Ava Writes

God bless Fatima, a Christian martyr in Saudi

2009-04-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

A young Christian woman was killed several months ago in Saudi Arabia. Fatima Al-Mutari didn’t die in one of Saudi’s 93,000 car crashes a year; and she didn’t die at the hands of a stranger. Fatima’s father, a member of Saudi’s powerful Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vie (PVPV) cut out her tongue then burned he alive because she dared to love Jesus.

And she dared to say it out loud.

Being a Christian in Saudi Arabia is no safe path, especially for someone like Fatima who walked away from Islam. Being a Christian here can be a death sentence.

We don’t know how she came to Christ, for example.

We do know she read about Christianity extensively online and participated in online Christian forums – often contributing under a string of aliases.

And we know she spoke to others about her forgiving Savior, Jesus Christ.

Doing so is what got her killed.

As part of her testimony to the family, she proclaimed that the way of Christ is the most pure and most holy way of all. After sharing with her family, she found her brother in her room with her laptop open before him…Her laptop contained notes about her spiritual journey, which he was searching in order to find more evidence against her. Her brother locked her in the room for four hours, during which time she wrote a final letter on the Internet. Fatima was killed soon thereafter.

Fatima’s final letter is in the form of a poem, and it’s slowly making its way out of Saudi Arabia and into the world – a world which didn’t know Fatima when she was alive, and couldn’t comprehend the courage it took for her to choose Christ.

Here’s Fatima’s poem.

And We For the Sake of Christ All Things Bear
~A poem written by Fatima Al-Mutairi before her martyrdom~

May the Lord Jesus guide you, Oh Muslims
And enlighten your hearts that you might love otherrs
The forum does not revile the Master of the prophets
It is for the display of truth, and for you it was revealed
This is the truth which you do not know
What we profess are the words of the Master of the prophets
We do not worship the cross, and we are not possessed
We worship the Lord Jesus, the Light of the worlds
We left Mohammed, and we do not follow in his path
We followed Jesus Christ, the Clear Truth
Truly, we love our homeland, and we are not traitors
We take pride that we are Saudi citizens
How could we betray our homeland, our dear people?
How could we, when for death---for Saudi Arabia--- we stand ready?
The homeland of my grandfathers, their glories, and odes---for it I am writing
And we say, “We are proud, proud, proud to be Saudis”
We chose our way, the way of the rightly guided
And every man is free to choose any religion
Be content to leave us to ourselves to be believers in Jesus
Let us live in grace before our time comes
There are tears on my cheek, and Oh! the heart is sad
To those who become Christians, how you are so cruel!
And the Messiah says, “Blessed are the Persecuted”
And we for the sake of Christ all things bear
What is it to you that we are infidels?
Enough---your swords do not concern me, not evil nor disgrace
Your threats do not trouble me, and we are not afraid
And by God, I am unto death a Christian---Verily
I cry for what passed by, of a sad life
I was far from the Lord Jesus for many years
Oh History record! and bear witness, Oh Witnesses!
We are Christians--- in the path of Christ we tread
Take from me this word, and note it well
You see, Jesus is my Lord, and He is the Best of protectors
I advise you to pity yourself, to clap your hands in mourning
See your look of ugly hatred
Man is brother to man, Oh learned ones !!!
Where is the humanity, the love, and where are you?
As to my last words, I pray to the Lord of the worlds
Jesus the Messiah, the Light of Clear Guidance
That He change notions, and set the scales of justice aright
And that He spread Love among you, Oh Muslims.

God bless you, Fatima. And may your death not be in vain.

Let's get together and pray for Rush

2009-03-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

Rush Limbaugh is the reason so many Americans have turned away from Christianity.

It's a bold statement, but one I stand by. Here is a man who has gained notoriety - and thus influence - by spreading hate and discontent. Here is a man who has a long and sordid history. And here, too, is a man who has gone on the public record to say he hopes President Obama fails.

Oh, and did I mentioned Rush calls himself a Christian? Worse still, his devotees call him a Christian as well. And themselves too.

There have been a lot of studies recently showing that people think Christians are more judgmental, less forgiving and more hypocritical than non-Christians. These same studies show that people who do not yet know God, are turning away in droves simply because they see so many so-called Christians -the judgmental, damning, hypocritical people like Rush - and want nothing to do with them.

It's a shame, really.

Jesus tells us we are to pray for our enemies. And this is my prayer to Rush - a man I consider to be an enemy of Christianity.

I pray that he finds Christ. Not religion, but Christ.

He's already found religion. Or at least that's what he says.

IOW - Growing love

2009-02-08T20:43:00.000-08:00

Karen over at In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus is hosting In Other Words this week, and has chosen a message on love from Wayne Corderio

Love needs to be based on character, if you know and love God you see He has a lot of character we are in love with. The best thing we can do for our spouse is to grow in character as listed in 1 Cor 13. It’s a love of choice. We choose to love God, He chooses to love us. Love of choice is the most powerful love, God calls that agape love, it’s a love that lasts, we should never settle for anything else between us and God and others. It’s a love that grows. Keep fervent in your love, allow it to stretch and strain as you watch it grow.

I'm going to add in 1 Corinthians 13, as well, just for reference.

If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This parenting thing can be tough. Just when you think you understand your kids - how they think and react, what they dream and desire, how to meet them where they are - something changes and everything you thought you knew is obsolete like an avocado fridge.

At least that's been my experience as the mother of four kids...err young adults...err kids, ages 19-22. Just when I think I have things figured out, some new challenge comes up.

"Oh by the way, Mom, I got a tattoo."

"I can't pay my rent because I bought a new car."

"I think I want to quit college."

"Did I tell you I got my tongue pierced the other day?"

"I'm not sure this whole organized church thing is for me."

Kids. They sure keep us on our toes!

They also remind us that love grows ; that love NEEDS to grow and morph and redefine itself; that love sometimes buckles under the strain of change, and that it stretches us, allowing us to go places we never thought we would go.

Kids also remind us that lasting love - the love a parent feels for a child - is unchanging, constant and uncompromised. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, lasting love never fails. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.

The love we feel for our children changes, but it remains love.

And I like to think its the same with our love for God - and His love for us.

It is unchanging and unchangeable. It speaks in absolutes. It grows and stretches and strains, but it is lasting, never failing, always patient and kind. Always love.

Us for Him and Him for us.

In Other Words - Knowing and doing

2009-01-31T22:42:00.000-08:00

Amy over at Proverbs 31 is hosting In Other Words this week and has chosen a neat little message to mediate on – Caution: Road slippery when wet!

The first day I was eligible to take Driver’s Training, I signed up. It didn’t matter that I’d be taking my behind the wheel in the middle of a long, cold and usually slippery Minnesota winter – I was going to get my license – and freedom – as soon as possible.

I breezed through the classroom portion of the class, memorizing when to get the oil checked, how far ahead of a corner to turn on my indicator signals, the speed limit in a hospital zone and what to do if I hit a patch of ice.Of course, I aced the test, after all, this driving thing was pretty clear-cut.

Right up until I got behind the wheel.

We were having a snowstorm. (In my mind it looks a lot like a blizzard, but if it had been an actual blizzard, I’m sure the class would have been cancelled. It wasn’t hockey, after all!) Anyway, it was snowing. And blowing. And it was cold, that peculiar kind of cold that makes exhaust turn into black ice the second it hits the pavement.

Before allowing me out onto the road, my instructor grilled me on what to do when – not if – WHEN I hit a patch of ice and the car started to skid:

Calmly take my foot off the gas, calmly steer in the direction I want the car to go, calmly counter steer to regain control.

Gas.

Steer.

Counter steer, he reminded me.

And calm. Always remain calm.

I remember nodding. I remember being annoyed. After all, I knew how to do this. I had the perfect test results saying I knew how to do it right in my pocket!

I’d been driving maybe five minutes when it happened. I accelerated a little too much around an icy corner and the back end of the car started to fishtail, then skid. My mind told me to take my foot off the gas. To steer in the direction I wanted to go. To counter steer. To remain calm.

Panic was screaming something else!

We waited nearly 30 minutes for the tow truck to show up and pull us out of the snow drift. Thankfully, my instructor had been through it all before and didn’t say “I told you so” too many times.

He did, however, reassure me I’d get better with practice. (I did - 30 years later, that was the only close encounter of the ditch kind I've ever had! Knock on wood!)

More importantly, my instructor reminded me that knowing isn't the same as doing, and theoretical isn't the same as practical. In order to be a good driver, he told me, I needed both.

I needed to know what to do, but I also needed to do it.

He was right, of course. And not only about driving on icy roads.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22 )

Merry Christmas from AVA

2008-12-03T17:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks for dropping by. As you can see, I'm not participating in this week's In Other Words. I literally ran out of time!

We are in the process of moving to the other side of the world - from Australia back to the Middle East by way of the United States, so this blog as well as the rest of my site, will be quiet or a time.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the bloggers who participate in In Other Words, and who have welcomed me into their little corner of the world. You have truly been a blessing this past year and I thank God for each of you. You've given me insight and cause for pause, you've made me think and you've encouraged me to grow in my faith and knowledge. Thanks!

Altho I likely won't be participating for awhile, I will be dropping by from time to time to read what you have to say, and as soon as things are settled again, I'll be back!

In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May God bless you this holiday season.

AVA

Priorities by Deborah Shank

2008-12-03T03:27:00.000-08:00

Deborah over at Chocolate and Coffee has a terrific post about Black Friday and God and priorities. A great reminder to us all, especially during the busy holiday season!

Priorities by Deborah Shank
The Thanksgiving holiday was awesome! I was on vacation for most of the week although it didn't seem like there was much time to rest. The church is completely decorated for the holidays and my home is 90% finished. I will put the finishing touches on it by the end of this week.

I decided I would be a part of those crazy folks who rolled out of bed before dawn on Black Friday and participate in the stressful shopping experience. I am not sure that my purchase was worth all the hassle but I did manage to secure my grandson's Christmas gift. When my son-in-law and I rolled into the Wal-Mart parking lot at 4:50 am there were already hundreds of people standing in line waiting to get inside the store. I was amazed. We learned that many of those in line had been there since 2 am! For what? So they could get one of the special deals in electronics!

Let me ask you a question. How many people do you know who have gone to church three hours before the service was scheduled to begin so they could get a great seat? How many of us would roll out of bed at 3:30 am to get to a church service at 5 am? Where are our priorities?

As I stood in that line with hundreds of others on Black Friday I thought about how disappointed God must be with us. We can roll out of bed before dawn to make sure we get a fantastic deal on a television but we cannot get to a church service on time, or sometimes not at all, because we have to much to do.............

Our Christian walk is all about prioritizing what is most important to us. What is most important to you today?

Blessings!

