Vicki Hinze’s Thoughts on Character Makes a Difference by Mike Huckabee

I’ve been reading a book. Mick Huckabee’s book, Character Makes a Difference. 

Let me disclose that I’ve been a political junkie my entire life, but these days, I’m pretty much maxed out on the absence of character evident in politics. Spin is the operative word and I have been wondering lately if most of the people supposedly leading us would recognize the right thing or the truth if it hit them in the head.

 

In other words, I’m weary of the games, the posturing, the diversions, the manipulations. I’ve had it with lies and misstatements put forth to us as inadvertent when they are in fact by design and those speaking them are counting on us, the people they’re supposed to represent, to remain unconscious, disconnected and so sick of it all, we just tune them out and permit them to go on their merry way without comment or interference. In a huge way, that’s what they’ve gotten for years sans periods of brief discourse in reaction to things like the president’s comments last week at the National Prayer Breakfast.

 

My point is that I wasn’t in the most receptive frame of mind to read a book about character written by a politician. But the American in me, the woman in me, needed to read on the topic. I’ve been wallowing in Proverbs, hungry for character and to see it living and breathing and active in lives. I hoped but didn’t count on seeing it living and breathing and active in a life being lived today.

 

So it was at this point that I saw and picked up a copy of this book, Character Makes a Difference, and I warned myself not to expect too much. Politics is a dirty business. It doesn’t have to be, but when the people don’t demand otherwise, that’s where moral decay and the absence of character being required lead us, and that’s what we get.

 

I read, and wasn’t surprised at the events the author faced as Lt. Governor of Arkansas, but I was surprised by his reactions to those events. He didn’t leave God or morals or common sense at the door. No, he brought them with him into office and better yet he kept them front and center while in office.

 

I won’t spoil the book for others, but I will say we have at least one man politically connected who doesn’t attempt to foist rose-colored glasses onto us, to distract us so he can push a hidden agenda. Who speaks plainly about what is and isn’t right, and why, and what he can and cannot or will not do. His moral compass appears intact.

 

Perhaps it’s that he’s a former pastor. Perhaps it was the way he was raised. Perhaps it’s that he’s made past mistakes and suffered the consequences of them and decided he doesn’t want to go there again. I suspect it’s all of that and more that makes him face his job and life morally grounded.

How refreshing it was to read commentary by a man who doesn’t think responsibility is a coat you can put on or take off when it’s convenient.  That it’s a coat we all must wear all the time.

 

There are some welcome quotes in this book. At least, welcome to me, as a reader. Here are a few I highlighted:

 

“Loving others is not the same as performing according to the demands of others.”

 

“True love must draw the line and say ‘no.’”

 

“Without able and honorable competition, victory in any endeavor is meaningless.”

 

“Loving our enemies does not mean giving in to their demands or compromising our values.”

 

As I look through the book, I’ve highlighted a lot. And I hope you will, too.

 

There’s a lot worth reading here. A lot worth being reminded of about the type of conduct we should expect in those we elect to represent us. And a lot to remind us of what we’re missing because we aren’t.

 

Perfect? Absolutely not. Like the rest of us, flawed to the core. But this book is about character, and that is one thing in short supply in too many and the one thing we most sorely need for a civil, constructive and productive society.

 

Character isn’t seated in relativism, this book says. It makes a strong argument, and that makes it worth reading.

 

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© 2014, Vicki Hinze. Hinze is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of nearly thirty novels in a variety of genres including, suspense, mystery, thriller, and romantic or faith-affirming thrillers. Her latest release is My Imperfect Valentine. She holds a MFA in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Philosophy, Theocentric Business and Ethics. Hinze’s online community: Facebook. Books. Twitter. Contact. www.vickihinze.com.   Subscribe to Vicki’s Newsletter.

Congratulations to our own Julie Arduini

Julie Arduini is a faithful contributor to this blog and has been since its inception a number of years ago. Not too long ago, we collectively congratulated Julie on the publication of her book and celebrated with her.

Now we have two new books to celebrate with Julie!

A Walk in the Valley is from Chalfont House and is available for pre order, release date April 28. This is an infertility devotional and perfect for anyone experiencing infertility and/or miscarriage.

 

Julie Arduini, CR Author

 

The Love Boat Bachelor features Write Integrity Press authors where readers choose the ending. Chapters are being released now through http://writeintegrity.com and once the voting finishes, the book will be available for free on Kindle for four days, starting on Valentine’s.

Please join us in celebrating with Julie! We’re so pleased to see her doing so well!

Blessings,

Vicki Hinze

Christians Read Administrator

BIG LESSONS FROM A LITTLE NEWS CLIP by Vicki Hinze

Courtesy Catholic News Agency

Messages from God and lessons to us are all around. We simply must slow down long enough to see and comprehend them. I’m as guilty as the next of sometimes breezing right past them, but yesterday, I saw a news clip of the Pope in the Philippines that stopped me in my tracks and held me there.

The weather there was awful; rainy and gloomy. In spite of it, six million people gathered and stood in the rain to hear the Pope’s message to them.

In the news clip, a priest in New York said this was the largest gathering of people in recorded history for a single individual. He also said some are calling the Pope a rock star. He disagreed; that many had never gathered for any rock star. All of this caught my ear and had me paying close attention.

