Treasure Hunting
When I was teaching, there were two subjects that I loved the most—English and history. Now that I’m writing historical fiction, I get to apply both of these subjects to my work everyday. Researching history for my historical novels is like going on a really fun treasure hunt into another time.
Not only do I get to spend time at the library, scour the internet, and search for lost treasures of information, I also get to jump into the time period and imagine what it must have been like to live in that day and time. I have to examine the various aspects of life, think how they thought, and feel how they felt. And my respect for those who lived in the past grows every day.
And then I have to take all that information and figure out how my characters would interact according to the historical details I have learned. What did it feel like to not have heat in the wintertime? What did it smell like before the days of trash removal? How did they read at night when they didn’t have electricity? And what did it feel like to be on an immigrant ship for over a month?
The craft of writing historical fiction is a challenging and fun one, and I get more and more engaged in the desire to understand the larger context of my character’s world. It’s a thrilling journey for me. What was the bigger picture of that day—the social, cultural, political, and spiritual world they lived in? Knowing all this helps me understand my characters on a deeper level.
I’ve come to love my treasure hunting—searching for nuggets of information that help me write a great book. I take walks and wagon rides and drives thanks to Google Maps. I see the cities and mountains and ships and people of the 1850s in books and on the internet. I experience Celtic music concerts and see step dancing on YouTube. They inspire and inform me, and I’m grateful all the wonderful technology and resources at my fingertips, which can enlarge my vision for whatever I’m writing.
So I encourage you to go on a treasure hunt of your own. What historical tidbit would you like to know about? Give it a Google search and see what you find on your hunt. I’d love to know what you find.
This Child
We just enjoyed a month-long holiday, at least I did. We’ve pondered the Babe in the manger and God’s Word becoming flesh and living with us. We’ve thought about Him growing up and becoming the Savior of the world.
But where did we find all those truths, and what do we do with it all? In the tattered pages of God’s Word. It’s really true, all of it, and those sacred words about the Christmas story and all of redemption’s story still rings true just as much today as it did 2,000 years ago.
Even though I now read the Bible mostly on my iPhone and iPad, the words are living and breathing, and they change me day-by-day. So at the start of this year, I am looking to God’s truth to transform me, strengthen me, and make me all He wants me to be.
As you read the words of this powerful song, I pray they will close out the holiday season and start 2017 with truth that will last.
Tattered Pages
by Shannon J. Wexelberg
The Word became flesh
God came from heaven
Mercy and grace
Walking with us
The promise of God
Sacred words written
Here in this Babe
Messiah had come
He spoke the worlds into space
And His words are living today
(In) these tattered pages
They’re calling me home
Living and breathing
Ancient words pleading
“Come to the Savior You’re not alone”
Love’s greatest story
Heaven came for me
And this gift of mercy
Changed who I am
Hope of the Ages
In these tattered pages
Close to my heart
Each word a treasure
Like honey so sweet
I cannot deny
Love found me here
Though my heart was severed
So wide and so deep
Love brought me to life
This child – who is King and a Friend
Is Living Word speaking again
Ancient and true
They are old, they are new
They can find you, find you
There is no hole
So dark that His words can’t revive you
Making all things new
Happy Birthday, Jesus!
In just a few days it’s Christmas. You are likely getting ready for Christmas morning, finishing all the last-minute details of wrapping, cooking, and maybe even still shopping. Your house is probably decorated and the music you are playing is likely Christmas songs. You have to admit, this time of year is truly magical.
One of our traditions is to have a birthday cake for Jesus, sing Him “Happy Birthday” and remember His birth. Can you just imagine Jesus wiggling and giggling, cutting His teeth, wrestling with dad, and climbing trees?
As I sit here watching my sleeping newborn granddaughter, my two-year-old granddaughter learning chatting up a storm, my four-year-old granddaughter coloring yet another rainbow, and my six-year-old granddaughter creating amazing pieces of art, I realize that Jesus humbled Himself enough to leave His heavenly throne and learn all those simple earthly things, too. I am simply awe struck at the wonder of the Son of God’s love for us.
Amazing, isn’t it? Here are the words to a song that I hope will cause you to wonder at this Baby, too! Have a blessed Christmas.
This Baby
By Steven Curtis Chapman
Well He cried when He was hungry
Did all the things that babies do
He rocked and He napped on His mother’s lap
And He wiggled and giggled and cooed
There were the cheers when He took His first step
And the tears when He got His first teeth
Almost everything about this little baby
Seemed as natural as it could be
But this baby made the angels sing
And this baby made new star shine in the sky
And this baby had come to change the world
This baby was God’s own son
This baby was like no other one
This baby was God with us,
This baby was Jesus
And this baby grew into a young boy
Who learned to read and write and wrestle with dad
There was the climbin’ of trees and scrapin’ of knees
And all the fun that a boy’s born to have
He grew taller and some things started changing
Like His complexion and the sound of His voice
There was work to be done as a carpenter’s son
And all the neighbors said He’s such a fine boy
But this boy made the angels sing
And this boy made a new star shine in the sky
This boy had come to change the world
This boy was God’s own son
This boy was like no other one
This boy was God with us
This boy became a man
And love made Him laugh
And death made Him cry
With the life that He lived
And the death that He died
He showed us heaven with His hands and His heart
‘Cause this man was God’s own son
This man was like no other one
Holy and human right from the start
This baby made the angels sing
And this baby made a new star shine in the sky
This baby had come to change the world
This baby was God’s own son
This baby was like no other one
This baby was God with us
This baby
This baby was Jesus
Yeah
This baby was Jesus
This baby was Jesus
My Best Christmas Gift
I just got the very best Christmas present I’ve ever received. My fourth granddaughter, Peyton Ava, was born on December 6th in South Africa. When her mom shared the news, my heart soared with excitement and joy! For me, Christmas came early this year.
