Sarah Baughman's Blog, page 6

Above All Names: Deliverer

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What an incredible start to our Advent devotions – Our Lord, our Deliverer! The Thessalonians knew firsthand what it is to be delivered from seeking after empty things. Don’t we know it, too? The stresses of the Christmas season build, the pressures of the “get it all done and get it done well” oppress, and the worries of life don’t fade entirely just because we’re in the middle of a time made for cheer and goodwill, according to card companies. This Advent Season, let us find rest in our Deliverer, and allow His good gifts to bring peace and joy to our souls.

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*Enjoy Visual Faith tools?

Utilize this beautiful advent calendar to fill-in the Name of the day, tarry a bit, and contemplate His goodness.

Visual Faith Advent Calendar by Pat Maier 

Interview: Lisa M. Clark

Tuesday, I posted a synopsis/review of the book Concealed, the first in the series The Messengers. Today, I am excited to share with you an interview with the author, Lisa M. Clark.[image error]

Sarah: Thanks so much for agreeing to this interview, Lisa! I have really been enjoying your The Messengers series. My daughter and I read Discovered last year, and now my son and I are reading it together. I’m still in the middle of Concealed, reading with my daughter, so please don’t give any of it away! Do you mind telling us a little of how Simon and the Messengers came to be?

Lisa: Thanks, Sarah! I love that you’re reading it with your kids. So many families have done that, and I love how it seems to prompt meaningful conversations that way.

I began the Messengers because I missed Simon. By that, I mean that I missed the high school students I used to teach. I had finished my graduate coursework and was trying to think of what I would say to high school students today about all sorts of things. So Simon, a teen very similar to many I knew, came to life. As his world came to life too, I tried to do my best to portray him with honesty and respect. As he learned important lessons, I knew other Simons (not to mention Jacks, Charitys, Ellas, and Bens) would be reading and wrestling with New Morgan as well.

Sarah: That’s such a great place for stories to start! What books did you enjoy reading as a child?

Lisa: All kinds of things. In fourth grade, I loved humorous books. In fifth grade, I tried to read long books, no matter the genre. In sixth and seventh grade, I read anything scary. In eighth grade, it was mysteries. In high school, I read just about anything.

Sarah: Well-rounded readers make the best writers! In previous conversation, you’ve mentioned that hymn writing is your first love. How is that different from writing fiction? Are there any similarities?

Lisa: Yes, I appreciate writing for many genres. Devotions come naturally for me, almost as if I’m just talking out loud. Bible studies bring out my inner teacher. Children’s books make me smile. But in recent years, most of my writing has been divided between fiction and hymn writing.

Fiction is hard for me. Very hard. Part of that is because it’s so long. I tease that when it comes to crafts, I made necklaces, not needlepoint. Scarves, not quilts. I wasn’t sure I would have the endurance to write an entire novel at first, and the only way I could prevent myself from panicking was that I thought about it as writing chapter by chapter. On the other hand, it was extremely satisfying to complete a novel, and the joy that comes with getting lost in a world while reading happened while writing too.

One similarity is that both require mental prewriting. For a hymn, that doesn’t usually take very long for me. For fiction, I would sometimes wrestle with character motivation and plot points for days before I could sit down and write a particular scene.

Another similarity is the craft of words—how you say what you say is extremely important, and word choice can make a big difference in the end.

Yes, hymn writing is my primary love. Whereas fiction writing can seem like work, I crave hymn writing. If I go long without it, I don’t feel myself. I think the thing I appreciate most about writing hymn texts is that it is a concentrated powerhouse: Every syllable matters and contributes to the proclamation of the Word, which is not fully realized until it is set to music and then sung. The collaboration of many people work together for a brief but rich moment of praise.  

Sarah: That’s such a beautiful description of hymn-writing. I think while I’ve known that hymn-writing is an involved process, I haven’t actually contemplated all that goes into it. Incredible!

What is the most difficult part of writing for you? The easiest?

Lisa: I’m not sure. I think the most difficult part may be to get started. The easiest happens when I forget myself and simply enjoy the process of seeing words come to paper—and then to life.

Sarah: I love those moments in writing! Would you tell us a little about your family?

Lisa: My family is a huge support for me and my writing; they bring joy, laughter, and a lot of hugs to my life. My husband, Matt, is a pastor. Late at night, he’s often writing a sermon or Bible study while I’m writing whatever happens to be on my to-do list. Our kids attend our association Lutheran school and enjoy music, trivia, art, and reading. Together, we enjoy hikes and bike rides. My family provides some of the first responses when it comes to The Messengers. Without their encouragement, Simon wouldn’t exist.

Sarah: My family is an important support to me in my writing, as well. How has your faith impacted your writing?

