I’ve been plotting out a possible book, looking at characters and times and events, and trying to make everything fit together. A couple things weren’t quite working, and I realized, it’s all because of Joshua. The scriptures never really say how old Joshua is when he goes into the Promised Land as a spy. Caleb is 40, so most people …
“Sweeter than Honey to My Mouth!”
When I was young, we used to drive from my home in San Diego to visit my grandparents in Blythe, California on the Colorado River, on the border of California and Arizona. On the way we usually stopped in Indio at a date farm and purchased some of the glossy brown, sweet fruit. I remember wandering through the rows of …
What do Pajamas, Cats and Axe Have in Common?
A few months ago I was invited to speak at career day at my kids’ middle school. Actually, they invited all parents to come, and I volunteered. I agonized over what to say, researched to find tips for young writers, even had some bookmarks made with those tips on the back. Then the day before the presentation, they told …
Teaching Kids to Tame the Tongue
This week, my middle-school children faced some disturbing news about one of the adults in their life. It involved a teacher, and the news came via a recorded phone call from the principal about an hour after school. Within moments, literally, the news went viral on any and all social networks. (And it amazes me how many there are—far more …
Join Me on a New Adventure!
This year I’m embarking on a new adventure with some very dear friends, and a couple new ones. Tanya and Jennifer are fellow writers for Christ to the World Ministries, a group that writes dramas that are then translated and broadcast to 32 countries around the world. Eileen, Diana and Delia are friends of friends! Together we are starting a …
It’s Literally the Beginning of the End of the World
It’s finally happened. Merriam-Webster, Macmillan Dictionary, and Google have done it. Even the Cambridge Dictionary and the revered Oxford English Dictionary have done it. Done what? All these dictionaries have said that literally no longer has to mean “used for showing that what you are saying is really true and is not just an impressive way of describing something.” …
In the Footsteps of Abraham
Just a few verses in Numbers 13 presage a major turning point in the life of the young nation of Israel. Twelve men are chosen to be the first ones to enter the Promised Land and report back. The twelve spies left Kadesh-Barnea and went north into Canaan. They were instructed to “go up through the Negev and on into …
There be Normals Out There
Writers are not normal people. I’ve been at the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference for the last several days. 675 like-minded people. The Hyatt Regency in Dallas wisely locked us in the basement held all our classes on the lowest floor. A friend of mine told me that once at her daughter’s gymnastics class she suddenly asked, “If I …
Drama … for Better or Worse
Drama. In a house with three teen/preteen girls, drama is not usually a good thing. It’s something to be circumvented, squashed, avoided at all costs. You tell the kids it’s bad, and you try to teach them better ways to settle conflict. But the last month or so, drama has begun to mean something different to me. A writer friend …
It’s A Beautiful Thing, the Destruction of Words
So says George Orwell in 1984. If you recall (or if you don’t), the Party aims to make “thoughtcrime” impossible by removing words which describe forbidden ideals, such as freedom, rebellion, etc., from the dictionary. No words, no thoughts. One character remarks on the slender volume with the above quote. Apparently, the New York City public school system (see link …