Phoenix Rattler Writing Contest
Attention Writers! The Phoenix Rattler is a writing contest sponsored by Christian Writers of the West, the Arizona Chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. This year, we have some great final round judges lined up, all of whom are well know agents and editors.
The entry fee is just $25 and the contest is open for submissions from August 1 through August 31, 2017. For complete contest details go to http://www.christianwritersofthewest.com/contest-info.html
Camp was amazing. I had the privilege of shepherding six second and third grade girls for the whole week as their counselor. I got to tell them again and again to change their shoes and find their toothbrushes. I got to pour their drinks at meals, so we didn’t wind up with juice all over the table. I got to sing to them at night so they wouldn’t be afraid to sleep in a strange place. I got to give them hugs and wipe their tears when they got homesick.
I also got to take them on long hikes in the woods to see the beauty of the forest. I got to listen to their excitement as they recounted what they had learned in their activity classes. I got to hear their squeals of delight as they splashed and played in the creek. I got to answer their questions about God.
I got to introduce them to God in new ways as we explored what it means to abide in Christ like the branches abide in the vine. We talked about important questions like, “Does Jesus understand what it’s like to be afraid?” and “How can you know for sure that you are going to Heaven?”
I came home weary, and foot sore, and ready to sleep in a real bed. By the end of the week, I was so spent that I was praying for the strength to just make it to the finish line. Was it exhausting? Sure! But it was one of the best weeks of my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Thank you, Father, for the chance to join with you in the work you were doing in the lives of these precious little ones.
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John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”
I think all Christians enjoy seasons of fruitfulness, when we can see God at work in and through our lives. It’s exciting to be a part of His amazing plan, to feel His life coursing through us like sap from the vine flowing out to the branches.
However, there are other seasons in our lives, seasons of pruning, when God cuts away at things. Sometimes He has to excise pet sins and little idols from our hearts. Sometimes the pruning comes in the form of trials and difficulties that He wants us to endure with patience in order to grow up in our faith.
Whatever its cause, there’s no way around the fact that pruning is painful. The only thing that can carry us through such seasons is the knowledge that the pain is not without purpose. God only prunes us to make us more fruitful in the future.
Because there are seasons of pruning, there must also be seasons of healing, times when we simply need to catch our breath and rest in the Lord. It’s easy to get impatient in such seasons because they are not as dramatic or exciting as fruit bearing seasons, but they are also necessary to the life and growth of the branches.
So what season do you feel yourself in? Is it a season of pruning, or healing, or fruitfulness? Whatever the season, I hope you will continue to cling to Jesus, drawing your life from Him, like a branch draws its life from the vine.
I’m getting ready to go be a counselor at a Christian kids’ camp next week. I’ve got to admit that I am feeling anxious. I’m not really worried about my responsibilities. I’ve been to this camp enough times to be very familiar with the routines and expectations. What worries me is gaining weight.
I know that sounds pretty stupid, but you have to understand that the menu is tailored to the tastes of seven to twelve-year-olds. Lots of sugar, lots of carbs, lots of fat. It’s like an elementary schoolers’ dream cruise. The last time I went to camp, two years ago, I gained five pounds in one week. I’d rather not have that happen again.
I’m scared of not being in control of what I eat and when I eat. I’m scared of how my woefully slow metabolism will react to this unaccustomed diet. But God is calling me to cast all these cares on Him.
The question I sense the Lord posing is: “If you have to put on another five pounds for the sake of my Kingdom, am I not worth that sacrifice? Which do you love more: me, or the numbers on your scale?”
That’s a hard question, harder than I’d care to admit. Like the Rich, Young Ruler, there are some little idols in my life I’d rather not give up. I know that’s precisely why Christ is asking me to do so.
This is such a small thing, compared with what He could ask. There are Christians around the world who are being tortured and imprisoned for their faith. They know that he is worthy of every sacrifice, and in my heart of hearts, so do I.
So my answer is, “Yes, Lord. You mean more to me than my vanity, far more than the numbers on my scale. I will lay down this idol for your sake. Sharing your truth and love with these little ones is worth everything I have to offer. Even an extra five pounds.”
