L.N. Cronk's Blog, page 3
January 3, 2014
So What Color is Josette, Anyway?
. . . most of the characters and places were vaguely described. If they decided to make Chop, Chop into a movie--please don’t, Hollywood!--it would be pretty much up to the producers as to the ethnicity, eye color, hair color, height, style of dress, etc., of the characters, because they get little mention. From what I hear, Victor Hugo’s writings--which I haven’t read! I know; what kind of avid reader am I?--are notorious for their long, detailed descriptions; well, this is the polar opposite of that.”
The above is an excerpt from a negative review on Chop, Chop .Shortly after I wrote Chop, Chop, a friend told me that I needed to include more descriptions—for example how did the lasagna smell when David entered the White’s house? And just this morning, my dear friend Heather Blanton (an author who is so excellent at describing people, places and things that I insisted she help me by adding her genius to my upcoming historical fiction novel, The Pirate’s Revenge ) challenged me to do more in the way of imagery in my contemporary works. In part, she said, “You have five senses. Use them, especially when you’re setting a scene. I KNOW you are capable of this. Little things like wrinkles around the eyes, a middle-age paunch hanging over the belt, a song playing in the background, you know what I mean.”I do know what she means, and I do know that I’m capable.But despite many suggestions, challenges, and outright criticisms, I have no intention of changing the way I write because my lack of descriptions is very, veryintentional.Sometimes in my books—if looks areimportant in a character’s mind—that character will describe a person. For example, David describes what Samantha looks like quite a bit—because it’s important to him. But how Laci looks isn’t important to him at all. We know that she’s pretty and that she has brown hair, but that’s about it. What is important to David, is Laci’s heart, which (I hope) is described in vivid detail. (Incidentally, I recently talked to two people who both imagine Laci as a blonde—so obviously describing things doesn’t really change how readers choose to envision them anyway!!)Interestingly, when David goes to the prison, he describes in great detail every aspect of the process of passing through security upon entering the correctional unit . . . what the lobby looked like . . . even going so far as to tell us the number on one of the prisoner’s uniforms. Why? Because that’s all David could manage. He couldn’t think about what he was getting ready to do.There are, of course, times when I have had my characters describe other characters. In Not Quickly Broken , for example, Jordan not only tells us what Charlotte looks like, but what he and Tanner look like as well. (On a side note, one of my favorite lines in that book is when Jordan tells us that he looks “just like Tanner, (which – after watching women throw themselves at him for years – I’d learned wasn’t exactly a bad thing).” :)And Marco, in What I Want , lets us know what Josette looks like as follows:Just as I still believed that there was someone out there for me, I also still believed that that “someone” would belong on the Island of Misfit Toys like I did. I was certain that there was going to be something majorly wrong with whoever I wound up with . . .And to put it bluntly, there was nothing wrong with Josette.Josette was way out of my league. She belonged on the antipode of the Island of Misfit Toys . . . clear on the other side of the world. You can’t live with a woman for almost a year and not notice something like that . . . whether or not they’re attractive.And Josette most definitely was.Her eyes, for example. I had actually noticed them the moment I met her in the student union that first day, so long ago. They were a dark, charcoal gray and they were framed by incredibly thick, black lashes and they were beautiful . . . and I had immediately felt guilty for even noticing them.It wasn’t just her eyes, though.Everything about Josette was attractive: the soft curve of her lips, the gentle arch of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, her high cheekbones and long, straight dark hair, the flawless tone of her bronzed skin, her delicate fingers, her . . . No. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Josette.But despite all this, Marco—who is Latino—never does address her ethnicity. Is she Caucasian? Latino? African American? The description Marco gives leaves room for any of these possibilities and more. But one of the things I hoped to convey in What I Want is the fact that it doesn’t matter what we look like—even though Marco was so sure it did. And so I purposefully decided to let the reader imagine Josette’s skin color however they want.I know what I picture Josette’s skin color to be, but I’m curious about what you envision . . . so will you leave me a comment below to let me know? I promise I’ll tell you my thoughts on the matter after you tell me yours!
The above is an excerpt from a negative review on Chop, Chop .Shortly after I wrote Chop, Chop, a friend told me that I needed to include more descriptions—for example how did the lasagna smell when David entered the White’s house? And just this morning, my dear friend Heather Blanton (an author who is so excellent at describing people, places and things that I insisted she help me by adding her genius to my upcoming historical fiction novel, The Pirate’s Revenge ) challenged me to do more in the way of imagery in my contemporary works. In part, she said, “You have five senses. Use them, especially when you’re setting a scene. I KNOW you are capable of this. Little things like wrinkles around the eyes, a middle-age paunch hanging over the belt, a song playing in the background, you know what I mean.”I do know what she means, and I do know that I’m capable.But despite many suggestions, challenges, and outright criticisms, I have no intention of changing the way I write because my lack of descriptions is very, veryintentional.Sometimes in my books—if looks areimportant in a character’s mind—that character will describe a person. For example, David describes what Samantha looks like quite a bit—because it’s important to him. But how Laci looks isn’t important to him at all. We know that she’s pretty and that she has brown hair, but that’s about it. What is important to David, is Laci’s heart, which (I hope) is described in vivid detail. (Incidentally, I recently talked to two people who both imagine Laci as a blonde—so obviously describing things doesn’t really change how readers choose to envision them anyway!!)Interestingly, when David goes to the prison, he describes in great detail every aspect of the process of passing through security upon entering the correctional unit . . . what the lobby looked like . . . even going so far as to tell us the number on one of the prisoner’s uniforms. Why? Because that’s all David could manage. He couldn’t think about what he was getting ready to do.There are, of course, times when I have had my characters describe other characters. In Not Quickly Broken , for example, Jordan not only tells us what Charlotte looks like, but what he and Tanner look like as well. (On a side note, one of my favorite lines in that book is when Jordan tells us that he looks “just like Tanner, (which – after watching women throw themselves at him for years – I’d learned wasn’t exactly a bad thing).” :)And Marco, in What I Want , lets us know what Josette looks like as follows:Just as I still believed that there was someone out there for me, I also still believed that that “someone” would belong on the Island of Misfit Toys like I did. I was certain that there was going to be something majorly wrong with whoever I wound up with . . .And to put it bluntly, there was nothing wrong with Josette.Josette was way out of my league. She belonged on the antipode of the Island of Misfit Toys . . . clear on the other side of the world. You can’t live with a woman for almost a year and not notice something like that . . . whether or not they’re attractive.And Josette most definitely was.Her eyes, for example. I had actually noticed them the moment I met her in the student union that first day, so long ago. They were a dark, charcoal gray and they were framed by incredibly thick, black lashes and they were beautiful . . . and I had immediately felt guilty for even noticing them.It wasn’t just her eyes, though.Everything about Josette was attractive: the soft curve of her lips, the gentle arch of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, her high cheekbones and long, straight dark hair, the flawless tone of her bronzed skin, her delicate fingers, her . . . No. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Josette.But despite all this, Marco—who is Latino—never does address her ethnicity. Is she Caucasian? Latino? African American? The description Marco gives leaves room for any of these possibilities and more. But one of the things I hoped to convey in What I Want is the fact that it doesn’t matter what we look like—even though Marco was so sure it did. And so I purposefully decided to let the reader imagine Josette’s skin color however they want.I know what I picture Josette’s skin color to be, but I’m curious about what you envision . . . so will you leave me a comment below to let me know? I promise I’ll tell you my thoughts on the matter after you tell me yours!
