Z is for Zeal for God’s People #AtoZChallenge #CorrieTenBoom

As a child I had a very strange picture of what Jesus looked like, a white man with long glossy hair, a gentle and kind spirited person, a shining (maybe literally) person who drew people together. Phillip Yancey’s book, The Jesus I Never Knew, digs further into reality starting at Jesus’ birth. He was a refugee, a minority from a backwater place that people made fun of. I don’t remember when I began to see the Jewishness of Jesus, of his mission to God’s chosen people, of his life in occupied Israel.

Corrie ten Boom’s testimony, the life she lived meeting weekly, until her Nazi arrest, to pray for Jews, is also an upbringing I cannot quite imagine. Almost from birth her awareness of who Jesus was and how God loves His chosen people was part of being a Christian for Corrie. She saw more clearly, suffered in Ravensbruck, lost most of her family, because she knew Love.

This is the sort of Christ follower I long to be, knowing more fully, seeing more clearly, day by day with my savior. Thus, I have featured great quotes from my hero in the faith, Corrie ten Boom, during this year’s A to Z Blog Challenge. I’ve run out of letters but not out of quotes, so don’t be surprised if you see a few more in the coming weeks.

–Kristin

 

Y is for Yelling Devil #AtoZChallenge #CorrieTenBoom

I heard a story the other day about a pastor talking with a man about why the man didn’t go to church. The man said, “The church is full of hypocrites.” The pastor responded, “So is the grocery, but you still go there.” My husband heard the story and started putting in more places like Walmart, the gas station, and work. He made me laugh all over again.

Recently our pastor welcomed visitors by affirming their suspicions, our church is indeed full of hypocrites, we say one thing and do another. Even the Apostle Paul, who wrote half the New Testament in the Bible said, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate” (Romans 7:15 NLT).

I don’t want to make my enemy yell with joy. I haven’t got it all together. I am not perfect or better than anyone else. I definitely don’t do what I should. That new gym membership I got two months ago? Haven’t been in two weeks now. Whatever the measure for doing what is good, whether healthful, reliable, ethical, or moral, I don’t live up to it, and I know it.  With regards to the most important of daily decisions, I am standing in the need of God’s mercy and forgiveness each day. And bless His holy name, He forgives me again and again and again.

Thank you, Jesus.

–Kristin

 

#CorrieTenBoom

 

#Writing Retreat Success

How successful was the writing retreat? There are lots of ways to measure. For instance, over 8 days in Mallorca I…

-relaxed by the pool for 40 minutes

-spent 2 hours eating out

-took 3 hours to shop (including grocery trips)

What I didn’t do was walk in the sand, write blogs, take care of my children who were home with dad (Thank You, Darling!), visit social media, or cook (Thank You, Writing Buddy!).

You can see why I’m not sure how to answer people who ask me about my “vacation” since that’s not really what it was. The better measures include:

-friend and I both finished first rough drafts of novels

-26,870 words

– encouraged each other to keep after it

Now we’re ready for the re-writes to begin.

–Kristin

 

Inspirational Quotes from Fiction Heroes

As I head into a writing retreat week, inspiration seems to be a great theme to leave you with. Here are a couple quotes I snapped from ElectricLiterature.com. Check out the entire infographic for more.

Remus Lupin as Fictional Mentor Quotes

Fictional mentors quotes – Master Splinter TMNT

Mary Poppins as quotable mentor

 

 

Japanese Words I Wish We Had in English

There’s a great list of these from Dan Dalton at Buzzfeed you might want to check out. These are my favs.–Kristin

A Word for Unread Books

Live In The Moment Image

 

Steinbeck’s Writing Rules

It’s been awhile since I put out the writing rules of a great author. When I spotted these I was inspired again. Thanks to Karen Lerosier at eRealms.

Steinbeck’s Writing Advice

 

#MondayMandela

As my youngest prepares for his role in the Living History Museum at school, one of the quotes from his hero seemed appropriate to share.–Kristin