When Men of God Fail

Good men and women fail. Even men and women of God, ministers of the gospel of Christ. We hear of it through the news, or from those who know or have heard about it. What happens when it’s someone you know? Has it ever happened to someone you personally know?

It hurts.

I recently attended a memorial service for someone I had worked under in ministry who had fallen. Because of my position at the time, I was involved in the process of confrontation and accountability. It was the second time I had been involved in such a process – a few years apart. It left me wounded and bleeding. These men had impacted my life. They had been a powerhouse for Christ. I considered it a privilege and blessing to work in ministry under their leadership.

They were good to me. As a boss.  As a friend.  As a mentor. I loved and admired them. I realize that ministers face the same struggles and temptations as anyone else. Perhaps more so because Satan has more to gain if men and women of God fall. Even non-believers take notice.

One man lost his family and ministry after he fell. The other lost his ministry.

Then it happened again. To a pastor we knew. Again, my husband and I were devastated. A trust had been broken this time. A wife was betrayed and abandoned, friends and family were wounded.

I could titillate you with details – and I have details – but I won’t. I respect the memory of the good these men did while in ministry.  Years later, when my thoughts go to any of these men, my heart floods with sadness.

Do I, or you, judge these men on their failure? Or on the totality of their ministry? Human nature is such that if you do ten wonderful, sacrificial things for someone and then do one horrid thing to them, it will likely be with that one horrid thing that dominates their memory of you. Sadly, in regards to these three men, their ministry legacy will reflect their failure more than their successes.

If you’re familiar with David in the Old Testament of the Bible, David had grievous sin and failure in his life. Adultery and murder to cover his crime were a few things in David’s life.  Yet, in 1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22, David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart.  How can that be?

The biblical record does not attempt to sugar-coat David’s blunders. It honestly shows his triumphs and his tragedies. Throughout, David had a soul that could be touched with truth. He was unafraid to admit his transgressions. He broke his own heart by his lapses of spirituality. 

David’s life, nor the lives of the three I mentioned, should be judged exclusively by their valleys of failure, but by the whole landscape of their ministry. They had/have families, friends, and followers who loved them. People were hurt, and some destroyed, by their failure. The greatest destruction, however, is what the repercussions of their actions did to them.

None of us know for sure what we are capable of doing if presented with certain circumstances. Remember that before you point a finger at others. 

And so, I write of these things in my books....men and women of God who fall or fail. But, always with redemption and restoration in the end. That is the God we serve -- a God full of mercy, grace, compassion, and kindness.  Alas, I have not seen restoration in the men I personally have known. It is no fault of God's, but of their own.

My New Book

I have not blogged in a while and for that, I apologize. I could give excuses, but, eh, why bother? I was lazy. I didn’t blog.

But – today, I am blogging. Why? Because I have a new book to promote. In An Eveningtide is about a nice, but prideful, evangelist – who doesn’t realize he’s prideful. The book covers forty years in the lives of Josiah Lathim – the evangelist – and Leah – a newly converted-to-Christianity Jewish girl who has a baby and a husband in Viet Nam – after their brief affair.

Think The Thorn Birds, a 1977 book by Colleen McCullough that was made into a television mini-series starring Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward. The book covers sixty years in the Cleary family. My book In An Eveningtide is similar – sort of – but different – sort of.

I loosely based the book as a modern version of the story of David and Bathsheba is 2 Samuel. Why would I want to write a book about moral failure in a man of God – a minister?

I’m glad you asked.

I have been involved in ministry most of my adult life. I have seen, and known, men of God – ministers – who have fallen – men I loved and respected. I had more questions than answers when this happened.  The biggest question or concern I had was can a man of God be restored and be successful in ministry after moral failure?

I believe they can if they truly repent and vow to never go back to their failure. BUT! Although God forgives and restores, a chain reaction has been put in motion that does not go away.

I realize many people will not like my book. I may get harsh criticism, and honestly, it will hurt. But I wrote it. I felt God wanted me to write it. I hope you read it.

