Half a Ton of Books and Things—den Boer

What does 900 pounds of  bookstore product look like? I would find out soon.  According to the phone call these books were being delivered on a skid which would be inconveniently placed outside the little back door at our little Christian bookstore.

Head office had been sending us lengthy emails about this shipment for weeks. Nothing about what kind of books, or what else was coming, just that the product was coming (lots of product) and we were being asked to sell it all Dutch Auction style.

At a Dutch Auction the prices go down as the sale proceeds. The early birds have selection and those who wait get deals.

I imagine half a ton of product wrapped in plastic sitting on the pavement outside the store. I imagine a rain storm. I imagine traipsing in and out of the store bringing in box after box. I imagine the pile slowly reassembling in the middle of the store. I imagine a backache.

Then I go to a tea party with my husband's cell phone in my pocket, expecting it to vibrate when the delivery comes.

A hour and a half, several cups of tea, a piece of pie, five licorice sticks and much conversation later, I decide to check the phone. The skid has arrived—over an hour ago.

I rush down to the store. The others are already there. They have already traipsed in with the several dozen boxes. A sign is posted announcing the Dutch Auction next week.

The early birds did everything. I got the deal. I'm told that's how a Dutch auction works. Did I tell you I'm Dutch?

Marian den Boer works (sometimes) at The Gospel Lighthouse in Hamilton, Ontario. Dutch Auction starts June 4th. Marian will be there June 9th.

Born Into Mission/MANN

Last month’s blog took me on a memorable journey into writing and the when, why and what. I will continue in this direction, looking specifically how my life has been influenced in mission work. Recently I was invited to write a paragraph of introduction after accepting the invitation from my denomination’s mission and service to be conference mission interpreter. In reflection I can see where this could turn into an essay, but I will begin with the thoughts that started me writing about this topic. 
 

I was steeped in mission from the get-go: from childhood memories of my mother rolling bandages for the Red Cross, to my parents holding fund raising house parties in their farm house to raise money for an on-site ambulance and other necessities during the war. My mother’s loyalty to the WMS (Women’s Missionary Society) was rooted deeply in her keen interest of her cousin, Dr. Walter Strangway’s service in the United Church of Canada hospital in Chassimba, Angola, Africa. Mother joined with others to raise money to buy beds, mattresses and coverlets through church teas and to encourage generous contributions from interested people.

This dedication to missions continued personally in my rural church through  Mission Band in which I both attended and then gave leadership. Later, the “Ella Rees Mission Circle” organized by our minister’s wife, was held in the town church. It was here that we learned about missionaries in foreign countries, how to write letters to them, and ways to cut material to form quilts and blankets.

At this time, my heart was in overseas ministry: I was going to Africa. Needless to say, this didn’t please my father who thought every farmer’s daughter should find a nice young farmer to marry. In the end, family life won over; although I married a nice young steamfitter.

Training as an overseas worker was no longer available to me with a small family. My passion for missions continued to be fed through connections with Dr. Walter; Muriel Bissell, a missionary from the Elora United Church (1964) serving in Zambia (adjoining country to Angola); and later several women missionaries with whom I corresponded for many years.

I could never figure out why a woman could serve as a missionary and go halfway around the world, but could not serve in ordained ministry in her own country. When I heard on the radio in 1968, that women could be married and ordained in our denomination, I began to take lay ministry seriously, hoping that one day it would lead me onward. And it did; I was ordained in 1982 and have served the church in this capacity for more than thirty years.  

Now, I begin this new chapter in my life of service. Although I still hope to continue to supply occasionally; as Mission Interpreter I will serve the conference and focus on ‘God’s Mission, our Gifts’.

Blessings,

Donna

“What does the Lord require of us, “Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:9).

www.donnamann.org Aggie Macphail series (Brucedale Press) A Rare Find (Castle Quay Books) LittleRedBarn Kid’s Farm Stories (Previously MeadowLane)

Life Is Like That - Tracy Krauss

I am a teacher and I live in British Columbia. If you follow the news, you may know that BC teachers have been in contract disputes with the provincial government for over two years. At the time of this writing, the latest development is a lockout where teachers are restricted to working with students during class hours only. This means no time spent with students during lunch, breaks, before or after school.

Big deal, you may say. Well, for me it is kind of a big deal. I teach Drama. This means that the June show which my students and I have been working on for months now, has been cancelled. To say that I am upset is an understatement. I take a lot of pride in my work and many of my students are like my own children. My senior class and I co-wrote a two act play called MURDER ON THE PARADISE EXPRESS - a murder mystery with a supernatural twist. I have had many of these kids as drama students for the past five years and for some it will be their final show before they graduate.

