Novelist Rene Gutteridge's Blog!

NEW PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT & GIVEAWAY

2011-12-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

Hey friends! You can win a free book!

I've got a new and very exciting project announcement. We've just created a new Facebook page for it. If we get to 500 LIKES today, we're giving away a ton of books.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/7-Hours/218628601550788

For some extra tidbits of info on our secret project, click here:

http://jamesandrewwilson.com/james_andrew_wilson/7_Hours.html

Go "Like" us and you're automatically entered into the drawing!

Love

2011-12-25T18:04:00.000-08:00

Jesus

Loves

You

Spend 2012 searching Him out and finding out how very much He adores you.

Savior

2011-12-24T20:02:00.000-08:00

Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God! -- Psalm 42:11

Jesus came to this earth as a vast fulfillment, carrying with Him all that humanity needed. I've just blogged twenty-three times about the different ways Jesus has touched my life and what He is to me. I could've gone on many more times. But for everything He is, if He wasn't first and foremost Savior, then it would all be for nothing. He could be a great teacher, a great helper, full of wisdom, but in the end, we were still destined to die in our sins and to take the punishment for all we've done, as individuals and as the human race.

If someone didn't come to save us, it would be over. To say Jesus saved my life is the understatement of the century, but at the heart of it all, it is that simple. He saved me from punishment. From death. He continues to save me from harm, from lies, from myself.

Isaiah 9:6

For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

In other words, Savior.

Merry Christmas, in the fullest sense of the Word.

Truth

2011-12-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through me." Recently my son asked me, "Mom, how do we know that Christianity is THE only way? How do we even know it's true?"

It's a good question. A smart question. It's a question that anybody who is seeking to find truth should ask. If Christianity is worth anything, then it can stand up to this question. And I believe it does.

There are many aspects of Christianity that persuade me to bet not only this current life and all that is in it, but my entire eternal future on the belief that it is true. It sort of begins with the question, is there really even a God?

To me, the idea that all this is a random accident doesn't ring true at all. It doesn't even make sense. There is almost nothing to convince me of it. Looking just at the human body alone convinces me we were created. But not just the whole body. The eye. The inner ear. The brain. And then there's the sky and the stars and the way the sun and the moon work together. Then there's the vast solar system. And wind. And thunder. There are the seasons. Dolphins. There is love.

But there is something else, and that is the question, where does goodness come from? If we are nothing but an advanced form of animal, then why does a man sacrifice his life for a total stranger? Why are we compelled to help the weakest instead of propel the strongest? Why is there a standard by which we all believe we should live by? Why is cheating or stealing wrong, if our instincts tell us to survive by any means? Why do we have character? Nobility? Honesty?

From the point that I concluded that there is indeed a God, then I had to ask the question, is Jesus who He said He was? We know for certain a man named Jesus existed and claimed to be the Son of God. It's not fable. The question is, is it true? I think I'd be less inclined to believe it had He shown up as everyone expected, as a mighty warrior coming to overthrow an oppressive regime and put Israel into power. Turns out that wasn't His plan. It was much bigger. And very much unexpected. It was offered far and wide, to Israel and to its enemies. It didn't come commanding a vast army. It came humbly. Poor and destitute. The savior everyone was expecting turned up at criminals' homes. He talked to prostitutes and outcasts.

Greatness came in many forms the day Jesus arrived on earth, but it came in the most human way possible, too. It came in way so that no man could claim he was left out or uncared for. Freedom and love was offered to everyone, not just a select few. Not just to a chosen nation. To everyone.

And all the prophecies recorded about Him hundreds of years before came true.

He predicted the world would hate Him. He was right. But not all the world. Not me. I, for one, am thankful for a God who took pity on me. But more than that, He took me into His arms.

There is a lot to ponder when it comes to Christianity. Every part of it can stand up to scrutiny. Jesus will not turn you away for your questions. He won't turn you away at all. We are the ones that turn Him away.

The Great I AM invites you to search for the truth. I don't think you'll ever be disappointed in what you find in Jesus.

Final Winner

2011-12-23T11:41:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to LisaAnn V! You are the winner of the last Christmas drawing!

Redeemer

2011-12-22T14:06:00.000-08:00

With the coupon craze as it is now, it seems we'd all know a little something about the word redeem. But it has a lot of meanings, and when it turns from a verb to a noun, when we've been redeemed by the Redeemer, the meaning has such extraordinary eternal provision for us that it's best if broken down into small, bite-sized pieces.

As our Redeemer, here is just a sampling of what He has done for us, by His own blood, by His own sacrifice.

1) He has compensated for our faults and the bad aspects of our character and being as well as for our poor past performances and/or behaviors. (Probably *and*)

2) He has atoned for our errors and has made amends for our evil acts.

3) He has saved us from our sins, our errors and our evil deeds. He has saved us from the curse, the eternal consequences and the punishment we deserve.

4) He has regained possession of us in exchanged for payment, in our case, His life for ours. He paid the ultimate price to get us back to Him.

5) He exchanged Himself for us, taking our place of punishment, taking all that we deserve and putting Himself in our place. He exchanged His rightful place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to hang on a cross as a criminal, which was our rightful place.