And God bless us – everyone!

https://www.amazon.com/Eveningtide-minister-secret-destroy-Secrets-ebook/dp/B01IE2VPZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469245339&sr=8-1&keywords=In+An+Eveningtide#nav-subnav

Women Are Wordier! Sometimes!

Words! Words are life to a writer. We cannot communicate without words. Pictures and signs – as in charades – evoke words in our minds. That thought leads to this blog and the difference between how men and women communicate.

My husband teaches a small group Bible study at our church on Wednesday nights. Once a quarter we do a fun night. Usually it’s just a potluck and we sit around tables and talk. And eat. Two weeks ago my husband – who loves games – chose to play a Bible trivia game patterned after the television game show Celebrity Name Game.

He announced it for a couple of weeks. It would be men against women. Yikes. We women were biting out nails. Most of the men in our group are Bible teachers/scholars. We felt doomed to lose.

Not only did we NOT lose; we won by a healthy margin. It was because of the difference between how men and women communicate. First, let me clarify that it wasn’t all profound theological topics. It was any word found in the Bible. The game was played by a team member sitting in a chair with a screen behind him or her. A word was flashed on the screen, and a designated “caller” shouted clues (although the groups, men or women, got excited and helped call out clues. We weren’t too strict on that). The object was to get as many words as possible in 60 seconds. We rotated players continually.

The women won because we gave simplistic clues. The men….not so much. For example, the word donkey. The ladies’ clue: “Not a horse or mule, but like a mule.” The men gave a theological explanation which took longer to say: “Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Good Friday on one. Balaam had a talking one.”

Temple: The women’s clue: Points to temple on forehead, “What do we call this?”  Men: “People worship there and made sacrifices. The priests were there.”

King Jehoshaphat. Women: “We get the term Jumping blank from this king. (Jumping Jehoshaphat)”  Men: “He was a king in Judah. Had a son named Jerhoam who married Ahab’s daughter.”

Usually, by nature, women are wordier than men. We won’t tell you something using 6 words if we can use 60. But in the mentioned game, it was obvious women’s brains were quicker to grasp the clue than men. They tended to get more frustrated when the clue-receiver didn’t get the word immediately.

It was a fun game night for us, and just my observations. Maybe it’s why there are more women writers and readers. 

When The World Spins Out of Control!

Everyday there is something in the news that causes fear among the people of our nation. Diseases, terrorists, economics, political battles, special interest group agendas, and the list goes on. 

As Christians now is not the time to let down on our prayers. We should be praying and bombarding heaven as never before. But do we? I'm as guilty as anyone of allowing "things" to distract me. Some days I just can't seem to muster the energy or time to pray.

God forgive me!

I have a large family. Yes, I know I've said that before. But in a family my size, there will always be a crisis, circumstance, or a need that needs God's intervention. Often we don't even realize what's going on. 

BUT! God, the Holy Spirit, always knows. Have you ever been praying and begin to weep and travail without understanding why? I do, frequently! Probably because my family is so large and the Spirit is prompting me to pray for something I'm unaware of. Sometimes I weep in prayer over things I am aware of. 

Romans 8: 26 (NIV) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Philippians 4: 6 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we're told to pray without ceasing. Of course we can't pray 24 hours a day, but God is instructing us to always be in an attitude of prayer as we function throughout our normal day activities. You can breathe a prayer or pray in your mind at any time and anywhere. 

Please, during these troublesome times, I encourage you to not let down your prayer guard. We need to be praying like never before. 

Will My Writing Endure?

Will something you’ve written today be remembered after you’re gone? In the future, will people be reading a book you’ve written and encouraging others to read it? Will others be quoting from a blog you wrote? Will someone remember a devotion of yours as something that touched and changed them?  Is it possible that family and friends will recall something you posted on Facebook or Twitter after you’ve passed from this life?

