Flags and Vuvuzelas

Hi. Ruth Ann here. Welcome to my photo tour. We're visiting South Africa during the build up to the FIFA World Cup and the first few matches.
Hi, Aspiring Writer here. I'm accompanying Ruth Ann to give my point of view as we go along.


Signs heralding the World Cup have been in evidence everywhere for months. Flags flutter on cars, bicycles, taxis, buses, buildings, highways, walls, poles, trees, gates. . .  They adorn clothes, finger nails, false eyelashes, sunglasses, cakes, vuvuzelas, shops, markets, menus. . .
World Cup merchandise is on sale at street corners, traffic lights and flea markets as well as in shops, supermarkets and malls. . .
Vuvuzelas blare at all hours of the night and day.
Photos of  bird-shaped seed pods, bees clambering through jacaranda blossoms, beaded  ornaments and other harbingers of an emerging story world fill the memory card of my camera. 
Ever increasing numbers of characters roam through the landscape of my imagination.

On the 11th June I wake up while it is still dark to the blasting of a vuvuzela outside my house. The great day has arrived.
Someone emerges from the throng of characters. He announces that he has heard the 'call to adventure' and asks if I'll tell his story.

Later in the day I sally out to take photos—here's a happy pair setting out to enjoy the World Cup experience.

I offer to write a novel about his journey and my would-be hero sets out.

The next photo, taken inside the Loftus Stadium at one of the first matches, is used with the permission of photographer Derek of Just Footprints Foundation. Derek asks "Where's William?" He describes William as the Ghana soccer supporter in the red and yellow supporter's shirt. He's sitting in block MM, rowJ, seat 74. Can you see him? No, I can't find him either.

I've lost my hero! I can't pick him out in the crowd. The characters all look the same—they're ho-hum.

Of course, it's important to dress appropriately to show which team you support and to add to the vibe reverberating through the country.
Maybe I'll find my hero if I give him clothes fit for his quest.

Just look at all these soccer players! What wonderful memorabilia.
I find him! But he's so wooden—in fact he's a stereotype.

Even the people hard at work join in the excitement and fun.
I give my hero a real job and a goal in life.

Zakumi, the official World Cup mascot, has been sighted all over South Africa. His feet look somewhat grubby in this photo. The hospitable leopard has dyed his hair green--he feels it's the perfect camouflage against the green of the football pitch. 

Aha! Heroes are generally reputed to have feet of clay, so I give mine a flaw. I also add a quirk or two.

At first I think these are yellow bushes or flowers growing next to the highway. As we draw closer I realise they are hands, and each one says, "Ayoba!"  Ayoba means cool and describes the atmosphere in South Africa.

 My hero's come to life and there's only one word to describe him. Ayoba!

Christians have prayed that people from all over the world will be reached with the gospel during the World Cup. Here my friend, Marilyn, shows the flag she made to use in her church's outreach program.

I pray that God will use the words I write to help people to know Him better.

Yesterday the last match of the final 16 teams was played. On Friday it'll be time to put on my Makarapa (soccer headgear unique to South Africa) and watch the quarter-finals. I wonder who'll go through to the semi-finals.

And now I'll don my Writer's Hat and settle down with my laptop to write my hero's story. I wonder what adventures he's going to have.

I hope you enjoyed visiting South Africa at this exciting time. Please come back to our blog on July 8 when Shirl Corder will be sharing some writing insights about her World Cup experiences and posting more photos.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my hero. I'll update you on his adventures in a future blog.

Ear worms

While on my knees in the flower bed, I was struck by an ear worm. No, not that nasty, voracious insect, the earwig, although I've had my battles with them, too.

What I'm talking about is the audio affliction, where a snippet of music gets stuck on permanent replay in your head.

The term is actually a corruption of the German word Ohrwurm and is used to designate a musical itch in the brain. According to researchers, 99% of people have, at one time or another, suffered from an earworm. Women are especially susceptible to the monotonous musical phrase playing endlessly in our minds, perhaps because we worry more than men. -- I'm not even going there! -- However, if you want to drive the man in your life crazy, just hum a bit of your earworm out loud and he's bound to catch it. Apparently, an earworm is a bit like a yawn, high infectious.

Psychoanalyst Theodor Reik had a nicer term for the phenomenom. He called it a "haunting melody". On a CBC radio show (CBC is the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) listeners were asked to find other terms. My favourite suggestion is "humbug."

There have been many scientific and unscientific studies as to the most likely tunes to produce this effect. They include "The Macarena," "Who Let the Dogs Out," "It's a Small World," the theme from "Sesame Street," and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."
Luckily for me, the music on endless replay while I worked the flower bed, was the Sunday anthem. "Come before His presence with singing, Come before His presence with song." Although why I should think of coming into God's presence while wrestling the root of a dandelion, I'm not sure. "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." Yes, yes, on my knees, I give thanks for all that God has provided, but could You please turn off the tape? "Know that the Lord, He is our God, We are His people and the sheep of His pasture." Ah, perhaps I should listen instead of fighting. Perhaps my annoying earworm contains the voice of God, reminding me that no matter how hard I work at ordering my world, God is in charge. And when God is in charge, all things, even dandelions, show forth His wisdom.

So, here's a chance for another unscientific study. What tunes are most likely to infect you with an earworm?

