Psalm 103:12

 

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

Psalm 103:12 (NKJ)

    The beautiful song "East To West" by Casting Crowns proclaims this verse in its chorus. And it's really emotional because it's a core truth that's rooted in the heart of every believer: God has redeemed us completely.
    There is no definite point that defines east or west. The distance between them is infinite. No matter where you stand, the eastern and western directions go on forever. It never ends, and neither does the Lord's grace. Kind of like the horizon of the ocean . . .

A Few Tips On Memorizing

    Who wouldn't like to have the ability to remember everything? Studying would be a breeze, you'd never have those awkward moments where you can't remember that friendly person's name, and you could learn a new language easily. Unfortunately, that awesome ability is pretty rare. And memorizing things like Bible verses and intellectual quotes can be pretty difficult.
    But not impossible. Lots of people have effective methods for memorizing things. Here are a few ideas:
    -Writing it down every day. Remember learning cursive in elementary school? Exercises every day. It engraved the way to write in cursive in one's mind at least for a few years. Having a composition book just for the purpose of writing phrases over and over again is all that you'd need.
    -Sticky notes. Or scraps of paper taped/pinned up. They put the words where you can see them constantly and easily. If you put it on a mirror or something, you could read it every day for a minute. The only downside would be if too many notes were put up that they'd become ignorable.
    -Imagine a tune for it. I know, it sounds ridiculous. But it works, especially with Bible verses. Words are beautiful, and sometimes when you read a well-crafted piece, it's like a harmonious voice is speaking in your mind. Right?
    -Association. If a phrase is successfully associated with an object, a place, or a situation, it'll pop into mind whenever it occurs. This is a technique that's used for what's called a "memory palace," which is also a method of memorizing things.
    -Saying it over and over again. There seems to be something about vocally speaking that makes the phrase easier to recall as a whole. Even just mouthing the words can make a sentence as a whole memorable.
    What do you think about these methods? Do you use them yourself?

Bubble Diagrams!

    Making the same kind of chart to list character traits can get a little boring sometimes. Shaking things up can make it more fun, and increase the flow of creative juices!
    Everyone's had to have made a bubble diagram at least once in school. It's like a spider web with large bubbles in it, some connecting to one large bubble in the center, and/or to each other. Each bubble has something written inside of it, like for example: a bubble in the center could read BOOKS, and the smaller bubbles linked to it with lines could say stuff like FUN, INTELLECTUAL, PORTABLE ADVENTURES, and so on.
    When doing one about a character, one could put down some personality traits and link them to bubbles listing events in their life that affects their behavior. Where they live or places they go to a lot can be connected to bubbles about the character's friends, and people who influence the character can be linked to their beliefs. It can start off really small, but after a couple bubbles, linking things becomes easier. And as the web grows bigger and bigger, and the lines connecting the bubbles begin to look really cool, this diagram can become a really cool and useful reference tool later!
    What do you think? Do you use different kinds of graphs/diagrams when taking notes about your characters?

Matthew 6:34

"'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.'"

Matthew 6:34 (NKJ)

It's The Little Things In Life You Treasure

 

Smooth stones set in the wet sands of the beach: just one of many little, beautiful things.

     It really is the small things that are the most precious. A little slice of chocolate cake baked by your father, thirty minutes of watching an old, kind of corny TV show with your mom, the first pink blossoms on a peach tree, a rare hour of quietness to read in peace, a special Bible study in which one can hear God's loving voice so clearly. Not huge, extravagant happenings, but small fragments of time you look back on with a smile.
    Those kind of moments really can't be planned or engineered. They just happen, and they're special. Isn't that a wonderful thing about life? :)

Humor And Situational Irony

    There are three basic types of irony: dramatic, verbal, and situational. Most people know what all of those are. All of them can be really useful tools in adding humor to a story. Today I'd like to talk a little bit about ways I've noticed that situational irony has been used.
    Situational irony is basically when something totally unexpected happens that neither the characters nor the readers foresaw. "Didn't see that coming!" That kind of thing. This might be the most powerful irony tool used to make people laugh--when not used too often, it can cause readers/viewers to burst out laughing rather than just chuckle.
    There's more than one way to be ironic. The situational irony action/event could be uniquely comical (like a duck randomly landing on a guy's head and trying to eat his hair) or it could be a "natural", every-day thing (like having another character--bonus points if he/she's annoying!--waltz in and naively spoil a special moment between a budding couple). It could be something huge that throws the whole scene into a tailspin, or it could just be a disruption that creates an "awkward silence" moment.
    A well-set mood tends to be important. Usually the mood of the scene is serious, or something important is about to happen, or characters are pondering large decisions. The scene's set for seriousness, or suspense, or another kind of tension . . . then wham! Something unexpected happens that knocks the character off their feet, or at least jolts them. And the action is timed just right to make it hilarious to witness.
    A really popular show that uses situational irony well is Sherlock (you might have heard about it), mainly in the main character's behavior. In the series, Sherlock's attitude and the way he acts is so contrary to normalcy and the expected that most of the other characters think he's crazy. But the viewers love it! It's what makes the character memorable and the show naturally funny.
    Do you know any other examples of books or shows that use situational irony like a pro?

