by Roseanna White | Feb 23, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I tried to think of a blog post for today, I really did. But you see, every time I turned my mind over to pondering, it defaulted to pondering the last three chapters of my work-in-progress. I’m mere days away from finishing it and in a total book haze. So my apologies. No inspiration for you here. š
I’m also a bit overdue on drawing the second and final winner of my Great
Annapolis Giveaway–rest assured I haven’t forgotten, just haven’t taken the hour necessary to tally up all those entries and do the drawing. That’s scheduled for right after I finish my manuscript, so hopefully SOON.
In the meantime, I hope everyone’s having a great week! If you haven’t already, scroll to yesterday’s post to have some fun with Shakespearean insults, and otherwise say a prayer that these last few scenes go smoothly for me, will you? Tricky balance to strike with this book–but hey, if I don’t get it right, that’s what revisions are for. š
Happy Thursday!
by Roseanna White | Feb 16, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I should probably have saved this topic for two weeks from now, when, if all goes well, I’ll reach the end of my manuscript. But I’d probably forget by then, so . . . š
I’m an optimist. I can find hope in anything. That’s probably why I love stories of romance–you just can’t beat a happily ever after. And, frankly, if a book doesn’t have one, chances are I’m not that crazy about it. Not to say I don’t approve of other endings, think they’re perfect–but rare is the book that makes it onto my favorites shelf with a less-than-blissful ending. It’s happened. But it takes one heck of an author.
And it’s also why so much of the Old Testament leaves me with an aching heart, especially reading the books about the kings of Israel and Judah. Going through all those chronicles with my daughter, she asks constantly as she’s trying to keep the names straight, “So which king was he? Did he love God?”
And so often my answer has to be, “No.” Or worse still, “He did when he was young, but then he caught up in his money and his glory and worshiped Baal. He forgot about God.”
Xoe, bless her sweet spirit, will always look up at me with those big blue eyes of her and ask, “But how could he forget God? God saved him!”
She’s so right. At six, she understands the simplicity of it and doesn’t see the complication. At six, she sees only the “happily” and not the “ever after.” And I wish, oh how I wish, I could toss a “The End” into some of those stories halfway through. Stop it where it’s still happy. Ignore the depressing epilogue.
But I can’t, because I have to teach my kids that getting to that one big moment isn’t enough in life. It doesn’t stop when we reach one goal, do one great thing for the Lord. We don’t have just one volume, with one climax. One neat resolution. No, we have to press ever onward. Because “the end” doesn’t come until the end.
I shake my head at the critics at romance who mock our beloved happily-ever-after because of these very reasons. And my head-shaking is valid. Because, hello, who wants to read a gazillion-page novel that tracks a person from birth to death? No thanks. I want my novels to entertain and inspire. And those stories, those endings, serve to get me from big moment to big moment in life. They help me remember what can happen. Over and again. Time after time. Volume after volume.
But so often, I think we pray for the short term. Just one good thing, Lord. Just send me one good thing. But as I reread those Old Testament stories, they’re making me look farther. Pray for good lives for my loved ones, not good turns. Good ends, with middles that lead them there. I’m praying, now, for endurance and fortitude.
Blessings come, and I praise the Lord for them. Crises come, and I pray to the Lord through them. But between climaxes, between resolutions, what am I doing? That, I think, is where those kings of old fell away. When they grew complacent. When they forgot who sent the rain, who delivered the army, who pulled away His protection and let the enemy come.
There are mountains in our life, in our faith. There are valleys.
But there are also plains. And the only way to trek across them without ending up in the land of Baal is to keep our eyes forever on the pillar of fire and smoke.
I love a good ending. But you only ever reach one in life when you realize it’s a looooong journey to get there.
by Roseanna White | Feb 9, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays
In case anyone missed my Seekerville post yesterday, I thought I’d share it here today. In case you, um, didn’t just want to go over there and read yesterday’s post . . . okay, so I’m in the middle a BIG reunion scene in my manuscript and don’t want to take time away from it to write a blog, LOL. Indulge me.
And keep in mind that the post yesterday was the last stop on my blog tour, so your last chance at a free copy of LFY Annapolis and to enter my big giveaway that way!
~*~
As a writer, Iām always aware of the importance of words. As a writer, I pay attention to any mention of them in the Bible. As a writer, I cringe when I realize how carelessly those precious, life-giving syllables are often used. Not just in writing, but in speech. In life.
We all know the beginning of the gospel of John.
āIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Him was Life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not comprehend it.ā
Itās a beautiful throwback to Genesis, where God spoke creation into being. A poetic illustration of how Christ fulfills the promises set forth in the very beginning. A fine example of how powerful words, the Word, really are.
Words create. But conversely, words can destroy. Why are lies so dangerous? Why is bearing false-witness one of the big Ten? Because words are one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal, and the Lord wants us to use them wisely.
āLet your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt,
that you may know how you ought to answer each one.ā
Colossians 4:6
When we use words with the express goal of damaging others, weāre not pleasing God. He wants us to edify each other, to encourage. Even if weāre calling out someoneās mistakes (something weāre definitely told to do), weāre given strict instructions on how to do it. Why? Because it matters. Because God knows that if we just go up to our friend and say, āYouāre such an idiot,ā then weāre going to be hurting, not helping. Our words need to be a stepping stone for others, not a stumbling block. And so we need to take care that when we speak, itās with the love of the Lord shining through us.
I think this is a pretty simple idea, and one that most people understand on some level. They know very well that the old āsticks and stonesā rhyme is about as false as it gets. And yet, how often do we speak things we later regret? How often do we send a rash, nasty email and then wish for the backspace key? How often to do we make a dire prediction about someone, rather than going to them and lovingly admonishing them?
Are we then surprised when our predictions come true?
āAs we must account for every idle word, so we must for every idle silence.ā
Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richardās Almanack
One of the ideas presented in the book of James that always struck me the most is that weāre not just held accountable for what we do and say, but for what we know we ought to do and say but donāt. God judges our hearts, our motives. That means that if the Spirit whispers Go talk to her, but we hem and haw and stay put, afraid of ānot coming off right,ā then weāve done something wrong.
Itās tough, right? We donāt want to hurt people by speaking amiss . . . and weāre never quite sure weāll say things right. We donāt want to be held accountable for using words to hurt someone . . . but then He tells us that weāll also be held accountable for not saying or doing things? Um . . . little help, God!
āNow may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father,
who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,
comfort your hearts and establish you in every good WORD and work.ā
II Thessalonians 2:16, 17
God doesnāt leave us floundering after giving us these commands, thank heavens. He gave us a whole Book to help us. Jesus came to help us redefine. And then the Spirit was given to āteach you all things, and to bring to your remembrance all things I [Jesus] said to you.ā
We can do this. We can use our words as He ordained. Whether youāre a quiet, introspective person or an exuberant extrovert. Whether you write epics or only the occasional email. Weāre still all held to that standard.
As one of those people who writes countless emails a day, who has written thousands of pages of fiction over the years, who is partly responsible for choosing which books WhiteFire Publishing produces, I think about that standard a lot. I know the fear of words being taken wrongly by readers, of them being misused, of being judged harshly for them. I know the fear of not writing things as I ought, of it being more about me than God, of getting carried away with my wisdom and so not fulfilling my ultimate goal of sharing His. Thatās why I bathe my work in prayer. Day in, day out, I beg Him to help me write His words. Yes, I know they wonāt hold a candle to the Word Heās already inspired in His writers so long agoābut if I can help expound on the truths laid out in the Bible . . .
āThis will be written for the
generation to come,
That a people yet to be created
May praise the Lord.ā
Psalm 102:18
About a year ago, a reader emailed me. She said that as she reads, she keeps a notebook handy, and when something strikes her as true, encourages her, or helps her understand a gem of the Lordās wisdom, she writes down the line from the book, the title, author, and why it spoke to her. I was touched deeply to learn that I had a page in this notebook of hers. She shared with me how important she feels words are, how powerful, and how much she admires writers for living by them. And I thanked her for the enormous blessing she bestowed upon me by letting me see that the books I sweat and cry over have an effect. This is what God wants us to do with our wordsāto mutually build one another up. To encourage, to edify, to be a blessing.
āSing to Him! Sing psalms to Him!
Talk of His wondrous works!ā
Psalm 105:2
Have you ever noticed how everything in the Bible ends in praise? Read the Psalms. Even the ones that are lamentations end in hope, end in glorifying the Lord. With a few exceptions, each and every song written by the psalmists will show a heart poured out and then given over to the Lordās will, which by nature requires praise. In the epistles, the writers will admonish, direct, guide . . . and end with prayer and praise. Why? Because that is what our words are meant to do. We are to Shine for the Lord, to glorify Him through the words of our mouth, just as He breathed life into us with His.
