Selfishly Following Jesus

Whether they realize it or not, many believers are selfishly following Jesus. They think by doing so, they'll have someone to lean on when they need Him, and someone to turn to in times of trouble. At the very least, they'll end up in Paradise for eternity. Some even expect material blessings in the here and now. This is a prosperity type gospel that is far from following Christ and what the Bible teaches.

These people usually say they are too busy to help much in the church. They want to receive the benefits of being a Christian without giving anything of themselves. Jesus recognized these people. We're told of the rich, young ruler who found the cost too high (Matthew 19:16-22); the man who promised to follow Jesus but expected to maintain his comfort along the way (Luke 9:57-59); another that Jesus called and needed to go bury his father (Luke 9:59-60), who hadn't died yet according to the Greek text; and the man who used the excuse of saying goodbye to his family. The moral of these stories is that we can't put anyone or anything above the Lord. He must always be first in our lives, even above ourselves.

In his book Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray puts it this way: 
Many believers think that when they receive Jesus, He saves them and then helps in time of trouble. Then they all but deny Him as their Master! They think they have a right to have their own will and their own way in a thousand things. They say what they want to say and do whatever they like to do, and use their property and possessions as they wish... (Kindle location 109-110).
He is the Lord of all we have and are. We cannot have Him in us and with us unless we yield everything to Him. Jesus' words have not changed. "Forsake all and follow me" (Kindle loc. 113).
Selfish people follow their own agendas instead of following Jesus. You can't do both unless your agenda matches the Lord's. You can't expect Him to alter His to match yours. Make up your mind today to say what Joshua did, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

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Keeping Track of the Books Read  

For several years now, I've kept up with the books I read on Amazon by writing a review. Not only do I have a list, but I also have my opinion on the book. It's the simplest way I've found, and it's easy to find when I want it. This is important, because I read around 250 books a year, even though I've started a second career.

Not only is this a way of tracking your reading, but it also helps readers. I know I usually check the Amazon reviews before I decide to buy a book, especially for my Kindle. I look at the low ratings first, because I want to determine if what bothered them would be important to me. This has saved me a lot of time and frustration.

In addition, it helps the author. I never knew how important good reviews were to an author until I became one. I hear that bookstores are considering stocking certain books over others based on their Amazon reviews. It's so crucial that some authors give away free books for the promise of a review. I haven't done this yet, because I've questioned the practice, but my small number of reviews, especially on my newer releases, show this.

With all sorts of reasons to write a review for the books you read, I encourage you to do so. They can be short, and that's just fine. Once you get in the habit of it, it goes really fast, and it can be of great benefit to you, the author, and other readers.

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Cherry Blossoms in D.C.  

The first official blossoming cherry trees were planted in Washington, DC, on March 27, 1912, as a gift from Japan. Then First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees in a ceremony in West Potomac Park. The two original trees still stand at the end of 17th Street.

However, these were not the first such trees brought to the area. As early as 1885, there had been a movement to plant the beautiful trees in the capital. In 1905, a private citizen brought 1,000 flowering cherry trees from Japan to his estate in Chase, Maryland. A Japanese chemist ended up donating the 2,000 trees for the city.

In 1915, the United States sent a reciprocal gift to Japan of flowering dogwood trees. In 1934, the first Cherry Blossom Festival was held in Washington, sponsored by the District of Columbia Commissioners and numerous civic organization. It became an annual event. If you've never seen the trees when they're blooming, you owe yourself the treat. It's a sight to behold.

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How Do You Treat Others?  

New people move in a few houses down from you. With baggy pants, loud music, tattooed bodies, and pierced faces, you wonder what this neighborhood is coming to. Or what about that tattered couple who aren't even married but have all those rowdy little kids? Is there a person at work that just rubs you the wrong way? Are you good with different races coming to your church?

And talking about different cultures and ethnicity, the Mexicans and Chinese were bad enough, but at least some of them open up pretty decent restaurants, but what about the Middle Eastern immigrants suddenly coming in. Decent folks had better leave them alone, right? You never know how dangerous someone like that could be.

Our attitude toward others determines how we treat them. You don't have to harass them or be outwardly cruel to mistreat someone. Ignoring them or shunning them is also a form of mistreatment. As Christians, we're supposed to have a loving attitude toward all people. That's ALL people - no exceptions. 

