Roseanna White - Roseanna M. White

Thoughtful about . . . Different Rooms, Same House

by Roseanna White | Jul 11, 2019 | Thoughtful Thursdays

I’m in the midst of reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis . . . something I can’t believe I’ve never read before. And something I’ve already been nodding along with so much it’s a wonder my head hasn’t come loose. ? Given that the release of The Number of Love has also triggered several emails to me about this (in an awesome way!), I wanted to take some time to address the topic of [brace yourself] our faith backgrounds and denominations. (Still with me? LOL)

If you’ve read The Number of Love–or, frankly, A Song Unheard–then you know that these particular characters, being Belgian in the early 1900s, are Catholic. This wasn’t something that was debatable–at the time in question, something like 98% of Belgians were Catholic. When I realized that writing accurate characters would mean writing Catholic characters, I admit to a bit of fear. NOT because I have an issue with Catholicism. But because (1) I had no idea if it would fly with my publisher and (2) I didn’t want to mess anything up.

My background: I grew up in the United Methodist Church. When I was in high school, my dad, as a certified lay speaker, filled in as a pastor to 2 churches in a 3-church charge to relieve the burden on the actual pastor assigned to them, who was having medical issues. (Yes, this is important, LOL.) I attended St. John’s College, which has no religious affiliation, but which, in reading the “Great Books of Western Civilization,” spends an entire year studying the Bible and early Christian philosophers, all the way through Luther. (Sophomore year forever, woo!! LOL)

During college, my husband and I began attending a Seventh Day Baptist church that my dad found and visited first–when he was filling in as a pastor, he preached a series on the Ten Commandments and felt a conviction about the Sabbath that soon spread to the rest of us. When we moved home after college, my family actually decided to plant an SDB church in our area, as the only Sabbath-keeping option was Adventist, which wasn’t what we were looking for. We’re still there. ?

So, here I am. I keep the Sabbath in a division of the Baptist church. I know that makes me weird, LOL. Pretty much all of my friends from college are Catholic (some were at the start, some converted during or after college). My background is UMC. I’ve read and studied about the history of the church, the Judeo-Christian world in general, and have read many of the early church fathers’ writers.

My conclusion? C.S. Lewis had it right: Christianity has a lot of rooms in it. But they’re all in the same house–whether Catholic or Protestant, Methodist or Baptist, no matter what day we worship. It’s important to pick a room because that becomes our community. But it’s also important to remember that there’s something common at our core that is MORE IMPORTANT than any of the differences.

I absolutely love that I’ve been getting emails from Catholic readers asking me if I’m also Catholic, because my treatment of the faith of Margot and the Eltons in The Number of Love is so authentic, so real to their own experience, and so different from what is usually portrayed in Christian fiction. The fact that I’m getting these questions means I did my job well, and that my immense respect is coming through. While I’m not Catholic, some of dearest friends are, and their faith is not only deep and genuine, it permeates every corner of their lives–and I love that. I had one of these dear friends from college read my manuscript while it was still in edits to make sure I didn’t get anything wrong. She had a few corrections to the scenes where they’re leaving mass, to my terminology, but I’m happy to report that the faith aspect itself met with her full approval.

I also think it reflects well on my publisher that never once did they even question this part of any of my books. While I’d heard stories (in years gone by) of publishers insisting that no denominations could be mentioned, certainly no Catholicism could be shown, this wasn’t at all my experience. In fact, when I said I had changes to make that aspect more authentic, based on the advice of my Catholic friend, they were excited I’d taken that step to make sure we were portraying this accurately.

My early fears, it seems, were unfounded. And isn’t that the way of fear? It tries to convince us not to do the hard thing, the unknown thing…the right thing. But I’m so glad I didn’t listen to it. Because I absolutely love that this book has opened up conversations about how, despite the differences, our faith rests on the SAME solid foundation–Christ. I love that I got to explore Catholicism more and have a series of amazing conversations with my friend Rhonda (who is also an amazing author–unpublished but on her way! You can check out her new website at www.RhondaFranklinBooks.com). I love that non-Catholic readers have commented in their reviews about how the portrayal of the faith of Margot and Dot and Drake made it approachable and relatable to them.

We have differences, yes. We have to choose which room to settle in–and sometimes change rooms when we’re unsettled by something our chosen denomination has decided to do. We have to follow our conscience and find the place that makes our faith bloom and grow. But we also have to remember that we’re still in the same house. That we’re all Christian. That it’s our foundation–Christ–which matters most.