January 1, 2014
Today Is The Perfect Day To . . .
On December 12th, 2006, I was driving home from work, and God gave me a story.
Now I’ve always wanted to be a writer – ever since I was a little girl – and I’ve always dabbled in writing for most of my life. But this was different . . . this was not a story that I made up in my head, this was a story that God put in my head. For two months I wrote in every spare moment that I had – oftentimes writing things without even knowing or understanding why I was writing them, (if you haven’t already, I encourage you to read my first post, The Story Behind the Story ). At the end of exactly two months, the book was finished and that experience has been – without a doubt – one of the most significant events in my life, and now I love nothing more than to get other people to read my book. Those who know me best say that I am . . . obsessed.
Obsessed? Well . . . I guess if I were to be honest, I would have to say, “Guilty as charged.”
After several months of trying to get everyone in North America to read my book, I was driving along one day and was listening – no . . . I was half-listening – to a sermon on the radio. I still remember the voice of this older gentleman who had a strong southern drawl; he was talking about the importance of reading the Bible, every day.I already knew that it was important to read and study the Bible, (but that doesn’t mean I was doingit . . . it just means that I knew it was important). Honestly, at that time in my life, I wasn’t reading or studying the Bible on a regular basis (just like I definitely wasn’t paying all that much attention to the sermon that was on in my car). On both counts, I was probably thinking about my book.
But then . . . then that older southern preacher man said something that I will never forget. He said: “How would you feel, if you wrote a book, and nobody wanted to read it?”
How would you feel, if you wrote a book, and nobody wanted to read it?
Well, I knew how I would feel. I knew exactly how I would feel, and God was letting me know how HE felt about the fact that I wasn’t reading His Word.
Ohhhhh, did I ever feel bad. There’s nothing quite like learning how disappointed God is in you to kick-start you in the right direction. Since that time I’ve been actively reading and studying the Bible and – over the past few years – God has never ceased to amaze me by revealing Himself to me through His Word.Did you know that the Bible is the only document whose basic message is so straightforward that the simplest of minds can understand it, and yet so complex that the most scholarly of individuals can spend their entire lives trying to unravel its wonderful mysteries?
What better day than the first day of a brand New Year to decide that you’re going to delve into God’s word more fully than you have in the past? Deciding to begin diligently reading the Bible can be somewhat overwhelming, I know, but I really got into it when I started reading one of Beth Moore’s personal reflection series books. Although the book I started with was her book on David, the most powerful one I read (and the one I’m recommending you start with) was the next one I tried: her book entitled John: The Beloved Disciple .
A version with the same information as the personal reflection version is FREE right now on Amazon and on Nook, and if you’re looking for a way to get into God’s word a little deeper, I would highly recommend that you download it. As a matter of fact, there are several of her books that are free right now – so grab them while you can (and – as always – make sure the price is still free when you click!)
John referred to himself as the disciple Jesus loved, and by the time I finished the book, I understood why. He wasn’t bragging or anything, he simply knew (and I think was overwhelmed by the fact) that he was loved by Jesus.
I leave you today with a short music video by Jason Graythat I hope you will take a few minutes to watch, because we are all—like John—loved by Jesus.
We should be overwhelmed by that fact.
Now I’ve always wanted to be a writer – ever since I was a little girl – and I’ve always dabbled in writing for most of my life. But this was different . . . this was not a story that I made up in my head, this was a story that God put in my head. For two months I wrote in every spare moment that I had – oftentimes writing things without even knowing or understanding why I was writing them, (if you haven’t already, I encourage you to read my first post, The Story Behind the Story ). At the end of exactly two months, the book was finished and that experience has been – without a doubt – one of the most significant events in my life, and now I love nothing more than to get other people to read my book. Those who know me best say that I am . . . obsessed.
Obsessed? Well . . . I guess if I were to be honest, I would have to say, “Guilty as charged.”
After several months of trying to get everyone in North America to read my book, I was driving along one day and was listening – no . . . I was half-listening – to a sermon on the radio. I still remember the voice of this older gentleman who had a strong southern drawl; he was talking about the importance of reading the Bible, every day.I already knew that it was important to read and study the Bible, (but that doesn’t mean I was doingit . . . it just means that I knew it was important). Honestly, at that time in my life, I wasn’t reading or studying the Bible on a regular basis (just like I definitely wasn’t paying all that much attention to the sermon that was on in my car). On both counts, I was probably thinking about my book.
But then . . . then that older southern preacher man said something that I will never forget. He said: “How would you feel, if you wrote a book, and nobody wanted to read it?”
How would you feel, if you wrote a book, and nobody wanted to read it?
Well, I knew how I would feel. I knew exactly how I would feel, and God was letting me know how HE felt about the fact that I wasn’t reading His Word.
Ohhhhh, did I ever feel bad. There’s nothing quite like learning how disappointed God is in you to kick-start you in the right direction. Since that time I’ve been actively reading and studying the Bible and – over the past few years – God has never ceased to amaze me by revealing Himself to me through His Word.Did you know that the Bible is the only document whose basic message is so straightforward that the simplest of minds can understand it, and yet so complex that the most scholarly of individuals can spend their entire lives trying to unravel its wonderful mysteries?
What better day than the first day of a brand New Year to decide that you’re going to delve into God’s word more fully than you have in the past? Deciding to begin diligently reading the Bible can be somewhat overwhelming, I know, but I really got into it when I started reading one of Beth Moore’s personal reflection series books. Although the book I started with was her book on David, the most powerful one I read (and the one I’m recommending you start with) was the next one I tried: her book entitled John: The Beloved Disciple .
A version with the same information as the personal reflection version is FREE right now on Amazon and on Nook, and if you’re looking for a way to get into God’s word a little deeper, I would highly recommend that you download it. As a matter of fact, there are several of her books that are free right now – so grab them while you can (and – as always – make sure the price is still free when you click!)
John referred to himself as the disciple Jesus loved, and by the time I finished the book, I understood why. He wasn’t bragging or anything, he simply knew (and I think was overwhelmed by the fact) that he was loved by Jesus.
I leave you today with a short music video by Jason Graythat I hope you will take a few minutes to watch, because we are all—like John—loved by Jesus.
We should be overwhelmed by that fact.
December 31, 2013
FREE Beth Moore Books today! Download while you can!
Beth Moore's book -
The Beloved Disciple
- that I referenced in "What I Want" is FREE for Kindle today! I was actually planning on doing a post about this book in the next day or two, but I wanted to let you know now so you can grab it while you can!!
Update: Actually a BUNCH of her books are free today or super cheap (like 99 cents)! Better just check out everything by clicking here, but be sure to download the free version of The Beloved Disciple if nothing else!
Available on Nook, too! http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beloved-disciple-beth-moore/1005797093?ean=9780805427530
Update: Actually a BUNCH of her books are free today or super cheap (like 99 cents)! Better just check out everything by clicking here, but be sure to download the free version of The Beloved Disciple if nothing else!
