• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • FaceBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Get Published
  • Book Proposals
  • Book Business
  • Writing Craft
    • Conferences
    • Copyright
    • Craft
    • Creativity
    • Grammar
  • Fun Fridays
Home » Communication » Page 2

Communication

The Accidental Pharisee

By Dan Balowon July 19, 2016
Share126
Tweet2
26

Anyone who spends even a little time reading the New Testament discovers the only times Jesus got really angry was when he confronted religious people who were so far off the intended track they needed outright and immediate correction or even condemnation. Jesus could judge, after all he was God in the flesh.

Those who didn’t know any better were treated with relative kindness, called upon to repent and instructed to start living a new life.

Even demons were simply authoritatively dismissed by Jesus and told to leave, which they did immediately because they knew who was really in charge.

What was it about Pharisees that drew so much of Jesus’ ire?  They had the truth, but had grown blind and deaf to the message, replacing it with their own structures and standards.  Simply, they should have known better.

If not on constant guard over their own hearts, Christian authors can become modern day Pharisees.

The Pharisees were arrogant and prideful. They claimed to speak for God. They invoked God’s name in situations where they were simply manipulating other people. They worshiped the words written on the scrolls, not the message they carried. They obsessed over the very letters and syntax used in the Hebrew text rather than whether they were understood or applied appropriately. They set themselves as the authorities and demanded adherence to their standards, claiming infallibility. They focused on outward appearances rather than inward holiness.

No wonder Jesus was mad.

When an author invokes “God gave me this message” or “God told me to do this” they open the door to Pharisee-like behavior. There’s a confidence in one’s self that is disconcerting to the rest of us who know we often don’t hear God as clearly as others apparently think they do.

After all, our thoughts are not his thoughts.

In short, we “miss-hear” God a lot, confusing our desires with his. Not always, but often enough to cast some doubt on our ability to discern. Best to start with a humble spirit.

When an author states they will simply rely on God instead of learning how to write, or learn how things work in the publishing world or how to develop a solid author platform, they are really stating they are so special, so talented, so confident in their close connection to God, they don’t need to concern themselves with what others do who must have a weaker connection. Rules for others don’t apply to them.

“I am special, listen to me.”

At this point the road to Phariseeism has begun, heading to a major confrontation with God over their behavior. God doesn’t allow pride to stand for long. Especially in people who should know better.

Not long ago, I was pitched a proposal from an author who pulled out all the stops.

They were a messenger called by God to address a certain issue with the world in a book. God had given them the very words of their manuscript. Not just the Scripture parts, but every other word as well.  They did not need a platform because God was in charge of this process. In addition, God led them to me personally. We were ordained by God to work together and make a lot of money. (They mentioned this in particular)

As I reviewed the proposal, it was poorly written. I confess wondering how the same God who inspired the Psalms could have truly been involved in this project.

When I declined (nicely of course), the prospective author responded with a tirade of epic proportions, calling down God’s judgment on me personally and this agency.

It made me feel better, because I knew I had made the right decision to decline.

This is a complicated issue. I struggled how to communicate the necessity for authors maintaining a balance of confidence in their own ability and the humility needed to become a God-lead and inspired author. It’s a personal issue and no one person is like another.

I do know this, the more you invoke God as your agent, the less chance a human agent or publisher will agree to work with you.

Honestly, you scare us.

Christians understand things unbelievers do not. There is no need to invoke the “God sent me” message to another believer. We get it. If you correctly portray God’s word in your book, we know you are spirit-led. Announcing it makes you a bit Pharisee-like. They enjoyed announcing their holiness as well and thanked God they were not like other people.

So, study writing, learn about publishing, accept correction and humbly work to collaborate with God and others who God places in various roles in publishing. When you do, you’ll be surprised how many people will be willing to work with you if you simply put down the façade and let God shine through.

 

 

Leave a Comment
Category: Career, Communication, The Writing Life, TheologyTag: Career, Communication, The Writing Life

You Say Tomato, I Hear Guacamole

By Dan Balowon April 5, 2016
Share47
Tweet
23

I have a hearing problem. My ears are fine. For some reason listening to songs like Smoke on the Water and LaGrange on my headphones forty years ago had little or no effect on my eardrums. But over the years, I’ve begun to hear something different than what is being spoken. Come to think about it, maybe it was Deep Purple and ZZ Top that caused this. Politician says: “I can solve the problem.” I …

Read moreYou Say Tomato, I Hear Guacamole
Category: Agency, Communication, HumorTag: Communication, Humor

No Comment

By Dan Balowon March 1, 2016
Share28
Tweet
16

A few years after the dawn of the internet in the mid-nineties, vision for the world wide web shifted to the “2.0” version, which involved encouraging audience interaction, viewed as significant progress by marketers and communications experts. Comment sections, message boards, chat and community discussion started off with great energy and excitement as we began to “engage” our audience. What …

Read moreNo Comment
Category: Communication, Social MediaTag: Communication, Social Media

A Word to the E-mail-Wise: Don’t Assume

By Karen Ballon February 24, 2016
Share1
Tweet
19

I received an email from a client the other day, asking a question. I read it, and as I did so, I made an assumption as to the motivation behind her question. So, as you can imagine, I responded with that assumption firmly in place. Her email response was short and to the point. And just a bit miffed. As I read what she wrote, I realized the motivation I assigned to her question was wrong. …

