Liking or Succeeding in Job Not New Testament Priority

 

Nowhere do we see evidence of early church leadership bragging about job success

 We know Mark was a doctor. We have not one word about whether he liked his job or how successful he was.

Several of the disciples were in the fishing business. While we have numerous stories about some of their activities as fishermen, we don't get any idea if they chose the profession or the profession chose them. As with Mark, we don't get any suggestion as to whether any were running twenty boats or barely keeping one tattered old craft in the water.

Paul went from top dog among Centurions to occasional tent maker. We here that he did the former with a certain relish, but don't know if he was happy in his work. Same can be said for Matthew as tax collector.

Of course both Jesus and Joseph were carpenters, but there are no suggestions they were living on the Upper East End.

Contrast the New Testament Heroes with the Old Testament. Abraham, Isaac, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Danial, and others were rich and powerful. The only rich and powerful in the New Testament are the bad guys. 

One can tease out the possible reasons. The Beatitudes are all about humility, and a NT theme has to do with rich having difficulty accepting Christ.

Is there a message for us in this? We have very successful preachers, Christian authors and speakers, business owners, actors, athletes, etc., who seem to be doing amazing work for the Kingdom and appear, as best anyone can judge, to be exemplary in their walk.

I am curious to know what you think.

A Day in The Life of a Christian Author and Homeschool Mother

I wish I could say I am a full-time author and do nothing but write, write and write some more—wooohoo! But sorry to disappoint. Truth be told, I am many other things first before I can claim to be an author. I am a Christian mother to five, (my eldest just got married!) and have been homeschooling my children for the last eighteen years. My eldest has graduated and is working but I still have four who take up a major part of my time. I guess you can call me a stay at home and drive the kids everywhere type of mom. Oh, and I mustn’t forget our many pets... and also stray children I tend to attract!

 One of the most common questions I get asked is usually not writing related. It goes something like this: when do you have the time to write?

 Today I’ll lay out some questions and answers related to the writing process and how I "cope" and write my books--sort of a slice of my life.

 1) What am I working on?

My friends always accuse me of having my hands in too many pots at the same time and this translates into my writing too. Prisoner of Reign, the second in the Reign Fantasy series, is now out after much editing. It’s an epic fantasy and follows the story from the first book, Keeper of Reign, which is an award winning juvenile fantasy and an Amazon best seller. I have also finished Dead Dreams, Book 2, titled Gone Missing, but have yet to read my proof. Again, this is a second in a series, this time a psychological suspense thriller meant for young adults. Dead Dreams, Book1, is available on Amazon.

I have also finished working on a set of eight full color books for girls 6-11 years of age who love princess-type books (Princesses of Chadwick Castle series). The books are available as eBooks and paperbacks.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I write in three different genres—Middle Grade epic fantasy, Young Adult thriller mystery, and Children’s historical fantasy--but all my books are meant for the Juvenile fiction market. And because I believe in multi-tasking, my fiction reflects a little of what I am. I try to impart a message no matter how subtle to my young readers. I pride myself in taking young people on a thrilling ride without the swearing and the adult themes children are so quickly exposed to in this day and age. And I hope they get something of life’s lessons besides the thrill from the fiction, too.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I write books to empower children and hope for them to learn some of life’s lessons in the world of fiction where they can see the consequences of actions and decisions of the main characters in the novels I write. Why make mistakes when you can learn from others—even fictional personalities? So why don’t I write a “how-to” for young people? Because growing up I would read nothing but fiction and I feel that while non-fiction coaxes the mind, fiction deals with the heart, and to me that’s more impactful.

4) How does my writing process work?

I am what some people would call a “pantser”.

Pantsers write from the seat of their pants charging ahead until they reach the end. They don’t start with a draft or an outline. So the events that surprise the characters also surprise the writer! One day, a reader disappointed with the outcome in a book hotly asked a famous author, “Why did you kill off Mrs. XYZ?” And the author responded, “I never killed her? I found her dead!”

I’ve been trying to train myself to be a “drafter”—one who would outline everything from beginning to the end and fill in the flesh of the story once they get the bones of the novel in.

I can see that a drafter would work his time more efficiently. In some ways I have become a little bit of a drafter, but still, I can only do a tiny bit of plotting because once I start pounding at the keyboard I may just find the person I like so much actually dead! Or gone away for a long trip—until the next book. These fictional characters can be so hard to control. Not unlike my children.