Enough attention that I realized the Pope-mobile had ditched its bullet-proof glass walls; they were open. The Pope kissed babies, touched people physically as well as spiritually. And when a little girl who lived on the streets before being taken in by the church asked why such bad things happened to children, he admitted that answer was beyond him, and he hugged the child. She moved closer to him and hugged the Pope so hard, as one would her daddy she’d gone to for comfort. It touched me. Deeply.

The message he delivered was one of helping the poor, of working against poverty and corruption. I didn’t hear it all—just that recited in the clip—but it was a strong message. Yet I believe his strength is in his accessibility. He’s open and genuine, and people react to that and hear his message to them through that perspective.

While I attended Catholic schools early-on, I am not Catholic. Yet I learned a great deal from the Pope in this news clip and I expect as I think about it, and study on my own, I’ll learn much more. So I wanted to share those observations with you. Maybe you too will find something of value in them.

Lesson 1: The Pope is sincere and genuine in his desire to interact with people. He doesn’t come across as a man on a soap-box speaking at them. He talks with them and listens to them.

Lesson 2: He removed the walls from the Pope-mobile. This endangers his life. It makes him vulnerable to the crazies who would kill him. Yet he values his life less than he values the desire to be accessible to people. Those suffering and struggling, those seeking, see this, know it, and respect it. Sometimes the momentary touch of a hand offers reassurance where there has been none. Reminds people that God is, has been, and remains in control in a world gone wild. We are not alone.

Lesson 3: When the little girl asked the question, a lump raised in my throat. How do you explain man’s inhumanity to man to a child? To adults? How do you explain a child living on the streets? Hungry? Alone? It brings to mind a quote: If you condone it, you own it. I don’t recall but give credit to whoever said it first, but I agree with it. If collectively we decided to nurture, care for, feed and protect children, they would be nurtured, cared for, fed, and protected. We’ve haven’t . . . yet. But hope springs eternal.

The Pope could have offered the child a platitude. He didn’t. I respect that. And by her reaction, moving in for that fatherly hug, the child did, too. And that carried not one but two lessons:

1. Kids can cope with honesty. They sense when someone is being honest, and they react openly to it. There’s no shame in not having the answer. There is shame in being dishonest.
2. Sometimes all we can offer is a hug. It translates in ways we know and ones we can’t imagine, depending on just how badly someone needs that hug. Kids need their moms and dads. They play different roles in their lives, but both are crucial roles essential to their children.

And, for me, the most significant BIG LESSON from this little news clip was:

 

It’s not the messenger, it’s the message.

 

People are inundated with negative news, with hardships and tough times. They thirst and hunger for hope, for assurance that God is here, there, everywhere, and, while we might not understand all that is happening, He understands perfectly.

We want that assurance. We need that assurance. Because we are not just physical and emotional beings, we are spiritual beings, and for many, we see so much that is anti-spirit, we hear and feel the impact of so much that is an affront to our spirits, we find ourselves sinking deeper and deeper into despair even as we live out our day-to-day lives and appear normal.

That message is what drew six million people to stand in the rain to hear the Pope speak. It wasn’t the Pope. He is not a rock star. It was the message.

It was their thirsty spirits stepping out in faith, eager to hear a message of hope.

And delivering such a message, doesn’t require one to be a Pope, only to have a willing heart…✚

 

© 2015, Vicki Hinze

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Vicki’s new book is a sweet romance, My Imperfect Valentine.

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The History of Thanksgiving

All words have power, but words that ignite truths, like the true meaning of Thanksgiving, are infused with an ability to change lives, to open closed minds and hearts, and to offer different perspectives. True meaning can be just what’s needed to see things more clearly or to set the proverbial light bulb in our minds aglow.

 

That alone is worthy of our gratitude, but in finding the true meaning of Thanksgiving, we also gain an awareness of how imperative it is to understand people. In those insights, we grasp and shape identity—that of others, and our own—and with that collective wisdom, we define, comprehend, and eventually come to appreciate the treasures found in tradition.

 

Why is tradition important?

 

What we learn from those who came before us gives us a firm hold on who we were, who we are, and who we choose to become.  That knowledge solves a lot of conflicts, potential crises, and strengthens our sense of self—as individuals and as a nation. 

 

So what can we learn about Thanksgiving?  What in it is significant to us today?

 

To answer those questions, we must ask: What does Thanksgiving really mean?

 

Time typically confuses things, and right now we’ve an abundance of confusion.  Many say we’re neck-deep in a national identity crisis.  So rather than discuss the confusion, let’s call on the wisdom of truth.  Reacquaint ourselves with it—unfiltered—by returning to the man who officially established our nation’s Thanksgiving holiday.

 

In 1789, on Thanksgiving Day, George Washington issued the following Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, beginning a tradition in the United States of America that is celebrated still today.

 

George Washington
Credit: canstockphoto.com

Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

 

“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor – and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

 

“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be – That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks – for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation – for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war –for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed – for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

 

“And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions – to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually – to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed – to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord – To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us – and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

 

“Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

 

“G.O. WASHINGTON.”

 

By his own words, we see the true meaning of Thanksgiving.  We gain insight. We find its truth. We rediscover the value in tradition.  The wisdom of knowing our history.  In all this, we see the mark of character, and individually we choose to shun or embrace it, deciding who we are, and who we will become.

 

May the traditional spirit of Thanksgiving be a blessing to you and yours.  And in times that try souls and make us weary, may we remember to hold fast to our traditions—our identity—and embrace them with attitudes of gratitude.  Because, for all our flaws and challenges,  ours is an exceptional nation of exceptional people.  We might lose our way at times and we forget who we are.  Others might encourage that.  But we have the treasures of our traditions and their true meanings to remind us.

