Today marks the day our youngest made her entrance into the world. Happy 10th birthday, Leah. I love you!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Help Spread the Word!
The soon-to-be-released "family" film The Golden Compass starring Nicole Kidman is dangerous! Read what Snopes.com has found out about it. The Christmas-time (I'm sure the author Phillip Pullman would prefer "holiday" to Christmas, but too bad!) movie is based on the first of a trilogy of children's books by Pullman. The plot of the books are to defeat the forces of a senile God. Do not go to this movie! Do not let your children go to this movie! I have seen previews of it, and was mildly interested, since it had a Narnia look to it, but in reality it is EXACTLY the opposite! Click on the envelope icon below this post to email a link to it to anyone who should know this! Spread the word!
Pies
Okay, I know I'm not the only one who did it, and I'm grateful, because without help it would literally never get done. Our church just finished making 471 pies today. TODAY! That is an IMMENSE amount of pies!!!! Something like 23 bushels of apples, and 300 pounds of flour, not to mention sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and all the other things that are required to make a pie all the wonderful goodness that it is. And work! We're all beat! But you know what? we'll be back at it again next year because it is an AWESOME fundraiser.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thanks, Nicole!
Nicole, I am privileged to call you a friend, and I wish you God’s continued blessings as you follow His lead in your ministry of writing.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Ethiopian Orphans and Nicole Baart
You’ve adopted a child from Ethiopia, and through that experience discovered a new passion for the orphans of Africa, what are you doing to help them since obviously you can’t take each one home and care for them yourself!
Really? I can’t adopt them all? Bummer. Sometimes I feel like I would if I could. But thanks for asking as this is something that I am very passionate about.
Aside from Miriam:
Readers can click here for more information on Nicole's orphan passion.
Really? I can’t adopt them all? Bummer. Sometimes I feel like I would if I could. But thanks for asking as this is something that I am very passionate about.
Aside from Miriam:
Readers can click here for more information on Nicole's orphan passion.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Third question...
No life is without heartache, and I know yours is no exception, do you have any plans to write a story incorporating your own life experience?
No. Honestly, I don’t think my own story is very interesting or unique. I’m afraid that if I tried to write about it I would downplay everything in the fear that people would misinterpret the story and assume I’m glorifying myself. Or, I’d exaggerate everything, trying to make the story appear more glamorous, more interesting than it actually is. I have no desire to write an autobiography or even a fictional story that is loosely based on my own life.
I do, however, admire people who are courageous enough to write about themselves. I’ve even heard recently about “spiritual autobiographies,” works of non-fiction that chronicle a person’s spiritual journey. I think that takes a level of bravery that I just don’t have.
Mostly, I guess I want my life to be between my family, my friends, and me. Being a pastor’s family already places us firmly in a fishbowl--I don’t need to write about us to aggravate that situation!
No. Honestly, I don’t think my own story is very interesting or unique. I’m afraid that if I tried to write about it I would downplay everything in the fear that people would misinterpret the story and assume I’m glorifying myself. Or, I’d exaggerate everything, trying to make the story appear more glamorous, more interesting than it actually is. I have no desire to write an autobiography or even a fictional story that is loosely based on my own life.
I do, however, admire people who are courageous enough to write about themselves. I’ve even heard recently about “spiritual autobiographies,” works of non-fiction that chronicle a person’s spiritual journey. I think that takes a level of bravery that I just don’t have.
Mostly, I guess I want my life to be between my family, my friends, and me. Being a pastor’s family already places us firmly in a fishbowl--I don’t need to write about us to aggravate that situation!
Day Two with Nicole...
Here's the second installment of my "chat" with debut author Nicole Baart...
The character, Julia, is so far removed from your own experience, how did you get into the head of a troubled teen girl?
I don’t know! Apparently one of the strengths of my writing is the ability to make emotion and experience very real. Recently, someone asked my dad if I had experienced deep loss in my life. The answer is, no, not really. But this woman had just lost her mother, and the way that Julia, my main character, dealt with the loss of her father was so real and honest that this woman could relate completely to everything I was writing. The woman said, “But she’s describing all the things that I’m feeling!” My only response to this is: it’s God. It’s not me, it’s God doing His thing through this very broken vessel.
That said, one of the things that I have always been able to do is internalize other people’s struggles. I would make a terrible counselor! I just know I would cry with my patients and take their pain home with me instead of leaving it behind when the workday is done. So watching a movie, reading a book, and listening to a friend talk are all very emotional experiences for me. Sometimes, I feel that if I would let myself go, just really abandon myself to what I am feeling, I could grieve with someone who is grieving exactly as if the loss were my own.
Because of this emotional over-involvement, sometimes I have to back out of certain situations. I’m learning to shut down that part of me that wants to adopt everyone else’s problems. It’s not always healthy! But I do think it gives me a unique ability to write about experiences and feelings that may not necessarily be my own.In writing Julia, I drew a lot from dozens of stories and heartaches that I’ve witnessed throughout my life. I also worked hard to put myself in her shoes, imagining what I would feel and how I would react if life dealt me the same cards that it dealt Julia. I absolutely fell in love with her character and truly enjoyed watching her story unfold.
The character, Julia, is so far removed from your own experience, how did you get into the head of a troubled teen girl?
I don’t know! Apparently one of the strengths of my writing is the ability to make emotion and experience very real. Recently, someone asked my dad if I had experienced deep loss in my life. The answer is, no, not really. But this woman had just lost her mother, and the way that Julia, my main character, dealt with the loss of her father was so real and honest that this woman could relate completely to everything I was writing. The woman said, “But she’s describing all the things that I’m feeling!” My only response to this is: it’s God. It’s not me, it’s God doing His thing through this very broken vessel.
That said, one of the things that I have always been able to do is internalize other people’s struggles. I would make a terrible counselor! I just know I would cry with my patients and take their pain home with me instead of leaving it behind when the workday is done. So watching a movie, reading a book, and listening to a friend talk are all very emotional experiences for me. Sometimes, I feel that if I would let myself go, just really abandon myself to what I am feeling, I could grieve with someone who is grieving exactly as if the loss were my own.
Because of this emotional over-involvement, sometimes I have to back out of certain situations. I’m learning to shut down that part of me that wants to adopt everyone else’s problems. It’s not always healthy! But I do think it gives me a unique ability to write about experiences and feelings that may not necessarily be my own.In writing Julia, I drew a lot from dozens of stories and heartaches that I’ve witnessed throughout my life. I also worked hard to put myself in her shoes, imagining what I would feel and how I would react if life dealt me the same cards that it dealt Julia. I absolutely fell in love with her character and truly enjoyed watching her story unfold.
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