The Alone Syndrome (A Seriously Write Blog)

Our pastor, preaching on Matthew 26 recently, mentioned that when we sin, it usually happens when we are alone. That’s when the decisions are made. That’s when the actions are carried out.

He gave the example of verses 69-75. Confronted by a young girl about his relationship with Jesus, Simon Peter fell into the sin of denying His Savior…when he was by himself. James, John, Matthew, and the rest of the disciples were not around.

It made me think about King David. As he stood on that roof, watching Bathsheba bathe. There was nobody there to grab him by the shoulders and shake him into his right mind.

The same goes for the believer in Christ, our pastor said, who falls prey to temptation. Like porn, for instance. Nobody watches it while the family is in the same room.

Or what about the person who “cooks the books” of a successful business in order to bilk Uncle Sam out of tax revenue or drive up the stock price? This person probably is not going to share this with the rest of the company’s employees or stockholders.

The point is, our most egregious sin usually occurs when we think nobody is watching.

Sadly, what an affront to God that is.

Acting like He’s not around.

And that may be the most appalling part of it all.

***

So, what’s this got to do with writing?

As writers, we may commit similar sins, probably often do, when we are alone.

For example, when the mail arrives, and the rejection letter tells us our work isn’t good enough. So, we sit in our office with the computer monitor staring at us…fully engrossed in a pity party, questioning God’s call on our life….and everything to do with this writing life…

Or when life happens, and we resent our family members, our neighbors, our colleagues, or even strangers because their unscheduled visit or catastrophe has impinged upon our writing time.

Or when we finally get what we have prayed for (a contract, a slew of good reviews, you fill in the blank here), and it suddenly isn’t enough anymore.

We may “discuss” (because complaining is a sin, too) the rejection letter with our friends, but we don’t discuss our lack of faith or sequestered anger. We just want them to tell us how brain dead that editor who rejected us must be.

We may tell those we love how much we adore them, but we never tell them how frustrated we are when they show up in the middle of a hard deadline…although it may come out in our actions.

We may be thankful for that first contract or that great review from a notable entity that is certain to boost our platform prospects, but we’d never admit to anyone that’s really not enough to make us feel fulfilled.

Yet, is God watching when we get that letter from the editor? Is He there when the family members unexpectedly show up? Does He even care about your contracts, reviews, or your overall career?

Of course He is.

Of course He does.

But He also gave us each other.

To help us focus on the bigger picture.

In Acts 2:42-47, you have the blueprint, the prescription for how to be the Church. Nowhere in those verses do you find anyone doing anything alone.

And there’s a reason for that.

We’re less likely to sin when we are together, provided we are truly living for Christ (which was our pastor’s point).

In the world of Christian writing, there are a myriad of ways to connect with other writers, readers, and those within Christian publishing. Between critique groups, writers conferences, online groups, church groups, and social media, there has never been a time where connecting with someone has been easier.

If you’ve ever been to a good conference, been a part of a great writers critique group, or simply meet a fellow believer for coffee and shared your lives as followers of Jesus, you know how uplifting and energizing it can be. Especially when we help each other, pray for one another, and do all the other “one anothers” mentioned in the New Testament.

There are twenty-four “Marks of Christian Fellowship” besides those found in Acts 2:42-47. I challenge you to read through these verses, spending some time within their own contexts. I think you’ll see how applicable they are to you as a writer (and obviously as a believer in Christ).

I think you’ll also find that offending God will be much more difficult in the future.

The Marks of Fellowship

Mark 9:50

John 13:34-35

John 15:12, 17

Romans 12:10, 16

Romans 13:8

Romans 15:7

Galatians 5:13

Galatians 6:2

Ephesians 4:2

Ephesians 4:32

Colossians 3:13

Colossians 3:16

1 Thessalonians 4:9, 18

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Hebrews 3:13

Hebrews 10:24-25

James 5:16

1 Peter 1:22

1 Peter 3:8

1 Peter 4:9-10

1 Peter 5:5

1 John 3:11, 23

2 John 5

To read this post on the Seriously Write website, click HERE!

