Welcome to David's Place: Blog

Self-Publishing with iUniverse

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:02:52 GMT

I had considered self-publishing after reading Dan Poynter’s book, Writing Non-fiction: Turning Thoughts into Books (see my "Featured Books"). But . . . I thought I’d at least take one more shot with traditional publishers. Several turned down my manuscripts and some expressed some unenthusiastic interest, but no takers.

A friend of mine had iUniverse (www.iUniverse.com) publish his book and it is doing well. He highly recommended that I would do well with them. So . . .

Yesterday I signed an Author/Publisher Agreement with them. I plan on submitting my manuscript by the middle of August. And I’ll see what becomes of this labor of love. Hopefully Sons of God: Reigning with Christ Now and Forever will be ready for Christmas.

I’m not sure what kinds of hurdles I’ll have to jump, but I trust that friends will come along side and keep me in a good place.

I’m very excited because this book will have an impact upon the identity of many in the family of God. This book will also heal marriage relationships and families. I believe that the truths and insights it contains will bless all who read it. So . . . I look forward to the process and the outcome.

Could use your prayers. Thanks in advance.

Book Proposals Finally Posted

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:58:20 GMT

Finally. I took the plunge today.

I posted two of my book proposals for review by publishers:

Sons of God: The Authority of God and Our High Calling
Secret of Drinian

Now, it's truly in God's hands. I have done all I can do.

But don't you just hate the waiting? That quiet nothing as others decide what fits their needs.

I wrote books that I would like to read. So it's only a matter of time and of the right chemistry.

You need to know about this site. It will save you and the Publishers time and money.

Check out:

https://www.christianmanuscriptsubmissions.com

Hope this is helpful to you.

My Recent Reading

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:15:15 GMT

Books continue to be popular for a reason. They can profoundly affect our thinking, our character, our lives.

When I was young I really disliked books. I perhaps read one or two a year. And seldom read one that I didn't HAVE TO read for school.

Amazing how we change as we mature. Now I can say that books have transformed my life. I've included several lists and a photo gallery of some of my favorite authors. But I'd like to share my recent reading with you. I've included that Bible because I am ALWAYS reading its great literature. The library known as the Holy Bible is constantly in my recent reading and heads the list of "My Most Important Books."

Over the past few weeks though, I have been reading the following:

God at War, Boyd
Boyd tackles an immense subject: What does it mean that God is Sovereign? How can evil exist if God is in "control?" What role does free will play in God's creation? This is an important biblical exegesis of these and related questions. My own book, Sons of God: God's Authority and Our High Calling, is the practical application of the excellent work that Boyd has done in this ground-breaking work. No matter where the reader or believer stands in this in-house discussion or reexamination of scripture, God at War gives us a biblical foundation to see the real larger scale of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Seeing the cosmic effects of these historic events, enlarges my understanding and love of God.

"New Heavens, New Earth," Wright
Bishop Tom Wright here challenges our inherited notions about "going to heaven when we die." Is heaven the final destination for those who die in right relationship to God? Or is something far better awaiting us? Are we simply spirits longing to be disembodied? Or did Christ pave the way for a greater more real humanity? Wright punches holes in the early Greek and Gnostic philosophies that contaminated the post-apostolic church. The very philosophies which the Apostle Paul warned the early church about wormed their way into the thinking of Augustine and others with regard to these important doctrines and notions of the person, character, and plan of God. I have been challenged to rethink much of what has been predigested and handed to me.

My Name is Asher Lev, Potok
In my personal reading, Chaim Potok has given me a glimpse into the struggle of a gifted artist and conscientious Hassidic Jewish student and son. This is a world that few of us have ever visited. Potok paints his Asher Lev in sympathetic colors that arouse our compassion for his plight. As a boy Asher tries to be obedient to his father and mother as they live out their Hassidic Jewish faith. But a remarkable gift is surfacing in Asher's life that is both exciting and terrifying, not only to Asher, but to his parents and those in his faith-community. Honest and riveting.

So . . . this is what my recent reading consists of. Just thought I'd share it with those of you who have asked and keep in touch.

Possibly My Great-great Grandfather

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:38:05 GMT

There's a possible family connection here that I'm researching. But the reason I included this video is that it better represents the John Brown of history than do the sensationalist and demonized accounts given by the period newspapers and detractors of that time. A majority of subsequent researchers and historians that have since written, have not understood the passion of Christ that John Brown was manifesting. I have only been able to find a few who have approached Brown from his faith and understood the manifest injustices that provoked the righteous indignation of God. And though he may have mishandled situations, that does not make Brown a wild-eyed "madman." Rather, a man who loved God but was frustrated by the callous indifference of a nation proclaiming itself to be "Christian" while abusing and victimizing African Americans.

