I have a lesson I teach at workshops that captivates me. I love to teach it because it excites me, and I love watching people’s faces when the simplicity of this lesson dawns on them. Oddly, I don’t remember where the concept came from. Perhaps it was presented whole to me in some mostly forgotten class in college or even high school. Perhaps I pieced it together from lectures and textbooks over the years. Maybe I made the whole thing up. I’m good at making things up.

I connected with this concept when a student asked, “What makes a piece of literature a classic?”

I knew the answer! I’m sharing it with you in the hope that it will impact your enjoyment of what you are reading.

Why do we read some books over and over? Why do some books end up in curriculum, each generation savoring the story of an author long dead?

Three things make a book a classic:
1. The work must identify the condition of man.
2. The work must shed light on a universal truth.
3. The work must inspire the reader to seek a higher plane.

This applies to the greatest story ever told.

The Gospel identifies humankind as sinners separated from God.
Universally, people struggle with the emptiness that living without God generates.

Believing in Christ and the resurrection after the punishment for an individual’s sin motivates people to accept salvation, read the Bible, and follow God’s Word.

When DragonSpell first came out, my editor said, “This is destined to become a classic.”

You can bet I wrapped that little sentence in fine cloth and treasured it in my heart. I revisit it when I feel like I’m not of much use.

The theme of DragonSpell is moving from a state of slavery to a servant attitude. Assessing the story through the lens of a classic might look something like this.

Condition of man: Kale has been given gifts that she doesn’t recognize.
Universal truth: To develop and utilize one’s gifts takes effort, courage, and guidance.
The higher plane: To use one’s gifts for the benefit of others without regard to fame or fortune.

Sometimes the higher plane can be identified as a moral warning.

In “Little Boy Blue,” the boy neglects his duty and loses his sheep. So the higher plane is choosing to honor commitments.

In “Goldilocks,” the little girl learns to use some discretion when entering into unknown territory and pillaging things belonging to others. The higher plane is to aim to be a wise explorer and therefore safe from bears. And the bears learn to lock their doors.

But classics are enjoyable whether you’ve identified them as such or not. So, please don’t start reading all your fiction as if there’s a test at the end. Enjoy the story. But also be aware that a classic might change your attitude. In fact, some books have changed the attitude of a multitude of readers. Uncle Tom’s Cabin and To Kill a Mockingbird are two that come to mind.

I confess that I generally liked the classics I was forced to read in school. Many of the messages stayed with me. Some of them I even read again when I didn’t have to. They read so much better when you don’t have to write a report afterwards.

But another thought rears a venomous snake-like head: Story impacts our minds and hearts. Wonderful, when the tale brings truth to a searching individual. Devastating, when the words lead a fragile personality down a path of deception, destruction, and distance from our loving Father.

Be careful what you read.

Be careful what you write.

Recommended books:
God of the Fairy Tale by Jim Ware
Finding God in The Lord of the Rings by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware

– – – – –

Donita Paul is the author of the popular DragonKeeper Chronicles and The Chiril Chronicles. In addition she has authored the children’s books The Dragon and the Turtle and The Dragon & the Turtle Go on Safari.

Donita lives in Colorado where she mentors writers of all ages, teaching teenagers and weekly adult writing workshops.

To discuss this, I need to break two of my unspoken Spec-Faith column rules.

1. Speculative Faith is primarily for readers, secondarily for writers.
2. Ergo: self, don’t write only about writing tips for writers.

Today I’ll need to limit my audience, to tighten the niche even narrower than it already is. I will need to speak primarily to you writers who write about writing.

The rest of you, however, are more than welcome in this little clubhouse. Mind your head.

Beyond ‘writicism’

Seven years ago I attended my first writers’ conference. That was a heady experience:

Wow here are other writers just like me who like writing about actual science fiction and things like that and best of all from a Christian perspective so where do I sign up and will you listen to my very naïve science-fiction novel proposal please with a minimum of laughing?

It bore fruit. That’s how I made real- and aspiring-author friends. I joined Speculative Faith. That site grew. Other sites, networks, independent publishers, and even some traditional Christian publishers’ slow acceptance of some fantasy, also grew. That’s fantastic. And it’s likely true that any growth here may be better than none.

But this can reach a plateau. Many websites and writers neglect the main reason they should grow. They turn into what I’ll call Writers Who Write about Writing for Writers Who also Write about Writing. Writers end up practicing writicism.