Available on Nook, too! http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beloved-disciple-beth-moore/1005797093?ean=9780805427530
Wearing Pants and Drinking
Something I read over thirteen years ago that has always stayed with me comes from Lori Wick’s novel
Sophie’s Heart
. The character Brad believes that it’s wrong for women to wear pants and Sophie (for whom English is not her first language, btw) calls him on it. (Special thanks to my friend Laura for looking the following passages up for me so that I could quote them accurately!):
Brad: “You think I’m just following my own belief and not God’s.”
Sophie: “I am not accuse you of this, Brad. But I have read Scripture much, and I can be honest when I say I stand before God without shame when I wear pants or modest shorts. I am take for granted that you can back your belief with Scripture. If cannot, then is not from God.”
Later Brad asks Sophie: “Are you sure I can’t change your mind about these things? Sophie smiled. “Can I change yours?” She heard him sigh. “Please, Brad, do not lay sin at my door.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, is only thing I worry about—sin against God, not pleasing man, but God. You are look at all us women in pants and say we sin. You cannot make that choice for us.”
He was laying sin at her door.
This morning I read a review of an author’s contemporary Christian fiction novel in which the reviewer was upset because the main character had a beer. The reviewer said that this was a factor that she wouldn’t expect to see in a Christian book and stated in part that, “Christians are called to be holy as Jesus is holy.”
Let me make something perfectly clear: Jesus drank. Jesus drank alcohol. Jesus served other people wine and told them to drink. Jesus turned water into wine for a wedding party. (For those who disagree with any of this, I would urge you to read the article entitled Did Jesus Turn Water into Wine or Grape Juice? )
Let me make something else perfectly clear: if you don’t want to drink, that’s absolutely fine. I understand that some people cannot drink without sinning (because being drunk is clearly, clearlywarned against multiple times in Scripture), and some people are simply afraid (or know) that if they allow themselves to have even one drink that they will inevitably get drunk. Furthermore, I fully understand that drinking too much leads to a multitude of problems – that’s why we are commanded not to get drunk!
But don’t say that we shouldn’t drink because we’re supposed to be like Jesus. Don’t lay sin at someone else’s door.
In Romans 14:12-22, Paul states: So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
And yes, I am a big enough person here to go ahead and write the next verse:
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.
So then why don’t I keep what I believe between myself and God? By stating my beliefs, I’m bound to put a stumbling block in front of someone who is against any kind of drinking, so why don’t I just shut up?
Because I believe that it is even more important to removea stumbling block from someone who doesn’t already know Christ. A teetotaler is likely to be somebody who already goes to church every Sunday and reads their Bible, prays and already loves the Lord.
But what about that person who wants to love the Lord, yet they’re certain they cannot be a Christian because they’ve been told it’s wrong if they have a glass of wine or a beer?
I’d rather remove that stumbling block.
Brad: “You think I’m just following my own belief and not God’s.”
Sophie: “I am not accuse you of this, Brad. But I have read Scripture much, and I can be honest when I say I stand before God without shame when I wear pants or modest shorts. I am take for granted that you can back your belief with Scripture. If cannot, then is not from God.”
Later Brad asks Sophie: “Are you sure I can’t change your mind about these things? Sophie smiled. “Can I change yours?” She heard him sigh. “Please, Brad, do not lay sin at my door.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, is only thing I worry about—sin against God, not pleasing man, but God. You are look at all us women in pants and say we sin. You cannot make that choice for us.”
He was laying sin at her door.
This morning I read a review of an author’s contemporary Christian fiction novel in which the reviewer was upset because the main character had a beer. The reviewer said that this was a factor that she wouldn’t expect to see in a Christian book and stated in part that, “Christians are called to be holy as Jesus is holy.”
Let me make something perfectly clear: Jesus drank. Jesus drank alcohol. Jesus served other people wine and told them to drink. Jesus turned water into wine for a wedding party. (For those who disagree with any of this, I would urge you to read the article entitled Did Jesus Turn Water into Wine or Grape Juice? )
Let me make something else perfectly clear: if you don’t want to drink, that’s absolutely fine. I understand that some people cannot drink without sinning (because being drunk is clearly, clearlywarned against multiple times in Scripture), and some people are simply afraid (or know) that if they allow themselves to have even one drink that they will inevitably get drunk. Furthermore, I fully understand that drinking too much leads to a multitude of problems – that’s why we are commanded not to get drunk!
But don’t say that we shouldn’t drink because we’re supposed to be like Jesus. Don’t lay sin at someone else’s door.
In Romans 14:12-22, Paul states: So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
And yes, I am a big enough person here to go ahead and write the next verse:
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.
So then why don’t I keep what I believe between myself and God? By stating my beliefs, I’m bound to put a stumbling block in front of someone who is against any kind of drinking, so why don’t I just shut up?
Because I believe that it is even more important to removea stumbling block from someone who doesn’t already know Christ. A teetotaler is likely to be somebody who already goes to church every Sunday and reads their Bible, prays and already loves the Lord.
But what about that person who wants to love the Lord, yet they’re certain they cannot be a Christian because they’ve been told it’s wrong if they have a glass of wine or a beer?
I’d rather remove that stumbling block.
December 30, 2013
My Views on Homosexuality
My Views On Homosexuality
Why are you reading this post? Why in the world do you care what MY views on homosexuality are?
Paul states in his second letter to Timothy: For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3)
Is that why you clicked on this post? Are you trying to gather around yourself a great number of teachers who will say what your itching ears want to hear? Are you hoping for an affirmation of what you already believe?
If you find out my views on homosexuality and discover that I feel the same way you do, you will likely nod your head approvingly and say “Right on, sister! Preach it!”
But if you discover that I feel differently from the way you do, you’re likely to shake your head in disgust and mutter that you’ll never buy another one of my books again.
Well here is a news flash for you: It doesn’t matter what I think.
I’m nobody.
I’m nothing.
And here’s another news flash: It doesn’t matter what you think, either.
Because, you see, all that matters is what GOD thinks.
We don’t get to decide what is right or wrong . . . God does.
Do you understand that if every single person on the face of this planet believed the same thing about homosexuality but God believed something different, then we would all still be wrong?
If you really want to know if homosexuality is right or wrong, don’t worry about what I believe. Or what your neighbor believes. Or your friends or your church or science. Don’t let somebody else do your thinking for you.
Worry about what God believes.
Seek HIS will.
Read your Bible (and don’t just peruse it in an effort to justify what you want to believe, use it to try to learn what God believes). Really read it. Study it. Get to know it.
Get to know Him.
Be like Jesus.
You see, Jesus knew God intimately, and it is our job to get to know Him intimately as well. Jesus studied Scripture thoroughly. He knew not only every word of our Old Testament by heart, but He also knew what God’s intention was with each word.
Our job is to study the Old and the New Testaments and to try to understand God’s intentions the way Jesus did. To try to know God's will.
There. That’s what my views are.
Why are you reading this post? Why in the world do you care what MY views on homosexuality are?
Paul states in his second letter to Timothy: For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3)
Is that why you clicked on this post? Are you trying to gather around yourself a great number of teachers who will say what your itching ears want to hear? Are you hoping for an affirmation of what you already believe?