6) He paid the necessary price to clear our debts. What we owed we could not pay. He made sure He paid everything for us to be totally clear of the debt.

7) He fulfilled and carried out His pledge and His promises to all His children, that He would conquer the world and sin and rescue us from depravity.

8) He bought our freedom.

That pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

Strength

2011-12-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 12:2 - See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.

In some of the worst crises I've faced in my life, I would've told you at that moment that I was not strong. In fact, most of the time you'd find me in a heap on the floor, praying for strength between sobs.

But I've found it interesting over the years, as I've pondered what it means when the Lord says He is our strength, that I was much stronger than I gave myself credit for. And in fact, I actually came through much of it unscathed, even though my tear ducts got a good workout.

Strength, of course, comes in many forms. And it's different for every person. But there is one thing I am certain of: when God tells us He's our strength, we often look in the wrong place to identify that strength. We look through human eyes. We try to be strong in and of ourselves.

But God's strength is different and it often looks different than our perceptions of strength. It usually starts from the center of our being, our soul, where no one can see but God. We may look utterly pathetic on the outside, but there's something that's stirring inside of us, telling us there is hope, that things are working for our good, that He has a plan we can't see but we can trust.

If we're going to go by feelings, which is how most of us navigate anyway, I "feel" the strongest when I'm in God's word, especially when I'm reading it out loud over a situation. I believe Him when He says His word never returns void. I believe Him that His word is mighty and strong. I believe Him when He says He's able to do more than we can hope for or ask.

And that belief is strength. It's not bulging and ripped, like it's on steroids. It's quiet and resolved, waiting on Someone bigger than ourselves. It's trust in the dark.

Pray for strength and you will find it through Jesus, sometimes in the most unexpected and quiet ways.

Shelter

2011-12-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

Psalm 91 has become one of my favorite passages over the years. It paints such an enduring and beautiful picture of God as a mighty fortress overshadowing all He loves. To stand in His shadow is peace like no other.

Over the years, Jesus has been my shelter in many ways, more than I can count, really. But a few stick in my mind. I remember being on my way to work, running right on time for once, when my mom called to ask me to come by and sign some paper work. I was aggravated because I knew it would make me late. It ended up saving my life, because had I not stopped by my mom's work, I would've been right in front of the Murrah building when it blew up in Oklahoma City.

More recently, I ended up in a very strenuous ordeal that seemed to be heading into a lawsuit, much to my dismay. Even though I knew I had not done anything wrong, it looked like disaster ahead. I sat on my back porch and prayed the Psalms over my situation, calling down Jesus' help. I was delivered.

More often than bombings and lawsuits, Jesus shelters me from a cruel world, a world that does not accept Him or me. He protects me from my own thoughts, even, reasoning with me when I'm being unreasonable, or paranoid or anxious over the smallest of concerns. He reminds me of how valuable I am to Him even when others don't see me as anything near value. I haven't been on a small sailing vessel lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been hit by some mighty big waves. Yet...I am sheltered.

Does that mean bad things don't come my way? Not at all. We all know Jesus made it clear that in this world, we would have trouble. But He has overcome this world, and if we let Him, He will provide shelter from both the hot and the cold, the dark, the loneliness, the anger and bitterness and more. And that's just naming what we know about. Imagine all the things He's sheltered us from that we don't even know about.

Needing some shelter from the harsh winds of life? Or more specifically, this particular time of year? See below...

Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Warrior

2011-12-19T07:25:00.000-08:00

There is coming a moment in history when everything as we know it will change. As Christians, we often pray for this moment (come, Jesus, come!), eager to be in the arms of the Savior who loves us.

But when we behold Him, I don't believe there will be an ounce of us that will be able to stand. The sight of Him returning will be the end of everything we know, as we know it. Time and Choice will be no more. He will be both righteous judge and righteous warrior. The description that Revelation offers strikes in me both awe and terror. If ever there was a picture of a warrior, this is it:

Revelation 19
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

I cannot read this without chills rushing through me. This brings so many emotions to the surface. I know for whom He is waging war, and I know what side I am on. But I still don't know that I will not tremble at the sight of this mighty Warrior. The fact that He is Faithful, True, Righteous and Fair makes this even more monumental, because there have been great warriors throughout history, but none that perfectly embody all that is right and good and of God.

In this season, we celebrate that unto us, a Child is born, a Son is given. But it would do us good to also remember that this Child grows into the greatest Warrior in the world and the battle that He leads will be the greatest in the history of the world.

Human

2011-12-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

The fact that Jesus was both fully God and fully human is utterly mind-blowing yet also fully comprehensible to those with child-like faith. I suppose it is because we understand that in order for the human race to be saved, a human sacrifice had to be made. What is harder for me to understand is the vast love Jesus had to have in order to leave a kingdom He ruled to come down and dwell among this mess.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is from John 1:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

He became flesh and dwelt among us. It is the great gift and love of God. And it also helps us understand that we are capable through Him of all He asks of us, because He showed us how to be both human and filled with the Spirit of God. He showed us the two can exist together and not only that, were made to exist together. He showed us that He understands every human weakness and need we have, and He fully intends on making us strong and fulfilling His promises not only in us, but through us as well.

