Update: My Crossover Novel

A sunspot viewed close-up in ultraviolet light, taken by the TRACE spacecraft (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Anomaly is at 30,540 words. My Word Weavers critique group and a friend are both critiquing the novel.

Working Elevator Pitch: More is falling a part than this man and woman’s marriage as massive sun spots cause displacement in the atmosphere.

It’s looking to be about 70,000 words with a firm deadline of December. It’s a crossover speculative fiction which means, that while the two main characters are not believers, there are believers here and there. The Christian believers are not there to spread the message, but to create a real world scenario of mixed families filled with believers and agnostic or atheists which can naturally create tension. In the meantime, my two characters struggle to not only figure out what is left to rebuild their marriage on, but why people are disappearing. Between flickering cell phone signals, rolling blackouts, and people disappearing, my two characters will be forced to make a decision that will affect the rest of their lives.

I am outlining a new novel to begin in January that is more horrific, but in the speculative Christian fiction genre. In this one, I will be having a message of redemption in it that is typical of Christian writing, but not preachy. I hate preachy writing. You’d know this if you read some of my book reviews. Let me clarify.

When I say message of redemption, I mean where there are shortcomings, repentance happens. Where there is hurt, forgiveness occurs. It is horror, but it will have a romantic note. The characters are saved and some are not saved. I’m going to be writing it like a ticking time bomb. Firm deadline for this new novel will be December, 2014. By January, 2014, I will have two complete novels to shop: The Rose Door and The Anomaly.

A Slow Fade

It’s always that one, small step that starts a person down the wrong path. Casting Crowns sings it best: People never crumble in a day. The best news? God allows U-turns!

Take My Fractured Pieces and Make Me Whole

“As a result, your prayer life changes to a twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week living, walking, breathing relationship with Jesus. Begin now drawing nearer to Him in prayer.” – Pg. 20, My Prayer Chair, Reflective Life Ministries

“Life begins to feel fractured when I don’t often seek Him in prayer,” I said to my friend. Lots of good things are crammed into every spare nook and cranny, making use of the time He has given me, and striving to be wise in the stewardship of that time. But we can get carried away.

Our pastor once preached how even good things can keep us from greater things. In this case, my friend spoke to me about how good it was to sit with Jesus and get into His Word after a prolonged absence. She felt fractured.

I agreed. Many times when good things make me crazy, I feel like a plate that has shattered on the floor—in pieces, frenzied, and yearning for rest. Carla McDougal said prayer is, “twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week living, walking, breathing relationship with Jesus.” This is true and that makes my Sundays easier.

My Sundays are for service, not worship. Because I serve, it’s hard to worship in the traditional sense. The band is playing and I am letting God use that day to stretch me, make me uncomfortable, and change me by serving. In ministry, you see and feel too much. It can become overwhelming which is why my worship of Jesus happens seven days a week through conversation and prayer; and what I need is that time on Jesus’ lap in His Word.

That’s when Jesus takes my fractured pieces and gently puts them back into place. He eases away the stress and helps me love better when I make time for Him.

I mean, we make time for our friends to shop, to drink coffee, or to go on a road trip; so why do I put Jesus last? Isn’t He my friend, too?

So I am making a more conscientious effort to make time for Jesus in my prayer chair, my prayer bed, or my prayer kitchen. Some people have prayer closets. I sit in places of my house where it’s most comfortable—the place that matches my mood. Everyday is a chance to worship Him with what we do and how we live; in how we pray.

Are you feeling fractured this morning?

Join me once a week as I go through Carla McDougal’s new study. The last post can be read here. 

42: Living The Sermon

From: http://www.legendary.com/films/42movie/

42, the story of legendary Hall of Fame baseball player, Jackie Robinson, lingered with me as the credits rolled. Even now I can’t get what Robinson went through out of my mind.

Imagine the intensity of cultivated hate passed from generation to generation. The small boy in the Whites Only section of the ball park mimicked his father’s actions when his father yelled disparaging comments at Robinson. Branch Rickey insisted Robinson turn the other cheek. Biblical references were not overdone and Rickey’s line calling Jackie, “…a living sermon,” is so true. That’s what Jackie Robinson was to thousands–a living sermon.

42 is a lesson in how to deal with difficulty. Fighting can be honorable, but times exist when your silence can speak louder than your words or actions. In Jackie’s case, the black man would have been dishonored had Jackie fought, though Jackie had every right to speak up. Jackie’s show of courage in his silence inspired me. His silence under the most cruel situations  emotionally changed people’s minds and opened many doors for other black people to get into baseball. But will this lost generation see the movie?