If you find out my views on homosexuality and discover that I feel the same way you do, you will likely nod your head approvingly and say “Right on, sister! Preach it!”
But if you discover that I feel differently from the way you do, you’re likely to shake your head in disgust and mutter that you’ll never buy another one of my books again.
Well here is a news flash for you: It doesn’t matter what I think.
I’m nobody.
I’m nothing.
And here’s another news flash: It doesn’t matter what you think, either.
Because, you see, all that matters is what GOD thinks.
We don’t get to decide what is right or wrong . . . God does.
Do you understand that if every single person on the face of this planet believed the same thing about homosexuality but God believed something different, then we would all still be wrong?
If you really want to know if homosexuality is right or wrong, don’t worry about what I believe. Or what your neighbor believes. Or your friends or your church or science. Don’t let somebody else do your thinking for you.
Worry about what God believes.
Seek HIS will.
Read your Bible (and don’t just peruse it in an effort to justify what you want to believe, use it to try to learn what God believes). Really read it. Study it. Get to know it.
Get to know Him.
Be like Jesus.
You see, Jesus knew God intimately, and it is our job to get to know Him intimately as well. Jesus studied Scripture thoroughly. He knew not only every word of our Old Testament by heart, but He also knew what God’s intention was with each word.
Our job is to study the Old and the New Testaments and to try to understand God’s intentions the way Jesus did. To try to know God's will.
There. That’s what my views are.
December 29, 2013
OMG
I won’t let my daughter use the acronym OMG.
I know that it can mean “Oh, my gosh!” or “Oh, my goodness!” but just because she might mean it that way doesn’t mean that others will take it that way. I don’t even like to hear people say “Lord,” “Good, Lord,” or “Lordy,” because the word Lord is used about 8,000 times in the Bible and most of the time it is referring to God, (living in the South, I know many disagree with me on this point).
Although I’m used to saying things like “Holy cow!” I’ve been trying to not use the word “Holy” carelessly either. One of my favorite scenes in Alone occurs when Tanner picks Laci up for the prom:
“Holy crap, you look good,” I said, once she was standing before me.
“Tanner,” she chided. “Don’t say that!”
“I can’t say ‘Holy crap’ now either?”
She thought about it for a moment . . . honestly thought about it.
“You can say ‘crap’,” she finally decided. “Just not ‘holy’.”
“Why not?”
“You know,” she explained, shrugging her shoulders uncertainly. “Holy is . . .”
She hesitated, obviously unsure how to word what she wanted to say.
“Well, it’s holy,” she finally said.
I looked at her for a moment in mild disbelief. Somehow, “Crap, you look good,” didn’t quite have the same ring to it.
Not taking the Lord’s name in vain was one of the ten things that God commanded: You shall not misuse the nameof the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Deuteronomy 5:11
He is holy . . . His name is holy. To fully revere God, I feel the need to fully revere His name as well. It's something that's very, very important to me.
And yet I’ve had my characters say “Oh, my God.”
Greg says it when they arrive at the landfill in Mexico, Samantha says it several times casually, and David says it when he talks to Laci after first seeing Kyle. I’ve been told by some that this is wrong . . . that it is wrong for a Christian writer to ever, ever have their characters say, “Oh, my God!”
In answer to that, I would say that in the instances of David and Greg, they were not taking God’s name in vain, but were so upset that they were calling out to Him (as Tanner realizes Laci is doing when she says the same thing over and over again in Alone ). And Samantha and David discuss whether or not saying “Oh my God!” actually constitutes taking the Lord’s name in vain. One of the things I am happiest about is a review on Teen Lit Review (Real Reviews for the Christian Parent) of Chop, Chop which states in part: “I especially liked how the author explains that the exclamation “O_ M_G__,” used often as an accepted way of taking the Lord’s name in vain, is in fact wrong.”
In vain means useless . . . without purpose.
I had a purpose.
I know that it can mean “Oh, my gosh!” or “Oh, my goodness!” but just because she might mean it that way doesn’t mean that others will take it that way. I don’t even like to hear people say “Lord,” “Good, Lord,” or “Lordy,” because the word Lord is used about 8,000 times in the Bible and most of the time it is referring to God, (living in the South, I know many disagree with me on this point).
Although I’m used to saying things like “Holy cow!” I’ve been trying to not use the word “Holy” carelessly either. One of my favorite scenes in Alone occurs when Tanner picks Laci up for the prom:
“Holy crap, you look good,” I said, once she was standing before me.
“Tanner,” she chided. “Don’t say that!”
“I can’t say ‘Holy crap’ now either?”
She thought about it for a moment . . . honestly thought about it.
“You can say ‘crap’,” she finally decided. “Just not ‘holy’.”
“Why not?”
“You know,” she explained, shrugging her shoulders uncertainly. “Holy is . . .”
She hesitated, obviously unsure how to word what she wanted to say.
“Well, it’s holy,” she finally said.
I looked at her for a moment in mild disbelief. Somehow, “Crap, you look good,” didn’t quite have the same ring to it.
Not taking the Lord’s name in vain was one of the ten things that God commanded: You shall not misuse the nameof the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Deuteronomy 5:11
He is holy . . . His name is holy. To fully revere God, I feel the need to fully revere His name as well. It's something that's very, very important to me.
And yet I’ve had my characters say “Oh, my God.”
Greg says it when they arrive at the landfill in Mexico, Samantha says it several times casually, and David says it when he talks to Laci after first seeing Kyle. I’ve been told by some that this is wrong . . . that it is wrong for a Christian writer to ever, ever have their characters say, “Oh, my God!”
In answer to that, I would say that in the instances of David and Greg, they were not taking God’s name in vain, but were so upset that they were calling out to Him (as Tanner realizes Laci is doing when she says the same thing over and over again in Alone ). And Samantha and David discuss whether or not saying “Oh my God!” actually constitutes taking the Lord’s name in vain. One of the things I am happiest about is a review on Teen Lit Review (Real Reviews for the Christian Parent) of Chop, Chop which states in part: “I especially liked how the author explains that the exclamation “O_ M_G__,” used often as an accepted way of taking the Lord’s name in vain, is in fact wrong.”
In vain means useless . . . without purpose.
I had a purpose.
December 28, 2013
The Love Triangle
Yesterday someone anonymously commented on my "Killing David" post (I think the same person actually commented twice – if I’m wrong about that, forgive me). First of all, let me say that I LOVE talking about my books so I will never, ever be upset if someone tells me their thoughts – even if they don’t like something! You – as the reader – have the right to think whatever you want, like whatever you want, and dislike whatever you want!! If you are upset about something that happens in the books, that means that you are emotionally involved with the characters and – as an author – I count that as a success! If you post here, I am likely to comment back and let you know my opinions or tell you why I don’t agree with you or something like that. It is called having a conversation and is always done with a smile (at least on my end!). If someone posts something nasty or mean (I have had that happen in reviews), I will probably just delete your comment. But if you just want to have a good ol’ fashioned discussion about the books with me, let’s go!! I want to hear your opinions and I hope you want to hear mine!
