Consequences

The school year of saying yes when I shouldn’t have is coming to a close. Finally. I have floundered in my writing because I said yes to a volunteer job I shouldn’t have, to a job I thought would be no big deal but grew into a monster that ate my time and energy. My husband told me not to take the position, but I didn’t listen. Then I literally had to set aside my writing from September to January and March to May.  I thought, at first, that it was a “denying myself” setting aside. But I’ve figured out it wasn’t. It was disobedience, plain and simple. It was a setting aside of what the Lord called me to do to instead do what man asked of me. So I’ve spent this school year living out the consequence of a wrong choice. 

All I can say is it sure makes me want to obey the voice of the Lord next time. 

The Lamb of God

We’ve been studying the book of Mark in our Sunday School class. As we’ve observed the disciples’ reaction to Jesus and His ministry, their misunderstanding of why He came and what His kingdom would look like, I keep remembering the words of the prophet as Jesus stepped into the public eye: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” 

That statement encompassed it all, and yet no one got it. No one (or very few) equated “the lamb of God” with the physical sacrifices in the temple. They didn’t hear “takes away the sin of the world” and understand atonement or justification. In fact, although Jesus talked throughout His ministry about the kingdom of God and why He came, he did not refer to Himself as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Every time he spoke of lambs and sheep and shepherds, he spoke of Himself as the Shepherd and His people as the sheep. 

So I think even we, like the disciples, tend to forget that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But that is exactly what is on my mind as Easter week begins. The Lamb of God. Who takes away my sin. 

I dare you to mull that over for a few minutes and walk away unchanged.

Begin at the Beginning?

At what point in a story should the audience jump in? That is a question every writer (of books or movies or plays) must grapple with. And it is not as easy as it sounds!In the past few weeks, I’ve run across two examples of writers who made opposite choices. 

The first comes from a book I’ve wanted to read for over a year—a  nice, fat paperback (I love fat books!), a unique retelling of a story I love. But, alas, as I delved into its pages I found myself bored. Why? Because the author began at the beginning of the character’s story. Not at his birth, but at the beginning incident that shaped who he was becoming. But the story of his evolution isn’t nearly as compelling as the story of who he is on the other side of it. I would much rather the author have started the story on about page 350 (of almost 500) and given me the rest in snatches and hints along the way. 

On the other hand, as I drove girls to a softball tournament I again had the experience of “listening” to a familiar movie. This always helps me see things in the writing of the story that I don’t see when I watch it. The opening scenes of Pirates of the Caribbean struck me in where it began each character’s story. In the opening “prologue” type scene, we are introduced to the Elizabeth, Will and the gold coin—the coin being the most important of the three. Then we are drawn into the present day story some years later, meeting these two characters again in different circumstances. When we first meet Jack Sparrow, just a bit later, we learn he is a pirate and his ship is called the Black Pearl, and yet he has no ship. In fact, he is trying to steal one from the British navy! 

The place the screenwriter chose to bring the audience into the story propels the audience through the story by NOT knowing every detail of the characters’ lives to the point that we meet them. A more amateur writer might have started this story when the pirates found the cursed gold or maybe when Captain Barbosa arranged a mutiny to take over the Black Pearl from Captain Jack Sparrow. But both of those beginnings would have made it tedious to get to the real action, to the real story. 

So where to begin? I’m still learning to figure that out!

 

And the List Grows On

I can’t seem to get everything done these days. I have a “to do” list a mile long of things that must be accomplished between now and graduation. I mark off two or three or four items only to add five or six or seven more. I’m not sure I’ll ever get ahead at this rate. It makes me want to grab a stack of books, hide, and ignore all the “to dos” that are calling my name—although I’ll try not to ignore my few but faithful blog readers!

Abigail's Example

I read the story of Abigail and David again today. (I Samuel 25) I’ve always loved this story, from many different perspectives through many different seasons of my life, but today a new thought struck me: I need to pray that I will be an Abigail in the lives of my friends and family and I need to pray that the Lord will raise up Abigails in my own life. 

