30-Day Challenge, Day 3

A Favorite Book

The Wingfold Trilogy/The Curate of Glaston

There are times when read a book, set it down when you're done, and forget after a while what the story was even about, but the underlying message of the book remains with you forever.

This was the case with The Curate's Awakening; indeed, with the whole Thomas Wingfold trilogy.  After I read it, I remembered the basics of the story, but what remained foremost in my mind was the spiritual theme.  It is the story of a curate whose world is shaken by an atheist's question, regarding his preaching: "Tell me, do you really believe one word of all that?"  The curate, Thomas Wingfold, comes to realize that he doesn't even know what he believes; he only claims to believe what has always been taught him.  This question plunges him into the study to know, "Is Christianity true?  Was there really such a man as Jesus Christ?  What does he require of his followers?"  Through the help of a wise little dwarf named Polwarth, Wingfold digs into the Word of God to find the answers and finds what is it to know God-- to believe Him and obey.  He challenges his congregation to do the same, to ask themselves: "Do I obey His word?  Have I ever, have I once, sought to obey it?  Am I a pupil of Jesus?  Am I a Christian?"

The following two books in the series develop this topic through a wide variety of lives such as Thomas Wingfold the curate, Polwarth the dwarf, Leopold Lingard the murderer, Paul Faber the surgeon, Richard Tuke the bookbinder, and others.  In the events of their lives, they find themselves asking some of the most crucial questions in life:  Is there a God?  If there is, how are we to find Him?  How can we share with those who doubt it?  If we say we know God, does our life show it?  Is our Christianity real?   How does God relate to us?  Does He care when our hearts ache?  Can He forgive even the most heinous sins?  Can any person, however benelovent and good, earn God's favor by his own works?  Is God still good even when innocent people suffer?  This trilogy looks seriously at these questions and answers them with the Bible as its guide.  It has challenged me to think about these things and to look into God's Word to see what our Source and Creator has to say about them.  It has encouraged me to look at my own life and evaluate whether I am living out my Christianity and obeying what God has commanded me in His Word.

These books contain more plot than what I have just related, but this is the thread throughout which has stayed with me, making it one of my favorite series of books.

"My dear sir, no conviction can be got-- or if it could be got, would be of any lasting value-- through that dealer in secondhand goods, the intellect.  If by it we could prove there is a God, it would be of small avail indeed.  We must see Him and know Him.  And I know of no other way of knowing that there is a God but that which reveals what He is-- and that way is Jesus Christ as He revealed Himself on earth, and as He is revealed afresh to every heart that seeks to know the truth about Him. . . . Your business is to acquaint yourself with the man Jesus; He will be the one to reveal the Father.  Take your New Testament as if you had never seen it before, and read to find out.  The point is, there was a man who said He knew God and that if you would give heed to Him, you should know Him too."

~Joseph Polwarth in The Curate's Awakening, page 60

30-Day Challenge, Day 2

A Favorite Movie

I don't usually post about movies on this blog, so this will be a little different. ;-) You're probably expecting me to post about a period drama, but since I already post about those on my other blog, I decided to go with another kind of movie. I had a hard time deciding between It Happened on 5th Avenue (a new favorite) and Balto (an old but recently renewed favorite). I decided to go with Balto. And yes, it's a cartoon, but most of you know I love animated films.

Balto is based on the famous story of the little town in Alaska that fell under a terrible epidemic of diphtheria, and of a dog who saved the day by bringing in the medicine despite hindering weather conditions. The movie keeps only to the very bare bones of the true story (in most ways it's terribly inaccurate), but it makes up for it by an exciting story and excellent characterization.

Balto is an outcast. His heritage is a mix of dog and wolf, and most of the dogs, particularly the lead sled dog runner Steele (who is, in my opinion, Gaston re-incarnated ;-) ) , treat him as inferior because of this. Everyone, except a beautiful husky named Jenna and a comical goose named Boris, fail to see the strength and speed that will become Balto's greatest assets.

Panic descends when diphtheria sweeps over the town of Nome and begins claiming lives. The hospital runs out of medicine to treat the illness, and the weather is too heavy to allow anything but dogsled to go fetch and bring back the medicine. Steele's team is chosen for this, even after Balto proves himself to be the fastest runner. However, when the sled team team is reported lost in the blizzard, Balto determines to go find them and bring back the medicine that will save the town of Nome. It will be a journey full of peril on all sides-- weather, wild animals, natural forces...and Steele.

