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Love or Hate?

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By Vonda Skelton | October 19, 2010

First let me say that I know today's post is going to be controversial. But I pray you'll hear this from my heart.

Things have been hectic for the past six weeks or so, and I haven't had a chance to see much national news. So this morning, when I received an email and video link from a friend in Loveland, CO, the story was truly news to me.

In one of many published articles around the world, The Reporter Herald of Colorado reported that protesters had gathered for four days outside the Loveland Museum/Gallery to express their objections to Stanford professor Enrique Chagoya's work, "The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals." This exhibit included disgusting images of our dear Lord.

As I continued reading the articles, I became angry. How dare Chagoya portray my precious Lord in such a way? To be honest, I wanted to hate him. I wanted to beat him up. If I had been in Loveland, CO, I most likely would have joined the protesters.

And then I read, "Chagoya is talking with the senior pastor of one of the region's largest Christian congregations about producing a religious painting for the church."

What? What kind of wacky Christian congregation would do such a thing? What are our churches coming to? And then I watched this video.

Jesus – Tougher Than Nails from Resurrection Fellowship on Vimeo.

I don't know what to think. Part of me still wants to beat up Chagoya. I want to protest and cry out in anger for such an action. And then I remember the words of my Lord, and I'm even more confused. And convicted.

After all, as a devoted Christian, it's a joy to worship Christ with likeminded brothers and sisters every Sunday. It is pure delight to spend time with the family of God at church, at work, and in our free time. 

But is He calling me–is He calling you–to share His love, grace, and mercy with those who do horrific things like this? Are they our enemies, that we can turn our backs as they continue the path to hell? Or does He expect us to reach out as this church did, even in the midst of the evil?

We'll never win the Chagoyas of this world through protests. But could we win them through love? I think we all know the answer. 

I pray God will do a miraculous work in Enrique Chagoya's heart…and in mine.

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Are You Ready to Write?

Thank you to Marilyn Shipe for many of these writing opportunities! (Be sure to check out Marilyn's blog as she continues her posts on 100 Ways to Relieve Stress.)

1. Oatmeal Studios Cards Guidelines

"Card ideas need to be written for these occasions: Birthday, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th & 60th, Relative Birthday, Belated Birthday, Get Well, Good-Bye, Miss You & Thank-You, Love, Wedding, New Baby, Anniversary (from friend to couple), Congratulations & Retirement"

** "Caution! We reject the following: PUNS, GROSS IDEAS, MEAN IDEAS, LENGTHY POETRY or PROSE, NARROWLY FOCUSED IDEAS. (i.e.: new baby for quintuplets)"

2. Chicken Soup for the Soul – Lots of different books to submit for including O, Canada – 101 Stories Celebrating The Country and the People. "If you are Canadian, we are looking for stories from you! This book, scheduled for publication in the fall of 2011, will be written by and for Canadians. Chicken Soup for the Soul is very popular in Canada and it is once again time for a Chicken Soup for the Soul book by Canadians for Canadians. If you are not Canadian but you have a great story that took place in Canada that is fine too. See guidelines for ideas. Pays $200 & 10 free copies of your book. DEADLINE IS JANUARY 30, 2011."

Be sure to check out guidelines for Brides and Weddings, Devotional Stories for Times of Trouble, and many others.

3. National Geographic Adventure Magazine According to their website, "The magazine covers the world of adventure, from exciting travel destinations and outdoor pursuits to accounts of cutting-edge expeditions and profiles of modern-day explorers. Each issue reports on a range of locations and activities and offers readers actionable information as well as thought-provoking  "good reads."

4. Warner Press is the publishing house for the Church of God. Check Warner Press Submission Guidelines for a variety of submissions.

