Thursday, September 28, 2006

Little Dozen Press Has a Web Site!

How awesomely awesome is that?

Check it out here: www.LittleDozen.com.

It's not yet in its final and glorious form, but you get a good idea. My sister Becky designed it. It's beautiful, don't you think?

Cheers,
Rachel

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Writing Tips: Using Sentence Length to Mirror Action

Long, short, and in-between: more is communicated in the length and rhythm of our sentences than most of us suspect. One of language's most fascinating tricks is its ability to mirror the action it depicts.

For example, look at this piece of narrative:

"The squirrel fidgeted, twitching its tail, as I inched closer with my hand outstretched. It bit me, and I yelled."

Shortening the sentences and rearranging them slightly sharpens the action:

"The squirrel fidgeted. I inched closer, my hand outstretched. Its tail twitched. Suddenly, it bit me. I yanked my hand back with a yell."

Fidgeting, twitching, and biting are short, sharp actions. The sentence length mirrors them.


By contrast, some actions are better expressed in long, flowing sentences:

"The water danced. It flowed over the rocks. The sun sparkled on it."

The flow of water is a continuous thing, and the sentence can show that in its length and structure:

"The water danced and flowed over the rocks, sparkling beneath the sun."


Until next time, happy writing, and may your pen be ever blessed!

Labels: ,

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

the childlike wisdom of asking questions

My sister Keturah, seven years old, ran into the living room yesterday calling out to her just-older sister, "Tirzah, Tirzah! Which came first--the chicken or the egg?"

How far they got on THAT question I don't know, but I do know that life in my house is a neverending stream of questions. Some are long and involved ("can you help me with my algebra?"); some are perpetual ("is it time to eat yet?"); some make me laugh ("Rachel, why aren't you married yet? You're old enough!"). Sometimes we resurrect eternal debates, as my sister Deborah and I did yesterday in a discussion on free will and the sovereignty of God.

If you're in the position of answer-giver it's easy to become frustrated and lay an embargo on all future queries, but overall, we who have some knowledge should encourage questions--and ask them ourselves. Questions are one of the keys to life. Urged King Solomon, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (Prov.4:7).

No great discovery has ever been made without curiosity. Some of the greatest spiritual revelations have been given in response to questions. The disciples may not have been good at figuring things out, but they could ask questions, and they did. Even their ill-advised questions opened new vistas to them: "Lord, why are you sleeping?" they asked in a storm. "Don't you care about us?" In answer, Jesus woke, calmed the storm, and rebuked their lack of faith. His power prompted a new question: "What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" The answer eventually came, and from it was born what we now call "the Christian faith."

As a parent, homeschooler, disciple-maker, older sibling, or expert of any kind, keep your mind and heart open to questions, and recognize that every answer you can give--or point the questioner toward--is a gift. As a child, student, disciple, seeker, do not be afraid to ask, even the stupid questions. They may lead to wondrous new horizons.

* * *

See Mark 4 for the story of the wind, the waves, and the question.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Athol Dickson on Evil in Christian Fiction

"We must decide what we mean by 'realistic' fiction. Here we move into the practice of good writing. The job of a serious novelist is to show truth, not true-life, which is a different thing. True-life lies on the surface, but the truth lies deeper down, beneath superficial preconceptions."

An excellent post, on a great blog. Read it here, at the Charis Connection.

I wrote on the topic myself some time ago. The article, "Beauty and the Beast: Good, Evil, and the Art of Writing" was published in "The Sword Review." Read it here.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

joy


Click on this one to make it bigger... it's really a fantastic picture.

Posted in honour of my heart's friend, who is flying again.

homeschool sites galore

Homeschoolers, check out the Carnival of FUNschooling! It's... fun. (Go figure.)

WIP Report 2006

I knew this year was going to be busy; I didn't know it was going to be so much fun! Since several of my projects involve writing and producing books, I thought I'd take the time to post a report on my current WIP (Work-in-Progress) schedule for the rest of the year.

Nonfiction

Some time ago my cousin and dear friend Carolyn Currey and I started putting together a book of humourous essays and stories dealing with life in large, crazy, homeschooling families. Temporarily titled Tales of the Hopelessly Homeschooled, it is in the final stages of editing and will be the next release from Little Dozen Press! Look for chapter excerpts and thoughts on the same themes on this blog.