No, I’m not saying this is sin. I’m saying it’s limiting. It’s shooting ourselves in the foot.

We’re doing the same thing we’d do if we decided: Hey, let’s try not to reach out to regular readers.

Just now I’ll take a stroll through my social-network feed and recount what I read only from the writers I follow. (Again, this is not condemning, only observing.) Apart from justifiable excitement over the third Man of Steel film trailer, I found:

• A comment on a tips-for-writing article.
• A twice-shared blog post about personal encouragement for writers.
• A blog post about writing particular sorts of characters.
• A post more broadly applying to readers — a novel chapter preview — yet the word “writing” is still in its title.
• An author’s FB-echoed Tweet that’s specifically about another writing tip.
• A contest announcement by writers, about writers, for writers.
• A blog post about family members and writing hardships.
• This comical post: Ten People You Don’t Want to Meet at a Writer’s Group. (The eleventh person may be the man who wants to quit writing about writing so much.)

Writers, put your imaginations to work and consider: ¹

1. If you were a reader only, would you feel like these posts are meant for you?
2. Might they lay down needless “stumbling blocks” to promoting fantastic stories?
3. Would you feel drawn into stories and wonder, or writing about stories for wonder?

Perhaps we must re-introduce the kinds of readers that writers should be reaching.

Adults with children and teens

Who are they? The furthest you can get from any writism. If they ever wanted to be writers, now they don’t have time. They work other jobs, raise their families, go to church, care for relatives, host birthday parties, try to keep their teens on the right path.

What do they want? Decent stories for their kids.

What do they need? The same. They also should know that it’s good for them to enjoy epic stories for God’s glory — beyond the assumed justifications of entertainment, edification and evangelism. In fact, this is vital God-worship that their children must see them doing.

What do they not need? First to be acknowledged. To be spoken to. To see their “names.”

‘Lewis/Tolkien or bust’ readers

Who are they? We’ve all encountered these folks. They go to your church or library and enjoy the works, and films based on the works, of Inkling scholars. As far they know, these are the only great books out there. If asked, they will say, “Christian fiction is lame.”

What do they want? The sense of a great story, the rightful “escapism” it brings.

What do they need? More stories, and the fact that we can enjoy beyond only top classics.

What do they not need? The persistent assumption that “Christian fiction is lame” or rare. Yes, some is lame — and much of secular fiction is lame. Great stories by Christian authors are out there. We can’t simply act like we can talk about writing and better craft and thus magically generate better, more-popular novels. We must promote the stories themselves.

Church members

Who are they? The people we know at our churches, including members of the above groups.

What do they want? To enjoy God, to glorify Him in all they do, and to enjoy others’ gifts.

What do they need? They need to know that you are not only a “writicist,” but that you love stories, and that you love them for reasons that are Biblical and worshipful and necessary.

What do they not need? A notion that you only have a silly hobby that is at best optional and at worst a distraction from more-spiritual pursuits. They also don’t need to feel any “hipster” or artistically/spiritually superior vibe. If you have this vibe, they will sense it.

What can we do?

At some point our responses must go beyond free-floating blogs and abstract discussion into boots-and-sweat-on-the-ground solutions. But we might start with this:

1. Write a blog about other readers whom writers and authors may have forgotten.
2. Excerpt that blog below.
3. Then flagrantly advertise your link so this conversation can build speed.

Engage.

At a book signing last spring, a woman speaking with the author beside me kept glancing my way with a sort of sour uncertainty. In a long-sleeved blouse, long denim skirt, and with her gray hair in a bun, she had the prim-and-proper look down pat.

Since I live at the edge of the largest Old-Order Amish community in the world, I often see women in ultra-conservative garb. But they don’t usually look at me askance, as this woman did. I guessed it was the cover image on the sci-fi books on my table that made her nervous.

Next time her furtive gaze flitted my way, I smiled, trying to ease her discomfort. She seemed to relax a bit, perhaps thinking I might not be as dangerous as she feared. The author next to me noticed our cautious interaction and introduced me. “This is Yvonne. She and I go to the same church.”

Turns out the woman was her sister-in-law. Apparently the church connection reassured her that I was safe to talk to. But to make sure we’d have no misunderstandings, she told me with self-righteous conviction, “I don’t read fiction.”

