Sarah Baughman's Blog, page 11

Faith in Fiction

I’ve been trying to write short devotionals for Fridays lately (though last week I didn’t get it posted until Saturday; sorry about that!), but today, I thought I’d look at something else. It’s related, yes, but we’re taking a slightly different angle.

There is a good deal of Christian Fiction out there; much more than even twenty years ago. It seems that lately, the genre is exploding. When you take indie published writers into account, like myself, there are even more. When we look at the genre, it is assumed that there will be some faith-component, some mentioning of God – specifically the second Person of the Trinity, Christ Jesus. It’s a bonus for me when all three Persons and their work is mentioned.

So how is that faith-component there? How is Christ brought into the picture of a fictional story?

Sometimes it is central to the story – one of the main characters has a crisis of faith, and this is the story. While this is certainly a valid and realistic (depending on the portrayal) tactic, I don’t enjoy feeling “preached-at” when reading fiction. Even if I believe everything written there, I’d rather look to a theology book  and be in a contemplative mindset when tackling that sort of reading. I also personally find a lot of books that take this approach leave out God’s action and center the attention on the character’s action. And while character’s choices and actions are what the story is about, we run into dangerous territory when we downplay or ignore the fact that faith is COMPLETELY God’s gracious love and mercy poured out for us in the blood of Christ and planted by the Holy Spirit through the hearing of the Word. But enough of my preaching.

#RegencySelfie: Menswear

I’m venturing a little outside of my personal experience here. I’ve researched Regency menswear, but not made anything. So, this post will be me learning as I go, too!

Here’s a rough drawing of what a regency gentleman would have worn for day-wear. Formal eveningwear would have been similar, but black coat, white waistcoat and knee-breeches, white stockings and black shoes. Something like this, though, would have sufficed for nearly any other time of the day.

Pardon the cutting off of limbs. I didn’t have the mental energy to make those look even somewhat realistic.

A Paradoxical Plant

A (not so) Short Devotion on Plants and Their Impact on My Life.

That’s what I started typing for this post’s title. Then I shortened it.

I’ve been considering lately the relationship between pain and joy, between brokenness and wholeness, between loss and gain. Our nature wants nothing of the first of each pair, and everything of the second. Why is it so hard to eliminate pain, brokenness, and loss? Why are joy, wholeness, and gain so elusive? Even if we don’t often ask those exact questions, they poke at our hearts, churn in our guts, whisper in our ears.

We have this plant in our front yard. It’s a nice green, leafy-frondy-looking thing. When I first walked too close, though, I learned that those “leaves” were really hard, and sharp. This plant could make a person bleed. I since have learned to steer clear of it, and had begun wishing we were not merely renting, so I could rip out the plant and avoid possible injury.

About a week and a half ago, some friends stopped by for dinner on their way through town. The husband told us that the plant is called a yucca, and that it would soon be blooming a bunch of pretty flowers. He pointed out the center-stalk, which at the time was short and barely-noticeable, with a cluster of tightly-closed buds at its top. Huh, I thought. That’s interesting. But I still don’t like it.

A couple of days ago, we went outside to walk the kiddos to their bus stop, and the yucca had lovely, delicate-looking white flowers, gathered around the much taller stalk, looking like a cloud of ladies dancing in white gowns. I was enchanted by the plant. And as I was texting a friend about it this morning, I started to think about the paradoxical plant.

Pain and beauty. Sharp and soft. Frustration dissolved in the face of the loveliness of the flowers.

The questions earlier — Why is it so hard to eliminate pain, brokenness, and loss? Why are joy, wholeness, and gain so elusive? — break down to simply this: Why is there death? Why is life not what it should be? The answers are simple and impossibly complicated, at the same time.

Sin. That’s the easy answer. But is it really so easy?

All have sinned and fall short. All are justified by His Grace…So how do we separate the good from the bad? How do we make sense of the hurt, the heartbreak, the junk of this life?

