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The Steve Laube Agency

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Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Inspiration

Inspiration

Voices of Courage: Why Military Writers are Important

By Dan Balowon February 8, 2023
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Successful books always come from a writer’s inspired, creative mind and heart. Every time we attempt to make publishing a science, making it more about business nuts and bolts, rather than art, serendipitous creativity seems to find a way around the science, nuts, and bolts.

Effective and wise business planning is important, but Christian publishing’s guiding principle should be Proverbs 16:9, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” (NIV).

Consider the state of the world.

Evil is gaining momentum; and Christ-followers worldwide are much more like first-century believers, increasingly needing to be strong, courageous, unyielding, aware, and wise in how they work and live as Christ’s ambassadors to a fallen world.

One group of Christian writers might have a unique perspective on how we should all prepare to live as believers.

Those connected to the military in the past or present could be a window into the future of the church and how it relates to the world. We might be well-served to pay attention to what they have to communicate.

Think about those things pressed into everyone connected to the military and how they relate to all believers seeking to live the Christian life in the third decade of the 21st century:

Your life is not your own: There’s no room for self-interest. Egos are set aside. There’s no “I” in team. Everyone has a specific role. For Christians, you were bought with a price and are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:20).

This life is held lightly: Constantly being around people risking death or dying changes everyone. The mission could result in the ultimate sacrifice. Consider everything loss compared to knowing and serving Christ (Philippians 3).

Always listening for orders: Regardless of personal desires and plans, everything is set aside when a command is issued: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27, NIV)

Obedience is a way of life: Once the orders come, while likely not convenient, they are obeyed. Plans change in a moment. Personal desires are set aside for the sake of the mission. The most powerful prayer might be, “Lord, not my will, but yours.”

No place for the fragile or faint of heart (and not only those on the front lines): Scripture is filled with statements from God, giving us courage in our circumstances. Oswald Chambers wrote, “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”

Military spouses, active or inactive soldiers, and military families learn difficult lessons that are never comfortable.

Of course, there is the omnipresent author-marketing issue to overcome. But maybe those Christians who have a military season in their past or are currently serving will have unique insights into those things to help all Christ-followers cope with an evil, unstable, chaotic world, where courage is necessary for all believers and it is important to remember your training.

The Institute of Faith, Work, and Economics has an interesting article on its website, “How Do the Seven Army Values Align with Christian Values?”

 

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Category: Agents, Book Business, Branding, Career, Encouragement, Faith, Inspiration

365 Days to Sing God’s Praise

By Dan Balowon January 1, 2023
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Happy New Year! Today marks the 250th anniversary of the first performance of “Amazing Grace,” written by pastor John Newton to accompany his sermon. It was originally written as poetry. The familiar melody was added in 1835, though the words were sung to various traditional tunes before that. At the time, Newton was parish priest of the Anglican church in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. (If you …

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Category: Inspiration, Personal, Theology

Give Away Your Story

By Dan Balowon November 9, 2022
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Agents have a difficult time selling any kind of personal story, from memoirs that contain memories from one’s life to other types of autobiographical works that might recap the author’s story as a series of events. Regardless of the type, this writing generates very limited interest from traditional publishers, unless the author has a good-size marketing platform because they achieved a level of …

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Category: Book Proposals, Indie, Inspiration, Marketing

7 Favorite Writer Destinations

By Bob Hostetleron October 26, 2022
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I recently discovered online (is there any other way to discover things these days?) that there is a Writer’s Museum in Edinburgh. Say what? I have to go. After all, I’m a writer. Plus, it’s free, which is totally in my price range. Until I make that trip, however, I’ll have to reminisce about my favorite writerly destinations I’ve visited over the years—and I’ve had a lot of them. Years, that is. …

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Category: Historical, Inspiration, Personal

Against Laziness (A Writer’s Prayer)

By Bob Hostetleron August 24, 2022
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God, save me from laziness as a writer. Save me from the error of thinking my first draft is good enough. Save me from settling for second best. Save me from low standards, pedestrian thoughts, stale words, and pat answers. Grant me the grace to reread and rewrite with diligence and insight. Grant me the courage to invite and accept valuable and insightful critique from others. Grant me the …

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Category: Encouragement, Inspiration, Theology

You Can Be the Best

By Bob Hostetleron August 11, 2022
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I’m not the best. At anything, it seems. I flunked out of C Ball in Little League. I squeezed four years of high school into five. I’ve written a lot and even won a few awards, but many others are far better writers than I am. I strive for excellence in virtually everything I do; but as a writer, speaker, preacher, literary agent, and blogger, I fall short of “the best.” Maybe you can identify. …

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Category: Encouragement, Inspiration, The Writing Life

My 10 Favorite Writer Movies

By Bob Hostetleron July 21, 2022
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I would rather read than watch a movie; but my wife, the lovely Robin, is a lover of movies. So I’ve seen more than a few. I lean toward comedy and away from fantasy. And far away from horror. And I especially enjoy an occasional movie about a writer or the writing life. So, since I know that some readers of this blog have nothing else to do with their time, I’d like to offer a Top Ten List of my …

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Category: Inspiration, Personal, The Writing Life

Stop Procrastinating—Right Now!

By Bob Hostetleron July 13, 2022
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In my last post on this amazing blog (Steve Laube requires me to say that at regular intervals), I opined about seven consequences of procrastination. You may not have gotten around to reading it yet, but I promised in that post to follow up with some helpful tips or techniques for preventing procrastination. So, without further ado or delay, here are some ideas: Pray. Of course, right? But …

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Category: Career, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Count More Than Words

By Bob Hostetleron June 9, 2022
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Writers count words. That probably comes as no surprise to the readers of this blog, but still. Those who write for publication count words. It comes with the territory, as Professor Harold Hill might say (or sing). Writers-for-publication know that published articles, stories, and books in certain genres must meet certain word counts. For example, a two-page spread in a magazine is typically …

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Category: Inspiration, The Writing Life

The Bronze Mirror

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 8, 2022
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I’m reading the HCSB Study Bible for Women with notes from Dorothy Kelley Patterson and Rhonda Harrington Kelley. The notes on Exodus 38:8 discuss how women donated bronze mirrors to build Temple basins for the priests. I thought, Bronze. That means they never saw themselves as we see ourselves. They only saw themselves through a yellow haze. I realize the Bible speaks of mirrors more than …

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Category: Craft, Inspiration
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