Category: News

Another Book Signing!

Emily will be among the authors featured at a book signing at the annual Celebrate the Book festival in Carlisle, PA  October 17-23. Come join her there at the Bosler Library the afternoon of October 19th between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m.

Speakers at the festival include Lisa Scottoline, author of legal suspense thrillers. Workshops cover a multitude of topics for writers of all genres. Locate more information about YA programs and children’s activities at the event website – www.celebratethebook.org.

Ask any writer about their passion and they will talk about the pleasure of crafting words, developing characters, and creating plots. The past few weeks, this writer has set aside work on her own novels. Instead, I’ve been busy with the other side of writing: reading.

Part of my work as an author is encouraging the work of fellow writers. This month that meant leading a workshop for new writers, helping them polish their work so that it is ready to submit to an editor. In addition, I’ve been a judge for the Golden Scroll book awards, reviewing almost a dozen novels that were released in the past year. And, as if reading ten or twelve books for the contest weren’t enough, I’ve also read and reviewed another book that is yet to be released.

Rachel J. Good’s “Change of Heart” (Charisma House) is the first in her new series of Amish romances. To be honest, I have never been a fan of this genre. Too often the characters are from a dusty stockroom, the plots are predictable. However, Rachel Good’s character Lydia faces honest conflict between love and forgiveness, between obedience and passion. The author deftly handles the difficult and lifelong consequences of youthful choices, consequences that impact not only the chief character but her entire extended family.

No book is perfect, however. Not even my own! This reader wondered if Lydia’s attraction to Caleb was too much based on his physical perfection. Has he no flaws? Even a single zit or an irritating habit might have made him more human. The resolution of the plot in “Change of Heart” felt rushed. What triggered the sudden change of attitude in Lydia’s father?

Few books answer all the reader’s questions, but Rachel Good has managed to lift Amish romance to a higher level: I actually enjoyed it. Now, as I at last turn to pick up work on my own novel again, I hope readers can say the same for my writing.

Last month I headed off to the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. I’ve lost track of how many different writers conferences I have attended over the years, but I will never forget the first one.

Arriving at the conference as a newbie, I felt overwhelmed by all those attending. There were over 300 writers there, all hoping to meet with editors and find publishers for their stories, poetry and devotionals. They all seemed far more experienced than I. In my hand was a draft of my first book, but as I looked around, I trembled. With all these other people writing, I feared there was no room for yet another writer, me.

Over the next days, the staff helped me to gain a new perspective. They pointed out that if God gave each conferee a message to communicate, then He would also see that there was a suitable audience for each person’s work. He was not calling us into competition with each other. This new attitude meant that I could learn skills to hone my craft and not fear that others would crowd me out. In fact, I could enjoy and encourage my fellow writers!

I also learned that even if no one else ever read my manuscript other than God Himself, then I could still feel I had succeeded. After all, if the Sovereign Lord of the entire universe was willing to pause and read my manuscript, that’s a mighty good audience!

Since that first conference, I have seen six of my books in print, not to mention scores of different articles. And now? You’ll find me on staff teaching at the writers conferences. You will see me encouraging budding writers to develop their gifts in order to communicate God’s messages effectively.

Are you a closet writer? Why not consider attending a conference and see where God leads you? I’ll warn you, the fever is catching. It might even go viral!

The following skit is one I prepared for my church fellowship group this week as we studied the topic of “God is Just.” The topic seemed to expand ever larger to include retribution and vengeance and retaliation and wrath.The topic loomed over me as impossible to grasp in a single brief class period. Finally, God helped me to narrow my focus to the courtroom scene at the end of Romans 8. Who dares accuse God’s children? God the Father? No! He is the judge. Who dares accuse us? Does Jesus? No! He is our defense attorney, the one who justifies us!

Our accuser is Satan. He takes the role of the prosecutor. Anyone can bring charges, true or false, against another person in a court of law. Here we see the final scene in the courtroom.

Here Satan sums up his case against God’s people:

Satan: As we sum up today’s trial, Your Honor, I first issue a challenge. I place on record my disapproval for this entire process. Everyone in this courtroom recognizes that you are related to the counsel for the defense. He is Your Son and, given that relationship, You should recuse Yourself as presiding judge for this trial.