Read moreA Word to the E-mail-Wise: Don’t Assume
Category: Career, CommunicationTag: Communication, Email, Social Media

Tell Us All the Gossip!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 29, 2015
Share10
Tweet
10

Sometimes writers hear wild, wild gossip about the industry. Sometimes that gossip is true. Sometimes it is not. Sometimes it is halfway true. As your agent, I want to hear it! You might say, “Wait a minute! Aren’t you a Christian agent? Doesn’t the Bible say not to gossip?” Yes. And yes. But I need to hear this gossip. Not because I love to gossip. I don’t. I don’t have time. For one thing, I …

Read moreTell Us All the Gossip!
Category: Agents, Communication, Get PublishedTag: Agents, Communication, Get Published, Gossip

Meet Your Reader

By Dan Balowon October 27, 2015
Share25
Tweet
12

Every year a report or article appears in the media that show how the youth of our world don’t know very much. They are not speaking of ignorance as in stupidity, but in “not knowing” things simply because they have no first hand experience. Beloit College in Wisconsin has a running list going well into the future of things that college freshman know, or don’t know.  A link to …

Read moreMeet Your Reader
Category: Communication, TrendsTag: Audience, Communication

Can I Have Your Attention Please?

By Dan Balowon October 20, 2015
Share28
Tweet
14

In the last decade or so, there is a growing problem of fans being injured by foul balls and bats flying into the stands at baseball games. Discussion of fan-protection is becoming more important. Why are spectator injuries becoming more prevalent? Photos at the moment of impact of a foul ball or accidently thrown bat show dozens of people in the photo frame, with many looking down at their smart …

Read moreCan I Have Your Attention Please?
Category: CommunicationTag: Communication

Worshipping Words

By Dan Balowon May 5, 2015
Share
Tweet
27

Yesterday was a strange and eerie anniversary.  Six hundred years ago, on May 4, 1415 the body of Bible translator and Christian dissident John Wycliffe was exhumed from his grave in England, burned and his ashes were thrown into the river. And if that wasn’t weird enough, this was done over thirty years after his death. It sounds like something from a Dirty Harry movie. “You think this is …

Read moreWorshipping Words
Category: Communication, Craft, CreativityTag: Communication, words

I Was Wrong

By Steve Laubeon April 20, 2015
Share27
Tweet20
16

“I was wrong.” Three words that are really hard to say…especially in public. In the business community and the marketplace it takes courage to admit mistakes. A Famous “Oops” One of the most famous business mistakes came when Coca-Cola tried to retire the “old Coke” and release a “new Coke” flavor almost exactly thirty years ago in April 1985. They shocked the world with a reinvention of their …

Read moreI Was Wrong
Category: Career, Communication, TheologyTag: Career, Communication

Communicating to a Distra (Hey look at that!) cted Audience

By Dan Balowon December 2, 2014
Share
Tweet
17

It is pretty clear that our modern society has more distractions than any other society in human history. Combine all the conveniences of modern day life that make acquisition of food and other necessities so easy and we end up with a lot of time on our hands, which we quickly use up with all our personal media options among other things. While I write this, I am traveling by train. Across from me …

Read moreCommunicating to a Distra (Hey look at that!) cted Audience
Category: Book Business, Communication, CraftTag: Audience, Communication
  • Previous
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Next

Sidebar

Get Blog Updates

Enter your email address to get new blog updates delivered via email. You can unsubscribe at any time.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Grow as a Writer


Find Out More →

Popular Posts

Top Posts on Book Proposals
  • Hints for a Great Cover Letter
  • The Keys to a Great Book Proposal
  • What Steve Laube is Looking For
  • Book Proposals I’d Love to See – Tamela Hancock Murray
  • What I’m Looking for – Bob Hostetler
  • What I’m Looking for – Dan Balow
  • What I’m Looking for – Megan Brown
  • What I’m Looking for – Lynette Eason
  • What’s the Best Way to Submit My Self-Published Book?
  • What Is the Agent Doing While I Wait?
  • God Gave Me This Blog Post
Top Posts on The Business Side
  • When Your Book Becomes Personal
  • The Myth of the Unearned Advance
  • How Long Does it Take to Get Published?
  • What Are Average Book Sales?
  • Can You Plagiarize Yourself?
  • Never Burn a Bridge
  • Who Decides to Publish Your Book?
  • That Conference Appointment
  • Goodbye to Traditional Publishing?
  • Who Owns Whom in Publishing?
  • Ten Commandments for Working with Your Agent
  • Writers Beware! Protect Yourself
Top Series
  • Book Proposal Basics
  • Publishing A-Z
  • A Defense of Traditional Publishing
Top Posts on Rejection
  • The Slush Pile: Enter at Your Own Risk
  • Even the Best Get Rejected
  • Five Reasons Why You May Never Get Published
  • The Unhelpful Rejection Letter
  • Writers Learn to Wait

Blog Post Archives by Month

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · The Steve Laube Agency · All Rights Reserved · Website by Stormhill Media