I find editing to be the most tedious aspect of writing. Not surprisingly. One famous author, a NY Times best seller, said he edited his work 17 times before it was published. So fiction writing is not so much a sprint but a marathon. In fact, make that a triathlon, because writing a book covers so many different aspects you’d never think was associated with fiction writing. It’s like being a juggler—and doing the triathlon.

Most days I write in my car while waiting for my kids, snatching any time I can, or on my bed late into the night—in fact nights and mornings usually blend for me. I write best when I am alone. In fact it can be quite dangerous for the person interrupting me while I am deep in a scene. Alas, these interruptions happen too many times a day. Some days I only have ten minutes, other days a couple of hours. Mostly, I write with the voices of my children in the background. Still, their voices can be music to my ears (mostly!)

Emma Right, Christian author,

Children and Young Adult Books with a purpose.

If you'd like to see the Christian alternatives to some of today's bestsellers, try this.

Scarlet Cords in the Manger

Last week began a series of posts on the women of Matthew 1. You can read that introduction here. Today--the second woman mentioned in Jesus' genealogy. And yes, she is quite an addition.

"Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab." (Matthew 1.5)

Wow—this woman is uncomfortably close to our reverenced King David in genealogy, let alone Jesus himself. Rahab? Whose name is never mentioned in Sunday school classes without its suffix—“The Harlot”? Seriously, how many kids grow up thinking that was just her full name—“Rahab Theharlot”? They have no idea what the word means, right? So it's logical.

Rahab's story is found in Joshua 2, where she takes the Israelite spies onto her roof and hides them from her countrymen who would kill them. Basically, on top of being a whore, she commits treason and treachery against her own country. This just keeps getting better and better.

Much has been written (mostly by male commentators of the Bible) about Rahab's sinfulness. Perhaps students of Scripture should be reminded that more often than not, prostitution is not a voluntary occupation. We don't know her details, so we don't know her choices. One choice, though, we do know. It's the one where she defends the two men of God by risking her own life, and affirms,

“I know the Lord has given you this land. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.”

And she begs them to rescue her. She is talking about rescuing her and her family when the Israelites come into the city of Jericho and it falls. The scarlet cord she hangs from her window assures her that she and her family will be noticed and saved. But I think she's talking about more.

Rescue from her way of life. Rescue from her empty idolatry that promised happiness but delivered slavery. Rescue from the hatred of and simultaneous use by men. Rahab's story is an old one, and it is a current one, too. Women still live in slavery to men's lust for ownership. But that is not the last word.

“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” (1 Peter 1.18-19)

Rahab needs rescue. I need rescue. Humans need rescue. And Matthew includes her in Jesus list of ancestors because that's precisely what He came to give. Rescue from an empty life that teases us with gold and gives out dust.

The good news of Christmas is that there is rescue. We are not doomed to remain harlots to whatever we have given our lives to that isn't healthy and whole. We can choose to cling to the scarlet cord that is Jesus' blood and take the rescue he offers.

Rahab is one of Jesus' foremothers for a reason.

Good Christian, fear: for sinners here

The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce him through,

The Cross be borne for me, for you;

Hail, hail the Word Made Flesh,

The babe, the son of Mary!

The baby of the manger pleads your case. He offers a scarlet cord. He chooses to rescue, at his own cost.

Because it's Christmas.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

And are you getting a little tired of it?

“Do You Hear What I Hear?” is not one of my favorite carols. And hearing a hundred different versions of “The Little Drummer Boy” on the radio drives me to listen to the forbidden secular music. While everyone else is humming an appropriate tune for the merry season, I might be heard singing under my breath about ruling as queen bee, baby (if I’ve been on the pop station) or about that hotel in California (if I’ve turned to classic rock). It’s not that I’m a Grinch or anything. A little Trans-Siberian will get me in the Christmas spirit, and I could listen to “How Many Kings” from the group Downhere until the cattle are lowing. But while the local CCM station does keep all those “Drummer Boy” renditions on their loop, I’ve only heard my favorite modern carol once this year. 