Lisa: Just as with most, if not all, things in my life, my faith is an integral part of my writing. Even when not writing specifically about faith, my work is nevertheless influenced by the realities I know because of my faith. And when I can use my own words to speak of the Word made flesh, when I can use my own creations to give glory to the Creator, when the Spirit enables me to use my gifts to share the spirit of truth—I know of no greater joy.

Sarah: That’s so beautiful.

Let’s finish with a quick list of favorites.

Hot beverage –

Lisa: Our family’s “secret” Christmas cider. (It’s not really a secret. I share recipes.)

Sarah: That’s so fun!

Cold beverage –

Lisa: Just about anything with bubbles.

Sarah: Hymn –

Lisa: That’s terribly hard! I often get started, and a dozen later. . . .  I’ll try to limit myself to five, in no particular order:

Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word

Thy Strong Word

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

My Song Is Love Unknown

When You Woke That Thursday Morning

I’m at six, and that still doesn’t cut it. Ah, well.

Sarah: I think I wasn’t being very kind asking about your favorite hymn — I knew it’d be difficult for you to choose!

Blind Baking and Advent

I’d never been a great pie-baker. My crusts came out soggy and it seemed like a lot of work…but then I discovered blind-baking. It’s also called “pre-baking”, and after some research, I discovered other ways to do it besides pricking the crust with a fork…that had never worked for me like it should have, either. But taking the time to cover the crust with (greased) aluminum foil and then fill the foil with beans to weigh down the crust…they came out great! I still think that I prefer quick breads, cookies, and even yeast breads to pies, but at least I know now how to make good ones.[image error]

As I was making the pie crusts, though…letting my 9 and 6 year-old sons help mix the flour and salt, cut in the shortening…and make a big mess!…I realized that Blind-Baking is a little like Advent. Sure, we could just throw in a doughy crust, fill it, and bake it, and it will turn out ok…maybe not win any awards, but it’ll still taste good enough. We could just throw together our Christmas celebrations with the usual presents, once-a-week church, and the occasional party.

When we take time to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, though, how much sweeter is Christmas! Just like when I take the time to pre-bake a pie crust, it is crispy and complements the filling, whether it be pumpkin or apple or what-have-you…the whole thing is so much better. Taking the time during the busy season leading up to Christmas can set a tone of eager expectation, peace in the midst of turmoil, and joy that even burned pies or under-cooked meals can’t steal. Because Christmas isn’t about the presents and food, or even about family.

It’s about God coming to us in a very real way because He had a plan to fulfill, which would accomplish our salvation. The tiny Baby, placed in that rough-hewn manger would hang from a roughly-hewn cross, taking on our sin so that we can stand before God clothed in His righteousness. Join I Love My Shepherd and GraftedHeart this year for Advent devotions Above All Names, centering on the names Scripture gives to Christ.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”   Philippians 2:4-11

Review – The Messengers: Discovered

[image error]I’m excited about posting this review, and really, it’s long overdue. I read this book for the first time last year with my then-11-year old daughter. Now, I’m in the process of re-reading it, but with my 9-year-old son. As it’s Young Adult fiction, we stop every few paragraphs and talk about words he doesn’t know (and I make sure he understands what’s going on)…but he’s really enjoying it.

In this book by Lisa M. Clark, the city in which Simon Clay lives is wildly different from out world today. Everything in New Morgan is highly regulated, including how long children are allowed to take to walk from school to their homes. As we continue through the book, we learn that all copies of religious writings have been banned and destroyed. Because this is Christian fiction, the characters we see are most concerned with the recovery of the Bible.

Finding scraps and slips of paper, there is an underground gathering of people – a church – that is working to recover the Word of God. Meanwhile, the government is doing all it can to stop their efforts and to continue to brainwash the children to stop asking questions and stop creative endeavors. Sounds pretty miserable to me! Simon had always seemed like a bit of a misfit in New Morgan, but as he begins to learn about this hidden Truth, his life will never be the same. God’s Word has opened Simon’s eyes to the Light of His love, and suddenly, Simon finds deeper meaning in life, in the Message, and in his relationships with those in his life. And he finds that the Message that New Morgan is trying to keep hidden is greater than anything else he’s learned or discovered in all his fifteen years of life.

Lisa M. Clark creates a world in her book that really draws in the reader and keeps you wondering what will happen next. I love being able to read this with my older children, confident that the content is edifying as well as entertaining. It also brings to the forefront the question: What would we do if our Bibles were taken away? I know that I don’t memorize Scripture as much as I’d like to. I do know, though, that I want to start again!

A few weeks ago, Lisa was kind enough to carve some time out of her busy schedule to answer some interview questions. I’ll be posting that interview on Thursday!

