“Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.” Psalm 150:3-5 (NIV) What strikes me about Psalm 150 is the variety of tones, sounds, and instruments. There are so many things to praise God for – so much to convey – that we need a variety of means to express it all. That’s also why I’m grateful for the variety of genres that Christian writers are using to communicate …
Sunday Devotional – Seeking Him
“God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” Acts. 17:27-28 (NIV1984) God delights in “being found” by us – in revealing Himself to us. He is so awesome and multifaceted that we will never stop discovering new aspects of His mercy, grace, strength, and holiness. I love the moments in writing where a scene, a character, or an event …
Sunday Devotional – Beauty
“And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground–trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” Genesis 2:9a (NIV1984) Reading this verse, I realized God could have created a food source that was a little gray box that popped out fruit as needed. Instead He made a lush variety of shapes, colors, and types of trees–trees that stir as the wind tickles them, trees that change color. In short, He designed trees that are not only utilitarian, but beautiful. Lord, thank You for creating beauty. Help us go beyond utilitarian uses of …
Sunday Devotional – Love
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” I Corinthians 13:1 When writing a novel, there are zillions of concepts to keep in mind. Craft, creativity, diligence and skill are vital, but I’m glad for this reminder of our key focus. Our writing is an overflow of God’s love for us. If I’m not motivated by love for Him and for the readers of the book, the words are just more noise in a world already full of clamoring. Lord, thank You for …