Balto

Balto is definitely a lovable hero. He is faced with odds, not only external but also internal-- he feels unwanted and useless, but he does not let this interfere with doing what is right. He also has a very patient and selfless heart, and does not fight to defend himself against Steele, but only to defend those weaker than himself. He is aware of others' needs. When he makes the decision to go and find the lost team, Boris exclaims in dismay, "He's going out into freezing cold to find a dog he doesn't like to bring medicine back to a town that doesn't like him!" And yet Balto does it, not to prove himself, but to save the children of the town and the lost dogs, even though they never gave him any reason to care about their well-being.

Muk and Luk

Balto also has its share of endearing characters. There's Jenna, who is quiet and gentle, and yet surprisingly brave; she is faithful to her owner Rosy and supportive of Balto. Boris is a hilarious Russian snow goose that can't fly; he hates bears; he is usually outwardly skeptical but stands behind Balto and encourages him; he also has some of the best lines in the film. Muk and Luk are two fat, fluffy, adorable polar bears whose oddity is that they can't swim (or at least, they think they can't.) Muk speaks in a cute British accent and Luk doesn't speak at all; they love Boris and are very simple, yet lovable.

Boris

Balto was a favorite of my sisters' and mine when we were little, but we only just got a hold of a copy again and watched it as adults. I think I like it better now than I did then! It is technically a kid's movie, but I'm allowed to like a kid's movie, right? It has all the qualities for a good film-- strong storyline, good characters, thrilling character arcs and climaxes, stirring music (James Horner ;-) see previous post ;-) )...Unfortunately, the film didn't do well in the Box Office (possibly due to the fact that it is a Universal picture, not Disney, and was overshadowed by Disney's Lion King, which came out the same year) and isn't sold in stores anymore. We borrow it from the library, but it has also been uploaded online.

Here's the trailer... beware, it gives away a lot of the story, but at least it doesn't give away the main climax. ;-)

30-Day Challenge, Day 1

A Favorite Song

Frankly, I don't have a 100% favorite song.... I have zillions! Well, not really, but I do have a lot. So I think I will do as Hannah (@ Life in My Own Words) did and list my favorites under a few different categories (selected by myself ;-) ) .

Traditional Hymn
You can look in my categories at various songs I've posted, and that will give you a general idea. I'm going to post one I haven't posted previously (at least, I don't think I have).

In Heavenly Love Abiding by Anna L. Waring

In heav'nly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding, for nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me, my heart may low be laid;
But God is round about me, and can I be dismayed?

Wherever He may guide me, no want shall turn me back;
My Shepherd is beside me and nothing can I lack.
His wisdom ever waketh, His sight is never dim;
He knows the way He taketh, and I will walk with Him.

Green pastures are before me which yet I have not seen;
Bright skies will soon be o'er me where darkest clouds have been.
My hope I cannot measure, my path to life is free;
My Savior has my treasure, and He will walk with me. Amen.

Contemporary Hymn
Again, I've posted several favorites (lots by the Gettys!) but here is another one I particular like. We sang it in church today so it's on my mind anyway. :-)

O Great God by Bob Kauflin

O great God of highest heaven,
Occupy my lowly heart.
Own it all and reign supreme,
Conquer every rebel power.
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war.
You have loved and purchased me;
Make me Yours forevermore

I was blinded by my sin,
Had no ears to hear Your voice,
Did not know Your love within,
Had no taste for heaven’s joys.
Then Your Spirit gave me life,
Opened up Your Word to me;
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace.

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace;
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face.
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed!
O great God of highest heaven,
Glorify Your Name through me!

