This is not only a tagline for the kind of fiction I write, it is a tagline for my life. When my husband was laid off and went almost a year without work, there was light. When my son became so ill he stopped breathing and had to be lifeflighted to Portland, there was light. When a lump the size of a golf ball was found in my breast, there was light. It wasn’t a blazing light; it wasn’t a burst of sunshine. The darkness that filled my life during those times felt so overbearing that I felt I would …
Sunday Devotional: Acts 6 and Stephen Seized
Let’s see…i before e, except after c, and “a” as in neighbor. That’s the rule, right? Then why am I struggling with seized? Should I say rules are made to be broken, I talk funny (should it be pronounced “sazed”), or make fun of authors like myself who have to institute spelling rituals to keep themselves out of the clutches of editors? I know! Let’s have a spelling contest! Doc Holliday As I write this, I’ve just completed a lesson on Acts 6 for tomorrow’s service. Here’s the text: Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed …
Sunday Devotional – Breakthroughs
“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.” – Psalm 107:15-16 (NIV) As a writer, there are days when the story gets stuck, when finding words is like fishing in oatmeal, when our own doubts become a bully holding us under the water as we choke and gasp for air. What a gift it is to run to Jesus, to know that He has the power to free us and give us the breakthroughs we need. Lord, we …
Lost in the Crowd — A short serial (Part 1)
Steve Rzasa here–in the run-up to the release of Crosswind on Nov. 1, I’ve embarked on a short serial that will fill in some of the background for the story. The events take place the day before the prologue of Crosswind and follow one Troy Keysor as he uncovers a dangerous truth about the plans Trestleway–southern neighbor to the city-state of Perch–has for expanding its reach. I’ll post a new part each Friday, up until and including the last couple weeks of October. Enjoy! * * * * Lost in the Crowd by Steve Rzasa Part 1 … The morning …
Sunday Devotional – Approval
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 (NIV) As a writer, if I focus too much on pleasing my critique group, my editor, my agent, my readers, reviewers, or some amorphous “them,” I end up paralyzed, defeated, and ineffective. Whatever our calling, Jesus invites us into the beautiful freedom of focusing on Him instead. Lord, I confess I so often hunger for human approval. Change my appetites. Make it …
Sunday Devotional – Lasting Fruit
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” John 15:16 (NIV) I think it’s a longing in every heart to make a difference, to accomplish something each day, to allow God to create something of worth from our lives. We can distract ourselves with chasing activities that feel important in the moment, but Jesus has appointed us for more. He invites us to bear fruit that will last. Lord, show us where …
Writing in the Dark
I began writing about six years ago. Little did I know the steep learning curve that came with that particular “hobby” or the things God would teach me through the process. At first I wrote scenes that came to me. I fiddled around with plots, never quite knowing where I was going. As I wrote, life continued to roll by. God move my family a couple times. I had a daughter, then along came the twins. When the twins arrived, I put writing away. My days were consumed with diaper changing, feeding children, and keeping the house from burning down …
Sunday Devotional – By Sharon Hinck
“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV) Whether we work as writers, or serve God through any other means, we need the gift of “by” – the place where our work, labor, and endurance come from. Faith motivates our course, helps us hear God’s call and move. Love fuels the effort as everything in us longs to respond to the grace He pours out to us. And when the road gets tough – and it …
The Origin of Perch — The World of ‘Crosswind’
MLP author Steve Rzasa here. You know, inspiration is a funny thing. I don’t recall precisely when I had the first inkling of wanting to write Crosswind, which is due out in November from Marcher Lord Press, but I do remember where – walking past the chapter books for grade-school age readers at the library where I work. I’d been mulling the idea of a fantasy/steampunk story involving 19th century and early 20th century technology, especially trains and biplanes. The city had to be up high, somewhere. The image flashed into my head—a city on a mountain’s edge, on a …