Spring and Valentine's Day Are Here!

    Ah! Spring is here! Traces of winter are fading away, the afternoons are warming up, blossoms on the trees and flowers are beginning to bloom . . . And Valentine's Day is also approaching! The holiday dedicated to love.
   Some people have a boyfriend/girlfriend; others don't. And unfortunately, lots of people in the latter group get kind of bummed out on Valentine's Day because of that. But it doesn't have to be that way.
    God loves us incredibly! He's given us the Word, His love letter, He's given us bouquets of blooming flowers and other flora. He's blessed us with music and songs to sing, beautiful skies to gaze at. He's blessed us with precious promises and the ability to talk with Him. He is our Lover, and we can enjoy Valentine's Day with Him! Isn't that an incredible blessing?

Writing Games: Sixty Years Later

    It's so awesome having a character you like so much that you want to write about them constantly. What writer hasn't had a favorite? The kind of character you love to daydream about, write short stories about, draw numerous sketches of . . . The type where you want to write about their childhood, or about their pre-adventure life. Those kind of scenes can be a fun exercise.
    How about reversing it?
    It could be an interesting writing challenge to write a scene where a character (the main protagonist, a sidekick character, the antagonist, a contagonist) is a lot older. Like maybe sixty years older than they are in the story. What would they be doing? How would the world around them have changed? How much would they have changed? What would their relationships with the other characters in the story be like so many years after the adventure?
    What do you think?

Psalm 27:8

 

"When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, LORD, I will seek.'"

Psalm 27:8 (NKJ)

    "Seek My face." Wow; that's one invitation! The Creator of the world and the entire universe inviting us to come to Him personally. To see Him, hear Him, and be in His holy presence.
    Now that's awesome! And it's so wonderful that He gives everyone that invitation. To hear Him speak, watch Him move, and see His flawless, loving character. We can see and listen to Him in His Word, and watch Him work in our lives as we walk with Him.
    Isn't it a blessing how He does that? :)

A Billion Things

   Sometimes it seems like life is when you look up in the night sky and see a billion sparkling stars. There are so many awesome things to do, read, write, watch, go to . . . too many things. There's a scarcity of time and seemingly endless ways to spend it with so many fun, shiny things. It's so easy to end up putting off important stuff--and not just school-work or deadline important.
    As a Christian, my number one focus should be to honor God, and stay close to Him in our relationship. But honestly there are times when it's tempting to go stare at a fiery comet (er, a fun activity/series/etc.) for a while. Or even just for a few moments, then go to the next shiny thing. The next distraction.
    Not that all fun, shiny things are bad. They aren't. It's just when they're too distracting that it starts to be a problem; but when they're not, they can be extremely fun and useful. Things that a Christian can even do with the Lord, which makes it about ten times as awesome!
   Prioritizing is key. What is more important? What does the Lord want? He knows best and wants the best for us. What will be more fruitful? What really should be done before anything else?

A Variety Of Description--The Color Yellow

    Colors are an important and common part of description. They paint the mental pictures in a reader's mind as they read the story. Using creative words to portray the color can help create an even more vivid scene. But if the same phrase or descriptive term (like "sky blue" or "death glare") is used numerous times for different objects/places/people, it does kind of begin to get worn out.
    Having an array of descriptions and phrases is important for writing. They're like tools in a toolbox, gadgets in a utility belt. The words to make an already interesting passage even more exciting!
    Here are a few words that could be used to describe something that's the color yellow:
-Daffodil        -Sunflower        -Egg yolk        -Golden            - Neon           -Mustard
-Duckling      -Rubber duck     -Banana          -French fries     -Corn            -Highlighter
-Pencil           -Bumblebee       -Cheese           -Lemon             -Mango        -Butter
-Minions (from Despicable Me)
    Is this list useful? :) Can you think of other words to describe the color yellow?