We came to a compromise and are allowed to perform two matinees, but trying to set everything up and fit in the necessary rehearsals - all within 'class hours'- is a huge challenge. I am trying to remain upbeat, mostly for the kids' sake and my motto remains: "The show must go on!" (Although it will be a pared down and somewhat unpolished version.)

This is a huge valley for me, but I am hiking doggedly up that hill.

As for a peak, I managed to stay within my deadlines and finish a contracted story for the COLONY ZERO series that I am collaboratively writing with six other authors. It is a Sci-fi series set 800 years in the future and has been a wonderfully energizing experience. SINS OF THE FATHERS releases on June 4. (Volume 5 in the COLONY ZERO series)

As writers we experience peaks and valleys on an ongoing basis. Rejections, writer's block, computer crashes... Contracts, good reviews, a new book published... The journey is never smooth and it is certainly unpredictable.

As a final thought, I hope each of you that are attending Write!Canada this year will find refreshment and inspiration. I wish I could be there... but I have 25 Drama students waiting in the wings...

Tracy Krauss is a multi-published author and playwright living in Tumbler Ridge, BC. For more visit her website: http://tracykrauss.com

Climb out of your cage - Gibson

After we adopted Grace Cat, spicy with a hint of left-over predator from his stray days, Ernie, our Amazon Green parrot, got his beak out of joint. He sulked at the intrusion of fur in his territory, and rarely came out of his cage.

Prior to Grace, we often left Ernie’s cage open so he could come and go at will. He ate and napped inside, but spent hours on top of the cage, watching the goings-on around him, laughing and sounding off.

As I worked around the house or at my computer, or even jumped rope for exercise, Ernie sat on my shoulder. When the Preacher napped, he stood guard on his shoulder. Pity the person who approached the bed when Ernie the watch-parrot stood guard.

Not a frequent flier, he also took walkabouts. Sometimes, if we weren’t in the room, he slid down his cage bars and shuffled through the house to find us, feet swishing. Ducking into each room, he gave a series of inquisitive chirps we understood as, “Any people in here?”

Things changed when Grace arrived. To a cat, all tall things – including chrome-barred cages – exist for climbing. And flappy things with beaks and feathers mean either fast food or animated toys.

No surprise then, that for the first few months, Grace intimidated Ernie by his keen interest in our feathered pet. We kept the cage shut more, but even when we put the cat downstairs and opened its door, Ernie rarely came out.

He still practiced his crow-caws. Screamed like a woman in childbirth. Wolf-whistled when he heard the shower running. And, on hearing the click of my computer keys in the office, he screeched so loud he muddled the puddle of my thoughts.

One day, about six months after Grace joined the family, Ernie decided he’d had enough of his self-confinement. Instead of sulking in his cage, open at the time, he popped out and slid down the bars. Without hesitation, he strutted like a miniature Roman emperor across the floor – straight to Grace. The cat watched, ears erect, tail thrashing. Swish by swish, the parrot approached the enemy.

A few feet away, Ernie paused. Cocked his head. Then, almost as though he’d made up his mind to wade into battle or die trying, he sped up. Stopped only inches from the cat’s whiskers. The cat froze, and fur and feathers faced off.

I moved closer, ready to intervene.

Ernie stepped forward. Grace stepped backward, bemused. Feathers backed fur up several more steps. Finally Ernie thrust a vicious peck in the space that Grace's nose had just vacated. Then, turning his back, he shuffled off, victorious. The cat did not follow.

Ernie has new confidence now. He has faced his fear – several times. Feathers, at least for now, have triumphed over fur.

Too many Christ-followers allow fear to hold them back from the freedom and inner strength Jesus promises. If that’s you, climb out of your cage. Confront that fear. God stands near.

 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kathleen Gibson

 

This Sunny Side Up column ran in various Western newspapers the week of May 19th, 2014

Journeys - M. Laycock

I love hearing stories of people’s lives, how they came to be where they are now. I especially love it when they acknowledge that God has designed that journey for them and want to shout “praise the Lord” when they recognize his grace and mercy along the way.

I’ve been thinking a bit about journeys in the past while, perhaps because of the release of the first volume of my latest novel, a young adult fantasy called Journey to a Strong Tower book one in the Ambassadors Trilogy. It’s been a delight to write these books, detailing the harrowing journeys of two young people whose destinies are intertwined and bound by the parameters of God’s love. It’s a fantasy but it has its root in reality, as all books do. 