So yesterday, this person (or possibly persons) stated that: “i couldn't warm up to tanner and Laci and although Tanner was a good guy and friend i couldn't get the image of him pinning after Laci throughout David and Laci's marriage. I would have rather Laci got together with a stranger than Tanner it almost felt as if it was betrayal to David and that he was never Laci's great love but rather an order from God.” In the other post it was worded slightly differently: “No doubt Tanner waa a good friend but i couldn'r remove the image of him pinning after Laci all those years when she was with David and i felt it belittled the sanctity of David and Laci's relationship and it made me also question Laci's commitnent to David.”
I would agree with you, overall. First of all, I would say that Laci and Tanner both had to constantly suppress their feelings toward one another throughout the years. They were attracted to one another and loved one another very much and the only reason they weren’t together is because Laci was being obedient to God and Tanner knew that if Laci wasn’t obedient to God that she wouldn’t be the woman he loved. I heard Lisa Whelchel (of Facts of Life and Survivor fame) on a radio broadcast years ago and she stated that God told her to that she was going to marry someone. She was not “on board” right away and did not have that chemistry and “those” feelings, but she was obedient and agreed to marry him. She said that those feelings did come and that she knew he was who she was supposed to be with (granted the two of them got divorced recently, but that was after many years and is a topic for a different blog).
Laci loved David, but she never felt that deep passion and chemistry that she did with Tanner. You can’t make yourself feel that for someone. But if you are feeling that for someone that you shouldn’t, you can ignore it. Like Lily reminds Marco in What I Want : You can’t stop birds from flying over your head, but that doesn’t mean you need to let them make nests in your hair. You can choose not to dwell on those thoughts. You can choose to not act on them. And that’s what Laci did and what Tanner did.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
Love is a choice, and Laci chose to love David because she loved God. It’s the same thing Jordan did in Not Quickly Broken – he chose to love Charlotte even though he didn’t really feel like it. Marriage is about more than passion and chemistry. Marriage is about making the choice – every day – that you are going to love the person you are married to. When Laci was mad at David or worried about his fidelity to her, yes, she let herself think about Tanner, and yes, this was wrong. But Laci is human and she does wrong things. The only way I was able to let myself write from her point of view (in Remind Me ) was to do it during a time in her life when she wasn’t all goody-two-shoes. My characters don’t always do right. They don’t always make the right choices.
Finally, I think that David always knew what Laci and Tanner had between them. It bothered him sometimes, but he was able to appreciate what God had given him and the sacrifice that both Laci and Tanner were making. He was able to be thankful for it instead of being upset about it (although he did waver there for a bit when he first found out about it). By the end, he knew that Tanner was going to be there for Laci. (I don’t think he knew he was going to die as early as he did and that Tanner and Laci were actually going to be able to get together) but he was okay with the fact that they loved each other because he knew they would never act on it inappropriately. He also knew how much they both loved him. As Laci said at the end of Alone , David loved both of them and would never want either of them to be alone.
So yesterday, this person (or possibly persons) stated that: “i couldn't warm up to tanner and Laci and although Tanner was a good guy and friend i couldn't get the image of him pinning after Laci throughout David and Laci's marriage. I would have rather Laci got together with a stranger than Tanner it almost felt as if it was betrayal to David and that he was never Laci's great love but rather an order from God.” In the other post it was worded slightly differently: “No doubt Tanner waa a good friend but i couldn'r remove the image of him pinning after Laci all those years when she was with David and i felt it belittled the sanctity of David and Laci's relationship and it made me also question Laci's commitnent to David.”
I would agree with you, overall. First of all, I would say that Laci and Tanner both had to constantly suppress their feelings toward one another throughout the years. They were attracted to one another and loved one another very much and the only reason they weren’t together is because Laci was being obedient to God and Tanner knew that if Laci wasn’t obedient to God that she wouldn’t be the woman he loved. I heard Lisa Whelchel (of Facts of Life and Survivor fame) on a radio broadcast years ago and she stated that God told her to that she was going to marry someone. She was not “on board” right away and did not have that chemistry and “those” feelings, but she was obedient and agreed to marry him. She said that those feelings did come and that she knew he was who she was supposed to be with (granted the two of them got divorced recently, but that was after many years and is a topic for a different blog).
Laci loved David, but she never felt that deep passion and chemistry that she did with Tanner. You can’t make yourself feel that for someone. But if you are feeling that for someone that you shouldn’t, you can ignore it. Like Lily reminds Marco in What I Want : You can’t stop birds from flying over your head, but that doesn’t mean you need to let them make nests in your hair. You can choose not to dwell on those thoughts. You can choose to not act on them. And that’s what Laci did and what Tanner did.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
Love is a choice, and Laci chose to love David because she loved God. It’s the same thing Jordan did in Not Quickly Broken – he chose to love Charlotte even though he didn’t really feel like it. Marriage is about more than passion and chemistry. Marriage is about making the choice – every day – that you are going to love the person you are married to. When Laci was mad at David or worried about his fidelity to her, yes, she let herself think about Tanner, and yes, this was wrong. But Laci is human and she does wrong things. The only way I was able to let myself write from her point of view (in Remind Me ) was to do it during a time in her life when she wasn’t all goody-two-shoes. My characters don’t always do right. They don’t always make the right choices.
Finally, I think that David always knew what Laci and Tanner had between them. It bothered him sometimes, but he was able to appreciate what God had given him and the sacrifice that both Laci and Tanner were making. He was able to be thankful for it instead of being upset about it (although he did waver there for a bit when he first found out about it). By the end, he knew that Tanner was going to be there for Laci. (I don’t think he knew he was going to die as early as he did and that Tanner and Laci were actually going to be able to get together) but he was okay with the fact that they loved each other because he knew they would never act on it inappropriately. He also knew how much they both loved him. As Laci said at the end of Alone , David loved both of them and would never want either of them to be alone.
December 27, 2013
October 25, 2011
Which Apostle are You?
If you’re a fan of Facebook, you’re probably familiar with all the quizzes that are available to users of the social networking site. If you’re not a fan, I’ll take a moment to briefly fill you in. I’m sure that by the time I’m finished, you’ll be so intrigued that you’ll immediately create an account for yourself so that you can take these quizzes too . . . and play FarmTown.
The quizzes I’m referring to are usually entitled something like: “Which Brady Bunch Kid are You?”, or “Which Classic Hollywood Actor are You?”, or “Which Sesame Street Character are You?”
To take a quiz, the first thing you’re asked to do is to click a button that says “Allow”. This simply allows Facebook to access your address and telephone number, social security number, checking and credit card accounts, and personal information of all of the people you are “Friends” with on Facebook. Once you have clicked this button, you’re taken to a series of questions that can range from the simple: (What is your favorite color?) to the bizarre: (If you found yourself at the scene of a bank robbery, which of the following are you most likely to be doing? A. covertly dialing 911 B. trying to hide in the bathroom C. subduing the perp and saving the day or D. driving the getaway car). After you’ve answered all of the questions, you’re given the results of the quiz. They often sound something like the following results which are taken from a real quiz entitled “Which Peanuts Comic Strip Character are You?”:
One result might be:
You are Lucy van Pelt. You know what you want and you know how to get it, even if it means pulling the football away. Your forwardness sometimes comes off as aggression, and you have some work to do in the sensitivity department.
or:
You are Snoopy. You have a vivid imagination and lead a rich inner life. Everyone likes you, but some don't understand that you may just be of another species.
or (and this was my result):
You are Charlie Brown. You are always optimistic and persistent, and everyone appreciates your simple sweetness. Sometimes, however, your anxieties get the best of you, and life's mysteries can confuse you.
