BookTherapy

The God of Romance

MyBookTherapy is entering a fun writing phase - talking about romance! Now, lest you groan, all stories have romance - at some level. You can't get away from it.

We're going to look at the romantic journey, discovering the soul mate, the arch of the romantic plot. Even if romance or a relationship is a sub plot, you'll need to make sure it's viable enough to capture the reader.

I'm a big fan of the biblical book, Song of Solomon, because it depicts God's heart toward the believer. Yes, a man wrote the poetic prose, but I spent several years unearthing the symbolism and metaphorical language of this great book and came away with this conclusion: Jesus is in love with His Bride. You and me.

We've so perverted romance and intimacy it almost seems sick to say Jesus is in love. But He is. Get this in chapter 7 verse 10. The bride says, "I'm beloved's and his desire is for me."

Jesus desires to fellowship with us!

He longs to love us. Heart to heart. It's the divine romance, and it's at the core of our relationship with Him. Look, aren't you more apt to want a relationship with someone, a God, who is madly in love with you? I know I am.

He's for me. He'll fight for me. He prays for me. He encourages me. He believes in me. He calls me to Him, to partner with Him in ministry and friendship. He may even, gasp, ask my opinion.

We tend to relate to God as if we're His concubine. "I can only do what He asks. If He doesn't speak, I can't move or go or do. In fact, if I do, I might get in big trouble. No, I'd better just sit here and wait."

But Jesus came as a Man, died on the Cross and rose again so we could be with Him, as His Bride, for all eternity. And eternity begins now! Even though we are on "the other side."

We should relate to Him as a bride. "I'll speak to my husband and ask His opinion. I might even make a few suggestions. I'll tell Him I love Him, and hear His words of love in return. I'll do what He asks of me because He loves me, He is for me."

Marriage on earth is a picture of heaven - the interchange of hearts and minds.

So, romance is not a girly thing. It's a God thing. May you know the kisses of His Word on your hearts today!

Nothing is ever the same again...

Okay, yes, a two week hiatus from MBT seems like eternity! I didn’t really MEAN for that to happen – I was finishing up a book before Memorial Day weekend, getting ready for a big event, and well, it consumed my brain! And left no room for otherwise coherent thinking. (And we all lost about 5 lbs, too. *g*) Last week, I spent…are you ready?...34 hours driving. Yes. Driving. I did listen to the Last Juror and The Kite Runner on CD, so it wasn’t just mindless.

But why, you ask, did you spend the equivalent of 5 hours (roughly) a day driving? One word: KIDs. Or maybe…Three words: I’m A MOM. See, despite the fact that yes, there are weeks when the kids scrounge through the house, eating things like cold ramen noodles for a snack, or oatmeal for supper, there is one call I still hear, even when wrapped up like a mummy in my imaginative world: (my kids call it my thought blanket) – the call to be a MOM. Which means that, regardless of how many words I have left in my scene, I hit Control-S, climb out of my pajamas (okay, yes it is 5pm, but I do my best work in my pajamas!), throw on some makeup and scrounge together a meal for 40 kids in the youth group. Or, attend my son’s play at school. Or drive my daughter and her friend six hours one-way to training day at camp. Or take my youngest (and feeling neglected) son go-karting. I’m a mom first. Then a writer. (and then, apparently, a Book Therapist. *g*).

(That doesn’t mean I don’t create worlds in my head as I drive, however. *g*)

Why do I do this? Because…I LOVE being a Mom. I’m called to it. I was created to do this job, despite the challenges and sometimes failures.

You see, the day I gave birth to my now 17 year old son, everything changed. Never again would I have the freedom (nor want it) to weigh my needs/wants/desires as most important. Motherhood made me see my weaknesses, my strengths, and most of all, what my greatest dreams looked like.

We’re going to get back on track this week at MBT to push our hero into the next stage of his journey – Incidentally, the 2nd stage of the three part act – the Initiation, or the segment of the story where the hero’s world is changed forever. The first stage was all about Departure, or leaving his world. Now, we’re see what happens as he walks the road. This week, we’ll be diving in to the Road of Trials, and talking about weaving in Spiritual Threads as the hero begins to see his weaknesses, his strengths….and point him toward his greatest dreams.

Oops, gotta run – it’s Track Meet Day! See you tomorrow!

Crossing the first Threshold

Many times in life we are challenged - challenged with change, with stepping out, leaving our comfort zones.

