Cast Out All Fear

Hello, friends! Thank you so much for your patience as I'm figuring out how to fit everything into a condensed sit-down schedule, due to my current back discomfort.

{Remember when I mentioned an article on color-coded editing, to be looking for that in June? Well, my schedule did not go as planned in June. I have not forgotten about that article, and it will be coming. My new goal for that is before summer is over (so before the end of August). I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get it to you sometime in July.}

How many of us have experienced fear in the last few months? We've had lots of reasons to be afraid, and I don't think I have to list them all out. Just scroll through any social media site or mainstream media news feed if you want details. (I don't recommend this, for your sanity. Search for conservative news outlets instead. There's more truth and less fear in these outlets.)

I wonder if we've forgotten what the Bible says about fear.

Fear of the Lord

by Andrea Renee Cox

I am enjoying a one-day break between two copyediting jobs, and thankfully, it's a Sunday, which means an off day from my tutoring job as well. I love both of my employments, but sometimes a girl just needs a break. Today is that day for me.

During this minuscule reprieve, I sought refuge and rest in the Word of God. Best place to find it, if you ask me. A recurring theme in the verses I read this morning was the "fear of the Lord." As those words soaked through my skin and into my heart, it occurred to me once again that the fear here is not that we are necessarily afraid of God, but more than we respect Him with a holy reverence. He is so amazing and absolutely wonderful, how could we not have the utmost respect for Him? May praise and honor for Him spill from our lips.

Here are the verses that got me meditating on the "fear of the Lord" this morning. (All the verses are in the New King James version, as that is the one I read them from.)

Always Watching by Lynette Eason

by Andrea Renee Cox

When a radio host is being stalked, the women of the Elite Guardians Bodyguard Agency swoop in to protect him and his twelve-year-old daughter. But what if the stalker turns violent... and aims at the protectors?

Always Watching is the first book in Lynette Eason's newest series: Elite Guardians. It's fast-paced adventure with memorable characters that face true-to-life issues, including common fears.

A Broken Kind of Beautiful

By Andrea Renee Cox

After reading Katie Ganshert’s first two novels, I’ve come to expect brilliance in the form of broken characters struggling to discover a way to live life again. What took me by surprise in A Broken Kind of Beautiful was the new depth Katie found. Her characters weren’t only broken; they’d been completely shattered like a dropped snow globe. Ivy Clark in particular was lost and desperate for everything that was wrong for her. The journey she had to take to climb out of the dark, cold cave was beautifully written and so true to life. Figuring out that you’re broken and alone is sometimes the hardest, most frightening process, and Katie captured that with such raw vulnerability that I often found myself either breathless or in tears. Not many books have moved me so powerfully lately, but that might be because I could identify so much with the tagline of the book: “Sometimes everything you ever learned about yourself is wrong.” My own situation isn’t nearly as bad as all that, but I did discover something along the way that changed my perspective on my life.

Even though figuring out how broken and alone you are is so difficult, once you discover the God who can mend you and breathe new life into you… there’s no other feeling in the world like it, and there aren’t enough words for me to describe the freeing joy that comes with it. There’s not a safer, more comforting place to be than in God’s arms. He’s big enough and loving enough to take every shattered person and heal them until they’re better than they were before. He loves us so much. If you haven’t yet discovered His love, I hope you’ll dive into His Word and find Him. He’s calling you now. Won’t you answer Him?

“It took darkness to show me truth.” Sara’s words from chapter twenty-two couldn’t be more true. As sinners, we live in darkness. It isn’t until we realize how big we’ve messed up that we can appreciate and find the truth of God’s love and sacrifice. It’s books like A Broken Kind of Beautiful that remind me just how huge Jesus’s dying on the cross was. He freely forgives our worst mistakes when we ask Him. He mops up and erases our biggest messes. His forgiveness and grace overwhelm me because I know I don’t deserve them; no one does. That’s why they’re free gifts. There’s nothing we can do to earn them. But if we ask for them with honest, humbled hearts, God gives them to us, adopting us into His family and assuring us eternal life on the other side of this mortal one we’re living now. It is my prayer that you will discover the beauty in His gift. It’s quite amazing to behold.