I can’t wait to see her and meet her in person. When I look at God’s intricate creation in the form of a tiny baby, I can’t help but praise Him for the wonder I behold and think of Him as a tiny, helpless baby. And when it’s my own grandchild, my joy overflows and cannot be contained! A new human life is truly the most amazing part of creation, and as her grandmum, the awe and wonder of it all can be simply overwhelming.
What will her new life hold? Who will she become? What has God created her to do? How will being a kid in South Africa affect her and make her into who she’ll become? So many BIG questions for such a little life, and I’m sure Jesus’ mother had some pretty big questions too.
During this Christmas season, I began to understand why the angels just had to show up and sing when Jesus was born! As a grandma, I felt that way about this new little life. It’s simply amazing.
The world that baby Peyton just entered is not an easy one, so she’ll need lots of prayer to become the person God wants her to be. As one who loves her dearly, I will pray for this child every single day of my life, and I will enjoy watching these questions get answered. Join me, will you?
“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you,” Jeremiah 1:5 (The Message).
Welcome to our world, baby girl! I look forward to seeing God’s plans for you! What prayers do you pray when you see a new little life? I’d love to know.
Madison’s Rainbow Adventure
Just in time for Christmas, my latest picture book, Princess Madison’s Rainbow Adventure, is now available on Amazon! This bright and colorful children’s book for ages 3 to 8 teaches little ones about the colors of the rainbow and the fruits of the spirit, while enjoying a story of cooperation, friendship, and love.
Princess Madison loves rainbows. She wants her colorless kingdom to be beautiful and vibrant, like rainbows. When Princess Madison follows mysterious footprints into the forest, she meets Rainbow Roy. The two work together to grow an amazing garden, fill the kingdom with wonderful fruit, and bring beauty back to the entire kingdom.
I am asked over and over again, “How do I ever come up with these stories?” This one is quite simple—my second granddaughter, Madison, inspired the story when I was in Cape Town, South Africa, this past May. Madison loves to dress up as a princess, and she also loves art. But almost everything she colors is a rainbow—even horses, houses, and more.
One day I asked her why she colors everything a rainbow and she said, “God made rainbows and I love them.” Well, that got my imagination running wild and before you know it, voilà! Princess Madison’s Rainbow Adventure was born.
And how did Rainbow Roy come alive? Our friends have a six-year-old boy who says that my husband, Dale, is his best friend. They do have special relationship, so when I began working on this project, sweet little Gabriel was the obvious choice to become the rainbow boy.
This storybook would make a lovely gift for a little girl or boy in your life, so please check it out. After you read it, tell your friends about it (as well as my first book, Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya) on Facebook, Twitter, and, of course, in person.
And if you would be so kind as to leave a review of the book on Amazon, I’d really appreciate it. How do you write a review? It’s really quite simple. Go to the bottom of the Amazon page and click on “Write a customer review.” Then, just tell others what you liked about the book…the characters? The illustrations? Princess Madison learning about the fruits of the spirit? The friendship and cooperation between the princess and rainbow boy? The little ladybug? Reviews on Amazon are incredibly important and very much appreciated.
What do you think of this book? I’d love to know!
Happy Thanksgiving
It’s Thanksgiving Day, and in our American culture, we tend to busy our day of thanks with parades and football, family and fabulous food. But let’s not forget the real reason for this special day—to be thankful for God’s many gifts.
We rightly thank God for all He’s done throughout the year. We thank our family and friends for their love and relationship with us. We thank those who have made a difference in our lives. And sometimes we thank those who we have overlooked in the busyness of life.
With all that thanksgiving to do, who can limit it to just one day and make a huge Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy time with family and friends and watch football? Not me! That’s why I am trying to be more intentional about being a grateful person all year long.
But today, I want to express my gratitude to each of you who read my blog or Facebook posts or Twitter feed. And I am especially grateful for you who comment on them, share them, or “like” them. For a writer who puts herself “out there” for the world to see, your interaction is a blessing. For someone doing such isolated and solitary work, it encouraging to hear that you read it and care about what it says. And besides, it’s just plain fun to connect with you.
I am honored to serve you, even a little, with the words I put on this blog or on paper or say to you in person. Like Paul in 1 Thessalonians 1:2,4, I want to let you know: “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers…For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.”
So I pray that this holiday—and the entire holiday season—will be filled with the richest of gifts: life, love, peace, and joy from God’s gracious hand. Happy Thanksgiving!