AMAZING!! OneNote 2007. A Great Tool!

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:20:06 GMT

First of all . . . . I can't believe that I haven't written since November . . . WOW!!

Well . . . my book proposal is almost complete and ready to be posted for editors and publishers to read (more on this later). I've been helped by a new program with which I am becoming familiar. I recently purchased Office 2007. With it came OneNote 2007. This is the program that helped me get my work, writing, and studies ALL IN ONE PLACE on my computer.

Microsoft developed OneNote to track with the way we've been taught to think as students through all our years of school. OneNote is a database set up as a library of Notebooks. Each Notebook is a subject or area which you define. You can assign sections/dividers in your notebook--just like in a real-world notebook. Then you can add pages to the sections. You can have as many different notebooks, sections, and pages as you wish. What's amazing is that when you're online and find a good piece of research or a quote or demographic, merely click the OneNote button on your Explorer and whatever you highlighted is placed in a notebook for you to later move to wherever you need it. That way you just continue your research or reading with no interruption.

The notebooks I have are:

WRITING

JOURNALS

STUDY

PERSONAL

LIBRARIES

Within each of those Notebooks, I have my sections set up. Let's take JOURNALS as an example:

JOURNALS

Spiritual Journal

Travel Journal

Writing Journal

Art Journal

Reading Journal

Study Journal

The pages within my JOURNAL section follow the same format:

JOURNALS

Spiritual Journal

1st Quarter

March 2007--on the March page are all my March entries (I began using OneNote in March so my previous months are not in OneNote. Instead, another helpful feature allowed me to place a link to my previous Journal (a Word Doc). I can click the link on my 1st Quarter page and it immediately opens that Word doc on my mini-drive.

2nd Quarter

April 2007

May 2007

June2007

Travel Journal--same layout under each of the following journal sections

Writing Journal

Art Journal

Reading Journal

Study Journal

If I were you, I'd simply go to Microsoft's OneNote website and download the demo and mess with it. Then check back here and a lot of what I'll be saying will make sense. I will share a couple of its features that work great specifically for a writer in my next entry--which I promise to do as soon as I get a little chunk of time.

Here's the link for OneNote: MS OneNote Homepage

ONE MISSION--The Ultimate Christmas Shopping Experience!

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 22:19:26 GMT

[This is a revision and reprint of a blog I did last Christmas season. It is printed again here by popular demand.]

Prepare yourself for the BEST CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE EVER HAD!!

My friend Ken has forever solved the Christmas shopping dilemma for me.

Here’s how it works.

1. Make sure that you understand the strategy: One Day, One Purpose, ALL ALONE. That’s the ONE MISSION.

2. Set a full day, morning till evening—one full day—for you to spend alone at the stores. Plan on being out from 9am to 10pm. Make sure your spouse and family know that you won’t be home for any meals that day.

3. Remember, ONE PURPOSE—You can’t have anything scheduled that day that would cause you to have to rush or hurry.

4. Next, several days prior to the target-day, equip yourself with a music listening device and make sure that you select holiday music that you love to listen to that quiets your busy spirit. This is an essential ingredient. If you say that you’ll do without the music, then Ken (and I) cannot guarantee the results of your experience.

5. Dress comfortably. Layers are best. You can always shed or take on by going to the car. Don’t bundle up—you’ll be too hot. Don’t wear to little—you’ll be too cold. You get the point.

6. You take your meals out, beginning with a good breakfast. Today you want a Farmer’s breakfast. The strategy here: breakfast is the least expensive meal of the day. Eat a big one. Less spent later on lunch and dinner. I can already see your wheels turning: (well, I’ll eat breakfast at home, pack a lunch and save money that way). Nice try!! The problem here? You just RUINED the reward system that is built into this day where you not only get all your shopping done in ONE DAY, but . . . you also get rewarded with a memorable experience (and a little well-deserved break from fixing your own meals). So don’t cheat at this point. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner while out shopping are a must if you’re going to be a purist of the ONE MISSION this Christmas season.

7. Now, beginning with your list, TAKE YOUR TIME in the stores. You’re in NO HURRY. You have no place other than the present to be.

You’re listening to nice music. You can smile at people. Be nice to the store clerks. So what if someone cuts ahead of you in line. Smile, and enjoy your music and think about that steak you’re going to have for dinner later. A steak that you don’t have to cook. Someone else is going to cook and serve you tonight. You're just working down your Christmas list.

