Saints, Seekers and Sleepers

Why do Christian writers write? No doubt there are as many answers to this question as there are there are Christian writers. I know I write my blogs and fantasy stories because I love writing and I have these stories and ideas buzzing around in my head demanding to be told. Yet I also want to communicate God’s love – the love that I have experienced and that gives meaning and purpose to my life - to the hurting world around me. I want my stories to connect with people who may never walk into a church, who may run a mile from an evangelistic crusade, who may in fact be antagonistic to God and Christians and who may not know the difference between Jesus and soap. Of course to do this, my stories need to be published and read. If I can make a living doing it that would be a wonderful bonus.

Perhaps you have similar motives for writing. Your passion may be non-fiction or it may be a different genre of fiction such as romance, crime, suspense, historical or adventure and you may also wish to communicate God’s love and grace in your writing. The question is how do we do this and I suspect that the answer to “the how” depends a great deal on “the who” (we wish to connect with) and “the where” (the community they belong to). Mike Duran suggests that there are two main approaches in Christian fiction – the “holiness” and “honesty” camps. In the first, the focus is on upholding God’s standards while in the second the focus is engaging with the brokenness of the world. It is clear Duran favours the “honesty” camp and claims that the “holiness” camp’s driving concern is God’s law. The law gets a bad rap these days for as Paul said two thousand years ago our standing with God depends on accepting His offer of forgiveness not our (failed) ability to keep His law (e.g. Rom 3:20-28; Gal 3:11). Yet God gave us the law to show us His vision of how we should live and what type of people we should be (e.g. Deut 12:28; 28:9-10; Rom 7:12). As Paul says it is through love that we do what the law demands (Rom 13:8-10). So a concern for God’s standards is not a bad thing. We are called to be prophetic and counter-cultural as well as compassionate.

On the other hand, Jesus associated with sinners to the extent that the religious people of His day called him a glutton and a drunkard (Luke 7:34). Jesus sends us out into the world as the Father sent Him (Matt 17:18; John 20:21). He calls us to be salt and light – we are not to hide our light nor are we to stay in the saltshaker (Matt 5:13-16). As Christians our calling is to engage with the world that the Father loved so much that He sent His Son as ransom to reclaim it (John 3:16). As far as I can see, it is not an either/or proposition – either uphold God’s standards and the truth of His Word OR connect and engage with the hurting world that Jesus came to rescue. So I prefer Tony Whittaker’s more nuanced analogy of three ways of moving across the ocean – as a hovercraft (the “holiness camp”), a submarine (“the honesty camp”) and a ship cutting through the waves. Or as Jesus intimated, we are to be “in” the world but not “of” it (John 17:14-18). Whittaker is discussing the design and writing of websites but I think much of what he says is relevant to literature including fiction. He says that 99% ofChristian websites are written for the saints (i.e. Christians) and much of the rest is written for seekers (people who are positive towards Christianity and/or are already familiar with Christian concepts). However there are many people (over a third of Australians) who have little or no contact with the church, who are unfamiliar with Christian concepts and who are indifferent or antagonistic to the Christian message. Perhaps we could call these people the Sleepers for they are unaware of their need for God and/or His existence (and, okay, it keeps my “S” theme going).

Does that mean that I am arguing that all Christian writing should be explicitly evangelistic? Not at all! This is for three main reasons. Firstly, to my mind good fiction does not preach overtly. Rather, as Robin Phillips  suggests good fiction immerses us in a journey which engages and changes us. The message flows organically through the story rather than being imposed from outside of it. Secondly, I am convinced we need writers who write to inspire, challenge and strengthen believers (the saints) and engage those close to the Kingdom (seekers) both with good Christian nonfiction and fiction. Thirdly, we actually need a more subtle and nuanced approach with Sleepers in contrast to Saints and Seekers. This may mean presenting a Christian world view or concepts in a winsome and understated way. It definitely means avoiding Christian jargon or stereotyped scenes. It means engaging the reader wherever they are on their spiritual journey. It may mean a layered approach or moving one step at a time. To be honest I am still exploring what this may look like (and would like to explore this further in a future blog). I am sure that as Christian writers we are called to write the stories God gives us. To paraphrase Whittaker, any story that brings people further along on their journey towards God is evangelistic. So a large part of why I write is to strengthen the saints, guide seekers and to begin to awaken sleepers so that they might turn to the Light.