I believe to be effectual for the Kingdom of God, we have to step out of ourselves and trust Him. I mean, who wants to pray for the crippled man in the supermarket? How embarrassing. But if the Spirit whispers, "Pray for him," then we must step out, over come our fear and do it.

It'll be worth it!

It's the same for our fictional characters. We drive them to a place of fear or doubt, then have the leap out in "faith" to overcome.

Peter boldly beckoned Jesus to call him out of the boat to walk on the turbulent water. Jesus saw his faith and said, "Come." Look at what happened, though.

From Matthew 14

"And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?""

It's one thing to leave our comfort zones and face life's thresholds, but it's another to keep the faith while we're "out there."

Peter lost sight of his vision. He took his eyes off Jesus. Look again at the verse above, "but seeing the wind, he became frightened."

Look, if Pete was gazing at Jesus, he wouldn't have seen the wind.

How many times do we take our eyes off Jesus and see the wind, feel the tossing waves. My big fat hand is in the air right now. I've crossed this line many times in the last six months. And you know what, I confess it as sin. Yep, call it what it is.

I use scripture to help me over come. I pray and lean on Jesus. I get mad at myself for sinking, but every time, I cry out to Him and He lifts me up.

What I want though is to NOT see the wind and waves and keep my eyes on Him. Help me, Lord!

Our characters face the same dilemma. Will they be overcome by the circumstances? Well, it's fiction, so yes. But, then we bring them back.

This week well talk more on MyBookTherapy about crossing those personal thresholds.

REAL Supernatural Aid

I’ll never forget the day my hubby came home from Moody Bible Institute’s Founder’s week, after listening to a sermon by Bruce Wilkinson…no, not a sermon, a challenge to go to Russia, to help the school system (yes!) teach a morals and ethics curriculum, to introduce the gospel to a country that had denied God for 70 years. His enthusiasm swept me away, and I was right there with him, ready to sell every thing we had, to pack up our life, and our two little children (ages newborn and 14 months) and hop a plane for Russia.

Thankfully, God gave me a little time to prepare, but a year later, there we were, filling out forms. And I stood at the pinnacle of an incredible journey…and panicked. What if our children got deathly ill there, and we couldn’t get them decent medical help? What if we will attacked by the growing mafia, or someone was kidnapped? I, like our hero for the past two weeks, stood at the edge of the journey and shrank back. I didn’t think I could do this…

And then, God gave me a verse. Just like that, out of the blue, Joshua 1:9 ~ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

I believed that verse. And I saw it action – God with us when our children DID get deathly ill, when I had to be flown out of the country for emergency surgery, when my son had appendicitis, when we were mugged, and held hostage, and eventually attacked in our home. We saw it when the KGB arrested Andrew on a train, and when one of our best Russian friends spent his dying days with us. God WAS with us, and that verse was a sword I carried with me to fight off doubt and fear.

This week, we’re moving our hero forward on his journey. The next step is “Supernatural Aid” – that thing, as our hero shrinks back from the journey, that empowers him to continue. It might be truly supernatural. Or it might be a token, something instrumental to his journey. In LOTR, it’s the Fellowship. In many romances, it’s the heroine/hero. In some books it’s a calling, or a diary, or a letter, or a promise. Whatever it is that equips your hero for the journey.

We writers are equipped, also. We’ve been called to a journey, and although sometimes it can seem overwhelming (like today, for me, as I’ve taken an old book and tried to give it new life), we can ask God for that Supernatural Aid to assist us on the journey. Maybe it’s a verse, or a song. Or just the knowledge of Phil 1:6 – he will continue the good work He is doing in your life. Ask him for it. Expect it. It’s all a part of the journey.

See you tomorrow when we talk about Secondary Character pt. 1: The voice of Reason!

Handling Back story Paul's way

This week we're going to be talking about back story. What is back story, you ask?

It's the history of your characters. Past events, family, career, friendships, you name it. Anything that happened before "today."

One problem writers face, especially new writers, is weaving in back story so the reader and story is not overwhelmed.

Back story, as you will learn this week, slows down the action. It jerks the reader from "now" and lures them to the past where they most likely forget the "current action."

The same is true for real life back story. We need to learn how to deal with our past, our history.

Paul writes to the Philippians in chapter 3 verses 13 - 14 "... but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Our past cannot be changed. Wounding and hurts can only be healed by Jesus as we offer forgiveness to those who wronged us.

Failures must be put behind us. We are called to ONE THING, forgetting the past and pressing forward toward Jesus!

