Hi Friends,

 

Well, I'm working on starting my next novel (so far called "Shades of Morning" - we'll see if that title sticks), which, if all goes well, will come out in March 2010.  Yes, I mean 2010 - The book coming out after Beyond the Night released March 2009, and that one's already written (we're working on the back cover copy now and will soon plunge into edits!). 

 

Meanwhile, it's time to get going on my third book with Multnomah Publishers, and the third of the love stories with a twist!  (And oooo, I'm liking this one!).  Anyway, for this one, I wanted to try a character (the "hero") who, in the backstory, is young, enthusiastic, and on fire for Christ.  And I find, as I'm pondering my character, I'm remembering a kid named Randy.

 

Even after twenty-plus years, I still remember Randy.  He was at my high school for only a year, a funny looking kid, with curly dishwater blond hair and wire-rimmed glasses. 

But it wasn’t his appearance that caused me to remember him long after he’d moved away. It was his heart.  Randy loved Jesus.  You could see it in everything he did – from walking around campus in his fluorescent orange “Jesus” T-shirt to the way he carefully placed his Bible on his desk during class. 

 

But Randy wasn’t flaunting his religion, nor was his goal to witness to the rest of us.  No, Randy did what he did out of passion – out of heart afire with love for God.  He couldn’t help it.  When he spoke of Jesus, his eyes glowed.  When he opened his Bible to share a verse, he couldn’t keep the smile from his face.  And that’s what made me listen.  That’s what made me remember.

 

In other words, Randy was like the bush that God spoke to Moses out of (see Exodus 3 for the full story).  You remember, it goes something like this:  "There the angel of the Lord appeared to him [Moses] in flames of fire from within a bush.  Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up (Exodus 3:2)."  The bush was on fire, it didn't burn up, and someone could hear the very words of God speaking from that bush.  So, like I said, Randy was like the bush – on fire for God, but not burned up.  And I, like Moses, had to go over and see what it was all about.

So, when I think about Randy, I find that I not only want my character to resemble him ... I want to be on fire too.  I want to act, to speak, to burn with love not because I'm supposed to, but because God is in me.   I want His passion, His love, to envelop me, to draw others to the light - not because I'm a fancy bush, but because God is speaking through the fire. 

 

That's the beauty:  God within us, speaking to others out of the fire in our hearts. 

Hi Friends!

 

Got a great book to tell you about today -- SKID by my good friend Rene Gutteridge.  I love Rene's books, and I'm looking forward to getting into this one.  Rene is great at combining just the right amount of fun humor with intriguing plot and captivating characters.  So, all her books come highly recommended by me!  :-) 

 

So, here's a bit about this newest in her "Occupational Hazards" series:

 

Blissfully unaware that Atlantica Flight 1945 from Atlanta to Amsterdam is about to make aviation history, First Officer Danny McSweeney focuses his energies on navigating the turbulent personalities of an eccentric female captain, a co-pilot with a talent for tactless comments and conspiracy theories, and a lead flight attendant with an outsized attitude that definitely exceeds the limits for carry-on baggage.On the other side of the cockpit door, the unscheduled in-flight entertainment includes a potbellied pig, a jittery diamond courier, and the recently jilted Lucy Meredith, whose personal mantra of “What Would Oprah Do?” will be challenged by the sudden appearance of her ex and his new traveling partner. On her left sits Hank Hazard, whose unusually polite but constant requests–prompted by his covert role as a spy for the airline–test the limits of the crew’s customer service. But as Lucy and the rest of the crew discover, Hank’s odd behavior is linked to a quiet faith that may play a key role in the fate of everyone on board. Especially when an unexpected traveler sets this already bumpy flight on a course toward the unfriendly skies.

 

And a bit about Rene:

Rene Gutteridge is the author of twelve novels, including the Boo series, the Storm series, and the novelization for The Ultimate Gift, as well as Scoop and Snitch, the first two Occupational Hazard novels. She lives with her husband, Sean, and their two children in Oklahoma City.

 

And the link to Skid on Amazon:

Hi Friends,

Hi Friends,