Disney/Broadway
There are three that get continual stuck in my head. "You Can Fly" (Peter Pan), "Rescue Aid Society" (The Rescuers) and "Part of Your World" (The Little Mermaid). But these aren't my favorite (particularly "You Can Fly"...so annoying!) I think my favorite is probably "Tale as Old as Time/Beauty and the Beast". "Bitter sweet and strange, Finding you can change, Learning you were wrong...." You know the lyrics. ;-) I like this one because it hits on the fundamentals of life, unlike many of the other Disney songs. A lot of the songs are full of "You're good, you've got it all together, you deserve better, etc." This one speaks of the beauty of change....when we admit we are wrong and allow God's love to work in us, He changes us and makes us what we ought to be! It is truly a tale as old as time. I'm sure the songwriter didn't have that concept in mind when he wrote the song, but that's the message I get from that song. ;-)
Anyway, I do like "Part of Your World" (The Little Mermaid), "Once Upon a Dream" (Sleeping Beauty), and I get a kick out of "I'll Make a Man Out of You" (Mulan). ;-) I'm weird and kind of like the quiet, melancholy, 70's-feeling songs of The Rescuers too (and the "Rescue Aid Society" theme. ;-) )

Classical
I'd have to say "The Maldau" by Bedrich Smetana! (Sorry the song cuts off at the end of the video, but that has most of it). (It was the best arrangement I could find on Youtube. ;-) )



Soundtrack
Oh! So many!!! Also, it changes over time. Without a doubt, James Horner is my favorite soundtrack composer, and here is one piece of his that I've recently fallen in love. It's "The Heritage of the Wolf", from Balto, and contains most of the themes from the movie, which are all lovely (very stirring ;-) ) .


That's takes care of most of the categories I listen to and enjoy. It would take forever to list all the songs I enjoy, though. :-)

Even if you aren't doing the 30-Day Challenge, perhaps you might comment and share some of your favorite songs?

30-Day Blog Challenge

Hannah at Life in My Own Words posted about this 30-day challenge, and I thought I could try to keep up with it. (I may alter a few of the topics as I go along, I dunno!) Now that I don't have to write The Marquis' Daughter, I'll have more time for blogging, and it'll be good to have something to keep me writing too.

Feel free to join me! It'll be fun! :-D

Day 1: A favorite song.

Day 2: A favorite movie.

Day 3: A favorite book.

Day 4: A favorite television program.

Day 5: A favorite quote.

Day 6: A moment you wish you could relive.

Day 7: Five things you couldn't possibly live without.

Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.

Day 9: A photo you took.

Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago.

Day 11: A photo of you taken recently.

Day 12: A song that you want played at your wedding(or was played).

Day 13: A guilty pleasure.

Day 14: A vacation you would like to take.

Day 15: A person you admire.

Day 16: A song that makes you cry.

Day 17: An art piece.

Day 18: A time when you felt passionate and alive.

Day 19: A talent of yours.

Day 20: A hobby of yours.

Day 21: Something you know you do differently than most people.

Day 22: A website.

Day 23: A way in which you want to be remembered.

Day 24: A movie no one would expect you to love.

Day 25: A recipe.

Day 26: A childhood memory.

Day 27: A physical feature you love.

Day 28: A scar you have and it's story.

Day 29: Hopes, dreams and plans you have for the next 365 days.

Day 30: A motto or philosophy.

Off to work on Day 1....

Victory!

At about 9:30, I wrote the last sentence of The Marquis' Daughter.
In other words, The End!
I am so grateful for the Lord's help as I made the effort to finish MD by the New Year. In looking back at old Facebook statuses, I realized that my goal to finish by January began in March, and the Lord helped me reach this goal! In the last two weeks I ran into so many roadblocks, trying to get my characters through a very high-stake mission and to tie up loose ends, but each time I hit a roadblock, I prayed, talked with my sisters and some friends, and I got past the blocks. ;-)

This last week was pretty rigorous.

On Tuesday I had a "writeathon" with a literary friend of mine, Debbie. We started writing from I believe 7:30 to 8:30 and counted up our wordcount, and then picked up again at 9:00 and wrote until 10:00. Then I took a break and tried to go to bed, but my mind was still moving (thankfully!) and I ended up writing until 1:00. My total wordcount for that day (day as in, period of awakeness ;-) ) was 2,438 words.

On Wednesday, I wrote a mere 810 words... that was a roadblock night. But the encouragement of my sisters and some friends kept me going.

On Thursday, I wrote 2,326 words... just half a chapter and an epilogue to go.

On Friday (last night), I started writing in the middle of the afternoon (I usually write just in the evening), I wrote a total of 3,390 words and finished the novel at about 9:30! Thank You, Lord!!