I’ve heard that before. Some see make-believe in any form as childish, and novels, much like playing cards, give the devil entrance to the heart and mind. Still hoping to show myself a benign entity, I shrugged. “That’s okay. Not everyone likes that sort of thing.”

After that, she became chatty. (It probably helped that her sister-in-law was in close proximity in case she needed back-up.) I don’t recall what roads our conversation rambled along, but somehow we came to the subject of romance novels. She smiled as if discussing a friend. “That’s what I read. Romances.”

I can’t tell you what my expression said in response, nor do I remember what I verbalized. What I thought was, “And that’s not fiction?”

Let’s give the lady the benefit of the doubt. When she said, “I don’t read fiction,” she probably meant she doesn’t read science fiction. But few things fit the criteria of literary fantasy more solidly than romance novels. Like with reality TV — you’d find more reality at Disney World.

Or so I presume; I’ve never been to Disney World. But I’m guessing there’s sufficient real-life high-level logistics, mechanics, engineering, and business acumen going on there to boggle the mind if we knew the half of it.

One might ask, if real life is so interesting, why bother with fiction? One answer: facts are less dry and easier to digest when put into story form. We learn more about history from historical novels (assuming they accurately portray the facts) or novel-like memoirs than from the best textbook. Scientific concepts? Put them in a story where the character learns about them, and I’m fascinated; hand me an academic paper, and my eyes glaze over.

How about foreign language? When I was in elementary school, I read a book called The Avion My Uncle Flew. It was a story about a boy whose parents sent him to live with his uncle in France. I don’t remember a thing about the story, except that during his stay, the boy learns some basic conversational French, and the reader learns along with him. The last chapter is a letter the boy wrote to his parents entirely in French, and, thanks to the education gained during the course of the book, the reader can read every word of it. What a fabulous way to learn! (Note: since the book gave no auditory clues, the reader would need additional help with the pronunciation. For instance, I thought the French word for it is [c’est] was pronounced kest.)

To my mind, the mark of a good book has little to do with its genre. Though I write Christian speculative fiction, I’ve never considered the typical Christian novel appealing, nor would I say science fiction and fantasy are my favorite genres. I like a book I can learn from; something that challenges me to view the world from a different perspective; a story that takes me somewhere I’ve never been before.

But speculative fiction’s pretty “out there.” What can we possible learn from it? In my opinion, plenty. Just as you might learn a little history from historicals, you might learn a little science from hard sci-fi. But more than that, spec-fic, whether or not it’s written from the Christian perspective, is the perfect medium for showcasing the human condition—our frailties and limitations, our varied attempts to redeem ourselves, our ceaseless repetition of the sins of our fathers.

It’s been said that good sci-fi is all about big ideas; to properly enjoy it, your brain must be engaged. I’d say that applies to all good speculative fiction, not just sci-fi. While the average mystery, thriller—and yes, even romance—deals with immediate issues and up-close crises, speculative fiction pans across the big-picture panorama. Discarding the trappings of culture and tradition, it lets us see why mankind does what he does—and how, despite negative consequences, he does it again and again. Sometimes it illustrates the futility of humanism; sometimes it shows that our only hope comes from beyond ourselves (whether that “beyond” is spiritual or extra-terrestrial). It asks serious questions, and doesn’t always answer them. Even when the immediate crisis is resolved at the end of the tale, the bigger issues often aren’t.

I think that’s why speculative fiction has existed, in one form or another, since the beginning (as I observed awhile back in a post about epic poems). And that’s why I expect it won’t be going away any time soon. The format, the delivery, and plot lines change. But the deeper meaning that fuels it is eternal.

“There is an appointed time for everything.  And there is a time for every event under heaven ~ A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing. A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace. What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? I  have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time.  He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor, it is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. That which is has been already, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-7

We live in a world of change.

Life is measured in moments of contrast: moments of celebration and moments of devastation, moments of laughter and moments of tears. Yesterday’s bombings at the Boston marathon are a dreadful reminder of how quick life changes. In the midst of this event celebrating the pinnacle of man’s strength and endurance, all of the moments of life seemed to collide at once. What should have been a moment of great celebration turned instantly ugly and full of terror. In a heartbeat, life changed again.

An eight year old boy enjoying a day out with his family is licking ice-cream beside his dad and watching the race and the very next moment he is taken violently from this world by the angry blast of a hidden bomb.

Moments like this remind us all that we are not as “in control” as we think we are.