A Chat with Dr. Ted Baehr (A CAN Blog)

Another phase of my writing career is to take my published and unpublished works and transform them into screenplays. It's a different style of writing, for sure, but it is an exciting kind as well. One of the places up-and-coming screenwriters can go to get help, advice, and stay on top of the movie industry (while having all that info delineated from a Christian worldview) is movieguide.org. The man behind the website and organization is Dr. Ted Baehr. And I had the privilege of "interviewing" him recently for the Christian Authors Network.

Kevin Thompson here. We sit on the Florida front porch, rocking away “in all kinds of weather,” as the song We are the Boys of Old Florida states. And it’s true. We are the “pollen state” right now. Mow your yard, and you look like a bad impression of Pig Pen from Peanuts. Everything is yellow, and we haven’t had any significant rain in over a month. Without further delay, I want to introduce a gentleman who has been working to transform the minds and hearts of moviegoers with the message of God’s truth for years now. His work has opened doors for screenwriters and many others in the movie industry.

Welcome, Dr. Ted Baehr, to the Florida front porch! Dr. Baehr, grab a chair, a glass of tea (do they drink sweet tea in California?), and tell us about your book like we’re a reader in a bookstore who has just picked it up, and we know nothing about it.

Ted Baehr’s Reel to Real provides 45 inspirational devotions that exemplify principles from God’s Word, using powerful moments from over 150 great movies. Each devotion is insightful and uplifting, illustrating a meaningful theme.

I’m sold. I love that! I love seeing biblical principles and truths come alive in film. I’ve got to get a copy. So, what inspired you to write this book?

The inspiration for the book is the same for what, I hope, will be the inspiration for reading it: how to discover the abundant life that Jesus promised. We all want a vibrant life for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. We want to walk in faith and not fear. We want to have the strength that comes from joy. We want what George Bailey discovers at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life. So, I decided to write the book that I wanted desperately to read.

Write what you like to read…seems I’ve heard that mentioned a time or two in writers’ conferences. As you know, any book, beyond being entertaining or informative, has to have an end game, a purpose. What is the primary focus of your book?

The focus for Reel to Real is found in John 10:10. Jesus said he has come to give us an abundant life. To discover what that means, we examined over 150 movies to reveal where they exemplify biblical principles of this abundant life. As Christians, we know the Bible. As moviegoers, we know movies. What’s unique about this book is to use one to examine the other. We end up with not only great insights into the Word of God, but also a more enriched movie going experience.

I like that, too. Usually, speakers/pastors use movie clips to show examples of biblical passages they are already teaching. But it sounds like you have reversed that process, using the movies to show how God’s Word infiltrates life, even when we aren’t really looking for it. Did anything surprise you during the research or writing of Reel to Real?

When I set out to write the book, I knew that in the thousands of movies I’ve reviewed, there was a common thread of living the abundant life. In my memory, I also knew there were many movies which connected directly with the Word of God. What surprised me was the absolute volume of movies which did this. In Reel to Real, I touch on over 150 movies. I knew movies could point us to the Word of God. I didn’t quite realize just how many could do that.

I see a series of books here…all hitting the major Christian truths…Just sayin’. What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

There are two outcomes that I hope will come from someone reading Reel to Real. The first is that the daily devotional readings will draw them closer to the living God, and they will receive guidance for that day. Secondly, if the reader is a parent, I pray they will be able to use the insights from the book to watch the listed family movies to help instruct their children in how to walk in the abundant life. If a parent will do this, they will receive the by-product that is equally important – their children will discover how to be discerning and how to compare the message of a movie with the Word of God.

That is important. Movies and television are THE way most children “read” these days. Why read the book when I can wait for the movie to come out? I hear it all the time. Even from Christians. So, let’s switch gears here and discuss your writing career. What themes do you return to again and again in your writing?

