Easter Blessings

Since the Easter season is upon us, I wanted my post today to reflect this season and all that Christ has done for us.  I heard a new song by Hawk Nelson that beautifully displays the actions of Christ, because that is what they are.  They are actions.  Christ did not just think about how much He loved us—He proved it. 

Here are the lyrics from the chorus of their song, Drops in the Ocean:

If you wanna know
How far my love can go
Just how deep, just how wide
If you wanna see
How much you mean to me
Look at my hands, look at my side
If you could count the times I'd say you are forgiven
It's more than the drops in the ocean

Christ is speaking here, and He telling each one of us the depth of His love.  It is more “than the drops in the ocean.”  That is such a humbling thought. 

Remember all that the Lord has done for you this year as you celebrate this blessed season and have a Happy Easter! 

 

 

Perspective

I watched a Boy Meets World episode yesterday.  To my delight, it was a writing episode.  Cory was a journalist for the school paper, and he was in the process of writing bits of stories that did not have much depth.  His best friend, Shawn, encouraged him to write a piece that mattered.  Of course after that suggestion, hilarious events began to unfold.

Shawn told Cory to write a story based upon a girl's perspective--the perspective she has regarding the dating world.  Their inspiration came from a book they were reading in Mr. Feeny's class.  :)  As with any Boy Meets World episode, the storyline becomes more and more comical, because eventually you see Shawn dressing up like a girl.  He is the guinea pig in this experiment.  His task is to discover a girl's point of view on a date, and he finds himself in a situation where one of the popular boys only wants to fool around.  This boy will not listen to Shawn's (the girl) no.

The event is very enlightening for Shawn, because he never really considered a girl's feelings like that before, and he vows to change his own dating behavior hence forth.  The show ends with Cory's piece reaching wide acclaim in the school newspaper.

This episode was so interesting to me, because it was all based on perspective.  Any time I ever read a novel or poem in college, every student always looked at it from a different perspective.  The analysis was always different for each person.  Why is this and what does it mean?  Is it all just a matter of taste?

This kind of perspective is always scary for the writer.  Will my audience like what I have written?  Will they enjoy the genre or setting I have created?

For me, this type of perceptive is based on opinion, and I would rather it be based on truth--just like Shawn's revelation. His knowledge is factual truth no matter how you analyze it.  If someone likes or dislikes my writing, I want it come from truthful perspective and not just opinion.   

For the writer, write according to your passions, and do not worry about every critic out there.  Someone will love your writing and someone else will not, but that is okay.  Remember, it is all based upon perspective.    

Quote for the Day

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." 

                                                               ~William Shakespeare~

Powerful Words

Recently, I heard this amazing song by Jeremy Camp.  It’s called He Knows.  This song has the most beautiful chorus:

He knows, He knows, every hurt and every sting
He has walked the suffering
He knows, He knows, let your burdens come undone
Lift your eyes up to the One
Who knows. He knows, He knows.

Camp is talking about how Jesus Christ knows and understands everything we go through.  Christ knows the deepest part of us—the part that no one else sees.  Our fears, our thoughts, and even our doubts during the painful times in our lives—Christ is the only one who knows these burdens.  The amazing part is that He understands and identifies with our suffering, because He has suffered.  He came to earth for us, and he walked where we walked.  He became human just like us; thereby, feeling everything we deal with on a daily basis. 

Christ’s love overwhelms me.  The fact that He understands, but more importantly the fact that He willingly went through trials for me, so that He could know my “hurt and every sting.”  How incredible is that? God’s love for me takes my breath away, because it is a love that I can barely comprehend.  How could anyone love me like that?  How could anyone be willing to identify with me?  Christ chose to identify with me, so that He could display His great love for me. 

Camp’s words throughout this song are just so moving, and I know that God will use his words to touch the hearts of many.  I just hope and pray that God can use my written and spoken words like that.   

 

 

Quote for the Day

“Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else.”   
                                                          ~C.S. Lewis~

Quote for the Day

"Oh! I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend my whole life in reading it."

~Jane Austen~ 

Smiles for Monday

I thought these were super cute.  :)  Happy Monday! 

Questions and Understanding

I would love to ask my readers a question. What do you think of stories that are predictable? 

I have watched many TV shows and have read dozens of books that fit this category. Just a few moments into the storyline and I already have the ending figured out. I have even answered all of my questions regarding characters I have just met. I feel bad for the author in these scenarios, because usually I close the book and never pick it back up, or I change the TV station. 

How do you make your story not predictable? How do you disguise your storyline in such a way that your readers cannot unlock every hidden meaning ten pages in, but instead are interested enough to find out the ending, because they decided to turn that last page. 

Experience in life makes this difficult, because so many events are so similar. I've read this before, seen this before, or my best friend went through this--the list goes on. Where is the mystery? 

I want to hear what you think. What elements within a story keep you engaged?