Have You Been Made New?

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The Bible tells us once a person repents and accepts Christ as  Lord and Savior, they are made a new person. If you haven't been made new you won't be in heaven. This transformation comes from Christ, but the choice is up to you. Salvation is not about saying the right thing, doing the right thing, or being baptized. Salvation is about accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, making Him the Lord of your life, and allowing Him to transform you.

So then because thou art  lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth (Revelation 3:16).

Too many people go through the motions to be a Christian, but they allow few if any changes, and they don't make Christ the Lord of their lives. They try to control everything themselves and usually try to achieve worldly success. In reality, they are some of those lukewarm "Christians" He will spew out. They are the ones who will hear, "Depart from me for I never knew you" because they were never really saved. They had no change of heart.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Our main goal as Christians should be to do God's will, not our own. We should seek His will instead of telling Him ours and expecting Him to do what we want. Knowing His will requires Bible study, prayer, being attuned to Him, and listening. The good news is that it's never too late to begin. Christ is the King of second chances, and renewal is an important biblical principle. Accept  Him into your life today if you have never done so. Rededicate yourself now if that's what you need. You will not regret it. The rewards are great.

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Literary Fiction

A teenager in a novel-writing group I taught asked, "What is literary fiction?" That's a very good question, and those who've been in the writing field a number of years know the answer, but the definition is harder to put into words. Even dictionaries and writing guides have a difficult time defining it because the term has so many facets.

With literary fiction, the pace is usually slower and the tone can be darker than genre fiction. There is more concern for the style of the writing than is normally the case in other fiction, and style takes precedent over the plot or characters. Literary writers may feel they are the elite or the "purist" among novelists. This is enhanced by the fact they often have the support of some organization, college, or university. Common themes deal with social issues, political implications, or the human condition. Their main goal is not to entertain but to present an agenda or important lesson with quality writing.

The problem is that literary fiction, except in rare cases, is not as widely popular or as sellable as genre fiction. Of course, if a book receives a major award, such as the Nobel Prize for Literature, it becomes very sellable. Some controversy may also bring it to the forefront for a time. But there is an audience for all kinds of literature, and writers should find the niche that will work best for them.

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National Tell a Story Day

April 27th is National Tell a Story Day. Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of entertainment. It's an ancient practice that predates writing and a way to connect the past to our present. It also fosters imagination and creativity.

There are many festivals across the country and world that emphasize or include storytelling. The International Storytelling Center is in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and an International Storytelling Festival is held there in the fall, usually in October. Since this is the time the fall leaves usually reach their peak color around the Appalachians, it's a great time to visit, and the festival draws large crowds.

The Appalachian Mountain region has long promoted folk tales and produced storytellers. I can remember my mother telling me stories as far back as my memory will go. I think this flowed into a love of books when I started to school and eventually led to a writing career. I don't know how you will celebrate National Tell a Story Day, but I'm always ready to read, write, listen to, or tell a story.

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Allowing for Change

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy: who art thou that judgeth another (James 4:12).

People, even Christians, tend to judge others harshly, lock a person into that label, and never change their opinion. Thankfully, God never does that, and he doesn't want us to either. We are commanded to forgive. Branding a person as a certain kind of sinner, and never allowing for change is not forgiving them. We say God changes people, but we often don't act like it, and our job is to love like Christ.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37).

Paul's life is a good example of why we should forgive sinners and allow them to move on. Paul had severely persecuted followers of Christ. Men like him had been the reason many of the early Christians had scattered from Jerusalem to other locations. Paul was a devout Jew and thought the new believers were an affront to God.

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone... (John 8:7b).

Paul and Barnabas

After Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus, Paul became just as zealous for Christ, but the followers feared him and wanted nothing to do with him. If it were not for Barnabas, he might have been locked into the slot of persecutor forever. However, Barnabas stood up for Paul and convinced others to give him a chance (see Acts 9), and what a difference it made for the faith. Often the greatest sinners make the best Christians after they are saved, and fallen Christians become more devout than ever once they have repented. We should all be loving, kind, and forgiving like Jesus.

