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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Creating a Page-Turner, Part Two
Characters

You must create likable characters, or at least someone the reader can tell why they're like they are if you're to write an interesting novel. It's better if they're realistic and have depth and complexities. But it's also important to be consistent. If they change their habits, appearance, or reactions, the reader needs to understand why. It's not enough to tell yourself people in real life behave erratically, because fiction has to also be believable. 

Your main characters need to have clear goals. Ask yourself what drives them, what do they really want, and build your story from that. It's also good to have at least one secondary character that's memorable. For me, it's often the character that quips one-liners or the main character's confidant or adviser.

In addition, consider the number of characters you're going to introduce. You don't want the reader needing to stop to figure out who someone is as I did in a recent book. Even if the book is part of a series, you'll want to give a sentence to remind the reader who the character is when the person walks into the first scene. However, give the background information and histories woven into the story and not as standalone narratives.

And finally, it's good to have the main character(s) change by the end of the story. They need to have learned some important lessons and changed for the better. That's always more satisfying to the reader. Give them a reason to pick up your next book, and the best reason is they couldn't put this one down.

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Uncle Sam

1897 cartoon

The first record that can be found of the cartoon figure of Uncle Sam appearing in print came on March 13, 1852, in the New York Lantern Weekly. However, legend says it came about much earlier during the War of 1812. Of course, Uncle Sam's initials are U.S., and he's used to represent the United States.

The term "Uncle Sam" actually appears in a 1816 book written by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy. The Adventures of Uncle Sam, in Search of His Lost Honor is written as an allegory. However, this 162-page book didn't include the caricature of newspaper fame that we associate with Uncle Sam today.

Even earlier than this, the name was used in oral history. In 1813, Samuel Wilson, a meat packer in New York whose company supplied barrels of beef to United States soldiers during the War of 1812, stamped the barrels with "U.S." However, the soldiers began saying the food came from Uncle Sam, and this was reported in the local newspaper.

Later on, cartoonist, Thomas Nash (1840-1902) popularized the image of Uncle Sam by creating the figure with a white beard and stars-and-stripes suit that we know today. He is also credited with drawing the modern image of Santa Claus and the elephant and donkey to represent Republicans and Democrats.

Although Uncle Sam's history is riddled with legends and uncertainty as well as facts, he is likely older than most people realize. He's also lasted a long time in political cartoons and is likely to last much longer.

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You Can Be Holy

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16).

We can be holy. The Bible says so. This not a source of pride, because it doesn't come from us at all but from Christ working in us and through us. First, we must be washed clean by accepting Christ as our Savior and by His blood which He shed for us on the cross, washing away all our sins. That's all our sins - past, present, and future.

Then, we must surrender to the workings of the Holy Spirit within us, allowing Him to make us more like Jesus. We can't just give lip service to following Christ. We must give him our hearts and let Him change us into new people. We may still make mistakes occasionally, but we desire to be perfect and strive to please God above all else.

The devil loves for us to use our humanness as an excuse. It gives him a crack in our armor to work on and enlarge, and it keeps us from trying to be the best we can be. Thinking you have to sin is a lie. It's only true if you rely on your own power and not God's - if you remain self-centered. When you aren't committed to living a holy life, it will be difficult for you to live a Christian life at all. Don't sell yourself short (you are a child of the King), and more importantly, don't belittle God. He's led many a person into a holy life. All we have to do is surrender, trust, and obey.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in the heavens is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

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Creating a Page-Turner, Part One
Point of View

How do authors create that novel you just can't put down? Of course, there has to be action and interesting situations. However, an engaging novel can't be based on just action. It has to pull the reader in and make them care about the hero and heroine. How is this done? Making realistic but likable characters is a start.


But involving the reader emotionally also demands more. First of all, be careful to show whose point of view you're in, and if you switch points of view, have some way to signal that to the reader. I use the method I like as a reader. I use a line or symbols to show the break. This is different than the extra spacing I use to denote a passage in time. In my traditionally published Appalachian Roots series, the editor maintained the dark line I originally had in the manuscripts. In When Winter Is Past set in colonial Pennsylvania, we used stalks of wheat. In With Summer's Songs, I chose a line of musical notes; and in the new release, Promise, we used a cow and fence to go with the rural setting.

Like me, most of you have probably read books with head-hopping, or changing points of view at random. It's irritating and slows the reader at best, and it can be downright confusing. It also signals to me that this is a novice writer, regardless of how long they've been at the craft. I believe readers deserve the best for their time they spend in reading our books and the money they invest in buying them. We should constantly be working to hone our skills and grow as an author. Then, we will deserve the fan base and following we want.

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Remembering the Alamo

After a thirteen-day siege, the Alamo fell captive to Mexican troops on March 6, 1836, during the Texas Revolution. Somewhere around 200 Texas volunteers had held off an army of 3,000 Mexican troops led by Santa Anna until then. Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie were among those killed during the battle. The Mexicans quickly executed the handful of men that surrendered at the end.

The cruelty of the Mexican troops during and after the battle motivated other Americans to volunteer to fight with the Texans and helped lead to the Mexican defeat on April 21, 1836, at the Battle of San Jacinto. Remembering the Battle of the Alamo may have also helped spur the American victory in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. 

Many movies and television programs have been based on the events at the Alamo. The Texas government purchased the former mission and land surrounding the battle site, designating the chapel as an official Texas State Shrine. Today, the Alamo, located in San Antonio, is the most popular tourist site in Texas.

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Open the Door to Your Heart 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20).

I wonder how many people ask Christ to come into their lives and save them without opening up their hearts for Him to do so. They want salvation and want to go to heaven when they die, but they don't want to make too many changes, and they certainly don't want to give up control over their lives. If you don't open the door to your heart, where do you think He will come in to? As a church marquee said, "If you want to get into heaven you must let Christ come into you."

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).

When we ask Christ into our lives, all our sins are washed away, and we become clean, new. However, keeping us clean is an on-going process, because, in our humanness, we have a sinful nature. To become the person we were created to be, we need to surrender completely and allow the Lord to work in our lives. If Christ doesn't own our hearts, then the enemy does.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of you flesh.... (Ezekiel 36:26).

God wants tenderhearted people, and Christ will soften our hearts and fill them with love if we let Him. If we want to be new people in Christ, we need to let the Holy Spirit do His work in us. Have you allowed Christ to perform heart surgery on you, or do you still retain you hard heart of stone? You'll never be pleasing to God until you do have that heart transplant.

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
("Open the Eyes of My Heart" by Michael W. Smith)

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Finishing

This week, I read a post from another author which said that a large percentage of writers start a manuscript and never get beyond halfway finished before they stop. Usually, they never pick it up again. She went on to give tips about how to avoid this. I was taken aback at first, but on reflection, I've also seen some of this. I wonder if these writers aren't writing for the wrong reasons.  

Since I began serious writing, I have never failed to finish a manuscript, because there's a burning desire in me to do so. I have such a passion for what I'm working on at the time that there's much more danger I will put in fourteen or more hours of writing a day to the neglect of other things I need to be doing. So far, I've completed twenty-one manuscripts and published seven. I write them faster than they can get published.

In many ways, I've been in training to be a writer my whole life, and I love it. I never run out of story ideas, because I have four to six playing through my mind at any one time. My problem is finding the time to write them all. When I get a new one written, others have taken its place. But what a blessing, what a joy!

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