Now, in our stories, back story can provide tremendous motivation. It can explain our character's flaws and weaknesses.

And sometimes, back story just needs to be deleted and forgotten. Especially in real life.

Don't let your back story bog down your "forward action" as you go for your destiny.

Forget what lies behind, good or bad, and press forward to what lies ahead, the upward call of God. There's no better place to be!

I can do all things through Christ

The commercial is right, "life comes at you fast."

And we can't always control what comes our way. We have two choices when we find ourselves between a rock and hard place. Cut and run, or face it head on.

When I was fresh out of Ohio State and hired on for my dream job - it involved traveling - life was grand.

Three months into my training, a horrible awful thing happened. I was hit with fear. Really bad fear, anxiety, panic, you name it.

Now this was back in, well, another decade, and things like this weren't classified as they are now. I sort of understood how and why it was happening, but had no clue how to get rid of it.

Except Jesus.

One of the side effects of these random emotions was claustrophobia. Especially when flying. I had a traveling job which included, you guessed it, a lot of flying.

And, I spent a lot of nights alone in hotels.

I had two choices. Face my fears or quite my job.

I chose to face my fears, cling to Jesus and His Word. I understood fear would own me or eventually, I would own it.

Now, it was not an easy journey. The battle was long and hard fought with prayer and the Word. Trust me, they work!

But in the end, victory. We can truly do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

This is a universal truth.

In writing fiction, our characters must face a moment where they will accept a challenge or run. In Sweet Caroline, she's handed a run down money pit cafe she does not want. Nor can she afford. But saying no comes with ramifications she isn't willing to accept.

So, she accepts the challenge of the Cafe. Overcoming makes her strong and ultimately leads her to a deeper truth in Jesus.

In Susan May Warren's Taming Rafe, Rafe is faced with the challenge of helping Kat and returning to a life he'd long left behind. Will he do it? Can he face his past to realize his future?

What's the gauntlet in your life? Will you face the trial or cut and run? Pray hard. Seek Grace and then say it loud, "I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!"

Hop over to forums and tell us your victory stories!

Focus on the Facts

Cancer
A death in the family
A house fire
A tragic accident

A baby’s birth
A new job
The “phone call” from a publisher…

We all have those “inciting incidents” in our lives that change everything. From that moment on, our road veers from its previous course, the landscape changes and we’re venturing into unknown territory.

It’s easy to feel scared. Alone. And, if we let the trees and unfamiliar surroundings overwhelm us, we can feel lost, and tell ourselves that God has abandoned us.

We’re going to be talking this week in MBT about the “Inciting incident” – that moment in the life of our hero when everything changes. But as we focus today on our own “inciting incidents” I thought I’d share something with you I got from yesterday’s sermon.

Here’s the gist: Our feelings about a situation do not reflect the truth of a situation. Regardless of the circumstances, Jesus is always our Savior, always our Protector, always our Guide. As my pastor said, “Feelings follow Perceptions; Faith follows Facts.”

John 20:10-18 tells the story of Mary, in the Garden, on Easter Sunday. She’s distraught over Jesus’ death, and sees a man who she thinks is the gardener. She begs him to tell him where he took Jesus. And then, in one of the most moving moments of scripture, Jesus simply says….”Mary.” Immediately her eyes are opened, and she recognizes Jesus. His calm, firm voice cuts through her grief to show her the truth.

I love that. Because sometimes I think I can hear Jesus’ voice, gentle yet firm, cutting through my tears, my frenzy, even my wild joy to say, “Susie. Focus on me. I have not changed. I am still here, and I am still on the throne.”

Despite your situation, focus on those facts. As our pastor said, “Jesus is always the Savior. It’s our perception that changes!”

Three things I took away from yesterday’s sermon….

Our feelings about a situation don’t negate:
1. The work in the past of God, and Christ’s resurrection. Meaning – grace is, and will always be, available for those who seek Christ.
2. The reality of Christ’s work in the present, in our lives, giving us the grace to sustain us each day.
3. The promise of Christ’s work in the future – to give us eternal life.

Inciting Incidents don’t have to derail us. And whatever path we then take, we can know, despite our feelings, God is always with us, and will greet us when we get to our destination.

Join us tomorrow when we jumpstart our Hero with his Inciting Incident!