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Audible Western Series

https://www.amazon.com/Dust-Storms-Book-3/dp/B0874D1JMW

I am thrilled to announce that the last book in the In from the Storms trilogy is ready on Audible.  Dust Storms is set in West Texas and Wyoming in the 1800s and finishes the series. After Aileas rejects him, Brady Shape leaves Wyoming Territory and wanders to Texas. He gets a job at Double G Ranch and becomes their temporary foreman. However, he never feels comfortable in the job, although he’s determined to catch the cattle rustlers before he leaves. He can’t seem to forget Aileas, either. When he meets Nora Joseph, she needs rescuing from a desperate situation. He’s determined to see her situated before he leaves Sagebrush, but somehow, she talks him into taking her with him. The only place he can think to take her is back to Aileas in Wyoming. However, getting there will take battling dust storms, the storms of their pasts, and storms that loom in the future.

https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Storms-Book-1/dp/B08288PD8X

This third book is narrated by Douglas Birk, the same voice artist that produced Mountain Storms, the first book in the series. I love his expressive voice and his determination to do his best. However, I went with Jennifer Groberg for the second book, Past Storms, since the female main character took up most of the book. She does such a good job that I turn to her first when I need a female narrator.

https://www.amazon.com/Past-Storms-Book-2/dp/B083G4TWN9/

Although each book is a standalone with a definite ending, you'll want to listen to them in order if you plan to hear them all. The main characters in one are secondary characters in the others, and the family's story continues in each one. I'm excited about this western, historical series. There's another five-book western series set in early New Mexico in the works, but it will be over a year before I'm ready to release it. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Dust Storms and the rest of the In from the Storms series as much as I have.

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National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

April 20th is National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. My mother usually made one for an Easter dessert, and I have always thought of it as especially good in the springtime. It is one of my favorites any time of the year, however, and it's easy to make. If you want, you can even use a yellow cake mix to speed up and make the process easier. An old Betty Crocker cookbook even recommends this. If you'd prefer to make it from scratch, just use your favorite yellow cake recipe.

Melt 3/4 cup of butter or margarine and pour into a sheet cake pan or two round cake pans. Sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar evenly over the mixture. Arrange canned pineapple slices over this. If desired, place a maraschino cherry or pecan half in the center hole of each pineapple slice. Lightly sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar over this. Prepare yellow cake mix according to the directions and pour over pineapple mix. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until done.

The first fruit cakes made like this weren't made with pineapples but with other fruits like apples, cherries, and peaches. However, around 1911, one of James Dole's engineers developed a way to cut pineapples into perfect rings for canning, and the pineapple upside-down cake soon followed. People have been enjoying it ever since. 

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Righteousness

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:11).

In his book, Overcoming Gossip, Mark D. Michael writes: "Many people gossip about their brothers and sisters in Christ because they don't understand righteousness. They simply don't understand that righteousness is a gift from God to people. They have a legalistic perspective of righteousness. To them, they are righteous [or not] because of the good deeds they do or the bad deeds that they don't do. But righteousness by the law always leaves us feeling either extremely arrogant or totally discouraged depending on how well we are living or with whom we are comparing ourselves."

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).


I find this statement profound, Christ went to the cross because of our inability to be righteous by the law. His sacrifice and death allowed us to trade our unrighteousness for His righteousness when we accept Him as our Savior. None of us can be good enough to keep all the law or to get ourselves into heaven apart from Christ. 

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14).

Many know this to be true, but they still don't live their lives like it is. Obedience and righteous living are important, but it should come from our love of God and desire to please him and not from an arrogant pride in ourselves and our ability to be good. Or if the reverse is true, we berate ourselves and feel useless because we realize we continually fail. Live your life under the grace that knowing Christ as your personal Lord and Savior gives. 

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