We have to remember that the unknown, the unfamiliar, the strange, the thing that makes us fear is something we should seek to understand, not something we should tear apart.

I love that I have, and hear from, readers of all sorts of backgrounds. I love that I have friends in those backgrounds too. I love that I have the opportunity to explore how faith looks through each of those lenses. And I love that one of the things my husband and I are passionate about–community and unity among and between the different rooms in God’s house–has found a voice in these stories. I honestly didn’t intend it. I was just writing the story, LOL. But then, that’s what makes it all the more fun. And, I think, all the more authentic.

What are you thoughts on the divisions between us? On ecumenism? Do you enjoy reading stories that show characters in a different side of our shared faith?

Word of the Week – Anthology

by Roseanna White | Jul 8, 2019 | Word of the Week

We all know what an anthology is, right? A collection of pieces by various writers or artists (or by a single author) all gathered into one volume.

I’d never paused to think about how old these are, but in fact, the English word anthology as a collection of poems dates back to the 1600s…and is borrowed from Latin and Greek words for the same idea, proving anthologies have been around pretty much forever.

But did you know where the word comes from? Anthos actually means “flower,” and legein is “to gather.” So an anthology is literally a gathering of flowers, though it’s been used for centuries to mean literature, not a bouquet.

Still, I love that image, don’t you? That when we collect beautiful words, it’s like arranging blooms together…

Thoughtful About . . . Cast Down

by Roseanna White | Jul 4, 2019 | Thoughtful Thursdays

Over the weekend, a summer storm raged. The wind blew, the rain lashed down, lightning pierced the sky. Monday morning, I went for my usual morning jog, and I saw something that made me pause.

Two birds’ nests, blown out of the trees and deposited on different parts of the driveway.

It may not have grabbed my attention so much had it just been one–but two? That struck me. Especially because they both looked the same. A typical robin’s nest, woven from dried grass. Average size. Clearly empty, as the latest eggs have hatched and the babies have flown away.

Sometimes no doubt we feel like those birds’ nests, knocked about by the winds. Lashed by the rain. Pierced by the lightning. Sometimes when we think we’re safe and secure in our cozy life, we find ourselves cast down.

But do you know what struck me most about those nests? That three days later, after being driven over a dozen times, they still looked like nests. Maybe not perfect–a little flat–but they were unmistakable. The grass hadn’t pulled apart and scattered. Those little, temporary houses, abandoned as soon as the fledglings fly away, were cast down…but they were not destroyed. Because they’d been built well. For a purpose.

My friends, we are built by Someone far more skillful than a robin. And we were built to last more than a few weeks, one season. We were woven with love and purpose.

Yes, sometimes the storms come. Sometimes we fall. Sometimes we’re cast down.

But we are not destroyed. We are not forsaken. Whatever wounds people inflict, our God is bigger. He can heal us. He can pick us up. He can mold us and shape us, broken pieces and all, into something even stronger. Ordained for His purpose.

Word of the Week – Excruciating

by Roseanna White | Jul 1, 2019 | Word of the Week

A quick but enlightening word choice this week.

Did you know that the word excruciating is linked directly to crucifixion? If you’re like me, you’d never paused to think about it, but as soon as you see the two words side by side ~ excruciating | crucifixion ~ you see that common cruc root. This is actually from crux, the Latin word for cross.

Of course, as Christians, the cross holds particular meaning. But in Roman days, it was simply the most painful execution they’d found. So painful, in fact, that they created a new word from it. The Latin cruciare, a verb meaning “to cause pain or anguish” comes directly from the root for cross.

It’s been used in this same way in English since the 1500s, taken directly from the Latin.

What We’ve Been Reading – June

by Roseanna White | Jun 28, 2019 | Books, What We're Reading

You know, my reading time seriously suffers when I have a book coming out, LOL. Much of June seems to have vanished into the abyss of marketing and brainstorming and signing/shipping books. I’m not complaining–I’ve had a blast. But I haven’t been reading quite as much as usual, I have to say…

Roseanna’s Reads

Audio

This isn’t a book I’d ever have picked up on my own, but my husband got it with our Audible credits and then was so enthusiastic about it that he insisted I give it a listen too. And it’s been surprisingly fascinating, LOL. The premise of the book is that in sales/advertising/marketing, you have to ignore logic and reason and look for the “magic”–the things in human psychology that actually attract us to something despite what we “should” want. It’s an incredibly interesting take on the question of “how do we foster excitement about our products?” and introduces right off the bat to a revolutionary concept: don’t put it on sale. Just put more ducks in your advertisement. 😉

Plus, it’s narrated by the author, and who doesn’t enjoy listening to an English man deliver his own humor in that dry, deadpan way? I’m thoroughly enjoying this book–and getting some fun new ideas too. (As a note, this book does have some language in it, so if you’re sensitive to such things, steer clear.)