The role of God in Kentucky's government

2008-12-01T15:27:00.000-08:00

There's an interesting and growing debate going on in Kentucky about the role of God in government and the separation of church and state.

Seems that State Rep. Tom Riner slipped a little God into a piece of Homeland Security legislation back in 2006. With new leadership coming on board, the addition is getting some new attention.

According to a piece in the Lexington Herald-Leader,

Homeland Security is ordered to publicize God's benevolent protection in its reports, and it must post a plaque at the entrance to the state emergency operations center with an 88-word statement that begins, "safety security of commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon almighty God."

Riner is quoted as saying, "This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky. Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government."

What do you think? Is the recognition of God as the ultimate protector appropriate? A good idea? Constitutional? Worrisome?

And where do you stand on the division between State and Church?

In Other Words - Thanking God for His gifts

2008-11-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

Debra over at Chocolate and Coffee is hosting In Other Words this week, and the quote she’s chosen is just perfect for this Thanksgiving week.

“Thanksgiving begins with Thanks Living. Life is God’s gift to you. What you do with your life is your gift to God.” Anonymous

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

I’d guess a lot of people will be thankful for their jobs, their families and loved ones, their homes. Health is always a biggie when it comes to things to be thankful for, as are opportunities. Some folks will likely be thankful for more tangible things like cars and computers, and corn bread dressing (my husband is always thankful for that since Thanksgiving is the one time each year he gets it!)

There are a lot of things I could be thankful for this year, but I’m doing something a little different. This year I’m basing my thanksgiving prayers on Ecclesiastes 5:19.

Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. Ecclesiastes 5:19 NIV.

I came across this little gem a few weeks ago while waiting in a lobby, and it got me thinking.

A lot of people see God as playing favorites, as a Benefactor to some but not all. To them, He’s like a prejudicial host who gives the best and finest food to His special little friends, and the crumbs to all the rest. To them, the gift is the stuff.

But to me, the gift isn’t the stuff – it’s not the wealth and possessions, as it says in Ecclesiastes. The gift is the ability to enjoy the stuff, to accept life as is, and to be happy. That’s what God gives us when we enter into a relationship with Him.

He doesn’t offer or even promise more stuff, bigger stuff, or better stuff. He promises He will enable us to enjoy what we have, to accept where we are in life, and to be happy because of – and even in spite of – our circumstances.

Sure, I’m grateful for the things in life, but this Thanksgiving, I’m giving thanks for the true gifts of God:

the ability to look past the darkness and see into the light,

the willingness to experience joy and happiness, contentment and satisfaction,

and the every day recognition that my life cup is literally overflowing with abundance and grace because God loves me.What a wonderful gift!

What an awesome cause for thanksgiving!

Some tips on kindness during the holidays

2008-11-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

This Thursday is officially the start of the holiday season. With that in mind, I came across this post over at Belief Works which addresses how to kindly deal with diifficult people during the holidays. There are some really awesome ideas for dealing with folks, but to them I would add first and foremost, remember to love.

Dealing with Difficult People During the Holidays

With the holidays coming up, there is the added stress of crowded shopping malls, traffic jams, holiday parties, getting just the right gift and the obligation to show up at family get-togethers. Chances are you are going to run into someone who pushes your buttons. You know, one of those difficult people.

Many times the struggles we have with other people are simply a matter of who is right and who is wrong. Oftentimes isn’t right and wrong simply a matter of perception? Perhaps the conflict is not always about them but about the way we react. Very often it is our own interpretation that defines them as difficult. Think about it. The most difficult person in your life is frequently someone else’s confidant, lover, or friend. It might even be that sometimes the most difficult person in your life is YOUR confidant, lover, or friend.

Each of us has a slightly different take on reality. If there are twelve jurors listening to the same arguments, hearing the same evidence they often have a hard time reaching a verdict because they rarely perceive what goes on in exactly the same way. Keep that in mind when dealing with your brand of difficult person.

Difficult people abound, sometimes only for you….. and yes I’ll admit…sometimes they are perceived as difficult by everyone around them. The way they act is off-base. You’re right, they ARE difficult – but is that helping you? How can you deal with those difficult, challenging people in a way that resolves the problem and feels good rather than churns up your emotions?

Here are ten useful tips you can use this holiday season (and beyond) to help you meet the challenge of dealing with the difficult people in your life.

Give Up The Need To Be Right. What you perceive maybe accurate, but protracted battles and arguments that go nowhere and waste energy are all about being right. Agree to disagree with respect. Take action that supports what you want to accomplish. If you need to establish boundaries do so but give up your need to be right. Why? Because it feels good.

Don’t Assume Anything. Whether you have know someone for a long time or you just met, you really don’t know exactly what motivates them or precisely how they bend their reality moment to moment. Give up assuming why they did or said something. Ask questions and don’t assume ANYTHING.

Let Go of your Expectations. Having expectations about who should do what and how it should be done is a recipe for crisis. Let go of your expectation that one specific outcome is the only way you will be satisfied. If you hold on to the belief….Every thing will be okay when they______ you may wait an awful long time for when. An expectation is your assumption about what is SUPPOSED to happen. We gave up assumptions in tip number 2, remember?

It’s not Personal. Everyone lives in a unique virtual reality created by his or her beliefs, experiences and agreements. You are only a minor character in their movie. How they respond to you or react to you is NOT about you. No matter what anyone says or does, remember - it’s not personal.

Ask for What You Want. Ask for what you want rather than telling that difficult person what they are not doing right. Use “I” statements rather than “you” statements. When you accuse, defend or criticize you sound like the victim. Remember, a victim has no power.

Listen Effectively. Do you ever formulate what you are going to say next while the other person is still talking? Are youreally paying attention to what is being said or half listening and filling in the blanks? Do you frequently interrupt before they finish speaking? In order to avoid conflict, listen and acknowledge what the other person is saying (say: I hear you). If they recognize they are heard it can go along way in diffusing a conflict.

Be Detached. Let’s say someone is difficult. No doubt about it, everyone agrees. That perception may be accurate but now what? If you have done all the right things and nothing changes be prepared to walk away. All communication is by agreement. You choose to engage. Rather than argue or defend, if you don’t agree MOVE ON and focus your attention elsewhere. Do this, not because you’re right, but because it feels right.

Respect Their Story. Like you they have a story too - a unique perception of how everything is. It’s their story. And they have a right to it and deserve your respect even if you totally disagree. Respect their story and don’t try to change it. Enjoy them just as they are. That’s what you want, isn’t it?

Put On Their Shoes. By not making assumptions, not adhering to expectation, asking questions, and listing effectively you can start to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Each response they have is really about what they believe. The literal meaning of what they say might not be that important, what’s more interesting is the driving belief behind the response. Once you see that the conflict will begin to evaporate.

Give Up the Need to Be Right (again). Being right creates no solution and wastes energy. Is it possible sometimes you are the one being difficult? This tip is so powerful it bears repeating. To diffuse the conflict, give up your need to be right. Why? Because it feels oh so good!

In Other Words - Struck down but not destroyed

2008-11-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

Michelle over at Because I love you is hosting In Other Words Tuesday this week and has chosen a section of lyrics from “To Get Me To You” written by Lila McCann.

“And I don’t regret the rain, And the nights I felt the pain, And the tears I had to cry some of those times along the way. Every road I had to take, Every time my heart would break - It was just something that I had to get through To get me to you…”

I am, I’m afraid, a literary cliché.

I’m the much younger, naïve wife who packed up the kids in the middle of the night to escape a much older abusive husband and then, years later, waxes wistfully on the lessons of those days as she lives her happily-ever-after with Husband 2.0, otherwise known as Prince Charming.

“I wouldn’t be who I am today without those lessons,” she says.

“I am who I am now because of those hard times,” she exclaims.

“No regrets,” she reminds them both as they sail off into the orange sunset.

The funny thing is, it’s all true!

The darkness of those days allow me to be totally dazzled by the brightness of today. I know how blessed I am and I thank God for those blessings each and every day – sometimes hourly!

Because I know what a bad marriage feels like – literally – I cherish the wonders of a good marriage all the more.

And because I know what it feels like to be broken and on my knees, I can stand tall.

Would I do it all over again? Probably not, but in so many ways, I praise God every day that He did walk me through that minefield. I learned to trust Him more completely, to rely on Him more often and to believe to the very bottom of my heart that He has a plan for me, a plan I will never understand but will follow just the same.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"[a]made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:6-10 NIV)

Tend your soul

2008-11-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

Jim Wallis over at Sojourners brought together some of the best voices in Christian politics to offer President-elect Barack Obama advice. There are some compelling voices, including that of Wes Gransberg-Michaelson who reminds Obama to tend to his soul.

Tend to Your Soul
by Wes Granberg-Michaelson 11-07-2008

Dear President-elect Obama,

You are a leader not just because of what you have done, but because of who you are. Tend to your soul.

Your dream of a changed nation, transcending polarization, captured the hearts of millions. Nurture that vision continually. Imagine the future it can create. Share this constantly.

You demonstrated inner emotional confidence in the face of an external financial crisis. Stay grounded in hope. This dispels the fears of others.

Your election has inspired the world. Show that our nation can live with others according to the value of every human life that our ideals so cherish.

Read Matthew 25 at least every week. Inspire policies that remember the least of these.

Keep loving your wife and children. Your presence and time is the greatest gift you can give them.

The expectations of a nation and a world have rarely been higher for a new president. pAfter all you do, each day, your surest response is to relinquish yourself, again and again, to the Lord whom you love.

Pray without ceasing. “Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.”

And may the God of peace be with you, and sustain you, always.

Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson served as legislative assistant to Sen. Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR) from 1968 to 1976. Today he serves as general secretary of the Reformed Church in America.

99 out of 100 are not rude? right!

2008-11-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

I came across this article about being rude. It has a lot to say about how we live our lives without thinking about the other guy, without thinking about kindness and civility. It's a good reminder to be kind and remember, others are always watching!

Are you rude? Maybe you should think again!

(OPRAH.com) -- Fed up with the rude behavior you experience day in and day out? Is it aggressive driving, co-workers who don't wash their hands or smokers who use the sidewalk as their personal ashtrays?

Oprah says she can't stand people who are rude to service workers.

What about the sales clerks who ignore you -- then act like they own the store when you finally get their attention?

It's time for a return to civility! In "O, The Oprah Magazine," Oprah asked Jerry Seinfeld about his biggest pet peeve. Turns out, it's a lack of civility.

"Nobody's ever said that as an answer in all the years I've asked that question," Oprah says. Jerry's top three? Cutting people off on the road, BlackBerry or cell phone abuse and interrupting while someone is talking.

Oprah agrees with Jerry about offensive cell phone behavior -- and she has a few rude behaviors to add to the list. "Mine are people who are chewing gum with their mouth open. I don't want to see it," Oprah says. "I also can't stand it when people are rude to service workers because I think you show who you are by how you treat people who are serving you."