 

This Thanksgiving, may we recall who we are, whose we are, why we are who we are, and the value of knowing who we wish to become.*

 

Vicki Hinze, ©2014

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Limited Time Only Sale Ultimate Christian Living Bundle

I’m often asked to endorse novels and/or nonfiction books, workshops, seminars and products.  I’ve been extremely selective in doing so for all the usual reasons.  Recently however the Ultimate Christian Living bundle folks approached me with their collection.  And since so many have been in touch about challenges in their careers, families, and lives as Christians, I decided that this offering could be helpful and I would let you know it exists in case you’re interested.

It includes works on these very subjects by Gary Chapman, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Tony Evans and Ray Comfort, by D.L. Moody, Jonathon Edwards, John Wesley or Spurgeon, Calvin, Finney and Tozer.  Here’s a bit of what the sponsors have to say:

“… we approached dozens of authors and multiple publishers and asked them if we could bundle together all these resources—nearly $1,000 worth!—in one place for one stunningly low price of just $34.95 (PDF version) and $39.95 (eReader version), FOR 5 DAYS ONLY.

We asked for big concessions and they gave them…savings in excess of 96%! But it’s just for five days. And then it’s gone.

And just to pack in even more value, we’ve persuaded 5 of our bonus partners like Dayspring to provide FREE bonus gifts to every one who buys a bundle. With a combined value of over $160, these bonuses are over 4 times the value of the bundle alone!

That’s right, you get over $1,140 worth of some of the greatest thinking and experience from Christian leaders on topics ranging from marriage and parenting to finance, fitness and business. From relationships and faith, to daily devotionals and children’s books and music.”

 

As you well know, we’re in troubling times and it seems that this collection of diverse and relevant resources could be beneficial.

If you’re interested in reading more on this or in ordering a bundle, here’s a link:  Ultimate Christian Living Bundle

As you read above, this is a limited time sale, so if you want it, don’t linger.  I think there are two more days for it to be available.

Blessings,

Vicki

 

 

 

Everything We Read Impacts Us by Vicki Hinze

 

Everything we read impacts us. Labels of ingredients determine what we buy. Newspaper articles lead us to form opinions. Opinion pieces encourage us to agree or disagree, forming our own opinions. Media, from articles to circulars offer us information, ideas, input for us to process and include in our thinking and in our actions (or inactions). It all impacts us.

I’d planned to share with you today why I’m writing what I’m writing where I’m writing it. My new novel is based on a spiritual concept—God sees the big picture and we don’t, so our trust, even when things seem out of kilter, needs to rest in Him. Many who read the story won’t see that, but it’s there and I hope they’ll feel it. We often recognize things at soul level while not consciously aware of them. It’s published in a collection of secular novels. To reach others, we must go where they are, right?

So that was my plan. But then my husband mentioned an article he was reading and the disturbing comments on it left by others, and my plan changed. The more he read aloud to me, the sadder, more upset, and more disheartened I became. Let me explain . . .

The article was about Jep Robertson, a Duck Dynasty family member. While hunting, Jep had a seizure and nearly died. He’s in the hospital recovering, and glad to be alive.

What was disturbing in the comments? There were two kinds. Those written by people wishing him a speedy recovery, wishing him well. And those attacking him, his family, his faith, and wishing him and his family dead.

Yes, you read that right. Wishing him dead.

I cannot tell you how mean-spirited and vile some of these comments were, or how troubling it was to read them. I hope Jep and his family do not. Truly, I fear if they did, they wouldn’t read anything in them that they haven’t seen and read countless times before—and isn’t that just the saddest commentary of all? Not against that family, but against us as a people.

We all know that there’s been a massive movement to divide and conquer, to pit one segment of us against another segment of us on any and all fronts. Those who are our purported leaders and our enemies have worked equally hard at that, and many among us not tagged as either have worked just as hard for their own purposes. Attacks against our traditions and values, morals and standards, have pushed the things we know to be good further away and drawn closer concepts like win at any costs, lie until the lies are perceived as truths. Evil over good.

This didn’t just start. It’s been going on since the beginning of time. The difference has been that in the last couple of decades, we’ve collectively shunned bad and remained silent and that allowed ill to blossom and grow unchecked. Ignorance replaces knowledge in that void, and what we condone, we own. And that’s sad.

Losing our collective identity is disheartening. It’s a tragic loss. And that there are those who think it’s perfectly okay to leave comments wishing others dead, glad that they’re having health problems and hoping they’re worse tells you the fabric of us as a people isn’t just torn, it’s frayed and falling apart.

I came to understand that, and other individuals who are a part of the collective we have, too. When we reach that point of recognition, we have to make a decision: to be part of the solution or part of the problem.

The solution entails seeking first to understand. Why would people wish others dead? Wish them ill? Spew hatred in ways like this? There could be any or many of a hundred reasons, but one thing became clear: In the absence of civility and traditions and values, we lose our humanity.

These comments, an isis cage filled with Christian women being sold as slaves, proves it. There is evidence all around us that this is the case on all fronts. Collectively, we’re in deep trouble. Which means in ways we can, which are different for us all, we must do what we can, when we can, where we can, to be examples others can observe and follow. It means we must not forget our humanity and not relegate what binds us together to a position deemed insignificant.