“What God wants for us is happiness, joy, and freedom!” It was a passing comment made by a guest worship leader, not the main point of my pastor’s sermon, but it started me thinking: is that really accurate? Does God always want me to be happy? I’m not so sure.
I ‘ve got no problem with the joy and freedom part. Joy is certainly one of the fruits of the Spirit, and Christ clearly came to set us free from the curse of sin and death. However, I don’t think that happiness is God’s top priority for me. At least not yet.
I typically associate happiness with being in a good mood, having pleasant circumstances, and feeling physically and financially comfortable. God does provide those things, quite often. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. However, I think His top priority for my life right now is not happiness, but fruitfulness.
He is willing to suspend my happiness on a temporary basis, if that will enable me to become more fruitful for His kingdom. Unless I keep that fact constantly in mind, when unpleasant circumstances and bleak moods descend, I will be tempted to conclude that God has abandoned me. During those seasons of unhappiness, He’s actually quite near. He’s working in ways I don’t fully understand to strengthen my faith.
Some day, when I see Him face to face, and the trials of this life are over, I will enter the eternal happiness of His presence. Until then, I need to align my priorities with His. I need to stop worrying so much about my immediate happiness and learn to zealously pursue fruitfulness, instead.
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
At the beginning of the summer, my daughter, Olivia, was invited to help the counselors at the Lions Camp Tatiyee prepare for their task of serving disabled campers. The staff needed to practice evacuating the dormitories in the event of fire–not an easy task when working with mentally and/or physically challenged campers.
Olivia was one of several actors recruited to play the disabled campers. They were each assigned a name and specific disabilities and asked to remain in character throughout each fire drill. I asked her to share more of her experience and the lessons she learned.
Who were the characters that you played and what challenges did they have?
My first character was “Crystal.” She was developmentally delayed, so her mental age was not equivalent to her physical age. She needed a walker to get around. As far as her personality, she was always looking for attention, and could be demanding when she did not get it.
My second character was “Selena.” She was also a developmentally delayed adult. She could get around without help, but moved a bit slowly. She was super sassy and fashion conscious, with a propensity to throw things when frustrated.
My third character was “Martha.” She was blind and walked with a cane. She was slightly developmentally delayed. As far as her personality, she was constantly asking questions.
My last character was “Richard.” He had severe muscular dystrophy. He could not control his muscles, but had full feeling in his nerves. His mental functions were completely normal, but he spoke very softly because the muscular dystrophy was affecting his vocal chords.
Talk about your experiences during the fire drills. What did it feel like to portray these characters in the midst of a life-threatening scenario?
It was a little intimidating to feel like my life was in the hands of the counselors, who were people I barely knew. It involved a greater degree of trust because I knew I was dependent upon them.
As Crystal, I was so focused on my own needs and desperate to get help that I literally didn’t see anyone else. I ran over other people with my walker and distracted the nurse, who was needed by other campers. In retrospect, I recognize that it’s easy to judge people who act that way, but sometimes they don’t mean to be so demanding. They just don’t recognize how their behavior impacts others.
As Selena, I was able to see more of what the staff were doing to help everyone in the crisis. They were working together to use their unique skill sets in ways that would benefit the most campers. Stronger people who had an easier time evacuating physically challenged campers kept going back in to get more of them out of the building. Those who were less physically strong took care of the needs of campers who were already outside the dorm. I almost cried because the team was so real, so much a living, breathing organism, and that team had saved my life.
Because Martha was blind, I wore a blindfold throughout the drill. My instinct was to scream any time I didn’t know what was going on. I realized afterwards that this only added to the chaos, but I wasn’t intentionally trying to be a problem. It was simply my natural reaction to feeling disoriented and afraid.