Of course, it’s not about me. Or the little guy with the drum. Or the talented artists who sing every old carol with a different beat or come up new songs to add to the mix. I guess we need to keep the message in our hearts and on our lips so we remember why we’re shopping and decorating. As if the catch phrases weren’t enough—Keep Christ in Christmas, Jesus is the reason for season, and others we feel obligated to repeat. After all, it’s Christmas and we’re Christians—this is our celebration. When someone spouts “Happy Holidays”, we make a point of returning the greeting with a quick “Merry Christmas.” Sometimes an un-merry attitude comes across when we do that, so watch the tone.

Speaking of merry, I learned something new this holiday season about one of those old songs that causes me to switch on over to the music of the dark side. The story behind “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” brought me new respect for the gentlemen in question.

With no record of its origin, the song became popular among the English peasants more than 500 years ago. But what means one thing in the modern world meant something else to those who crooned the tune on a cold Christmas Eve so long ago. Not the kind of song that would have been sung in the local cathedral, it was a folk song for Christians wanting something a little different than the dry Latin lyrics and gloomy music they heard at services. (Seems the issue of “Church music” has been going on for a while.)

When families and neighbors gathered to offer their praise for the glorious gift of the newborn babe, they sang what we would assume meant God, grant some relief to these happy men. But that wasn’t the message of this upbeat song. A little study on the language of the time tells a different meaning in the opening line.

The word rest didn’t refer to a long winter’s nap. It meant to make or to keep. The word merry, to us means happy and joyful. But to the sad peasant who lacked the means for a better life, it meant strong or mighty. And according to experts, there is some missing punctuation. It was lost over the years when modern interpretation gave the line new meaning. A comma once stood before the gentlemen. So, in the minds and on the tongues of the original band members, the popular hit song went something like this: God keep you strong, gentlemen. Or: God make you mighty, gentlemen. Maybe the ladies were included as well, but these words were an encouragement to the downtrodden men of the day that God would increase their strength by the telling of the great plan of salvation. The line “to save us all from Satan’s power when we have gone astray” meant then exactly what it means now.

That’s what it’s all about. The reason for the season. The next time I hear one of the singers I really do like singing this particular old song I got tired of hearing, I won’t change the station. I will sing along.

“God make you strong, you guys and gals, let nothing bring you down.” Well, maybe I’ll just sing the old words, but I’ll remember their original meaning. As for meeting the inoffensive “Happy Holidays” with a quick retort, maybe next time I’ll cheerfully say, “And a Mighty Christmas to you!”

                    Drums and dancing don’t impede                     

Instruments woodwind and reed

Lift your bow to string

Lift your voice and sing

Come with me and blow your horn

A savior came that blessed morn

Great gain for life for death will fall 

A Mighty Christmas Day to all

What does your checkbook and calendar reveal about you?

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”—Matthew 6:21(NIV).

Pulling the warm blanket closer, I watched the gentle rain falling outside my sunroom window one recent morning. Birds huddled underneath the bushes, reminding me of a scene I’d witnessed in a large city nearby the day before.

I was running late to meet a friend for lunch after I had stopped to pick up some medical records. I also had to get my vehicle to the shop for servicing before meeting her.  Seeking the shortest route between my doctor’s office and my destination, I used my phone’s navigation aid to help me. I wasn’t familiar with the route but trusted the “voice” giving me directions to get me there safely.

Turning a corner, I prepared to enter a freeway ramp but was stopped by a red light. Nearby, in a vacant lot, were two homeless people—a man and a woman. While I had witnessed people standing alongside the road with signs pleading for money, food or a job, I’d never actually seen someone camped out in a metropolitan area. With their meager belongings piled beside them, the two seemed oblivious of the busy traffic around them. Huddled under a blanket, the woman stared off into space. With a large dog curled at his feet, the man was writing in a notebook.

Before I could take in anymore of the scene, the light turned green and I moved forward to the ramp. I lifted the couple up in prayer as I continued on my way. Questions swirled through my mind.

  

"What could I do to help?"

YOU HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN THE BODY

THE BODY OF CHRIST

The human body is made up of many parts (arms, fingers, legs, toes, trunk, eyes, ears, nose etc.), and each has a different function.  Most individuals, at some time or another, have had injuries or experiences that led to some body part being unable to function comfortably and efficiently.  I recently had left shoulder surgery to repair a rotator cuff tear.  It has been over four weeks since surgery, but that arm is still out of commission. 