That little Baby who shivered in the cold, who became not only human but poor and homeless on our behalf, is worth every effort of our praise and our thanks. Jesus left comfort to bring us comfort. He left prosperity so that we might have our cup overflowing. He left His throne so we could understand we are children of God--heirs, in fact.

And now we have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of Grace and Truth.

Helper

2011-12-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

The older I get, the more reliant I am on Jesus as my Helper. In my twenties, I was glad He was there in a crisis, but I assumed I had most everything else under control. The older I get, the more I realize that I'm so utterly dependent on Him that the thought of Him not being there causes me to desperately panic.

Luckily, He tells us He will never leave us or forsake us. But I often wonder how people get by without Him because I know for certain that I cannot. I've tried. It wasn't pretty.

I am learning that not only am I reliant upon Him in times of crisis, but I also need Him as much in times of prosperity and blessing and peace. Because I'm such a weak and feeble-minded human, I cannot balance either crisis or blessing with any amount of grace without Him.

In fact, I've learned more times than I care to share that I can hardly open my mouth without Him. When I'm not relying on His grace, His care, His Word, His love, my words are like clanging symbols, and that's putting it nicely.

Unbelievably, I'm not a bother to Him with all this help I need. He promises it to me. And He wants to give it to me. I'm such a wreck most of the time that without Him, I'm really better off just standing perfectly still and putting duct tape over my mouth and a blindfold over my eyes. There's a good chance then that I might not cause myself or someone else to stumble. Otherwise, I'm a mess waiting to happen.

I need to give Him every minute of my day, rely on Him for every moment with which I'm confronted. Otherwise I am overwhelmed by greed, jealousy, self-doubt, sin, selfishness, envy, strife, offense, passiveness, aggression, anger, disappointment...I could really keep going on for quite some time, but you get the picture.

I'm a mess without Him. He loves me and that's why He's always willing to be my Helper.

Courage

2011-12-16T19:47:00.000-08:00

Last night came the most adventurous sleigh ride I've ever had the displeasure of taking. And I use the word "adventurous" in place of "torturous" because this is Christmas and I should be posting "feel-good" stories. To make a long story short, I was taking my husband's family's traditional sleigh ride with Clydesdale horses to look at Christmas lights through a neighborhood when suddenly one little girl's balloon popped, the horses reared and then bolted, with all twenty of us attached to the rickety cart on wheels. With horses out of control and the driver frantically trying to get the horses under control, we're zipping around corners and I'm screaming at all our kids in the back, "HANG ON!!!" Finally he got them slowed down. My 16-year-old nephew who is sitting next to me looks at me weirdly and says, "I thought for a second the phone in your pocket was vibrating but that's actually you." Yep. Nerves-of-steel Rene, shaking like a leaf.

One time I witnessed a bread truck plow into a concrete wall going sixty miles an hour on a highway. I was right behind him and the first person to stop. I got out of my car, intending to run up to help him, but as I tried to move my feet, they literally felt like lead. I looked down because they weren't moving at all even though I wanted to help this guy. Another man stopped, luckily, and I eventually made it to the victim, but not like I'd wanted.

I've had brief moments of courage through my life, intermittent at best. For the most part, I'm not superbly courageous.

Because of that, the cross has always fascinated and perplexed me. I am fascinated by Jesus' courage in the face of the grimmest ordeal any human has ever had to face. And as has been explained to me over and over about courage, it's not the lack of fear, it's walking through it. It is evident that Jesus wished more than anything that it could be done differently, imploring the Father to try to find another way.

It has perplexed me because I cannot comprehend it. I can't see or understand how He did it. Sometimes I don't even know why, on one of those days where I'm a certain disappointment to God, man and even my dog. How could He do that for us when He had the absolute ability to save Himself and put all his accusers to shame?

It is a wonder, and maybe I won't fully comprehend or understand it until Heaven. But I am thankful for His courage. On the days when I'm truly seeking His face, I find that I have a little more courage than the day before. Oh, I still shake like a leaf most of the time, but luckily I'm clinging to the Tree of Life.

Honor

2011-12-15T07:40:00.000-08:00

When I think of honor here on earth, the folks in the military immediately come to mind. They seem to encompass the characteristics that I want my nation to stand on. I find that true for firefighters, police officers...all the people who put themselves in harm's way to protect something bigger than themselves.

I decided to look up honor in the dictionary. Jesus is not only to be honored, but He is honor. I loved these definitions, because they all apply to Him. So I thought I'd list them here, so our hearts can dwell on them today as we focus on honoring Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this season.

HONOR:
A good name or public esteem; a good reputation

A showing of usually merited respect with recognition

A person of superior standing, now used especially as a title for a holder of high office

One whose worth brings respect or fame

An evidence or symbol of distinction

An exalted title or rank

A badge or decoration

A ceremonial rite or observance

An award in a contest or field of competition

Chastity and purity

A keen sense of ethical conduct

One's word given as a guarantee of performance

Social courtesies or civilities extended by a host

Jesus embodies Honor. We honor Him by conducting ourselves the same way, as best as possible. As we think about Him today, let's honor Him with our very best, from our thoughts to our conduct to our generosity.

