So, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is what the body of Christ should be focusing on; not the scare tactics white evangelicals Paula White, Jim Baker, Jerry Falwell, Kenneth Copeland, Franklin Graham and others are focusing on. There is no biblical principle that says casting your vote a certain way is a mandate from God, yet we’ve heard them say it “you’re going against God”, “you will go to hell…” Yes, I wish they were as concerned about Charlottesville or Ferguson – but, no they were silent. They say God selected Trump and you know what – it is only God who can fix that man! A Christian who espouses some of his rhetoric, who behaves with a total lack of leadership should be censored at the very least, and I mean behind closed doors. I mean by delivering him into the hands of God.
In my prayer time I felt God saying “They’re praying for the wrong thing. I am not challenged by who the president is, I am the Lord your God – is there anything too hard for me?” And how does it look to those who don’t believe, that the same God who loves us so much He sentenced His Son to death for our life -is worried about a man-made process of governance and would issue an edict about voting? That’s just stupid. I’d rather hear them all talking about getting together and praying for cancer to die. That’s how we should use our prayers – to show the healing power of God!
They’re all whining about Trump being attacked by media – it don’t take prayer to fix it, it’s simple:
10 Things We Can do to Help Trump Become an Effective President
1. Tell him to stop tweeting government business, he provides fodder for this and I don’t like to think a president is as ignorant as he displays. But yes, the media loves it, can’t blame social media when he uses it as he does.
2. Tell him he cannot be king of America – we don’t have that system of government
3. Tell him to spend time in Washington getting to know Congress and learn how it works; learn how to work together with those he needs, the ACA is a good example of how it works – republicans did not want to support anything President Obama worked for and shot a bunch of Americans in the – foot – by passing ACA without the benefit of republicans who could have made it better. They chose not to participate or in other words cut off their noses to spite their faces…
4. Tell him to stop slamming and firing the people “good people – very good people” HE HIMSELF selected to serve. Tell him they’re not really serving him personally, they’re serving the people of the United States of America; as he should be doing!
5. Tell him to listen to his advisors (governmental and spiritual) and consider their expertise, especially where he has none. Tell him to learn about our form of government (from civics or social studies classes) and act accordingly.
6. Tell him to stop behaving/whining like a 7th grader! He is the president of the USA, why is he campaigning instead of figuring out how to make somebody pay for that wall and a host of other campaign rhetoric he spit out.
7. Tell him that if he exemplifies God to at least sow seeds of unity if not morality and respect for human lives. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
8. Tell him that bullying is wrong, so 7th grade and obnoxious
9. Tell him that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall
10.Tell him about the bible so he will understand that the kings were killed/dethroned by God for being disobedient and warn him…
In conclusion, I pray that Christians will remember. God Himself gave all of us free will – why would He revoke it because of an election??? That doesn’t even make sense! I pray Christians will stop playing the blame game – it leads to destruction. The bible has never called for us to tear the body apart. The church was ready to tear Joel Osteen apart over something it had no business dealing with. In fact, the people with the loudest voices were probably not even believers – why should the church jump on the bandwagon the world pulls around? I pray Christians will tell the truth of the love of God that He might be glorified and not reduced to a shrinking, shriveling God who is afraid of the Supreme Court! God is bigger than all that and if we continue to be dis-unified because of politics well, there is His wrath. How can we be the light of the world if we are mired in heresies? That doesn’t glorify God!
One of my ‘pet peeves’ is that cancer is allowed to roam the earth as a free agent…seeking whom he will devour. I believe if the Body of Christ – the church – will believe the power of unity, and power over all the power of the enemy which was given to us by Jesus Christ and scream “Cancer you must die!” – it will! Think about Joshua marching around Jericho felling those walls. I have a Bishop sister-friend who said “Why can’t we take a bunch of pastors up to Flint to lay hands on the kids so they will be healed?” She got no response…the body of Christ is too concerned about things that God doesn’t care about.
