Luana Ehrlich's Blog, page 13
September 30, 2015
Three Useless Things We Do–And A Fourth!
The other dayI was standing beside an elevator, having justpushed the Arrow Down buttonto call theelevator up to the second floor, when an elderly gentleman walked over and pushed the same button again. Then, he turned to me and said, “I know that was useless. The elevator won’t get here any sooner just because two people pushit.”
At the grocery store, a little later that day, I tried to sign my name on a credit card scanner. After several attempts to make a semi-legible mark, the clerk waved...
September 18, 2015
Should I Listen To This Guy?
Voices! We hear voices each and every day. Some are screaming at us from the TV, telling us to order this, pay attention to that, and don’t forget about something else. Others are posting on our Facebook page, our Twitter feed, our other social media sites, wanting us to sign this, like that, or look at something else.
Who merits our attention?To whomshould we be listening? Whose voice is the worthy voice?
A crippled up old man appears in the gospel of John to answer these questions. (John 5:...
September 5, 2015
Give A Nudge, Not A Shove
Sometimes, all it takes is a nudge. I’m especially susceptible to nudges. I probably wouldn’thave started writing my Titus Ray Thrillers, if someone hadn’t casually mentioned to me I should try writing a spy novel.Every day I enjoy a few minutesof mind-stimulating fun playing a word game on my iPad called Word with Friends, but if a very good friend hadn’t given me a little push to put the app on my iPhone, I wouldn’t have done so.
And, sometimes, a little nudge may be all a person needs to c...
August 21, 2015
Three “Finds” That Will Help You Find Your Way
It’s easy to lose your way in the world. Our modern world has a myriad of paths from which to choose, and we can explore them all, saturating ourselves with facts and philosophies and desires and practices and beliefs.
However, like hikers exploringa new trail, there are some precautions we should take before we head off into the unknown. Otherwise, we’re sure to lose our way. These practices should serve us well, whether we’re looking at a belief system, a career choice, a new setof friends...
August 12, 2015
Treating The Bible Like Pinterest
After resisting for several years, I finally gave in and joined the social media website, Pinterest. I’d resisted because I’d heard it was a great source of information. To others, that might seem like a good reason to join, but for me, it was a great reason to stay away.
I love finding out about “stuff.” I love getting lost in articles about writing and cooking and the Bible and politics and . . . just abut anything. I knew if I gave in and became a member, I might never get anything done. I...
July 31, 2015
That’s Not How It Works
When an old womanfroma small village won a washing machine in a contest, she was delighted. A few days after it was delivered, a friend visited her and was astonished to discover the old womanwas still washing her clothes by hand, filling the tub with water and rubbing the wet clothes against the sides of it!
“That’s not how it works,” the friend explained, showing her how to let the machine do the work for her.
The old woman replied, “But if I do it that way, everyone will praise the machine...
July 20, 2015
Are We Jealous of God’s Generosity?
As believers, we sing of God’s amazinggrace, but, if the parable Jesus told in Matthew 20 is any indication, lurking beneath these praises couldbea heart of jealousy.
In this story, found in Matthew 20:1-16 and often called the Laborers in the Vineyard, Jesus tells of a landowner who hires laborers to work in his vineyard. He does this throughout the day, so that the laborer hired in the early part of the day works many more hours than the laborer hired at the end of the day. Yet, the landow...
July 13, 2015
Maybe It Wasn’t The Best Bible Verse To Use
When I was putting togethera proposal for a Christian literary agent about the first book in my Titus Ray Thriller, One Night in Tehran, one of the questions the agent asked mewas “What is the Scriptural basis of the novel?” Because the majority of Christian fiction is either Amish fiction or in the romantic suspense genre, I imagined the Bible verses the agent usually received from authors in those categories was about love or forgiveness or kindness.
My novel is about Titus Ray, a veteran C...
June 30, 2015
3 Things Make Life Better
I love the story of the little girl whose mother found her crying in the kitchen. Whenher mother asked herwhat was wrong, she said, “I’m in the kitchen, but I still don’t know how to cook.”Her mother put her up on a kitchen stool and proceeded tohelp her bake some cookies. Later, as they munched on the delicacies, the little girl observed, “If I let you do it, I can do anything.”
There are times when I’m standing in the middle of life, and I suddenly realize I don’t know how to live.That’s wh...
June 17, 2015
New Release: Two Days in Caracas, A Titus Ray Thriller
Today I’m announcing the release of the second book in the Titus Ray Thriller Series, Two Days in Caracas.
My first Christian fiction novel, One Night in Tehran, introduced Titus Alan Ray, a CIA intelligence officer, who is brought to faith in Christ after hiding out with a group of Iranian Christians in Tehran, Iran. Their unwavering faith so touchedhis heart, he wascompelled to make his own commitment to Christ, thus beginning a journey more mystifying, yet more rewarding, than any of his p...