Audience member Nancy says she got a rude awakening in the last place any woman would expect -- at the gynecologist. "I was at my gynecologist's office and I put my legs in the stirrups, totally exposed," she says. "His cell phone went off and he answered it. It was not an urgent conversation, and it went on for seven to 10 minutes."

Nancy says she was so shocked she couldn't even say anything! "I never went back," she says.

As a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent, audience member Stephanie sees about 2 million people every day -- and plenty of bad behavior. "We call them 'special,'" she says.

Stephanie says rude travelers take their anger out on TSA agents, sometimes even calling them names, simply because they're there. One time, Stephanie says a customer hurled a bottle of cologne at her head. "This is after I told him that he couldn't take the bottle of cologne onto the plane because it was after the liquids restriction," she says. "He was just so incensed that it surprised me."

One tip Stephanie has for travelers looking to get to their gates faster is to put away those cell phones! "[When] you're waiting to get a person's I.D. and check their tickets and they walk up to you on the phone and they're ignoring you like you don't even exist," she says, "you don't want to be rude and interrupt their conversation, but they're also being inconsiderate for the other passengers in line."

Eighty percent of Americans think rudeness is a serious national problem, but 99 percent of the same people say that they themselves are not rude.

Oprah takes the quiz with members of the audience. The first question is: Are you chronically late? Oprah has to admit, "My answer would be sorta kinda," she says.

Oprah says her friend and trainer Bob Greene once taught her an important lesson about being on time. "When I first started working out with him, I was late. I was chronically late," she says. "And I was late one day, and he said, 'If this ever happens again, I will never work out with you, because my time means as much to me as yours means to you. So you either get here on time or find yourself another trainer.' And I went, 'Okay.'"

How many times have you run in and out of the gas station? Ever think about what it's like to be on the other side?

Shannon is the mother of three and works as a clerk at a gas station. "I think people are rude when they're having a bad day, and they don't expect to ever have to see you again, so they say what they want," she says. "I used to be a rude customer. I would talk on the cell phone while someone was trying to help me. I don't do that anymore because now I'm on the other side of the counter."

She's nicknamed some of her rudest customers "the tossers." "What they do is instead of handing me their cash, they toss it at me," she says. "I've had people toss it so hard it's actually flown off my side of the counter."

There are also "the messers." "They come, they get what they want, they leave their mess, and then I have to clean it up," she says. "I wonder if they do that at home."

But by far, Shannon says the rudest thing that's happened to her at work was getting cussed out by a woman whose credit card was declined. "I ended up having to flag down a police officer to have her escorted out," she says. "Sometimes I feel like a human punching bag because customers take things out on me that are not my fault."

According to Dr. P.M. Forni, everyone can improve the quality of their relationships and lives by choosing to be more considerate, courteous and polite.

For the past decade, Dr. Forni -- a professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of "Choosing Civility: The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct" and "The Civility Solution: What to Do When People Are Rude" -- has been on a mission to promote gracious behavior.

"The quality of our lives is about treating each other well in every situation. We are all the trustees of one another's happiness and well-being in life," he says.

Dr. Forni says modern society is structured in a way that actually amplifies and encourages incivility. "We are stressed, we are fatigued and we are in an anonymous environment. Stress and anonymity are two very, very common causes of rudeness," he says. "Especially when they are together, like in traffic."

In "Choosing Civility," Dr. Forni uses a quote from motivational speaker Peggy Tabor Millin -- "We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace" -- to illustrate the idea of "respectful persons."

"The principle of respectful persons is the principle upon which all ethical systems have been based from the beginning of humanity, since certainly the last 2,000 years," he says. "[The principle] says that we ought to treat others as ends in themselves rather than as beings for the satisfaction of our own immediate needs and desires."

Dr. Forni says choosing to act in a civil manner has proven more beneficial than self-satisfaction. "I'm not a physician, but any doctor will say that when we are involved in a rude encounter, there are hormones -- like catecholamines, for instance, cortisol -- that are cascading into our system and they are making our immune system weaker," he says. "If you have a boss that you perceive to be unfair, you're much more likely to have cardiovascular disease."

The bottom line? Going through life rude and angry can make you sick.

If you want to see rudeness in action, one of the best places to look is in the restaurants of America. Kara says she knows one of those rude customers personally -- her sister Jeni is one of them!

"Anywhere we go out to eat, she refuses to sit at tables and she has to sit at a booth. And if they're really busy and she has to wait to sit at a booth, then she complains about having to wait to sit at the booth," Kara says. "If her water glass gets empty ... and they're not immediately there to refill her water, she gets really upset or won't leave a tip because they're not doing their job. And she orders iced tea a lot and she puts sweetener in her tea, and so it gets a certain amount of sweetener. And lots of times the waitress or waiter will come and top off the glass and she gets upset because now her sweetener-to-tea ratio is messed."

Jeni says she doesn't intend to be mean but isn't afraid to tell waiters when something is wrong. "Most of the time, I find something that's not correct," she says.

For nine years, Steven Dublanica was a waiter who experienced his share of difficult customers like Jeni. He recounts those experiences and more in the hugely popular blog Waiter Rant, which he's turned into the best-selling book "Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip -- Confessions of a Cynical Waiter."

Steven says customers certainly have a right to expect good service at a restaurant, but it's not their right to be rude. "When you get to the point where you're picking on everything, that becomes a control issue because you're really trying to control everything around you," he says. "And it's not going to work."

Steven says he thinks some people feel license to be rude to waiters because of the nature of the interaction. "It's a servant job. You know, we're bringing food to a table and we're getting tips in return. That's fine. I don't have a problem with that," he says. "But when people start thinking that we're not human, that we're slaves, that we don't have feelings? Sometimes when people treat us that way it hurts."

When you hurt your waiter's feelings, Steven says you might find yourself on the receiving end of a bit of revenge ... but it may not be quite as bad as you think. "I think the one everyone is scared of is spitting in the food. I think very few waiters do that in actuality," Steven says. "I had a rule when I was waiting. My rule was, 'If I couldn't give it to my mother, I didn't give it to my customer.'"

Steven says there are three things you can do to stay on your waiter's good side.

1. Don't talk on a cell phone at the table.

"I would be coming up to a table and saying, 'Here are the specials we have today.' And the phone would ring and they'd go, 'Wait." And then I would [say], 'Can I come back in a minute?' 'Wait,'" he says. "That's very rude behavior."

2. Don't demand a different table on a busy night.

"On a busy night, the hostess has set up the seating plan in a way that it's like the logistics for the Normandy invasion," he says. "If you change one table, everything gets thrown off."

Steven says everyone -- even celebrities -- has to understand what happens in a restaurant during weekends.

"Alec Baldwin ate at my restaurant one time. He came in unannounced. The only table I had was literally by the printer and the two bathrooms," Steven says. "He walked up and I said, 'Mr. Baldwin, this is the only table I have.' And he said, 'No problem.' And he sat down and he took it. ... If Brad Pitt and Angelina came in and it was the only table I had, that would be where I would put them."

3. Don't tip less than 15 percent.

Waiters are paid wages well below the minimum wage -- as little as $2.15 an hour in some states -- with the expectation that they will earn the majority of their income through tips. In addition, some restaurants require waiters to pay around 20 to 30 percent of their tips to food runners, hostesses and bartenders.

"If you don't tip, then that person doesn't get paid," Steven says. "Literally."

The Day After: "We the People" by Brian Keene

2008-11-04T20:55:00.001-08:00

The Day After: ‘We The People…’
Dear Turtle,

You won’t remember this day, but history will. While you were sitting with Mommy and Daddy and chewing on the remote control, we watched the world give your generation a chance at a better life than we have had.

Ideally, that should be the ultimate goal of each generation—to make things better for the next generation. That’s always been the way it was in our family. Your great, great, great grandparents came to this country from Ireland because they wanted things to be better for their kids. They worked hard to make sure that happened. Your great, great grandfather fought in World War One to make the world a better place for his kids. Your great-grandfather fought during World War Two for the same ideals. Your grandfather and your Daddy also served, and while our government’s ideals may have been different in those times, ours were not. Your PaPaw wanted the world to be a better place for my generation, and I wanted the world to be a better place for your generation. Your PaPaw busted his ass eight-to-ten hours a day, seven days a week, to give your aunt and I the things that he never had growing up. He worked hard and sacrificed. I learned those ideals from him, and have tried to do the same thing.

Your great-grandparents are part of something called The Greatest Generation. They knew hardship, son. They had World War Two and the Great Depression and hard, lean times. Your grandparents are part of something called The Boomer Generation. They also knew hardship. They had Vietnam and Kent State and a man named Richard Nixon who shit all over the ideals that make this country great.

There is another group of people who have known strife, son. And although they were a part of all three of these generations, and although they shared in our struggles and fought for the same things we fought for, they had their own share of personal hardships and strife, as well. And those hardships dwarfed ours in comparison. People of color have had to struggle even harder in this country. And even though the Greatest Generation fought to make this world a better place, it really only held true for half of the population. People of color didn’t enjoy the same freedoms that the rest of us did. The Boomer Generation worked to change that, and perhaps they succeeded somewhat. But the divisions still remained. Those divisions ran through our country like echoes. Ghosts of the past.

It should not have been that way. But it was. And that’s not the only thing that has been wrong, son. You see, Mommy and Daddy are part of something called Generation X and Generation Y. We had no hard, lean times. We were spoiled brats, for the most part. Because of the sacrifices of the two generations that came before us, we were fat and content. Our greatest hardships were David Lee Roth quitting Van Halen and Kurt Cobain deep-throating a shotgun. And so, for the last twenty years, we’ve had a procession of crooks shit all over this nation’s ideals in a way that makes Nixon seem positively benign. Somewhere along the line, the representatives of the Greatest Generation and the Boomer Generation have forgotten about their duty to the generations to come. For twenty years, both parties, represented by the Bush dynasty and the Clinton dynasty, have made things progressively worse. And my generation let them get away with it because, unlike our parents and our grandparents, we simply didn’t care. We had no strife. Unlike the previous generations, we’ve had no hard, lean times.

Until 9/11.

On 9/11, we understandably and justifiably lost our shit. On 9/11, our generation realized that we were part of this planet, whether we liked it or not, and that there were more important things in life than Britney’s latest meltdown or the Superbowl or funny LOL Cat pictures. 9/11 ushered in those hard, lean times, and it’s eerie how much they resemble the hardships of your grandparents and great-grandparent’s generations. War. Economic chaos. Social unrest. The world has become an ugly place.