As the early Christians sang:

 “Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

(Ephesians 5:14, NLT)

May God's love, peace and joy bring life and light to you, your family and neighbourhood this Christmas.

Jeanette (Jenny) O’Hagan

JennysThread.com

FantasyTrekkers.com

https://www.facebook.com/JeanetteOHaganAuthorAndSpeaker

Jeanette has lived in Australia and Africa and has studied medicine, history, communication, ethics and theology. She has practiced medicine, taught theology, spoken at various groups, accumulated a few degrees and is focusing on caring for her young children and writing. She currently writing her fantasy fiction Akrad series and has several concept plans for non-fiction books as well.

The write time for the holidays!

Holidays, time to sit and think a while...

It's mid December. We're pushing through end of year events and parties, concerts and presentations. We're packing our bags and preparing for holidays. No more homework, no more school lunches, a break from the routine that has carried us all year long. 
But do you holiday from writing? 
I do. And I don't. 

I take a holiday from deadlines. Any writing that I usually schedule into my week, in a work like manner,  or ongoing projects that have specific due by dates - I take a break from these. Hopefully I've done sufficient work on them in the lead up to family holidays that they can put their feet up in the back corner of my mind and just chill, brew and develop without my thinking of them.

And time to take cheesy self-portraits!

I don't take a holiday from writing though. My humble journal follows me wherever I go and I'll write as I feel in there. I usually tuck a writing related book into my suitcase, and some notepaper. Perhaps a notebook belonging to a particular dreamy project - you know the ones that are deep in your heart but not quite ready to come out yet? A lot of my holiday writing is done is mini paragraphs on scraps of paper or the skippish imagination just before falling asleep. 

So, I thought, it might be fun to do some holiday writing together. Put away your deadlined projects, your major work novels and picture book re-edits.

Choose 5 of the following words and write them into a paragraph that captures something about what you are looking forward to this Christmas Holiday period. And have fun!

Easter-eggs     Breakfast     Pudding     Tissues     Grit     Snot     Tinsel     Beetroot     Sticky-tape       Crumpets     Shampoo     Cinnamon     Pages      Noodle     Empty     Acne     Yelp     Conglomerate             

And, since it's Christmas time, I'll send a little pressie to the author of the paragraph which makes me wish I could come piggy pack on your holidays for an afternoon or two.  

Penny Reeve is a children's author currently living in Western Sydney. This week she hopes to find sufficient chocolate to avoid the pre-Christmas crazies, remember to wrap the right gifts with the right cards and find some time to sit with a notebook, a pencil and a blank page of possibilities! You can read more from Penny at her website or facebook page.

Who plants the seed?

   At this stage of history Mary must have been feeling pretty uncomfortable.  She was nine months pregnant, or near enough. It was likely summer and she had to travel to Bethlehem. The destination was about 130 kilometres from Nazareth. If she wasn't already on the donkey, she would have been preparing for the trip. How do you prepare to spend five or six days on the back of a donkey when 'heavy with child'?
   Who could blame her if she now questioned her ready obedience to obey the angelic request. Not to mention God's timing. If He planned this child, couldn't he have organised it a little better so it didn't coincide with a census?
   However, she had replied to the angel, 'Be it to me as you have said.' So I'm sure she pushed ahead with little complaint.
   Producing a book has been likened to have a baby. It starts with a seed of an idea which quickly multiplies, grows and develops. There is the realisation that we have a book in the womb. We develop characters, themes, word pictures, plots, emotions. As each week passes, the concept develops. Details become clearer. Images are refined. Pushing ahead, we work hard, ignoring the cost and discomfort until we are ready to bring forth our literary masterpiece.
   And like babies, books are born everyday. But occasionally one, like Jesus, rises out of the crowd. There is something different about it. People start talking, maybe arguing and criticising. 
   Do you, like me long to have your writing noticed? Would you like your book to engender passionate discussion on Twitter causing everyone to talk about it. Of course, we would have to accept some low rankings and scathing reviews on Amazon. Maybe we would even have to field inflammatory emails. Would it be worth it?
   Take, for example, The Shack. It has 4,801 reviews on Amazon. One of them begins this way. 'A poorly written, philosophically bankrupt, theologically challenged airport novel.' Ouch! Some love the book. Others hate it. But millions have read it and, in the process, their thinking about God has been reignited.
   What made Jesus stand out of the crowd? It was all because of his Father! He was the Son of God, born for a purpose. 
  This raises a question. If we are the mother of our books, who is the Father? Who plants the seed in the womb of our thinking, that begins the creative process? Do we accept any old seed or are we more discerning? 
   Is there a possibility that God is looking for a womb where he can safely deposit a seed that will produce writings carrying his DNA. I believe our Father has fresh concepts to plant within us. He wants some of us to bring forth ideas previously unheard of. Some of these ideas will engender gossip and will be misunderstood. They will be radical and emotive. These books won't satisfy the established religious system, but will reflect the True God and His character. They will travel far beyond the Christian book market.
   Only the discerning recognised baby Jesus as God's son. Most passed Him off as Mary's illegitimate kid. They liked Him but didn't recognise who he was. 
   Some of you have written such books, seemingly passed off as unsuccessful. Maybe it is a case of timing. Or maybe, like John the Baptist, they are making way for the book that God is yet to deposit within you.
   Lets open our creativity to our amazing God. As we go into a new year, let us say with Mary,  'I am the Lord's servant. Let it be to me as you have said.'
   Lord, as you move across this Great Southland of the Holy Spirit, use us to spread your message of love and hope.' 