Our Awesome Story World

I love watching the Oscars. I’m not sure why…maybe it’s the dresses, or seeing actors out of their movie roles, in “real” life (like television could be termed real!). I especially love seeing the “behind the scenes” folks pick up their awards (like the make-up people, and the sound techs!)…you can tell they’re all gussied up for the event, but that they spend a lot of time in blue jeans and t-shirts. Most of all, I like to imagine what these actors lives are like behind the scenes. What they had for breakfast. What they’re reading. How many outfits they tried on before the event. Maybe I’m weird, but I want to know how their life resembles mine.

This week, we’ll be talking about Storyworld – and more specifically, anchoring your character into the first day of your character’s journey, in order to set him up for the big Inciting Incident that will change everything. We all have our own storyworld. The texture and sounds and smells that make up our lives. Like, the sound of the alarm clock bleeping me out of bed at 6:30, and the dog barking to be let out. The smell of my husband’s cologne as he leaves a trail out the door. The cold wooden floor against my bare feet as I shoo the kids out for school. This is my everyday storyworld.

Sometimes, especially while watching glitzy actors in fancy dresses we can think our storyworlds mundane. Unimportant. Boring.

God doesn’t. He gives us each day with the glorious opportunity to be His. Philippians 2:13 says that it is God who works in you to do and act according to his good purpose. As Kat (from Taming Rafe) says (words that ministered to me as I wrote them), it is no small thing to have the Creator of the Universe involved in our every day. It’s not the task, or the setting that makes our life significant. It’s the One who has called us to live in faith. In His power.

I went skiing last week. Hung out with my sister-in-law, who is aspiring to be a seamstress. I said, watching her study, “I could never sew a dress.” She looked up, smiled and replied. “I could never write a book.”

God calls each of us to each new day to live in expectation of what He is going to do. That is a pretty awesome Story World in which to live.

See you tomorrow!

Sluffiness

I admit, I don’t feel very beautiful today. My nose looks like a tomato, and is nearly as tender, my eyes are bloodshot and watery, my voice sounds like I’m talking through a toilet paper roll holder.

I have a cold.

I’m moving slowly. With moans. Through layers of fog and grogginess, with the aid of cold medicine.

I’m even a little crabby.

But my son doesn’t see that. He sees a mom who made him pie for lunch. My husband sees a woman who made it out into below-freezing weather to watch their son play basketball. My daughter sees the mom who let her ask a boy to the upcoming dance.

They think I’m pretty good looking.

But even they don’t matter, because, well, Ps 45:10-12 says:

Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear:
Forget your people and your father's house.
The king is enthralled by your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.

See, even in my sluffies of cold and aches (yes, sluffiness is a word. I made it up but it captures how I feel), God thinks I’m pretty. Why? Well, it’s not because of anything I DO (unlike my son and hubby), and it’s not like anything I say (like my daughter). It’s just because He made me. Sort of how we look at our children when their sleeping, their blankets askew, one unclad leg sprawled out in defiance to the cold, drool leaking upon their pillows. We look at these amazing creations and our hearts melt. They are ours.

It’s days when I feel sluffy that I remember that God thinks I’m beautiful just because I belong to Him. When I have nothing to offer Him, I’m still enough for Him to sing over me.

You are beautiful. You are beloved. You are His.
Even when you feel sluffy.

This week we’ll be talking about the beauty of a heroine. And it’s not what you think. It’s so very much more. But today, I want you to stop, and just feel the embrace, hear the song, of God’s love for you, because you’re His.

Being a confident heroine

This week we'll be talking about heroine's, so we thought we'd start off with a little encouragement to the heroine within each one of us.

Did you know love is the most powerful force we can possess? International speaker Mike Bickle says, "there's no force more powerful than a loved woman." Or, one who is confident in love.

Think about it. It's true. All of our weaknesses and insecurities are rooted in self doubt, wondering if we are accepted and loved.

Too often we look to people for this affirmation of love. People fail us. Even those closest to us will disappoint and let us down.

There is only one way to be confident in love. Finding your source and identity in Jesus. In Genesis 15:1, God told Abraham, "I am your exceeding great reward."

We must carry the reward within - the Spirit of God - and learn to tap into His continual love for us.

In Song of Solomon 7:10, the Bride arrives at the conclusion in her journey of love. "I'm my beloved's and His desire is for me."

She understands she is loved and God desires her. He wants to fellowship with her, share His heart, hear her heart. She is confident in love.

Being confident in love enables us to endure difficult times. If you are not confident in God's love for you, talk to Him. Ask Him to reveal His love to you. Remember, "His desire is for you."