you. We honor your service to this great country. We celebrate the sacrifice you've made to help us remain free. We will never forget how God used you to fight for liberty even when it goes unappreciated, mocked, insulted, or misunderstood. You keep our country from falling as others have. You protect us even when some of us fail to realize how important and honorable your service is to all of us. You go to the ends of the earth to keep us safe. We are small in your presence.

    Father, these men and women need your divine direction and protection. Those who have yet to know you, please make yourself known to them. Watch over them, God. Jesus, help them to see your sacrifice so that they'll know you understand. Holy Spirit, keep pursuing them like they do the enemy. Save them, Lord God Almighty. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • What’s it to you?

     

    Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. . . .When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

     

    Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”  (John 21:20-22 NIV)

     

    What is it to you what the Lord might choose for another? Many times we have a hard enough time discerning what the Lord intends for us, let alone concerning ourselves with what another person must do. Many times we fret and fuss over how to succeed at what we’re doing. Is it good enough? Am I doing enough? What can I do to be more like so-and-so?

     

    The conclusion to all of this consternation is that I must follow Jesus. Regardless of what others do, experience, celebrate, or are denied, I must follow Jesus. And if my path appears odd to some, ridiculous to others, or in dire need of renovation to a few, I must follow Jesus.

     

    Even though we are a collective body of believers, it’s no secret to any of us how unique we are, how individual we remain in spite of our overall instruction to work together, to be a unit, and to find cohesion in the Spirit. The beauty of creation is to make us each a different specimen capable of being one in the Spirit—not always willing but capable just the same. We must follow Jesus. In our individuality and in our corporate abilities.

     

    For of all the things that God is, He is not boring. And being The Creator, his elegance, simplicity, versatility, and complexity are indisputable and demonstrated continuously all over the face of this earth. And so it should be expected that His people would likewise show His handiwork through the talents He dispenses to them. The vast array of gifts on display and often hidden away in His people meant and designated to be used for His glory and for His pleasure in His timing allow us the bold freedom to declare His abundance and originality in our less than perfect expressions.

     

    And so it remains: What’s it to you how God works in me? And what’s it to me how He chooses to work in you? All that matters is I must follow Jesus. And so must you.

     

    In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Messages . . .

     

    Communication is composed of messages. And I’m definitely not referring to the Text variety even though it fits right into the definition of message.

     

    Message: 1. A communication transmitted by spoken or written words, by signals, or by other means from one person or group to another. 2. A statement made or read before a gathering: a farewell message. 3. The basic theme or significance of something.

     

    Writers come in all shapes, sizes, persuasions, and types. Stereotypes often appear in novels or films with regard to writerly personalities, and most are based on indisputable evidence of those kinds of people who in fact do write. The bringers of messages in story-form encompass all kinds of people who feel called, driven, compelled, or destined to become storytellers.

     

    Those very authors will often argue against actually including a “message” in their fiction, assuming that word implies an agenda-driven purpose in their books. The fact is you really can’t write a story without sending a message. The contents of that message might not seem obvious to some, maybe even to the author, but be assured readers will get a message from the writer even if they conclude they can’t decipher what it is. Whether purely entertaining, humorous, full of pathos, intense crises, or ordinary life, the author declares something of himself on the page. He leaves the imprint of his message on the hearts or minds or intellects of his audience.

     

    So. What’s your message?

     

    God, you’ve given us your message from the beginning of our existence. Some have yet to hear your words of love and yet you keep finding unique ways to communicate them to the lost. Thank you for using the perfect words to rescue me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.      

  • Celebrate and/or Criticize

     

    Those who know me from this blog realize I’m a champion of Christian Fiction. When I say there are some brilliant Christian authors in CBA publishing, I’m not kidding. We have masters in every genre and more to come into the ranks of publication each year. We also have very average writers and a few not-so-great ones which is the case with the general market as well.

     

    No one enjoys promoting favorite authors any more than I do. It’s so delicious to read a good novel. Now good is a word which differs with each reader, but the experience of enjoying an author’s work is both refreshing and inspiring.

     

    I read in the thriller (political, horror, legal, etc.) genre and occasionally in the romance genre, some women’s fiction, P.I. and police procedurals, literary, and some uncategorized genres in the CBA. Most of you know I rarely read historicals and sci-fi, no Amish/Mennonite/bonnet books, prairie romances, some romances, and no fantasy.

     

    As writers we all know there will be a few, some, or many who don’t prefer what we write and, unfortunately, how we write. Different tastes. Some people with great skills will be criticized because someone who isn’t their intended audience reads their work and decides they hate the book. Not only does the person hate the book, they elect to advertise their aversion to all Amazon review readers. Such are the risks of writers.

     

    The Christian publishing industry expands with toe-testing the waters and standing on the shore. It’s difficult to grow your audience at any level of performance. The risk is exacted on the bottom line. Risk-takers will tell you that you can rocket into big money or sink into bankruptcy. And many do both before their risks are concluded. And not just once.

     

    Some people think when you love something, you should make it appear flawless. Nothing is flawless. Most all of us seek to improve ourselves and our lives through the instruction and power of the Holy Spirit. More than one editor in the Christian publishing industry has lamented the decision making process of producing literature, wishing the implementation of spiritual insights could be more prevalent in the selections.

     

    When believing in someone or something, in order for the belief to have substance, the flaws must be viewed and considered. Honesty addresses the flaws because of the desire to wield or influence improvement. We are all flawed, but we cannot achieve perfection on this earth. Only God is perfect. So we monitor our celebrations, our criticisms, and our progress with what we know, what we’ve learned, and what we hope to achieve and try to balance it all with discernment. Not always an easy task.

     

    Unlike some, I celebrate the role of Christian fiction in the marketplace. It’s important to write for those who love the one true God and believe the only way to salvation comes through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. Those who read a lot of CBA novels know the myths of salvation scenes appearing in every novel, of scripture verses being quoted by holier-than-thou characters, and of squeaky clean goings on adorning the pages are indeed mythological. Not to say those novels aren’t published and promoted under certain imprints. The objective of my criticisms involving the industry revolves around a somewhat snobbish inflexibility to address those people who read Christian Fiction but have to search for a less formulaic approach in particular genres and for those who’re willing to read CBA fiction if only they’d reach out of their standard fare to include them. By that I’m not talking about graphic sex and frequent use of f-bombs. I’m suggesting the characters who experience sin both in the world and in the faith must include a stronger reality to appeal to an unaddressed audience.

     

    Lord, you came for all of us. You’re no respecter of persons. Thank God. Help us demonstrate that incomparable fact. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.