If we seek first to understand, and if we hold fast to what we believe, and we practice it, then our humanity remains intact. So how exactly do we do that?

We lean not to our own understanding. Our view is restricted. But we know there is a bigger, broader view, and it remains steadfast and true. We reach it—Him—through prayer.

So we first seek to understand and then we pray. For Jep and his family, for those who commented wishing him and his family well, and for those who left the hate-filled comments. We don’t know why they’re so angry and hurtful or what burdens are on their hearts. We don’t know what’s twisted their minds so that they’ve lost civility and their humanity, but we do know who is capable of healing those breaches. There is no stronger shield or weapon.

In books, we read and write about people who restore and heal and build bridges in broken people and places and things. We call them heroes. In life, we call them friends, family, and neighbors.

To experience civility and humanity, we must live it and be examples of it. We seek to understand and we pray, then conduct ourselves with civility and our humanity intact and on display from the heart out. That nurtures it in society, mends our fabric.

I hope that we will, because we do own what we condone.

I love books or I wouldn’t read or write books, but it’s so very clear that all we read impacts us. Whether it’s a positive or negative impact is our choice. I understand that, and I pray we make wise choices.

Humanity is counting on us…

 

 

Choosing What to Read by Vicki Hinze

Choosing What to Read by Vicki Hinze

 

I looked through a listing of books this morning and one snagged my attention. Migrations, Volume 1: Don’t Forget to Breathe by Ashim Shanker. I’m not sure what about it snagged my attention, really. The cover is black and gray, well, see for yourself:

Migrations, Volume 1: Don’t Forget to Breathe            Courtesy of Amazon.com

 

It isn’t the type of cover that would normally intrigue me into looking deeper. That’s not to say anything is wrong with it, only that it isn’t the type of cover on the types of books I usually seek. Maybe it is the arches, or all those doors… something about it intrigued me enough to focus on the title. Honestly, it isn’t a title that would snag my interest either, only it did, and so I clicked the link and viewed the book.

 

It’s classified as metaphysical. That’s not typically my cup of tea. But it’s also classified as “Free will and determination” and “philosophy.” I’m into philosophy, so that appealed. And I’m always trying to better understand free will. What Christian isn’t? It’s a gift to us from God, and we know the value of determination and there’s always more to be learned there. So I read on.

 

Oddly, I didn’t go to the book description but to the “About the Author.” Especially when we’re talking about things that impact thought and mind, well, I guard mine, so I like to know about the person I’m permitting to enter.

 

Here’s what I found on Amazon.com’s product page about the author:

 

“Ashim Shanker has never been, and probably isn’t yet, but certainly aspires to be. Surely, one day he MIGHT be, but there is no guarantee he WILL be. He was disappointed to find out yesterday upon waking that he still wasn’t, nor would he be for the rest of the day. But still, today has not yet passed. So we must wait and see. In the meantime,  we cannot rule out the possibility, however negligible, that he will have been at some point in the distant horizon. Yet, for the present, we are still faced with the bleak and disheartening probability that he never was, nor shall ever be. Whatever comes of such confusing matters, he nonetheless appreciates the interest of the reader and apologizes in advance for any time that is sure to be wasted in pointlessly deciphering the befuddling words of this trifling wannabe.”

 

Admittedly, I’m a practical idealist. There’s good versus evil, and good wins because it doesn’t quit and it chooses good over evil most often. Simple woman, simple outlook. But the writer in me was extremely intrigued by this paradoxical author’s self-view. Was this biography a deliberate attempt to manipulate? The sign of someone totally confused? Or someone trying to woo others with a mystical type of enchantment? Or was his purpose something else entirely?

 

I wasn’t sure. The Kindle edition happened to be free so I clicked it. That writer’s curiosity in me wanted to find out the rationale for that type of “About the Author” statement, and since there’s bits of the author in the books s/he writes, what better way to discover those answers than to read the work?

 

Only then did I go back to the page and read the book description and then the reviews. The description kind of made my eyes roll back in my head, but then I’m of the Twain persuasion—never use a nickel word when a penny one will do—and the reviews were mixed. Some accused the author of self-importance and useless bloviating, attempting to impress with his intellect. Others felt the work represented exactly what it said it would. One remarked that the author didn’t take himself too seriously and provoked thought. Humor was mentioned.

 

That’s a good balance, as reviews go. If everyone loves it or hates a book, okay. But it’s when there’s a mix of reviews on a book that I’m confident it touched people in some way, and being touched (versus indifferent) is success.

 

So I remained intrigued by this author and wanted to read his thoughts. As I said, I’d already downloaded the book.

 

And then I looked at the “also boughts.” You know, on the product page, down at the bottom where it says what other books customers who bought this one bought also.

 

Had I read it first—and just being honest here—I wouldn’t have downloaded the book. Foul language leaves me cold. But there was also a Jane Austen title. So again, a mixed bag.

 

Now, this discovery surprised me—about myself. The author didn’t write those other “also bought” books. Didn’t title them. They had nothing to do with this book. And yet I would have made a buying decision based on them.

 

That would have been unfair. So I guess that’s why this venture worked out as it did—to reveal that unfairness in me to me.

 

I shall read the first three pages of this book and then decide whether or not to read on.

 

Obviously, I can’t recommend the book since I’ve not yet read it. But I discovered, along with the admitted unfairness, I also do not choose what to read as a reader. I choose as a reader and writer. Maybe the two are inseparable. I’ll need to think more on that.