What does it take to write something that will outlive you? Do you really want to know? I do, but I don’t have the answer. How has the Bible managed to exist all these years and still be a best seller – despite the many who have sought, and still seek, to silence its message?

For believers, we understand that the Bible is God’s inspired, anointed, infallible message to mankind. As a Christian, if my writing is inspired and anointed, it should endure after I’m gone. Perhaps only one person will read your writing when you’ve passed on. But if only that one person has been blessed or challenged or changed, isn’t it worth it? My friend, Jan, writes beautiful devotions. I would wager that most of the people touched by her devotions never tell her. That’s where trusting God comes in.

Every day I pray that God will bless the fruit and labor of my hands and mind. It’s often discouraging to write when you see no beneficial results from it. As we commit what we do to the Lord, then He is responsible for the outcome. Many times I’ve written something that was therapeutic for me – it brought healing in some area of my life. Sometimes that is the only purpose God has for something we’ve written. It is because we needed it!

Keep writing, dear friends, and trust God with the results. 

When God Has To Be Enough

I have a large family – a very large family. I have five children, three stepchildren. Those children have given me eighteen grandchildren, nine step-grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. Add to that my siblings, nieces, nephews, in-laws, cousins, aunts and uncles. You get the picture.

Out of that vast number, 80-90% are normal, ordinary, average dysfunctional (we ALL have dysfunction to some extent – it’s what makes us human). Unfortunately, it is the 10-15% – those who are screwed up, messed up, mentally unbalanced, selfish and self-centered – who exhaust our emotions, drain our well-being, rob us of our peace and joy, and consume our thoughts.

Out of my five children, my son has broken my heart repeatedly. He is a broken individual who has never completely surrendered to the Lord. He thinks he has been 100% sold out to the Lord in the past, but there was always a part of him – a dark, haunted, wounded place – that he withheld.

It has been another heart-wrenching, devastating week for my family with my son.

Most of the fiction I write is based on personal life experiences – mostly mine, or those I know and love. I’m sure these experiences with my son the past several months will be fodder for writing at some point in my life.

Although I thank God for the lessons I’ve learned, the experience of the depth of His mercy and grace that I’ve tasted, because of circumstances I have faced in life, I would gladly forgo some of that to not have suffered some things.

It is daily trusting in God’s sustaining providence. He is my portion, my reward, my hope, my strength, my all. He has to be, or I will not survive.

Because He is, I am! His grace is sufficient. His mercy never fails and endures forever. That’s scriptural. 

Celebrating Easter

As Easter Sunday approaches I am reminded of the greatest love story ever told. I consider myself a writer of romance – with a twist – but no story will ever compare to that of Jesus. Such love! I am often dropped to my knees with the gratitude and humbleness by this love. Sadly, more often I take this love, and Jesus, for granted.

Two weeks ago our pastor preached a sermon about Jesus cleansing the temple from John 2:13-22. If you’re not familiar, it’s where Jesus turns over the moneychangers tables in the temple. It wasn’t so much what they were doing but their motives behind it – the condition of their hearts.

It brought tears to my eyes and an ache to my heart. I examined my heart and asked myself, how do I treat being in God’s house and His presence? I imagined being invited to a benevolent king’s or master’s house. He has made available a feast, and all the comforts and luxuries that are his are offered to me. What do I do with it? How do I treat Him for his kindness, grace, mercy, and love?

I am ashamed to admit that I whine and complain about so many things. I am often more ungrateful than grateful. The only one who has never failed me is Him. Truthfully, I would be dead if not for Jesus. He literally and figuratively saved me.

So, I write. I write to glorify Him. Or, at least I strive to. I want to show readers the Jesus I know through my fiction writing. I want my writing to be a blessing, to be anointed.  God, let it be, may it be so! And making some money at writing would be nice, too. Just keeping it real, folks.

God bless you and may His spirit and presence be vibrantly alive in your heart this Easter.  