Seeing as I've turned into such a prolific writer, I've decided to share a few of the things I've learned with other young people who want to write. I'm writing a book on how to write a novel, directed at preteens and teenagers who want a good foundation to start with. No title yet, so I'm calling it The Novel Book (any suggestions would be appreciated!).

I've learned a LOT through the years from reading books on writing, and hope to add a significant contribution to the melee. Since I'm a Christian and writing, for me, is about more than exciting plots and colourful descriptions, the book will also tackle issues like values and truth in fiction. I'll also be posting on these themes, and blogging various writing tips.

And of course, Heart to Heart: Meeting With God in the Lord's Prayer has been released and is now in the marketing stage.


Fiction

August saw the final chapter of Angel in the Woods written and posted to my Xanga site, where so many of you graciously followed it and let me know how much you enjoyed it! In the next few weeks I'll begin editing Angel for publication. Still trying to decide whether to publish it myself or find an agent... I'm leaning toward the agent option.

[Note: Angel's limited time online is now over. All posts have been removed. Thanks again to all those who read it and kept me encouraged!]

In the meantime, I'm heading up a nine-author project called The Romany Epistles. My contribution is a fantasy novel entitled Taerith, in which I hope to tackle the deep issues of humility, meekness, and servanthood, as well as hopefully writing an exciting story. Several readers have already let me know that they think Taerith is a step up from Angel--if you haven't read the first two chapters yet, please come by and have a read. And don't forget to comment!

I also hope to get my first novel, Theodore Pharris Saves the Universe, available for purchase again.

Yep, it's a handful... but I'm enjoying every minute. If you haven't subscribed to this blog yet, I encourage you to do so, because there's going to be a LOT going on!

Blessings all,

Rachel

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

the God of Imagination

My friend and companion in weekly Bible study Rielly McLaren posted this on his blog recently. I liked it, so I thought I'd share it with you:

...........

The imagination is a pathway to knowing God, because it inspires wonder inside us. The imagination leads to wonder, wonder inevitably leads to knowingGod, and knowing God leads to knowing the One True Story we are a part of, even in this very moment.

The greatness of a story can be measured by how much it inspires you to be a part of the One True Story you find yourself in.

At the beginning of Lady In the Water, the comment is made, "Mankind has forgotten how to listen", which is the essence of the plot for the film. We have forgotten how to listen, and it is even reflected in people's responses to the film. We do not know how to listen or perceive. The arts, especially stories, can be an avenue to spark the hearts and minds of people who are open and looking for truth, which contain wonder and God.

You may think I am just speaking mumbo-jumbo, and loose speculation; but to those of you who would call yourselves Christians, let me ask you...why did Jesus speak in parables so often? What was the purpose? Why stories?

...Because he cared about speaking to people who wanted to learn how to listen again.

"He who has ears, let him hear" I remember Jesus saying. "Listen closely," he says, "or because of your hard heart you may not perceive what I am really saying."

I have seen that the older we get, the more wonder we lose. We begin to see life as more predictable, we become more desensitized, we need more sensory injection to be thrilled. Can you appreciate a good story among friends, or is it all about one-upmanship? Can you sit in a theater and allow your imagination free reign without constant explosions, special effects, and airbrushed abnormal humans? At the same time, do you struggle through the parables of Jesus, or would you rather have Jesus spell it out for you? Is the connection a coincidence?

What does it mean to become child-like in our faith? Does it have to do with regaining wonder? Is a sunset boring to you, and something about a mustard seed make no sense? G.K. Chesterton said that he learned more sitting in a Sunday school class watching children play, then he did in all his graduate studies combined.

Paul said, "To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..."

If we have no imagination, the God we perceive will be small; but if our imagination is big, how immensely immeasurable will God's imagination be seen to be?

..........

Read the whole post here.

Monday, September 18, 2006

God bless Lightning Source

I love the efficiency of their distribution partnerships. Heart to Heart: Meeting With God in the Lord's Prayer is now available for pre-order from BarnesandNoble.com. Why they don't have it fully released yet I don't know, but it's pretty nifty to see my book up in two places at once (see below for the Amazon announcement).

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Heart to Heart is up on Amazon!

Faster than I expected, too. I think I am irrevocably hooked on publishing.