One I haven’t come across yet is a quiz entitled: Which Apostle are You? I can just see the results available for some of the people who would take that quiz:
You are Peter. You are headstrong and always want to be the best at everything you do. Sometimes you make promises that you can’t keep, but you can accomplish some pretty amazing things when you put your mind to it.
Or:
You are John. You are content to let others have the limelight, knowing that you are deeply loved by God. Others trust you and may be willing to reveal things to you that they haven’t shared with others.
Or:
You are Thomas: You tend to be skeptical of what others tell you and prefer to see things with your own eyes. Once you’ve experienced something for yourself, however, your mind is able to believe the unbelievable.
But what if the quiz results showed that you were very similar to a lesser-known apostle. What if – for example – the quiz said: You are Andrew? What might that look like?
To find out, let’s first examine for a moment what the Bible tells us about Andrew.
We know that he was Simon Peter’s brother. We know he was one of John the Baptist’s disciples and we know that he was there when John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by. When this happened, John the Baptist declared “Look, the Lamb of God!” and we know that Andrew then followed Jesus, spent the day with him, and went and got his brother, saying: “We have found the Messiah”.
And that’s about it – we don’t know a whole lot else.
Oh, sure, there are a few other bits and pieces here and there about Andrew – he delivered a message or two, asked an important question here or there, but there’s really not a whole lot written about him – especially when you compare him to some of the more “famous” apostles.
To find out more about Andrew, we’re going to need to dig a little deeper into the Bible.
Andrew is listed after his brother, Simon Peter, which – in Scripture and other ancient Eastern literature – was often an indication of birth order. If Peter was indeed the older brother, and if he was the oldest son, then he held a coveted position in the family. Special privileges and rights belonged to the oldest son as well as a birthright that ensured him a double portion of their father’s estate.
But because he was born after Peter, Andrew was automatically put into a “lesser” position. You may be inclined to think that this is why we know so much more about Peter than we do about Andrew, but birth order in and of itself certainly doesn’t explain why there isn’t much written about Andrew or why we know relatively little about him. John, after all, was probably James little brother and John became extremely well-known, so birth order can’t be the main reason.
Maybe the main reason is because of who his older brother was. Have you ever met a person like Peter before? An over the top, sky’s the limit, anything you can do I can do better type of person? That was Peter in a nutshell.
Peter couldn’t do anything half-way. Everything he did was bigger, better, bolder – it must have been very hard, growing up with Peter as your older brother. Everything he did seemed to call attention to himself.
The disciples see Jesus walking across the water and what does Peter do? He says: “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” And so Jesus does . . . and Peter does! Walks right across the water . . . at least for a little while.
And during the transfiguration, James and John apparently stood in silent awe at the sight of Moses and Elijah and the transfigured Jesus Christ, but not Peter. Peter said: “This is fantastic! Let’s build three shelters – one for each of you.” Come on! I’ll get the wood!
When Christ told His disciples that they would all desert him, Peter boldly proclaimed: “Even if all fall away, I will not!”
And Peter’s the one who told Jesus “No, You shall never wash my feet.” But then – when Jesus said “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me,” Peter cried, “Then Lord! Don’t just wash my feet but my hands and head as well!”
When the disciples were told that the tomb was empty – that Christ was gone – the others didn’t believe it, but Peter and John raced to the tomb. Even though John outran Peter and got there first, John just stood by the entrance, looking into the empty tomb and spotting the linens. But when Peter got there, he didn’t stand at the opening of the tomb, peering in. He dashed right in and examined the cloths himself . . . discovering that they were folded.
And after the resurrection, standing on the deck of their fishing boat, the disciples saw a man on the shoreline. After the man told them what to do so that they could catch a bunch of fish, John realized who it was and told Peter “It’s the Lord!” What does Peter do? He jumps in the water and swims to shore. Everybody else just stayed in the boat and rode to shore, but not Peter. He had to go and get sopping wet. I can just imagine Andrew rolling his eyes and shaking his head, saying to himself “That’s my brother.”
Right after that - when Jesus said to bring Him some of the fish – Peter jumped right back on board and dragged their net containing all of the fish to shore – big fish . . . all 153 of them.
Maybe it was exactly because of his over-the-top personality, or maybe it was in spite of it, but for whatever reason, Peter was chosen by Christ to be a part of many things that Andrew was apparently left out of.
Although Andrew was the one who had followed Christ all around that first day and then brought Peter to meet him, it was Peter to whom Christ said: “You will be called Cephas” which, when translated, is Peter which means “The Rock” – the rock upon which Jesus said He would build His church.
Not only did Peter, James and John get invited to accompany Jesus to the top of the mountain to witness the transfiguration, but these same three were also the ones who got to go into the bedroom of a little girl who had recently died and witness Jesus raising her from the dead. Andrew, apparently, was not invited.
And it was Peter whom Jesus sent to catch fish, telling him to open the mouth of the first one he caught and that in it he would find a four-drachma coin with which to pay their temple tax. How cool would that be? I gotta figure that Andrew was thinking to himself, “No fair! I want to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth!”
When it was time for the Passover meal to be prepared I can just imagine Christ saying, “Okay, now I’m going to need two of you to run an errand for me.” Twelve hands would have shot up into the air, Peter’s higher than anyone else’s and accompanied by cries of, “Oooh! Me, me! Pick me! Pick me!”
“Yes, Peter. You get to go.”
Hmmm, Christ might have thought to Himself, but who else? Thomas? Ha! I doubt it.
Let’s see . . . there’s Andrew with his hand up . . . What about him? Nah – I really need to send someone who’s going to be able to make that important connection between me and the Passover lamb . . . Plus, he’s not even going to write anything that’s even going to make it into the New Testament . . .Oh! I know . . .
“John! You get to go.”
Man. Left out again!
Others seemingly left Andrew out as well, or at least appear to have slighted him. Luke tells us that James and John were Simon’s fishing partners . . . not Simon and Andrew’s partners. Simon’s partners. Andrew was Peter’s own brother! But he didn’t even get to be a partner?
When Jesus fed the five thousand, Andrew had a small speaking role. In telling the reader about it, however, John identifies poor Andrew as “Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother . . .” Why couldn’t he just say Andrew? Was Andrew not enough of a person in his own right that he couldn’t be identified by just his own name? Maybe John thought to himself, “If I just say Andrew will people even know who I’m talking about? Everyone knows who Peter is. I’d better throw in there that it’s his brother . . . just to make sure.”
And three times in the Bible, the story of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law is told, yet only Matthew tells us that this healing took place at the home of Peter and Andrew. Matthew – and even Luke (who was usually a stickler for providing accurate details) – apparently didn’t feel it was necessary to mention Andrew, instead only telling the reader that Jesus performed this miracle in Peter’s home. If he’d had a chance to proofread their work, I wonder if Andrew might have waved a hand in front of Matthew and Luke’s faces and said “Helllloooo? It was my house too!”