Jo Wanmer, lives in Brisbane with her patient husband, Steve. She is the author of 'Though the Bud be Bruised', and is nurturing the embryo of her next book deep within her mind.

The Greatest Story Ever - retold

Surprised, shocked, stunned, or amazed, much of this could apply as a young girl witnessed the incredible, two thousand years ago.  When an Angel of God, suddenly appeared and was seen by Mary she may have closed her eyes at first in disbelief. Perhaps she wondered if she was still asleep and possibly dreaming.  Or was there really a magnificent being standing in her room?  Maybe, after closing her eyes and counting to ten, Mary opened them again expecting nothing to be there. Yet the Angel remained, and waited patiently for recognition. The words from her prayer of the previous evening would come to mind.   

“Adonai, I love you so much, please use me as your handmaiden in whatever way you desire.”  

Was this now the answer to that prayer?  Mary believed it possibly was. 

His wings stood tall and shimmered as he spoke, “Greetings, I am Gabriel and you are highly favored Mary. The Lord your God is with you.”                                                                                                                                                                 

Adonai, her Adonai, was with her...? Her forehead creased in awe.  Then her heart thumped in adoration.  Before she could interrupt and question the meaning of this special messenger attending in person, more was spoken.                                                                                                           

 “Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and name him Jesus. He will be called the son of The Most High God and will rule forever, and His kingdom will never end.”                                                                                                                                 

Mary felt an enlightening in her soul, and yet she reasoned … how this could be?  What would her fiancé Joseph say?  Surely since she was unmarried this meant she would be dragged to the town square and stoned.  What a disgrace for her parents who were devoted believers. Her mind raced on.….                                                                                                                                                                   

Reading her thoughts Gabriel took a step forward. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you Mary,” his voice reassured while eyes of fire pieced into hers.                                                                                                                                           

 “You will become impregnated by the power of The Most High and God himself will be the Father. Be at peace as He will take care of you; no harm shall befall you.”                                                                                 

Mary knew her reply could be nothing less than what now burst forth from her lips.                       

 “Praise the name of the Lord! May it be unto me as you have stated. For I know as his servant, that nothing is impossible with Him.”                                                                                                                                                     

 Closing her eyes once more and leaning back into the softness of her bed, Mary felt her insides moving of their own persuasion.  She saw in her minds eye the conception of a human life within her and she rejoiced in knowing she was chosen of God. The baby’s blood would be untainted because it belonged to the Father and not to her.                                                                                                               

Many years later her sister Salome’s son and Jesus cousin, John would write acknowledging this.    

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word, was God.”  

Yes! When Mary Accepted That Word, The Word miraculously because a living embolism inside of her.  He was then able to be born as the Savour of the world.

      

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20 

Crystal Mary Lindsey at :  http://crystalmaryauthor.blogspot.com/  

                                            http://crystalmarylindsey.blogspot.com/

                                            http://crystalmaryandhealthissues.blogspot.com/  

May the Lord bless and keep you all safe in His care this Christmas.

So You Think You Can Dance?