Warner Press Writing for Kids Tips: Review our products online before submitting mss to make sure you are not duplicating what we already have. We produce approximately 8-12 new coloring books each year (16 pages) for ages 2-12. Our coloring books usually retell familiar Bible stories although we are open to other ideas. We also need puzzles and activities for children. We produce 4-6 children's picture books per year. These are usually 32 pages and incorporate a religious theme (although we do not want them to be "preachy"). Our children's books are designed for 4-10 year olds. We are open to queries for pre-teen/teen books with a Christian slant although production of these is limited at this time. Make sure to include SASE. Unsolicited material that does not follow guidelines will not be reviewed nor returned without SASE. Send all manuscripts to Robin Fogle, Assistant Product Editor."  

5. South Carolina First Novel Prize: You have time for this one! Every two years Hub City Press partners with the South Carolina Arts Commission to host the South Carolina First Novel Prize. The next deadline is 15 months away: January 5, 2012. 

6. Parish Publishing is looking for articles that zero in on stewardship in general or with time, talents, or money as it relates to the local church. E-mail: . 50% unsolicited freelance.

7. The Storyteller Magazine Guidelines 100% unsolicited freelance. Tip: We look for stories that are written well, flow well, have believable dialogue, and good endings. All sections of the magazine are open except how-to articles. Special needs: Funny or serious stories about growing up as a pastor's child or being a pastor's wife. E-mail: .

8. Mindflights, A Magazine of the Speculative Guidelines 100% unsolicited freelance. Publishes speculative (sci-fi/fantasy) short fiction and poetry with a Christi
an or Christian-friendly slant. E-mail: .

9. Creative Nonfiction Writer's Guidelines 80% unsolicited freelance. Publishes compelling nonfiction stories with a strong narrative and research element. E-mail: .

10. Guideposts Writer's Guidelines  40% unsolicited freelance.  "Personal faith stories showing how faith in God helps each person cope with life in some particular way. Tip: Be able to tell a good story, with drama, suspense, description, and dialog. The point of the story should be some practical spiritual help that subjects learned through their experience. Use unique spiritual insights, strong and unusual dramatic details."

11. Edie Melson is still looking for submissions for her new book: Fighting Fear, Winning the War at Home When Your Soldier Leaves for Battle. Guidelines here.

12. Women of Faith Writing Contest! Great opportunity!

Okay, there you are, writers. Let's see what you do with these! I can't wait for us to celebrate with you!

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And now, as we contemplate our true calling in this world, let's remember the words of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

"Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, `Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.' I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners." Matthew 9:13

I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands of your hearts,

Vonda

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The Role of Backstory to YOUR Story

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By Vonda Skelton | October 12, 2010

I recently was asked to play the role of a psychiatric patient. Now, for those of you who followed Gary and me as we participated in the new Betty White movie, The Lost Valentine, this was NOT that role. In that role, you'll need 1000-power binoculars to ever see me–if I make the cut at all! 

For this part (which wasn't even filmed, so don't look for an Academy Award nomination), I was surprised to discover I had to learn not only details of my character's health, but that of her family as well. I knew I'd have to memorize her symptoms, but I didn't think about knowing her family structure and their relationships. Other details addressed her eating habits, alcohol and drug use, and encounters with the opposite sex.

I studied her childhood, knew her sleep patterns, and memorized her medications.

The more I prepared to play my character, the better I knew her. She became real to me. Her housing situation, job description, and exercise routine made sense. As I prepared for my role, her dress, speech, and mannerisms became my own. Before long, I could see how she arrived at her specific emotional state. I knew her baggage, her longings, her disappointments.

And then I realized I cared about her. I wanted her to get well. I was in her corner…because I knew her.

You may be asking what in the world all this has to do with writing. Well, the preparation to play the role was very similar to the preparation we must make as fiction writers: We must give our characters a detailed backstory.

If we want readers to care about our characters, we have to make them come alive. Where do they live? Where did they live as children? Did the siblings get along growing up? Did they live in a loving environment, or were they abused?

What about the character's personality traits? Is she good at math? Is she a hard worker or a lazy sloth? Can he sing? Play the piano? Run fast?