Revelation 5:13
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

Wisdom

2011-12-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

When I was a little kid in Sunday School, I remember them teaching about how Solomon could've asked for anything, all the riches in the world, but instead he chose wisdom. I'd nod, wide-eyed, but inside I was thinking, "What an idiot."

Well,what do kids know? Now as an adult, boy do I treasure wisdom. And I sure wish it was more abundant in our society. I wish people sought it out more. I wish I had more of it.

With wisdom comes this amazing thing called Perspective. They're like best buddies. It's what you wish you could give your kids when they come home falling apart because someone wouldn't talk to them or share their coke or whatever. Perspective is what you have to offer after you've lived awhile, hoping to pass it down to the person just beginning a journey you've already been on.

Wisdom in general is superb. It's like a lifeline. But supernatural wisdom from On High, now that's a whole other realm of awesomeness. Coupled with Perspective, Jesus can give us insight into ourselves, into situations, into His word, that otherwise we'd be incapable of seeing. Wisdom allows us to love those who hate us. It allows us to turn the other cheek. It allows us to hope when everything seems hopeless. Jesus allows us glimpses into His heaven, where all is right and where Wisdom rules with power and might.

Wisdom does some very cool paradoxical things too, like giving us the ability to prosper while helping us realize the wealth of the world leads to nothing but emptiness.

Jesus is Wisdom in the flesh. And learning about how He lived His life while on earth helps us gain the wisdom we need to prosper the kingdom of God while we're here too.

Provider

2011-12-13T14:26:00.000-08:00

OK, let me tell you the cool thing about not having everything you need exactly when you want it. First, let me remind you that you actually do have everything you need. If you're reading this, it means you have food, water, electricity and a roof over your head. Most likely, you have way more than you need, by the grace of God.

But if you find yourself frustrated by overdo bills and things breaking down, try to get a glimpse of God's prospective for a moment.

In America, most of us don't know what it means to need provision. We work, we get paid, we go buy what we want and the cycle goes on and on. We can very easily slip into believing that we provide for all our needs, forgetting God blessed us with the ability to work and blessed us with citizenship in a wealthy country.

I think God doesn't allow our every need to always be met so that He can remind us Who is our provider, and show us all the cool ways He can provide. The amazing thing about watching God provide, rather than providing everything for ourselves, is that He rarely just does "one" thing. When God provides, lots of things happen, lots of people get touched, lots of big and little miracles take place that bring God's love right into the center of our lives.

Maybe it's true in your life too, but nothing ever breaks around our house at a convenient time when we have plenty of money. It often happens when there's no way we can fix it on our own. Over the years, Sean and I have stopped being so dependent on a credit card for emergencies and more dependent on God. It's amazing what happens when we're willing to wait. Suddenly answers come. Kindness comes. Money comes. Things get fixed.

Jesus is our Provider, and not just for earthly needs either. If we wait patiently on Him instead of trying to fill our holes with food, money, cyber space, shopping, TV, etc., we'll get to see Him move, and watching Jesus move in our lives keeps those holes from getting there in the first place.

Sustenance

2011-12-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

Although Jesus promises to provide for all of our physical needs, He tells us that we cannot live on bread alone. He reminds us that our souls need to be fed as much as our bodies, with the good stuff too, not the junk.

With the focus on healthy eating these days, we all understand what it takes to keep our bodies healthy--though we might not make the best choices! (Ice cream, anyone??)

Yet sometimes we are not as careful with what we feed our souls. Just like eating Twinkies and Taco Bell everyday will lead to bad health problems, feeding our souls with junk TV, lies from Satan, and meaningless material things will lead to a collapse of our spiritual health.

Jesus promises us He can and will supply sustenance for each of us. We just have to ask. We certainly live in a parched and dusty old land, don't we? The grass might be green under our feet, but the world around us is cracking like a scoured desert. I believe with all my heart that we can only live a balanced life with the sustenance He provides. Everything else is futile. It may temporarily feed a need, but in the long run, it will die out just like everything else.

Jesus promises to sustain us for the long haul. For eternity, actually.

He is the Bread of Life. The Living Water. Let Him fill you up in every way this Christmas season!

Life

2011-12-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes late at night, when things are going poorly in my life and I'm all alone crying out to God, I wonder, "What do people who don't know God do at a time like this? Who do they cry to? What do they ask for?"

Even in the hardest of circumstances, I believe wholly and fully in the Giver of Life. Even the most beautiful and perfect moments in my life, apart from Him, mean nothing. What is love if it doesn't last for eternity? What is hope if it is not given by the One who keeps me in His hand?

Jesus tells us that we are His lambs, and that He picks us up and carries us against His chest, close to His heart. When it is dark and I am lonely, if I listen carefully I can hear the thump-thump of His kindness and gentleness.

There is so much comfort knowing the Creator of life promises to sustain us long past this time on earth. Death is so hard because frankly it is unnatural. It doesn't compute with how we're made. You would think that after all these thousands of years of death, we'd all resign ourselves to the fact that it happens and will happen to us. But don't we fight it? Aren't we shocked when a loved one is ripped from us? It never feels right. It's because we were meant for life, not death.

Through what Jesus did on the cross, we can have life and have it abundantly. And forever. Death has lost its sting!