Posted by Alice Valdal. Keep track of me and my writing and gardening adventures at http://www.alicevaldal.com/

One Year In Paradise, Part 2 (See part 1 here)

An S.I.L.(Summer Institute of Linguistics) worker met us at the Madang airport and ushered us to our "taxi," a one-ton truck with long wooden benches down the sides and middle, covered by a steel frame and canvass tarp rolled up on both sides. We, and another family, loaded our considerable gear into it and clung to the metal frame as we lurched up a narrow trail toward the site of the Pacific Orientation Course (POC), also known as “jungle camp.” For those of us without fear of heights, the view was breathtaking. The rest preferred to admire the banana and coconut trees on the mountain side.

At POC, we were met by "wantoks" – a PNG term meaning countrymen, those who speak the same language. It was wonderful to see those smiling Canadian faces. They introduced us to life at jungle camp. Our accommodations consisted of one room divided by a plywood wall with two mosquito-screened bunks on one side and a double bed on the other. Showers were around back, made out of a bucket on a pulley and sporadically heated by a wood stove. We quickly learned to give the bucket a whack before using it, to dislodge the geckos and spiders.

Meals were taken communally with eight other families, all of us assigned to work together to help prepare and cook the food on a huge wood stove. Often it was a challenge to guess what we would be served at the next meal. On one occasion we were told we were eating “Sepik chicken.” After we had taken a few bites, the cook explained the Sepik is one of the country’s largest rivers and the "chickens" have thick leathery skins and large teeth. We were savoring crocodile tail. It wasn’t until a few months later that we were offered another traditional delicacy, roasted sago grubs. As I accepted the skewered grubs, blackened by an open cooking fire, I was thankful for the “jungle camp” experience and tried to pretend I really didn’t know what I was popping into my mouth.

Our days at P.O.C. were filled with lectures on the culture and customs, covering such things as the taboo of stepping over food, even though it may be scattered on the ground, and the common practice of holding hands or linking “pinkies” (your smallest finger) as you chat with a member of the same sex. Language learning (Melanesian Pidgin), taught by a young Dutch woman and a Papua New Guinean man, also took up many hours as we practiced dialogues and concentrated on grammatical construction. The rest of our time was spent swimming and snorkeling in the ocean and hiking in the tropical heat. By the end of the two weeks we were feeling much more comfortable with it all and felt confidant as our orientation ended and we boarded an S.I.L. plane for the short hop over the mountains to Ukarumpa. The highlands town is S.I.L.'s main centre housing about 450 translators, literacy workers and support personnel.

In spite of our time at P.O.C., culture shock continued in Ukarumpa.

Part 3 coming soon …

Marcia Laycock writes from Central Alberta Canada. Visit her website - www.vinemarc.com

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Marcia Laycock: One Year In Paradise, Part 2

Tuesday

Alice Valdal: Ear Worms

Wednesday

Ruth Ann Dell: Fluttering Flags and Vocal Vuvuzelas

Thursday

Marion Ueckermann

Friday Devotion

Marcia Lee Laycock: Pidgin

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Recent Book Releases

Lisa Harris' thriller set in Africa, Blood Ransom, is an April 2010 release from Zondervan.

Harry Kraus' book, The Six-Liter Club, is an April 2010 release from Howard Books.

Kathi Macias' contemporary set in Mexico, More than Conquerors, is an April 2010 release from New Hope Publishers.

Kathi Macias' contemporary set in South Africa, No Greater Love, is an April 2010 release from New Hope Publishers.

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Contest News

Jeanette Windle's book, Veiled Freedom (Tyndale) is a 2010 Christy Award Nominee and a 2010 ECPA Christian Book Award finalist - congratulations Jeanette!

Tom Davis' book, Scared (David C. Cook) is a 2010 Christy Award Nominee - congratulations Tom!

Harry Kraus' book, Salty Like Blood (Howard), is a finalist in the romantic suspense category of the Faith, Hope and Love Inspirational Chapter of Romance Writers of America's 2010 Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest - congratulations Harry!

Christine Lindsay is a finalist in the historical category of the Faith, Hope and Love Inspirational Chapter of Romance Writers of America's 2010 Touched By Love Contest - congratulations Christine!

DEVOTION: Guided Missile Prayers. (Gerald McCann)

Read: 2 Corinthians 10: 1-6

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16 NIV

In today’s warfare, guided missiles are highly sophisticated. Fired from aircraft flying at high altitude, the missiles carry a camera in the nose-cone which hones in on the target with frightening precision, guiding the missile right onto its target. Once the target is known, its destruction is a virtual certainty.

The Lord recently used the parable of the guided missile to teach me about the power of prayer when believers are in a spiritual warfare situation. We do not always know the precise location or identity of our enemy or what war-head our prayer missiles should carry, but God does. So, when a child of God prays an effective, fervent prayer, his prayer becomes a divinely guided missile, with one major difference. The prayer missile is directed towards God, in the Name of Jesus, for His redirection.

Guided missiles are not simply fired at random in the hope of hitting a target. In the same way, we need to send our missile prayers to God with a definite target in mind. It may be an individual or a group that is planning evil. We may even suggest the ‘warhead’ we would like to use for arming our missile. David, in the Psalms, did this, but with some pretty mean ‘warheads,’ which are not to be recommended!