Approaching the end of a year brings all last year's resolutions to mind, along with the promise of a New Year. As a writer you have goals for each year and the dance between dreams and reality is a daily battle as the tyranny of the urgent knocks on your door.

This year has brought many things to each of you. I’ve read of loss, illness, success and exciting projects. My own year has been filled with such a mixture of emotions and events. Losing my mother, publishing my first novel and seeing my children complete university degrees have been some of the milestones.

Like life, writing is an emotional and spiritual journal that is woven into the fabric of our lives. The dance of life, and writing, has several challenges.

The Dance Between Imagination and The Reality of Work

A writer’s imagination is always firing, however, getting down to write can be a challenge.

We see these books in our waking hours and dream of them through the night. However, if we don’t have the structure or time or effort or discipline to get down and write, the books stay dreams.

The dance of life between space and busyness is one that challenges every writer. How do we sit down and write when life interrupts?

A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper. E.B. White

Bryce Courtney would write a 600-page book in around six months, year in, year out. Bob Sessions, Courtney’s publisher said, “To achieve that feat he used what he called 'bum glue', sometimes writing for more than 12 hours a day.”

Many participated in the NaNoWriMo challenge this year and succeeded in completing a complete novel.

How have you danced between imagination and work in 2012?

The Dance Between Imagination and Structure

Roland Fishman from The Writers Studio says that writing “is a profound dance between imagination and structure.”

A plan and schedule for our work help us to structure our days and projects so we will be sure we will reach completion.

Having worked in events management, I know the value of having an end date and a plan that works back from that. This approach gives you steps along the way, deadlines to meet and a sense of achievement as you progress.

“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.” Friedrich Nietzsche

The Dance Between Stepping Out and Insecurity

Creating something is a dance between the adventure of stepping out and insecurity. We all have self- doubt. We all have the thought every now and then of, “Who am I to do this?”

Insecurity and fear can bring us to a halt. We need to develop the bravery required to focus on what our calling is. I think we all have that inner voice that gives us the vision and purpose in what we are supposed to write about.

Life is short and fragile and, if you put things off, you may never do what you want to you. A few years ago I went on a tandem parachute jump. Stepping out of a perfectly good airplane, strapped to a guy with a chute via a thin piece of webbing and a metal clasp was a step of faith.

I felt the same way when embarking on my first book. (I have that feeling every time I begin a new project.) Knowing who you are and what you are doing it for helps you to step out of insecurity, and into the adventure of creating something.

Albert Camus wrote, "On the ridge where the great artist moves forward, every step is an adventure, an extreme risk. In that risk however, and only there, lies the freedom of art.”

So, Do You Think You Can Dance In 2013?

I’m learning to put more structure in place so that the books in my imagination become a reality. The motivation to push ahead and keep working on more books in 2013 is rising as 2012 fades into the past. It’s time to take the leap of faith required to make dreams a reality.

One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. 1 Thessalonians 4:1

Will you dance in 2013?

 By Elaine Fraser

www.beautifulbooks.co

In the writing zone

Sports people talk about being in the "zone". It’s a term meaning they’re performing at their peak where everything flows smoothly and effortlessly. Being in the zone for a tennis player means consistently hitting their shots close to the lines, for a cricket player it means seeing the ball as if it is bigger than it actually is and for a ten pin bowler it’s being on a roll of strikes.

Likewise when we are in the writing zone everything is easy. The words flow onto the page with little effort, new ideas come from nowhere and the whole process becomes smooth and effortlessly. The story practically writes itself like being carried along by a river of revelation. Like John on the island of Patmos being told to write what he saw.

But what about the times when we are not in the zone?

Sports people have many strategies to help them find the zone: deep breathing, visualization, positive self-talk, more training, more relaxation. Yet despite all this they have to continue regardless of whether they are in the zone or not. They will even play through injuries or sickness. They continue, hoping to play themselves into the zone but in the meantime it may not be pretty. However they aim to put forward their best possible performance regardless of how they feel.

I remember reading something similar about Catherine Marshall. In the early days she wrote when she felt inspired and for pleasure. But when her husband Peter died, she had to write for a living which meant there were days when she had to write even though she felt uninspired. Likewise there are times when we may have to write regardless of our feelings.

