1 Corinthians 16:14

 

"Let all that you do be done with love."

1 Corinthians 16:14 (NKJ)

    Why do something if you don't like to do it?
    Not counting chores or other mandatory duties, of course.
    The best things made are those that were made with the labor of love. A real passion to create, a determination to work hard because you deeply care about it. Love is the strongest, most powerful motivation--and sometimes, it's all that gets you to continue on when you'd otherwise want to give up. Love for something is very important in writing and other ministries.
    But I think this Bible verse applies not only to using your talents, but also in "normal" stuff life as well. Like going to school/work--you can do that with love by brightening your teacher/boss's day with enthusiasm and diligence.
    It really makes things better--tasks become more pleasant for everyone. Don't you agree? :)

Life's A Story

    Wow. I've been rereading a diary I wrote in during a tumultuous time in my life and . . . wow.
    It's amazing how our lives are like a story--some days it might not be so obvious, but there are major changes going on, events that God orchestrates. If you look back at all the details, you can see God's hand in your life, leading you along, protecting you, causing things to happen in your life that make things better. It's phenomenal . . .
    The Bible is like that too. Books like Esther and Job are biographies. Books like Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, and Acts is a recording of events that happen to a certain people. The Psalms show the hearts of the psalmists, what they were going through, what was on their minds during difficult and emotional times
    Life is exactly like a story, I think. And God is the wonderful, awesome Author who writes it.
    Do you agree? :)

Add Personality

   

 

    Have you ever quit reading a book because you felt it was dry? That there was something amiss in its writing, something that made it difficult to go on. It wasn't the plot, and it wasn't the storyworld, and the characters weren't unlikeable . . .
    Maybe it was the narration. It could be that the writing voice was drab, repetitive, nondescript. That it had no real voice.
    Having personality in the POV is vital--even if it's in 3rd person narration. The voice in the story sets a mood that floats around the reader as they read. Having a fun, exciting, awesome mood or a slow, deep, sweet mood is great depending on your genre. But having a drab mood worded blandly is not so great for any type of story.
    Using unique wording and describing things in a personified way are a few ways to add personality. Like instead of just writing: a blue flower, you could write: a small blossom with the color of the Atlantic's waves.
    So, what do you think? :)

Romans 5:20

". . . But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,"

Romans 5:20 (NKJ)

    I used to be constantly haunted by guilt about the dumb things I did before becoming a Christian--stupid, hurtful, childish things. Embarrassing things. It's painful to think about, and those memories just kept coming back to me on a daily basis. The guilt made life miserable.
    But one day, God got me to understand something this Bible verse exemplifies: His grace is greater and more powerful than not only the small mistakes, but the biggest sins--His grace forgives me of all the sins I committed.
    There's no limit to how many mistakes and sins God will forgive if we turn to Him with honest repentance. And He won't give up on us when we keep slipping up because His forgiveness is so vast.
    So we don't have to live with haunting guilt--we don't have to listen to the voices that continuously tell us we should be ashamed. God's grace has us completely covered, absolutely forgiven, totally redeemed.

Not A Robot

    Repetitious conversation with meaningless words are not good between friends, spouses, or family--often, it indicates that there's something amiss in the relationship. I think it's the same with our relationship with God.
    There's a lot of people who say the same prayer to God every day without meaning the words, people who recite without actually speaking to Him, like they're talking to a brick wall. The words are often pious, polite--but cold and emotionless. Robotic. And God doesn't want that.
    He wants a real, genuine relationship with us where we have deep and meaningful conversations with Him. Where we're comfortable speaking with Him, being in His presence often, and have His perfect peace with us everywhere. He wants us to have fun with Him, chat with Him, go on adventures with Him. He wants the real you, not a robot.
    Having this kind of real relationship with God is truly awesome. It makes you feel so alive.
    Can I get an amen?

Luke 8:17

 

"For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light."

Luke 8:17 (NKJ)

    Eventually, everything that was hidden will be known. All the secrets will be revealed.
    Every intention--bad and good--will be shown, every bad thing done in secret will be exposed, and the most important truth--rejected so often these days--will finally be shown to all as reality. Nothing will be covered up, nothing true will be ignored.
    This is a breath of fresh air, isn't it? To know that one day--perhaps very soon--every evil thing that was done and hidden will be revealed, justice will finally be served. Lies will be obliterated, and everyone will realize that God's truth--the truth we speak--is genuine and real.
    That will be such an awesome day, won't it? :)

Make The Most Of It

    Today, while I was walking back to my house, it rained--and it wasn't just a drizzle, it was rain that was unusually fierce and hard for the area I live in. Walking through it, I got wet. And I mean really, really, really wet.
    The rain was pelting down on me, my eyes were stinging from it, my precious denim jacket was getting drenched, my socks were even getting wet, so was the stuff inside my backpack, and I don't think there was a strand of dry hair left on my head by the time I got to shelter.
    It was not fun, getting very, very wet. I know this weather was nothing in comparison to the weather others have to face, but  people in my area aren't used to such heavy rain. Plus I didn't have an umbrella or a hoodie.  I got so wet and cold that I couldn't feel my pinkie toe when I got indoors. I felt a temptation to brood over the timing of this weather.
    But I didn't. Instead, as I was being rained on, I thought of how this would help me write scenes about a character being soaked in the rain. And with that thought, I daydreamed a bit about such scenes and characters, stories that would be a part of. It turned out to be really fun and awesome.
    So I guess it goes to show: making the most of things really does make situations better. I hope you find that to be true as well. :)