So, while Trump is indeed an example of the wrong focus of the church (by focusing on supporting someone who doesn’t appear to be saved), the focus of the church bears review. Do your words minister grace? We should hold Trump accountable as a man – not as a God. We should indeed pray for him; that he grow up and respect the highest office in the land and do good and denounce evil. Because, for sure that would be pleasing to God. God is not threatened by man…OH, finally the body should believe that we are the people who are called by His name and we must humble ourselves,” and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
”Father God I thank you for this nation, the United States of America. I thank you that you are a God of mercy and your grace abounds toward us whom you love. I pray today dear Lord that your body will come into unity, regardless of religious doctrine, and stand up for this world – that this world might know you. And in this land I pray we live up to the spirit of our creation as such: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” Help us remember that you care more about unity in the body of Christ and that the body should be focused on glorifying You and sharing You with the world. We repent for speaking ill of each other and for not speaking up against injustices. We repent for not caring for our brother, we repent for misrepresenting You and we will be submitted and committed to serving YOU and YOUR purposes all the days of our lives. We thank You for healing our land – in Jesus’ name.
Monday, September 4, 2017
Monday, March 20, 2017
Words to Write by Wednesday on Thursday: Don’t Let Social Media Ruin Your Presentation!
Kinda ironic to use social media as a cautionary tale, but it needs to be said! Before you hang up on me, let me be clear, social media has a language all its own - one that should not be used when you write your book!
Now, if you are writing YAF, or an urban tale, you would have to take liberties. Truthfully though, don’t drive your editor crazy using the uselessly abbreviated social media language in a book. Texting, tweeting, booking all force us to speak in this abbreviated fashion, maybe because our thumbs and fingers can’t take it. Maybe it has made us lazy but for those avenues - it’s okay!
I love that fb is the one place where I can write without capitalization, make up strange abbreviations that everyone seems to understand and lol or even better LOLOL!
When writing a book or formal document, however, we do not lol, ttyl or use memes, selfies, or smiley faces. We spell words out. We use standard capitalization. We spell words correctly and we actually use punctuation! A well placed comma can make all the difference in the world.
So while I understand how important it is to be socially relevant, I also understand how important it is to be understood and standard english, like taught in school, is by far the best way to make your point!
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Words to Write by Wednesday - on Thursday: Heed the Call!
If only the people who are gifted writers wrote books, the number of books in circulation would instantly decrease by millions. The truth is that not every person who writes a book is a writer. BUT, that doesn’t mean their story should not, or cannot be told.
Yes, it is an amazing gift to be able to write well, but it is even more amazing when you heed the call; writer or not. So you’ve got this idea, concept, story, testimony, burning inside you. It keeps coming back to you - won’t let you sleep at night. You need to heed the call.
No excuses! Get started, do your very best - create a NO PROCRASTINATION ZONE - and without fear do the thing that is in your heart to do! I know, fear that it won’t be good, fear that you can’t do it, fear someone might not like it. Did you know that fear is the number one reason for failure?
It’s not because you tried and failed! That just means you now know what to improve or fix. It’s not because you made a mistake - it’s because you failed to try.
SO, today, refuse to let the evil spirit of fear stop you and heed the call. Don’t give thought to what you can’t do - do what you can do! There’s something special about being aligned with the universe that gives every story purpose.
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Words to Write by Wednesday: It’s Grammar Time!
Admttedly I am old school (which BTW is probably spelled skool), I like guys to open doors for me, I like songs where lyrics are sung to music and I like the use of standard english rules to govern writing,
“Gotta love technology these days!” Well, I do, however, technology should not supersede good writing skiills. Some things are just sacred - or they should be. But even the dictionary adds new words every year based on popular culture and online newspapers are fraught with typos.
Txtng (texting), FB (facebook), tweeting (twitter) all have their own writing style; whether it is 140 characters. or quickie memos. Social media, while it has supposedly increased the way we communicate, has eroded the way we write. This is not a campaign to make sure schools will not change the way they teach kids to read - although it’s not a bad idea - it is a plea to encourage the use of the same grammar rules we were taught to use in school.
For example:
1. Avoid beginning sentences with conjunctions like ‘and’, ‘because’, ‘while’ or ‘but’. This because we often leave out the subject or the verb, making it a phrase/incomplete sentence.
2. Don’t use gimmicks (quotation marks, bold, capitalization) to make your point, use good, strong sentences. You’re writing a book or an article, not a flier.
3. ‘Seen’ is not the past tense of ‘see’. Saw is. “I seen the accident” is incorrect. “I saw the accident” is correct.