What a wonderful adventure this has been! I really am not sure what to do with myself, now that the book is done. Writing is a main part of my evening routine. ;-) Well, I suppose I will have more time to read and study now, and I'll need to go back and edit too. My plan is to read through the book in as few sittings as possible, fill in the places that need help, read back through it out loud (at least the conversations), edit for style and grammar, send it to some writing friends to proofread, and then hopefully find a publisher. ;-)

It's been fun looking back at the writing process of this last year. I started rearranging the whole book sometime in March or April, breaking away from the format it had gone by for so many years (I wrote the earliest edition of this book when I was seven or eight!) and combining the first two books into one. I also did some major character reconstruction on the characters of Isaac Barnum, Esther Moore, Lord Colonsay, and even Sophia and Mark. New characters popped up out of nowhere: Edmund (hearts!! ;-) ), Lady Elizabeth, Jemima, Mark's brothers, Liz, and the evil Wym (who may actually end up being a principle bad guy in the later books...strangely, because he totally popped up AS I WROTE.... I never sat down and thought him up :-P ). The themes of redemption, salvation, and friendship worked their way into the storyline, and Isaac's backstory took me by surprise and gave his character a new, fuller dimension.

In July, I set a goal of writing 500 words every day except Sunday, and except for exceptionable busy days (and sometimes weeks-- late November, early December), I kept pretty much to that goal. From July to November, I would mark down my daily wordcount on a calendar and when the month was over, I'd tape the calendar sheet to the wall. July reads my total wordcount as 18,989. August: 10,342. September: 19,550. October: 15,132. I didn't add up November's because by the end of the month I was so busy with sewing orders that I had almost no time to write, and I didn't get around to printing out a calendar page for December. :-S

Another habit I began was that of listening to soundtrack music while I write sometime in August. Soundtracks really help to set the mood when I write. James Horner's especially. ;-) Perhaps I will compile a music list of some of the different "themes" I used.

Besides those things, I also learned so much about writing. Books such as The Plot Thickens by Noah Lukeman and The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, and blogs such as Wordplay have totally revolutionized by way of looking at writing, characterization, and style. "Show, don't tell" is not as terrible of a rule as I once thought, and thanks to those sources for teaching me that. :-)



I am so grateful for the Lord's help this year as I've written. Not only as He helped me as I wrote challenging scenes (particularly conversations) and developed characters and storyline that glorify Him, but He has also taught me a lot in my walk with Him. As several people have pointed out flaws in my writing, God has taught me humility. I don't know everything and there are much better writers than me who have a wealth of information for me to learn and apply, and the Lord is teaching me to accept these facts graciously and learn from my mistakes and others' corrections. He has also emphasized to me time and time again the importance of committing my work to Him. When I sit down to write, I ask His help and guidance for the scene at hand and pray that He will use my book to bring honor to His name. I hope this will be so.

Facebook has a neat little application in which you can "sum up" your year in Facebook statuses. I wrote frequently about my writing on Facebook so I put together a collage of writing-related statuses since I joined the book of face in March. I copied it to share with you. :-)

What's up next?
Editing. Good ol' editing. :-)
Happy New Year, by the way. ;-)

Race Towards The New Year....

Hey folks!
In case you are wondering why I haven't been posting lately, it's not because I've forgotten to post, and it's not because I don't have anything to post.  It's that I don't have time to post! ;-)
That is, I have a couple long post ideas in my mind that I'd like to write down-- a book review, a devotional article or two, reflections on this last year and this Christmas season-- but I am busy with something else instead. 
You see, I am aiming to finish my novel, The Marquis' Daughter, by 12:01 A.M., January 1st, 2011. :-) And I still have almost a whole chapter and a short epilogue to write by then.  So expect my "New Year" post to come a little late. ;-)
Well, I'd better get back to my writing now. ;-)  
~Melanie

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

My absolute FAVORITE Christmas carol....ever...period. :)

Hark! the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the new born King!

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!"

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With th' angelic host proclaim,

"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

Hark! the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the new born King!"

Christ, by highest heaven adored;

Christ, the Everlasting Lord;

Late in time, behold Him come,

Offspring of a virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

Hail th' Incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with man to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hark! the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the new born King!"

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all he brings,

Risen with healing in his wings.

Mild he lays his glory by,

Born that man no more may die,

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing,

"Glory to the new born King!"

Come, Desire of nations, come;

Fix in us Thy humble home;

Rise, the woman's conquering Seed,

Bruise in us the serpent's head.