Check it out here:

Heart to Heart: Meeting With God in the Lord's Prayer

There's no picture of the cover yet (still figuring out how to get that up), but you can see that below.

If you have read Heart to Heart or its predecessor, Lord, Teach Us to Pray (same content, whole different ball game), please consider leaving a review on the Amazon page! I appreciate it muchly!

Friday, September 15, 2006

"Heart to Heart" by Rachel Starr Thomson is now available!


Rachel Starr Thomson’s powerful devotional Heart to Heart: Meeting With God in the Lord’s Prayer is now available for purchase from Little Dozen Press!

Bestselling author Michael Phillips says of Heart to Heart that “It’s not merely a job well done, though it is that, it is truly a significant contribution to the devotional literature on the Lord's Prayer. I thought it was one of the best things on the Lord's Prayer I have read--not a study or an exposition, but a true devotional experience based on Jesus' prayer.”

Rachel Starr Thomson is a homeschool graduate and author whose devotional writings have grown out of a rich experience as one of God’s people. Through ezines, blogs, and articles, her writings have encouraged and challenged readers all over the world. At the core of Heart to Heart is the understanding that Jesus did not teach us to pray a magic formula, but a prayer full of insight into the Father that will draw us into deeper relationship with Him. It is ideal reading for individual quiet times or for study groups.

Heart to Heart is available for $13.95 plus shipping from the publisher at publisher@littledozen.com, OR order from Amazon or BarnesandNoble.com!

Orders of ten or more books qualify for a discount. Email for more details.


How many times have you prayed “The Lord’s Prayer” without giving it much thought? Sadly, I know I’ve been guilty of sometimes just repeating the well-known words in church along with everyone else. After reading through Heart to Heart: Meeting with God in the Lord’s Prayer, I will never again view this simple but powerful prayer in the same light. In this lovely little volume, Rachel Starr Thomson shares from her heart the lessons she has gleaned through studying and praying the Lord’s Prayer. You will be touched, inspired, and encouraged through her poignant personal reflections, compelling analogies, and challenging words of wisdom.” - Crystal Paine, of www.BiblicalWomanhood.com


Phrase by phrase, sometimes word by word, the author moves through the Lord's prayer, meditating on the meanings, the significance, the relationship between God and believer in Christ as revealed in this short but powerful prayer. The book begins in the Garden of Eden, touches on the lives of familiar figures in the Bible, and calls us to make an honest evaluation of our own lives and walk with God.

I must admit that this is a book I've had to read during that quiet early-morning time while the children are asleep. More than once I've been moved to tears in the reading. But I've also taken away from the reading rich morsels of food for thought to chew on, and these have sparked discussion later in the day. When I finished the book, I put it on our eldest daughter's reading pile for her devotional time, and I look forward to hearing her insights.

This is a book I'll return to, the next time life gets over-busy and my prayers seem dry and profitless. Heart to Heart is something like a drink of cool, refreshing water in a parched and thirsty land.” - Jean Hall, reviewer, Eclectic Homeschool Online (www.eho.org)


Thursday, September 14, 2006

Lest We Forget

I know this is late for a 9/11 Memorial Post... but considering the subject matter, I think that's appropriate. My friend Joseph Derbyshire sent this to me in an email he'd written up after a discussion over Scrabble of the effects of 9/11 on our lives. I thought I'd share it with you.

...Our view of the world changed shortly after 9am that day. 
Afterwards, as the Pentagon burned, the Towers collapsed, all
flights in North America were suspended, and the US closed its
land border crossings, we realized the scope of this change.
And it awoke something in us. For several days afterward, we
were polite to strangers, we spoke to distant friends and family
on the phone, we remembered our manners as we let drivers
change lanes in front of us. People spoke openly in the media
of how their faith sustained them as they waited for rescue or
worked long hours to rescue others. For a brief moment, we
weren't self-centred, busily scurrying from appointment to
appointment but we were focused on others.

We were in mourning.

We condemned the attacks. We called those who plotted and
carried out these plots terrorists. We admired the firemen,
police, paramedics, rescue workers, construction workers who
helped pull out any survivors and removed the rubble to search
for human remains. Good was recognized and evil was despised.