King

2011-12-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

I'm glad we have England and some other nations who still have kings, because that's about the only way we can experience it in the here and now. Can we say Will and Kate? Man, what majesty! What ceremony! I loved every minute of it.

Every time I watch something like that, I can't help but think of my own King, Jesus. We think Will and Kate had ceremony and such? Jesus is Lord of all and King of all kings. I don't think we can truly imagine what it is going to be like to be in the presence of this king until we get there. The glory we are going to behold will send us to our knees, worshiping, singing, praising!

I think of the throne, the crown, the angels. The celebrations that will go on and on for eternity. My heart soars with hope and love for Him.

Here on earth, though we can't see it now, we must remember it is there and declare our complete loyalty and all our efforts to the king. We were made to bend our knee and worship someone. The devil offers many choices, but there is only One who is worthy of our complete loyalty and affection. He is trustworthy, true, kind, full of justice and peace. The list goes on. The point is that He is the only perfect king.

Like the magi, let's bring our gifts and give our lives to Him.

Peace

2011-12-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

There are two times in my life where I have felt the peace that passes all understanding. Neither time was any of it my doing. I hadn't prayed or showed any extraordinary kind of faith. All of the sudden, in very dire circumstances, a peace so tangible I could've sworn it was touchable, swept over me. For just a few minutes, I experienced perfect peace. It was a calm that was other-worldly. It made me realize how at war my soul is most of the time. It was like the stillest, most glass-like water you've ever seen. It was like a breeze-less day in need of no breeze.

I can still remember the times very vividly and I often refer back to them, hoping to get that peace again sometime in my life. I don't know if will ever arrive again in this life, but it sure gave me a glimpse of the next life to come. If that's how it feels to be in heaven, I'm ready to go!

But the truth is that even when my soul feels distracted and discombobulated, I still experience the peace that comes from knowing Jesus. It may not always be tangible like what I expressed, but it is there nevertheless. It is most especially there when my faith connects with His heart.

Even, though, when my faith falters, Jesus is still Peace. He is the Prince of Peace, and this kind of peace is offered to all the world. It encompasses so much and promises more than we could ask for. It secures my eternal future. It shelters me from the fiery darts. It calms me in stormy seas. It never lets go. It holds me upright when I want to faint. With this peace comes so many promises from God. Jesus's peace is truly the peace that passes all understanding. If we look around at our world, it seems that we should not have peace. It seems impossible. So the fact that we do is testimony to all that Jesus offers through His Word.

Often, glimpses of His peace come in the darkest part of the night. When our life is bright with sunshiny prosperity, we rarely stop to feel the peace. We are at peace with the world and all is well. But the world always fails us, in one way or the other, and then we find ourselves in the dark, curled in a ball, praying for relief.

Jesus stands in the dark with us and He holds out His hand. The moment our fingers connect, peace fills our hearts, because suddenly we know whatever happens here is not the end. He is in fact the end. And the beginning. We can place everything in His hands and know that it is all safely kept with the God of the universe.

Now that is peace.

Author

2011-12-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

Being an author myself, recognizing Jesus as the author of all is supremely cool. It kind of bends my mind to realize He didn't write the word...He is the Word. He was and is and always will be the spoken Word. All was created for Him and through Him and in Him.

John chapter 1 is my favorite passage in the Bible. (OK, I have a lot but this one is definitely top 3). It stirs such awe in my heart to picture Jesus as the author of the universe and all that it contains...that He created my soul and all that makes me fearfully and wonderfully made. And that the author chose to enter the story. There are some of my stories I would NOT want to enter!

As an author, I know what it takes to form and mold and create. And I'm just working on one little book. God's majesty and power come into clear focus when I realize the amazing capacity for which He has to create. If I only look at the human body and all that it does, I'm astounded. When I look up at the stars and the sky, I'm astounded. When I watch a tree grow, a baby cry, a cloud float by, the waves crash...the list is endless. And it is all created by His hand.

His story is the greatest that ever was and ever will be, and it has infinite meaning and eternal consequence. I'm glad to be a part of His story. I'm glad for everything that He authored. And I'm thankful that He graciously passed on creativity to His people.

Righteousness

2011-12-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

The "good news" of the New Testament often gets passed right over. In all that faith encompasses, we Christians often forget the good news is that it's not our "goodness" that gets us to heaven. I see this so often missed in our modern culture. People spew hateful words at those they consider "sinners" while forgetting very quickly that they're one of those "sinners". We all are.

It is by the grace of God that truth found its way into my heart and that I believe in Jesus.

There is no other way around it. We can't point our fingers and scream "sinner" at somebody. We must pat our heart, declare that we are "sinners", but we've been saved by grace. That grace is extended to everyone in the world.

The good news is that I am pure not by my own accomplishments, but by the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He is righteousness. My very best is but filthy rags. And most days, let's face it, I'm not at my very best. Those rags shouldn't see the light of day!

When snow falls during this Christmas season, don't we all just peer out our windows, marveling at how pure and white it is, how right when it falls, before a footprint touches it, it is flawless? It is gleaming with goodness, isn't it? I don't think it's any mistake that this modern society celebrates Christmas in the dead of winter. There is so much symbolism around us...fire, snow, cold, warmth...it all points to Jesus. Weren't we like those dead old trees, dormant and lifeless? But then the pure snow falls, saturates, disappears...and then the Sun comes in the Spring and we are raised in the newness of life!