My husband and I spoke about the culture and how most of this generation is more apt to see movies that glorify sex and violence and not 42 which grounds us in a better message–how to make a difference, stand for something without violence or disrespect, and exercise forgiveness.

Just recently, a man cut someone off and the affronted person gunned the engine to show how upset that made him. In San Diego, people would rather run you down than let you merge. Offending someone in gangland would get you shot. Protests in most cases are messy and violent and this is what this generation observes and mimics.

So it’s no wonder the man with the fast cars and many weapons wins over a legendary baseball player who stood up for blacks everywhere without using words or violence. 42 garnered 27.5 million in the first night compared to a movie like Fast and Furious 5 which took in, “$86.2 million at 3,644 locations over the weekend (2011),” ultimately breaking box office records with a total of $165 million in 2011.

42 is a movie with humor and heroics. It’s intense and powerful, lacking the usual liberal political agenda. This five-star movie caused me to want to read Jackie Robinson’s life story and will stay with me a long time.

Imagine living the sermon of Christ and turning the other cheek when the world expects a different reaction. Have you ever turned the other cheek, lived the sermon, and what kind of fruit did that bring?

“…a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;” Ecclesiastes 3:7

Teaser: Broken Wings

On May 9, I will be doing a complete review of Broken Wings. Shannon Dittemore has become one of my favorite authors. It’s Christian Speculative Fiction without the preaching. Shannon stays true to the story. I read the book preceding Broken Wings and reviewed it here. Feel free to browse these other participants and find out what they liked or didn’t like about Broken Wings. The novel was given to me by another reviewing company, but since my friends here were doing the tour on the same novel, I didn’t think the other company would mind more publicity.

*Broken Wings – http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Wings-Angel-Eyes-Novel/dp/1401686370/
Author Website - http://shannondittemore.com/
*Participants’ links:

Gillian Adams
Julie Bihn
Jennifer Bogart
Beckie Burnham
Pauline Creeden
Janey DeMeo
Theresa Dunlap
Emma or Audrey Engel
Victor Gentile
Nikole Hahn
Becky Jesse
Jason Joyner
Karielle @ Books à la Mode
Carol Keen
Emileigh Latham
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Megan @ Hardcover Feedback
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nathan Reimer
James Somers
Kathleen Smith
Jojo Sutis
Steve Trower
Phyllis Wheeler
Shane Werlinger

Book Review: What Every Woman Should Know

Note to Reader: I am not reviewing this book based on biblical or historical accuracy as I am not schooled in theology nor do I have Bible Study experience to consider myself an expert. If there is anything obviously in error, I will point it out, but otherwise I leave that discernment to you. Jori Sams is the author of Revelation in Seven Weeks and  There Will Come No More Tears.  A copy of the book was given to me by the author to review as part of her blog tour. Her website is located here.

What Every Woman Should Know by Jori Sams uniquely explores gender equality in which she sets out to prove that every woman needs to know their place in God’s heart. This book is a historical and biblical expository with numerous technical errors.

First, What Every Woman Should Know is well-researched. Research demands many hours and the gift of organizing that surplus of information into readable chapters, and this deserves recognition. I felt this book explored well how women ranked in biblical history and scripture. The book begins with the patriarchal society and delves into Mosaic Law, moving us through history to present time. What gives me doubt on its accuracy has more to do with how badly edited and poorly cited this manuscript was in comparison with similar genres.

All this beautiful work deserves the time it takes for re-writes and a professional editor who can cut unnecessary words. This phrase on location 36-37 says,“Then, in a blink of an eye, she was gone as life as I know it passed from her.” Blink of an eye is a cliche. I would have said, “In the time it takes to exhale, she was gone. Life as I knew it changed.“

An editor would have caught this mistake here, ¹“The result = less people speaking about it,” and fixed it to read, “The result equals less people speaking about it.”  An editor would have pointed out the necessary places to add a footnote or an end note with proper citing techniques as demonstrated above. The bibliography needed better organizing, perhaps putting the many references by chapter with the numbers referring to the exact place and context where the information was used to make it easier for a reader to delve deeper into a point. The spelling, punctuation, grammar, missing words, extraordinarily long paragraphs, and sentence structure problems were too numerous to refer to in one book review.