About the book: A Broken Kind of Beautiful tells the story of Ivy Clark, an out-of-work fashion model who must go back home to a small town that holds her haunting past, and Davis Knight, a man who set aside his dream of being a fashion photographer to live a quiet life in that same small town. When they join forces to create multiple advertisements for a relative’s wedding dress boutique, will they help each other heal from their broken pasts? Or will they continue to live with the shards of mistakes and regrets poking them at every decision? Will God’s truth reveal that each of them is a broken kind of beautiful?

Thank you to Blogging for Books, who provided this book to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

Readers, how do you deal with your brokenness? Do you try to make up for it? Do you play the martyr and punish yourself, when no one asked you to? Or do you accept God’s forgiveness and move forward, toward His calling on your life?

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Life is Really About...

What is life really about?

Life isn’t about the money we missed because we were out sick for three days.

It isn’t about living paycheck to paycheck.

It isn’t about what we think the world owes us.

It isn’t about losing our job or finding out that we’re not receiving all the benefits we thought we were getting or the fact that our insurance payment is due and we can’t scrape up the money to keep on track.

It’s not about any of that.

Do you know that feeling of pure panic that comes at the end of all the scenarios I just presented to you? Well, it’s not about that panic, either.

It’s what we do when we feel that panic. It’s how we handle that sense of urgency that comes with being the one to figure out what to do next.

Let me tell you: if you think you’re still in the driver’s seat at that point of panic, pull the car over and park it. If you’re in full-blown panic mode, you ain’t in control, honey, that’s for sure.

Believe me, I’ve been there. One week last October, I was sick and missed a lot of work. I only worked four hours (and I usually work around twenty, give or take a couple.) My paycheck was severely lessened, obviously. What I realized, though, is that it’s not about the missing money or the few hours I managed to work or any of that stuff. It’s not even about how I’d somehow survive that week. Nope. It isn’t about me.

It’s all about God.

It’s about how He wanted me to realize that He is the one behind the steering wheel. He is the one who provides everything I need. God has provided me shelter, food, and a loving family. He has provided me with a job that I love with a boss who is flexible and understands when I’m sick and unable to come in for a couple days. God has provided everything I need, and He will continue to do so.

In all of life, good times and bad times alike, it’s super important that we always remember to praise God and thank Him for being in charge of our lives. He looks out for us and provides for us in so many ways, most of which we either take for granted or completely fail to notice.

Too many times we’re focused on where our next meal, paycheck, etc. are coming from that we blind ourselves to how God is moving on our behalf. We all need to just slow down a little bit and observe the ways in which God touches our lives, providing all our needs—and blessing us with fun “extras” simply because He loves us.

I’m reminded of a verse in Matthew chapter seven.

Matthew 7:11 NIV

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

He blesses us with so many gifts, even without asking Him: the ability to breathe, health, food, shelter, family, friends. The list continues. How much more will He bless us when we ask!

A key to this, for me, is to remember to thank Him for the blessings He grants us as they come our way. It’s always wonderful to show our appreciation for His thoughtfulness toward us.

Praise God, for He is good! May He continue to bless each of you as you journey through life with Him. Amen.

How does God remind YOU that He’s in control? Do you find it easy or difficult to turn the wheel over to Him? What do you have to let go of in order for Him to drive the car? Do you remember to praise and thank Him in even the difficult days?

Please share your stories in the comment section.

Letters from the Enemy

Though Letters from the Enemy was released in 2004, it’s new to me. My sister shared it with me, and, since I was iced inside by a rare-in-Texas sleet storm, I decided to squeeze this Heartsong Presents book in before reading one I received for the Blogging for Books program I participate in. I’m so glad I bumped this little book up on my reading list. It held a western sweetness I hadn’t read in a while.

 

Letters from the Enemy takes place in 1918. While the war rages in Europe, Lilly Clark eagerly waits for the mail train each week, hoping to receive a letter from her fiancé, Reggie Larsen, even as she sends him yet another missive. When her world is knocked upside down by a tall foreigner, Heinrick Zook, will Lilly stick to her resolve to send messages of hope to her beloved? Or will the lone enemy in town, who happens to keep crossing her path, challenge her to rethink everything she has come to believe, disrupting her carefully laid plans?

