Before retirement, I worked as an elementary principal in a Christian school. My office sometimes had student visitors sent because of a behavioral transgression. On one occasion, a teacher brought a fifth-grade girl who was caught stealing from the school store. I can’t remember what trinket she pocketed, but I remember our conversation vividly. I asked her why she took the item, and her response was quite simple. She said, “I wanted it.”
What I told that student holds true for all of us. I told her that there will always be something to want. I proceeded to talk about integrity, coveting, and consequences but, years later, these are the two things that I remember.
I wanted it.
There will always be something to want.
Content in Every Situtation
Paul talked about learning to be content in every situation. It’s a scripture that we hear often, but let’s look at it closely. Paul says, “I have learned the secret …” NIV. The King James Version uses the word instructed.
Contentment is not a natural trait. In fact, our nature is to be discontent, even for Paul. He had to learn it, just as we do. Paul experienced plenty and want. Abundance can lead us to pride while being in need tends to bring humility.
We can guard against pride by embracing a heart of thanksgiving. It points us to the supremacy of Christ. Thanksgiving is a designated national holiday, but as Christians, we should make every day a day of thanksgiving. Starting our day with a prayer of thanks may be the secret Paul spoke of; the instruction leading to contentment.
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:11-13 NIV
Kathleen Neely is a retired elementary principal, and enjoys time with family, visiting her two grandsons, traveling, and reading.
She is the author of The Street Singer, Beauty for Ashes, The Least of These,In Search of True North and Arms of Freedom. Kathleen won second place in a short story contest through ACFW-VA for her short story “The Missing Piece” and an honorable mention for her story “The Dance”. Both were published in a Christmas anthology. Her novel, The Least of These, was awarded first place in the 2015 Fresh Voices contest through Almost an Author. She has numerous devotions published through Christian Devotions.
Kathleen continues to speak to students about writing and publication processes. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
With each page of the age-old journals, Annie discovers all that unites her with a woman who once lived in her farmhouse. One lived with wealth and one with poverty, but both knew captivity. Both longed to be free.
Miriam yearns to escape her life as a super model. She drops the pseudonym and uses the name she gave up years ago—Annie Gentry. Then she alters her appearance and moves to rural South Carolina to care for her grandmother. Can she live a simple life without recognition? Can she hide a net worth valued in the millions? Love is nowhere in her plans until she meets a man who wants nothing more than Annie Gentry and the simple life he lives.
Charlotte lived in the same farmhouse in the tumultuous 1860’s. The Civil War was over, but for a bi-racial girl, freedom remained elusive. She coveted a life where she wouldn’t bring shame to her family. A life where she could make a difference. As she experiences hope, will it be wrested from her?
The journals stop abruptly with a climactic event, leaving Annie to search for information. What happened to Charlotte? Did her life make a difference? Did she ever find freedom?
Even after I had several articled published in magazines, I didn’t call myself a writer. Even though I spent most of my free time writing, it felt too presumptuous to say, “I’m a writer.” Instead, I would say, “I like to write.” Or, “I have written a few things.” But to give myself the title, writer? I just couldn’t do it.
That is, not until I approached the registration table at my very first writer’s conference. I looked down at the label on my nametag and there it was: Writer. I hesitated, glancing out at the atrium filling with people who actually were writers. Did I need their permission? Should I show someone credentials?
Putting on that nametag felt like a deeply solemn thing to do. I took a deep breath and with gravity, feeling the weight of the action, I slipped it on.
Wearing Your Nametag
Fear is the number one thing that prompts writers and speakers to bury our “talent” in the ground, rather than investing and multiplying what we’ve been given by God. Instead of stepping up onto our platforms to boldly proclaim truth, we slip into the back section of the auditorium, labelled “Still Too Afraid”.
What sort of fears hold us back?
Fear of being rejected by yet another publisher.
Fear of being given low, critical reviews.
Fear of selling an embarrassingly low number of books.
Fear of being perceived as showy or self-serving.
Fear of having nothing significant to say.
Do any of these sound familiar? If fear is holding you back, I’d like to offer you one simple strategy for gathering courage as you step out to write or speak, using your God-given talent. I call it the Principal of the Foreword.
Foreword
A foreword in a book is the “word” that comes “before” the main message. The foreword often offers an explanation of how this material evolved or it gives the backstory, telling what prompted the author to write it.