We don’t. It’s not for us to do. God, however, can and will. But He won’t throw out the wheat with the chaff. He won’t rush His work, or abandon His forbearance. We cry with the saints at the altar, “How long, O Lord?” but we also don’t forget that in these storms of life, He is tempering us, refining us, working us into His craftsmanship. He’s working in us to build His kingdom! So lean into the storm, muddle through as best you can, keeping the Cross always in your line of sight–for only there will you see what is needed. Weather the storm, and trust that He knows where He’s leading you.

If our next house doesn’t have a yucca, I plan to plant one. Just not so near the walkway.

#RegencySelfie: the Clothes

Hello! So excited about this contest. Remember, post your photos here.

OK, let’s jump right in!

We’ll start with what you’ll need.

Shirt with an empire waist,

fabric, hat, and ribbon.

A Short Devotion on Romans 8:35-37

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

This was the theme verse in my college youth ministry team, and it still holds power whenever I come across it in my reading. How amazing is it that God promises that whatever terrible things we face, He is stronger? It’s awesome.

This past time I read it, however, something else struck me. Maybe it’s the reports of unrest coming in from all over the globe. Maybe it’s the increased cases of children being taken by human trafficking. Maybe it’s the fires, floods, and earthquakes happening in so many more places than they seemed to when I was a child (though there may be some measure of my awareness as a child being less than what it is now).

But as I read these words again last week – tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? – I wonder how much of this I’ve faced. How much any of us who have the means and the time and the freedom to read a blog have faced. It is present in the world. For some Christians, danger, persecution, and threat of life are a daily reality.

For others of us, though, we live in safety. Dare I say it? Even COMPLACENCY or worse, APATHY. Comfort is a dangerous thing when we allow it to cloud our vision. When we forget our brothers and sister who are living what many of the early Christians faced, when we allow phone games or television shows or shopping or family commitments or activities or any number of things to cloud our vision, to create a barrier between us and our Savior.

I have learned to be very careful with how much time I allow myself to play games on my phone (I won’t name any of them, but those who play games also, you know which ones you struggle with!). Making matches or beating high scores or whatever the object is can be so distracting! Our kids with block-building games (ahem, I think most parents will know which game I’m talking about;-)) are having to learn to be careful with their time, too.

Tribulation, distress, and persecution will not separate us from Him, but when we turn our eyes from Him, we are in danger of wandering away, like sheep not listening to their shepherd’s voice.

But when we’re fighting, when we’re exercising our faith in the Word, when we’re active in prayer, when we’re connecting with the places God has promised in His Word to be found – His Word and Sacrament – then we are in no danger. As he promised the Christians years ago through His apostle Paul, He is faithful and will not forsake us. Cling to Him, to His cross, to His Word.

#RegencySelfie: the Hair

Violet is on her way! And here’s the first of the posts I’d promised about how to style a #RegencySelfie. Remember, if you have yours ready, post it to the Violet Launch Party Page on Facebook. I can’t wait to see the creativity!

Now, let’s get started…

 

 

Many Regency-era portraits were done of just the head and maybe part of the shoulders. Let’s take a page from that book – it eliminates the need for an entire wardrobe change!

Get fancy with your curling iron – remember, Regency ladies loved the curls! I have a few hair tutorials in my Pinterest #RegencySelfie Board. I’ve outlined the basics below.

The ear-to-ear part is actually

a little too far back.

I end up taking care of this later,

but if you want a simple bun,

put less hair in the front sections.

Step 1. Divide out what you want to use for face-framing. In the Regency Era, hair was usually parted down the middle, then parted in the middle of the front-to-back. Also divide from the rest of the hair what you’d like for neck-framing.

Because of the extra hair in the front,

I ended up making braids to loop

around the bun — also period-appropriate,

if you wanted to get a little fancier.