This is the second Susan MayWarren novel I’ve read, though I’ve collected several more. I’ve got to tell you, both the books of hers I’ve read have connected with me on a spiritual level. The messages and themes in her tales dig deep into my soul and don’t let me up for air until I’ve puzzled them out and seen how I could apply the things I’ve learned to my life in some substantial way. It’s books that do this that stay with me long after I’ve placed them back on one of my bookcases.

The thing that really struck me in Letters from the Enemy was Lilly’s spiritual journey. In a few different ways, it mirrored my own. The most significant is living in fear. Maybe that’s why the following line, spoken to Lilly from Heinrick, stood out to me. “Lilly, perhaps you’re afraid. Do you think that if you knew God and heard His voice, He might tell you something you don’t want to hear?”

From almost drowning twice to hearing of multiple school shootings to watching the terrorist attack on New York City and the United States in 2001, many fears have plagued my mind, stealing my joy and robbing me of peace. Too many times, as humans, we feel we must control every little thing in our lives or else we’ll fall apart. That’s just not true. The less control we have, by turning things over to God and trusting His plan for our lives, the more peace we’ll gain. The fewer fears we’ll retain. That’s what I want, to live fear free. So I’ll lay my fears at the feet of my Savior and ask Him to help me learn to trust Him. To show me how to rely on His plans, His guidance in every aspect of my life. From now on, I plan to make a more conscious effort to lay aside my human desires and ask God what plans He has for me. They’ll be far greater than anything I could have imagined in the first place anyway.

Other than the Bible, what books have spoken to your spiritual life in recent history? How can you apply the spiritual lessons you’ve learned from books to your daily life? Any advice for listening with your spiritual ears verses only using your physical ones?

Inspiration For (And From) Made to Last -- by guest Melissa Tagg

When I asked Melissa Tagg to write an article to guest on Writing to Inspire, I expected a glimpse of her humor. I've come to realize she's a witty woman. What I didn't expect--but totally got--was a peek at her spiritual journey with God. Each book a Christian author writes takes her relationship with God to a deeper level, while she hopes her words help her readers do the same. Today, we're honored to get a little look at the making of Melissa's debut novel, Made to Last.

What inspired Made to Last…and how Made to Last inspired me.

When Andrea invited me to write this guest post, she gave me a few topic suggestions, including the inspiration behind my debut novel, Made to Last.

Made to Last is about a DIY guru who’s out to save her homebuilding TV show—which means posing with a hilarious pretend husband. (Yeah, there’s a reason she’s in a fake marriage. Read the book and you’ll see. ;) ) And in the meantime, a somewhat desperate and nosy but awfully sweet reporter is digging into her secrets.

A lot of people hear that first part—about my main character being a homebuilding TV show host and ask me if I was inspired by that 90s TV show Home Improvement. Dude, remember Jonathan Taylor Thomas? I won’t name names, but I know some girls who looooved him.

But no, JTT, Tim Allen and their fellow cast members did not inspire Made to Last.

Instead, my story idea was sparked by the classic holiday movie Christmas in Connecticut. It’s such a fun movie starring Barbara Stanwyck—all about a magazine writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife. When her boss and a returning war hero make sudden plans to spend Christmas with her, she has to come up with a pretend husband, pretend house, pretend kid, pretend domesticity, all of it.

So yes…my story was inspired by a movie.

Which doesn’t make me as a Christian author sound all that deep and poignant. After all, wouldn’t it have been better if I’d been inspired by a Bible passage or a message from God? Sheesh, it took me like half the book before I even realized what the spiritual thread in this story even was…

But the evening when I did, when this story’s underlying spiritual theme finally became clear to me, it ended up being one of my coolest moments as a writer.

I was working on a scene about halfway through the book and my hero and heroine were having it out. One character’s lies had finally caught up to her and the other character demanded an explanation. And I realized as I wrote, this character’s lies weren’t just about saving her career….

But saving her identity. Because to her, without her career success, she didn’t know who she was or where to find her worth or purpose in the world.

And the truth in that moment of heady realization felt like a whisper from God: Melissa, she’s you.

Which is funny, really, because I can barely put up a tent much less build a house and should probably never be trusted around power tools.

But seriously, she’s me. Me. The person constantly tempted to define herself by her achievements or lack thereof. Her performance or success. Who hates the thought of whatever little talent she might have being stripped away. Who finds it just waaay too easy to tie who she is to what she does.