Well, we finally got involved, son. My generation woke up after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina and the Patriot Act and the $700 Billion Dollar Bailout and realized that we’re in our thirties and forties now, and that we pretty much run this country. Our generation–we the People–white, black, brown, moderate, liberal, Christian, atheist,–joined together today in order to form a more perfect Union. We elected one of our own, a forty-seven year old man of color, to run the country, and in doing so, we made history. And maybe–just maybe–we actually finally put to rest some of the mistakes of the previous generations. Maybe we can lay to rest those ghosts of the past, and put away those old divisions. Maybe we can finally draw a curtain on the racist bullshit that has fucked this country up since day one. Maybe we can stop looking at the color of a person’s skin, or their sexual orientation, or their religious beliefs, or which political party they are registered to. Maybe we can finally move beyond ideology and dogma and talking points. Maybe we can forget about Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives, Religious Right and Atheist Left, African-American and White, Gay or Straight, Man or Woman, Steelers fan or Redskins fan—maybe we can move beyond all that crap and really start to make a difference. It might not be forty acres and a mule. Indeed, it might be the start of something better.

It’s our generation’s first shot at this, and I’m sure we’ll stumble. Maybe if we work together, we won’t completely blow it. We’d better not, because sometimes I wonder if this isn’t our last chance to get it right.

Daddy loves you, kiddo. He loves you and your brother very much, and he really hopes that this is the start of something better for you both. He hopes that by the time you’re his age, you’ll live in a world where the air is cleaner, and global poverty is something you read about in a history book, and people can marry whomever they want regardless of their gender, and we won’t see each other in terms of the color of our skin, and if you get sick a doctor will be able to help you, and that if your country ever calls on you to go to war it will be right and just, fighting for this country’s ideals, fighting to make this world a better place for your kids, rather than on the whim of a pack of criminals who have dishonored every generation of Americans who have worked hard and struggled to uphold the dream.

And that’s why Daddy voted for Barack Obama today.

In a minute, I’m going to post this, because I bet there are other parents out there right now who are feeling the same thing, and that’s my job—to put into words what other people are feeling. After I do that, I’m going to tip-toe into the bedroom and kiss you and Mommy both goodnight. And for the first time in a very long time, kiddo, Daddy will feel something when he goes to sleep.

And that something is called Hope.

We the People… in order to form a more perfect Union.

I hope.

In Other Words - Ah freedom

2008-11-04T02:45:00.000-08:00

Karen over at In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus is hosting In Other Words Tuesday this week, and has chosen 2 Corinthians 3:17.

Karen uses the NKJV version - "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

But this is a verse I've always held dear in the NIV version, and that's what I'm using for this post. - Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

I had the opportunity to hear the great Desmond Tutu speak in February of 2003 at the Northup Auditorium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Someone asked the Archbishop if he could describe life in South Africa post-apartheid. I can still hear his voice cracking as he said:

“In many ways, you want to say, how do you tell a blind man that this is a red rose? How do you tell someone who is deaf that I am listening to a Beethoven symphony? How do you tell someone who has never been unfree what it means to be free?”

Wow.

Tutu's words have echoed in my ears often since that first time I heard them five years ago. Often and in many personal ways, for you see, I've lived in places where freedom is pretty hard to come by. Where the freedom which, as an American Christian I grew up enjoying, expecting, and even taking for granted, is nowhere to be found. Where being free is truly a "foreign" concept.

And, in those places, I've tried to explain to the unfree what freedom is and why they should desire it.

Tutu got it right. It's like explaining a red rose to a blind man, a symphony to someone who is deaf, or the saving grace of Christ to someone who thinks He's "just another prophet".

As a Christian, I know about being free and I know about saving grace because I am a child of a loving God who has called me to be free (Galatians 5:13) and sent down His Son to free me from the slavery of sin (Galatians 5:1).

I know because Christ Himself told me! "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10 NIV)

Today, I celebrate that freedom. I can explain it because I have seen it, heard it, tastes it and felt it.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17. NIV

Be Sure to visit my non-writing blog, Pleasing Moments!

The Almighty has His own priorities

2008-11-04T02:19:00.000-08:00

Eddie Perkins posted this piece on his site this morning, and I want to share it with you. It's finally election day back in the States, and a lot of people are anxious. It's been a passionate and passion-filled campaign. But Eddy's post reminds us that God is bigger than politics.

I've been reading a lot of political stuff recently - some good, some bad and some downright ugly. Frankly, I've been disgusted by people from both sides using God to score political points - or worse still - strong-arm others to their way of thinking (and voting). That's why Eddy's post came as such a breath of fresh air, and why I'm reposting it at both Pleasing Moments and Ava Writes.

God in Politics Introduction

God spoke the truth on many issues before they ever became political issues. The fact that some topics have become political issues is no reason for Bible believers not to share what God’s Word has to say on the issues at hand.

This is an outline and a few thoughts from our pastor’s message today Sunday November 2nd 2008. It is not a message on whom to vote for or specific issues, but Bible principles. I love it when the speaker gets to the root of the issues instead of dealing with the rotten fruit. So here is the message (with some of my thoughts interjected) from pastor Danny Rollins.

Text: Mark 12:17 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him. NKJV

Three Truths Today -

Understanding God’s Priority (Singular)

His Kingdom

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. NKJV
He is speaking of His King and Kingdom People

John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." NKJV

Partial quote from Abraham Lincoln in his Second inaugural address on March 4th 1865 and speaking of how both sides asked God to bless their priorities, “The Almighty has His own priorities”.

Joshua 5:13-14 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?"

So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come."

And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" NKJV

The point being that God did not come that day to take sides, but to take over. No matter who wins the election, the problems and solutions are deeper than the election. Wrong will continue because it is in the human nature.

Survey God’s Plans

God’s plans and program has gone on through time whether we recognized it or not.

God Worked Through The Nation Israel.
When the kingdom divided there were 38 kings. All but 8 were considered “bad” kings. Of the eight “good” kings most were not good from beginning to end, yet God’s plans moved forward using both the “good” and the “bad”.

God Worked Through The Other Nations.
Just go through both the Old and New Testament and take note of the nations that God worked through. My personal favorite is included in the story of Esther. But as you read the following scripture as examples keep in mind that these kings were not of the Jewish nation and may not have been worshippers of the one true God.

Daniel 6:25-26 -Then King Darius wrote:To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. NKJV

Ezra 1:1-2 -Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. NKJV

Participating in God’s Process

God has chosen to use leaders for his people.

Deliverers like Moses and Joshua
Judges like Samson and Gideon
Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah
Kings like David and Solomon
God Uses Us to Elect the Leaders

Let’s Use the Bible as a Guide to Characteristics

Character –“What we are in the dark” – The moral authority to lead others

Proverbs 29:1 He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. NKJV

Conviction –“One who draws a line in the sand and says I will not cross over this line”.

Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. NKJV

Anyone can have a conviction, not just Bible believers. A conviction is something one will die for.

The ultimate politician will promise anything. He/she will study the issues; find out what issues will get him/her the most votes and then promise to deliver it.

Courage – to choose the right thing

Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." NKJV

Company –Who is his/her friends and who is his/her enemies.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits." NKJV

Look at your political mail and check the liberal media. Who supports who? You will know a lot about a person by the company they keep.

On a personal note, please notice that nothing is mentioned here about religion, gender or race.

God in Politics Bottom Line

We all need to vote our own convictions come Election Day. Yes, there are issues I would love to discuss in more details, but there are many who are already doing that, so I pass on to you these three truths today.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. NKJV

If you do not believe in God or the authority of His Word, this will not help you. If on the other hand you do believe in God and the authority of His Word and if you are willing to submit to His authority, you may find help here.

In any case, this is not the voting booth. See you at the poles. ~ eddie

What if we all cared enough?

2008-11-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

In Other Words: Protection

2008-10-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Loni over at Writing Canvas is hosting this week's In Other Words, and has chosen the following Psalm:

No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:10-11. NKJV)

Praying for protection wasn't something I did much until I moved to Saudi Arabia.

Sure, there were specific prayers for specific protections over the years - long trips and bad storms, for example, or one-off dangerous situations, but overall, I felt God's regular protection was implied. A child doesn't have to explicitly ask a parent to protect them every morning when they wake up, right?

Then 9-11 happened, and awhile later, we moved to Saudi Arabia, home of 15 of the 19 hijackers, ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, the cradle of Islam and - many feel - the birthplace of Islamic extremism and terrorism.

According to the press, my new home was a dangerous, dangerous place for people like me - Americans, Christians, women.

I remember the first morning after I arrived in Kingdom, a woman who later became one my dearest friends invited me to go into town shopping with her. As her driver pulled the car out of my driveway, my new friend grabbed my hand, bowed her head, and started to pray.

"Dear Lord, be with us as we go shopping today. Send your angels to watch over us and protect us. Stand between us and the people who would want to harm us. Amen.

It was a short prayer. A simple prayer, and one I've since repeated countless times in various forms, but that morning was the first morning I realized that, although God protects us whether we ask Him to or not, there's nothing wrong with just saying the words.

"Hey God. It's me and I'm scared. I know you're there. I know you're always there and will always protect me from every bad thing I can imagine, whether I ask you to or not, but today, right now, I just need to put it into words. I need to be specific. Send your angels. Put up a fence. Call in the troops! Do whatever you can think of, Lord, please help me feel safe."

It makes us feel better, and I can't help but think it pleases God, too.

AVA

Check out The Pleasing Moments Blog where I encourage and inspire others to please God more!

Evil at the door or tell me again why Halloween is bad

2008-10-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Not having lived in a place that recognizes Halloween for most of the last decade, I frankly wasn't even aware of the upcoming "holiday" until Loni made mention of it in her IOW quote announcement for this week. Halloween wasn't celebrated in Saudi - nothing is - and it's not a big deal here in Australia either, altho this place has more costume shops per capita than any place I've ever seen!

That said, when my kids were little they loved Halloween and so did I. Some of my favorite photos feature the kids in costumes they picked out and I handmade, including a four-year run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and another three years as Peter Pan for my son, and several years as various Disney princesses for my daughter.

I remember when my daughter was in fourth grade, her school banned all Halloween activities. No costumes, no games - nothing. Apparently one parent complained and the district caved. I was upset.

I'm still upset.

Frankly, I've never understood all the hoopla around Halloween being an evil celebration, a pagan holiday or a day to honor witches and such. Much of it, I think is little more than propaganda, aimed at distractig us from the overwhelming and very real evil around us. (As if we aren't good enough at doing that already.)

It all reminds me of the parable of the biker, the rich lady and the animal rights activist.

The animal rights activist is standing on the street with a bucket of red paint. A huge, fierce-looking biker walks by decked out in full leather - chaps and a fringed jacket, skid lid, gloves, the whole nine yards - and the activist just nods and smiles. Ten minutes later, a frail-looking old woman walks by decked out in a mink coat and the activist drenches her in paint.

