“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).
With the recent release of the first two books in my new Extreme Devotion fiction series—my first ever set in international settings—plus working on three other novels with similar themes, I can’t help but be focused on the message of losing one’s life for Christ’s sake. In addition to the four-book Extreme Devotion series based on true-life accounts of modern-day martyrs of the faith, I have written a stand-alone third-century historical novel with Susan Wales, based on true events and titled Valeria’s Cross, which deals with persecuted believers in third-century Rome. The original title of Valeria’s Cross was First Allegiance, which so aptly summarizes the heart of all these books. It should also summarize the heart of all believers. But does it?
This was a question I asked myself often during the research and writing of these books. It’s been a tough fifteen months of long work days and sometimes painful self-examination as these manuscripts came together, but stepping into the shoes of people in different countries and cultures and times, as they struggled to maintain their faith under the most unimaginably adverse conditions, has stretched and strengthened me beyond anything I’d hoped or dreamed.
You see, the above passage of scripture from Matthew has always been a hard one for me, particularly the part that has to do with family. The concept of laying down my own life for the sake of the gospel isn’t all that difficult to grasp; it goes with giving my life to Christ. Because I know that I no longer live once I’m His, but rather He lives in me, the commitment to self-sacrifice is a given. But my family? A bit tougher, don’t you think?
Yet Christians around the world face not only personal persecution but persecution of loved ones as well. Can you imagine being a parent faced with the choice of denying Christ or condemning your child to prison or torture—or even death? Admittedly that’s far beyond our personal ability to comprehend, let alone yield to in our own strength. But the Scriptures promise that through Christ we can do all things—even the unthinkable.
I pray we are never faced with such a choice, but I also pray that today, right now, in whatever situation or circumstance, country or culture, we find ourselves, we will make a commitment to hold fast to our “first allegiance,” regardless of the price to do so—and to trust God for the strength to do it. “Well done, good and faithful servant” will surely be our reward.
Kathi Macias is a radio host and award-winning author of more than thirty books, as well as countless short stories and articles. A wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Kathi lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend their spare time riding Al’s Harley—hence, Kathi’s road name of “Easy Writer.”
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."
Mexico is in the news a lot these days. We hear of gang violence, drug wars, murders, kidnappings, financial woes, and political chaos. In America we battle over how best to close our borders to illegal immigration (or legalize those who came here illegally), as thousands continue to sneak into the country, some in search of a better life through employment, others to smuggle or sell drugs—or even humans. Sadly, there’s a lot of truth to all the negative we hear about this situation. But how often do we hear about the extreme devotion of Mexican believers in Jesus Christ—“evangelicos,” as they are known in some parts of the country—who willingly give everything they have, sometimes including their very lives, for their faith?
Not often enough, in my opinion. Hence, the writing of More than Conquerors, the second book in my new Extreme Devotion series from New Hope Publishers. Releasing simultaneously with book one of the series—No Greater Love, set in South Africa in 1989, during the violence and upheaval preceding the fall of Apartheid—More than Conquerors is a work of fiction based in truth. As a longtime, avid supporter of Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), I was greatly inspired by the real-life, modern-day stories of both missionaries and nationals around the world who daily pay a great price for carrying the cross of Christ. Each story in the four-book series has its roots in the lives of those whose suffering often mirrors the biblical accounts found in Hebrews 11.
More than Conquerors was probably the easiest of the four books to write, simply because I have spent time in Mexico and am somewhat familiar with the culture. I also speak what I would refer to as “conversational Spanish”—meaning, it’s not fluent by any means but I can get by in a face-to-face dialogue. As a result, the book seemed to flow more readily than the others. The exception was the substantial portion of the story that takes place in San Juan Chamula in Chiapas State—Mayan country. As with the other books in the series, I had to delve into the culture and customs of the people to bring those sections of the book to life.
I learned a lot in the process. Going in, I knew only that Christians were facing severe persecution in that area of Mexico. What I didn’t know was that many of the Mayans living there actually consider themselves Catholics, though what passes for Catholicism in their midst would scarcely be recognizable to true Catholics in other parts of the world, or even in other parts of Mexico.