But as I kept writing that night—and really, from then on in the story—the reminders were everywhere. Reminders that who my character is, who I am, is not so much about the things I do or don’t do—but about who I belong to. And just like my character, that need to hold onto accomplishments or career success or relationships as definers of my identity diminishes when I’m confident of the simple truth that I’m created and cherished by a loving God.

So yes, Made to Last was inspired by a movie. But the story and I, we found new inspiration along the way.

Melissa Tagg is a former newspaper reporter and total Iowa girl. Her first novel, Made to Last, releases from Bethany House in September 2013. In addition to her homeless ministry day job, Melissa is also the marketing/events coordinator for My BookTherapy. Melissa blogs regularly and loves connecting with readers at www.melissatagg.com. 

Melissa may be found at these locations:

Website/blog: www.melissatagg.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelissaTagg

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Melissa_Tagg

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/melissatagg

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/MelissaTagg

If you’re a writer, has your character’s spiritual or emotional journey ever become your own? And both writers and readers, are you ever tempted to find your identity in what you do? 

Breathing Life With Words - by guest Reba J. Hoffman

On numerous blogs lately, I've been following Reba J. Hoffman's journey across country on her bicycle and have been touched by all the ways God is using her to help women break free from the fears that bind them. She has graciously agreed to share a piece of her story with us here on Writing to Inspire today. Thanks, Reba!

Loading the gear--all 50 pounds of it!

I’ve written for as long as I can remember. I’ve spoken for as long as I have a voice. And I’ve ridden a bicycle for half a century. I never thought combining those three activities would change lives.

On July 13^th, I set off on a bicycle ride of sorts. I packed fifty pounds of gear onto it and set off in the direction of the west coast. God has commissioned me to travel around the country on my bicycle talking about women who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of a violent assault.

I never know where I’ll end up on any given day. I have no specific direction in mind, other than eventually the west coast. I pray and trust God to lead me to women (and now men) that I can encourage, minister to and help take steps to overcome the fear they face while in the clutches of PTSD.

Not a day has gone by that I have not met women who live in fear. Through tears they tell me their stories. I validate them. I also tell them that, no matter what they have been led to believe, they really are women of incredible value and worth.

One such woman had not been out of her home in seventeen years. She never left the four walls of her house after being attacked. When her cousin told her I was in town and what I was doing, she asked, “Why in the world would she do something like that?”

Her cousin simply said, “She’s doing it for you!”

Reba shaking hands with Steve Beavers,
a reporter for the Daily Corinthian newspaper

On wobbly legs, this prisoner of fear in her own home ventured out. She allowed her cousin to bring her to the town square where I was waiting. As she slowly made her way toward me, I stood with outstretched arms. I knew I could not go to her. She had to come to me.

When she finally closed the distance, she fell into my arms and sobbed for what seemed like years. She was purging herself of all the anguish. I then took her by the hand and said, “Let’s take a victory lap.”

Arm in arm she and I made our way around the town square. One by one, women joined us. We walked and cried in unity for the huge step this woman took in coming out of her safe haven.

I felt the strength returning to her frail body with each step we took. Finally, she turned to me and said, “Your words breathed life back into me.”

When the victory lap had been completed and women slowly began to walk away and back to their own lives, I was reminded of how powerful our words are. The spoken word. The written word. They all have the power of life and death in them.

I’m so grateful to have the privilege of riding my bicycle across country alone to help these women take back their life. Each day I see lives transform right in front of me. Women who had been held prisoner in their own homes after surviving a violent attack finally let go of the fear and move forward in life.

Dakota (my bike) and I are on a mission to set women free. We are not in a dress rehearsal. This is our one shot at life as we know it. I don’t want a single woman who survived being attacked to get to the end of their life, look back and realize they only existed through the life they should have abundantly lived through.

There really is life beyond survival. Through words of encouragement and healing, it breathes the breath of life back into someone. I urge you to join the life-saving mission. Help a woman overcome by speaking life into them. Tell them about my story and encourage them to follow my journey… the Road to Freedom Tour.

Reba J. Hoffman is the author of Facing Fear and Finding Freedom. She is currently on a solo cross-country bicycle tour to help women who suffer from PTSD. You can follow her epic journey at www.RebaJHoffman.com. 

What fear have YOU faced lately? How have you felt God's freedom since facing it?