8. Make sure that you take extra money along for gift-wrapping. No matter what you have to do, make SURE that the gift-wrapping people at the mall wrap your gifts for you. Not only does this save you an extra day, but . . . they do a nice job, your gifts will look nicer, the ladies who serve you will get a little extra for their trouble (tip them, it’s nice), and you’ll be able to arrive at home without the stress of wondering where to hide your newly purchased gifts. You won’t have to struggle with finding an extra day to set aside for wrapping. Oh . . and who has to go to buy wrapping paper, scotch tape, pens, labels, sharpen scissors . . . get the point [no pun intended]??

9. This is not Ken’s, but my own added little tip: Make sure you get a Café Vanilla Frapaccino at Starbucks (size is immaterial, although on a day like this, I prefer Venti, with an extra shot of espresso, no whip—not that I need the caffeine, but I love that coffee flavor with the Vanilla). I normally arrive at Starbuck's at about 3pm, when I hit that afternoon slump for about an hour.

10. Essential—keep the negative self-talk to an ABSOLUTE MINIMUM. No self-deprecating stuff:

“Well who’s going to want that?”

“Why would you ever pick that color?”

“No one’s going to buy you anything this nice.”

“All that money you spent today could have housed and fed the poor of Detroit”

“If you weren’t so chunky, you wouldn’t be whining about carrying these packages.”

Just say, “Quiet!! Wrong Address. I’m not listening to you . . . “

Oh yeah, and if you work a job where you get tips, set your day as close to Christmas as possible (more time to accrue more tips).

And . . . enjoy yourself!!

REMEMBER: ONE DAY, ONE PURPOSE, ALL ALONE = ONE MISSION

Writer in Residence

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:58:11 GMT

Since last week, I've been the first writer in residence at a Christian Conference Center on the East Coast.

I'll be here for another week and a half. The writing is coming, because my outline is solid and the topic is engaging. I love what I'm writing about. I'm not sharing an info about title or theme until I've talked to a couple of publishers. The book will be somewhat controversial and out on the edge for evangelical publishers, but it's biblical and helpful. I am including some of the end matter I wrote for it:

This book can have tremendous potential in your life. What can reading this book do for you? Nothing. Except make you better informed about your high calling. But . . . what if you both read AND put what you read into practice? Change your mindset? If you really get into your life, the principles shared in this book, the Scriptures say that you will:

Come to Know God in a Deeper Way (or for the first time if you only knew ABOUT Him)
Be set Free from Sin and Self-direction.
Grow in character
Better understand the world around you and why things are as they are.
Be in a position to be more effective as a disciple of Christ
Relate better in all of your relationships (experiencing success with marriage, as a parent, with your fathers & mothers, civil and church authorities, employers, but especially with God).
See prosperity and blessing cover your life.
Sense a tremendous peace, fulfillment, and security daily.
Experience contentment
Be a real help to other people who don’t yet understand the principles that you will have learned.
Know where things are headed in history.
Be used as a restorer of the ancient places – Isa. 58.12 (this is all in the context of submitting to God’s law)

I uploaded some photos for friends and family to check out. You'll notice I"M working with two monitors. I find this really helpful. On the left, laptop monitor is my Logos Scholar's Library. On the right is MS Word and Notescraps. What a work environment. It's much better for my eyes as well. Especially toward the end of a four hour writing marathon.

Well . . . there you have it.

Catch you soon.

Organize Your Flow

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:24:39 GMT

I’ve been writing for many years. As a published author, I sometimes have to write for several venues at once. At any one time, I can have a couple of articles, a book, a blog entry, a Sunday message (I’m on a pastoral staff at our church), my journals and novel all going at once. Such a writing schedule would be impossible for me if I did not organize my work and my energy. These two make up my “flow” as a writer. In this entry, I’ll deal with organizing my work first.

ORGANIZING MY WORK

In order to be prolific and not go wacky, I’ve had to take steps to better organize my work flow.

For me, inspiration and perspiration work together. Part of the perspiration is organizing. That’s because organizing does not come easy for me. Not that I’m disorganized, I simply flow better by hanging loose. Spontaneity is in my bones. So I have to work hard at organization. That’s why I say it’s part of the perspiration of writing for me.

First, I organize my workspace, assuring that it is clean and orderly. I can’t work in clutter. I begin with a clean, neat space. If it gets cluttered while I work, that’s different. At least I know where everything is. Do yourself a huge favor and order Kathleen Kendall-Tackett’s excellent little book The Well-Ordered Office (it’s there at the top of my “Featured Book” section on my home page). Read this and you’ll get all kinds of organizational shortcuts and helps. Once my workspace is organized, inspiration follows close behind.

I keep a Writing Notebook.

I have for many years and it has always rewarded me generously by giving me the right idea at the right time. In it I collect ideas, fragments, images, and lines. I date each entry. And I note where I am when I write in it (usually the place and state).

