The Golden Thread

Once again the world is awakened to the rising sun, glorious in its stead; punctual. We glory in it’s warmth and beauty, gladdened by its presence as it overlays the land in gold. Its light washes over the darkness of night and sweeps our fears away with each ray of its golden light; rejoicing in its ability to give life to everything we see.

And yet

Often we are awakened to the rising sun, indifferent to its punctuality. Greet it in contempt and dissatisfaction. At times we take in it’s warmth and ignore its beauty, its presence merely a constant reminder of how fleeting time is in it’s relentlessness; the gold it overlays across the land only illuminates the repugnant inconsistencies and frailties of life. We’d rather wallow in the darkness, shrouding our objectionable desires and motives below the cover of darkness and obscurity, regardless of the fear that rattles our bones. Hiding from the light that reveals our life so no one sees everything about ourselves.

And even then

Is this not so even with God? Each morning we awaken, by His grace. Rising, we should glorify Him for his steadfastness and consistency. We ought to glory in His warmth and beauty, the God of love and creation who has continually blessed us with many things that should bring gladness to our hearts; His presence overlaying our lives in the gold of His majesty. His Light washes over the darkness of our hearts, sweeping away our fears, softening our hardened hearts and washing away our sins. We should be rejoicing in His ability to give life to all that we see but also to those who are dead in their iniquity, disobedience and sin.

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One for the Kids!

Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed.

2 Timothy 2:15 – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

This is the verse that echoes through the church building Friday evenings, by a loud chorus of high-pitched individuals, ready for a great evening of fun and learning. Working with kids is such a blessing and I am indeed grateful to the Lord for having brought me to this ministry. At such a young and teachable age, kids are able to listen and take in what is being taught to them with a child like faith…don’t we sometimes wish we had that kind of faith: taking the truth at face value.

This blog post however is not about how teachable kids are or having a childlike faith, but rather on writing for kids as a means of reaching them without necessarily preaching to them. Writing stories for kids, stories that would contain biblical values, principles, truths, verses maybe even characters that the kids can embrace and relate to, all of whom would point to Christ and His work on the cross. Of course I would not want to minimize Christ nor His works, nor would I want to dumb down the gospel for the sake of my stories. However, I do want to reach the kids on a level that they can understand and grasp the crux of the stories, gaining some knowledge about the bible, about Christ, about the Holy Spirit and about God.

I found a great post  on writing biblical stories for children and its on par with what I am trying to achieve. It was written by Rose Ross Zediker who is a Christian author. The post below belongs to her and you can read the full article here: http://www.writing-world.com/children/bible.shtml

Biblical Retelling

A Biblical retelling must stay true to the Bible verse. Don’t add characters or character names if they aren’t in the Bible story. Choose a point of view and stick with it. Most Biblical retellings are in third person, but some can be told in first person.

Rephrasing the dialogue of a Bible verse can get tricky. The language must be kid friendly yet not change the meaning of what the character says. Keeping your target age group in mind, find and replace the difficult words in the text with simpler words. Look for words children may be familiar with but don’t really understand. Sin is a simple word yet children may not really grasp its meaning, try to define those types of words by inserting an explanation of the word.

Enrich your story with the addition of emotions, actions and setting details. A few simple words like water jars and robes transport the children into the Biblical life style and holds their attention.

The first paragraph of The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25 NIV) says:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

A retelling in the first person viewpoint of the expert in the law could begin:

Finally! I had a chance to test Jesus by asking a question. I knew the laws. I stood with my shoulders back and head held high. I looked into Jesus eyes. “Teacher,” I asked “what must I do now so someday I can live in Heaven?”

A third person viewpoint may be retold like this:

A smart man who knew the law wanted to test Jesus. The man smoothed his robes as he stood. He raised his eyebrows in question. “Teacher,” he asked, “what do I need to do now so I can live in Heaven when I die?”

In both retellings, actions were added to show the man’s confidence in his own knowledge. This makes the story more interesting for the child but doesn’t change the meaning of any of the original verse.

Contemporary Retelling

A contemporary retelling is a modern story with a beginning, middle and end. The theme of the contemporary Bible story retelling must reflect the lesson of the Bible verse. Apply the verse’s message to a real life situation. This real life situation must be believable so the child can apply the lesson to their daily lives. You can’t tag on the moral of the Bible verse at the end of the story. The lesson has to unfold during the story and the readers need to care about the characters and situation.