Under the circumstances, my right arm, with no prior preparation or warning, was faced with taking over the duties of the left arm. It has not been easy.  I never used to give any thought to which arm I was going to engage when I did this or the other. But now I have to stop, ask myself what I need to do, and determine which arm will be up to the task.  Although my right arm tries its best, it has not been able to comfortably and efficiently accomplish tasks usually performed by the left arm, or tasks they performed jointly.  Taking a shower, getting dressed, and making the bed have all become quite challenging.  If my right arm could talk to the left arm, it might say something like: “I am tired of doing all the work. You are just being lazy.  Why did you have to have that surgery anyway?” 

Similarly, the Church (born-again people, not denominations, and not buildings) is called the body of Christ because born-again individuals, collectively, form the Church.  We each have a specific function we are gifted or equipped to perform to grow the body and to advance the cause of Christ.  The Bible explains it this way, “Just as each of us has one  body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body” (Rom 12:4-5).

We need to take our responsibilities in the Body seriously, remembering that if we don’t pull our weight, those who try to pick up behind us might not do as good a job.  Consequently, the body might suffer, and God’s work could be hindered.  If we fulfill our individual responsibilities, we can collectively then, as the Church, be able to fulfill the Great Commission (Mt 28:19-20). 

Having said that, what is your gift or talent in the Church (your local body as well as globally)?  Have you identified it?  Do you take it seriously or do you treat it casually?  When you are needed for some task at church, do you say to yourself, “When I have time; I am too tired; I’ll go later; I will call him/her later,” etc.? 

The Church is Jesus’ only avenue of spreading the gospel; He did not assign that responsibility to anyone else.  What should we do, considering time is running out?  We each need to understand that we have God-given roles, and take these roles seriously to see the Church mature and grow numerically to the glory of God. 

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus carefully emphasized the importance of being conscientious about how we use what has been entrusted to us (everything).     When we stand before Him, we’ll have to give an account of how we’ve used our gifts/talents.  It will be quite embarrassing to appear before God as lazy and unproductive.  What a loss!  To those who work diligently, He has promised to reward us when he returns; He’ll say to each person, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Mt 25:21)

Let’s play our roles fervently, responsibly, and obediently, knowing that we’re running out of time!  We may be called to account sooner than we think. 

 

Immanuel, God with Us is all We Need.

New Living Translation Matthew 2
"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'"

Dreaming of a Far Away Christmas

The phone rang. My brother on the other end sat in a hot tub as he talked to me. Evidently the weather had been better to him in California that to us in West Michigan. Rub it in, Brother. I could hardly open the front door for all the snow piled up against it. Next my mother reported in about Christmas, detailing the enormous culinary spread for the holiday, followed by a phone call from my sister. She gave me the run down on who was at the annual Christmas get-together.

I hung up the phone, thinking how far I was from my family. My husband’s family members had either died or moved away so we spent another holiday with just us. Don’t get me wrong, just us is just fine. I love my children and husband, but somehow the holidays would bring out the melancholy in me.

Appreciate what you have, I heard echoed in my mind as I clattered the dishes I washed by myself in the kitchen sink. I knew what the Lord had whispered to me was true. I can’t always long for Christmas past. I needed to live in the moment.

But how Lord? It’s always been a struggle to have the quiet celebrations I wasn’t used to when growing up. I remember my little girl cousins running in and out of our bedrooms as my sister and I showed off our loot, a new board game, a red and white ski sweater or a radio alarm clock. My parents, grandparents and aunt and uncle would be sitting around the dining room table talking over politics and my two brothers would be inside tormenting the cousins and outside trying out their new bikes in the mild California sunshine. Lots of commotion and fun.

I don’t know what kind of Christmas you’ll have. Will you find yourself at the Midnight Candlelight Service sitting by yourself? Will you go to a new friend’s house for Christmas dinner, or will you be tied to the stove as hoards of relatives hit the front door, hungry for ham and turkey.
Maybe you are overseas defending our country from attack and far away from any family.

Wherever you find yourself this year, make it a sweet celebration. Every Christmas is different but unique and it can change from year to year. So whether your Christmas is loudly busting full of quirky relatives or quiet and sedate, remember one thing. God will fill up your heart at Christmas. After all, He did it the first time. Immanuel, God is with us. What more do we need?