I prefer to use my word processor so that later I can electronically search the text. After all, I have over 16,000 words on 70 pages in my most recent notebook. In my most recent journal, I have more like 34,700 on 149 pages. And these are just two of my volumes. I have over twenty volumes, spanning thirty-six plus years of writing. I could never skim through these to find that idea that came to mind last summer in Ocean City. I have to do a “find.” Then I’m there in no time. I also make it a point to record all my ideas in one place. That also helps to keep me compact and organized.

Sometimes, if I’m in the middle of a project or I know that a certain idea fits with something I’m either working on now, or will be soon, I place relevant things in folders labeled with a working title. And they are neatly lined up in one of those top of the desk organizers. I only have on my desk the files of the titles I’m currently at work on.

Body of Writings and Timeline.

The best organizational idea I’ve implemented though is my “Body of Writings and Timeline.” This MS Word document consists of the writing projects I intend to undertake. It is divided into two sections. The first section is the body of writings I want to look back on when my vocation as a writer is fulfilled. I’ve thought through the themes I want to address. I have an idea of what I want to communicate and feel specifically called to write. After I have listed the works. I spend several hours with my calendar and project a timeline. Which project (book, article) will I work on first? What stage do I want to be in by, say, December (Outline, first draft? Send to readers?) Once I’ve constructed my “Body of Writings and the Timeline,” I actually schedule time chunks.

Schedule time.

I work best in Blocks with several ongoing projects in the hopper at once. Others, I know, swear by writing daily. I’ve tried that, but I’m too much of a people-person. I get distracted too easily.

Working in bigger blocks of time mean a lot less rereading of manuscripts as well. If I’m away from the work too long, I’ve got to start reading all over again to find out where I am. Not so with a chunk of time.

Right now, today, I am at a conference center 400 miles from my home and will be here for three weeks. But I’ll return home with the first draft of my first book. The final draft of my novel. And I’m finishing this blog for you.

Begin with a well-crafted Outline.

This may sound like English Composition 101 or High School grammar rerun, but it’s true—a well-crafted outline will save you tons of work. It will keep you focused. It will write the book for you. For Pete’s sake . . . give your time to the outline. Don’t begrudge that time. It will pay off in the long run.

Read

Writers Read. Keep current in your field. Keep current in your craft. Organize your reading. What do you need to read first? Second? Line them up to shore-up holes or weak points. Find out what other authors are doing or saying. Especially if you write in a particular field. What’s being done in that field now. Where is the cutting edge of that field. What direction is it likely to go in the next three to five years given the current trends.

Above ALL

Keep the first thing FIRST. Above all, writers WRITE!! Keep on writing, but write smart by organizing first.

Do the hard work of organizing your work and your energy and say “goodbye” to writer’s block and hello to your positive flow. And be the writer that you know you can be.

Subscribe or Check back here for part two: ORGANIZING MY ENERGY

World Magazine

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:34:15 GMT

If you are a Christian writer and are not yet familiar with WORLD Magazine, then I need to point you to it.

It is the news as it should be--objective, truthful, and from a Christian perspective.

I don't agree with their overemphasis on engagement in politics as the solution for our troubles, but I appreciate and respect their stand.

I believe that political solutions are temporary. God is the only one who can solve the issues of our day. We need to obey and submit to his authority rather than establish our own.

Being a good steward of our citizenship is an important value. We simply disagree as to HOW one does that.

World will present the issues and give you the information that you need to respond rightly as you are led by the God's Holy Spirit.

VBlog Welcome

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 22:38:11 GMT

Help for Writers

Mon, 21 May 2007 13:30:56 GMT

mediabistro.com / New and Helpful Website

Mon, 07 May 2007 12:59:41 GMT

I'm a latecommer. But if, like me, you hadn't yet found mediabistro.com, then PLEASE check it out and add it to your important links for freelace writers, agents, authors, editors and publishers. You will benefit from all the helpful modules this site has to offer its readers. Industry news, and pitch strategies offered there will make your work easier. You just got a new administrative assistant who knows publishing markets. You might also want to pick up Get a Freelance Life by Margit Ragland (see My Current Reading list).

Writing Tips from Terry

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 11:57:08 GMT

________________
Add this to your site

8 Helpful Websites for Christian Writers

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 18:46:10 GMT

The following are 8 helpful websites for Christian writers. Though they may also serve other species of writer, I have chosen them specifically to assist my brothers and sisters whose vocations issue from a calling by the Lord to write.