The following is a synopsis of a contemporary retelling of Luke 10:25:

A young girl and her mother wait at the bus stop. The young girl notices the people around her. She sees an old man in worn clothes and thick glasses approach the bench. The man politely asks a businessman for the time. The businessman frowns at the old man and refuses to tell him the time. The young girl can’t figure out why the businessman is being so mean to the old man. Two teen-age boys walk past the bus stop. Again, the old man politely asks for the time. One young boy looks at his watch but the other pulls him along, telling him not to talk to bums. The old man worries that he’s missed his bus. The old man looks sad and the young girl knows that Jesus would want her to help. She asks her mother if she can tell him the time. Her mother says yes and the young girl shows kindness to the old man by telling him the time so he doesn’t miss his bus.

This modern retelling synopsis is true to the Bible verse. Two sets of people won’t tell the elderly gentleman the time. However, an unlikely source, a young girl shows this stranger kindness. The theme of the Bible verse is shown in the last action of the contemporary story, the young girl helps the elderly man by telling him the time.

Copyright © 2007 Rose Ross Zediker

Lamentations

Rain drops keep falling on my head

Lam·en·ta·tion noun/lamənˈtāSHən/

~ The passionate expression of grief or sorrow; weeping.

         I think many can attest to the fact that, music can play on your emotions greatly, especially during certain periods in your life whether its a time of sorrow or joy. There is a song for each emotion and each situation we can find ourselves in. I found myself listening to the Gaither Vocal Band, which is one of my favourite A Capella groups ever. They were singing a slower version of “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go” (the only other version I know is sung at a faster pace by  Chris Rice) and I was actually overwhelmed by emotion at the words which go:

O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow,

May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day

May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee;

 I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee;

I lay in dust life’s glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red

Life that shall endless be.

Such powerful lyrics! What grace! What Mercy! Praise be to God and may His kingdom come!

Leap of Faith

I find myself on the edge, falling forward in what those who know of Assassins Creed would call, a Leap of Faith. It is while the balls of my feet still feel the solidity of the ledge and my toes dangle helplessly over the nothingness, do I understand the implications of such a leap. I flail my arms around trying to somehow push myself back, my toes push down on nothing but air and my heart catches in my throat as fear shoots through my whole body, paralysing me. I look down at the ineviatble and begin to wonder where the faith that had led me this far had disappeared to. Had it seeped out my pores in an increased adrenal rush? Had it escaped through my sudden gasp for air as I realized I would be falling head long into the unknown.

“Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?”

Little faith is what I indeed had in that moment of fear and trepidation. It was not uncommon to have scripture suddenly overwhelm me in moments such as these and Matthew 8:26 went straight to the heart. I of little  faith…who lacked trust in the Almighty, Sovereign Provider. Was it not my faith in Him that led me all the way up this tower, trusting in His unfailing love, in His faithfulness, in His guidance! Indeed it was! So why then does my faith fail me now, in these last seconds when I need Him most. Why does my fear make weak my faith.

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance”

Endrunce. It was with endurance that I had begun to run…feeling weightless and free, that is, until I arrived at this tower.  A dark presence, stretching  to the sky, looming over me with a menacing overbearance that immediately put my trust and faith in turmoil; and yet I stepped forward towards it. With great perseverance and a strength that came not from myself, I found myself climbing upwards over perilous broken beams, edging across millimeter thick ledges and reaching only half way, my faith began to waver. However, even during those trying moments I trudged on, climbing ever higher to reach the apex of this perilous dark tower. With a motivation that surpassed all earthly incentives, I arrived at the pinnacle of the tower, exhausted yet fueled with a deep desire to…to…to live by faith. I realize that my eyes have been closed; I see light penetrating through my eyelids to illuminate the darkness and I feel the rush of wind pushing up against me.

I open my eyes to see the ground rushing up at me. For a second I panic again, but a certain calm also rises in a deep warmth. It begins on the left hand side of my chest, seeping down into my abdomen and up into my lungs; spreading. Radiating. I spread my arms out like an eagle spreading its wings, feeling a grin stretch across my face and the refreshing gust of upward wind as gravity pulls me towards the ground. I exclaim a shout of ecstasy as I tumble my body forward, watching the ground below transition from the mud-caked earth to the dark stone of the tower and finally to the blue of the sky. There is but a second to grasp the true height of the tower before I land into the softness of hay. Safety.