 

What’s fascinated me about this is I didn’t choose to get a book based on the book but because the author was interesting—characterization, I find fascinating. Is that common? I don’t know. Is it?

 

What makes you choose the books you choose?

 

That isn’t a rhetorical question. I really would like to know, so I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me in the comments.

 

Blessings,

 

Vicki

What We Read by Vicki Hinze

Photo: canstockphoto.com (manipulted

My granddaughters love to read. They come from a long line of readers, so them reading is doing what comes naturally to them. But their love of books, and specific stories—that is their own.

Like their mother, gran, and great-gran, they love many types of books. And it’s amazing (and wonderful) how much they absorb from the books they read.

Not long ago, I asked two of them to tell me about the books they loved most and why they loved them. Now, they’re young. Six and ten at the time. Yet both articulated the story and their thoughts clearly and a lot more concisely than I have when asked similar questions.

That fascinated me—as their gran but as an author and a human being. Both cut to the core of the book in answering the questions, and what I heard was that it wasn’t the events that occurred in the books that snagged their focus. It was the character’s emotional reaction to those events and whether or not they, as readers, deemed the characters’ actions good, just, or “inappropriate.”

These books clearly helped shape the children’s thoughts and opinions. They processed what they read through their own eyes, and accepted or rejected the conduct, ethics, actions, and attitudes of the characters.

That was expected. It’s what, to some extent, we all do when reading a book. But then something happened that brought in the fascination factor because the totality of the impact of books on us became extremely clear.

I mentioned a book that had been embraced by many and asked if they’d read it. The eldest said, “I started it, but I didn’t finish it.” The other one said, “I read the first page.”

“Why didn’t you finish it?” I asked.

The eldest dipped her chin and said, “Gran, you have to be careful what you put in your head.”

I agreed but said nothing, wanting to see where she went with this.

The younger one didn’t hold back. “If trash goes into your head, trash comes out of your head.”

“Ah, I see.” I heard those words spoken in their mother’s voice. She was guarding their minds. “So your mom said you shouldn’t read it.”

“I didn’t want to read it,” the youngest one said.

“I prefer other books,” the eldest said, exercising the diplomacy of being older.

It was interesting to me that at these young ages, they were already guarding their minds. Yes, mom taught them, but at their ages, they rejected a popular book based on what they thought.

Okay, that’s not just the power of books but also of parenting. However, making judgments on right and wrong, good and bad, worth putting into your mind or not—all of those were personal judgment calls. It fascinated me that they’re made early and they were made on merit.

Now other children have loved that same book. And I’m not saying the book is good or bad, just that it takes on different connotations and is read, processed, and received by different people in different ways.

I have to tell you. I thought about this short little conversation for weeks. I think it stayed with me so long because I needed to broaden my thinking. Before the conversation, my perspective was that mom (or dad) checks out the books, buys the books or gets them from the library, and the kids read them because they’re what they have to read.

But I learned that part of that’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. The kids often choose the books they want to read and if the books don’t meet the kids’ standards, unless forced to read them, they won’t. Parents exercise parental authority, but then from that point, the kids exercise their judgment based on the criteria they set—and that criteria will differ from child to child. It might be that they are guarding their mind. That they do or don’t like the characters. That a story makes them sad or cuts close to the bone on something they’ve experienced, or they don’t know why they do or don’t like it, they just do or don’t like it.

By the same token, with both of the readers, the stories they loved were loved for their characters. Because those characters touched the kids emotionally in tender ways, in just ways, and (with both), in ways that made them laugh. One put laughter at the top of her list. The other likes suspense. Neither cares much for stories without their chosen favorite element.

That realization led me to deduce that kids are as mercurial as adults when it comes to reading. We all have favorites. Favorite books, favorite authors, favorite types of stories. And at times, what we consider favorites changes. Sometimes we need to laugh. Sometimes we need to get mushy, to feel tender. Sometimes we crave action and adventure and we want to solve a mystery or to be thrilled. Sometimes we want to escape our world and get lost in another. And we do. In our books.

Time passes yet this subject continues to ripple through my mind. I’ve discovered that I too play gatekeeper on what I put into my mind. I used to finish every book I started. I don’t anymore. If the story and its characters speak to me, I’m all in. But if it doesn’t, I look for a story that does, saving the other book for another time.

Fascinating subject. One that reveals a lot about the power of books, the power of story, the power of reading and processing what is read. But how we read and when we read what we read says an awful lot about us as people, too.

I looked back at the books I’ve read in the past six months. Fiction and nonfiction. An array of genres, an array of types of stories. The books I finished and most enjoyed had a couple things in common:

• The good guys won.
• The bad guys lost and suffered the consequences of their actions.
• I admired the characters who won because they battled for more than just themselves. The moral issue was bigger, and they fought for it.
• The characters learned something worth learning as a result of their story journey.

I can’t specifically comment on the nonfiction I’ve read during this time because a lot of it was done for research, and this is about pleasure reading.   I can say when it comes to nonfiction, I appreciate:

• You might be an expert but this reader is not, and if I can’t get beyond your convincing me you’re the expert and to the meat of the matter, both our efforts are wasted.
• I love inspiring and uplifting nonfiction. Even the darkest information has moments of grace. Nonfiction should, in my humble opinion, include them.
• Cited sources. All facts are not created equal. If you cite a source as a basis for a judgment, then I want to know that source so I can make the call on whether or not I consider that source cite-worthy.
• Nonfiction doesn’t have to be dull as dishwater and bone-dry reading. Many fantastic nonfiction books use the same storytelling techniques that are used in fiction to great purpose.