Why? Because, like David, who one chapter earlier told Saul that the Lord would judge between them but he would not retaliate against Saul for trying to kill him without cause, we forget our great stands of faith. When Nabal insults David and his men, David rears up in anger and readies his men to slaughter Nabal and his house. That’s when the Lord sends Abigail to step in and remind David not to, in her words, “avenge himself by his own hands.” 

I want to have the courage to step in between those I love and those they desire to avenge themselves against, whether in word or deed, and remind them that it is the Lord who will fight their battles. What more incredible act of mercy and love is there than to help keep them from sin they will later regret? Abigail arrived in the path of David’s anger with humility, kindness, and truth. And she kept David from bloodshed he would have later regretted. Our battles don’t often involve actual bloodshed these days, but they do involve words that wound and actions that hurt others financially, socially, or in myriad other ways. 

Lord, send “Abigails” my way to keep me from sin and give me the courage and grace to boldly step into the face of another’s anger and remind that one of who You are and how You will fight for them.

 

 

Who Knew?

This evening, I walk into the kitchen to find my daughter trying to wash paint from her hands. Not latex paint, mind you. The hard stuff. But do we have any paint thinner in the house? Of course not! As I gather my keys and purse (all the while muttering under my breath and counting to 10, then 20), she says, “Wait, Mom. I think this is working.” 

I look up. “What’s working?” Of course I’m rolling my eyes and slipping on my shoes. Nothing but paint thinner will remove that paint. I know. I’m the mom. 

“Yes, it’s working,” she says. “I’m using olive oil and it’s coming off.” 

Open-mouthed, I stare at her clean hands, watch her dab a bit of olive oil on one last spot. It comes clean. 

Who knew olive oil would take paint off your skin? (OK, so other people know because I googled it after the fact. But I had no idea!) And who knew an almost-eighteen-year-old could actually have the sense to try it?

 

 

A Lesson from Saul

I read the story of Saul again the other day. It really is an awful story if you read straight through from his being chosen as king to God saying He will tear the kingdom from Saul and Samuel refusing to ever see Saul again. (Read I Samuel 9-15.) He falls so far, so fast. But the thing that struck me this time as the saddest part of the whole situation comes at the very end of chapter 15. “And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.” 

Wow. I don’t ever want to live in such a manner that the Lord “regrets” where He has placed me! Looking back over Saul’s life, I think the biggest key to avoiding that outcome is humility. Saul went from knowing he was nobody to believing he was somebody. He forgot, in his position of authority and fame, that it was the Lord and only the Lord that raised him to that place. He had done nothing to deserve it. But it all went to his head. Suddenly, nothing was his fault anymore. He didn’t make decisions based on anyone’s good but his own. And he used the outward appearance of worship only when it elevated him in the eyes of his subjects, not because God deserved it or required it of him. 

It’s a good lesson for us all.

Did You Know . . .?

As I have researched my new novel, set in 1918, I’ve come across some fascinating facts. I thought it might be fun to pass some of these along once a week or so.

Here’s your first installment:

In 1917, Herbert Hoover was the U.S. Food Administrator. One of his jobs was to conserve food at home in the U.S. in order to feed the troops fighting The Great War overseas. In an effort to do this, he designed a voluntary food conservation program. The people took to calling it “Hooverizing.” What was this conservation program? It consisted of Wheatless Mondays and Wednesdays, Meatless Tuesdays, and Porkless Thursdays and Saturdays. Americans complied; avoiding any government mandated rationing of food during WWI.

Daisy Chain

When Jed Pepper’s best friend Daisy goes missing, the insecurities that stem from Jed’s family’s secrets come raging to the surface. What kinds of secrets does a Texas pastor’s family hold? You’d be surprised. 

And that is the premise for Mary DeMuth’s newest novel, Daisy Chain. It is the first in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy and, in Mary’s words, is a “long answer to a conversation with a friend” concerning that friend’s family of origin. Hearing the story of a father touted as an upstanding Christian man in the community but who spun into physically violent and abusive rages behind closed doors sparked Mary’s compassion for that family and her desire to explore the issues inherent in such a situation. Her ultimate goal is for others to find freedom in Christ, as she has experienced as well. In one effort to facilitate this freedom, Mary has also launched a companion blog where people can anonymously post their family secrets in order to loose their hold by telling them, by keeping them completely secret no longer. It is becoming a community of encouragement and prayer. And that, too, comes back to Jed and Daisy’s story. 