Does she like tofu? Greasy cheeseburgers? Steamed vegetables?

If we want readers to cheer for our characters, we must create histories and share information that draw readers in and compel them to stay with us for 300 or so pages.

And even if you don't plan to write every little detail into your book, you need to know every little detail in order to transform her into a real person.

Create vivid, three-dimensional characters with detailed backstories and emotional garbage and you'll be on your way to selling your novel. Create cardboard cutouts with mundane lives and limited histories and your manuscript will end up in the rejection pile.

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Anyone in the Milwaukee, WI area?

One of our followers has recently moved to Milwaukee and is looking for other writers to connect with for friendship, encouragement, and possible critique. If you fit this profile, would you contact me? 

Thanks!

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YIKES!! I Forgot to Ask for Kudos!

I'm so sorry, but I completely forgot to ask for kudos last week, so this week's kudos list is very short. 🙁

Congratulations to these Christian Writer's Den followers who are working hard and hanging in there…and seeing the results.

  1. Edie Melson (SC)–Edie continues to grow her resume and her business! She has recently been named part of the "Special Team" at Susan May Warren's blog at My Book Therapy. This Special Team will take the stage every Thursday on the blog. You won't want to miss it!
  2. And that's not all! Edie's poem, Once Upon a Time, won first place in Inkwell Inspirations' poetry contest. Check it out!
  3. Crystal Hathcock (SC)–Crystal also has several things to celebrate! She's had two articles recently published on the teen web site iBegat.com. She also has a new article at ChristianDevotions.us. And last but not least, Crystal will have a Christmas article posted on MentoringMoments.org in December! 
  4. Daphne Woodall (NC)–After submitting an unrequested article to The Wake Weekly (circulation 10,000) in Wake Forest, NC, Daphne was offered a weekly slot as a feature writer. And she received her first payment last week! 
  5. Ginny Dent Brant (SC)–Ginny's book trailer for her new book, Finding True Freedom, From the White House to the World, is now up on YouTube. Be sure to check it out!

Congratulations to each of you! You're doing the work of a writer, and it shows!

If you have something to celebrate, feel free to send it any time of the month. I usually request kudos the first Tuesday of the month and post them the second Tuesday. But I simply forgot last week!

Here's the format for submitting your good news. Please help make it easier for me!

  • Name
  • State
  • Your website/blog
  • Your good news
  • Link to good news, if available
  • Any LO RES jpg photos of book or magazine covers

Thank you! I can't wait to see what y'all've been up to! And yes, that's correct Southern 🙂

Don't forget to check back next week for a boat-load of writing opportunities, collected by our own Marilyn Shipe. You're gonna be blown away! (And don't forget to let us know when we can celebrate with you!)

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The Idiot File, My Keynote at North Texas Christian Writers Conference

Here's the video of my keynote, The Idiot File, presented at the North Texas Christian Writers Conference. Enjoy! 

And don't worry, you're not in it! 🙂

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Upcoming Events: I'd Love to See You There!

October 16: Punxsutawney, PA–Seasons of Life, a Southern Christian Women's Conference. Come and join the fun as Southern gals invade the North! Check out this entertaining video for more information. But you must hurry-it's this Saturday!

October 26: I'll be interviewed on ChristianDevotions Speak UP!

November 5-7: Women's Get-Away, Eagle Eyrie, VA–Come join us as we celebrate Seasons of Becoming at this statewide event. Two choices: November 5-6 OR November 6-7. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll never be the same!

November 10-14: CLASS Christian Writers Conference, The Ghost Ranch, NM. Lots of editor
s, agents, and professional writers who want to help you succeed! Hurry–limited space remaining!

November 18: YMCA Prayer Breakfast, Greenville, SC–I'll be talking about gratitude. What an opportunity to share what God has done!