Writing Christian Fiction

As a Christian writer, particularly a writer of Christian romance fiction and Christian romantic suspense fiction, I bring an inspirational (inspirational sounds so much nicer than religious) slant to everything I write. Don’t misunderstand, I have written a few things that aren’t Christian in nature, but wholesome none-the-less.

I have a number of writer friends on Facebook. I use the term “friend” lightly because some I’ve never even met. Anyway, there have been a number of posts lately from these Christian writer friends about religious, political and current event issues. And, in case you didn’t know this, Christians disagree on a variety of religious and biblical issues.

Did I hear a gasp? Just kidding. Most people already know that, and sadly, it is that very thing that liberals and the media love to point out. When we argue with each other, it discredits the very thing we seek to defend. I’m not talking about friendly debate. I’m talking about vicious ranting and name calling.

Where am I going with this, you may be asking yourself. The answer is simple. When I write Christian or inspirational fiction, my slant will be what I know, what I’ve lived, what I’ve experienced. And that, dear friends, is where controversy can arise.

One of those writer friends on Facebook posted recently, “What are you giving up for Lent?”  I’ve never practiced Lent in my denomination. Because I haven’t, that in no way negates the observation of Lent. It’s a beautiful tool to get Christ followers to take the focus off themselves and onto Christ.

So, whatever your particular slant is on religion or Christianity, as you write, let it simply glorify God. And don’t allow yourself to get sucked into debate and arguments on scripture, religious beliefs and practice if in doing so, you’ve done more harm than good. 

Words! Weigh What You Say!

Words! Written or spoken, the Bible has much to say about the power of words. 

NIV Proverbs 18:21 - Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.  Proverbs 15:1 (NIV) A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

We live in a time when everyone seems to have a chip on their shoulder. I imagine tiny creatures called Word Police who are constantly on the lookout for someone to say something that can be used against them. In an era when our words and actions can instantly be viewed by others via technology, this is easy to do.

Conservatives are ready to pounce on liberals and vice-versa. We’ve just gone through a holiday season where, again, there was the big debate over saying, “Merry Christmas.” Say Happy Holidays if you want, but don’t criticize my right to say Merry Christmas.

We also heard plenty about dear Phil, who got into hot water with his quote of scripture and speaking his personal belief and opinion. It seems to me that no matter what the topic of discussion today, there are those who deliberately bait a conservative or Christian with questions about same-sex marriage. Case in point is Piers Morgan interviewing Rick Warren on his son’s recent suicide. So, why did Piers, in that context, feel the need to ask Rick about same sex marriage?

If the whole sum of my life, or anyone’s life, can be measured only by a view on same-sex marriage, gun control, whether it’s appropriate to say Merry Christmas, legalize marijuana, or any number of controversial topics, it makes me shake my head in anguish. Those that scream tolerance the loudest are usually the most intolerant of those who disagree with them. God loves us all, but let’s not mistake His love for approval.

If we’re honest, we’ve all – conservative and liberal, Christian and atheist, homosexual or heterosexual – been guilty of spewing hatred by our words and actions against those who differ from us.

I admonish you to weigh your words, both spoken and written. When you must speak the truth, do it in love. Once something is out there, it can’t be taken back. 1 Peter 4:8 NIV says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Let’s determine in 2014 to let our words be motivated by love truth and love.

Those Pesky New Year's Resolutions!

New Year’s resolutions! Bah humbug! Why do I make them every year? Why don’t I keep them? Here are my 2013 resolutions:

·         Lose weight. (Naw, didn’t happen. In fact, I think I’ve put on 5 extra pounds during the year of 2013)

·         Exercise daily, or at least 3 times week. (Ugh! Yeah, so did NOT happen! My total days of exercise could fill up a month’s calendar and that’s it)

·         Passionately pursue my writing career via editors, publishers, and agents. (That whoosh sound you hear is the loudest sigh to ever pass my lips. I did NOT even approach anyone in the agent/publishing field, which is grand puzzlement to me. WHY? Why didn’t I?)