Five years later, we are starting to forget. As the civil-liberties of
imprisoned terrorists become a greater concern than national security
against future terrorist attacks. As the media censors those original
disturbing images and displaces those voices of righteous indignation
with revised misgivings of self-guilt, questioned presumptions and
hand-wringing. As fringe conspiracy theories become mainstream.
As open professions of faith make others uncomfortable. As we get
back to our busy, self-centred lives.

As I watched the ceremonies on television this morning, it was difficult
for network commentators to refrain from speaking during the moments
of silence. Or keep from breaking to commercial. Or break away to
regularly scheduled programming at 10am.

Lest we forget.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

High Standards and Hypocrisy: Avoiding the Trap of a Divided Life

But nothing covered up is
Which shall not be uncovered,
Nor hidden
Which shall not be known;
Wherefore whatever in the darkness ye said,
In the light shall be heard;
And what in the ear ye spoke in chambers,
Shall be proclaimed upon housetops.

(Luke 12:2-3, The Englishman's Greek New Testament)


If in life you do anything differently than other people--if you hold to higher standards, or pursue unusual interests, or dare to walk the road less-traveled--you have probably felt the peculiar tension that comes of sharing an hour or more with someone whose opinions about your way of life differ from yours. Sometimes such interaction is positive; sometimes it is a powder keg, with all sorts of dangerous contingencies should it explode.

So it was with interest I saw that Jesus, when He was speaking to a crowd, was invited to dine with a Pharisee--and that He accepted. To eat with someone is to make yourself vulnerable to them: you set yourself on intimacy for a period of time.

Trouble reared its head quickly enough. As they sat down to dinner, the Pharisee marveled--out loud, perhaps--that Jesus had not observed the ritual of washing before dinner. Expectations flared to ugly prominence: the Pharisee knew that Jesus was a religious teacher and miracle-worker, therefore, he ascribed to Him a whole set of outward behaviours which, in the opinion of the religious leaders, bespoke righteousness.

In His response, Jesus did not exactly pull any punches. Did the Pharisee think Him unclean because He had failed to cleanse His hands? He was a fool... a hidden tomb... a man upon whom woe would soon come. "Did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?" Jesus asked.

Why then do you concern yourself with cleaning the outside when your heart is still filthy?

"But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them."

The dinner had sharp consequences. Not only the Pharisee, but many other influential men who were present took high offense at Jesus' words. From then on, Luke records, they "lay wait for him," deliberately provoking Him again and again; seeking for some word they could use to destroy Him.

But Jesus had more to say: this time to His disciples. The Pharisees were men who walked a different road, ostensibly following after God. Jesus' disciples were also choosing an unusual road, and were susceptible to the same traps that had taken the religious leaders.

Jesus gathered His disciples around Him and said, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him."

Leaven was an old picture of sin: it is the little thing that ruins the whole. Hypocrisy had ruined the Pharisees, and Jesus warned His disciples not to let it enter into their lives.

It is a warning just as pertinent to us, today: everyone who chooses to walk an unusual road will be vulnerable to the snare of hypocrisy.

Just what is hypocrisy? Put simply, hypocrisy is the loss of the heart.

Look at the example Jesus used in the house of the Pharisees. The law commanded Israel to tithe their income, and the Pharisees did this--scrupulously. In fact, they tithed even the tiniest parts of their income: spices. This outward ritual had become extremely important to them. They measured their own spirituality by it, and by things like washing their hands before meals. But somewhere they had lost the heart of the law. They "passed over judgment and the love of God." They did not care for the poor with the rest of their riches, nor did they love God at all. Rather, they loved the accolades of men, and the smug sense of their own righteousness.

They had lost heart; every true thing in them had died; and they remained as white-washed tombs. This is the snare of hypocrisy. Attending only to the outward, they could never become pure. Attending only to the expectations of men, they could never see God.

What causes hypocrisy?

Hypocrisy is chiefly born of response to others. In some cases, as Jesus pointed out when He accused the Pharisees of "loving the uppermost seat, and greetings in the market," it comes of desiring man's respect. We love to be looked up to; others tell us we are holy, and we partially believe them. And so we begin to tune our behaviour in order to draw a certain sound that will make others take note.

Hypocrisy is often born of judgement. We may not start out as judgemental people: if we are living differently, we will need to defend our behaviour, to examine it, to solidify our convictions and seek God wholly. The tragedy comes when our convictions turn into condemnations: when we turn our eyes from God to men. Before long our lives are all about our convictions; the whole point of living is to uphold an outward standard. The heart is lost, and before long we no longer love mercy, or judgement, or God Himself--we love only our shiny outer shells.