I believe all of us are on a journey designed by God. I once wrote a suite of poems that was broadcast on CBC called Journey to Each Other. It detailed the path my husband and I took to find one another, and our Saviour, in Canada’s far north. As I wrote those poems I was overwhelmed with God’s amazing plan and the deep love He has for us all – a love so deep that He details every step of our journey on this earth, all to His glory.

Reading the books of the Old Testament which detail the journey of the Hebrew nation is inspiring for that same reason. The record reveals the protection and plan of God and the strengths and weaknesses, the victories and failings of the Israelites  – “The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. In spite of this you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go” (Deut 1:30 – 33).

And it is because God told Moses to record that journey that we are able to read about it. Numbers 33:2 says – “At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey.”

I believe God still tells us to record the journey, to write down both in fiction and non-fiction, the details of how He has kept us, protected us, and yes, carried us throughout our lives. By this testimony we glorify Him and remind ourselves of the greatness of our God. 

And we can certainly acknowledge, with Moses, the truth of these words – “The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness” (Deuteronomy 2:7). 

So write the record of your journey. Broadcast it in every way you can, all to God’s glory.

**** 

Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone. Her second novel, A Tumbled Stone was also short listed in the contemporary fiction category of The Word Awards and her work is short-listed in three categories this year. 

Marcia also has two devotional books in print. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan. 

Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be downloaded here. Visit Marcia’s Website

See No Evil? (Discernment in the Arts) - Carolyn Arends

Many of us who peruse this blog love stories (whether those stories be told in novels, playhouses or movie theatres.) Many of us here also seek to follow the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to train our minds on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, [and] whatever is admirable (Phil 4:8, NIV).” Often, we face a quandary. What if, to tell a story honestly, unsavoury or downright evil behaviours must be portrayed?  Are we constrained—either as consumers or creators of art—to keep certain topics or words off limits?

This spring, I found myself struggling through this question with a group of college students in a class I was teaching on faith and the arts. We could all agree upon extreme cases of exploitative and gratuitous sex, violence and abusive language that are clearly outside the bounds of the Philippians 4:8 mandate. But we were less sure what to do with greyer areas. What if the questionable elements in a story are not there to titillate, but rather because they are an important part of telling the truth about the human condition?  The Bible itself contains many frank and unflinching depictions of human depravity; if we were to legalistically and thoughtlessly apply the Philippians 4:8 mandate to Scripture, we’d have to censor a good deal of what is there.

Despite several lively debates, we never did arrive at a clear consensus on this issue. But we did settle on a framework that helped us at least begin to more thoughtfully and prayerfully engage with stories of all kinds. When tasked with evaluating a piece of art in any genre, we asked ourselves three questions, inspired by the Church’s long history of appropriating (quite appropriately, I think) Plato’s three Transcendentals.

Is it good?

Is it true?

Is it beautiful?

The first question – Is it good? – involves ethics and morals. It requires us to consider not only whether a story contains offensive words or scenes, but also whether the worldview it tacitly conveys is an ethical one. It might be possible for a film to be rated “G,” but embody an insidious worldview in which material success is considered the ultimate meaning in life, or people are merely means to ends. Conversely, it might be possible for a movie to contain violence, sex or language, but provide a perspective on the human condition that moves the viewer towards a more ethical or moral stance.

The second question – Is it true? – is an even more theological one. Does the story—whether it is fact or fantasy or something in between—say something honest about the world and the people who inhabit it? Does it hint at anything true about God? Even if the worldview in a story is in conflict with the Gospel, can it teach us something true about the perspectives and needs of the people who hold it?

The third question – Is it beautiful? – has to do with aesthetics. It asks whether the art in question is well-crafted and successfully formed. A depraved story may be breathtakingly depicted. (In such instances we should proceed with caution.) Or, as is sometimes the case in explicitly “Christian” storytelling, a good and true story may be shabbily crafted. (Caution is required here, too! Please!)

With these three questions, my students and I were able to begin a process of discernment that each of us will be working through for the rest of our lives. We might decide that a story lacking in one of the Transcendentals can still be worthy of our attention due to its strengths in another.  Most essentially, we felt challenged to try to create work ourselves that was deeply good, unflinchingly true, and as beautiful as we could possibly make it.

I pray you will go and do likewise!

Carolyn

PS – My own adventure in art-making this spring involves recording an album of Christmas originals, which will be released October 15, 2014.  This project will be my 11th CD; it’s the first one we’re crowdfunding. We’re asking people to consider pre-ordering the album (with great discounts and perks) in order to help us make it. Please check out our Kickstarter project. Thanks!