There's no difference between the leather and the mink - both came from animals raised in captivity for the sole purpose of being made into apparel - but the old woman was just an easier target.

And that's the way I see Halloween.

There are a lot of evil things in the world - child abuse, domestic violence, poverty, genocide. There are forces of evil vying for our souls on a daily basis - gambling, addiction, pornography, racism, sexism and extremism.

False prophets call from every street corner and everywhere we walk, someone has set a snare for us. God's people live in the midst of evil in our world, in our comunities, our homes and families and in our very hearts.

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. (James 3:16 NIV)

But it's a lot easier to bar our door to trick-or-treaters dressed as fairies and pirates than to deal with the sometimes overwhelming and very real evil that knocks on our door on a daily basis.

I'm over at Pearl Girls this week

2008-10-23T14:45:00.001-07:00

Awhile back I was invited to guest blog over at Pearl Girls, and apparently they liked me so much, they invited me back! hehe

I'm over there this week with a post about motivation.

Check it out!

Insights Gained from an Anne Rice Interview by Les Stobe ICW

2008-10-22T16:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another great article by International Christian Writer's Director, Les Stobe.

Insights Gained from an Anne Rice Interview

The plane ride was to a writers’ conference and I had done my work-related reading when I picked up the September issue of the US Airways in-flight magazine. The interview with Anne Rice beginning on page 64 caught my attention. I’ve always been fascinated by writers’ self-analysis, especially when they return to a faith they once left behind well into their career as book authors. I did not go unrewarded as I read her responses during the interview, with a number of valuable insights jumping out at me.

I was struck by Anne Rice’s basic orientation as a fiction writer. Early on she fell in love with the writing of Charles Dickens, with the rhythm in his paragraphs, with the beauty of his language. She likes fiction with a musical quality in the language because then she can hear it. As she writes she actually can be heard speaking what she is writing.

She indicates that as she wrote her books she wanted to be taken seriously, for her writing to be memorable. She says, “There was always a part of me that wanted to follow the principles of Aristotle—plot, characters, great events, and catharsis.”

Yet what gave her novels such appeal with readers? Was it merely the vampire angle? She reports that she gradually realized that she was writing about “outsiders longing for a way to the inside.” Someone pointed out to her that she was writing about outcasts who were trying to find their place to belong. Since all of us feel like outcasts at one point or another, she had stumbled onto a universal longing. Readers started showing up at book signings wanting to show her a passage that meant a lot to them, with some so overcome emotionally they had trouble identifying it. Writing that meets a universal longing is sure to resonate with readers. Remember Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life? A survey revealed to them that more than 85 % of the general population was longing for a purpose.

At this point I was asking myself how much of our writing as Christians shouldn’t be about us being outcasts, aliens and strangers, as Paul puts it, who have this deep longing to belong, to be part of a greater purpose, God’s purpose for us. But if we only write about truth without the accompanying story which readers can identify with, how are we going to satisfy that longing?

I was fascinated by Anne Rice’s description of her characters. She said that while most writers have characters they hate, she only has characters that she loves. She said, “I was not a writer who ever got any energy from writing about characters I hated.” And people responded to how these characters loved each other and the world. What a concept for Christian writers of fiction! We are in an era where an amazing number of Christian writers are into writing thrillers loaded with people the reader is to hate. No wonder we have so much hateful material emanating from conservative Christians in churches and during an election.

Asked about the vampire books she wrote before her about-turn spiritually, she said that she is proud of those books because they are about good and evil, “and in that regard I’m not sure they’re that different from the books I’m writing today.” She is, however, excited that she is reaching a new audience with the books she is writing about the life of Christ.

One of the problems Christian writers have to deal with is the role of evil in their books. We have a generation of readers whose fiction tackled evil at a superficial level because Christians did not want to read about the horrible realities of evil. “Nice and easy” is how one editor described the novels they are publishing. The novels of British writer Susan Howatch, however, portray evil in vivid life situations, in what should be good characters, clergy, but there is never glorification of evil, just the recognition that only the redeeming power of Christ can overcome the evil in all of us.

It’s important as Christian writers that we range farther afield for insights than just Christian writers. We can learn from a Sol Stein as well as a James Scott Bell. Some of Doc Hensley’s most powerful insights came from reading the fiction of Jack London. Early in my writing career I loved to read the columns and articles of the nation’s great sportswriters, who were permitted to be so much more colorful than the columnists and news reporters in the rest of the paper. Of course we have to balance that with our reading of the Bible, and I keep reading it in different versions just to expand my understanding of God’s truth and get a new feel for the language used.

Les Stobbe
Director, International Christian Writers

In Other Words: A place called Authenticity

2008-10-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Lynnette is hosting In Other Words this week, and has chosen a quote from George MacDonald:

“Friends, if we be honest with ourselves, we shall be honest with each other.”

I've spent most of the last three decades on a journey of self discovery, and it's taken me to some pretty interesting places! Along the way, I've learned a lot about myself, others and God, and, altho a lot of things have transpired since them, I know I'm not the same person I was when I took off.

I remember when I first started the trip, my goal was to find a place called Authenticity. I'd been reading a lot of Emerson at the time, and his influence was monumental.

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

In Emerson's essays, I found a call to action; I heard encouragement and even permission to look inward without giving up my faith. In Emerson's essays, I discovered room for honesty.

And oddly enough, that very same honesty led me back to God.

Authenticity is critical in my life as a Christian, and it starts with being honest - honest about who I am and who I am not; honest about my motivations and what makes me tick; honest about the things I value and discount, the things I believe and the things I question, and honest about my relationship with God.

Honesty makes me transparent. Nothing is hidden. There are no secret agendas. I'm not pretending to be something or someone I'm not.

Honesty let's me stand before God - sins and all - and know I am loved.

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test." (2 Corinthians 15:7)

God’s special promise in my time of need

2008-10-15T02:18:00.000-07:00

The town I grew up in did this charity telethon every Christmas. It was always held on a Friday night, and the next morning members of the community would meet up, fill cardboard boxes and paper bags with donated foods, and then distribute them to needy members of the community. For the most part, at least in our small community, that meant the elderly.

But that was just part of it.

The other part was the Christmas presents. For weeks leading up to the telethon, community members were urged to donate toys. There were donation boxes everywhere. And on Saturday morning, at the same time people were packing up groceries to be handed out to the needy, other people were sorting through the toys, matching them with “requests” submitted by parents unable to give their child something under the tree on Christmas morn.

Participating in the aftermath of the telethon was part of my holiday routine. It made me feel good. It made me remember the reason for the season. It encouraged me to count my blessings. I’d fill the back of my parents’ car with bags of groceries and boxes of toys, and then deliver them around town. Some years I wore a Santa hat. Most years I greeted folks with a hearty, “Merry Christmas!” But every year, I walked away knowing God’s abundant love.

When I grew up, got married and had kids of my own, I brought them into the holiday routine. I’d bundle them up in their winter outfits, strap them into the car and make my rounds delivering groceries and toys to the needy.

Then suddenly, I was the needy.

In the middle of a cold, dark January night, I packed my kids, a suitcase, some toys and a box containing our vital documents and family heirlooms, and left my abusive marriage. By the time December rolled back around, we were officially a single-parent household living well under the national poverty level.

Still, we were among the first to sign up for the annual holiday charity event. By then it was a tradition. More than that, I thought it was important for my kids to remember we were blessed, we had our health, we had each other and we had God.

I can still remember my daughter’s face as we packed up the toy boxes. Among the dolls, games and assorted loot were many of the same things she’d asked for, and been told we couldn’t afford. And as we delivered them throughout the community, dropping off the toys at homes much bigger and much nicer than our own small, second floor two-bedroom apartment, I knew the questions were coming.

And finally they did.

“Mommy,” she asked as we drove away from the last house, “are we needy?”

“No,” I said softly. “We have everything we need, just not everything we want. There’s a difference.”

“It doesn’t feel like a difference,” she whispered.

As I struggled for words, the message of Matthew 6 came to me.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:25-27 NIV)

“When we love God and He loves us,” I told my daughter slowly “we trust He will take good care of us…the very best care of us. Sometimes we might think we want more – or even need more, but God knows best. He knows what we need and He will always provide it.

“That’s His special promise,” I said finally. “And God keeps promises.”

That moment took place more than a dozen years ago, yet it remains as vivid in my memory as if it happened yesterday. Over the next several years as we worked to rebuild our lives and regain financial footing, my kids often reminded me of God’s special promise to us.

And each time they did, I praised God for the lesson of that Christmas holiday, and His promise to be the deliverer of the needy.

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The LORD be exalted!" Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay. (Psalm 40:16-17 NIV)

You Have Our Attention, Lord by Max Lucado

2008-10-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Our friends lost their house
The co-worker lost her job
The couple next door lost their retirement
It seems that everyone is losing their footing

This scares us. This bailout with billions.
These rumblings of depression.
These headlines: ominous, thunderous -
“Going Broke!” “Going Down!” “Going Under!” “What's Next?”

What is next?

We’re listening. And we’re admitting: You were right.

You told us this would happen.
You shot straight about loving stuff and worshipping money.
Greed will break your heart, You warned.
Money will love you and leave you.
Don’t put your hope in riches that are so uncertain.

You were right. Money is a fickle lover and we just got dumped.

We were wrong to spend what we didn’t have.
Wrong to neglect prayer and ignore the poor.
Wrong to think we ever earned a dime. We didn’t.
You gave it. And now, tell us Father, are You taking it?

We’re listening. And we’re praying.
Could you make something good out of this mess?

Of course You can. You always have.
You led slaves out of slavery,
Built temples out of ruins,
Turned stormy waves into a glassy pond and water into sweet wine.
This disorder awaits your order. So do we.

Through Christ,
Amen

God will always give what is right to His people who cry to Him night and day, and He will not be slow to answer them. (Luke 18:7 NCV)

Modern day pharisees

2008-10-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

Amy is hosting In Other Words this week and has chosen a quote from one of my favorite guys - A.W.Tozer.

I've said before, Aiden Wilson Tozer is my role model as a Christian writer, so I was thrilled to see that Amy had chosen a quote from him - AND one I'm familiar with and have been rolling around in my head for awhile. It goes like this:

"A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself."

I can't help it. Every time I come across the word pharisee, I see the short-thobed, red-bearded members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice who lurk around every corner in Saudi Arabia hoping to catch someone breaking the rules. They may call themselves by other names - most commonly mutawa, Commission members or moral police - but to me they will always be pharisees.

Every expat who has ever set foot in Saudi Arabia knows about the mutawa, either through first-hand experience of through one of the many horror stories circulating about them.

One of the most famous - and damning - stories about the mutawa isn't a story at all...it's the truth. Back on March 15, 2002, 15 young school girls were killed when their school caught fire and the mutawa refused to allow them outside because they were not covered in the black cloak-like covering known locally as the abaya.