I have ordered the annotated list in a loose chronology of the writing process (i.e. first you query or propose, then you write, then you record, you network and sharpen your craft and marketing abilities:

1. Great Place to Start: Every writer should have a website. http://www.fictionfactor.com/website.html - see also

2. http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/wordcount.html I include this link from the same site so that you have some sense of the industry standards for the length of your works.

3. http://terrywhalin.blogspot.com/2005/10/marketing-plan-for-every-book.html Terry Whalin’s site is a must, chock full of good stuff for us from the vantage point of a veteran editor for various Christian publishers. His insight into the proposal process is invaluable. His book, Book Proposals that $ell (see my “Featured Books” list on the right), is worth its weight in gold—a great buy at any price. Someday it’s going to help you land a contract!!

4. If you like his blog, you might want to try his website for writers: http://www.right-writing.com/index.html

5. This is a reference site of books online. I use it to find quotes, to recall anecdotes or just to take a break from my writing: http://www.bartleby.com/

6. If you’re like me, it’s hard not to quote C. S. Lewis. Here’s your gold mine: http://www.quotedb.com/authors/cs-lewis

7. Here are several guilds or writers fellowships worth checking out and participating in.

http://www.cwfi-online.org/links.html
http://www.christianwritersguild.com/

The Christian Writer’s Guild is headed by Jerry Jenkins. I recommend his book in my blog entry, “10 Books Every Christian Writer Should Own.” The Christian Writer’s Guild sponsors an annual Conference for networking with other writers, editors, and publishers. I think I’ll go for the first time Feb. 15-18, 2007.

8. At some point you will need to know something about how the laws and copyrights affect you: http://www.literarylawguide.com/resources.htm#top

Hope you find these helpful. I’ll post more as I discover them.

Let us know if you find others.

The Scarlet and the Black

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 12:46:42 GMT

Watched “The Scarlet and the Black” recently. Gregory Peck stars in this WWII intrigue, as a Catholic monsignor assigned to the Vatican. While there, he helps the resistance to ferry escaped allied soldiers out of the country. He does this at considerable risk to himself and the neutrality of Vatican City.

I found the movie to be a metaphor of the struggle between light and darkness. The best part of the movie came toward the end where the Nazi Colonel & the Monsignor face off. The clash of kingdoms and authority is remarkable and unforgettable. See what you think and let us know your take.Comment below. All serious comments are welcomed.

Helps for Writers

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:16:52 GMT

10 Books Every Christian Writer Should Own

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:12:01 GMT

Though no two people may agree upon the 10 Books that Every Christian writer should own and have assimilated, I offer these as my 10—The ones I have read and found invaluable. I also recommend others for other reasons, but these are a good start and should make up the foundation of any small library of any serious Christian writer. The Bible is not found in this list simply because I have already assumed that any writer who is a believer has several excellent translations in his library already.

The order I have chosen lays a foundation in its class (esthetics, craft of writing, publishing, enrichment, etc.) and builds upon it. Some of the books have been mentioned already in my “14 Helpful Websites for Christian Writers.” A second mention merely underscores a particular book’s importance.

Each book is available in my “Featured Books” List to the right (for as long as this blog is on my front page, thereafter check my “Essential Books for Believing Writers”). Simply click on the book’s title and you can purchase the book either new or used. So . . here you have it:

Help in Forming A Christian Aesthetic:

The Christian Imagination, Leland Ryken
The Mind of the Maker, Dorothy Sayers
Mystery and Manners, Flannery O’Connor
A Stay Against Confusion: Essays on Faith and Fiction, Ron Hansen

The Craft

The Elements of Style, Strunk and White
The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, Hudson & Townsend
Writing for the Soul: Instruction And Advice from an Extraordinary Writing Life, Jerry Jenkins

Publishing and Marketing

Book Proposals that Sell, Terry Whalin
Christian Writer’s Market, Susan
Writing Non-fiction, Dan Poynter

Bonus Book

The Well-ordered Office: How To Create An Efficient And Serene Workspace, Kathleen Kendall-Tackett

Hope you find these helpful. Have a blessed holiday season!

I welcome all serious comments to this community of readers. Please leave comments which would be helpful to any Christian writer. It could have been 10 or 100 Books that every Christian writer should have read, so please add to our list if you know something with the following three qualities: relevant, readable and significant.

Feel free to leave legitimate links that relate to our topic. You may also point us to your blog if it will serve the purposes of this article (Consider that you are in my home, and I am protective of my visiting readers. So I always reserve the right to delete comments or links that are not helpful to the community that visits my site). Consider also your own reputation as you comment. I would like it to continue unsullied.

ONE MISSION —The Ultimate Christmas Shopping Experience

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 19:25:04 GMT

Prepare yourself for the BEST CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE EVER HAD!!