It is no doubt hard to watch sin--in our lives and others'. Mostly I think it is because we know how damaging it is, how much death it brings. But God made a way. My filthy rags are as clean and white and bright as snow.

Thank You, Jesus, for making me white as snow.

Purpose

2011-12-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

The cool thing about Jesus is that He gives purpose and He is purpose. What I mean by that is that we were first and foremost created to worship Him. We are His beloved, and we honor and respect Him by giving Him our affections. In that way, He alone is our purpose.

By making Him our purpose, and recognizing what we were born for, we are then transformed in order to have purpose. As we worship Him, we feel His heart. And when we feel His heart, we begin to understand what He wants us to do on earth. We don't find purpose in order to win points in heaven. There is nothing we can do that will pay for our sins. That is done through Jesus Christ. But we find purpose by understanding love and compassion and mercy, and giving in that way, the same way God has given to us.

Therefore, Christian purpose isn't born out of piety, but rather out of gratitude. We give to the poor at Christmas not because it's the thing to do, but because we understand how much God cares for the poor and how rich love and generosity are through Jesus.

Purposefully engaging in what matters to God is in itself worship. Allow this season to be purposed in Jesus and see what opens up in front of you and what God's heart reveals.

Compassion

2011-12-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

If Jesus coming to earth and dying on the cross for our sins taught us anything at all, it was that God has immense compassion for His creation. Since we, as humans, have had a hard time throughout history understanding this, He sent His Son to earth so that we, in no way, can say, "God just doesn't understand." He indeed understands hunger, anger, betrayal, disappointment...the list goes on.

If there has been anything God has taught me in the last decade, it has been compassion. Boy, we are are non-compassionate people, aren't we? If we do not understand it, we make no attempt to. If we haven't walked in their shoes, we just assume they've brought their suffering upon themselves.

I was that person for many years, the one who thought everyone should just suck it up and get tough. I figured if bad things were happening to a person, they probably brought it upon themselves. Coming from an athletic background, there was no room for excuses...or sympathy...or compassion. I had a short list of what reasonably constituted the need for compassion. Everybody else needed to get it together.

I think one of the biggest questions Christians and non-Christians ask of God is, "Why all the suffering?" We look around and see so many bad things happen and wonder why God allows it.

I don't know the full answer to that question, but I think God has taught me a piece of it over the last decade. If we don't suffer, we as human beings do not understand how to help others or have sympathy for them. If we go through an ugly divorce, we then suddenly understand that marriages are often complicated, and we begin to see others' situations in a different light. If we go bankrupt and lose our house, we begin to understand what it's like to have no one to turn to for financial help. If we become chronically ill, we understand why it's hard to get out of bed. If we suffer from depression, we begin to see similar faces, like our own, in a crowd at the mall or at church.

Everything that we suffer on earth, God promises to use for good. I believe it is for our good and for others' too. We simply, in our own power, do not have the capacity to be fully compassionate. If we did, then we wouldn't have starving children and hate crimes and bullying. Since we cannot do it in our own power, God shows us a different path, a path that leads straight into our heart and opens it up so that we might leave a footprint of compassion on the world.

We know what it feels like to receive compassion. When have you messed up, forgotten an important appointment or a birthday, burned an expensive meal, lost a valuable item, only for someone to say, "It's okay. No worries. I promise." Doesn't that just melt your heart?

God says it everyday to us through Jesus. He has compassion upon us and our very weak, often terribly brutal, nature. With compassion in place, self-righteousness has nowhere to go but away. You can't be compassionate and self-righteous at the same time, because self-righteousness by its very nature lacks compassion.

Jesus is Compassion. He is the very picture of what God's heart is. He stoops down and holds the hand of the person everyone else hates in the world. He hugs the person who is the dirtiest and smells the worst. He feeds and shelters and carries and touches those that the world casts a scornful eye to. Are you that scornful eye or the hand that reaches out?

Remember the compassion that was given to you by God through Jesus Christ. Understanding that you have received it in its most sacrificial form allows you to give it every single day.

Hope

2011-12-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

By nature, I'm an optimist. I can see the sunny side of a mud pit. I just like to have hope. But as I've grown older, and lived more, I have begun to see how hopeless life really is. I'm still optimistic, but maybe with a bit more reality thrown in. I guess I've come to realize that there are very few, if any, completely happy endings.

Except, there is One who promises us a happy ending. Up front, He tells us we will have trouble. There are days when I feel that is a horrible understatement, but accurate nevertheless. Still, He says, follow Him and He will overcome on our behalf. In fact, not even death can swallow us if we put our hope in Jesus.

The cool thing is that in His grace and mercy, we also have hope for the here and now. If we didn't have that, wouldn't we all be like, "Let us die already!" What would life mean if it was just about a good ending? But Jesus assures us that He has plans for each of us here in the present: day to day, hour to hour. Psalm 146:5 says "Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God."