Likeable Characters = Happy Readers

    Think for a moment about your favorite character from a book, or even a TV show or movie.
    Why is s/he your favorite? Is it their looks, their awesome abilities, their hilarious clumsiness, their merciless sarcasm, their unique look on the world? Do you like them most of all because they're a lot like yourself, or because they've got qualities you want to have?
    Chances are, you may have said yes to at least one of those questions. I believe that the stuff listed are some of the components for a great and likeable character, the best kind of character.
    Reading a book, you're not only going on the same journey as the main characters, but you spend time with them, in their heads, with their friends. As a writer, you'd want your main character to be someone the readers want to spend time with. After all, who would you rather hang out with: a charming, funny, and smart guy who likes having the same kind of fun you enjoy, or a jerk who hates everyone, has nothing in common with you at all, and is always complaining about something?
    Readers will want to read a book about a likeable character. Characters they can relate to, laugh with, have a great time with, characters they'll want to be around. Sure, they'll still have issues (all people do) but this is also really good for a character because readers will want to see them overcome those issues.
    Well, I hope this helps. Have fun with your characters! :)

Psalm 37:8

"Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret--it only causes harm."

Psalm 37:8

    It is very, very, very easy to get angry or worried, isn't it?
    Especially when somebody is annoying you, or when it looks like you or something you care about is going to be ruined. When the jerk sitting next to you or disaster strikes, so does the temptation to lash back or curl up into a tiny shivering ball. Often, a person does so, and they feel better/justified for a moment or two.
    However, whenever God tells us not to do something, there's a really good reason for it.
    The fact is, anger burns--it burns the person you're angry at, and it burns you as well. Letting fury loose often causes damage emotionally, relationship-wise, and sometimes physically. Anger also often leads to bitterness, which lingers longer. And once fear gets its claws into you, it's hard to get rid of. A person tends to remain afraid, become afraid of more things, it weakens them, and it paralyzes them. Slowly, fear tears a person down.
    So there are very good reasons to not be angry or fearful--especially one.
    That reason is that the Lord is with us. He is our avenger and He does not allow injustice to go unpunished. He sees that jerk annoying you, and He'll take care of it in the best way. He also sees your problems, all your fears, and He's infinitely stronger and more powerful than it.
    So we can relax, not get angry, and not be fearful. Isn't that neat?

He Understands Misunderstandings

 

    One of the most complicated and embarrassing type of problems are misunderstandings. They are the worst.
    It's when people think you did something that you didn't, or when they mistake you for something else. It can make you look really, really, really bad, and the embarrassment can last a long time. Often, when I get caught up in a misunderstanding, I get a feeling of helplessness--a feeling that no one understands me, and there's nothing I can do about it, that I'll always be condemned.
    But that's not true. God understands us in every situation. He knows our hearts, what our intentions are. He has also personally experienced misunderstandings when He walked the earth as Jesus of Nazareth. People misunderstood what He said, what He taught, and who He is, and they hated Him because of it.
    God understands the aching that comes from misunderstanding--He really understands, and He wants to comfort us. I've found that this gives great peace--don't you agree? :)

All Good Writing Begins With . . .

"Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere."

~Anne Lamott

    More than once I've looked over something I'd just written and groaned--most times mentally, but sometimes audibly. The word choice was all wrong, the sentence structures seemed out of whack, the MC's vocabulary was not only identical to other characters'  but it also didn't even match her own personality. The rough-draft-ness of the first draft is so irritating and depressing that sometimes it makes me want to give up on the story.
    That's why I'm so relieved to hear quotes like this one. To know that it's okay to have terrible first drafts. That other authors go through this and that even great works were like this once. It encourages me to not give up. It's very reassuring.
    Don't you agree? :)

Hebrews 11:6

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJ)

    God adores it when we put our faith in Him, when we not only trust Him but trust in Him.
    To have faith in someone is to believe that they are telling the truth and that they can accomplish what they say they can. When we put our faith in the Lord, we're trusting that He will work everything out perfectly--which He will. When we put our faith in God, we aren't afraid at all--which can be difficult, but it's possible to do. Plus, God appreciates it--He loves it when we believe in Him.
    Put your faith in the Lord. You can count on Him to solve the problem--He's never failed before. The Lord has a great plan that will be worth any trouble--just trust Him and trust in Him. :)

Ray Bradbury On Hiding Ignorance

"If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn."

~Ray Bradbury

    Who likes being hit? Not me. I'd rather not get smacked physically or figuratively. I'd also rather never be wrong either--I'd prefer to be correct in everything I do. Who doesn't feel that way?
    But there are times in life where we don't know something and we realize that--but we're afraid of asking for fear of being thought of as ignorant or stupid or something. So we stay silent and try to guess at what to do.
    But really, it'd be better for us to just go out and ask for an explanation. Sure, we might sound a little unknowledgeable--but the judgment, if there is any, probably won't last for more than a day. Plus you will officially learn quickly what you didn't know before.
    It's okay to admit it when you don't know something. Don't be afraid to ask.
    I hope you have a great weekend, citizens of blog land! :)