What I love about Reel to Real is that I take one of the major themes of my writing and I get to bring it front and center, paired with the Word of God. The quest for the abundant life Jesus describes in John 10:10 permeates most of my writing. Even when calling out the forces in our society that are destroying our youth, it’s because I hold the promised abundant life as the ideal. And immorality and false religion only serve to pull us away from that abundant life. Of course, I don’t mean a prosperity gospel, I mean the life that Jesus gives us of joy, fulfillment, oneness with the Father, and purpose. That’s the abundant life. That’s what I want us all to experience.

Certainly, there are many things you could, can, and probably are doing within your chosen field, but why do you write books also?

All the many books I’ve written have in some way related to the task of communicating God’s Word to the reader. Typically, they have been how to help the reader evaluate the message of any given movie using a biblical framework to discern what a movie is saying. That’s one of the things God has clearly called me to – to help others become more discerning as they consume all the different forms of media.

What a great segue into this next question. What ministries are you involved in, and why?

My life’s work has been with Movieguide®, a ministry dedicated to taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ, based by 2 Corinthians 10:5. We aim to inform readers to learn about a movie before they attend. Yes, to be aware of bad language or inappropriate scenes, but also to understand a movie’s message and meaning and whether it can stand up to the test of the Word of God. When we started in 1985, over 80% of movies were rated R. Now, only 34% carry that rating. Also, when we started, only 1% of movies had some form of Christian content. Last year, 60% of the movies had some Christian content, though often mixed with objectionable elements. We are grateful for what the Lord has done through us and we invite readers to get reviews at movieguide.org so they may be fully equipped.

We were talking about that not too long ago. How the movie industry, like most other human entities, lowered the “bar.” Many movies today that are PG-13 would have been rated R back in the day. Therefore, your movieguide.org site becomes an excellent way to help determine what’s best. Our readers like to get to know our authors on a more personal level. In that line of thinking, what do you read for pleasure?

I’m a voracious reader of all types of books. However, I mostly read nonfiction, especially history. By far, St. Augustine is my favorite author. Right now, I’m reading Calvin. I think it’s especially important to read old books. As C.S. Lewis pointed out, we can overcome whatever deficiency of thought from which our current age suffers by reading the thinkers of a previous time.

There is definitely nothing new under the sun, although it’s packaged and sold that way. Good advice. We should all spend more time reading the early church fathers. Do you have any hobbies, activities, or passions outside of writing you’d like to share with our audience?

You only need to glance at the Goodreads app on my phone to discover my hobby. I think books are invaluable to increasing our life experience, and I find that reading not only informs me and relaxes me, but it also inspires me, as well.

Goodreads, another harvest field. Before all this is “in the can,” tell us about your next project.

For us at Movieguide®, every Friday is a new project, as new movies hit the theaters. Each week we offer reviews of all the movies in theaters from a Christian perspective. It’s something that no parent should be without to help guide their children in discernment. I also have several books in process, including one on the miracles in the Entertainment Industry.

That sounds exciting. We’ll have to be on the lookout for that one, too! Dr. Baehr, I want to thank you for your time and being willing to join us here at the CAN blog. May God continue to bless your ministry and influence in the world of film.

For those of you who wish to find out more about our author, Dr. Ted Baehr’s ministry, you can find more at movieguide.org!

Until next time, May God bless you, and may you bless God!

Kevin Thompson

To read this post on the CAN website,  click HERE!

Must Go Faster! Must Go Faster! (A Seriously Write Blog)

This iconic phrase comes from a movie wherein three people in a Jeep are about to be eaten alive. Can you picture the scene? Can you see the dinosaur’s head in the side mirror, with the little message on the bottom: OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR”?

Do you ever feel like that sometimes as a writer? If you don’t go faster, the world of writing and consumerism will eat you alive? While you’re writing your second or third book for the year, another author just published his or her eighth?