4. Have a bless day is incorrect. Have a blessed day is correct.
5. Simple errors – your and you’re; these are not the same words. Your(s) is possessive meaning something belongs to you i.e. “your sweater” or “the ideas are yours”. While you’re is a contraction combining the words ‘you’ and ‘are’ i.e. “you’re the cream in my coffee” or “you’re not all that”
More reminders are coming so stay tuned!
#writingtips, #manifoldgrace, #wordstowritebywednesday, #amwriter
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Words to Write by Wednesday: Control Your Readers Experience!
Contrary to popular communication, your job is not simply to ‘get ‘er done!’ Nothing could be further from the truth. YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR READER’S EXPERIENCE!
Sorry, didn’t mean to shout, but I had to. Some of the things I’ve read were written for - I don’t know who - even 5th graders would expect more. It has been said that American literacy scores hover around 8th grade levels for most adults, but this is not what you should focus on. Don’t get me wrong, focusing on your audience is indeed critical to your storytelling, but what is even more important is having a story worth reading.
Your job is to engage your readers and thrill them, inform them, teach them, scare them, inspire them, persuade them. Your job is to make them feel ‘some kind of way.’ When your reader picks up your book, they consider you the expert on the subject. At the very least, they consider you credible.
So, nows your chance. You’ve won ½ the battle - you’re in the door, on their tablet or in their bag. We told you previously to picture what your reader looks like - here’s where it comes in handy! Now that you’ve identified your reader - write for them. Take them on the ride of their lives. Inspire them to do something they never thought they could. Teach them something so valuable it propels them to the next level. Scare them so bad they ask “Stephen who?” Convince them that when they’re done reading your book they can climb every mountain or start that business or fall in love or solve the murder.
You are in control of your reader’s experience - respect that!
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Author’s Expo at Detroit World Outreach Church! May 3, 2015
This Sunday May 3, 2015 Detroit World Outreach Church is sponsoring an Author’s Expo and Booksigning! Members of the church who have published books will sell and sign them after church services.
Come out, attend one of our services then get your read on and support these authors. Details below.
Detroit World Outreach Church 23800 W. Chicago Rd, Redford Michigan
Service time: 8:00 a.m. - Booksigning 9:45 a.m.
10:45 a.m. - Booksigning i:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
See you there!
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Words to Write by Wednesday: Say What You Need to Say!
I can’t take credit for this one but listen, if it don’t fit, don’t force it! Let’s see, how else can I say this - how about - no fat, no filler.
SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO SAY! My fiction writers, we know you must write all kinds of juicy details to engage us, keep us interested, But you do NOT have to be frivolous with your words. In fact, don’t waste my time!
I remember the high school papers that had to be at least 5 pages long so I filled them with meaningless page filling material. If you expect your readers to become loyal to you and tell their friends how good you are - don’t do this.
Take the time to create strong sentences, rich with details and interesting facts that keep me on the edge of my seat. Then, as my heart beats faster in anticipation, watch me as I exclaim under my breath “oh my God, I did not see that coming! Wait, let me go back to chapter 3!”
That is the benefit of tight writing where not one word is wasted, but carefully crafted to lull me into security then spring a jaw-dropping surprise on me. That’s why you should cut out the fat and use no fillers…just say what you need to say! And even if you don’t write fiction, it still holds true. If it don’t fit, don’t force it…save it for the sequel!
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It’s Saturday so Manifold Grace quotes Best Sellers!
This quote from exceptional author James Michener really says a lot. As a publisher I hear, on the regular, from people who want to write a book. Of course, I believe they should. I believe book writing to be one of the most communicative, thrilling, things one can do. AND I believe that there is a book in you!
Having said that, now I must help my writers drill down to what it is they want to say and why they need to write a book in order to say it. So, here’s the quote:
“Being goal-oriented instead of self-oriented is crucial. I know so many people who want to be writers. But let me tell you, they really don’t want to be writers. They want to have been writers. They wish they had a book in print. They don’t want to go through the work of getting the damn book out. There is a huge difference.” James Michener
And so, with the wisdom of this man - I ask my writers “Do you want to become an author or remain a writer?” Either task is doable…you just have to decide!
Now I must quote Nike - “Just Do It!”
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Words to Write by Wednesday: You have at Least One Hour!
