Decisions and their consequences - Part 1

Last year I made a decision to start this blog, and another one for professional purposes. I had been taking an online writing class and I wanted to write - even if I couldn't get paid for it right away.

I "embraced" becoming a writer. I thought the chocolate business had started itself well and things were chugging along. I thought I could do two things at once.

I was wrong. Although I received encouragement to write, I didn't hardly get any writing "jobs" or submissions accepted. This sent me into a funk last fall. As a result of my pursuing writing, the chocolate business didn't do as well as I had hoped.

I had to make a decision. And I made it. I once took a spiritual development class that talked about "the weight of a decision." The point was that the more important the decision, the more outside confirmation you need to receive. The problem I had with that was that the instructors seemed to place greater emphasis for confirmation on spiritual experiences I had never had.

I didn't feel that was realistic for most followers of Christ. Next time: the decision I made and some of the consequences. What about you? How do you make the tough decisions - regarding life direction, ministry direction, etc.?

The Hidden Flame by Janette Oke & Davis Bunn

I hadn’t read the first book in the series, but they tell you what you need to know. I love Christian historical fiction, and this book got my interest, and kept it. I believe that the time period was very difficult, and tension-filled, as the book was on many counts. But it was also a book weaving the Bible and its events into it.

It is shortly after the Holy Spirit has fallen in the book of Acts. The Christian community grows by leaps and bounds every day.

Abigail’s friends have just gotten married and they have to leave Jerusalem immediately or suffer the consequences. That leaves Abigail and her brother alone in the Christian community. Jacob wants to be a soldier, but he doesn’t realize what that means. Two men, a Roman, and a Jew, are both captivated by Abigail’s stunning beauty.

All the attitudes of the people of the day, the traditional Jewish attitudes, the Roman attitudes, and how the new believers themselves felt about what was going on. The new “church” is taking care of the widows and orphans. Abigail helps out with this ministry and becomes attached to Stephen. We know that relationship, though short, is a solid one. The Jewish man however, doesn’t take rejection well, and conspires to halt the spread of this new sect of Judaism.

The backdrop is Jerusalem. The drama, the miracles, and signs and wonders are all there to be enjoyed and inspired by. The pageantry of the brutal Roman gladiators is also present. There is enough food for thought to keep one’s mind actively engaged in the story.

I liked it.

Plain Pursuit - Amish Fiction

Plain Pursuit - by Beth Wiseman

Maybe because I live in Lancaster County…maybe because I don’t usually go with ‘hot’ trends in literature…or maybe it’s just me – but Plain Pursuit didn’t jerk my chain or pull too hard on my heart strings.

That’s not to say it’s not a compelling story – it is. And because the author has Lancaster County Amish connections, it’s ‘accurate.’ But I didn’t feel it was terribly realistic. It stretched the bounds of my incredulity. Like I said, maybe it’s because I live here. Maybe it’s because I don’t usually read the hottest new trend in Christian fiction, which is Amish fiction, right now.

It’s our curiosity which makes us want to learn more about the Amish. How can they live in a society of text messaging and computers, when they don’t even have a phone in their house?

The story centers around Carley, a reporter from Houston, Texas on forced emotional leave from her job. She decides to contact an old friend who has become Amish and stay with her awhile. While there, the friend’s stepson becomes gravely ill and needs a kidney transplant. Of course, for dramatics sake, the only relative who is a match is shunned uncle.

There are a few surprises – like the uncle having a health crisis of his own…and a bit of Amish hypocrisy is exposed through that. I did like the fact that all views were represented in the book. The Amish view and the ‘English’ view.

Don’t get me wrong. I live among the Amish. I drive around them, I have one Amish friend, and I realize their rules and regulations. I respect them and their way of life.

If you love Amish fiction, you’ll love the compelling story, even if a bit contrived, of Plain Pursuit.