He guides us. He calls us. And when we say in response, āHere I am, Lord,ā then we are fulfilling our potential.
My ultimate prayer is that I can be like Samuel.
āSo Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him
and let none of his words fall to the ground.ā
I Samuel 3:19
Lord, let my words never fall to the ground. Let them all fly heavenward to You, for You . . . that through them You may Shine.
by Roseanna White | Feb 2, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Monday and Tuesday of this week, I had the joy of attending the Christian Product Expo in Lancaster, PA. I went with CAN (Christian Authors Network), who was hosting the breakfast on Tuesday. Each author sat at a different table so we could chat with the retailers. After that, we each gave a five minute speech. And then we all had books to sign and give away to the retailers.
This is the first trade show I’ve ever attended–the closest thing to it was the Home School Fair I went to last spring. Otherwise all my big events have been writers conferences, so this was a great new experience for me–a glimpse into another, critical side of the industry. It was so interesting to sit at the tables and heard the store owners talk about how they got into this, how long their stores have been open, what they use for engraving, what sells best in their stores, how much they charge for certain things . . .
But of course, one thing I really loved was hearing, “Oh, that’s where I know you’re name! I carry your book!” and “The Love Finds You line is so popular!” =)
Though for me, the absolute best part was the signing. Getting to chat with each and every retailer, seeing where they were from. I had a box of
Love Finds You in Annapolis to give away, and also a box each of
Jewel of Persia and
A Stray Drop of Blood. I knew going in that most of them would already carry the LFY line, and none would carry the WhiteFire titles. So I was really, really intrigued to see that they were just as interested in my Biblical titles as
Annapolis. =) One retailer apparently even started reading JoP during the morning activities and was raving about it over lunch, LOL.
I think so often we get caught up in OUR part of the world, our specialty, our corner, that we tend to be oblivious to the other sides. Or at least I am. š This reminder that those other sides of the coin are still part of the same was wonderful. To realize that we’re all working toward the same end, joint parts in the body of Christ, striving to do the same things–reach others for Him, and tend His flock. It was an experience I’m eager to repeat, and one that will affect how I see my own side of the coin from now on.
by Roseanna White | Jan 26, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Another thoughtful day as a result of our home school reading. =) This week we saw Elisha take over for Elijah, and during his stay with all the young prophets-in-training, we got to a story I remembered from when I was a kid but forgot the context of.
So one day, while all the young prophets are off in the woods so they might chop down enough wood to build new houses, an ax head flew off one of the shafts. Landed in the river. Kerplunk. The young man wielding it looked on with distress and cried, “Oh no! That was borrowed! Aaaaaaggghhhhh! Now what am I supposed to do??”
Now, I’ll admit I don’t know every nuance of the Law, but I suspect that the penalty for accidentally losing an ax head wasn’t death or anything. š But the guy was upset. He’d borrowed something, borrowed it for a noble cause, no doubt promising to return the tool in the same condition in which he’d gotten it. Which was certainly not at the bottom of the river.
Still, it’s a little thing, isn’t it? An ax head. Kind of akin to lost keys. Or a broken down car. Vital things, but not really life-and-death things. Yet seeing the young prophet’s distress, Elisha picks up a stick, goes to the exact spot in the river where the ax had fallen, and tosses it in.
Up floated the ax head, as if it were made of wood.
When reading this to Xoe, this is where I stopped and said, “Now, what are axes made of?”
Xoe: “Metal!”
Me: “Does metal float?”
Xoe, laughing: “No, it sinks!”
Me: “And that’s why this is a miracle.”
Simple. Little. Wasn’t it?
The more I thought about this “little” miracle, the more I realized it wasn’t so little. Perhaps it wasn’t as showy as parting the sea, or the river. Perhaps it wasn’t as over-reaching as feeding thousands with a few loaves (Elisha did both of those just before this too). But it required rewriting the laws of physics. And you know, that’s a pretty big deal. Making an ax head float . . . well, you might as well make the young prophet fly. Pretty much the same amount of miracle needed.
So I sat back, and I chewed on it. God, through Elisha, rewrote the laws of physics–for one lost tool.
And yet still people doubt that He cares, especially about the little things. Still people doubt what He can do. Still people will say, “Why didn’t He just stop the ax head from flying off??” instead of looking at what He did do.
When I first heard this story, I couldn’t have told you what “laws of physics” were, LOL. Sure, I knew metal didn’t float, but mostly this story fell into the category of “Wow, isn’t God nice?” in my little-kid mind. And He is. He is so, so nice. So good. So loving.