As Richard, I remember lying on my bunk, realizing there was nothing I could do to get myself out, and just praying that the fire wouldn’t start near me. When I heard the staff passing by to evacuate other campers, I began to feel scared that no one would notice me. Everyone else was screaming and yelling, but I knew that, as Richard, I couldn’t even call for help. I began to get frustrated because no one was coming to get me and angry because they were getting other more able-bodied campers out before me. Finally, it took two counselors to support my body and get me out of the building. Once outside, one of them looked me in the eyes and asked if I had epilepsy. I knew then that he was committed to keep me safe, and would not leave me if there was any chance that I might have a seizure. It was the most meaningful question anybody had asked me all day.
How did these experiences affect you personally?
I have new insights into the behavior of disabled people as a result of portraying these individuals. It’s tempting to be frustrated when someone won’t cooperate with those who are trying to help them. Now I understand that usually they are not trying to be difficult, but simply to communicate their needs.
I was struck by the passion and dedication of the staff. Working at this camp is far more than a summer job. I saw how much of themselves they threw into rescuing actors in an artificial crisis and marveled at the intensity with which they approached even training situations. When an evacuation didn’t go well and the mock fire prevented them from getting every camper out safely, I saw some of them break down in tears. Their emotional investment was beautiful to see.
Attention Writers! The Phoenix Rattler is a writing contest sponsored by Christian Writers of the West, the Arizona Chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. This year, we have some great final round judges lined up, all of whom are well know agents and editors. The entry fee is just $25 and the contest opens for submissions on August 1. For complete contest details go to http://www.christianwritersofthewest.com/contest-info.html
Phoenix Rattler Writing Contest
In honor of Fathers’ Day, I wanted to share this story about memories of my father, Jim Kelly. My advice to all you dads out there, and to all of you whose dads are still alive is this: Seize the day! Life is short. Don’t waste this precious opportunity to tell your fathers or your children how much they mean to you. Blessings, Rebecca Bruner
Everything He Needed to Say
It was early April and my young daughter and I were preparing to host a tea party in our backyard. I watched the early afternoon sunlight and dappled shade from our mulberry trees play over the emerald grass. This Saturday’s party will be perfect, I thought as I arranged pretty, purple Irises in baskets for our centerpieces.
The phone rang, shattering my carefree daydreams. It was Karen, my father’s wife, calling from Canada. “Becky, I don’t know how to tell you this,” she began. “Your father is dead.”
I sat speechless, unwilling to believe my ears.
“It was a heart attack,” Karen explained. Dad had gotten up that morning and gone through his regular routine, eating breakfast, spending time reading the Bible and then praying. “Today, he prayed mostly for the family,” she told me. After that, he had walked down the stairs to the basement and just collapsed. By the time medical help could be summoned, he was already dead.
I immediately made plans to travel to Canada for his funeral. Though my father had been absent throughout my childhood, in the few short years I had known him, this man had become dear to me and I wanted to honor his memory.
My mother and father had split up when I was too young to remember him, and I had had no contact with my father until I reached my early twenties. At that point in my life I was torn between wanting to reach out to him, and fear that he might not welcome a relationship with me. He had another wife and children. If I reappeared on the scene, wouldn’t it just complicate his life?
Most of my uncertainties were put to rest when he sent me a letter, inviting me and my husband to visit his farm in Saskatchewan, yet I remember my feelings of trepidation as we drove down the rutted, dirt road, past fields of flowering, golden canola, to their tiny Tudor-style farmhouse. How would this stranger who was my father receive me? What would his wife and two teenage daughters think of me?
We were welcomed in and sat down at the kitchen table. My dad grasped my hand between both of his, as though he never wanted to let it go. “O, Becky, it’s so good to see you!” he said, again and again, a broad grin beaming from his face. I looked around the table at Karen and the girls whose faces were alight with the same bright smiles, and felt all of my hesitations melt away in the warmth of their joy.
From that time on, my dad was faithful to call me regularly, just to say “hi,” and to tell me he loved me. We had a few more face to face visits over the years. In fact, the fall before his death, he and his wife had driven down to Arizona to stay with us. He came bearing gifts for my children that he had painstakingly handcrafted himself: a red and yellow biplane for my son and a wooden easel for my daughter. My kids treasured this special time with their grandma and grandpa from Canada. None of us even imagined that this would be the last time we would see him alive.