Instead of asking you to think about the foreword of your next book, I encourage you to think about the foreword for your ministry as a whole. How did this all begin for you? What set you on this path, in the first place?
As you consider your “foreword”, consider asking yourself these three questions:
What first stirred me to share this message? Did I experience something significant? Was I exposed to some injustice? Were my eyes opened to some truth?
Who affirmed me? Did someone validate my particular gifts? Who encouraged me to try? What effect did my words have?
What doors opened? Did I have an unusual opportunity? Was I given a platform to stand on?
Take some time to think through these questions thoughtfully. Reflect and journal your responses. Consider the various legs of your platform-growing journey. Now go back and title your journal response, “My Foreword”.
The Author
Often the foreword of a book is written by someone with expertise, giving the book credibility. As you glance through your journal entry, ask yourself, “Who wrote my foreword?” If you think deeply, I think you’ll come to the conclusion that you didn’t actually write this backstory. God did.
God is the one who wove together the happenstance of your life, creating significant experiences which stirred up the messages inside of you. God also is the one who brought people to encourage, affirm, and train you. And God alone has opened the doors you’ve walked through. He’s given you opportunities and platform-building experiences.
Do you agree that God is the author of your foreword? To emphasize this, at the end of your journal entry, write, “Written by: God”.
Remembering Your Foreword
Why is this helpful? How does this exercise grant new confidence?
Suppose you’re cringing at the thought of sharing your news about a book contract on social media. Or suppose you’re worried about what people would think if you present yourself as an “expert” on any given subject. Suppose you are quivering in a corner, with a decided case of impostor syndrome, thinking, “Why did I ever set out to do this?”
In times like these, go back to your foreword. Remind yourself of the ways that God gave you this message. Review the ways other Christians have affirmed your gifts and calling. Look back at all of the doors God has opened in the past. The opportunity you now face is just one more door to step through!
Reviewing your Foreword helps put your message into context. You aren’t stepping out on a platform to share your big ideas with the world. You’re stepping out onto the platform God put under your feet to share the message he prompted you to deliver.
As you step out onto your platform, you’re part of something much bigger than yourself. You’re part of the bigger story of God.
Influence: Building a Platform that Elevates Jesus (Not Me), was co-authored by Shannon Popkin and Kate Motaung, and is designed to help you think about how to gather followers of Jesus and change the world—but not in the way the world says to. Check out Shannon’s site for more resources and take the Influence Quiz here.
Shannon is happy to be sharing life with Ken, who makes her laugh every single day. Together, they live the fast-paced life of parenting three high school and college-aged kids. For more from Shannon, please go to shannonpopkin.com, or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
When people tell me they’re afraid to fly, I can easily diagnosis their fear and its cause. As most of them will admit, they dislike and fear flying because they have a hard time trusting the pilot. They’d rather be in a car that they’re driving.
They want to be in control.
But I’ve never minded flying. At least, the part of actually being on the plane, taking off, flying to a destination, and so on. I can easily identify that being afraid because I’m not the one flying the plane would be irrational. After all, I could die just as easily if I were in a car I was driving myself. (In fact, I’d be statistically much more likely to die in a car!)
Have you noticed how easier it is to address and excuse the fears of others’ than your own? In typical fashion for us human beings, I’m much slower to recognize and diagnosis my own fear.
Whenever I do fly through airports, I spend that entire day filled with anxiety. No, I’m not afraid of flying, but air travel is still extremely stressful for me.
First, there’s the worry about packing everything I need and not forgetting anything. Then, there’s the concern about arriving at the airport early enough to check-in and get through security.
Next, fear plagues me as I wait in the TSA line—will I be picked for a random, invasive, and humiliating search? Will they reject my carry-on because of some prohibited item I didn’t realize I’d packed? Will security take too long, and I’ll miss my flight?
Once through security, I need to find my gate. Will I have time to reach it before boarding? Time to use the restroom first or grab food?
The list of my potential worries related to air travel goes on and on.
And, yet, I’m fine on the plane. I don’t fear the flight itself. I’ve examined this odd dichotomy that I seem to have, trying to figure it out.
I think that rising into the sky itself, up above clouds and reaching unearthly, unexplored territory in a floating contraption that somehow rides on air I can’t see makes me acutely aware of how out of control I am.
More than that, I’m up near the heavens in an airplane. It feels like I’m undeniably in God’s territory. How could I not, then, realize my own finite and limited abilities and rest in His control over my airborne fate?