It's probably not a good idea to mention the Brady Bunch twice in one blog, but I can’t help wonder if Andrew got sick of hearing about Peter in much the same way that Jan tired of playing second fiddle to her older sister Marcia. In one of the most famous lines from that show, Jan laments to her parents, “All I hear all day long at school is how great Marcia is at this or how wonderful Marcia did that. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” Don’t you wonder if Andrew might have complained about his older brother in a similar way? “All I hear all day long is how great Peter is at walking on water or how wonderful it is that he isn’t afraid to go into dark, creepy tombs. All I ever hear is, ‘Peter, Peter, Peter!’”
And so, if you took a quiz that was entitled “Which Apostle are You?” and your results were: You are Andrew, what might that description look like?
You’re not very well known and you often feel that you’re living in the shadows of others. No one seems to take very careful note of you and you’d really like to be included in more activities.
Are you feeling just a little bit sorry for Andrew? Can you empathize with him a bit? Could this description even apply to how you feel sometimes?
Well before you go feeling too sorry for Andrew – or yourself for that matter – let’s dig just a little bit deeper into what else the Bible tells us about Andrew.
As I said earlier, Andrew was one of John the Baptist’s disciples.
Think about that carefully for a moment – think about exactly what that means.
It means that Andrew was actively following John the Baptist – the messenger who was sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for the Lord.
What was Andrew doing? He was spending his time searching for the truth, seeking wisdom, and trying to draw closer to God.
And when Andrew met Jesus, the first thing he did was to go and get his brother and bring him to meet Jesus.
Cephus, Peter, The Rock – the person whom Jesus said He would build His church upon – was introduced to Jesus by none other than Andrew.
Spending time seeking Jesus . . . bringing others to Christ.
Maybe that description of quiz takers who are like the apostle Andrew should actually read more like this:
You actively pursue God in all you do, constantly searching for more information about Him and always watching for Him to reveal Himself to you. You have a keen ability to discern the truth and when you find it, you’re anxious to share it with others. You have a strong desire to lead other people to Christ.
When you look at it that way, maybe getting quiz results that say: You are Andrew wouldn’t be so bad after all . . .
And there’s one more thing about Andrew that you may not have noticed.
In Matthew, one of the disciples . . . (okay, yeah, it was Peter) told Jesus “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” And Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
And in Revelation, we’re told that in the Holy City – the new Jerusalem – there will be a wall with twelve foundations, and on them will be the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
A throne in Heaven . . . a foundation with the name “Andrew” engraved upon it. Suddenly his lot in life doesn’t sound so shabby after all.
And one final thought.
Remember that Jesus appointed seventy-two others and sent them ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go. They returned to him with joy and said “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”
Jesus told them not to rejoice that the spirits submitted to them, but to rejoice that their names were written in Heaven.
You may not sit upon a throne in Heaven and judge a tribe of Israel. Your name may not be written on the foundation of the wall of the Holy City. But no matter which apostle you are most like, your quiz result will ultimately read: “Your name is written in Heaven”.
Jesus Christ loved you so much that He died on the cross for you.
Your name is written in Heaven.
Rejoice indeed.
The quizzes I’m referring to are usually entitled something like: “Which Brady Bunch Kid are You?”, or “Which Classic Hollywood Actor are You?”, or “Which Sesame Street Character are You?”
To take a quiz, the first thing you’re asked to do is to click a button that says “Allow”. This simply allows Facebook to access your address and telephone number, social security number, checking and credit card accounts, and personal information of all of the people you are “Friends” with on Facebook. Once you have clicked this button, you’re taken to a series of questions that can range from the simple: (What is your favorite color?) to the bizarre: (If you found yourself at the scene of a bank robbery, which of the following are you most likely to be doing? A. covertly dialing 911 B. trying to hide in the bathroom C. subduing the perp and saving the day or D. driving the getaway car). After you’ve answered all of the questions, you’re given the results of the quiz. They often sound something like the following results which are taken from a real quiz entitled “Which Peanuts Comic Strip Character are You?”:
One result might be:
You are Lucy van Pelt. You know what you want and you know how to get it, even if it means pulling the football away. Your forwardness sometimes comes off as aggression, and you have some work to do in the sensitivity department.
or:
You are Snoopy. You have a vivid imagination and lead a rich inner life. Everyone likes you, but some don't understand that you may just be of another species.
or (and this was my result):
You are Charlie Brown. You are always optimistic and persistent, and everyone appreciates your simple sweetness. Sometimes, however, your anxieties get the best of you, and life's mysteries can confuse you.
One I haven’t come across yet is a quiz entitled: Which Apostle are You? I can just see the results available for some of the people who would take that quiz:
You are Peter. You are headstrong and always want to be the best at everything you do. Sometimes you make promises that you can’t keep, but you can accomplish some pretty amazing things when you put your mind to it.
Or:
You are John. You are content to let others have the limelight, knowing that you are deeply loved by God. Others trust you and may be willing to reveal things to you that they haven’t shared with others.
Or:
You are Thomas: You tend to be skeptical of what others tell you and prefer to see things with your own eyes. Once you’ve experienced something for yourself, however, your mind is able to believe the unbelievable.
But what if the quiz results showed that you were very similar to a lesser-known apostle. What if – for example – the quiz said: You are Andrew? What might that look like?
To find out, let’s first examine for a moment what the Bible tells us about Andrew.
We know that he was Simon Peter’s brother. We know he was one of John the Baptist’s disciples and we know that he was there when John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by. When this happened, John the Baptist declared “Look, the Lamb of God!” and we know that Andrew then followed Jesus, spent the day with him, and went and got his brother, saying: “We have found the Messiah”.
And that’s about it – we don’t know a whole lot else.
Oh, sure, there are a few other bits and pieces here and there about Andrew – he delivered a message or two, asked an important question here or there, but there’s really not a whole lot written about him – especially when you compare him to some of the more “famous” apostles.
To find out more about Andrew, we’re going to need to dig a little deeper into the Bible.
Andrew is listed after his brother, Simon Peter, which – in Scripture and other ancient Eastern literature – was often an indication of birth order. If Peter was indeed the older brother, and if he was the oldest son, then he held a coveted position in the family. Special privileges and rights belonged to the oldest son as well as a birthright that ensured him a double portion of their father’s estate.
But because he was born after Peter, Andrew was automatically put into a “lesser” position. You may be inclined to think that this is why we know so much more about Peter than we do about Andrew, but birth order in and of itself certainly doesn’t explain why there isn’t much written about Andrew or why we know relatively little about him. John, after all, was probably James little brother and John became extremely well-known, so birth order can’t be the main reason.
Maybe the main reason is because of who his older brother was. Have you ever met a person like Peter before? An over the top, sky’s the limit, anything you can do I can do better type of person? That was Peter in a nutshell.
Peter couldn’t do anything half-way. Everything he did was bigger, better, bolder – it must have been very hard, growing up with Peter as your older brother. Everything he did seemed to call attention to himself.
The disciples see Jesus walking across the water and what does Peter do? He says: “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” And so Jesus does . . . and Peter does! Walks right across the water . . . at least for a little while.
And during the transfiguration, James and John apparently stood in silent awe at the sight of Moses and Elijah and the transfigured Jesus Christ, but not Peter. Peter said: “This is fantastic! Let’s build three shelters – one for each of you.” Come on! I’ll get the wood!