Jesus set the example of how we're to treat others. Look at the prostitutes, lepers, tax collectors, and demon-possessed. How did he treat them? How would we? He even taught us to love everyone as He does. Do we? We need to ask ourselves every day if we've treated everyone we've come in contact with the way Christ wants. If not, we need to repent and try to do better tomorrow. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the will to obey, we can do better.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40).

How are you treating Jesus?

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Creating a Page-Turner, Part Three
Getting Inside the Main Character's Head

To have the reader unable to put a book down, it's imperative to have them live the story with the main character(s). You partly do this by allowing the reader to be privy to their thoughts. They must get inside each character's head that has a point-of-view in the novel and know why they do what they do and how they're thinking.

For any important action a main character is involved with, there should be a reaction. If it takes place in another character's point of view, it can be an expression, gesture, or dialogue. If it happens in the character's point of view, he or she can share their thoughts about it.

It's also better to use deep point of view whenever possible, because it puts the reader in the action and doesn't keep them outside looking on as observers. In deep point of view, the character doesn't just tell about what's happening they live it. Here are some examples:

Not deep POV - He felt the pain immediately and afterwards saw the blood on the white snow.

Deep POV - Pain shot up him, and he fell to the ground, watching bright red blood spread over the white snow. His blood! 

Not deep POV - She felt like she would never be accepted and she would remain an outsider here.

Deep POV - Would she never be accepted? Would she always remain an outsider here?

Novels like this are not only more fun for the reader, but they're also more fun for the author to write. So, whether you're a reader or a writer, go have some book fun.

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Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning used to be a yearly event that seemed written in stone. Women not only thoroughly cleaned the house; but they also did extra things, like washing windows, sunning or washing bedding, redoing mattress and pillow stuffings, and often scouring the rooms with hot, soapy water to get rid of the vermin.All this cleaning came about without the modern conveniences we take for granted. Cleaning products usually meant soap or vinegar, and many times these were made at home. Without running water in the house, it all had to be carried in and heated in the fireplace or later on a wood stove.

As you can imagine, not everyone appreciated the arduous cleaning tasks. Husbands sometimes complained of cold meals because their wives didn’t have time to cook, and women might dread the heavy work. Emily Dickinson jokingly wrote, “I prefer the pestilence.” But houses had usually been closed up for months during the winter, and, with more people staying inside, they became dirtier. Now with warmer weather, windows and doors could be opened, and insects were not yet a problem like they would be in the summer. Not only did the housekeepers dust, wash, sweep, mop, and beat rugs, but they also wanted to air out and have a fresh smelling house.

Spring cleaning became a monumental task. Most of the household members ended up helping in some way, and it often lasted for a week with the work continuing from early morning until time for bed. The thorough cleaning normally required that everything be removed from a room and the room scrubbed from ceiling to floor. Then, all the furniture would be dusted, washed, polished, or brushed, depending on what kind it was before bringing it back in. Carpets and rugs were even carried outside and beaten with a paddle or stick to remove the dust and dirt. All of this took time, especially in a larger home. However, it felt good to have everything clean and fresh again.

As more and more women joined the workforce and technology made cleaning easier, spring cleaning became a part of history. However, there’s information suggesting we might be healthier if we resumed the practice. Recent articles suggest our airtight houses of today might need cleaning and airing to get rid of toxins that build up, and heavy appliances hide even more allergy-causing dust and dirt. So, what about it? Do you think you want to tackle a thorough spring cleaning?

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Whose Kingdom Are You Building?

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).

Whose kingdom are you building - yours or God's? We should be about building God's, because this life is so temporary compared with eternity. Our whole reason for being on earth is to glorify God and serve Him. In fact, only the things we do for God will remain long after we're gone. These are the only things that have any lasting meaning or value.

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17).

If the world as we know it still exists a thousand years for now, will anyone remember anything you've done? Will they know how much money you had in the bank, what a nice house you owned, or what kind of car you drove? Will it matter how hard you worked and how successful you were? The souls we help find Jesus, the love we show in His name, the gospels messages we share - these will have a ripple effect through eternity.

Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (Matthew 25:34).

When we take part in building God's kingdom, God promises us a place with him forever. Although our salvation is a free gift of grace from what Jesus did on the cross and nothing we earn, if you don't see building God's kingdom as more important than building our own earthly one, I wonder if you've ever given your heart to Christ or just gone through the motions, hoping that would suffice to get you into heaven. It's not for me to judge, but you will be judged. Whose kingdom are you building? It's not too late to switch construction sites.

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