But clearly, I’m forgetting something when I give in to anxiety when I’m still on the ground, navigating the logistics of successful air travel.
I’m forgetting that everywhere is God’s territory.
Rising Danger
This is a lesson Bristol Bachmann, the heroine of my new suspense novel Rising Danger, has to learn, too. As a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, Bristol has tasted the danger of things she can’t control. Her response is to try to control everything in her life.
As a bomb technician and handler of an explosives detection K-9, Bristol faces danger every day. But it’s a risk she believes she can control because she knows how to find and disarm a bomb. She’s in her element with bombs—that’s her territory, the part of her life she can control.
But the reality she encounters in the story is one we all encounter in our lives, sooner or later, if not every day.
We are not in control of anything that happens in our lives. Even in our comfort of driving a car versus flying on a plane, we’re kidding ourselves. We’re no more in control of our own car than we are the hundreds or thousands of other vehicles we’ll encounter as we drive—all of which could cause an accident that could lead to our injury or death.
But the surprising twist to this reality is that, rather than having more fear if we accept that we’re not in control, the key to fearlessness is embracing this truth.
It’s good—no, wonderful—news that I’m not in control. Because the One Who is in control of everything is God Himself. He’s omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and perfect. And He is good, all the time, in every way.
We cannot travel out of His territory or get too far away for Him to be in control, even if we pierce the heavens in a soaring airplane.
Whether land, sea, sky or the far reaches of outer space—whether in good times or horrific tragedy—we can be fearless as our illusion of control shatters around us.
Relinquishing that fabricated comfort frees us to live with indestructible peace. Because only then can we rest in the glorious reality that we are in the hands of our loving Father and almighty God Who is in control and will do all things for the good of those Who love Him.
First, it is my favourite genre to read and write: inspirational romantic suspense.
Second, the danger of explosives destroying the dams threatened to unleash one of my favourite conflicts – man-against-nature (in this case – water). I adore water-related plots! (No, I don’t know why, lol.)
Third, there is plenty of man-against-man conflict and man-against-self to keep you flipping the pages long into the night. Every time I’d planned to stop reading at the end of the chapter, the hook had me turning the page. (I blame Jerusha for the dark circles under my eyes!).
Not only does Rising Danger deliver on genre expectations, but it also contains a beautiful spiritual thread to the story. It’s refreshing to find a fictional author who shares my desire to “do all things for the glory of God” and “show nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” That ranks Rising Danger as top shelf in my books.
Contest announcement!
When are you most aware you’re not in control? Do you battle anxiety or other forms of fear when things are out of your control? Please share (and see contest rules below).
*Contest open to USA residents only.
Commenters located in the USA will be entered into a draw for a signed copy of Rising Danger. The winner will be chosen by random draw on August 5th and notified via the email address connected to your comment. You must note your country of residence in your comment and answer the question to be entered.
About Jerusha
Jerusha Agen imagines danger around every corner but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ.
With a B.A. in English and a background in screenwriting, Jerusha is a speaker, writing instructor, and Fear Warrior who sounds the call to battle against fear in our everyday lives.
Jerusha loves to hang out with her big furry dogs and little furry cats. You’ll often find her sharing irresistibly adorable photos of them in her newsletter and on social media.
Get a free suspense story from Jerusha and find more of her thrilling, fear-fighting novels at www.JerushaAgen.com.
I have the pleasure of introducing you to author Audrey Wick. She and I both write contemporary romance, and I had the privilege of reading Island Charm, her latest novel. I’ll let Audrey tell you about it, but scroll down to the end to hear my thoughts.
Are you getting ready for summertime? I love the warmer weather and breezy evenings, which my characters also experience in my latest book, ISLAND CHARM. I’m excited to share this standalone novel with readers that’s a perfect beach book—so even for people who can’t physically travel, they can enjoy a getaway through this book!
When Anna Worthington’s twin sister gets jilted by her fiancé, Anna steps in with a plan for a girls’ Key West getaway instead of a honeymoon trip. Yet when her twin has her own crisis of commitment and doesn’t board the plane, Anna finds herself on a romantic getaway that she’s forced to navigate alone.
Gunnar Lockhart, whose specialty is island tourism, is the perfect match for helping Anna complete her vacation bucket list, but time together forges a connection more personal than either anticipates. As they make island memories, Anna has to untangle her mixed emotions. Are her feelings toward Gunnar real? Or like her sister’s wedding day, has this connection been doomed from the start?
