It's Here

Jeremiah, A Bright Light in a Dark Season.

It's out. 

You can buy it anywhere!

110 Pages of Fiction

I'm guilty. 

I'm not very consistent at blogging. But I can tell you this. Writing a book -- any book -- takes time. Lots of time. Since the 11th of August, I've written about 110 pages of fiction. The book is due to the publisher December 1st.

Writing a book is about connecting the dots. Take one idea. Add a character. Give the character a desire that she cannot attain. Add words. Stick with it. One page after another.

At first, it feels like carving letters out of marble.

Eventually, the story takes on a life of its own, and things go more smoothly.

But writing a book is a bit like living the Christian life. You cannot begin on the day the book is due. Neither should you begin the Christian life on the day before your life is over. 

You begin today. You start with what you know. You add a little bit day after day after day. You don't give up. Some days are more productive than others. And then you put in another day, and another, and another.

In the end, when you are consistent -- with a book, or with your life -- you will have something eternal to show for it, something that wasn't now is.

And I think it's worth it. Writing. Living for Christ. 

It's a long term investment. It pays. No hostile takeovers, Wall street buyouts, or stock depreciation. Not affected by mortgage lending rates, or the housing crisis. 

Invest in Jesus, one day at a time, and be there when he gives out the dividends. It's worth it. Yes?

Bette

Small decision, BIG results

From Ezra, I read this. "This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the law of the LORD and to teach those laws and regulations to the people of Israel." (Ezra 7:10)

Three little decisions. To study the WORD. To obey the WORD. To teach the WORD. 

And one indication of his motivational level. Ezra had DETERMINED.

Funny, isn't it. We can make those same decisions. To study. To obey. To teach. And we can have the same level of motivation as Ezra did. We can decide to be DETERMINED. 

Stubbornly set upon. Unwavering. Committed. Undistracted.

We can put our muscle behind our will. And we can have results too. 

What happened to Ezra as a result of this determination? He was appointed by the King of Persia to come to Jerusalem from Babylon, and single handedly lead the Jews in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. AND, he was responsible for educating the Jews in the Law of God when they returned from the Babylonian Captivity.

He made a decision in his own heart-- probably in the quiet of his own soul. He put all he had into the decision. He stuck with it. He didn't back off, slow down or give up.  And God honored the decision by choosing Ezra to lead God's people back into their faith-life. 

A little decision. A huge result.

What could happen in your life, if you made the same decision?

Do YOU know?

From 2 Timothy 3:10, I read, "But you know what I teach, Timothy, and how I live and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith and how long I have suffered. You know  my love and my patient endurance. . . 

The singlemindedness of this verse struck me with a fierceness I don't often find in daily reading. 

Think about it. Paul had absolute confidence in the message of his lifestyle. Without the slightest hesitation, he believes that Timothy could specifically recite Paul's purpose in life. Timothy knows, because Paul knows. And Timothy knows because Paul lives his life with his purpose in mind. 

It shows.

And I began to think about myself, and my world. How many of us could be that confident? Do I KNOW my life's purpose? 

Do you?

And here is a much harder question: Are you living your life with such complete openness that those who love you could say, "Oh yeah, Bette's life purpose is . . ."

Would your friends know?

Do you have purpose? What is it?