Article Call for Next Issue

We have a ton of articles in the files to use, but I always like to throw out a line in case God moves someone to send something in. The next issue it due out July 15th. Our theme is "God of All."

My take on the theme is we each view and see a different aspect of the Lord that others may not. He is so multi-faceted that our perspectives of him will be limitless. I love hearing what God has done in the lives of others and seeing him in a different light. I'd love to read what you have learned about him in the situations you've faced. What did you learn about him and how has it affected your walk with him? How can it affect other Christians as well?

Let me hear from you! Write for Us Information

In Remembrance of Memorial Day & What We're Reading

We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to those who have given loved ones to protect and defend the freedom that people of the United States hold dear. May God fill your arms and hearts with the peace that passes all understanding.

. . . . .

I usually don't agree to write reviews when contacted by marketing agents. Other than blaming it on the Holy Spirit, I don't know why I said yes this time. Maybe it was a moment of weakness when the laundry was all caught up and we had school finished early that day? Two months is a long time to remember something like that in this house. Who knows? In any case, the book The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan has been a blessing for "such a time as this."

As long as I can remember, our families have always taken Sunday 'off'. We don't do 'normal' work like laundry or mowing the grass or cleaning out the basement. At Rich's encouragement, I try to do meal prep during the week so I don't have to cook on Sunday either. It's nice to be sure. But I have never been one to 'rest' well.

I confess, I tend to either be on the move or crashed, sleeping in a corner somewhere. I've tried hard to break the habit over the last 4 years or so, and I've gotten much better, but I still have my weeks. Depending on what's hanging around from the previous week or what needs to be tackled in the next, Sundays can be hard for me. Just call me Martha. {sigh} (Luke 10:38-41)

I'm about 45 pages into Buchanan's book and it's resonating deeply within. Although I knew it, I never connected that there is the literal 1 day in 7 Sabbath and the mindset of Sabbath. Whoa. In my reading this morning, he dissected the two Greek words for time. It was eye opening and drove his point home.

I'll be sharing points & thoughts while I finish reading it and will post a full review in an upcoming issue of the CWP. If you'd like to read more about it or see a sample, you can find it at christianbook.com

Cracking the Code

Friday is the release of the movie based on the bestseller The Da'Vinci Code. There is controversy shrouded around this book because it is apparently so well written that people seem to forget it came out of the fiction section - not the theology section of a Christian bookstore. We live in a world that doesn't have a solid foundation in church history. May we learn to live Ephesians 4:14 - "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."

People have become jaded by public exposure to the church's take on sin and hypocrisy. Child molesters parade as priests. Married pastors run off with church pianists. Bible thumpers holler "Thus saith the Lord!" only to be caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar somewhere in their personal life. It's like people are looking for a conspiracy plot to cling to because the truth of Jesus’ sacrifice, love, grace and sinlessness doesn’t seem plausible in a world so polluted with lies and half truths. But we need to be careful so we're not sucked into the warning of Second Thessalonians 2: "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie."

There is truth. We need to stand up for it. We need to make it known. And we need to let people know where they can find the truth that will dispel doubts, clears up the fog and restores the brokenness between God and each individual man and woman who doubts the truths of the gospel.

I would like to share one resource near to my heart. I (Liz) have watched from the fray as this idea was conceived and birthed. Now day after day I hear of its far reaching marvelous effects for God’s Kingdom… www.thetruthaboutdavinci.com

May you be blessed and may you know the truth that will set you free.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

I would like to offer special thanks to my dear mom Nancy, mother-in-law Barbie and dear girlfriend Patricia who each helped me grow into the mom I am today. Without God placing you in my life, I'd probably still be clueless and floundering way worse then what I already do. May God bestow on each of you many blessings! Happy Mother's Day!

I was asked to give the Mother's Day tribute at our church. Below is the essence of my short talk.

Christian author Catherine Marshall wrote:

Rearing children and bringing them up "in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord" is not only a full-time job and responsibility of any parent but is also
the greatest witnessing field and mission field in the world.

Motherhood is a tough job and a huge responsibility. It's not simply about making sure they have clean clothes and lots of food. It's about nurturing and growing in them a heart for the Lord.

Because of motherhood is such a difficult job, I would like to honor the following moms. (Each were given a round of applause.) The mom with the most and the incredible ministry of adoptive moms, step moms & foster moms. Because Scripture often lumps grandchildren in genealogies with 'fathers', I would like to honor grandmas, great grandmas and great, great grandmas. I also want to honor the women who have mother's hearts and empty arms, either through infertility or stillbirth. God has a plan for you as mother's as well. He has not overlooked you.

Motherhood is bittersweet. It seems for every one joy we have, there are at least a dozen agonies. But you know, God is faithful. Scripture is full of examples of real mothers. Women like Sarah, Rebekkah, Hannah, Rachel, Leah, Timothy's mother and Jesus' own mother Mary. Each had their strengths and weaknesses. They might be surprised to see what heritage they left six, ten and 20 generations later.

We might try to hold these women up as perfect examples simply because their names are in Scripture, but they had faults along with their triumphs. Sarah scuffled with Hagar and Ishmael over the promised heir Isaac. Rebekkah played favorites with Esau and Jacob. Although God had a plan when it happened, it still looked unthinkable to bystanders. God provided these women to us not as examples of perfect women, but as women he used. They have faults as mothers just like we do. I'm sure they would do some things over, just like we would.