In ISLAND CHARM, readers see how one woman navigates twists and turns in life’s journey. In the novel, readers meet the protagonist, Anna, who has to react to a surprise decision by her twin sister that creates a situation not of her own making.
Having to react to someone else’s choices is not uncommon. But it can be frustrating, for when this happens, we are an innocent party having to cope with a difficult situation we didn’t cause. But God assures us that we are not alone, and that with His grace, the unjust issues that plague us will be dealt with in a righteous way.
In many cases, God’s solutions are very elegant and have more far-reaching effects for the good of all. How joyful indeed!
In ISLAND CHARM, the protagonist has to pick up the pieces when someone else’s decision impacts her life. When she meets just the right person to help her through her unexpected situation, she is swept into a whirlwind of second chances aimed at helping someone else rise above unfairness. Her commitment to her task brings joy to more than one person, and her own circumstances are given a surprising twist that brings peace to her heart and soul.
My thoughts:
Island Charm was like revisiting Key West. Audrey captures the setting perfectly. I remember the wild turkeys, seeing a shark off the pier, and the tiny local shops that made Key West even more charming than I expected. I enjoyed how the novel stored such fun vacation memories for me. Pls, the story is sweet, clean, and a perfect summer read.
Question:
Now, here’s a question for readers: HAVE YOU EVER FOUND YOURSELF IN A SITUATION NOT OF YOUR OWN MAKING THAT WAS DIFFICULT TO HANDLE? If so, share a bit below so we can encourage one another and learn that we are not alone.
Audrey Wick is a full-time English professor at Blinn College and author of women’s fiction/romance. Her writing has also appeared in college textbooks, and she is a guest blog columnist with Writer’s Digest. Wick believes the secret to happiness includes lifelong learning and good stories. But travel and coffee help. She has journeyed to over twenty countries—and sipped coffee at every one. See photos on her website audreywick.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @WickWrites.
Let’s give Karen Malley a warm welcome to the blog! Karen has visited before, and a handful of readers reached out to tell me they were excited to check out her book Following the Sparrows. Today, Karen is sharing about her newest release and the truths woven through her novel’s themes. Welcome, Karen!
Have you ever felt like you’ve messed up so much there’s no hope for forgiveness? You’re in good company. The Bible tells of the amazing accomplishments of men and women of faith, but we also learn of their failings. I believe God includes these failings to show us we can never fall too far to be forgiven.
Consider Moses. He is best remembered as the deliverer of the Israelites out of slavery, the one to whom God gave the ten commandments, the leader of Israel. He wrote the first five books of the Bible and spoke to God face to face. Before all that, though? He murdered an Egyptian man and ran off into the wilderness to tend sheep for 40 years. When God came to tell him he would lead his people out of slavery, he made excuses.
What about David? David, the king of Israel who delivered the nation from her enemies, was called “a man after God’s own heart.” He loved God deeply and poured out his emotions in the Psalms. David also committed adultery and murder, and he failed in parenting.
The disciple Peter boldly declared his allegiance to Christ. He was the first to proclaim Jesus as the messiah. He led hundreds to Christ after Jesus’ death and resurrection. He performed miracles in Jesus’ name and was eventually martyred. When Jesus was arrested, however, Peter denied even knowing him.
Perhaps the most striking example is Paul. Paul was one of the most influential people in the early church. He started multiple churches, spread the gospel to the Gentiles, wrote more books of the Bible than any other author, and spread the gospel throughout the world through his missionary journeys. Before all that, though, he actively persecuted Christians. He spoke against Jesus and had Christians thrown in jail. Paul says the following:
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”
1 Timothy 1:15-16
The Bible is full of examples of God’s forgiveness. No matter your past, whether you’re a murderer like Moses or have actively spoken out against Jesus like Paul, you can be forgiven. It’s simply a matter of asking. When you sincerely ask God for forgiveness, He offers it freely. Does that mean we’ll never mess up again? Absolutely not. It means when we do mess up, we get back up and try again. I, for one, am grateful God is a God of second chances.
A new life coming into the world disrupts Susan’s quiet life …
Susan Montgomery is used to a quiet, peaceful life managing her apartment building, where the hardest problem is her grouchy neighbor’s leaky faucet. She soon finds herself dealing with a pregnant teenage niece, a mysterious briefcase left behind by a tenant, and two very different men vying for her heart.