One more thing: If you haven’t signed up for the Advent devotions from I Love My Shepherd and GraftedHeart, I encourage you to do so! You can check out my blog about it here, or just sign up to follow this blog to receive them in your inbox every day. The season of Advent, the time of preparing for Christmas, can feel so hectic and out of control sometimes. In this devotional series, Above All Names, we are looking to the Savior for some moments of calm and strengthening in His Word and who He is.

Gearing Up?

As I sit here and begin this blog post, most of the Thanksgiving dishes are washed and put away, with the exception of a few of the pans (yes, I’m one of those that save some dishes for the next day–a habit I’m working on changing). All of the fall decor is, if not put away, packed up in its boxes and the Christmas boxes are waiting in our entry hallway to be unpacked and scattered around the house. My husband is taking his mom out to do a little shopping after the initial shopping rush has eased a bit.

And I’m sitting and writing. Because I’m not quite ready for the business of the pre-Christmas season.

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Do you feel that way sometimes? There have been years that I didn’t even feel like putting up the tree. The pressures and strains of shopping, decorating…the commercial side of this most beautiful and peaceful of Holy Days can encroach on the joy of the season, even of the day.

So I’m taking time to collect myself, to take a breath, and to remember Who it is we are preparing to celebrate. The tree will go up, the lights and the stockings be hung, the cookies baked, and the various trinkets and happy clutter will be placed about the house. Probably more quickly and more haphazardly than I’d prefer, with four little helpers, all of whom seem so much less little than even a year ago.

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This year, I Love My Shepherd Ministries and GraftedHeart are teaming up again to provide you with a few moments of rest in the One whom we celebrate. We’ll be looking at the different names used for the Christ throughout Scripture, and taking time each day to reflect on who He is, and what that reveals about His character and His love for us.

 

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The season of Advent doesn’t start on December 1, but we decided to start our devotions then because who can’t do with a little more Jesus? There is a printable PDF of the devotions, or you can sign up to follow either of our blogs to receive the devotions each day in your email inbox. We also have , which can be used in a variety of ways to serve as reminders or places of contemplation for your Advent devotions. Finally, we also have an that you can download and print. Use it to simply read, to journal, or however best suits you.

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Advent is a time to prepare for the coming of our Savior – the remembrance of His first coming at His birth, the celebration of His continual coming to us in His Word and means of grace, and eager anticipation of His second coming at the end of time.

Come, Lord Jesus!

 

Book Review: Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands

[image error]This collection of seven stories of love takes a new spin on the “mail-order bride” story-line.

The town of Turtle Springs, Kansas has lost a great deal of its men in the wake of the American Civil War, leaving many of the women fatherless or widowed. Rather than sit around and wait for things to get better, some of the women decide to place ads in papers back east, conduct auditions, and bring men to the town as husbands.

Each story, with its own author, has its own situation and story-line, but some characters appear multiple times in other stories, before we reach her own tale of finding love; it’s a fun way of gaining glimpses into the lives of these seven women outside of their own stories.

For a fun read set in a bygone era, check out Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands.

 

Think on These

Today I have a unique book to share with you, written by my good friend. Because she describes what her book is so well, here’s the back cover text:

Philippians 4:8 gives us the admonition to place our minds on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise…but what does this mean for us in our daily lives? Dive in as we search the Scriptures to find out more and begin to “think on these”.
I Love My Shepherd studies have five days of study in the Word each week. Each day is a 10-15 minute read. Some days contain questions for reflection, while others leave space for prayer journaling and Scripture engagement. Gather to study with a group or enjoy a quiet moment, one-on-one with God.
Intensely theological, intensely practical, every time.

[image error]I don’t know about you, but I could use more of this in my life. I’ve read through this study several times — as blog entries at her website I Love My Shepherd, as an editor, as a formatter, and I’m looking forward to sitting down with my hard copy and reading it as a wife, mom, friend, daughter, and child of God.

Book Review: The Promise Bride

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This book was a join venture by authors Gina Welborn and Becca Whitham. Set in the late 1800s, The Promise Bride is the first in the Montana Brides Series. Emilia Stanek, wanting to save her family from hardship in Chicago, began correspondence with a man in Montana and eventually married him by proxy. When she arrived in Montana, though, the sheriff of the town meets her at the train station to tell her that her husband was dead, and she should go back. Without that option, Emilia stays and takes on her deceased husband’s farm and debts, all without ever having the benefit of meeting him. The sheriff, Mac to his friends, has been investigating Emilia’s husband’s death, and isn’t liking what he’s turning up about his closest friend. It looks like his intentions toward Emilia might not have been entirely honorable, which is against everything Mac thought he knew about his friend. Meanwhile, Emilia is successfully, though with a good deal of struggle, handling the farm and her deceased husband’s lenders, as well as refusing to listen to anything Mac tries to tell her about leaving, or evidence that she could be in danger, or anything at all. And worst of all, she’s worming her way into his heart, but he could never be hitched to a good woman like her, on account of his past and his parentage.

