Hey- thanks for stopping by. I’m on a little hiatus right now. Feel free to browse around. Check out some of the older posts or when all else fails visit Cheezburger.
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Hiatus
Updates on my books and other projects
Friday Update: A Week of Fiction
What am I writing? Still the draft of Claire’s book, and I’m up to chapter 6
What am I reading? 
I read two books this week, and I am emotionally wrung out. First up was Mary DeMuth’s Daisy Chain. Following Mary on Twitter and getting to know her through her blogs prompted me to pick up the book. It’s garnered fabulous reviews for the story of Jed Pepper, a fourteen-year-old boy swept up in the disappearance of Daisy, his best friend, maybe even his girlfriend. Jed was the last one to see Daisy, and suffers with guilt, remorse, and palpable loneliness. On top of this, Jed’s father, a well-respected pastor, is abusive, and his mother deals with the tyranny through closet alcoholism. The story, the characters, and setting are all extremely well-rendered. What struck me, what will ultimately stay with me, was the way Mary captured the incomprehensible ambivalence Jed wrestles with. He loves his father and wants nothing more than to make him proud, but in the same breath, he despises the man and his hypocrisy. This is a coming of age story. I defined those for Lauren as a story in which a young person has to face the way the world works. Jed becomes a fine young man, and I wish someone would tell him so. Book 2, A Slow Burn is due out in October.
After taking a few days to absorb and recover from Daisy Chain, I moved on to Bonnie Grove’s Talking to the Dead. I also follow Bonnie on Twitter, and not only has her book received great reviews, it has garnered a heap of mentions through the Twitterverse. Interestingly, it arrived with a sticker on the cover- ‘good read guaranteed’. It delivered. In it, Kate Davis becomes a widow at 28, and within days, her husband speaks to her. The rest of the book unfolds the reason why and what it all means. For several days, I read it while I sat in the car waiting for my son to get out of school, but I found out there was a tipping point. Once I hit that point, I had to finish the book… that day… period. A close friend of mine says any book that makes you talk back to it is a good one. Without blowing any plots points, when Kate finally cleaned out Kevin’s closet, I gave her an enthusiastic “Good girl!” (My daughter looked up.) I know it’s ‘just a book’, but the characters are ‘real’ characters. It broke my heart how utterly alone Kate was through this. God help us not walk on by while anyone is in as much pain.
I’m going back to non-fiction next week. I need a break!
Side note- Social media can definitely be an effective marketing tool. It was key in my decision to purchase and read these two books.
What has God taught me? Between the books and my Bible study this week, God has highlighted how much hurt there is in this world, and reminded me of our mandate to be a conduit for His grace and mercy. I get so easily frustrated and discouraged, I lose sight of my amazing Redeemer working in each situation.
Friday Update: Writing and Reading
- Image via Wikipedia
I got to help coach last night… flag football! Mostly I marked the line of scrimmage, but it was so much fun! As for Alan… is there a Wii scholarship available somewhere? Cause it’s not looking like a football career is in the future. Ah well…
What am I writing? Things are clicking along on Claire’s book. Anytime we have a long car trip, I get a good deal of thinking time in. Jon and Amanda helped me plot the end, and it’s going to be much better now. Thanks guys! Amanda also constantly challenges me to write good 3D characters, even in the first draft. As a result I haven’t written much new stuff this week, but I’ve filled out Paige, Brooke and Nate.
What have I learned? Not too much geeky stuff this week. I’ll work on that.
What am I reading? The Pilot’s Wife Let me preface this by saying I have an overactive imagination, so I choose carefully what fiction I read, and even what movies I watch. This book was the kind of fiction I enjoy, an intense internal journey. Kathryn Lyons is awakened just after three a.m. one morning to the news that the airline her husband, Jack, was piloting exploded off the coast of Ireland. The grief is real, perfectly drawn by the author. All the odd, off balance thoughts that go through a person’s mind are captured. But because of the nature of Jack’s death, it’s not a private grief. Investigators arrive and questions surface, questions without answers. Kathryn’s quest to vindicate Jack leads to an unfolding of who Jack Lyons really was. The most devastating line in the book, “Jack and I did not have secrets.”
It’s good for me to see characters who don’t have a Christian worldview. The whole time I read, I wanted to somehow comfort Kathryn. She needed someone. It also makes me keenly aware what a blessed hope we have.
Perhaps the most telling comment was my husband’s after I said yet again, “I can’t believe he did that to her!” He looked at me and very calmly reminded me, “It’s FICTION.”
However, because it took me so many days to get over my outrage at Jack Lyons, I’ve just started Daisy Chain. (I can go from one non-fiction book to the next and not miss a beat. Not so with stories. They have to soak a while.)
What has God taught me? 1. He knows everything. (Technically, I already knew that, but reminders never hurt.)
2. If we aren’t careful, life can be a series of missed opportunities.
3. Some folks would rather be right than righteous.
4. I’m glad God is God.
Have a great weekend! (My last weekend of being 41…)
Friday Update: Remembering
What am I writing? – I started a new book draft this week! Yay! It feel so good to be writing new stuff once again. I'll post the chapter once I get it tweaked a little. The August newsletter went out this week. If you didn't get one, you can read it here, and sign-up for future ones using that form at the right. What have I learned? Nerdy things about the site here, and my newsletter manager- Vertical Response. I won't bore you with the details. 🙂
What am I reading? Where Did I Leave My Glasses? about normal memory loss, partly because learning, memory and brain function fascinate me, partly for research purposes for Doug's book. It's a fun read, but still incorporates the latest research in cognitive neuroscience (without making it sound that heavy and boring). Next week… a month of fiction begins!