In a world with things like binge watching, fast passes, and freaky-fast food deliveries, it seems everything has to happen yesterday. Procrastinate a day, and you’re a week behind. So, we combat those assaults with personal and group-oriented binge-writing events. Pay good money for formulas on how to write a novel in thirty days. Some authors even go so far as to have someone else write the novel for them (with their input, of course). That’s how some famous authors can publish 13-14 novels a year.

But I have a question? If you could write a great novel or a good novel, which one would you choose? Do you like wearing mass-produced shoes, or hand-crafted ones? Would you rather eat frozen, store-bought pizza or freshly hand-made pizza from a local pizzeria? Do you like adorning your house with hand-made wooden furniture, or the kind made out of particle board with the plastic veneer? I think you see where I’m going with this.

Little in this life worth having and cherishing was made quickly. That’s not to say a good novel cannot be written in a mere few weeks. A Christmas Carol was written in about six weeks. And that’s not to say good writing cannot come from the computer of a person who types 40,000 words in a cloistered weekend. But those works are the exception, not the rule.

In most cases, however, good writing comes from careful word choices. Meticulous research. Edit upon edit. But it also comes from a story not quite told that way before. A tale that is a little different from the rest in its telling. Not a formula wherein the names and places are interchangeable, and the story is just like the previous one. Not a cookie-cutter pattern of rising action, climax, and happily ever-after. Good writing stretches the mind of a reader. It pokes them when they expect a slap. It needles them when they thought you were about to unload whodunit. It screams at them when they puckered up for a kiss.

If you can do all of that and more and still accomplish 40,000 words in a weekend, then you have my applause. But for most people, it’s not about the number of words thrown at the pages, it’s about the words placed on the pages themselves. It’s about how they are arranged. How they emote. How they live.

In a world drowning in books, it’s usually the dead ones that rise to the top. Those that have weight and merit and depth and life are the ones that withstand the tides of time, surviving even the harshest of droughts, to become the water upon which thirsty souls may find respite. If you don’t believe me, get a group of people together and see if they can name ten New York Times Bestsellers from 1990-2000 that are still recommended reading today and will probably be on recommendation lists for decades to come…like the works of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, or Earnest Hemingway are recommended. (Good luck.)

Do you see my point? “Faster” isn’t always better. Neither is “Popular.” For faster and popular often look like a flare in the night sky. Easily seen and easily forgotten.

So, write well, my friend, so that your writing may become a well readers will want to come back to time and time again.

To see this article on the Seriously Write website, click HERE!

My Eyes Are Dry (A Seriously Write Blog Post)

We Sometimes, as writers, we come to the blank page blank ourselves. We want to be fresh. We want to be original. We wish for others to read our every word. However, we sit and stare at the screen. And it stares back. It’s all been said. It’s all been done. It’s all been written. The words of Ecclesiastes haunt us: “There is nothing new under the sun.”

And it seems, in these moments, our writing has no meaning. “Meaningless, meaningless, all is meaningless.”

In our Christian walk, we run to God when our lives become stale. We ask for forgiveness. We plead for mercy. We request insight and direction. In times like these, we sing songs to help and encourage us toward righteous living, like Keith Green’s “My Eyes are Dry,” for example (you can click on the link and sing along, if you so choose).

So, for those of you who struggle in your writing, when the blank “page” stares back…when the enemy tells you you’re not worthy…remember…it’s about a relationship with the Creator…not a story…not a character…not even an inspiring word that may help someone else get through a dark time. As good and wonderful as those things may be…

It’s about righteousness.

And a relationship.

So, in this upcoming year, with New Year resolutions swirling about like evil taunts and the frequency of writer’s conferences picking up steam, appearing like trains in a tunnel barreling your way, do not hesitate to pause and ask God to bathe you in His spirit of love and the wine of His blood…to keep your heart from becoming hard…to keep your faith from getting old…and to keep your eyes wet with compassion.

My Eyes are Dry by Keith Green

My eyes are dry

My faith is old

My heart is hard

My prayers are cold.

And I know how

I ought to be

Alive to You

And dead to me.

Oh, what can be done

For an old heart like mine?

Soften it up

With oil and wine.