God: Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? (Job. 38:2)

The only response to your charge is that there is no other qualified judge. I am the First and the Last. I alone am qualified. (Is. 41:4)

Before Me, there was no other judge and there will be none after Me. (Is. 43:10)

I alone speak justice, declaring things that are upright. (Is. 45:19)

Do you still want to argue with the Judge? (Job. 40:1)

Or do I find you in contempt of the court?

Satan: No, Your Honor. That will not be necessary. I will proceed to sum up my case.

Your Honor, these people standing before you are filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, malice. They overflow with envy, murder, strife, deceit, and, again I say, malice. They are gossips, slanderers. They hate You, Your Honor. They are insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, and disobedient to their parents. They are without excuse, without an alibi. The justice of God rightly falls on all those who practice such things.” (Rom. 1:29-2:1)

There is not one righteous, not even one. There is none who understands, not one who seeks Your approval, Your Honor, All have turned aside, together they have become useless.There is not one – not one! – who does good, not even one. (Rom 3:10-12)

All of them have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23)

So now I demand justice. Your own laws make it clear. Your own Word declares that the wages of sin is death. (Rom. 6:23)

These aforementioned crimes are sins, and therefore I demand the death penalty.

Scriptures say, your decrees cannot be changed (Ps. 93:5).

Where is the “God of Justice”? (Mal. 2:17)

Arise, I say! Punish the wicked! (Ps. 10:12) I rest my case.

God: I thank you for summing up your case. Before we move on, however, I remind you that vengeance is mine, and mine alone. (Rom. 12:19)

And now to hear from the defense.

Jesus: I admit that some of what my opponent has said is true.

Your judgment rightly falls on those who do these things he has listed…those who practice unrighteousness, those who are filled with malice, murder, envy and strife. (Rom. 2:2)

Furthermore, I agree that You, Your Honor, are righteous, and You love justice and only those who do what is right will live to see Your face. (Ps. 11:7)

Nevertheless, the lips of a “lawyer,” such as my opponent here, should preserve knowledge but you, Satan, you have turned aside and caused many to stumble. (Mal. 2:7,8)

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. (Is. 5:20-21)

You yourself are a liar and have been a murderer from the beginning. When you spin lies, you are speaking your native language. (Jn. 8:44)

Satan: OBJECTION!

God: Sustained. Council, we will not allow name calling in this courtroom, even if the label is true.

Jesus: I move on. I stand here today to defend these standing in chains before you, Your Honor. My opponent is right when he says the wages of sin is death, but he failed to quote the second half of the sentence: The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. (6:23)

“In Christ Jesus.” That means I have already paid their debt in full. You, Your Honor, demonstrated Your love towards these standing here in that before they ever acknowledged their offenses, You allowed Me to die for them. (Rom. 5:8)

Having been justified now by My blood, they are saved from Your wrath through My sacrifice. (Rom. 5:9)

You gave them to me, and no one, not even Satan, can snatch them out of my hand. (Jn. 10:28, 29)

“No one will snatch them away from me, for You, Your Honor,gave them to me, and You are more powerful than anyone else.So no one can take them from me. You and I are one.”

You, Your Honor, are just and the justifier of the one who has faith in me. (Rom. 3:26)

These people standing in chains are justified already by faith, apart from the Law. (3:28)

I rest my case.

God: I have seen the violence done to the helpless and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them as they have longed for me to do. (Ps. 12:5)

Despite all the sins and indictments and charges laid against these standing here, overwhelming victory is theirs through Christ who loved them. (Rom. 8:37)

Therefore I declare in favor of the defense.

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1)

A final note to the reader: Look at the charges that Satan levels against the believers. He throws mud at us but some of it sticks. Which of these charges apply to you? Why not take a a moment and kneel before God’s tribunal? Pray and ask His forgiveness. And then rise to walk in freedom with thanks. “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”!