Step 2. Pin up that back hair. Short hair? Curl it and pin it back! Medium hair? Twist it up and curl the ends! Long hair? Twist it into a bun! Use your favorite up-do, or do an internet search for some tips if you haven’t found a favorite. After the back is up and secure, grab that curling iron! Ladies during this time favored small, tight ringlets, so the smaller the curling iron the better. Don’t sweat it, though, if you don’t have a tiny one! We’re going for a fun approximation here!

Something I’ve thought of doing is pinning all of the hair up, perhaps using the braid technique to get the center-part that was so popular during this time, and then going about my day for a while. After a few hours, I always have enough fly-aways that I could curl them and get a nice #RegencySelfie in the middle of a busy day!

Step 3. Decorate as you see fit.

A string of beads or single beads on pins, or a ribbon, or a period-appropriate tiara are all options for lending a touch of drama or whimsey. Hats are great if your hair doesn’t turn out quite like you’d hoped. I took an old fabric lampshade and stuck it on my head to approximate the “cap”.

Don’t I look matronly?










It doesn’t have to look
perfect in person
to be altered for a little
#RegencySelfie magic!

Stereotypically, a white cap is seen as being worn by married women, spinsters, and widows, but really most women wore them at different times. Maybe not to a ball, but for daywear, so you didn’t have to wash your hair as often (imagine taking a bath when the water had to be heated over a fire and carried to your chamber), a cap was a necessary wardrobe accessory!

 

This is an incredibly easy cheat!









Ready for a stroll across a meadow!

Or, take a straw hat, add a ribbon, and you have an insta-bonnet!

Lessons from Self-Publishing: Tenacity

As quick as I am to resist change, I’m equally fast at giving up when it’s a change I’m actually trying to make. Tenacious is not a word I’d ever use to describe myself…unless it is holding to the status quo. But when I need to work at learning something that is difficult for me? Thanks, but I’d rather just stick to what I know.



No, my life would never be a good lets-teach-kids-to-branch-out movie. Most of the school subjects were easy for me to learn (with the exceptions of handwriting, spelling, and calculus), so I never pushed myself in school. I didn’t join any sports teams, because why would I sign up for something that took so much boldness? I eventually started riding horses, and joined marching band – both of which I can see now that God used to begin teaching me some important lessons about opening up to others and about learning to have more confidence in myself. You can’t be unsure with a half-ton creature beneath you, and the instrument I chose in marching band – the sousaphone – demands support and projection. So even in those, God was working on me.



One major slow-down with having Violet ready was the formatting of the interior. After much deliberation, I decided to give formatting it myself a try. I ended up formatting the thing about three times, as I went through the process of figuring out how to do it. It was exhausting and aggravating and a few times I just wanted to beg the hubby to let me see what I could scrounge up around the house to have a garage sale and see if I could raise the extra money to pay CreateSpace to do it.



But I stuck with it. And I eventually did it to my satisfaction, including the page numbering. (I thought for a time that those page numbers might just do me in.) Now, I’m really glad that I stuck with it, and glad that I succeeded at something that doesn’t come easily to me. It gives me better sympathy for kids struggling with a subject in school, and I think for fellow humans together. Some people thrive on facing a challenge and overcoming it. I don’t. But now I see better how satisfying it can be.



When we think about tenacity or endurance, what Bible verses come to mind? The enduring love of God? Enduring to the end? Hebrews 12:1-2 reads, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”



The “cloud of witnesses” the writer references is a long list of many faithful people of God whose faith sustained them and allowed for great things to happen in their times, recorded in Hebrews chapter 11. Look it up if you can use some encouragement for enduring the struggles we face in life. I know I can! As we go through this life, running the race, so to speak, we all need encouragement.



Are any of you runners? I never was until a year and a half after our second was born. I wanted to be healthier and to have more energy to keep up with the kiddos (our second-born was SO much more active than our first!), so I started jogging. It wasn’t easy, and I had to discover that if you push past the first time of tiredness, you’ll get a second wind and be able to keep going. Once I learned that, running became a lot more enjoyable. I still haven’t gotten back into running after our third was born (and he’s almost five now, so I guess that’s a little embarrassing to admit), but I can tell my body longs for that day.