All this brings me to more questions. This time, of you. I hope you’ll share your answers.

What do you read? Why do you read it? Are you a mercurial reader, who opts for different types of stories based on what’s going on in your life? What are your favorite things about reading? What type of stories do you love best?

In looking harder at this, it became clear that what we read varies as much as why we read what we read. Interesting questions led me to interesting answers.

I hope the questions above intrigue you into answering them. Maybe even share your answers with the rest of us here.

When I answered them, I discovered something unexpected—and I suspect you will, too.

I discovered that books have had a huge hand in shaping my life. Professionally and personally.   Mmm, my granddaughter was right about what you put into your mind. Kudos to her (and her mom and dad) on that…

Another lesson learned from my grans.

Mysterious ways, right?

Personal Power by Vicki Hinze

At times we all get mired down by events in our lives, or by the events in the lives of those we love.  When we do, it impacts our judgement, our viewpoint, our perspective, and all of that makes it harder to remember who we are and whose we are.

A few years ago, I recognized this and sought a way to remind myself when I needed reminding.  As for all of us, that’s pretty often.  I spent a lot of time thinking about things, and then I started noting the important points to remember.

One thing that isn’t on the list but is etched in HUGE letters across my heart is to hit my knees first, not as a last resort.  We’re conditioned to try to fix everything, but we don’t see the whole “big picture.”  God has the view, not us.  So hitting the knees first, relying on his view and perspective and judgment can spare us a lot of misery and help us better cope with whatever we must endure.

The rest of my notes, I put in a little business card, then printed it out and I’ve carried it in my wallet ever since.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled it out to remind myself of things when I needed to be reminded–and sometimes when I didn’t.

So I’m including a copy here so that, if you’re inclined, you can print it out and carry it with you.

I hope it helps you as much as it’s helped me.

Blessings,

Vicki

___________________________

Crossroads Crisis Center    Book #1

 

 

 

When we forget who we are, do we remember whose we are? 

That’s the question in Forget Me Not, and the one our characters answer in their search for truth and healing.

Read the first chapter HERE.

Progress? Or Regress?

I had a lovely post planned for today on choices we make.  Then I got a call from the angels–my granddaughters, who wanted a day with Gran.  You know, of course, which won.  In life, things come up and happen, and we have to choose.  I chose to make memories.  Not being prone to an overinflated sense of what kids deem adults worth, I realize that there will come a time when they are too busy with friends to call Gran for a Girl’s Day In or Out.  So I seized the moment.

Still, I couldn’t enjoy it if I left you empty handed, and so here’s the encapsulated upshot of my post.  Odd, it truly says it all… :)

 

 

Have you had a day where your plans turned on a dime due to outside influences?  Share it in the comments section!

Blessings,

Vicki

Blue Ridge NC “Autumn in the Mountains” Novelist Retreat by Yvonne Lehman

 

NovelistRetreat_Flyer_2014

 

I want to make sure the readers of ChristiansRead know about the Novel Retreat scheduled annually in October. During this warm Summer weather is a good time to think about the Blue Ridge “Autumn in the Mountains” Novelist Retreat held at Ridgecrest NC October 19-22.

 

Reminder of a deadline: The $50 tuition discount is available through July 1, 2014

 

Sad news: You’ve likely heard that Ron Benrey, who was scheduled to be a faculty member along with his wife Janet, died a few weeks ago. He will be missed.

 

Good news: Alton Gansky, award-winning novelist and director of the Blue Ridge Writers Conference held annually in May is joining our faculty line-up. Great addition!

 

If you have a novel in progress or an idea for one, whether you’re a beginner or published, we have a great line-up of workshops, not only about every aspect of novel writing but also social media and the changing publishing industry.

 

Although our focus is on the craft of writing, our faculty includes an agent and two editors who are eager to talk with you about your work. We also offer critiques and contests, including our highest award: the Golden Leaf Award.

 

Faculty includes:

Yvonne Lehman, director, over 50 romance & women’s fiction, Lighthouse editor

Lynette Eason, best-selling suspense writer, over 20 books

Ann Tatlock, award-winning novelist, two-time Christy winner, Lighthouse editor

Diana Flegal, Harline Literary Agent, workshop leader

Edie Melson, novelist, social media expert

Alton Gansky, novelist, director of Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference

 

For additional information: http://ridgecrestconferencecenter.org/event/novelist or google Blue Ridge Novelist Retreat – You may contact Yvonne at: yvonnelehman3@gmail.com

 

Looking forward to seeing some of you in October!

 

Best wishes,

Yvonne

 

Posted on request by Vicki Hinze

1 Person Can Touch Millions by Vicki Hinze

 

Holy Week has come and Easter has passed. Like for many others, for me, it’s an emotional time. A time of deep reflection on spiritual priorities, on all things spiritual, really.

 

 

 

This year has been a difficult one for a lot of people. Our prayer lists attest to just how difficult. And yet during Lent especially, our troubles, no matter how huge, seem small because we’re viewing them through the prism of Christ and His challenges. Through God’s prism, and His challenges. Though Mary’s prism and her challenges, and when we see the scope and impact of that on all of humanity, it is overwhelming. It’s humbling. Gratitude and the magnitude of the gift fills us.