What has God taught me? We're doing Lifeway's Boomerang Express VBS this week, and the tagline is "It all comes back to Jesus". It does. In the end, nothing else matters. I told the kids Wednesday night, that we make dozens of decisions every day- what to eat for breakfast, which shirt to wear – and most of those decisions don't matter at all, but what we decide to do with the facts about Jesus Christ… that matters for all eternity. Sometimes we get so familiar with the gospel, it loses its wonder. It's been great to see the fresh unabashed enthusiasm the kids have for Jesus. It's definitely given me a boost.
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Friday Update: Overcoming Burnout
Friday! I love Friday, even better than Saturday. I especially love this Friday because… *whispering* I made it a whole week getting up early to walk/run. Last Friday, I bought some really cool exercise shirts and shorts… I’m obligated. Plus… I’m really tired of these extra 15 pounds. But I did it, and I lived. BTW, when you run until you think you’re going to die and then have to walk… that’s called ‘interval training’, not ‘wimping out’. However, in the ‘lack of positive reinforcement’ department, the scales haven’t moved. Jon tells me to be patient. I am not. Here’s what else is going on…
What am I writing? Not a living thing this week. I didn’t even plot or plan. Instead, I worked on VBS. It’s next week and I needed to get a handle on it. NEXT week, however, I hope to get started on a new draft. Claire’s book. I also plan to get the newsletter out next week- just a little late. (When I have a staff, this will never happen again, I’m sure.)
What have I learned? This week was ‘computer maintenance week’, electronic housekeeping- almost as much fun as the real stuff. This means next week, I won’t be able to find any files on my computer. I downloaded some audio file editing software from AVS4YOU. It was easy and intuitive. I also downloaded a ringtone maker, but haven’t had a chance to use it yet.
What am I reading? Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic by Anne Jackson. In this book, she is bold enough to shine a light on a reality most folks would prefer to ignore. The $64000 question, “Does working at this church interfere with your communion with Christ?” For whatever reasons, doing the ‘work’ of the church is sucking the life out of the workers. I admit I’ve been there, and not too long ago. Yes, I’ve tried to come down with the stomach flu between 8:30 and 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. Her discussion doesn’t pull any punches, but it’s not an exercise in church-bashing or staff-bashing. She’s quick to point out how we contribute to our own burnout when we lose focus on God whom we are to love with all our heart, soul, strength and mind. Her advice is simple, but not easy and may take a complete realignment in our thinking about how we ‘do’ ministry.
Two things struck me as I read. For a body who claims to depend on Christ’s strength, we are shamefully intolerant of frailties in our brother and sisters. Why would an unbelieving world want to bring their burdens to the foot of the cross when they see how we respond to each other. Perfection is not achieved in this life, period. We can’t expect in ourselves or demand it from others. Which brings me to the second point. Instead of transforming the culture, we have adapted the success-driven model around us, and have fallen into competitive comparison of our ministries. I think we genuinely want to see people transformed by the gospel, but the plan is God’s not ours. It is a very telling thing that minutes before His arrest, Jesus Christ prayed for our unity (John 17:21), not our protection, not our growth, not our success, but our unity.
Oh yeah, I’m also reading In the Wake of the Plague by Norman Cantor. My sister understands 😉
In fact, she got it for me.
What has God taught me? Stay focused… because He gave His life, because He makes me whole, because He strengthens me (because I need it!), because He deserves my total devotion, because my purpose on this earth is give Him my whole being as a living sacrifice.
Friday Update: By Grace, Chosen to Serve
What am I writing? I finished the draft of Contingency and submitted the summary and first chapter to a contest. The prize is having an agent look at it. I’d be happy with some positive feedback. I’ve also begun working with Amanda on plotting the next book. I’m not going to start the actual writing until next month at the earliest.
What have I learned? No online geek stuff, but I’m learning MediaShout. Our computer master at church upgraded us, so if I have hopes of getting VBS on the big screen, I need to get a handle on the software. So far it’s fairly intuitive, but I’ll be building my cues this week.
What am I reading? Captured by Grace by David Jeremiah. He intertwines the story of John Newton and his tremendous hymn with Paul’s life and writings especially from Romans. He covers what grace means for us past, present and future. I think we have a decent grasp of grace’s role in our salvation, and how it results in our eternal life, but we’re less clear on what it means for us to walk in grace each day. I never cease to be impressed/amused by Dr. Jeremiah’s knack for alliteration. His chapter titles- The Captivating Presence of Grace, The Converting Power of Grace, The Comforting Provision… The Confident Promise… The Continual Praise… and five more! The book fits well with Max Lucado’s In the Grip of Grace. Both of these make me want to go back and read The Grace Awakening by Chuck Swindoll.That may be my favorite book.
On a side note- we got a pool pass this year, so I envisioned reading by the pool for an hour or two a day… Thanks to a mild, wet summer, it ain’t happened. So like the addict I am, for every book I’ve read, I’ve bought 2 or 3 more and have made NO headway on my stack. Oh well, maybe next week.
What has God taught me? In 2 Chronicles 29:11 Hezekiah encourages the priests and Levites “…do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him…” The Lord has chosen me… me… chosen by God. Okay, this was not new information, but a refresher never hurts. God doesn’t just save us because it’s a nice thing to do. He saves us for a purpose, for some kingdom work of eternal significance. Nothing I do (for Him) is wasted, no matter how small it may seem to me. God says to me, “Now, do not be negligent… Don’t sit on this grace, on this calling. Fulfill all that I have for you.”