At Dad’s funeral, a friend of his made a statement about him that I thought was very profound. “I think Jim had said everything he needed to say,” the man told me, “so it was time for him to go home to Heaven.” In other words, he didn’t have a lot of unfinished business; he hadn’t left a lot of things unsaid.
I pondered the man’s words and realized that, from my point of view, I had to agree. Even though my dad’s death was so sudden and unexpected, and we had not really had a chance to say goodbye, I had no lingering doubts about his feelings for me. He had sought reconciliation with me. He had made a special effort to build relationships with my children, and he had been faithful to express his love for me again and again in the few years that we had.
Other people also bore witness to the fact that my dad had said what he needed to say to them, even when they didn’t want to hear it. After the funeral, my sisters’ band teacher from high school came by the house to offer his condolences. He mentioned that Dad had told him straightforwardly that he needed to get right with God. Even though the band teacher had made it clear to Dad that he “wasn’t buying,” Karen said he still went out of his way to seek Dad’s company at social gatherings, even when he was half-drunk, though he knew Dad didn’t approve.
My dad shot straight with people and they respected him for it, whether they liked the things he had to say or not. He did not allow the awkwardness of never having spoken to me as a child intimidate him into continued silence. Instead, he overcame that barrier in order to tell me again and again how much he loved me. Life is fragile. None of us knows which day will be our last, and that is why the life lesson my dad taught me is so important. Dad said everything he needed to say. I hope that when my life is through, the same can be said of me.
Rebecca D. Bruner © 2013 in My Fairy Godfather: Collected Short Stories
Originally appeared in the Life Lessons from Dads anthology from Write Integrity Press in 2012.
What am I working on?
My current work in progress is called A Wife of Valor: Your Strategic Importance in God’s Battle Plan. For many years, I have been teaching Christian wives about God’s design for marriage and how to put biblical principles into practice within their own relationships. At one point, a young woman told me that she was sharing lessons she’d learned in my classes whenever she talked with other women whose marriages were struggling. She really encouraged me to write this book so that these principles could impact a wider audience and be a blessing to even more marriages.
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
I think many Christian marriage resources for women focus only on improving their satisfaction or reducing conflict between spouses. I’m convinced we need to think bigger. My goal is to encourage women to look at their marriages from God’s perspective. We need to stop merely asking “Is my marriage making me happy?” and instead ask “Is my marriage glorifying God and accomplishing His purposes?”
We have to bear in mind that God is at war. Even before humanity was created, Satan had already declared war upon God through his rebellion. God designed men and women to complement one another, partnering together in marriage to serve as His allies in that war. Marriage is far more than a means of fulfilling our human needs. It is an essential part of God’s strategy for battle.
Because God created men and women to see the world from completely opposite vantage points, we have the potential to strategically cover each other’s backs. While Satan tempts wives and husbands to fight head-to-head against each other, God wants us to learn to battle back-to-back against the real enemy, defending each other’s greatest areas of vulnerability with our own unique strengths.
Why do I write what I do?
I’m convinced that women are hungry for the truth of God’s word. I’m trying to be very transparent and intentional as I share the lessons from the Bible that God has used to transform my own marriage. If I can impart the wisdom God’s entrusted to me to help other women put Him first in their marriages, then I will consider my work a success.
How does your writing process work?
It all begins with prayer for guidance and inspiration. I’m constantly asking God to oversee my writing and help me to become the best possible steward of the message He’s entrusted to me.
I try to discipline myself to write at least five days a week. When I am composing fresh material, I often start with a five to six-minute period of writing stream of consciousness in long hand, just to get the words flowing freely. Then I go to my computer and start working on my document for at least a half hour, longer if I’m on a roll and have the time in my schedule. I figured out a while back that thirty-six minutes of writing over five days adds up to three hours a week if you can be consistent. I know a lot of writers who wish they could find three hours each week to devote to working on their books.
With this work in progress, once I had a complete rough draft, I recruited beta-readers to give me feedback. I also taught a class based on the material. Feedback from the readers and the class members has been very helpful as I have refined and revised the book.