I received a link to a Godtube video just before Good Friday. Two women—one singing, one directing a choir of children—were in it. The singer, at the request of her pastor, had rewritten the words of Hallelujah into the Easter story. It touched over 4,000,000 people in four days.  This morning, it’s up to over 6,000,000.

The singer had rewritten the lyrics and wrote to the publisher of the original and asked permission to record her version of it. Two years and one day later, she got that permission.   She sang the song and in days, it created a firestorm.

Comments on her rendition were that it gave the listener chills. That it brought the listener to tears. What’s significant is the sheer volume of people touched and their reactions—they were moved by her lyrics.

I’m sure as certain that when writing the lyrics, the singer didn’t set out to have such an impact. Her pastor asked her to sing Hallelujah, and she agreed, then thought she should rewrite the lyrics for Easter.  So she did.  She had no idea what would happen.  But it did happen, and her effort serves to remind us that, when called to serve, we have no idea of the potential of our service.  We all could impact many others. One doesn’t always know just how far the ripples of an effort will extend.

This, too, is humbling. And it reminds us that in service we bear an enormous responsibility to give our best.  For many years, I’ve been asked regarding my books about sales.  I don’t worry about them.  I do what I can and trust that those who are supposed to read the books will.  Yet I hadn’t thought in terms of impact.  It encourages me to try harder to make sure the books are readily available.  That is part of my best effort.

The point is, regardless of what we do, we all have the potential to impact others, and we never know how many or how deeply.  That, to me, is worth remembering.

If you’d like to view the video, you can at: http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0E02FMNU

Of all those people, how many, do you think, gained some new knowledge or insight of the Easter story?  Considering the number of times I saw it Tweeted and on Facebook, I’d say a lot.

We can’t measure that, of course, but I do love thinking about the potential.  I do love that so many had the opportunity to hear the Easter story–perhaps for the first time.

That too is humbling.

 

Have You Been Touched by a Book by Vicki Hinze

This past weekend, I read a book for an endorsement, written for the general market by Skye Taylor.  The book was about a couple falling in love.  Both had challenging past issues and complicated present lives.  Both suffered stunning disregard by people who purported loved them.  How quick others were to deem what was right and wrong and just and morally acceptable for these two.  While they had every reason to feel put upon and, well, like martyrs, they didn’t.   They rose to the challenges and made the effort to do what was right.  Not easy or convenient, and not right just for themselves, but for all.

I loved that.  I finished the book at nearly one this morning, then went off to bed, thoughtful and well pleased with the book.  It enabled me to forget I write for a time, and as any writer can tell you, it’s hard to read for pleasure and not think like a writer when reading.  So when it happens, it’s thrilling.  And because it happened, I could really get the messages in the book.  I loved that, too.

Fallen Rose

For the past two months, I’ve had a dear friend tapping at death’s door.  This morning, death answered and she has now gone home.  When I lose someone close, I always feel so divided, much like one of the character’s in Miss Taylor’s book.  There is the way I feel I’m supposed to react–the celebration because she isn’t at home here but is now truly at home.  The surety that all in Heaven were waiting with open arms to welcome her.  The relief that the suffering is over and the pain endured here is in the past.

And there’s the way I do react.  That very human part of me that struggles still  with letting go–for totally selfish reasons.  I will miss her.  Her humor.  Her caring ways.  Her penchant for making lemonade.  If there was an upside to be found, she would and did find it.  And no slacking because something was hard.  No, ma’am.  You deal with it.  Now.

As we grow older, the inner circle of those we know well, and those who know us well and find it in their hearts to love us in spite of our many flaws, dwindles.  It’s natural, normal, inherent to the circle of life and a reminder to us all that we’re here for a twinkling.

While we understand and accept our place in this world and the one to come, it doesn’t diminish the value we place on those here with us.  To mourn them isn’t an expression of a lack of trust or faith.  It’s acknowledgement that while here, the deceased made a difference in our lives.  The role played was significant to us.  We respect it, and we will miss them.

The pragmatic female lead in Ms. Taylor’s book drove that home to me this weekend.  And this morning I learned that my friend had slipped away during the night.

My point is a simple one.  The book touched me at a time I needed to be touched.  I needed the reminder about the normality of reality, and that acceptance and being accepted opens hearts to healing wounds.  All manner of wounds.

In the rush of daily  life, it’s easy to forget the potential for books to touch lives.  And for that reminder, I thank Ms. Taylor and my friend.  Like life, love and loss are often complicated and messy and maybe that’s what makes them such a blessing.

In the book, the characters loved well.  By its end, they were also loved well.  My friend loved well and was well loved.

There’s an innocent beauty in that.  A reassuring certainty about taking on the challenges warning us to close our hearts to prevent being hurt or experiencing pain and ignoring those warnings and opening our hearts anyway.  Loving anyway.  And doing it knowing the risks, knowing loss is possible.

Perhaps it does take courage to love and suffer loss–to truly experience either, I mean.

But it takes perhaps even more courage to willingly do either knowing pain is possible.  And maybe, just maybe, the wisdom shared in books like Ms. Taylor’s remind us at just the right moment of why we should continue to open our hearts.

I like to think that’s the case.  It’s like a divine hug, a blessing.  It’s reassurance of what we need being provided to us when we need it.  I feel that way today, and it is humbling and welcome.

Has a book appeared in your life and touched you when you most needed touching?  Helped you through a hard time?  Given you insight or guidance when you faced a challenge?