The Bible has a strange ‘warhead’ which we are commanded to use against our enemy. It is what I call ‘The Lost Chord of Blessing.’ We are told to bless our enemies and those that purpose evil against us. But what is the most powerful ‘warhead’ blessing that we can mount on our prayer missiles? It is to bless our enemies with the “Fear of the Lord” which is ‘the beginning of wisdom’ (Proverbs 1).. For an example of this, read the story of the Prophet Jonah. Even though Jonah knew nothing about blessing his enemies with the “Fear of the Lord,” this is precisely what God did. The Fear of the Lord will either cause our enemies to tremble with fear before God, fall down in repentance and cry out to God for mercy, or they will turn their back on God, receiving the consequences of fearsome judgment. The citizens of Nineveh did the former, from the King downwards, saving a whole city – a whole generation – from the terrible wrath of God. Jonah’s heart-planned ‘warhead’ was that God would wipe our the terrible Ninehvites.

In heaven God re-programs in the precise location of the enemy then arms the warhead with His divine weapons. From the high altitude of heaven God re-directs the now-armed missile precisely onto His known target, fulfilling His divine purposes. Remember, the weapons of our warfare are not human or worldly, but spiritual.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to pray powerful prayers that accomplish Your eternal purposes.

Thought for the day: Our warfare is in the Name of our awesome God.

Prayer focus: For those known to you who are in the firing line of the enemy’s attacks.

Gerald McCann is a retired pastor and author, living in Bot River, near Cape Town, South Africa. In parts of the country many Christians on outlying farms are under attack, with whole families sometimes being brutally murdered.

The Bigger Picture

In ‘Rain Upon Godshill’ J B Priestley describes a dream. He is standing at the top of a very big tower, looking down on a vast river of birds, all flying together in the same direction. The sight moves him deeply. Then time is accelerated and dream becomes nightmare as he is forced to watch bird become generation of bird, watch each bird hatch, flutter into life, soar away, grow weak, falter, then die. He watches as wings grow and crumble, bodies swell then shrivel. Everywhere is death, striking at every second. He watches and can perceive in all he sees before him - all the striving to live and keep on living, only an immense futility. He watches and becomes sick at heart.

Time is speeded up even more, and the flow of birds becomes “like an enormous plain sown with feathers”; but now, “along this plain, flickering through the bodies themselves, there passed a sort of white flame, trembling, dancing, then hurrying on,” and as soon as he sees this, he knows the flame to be “life itself, the very essence of being”.

This is one of a small number of the texts I've collected that I turn to for reassurance in those times when I just can’t see any truth in the idea of a God with a Grand Plan. There are moments, sometimes via dreams, when I catch a glimpse of what might be 'design' happening in my life, but these are rare. I endeavour, yet my daily struggles seem to achieve very little. Often, I find myself looking ‘heavenward’ and asking: “Why?”

I’ve had a ‘Why?’ moment this week. I like animals and I’m involved with several animal welfare movements. There are storms in various parts of France at present and I had news earlier in the week of a dog refuge. It's in a place called ‘Muy’. It had been hit by a 4 metre high wave and as a result, some of the dogs had died. I despaired to think how those poor creatures had been born only to be ill-used, abandoned to starvation and when 'saved', to die by drowning. Countless numbers of children around the world suffer similar fates on a daily basis. I just can’t see a Grand Plan in all of this. And yet, if I didn’t believe that there was meaning to life, I know I would have chosen to stop breathing years ago!

I just can’t see ... Priestley’s dream reminds me, in a beautiful and poignant way, that my vision and understanding of existence is that of a minute fractal of an immense whole, the greater part of which lies entirely outside the possibility of my perception. Even beyond my wildest imaginings. It encourages me to carry on and to hold and trust in the dream.

(English novelist and dramatist, Priestley is perhaps best-known in the UK for his daily radio broadcasts at the BBC during World War II, which drew audiences of up to 19 million. Rain Upon Godshill is sub-titled ‘A Further Excursion into Autobiography’. Godshill is on the Isle of Wight).

And if you’re wondering about the image at the top, it’s an example of my current excursions into visual art. I’m trying to develop some digital art prints on silk. The sample ‘patchwork quilt’ (it's a trial on paper) is based on the dead oak leaf to its left. The ‘quilt’ (I'm NOT a quilter by the way) is so far removed from the original oak leaf that I thought it illustrated the idea of ‘fractal vision’- here, only I know the story of the transformation of dead leaf to quilt. I'm playing God ...

I was amused to receive, just as I settled down to write this article, a newsletter headed: ‘Could a Quilt Hold the Answer to a 100-Year-Old Family Mystery? Find out when you order the new Guideposts Original series, Patchwork Mysteries. These exciting whodunit stories are set in Maple Hill, Massachusetts, a community built on its faith in God’. Something like this has come along every time I write a blog for ICFW.

Acknowledgements:

Rain Upon Godshill, J B Priestley (1894-1984) Pub: Heinemann, 1939
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._Priestley

Patchwork Mysteries:

https://www.shopguideposts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=16903&storeId=15401&productId=853423&langId=-1&sourcekey=52061651Q8&cid=6.22.10_PatchworkMysteriesEblast_Patchwork

I’d like to know: what texts (or quotes) draw you out into ‘The Bigger Picture’?

