Thursday, June 11, 2009

How to delight our biggest fan.

CJ Darlington's blog today talks about Writing Edgy for All the Wrong Reasons.

She defines edgy: pushing the envelope of what has generally been considered acceptable in novels regarding violence, sex, language, etc.

On the other hand, not wanting to be preachy, she says she was acting ashamed of the Gospel: Romans 1: 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

And that if she wanted to write a powerful novel, she needed to include the Good News of Jesus. While she doesn't want to write preachy, she also doesn't want to be ashamed. Excellent points.

LOL, let readers skip over salvation scenes in inspirational the same way some do sex scenes in other books.

I was church librarian for eight years and my favorite books to recommend got people interested in the Bible. A little didactic--instructive as well as very entertaining--the books showed the power of God and led people to salvation.

In this world where science rules for so many, it's wonderful to see when the loving Creator of the universe breaks through and shows Himself in the world.

One of the books, the autobiography of Lydia Prince, reads like an exciting novel: Appointment in Jerusalem. A prosperous Scandinavian school teachers follows a strange urge to leave job and boyfriend to go to Jerusalem in the '30s. A whole different world of opportunities opens up.

Thing is--well, two things. First, we're going to meet a lot of authors in heaven. Maybe in a receiving line. Habakkuk and Malachi among others better known, Matthew, Isaiah, etc.

When I realized that, I read the whole Bible. How humiliating to shake their hand and say, "So nice to meet you. Duh, I haven't read your book...." Imagine! LOL


Second thing, when I go through that line or whatever, I want to hold a book or many in my hands--my own. And I want to be able to say to them, "Here's my little contribution to the Kingdom. It's nothing like yours, of course, but it's my best shot."

Whatever the Lord leads, didactic stories or simply clean stories where people go to church and pray--and to some degree, edgy stories--done the best way we know how--that's our best shot.

Main thing--I want to be able to show it to Jesus. I don't want to be ashamed to hand it to Him.

Not ashamed for making attractive the sin He died for. Not ashamed for excluding Him.

Here's my little contribution to the Kingdom. It's nothing like yours, of course, but it's my best shot.

He reads it, anyway. Even now.