The mutawa apparently thought it would be better for these little girls to die than to break the so-called rule, and appear outside uncovered. Talk about getting it wrong!

Anyway, call them what you like, the mutawa are modern day pharisees in my book. Like the biblical pharisees, they know all the rules, but have no understanding of the Ruler.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28 NIV.)

And because they know the rules but not the Ruler, they're hard on others, but easy on themselves. Again, talk about getting it wrong!

"They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. (Matthew 23:4 NIV)

For some reason, that verse always makes me think about the mutawa and that school fire.

And the 15 little girls who died because some modern day Pharisees weren’t willing to remove the burden they themselves had piled onto their young shoulders.

Talk about getting it wrong.

AVA <><

Please visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments Blog where I encourage and inspire others to please God more by living a worthy life.

The powerful responsibility of prayer

2008-10-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

Bill over at A Spiritual Oasis" shared a parable the other day I'd like to share.

It goes like this:

I once read what I believe to be a fable about a small town that had two churches and one distillery. Members of both churches complained that the distillery was giving the community a bad image. And to make matters worse the owner of the distillery was an out spoken atheist. He didn’t believe in God one bit.

The church people had tried unsuccessfully for years to shut down the distillery. So finally they decided to hold a joint Saturday night prayer meeting. They were going to ask God to intervene and settle the matter.

The church folks gathered on Saturday night and there was a horrible thunderstorm raging outside and to the delight of the church members lightening hit that old brewery and it burned to the ground. The next morning the sermons that were preached in both churches were on the power of prayer.

But the insurance adjusters promptly notified the distillery owner that they were not going to pay for the damages because the fire was an act of God and that was “an exclusion” in the policy.

The distillery owner was furious and he sued both churches claiming that they had conspired with God to destroy his business. But the churches denied that they had anything to do with the cause of the fire.

The presiding judge opened the trial with these words: I find one thing in this cause most perplexing-we have a situation here where the plaintiff, an atheist is professing his belief in the power of prayer, and the defendants all faithful church members are denying the very same power.

It's a silly story, of course, but one that often cuts too close to home. Sometimes as Christians we pray and pray and pray - we pray ceaselessly in fact - for God to show us His will, to order our steps, to teach us to live by His words, and then when unexpected answers come our way, we're the first to cry foul.

That's not what I meant!

We can't have it both ways.

When we pray, we must believe AND be willing to submit to the knowledge God brings to the table. We must pray with motivation and faith AND at the same time give thanks for the things we might not understand. Otherwise we're like the church goers in the story who only believed until the result was real.

Thanks, Again Bill.

AVA <><

In Other Words: The candle and the mirror

2008-10-07T02:25:00.000-07:00

Bonnie over at Ink It Blog is hosting In Other Words today - well yesterday here in Australia lol - and she chose the following quote by Edith Wharton to write about:

“There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”

Edith Wharton was quite a woman, and in many ways her life was both a candle and a mirror. She became famous as a novelist - she wrote The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome and the House of Mirth - but was also a fierce activist for the downtrodden, displaced and homeless, working tirelessly behind the scenes to make their lives better.

It seems fitting that we should remember her best in this quote. Despite position, status, fame and wealth, Edith Wharton was unconcerned by how the light was reflected - as long as it was reflected!

That's the message we as Christians need to remember. We aren't in it for the glory, we're in it for God!

The person leading Sunday's service and the person cleaning up after Sunday's service are both working for God's glory.

The person who takes in a pregnant teen and the person who raises the money for a new church are both doing God's work.

Whether we're the candle or the mirror doesn't matter.

What matters is that the light of God is being sent out into the world.

Ava <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to teach others to Please God More!

Time out for a political message from Sojourners on the 700B bail-out

2008-09-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

As people of faith, we believe that our national budget is a moral document – how we spend our money indicates our national priorities.

Congress is about to add $700 billion to our national debt to “rescue” the economy from collapse – without independent oversight of how the money is spent and with a blank check of power to the Treasury Secretary.

Ask Congress: What are you prioritizing, the needs of private companies or the common good of all Americans?

The proposed bailout of Wall Street banks gives $700 billion and unprecedented power to one man – Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury. If such large sums of taxpayer money are being risked, our elected representatives must have meaningful oversight and taxpayers should benefit more than companies.

The U. S. economic system is in grave danger, and Congress should address the situation quickly. However, any bailout bill must:

Reject any blank check authority to Secretary Paulson

Include real accountability, oversight, and transparency for any money authorized.

Assuming Congress can draft a comprehensive bill that includes meaningful changes in the regulatory system, then the bill must also include:

A commitment that any funds spent by the treasury to bail out investors must be matched by at least a 10 percent tithe to support millions of Americans who have lost their homes and those still at risk of foreclosure.

Contact Congress today and tell them: No $700 billion without oversight AND investment.

Congress is working to pass a bill this week – spending a little less than 7 days to draft the largest government bailout package in history. With anxiety in Congress and pressure from the White House, taxpayers may be held responsible for gambling on Wall Street, without any guarantees that it won’t happen again.

Tell Congress: Draft a sensible bill for long-term reform that includes support for Americans most at risk of foreclosure.

It is not yet clear what the best long-term solutions might be to this crisis, so Congress must weigh its options carefully, not approving a poorly negotiated bill of such large proportions.

Wisdom from the book of Proverbs is a good reminder to heed:
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” –Proverbs 15:22, NIV

Our government has committed grave errors in recent years because it acted out of fear. It should not make the same mistake again. As Christians, we ask you to join us in praying for wisdom for our leaders during this important time.

In solidarity,Elizabeth, Adam, Nate, and the rest of policy team at Sojourners

AVA <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to encourage and teach others to Please God More!

God’s Central Casting for a Writer by Les Stobbe

2008-09-24T02:32:00.001-07:00

A great piece showed up in my inbox thanks to International ChristianWriters. It's written by Les Stobbe, the group's director, and I'm including the first part of it here.

Thanks, Les!

FROM God’s Central Casting for a Writer by Les Stobbe

If you were God, would you have chosen Dr. Luke as a writer?

God: “Sit down, young man. I hear you want to be cast in the role of a writer. What makes you think you could become an effective writer?”

Luke: “Sir, I’ve been a doctor for 20 years and have observed a lot of people. I’ve had some weird characters show up in my doctor’s office and they would make great anecdotes for an article or book. I’ve also seen some miraculous healings. I think I could write an inspirational book that would sell thousands of copies.”

God: “Well, what I am really looking for is someone who will tell the story of two of the greatest men of the past 50 years. I think it’s time for a fresh retelling of the story of my son Jesus. Now to do that you will have to forget about your experiences, your miraculous healings. You will have to write only about Jesus’ remarkable birth and three years of ministry. The miracles would be the ones he performed. Do you think you are willing to sacrifice your own great story for that of another, my son Jesus?”

Luke: “I guess that means travel and research instead of just telling my own great story. But since this Jesus did miracles greater than I have done I’m willing to tackle this project.”

God: “I’ve got another possible assignment for you, a really quite different one. There’s this man Paul, whom I rescued from persecuting Christians and put on the road as my evangelist. To get his story you will need to become a member of his team, go hungry and thirsty with him on his journeys, become incredibly tired as you move from place to place, experience some quite vicious attacks on him for his message, see him being set upon by angry mobs. You might call this an assignment to a war zone, where you will know from personal experience what it means to attack the forces of evil in a variety of cultures. But what you will need to record is not only the personal experiences of team members, but also what happens when people come to faith in Christ in hostile cultures and organize themselves into churches. Are you ready for an assignment into the war zone?

Luke: “Do I get to practice medicine while on the road with this evangelist? You know, I need to keep up my certification as a physician, and that requires a certain number of hours of hands-on medical experience.”

God: “I think you’ll get that experience just patching up my servant Paul and his associate Silas! You’ll have a whole range of wounds to take care of. You’ll possibly have to practice a little psychiatry because Paul will sometimes get down on himself and need a little help with his depression.”

Luke: “By the way, what’s a church?”

God: “I’ll let you experience a whole series of churches and let you make up your own mind as to what a church is like. I want you to experience it before you write about it.”

Luke: “So who pays me?”

God: “Your pay will come out of central treasury, distributed by the people who come to faith in Christ through the ministry of Paul. Sometimes you will have to rely on the earnings of Paul as he plies his trade as tentmaker. You might even be able to earn some on the side by applying your medical knowledge to the needs of people with all kinds of wounds. You’ll not be writing about those opportunities, since the focus of the book is to be the work of God through Paul and others on his team. Your job is to observe and record.”

Luke: “When do I start?”

AVA <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to encourage and teach others to Please God More!

Come visit me at Pearl Girls

2008-09-23T22:55:00.000-07:00

This week I’m honored to be guest blogging over at Pearl Girls.

If you’re not familiar with Pearl Girls, Here’s a little bit about them from founder Margaret McSweeney:

It all began with the metaphor of the oyster – which was swimming beneath the waves when something unexpected happened. A piece of sand got stuck inside its shell and caused great pain. Nacre soon coated the piece of sand and transformed the unexpected source of pain into a beautiful pearl. Like the oyster, we, too go about our everyday lives when the unexpected happens. Yet God’s grace covers our pain and transforms it into a beautiful pearl.

The mission of Pearl Girls™ is for women to collaborate and help make a difference in the lives of other women and children. Yes. We all can make a difference.

In addition to guest blogging over there occasionally, I’ve also contributed to their first publishing project, a collection of pearl stories from well known and unknown women about God's grace in their lives. All proceeds will benefit a safe house in the Chicago suburbs and women and children with AIDS in Africa.

AVA <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to encourage and teach others to Please God More!

And God Was Pleased now out on Kindle!

2008-09-22T04:37:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to announce the latest adventure - And God Was Pleased on Kindle.

Kindle is a new breed of electronic reader specially designed for ebook. It's put out there by Amazon, and the really cool thing is that ebooks are delivered wirelessly to the device.

I've spoken with tons of people who already own Kindles, and they are super excited. The device is perfect for frequent travelers, and others on the go, and hold a ton of books, so making a choice isn't necessary!

The other really neat thing about And God Was Pleased on Kindle is that for those readers in the Middle East, they don't have to worry about clearing customs! Any book they want to read can be delivered wirelessly to their indle device - including And God Was Pleased on Kindle!

Writing like a child seeking God's wisdom

2008-09-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Francis Ridley Havergal wrote a lot of the hymns we grew up with; songs like Thy life was given for me, I bring my sins to Thee and Take my life, and let it be.

In all, she wrote some 71 hymns and nearly a dozen books of devotion and inspriation.