Finally, hypocrisy is born of fear. We often view hypocrisy as characterized by speaking one thing and doing another; sometimes it is a matter of holding silent and letting our actions proclaim false allegiances. Jesus' boldness--His absolute lack of hypocrisy--in the Pharisee's house brought Him into serious trouble. Thus, He urged His disciples not to fear those whose power is only temporal, but to live their lives in relation to Him who is eternal. If we truly live what is in our hearts we may face persecution, but it is not worth backing out.

In any case, Jesus tells us, nothing is truly hidden. We may think we are keeping ourselves safe, but what we have spoken in the ear will be proclaimed on the housetops one day. We may think, conversely, that we are keeping up a beautiful image: but the sham will be uncovered. A terrifying prospect for those whose lives are marked by inconsistency.

If I would not be a hypocrite, I must keep my heart alive. I must seek God, and love Him, and confess my sins: walk in the light, as He is in the light. When my walk comes out of my heart, I will live a consistent life--not a perfect one, not one without failures and sins--but one that is ultimately consistent with my love for God. I will fear God, and learn to fear man less with every day.

I write about hypocrisy because I, like the Pharisees and like Jesus' fledgling disciples, am so susceptible to it. God has called me to forge out a life that is different from others, that stands in contrast with so much in our culture. And the danger is ever-present that I will fixate on the various responses of men, and somewhere the heart will be lost. I don't date, I don't drink, I don't watch TV; I strive to make good use of my gifts; I look, talk, and act differently than most girls my age.

There are days when I wake up and realize that I have been tithing the smallest parts of my life, and passing over mercy, over judgement--over love.

God's blessings on you, my whole-hearted companions; may you overcome your fears in Him, and press on in love for the God who bought you.

* * *

The story and verses in this article are found in Luke 11:37-54 and 12:1-5.

Monday, September 11, 2006

the current fiction of me (and it's not even NaNoWriMo yet!)

Angel in the Woods having gone to the editing pile, may I direct anyone with the time and inclination to read another work-in-progress to this blog, where I have posted the prologue and first chapter of Taerith, my contribution to the nine-author project known as The Romany Epistles.

some days a girl gets tired

Thank goodness for blogging... clears the brain before starting the day's long stint of marking papers, editing manuscripts, and writing novels.

The proof for Heart to Heart came today! It's beautiful. My sisters designed the cover and formatted the inside, and it looks great. It's smaller than the old version, thicker, quite a bit more "bookish." And it feels great to have that Michael Phillips quote on the front cover.

Unfortunately there were a couple of typos I could NOT ignore (located smack dab in the Table of Contents), so the book is going into slight revision before I make it available. Take heart, though, I tell myself; 'twill be over soon, and the real work (selling books) begin.

Friday, September 08, 2006

on its way

The proof has been shipped from the printer!

It's getting so close to D-Day I can hardly stand it. Can hardly wait until the learning curve straightens for a moment and the book is on the market.

The Oh-So-Splendid Book Tag

This is the first time I've posted a tag here... but I like this one so much I just had to do it. I'd seen it around and was hoping someone would tag me so I could do it--I'm too lazy to tag myself. Thanks, Britt ;).

1. One book that changed your life: Pretty well everyone has said "The Bible," so, though that's true for me, too, I'll use a different one here: A Daughter's Devotion, by George MacDonald.

2. One book that you've read more than once: The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling.

3. One book you ’d want on a desert island: The Bible.

4. One book that made you laugh: Out loud? The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse. Actually, just about anything by P.G. Wodehouse.

5. One book that made you cry: Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman

6. One book that you wish had been written: A detailed, modern-journal style account of the apostle Paul's life and travels. Also, the story of my Opa's family in Russia and his life here in Canada.

7. One book that you wish had never been written: That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton. Depressed me for weeks.

8. One book you ’re currently reading: Shirley by Charlotte Bronte. I can't figure out what it's about but it's absolutely fascinating me. Also Robert Chapman, biography of an early Brethren leader by Robert L. Peterson.

9. One book you've been meaning to read: Watership Down by Richard Adams. And LOTS of others.

I decline to do the last bit of the tag, which is tagging others. Feel free to consider yourself tagged though, and leave me a comment if you do!