As creatures who long for comfort and control we are unsettled most of all when we hear stories like this. We long to “fix” it. To set things right, the way we would want them to be, but the truth is we can’t. There is no fixing what has been done. Time cannot be negotiated with. Moments pass, and they never return. We only get one chance to live this life and it comes with no guarantees of easy living.

It’s not hard to spot change in life – it’s everywhere. Spring turns to Summer, Summer becomes Fall, Fall leads to Winter, Winter becomes Spring. The Young become Old, what’s New today becomes Old tomorrow. You are not the same person you were 5 years ago.

No, life does not stay put. The pages of our story continue to turn. Days turn to weeks and months and years. Love and heartbreak lies ahead for all of us. Nobody escapes this life unchanged.

But where was God during the Boston marathon? Was he caught off guard by the attack?

The writer of Ecclesiastes doesn’t think so. He puts God right in the middle of it all saying, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.”

God is in control.

God has a purpose in what happens even if we have a hard time understanding what that purpose is.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Change can be uncomfortable and even devastating at times, but we must never confuse the changes in life as changes in God’s plan. He is not sitting in his heaven with a bowl of popcorn watching events unfold from a distance and responding to them with surprise or shock. He knows the end from the beginning and has ordained every moment of our lives before they have ever been. He knew the families would be sitting directly beside the bomb when it detonated. He knew the joy of that moment would be ruined by the evil plans of the cowards who planted the bomb.

Joseph (of the Bible) knew this to be true as well. He knew the Lord was in control of every event of his life. After all the pain and suffering he experienced from his own brothers selling him into slavery and being wrongfully accused of adultery and thrown into prison, Joseph was elevated to a place of great influence in Egypt.

In Genesis 50:20 we see his brothers (the same who sold him into slavery and lied about his death to their father) reunited with Joseph the overseer in Egypt. When they realize who he really is they are devastated because of the evil they had done to him. But Joseph, having lost years of his life to the lies and sin of his brothers boldly states: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

Literally, Joseph is saying “as you were plotting evil (past tense), God was plotting the same things for good (past tense).”

Yes, life is going to change. Bad things are going to continue to happen and it is only going to get worse before the end of our story. But even as it does, let us never fall into the trap of thinking that God is for one moment not in control of it all.

And that brings me to my final point.

Live each moment to the fullest!

So what are we to do? Should we respond by living in fear of every moment? Should we worry about change in life?

By no means! All you can see today is the middle of God’s work, not its end. Live authentically in the season of life God has you in, but never lose sight of him. He alone knows the beginning from the end and He has us all where He wants us. This fact alone should bring confidence and joy to those who believe in him.

If you have a husband or wife, enjoy them. If you are blessed with children, enjoy them. Never take life, or the Lord for granted. Embrace each moment and bring as much joy and love into your world as you can. Being a part of God’s amazing Story is a wonderful place to be.

“I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor, it is the gift of God.”

We should be confident that God will make all things beautiful in his time (even the painful stuff). He is plotting good even now. We just have not seen the end of the Story yet.

All through secondary school and beyond, the library was my friend. When I was in seventh through ninth grades, because of transportation issues, I spent an hour before school in the library. It was then I became acquainted with Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, and the Brontë sisters. During those years I also discovered The Black Stallion and all his offspring.

As I grew older, I learned the library was a repository for periodicals as well as books. I turned to many of its resources for research.

Now as the book industry feels the effects of the technology revolution, I wonder if libraries have a future. I am fortunate enough to live in a county that utilizes a library share approach. If my very small branch of the library doesn’t have the book I want, they will borrow it for me from one that has it. I also benefit from a substantial church library. We have between 11,000 and 12,000 volumes–from picture books, middle grade and young novels, adult fiction, biographies, other non-fiction, and research tools. All Christian.

But what, I wonder, will happen to these libraries as more books become digitalized? Will each person carry around their own customized library within their ereader? Will Amazon with it’s lender-for-a-fee approach (see Amazon Prime) replace libraries?

Or is there a future for libraries? Can they adapt to the new technology, and even make use of it? I know some are trying by installing computers which can handle research, for instance, and can become a reader for books in the public domain. But what else can libraries do or what should they do if they are to continue?

Or should we eventually concede that as print books become a smaller percentage of all books, libraries will shrink and fade and disappear in the same way book stores are?

Will libraries remain for sentimental purposes, as types of museums to a time past where the rare masters can be viewed but not handled? Or will libraries reinvent themselves and become an even greater force in making reading material available to the public at large?