²At one place, I winced as the book became crude in its terminology when it read, “As the women were doing the bulk of the work, men were merely hunting or planting their seed in women.” I thought that was unnecessary (unless it was a typo). The author also had a foreword and an introduction. Either include one or the other, but not both. Chapter One didn’t begin in the first two paragraphs, but where the book read, “In reality, so much…” Of course, I would have changed it to read, “So much over the course of history has…”

The first two paragraphs in Chapter One had too many “I’s” in it, and peppered throughout the book were too many references to her frequent worldwide travels and years of experience. What bothered me towards the end of the book were the frequent put-downs of church.

We get enough of that online and through other social media where Christians put down houses of worship whether, as Frank Viola in Pagan Christianity said, the church building is unbiblical, or from the hurt I hear in people’s words. Either way, the rhetoric is getting old. While I agree with her on several points, I think repeating the same arguments causes more harm to the Christian belief. House churches and places of worship can work in tandem.

Otherwise, What Women Should Know comes off as strong and confident. This book has a great teaching style so the reader can retain more information. The author shares some insight into her testimony and shows a lot of knowledge. The Bible Study at the end of the book is a nice touch. Other technical issues existed in the book, but I chose to highlight what was important. Overall, I gave this book three stars. The editing errors disrupted what would have otherwise been a pleasant reading experience for me.

———————————

¹Location 2877

²Location 336

I’m Going to Pick Up My Staff

Read Psalm 25:4-5

This is a series based on Carla McDougal’s new Bible Study, My Prayer Chair: A Living, Walking, Breathing Relationship With Jesus. As you read this, you are walking through her study with me. You might remember that I did the same thing with her first Bible Study, Reflecting Him. I don’t know how long this will be, but if you need to catch up, you can go to catagories and look under Book Reviews/My Prayer Chair.

Like Moses, we make excuses when God asks us to step out of our comfort zone and do extraordinary things that absolutely terrify you. In Carla’s case, she was being asked to lead and write a women’s Bible study.

In my case, God asked, over time, first to speak to a group of women on a topic dear to my heart; then to a writers group on how book reviewing and critiquing go hand-in-hand; and finally, to lead a prayer group which still takes momunmental effort because it’s way out of my comfort zone. But none of these things were done without prayer.

Carla begins her chapter speaking about the inspiration for the title of her Bible Study, My Prayer Chair. Her grandmother had a special rocking chair in which she prayed diligently. In reading that, I felt a bit of shame because I take God for granted and rush to His side when I have realized it, to crawl into His lap and hold on for dear life. I pray diligently, but in several spots, over the course of the day, and sometimes like the other day, in my own favorite chair in the living room. Sometimes, I even escape into the bathroom for private prayer.

While my daily, normal prayer is fine, sitting in my quiet living room and being still is by far the most intimate and where I worship God best. I have trouble praying in a large group, especially for a long period of time. Sometimes, I’m into it, and other times, I struggle. I hear every squeak of the chairs, every burp, every sniffle, and when the phone rings I hear it. I hear every intake of breath, and when we are asked to take turns praying the anxiety builds and I begin rehearsing what I am going to say. It’s never flowery or as nice as other prayers, but to speak what’s on my heart is too intimate. Then, there’s my other worship.

I write. It’s how I worship God. I write and I get out. Writing, like a sponge, is when I can wring out all the excess and make sense of the chaos of daily life, like what I am doing now.

I am writing this and it’s Friday. The television is off. It’s silent. I have a glass of Francis Coppola’s Pinot Noir Diamond edition. I followed Carla’s suggestion when she said to pray first, then read the required scripture. I asked God to reveal what He wants to reveal to me. And I am just basking in God’s presence right now. He’s looking over my shoulder as I write. I’m sure of it.

But is He pleased with my life?

Have you ever asked yourself that question? Is He pleased with my choices? Is He pleased with the every day normal that I live? Lately, I have been making excuses about missions, and until recently, kept it far from me. So I tossed my excuses to the ground with all the rest of the litter, and I commited to a short term missions trip next year to Honduras. Naturally, I also volunteered my husband. He didn’t even know of my desire, like I didn’t know of God’s prodding in his life to lead a men’s group.

Who knew?

I guess there is a lot of us Moseses out there, making excuses, living the way we want to live, instead of living the way God would want us to live.

It’s time to pick up my staff.

Are you making excuses to what God is calling you to do?