My friend Ken has forever solved the Christmas shopping dilemma for me.

Here’s how it works.

1. Make sure that you understand the strategy: One Day, One Purpose, ALL ALONE. That’s the ONE MISSION.

3. Remember, ONE PURPOSE—You can’t have anything scheduled that day that would cause you to have to rush or hurry.

5. Dress comfortably. Layers are best. You can always shed or take on by going to the car. Don’t bundle up—you’ll be too hot. Don’t wear to little—you’ll be too cold. You get the point.

7. Now, beginning with your list, TAKE YOUR TIME in the stores. You’re in NO HURRY. You have no place other than the present to be.

10. Essential—keep the negative self-talk to an ABSOLUTE MINIMUM. No self-deprecating stuff:

“Well who’s going to want that?”

“Why would you ever pick that color?”

“No one’s going to buy you anything this nice.”

“All that money you spent today could have housed and fed the poor of Detroit”

“If you weren’t so chunky, you wouldn’t be whining about carrying these packages.”

Just say, “Quiet!! Wrong Address. I’m not listening to you . . . “

Oh yeah, and if you work a job where you get tips, set your day as close to Christmas as possible (more time to accrue more tips).

And . . . enjoy yourself!!

REMEMBER: ONE DAY, ONE PURPOSE, ALL ALONE = ONE MISSION

ONE MISSION—The Ultimate Christmas Shopping Experience

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 15:29:22 GMT

Every year around this time, we face this huge thing—buying gifts for those special people on our Holiday shopping list. I hear so many people ask, “Have you done your Christmas shopping yet?”

The answers are legion and most too dismal to recall here. The long and short of it is that most people HATE, and I mean HATE the process of shopping. We love to give gifts, if we’re still human at all. And we enjoy receiving them, unless we’re sociopaths (like Scrooge) or liars. But that shopping mall, with its crowds of rude and harried people. That line with noisy kids and grumpy clerks who’ve had enough of the noisy kids. What’s worse is that we have to pick up one thing here and another there. Then two days later, we have to repeat the process, sometimes in the same stores. A week later, we pick up something more.

Some people start buying in July. Then find their Christmas treasure and take it home and hide it from the recipients (and usually from themselves) and they repeat this over the months leading up to Christmas, so that they can calmly, proudly answer, “Oh, all my Christmas shopping was complete in September.” Don’t you hate that smug smile on their face?

Others, wait until the very last days before Christmas. That way they can tell people, “I wanted to get you _________, but they were all out of them. Can you believe it?” They secretly were not going to get anyone anything, but at the last minute their conscience kicked into gear and they flew about like a mad person. That person is the one of the main reasons why we hate last minute shopping.

Well . . . I have a friend who converted me to “THE DAY OF ONE MISSION.”

He has forever solved the Christmas shopping dilemma for me. I used to be one of the crowd. I tried all kinds of strategies. But Ken sealed my shopping future by his shopping strategy, his tactical plan—ONE MISSION.

I’ll share this tomorrow. In the meantime, phase one:

save some money
buy a walkman CD player or use your iPod or personal organizer

More on this later. I’ve got to run. I have an appointment with Ken.

Atticus: A Review

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:20:08 GMT

Hansen, Ron. Atticus: A Novel. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. 247 pages.

Ron Hansen 1947—

Just when we thought that we would not see any more great American novels, Ron Hansen has given us, not only Mariette in Ecstasy but, far more to my liking, Atticus. Hansen has created a “sundog” with this fine novel.

Hansen paints his characters with words as the lead character, Scott Cody, paints with brush and canvas. Impressions. He daubs his canvas with an attitude, a gesture, a scene that smells, tastes, feels, sounds like life itself. From the moment Atticus sees his first Parhelion, at age sixty, foreshadowing identity issues; until his mysterious encounters in Mexico, we sense that we are there with him in all his pain and sorrow. We watch him and want to help him understand Scott. But we find that impossible. Atticus lives from his Weltanschauung (worldview) and Scott is held prisoner to his own.

The characters that orbit Atticus and Scott come alive and draw our suspicion. We’ve all known Scott, Renata, Stuart, and Reinhardt, even Carmen and Renaldo. Soon we do not realize we are reading anymore, but we are there, in steamy Resurreccion. The narrative catches us up and carries us along into places we have been and never want to be again. We know that something is wrong, but do not know what. We sense something amiss. Hansen planted clues all along the way. We are not only feeling that we are witnesses, we are.