Do we care?

I suspect the answer to that question is the most critical one. If as a reading society, we don’t care about the free availability of reading material on nearly any subject, we may be creating a gatekeeper much more restrictive than any publishing company has been. The materials once available because of our free speech rights and our antipathy to censorship, may simply become unavailable because there is no sales outlet carrying them and no library.

Perhaps I’m crying wolf or shouting that the sky is falling–but of course, you’ll only know those literary references if those stories continue to be available to the public at large. Or if someone in the book or entertainment business figures out a way to make a profit by continuing to produce them. But if libraries are preserved, anyone can read about Chicken Little or the prankster shepherd boy–anyone at all.

So what do you think about libraries? Do you use them? Do you think they have a future? What should libraries do to insure they’ll have a place in society in the future?

I watched an episode of “The Walking Dead” a couple weeks ago at the suggestion of a friend. “The Walking Dead” is a story centered on a handful of humans trying to survive in a world that has succumb to a disease that turns people into zombies.

It’s graphic. It’s gory. And, strangely for me, it was very sad.

Half of me was horrified of the zombies. Their decayed bodies, their thirst for living flesh, their pack mentality. The fear that once you are bit, you will become one of them.

Yet there was a part of me that felt sympathy for them. They had no say in becoming zombies. Mothers, wives, children, brothers, husbands. They were people who once had lives. Now they were reduced to shambling undead whose only impulse was to prey upon the living. Chained to a horrifying existence.

I can’t tell you how many times I have read this verse: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…” Ephesians 2:1 NASB (emphasis mine). But actually seeing the undead on this show made me realize just how bad off we are. We are zombies. We are walking around, talking, eating, breathing, living. And yet we are dead. Corpses. Living and dead at the same time. Shuffling around, searching for life, with no clue how destitute we are.

“The Walking Dead” made me see God’s Word in a whole new way.

Maybe I’m just weird, but I see God’s truth in speculative stories all the time.

A couple years ago I was reading a Star Wars series. While reading about Luke and his interaction with the force, I thought, “That is how the Holy Spirit is in my life!”

Now don’t get me wrong: I believe the Holy Spirit is the third person in the triune God and not just some spiritual force. And the Force is generally a neutral power in the lives of the Jedi.

But in this particular story, the way the force guided Luke, comforted him, strengthened him, and counseled him was exactly how the Holy Spirit works in a believer’s life.

A Star Wars story showed me a glimpse of how God works in our lives.

Or take the Matrix. The human race is enslaved to a computer program and deceived into believing the world they live in is real. A handful of humans have broken free and are working toward the freedom of all mankind. But in order to be free, a person must make the decision for him or herself. Choose between the pills. Red or blue. Stay in the system or be free.

The irony is that the fake world generated by the computer seems so much more beautiful and enticing than the real world. In the fake world you are attractive, with stylish clothes and delicious food. But the reality is your life is being sucked from you. You are a slave and don’t even know it.

I also find it interesting that those who are outside the system are desperately trying to free their fellow man. They could turn around and head to Zion and leave the human race where it is. But they don’t.

And their lives are not very appealing. They live on a dirty ship, constantly on the run, wearing drab clothing and eating tasteless mush. Yet they won’t give up on mankind. They will keep trying to free the human race with their last breath.

Same with us. Our world is enslaved to sin. But our world doesn’t know it. All it sees is wealth and beauty and power. However, none of it is real. It is simply an illusion that keeps people enslaved to sin, which eventually leads to death.

And like those people who are free of the computer, the Christian life is not a glorious life. It is one of serving, pain, and giving up what we want now to gain something so much better later. But it is worth it if we are able to help others find freedom in this life.

So how about you? Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and suddenly seen God or a passage from the Bible in a whole new way? Share with us the story and what you discovered about God.

– – – – –

Morgan L. Busse writes speculative fiction for the adult market. She is the author of Daughter of Light and Son of Truth, the first two books in a series from Marcher Lord Press. Morgan lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children. You can find out more about Morgan at her blog, Facebook, or Twitter (@MorganLBusse)

Why do Christians exploring God’s true Story often stop just before its grandest finale?

After suffering God’s wrath and death as a substitute for sinners, Jesus bodily resurrected Himself. Last Easter we celebrated that truth again.

Glorious. His resurrection proves He conquered death! What happens next?