Ann

Pleasing the Father

By Nick Daniels

For me, writing fiction has always been a thrilling-and-cheap way to take a break from the world and plunge into the unknown. But I also find a serene peace in playing my guitar and worshiping God.

It’s a strange feeling—and some may call me crazy—but I actually feel that God likes it when I sing to Him. There’s a still small voice inside my head that doesn’t sound like me at all, and that says, “Keep singing, it pleases me.”

The Bible tells about a time when the heavens opened over Jesus, and God the Father spoke, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

The awesomest thing is that the Father is also pleased with the rest of His sons and daughters, not only with the firstborn, Jesus.

Whatever it is that God has gifted you with, know that He takes pleasure in you enjoying your gift—just I rejoiced last week when my son learned to ride his bike without training wheels.

I’m not sure why I’m writing about this today, but perhaps someone needed to hear it (oops, I mean, read it!). Even if you’re facing rejection, ungratefulness and some of the nasty things humans do to us, not so with your heavenly Father. You’re His favorite child (and so am I!).

So, I’ve been playing my guitar more often lately, and even wrote a song. Won’t sing it here, but I can certainly share the lyrics:

For you it was not enough
To free us from our sins
But you decided to
Make us your kings and priests

And in the end, you’ll draw us to you
To live forever
To live for you


So let your kingdom come
And let your will be done
Lord, teach me how to walk
Sharing your precious love

Come live through me, oh Son of God
That I’ll be mistaken
Mistaken for you


/Pour down your power
In this earthen vessel
Shine with your glory
Fill me with your presence/

So get on with it, please your Father.

Nick Daniels is a suspense novelist who enjoys to walk on breezy afternoons, eat ice cream on waffle cones, and pray under a coffee table.

Being the Underdog

If you're even vaguely interested in sport, and maybe even if you're not, it probably won't have escaped your notice that the Football World Cup is currently in full swing in South Africa.

If you live in New Zealand, well you would have to live under the cliched metaphorical rock to have missed it. Every newspaper, TV screen and website is plastered with the exploits of our glorious All Whites.

Why? Because last night our plucky team of amateurs, part timers and all round good guys took on Italy, the team of the smooth, well seasoned and ludicrously paid and drew 1-1.

For those of you in the US I think the comparison would be if a team from Down Under, publicly derided by the media as everything from the "filler inners" to the "no hopers" took on the Red Sox and came out the victors.

It's completely unfathomable.

I've been struggling with my writing lately. To be honest that's probably an understatement. I haven't opened my manuscript in weeks. I've been suffering from my own personal case of "underdogitis" - the one that has slowly been convincing me that, in the midst of a crazy life, continuing to slog away at this writing "thing" tens of thousands of kilometres away from the people who "matter" in publishing makes me a couple of fries short of a Happy Meal.

And then the All Whites show up. The part timers and amateurs. The guys who have slogged it out for five years when no one was watching and very few people even knew they existed, let alone cared. The guys who got up at 5am, when they could have been in bed, and trained anyway.

And, after all that, when they qualified for the World Cup, when you thought they would have finally gotten some respect, they are paraded across the world stage as the team that made up the numbers, the filler inners and the no hopers. In the overpaid star powered world of professional football, there were underdogs, and then there were the All Whites.

And so, on Friday night, during some crazy hour of the morning, this previous non-football fan, along with hundreds of thousands of other NZers, will be hauling herself out of bed to cheer on the team who are showing the world what it means to earn the dream. And who give you hope that maybe yours isn't so impossible either.

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Kara Isaac

Tuesday

Lee Franklin

Wednesday

Nick Daniels

Thursday

Ann Isik

Friday Devotion

Gerald McCann: Guided Missile Prayers

News

Jeanette Windle's book, Veiled Freedom (Tyndale) is a 2010 Christy Award Nominee and a 2010 ECPA Christian Book Award finalist - congratulations Jeanette!

Tom Davis' book, Scared (David C. Cook) is a 2010 Christy Award Nominee - congratulations Tom!

Harry Kraus' book, Salty Like Blood (Howard), is a finalist in the romantic suspense category of the Faith, Hope and Love Inspirational Chapter of Romance Writers of America's 2010 Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest - congratulations Harry!

Harry Kraus' book, The Six-Liter Club, is an April 2010 release from Howard Books.

Lisa Harris' thriller set in Africa, Blood Ransom, is an April 2010 release from Zondervan.

Christine Lindsay is a finalist in the historical category of the Faith, Hope and Love Inspirational Chapter of Romance Writers of America's 2010 Touched By Love Contest - congratulations Christine!

DEVOTION: Snow Isn't White. (Marcia Laycock)

What I Have Learned from Snow

Snow is not white. I learned this long ago, while walking in an evergreen forest with my art instructor. He challenged my fellow students and me to look and to see. Where shadows lay, the snow was a soft, cold blue; where it had melted, it was a silvery grey. Where the sun struck, it was gold and as the afternoon wore on, it began to take on a pink tinge. I noticed the shapes, too: swirls and sculptures made by wind, tiny imprints of squirrels and birds, the pattern of seeds and pine cones indented in the drifts. There were strong contrasts: the softness of a single stock of tall yellow grass against the hardness of massive, dark evergreens.