If so, I hope you’ll share it in the comments.

Blessings,

Vicki

The Power of 1

 

The Power of One

 

 

I am a Bridge-Walker.  I have one foot in the Christian world, and one foot in the Secular world.   I write in both and have for decades.  When you walk the bridge, you often feel alone.  You’re not fully accepted in the Christian world because you spend so much time with those who live outside it.  You not fully accepted in the Secular world because you spend so much time with those who live and walk in the Christian world.  It isn’t that anyone is unkind about it.  Well, occasionally it is, but more than that, you’re on the fringes in both worlds and not embraced fully in either.  Your ways breach the comfort zones of those in both.

 

I understand that and accepted it a long time ago.  Last year I started a Bridge-Walker group and found others who also walk the bridge.  These people have been a blessing in my life, helping me do what I do and to spread the word about my writing, which is how I do what I do.  We’re a small group, but these people have made an enormous difference in my life and I am so grateful for them.

 

The reason I am explaining this is because you need to know it to understand what I’m about to share with you.

 

Every year, I look back at the previous year and see where my time went, what was productive and what wasn’t.  I cull accordingly, and adjust where I spend my time.  I am trying very hard to avoid regret.  I want to do what I can in the best way I can to accomplish the things I believe I’m here to accomplish.  So I review and cull.

 

I do a lot of blogging:  My Kitchen Table, Thinking Aloud, On Writing, and My Faith Zone.  Then I do a weekly column for the Social-In Global Network, which is akin to yet another blog post per week.  The feedback from readers varies season-to-season.  Some posts are extensively retweeted and shared on Facebook and other social networks.  Some have incredible reach around the world.  That’s all good, but it’s not my purpose in writing them.

 

My purpose in writing the posts isn’t to reach but to touch lives.  To offer something to someone who is lost to help them find their way.  To get others to think and understand that their thoughts and actions have consequences—intended and unintended—and to be judicious in how they exercise their power of one.  Frankly, I have never been exactly sure how to measure that, but I know that is my purpose.

 

So I’ve been reviewing and pondering culling some of the blogs.  In the time spent doing them, I could write two additional books a year and that’s significant.  But which ones?

 

Yesterday, I decided.  Then I got this email from a reader who was in the kind of situation, experience the absence of hope—the exact type of person I try to touch in the blog writing.  The situation was heart-wrenching, critical and grave, and it could have ended badly.  But that person found what was needed in the post to go on.  I wept all the way through it.  I’m still weeping about it.

And that’s my point.  I received a note that proved the power of one.  One imperfect writer, flawed to the core, walking the bridge doing her best to fulfill her purpose and do what she’s supposed to do without regret.  In that life, on that day and at that time, what I wrote made a difference.

 

My point is that when you write with purpose, you never know how many lives you touch.  That’s where faith comes in.  If you’re doing what you believe is your purpose, and you’re looking outward to potential good it can do for others and not inward to what good it can do for you, you are exercising the power of one in a way that maybe can’t be measured, but to the person who needs it, the good it can do for them can’t be measured, either.  I can tell you this, when a person reads something you’ve written and writes to pour out the heart and tells you that you helped save their life, that’s potent stuff.

 

It’s not that you did it.  Purpose writing is infused with more than we as individual writers have to put into it.  It’s inspired writing, and this sort of thing (hearing from readers sharing their personal experiences) has happened often enough that I have to conclude what is written somehow finds its way to the right people at the right time—when they most need it.

 

I don’t claim to know how it works.  Only that it does.  To me, God puts in our path what we need when we need it in a way we can accept and understand it.  That’s enough for me.

 

But the lesson in this is that I was about to cull this specific blog.  This note is an affirmation to me that it is not to be culled.  That the two books per year I could write by culling might or might not be as effective in regard to purpose as continuing the blog.

 

Someone will ask, so to save you the question, I’ll just answer it now.  I’m paid to write books.  I am not paid to write blogs.  Shouldn’t I opt for the books to assure financial security?  My answer might surprise you, or not.   Maybe, but if I did opt for more books, I’d have to ignore the spiritual call and purpose in the blog.  And I’d have to ignore it knowing I’d put my physical comfort ahead of spiritual purpose.  That doesn’t sit well on my shoulders.   Particularly since I know from experience that when you choose spiritual, your physical needs will be met.  Maybe not in the way you choose, but they’ll be met.

 

This reader thanked me for helping, for exercising my power of one.

 

Now, I must thank that reader for exercising her power of one.  She helped me not to make a grave mistake that I would definitely regret.

 

Isn’t it interesting how that works?  We never know how many lives we touch.  But when we need to know, we discover what we need to know to keep us on our path.  For me, that’s clearly on the bridge.

 

So I close with this insight.  Each of us has the Power of One.  We can use it or not.  Use it for good or not.  Direct it inward or outward, and see or ignore the results—of our own power . . . and the power of others.

 

—–

A note to authors and readers.

If you are on Twitter, please follow @CleanReadBooks.  We’re trying to connect writers and readers who want books that do not contain foul language, excessive violence, and if there are bedroom doors in the books, they’re closed.  These books might or might not contain a faith element, but they are clean reads.  We have got to do what we can to guard our minds and shift to family friendly.

If you’ve written a clean read, tweet it and include @cleanreadbooks in your tweet.

If you’ve read a clean read and enjoyed it, tweet it and include @cleanreadbooks in your tweet.

Thanks so much!