Jesus left Earth, but also left the divine Holy Spirit. He began work that continues today: resurrecting saints from spiritual death to serve Him in His Kingdom colony, the Church.

Fantastic. Jesus shares His resurrection power with His people. What happens next?

All you ever need to know about the End Times?

Christ will return, and according to the Left Behind series, only after a lengthy end-times scenario featuring evil dictators, special effects, and Satanic mind control.

Hmm. Interesting. I should read the news and panic more often. What happens next?

Having finished His resurrection work, Jesus nukes Earth and takes His people to Heaven.

Oh-kay. What happens next?

It will be wonderful. But we can’t know. “No eye has seen” (1 Cor. 2:9), that’s all we know.

THE END(?)

The third Resurrection

Read the now-complete Resurrection series.

No. That’s not the very end of God’s Story. And knowing more (still not all, of course) about His Story’s true ending has changed my life. It may also change why and how we enjoy any other fantastic stories.

1 Corinthians 15:23 summarizes the first two resurrections. Jesus Christ is risen. In Him, His people are also risen, and will rise. “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power,” Paul writes (1 Cor. 15:24). Elsewhere the apostle goes into greater detail about this third resurrection:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Romans 8: 20-23

Creation doesn’t “want” to suffer. God — not man, not the Devil — subjected it to suffering. And God doesn’t intend to punish creation for its caretakers’ rebellion.¹ Instead He will resurrect “the creation itself,” just as He will physically resurrect His people.

He will turn the groaning, ours and creation’s, into singing.

David and other Old-Testament prophets anticipated a time when creation would perfectly sing God’s praises, with Jerusalem at the Kingdom’s center (the Psalms).

Isaiah prophesied a New Heavens and New Earth (Isaiah 60, 65-66).

The Apostle John echoed that promise (Rev. 21). “Now the dwelling of God is with man,” on New Earth (Rev. 21:3). As one of my church’s teachers said last Sunday, God does not take His people away to live in His home. He redeems our home, and then moves there Himself.

Jesus Who died shall be satisfied / And Earth and Heaven be one.

Jesus resurrected Himself, resurrects people spiritually and then physically, then finally will resurrect creation itself. That means we can look at this wondrous creation, groan over sin’s infection, yet begin to imagine what this universe would be like when it’s redeemed. Will we enjoy science? Space exploration? Wondrous music? Deep-sea diving? Enhanced athletic competition? The most incredible feasts imaginable? In the New Heavens and New Earth, will nearly every wonder we think limited to literary-fantasy worlds become reality?

World changes

This truth shatters more than dimly lit views of eternity. It also means we must reevaluate phrases like “this world is not our home” or “we’ll never see beloved relatives again on this Earth,” or “only two things in this world will last: God and human souls.” It also transforms how we see fantastic stories, material wealth, time, vocation, church and state, everything.

And this challenges common views of passages such as in 1 Cor. 2 and 15, and in 2 Peter 3.

“Natural body.” Doesn’t the Bible say we will have “a spiritual body,” not “a natural body” (1 Cor. 15:44) and that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 15:50)?

Absolutely it does. And we need those truths, lest we assume (as some who overemphasize physical things do) that we can skip as-is into God’s physical Kingdom without some great change in our persons. Yet we shouldn’t assume spiritual means bodiless. If that were true, God would not encourage us to be spiritual even in our current bodies (1 Cor. 2: 14-15). Natural and flesh and blood mean fallen. “Spiritual” means Spirit-influenced.

“No eye has seen.” What about 1 Cor. 2:9? Doesn’t this discourage dreaming of New Earth?

It might discourage this, if Paul were offering a caution that’s even about the afterlife. But in the NIV “no eye has seen” is only part of Paul’s thought, which in context is about “God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden” — hidden, that is, until now.

However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—

these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

(1 Cor. 2: 9-10, NIV)

God still has His secrets (Deut. 29:29). But He has revealed more about Himself and about what His resurrected creation will be like than we may think. Once He does reveal a secret, it belongs to His people and their children forever (the rest of Deut. 29:29).

“Burned up.” Won’t the Earth be “burned up,” nuked away, according to 2 Peter 3:10 (KJV)?

Sounds like it — at first glance. We need to know this truth: many things will be burned. If we live for money, our money will burn. If we live for family love, that love will go up in smoke. If we live for political/social change, that false religion will explode. And if we live only for new thrills from the next great manmade story, those stories will be destroyed.