·         De-clutter my house and garage. (I border on being a hoarder – not visible inside my house, but I know it’s there in closets, drawers, cabinets and garage. I have made progress with this resolution in 2013)

·         Pay off/down credit cards. (This only works if you have sufficient income during the year, which we did not. Consequently, our credit card debt is higher going into 2014)

·         Eat healthier. (Yeah, this pesky resolution is right up there with the weight loss/exercise one)

·         Pray more. (I did okay with this one, but I could’ve done better)

·         Read the Bible more. (I am ashamed to say I failed with this one)

 

I am a faithful New Year’s Resolutions setter. I set them; I usually don’t follow through, though. Am I setting more this year? You betcha – and probably the same as the above!

I know, I know! What can I say? I love setting goals and having to-do lists, even if I don’t make it happen. Pray for me, will you? My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.  

If Patience Is a Virtue

If patience is a virtue, call me a scarlet woman. We live in an instant society. We murmur if we get in the express lane at the store and see – because we count – that the person ahead of us has 16 items in their cart when the sign clearly states 15 items or less. We tap our foot impatiently when the sweet little grandma ahead of us has trouble counting out the exact change for a purchase. We complain if our waiter or waitress doesn’t have our food on the table fast enough. We drum our fingers on the counter waiting for the microwave to heat up our coffee or food.

 

Encyclopedias and resource books have been replaced because with a tap of our finger, the internet instantly provides all the information we may need. Reading a book or resource material, or going to the library takes time.

 

I’ve often heard preachers say that the quickest way to have your patience tested is to pray for patience. Being just a tad impatient (well, more than a tad, but that’s all I’m confessing), I heeded that advice. Yet, somehow my patience gets tested on a regular basis. It didn’t take me long to realize that pursuing a dream to become a writer requires lots of patience.

 

Writing doesn’t necessarily require patience. Getting published, waiting to hear back from agents, publishers, editors, writing contests, and the like, all require patience. If you’re not a patient person, be prepared.

 

Proverbs 15:18   A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel. (NIV)

James 1:3-5 (NIV) ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Green-Eyed-Monster Envy

Envy means: to bear a grudge toward someone due to coveting what that person has or enjoys." In a milder sense, it means the longing for something someone else has without any ill will intended toward that person.

 

Jealous means: apprehensive or vengeful out of fear of being replaced by someone else." It can also mean watchful, anxiously suspicious, zealous, or expecting complete devotion. The last is normally applied to God.

 

As writers, do we compare ourselves to other writers? Of course we do. Do we envy others’ success? Are we jealous at others’ accomplishments in the writing field? The answer is probably yes, we all suffer from the green-eyed-monster to one degree or another.

 

First of all, I knew there’s a difference between envy and jealous, so I copied and pasted the above definition from a site titled Envy vs Jealousy. I like the envy definition better as it applies to this blog.

 

I belong to several writers’ groups and websites. I enter contests on a regular basis. I crave honest, constructive critique. I want to learn and improve. But I must admit there are times when I read winning entries and I think What?I write better than that! Or, my entry was better.

 

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, winning entries are selected because of taste, or likes and dislikes of judges. And, I’ve learned that it isn’t always the content of a story, which could be more intriguing, entertaining, shocking, heart-wrenching, funnier, etc, but judges score on the crafting of a story.  

 

How skilled and knowledgeable is your writing craft? Constantly seek to improve. And cheer on your fellow-writers. There’s a principle of “sowing and reaping” that’s addressed in the Bible. To reap anything, we must first sow. I encourage you to sow seeds of delight in others’ success, and I assure you, you’ll reap a harvest eventually. But don’t pigeon-hole God on how and what you’ll reap. Leave that to Him!

 

Write on, my friends and fellow writers. Write on!

Searching For That Perfect Title

Some writers struggle with coming up with a good title for their novel. We all know that when a reader picks a book the first thing they see is the cover, and then the title. They’ll usually read the blurb on the back, BUT they read the title first. How do you come up with your title?