Similarly, sometimes in our “Spiritual Race” we are running and sometimes we are walking. Sometimes we are crawling. It’s during those times that encouragement becomes so important. Where do you find encouragement? When I was running, I found it in my family and friends, in my running partner, and even a bit in myself.



Family and friends – fellow Christians running alongside us – are excellent encouragement in the race. My husband ran a half-marathon with a friend of his, and both said they probably would have walked at one point, if it wasn’t for the other one there, spurring each other on. Similarly, Christians aren’t meant to live in isolation. We encourage one another, spur one another on to keep going!



Back to the aforementioned “cloud of witnesses”…we can find great encouragement in those who have gone before us. Their example of faith isn’t meant to be idolized, but we can certainly be encouraged by it! Moses himself said he was not a great speaker, but look how God used him! The example of quiet devotion and generosity set by my grandparents is very inspiring to me. It’s wonderful to see how our Lord uses people for His work with the gifts He has given them! How has He equipped (or is still equipping you now?) for work in His kingdom?



And let us not neglect to remember that in the midst of this race, we are to look not to ourselves, not to the cloud of witnesses, but to Jesus. It was He who suffered and died for our sake. It was He who was raised by the Father. It is He to whom we look for all we need: grace, peace, mercy, love, joy, patience, steadfastness, and so much more. To Him, with the Father and Holy Spirit, be glory and honor and thanks and praise!
                                                                                                                      

Dear readers, may you continue steadfast, encouraged in your faith by those around you, by those gone before you, and most especially by the One who established your faith.

And a final reminder…Violet’s Daybreak is about to break! Be sure to join us for the Facebook Launch Party! More info at my Facebook Author Page.

(Photo by Alex Shaw at Shaw Photography.)

Violet’s Daybreak Launch

Violet’s Daybreak will be available October 1st and there will be an online FaceBook event to celebrate. Please join me!

Here’s what we’ll be up to:
“It’s a ten-minute tea break! We’ll be gathering online for short periods throughout the morning, so brew a cup of your favorite tea (or coffee!). I’ll be posting excerpts, a short devotion, trivia, answering questions from readers, and we’ll even have some giveaways! Stop by to get to know Violet and celebrate the launch with me!”















Heidi from ilovemyshepherd.com.






This also means that the #RegencySelfie Contest is restarted! There were some issues with being able to see people’s photos for the contest, so I’m adjusting where to post: Please go to the FaceBook event and post your entry there. In the meantime, watch for some styling tip posts from me! Our judge, Heidi, will select a winner on Launch Day.

Violet's Daybreak Launch

Violet's Daybreak will be available October 1st and there will be an online FaceBook event to celebrate. Please join me!

Here's what we'll be up to:"It's a ten-minute tea break! We'll be gathering online for short periods throughout the morning, so brew a cup of your favorite tea (or coffee!). I'll be posting excerpts, a short devotion, trivia, answering questions from readers, and we'll even have some giveaways! Stop by to get to know Violet and celebrate the launch with me!"








Heidi from ilovemyshepherd.com.


This also means that the #RegencySelfie Contest is restarted! There were some issues with being able to see people's photos for the contest, so I'm adjusting where to post: Please go to the FaceBook event and post your entry there. In the meantime, watch for some styling tip posts from me! Our judge, Heidi, will select a winner on Launch Day.

Lessons from Self-Publishing: Flexibility

(Retype App used for graphic and photo editing.)As opposed to the patience issue discussed previously, I’ve known for a while that flexibility isn’t my strong suit – physically or mentally! I don’t like it when plans change: it leaves me feeling unsettled, out of control, and often uncertain as to how to proceed. And it took a good deal of emotional energy to make the decision to change Violet’s launch date the first time.
The second was easier, since I’d already had to admit that I’d not planned well enough for interruptions to the process. That first one though? I wrestled with it for a bit before I could make myself make the call and postpone with the bookstore I’d booked for the party. Thoughts kept coming, like, It is so unprofessional to postpone. I can’t believe I didn’t allow myself more time. I can’t stand the thought of disappointing my readers. Then God sent people to encourage me (my husband and a close friend) whose words helped ease the fear building at the thought of postponing. In the end, though, I knew I had to do it; I’d rather be late with a good product than on time with a product I didn’t love. Next time, I’ll know not to announce anything until I have the physical proof in hand and know that the book will ready when it is announced.