It's really impossible to have hope in situations. I mean, we can certainly try. I'll be the first to admit that nothing comforts me more than believing I have complete control over a situation. But it's an illusion, isn't it? Control? We really don't have control over anything. But there is One who does.

When we put our hope in His loving-kindness, His power, His holiness, His wisdom, it completes everything. We know He knows it all, so though everything might appear to be falling apart all around us, He is the anchor that keeps us steady.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Rest

2011-12-03T07:29:00.000-08:00

I am, by my own admission, terrible at rest. I don't enjoy it in the least bit. Once, when I was put on bed rest, it was like torture. When I have the flu, at the exact moment I feel I can stand up without passing out, I'm going around and doing something.

I'm productive by nature. If I watch TV, I also fold laundry. If I'm walking from one room to the next, I'm carrying something that needs to be moved there. It might sound like I'm a work-aholic, and maybe I am, but the fact is that I enjoy work. I like to work hard. I like the feeling of accomplishment, whether it is cleaning out a closet or making a meal.

But interestingly, Jesus talks quite a bit about rest. God famously rested after creating the whole world.

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, "Come unto me, all who are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Then right after that, in verse 29, He says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Although physical rest is important, the rest of the soul is the most remarkable. Although our body sleeps, our souls do not. And when you think about it, how do we actually get our souls to rest? How do we calm ourselves down? Even when I'm sitting perfectly still, my mind is racing through this and that.

Rest like this can only be achieved through the One who created our souls. Jesus promises us He is gentle, humble, and that we will find rest in Him. He calls to the weary and burdened. And rest in Jesus encompasses so much: physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, relational...the list is almost endless.

He only requires this: that we come to Him. Is anything quite as frantic as the holidays? As the world buzzes by you in a blurred, frenzied rush to celebrate what many don't even understand, you can stand still in Him, your soul can be quieted, and your burdens can be taken.

I am so glad He gives rest, He requires it for us, and He helps us to it.

Jesus not only tells us to rest, He is the rest.

Friend

2011-12-02T15:45:00.000-08:00

I have never quite gotten used to Jesus as friend, or even as He calls Himself: my brother. I desperately want to be friends with Him. It reminds me of how I react when I'm around people I really admire. I basically give off the exact opposite impression I want to make, only because I want so badly to know them better.

So multiply that by ten thousand with Jesus. I want to call Him friend, but at the same time, He knows all about me, and that's a problem because even my closest friends don't know everything about me.

And frankly, I've seen how some who call Him "friend" treat Him. *Use* Him, more precisely. And I don't want to fall into that category. I don't want to take Him for granted or ask for things selfishly. So instead, I keep a safe distance, like a friendly wave from a neighbor. Makes you smile but you don't have to get too close.

The problem with Jesus is that He isn't satisfied with a neighborly wave. He never has been. He made a tremendous sacrifice so that I could call God "Daddy" and I could know Him as my friend.

Amazingly, He always draws me near, even when I'm uncomfortable and even when I'm acting in an unworthy manner. I'm power waving and He's trying to hug. The hug usually wins out.

At the end of the day, He is and always will be a far better friend to me than I am to Him. I can't possibly repay what I owe Him. I can't possibly give back according to what He's given.

He's that friend that you always wish you had, the friend you can never possibly be, and the friend you never want to let go.

One of these days, I'm going to completely let go of all my relational hang-ups, and I know that will be the beginning of the friendship He always wanted for us. For all of us.

Light

2011-12-01T06:25:00.000-08:00

1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,[a]
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:1-5 NLT

I have been fascinated by light for a very long time. We often think of light and dark as being exact opposites, equal in every way. But it isn't true. Think of how a tiny point of light can illuminate a dark room. Yet a tiny point of darkness in a light room is hardly significant.

I have found that the Light...the source of all light...illuminates all my dark places, in every corridor of my soul. Where ever He is, in my life or in others', He lights the way.

I think that is why I am so drawn to Christmas lights. They remind me of the twinkling inner workings of the Holy Spirit, who never lets any part of me fall into complete darkness. I have certainly seen the dark side of the moon in my life, but even then, I witness tiny points of light winking against the black sky.

Jesus has truly been the Light in my life. John 1:1-18 is my favorite passage of the Bible. I read it every Christmas season, reminding myself He is the Light to a dark world, and He is the light from which every good thing comes in my life. Oh, how I would be covered in dark hopelessness if I couldn't see the Light! The power of the Light, to chase away the darkness, has allowed me to overcome my struggles, my doubts and fears, my failures, my selfishness, and everything else that comes along with the black night.

He is the light of the world, but in His extraordinary compassion, is also the personal and beautiful light in my own soul. Thank you, Jesus, for being the warm, glowing firelight against the bitter cold realities of my life.

25 Things I Love About Jesus

2011-11-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

Starting tomorrow here on my blog, I will write 25 short devotions leading up to Christmas on what Jesus means to me. I'm very excited to explore all the things He is to me as we approach the season of celebrating His birth! Some will be short, some will be longer, but I welcome all comments and I hope it will bless you as your own heart stirs in worship.

Also, in the spirit of Christmas cheer, I'll be giving away books! To qualify for the random drawings, you must sign up as a follower. Keep an eye on the blog to see if you've won!