Adam's likeness now efface,

Stamp Thine image in its place:

Second Adam from above,

Reinstate us in Thy love.

Hark! the herald angels sin,

"Glory to the newborn King!"

~Charles Wesley

What's your favorite Christmas carol?

Swing Over and Visit...

Bethany's new photography blog!
http://atbabphotography.blogspot.com/

Emmanuel

"The Lord your God is in your midst..."

Emmanuel.  God with us.

Approximately 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ came to earth, fully God and fully man, and dwelt among men.  He lived, died, and rose again.  Now He has given us His Spirit to dwell in us and guide us.  He is truly "God With Us". 

Let this thrilling thought remain with you throughout this season and this next year.  Wherever you are, whatever you are going through, God is with you, and He will never leave or forsake you.

 

We are never alone, for God is with us.

"Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, 

for behold, I come 

and I will dwell in your midst, 

declares the Lord."

Letting Go

The following text is an excerpt from Elisabeth Elliot's Passion and Purity.  In this chapter, she is speaking primarily of her separation from her future husband (Jim Elliot) as their preparation to serve the Lord took them different places after a short time spent near each other, studying in Quito.  However, what she says applies to more than just a person's love life.  I thought what she says here might be an encouragement to many of us who are going through the difficult process of "letting go", so I wanted to share it with you. May you be encouraged and blessed, as I was!

~~~~~~~

The growth of all living green things wonderfully represents the process of receiving and relinquishing, gaining and losing, living and dying.  The seed falls into the ground, dies as the new shoot springs up.  There must be a splitting and a breaking in order for a bud to form.  The bud "lets go" when the flower forms.  The calyx lets go of the flower.  The petals must curl up and die in order for the fruit to form.  The fruit falls, splits, relinquishes the seed.  The seed falls into the ground. . . .

There is no ongoing spiritual life without this process of letting go.  At the precise point where we refuse, growth stops.  If we hold tightly to anything given to us, unwilling to let it go when the time comes to let it go or unwilling to allow it to be used as the Giver means it to be used, we stunt the growth of the soul.

It is easy to make a mistake here.  "If God gave it to me," we say, "it's mine.  I can do what I want with it."  No.  The truth is that it is ours to thank Him for and ours to offer back to Him, ours to relinquish, ours to lose, ours to let go of-- if we want to find our true selves, if we want real Life, if our hearts are set on glory.

Think of the self that God has given as an acorn.  It is a marvelous little thing, a perfect shape, perfectly designed for its purpose, perfectly functional.  Think of the grand glory of an oak tree.  God's intention when He made the acorn was the oak tree.  His intention for us is "...the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."  Many deaths must go into our reaching that measure, many letting-goes.  When you look at the oak tree, you don't feel that the "loss" of the acorn is a very great loss.  The more you perceive God's purpose for your life, the less terrible will the losses seem...

...There must be relinquishment.  There is no way around it.  The seed does not "know" what will happen.  It only knows what is happening-- the falling, the darkness, the dying.  That was how it felt to be separated as we were-- as though we had been given no clues as to why this had to be.  "The wanting itself is good," Jim wrote, "it is right, even God granted, but now God denied, and He has not let me know all the wisdom of the denial."  We were yet far from the depth of spiritual perception Lilias Trotter had when she wrote those profound words quoted earlier: "The first step into the realm of giving is...not manward but Godward: an utter yielding of our best.  So long as our idea of surrender is limited to the renouncing of unlawful things, we have never grasped its true meaning: that is not worthy of the name for 'no polluted thing' can be offered." ...

...We were being asked to trust, to leave the planning to God.  God's ultimate plan was as far beyond our imaginings as the oak tree is from the acorn's imaginings.  The acorn does what it was made to do, without pestering its Maker with questions about when and how and why.  We who have been given an intelligence and a will and a whole range of wants that can be set against the divine Pattern for God are asked to believe Him.  We are given the chance to trust Him when He says to us, "...If any man will let himself be lost for my sake, he will find his true self."

When will we find it? we ask.  The answer is, Trust Me.

How will we find it? The answer again is, Trust Me.

Why must I let myself be lost? we persist.  The answer is, Look to the acorn and trust Me. 


~Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity, pages 163-166

~~~~~~~

May the Lord grow and bless and strengthen you all, and may each trial, each "letting go" He brings you to, serve to make you more like His Son Jesus Christ.