The oil is You

Your spirit of love

Please wash me anew

In the wine of Your blood.

To see this article on the Seriously Write website, click on the following link:  Click HERE 

The Author Behind the Story Blog Series - Kathi Macias

Greetings from the frigid south! (Don't laugh. We had some nights below freezing...and the panhandle got snow.) I hope all of you had a wonderful, restful, peaceful, and God-blessed Christmas and New Year! I know we did, and we are looking forward to what God has in store for 2018. I sense some big things are coming...in my writing world...and in the world at-large. What about you?

One of the neat things about doing this series is getting to know new people. One of those people is a guest this month on my Author Behind the Story series. Please welcome, all the way from sunny California, Kathi Macias!

Welcome, Kathi! For those out there who may not be familiar with Kathi Macias and her writing, give us a quick bio. In fifty words or less, who is Kathi Macias?

I’m a 5 foot 2 inch great-grandma who was once introduced as Rosey Grier’s bodyguard, and I’ve spent an entire day on death row at San Quentin. I have six kids, an army of grandkids and great-grandkids, and if you asked them to describe me, they’d say things like, “meanest mom in the world,” “craziest lady in town,” and “greatest cook on the planet.” Take your pick; they’re probably right on all counts.

San Quentin, huh? Just one day? Did you know I used to be in prison, too? Spent over four years of my life in the mental health unit of a state correctional facility...as a correctional officer. Somehow, that job and writing have some eerie correlations, sometimes. 

If you had one person you could meet (think outside the Bible here) and could spend as much time as you wanted with that individual, who would it be?

C.S. Lewis or Brennan Manning, as I so admire their thinking/writing.

I have to admit, I am not familiar with Brennan Manning, but see, now I want to go see who that person is.

If you had one person you could meet (think ONLY Bible characters here) and could spend as much time as you wanted with that individual, who would it be besides Jesus?

The woman at the well. I believe she has been smeared as a prostitute, when that may not be the case. Yes, she went through several divorces, but it wasn’t women who could instigate a divorce in those days. Since no children are mentioned, I think it’s possible she was divorced, over and over again, because she was childless. That would have made her shame even greater. That she finally ended up living with a man she wasn’t married to may be because no one else would have her or provide a roof over her head. I think she may have been one of the most brokenhearted women who ever lived.

Why do you live where you live?

I suppose we live in Southern California because we grew up here. (My husband and I grew up a few blocks from one another in Ventura, California, and met when we were six years old.) Three of our six children and their families live in California, as well as our grown grandchildren. We live in a lovely retirement community because at our age, we don’t want a “high maintenance” home and yard. Also, my husband loves golf, and we have our own course here.

Ever heard of a place called The Villages in Florida? Largest retirement community in the world, as I understand it. So, we are very familiar with the lifestyle you portray. So, when you look for a new car, what are the things that are important to you?

I think practical, reliable, and affordable. Although those factors impact my husband’s decision too, he is also enamored of a car’s looks. (Hence, his 2005 Sunburst Orange Corvette and my 2011 gray Toyota Camry.)

Orange Corvette? The police would love him down here...

Well, we know you're married and have children and grandchildren. Do you wish to tell us a little more?

I am married to my junior/senior high sweetheart. We have six children, and countless grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I have recently come to understand something an elderly friend used to say to me years ago: “My two favorite times in life are when my grandchildren come to visit and when they go home.” Lots of truth in that! My husband and I usually recover with a nice long nap.

Every grandparent knows what you mean. That's what makes this stage of life so grand.

I’m going to give you a shotgun list of favorites. List your favorite in each category and then tell

us in one sentence why it is your favorite.

Favorite Song of All-Time: “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me. I listen to/sing that song and think of how glorious it will be to finally be home with our Lord—and to see our many loved ones who have gone on ahead of us.

Favorite Non-Fiction Book (other than your own & besides the Bible): Nearly anything by Brennan Manning or Max Lucado. Their words sing, and their message goes deep to the heart.