“Long time, no see.” It is an expression that we often use for people we have failed to keep in touch with. And it is an expression that too often describes me. “Out of sight, out of mind” is another apt description of my ability to shut off a relationship when the other person is not nearby. I can go weeks without communicating with my own kids when they are out of state and busy with their own families! And even here on this website, I can go months without updating this page. Forgive my neglect!

Recently I have been preparing a Sunday school class on Paul. His passion for those he cannot see is evident in his epistles. He is praying constantly for those he loves in the churches scattered across Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia. He yearns to be near them again. They are never far from his mind. Paul could easily be wrapped up in his own world with his beatings, shipwrecks and imprisonment. But his thoughts do not focus on his own pain but on those he cannot see who are far away. His passion challenges me to lift my eyes above the mundane of my day-to-day activities and “see” my family and friends more often.

How grateful I am that God never loses sight of me. I am never out of His sight, out of His thoughts!

As this new year started, I began pursuing a personal Bible study on the topic of compassion. Professional counselors have always emphasized the need for empathy. But what was the difference between the two terms? What did the word “compassion” truly mean? Webster told me that compassion referred to “suffering with another, having sympathy or pity for another.” But what did the scriptures have to say on the topic? And how would knowing more on this topic impact my counseling with clients?

The very first reference I found was in Exodus 2:6, where pharaoh’s daughter found the baby Moses in the Nile. I was intrigued: the first mention of compassion was not from God or from a believer but from an Egyptian. She looked at this helpless child and had compassion (some translations use “pity”). We all know that her compassion led to action. She looked for someone to care for the child until he could be weaned. But for the first time, it occurred to me that her compassion was more than a mere whim. How easily she could have rejected Moses when his mother brought the child back years later. “That? Oh it was just a spur of the moment thought. No, I don’t really want anything more to do with the child.” After all, he was no longer a cute little 3-month-old infant, cooing and blowing bubbles. This young woman impressed me: she was in this story for the long haul. How different our Bible history would be had she not had true compassion.  I had to ask myself, does my compassion lead to action? Am I in this for the long haul?

Now it was time to be surprised. I found verses that clearly explained circumstances when God commanded His people NOT to have compassion! We are not to pity false prophets and “men who entice people to follow other gods.” We are not to pity them. They face God’s wrath and are under the sentence of death. Why do these people not receive compassion? Scripture is very clear. In Deut 13:12-17 these are people who refuse to listen to the voice of God, they disobey His commands, and they do not do what is right in the sight of God. But while we are not to offer them compassion, God holds out a promise. If they will return to God “with all your heart and soul” then the Lord will restore them and have compassion on them. Now I had to examine my own life. Am I listening to God’s voice? Am I obeying His commands? Am I seeking Him with all my heart and soul?

God’s compassion does not stem from who or what other people do.  It has its origin in His character. In Deut. 4:31 and 2 Kings 13:2,3, I found that He has compassion on His people because of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His compassion is rooted in His graciousness and faithfulness to His own promises. Neh. 9:16,17 told me that though our forefathers acted arrogantly, “they became stubborn and would not listen … and did not remember God’s wondrous deeds.” But God was a “God of forgiveness, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness.” He did not forsake them  Now I asked, have I thanked God for His compassion? Have I remembered all His wondrous deeds?

Finally, I had to ask myself again, how did empathy differ from the topic of my study? Empathy isn’t even in the concordance. Over and over in the New Testament, verses mentioned how Jesus was “moved with compassion” when he saw the leper, the blind, a widow with a dead son, the father of an epileptic child, a demoniac. Each and every time His compassion led to action, intervening in the lives of the people before Him. To understand the difference in meaning, I used an old technique I used to teach my Bible students. Go back and substitute the word empathy for compassion and see if it fits in each place. When I did this, the difference was dramatic. It is hard even to say “he was moved with empathy.”Can you  imagine Lam. 3:23, “His empathy never fails, it is new every morning”?

The word empathy comes across as objective, clinical, professionally distant. The person with empathy is more likely “unmoved.”

So how does this impact those I interact with when counseling? From here on, empathy is no longer sufficient. I want to be moved with compassion to serve each individual God sends through my doors.