Here's what she said about the process:

Writing poetry is easy for me. Most of the time I just put down in verse a personal experience. Writing hymns is like praying, for I never seem to write even a verse by myself. I feel like a child writing. You know, a child will look up at every sentence and ask, "What shall I say next?" That is what I do. Every line and word of rhyme comes from God.

What a beautiful thought - writing like a child seeking God's wisdom.

Can we say the same about our own writing? Are we seeking God's wisdom in every line and verse, every word?

AVA <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to encourage and teach others to Please God More!

Staking our commitment to a relationship

2008-09-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another In Other Words Tuesday. This week's inspirational thought comes from Loni over at Writing Canvas. Loni chose this quote from fellow blogger, Ann Voscamp at A Holy Experience:

“For at least when we express our anger to God, our wrestling keeps our skin pressing into His. God is still present. When we honestly expose our inflammation, express our soreness, we are still staking our commitment to our relationship with Him.”

(I urge you to read the entire post. It is incredibly moving. Sheer poetry.)

My first husband was an evil man, and after a dozen years of marriage, I escaped with the kids to single parenthood, a two-bedroom apartment and a new way of life. Although we were out of the "situation", the "situation" wasn't out of us, and we had some challenges, especially when it came to expressing emotions appropriately.

My daughter was 10 at the time, and no matter what she was feeling, it came out as anger. Anger and rage, not that I'd taken her and her brother away from their father, but that I hadn't taken them away sooner. She was emotionally raw and unwilling to trust anyone - not even herself.

We had some pretty dark days.

On the blackest of those days, my little girl would scream at me and tell me how much she hated me. How much she would always hate me. How much she wished I would die.

As a trained psychologist, I knew she didn't mean it, but as a mother - a mother already reeling with guilt - her outbursts nearly undid me. I remember one day just beseeching God to help. To do something - anything - to stop her pain. Show me what to do, I begged. Show me what to do.

And God did.

The next morning I turned on the tv and there was a woman talking about wrapping babies up in blankets to help them feel secure.

Hold them tightly, she explained. Let them know they're not alone.

The next time my daughter lost control, I reached for her. I wrapped her in my arms. I told her how much I loved her, confident I'd found the answer.

She bit me.

I held on tighter. She fought back and I wrestled her to the sofa. I wrapped my legs around her rigid little body so she wouldn't kick me, and I told her it was okay. I loved her and I understood how scared she was, how sad she was. I told her I knew all about the pain and how much it hurt.

She couldn't make me not love her, I told her. No matter what she did, I would never stop loving her. I'd be there, and we'd get through it. I wasn't going anywhere.

In hindsight, I truly thank God that my daughter struck out in anger. She could have withdrawn, she could have pulled away and decided no relationship was better than another bad relationship, and I might have lost her forever. But she didn't. She cried out in pain, and altho her trust was frail, she trusted me to be there.

More than a decade has passed since those dark days. God has been good to our little family, and for the most part, our scars have healed. Sometimes it almost feels like those people were strangers, or characters from an old movie I saw once but have since forgotten. So I was surprised at how quickly - and powerfully - the memories came back after reading today's quote.

I suppose it's because I know the truth of Ann's words. Sometimes anger is the only way we can express deep pain, yet God promises that nothing we do can ever make Him stop loving us. We can kick and scream, we can rage, we can cry out in anger, and He will hold on. He will be there because He loves us.

And He always will.
Thanks, Ann

AVA <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to encourage and teach others to Please God More!

How to write a Bible study

2008-09-07T00:07:00.000-07:00

Dave over at Clouds of Heaven posted a three-part lesson on writing Bible studies. Since the publication of And God Was Pleased, I've been asked a few times whether or not a Bible study or reader's guide was available, and although I've thought about it, and prayed about it, I've not gotten around to writing it!

All that has changed since reading through this highly informative lesson.

Thanks Dave!

The lessons deal with the three parts of Biblical interpretation: exegesis, exposition, and application.

According to Dave:

Exegesis is looking at what the passage actually says; exposition looks and what the passage means; and the application looks at what the passage means for us today.

Exegesis makes a lot of sense to writers - it's looking at the audience, putting the words into a context and exploring why the book was written.

Exposition means comparing what you're reading to what you know about God and the Bible. Do some cross referencing, examine the meaning of the verse, and the meanings of the words.

And then comes application - the work. Here's what David has to say about applying what the Bible says to our lives:

Application is the most important part of the process of studying the Bible. If our insights into what the Bible says, and what it actually means do not facilitate changes in our lives, then there appears to be little point to the process. The purpose of the Bible is to draw us into a relationship with God. The Bible is one of God's ways of communicating with us. It is not simply an end in itself. Therefore, while in-depth academic study of the Bible is extremely important, the ultimate goal is changed lives. Thus the process of applying the Bible to ours lives is the most important part of this process.

Whether or not you're thinking about writing a Bible study, I really recommend reading this series of posts. It WILL change the way you read the Bible!

A Blog Tour Invitation

2008-09-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

"And long after the history of all the big things that make the front pages are forgotten, what God has done through you and a few people will be history.” - Dr. Richard C. Halverson

Let’s make some history!

My name is Ava Semerau, and I’m an award-winning journalist, expat, wife and mother, author and blogger and above all else, I am a Christian continually seeking ways I can please God more.

That’s what led me to write my latest book of Christian encouragement titled And God Was Pleased: Biblical Principles for Creating Christian Success. And God Was Pleased is filled with practical, Bible-based ideas, suggestions and principles we use take today to live a more worthy life.

One of those principles is Share the Work, and it’s inspired by Ecclesiastes 4:9 –Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor.

Sharing the work takes lots of different forms including worshipping and fellowshipping with one another, volunteering, mentoring, being encouraging and generous with our time, talents and energy, and pooling resources.

Today I’m looking for other Christians willing to Share the Work in an effort I truly believe in – getting people to think about how they can please God more.

Specifically, I’m looking for bloggers willing to host a Blog Tour for And God Was Pleased on October 1, 2008.
If you’re not familiar with the concept of blog tours, it’s pretty simple.

Well-in advance of the tour date, you will receive a complimentary Ebook edition of And God Was Pleased so you have plenty of time to read the book and get excited about the practical, actionable and life-changing principles and ideas behind it.

Two weeks prior to the tour date, you’ll choose which five 1000-word posts you’d like to share with your readers. For this tour, the options include a Q&A session on the book, an in-depth discussion of one principle, a look at how And God Was Pleased was written, a Q&A session on writing, and a guest blog post on practical ways to please God. And of course, if you have the time and would like to, I’d love to have you post a review of the book or even post all five blog tour posts on your site.

I’ll provide you with my bio and photo as well as information about the book you can use to promote the event on your site and also prepare for your role as host. I’ll also do my best to send plenty of new readers to your site by marketing and advertising the blog tour on various social networking sites and groups I’m involved with, as well as on my own sites, Ava Semerau, God Was Pleased and Ava Writes.

Please take a moment to visit those sites and get to know a little about me and the principles behind And God Was Pleased.

If the blog tour looks like something you would enjoy hosting – and your readers would enjoy learning more about – please contact me and get on the tour schedule.

So, what do you say? Are you ready to make some history?

Thanks, and I look forward to working with you on Wednesday, October 1.

Ava Semerau

Hands to work, hearts to God

2008-08-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a knitter.

My grandma taught me how when I was still a little girl, and altho my enthusiasm for knitting waxs and wanes according to how busy am, it's something I come back to time after time simply becuase I love it.

There's nothing quite as relaxing as sitting in a soft chair and twisting yarn.

Author Sara Ban Brethnach must feel the same way. In her best-selling book, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, Brethnach refers to knitting and other handicrafts as Meditative Handwork, and recommends that we all indulge in its quieting powers from time to time.

"When our hands are busy," she writes, "our minds can rest."

The Shakers put it another way, "Hands to work, hearts to God".

Another common saying - and one I grew up and internalized - is "Idle hands are the devil's workshop."

It's true for me, I know. When I'm knitting, my mind opens up, it rests. And it turns to God.

AVA <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to encourage and teach others to Please God More!

OIW - A hand to hold

2008-08-25T01:26:00.000-07:00

Nana over at Mama's Little Treasures is hosting In Other Words this week, and she has chosen the following poem:

“Dear Lord, I do not ask that Thou shouldst give me some high work of thine, some noble calling or some wondrous task. Give me a little hand to hold in mine.” Anonymous

This one prompted some pretty strong emotions in me - and I'm guessing from other participants, as well.

First off, I 'm a mother and I truly think parenting IS God's work, a noble calling and a wondrous task. To suggest it is otherwise is, in my opinion at least, just plain wrong.

But it's not just my opinion, let's look at what the Bible says:

In Titus, parents are charged with teaching their children to be self controlled and pure; (Titus 2:4-5) - a pretty worthy calling by any standards.

In Proverbs, parents are instructed to, "train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6) - surely God's work on earth.

And, if there's any question about the wonder of being a parent, we only have to look at Psalm 127 which tells us that children are a "heritage" and "reward" from the God. What's more wonderous task than caring for God's blessed gifts?

But let's turn the poem on is head. Maybe the poet is saying that she - or he - would gladly sacrifice all the other things for the chance to be a parent. Now that's a situtation many of us parents understand!

Thanks, Nana for getting me thinking about the wonder - and the willing sacrifice - of parenthood.

AVA <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to encourage and teach others to Please God More!

Asimov on writing

2008-08-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Whatever you think or feel about Russian-born atheist, futurist and science fiction author Isaac Asimov, you have to give the guy credit for being inspiring.

What?

It's not often you'll find me quoting - or even mentioning - an atheist in relation to writing for God, but Asimov might just be an exception.

There's little doubt that he inspired – or at least helped to inspire – an entire generation of sci-fi fans and writers, basically establishing a new genre. That’s pretty amazing when you think of it, but his influence on writing goes, not surprisingly, much deeper.

For starters, the guy was prolific. Seriously prolific. He penned more than 500 books in his lifetime. Beyond that, he was wide-ranging. Those 500 books fall into nine of the 10 major categories of the Dewey Decimal System! No one-trick pony there!

Asimov had a lot to say about the writing life, and being a writer, and some of his stuff is surely worth tacking up next to the keyboard, if for no other reason than it resonates with me as a writer.

"If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I'd type a little faster."

“Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.”

And perhaps my personal favorite, “I write for the same reason I breathe - because if I didn't, I would die”

As far as advice for writers, Asimov gives what’s surely the most bare-bone, realistic advice ever:

"You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist."

I'm no huge fan of Asimov - not his work nor his life - yet there's something to be said for a person who feels such passion about the act of writing.

AVA <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to encourage and teach others to Please God More!

Plotting along

2008-08-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

I'm knee-deep in plotting these days - working on a couple projects simultaneously, which probably isn't the smartest of best way to work, but it is - apparently - my way!