That day I saw the face of winter, and the nature of snow, in a new way. I discovered snow does not “lay like a fuzzy white blanket,” but more like an intricate shroud, shifting with light and colour, here with gentle curves, there with brittle edges of ice. I discovered its texture, the variety of its form and motion. I discovered it has life and beauty.

Remembering that day, I am challenged to bring the same kind of awareness into my writing. Too often I’m tempted to laziness, letting words, sentences, paragraphs come as they may, and stay as they are. I have learned it is worth the effort to take the time to look, to test the true colour of the words, to hear their tone and voice, to ponder the exact meaning I intend. Hearing a reader say, “that line will stay with me for a long time,” justifies the struggle to be precise.

As writers who are Christian, seeing and portraying what is really there is not an option. We are witnesses of truth. Failing to work at our craft is failing to be faithful to that calling and to the gift we have been given. The apostle Peter says it best in 1 Peter 4:10 - "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

When we truly reflect the world around us, in all its splendour and sometimes horror, through words that live in the hearts and minds of our readers, we honor God and our craft. It is a high calling worthy of much effort.


Marcia’s inspirational writing has won awards in both Canada and the U.S. Her devotionals are distributed to thousands and her novel, One Smooth Stone, won the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award in 2006. Marcia is also a sought-after speaker for women’s events. Visit her at www.vinemarc.com

Turning Thoughts into Words

Hieroglyphs, parchments, newspapers, books, dictionaries, ebooks, emails, blogs, websites, letters, and SMSs. Hasn't everything that's being written, already been written before? Apart from new discoveries, everyday happenings and updated technology, that is. Yet, whether in the form of facts, ideas, or opinions, countless words continue to encircle our globe.

My only justification for adding to this plethora of words is this: it's my slant on things as an author. A viewpoint peculiar to me. (And yes, it could be very peculiar!)

Even if you're not interested in writing novels, I still say get your thoughts down. A really helpful way to figure out difficult decisions is to begin writing PROs and CONs on a sheet of paper. Write out all your past history. Your own grandchildren will love discovering things about your childhood some day. And if you're a believer, write Prayer Requests on one side and Answered Prayer on the other. This is for the long haul as the Lord's answers come about in His time, not ours.

A good thought to grasp is this:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." (Gospel of John CH 1:1-2, 14)

So much is revealed to us in His Word. Our origins, our purpose, our behaviour, and our ultimate destination. And at the end of all things, Jesus will the only one to have the Last Word. Will it be "Well done!" or "Depart from me, I never knew you."

What are your thoughts on this?

Rita Stella Galieh

www.ritastellagalieh.com

Interview with Kathi Macias and book giveaway

Welcome back to the International Christian Fiction Writers blog, Kathi! On May 10 you gave some background on More than Conquerors, your Extreme Devotion novel set in Mexico. Since then I've had the opportunity to read the other book that's been released from this series, No Greater Love, set in 1989 South Africa.

VC: What intrigued you about the apartheid struggle in South Africa during this time period?

KM: I watched this story unfold in the late ‘80s and somehow knew I would write it about some day, though I wasn’t sure how or when it would unfold. And yet, as always, it came about in God’s perfect timing. I firmly believe that what my characters in No Greater Love learned during that violent upheaval just preceding the downfall of Apartheid can speak to the divisiveness in our own country—and around the world—today.


VC: What type of research did you do?

KM: Because I watched and studied the events as they happened, I kept newspaper clippings, magazine articles, etc. By the time I was ready to start writing the book, I also had the Internet, which as we all know is a remarkable research tool. But the greatest resource was Pastor Alan Lester of South Africa , who worked closely with me to assure that the story would live and breathe the country and culture I wanted to capture. Apparently it worked because Jerry Jenkins said of this book, “A sweeping epic…You’ll feel as if you were there.” Exactly what research should do!

VC: You've never been to South Africa or met Pastor Lester?

KM: I haven’t met Pastor Lester yet, but he’s invited me and my husband to come for a visit and to stay with them. I’m certainly praying God will provide that opportunity one day soon, as I would love to see/explore this beautiful country that I’ve been blessed to write about in the book.

VC: The theme of the novel is evident in its title. Did you choose the theme first, or how did this become clear as you wrote the novel?

KM: The vague story line rolled around in my heart/mind for nearly twenty years before I wrote it. By the time I was ready to sit down and begin writing, I knew the theme and title, which I kept as my focus throughout the telling of the story.

VC: This tale seems to have been important to you, and I'm guessing that's why it's the flagship novel of this series, Extreme Devotion. What caused the concept to become a series set in various parts of the world rather than a single title, or a series set in South Africa?

KM: The focus of the series isn’t so much South Africa or Apartheid or even the characters in the book, but rather my desire to help Christians look beyond themselves, to begin to broaden their scope and understanding of the Great Commission. The theme of the series is our first allegiance to Christ over everything else, our willingness to lay everything down—even our lives, if need be—for the sake of the Gospel. The Scriptures tell us that God has put eternity in the hearts of all mankind.  Though generations and eras and cultures may change, the need and drive to reconnect with God has been woven into our very being, and nothing else will satisfy that need. The stories and settings in these books are simply tools to awaken that need in the hearts of the characters and to nudge them toward the fulfillment, regardless of the cost.

