TODAY I MET with the owners of a small Christian publishing company, and gave them a couple of book proposals. I enjoyed meeting them. They're special people, but I don't know if they will be interested or whether we would be a good fit for one another.
MY BOOKS ARE for teens, one fiction, the other a self-help volume.
It used to be when an author wrote a book, he knew there was a good chance it would never see the light of day. Now with self publishing, e-books, print-on-demand, the risks aren't so great--although you never know if people will read your words even if your book is published.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Even if I knew tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
Behind every apple you eat is someone who looked into the future with hope and imagination because an apple seed takes more than 10 years to produce an edible crop.
People keep writing, as I do because they feel they have a good story to tell, something to share, or something to teach. What a wonderful freedom!
For some reason, magazines and newspapers usually reach far more readers than books, no matter how we love books, even in this era when newspapers are folding and magazines are biting the dust. Knowing what is going on in the world from newspapers and writers we trust is a special privilege enjoyed only by those who live in a country based on freedoms and individual rights given to us by God.
In the Bible we're told God's Word will be a light to our paths, to show us the right way to go into the future, and illuminate the dangers that imperil our souls.
I plan to go forward into the days ahead continuing to write with faith, enjoying freedom in every area of my life, and praying God will have mercy on America so that we can keep these freedoms.
If you've dreamed of being a writer, today is the time to begin work on your tomorrows.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
What does work mean to you?
Work consumes the majority of life, and I'm amazed how often it's mentioned in the Bible.
When I think of labor, I always remember my mother quoting a few choice verses such 2 Thessalonians 3:9-11, "He that doesn't work shouldn't eat" and the one that says something about "Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might."
Mom might have mentioned this one, too: "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands" (1 Thessalonians 4:10-12)
Here's a verse that lays it on even thicker than Mom did: "He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need (Ephesians 4:27-29).
But in looking through just a small section of Bible I discovered much more about work. The Bible talks about "a laborer being worthy of his hire" and another that says "When a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation" (Romans 4:3-5).
1 Corinthians 9 is an interesting chapter that talks about the laborer being allowed to partake of the fruit of his labor. It appears the Apostle Paul is into equal justice where those who work get their paychecks and give to charity willingly; instead of social justice where wealth is taken from those who have and given to those who have not.
Yet, I notice the majority of the verses that came up under "Work" in Bible Gateway teach us that it's not by "works" of righteousness that we have done, but by His mercy Jesus saved us. Yet, He points out we need to work to build the Kingdom, preaching the gospel so that others may have eternal life.
Work seems as vital to us as the sun is to life. Perhaps we should remember the warning, "Work for the night is coming" (John 9:3-5).
When I think of labor, I always remember my mother quoting a few choice verses such 2 Thessalonians 3:9-11, "He that doesn't work shouldn't eat" and the one that says something about "Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might."
Mom might have mentioned this one, too: "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands" (1 Thessalonians 4:10-12)
Here's a verse that lays it on even thicker than Mom did: "He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need (Ephesians 4:27-29).
But in looking through just a small section of Bible I discovered much more about work. The Bible talks about "a laborer being worthy of his hire" and another that says "When a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation" (Romans 4:3-5).
1 Corinthians 9 is an interesting chapter that talks about the laborer being allowed to partake of the fruit of his labor. It appears the Apostle Paul is into equal justice where those who work get their paychecks and give to charity willingly; instead of social justice where wealth is taken from those who have and given to those who have not.
Yet, I notice the majority of the verses that came up under "Work" in Bible Gateway teach us that it's not by "works" of righteousness that we have done, but by His mercy Jesus saved us. Yet, He points out we need to work to build the Kingdom, preaching the gospel so that others may have eternal life.
Work seems as vital to us as the sun is to life. Perhaps we should remember the warning, "Work for the night is coming" (John 9:3-5).
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