We know that somehow Atticus and Scott’s relationship is bigger than the sum of its parts. Atticus, the compassionate father, will not let the apparent tragedy rest. Scott’s home is Resurreccion. Atticus must leave the U.S. Surely life can come from death. Just as the phoenix rises, new beginnings can rise from the ashes of hopelessness. Perhaps the natural, mirrors the supernatural: multiple sundogs here for him who has eyes to see, ears to hear. Twin suns in the sky. Scott and Reinhardt. The Codys and the prodigal and his father.

This brings us to the point of the experience. We come to the story within a fine story--Shakespeare’s play within the play. Atticus’s story. Scott’s story within the greater context of all that has brought Atticus to Resurreccion. Merely because the story is there to tell? Or has the author created a divine appointment for his reader?

Planned or no, the reader is faced with questions of life and death, identity, offense, and forgiveness, sin and redemption. Not only for the characters in the novel, but with a skillful use of understatement, the reader is confronted with herself.

Hansen takes the reader on quite a ride but we find the road has twists and turns that sweep us to the grand finale. We find at the end, what J. R. R. Tolkien termed, the eucatastrophe (Greek: “good resolve”)—the redemptive climax that makes the reading investment worthwhile—the exceptional ending, one that uplifts from mists of melancholy, that draws out the best in the human spirit.

After all, Ron Hansen’s writing is much more than the obscene voyeurism of so many contemporary writers. They find it passé to conclude hopefully or with grace. History will forget them, but my guess is that generations to come will study Hansen’s work in Literature class.

NOTE:

1. Atticus was a finalist for the 1996 National Book Award for fiction.

2. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, also written by Ron is being made into a movie to be released in 2007, starring Brad Pitt.

QUESTIONS FOR READING GROUPS:

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides/atticus.asp

Other works by Ron Hansen are either in my “Featured Books” or on the right and in my "Other Favorites" list.

Great Bookplates

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:19:30 GMT

FOR READERS & BILIOPHILES: I realize that not everyone uses bookplates. Some die-hard bibliophiles are for them and some are against them. I happen to use bookplates. They're invaluable, especially if you--don't faint now--LOAN YOUR BOOKS.

I don't often do advertisements on my blog, but last week, I came across a company that provides personalized bookplates. The website is cheerful and attractive. Using it to order was a snap (I hate complex sites that force you to make too many decisions). So, I ordered some. I found that not only were the choices excellent, but working with Karen of www.bookplateink.com was a joy. She communicated with me to clarify and make sure that I received exactly what I ordered. When I received my first shipment in the mail, the bookplates were well packaged and the quality was as advertised.

So I commend Bookplateink.com to all of you who want your books to find their way back to their owner. I told her I'd share her company link with you so, when you order, tell Karen "David sent me," and enjoy your new bookplates.

Importance of Fathers and Dads

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 13:33:27 GMT

This is retitled and republished from June 2006 because I had few readers then and consider it one of my most helpful early entries for Dads and Fathers. I also included links to the publications I mentioned back then.

The older I get, the more convinced I am that Fathers stand in a place of tremendous authority and responsibility. This authority is power to bless or to curse. We have a huge assignment from God. Our words, our actions create or destroy . . . And God will hold us accountable for the use or misuse of this high calling--Father.

I have come to believe from having Fathered young people who were not my birth children, that spiritual fathers have a similar role and impact upon lives. God has not given me birth children of my own. Yet, he has kept his promise to give me many spiritual children. Some I have led to Him. Some have come to me sent by Him. In every case, I have sought to be a blessing--to be protective, instructive and generous. I have felt His empowering and have known something of His longing for His own children.

I have also learned the secret of boys and girls. I recently read a little booklet,You Have What It Takes which we gave out to all the men in our congregation. It was written by the author of Wild at Heart, John Eldredge (for both the pamphlet and the book, see my featured books, on right). I agree with Eldridge that the key questions our sons and daughters are asking are:

BOYS

Do you resepct me? Am I powerful? Can I get the Job Done? Am I worthy to be held in honor?

GIRLS

Do you treasure me? Am I worth your time and care? Am I lovely? Am I valuable enough for you to protect and die for?

The wise Father/Dad recognizes these questions being asked in different actions and ways all the time. The wisest Fathers answer them when they hear or see the questions arising.

I believe that Fathers have the highest calling on the planet. I believe that Fathers are stand-ins for The FATHER--God. When your children, young or old, see you--they see the Father. You are the adverb pointing to the Verb. Whether we believe this or not does not make it any less true or valid. We fathers will be held accountable for how we stand in our authority. Jesus taught that we are not to use authority to "Lord it over" others. We use it to BLESS!! That is, we use it to build up, to provide, protect, and promote their welfare. We use it to point them to God the Father of their souls. We show them what He is like.