About the book: Sixteen-year-old Chioma is a servant on the Vorster farm near Pretoria. Her parents had been murdered several years before as they fought for the ANC cause, and Chioma's most precious possession is her father's journal chronicling his involvement in the ANC. She thinks there is little she, a young girl, can do to make things better for her people. Meanwhile, she fights an attraction--possibly mutual--to the white son of her Afrikaner boss, even though she knows that can't end well.

She finds herself on the run after two brutal murders and joins a rebel band seeking revenge on the whites. When the band leader gives her a Bible he's stolen, she becomes perplexed about the white man's god. She's heard of this god often at the Vorster farm, but never believed he had anything to do with her life. Events play out in Chioma's life illustrating the words of John 15:13: There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. (New Living Translation)

Valerie Comer here: Interested in reading Kathi Macias' book No Greater Love? Kathi is offering one reader a copy. If you'd like that to be you, please add your email address with your comment before Saturday, June 19, replacing @ with (at) and .com with (dot) com. One name will be chosen and announced about two weeks later, due to Valerie being on vacation with no internet access.

"Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws."

More on sharing your story

In last Friday's devotional post, my husband Ray challenged us to record our jouney of life for the benefit of our children and grandchildren - and can I add even the great-grandchildren? He mentioned the regret the family has of not knowing enough about his own grandmother’s early days. This reminded me so much of this fascinating woman the family remembers with love, awe and yet sometimes are forced to remember also her deep prejudices and mistakes she made over the years.

This is Gram with Ray at his 21st birthday party several years before I met them.

What my husband didn’t mention is that Gram (as our generation called her) had three daughters of her own, so when her first grandson arrived. . .well, let me just say she poured her love out on him in many and varied ways! As over time I got to know this whole wonderful family I became a part of, it is a real credit to the rest of them the way they accepted what she did for him! Not that she neglected the other grandchildren in any way, but it must have been clear “her Raymond” was extra-special in her eyes.

Many years after we were married, one of my darling sister-in-laws told me she and her mother often said they felt sorry for any girl Ray would want to marry! Thankfully, I never had even a hint of that from dear Gram who added me to those she spoilt, even making dresses for me and many welcome clothes over the years for our small children. This is a photo of our daughter and her cousin with “Dorie”. All three are showing some of those dressmaking skills. And she didn’t forget the “men” in her life and made all these fun shirts!

Can you spot Ray? These are Gram/Dorie's two grandsons, two grandson-in-laws and five great-grandsons. The youngest little blond boy became a father himself for the first time a few days ago.
Some of the mistakes Gram had made over the years were nasty ones. (No, not these shirts! I don't think the guys minded too much because they were made with so much love.)

The family doesn’t talk about those mistakes very much. Without knowing more of a person’s upbringing and the hardships encountered along her journey to being the strong, loving person I remember with love and awe, how can we really understand her thinking, her reasons for some of those things she thought and did? The writer in me was able to get her to talk a little one day, and that was when she told me just a couple of her problems and fears as a child growing up on an isolated Australian cattle station (ranch). Her father had a minimum paying job on the station and when her mother became ill after having many children, it was Gram who cared for the family.
She grew up in the sad era of people who vividly remembered attacks by aboriginals on the invaders of their lands. Women on lonely homesteads lived in fear and of course there were dreadful reprisals by the white men after any attacks. Is it any wonder Gram made a disastrous marriage to escape and other mistakes when the country girl became a woman in Sydney? She lived through two world wars and that most certainly also affected her decisions. How I too wish we had encouraged her to talk more about even the most painful times in her life
So, I want to ask some questions.
How honest dare WE be about recording stories of our journey?
We naturally would love our childrens’ children to know about those who went before them, but are there things we are doing and thinking right now we are too ashamed of to dare mention?

Are we prepared to allow God to change us to be the kind of ancestors they can be very proud of – despite our own mistakes along the way?
I can only pray we will be found faithful to how God wants us to live.
If you want to read more about us, our family and writing, do check out my website http://www.mary-hawkins.com/ and especially click on the new blog where Ray will also post more of what I consider are his great mediation moments.

Jennifer Hudson Taylor's HIGHLAND BLESSING--By Christine Lindsay

A REVIEW OF HIGHLAND BLESSING--By Christine Lindsay

To win a copy of this fresh and lively historical romance, please leave a comment below. On Sunday, June 20, I will draw names from that list of commentors. Don't forget to leave your email address spelled out so I can contact you. The author will then send you a free copy. Now, for my thoughts on.....

Highland Blessings is a fresh, gently-romantic, intelligent read set in ancient Scotland.

Akira MacKenzie and Bryce MacPhearson are caught between their two opposing families. To bring peace, Bryce vows to his dying father that his father’s heir, Evan, will marry the MacKenzie’s daughter, Akira.

Bryce kidnaps Akira on her wedding day and whisks her away to the MacPhearson castle. But vengeance follows close on their heels and a member of Akira’s family murders Evan, Bryce’s elder brother. To keep his promise to his father, it now falls to Bryce to marry Akira. But can a marriage begun on mistrust and the hatred of generations succeed?

The young couple contends with the difficulties of being married to someone they’re not sure will ever truly care for them. They live under the constant threat of the two families rearing up in war. And, as love begins to flower, the awareness grows that there is a traitor in their midst who will commit murder to keep the clans apart.