Live for anything but Christ, and we ourselves will burn. Forever. ²

This “global warming” will be no hoax. But then Earth will be back, filled with the Son’s light.

But Peter is clear that it’s the “heavenly bodies [that] will be burned up and dissolved” and “the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10, ESV). Evidently only newer (less-reliable) manuscripts render the refiner’s-fire-sounding term “exposed” as “burned up” (as in the KJV). It’s still sobering: Earth and all our works on the face of it will face God’s judgment. But it’s not a total annihilation of the planet.³

What about materialism? Doesn’t this view only encourage us to cling to temporary things?

I don’t know about others. I can only say for sure that believing and exploring this doctrine of a third resurrection for “the creation itself” has helped make me less materialistic. Since beginning this study, I’ve also longed more than ever before for Christ’s return, His victory, His Kingdom, and living in that light as His adopted son and as part of His Church.

If it weren’t for this truth, I would be doing my best to mortify, not explore, my love for fantastic stories.

If no story has any chance of being used for God’s Kingdom, both now and for eternity, then I say let them burn now before they burn at His judgment.

Yet I don’t believe all stories will burn. We can worship God while enjoying stories, now and forever.

Series conclusion

Jesus died for His people’s sins and resurrected from the dead. That’s the simple truth.

It’s all you need to believe to be a Christian.

However, God’s Story also encourages us with much more.

Resurrection spreads to His people now.

It will spread to His creation, Earth and beyond, in the future.

And that’s the most fantastic world we can anticipate long after Easter is past.

Nominations are now open for the 2013 Clive Staples Award.

Eligible books must be all of the following:

• Christian — either overtly or because of a Christian worldview.
• Published in English.
• Published by a publisher that has no direct affiliation with the author and that pays a royalty. (This does mean self-published works are not currently allowed, not even books self-published through any publishing companies’ services.)
• Published between January 1 and December 31 of the contest’s current year. (For example, for the Clive Staples Award held in 2013, entrants must have been published between, Jan. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2012.)
• In the science fiction/fantasy/allegory/futuristic/supernatural/supernatural suspense/horror category.

Reminder: authors, agents, and publishers may not nominate books with which they are affiliated.

Please read the complete Standards for Clive Staples Award Books and then nominate the book or books of your choice by giving the following information in the comments section of this post: title, author, and publisher.

I’m looking forward to the list we readers will put together.

One of the most asked questions I get when speaking to schools about my writing is “Where do you get your ideas?” and similarly, “How do you find inspiration to write?”. It’s a fun question to answer because my answer is almost always different every time. Why? Because ideas don’t come from any one place. Inspiration is life. It comes from our experiences, our daily grind. It’s seldom found in the same place twice. As a writer, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s what keeps me on my toes, living life and observing my world.

For me, finding inspiration is “the thrill of the hunt”, so to speak. As writers, it’s our job to track down the fickle muse of inspiration with all the stealth of a lioness in the tall grass. We wander the watering holes, and shady places in search of our prey. These are the places frequently visited by inspiration, but it never guarantees we will find anything there.

What I thought I’d do today is share a list of frequent places I go to find inspiration. Perhaps you’ve tried a few of them yourself. If not, I encourage you to add one or two in your quest for ideas next time.

1. Current Events: North Korea has made the news a bunch lately, pompously parading its nuclear missiles around like a seventh grade boy who just got his first chest hair…only a mentally unstable teen, and the chest hair is explosive. A meteorite explodes in the sky over Russia and sends shock waves that blow the glass out of everything for several miles in all directions. We can take things like this and use them in our own stories, twisting and turning them to meet our own story needs. What if the meteor was bigger? What if it happend over New York city? What if the North Koreans blew themselves up by accident during their training missions? What if our hero needed to stop a mentally unstable antagonist who has the keys to a weapon more powerful than the death star?  All of this is story gold…ripped right from the headlines.

2. Biblical and Historical Events: Our first book, The Legend of Gid the Kid and the Black Bean Bandits, was a retelling of the Gideon story from the Bible. It began with a simple verse in Judges “In those days, Israel had no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” I pondered this verse and wondered what it would really be like to live in a world without authority – where might was right, and the only law was what I believed to be right for me. That thought led me to the legends of the Wild West. Untamed country, where men did as they pleased. It was a wild and dangerous place to live. History is full of stories of courage, redemption, sacrifice, scandals and good old-fashioned conflict – the heartbeat of a story. Use it to your advantage.