To explore what Scripture says about the idea of being changeable, let’s take a little trip through a few different stories.
We read in the book of Jeremiah, chapter eighteen, that God sends the prophet to the potter’s house, where God will speak to him. Jeremiah goes, sees the potter with clay on his wheel, and watches as the item the potter is fashioning doesn’t work. The potter then lumps the clay together and begins again, fashioning something new. Following this, the Lord speaks to Jeremiah, explaining that He is the potter and if He wills, he can raise up nations and lower them to accomplish His purposes.
While this may seem somewhat judge-like and unmerciful of God, we must remember two things: First, that God is simultaneously merciful AND just. If He was only merciful, the Sacrifice of Christ would not have been necessary for our salvation. But He is fully merciful and fully just. Second, we must remember what His purposes are. Namely, the salvation of humankind. Throughout the Old Testament, He was moving history to the point at which our salvation would be accomplished. Once it was, He has been moving history to expand his Kingdom to include all people that would be saved. Even now, His purposes are for the salvation of humankind.
With this in mind – that is, knowing that salvation through Christ, sent by the Father and spread by the Spirit, is at the center of everything – we can confidently say that all He wills is good, that He is continually working for our good, even when it doesn’t go the way that we think it will. And what of my plans? Are they Kingdom-plans, or my own plans? If they’re Kingdom-plans, I can learn to change as God moves me to the places that He will, to spread the news of His grace. Through our lips, through our feet and hands, and most especially through His Word, active in our lives.
He reshapes us, as clay in the potter’s hand, to accomplish the work He has for us. Can a small pot hold a great deal of water? No, so He may change the shape. Can a shallow bowl pour well? No, but a pitcher can. The same lump of clay can be turned into any number of things, but only the potter knows what its purpose will be.
But only if we are malleable, if we have the flexibility to be changed.
When the children of Israel were spread far and wide, dispersed amongst the nations, God spoke to Ezekiel the prophet and said that He would gather them together again, and “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 11:19-20).
What a lovely image: a heart of stone removed – a heart that cannot grow warm for someone, that cannot sympathize or connect or love – and a heart of flesh given to replace it. When we have a heart of flesh, a heart beating with new life in Christ, our view of things changes. A delayed book launch can be opportunity to prepare more. An extensive delay on the freeway can become a chance to talk and spend time with the family. A son sold as a slave in Egypt can become the means through which God will care for people during a famine.
Remember the account of Joseph in Genesis? After all that happened, (sold by brothers, wrongly accused, imprisoned, brought by God’s power before Pharaoh to interpret dreams, then placed over everything and second only to Pharaoh in power), Joseph said to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today”(Genesis 50:20) He could see that when things don’t go as planned or hoped, God can turn it into a thing of beauty.
(Retype App used for graphic and photo editing.)
Remember, if flexibility and change is a difficult thing for you – life in Christ is all about newness. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (II Corinthians 5:17). All things are made new. And new things are ripe for change and flexibility. Have you ever observed a newborn baby? They flop all over the place! New plants, new animals, new babies – all of these will change so much in the first part of their NEW LIVES. In Christ, we have new life! Even better – new, eternal life! All new, ready and primed for growth in the One who makes us grow and change into His likeness.



Dear readers, I pray God’s grace will fill your lives to overflowing, changing all things to be new and ready for whatever He has in store for you!




And remember, Violet will be here soon!
(Photo by Alex Shaw of Shaw Photography.)