I love it when an author knows their historical setting. This is true of Jennifer Hudson Taylor. This author breathes the Scotland of warring clans, castle ramparts, claymores and swordplay. Yet she weaves her vast knowledge of the history into a fast-paced story in such natural ways you are transported to that era. You can hear the rolling r’s within the dialogue, and smell the Scottish pines and heather. You can feel the soft highland mist against your skin.

I highly recommend this book. For several nights I tucked myself into bed with it. This story unfolds with easy to follow twists and turns. And if you like a gentle love story, and an inspirational read in a book that isn’t going to jar you with unpleasant images, and about 300 pages, then this is one you’ll enjoy.

If you would like to buy a copy, click here on Jennifer Hudson Taylor and find out how. But someone can win a free copy, by leaving a comment below. Blessings.

This review was written by Christine Lindsay. If you would like to read more by me, check out my blogsite www.christinelindsay.com. I've written on Adoption and Reunion, am currently writing the non-fictional story of Children's Camps International, and at the same time I'm writing my third historial fictional. Thank you for dropping by.

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Christine Lindsay: Jennifer Hudson Taylor's Highland Blessings and Book Giveaway

Tuesday

Mary Hawkins

Wednesday

Valerie Comer: Interview with Kathi Macias and Book Giveaway

Thursday

Rita Galieh

Friday Devotion

Marcia Laycock: Snow Isn't White

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News

Jeanette Windle's book, Veiled Freedom (Tyndale) is a 2010 Christy Award Nominee and a 2010 ECPA Christian Book Award finalist - congratulations Jeanette!

Tom Davis' book, Scared (David C. Cook) is a 2010 Christy Award Nominee - congratulations Tom!

Harry Kraus' book, Salty Like Blood (Howard), is a finalist in the romantic suspense category of the Faith, Hope and Love Inspirational Chapter of Romance Writers of America's 2010 Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest - congratulations Harry!

Harry Kraus' book, The Six-Liter Club, is an April 2010 release from Howard Books.

Lisa Harris' thriller set in Africa, Blood Ransom, is an April 2010 release from Zondervan.

Christine Lindsay is a finalist in the historical category of the Faith, Hope and Love Inspirational Chapter of Romance Writers of America's 2010 Touched By Love Contest - congratulations Christine!

DEVOTION: Share Your Story (Ray Hawkins)

My grandmother, whom we called Dorrie, was born in the closing third of the nineteenth century in a country town in New South Wales. From snippets gained across the years we learnt of her family’s poverty, loneliness, fear of Indigenous tribes on their walkabouts and an occasional bushranger. Dorrie was resilient, strong minded, loving but not always wise.
The problem I have with her and it can never be remedied, is the fact that she would never really talk about her history. The problem I have now with myself is that sisters, brother and I were either too naïve or self interested to prod her into telling. We are the poorer for not having a better idea about our heritage and history.
Living as we do in a World addicted to immediate information, we can become blasé about recording our own journey of life and faith. When our children or other relatives are young they will not be overly interested in our story. When they are older and we have possibly left the scene, they will be disappointed at the gaps in their understanding of you and the previous generations. Matters of how you became a Christian, the high and low points in your commitment and the mercy of God in your life, may seem uniquely yours. However, they are spiritual life and light to be shared with others. This awareness seems to be underlined by the Psalmist when he wrote, ‘Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.’ (Ps. 145:3, 4 NIV) He said he would proclaim the Lord’s great deeds. This might be beyond some of us, but we can write about them.
If you are similar to me, it is difficult to tell your faith experiences to family and friends. Some may be hostile, sceptical or simply indifferent. However, they need to know. They can escape your presence, but the written word can catch them, trap them and arouse their curiosity. What happens between the words and their minds and the working of the Holy Spirit is outside your responsibility and power.
Being a preacher I’ve shared some of my experiences, and my growing children have heard them. However, memories fade, the written word doesn’t. So, I’m putting facets of my life in small chunks for their interest when that desire arises or when it is aroused after I’m dead. Our testimony and its influence and gratitude to the Lord Jesus need not end at our last breath.

A Writer’s motivation. Jude 1-3, 20-25.

Take heart. The written word remains God’s seed. Let us plant it in someone’s heart.

Prayer. Father, you know there are times when my mouth seems to jumble up what I want to say about Jesus to others. I’m sorry about that. However I want to thank you for the ability to write, hone, polish words that express my heart and desire about you to others. I pray that your Holy Spirit will use them as a ‘sword’ to pierce or ‘balm’ to heal and even ‘bread and milk’ to nourish. Amen!

Raymond N Hawkins (Tasmania) is a retired Churches of Christ (Australia) minister. He is married to Mary, a multi-published author. They are parents to three children and ‘spoilers’ of 5 grandchildren. Ray still preaches at a newly formed Baptist Church and as other opportunities arise. He helps at their son and daughter-in-law’s sea horse and fresh-water fish farm. He and Mary have experienced three short-term mission trips to African countries as well as ministered in the U.K.