Fathers . . . how are you doing? The little booklet under my FEATURED BOOKS will be tremendously helpful to you. I encourage you to get a copy and read it prayerfully.

Check-out the Video Demo of This Biblical Library

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 19:32:09 GMT

This software I use continually and find indispensable for my writing:

WORLD PROBLEMS: Part III - Who Are the People Responsible for This Rebellion?

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 18:52:42 GMT

In my previous entry, WORLD PROBLEMS: Part II - Why the Moral Confusion?, I painted the picture of a world gone mad due to human rebellion. To get at the truth of what energizes rebellious behavior we must begin with two unimpeachable sources outside you and me, otherwise what I’m about to explain can become merely a matter of your opinion verses mine. Appealing to expert testimony rather than your opinion or mine makes more sense.

The first source will be the Word of God. The second will be Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God. These are attested witnesses that have throughout history stood the tests of veracity and time.

Let’s look at what the Holy Spirit said through the Apostle Paul:

Your battle is not against flesh and blood (people), rather it is against principalities and powers in the heavenly places . . .

According to this passage of Scripture, people are only a part of the problem. The worst problems faced by our world are caused by demonic influence through those people who either do not believe in the demonic influence in world affairs or by those who both understand and make use of these spirits. What we are seeing in our time is a clash of world systems and worldviews reflecting the spiritual reality--the clash of warring spirits. Warring spirits pit kingdom against kingdom (which is what Jesus prophesied would be one of the signs of the end of civilization). Terrorists against unarmed populations, child-slavers, Islam against Judaism, Christianity, and culture, all this is demonic and has its source in the spiritual rebellion between God and Satan. We get in the way and either side with God or against Him. We either accept His worldview of warring spirits or we accept the demonic view that everything is material or psychological.

When I was in college, I had a professor who asked me in a class discussion: “Mr. Alves. Why do you believe in demons? I mean, this is the Twentieth Century. We now know that what used to be considered “demons” were psychological manifestations. Is there any reason to believe that they are supernatural beings?”

I thought about his question and said to myself, Lord help me to answer with wisdom and grace, then I said, “I believe in demonic power and beings because Jesus did. Jesus did not command “psychological manifestations” to leave people. He commanded demons and they obeyed and left. Professor, I don’t believe that you or I know more than Jesus did about the supernatural world.”

The class and the professor knew that what I had said needed to be seriously considered. Jesus Christ believed in demonic beings and power. Actually the West’s anti-supernatural bias is crumbling in the face of many travelers who have visited other nations or embraced other faiths. Most of the modern world now believes in supernatural reality. Even the Evangelical church is beginning to believe in demons and demonization, since they now have more of it to deal with given the New Age movement and all those who have come under demonic power and have sought deliverance.

Assuming then that we let go of our unexamined anti-supernaturalism we are one step closer to the source of human rebellion and deviant behavior. “The devil made me do it” is not far from the truth, though this can never be accepted as an excuse for immoral or ungodly behavior. No one can "make you" do anything. God always gives a way of escape. Your will is intact, unless you have become possessed. Even then, there is deliverance by the Living Christ.

You and I will be held responsible for our choices. But rebellion has its source in Satan and demonic power. People will, until Jesus returns and sets up his government (which is not in the too distant future as many believers discern the times), continue to be influenced by demonic power. The questions are: do people recognized demonic activity? Do they know how to protect themselves and their children and grandchildren?

Marcy and I were approached by a woman who babysat an infant. She said that the infant cried at all hours and seldom slept. The parents had hired her because they were at their wit’s end. So Shirley had offered to take care of the child for blocks of time everyday to give them a break. We prayed for the baby. Immediately the child was peaceful and slept. Weeks later Shirley called us and relayed the parent’s thanks and Shirley said that from the time we prayed and bound spirits that the child was normal, healthy and content. Unfortunately I’m convinced that so many conditions in people’s lives exist because fathers do not understand their role in spiritual protection for their children. Child molestation is simply the manifestation of the supernatural influences which are allowed to go unchecked because people think their safety and solutions will come from law rather than learning to understand the supernatural reality behind reality:

According to the Apostles and Scripture, all that we see is a refection of the supernatural dimension. The spiritual dimension of existence is peopled with various beings. Demonic beings have access to those who live in rebellion against God, to those who do not take God’s grace held out in the “Beautiful News” to heart.

If you would like me to write a blog entry that enlarges on this topic and shares some of the things we’ve learned in our thirty years of ministry, add your comment below. I’d be happy to share what I’ve witnessed or learned.

§ 11/8/06 WORLD PROBLEMS: Part IV - Answers to our Rebellion Problem.

§ 11/15/06 WORLD PROBLEMS: Part V - The Only Solution for the World.