Theology

Dark Friday

By Steve Laubeon April 14, 2017

Contemplate the sacrifice.

Contemplate the mystery.

While you contemplate, listen to this instrumental piece called “Gethsemane” from Jeff Johnson’s album “No Shadow of Turning.”

A new version of the piece can be found on Jeff’s album “Thin Places” You can listen to it at this link.

Then please listen to this classical song “Go to Dark Gethsemane” by John Montgomery. It is one of my favorite choral pieces. Performed by Choeur de chambre Exprime (if you received the blog in your email you’ll need to click through to the web site where the song is embedded using SoundCloud):

[A version of this blog was originally published on April 3, 2015]

Maundy Thursday

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 13, 2017

Today is Maundy Thursday, a special day during Passion Week. As you feel led, visit this passage regarding The Last Supper, and meditate upon it. I can never read this passage without thinking about how often I have disappointed Christ. And no matter how much I deny it, no matter how much I wish I were perfect, I am not. I will wretchedly and miserably betray Him again. And yet He forgives. I am …

Category: Theology

The Danger of Discouragement

By Karen Ballon April 12, 2017

Some days, I have to admit, it feels like I’ve been working and working, doing everything I’m supposed to, and yet, nothing ever changes—unless it’s for the worse. The struggles are still dragging me down. The sense that no matter what I do, nothing will change, weighs on my spirit. It’s days like that when the questions start… What’s wrong with me that I can’t get anywhere? How can I be losing …

Category: The Writing Life, TheologyTag: Discouragement, The Writing Life, Theology

Writing the Deeper Story

By Dan Balowon March 21, 2017

I realize this will probably date me, but I sincerely enjoyed a popular radio feature by Paul Harvey called, “The Rest of the Story.” I assume some reading this post today also remember it. For generations, the venerable radio commentator, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 90, told a little known story about a well-known person or event, only revealing the subject of the story at the end of …

Category: Craft, Creativity, Encouragement, Inspiration, Marketing, TheologyTag: Inspiration, Writing Craft

Amnesia: The Key to Success

By Dan Balowon February 28, 2017

At some point, anyone involved in motivational or inspirational communication will touch on the necessity of leaving the past behind and moving on from a painful experience or time of life in order to grow personally or professionally. Millions of people spend billions of dollars each year on counselors helping them overcome past issues in their lives. For Christians, leaving a past behind through …

Category: Encouragement, Faith, Inspiration, The Writing Life, TheologyTag: Failure, Inspiration, Success, The Writing Life

If Christmas Was Fiction, It Would Make No Sense

By Dan Balowon December 20, 2016

When I have been part of a Bible study or discussion group, I am often affected deeply by the flawed nature of every human discussed in Scripture, except for the God/Man who came at Christmas. In a sense, it is base-level proof of the truthfulness and reliability of the Bible. The Bible as pure propaganda certainly wouldn’t include sordid tales of our predecessors screwing up more than they …

Category: TheologyTag: Christmas, Theology

Christian Criticism

By Dan Balowon December 13, 2016

Most agents to the Christian publishing world represent a variety of authors from a wide spectrum of theological thought, so we understandably have a little more forgiving attitude than others about differences between fellow believers. There is one type of book I have always felt uncomfortable representing…one which criticizes a certain theological stand, a particular church group or even a …

Category: Book Proposals, TheologyTag: Theology

Getting Ready to Give Thanks

By Karen Ballon November 23, 2016

No doubt about it, it’s been a tough year. In publishing. In politics. In our nation. In our world. There are so many things to worry about, to be frustrated about, even to fear. And yet… God is. Whoever runs the country…God is. Whatever personal or professional trials you face…God is. However discouraging circumstances may be…God is. Whatever is happening… GOD. IS. As we prepare to celebrate …

Category: Personal, TheologyTag: Faith, Personal, Theology

Lessons from a Crab

By Karen Ballon November 16, 2016

No, the title isn’t talking about a grouchy person. It’s about a real, live crab. One that I encountered one day on the Oregon coast as I walked along the beach. It was early morning, with the rising sun streaming across the vast water, the glory of the sunrise reflected in the wet sand. I’d gotten a little to close to the surf as it came in, and since I hadn’t rolled up my pants legs, I had to …

Category: The Writing Life, TheologyTag: The Writing Life, Theology