 

As Christian writers we know our book or books will have a message. If not a blatant Christian message, it will have a theme running through it of morality, integrity, or clean wholesomeness. When I first started to seriously pursue writing, I determined that my novels would incorporate a Bible verse in the title, and that verse would set the theme.

 

Do you know the Bible is full of catchy titles? The first novel I wrote was a fictionalize story of my first marriage – it was more for healing than publication. I titled it As Waters That Pass Away based on Job 11:16.

 

My next novel I worked on is In An Eveningtide based on 2 Samuel 11:1, 2. It’s a modern version of King David when he’s on the roof of his home and sees Bathsheba bathing and lusts for her. I originally titled it The Roof of The King’s House, but felt I needed to shorten it. In An Eveningtide is included in the same scripture reference.

 

Another one is Grasping For The Wind taken from Ecclesiastes 6:9. This phrase is actually repeated several times throughout Ecclesiastes. Another novel I’m working on is A Lily Among Thorns based on Song of Solomon 2:2.

 

I also include the full scripture as an introduction to the novel. Are you struggling for a catchy title? Look in your Bible. I found that Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Psalm, and Ecclesiastes are rich sources. And why not include the scripture as the theme for your novel. The Bible is very poetic and flowery. Give it try!

Of Character and Characters

A couple weeks ago the men from our church went on a three day camping/fishing trip in beautiful pine country (Phoenix is all desert) by Woods Canyon Lake. The first night there my grandson, Nathanael, gave a Bible devotion around the campfire.

The next day they were approached by a couple of ladies from the next camp site. They had overheard the devotion the night before and just wanted to say how much they appreciated seeing a group of men and boys praying and studying the Bible.

Overheard! Overhearing! If others heard our conversations when we weren’t aware, would they compliment us? Would they say, “I knew that’s how she/he really is?” Our character is not how we speak and behave when others are listening or watching. It’s what we do when we think no one sees or hears.

Being a writer is like letting others inside our heads, inside our thoughts. I’ve usually found that most writers’ personalities are reflected in their work. Some live out their dreams, angst, desires, experiences (good and bad), obsessions, and any number of things in their writing.

I write from experience, either my own or others I know or have known. I’m allowing people inside my mind and thoughts. To do so makes us vulnerable. Of course, my writing is fiction and my characters are fictional. I have been asked concerning my book Like A Cedar In Lebanon if I am Lebby. I’ve also been asked by one of my daughters if she is Lebby.

The answer is that my characters are usually a composite of several real people. So if you wonder if I’ve patterned a character after you, well, maybe. Just maybe.

The Bible and Literature

From a 1931 textbook Good Reading For High School – English Writers, page 166 The Bible. “In addition to the fact that it is a sacred document, the Bible owes its place in literature (1) to its noble theme – God, man, and the universe; (2) to its superb but simple style; (3)and to the majestic music of its prose. The translation here followed is the work of forty-seven scholars appointed by King James I, and is consequently known as the King James Bible or the Authorized Version. It is the most famous book in the world.”

For years I was a Missionette Sponsor at church. It’s like the Christian version of Girl Scouts. Those girls had to memorize lots of scripture, and it was commonly understood that it’s easier to memorize the King James version of the Bible because of its poetic flow. Today, you would never find the Bible included in a school textbook, unless perhaps it’s some class on religions.

What a shame as a writer that the Bible isn’t used more as a teaching tool for the craft of writing. It is a plethora of the deeds, thoughts and actions of the human heart and mind. God includes the best of humanity and worst of humanity. Have you ever wondered why the worst. I have.

I think God didn’t want us to have unreal expectations of the capabilities of mankind. Who would want to be a Christian if the standard was perfection? There is only One who is perfect, and His name is Jesus. We are to pattern our lives after Him, and try to follow His example, but we’ll never be perfect. It’s impossible. That’s what makes the Bible great.

Don’t you appreciate that we are loved by Him despite our flaws, failures, and shortcomings?