Favorite Bible Verse: Philippians 3:13-14. It puts everything in this crazy world into proper perspective.

Favorite Movie: Driving Miss Daisy. It’s my favorite “feel good” movie, and I could watch it over and over.

Favorite Novel (other than your own): Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. It changed my heart/life and inspired me to write No Greater Love, set in South Africa.

Favorite Author (other than you): Brock and Bodie Theone, Their series captivate me!

Favorite Subject in School Growing Up: Definitely writing and English. I always loved anything that had to do with words.

Favorite Teacher in School: Robert Ferries. He was my English and Creative Writing teacher, and he challenged and stretched me to be a better writer.

Favorite Time of the Year: Fall. We live in the desert, and fall means the heat is over for a while!

Favorite Place to Vacation: Lake Arrowhead. I love the peace and quiet of the mountains.

Favorite Drink: Strawberry lemonade. It’s so refreshing!

Favorite Food: Toss-up between pizza and calzones. Must be the Italian in me! (You know a calzone is just a pizza folded over in half, right? I love those, too!)

When the words aren’t flowing, what is your favorite comfort food and why?

And so we return to pizza.

Before you ever got a notion of becoming a writer/author, how old were you, and what were you doing in that time of your life?

I was in love with words before I was old enough to go to school. I read everything in sight (cereal boxes, newspapers, etc.), and when I ran out of things to read, I started making up my own stories. Though I briefly entertained the idea of becoming a teacher, my only real desire from my earliest recollection was to be a writer.

Do you have a crazy, interesting, behind-the-scenes story about the publishing world you’d like to tell your readers without boring them to death with industry gobbledygook?

I arrived early to a writers’ dinner, as did Barbara Johnson (Woman of Faith and Spatula Ministries fame). We got to chatting and ended up good friends. I was honored to attend her last birthday celebration before she went home to be with the Lord. What an incredibly special lady she was! I look forward to seeing her again when I too go home.

Besides the usual things authors face, has there been an unusual event that changed your perspective about being an author?

The biggest impact on my writing came from a young man of about 17 or 18. I was doing a book signing for my newest release, No Greater Love, a novel set in South African in 1989 just before the fall of Apartheid, when this young man entered the bookstore. He looked around until he spotted them, then walked up to my table. “I wanted to meet you,” he said, “because I just finished reading your new book, and I wanted to tell you that it made me want to lead a noble life.” His words ring in my ears each time I craft a new book.

How awesome is that?! Just goes to show how we never know who our writing impacts and how it challenges them. 

Of all the stories/books you have written, which one is your favorite? And what compelled you to write this story? 

I have to go back to No Greater Love, set in South Africa in 1989. I first considered doing the book way back in the late ’80s, as I watched the drama unfolding in South Africa, as Apartheid finally fell and Nelson Mandela was released from prison. But it wasn’t until 2009 that I found a publisher willing to consider a novel on the topic. Thank you, Andrea Mullins of New Hope Publishers! In fact, it launched my Extreme Devotion series (four novels about the persecuted Church around the world) and New Hope’s first-ever fiction line, “Fiction with a Mission.”

Before we wrap things up, is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about you, or anything we didn’t cover?

My heart, whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction, is to challenge my readers to think beyond the obvious and to take their commitment to Christ to the next step. Much of my fiction is based on social issues, such as homelessness, human trafficking, PTSD, etc. As Christians, I believe we need to be actively involved in helping with/solving these issues. It’s not enough to feel badly about them—we need to do something, and each of us can do at least one thing.

Well said. I feel the same way about my writing. That's why my website says, "Where Imagination Meets Eternity." 

Thanks, Kathi, for taking the time to be with us here on ABTS! 

Well, folks, if you'd like to follow-up this interview and get to know Kathi more, you can visit her at these locations on the web:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Kathi-Macias-75996188045/

Twitter: @alandkathi

Her Website: www.kathimacias.com

Until next time, may God bless you all, and may you bless God!

Kevin

www.ckevinthompson.com

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