So much so that He’ll do the impossible just to restore peace of mind to one who loves Him.
I’m going to be clinging to that ax head a lot. As a reminder of how far the Lord will go for the little things. As a reminder of how quick He often chooses to act. As a reminder of the “small” miracles that He does that we often probably don’t even notice. But that require just as much miraculousness as the big ones.
With God, there really is no big or small. He doesn’t weigh and measure like we do. I believe he sees a need, measures the faithfulness of the asker, not the task itself. And does what needs to be done.
Thank you, Lord, for caring on a scale I can’t fathom. For the ax head as well as the Red Sea. Thank you for the big things you do to save lives and nations . . . and for the little things that let us get through each day.
by Roseanna White | Jan 19, 2012 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Yesterday in our homeschool Bible reading, we got to one of the best-known stories of Elijah–where he challenged the 450 priests of Baal to an alter competition. (Okay, my words, not theirs, LOL.) You remember it, I’m sure. The priests of Baal build their alter, put on their bullock, pray and pray and pray to Baal for fire to come down from heaven and light the alter.
Nothing. I love this story partially because of how Elijah taunts them. Can’t you just see that wily smile as he says, “Maybe your god’s asleep. Or on vacation. Cry louder.”
And they do, LOL. Then, of course, after that fails, Elijah builds his alter on the exact spot it should have been all these years, puts on his bullock, and has TWELVE barrels of water dumped onto the alter. Now, it hasn’t rained for years and years at this point, so that was probably some precious stuff. Elijah prayed, and fire swooshed down from heaven, devoured the offering, the water, and the very stones.
AWESOME.
But something new jumped out at me yesterday. After the priests of Baal were killed, after everyone fled, Elijah and his servant prayed again. See, it was time for the promised rain to come. Time for the drought to end. Time to bring relief for the people.
So Elijah fell to his knees and beseeched God. God, the Lord, who had just an hour earlier sent heavenly fire for him. God, the Lord, who had led him here. God, the Lord, who had promised, “And then you’ll pray again, and I’ll send the rains.”
Elijah prayed. And his servant looked out over the sea and said, “Nothing. Not a cloud on the horizon.”
So Elijah prayed again. Still, there was nothing. So he prayed again. And again. And again. And again. Each time, his servant went to check the horizon. Each time, he saw . . . absolutely . . . nothing.
This is what hit me. Seven times Elijah had to pray before that mist began to rise out of the sea. Seven times! Do you think he was wondering what was taking so long? I mean, the fire had been immediate. So why the wait now? Why was God not listening? Had He changed His mind and not told Elijah? Can you imagine that prophet looking over his shoulder and thinking, “Wow, glad all those priests aren’t watching this now.”
Okay, so Elijah may not have had those thoughts, LOL, but I probably would have. I probably would have thought round about prayer number four, “God, You promised! You promised!! ‘Pray for rain,’ You said, ‘and I’ll make it rain.’ Well, I’m praying–so where’s the rain?!”
But Elijah was faithful. We don’t know how long each of these prayers was, but I have a feeling it was a little more in depth than, “Oh, Lord, please let it rain!” š This man was prostrate before the Lord, begging. Begging for the rains to come.
What if he had given up? What if he said, “Sigh. Maybe the Lord doesn’t want me to be a prophet anymore.”? Had he only prayed, say, five times, what would have become of Israel?
Doubt, discouragement is natural–the very next day, when Elijah hears that Jezebel is out to kill him, he forgets to pray and just runs. Runs. Even though God sent the fire, sent the rain, Elijah doesn’t even think to ask him to save his life. But God catches up with him on the mountain he runs to, after sustaining him during the run.
God’s always there while we’re running. He’s there while we’re hiding in the cave. He’s there while we’re praying, stirring up the mists, even though we can’t see them yet. He’s there. Not in the whirlwind, not in the earthquake . . . in the whisper. In the whisper is the voice of the Lord, just waiting for us to quiet up enough to hear Him. Waiting for us to listen. Waiting for us to wait upon Him.
How many times have we prayed for the same thing? How many times do we not see it happen and get discouraged?
But the Lord is stirring up the mists in the sea while we pray. He’s working in the mysteries we can’t understand, working within our world, our time, our reality so that everything will line up just so for us. We can’t see all that–our eyes are only human.
But He’s there. Preparing the rain.
Our part is to stay on our knees until we see it.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, sheās homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her booksā¦to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.