I get bored easily, so working on a couple different things at the same time works for me. It keeps me busy and excited about both projects.

Right now, I'm filling in the blanks, creating conflict and mayhem, and zeroing in on the turning points, twists and surprises for two totally different books - and let me tell you, it's a hoot!

Awhile back, I came across a method of plotting that makes sense to me - and it's one I've stuck with ever since.

Unlike the traditional three-act structure so many writers swear by, this method - actually adapted from screen writing - breaks the story into nine discreet components:

set up
development
special world
game
grace
intensification
black moment
climax
resolution

Each component has a specific role to play in moving the story along, and of course, there are still the required turning points embedded in the appropriate places.

It works for me, and provides a more rigid structure around which I can lay my characters and conflicts.

I never used to like plotting until I found this method. Now I actually enjoy it, and my writing has benefitted enormously!

In Other Words: It's in there!

2008-08-19T18:48:00.001-07:00

Each Tuesday (Wednesday here in Australia), I'll be participating in a blog group called, In Other Words. The idea is simple: each week a participant posts and blogs about an inspirational passage or quote. Other participants then post on the same quote or passage. In reading through previous weeks, I was taken by how, like beauty, inspiration is often in the eye of the beholder!

This week's quote comes from Lori over at All You Have To Give.

Today's Quote is, in fact a hymn written by Glen Burleigh, and it goes like this:

Order my steps, in Your word
Order my tongue, in Your word
Guide my feet, in Your word
Wash my heart, in Your word
Show me how to walk, in Your word
Show me how to talk, in Your word.

(refrain)
I want to walk worthy, my calling to fulfill
Please order my steps, Lord, and I'll do Your blessed
The world is ever changing, but You are still the same
If You order my steps, I'll praise Your name.

As an expat, I am out of the loop when it comes to American advertising, yet I’m always amazed at how often I reference old ads in my thinking! Take for example the vintage commercial for Ragu spaghetti sauce. Although I can’t remember the scene – I think it was in a kitchen and involved two women – I sure can’t forget the tagline – “It’s in there!”

No matter what ingredient the elderly woman mentioned, the younger woman assured her, “it’s in there!”

And that’s what I was thinking after listening to this hymn. It’s all in there. The answer to every question – from how to speak with love to how to walk the path God has paved for us, and everything in between – can be found in God’s words. And although our situations invariably change, our God does not.

The advice John gave Christ’s followers nearly 2000 years ago, is as relevant today as it was then.

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:1-6 NIV )

Back then, walking as Jesus did might have looked a little different – some might say it was a whole lot simpler! – but then again maybe not. The commandments haven’t changed. God surely hasn’t changed. And neither have His words to us.

When we obey God’s words, His love is truly made complete in us.

It was true then and it’s true now.

What awesome cause for praise!

AVA <><

Visit my other blog, Pleasing Moments, to read more about my mission to encourage and teach others to Please God More!

Writer's Telesummit is coming in September

2008-08-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

I just learned about this great seminar and wanted to share it with you right away.

Acclaimed author and creativity coach, Eric Maisel, PhD., has arranged what may be the best writers conference ever put together, to be held as a teleconference and web streaming event from September 4 – September 7, 2008. As a creative person you really must check it out.

The Writers TeleSummit features 24 world-class professionals in the field. Accomplished authors, agents, publishers, all at your disposal for four days. The cost? Only $295, a fraction of the cost of any other kind of conference of this caliber.

All calls are professionally recorded and available for play back and download. Your registration includes audio downloads of all 24 keynote addresses for the entire four day conference. That's 24 hours of inspiring audio available as in MP3 format included in the low cost of registering. There is also an option for having CD's of all events sent to your door.

There are several great free gifts that are ours to keep when we register. We’ll get four lessons from Eric Maisel's popular Coaching Writers Training, lessons that you can’t get anywhere else. If you wanted them, you would have to pay more than the cost of The Writers Telesummit to join the training. You get them for free when you sign up. We'll also get three professional tips from each presenter, that's 72 tips to jump start our writing/creative careers before the conference even begins. And if we are in the first 50 people to register, we get a free copy of Eric Maisel's E Book "Sleep Thinking." It's an incredible value.

I hope you will check it out

P.S. If you have any immediate questions do not hesitate to contact Vivian Nesbitt at 575 586-1778

Writer seeking agent

2008-08-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

I need an agent. One never seemed real necessary when I was writing non-fiction for specific and well-defined markets, but now that I’ve branched out into other areas, getting an agent has become a priority. So I was thrilled to come across How to Land a Literary Agent by Noah Lukeman.

In it, Lukeman, himself a literary agent of long standing, starts out by making a clear distinction between writing and publishing:

“Writing is not a business,” he says, “but publishing is.”

Good point, and one I make during my creative and memoir writing classes. I can teach people to write, but I can’t teach them to be writers. Writing is a craft, not a science, and being a writer isn’t about money – altho it’s a nice benefit! – it’s about telling the story. Once the story has been told, then the business of sharing it with others begins.

And that’s where an agent comes into the picture.

It all begins with research, something most writers love anyway and are generally good at. Lukeman suggests culling through sources – things like trade pubs, search engines and even book acknowledgements – until the names, contact information and client lists of 50 agents have been gathered.

“As a rule of thumb, beginning writers stand a much better chance of landing an agent if they target an agent who is just starting out,” he says, “someone who has been an agent for three years or less, someone who has proven himself by securing at least a few deals with major houses but is actively looking for more clients.”

Once the list has been compiled, a query letter needs to be written. (Lukeman offers an informative lesson on writing great query letters as well. You can download it here.

And then the stamp-licking begins.

“I recommend your sending a query letter to five or ten agents at a time, for instance, in five rounds of ten agents," says Lukeman. "I would wait no longer than 2 to 4 weeks to hear back from that round; if you haven’t landed an agent by that time, send off the next round.”

If – and when – an agent requests sample pages, Lukeman suggests sending them exactly what they’ve requested – while you continue to send query letters to more and more agents.

The entire process should take six months. If, at the end of six months an agent hasn’t been landed, either start making a new list or spend more time writing.

Sounds like good advice to me.

I’ll keep you posted!

His message in me

2008-08-18T01:23:00.000-07:00

In a recent article, Christian author Donna J. Shepherd over at Christian Fiction Factor gave voice to a question I ask myself all to often: Who am I to think I can communicate deep spiritual insights?

It’s a powerful, potentially crippling question, but Shepherd’s response was equally powerful and totally empowered:

“If I am to continue to write,” she said, “I must believe God has a message contained in this container of clay that only I can write."

What a brilliant affirmation!

My message is unique because I am unique, and that’s just the way God wants it. I don’t need to sound like everyone else. I don’t need to think like everyone else. God put a special message in me, and it’s my blessing to share it with others.

And who cares what my container looks like? It doesn’t have to be the fanciest or the most expensive; it doesn’t have to be made of the rarest wood or delicate blown glass. The value comes, not because the container has been hand-signed by a master, but because it has been touched by the Master's hand.

And because the message is His, not mine.

God's pencil

2008-07-21T01:17:00.000-07:00

Karen over at Heavenletters posted this haiku, and it got me thinking.

God said by and large
You will have what you order
Do you get the point

I've been doing a lot of praying of late, asking God to help me with this new project, yet when I think about those prayers, I don't recall specifics.

Odd isn't it?

I've never been timid about asking God for help before, yet when it comes to writing, I somehow lose my audacity.

But thanks to Karen, I get the point.

Lord, introduce me to characters who will touch others. And put them in situations which will show others the wonder of You. Keep me in my chair, Lord, even when the ironing is piling up and all I really want is a hot bubble bath. Inspire me with Your words so I can pass them along to others.

Help me to be like Mother Teresa who said:

"I don't claim anything of the work. It is his work. I am like a little pencil in his hand. That is all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it."

Let me be your pencil, Lord.

I get the point.

The Heart of a Christian Writer by Delia Latham

2008-07-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

"Why do all of your stories reflect your faith?" It's a common question for an inspirational author.

Ever wonder why Mary Higgins Clark continues to write such fascinating suspense? Ask Stephen King why he dreams up so many tales of horror. Question Danielle Steele as to her reason for book after book of unapologetic romantic drama. Why is J.K. Rowling so at home in the world of witches, warlocks and other strange and mystical creatures?

Ask any author in any genre why he or she writes what they write. Chances are you'll get pretty much the same answer. They write what they think about, what they're familiar with, what they're passionate about.

They write from their hearts.

In a world where most forms of entertainment including the print industry have become increasingly more risqué, some writers still choose to pen novels for the less popular Christian market. Writers such as Janette Okes, Lori Wick, Robin Jones Gunn and so many others write words of hope and encouragement. They create characters who either trust God through every obstacle, or learn to do so before the last page.Their sweetly romantic tales keep sex behind closed doors and within the confines of holy matrimony.

Why? Because this is the essence of who those writers are.

A scripture in the book of Matthew reads, " the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart." (New American Standard Bible)

Taking that statement a step furtherwhat is in our hearts will be reflected not only in the words we speak aloud, but what we think andif we're writerswhat we write about.

I love sweet romance hence my chosen genre of inspirational fiction.

Call me old-fashioned, but I truly believe romance is more romantic when some things are left to the imagination, and when consummation of a couple's feelings takes place behind closed doors. Sex should be something beyond special, and just between those two peopleit's not meant for public display.

Many writers of Christian fiction fail to realize their own ministry. Within the pages of their books, readers find encouragement and hope. They find a reason to keep believing that prayer changes thingsa glimmer of light in a world that grows darker with every passing day. Without preaching, and steering clear of denominational tenets and didactics, seeds are planted. With a little tending on the part of the reader, those seeds can flourish and become a renewed trust in God, bringing about prayer-filled actions and reactions and a fresh, positive outlook on life.

Another scripture states that God's word will not return to Him "void"meaning empty or unfulfilled.

Every person who reads the pages of an inspirational novel is absorbing words penned under inspiration given by the Creator of the Universe. Hidden within those pages is something that reader needs. Perhaps a reminder to pray about every situation in his life. Or maybe a mental nudge to become more familiar with the Word of God. Who knows what readers might take away with them from the words of an inspirational novel?

Am I willing to make the effort of writing an entire book on the chance that somewhere, some young woman might find a new determination to remain sexually untainted until her marriage vows are spoken? Yes. Is it worth all the hours of writing to point someone in the direction of Christ and Calvary? Without a moment's hesitation, unequivocally, yes.

My heart says it's worth it.

© 2008 Delia Latham Delia Latham's novel, Goldeneyes, was released March 30, 2008 by Vintage Romance Publishing. The author lives in Bakersfield, California with her husband, Johnny. Contact her through her website (www.delialatham.com/) or her blog (themelodywithin.blogspot.com).

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com CHRISTIAN WRITERS