I lay within the warm confines of my hay sanctuary, wondering why I had lost faith right at the end of my perilous climb when all I had to do was trust. Indeed it was by faith that I had climbed the tower, reached its apex, stood at its ledge and fearlessly began to lean forward. It was by faith that I knew I would be safe even when I knew I would be falling headlong into the unknown. Indeed my faith was in Him who provides, who watches over His own, who is Sovereign over all. Indeed it was in Him that I walked by faith.

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This tower represents challenges, obstacles and sin that overwhelm the body and mind, causing a weakness and wavering of faith and trust in God. I found myself climbing up this tower, reaching the top and thinking that I had made it. Then I was told I need to jump and that if I trust, I’d find safety at the bottom. Guaranteed.I  am currently free-falling down my tower and awaiting to land in the safety of whatever lies at the bottom. I’ve had moments of pure fear and moments of pure faith. Indeed my mind and heart has been in turmoil however the Word of God has been pulling me back up to my feet and pushing me along to run with endurance. I will end this post with this:

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Grace Unbound

Josiah fell to his knees before Micah, his head hung low in shame, his heart heavy, his chest tight and his eyes glistening with approaching tears. It was an unavoidable situation and he knew it; his past had eventually caught up to him. All things in the end had led him to this point, in front of his master, on his knees, ready to accept his punishment. Micah looked down at the boy, an undeniable look of sorrow etched on Micah’s face, for it displeased him greatly to have to punish his servants. Yet it had to be done. Micah clasped the hilt of his sword and in one swift movement, released his sword from its sheath.

At the sound of the sword being unsheathed, Josiah’s body slumped in resignated defeat; this was it, the punishment he deserved. Death. Micah laid his hand upon the boy’s head, and uttered word’s that would resonate deeply within Josiah’s heart.

“I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion… mercy on whom I will have mercy.” Josiah lifted his head up to gaze at his master, suddenly filled with a deeper anguish at having disobeyed his gracious master. Yet no words would form on his quivering lips. A single tear trickled down his face as master and servant faced one another for a moment.

A moment later the sharp blade in Micah’s hand pierced the boy’s chest; straight into the heart.

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           Grace. Getting what you don’t deserve. What we don’t deserve….What I don’t deserve. Is each day not a manifestation of grace by the Almighty Father, who continues to give us a new day even though we use these days to dishonour Him. Surely that is grace unbound. Not restrained or tied down by bonds. Unchained. A merciful grace. It is this same grace that has taken our sins and placed them upon the head of Christ Jesus, the Messiah, the Saviour and took our Saviour’s righteousness and clothed us in it. Undeservedly! What grace! By Grace Alone! Is that not amazing? A quote from Richard Sibbes says “God knoweth we have nothing of ourselves, therefore in the covenant of grace he requireth no more than he giveth, and giveth what he requireth, and accepteth what he giveth.” Sola Gratia!

        How is all this related to my excerpt above from a story I am writing entitled Grace Unbound? Well apart from the fact that the title includes the word Grace, the concept of the story comes from the idea of grace. My Sunday mornings have been spent looking into the past, at a man who is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, who interceded for Israel; Moses. In Exodus 32 we see the Israelites worship a golden calf, disobeying God’s command to worship only Him. They then proceed to engage in immorality, having the audacity to place His holy name on the golden calf they had made, saying that it is what brought then up out of Egypt.  We then witness, in Exodus 33, God tell Moses and the Israelites that He will not go with them, though He will send an angel before them and He will drive out the tribes that occupy the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which is the land flowing with milk and honey. This is distressing news to the Israelites for they realize that God’s presence is more important than the promised land. Moses meets with God in Moses’ tent pitched outside the camp and in there Moses intercedes for the Israelites. Moses then asks God to show him His glory. It is here where God says to Moses: Exodus 33:19 – And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” In my excerpt above, Micah tells Josiah (only he tells him in the New International Version way hehe) “I wil have mercy on whom I will have mercy…compassion on whom I will have compassion.” In Exodus 34 we see God re-establish His covenant and again write down His commandments for the Israelites. Is He not a gracious God? After all that happened with the golden calf and the revelry that occurred, blaspheming His holy name, He still remains loyal to them and proceeds to be among them with the tabernacle.  Is that not a picture of grace unbound? Indeed! I am hoping that my little story can reflect how God’s grace is without boundary how it truly is a grace unbound.