These didn't have perfect children, but God still used them. Leah and Rachel's children redefined sibling rivalry when they sold Joseph into slavery. But not before Eve's children defined sibling rivalry when Cain killed Abel. And you thought you had problems at your house.
But you know what? Fear not. God has promised in his word that his grace is sufficient for us! Yes you! He will not lead you anywhere his grace can not reach you. It doesn't matter if we don't rear our children 'just right,' God still has a plan. He redeems all. He simply wants us to be willing to partner with him and learn as we go.

I would like to leave you with a challenge. It's a quote from Catherine's husband Peter Marshall who was at one time chaplain in the United States Congress. He said:

The world has enough women who know how to be smart. It needs women who are willing to be simple.
The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave.
The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure.
We need women, and men too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct.

I would like to challenge the moms to stand and be morally right in a time when that's not popular with society or our children. It's difficult, but it's what God calls us too. He provides the grace for us to do it.

I would also like to challenge the children of these wonderful mothers to honor them the next time they say, "No." Whining "but everyone is doing it" is not honoring. God did not make YOU everyone. He made you uniquely you. He has a purpose and a plan for your life. Your mother is there to help you choose to find it. But more than that, God tells us to honor our father and mother that our days may be long upon the earth. It's the first command with promise. It's God's heart that you honor your parents.

With that, I would like to pray for each of you...

The Music Lives On

Living the dream comes in so many variations. The following was an eLetter from the summer of 2003. It's about a neighbor that loved music, played music and made people happy with his music.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19

A beautiful spring day, 2 days left of school and Mr. Grelli is blasting Big Band music on his old stereo. For some reason, Big Band music sounds best as it filters through Mr. Grelli’s trees into the neighborhood. With this combination, I found myself truly lighthearted. Someone once asked me, “What do you do when you are happy?” I answered, “I skip.” I haven’t felt much like skipping lately. But something about the song playing made me skip! Cutting through his yard, I wanted to take Mr. Grelli and his stereo back to work with me so I could keep listening to this pleasant and happy song. The best I could do was just to keep on humming the tune.

Big Band Music just sounds so upbeat. If you think about it, much of the Big Band Music was composed and played during a time of national and global turmoil – World War II. Men were separated from their wives and families for months and years at a time. Without the availability of the Internet to keep folks back home briefed on their whereabouts, wives waited at home for a letter written weeks, maybe months earlier. My Grandpop served in the Pacific for 2 years, while my Grandmom took care of their twins. I don’t know how she did it, but maybe it helped to have the big bands playing on the radio. They are still listening!

Despite the times they lived in, the Big Bands played their happy songs. I think an upbeat song takes the edge off the seriousness of life. Maybe the Big Band composers thought so too. I was skipping, bobbing my head and making up words of my own during the instrumental introduction. I didn’t think of bugle boys, the white cliffs of Dover, or USO dances. What naturally came to me were words that reflect the truths of God. I think it would be great to skip and dance to the promises of God, while an alto singer with a boa around her neck and a host of trumpets and trombones play in the back.

The music made me forget about the trials of my life, drawing me back to the one that can bring true joy and happiness. I have a reason to make music. God is good, and not just because there were only 2 days left until summer vacation. The beauty of this moment in time was the effervescent feelings of love that welled within me and became words. Words my God understands. I was making music in my heart to the Lord! The music in my heart went straight to my feet and God’s ears.

The lesson to learn: The world may be in turmoil, your world maybe in turmoil but the right song -the right music- the right change in perspective can help turn a gray mood into a spring day. Reminding our hearts and maybe our feet that we have a God to sing, skip and dance about.

This winter Mr. Grelli passed away after a battle with cancer.

I was picking lily of the valley at my parents the first Saturday in May when I heard that oh so familiar big band sound coming from the Grelli's. For a very brief moment I wondered, “Did John really die? Was it all a bad dream?” I went to investigate. There I found his old tape player blaring and 2 lawn chairs in the garage. I poked in a window but didn't see his wife Dot. So I went around front and there she was there talking to a fellow who stopped by.

She said the neighbors have been asking for the music. She said John would want her to play it, but it makes her sad. Then we both got all teary eyed. I told her, "He is up there listening to the real thing." (I hope the bands made it.) It was really quite surreal because I honestly never thought I would hear the music filter around the neighborhood again. I thought it died with him. But the music lives on…

As you finishing reading, please offer up a prayer for Dot that she can continue to carry on the tradition and that she can carry on without him. Thanks.

Writer's Conference Faculty Again

Mark your calendars! I will be on faculty at the Philadelphia Christian Writer's Conference - August 10-12, 2006. I will be part of the magazine editors' panel Friday and Saturday mornings with other seasoned editors to answer your publishing questions. I'll also be available for 15 minute editorial appointments to review work, offer suggestions and talk about submissions. I can't wait to meet with you!

The PCWC is an incredible opportunity for writer's to meet with editors and publishers. If you are serious about writing, you need to be serious about attending. There is no better way to improve your professional writing then to talk with people who know the business, learn the craft from those involved and make contacts that could be a springboard to a ministry God has for you. At any rate, it's great encouragement for faculty and attendees alike.

For more information please visit: www.writehisanswer.com/Philadelphia