Those words ring out to me constantly. Perhaps because my own son, my own flesh and blood said them to me in a conversation while he was living in D.C. and waited on the bus. It began with “Hey Mom, I’m at the bus stop and I’ve got about 5 minutes, how are you doing?”
I smiled because who does that? Who budgets their time to the point where he schedules 5 minutes for a call to his mom. Of course I was just happy to be on the schedule! “So, how’s the book coming?” he asks. I was in the process of writing my first book, 5 Revelations, Improve Your Relationship with God and when I answered by explaining how busy I was with work and church - he explained as only a smart alecky, UofM overachiever, favorite son could:
“Mom, you have at least one hour a day to write - just turn off Law and Order!”
Well! Apparently that college education is going to pay off because he was right. It wasn’t about the hour parked in front of the television. It was about planning, about making time to accomplish something important. The kid budgeted his time down to ‘talk to Mom in the 5 minutes waiting at the bus stop’!
I posit to you that planning 1 hour on Wednesday, or 2 hours on Friday night, or 1 Saturday a month will help you reach your goal. I know I’m busy, you are probably busy too. The point here is that when you decide to accomplish something, take the time to determine when you will actually work on it. Once you do - treat it like you would a job and be there at the time and the place and GET IT DONE! You have at least one hour a night! lol
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It’s Saturday so Manifold Grace quotes Best Sellers!
So, I’ve shared with my students a number of times how important it is to create an outline. My saga occurred when I had a brilliant idea pop into my head and I began to write it down. It got really good and before you know it, my story had taken off - I had written 4 or 5 chapters.
Putting the wings on the plane while in flight, I soared around, jubilant that I stumbled onto such an amazing tale. Then the wings fell off! I had spent luscious time setting up the story but I had NOT built a bridge from the main conflict to the end. I had no idea how to get my characters to the happy ending already planned.
Right in that moment the light bulb came on! Creativity is most effective when it has purpose. In fact, without purpose, creativity has no room to grow. I’ll first quote my Bishop, Ben Gibert “A dream without regimen is a fantasy.” If you expect to be productive and live out your dreams - or write your book - do yourself a favor and spend time planning it.
Now I’ll quote bestselling author, John Grisham via Writer’s Digest, “An outline is crucial. It saves so much time. When you write suspense, you have to know where you’re going because you have to drop little hints along the way. With the outline, I always know where the story is going. So before I ever write, I prepare an outline of 40 or 50 pages.”
Now, I’m not suggesting you write a 40 page outline unless that’s what it takes, but listen to the man. Suspense or non-fiction, preparation is key!
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Words to Write by Wednesday: What does your reader look like?
Words to Write by Wednesday: What does your reader look like?:
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Odd question huh? But, I find it helpful to determine or even imagine how my reader looks. Sometimes we need accountability when we write. Creating an image of your audience can be just the thing to help you stay on track and remain authentic.
It’s easy to remain believable in your coming of age…
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Words to Write by Wednesday: What does your reader look like?
Odd question huh? But, I find it helpful to determine or even imagine how my reader looks. Sometimes we need accountability when we write. Creating an image of your audience can be just the thing to help you stay on track and remain authentic.
It’s easy to remain believable in your coming of age story set in a high school.when your audience is a 15 year old girl with neon colored fingernails, Gap jeans and 50 tubes of lip gloss. Keeping her in front of you will help you focus and see your story through her eyes.
Your expose on the perils of combat will be easier to write when you think of the veteran soldier who is going to read it. You will picture him in fatigues, with his weapon.defending his country and you will know you must honor him.
I often go to these levels when I feel as if i have not hit the nail on the head. But I have a standard image of my reader that serves me well. My reader is sitting at home in their favorite chair in their underwear - ok - pajamas and they have my book in their hands! On the table is a tall glass of Pepsi on ice - ok - wine. As I picture my reader, book in hand, and an eager look of anticipation on their face I know I must do my very best to satisfy them.I am honored they are spending their time and their $$ with me and my book.
Feel free to use my reader as your muse if you must. But, by all means, consider them when you write. Respect your reader’s time, don’t waste it. Engage them and keep them engaged. Speak as the expert you are and don’t be frivolous with your words. Make each word count! They’ve spent money on your book, don’t make them regret it!
My reader is a fan!
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