Throughout the pages of Daisy Chain, help is afforded Jed by two characters who help him process both his feelings and his faith. They point him toward the redemption that only the Lord can provide in his present circumstances and past failings. Does that make you want to know more? Well Daisy Chain is a complex story of suspense and mystery and coming of age that is painful and wonderful all at the same time. 

If you want a more traditional “review” of this book, check out some of these other bloggers!

Crumbs from the Table

In our Sunday School class (which is actually on Saturday night!), we’ve been going through the gospel of Mark. It has been fascinating! This week, we talked about the Syrophoenician woman’s encounter with Jesus in Mark 7. 

Do you remember this one? She had a demon-possessed daughter and she came to Jesus for help. He told her that the children must be fed first, that their bread shouldn’t be thrown to the dogs. Her reply? “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.”

Now there is a lot in that story, but here’s the thing I can’t get out of my mind. Just before we finished for the evening, our teacher made this statement: “This woman understood the power in one crumb from Jesus’s table. We have been invited as guests to sit at the table and partake of the feast.” 

I know my faith in the feast is often much less than her faith in one crumb. But I don’t want to live that way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief.

Addicted to Historical Fiction

My name is D’Ann, and I’m addicted to historical fiction. 

Yes, it’s really true. I spent the whole day on Tuesday immersed in 1918. It was wonderful! I didn’t want it to end! I love it all—the writing, the research, the escape into another time and place with its own unique set of challenges for the people who lived there. There is something about putting myself back in time that just thrills me. 

Not that I haven’t enjoyed the contemporary stories I’ve been writing. I have. But they didn’t feel like this. I haven’t really felt this way since the fall of 2001 when I completed my first novel, also a historical and one I hope to re-write someday. 

The hard thing is waiting between-times, being patient until another chunk of time comes along in which to literally lose myself in a story of the past.  

The Power of Fiction

I came across Beth Moore’s blog recently. Her Bible studies have meant a lot to me, so I bookmarked it and peruse it occasionally. In the most recent post, she confessed herself to be a bibliophile (I knew I like her!) and asked people to comment telling ONE book that they love. 

Well of course this got my attention. I decided I must scroll through the nearly 750 comments because, of course, there might be a new title to add to my “to read” list! Interestingly enough, most of the books mentioned—even some of the obscure ones—I’ve read. Now, if you know me or have been reading here very long, you know I rarely read non-fiction. So guess what? An overwhelming majority mentioned a fiction title over a non-fiction one. (I didn’t do the math but it was probably around 4 or 5 to 1, and possibly greater than that!) Isn’t that fascinating? For me, fiction has touched me more deeply than non-fiction. Apparently that is true for others, as well. Not that there aren’t valuable non-fiction titles. There definitely are! But when people think about a book they love—a book that stays with them or that they re-read often—it usually comes back to a memorable and well-told story. 

That’s why I write fiction. And reading those comments inspires me to keep at it.

Spring Frenzy

March has come in like a lion—in more ways than one at our house! Not only did we get a windy, cold weekend, but our schedule, always busy, seems to have been bumped up a notch as well. I’m not sure why this happens, but it happens every spring. 

Maybe it is having two children’s birthdays in the spring, just 10 days apart and both usually near Easter. Maybe it is the “culmination” of so many school things into a ceremony or program or event that I must attend or get my children ready to attend. Maybe it’s that baseball games seem to last so much longer (each individual game and the season as a whole) than the other sports, and track meets are all day events, even though there are very few. Maybe it’s just that I get antsy for school to be out so the schedule will slow down! 

Although I’m unsure why it happens, the frenzy of spring around here is as certain as white flowers blooming on Bradford Pear trees and green grass popping up in the yard. Unfortunately, I’m starting to see both!

 

 

Two Cool Resources

Little did I know when I waxed eloquent on my wonderful little book of telling me how things were done or used in the past that that book was only the tip of the iceberg to come my way! 

In a move that I can only describe at Providential, two books came into my possession in the past few days that not only contain great information, but they apply specifically to the time period I am currently writing a novel about! How cool is that?! 