At this point, I’m working on a second rewrite with the aim of making the manuscript more personal and invitational in tone. My goal is to connect with my readers on the same kind of personal level that I can when directly talking with a group of women. Now that I’m done with the current revision, I’ve again solicited feedback from reviewers, critique partners, and beta-readers. I will try to implement any suggestions for improvement they have to offer.
I’ve submitted proposals for this manuscript to some Christian publishers, but if God should close those doors, I’m open to publishing independently. Although I can’t foresee precisely how God will get this book into the hands of readers, I have faith that He who began this good work will complete it in His way and in His time.
Several of my writer friends are doing a blog hop, where we share a little bit about our works in progress and our writing process on each other’s blogs. My first guest author is Ruth A. Douthitt, author of The Dragon Forest series.
What are you working on? Currently, I am working on the last book in my Dragon Forest trilogy that I started back in 1989. The first book, The Dragon Forest, was released in 2011, the second book, The Dragon Forest II: Son of the Oath, was released in September 2013, and, hopefully, this final book, The Dragon Forest III: The King of Illiath, will be released this fall.
After that, I will start the second book in my Children series. The first book, The Children Under the Ice has been pretty popular with its target audience (middle grade readers) and I really look forward to revisiting these characters later this summer in the second book, The Children of Kew Gardens. Should be fun!
How does your work differ from others in its genre? The Dragon Forest is different in that, although it is fantasy/adventure, I used Christian principles as themes so that Christian readers will notice, but even non-Christians will be inspired by the themes. With The Children Under the Ice, I set my book in the past (1976) which is different from most books for this age and I also made it a mystery/thriller that has the readers rooting for the cast of characters as they try to solve the mystery. I made sure my protagonist, Mikey, is flawed and has some real obstacles to overcome. This way, the readers will connect to him and want him to succeed in the end.
Why do you write what you do? I find I enjoy writing fantasy because I have the opportunity to create a world and its culture. It is a challenge, but that’s what makes it all the more interesting.
As for writing mystery/thrillers for kids, those are the types of books I enjoy reading. I want my readers to try to figure out the ending or try to predict if the protagonist will discover the secrets and solve the mystery. That’s what makes writing fun!
How does your writing process work? I brainstorm the story using the tools from My Book Therapy. The Book Buddy really helps me to plot out what goals the protagonist must achieve by the end of the book. I also enjoy using a plot diagram to visualize how the story will flow from one plot element to the next. After all this, I then outline my story in three acts.
Last of all, I plot out each scene within each chapter in an organizer, usually in a Word table or Excel spreadsheet of some sort. That way, I can see exactly what scenes I need per chapter in order to move the story along at a strong pace.
I am a visual learner, so by taking these steps, I am able to “see” my book at a glance and know each day exactly what scenes I need to write to meet my goal/deadline.
After the first draft is complete, I send it to my editor. He performs 3 types of edits: copy, developmental (content), and line edits. We then meet to discuss his recommendations. He’s very good at finding plot holes and problems in the story or with the characters. I also send out the draft to my beta readers for feedback. They are in my target audience and are voracious readers of the genre. Their feedback, along with my editor’s, helps me see the errors that need fixing in my story.
It’s a long arduous process, but it is worth the time and effort to get the story right before I send it to my publisher/editor at OakTara Publishing. She goes over the second draft and sends it back to me with her suggested changes. I revise and send her the third and final draft that goes to press.
Whew! Writing is a lot of work and I wish I could do it full-time, but I also teach Writing/Language Arts in middle school. So, I make the time to write because I truly enjoy it. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing someone reading your book or hearing them ask you when the next book is coming out.
Bio:
In 2004, author, Ruth A. Douthitt completed The Dragon Forest which was picked up by OakTara Publishing in 2008 and released in April 2011. Ruth currently teaches Writing/Language Arts at an elementary school. She enjoys running, gardening, and drawing in addition to writing. Ruth lives in Arizona with her husband. Visit her blog at http://www.writerspenn.blogspot.com/
Rebecca D. Bruner, Author 