I have a blog that I am committed to updating regularly but some days I don’t feel like it or can’t think of anything to write. Yet when I sit down in front of my computer and think about what has been happening in my life, surprisingly an idea, a thought appears. Though the article may be slow in coming and not particularly profound, the post gets written. As writers we have the advantage of the re-write so unlike sports people we can go back and revisit, revise and edit what we have done. Sometimes the surprise is that editing can turn our not so perfect writing into something special.

Do you have any strategies, routines or spiritual disciplines that help you find the writing zone?

*****

Susan Barnes likes to write inspirational articles, book reviews, and reflections on Bible passages and regularly blogs at: http://abooklook.blogspot.com.au

Who Can Blame Me?

I'm a first born. 

In the main, I follow rules and find more than a little angst prickles my nerves when others do not. So I guess while I've made my generous share of mistakes in this life, most of them have come from bad judgement, rather than rule bending. 

But I'm here to confess the rebelliousness of my childhood, sprouted from the deep pull to read when I was not supposed to. And to confess it still occurs. 

1. I confess... As a little girl, I repeatedly read in church, even when my Dad stood at the pulpit delivering a well crafted sermon. I smuggled books in and let my mind wander far from Sunday morning services in the late 1970s... to the early 1800s when Mary Jones remarkably sought her own copy of the Bible. I confess escaping with Mary to the 1800s more than once, when I should have been firmly seated in the psychedelic era. But who can blame a little girl with a good book in her grip? 

2.  I confess... I repeatedly read in the back seat of the car. At night. Even when my parents told me I'd ruin my vision. (I now wear contacts AND use reading glasses at the same time, so yeah.... they were right). I'd wait for the rhythmic flash of a street light, hold my book just so, and sneak in a line every few beats of the journey home. And who can blame a transfixed little girl with a good book in her grip? 

3. I confess... I repeatedly read in bed. Hours after I promised my mother the just to the end of the chapter lie. I figured a fabulous page turner erased all my good intentions. How could I not honour the writer and their wordsmith mastery? And who can blame a wide-awake little girl with a good book in her grip? 

4. And finally, I confess... I repeatedly read in school, with a fresh book hidden under the desk. When my favourite English teacher asked me about the themes of Schindler's Ark, I was too busy with Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant to offer a coherent answer. I fumbled my way through the wrong one, and she later pulled me aside to apologise for putting me on the spot. She knew how easily I faded into a story... and sent me back there with her blessing. (Good soul/best teacher ever - understood the passion of a reader better than anyone!) 

And so on ... and so on... Until adulthood. Where I've been known to read in places and times when a grownup should know better. But who can blame an English teacher and fiction writer, with a good book in her hand, and plenty more simmering in her heart? Certainly not those who share the same affliction.

 

Anyone else game enough to confess? Where and when have you read a book you couldn't put down?

***

Dorothy Adamek lives at Crabapple House with her Beloved, their three teenagers and five pampered backyard chickens. She writes historical romance, Aussie style. Follow her love of all thing yesteryear at Ink Dots. 

Writing Atmosphere

What kind of environment is ideal for you to write in? Do you need complete silence? Do you need the strains of music filling your ears? Or, perhaps you need the busy sounds of the market place.

I am intrigued by the differences us writers have in the way we are able to function at our best in a certain atmosphere. For me, the sound of silence allows the voices in my head to come to the fore. Any noise is a distraction. Worries, cares, demands will drown out the characters who want their story heard. The sound of children laughing, fighting, or even playing on the Wii will invade my thoughts.

Then again, if I put headphones on and play classical music, this will override the household noises and put me in the historical and romantic frame of mind. I can disappear into the world of Victorian charms with some piano adagios singing in my ears -- pity on anyone who tries to get my attention then!

Of course, there are exceptions. For example, right now, I am writing on the laptop while movie plays on the TV in front of me, with one child after the other coming to speak to me. It seems when I'm writing blogs, my concentration level does not need to be as deep.

So how about you? Are you the kind that needs quiet? Do you need music to inspire you and if so, what kind? Or, do you like to sit in a coffee shop and type away while the world goes on around you?

---

Amanda Deed resides in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne where she fills her time with work, raising a family, church activities and writing historical romance novels. Her new novel, Black Forest Redemption, was released on the 1st of October this year. For more information, see:
http://www.amandadeed.com.au/
http://amanderings.wordpress.com/