Thursday, September 07, 2006

prayer for a beautiful family

I was blog surfing this morning and came across an unusual prayer request which moved me very much. They're looking for people to sign up as prayer partners over the next couple of weeks. Have a look at this link and sign up if you can!

Prayer Chain for the Godfrey Family

As you know if you follow this blog at all, I go out and protest abortion every Friday morning. A few weeks ago, a young woman stood across the parking lot from my friend and I and started to shout challenges at us. Her key phrase? "What is the baby is sick?" I wish that young lady could meet the Godfreys, and know the love and courage they display.

Thanks for reading.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

publisher heaves a sigh of relief

The files are uploaded at last to the printer! And I'm only about five minutes from collapse. The beauty of timing!

Seriously, there has been some beautiful timing in all of this. As you may know, I'm a week late getting my book Heart to Heart: Meeting With God in the Lord's Prayer out. I was definitely stressing about this earlier. Then today, my first "celebrity" endorsement came, via post, from Scotland. The letter, from bestselling author Michael Phillips, was very gracious and a tremendous blessing in more ways than one. But the timing was particularly special as it allowed me to include a blurb on the front cover without paying revision fees to the printer.

God is good and His timing is always best.

My computer's a little slow today, so while I was waiting for the enormous cover file to upload, I went over some of the other projects in the works. Edit and release the temporarily-titled Tales of the Hopelessly Homeschooled, edit my latest work of fiction, Angel in the Woods, write my contribution to The Romany Epistles. So much to do... I love it.

side by side

Monday, September 04, 2006

a different fairy tale

Jeff Fountain of YWAM, Europe, sends out weekly updates (creatively called "weekly words"). I really appreciated this week's, so I thought I'd post it here.


04 Sep/06

A different fairy tale


The lines, painted in white calligraphy on the black factory wall, silently summarised why we were gathering over the past two weeks as YWAM leaders from around the world. The occasion was our annual Global Leadership Gathering, this time in an old industrial building in Harpenden, north of London.

We listened to reports ‘terrible and wonderful’–of the devastation of AIDS in Africa, of an angelic visitation in Brazil, of the rape of the daughter of one of our leaders, of breakthroughs in closed countries, of senseless fatal accidents, of tools and technology to link us like never before….

We were reminded of the reality of evil and the intensity of the global struggle, of the many dangling issues and unanswered questions, of the absurdity of our puny efforts and yet the promise of His empowerment….

A name unfamiliar to me–Frederick Buechner–was appended to the lines, so I googled to discover their source. Buechner, I learned, was an American Presbyterian minister and novelist. Among his numerous books was Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, from which these lines were taken.

Again and again, I found myself returning to the wall in the light of the business at hand in our meeting. Again and again I was brought back to the hope of the ultimate resolution of the human story–the reason why this room full of mission leaders had given up salary, financial security and professional advancement to propagate a ‘fairy tale’:



It is a world of magic and mystery

of deep darkness and flickering starlight.

It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too.

It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil

love against hate, order against chaos

in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side

because appearances are endlessly deceptive.

Yet for all it's confusion and wildness

it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good

who live happily ever after and where in the long run everybody,

good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name...

This is the fairy tale of the gospel with, of course,

one crucial difference from all the other fairy tales,

which is that the claim made for it is that it is true,

that it not only happened once upon a time

but has kept on happening ever since

and is happening still.



C.S.Lewis came to faith after J.R.R.Tolkien asked him, ‘What if the greatest story ever told happened to be true?’

This is the story we want to tell everyone, everywhere.



Till next week,

Jeff Fountain

YWAM Europe

Friday, September 01, 2006

snag # 1

Just sent this out to my email list... the publishing journey continues.


Dear Friends,

As many of you are aware, I've embarked on a publishing adventure this year! My first "real" book, Heart to Heart: Meeting With God in the Lord's Prayer, was due to be released today... but we have run into snags. That's all right. This book is my guinea pig, the one I want to make lots of mistakes on so I don't make them again in the future!

Thanks to all of you who have worked with me, talked with me, and prayed with me as I've worked to get this book out. I hope to have it released, and the accompanying Web site online, by the end of next week.

Blessings all!

Rachel

Rachel Starr Thomson
Little Dozen Press
http://rachelstarrthomson.blogspot.com