3. Reading Books: I can’t tell you how many books I’ve started and never finished. It’s not because the books weren’t good, but because the books made me hunger to write again. The more I read, no matter what the genre, the more the voice of the written word is awakened inside. Feed your mind with the written word, and you may find the words you seek.

4. Blogs: Blogs are ideas. Reading blogs by other writers is a great source of inspiration. Just hearing the passion other writers have for their work can get you “in the groove” of your own project. Some of my favorite places to go are: SpeculativeFaith.com (of course), SaveTheCat.com, MichaelHyatt.com, CrapHound.com, DesiringGod.org and a bunch more…

5. Art: It’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words. Check out this piece by my friend Jared Shear. Need I say more?

6. Nature: I was staring at my un-mowed lawn yesterday (I told you inspiration hides in unlikely places sometimes) and wondered what my lawn would look like after North Korea nukes Seattle. How deep could it possibly get when fueled by the radioactive pollens of the apocalypse. One thing let to another and soon I had imagined an entire story world wherein plants, insects, mushrooms and the like fought with each other for domination of a world without humans – World War III…with weeds! Our hero, a pansy carrying a machete, must hack his way through countless villains in his quest for the promised land. Oh what a story it will be. So, go for a hike. Wake up a bit earlier tomorrow to watch the sunrise. You never know what God might reveal to you in his wonderful world.

7. Eavesdropping On Dialogue: I’ll admit…I’m a snoop. But not in a creepy way, I swear. I just love dialogue. I love the unexpected drama of life. Most dialogue is boring, but every once in awhile I’ll overhear a conversation in the mall (or coffee shop) that is really intriguing. I pretend to do something else and just listen for awhile. I soak it up, taking in the nuances of the engaged individuals. How they handle the conflict, how they deal with each other’s words.

8. Movies: I love movies. I’ve been blessed with a mother in law who gives FREE movie ticket vouchers to us for Christmas every year (like 20 movie tickets per person in my family – including my 18 month old). It’s awesome to be able to catch a flick that’s in the vein of what I’m writing about and see other artist’s imaginations at work. Even lame films often have inspirational moments in them. Often I’ll find myself thinking, “Oh, that idea could totally be better if it were like this…”  and my mind is off to the races.

9. Music: I’m a big fan of soundtracks. Music without words is a must for me to be inspired when writing. Writing to soundtracks puts me in the mood for epic stories. My playlist includes Inception, Tron: Legacy, Dark Knight, Harry Potter, John Carter, etc. You’ll find your own favorites, but for me…it’s gotta be a musical adventure.

 10. Coffee House: I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve found that hanging out in a local coffee shop is one of the best ways to focus on my creative writing. I’m strangely unbothered by the hard chairs, the buzz of people, and the occasional interruption from somebody I know. I’m not sure why it works exactly, but some of my best writing comes from hanging out in places like this. But not all coffee shops are created equal. There are a few rules I’ve made for myself when scoping new coffee shops out. Rule 1: It must have a south facing window (I need my sunlight). Rule 2: It can’t be overly air conditioned (shivering all day does not help me focus). Rule 3: It can’t be in a place where too many of my friends drop in. Rule 4: It’s got to smell good.

11. Write or Die: Sometimes the best way to get the writing juices flowing is to JUST WRITE!!!! Stop trying to find the magical mood, and just dive in. Sure it will probably suck, but there is nothing quite as inspiring as seeing your own words on the page. Bad writing can be fixed. Not writing anything can’t be fixed. One of the best tools to help nudge me along in my writing lately has been WriteOrDie.com. You plug in a word count goal, and set a time limit and the tool does the rest. The screen turns red when  you stop writing, there’s an “evil” mode that starts to delete your words if you stop typing, and another mode that plays annoying sounds at you if you stop typing. It’s great to watch your word count soar as time flies by. Oh, and did I mention it’s FREE? For $10 you can even buy a downloadable version to engage in “word wars” with friends. Compete head to head in writing challenges. It’s a way to make writing…a game. How fun is that?!?! (BTW: I’m millerbrother1 if anyone wants to challenge me sometime)

So there you have it. Eleven ways I stalk inspiration in my writing. But I want to hear from you. What ways do you find inspiration? Post a comment below and share your ideas with us too. Who knows, your idea might help another author spawn a great idea.