This novel has a great deal of possibility to be cheesy, corny, and unbelievable. However, it’s none of these. The characters are sympathetic and true, the struggles made real by beautiful storytelling and description, and if anything seems a little contrived here or there, the story’s pace doesn’t give you time to notice.

For example, Mac and Emilia’s struggle to deny the pull they feel for one another – hers out of loyalty to her deceased husband and his out of shame of his past – could have elicited a “Whatever. That’s ridiculous because she never even met the guy, and he should know that wouldn’t matter to a person as kind as she is.” But no, the story is woven in such a way that all the reader can think is “No!!! Don’t walk away from her; she’ll understand!” Feeling what the characters feel…great reading experience.

Another thing that I enjoyed were the elements of mystery and suspense. The big crime of the novel was committed right at the beginning, but the solving that crime, as well as the possibility of danger to the dead man’s widow – Emilia – leaves the reader just a bit off-centered while reading. “What’s going to happen? They can’t let her get hurt….can they???”

The story in The Promise Bride is like a treasure tied to the end of a long piece of yarn, wound around and around into a ball. As the reader progresses through the story, strand after strand of the yarn is removed, getting closer to the center that is obviously going to be good, but still hidden, still with an element of mystery. The closer to the center of the ball of yarn the reader gets, the treasure is somewhat revealed – shape, maybe, or size. But it isn’t until the very last strand is removed, and all the reader has in hand is the treasure, that the whole of the story comes together and is revealed by the authors.

Great job, Gina and Becca! Readers, this story is a fun, fast-paced, and yet meaningful read.

What’s Your Perspective?

I’m putting the finishing touches…or pre-finishing touches…on my latest manuscript. Near the beginning of the novel, one of the characters is swamped with thoughts of a crisis that just hit, but he isn’t read to tell anyone. So he’s in his head a lot. Which can be a little boring to read if it goes on…and on… for too long.

As part of my pre-finishing touches, I’d made a list of scenes with the key player (s) and a one-phrase description to trigger my memory. As I was looking at the list, it occurred to me that I could simply switch the point of view.

Now, I know that in the writing world, there are strong opinions on the idea of Point of View.

A well-done story, in first-person can immerse the reader in the mind of the character, creating tension with not knowing the true motivations of others, because we can’t get in their heads…like in real life.

Writing Partnerships

Meet Heidi.
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We met a little over ten years ago, at the Baptism of a mutual friend’s daughter. Our journey as friends began before that, though.

You see, we both attended the same university for a year – she and her husband both graduated after my freshman year. She and I were even in the same program, but not until near the end of my freshman year, when I changed majors.

We didn’t meet then.

A few years later, her husband and my soon-to-be-husband were both at the Seminary at the same time, but not the same classes. Karl (my hubby) was studying historical theology for his Master of Arts, and her husband was in his last year of classes, after his vicarage, for his Master of Divinity.

We didn’t meet then, either.

Fast forward another few years, when my husband and I were living in Michigan with our first child, and Heidi and her husband were living in Ohio with their first two children. We met in-between outside of Detroit, Michigan. It went something like this.

We stood around, chatting a little with the people we knew, and smiling at the kids playing outside. We each noticed the three of ours playing with the older brother of the newly Baptized one.

“How old are yours?” I asked timidly. I was pretty shy still back then, and it was a good deal of effort on my part making myself speak. (Actually, because I can’t remember the conversation verbatim, it may very well have been Karl who initiated it; he’s always been a lot more outgoing than I am!)

“Oh, M is 4, and J is 2,” she answered. “Yours?”

“Our M is 1 and a half.”

“Cool!” She had a great, welcoming smile. “My name’s Heidi, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sarah.”

We talked about how we knew the family, and were surprised at what a small world it is. We chatted through the afternoon, and as it was time to go, I felt that if I didn’t speak up, I might be missing a huge opportunity for friendship. I’d never had such a strong urge to ask someone if we could keep in touch. All other friendships had grown slowly and naturally, over time.

My heart was thumping with the anxiety of asking to trade information. I’m always nervous that I perceive a different connection than someone else does, and this was before the days of looking someone up on Facebook after the fact (it probably existed, but I wasn’t on it yet).

“Hey, Heidi. Um, do you wanna trade email or something?” I probably went on to explain that I normally don’t just ask people I just met to keep in touch, but there seemed to be a good friendship potential or some such thing…

“Yeah! I was thinking of asking the same thing! Our kids play so well, and it’s been fun talking to you!”

So, Heidi doesn’t actually speak with so many exclamation points, but the joy this encounter brings up makes me a little over-exuberant in my writing.