Stories Are Sacred

Strength for the Quest
“STORIES ARE SACRED,” according to Leonard Sweet in his book, Soul Salsa.

“Storytelling is the most sacred of professions. Stories are what makes the soul healthy or ill, saved or damned. Prozac is really nothing more than a story drug that empties your mind of bad memories and allows the good life stories to take supremacy. . . . Stories are our lives’ greatest asset.” 

Sweet goes on to describe how we can choose items from our homes and ceremonies in our lives that are rooted in personal stories to strengthen our spiritual lives, not unlike the Jewish mezuzah on doorposts. He suggests you choose items to sanctify your living space with meaningful stories. 

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How Much Do You Pay For Friends?

Strength for the Quest

Some years ago an ad appeared in the San Francisco Guardian. It read: 

Our lives are filled with emptiness,
desperation, and misery. We want
friends. We pay $9.99 an hour for
friendship. Please tell us how pretty
we look.

Intrigued, a journalist responded to the ad. He called the number listed and made an appointment. Arriving ten minutes late, Dave and Terri met him at the door. 

Terri greeted him with, “Good friends should be prompt.”

Once inside, she explained the ad. “We’re deadly serious about this We don’t want to be your friend. We want you to be our friend. We’re not interested in your problems. This is not a give and take relationship. It’s strictly a take relationship. We want the benefits of friendship but none of its burdens. That’s why we’re willing to pay.” 

After the allotted time passed, the journalist prepared to leave. He was handed a check for $9.99. On the memo line, Terri had written, “For friendship.” 

Now before you dismiss Dave and Terri as a couple of kooks, answer me this: How much are you willing pay for friendship? It isn’t free. For any relationship to succeed – real life and Internet friends – you have to be willing to make an investment. 

Instead of cash, pay a friend a compliment.

You could give them a gift of time. Don’t talk, just listen. Be there for them. 

Investments in friendship pay a lifetime of benefits. Generosity is gold. 

STRENGTH FOR THE QUEST
Because Life Is More Than A Journey

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Heroines in Fiction

Years ago I met Sherri Wilson Johnson at a writers conference and recently she contacted me with great news — her first published novel was coming out! As we rejoiced together, we decided the debut of her novel would be a perfect opportunity to exchange blog posts — I’d write about the role of heroes in fiction for her blog and she’d write about heroines for my blog. 

A little about Sherri — besides being an inspirational romance novelist, she’s a speaker and a former homeschooling mom who loves sharing God with others, while sharing her life experiences with them.

I am honored to present Sherri Wilson Johnson to you. 

Sherri-wilson-johnson-oak-tara1Heroines in Fiction
Sherri Wilson Johnson

There are many great heroines in fiction…too many to list here. But one thing is for sure: You’ve got to have a great heroine to make a story worth reading. The last thing you want is for your heroine to park herself there on the page like a limp piece of lettuce when she is faced with a trial. Yes, there has to be hardship. She has to be up against a villain which seems almost too great to conquer.

One of my favorite fictional heroines is Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery. She is the melodramatic orphan who makes much out of nothing most of the time and gets into more trouble than most of the folks in town think she is worth. She is misunderstood and bumbles her way through most of her encounters with people. Her arch nemesis is Gilbert, who teases her, calls her carrot, and makes life miserable for her. She refuses to believe that her heart could fall for such a young man. But it does. Eventually, she rises to the top and conquers her villains and goes on to win the hearts of many.

 

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Glimpses of Truth ebook debuts!

Glimpses of Truth Ebook Cover

Dedicated to the men and women
who loved the Bible more than their lives.

An extraordinary intellect, the love of a beautiful woman, and a remarkable mission—life holds great promise for Thomas Torr. Chosen by John Wycliffe to assist in translating the Latin Vulgate into English, the young peasant senses God calling him to an incredible, but dangerous, destiny. Thus begins a thrilling adventure, leading from the catacombs of Rome to the hinterlands of Britain. Here are characters to fall in love with, exotic settings, drama, intrigue . . . and an ending that will stir anew your desire to fulfill God’s call on your life.

Buy Kindle ebookclick here

Buy Nook ebook – click here

CLICK HERE to read about Anne Askew, the martyr who inspired this book

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What Is Hero Fiction?

Heroic Living quote

HERO FICTION is stories of ordinary people caught up in events far greater than themselves—

  • A family swept up in the vast panorama of American history 
    (American Family Portrait series) 
  • Ordinary believers who dared to read outlawed English versions of the Bible 
    (Glimpses of Truth; Beyond the Sacred Page) 
  • A German pastor and his wife who never bowed a knee to Hitler, rescuing disabled orphans from the gas chambers 
    (Songs in the Night series) 
  • An American nurse captured by a German soldier in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge 
    (Dear Enemy) 

The goal of hero fiction is that after reading it readers will be inspired to live nobly in whatever situation they find themselves. 

 

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