For My Bookclub

Um…this month’s book club is The Number of Love.

I’ve kinda read this one before. 😉 I’m not rereading, but I didn’t want to just delete the category, so, you know…Look at the pretty cover! LOL

For the Interview

My June interview was with Lauraine Snelling, and we were talking about her fun new contemporary, Half Finished. In this book, a group of ladies in a small city get together to begin what they call a UFO group–UnFinished Objects–and it really takes off. Crafters of all varieties start meeting once a week with the goal of finishing unfinished projects that are cluttering up their closets and lives. And of course, along the way life happens, and the friendships between these ladies (and some men too) are what gets them through.

I love this concept and also loved learning from Lauraine that it was inspired by a group she put together a few years ago. If you’re looking for a fun read that focuses on women of retirement age (though pretty much all generations are represented), then I highly recommend Half Finished.

For Fun

This book has been making the rounds in my family, and my sister handed it to me a couple weeks ago. I hadn’t had time to pick it up for quite a while, but I finally cracked the cover, and it didn’t take me long to get sucked into life in the North Carolina marsh in the 50s and 60s.

(This definitely isn’t a Christian book–so just be aware of that. There’s some language and some sex. I haven’t found it to be at all over the top in those respects, but just FYI.)

I’ve enjoyed the split timeline in this book, especially, I think, because they’re only split by a few years. It’s been so interesting to see the crime in the more modern line and then work my way to what really happened in the older one. The word-pictures painted about marsh life are just gorgeous. This is definitely a book that makes me want to explore nature and find my place in it.

Overall, definitely a book that sucks you in and haunts your thoughts!

Rachel’s Reads

Hi folks! I am super excited to share my current reads with you. You may know me as Bookworm Mama as
well as being Roseanna’s Assistant! I LOVE books and sharing my love of
books with others! Here is what I’ve been reading this month…

For My Bookclub (& Audio)

Wow. Wow. Wow!!! My dear friend (and co-founder of our Book Club, Oh! Books) Lydia has been telling me to read Hazel Gaynor for MONTHS. And now that I finally have, WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?!?!?!?! The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter is the first official read for Oh! Books and I devoured the audio in a day and a half…Split-Time Historical Fiction, this story expounds on the bond of family and the deep roots passed down from generation to generation. This story really touched my heart. The narrator was fabulous! Having to tackle several accents and she expressed the emotion in such a powerful way I just wanted more. I highly recommend this one for sure!

NOTE: This is not a Christian read. There is some language, but otherwise clean.

For Fun/Review

So…I loved The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter so much that I HAD to read more by Hazel Gaynor. I downloaded The Girl Who Came Home and listened to it while I drove 300+ miles to a family reunion, oh ya, that’s one way lol. I’m not super fond of driving and listening to this story helped keep me from stressing out too much. This story was fabulously done. Broke my heart and kept me on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, we all know the fate of the Titanic. But Ms. Gaynor kept the story engaging and unique. A split-time historical fiction read, you will get sucked into this thrilling and harrowing tale.

NOTE: This is not a Christian read. There is some language, but otherwise clean.

Ahhhh!!!! I love this story!!!! I am not finished with it yet (watch my blog for the review) and I wish there were more hours in the day to spend reading. Until the Mountains Fall is the third book in the Cities of Refuge series by Connilyn Cossette (who I got to meet at CFRR 2019 and she is SUCH a delight! I LOVE HER) *ahem* anyhoo…..Connilyn writes Biblical Fiction in a way that I have never, personally, read before. She takes the approach of writing Historical Fiction that is SET during a Biblical period. This, to me, makes it so much easier to relate to the story, to SEE the setting, and to understand and comprehend the Bible stories that coincide in a more efficient way. If you haven’t read anything by Ms. Cossette, I recommend starting with A Light on the Hill.

With the Kids

We didn’t quite finish all the reading for their schoolwork this year. So over the summer we will catch up on the read-alouds. Homer Price is a fun and easy read about a boy who lives in a small town back when people still used a horse and wagon and cars weren’t very common. He has unique adventures and is quite the ingenious kid. The boys love having me read to them at lunch time.

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