In June, I learned that my newest book, Standing Tall After Falling Short, was chosen as a finalist for non-fiction book of the year 2013 at the Golden Scroll Awards ceremony.  These awards are sponsored by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).  The honor is especially cherished because the judges are my fellow authors and writers.

As of May 31st, I retired from my role as pregnancy counselor with Bethany Christian Services. I loved working with my fellow staff and serving my clients, but the stress of dealing with administrative work became overwhelming. The time came for someone younger to step into my position.

So now I am watching the soaps and eating bonbons, right? Not yet. God is transitioning me into a new area of service.  My new role is serving as a volunteer chaplain for the staff at Bethany.The staff there are under enormous levels of stress.  Those that work as pregnancy counselors are dealing with clients facing trauma. No birthmother considers the option of placing her child for adoption unless she is facing extreme circumstances. The caseworkers that work with adoptive parents are also seeing clients in crisis. An adoptive mom may have struggled with grief following a prior miscarriage or the issue of infertility. Our Safe Family staff are constantly dealing with families in crisis, on the edge of falling apart. All these staff spend long hours listening to their hurting clients. But who listens to the staff?

That has become my new role. I go around from office to office meeting with staff members one on one, offering a listening ear and praying for their needs. I am thankful for the way these people have welcomed me into their hearts. Because I have sat in their seat as a counselor myself, they know I understand the pressure they face. Tears can flow without embarrassment. Fears can be revealed. Nothing gets back to their supervisor.

Some changes in life are difficult.  For many people, the transition from the working force into retirement is one of the hardest. For me, the shift into this new role has offered nothing but joy. Though I may have left behind a paycheck, God has not set me on a back shelf in a closet.  He continues to carry me and lead me into places of service.

One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 46:3,4 where God says, “I created you and have cared for you since before you were born.  I will be your God throughout your lifetime — until your hair is white with age.  I made you, and I will care for you.  I will carry you along and save you.” (NLT version)

What He has done for me, He will also gladly do for anyone who seeks Him…even you.

After over twenty years of working with the local pregnancy resource center, I retired several years ago.  Then I began working half time as a pregnancy counselor with Bethany Christian Services, adding a few more years of service there.  But in May I plan to retire for the second time.  There are still more books up in my head that I would like to get down on paper and off to publishers so I won’t be idle!

Retirement introduces change, a period of transition.  And change requires that we take steps in new directions and walk by faith.

One night I watched a fire in the hearth as it was dying. Gradually the logs were turning to hot coals. As the night ahead promised temperatures in the teens, I went outside to the woodpile and grabbed fresh logs to add to the fire. The frozen logs chilled my fingers as I lay them on the dying embers, but after a few moments, the dying coals warmed up the new wood and sparks snapped into the air. Soon the fire was blazing anew.

Some people would say that the dying logs from the earlier fire had already served their purpose by warming the room and giving light. Overnight, the coals would cool and tomorrow someone would toss them in the ash bucket. Yet the hot coals still had a purpose. Before the logs turned to ashes, the heat of the coals ignited the new logs.

St. Paul had a burning passion for sharing the gospel.  As he aged, Paul passed that desire on to a young believer named Timothy.  And later, in 2 Tim. 2:1,2, he told Timothy to pass that passion on to other godly men. Those men in faith transmitted the word down through the generations to you and me. Today, some of us are active in God’s kingdom like fresh logs burning brightly. Some of us are older and retiring, but like the hot coals, we still have a purpose to fulfill. We must set the next generation on fire with a passion for God’s truth.

Take time today to thank God for those who first lit your passion for the gospel.  And then ask yourself, what am I doing to light fires in others so families in the future will continue to be blessed by a message of hope?

March is shaping up to be a busy month of speaking for me.  In addition to speaking at pregnancy centers and at schools, I’ll be speaking at the 18th annual Real Alternatives statewide conference on March 27th.  Real Alternatives provides life-affirming options to young people facing unplanned pregnancies, a passion I have shared for over two decades.

My topic for the conference will be “Help! My Family’s Messed Up!  Teens in Crisis!”   If you want to know more about the conference or the organization, check them out at realalternatives.org.