Splashdown Books Lineup for 2010

from Grace Bridges

I'm excited to be sharing my publishing plans with you! This year, I hope to publish five or six novels, each of them something I'm sure you'll enjoy. Two are due out in July, two in September and two in November:

The Duke's Handmaid by Caprice Hokstad
Slavery...loyalty. Torture...honor. Betrayal...selflessness. All the young orphan wanted was security in a world that destroyed her family and left her despised and rejected. Can the simple farmgirl find a new family through voluntary enslavement to the duke's household? Crafted in a highly precise writing style so smooth it slips right from the page into your imagination, this fantastical storyworld examines timeless social issues that inform global justice today.

Legendary Space Pilgrims by Grace Bridges
On a planet that has never seen the sun, a harvester hears a Voice from beyond. It's time to leave the oatfield. Mario and Caitlin escape the mind control of Planet Monday, following the Voice to unknown worlds where wonders and challenges await. Have you got what it takes...to be a legend?

Tales of the Dim Knight by Adam and Andrea Graham
Mild-mannered janitor and superhero fanboy Dave Johnson gets all his wishes at once when an alien symbiot gives him supernatural powers. But what's he to do with them? Follow his laugh-a-minute progress as he fights crime and corruption while trying to keep his family together and avoid being sued for copyright infringement.

The Alpha Redemption by P.A. Baines
When Brett loses everything in a tragic accident, he gladly accepts an invitation to take part in a prototype speed-of-light trip to Alpha Centauri, knowing that he may not survive. His only companion is the ship's on-board computer, Jay. At first he finds Jay an annoyance but, as time passes, the two become friends. With the voyage drawing to a close, Jay develops a sense of self-awareness and a belief in God. When it becomes clear that they cannot both survive the return trip, one of them must make the ultimate sacrifice. 

Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Caprice Hokstad (Sequel to The Duke's Handmaid)
In a last-ditch effort to find his missing son, Duke Vahn sends his most trusted servant to pose as a runaway slave in the hostile country of Ganluc. Meanwhile, the challenge he faces at home is no less daunting. This beautiful story is full of images: leadership by serving, ungrudging chivalry, and faithful romance.

Also in November, provided I can get it ready in time, is my pet project CyberDublin, in which Oodles rules the world. But when its global hyperweb network falls prey to sabotage, society spins towards chaos. In Dublin, the heart of the fallen cyberworld, an orphan rebel and her housemates face a reality far less virtual than they're used to.

So where's the "international" in all of this? Well, for one thing, only one of the novels takes place in the USA. Do fantasy worlds and newly colonised planets count? I reckon so, even if it goes a bit beyond the bounds of our world. I guess I'm an international publisher, sitting pretty down here in New Zealand while publishing U.S. authors and one Englishman who lives in Holland (Hi, Paul!).

Oh yeah, and if anyone wants to review any of these for us, do let me know! I'll be glad to send you a copy.

Don't Take It For Granted!

Whenever I'm asked where I live and I reply, "Bermuda," I'm more often than not met with a
wide-eyed expression and that person telling me how lucky I am.
I happen to agree.
Most of the time.
You see, a funny thing happens when you live on a beautiful island in the middle of the Atlantic.
You start to take it for granted.
As I've gotten older, I've realized how true this is. The fact that I can remember my own childhood more vividly than my kids' early years tells me something.
I haven't been paying enough attention to my surroundings.
The lazy days of summer take on an entirely different meaning when you have two youngsters to keep busy, shuttle to and from activities, protect from the sun and sea and generally ensure they have the best vacation of their lives, year after year.
I was so preoccupied with the daunting task of motherhood that I often forgot to stop and take in the breathtaking beauty around me.
I neglected to pause amidst the chaos on the beach and really take it in.The pink sand, the turquoise ocean - lost on me. I did not allow the salty air to penetrate my lungs for long before I was up and chasing a child or retrieving a ball from the waves. I let a lot of walks in the park become chores rather than pleasure. I'm sure there are countless other moments that slipped past the radar of my memory because I was running too fast. It is so often the way.

The beach in the picture above is Bermuda's most famous Horseshoe beach. Self-explanatory, it's shaped like a horseshoe. We moved to a new home last year and the beach is just down the hill. Now that my kids are pretty much grown, I walk with my dog, and I do stop along the way to take in the view. It is indeed as breathtaking as it looks. As summer approaches, Bermuda comes into her own.
Soon the roads on which I drive will be lined in pink oleander and bright red Poinciana trees. Yes, town will be teeming with tourists and they will annoy me as they putter along at astonishingly slow speeds on the busy narrow roads, but the beauty of my island home will offset any aggravation I might feel. I have learned to appreciate the place in which I live.

I have noticed a similar pattern with my writing. I sometimes get so caught up in the need to 'get it done', overshadowed by the looming presence of word count goals and the ever present fear that I will never see my words in print, that I forget to sit back and take in the beauty of the story.
Published or not, my books are still my works of art. To me, they are beautiful.
The very gift of writing itself can often be overlooked. We get so busy with all the fine details and the 'rules', that sometimes we forget about the fun we used to have just creating. I think sometimes that's why I get stuck in the middle of a story. I'm so anxious about 'getting it right', that I've lost the enjoyment of wandering through an unknown story world. I have to recommit each day to take deep breaths, appreciate all aspects of my life, and let that shine through my writing.

What about you? Have you found yourself in this place? Are you taking things for granted?
It's easy to do, but I pray that each time my mind races ahead and I forget to stop and take a breath, God will give me a nudge, and I'll take a time-out!