When Christ told His disciples that they would all desert him, Peter boldly proclaimed: “Even if all fall away, I will not!”
And Peter’s the one who told Jesus “No, You shall never wash my feet.” But then – when Jesus said “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me,” Peter cried, “Then Lord! Don’t just wash my feet but my hands and head as well!”
When the disciples were told that the tomb was empty – that Christ was gone – the others didn’t believe it, but Peter and John raced to the tomb. Even though John outran Peter and got there first, John just stood by the entrance, looking into the empty tomb and spotting the linens. But when Peter got there, he didn’t stand at the opening of the tomb, peering in. He dashed right in and examined the cloths himself . . . discovering that they were folded.
And after the resurrection, standing on the deck of their fishing boat, the disciples saw a man on the shoreline. After the man told them what to do so that they could catch a bunch of fish, John realized who it was and told Peter “It’s the Lord!” What does Peter do? He jumps in the water and swims to shore. Everybody else just stayed in the boat and rode to shore, but not Peter. He had to go and get sopping wet. I can just imagine Andrew rolling his eyes and shaking his head, saying to himself “That’s my brother.”
Right after that - when Jesus said to bring Him some of the fish – Peter jumped right back on board and dragged their net containing all of the fish to shore – big fish . . . all 153 of them.
Maybe it was exactly because of his over-the-top personality, or maybe it was in spite of it, but for whatever reason, Peter was chosen by Christ to be a part of many things that Andrew was apparently left out of.
Although Andrew was the one who had followed Christ all around that first day and then brought Peter to meet him, it was Peter to whom Christ said: “You will be called Cephas” which, when translated, is Peter which means “The Rock” – the rock upon which Jesus said He would build His church.
Not only did Peter, James and John get invited to accompany Jesus to the top of the mountain to witness the transfiguration, but these same three were also the ones who got to go into the bedroom of a little girl who had recently died and witness Jesus raising her from the dead. Andrew, apparently, was not invited.
And it was Peter whom Jesus sent to catch fish, telling him to open the mouth of the first one he caught and that in it he would find a four-drachma coin with which to pay their temple tax. How cool would that be? I gotta figure that Andrew was thinking to himself, “No fair! I want to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth!”
When it was time for the Passover meal to be prepared I can just imagine Christ saying, “Okay, now I’m going to need two of you to run an errand for me.” Twelve hands would have shot up into the air, Peter’s higher than anyone else’s and accompanied by cries of, “Oooh! Me, me! Pick me! Pick me!”
“Yes, Peter. You get to go.”
Hmmm, Christ might have thought to Himself, but who else? Thomas? Ha! I doubt it.
Let’s see . . . there’s Andrew with his hand up . . . What about him? Nah – I really need to send someone who’s going to be able to make that important connection between me and the Passover lamb . . . Plus, he’s not even going to write anything that’s even going to make it into the New Testament . . .Oh! I know . . .
“John! You get to go.”
Man. Left out again!
Others seemingly left Andrew out as well, or at least appear to have slighted him. Luke tells us that James and John were Simon’s fishing partners . . . not Simon and Andrew’s partners. Simon’s partners. Andrew was Peter’s own brother! But he didn’t even get to be a partner?
When Jesus fed the five thousand, Andrew had a small speaking role. In telling the reader about it, however, John identifies poor Andrew as “Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother . . .” Why couldn’t he just say Andrew? Was Andrew not enough of a person in his own right that he couldn’t be identified by just his own name? Maybe John thought to himself, “If I just say Andrew will people even know who I’m talking about? Everyone knows who Peter is. I’d better throw in there that it’s his brother . . . just to make sure.”
And three times in the Bible, the story of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law is told, yet only Matthew tells us that this healing took place at the home of Peter and Andrew. Matthew – and even Luke (who was usually a stickler for providing accurate details) – apparently didn’t feel it was necessary to mention Andrew, instead only telling the reader that Jesus performed this miracle in Peter’s home. If he’d had a chance to proofread their work, I wonder if Andrew might have waved a hand in front of Matthew and Luke’s faces and said “Helllloooo? It was my house too!”
It's probably not a good idea to mention the Brady Bunch twice in one blog, but I can’t help wonder if Andrew got sick of hearing about Peter in much the same way that Jan tired of playing second fiddle to her older sister Marcia. In one of the most famous lines from that show, Jan laments to her parents, “All I hear all day long at school is how great Marcia is at this or how wonderful Marcia did that. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” Don’t you wonder if Andrew might have complained about his older brother in a similar way? “All I hear all day long is how great Peter is at walking on water or how wonderful it is that he isn’t afraid to go into dark, creepy tombs. All I ever hear is, ‘Peter, Peter, Peter!’”
And so, if you took a quiz that was entitled “Which Apostle are You?” and your results were: You are Andrew, what might that description look like?
You’re not very well known and you often feel that you’re living in the shadows of others. No one seems to take very careful note of you and you’d really like to be included in more activities.
Are you feeling just a little bit sorry for Andrew? Can you empathize with him a bit? Could this description even apply to how you feel sometimes?
Well before you go feeling too sorry for Andrew – or yourself for that matter – let’s dig just a little bit deeper into what else the Bible tells us about Andrew.
As I said earlier, Andrew was one of John the Baptist’s disciples.
Think about that carefully for a moment – think about exactly what that means.
It means that Andrew was actively following John the Baptist – the messenger who was sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for the Lord.
What was Andrew doing? He was spending his time searching for the truth, seeking wisdom, and trying to draw closer to God.
And when Andrew met Jesus, the first thing he did was to go and get his brother and bring him to meet Jesus.
Cephus, Peter, The Rock – the person whom Jesus said He would build His church upon – was introduced to Jesus by none other than Andrew.
Spending time seeking Jesus . . . bringing others to Christ.
Maybe that description of quiz takers who are like the apostle Andrew should actually read more like this:
You actively pursue God in all you do, constantly searching for more information about Him and always watching for Him to reveal Himself to you. You have a keen ability to discern the truth and when you find it, you’re anxious to share it with others. You have a strong desire to lead other people to Christ.
When you look at it that way, maybe getting quiz results that say: You are Andrew wouldn’t be so bad after all . . .
And there’s one more thing about Andrew that you may not have noticed.
In Matthew, one of the disciples . . . (okay, yeah, it was Peter) told Jesus “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” And Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
And in Revelation, we’re told that in the Holy City – the new Jerusalem – there will be a wall with twelve foundations, and on them will be the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
A throne in Heaven . . . a foundation with the name “Andrew” engraved upon it. Suddenly his lot in life doesn’t sound so shabby after all.
And one final thought.
Remember that Jesus appointed seventy-two others and sent them ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go. They returned to him with joy and said “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”
Jesus told them not to rejoice that the spirits submitted to them, but to rejoice that their names were written in Heaven.
You may not sit upon a throne in Heaven and judge a tribe of Israel. Your name may not be written on the foundation of the wall of the Holy City. But no matter which apostle you are most like, your quiz result will ultimately read: “Your name is written in Heaven”.
Jesus Christ loved you so much that He died on the cross for you.
Your name is written in Heaven.
Rejoice indeed.