You Can Be Compassionate

Courage (Photo credit: Pete Reed)

The most alarming aspect I’ve observed in this Christian culture is what happens when a Christian stands against something popular. The worst backlash isn’t from the secular crowd (though that’s bad enough), but from that person’s own Christian brothers and sisters. They accuse that Christian of being hateful or judgmental, using words that aren’t true of that Christian person or business.

Once Christians were a group reputed to stand for something and now I’ve wondered if some have traded truth in favor of popularity, money or fear? Standing against something popular tends to put you in a bad light. People nowadays define compassion as agreeing with the other person’s choices. The definition of compassion per the dictionary is, “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.”

You can be compassionate while disagreeing with someone. Love doesn’t necessarily agree with everything the person stands for. I have liberal family members and I still love them, but I certainly don’t agree with them. If they struggled with misfortune or whatnot, they would still have my love and compassion though I may not agree with their choices.

So when a Christian stands for biblical truth, let’s clap them on the back for having the courage to speak rather than using words designed to shame and silence them. In this age where everything goes, it’s refreshing to see that kind of courage.

Have you experienced this? How did you deal with it?

The GPS That Doesn’t Fail

Are you going to heaven? (Photo credit: Matthew Bietz)

More often than not, I hear complaints from people who own GPS’s of streets that continue though they dead-end and being taken to questionable destinations due to faulty directions. Recently, a man on Amazon challenged the validity of the Bible when I reviewed Revealing Heaven by John W. Price.

The commenter’s first objection was that the Bible and Science are direct opposites. I gave him this link as an answer. He said he experienced a near-death experience and that I need to take my blinders off. The Bible shouldn’t be taken as fact and he said all religions lead to God. You only have to read about the different religions to understand they are all different. The Hindu religion for instance has 33 million gods and goddesses. The near death experiences mentioned in Revealing Heaven don’t mention the 33 million gods and goddesses. Jesus is most definitely mentioned in some (not all) of the near death experiences. I repeat one part of my review here: If an experience contradicts the Bible, ask lots of questions.

 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. – 2 Corinthians 11:14 NIV

Think of the Bible as an accurate GPS to guide us along our journey Home, a way to get to know Jesus in a relational way, and to make sense of the nonsensical. People who ask the typical questions like, Why do bad things happen?, should read Randy Alcorn’s If God is Good. It’s an exhaustive exploration of that very question. I have a copy you can keep if you are asking genuine questions. I will happily mail it to you if you email me at: nikolehahn@thehahnhuntinglodge.com.

Jesus is my Shepherd and the Bible is my GPS. Unlike the actual GPS, re-calculating when it makes a mistake, God didn’t make a mistake when He gave us His inspired Word. Without the Bible to guide us through our many questions, we are susceptible to create our own god. Besides, if we do not have the Bible, then how do we know of God’s existence, who He is, or if He even cares except by the testimonies of those whose words could be misled or corrupted? How can they correctly interpret their near death experience without the Bible? God does not contradict Himself.

Resources:

Christian Ministries International

Answers in Genesis

Gateway Bible

Hoping For a God-Change

Yada. Yada. Yada. Yada.

That’s been my attitude. Like putting proverbial ear plugs in my ears when Missions becomes the topic. My perspective was colored by the past. Missions held a stigma for me. But in truth, I made excuses.

In re-reading here and here, I realized those excuses were a defense system–a heart condition of unforgiveness. The past made Missions undesirable combined with a fear of getting overly emotional or being moved so much that I would change. Like I said in the last blog post, I am not comfortable exhibiting emotions. I certainly don’t like crying in front of people. Then, as I re-read the last posts, I saw the truth.

My excuses.

My unforgiveness.

My roadblock.

I emphasize my roadblock because that’s what it was and I asked God to remove those feelings.

So now excitement trembles through me as I and my husband plan our very first short term missions trip to Honduras next May. We are even thinking of doing local missions projects in the in-between. We both realized, with no children, there is nothing holding us back from doing short term missions or serving for a few hours at a local missions organization. My husband and I are hoping for a God-change. What I mean by a God-change is for God to further peel away layers from our soul that He doesn’t want to remain.

The timing is right. Ten, five, or even three years ago, I still struggled with stuff and wasn’t ready. I needed to go through what I did in order to be ready for God’s purpose for our lives.

So I ask now that you pray for us as we begin fundraising in May. I will periodically post details and even have a page where you can send your donations. I will also have more information on the missions organization itself so you can see what we will be doing and why.

Stay tuned.

Have you gone on a missions trip? How has it changed you?