First, I discovered on my best friend’s bookshelf a reproduction of the 1908 Sears Roebuck Catalog. What an incredible resource! Descriptions—and pictures!—of everything from furniture to clothing to farm tools to transportation needs. Wow! 

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, last night my daughter received an early graduation gift from my mother’s cousin. It is a 1905 copy of The White House Cookbook. This huge volume has not only recipes from the time, but butchering information, home remedies, household tips, entertaining and etiquette advice and so much more! 

For a novel that revolves around a home in 1918, these two sources will add so much texture to the story. And that fact that they both just dropped in my lap makes me think I’m on the right track, too!

Hurry, Spring!

Usually, at this time of year, I’m hanging on for dear life to the last blustery days of winter. I’ve always like winter. But as I get older, I find that changing. I’m so ready for spring. I’m ready for my feet and hands not to be cold. I’m tired of carting around coats. Fortunately, in Texas, we have already had a few days to wet our appetites for spring, but then winter comes roaring back in. I’m tired of it. I’m ready to be warm. But don’t get me wrong—I’m not ready for summer!

The Excitement of Information

My family has learned to indulge my excitement over the strangest things. Like the book I found at Barnes and Noble this week. It’s called Back in the Day: 101 Things Everyone Used to Know How to Do. In one or two pages dedicated to each “thing,” the author tells you step-by-step how to do it. It is simple, straightforward. A great way for a writer to understand how someone would go about doing a task that is completely unfamiliar to those who live in the “modern” world. At the very least, it’s a jumping off place to know the questions to ask. At its best, this book provides the actions needed for a character in historical fiction to do what was common knowledge in their era. 

What kinds of things are these, you ask? Things like shearing a sheep, defending a castle, treating a battle wound, making a barrel, forging a sword, baking bread, addressing royalty. You get the idea. I was giddy with excitement over all the information! 

My husband and kids laughed and gave me that look that said, “Yes, you are weird, but we love you anyway.” 

Changing My Thinking

I often think of my words in terms of novels, blog posts, short stories, and articles. When I do this, I forget that sometimes—perhaps most times—my words are meant for a more personal mission. 

At this moment, several people in my life are going through some very hard times. Financial issues. Health issues. Marriage and family issues. I often pray for these things. I consider it such a privilege to lift my friends and family before the Throne of Grace. But I confess that I do not often enough use my words to send an encouraging note, whether handwritten or via email. I forget that the skill of communication I’ve been given is to be used in private as well as public arenas. 

I’m not sure why this is the case. Each week after our Moms in Touch prayer time, we always write a short note to the teachers and staff who have been prayed for that week, letting them know what we prayed for them and encouraging them as they do their jobs within our school. Why don’t I think to do this after my personal prayer time? 

Perhaps it’s a matter of changing my thinking, of making it a habit. Perhaps it is a matter of listening more closely to the nudgings of the Holy Spirit. Whatever it is, I intend to remedy the situation. After all, now that this has come to my attention, I know what is the right thing to do. To not do it would be sin. 

Playing Catch Up

Yes, I’ve been silent for a whole week now. I thought this would be the week that my life finally returned to “normal,” whatever that is. I thought I’d be able to fall into the routine I’ve been planning for this school year since August. But, alas, it didn’t happen. Or maybe it did. 

Mainly, I’ve been playing catch up as well as tying up a few loose ends from last week’s volunteer stuff. And I didn’t realize quite how big of a hole I’d dug for myself! So blogging fell to the bottom of the priority list. 

I’m feeling better now, though, especially with the thought of Monday’s holiday to help me get back on track. Of course baseball is about to start, and even though only two of my three are playing, it is two different teams with two different schedules. Plus it is the beginning of spring—the beginning of birthday season around here as well as all the spring events as we wind down school. So maybe “normal” won’t happen this year. And next year, with one less child at home, I’ll have a “new normal.” 

One thing is for sure: my life is never boring!

The Importance of Time

I watched a Food Network Challenge with my kids last night. It was a cake challenge, eight hours for a pastry chef and assistant to design and create an elaborate cake for a specific occasion or theme. Four teams. Four cakes. The winner gets $10,000. 