A near-death experience gives Mac a new outlook on life …
Christopher “Mac” MacAllister is trying to figure out how to “do the Christian thing.” As a new convert, he’s drawn to Susan’s love for life and for God. She’s nothing like the women he used to date; but can Mac compete with the guy who’s come out of nowhere and knows all the right things to say?
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
I have returned to this verse several times over the past year out of great need. They are words of hope for a weary soul.
Jesus said these words to his disciples while his cross waited around the next corner. He was also preparing his disciples for his soon departure and for the unknown difficulties that waited for them around their next corner.
Jesus knew that his followers most needed peace in their hearts despite their many troubles. He also knows that’s what you and I need.
I’m writing to you today because, despite our many troubles, I long for you to have that peace from Jesus, too.
What in the World Is Going On?
A few weeks back, I sat on my couch and watched footage of the protests, riots, and insurrection in Washington, D.C., and wept. The civil unrest, political pettiness, and self-righteous violence are a burden that is too heavy to bear.
Then, we all heard the news of our imminent return to Square One in our fight against a year-long pandemic, the burden grew heavier still.
As I digested the announcement of the stay-at-home order, it hit me like a fresh wave that there are some people in our church family I haven’t seen in person for almost a full year. Some who I haven’t seen at all. There is no judgement in that statement; if anything, there’s much grace. It’s simply an observation that (speaking transparently) breaks my heart and makes me sad.
Life is hard these days for everyone. Perhaps it’s helpful for you to know that it’s hard for pastors, too. I see the weariness every week in our staff and our elders who are trying their best to shepherd and lead when we can’t even be in the same room as you. Most people don’t see how they walk with a limp because they’ve listened to another opinion or complaint about the pandemic that was spoken with more political zeal than Christian love. Not to mention the embarrassing in-fighting and name-calling among Christians across the wider Church.
As Jesus would say, my heart has been troubled. A lot. At times, my heart has even been afraid. Afraid not only of our future but also of the growing instability of our present.
Thankfully, Jesus had more to say.
Real Peace
What strikes me most about Jesus’ statement in John 14:27 is that his greatest concern—knowing his horrific death was literally only hours away—was that the people he loved would have peace.
Not just any peace. Real peace. His peace. The kind of lasting and perfect peace that you and I crave.
Jesus says that it’s not a peace the world can give to you. Pay close attention to that. The end of a pandemic will not give you peace. A vaccine will not give you peace. Being released from a lockdown will not give you peace. A politician of any persuasion will not give you peace. Winning a debate will not give you peace. The latest report or theory will not give you peace. And maybe most importantly, being “right” will not give you peace.
Jesus gives peace.
We need to hear this again during these days because we often worry and fear and think and speak like peace depends on us, not on Jesus. Even still, in all the unhinged craziness of our world—knowing that, maybe, your heart has been troubled and afraid like few other times in your life—he wants you to have his peace.
Jesus’ peace is unshakeable, unflappable, immoveable. He is the author of peace, and he wants to give you his peace.
He wants you to know his peace.
He wants your heart to be softened and your life to be changed by his peace even when the cracks in this broken world grow wider and deeper.
He wants his peace to reign in our hearts. What a loving Saviour.
A Word of Encouragement
Loved ones, my heart longs for you to have this peace. But implied in Jesus’ statement is that to have this peace, we must take our eyes off a world that guarantees nothing and fix our gaze on him. The only remedy for a heart troubled by this world is for this benevolent, compassionate, peace-providing Jesus to be worth more to you than anything this troubling world can offer.
This pandemic and all its adjoining unrest have rightly awakened in us a longing for a new world, a better world where the Ultimate Peace-Giver will wipe away every tear from our eyes, a world where death will be no more, a world noticeably absent of mourning or crying or pain or viruses or pandemics or protests or riots or pettiness or in-fighting or isolation or loneliness or distancing because all the former things have passed away and he has finally made everything new (Revelation 21:4).
Friends, let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Jesus stands ready to calm your fear and steady your troubled heart.
Are you searching for peace? One lucky commenter will receive a FREE PDF of Kevin’s book, Anxiety Attack. The winner will be randomly drawn on March 11, 2021. To enter, leave a comment and share what Scripture verse or verses have most encouraged you during this time.
There is an epidemic plaguing our culture. Sadly, Christians are not immune to it. In fact, as followers of Christ, we may be more susceptible to the outbreak than we realize. And if we’re not careful, it can incapacitate us before we even understand what’s happening.