I discovered that the main church in Chamula—St. John’s—is still considered a Catholic church and even has a cross out front. Inside, however, the statues of Catholic saints have been removed and replaced with statues of Mayan worship. In addition, a mass hasn’t been heard within St. John’s walls in decades.
From there I learned that the Mayans had absorbed some Catholic doctrine and beliefs while not jettisoning their ancient teachings, resulting in a watered-down perversion of Christianity steeped in superstition. Lady shamans, known as curanderas, rose to prominence and power through intimidation, playing on the fears and illiteracy of many of the local residents. It was an easy step from there to convince many of these followers of a perverted Catholic faith that the “evanglicos”—those who read, study, and proclaim the truth of the Bible and therefore contradict the teachings of the curanderas—were not only wrong and evil but also the cause of any problems or tragedies that came their way. The few Bible-believing Christians living in the area have suffered greatly as a result.
It was against that backdrop that I wrote More than Conquerors. The main character, Hector Rodriguez, pastors a small house church in the border town of Tijuana, where he lives with his wife and three small children. Hector also makes occasional trips to San Juan Chamula and other outlying areas of his beloved country to deliver Bibles and to speak to any who will listen to the truth of the gospel. His mother, Virginia, accompanies him on one of his trips and feels God has called her to remain with one of the few Christian families in Chamula, where she will use the Bible as her primer to teach reading to any who will come.
Hector grieves and worries over his mother’s decision, but he knows she has to follow God’s leading, wherever that takes her. Still, he doesn’t give up hoping that she will soon return to the relative safety of their Tijuana home.
He soon realizes, however, that Tijuana is not without its own dangers and challenges. When gang violence threatens to invade the sanctity of their Casa de Dios church, Hector wrestles with the possible cost to himself and his family. How far must they go to follow this call of Christ?
Hector’s American protégé, Marty, faces a similar challenge. Recently graduated from Bible college and seeking God for clear direction, Marty crosses the border from San Diego and spends time with the Rodriguez family. It isn’t long before he finds himself deeply attracted to Hector’s beautiful young sister-in-law. As the romance develops and Marty finds himself pulled to follow in Virginia’s footsteps and minister to the Mayans in San Juan Chamula, he wonders if it’s fair to marry and take a wife into such a dangerous situation.
None of the four books in this series offers any simplistic or pat answers; instead they challenge readers to search their own hearts and evaluate the depth of their own commitment to follow Christ, regardless of the cost. In the process of writing this series, my commitment and dedication was also challenged to the core, even as my love and admiration for my suffering brothers and sisters in Christ deepened beyond my greatest imaginings. I am both grateful and humbled that God allowed me to write such stories of love and adventure for such a noble cause.
Kathi Macias is a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother—as well as a radio show host and a multi-award winning writer who has authored 30 books and ghostwritten many others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and is a regular guest on radio and television. She is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and recently won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association). Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend their free time riding their Harley.
Valerie Comer here: Interested in reading Kathi Macias' book More than Conquerors? Kathi is giving away one copy to someone who lives on Planet Earth (at least in an area where such book giveaways are allowed) and who leaves a comment with valid email address before Friday midnight (PST). The winner will be announced in the May 13 Sunday Edition here at ICFW.
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).
This was a question I asked myself often during the research and writing of these books. It’s been a tough fifteen months of long work days and sometimes painful self-examination as these manuscripts came together, but stepping into the shoes of people in different countries and cultures and times, as they struggled to maintain their faith under the most unimaginably adverse conditions, has stretched and strengthened me beyond anything I’d hoped or dreamed.
You see, the above passage of scripture from Matthew has always been a hard one for me, particularly the part that has to do with family. The concept of laying down my own life for the sake of the gospel isn’t all that difficult to grasp; it goes with giving my life to Christ. Because I know that I no longer live once I’m His, but rather He lives in me, the commitment to self-sacrifice is a given. But my family? A bit tougher, don’t you think?
I pray we are never faced with such a choice, but I also pray that today, right now, in whatever situation or circumstance, country or culture, we find ourselves, we will make a commitment to hold fast to our “first allegiance,” regardless of the price to do so—and to trust God for the strength to do it. “Well done, good and faithful servant” will surely be our reward.