But in this challenge, the unforeseen happened. With one hour left on the competition clock, a chef passed out. The clock was stopped. The ambulance was called. The chef regained consciousness, but left on the gurney to get checked out at the ER. 

This chef’s assistant, however, was now on her own with the daunting task of putting on the finishing touches. The chef from another team spoke up. His cake was almost finished. He could help finish the cake for the chef that was ill. The competition resumed. The helping chef’s assistant finished their cake, then he, too, came to help complete the ill chef’s cake. 

When the time came for each chef to stand before the judges, here is what one of them said to the chef who left his own work to help another: “I applaud your time management. Because did your own work so well, you were available to help someone in need.” 

Her statement hit me square between the eyes. I’d had a discussion with a friend that very afternoon about time and what it should be used for. When I stand before the One who judges my work, will he applaud my time management? At this moment, the answer would be no, because the point is not “am I getting everything done,” the point is “am I meeting my responsibilities with excellence and thoroughness in a timely manner so that when a true need arises I can be available to help.” 

Notice that this chef would not have been expected to pick up the slack for another chef who simply chose to over-embellish their project and ran short on time. In fact, that happens all the time in these competitions. No, the other chef stepped in when the unexpected happened. And he was able to do so without sacrificing his own responsibilities and without stress because he had planned his project carefully and used his time wisely. 

That’s where I am today—needing to get things back in perspective, needing to do the things I have been called to do so that I have time and energy available when a true need arises. I want to be a good and faithful servant of the Lord, not one weighed in the balance and found wanting.

Intricate and Elaborate

BACKGROUND NOTE: Some of you have asked if I’m reading through the Bible in a year. The answer: yes and no. Several years ago, I decided the read the Bible straight through, from Genesis to Revelation. It was an amazing experience. By reading it as I would any book—from cover to cover, in order—I was able to clearly see threads of thought, images, words, and know how they strung together from Old Testament to New. I’ve read through several times now, never with a specific timeframe in mind. It has taken me anywhere from 4 months to 2 years. And because the Word is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) I recognize different truths and images and words on every reading. So, with all that said, here are my thoughts for today . . .

  

As I have been considering my reading in the early books of the Old Testament—you know, the “boring” ones—a new thought struck me. God spends a lot of time telling Moses (and us) His plans for the outfitting and care of the Tabernacle, His dwelling place with Israel. His plans were both intricate and elaborate. 

Because of Christ, the dwelling place of God is no longer a tent or temple. According to Paul in I Corinthians 6:19 our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, of God’s Spirit. We are His dwelling place. So what do these two things mean? Here are some things that occurred to me:

 

• Intricate --  Each piece of the tabernacle had a intricate design, everything from the priestly garments to the structure of the tent to the pieces of worship within. The designs were so intricate that they required master artisans to do the work. If we are God’s dwelling place, why do we imagine that God’s attention to the intricacy of detail has changed? Why do we see our lives as a series of unrelated events or think God is only concerned with the monumental pivots in our lives? He is the Master Artisan. He has created His dwelling place both for beauty and for glory. We are that place. And the intricate design He is hammering away in us to create may not always look beautiful until we see the finished product. But in His hands, it can be nothing less than glorious.
• Elaborate --  God could have just set up a small tent, maybe with the Ark of the Covenant, and have been done with His dwelling place. Instead, it was an elaborate work, layers of fabrics and precious metals and stones. It was large, as a place. It was elaborately staffed and moved. While we are each created with an intricate design, we are corporately the elaborate expression of God’s dwelling place. We are layered together as believers, each with different functions, different placement, different duties, to become His body, the place where His Spirit dwells. No one thing is unimportant, though some do their work in concealment, as the wooden frame of the tabernacle was covered over with gold. The picture and function of God’s dwelling place was, and is, elaborately designed. 

As my life takes its ups and downs, as seasons of life and work ebb and flow, I’m trying to remember that God is working both an intricate and an elaborate plan in and through me because I am His dwelling place, the representation of His glory. And seeing all He did to make the tabernacle a place that reflected Himself, how can I believe He does any less for me, who He has already created in His image? You and I are His tabernacle. He is busy implementing His design. And He does all things well.