November 30: Rice Memorial Baptist Church, Greenwood, SC–Ladies Christmas Banquet. Tickets on sale now!

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This past weekend, I was blessed to share the love, grace, and mercy of our Lord with the ladies at Pleasant Garden Baptist Church in North Carolina. I reminded the ladies and myself, that our salvation is based on Him alone, and there's nothing we can do to take us beyond the love of Christ. As Paul said to Titus:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:3-5a

I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,

Vonda

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And I’m Worth It!

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By Vonda Skelton | October 5, 2010

We observed the Lord's Supper this past Sunday. It's always a sobering event for me, but this time the truth of what Jesus did was even more vivid than usual. Our pastor read from the Luke 22 report of what happened that historic night. He reminded us that Jesus and His disciples were sharing the Passover meal together, a time to reflect on the fact that the Hebrew children were saved from the death of their firstborn when they placed the blood of a sacrificed lamb on their doorposts. I knew that. Years ago, I had even written that often-forgotten detail into a passion play I titled Grandmother's Song.

But what I hadn't thought about in a long time is that the Passover was immediately followed by the Festival of Unleavened Bread. It was during this time that the Hebrew children remembered their exodus from Egypt and how God had broken the chains of bondage, freeing them from Egyptian slavery.

Our pastor challenged us to not only remember the miracle of the Passover blood of the sacrificial lamb and the message of the Lord's Supper and His sacrifice, but to search our hearts for those areas of our lives that were held in chains of bondage. After a time of prayer and confession, we wrote down the names of those chains and ceremoniously dropped them into a box. Through the sacrifice of Jesus' blood, we walked away as a free people, no longer in chains. It was powerful.

But the story doesn't end there. As I read the words of Jesus, I noticed a note I had written in the margin years ago. I have no idea who said it or when I wrote it, but the note said, "Sacrifice means to give up something valuable to gain a greater reward." I paused. Was that true? After all, we would give our lives for our children without considering ANY reward, simply because their lives were worth it. Wasn't that the true definition of sacrifice–to do something without any thought of a reward?

But then I read the second sentence, and my heart broke. The second sentence said, "Jesus' reward for His sacrifice was me…and yet, He thought I was worth it."

I sat in my pew and cried. Jesus–the perfect Lamb, Son of God, Creator of the universe, King and Lord of all–sacrificed His life because I was the reward.

And He thought I was worth it.

Oh, blessed truth! I am worth loving! I am worth dying for! My life has meaning, not because I'm a writer or a speaker or a wife or a mother or a nurse or any other label. My life has meaning simply because Jesus thought I was worth the sacrifice. I was a worthy reward, and He was willing to die in order to have me.

And you.

So what is holding us back? What's keeping us in bondage, holding us back from being all He created us to be? crossandman

Fear of rejection?

Fear of failure?

Fear of what others might think?

The truth is, none of that really matters. What matters is that He thought we were worth the sacrifice of His life.

We are His reward, and in His eyes, we are worth it. What will we do to show Him our thanks?

(Cross photo courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net)

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Would You Like to be a 5th Tuesday Guest Blogger?

Thanks to everyone who volunteered to be our November Guest Blogger. Liz Welsh was the first to respond and will be sharing with us the 5th Tuesday of November.

If you'd like to write an entry, there's still room for you! Simply email me and I'll put you on the schedule. But please note: since there are so few 5th Tuesdays each year, we're now booking for 2012! (NOT 2011)

I'll look forward to hearing from you!

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And the Winner of Ginny Brant's Book, Finding True Freedom is…

Nan Jones! Congratulations, Nan! Just send me your mailing address and the book will be on its way!

And for those who didn't win, you can order Finding True Freedom through Amazon.

Thank you all for your kind comments for Ginny and me. They were such an encouragement!

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And this week, as we meditate on the truth of God's word, let's remember the words of our Savior, spoken to you and me:

"This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me….This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." Luke 22:19b and 20b

I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,

Vonda

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