May God bless you this Christmas season with a deeper connection to Him and a heart for what He loves and who He is.

2011-11-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

December 2011

Dear Readers,

As you know, it’s my favorite time of year. I love winter. I do some of my best writing in winter. I think that is how Patrick Reagan and I are the same. Who is Patrick Reagan, you may be wondering? He’s my newest character, a famous but reclusive suspense writer from Maine, who winters in a notoriously obscure and private cabin where nobody can locate him…not even his editor or publisher. He writes all through the winter season and emerges in spring with a new manuscript.

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to go. But something has gone terribly wrong with Patrick Reagan, and now he’s accused of kidnapping his biggest fan. Nobody knows where either of them are. And for officer Chris Downey, hunting them down is very personal, because the kidnapped is the widow of his deceased partner, Jason.

So is Patrick Reagan a madman? Or is he saving her from something more sinister?

Well…you’ll have to read MISERY LOVES COMPANY to find out! Hopefully it will be released toward the end of 2012. Keep track of that release date and more through my newsletter, which you can sign up for on the Contact the Author page of my website.

What else is in store for 2012? HEART OF THE COUNTRY is a novelization and family drama I wrote with filmmaker John Ward. You’ll be hearing more about that in the upcoming months. And I will be releasing my very first short story! I promise, this is about a character you will not want to miss. He’s living very deeply in my heart, and I think he’ll find his place in yours, too.

I’m also teaming up with screenwriter Cheryl McKay again (NEVER THE BRIDE) for another comedy called GREETINGS FROM THE FLIPSIDE. I am so excited about this novel and eager to get started. It’s my next project to write. Can’t wait to type “Chapter One!”

Before I let you go, I have to mention to you my FAVORITE book I read in 2011. It was a tough year because there were so many good ones! I loved AREA 51, THE HELP, HUNGER GAMES and more. But one book topped all of them: UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand. If you read one book in 2012, make it this one. You won’t be sorry!
I hope you have a blessed and warm holiday and winter season. I’ll catch you on the “flipside” in the spring!

Warmly,
Rene

2010-08-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated my blog. Summer is typically a time I try to set aside for my kids. It's hard to get work in when they're on summer break! Hope that you are having a great summer and enjoying time with your family and friends. Mine has been filled with water parks, movies, vacation and more. I am looking forward to Fall. It's been the 100's here and I feel like I might melt soon! It was so hot here that I opened my front door, returning home from being gone all day, and my fire alarm went off because of the rush of heat that hit the inside of my home!

In other news, I want to thank all of you who've read LISTEN and who've written to tell me how it has changed your life. I continue to run into people who've been deeply affected by words. One of those people is Susan Richardson, a fellow writer, who has graciously allowed me to post an article she wrote on the power of words. You can read more about Susan at http://www.nextlevelcritiques.com/. Below is her powerful essay. Hope you enjoy. We'll talk soon.

Rene

When Words Wound the Soul
by Susan Richardson

Lunch was the worst, I think. If I didn’t get to the cafeteria early enough, then I had to run the gamut of insults to try to find an empty space that wasn’t close to anyone else. Too close and I’d get “What are you sitting THERE for?” or “We don’t want YOU here.”
After that it was the restroom. Going in was like entering enemy territory, never knowing when an ambush awaited. Who knew who else might be in there? Some days I tried not to go at all. Other days I chose lesser used restrooms or went at odd times. Anything to avoid being ridiculed and told that I had no business being in there.
Each time something like Virginia Tech or Columbine happens, the shooter’s story turns to bullying. He or they were outcasts living in a world of rejection. Finally the pain and anger built to the point that they made a terrible choice. While their actions are horrific, I understand the pain and anger, because their story was mine, too.
School didn’t start out badly for me. The first three and a half years were fairly uneventful. Then I moved to a new school and somehow slid further and further down the pecking order until by sixth grade I was at the bottom of the heap. From then until I graduated from high school, I endured regular abuse from my peers.
In fairness, I have to say that some of the others in my class did not pick on me. Many merely ignored me as outside their group. A few tolerated me, and I had a friendship or two along the way. But the relentless taunting of a core group made my life miserable. The wounds from such treatment are deep and the scars remain lifelong.
Self worth erodes to nothing and a feeling of unworthiness takes its place. Because this violates a basic need every human has, the victim then tries to find some way to make the abuse stop and regain a sense of self. When that’s unsuccessful, anger builds over the growing sense of helplessness, hopelessness, and depression.
Trying to ignore what’s happening doesn’t help. The old “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” sounds good but isn’t true. Cruel words seep through barricades erected to keep them out. Confronting doesn’t work, either. I tried that, but my tormenters just asked why they should stop, because they were having fun.
In the end, I withdrew as far as possible. I dropped out of band after junior high, unwilling to face the hazing of joining the high school band. I wanted to be as invisible as possible. If no one saw me, then hopefully they wouldn’t tease me.
I also had an explosive temper. Most of the time I pulled away, but the anger built and sometimes I’d try to strike back verbally. My peers probably thought that I wasn’t a nice person. In many ways I wasn’t, as I tried to find some way to cope with the pain.
Through the years since then I’ve continued to struggle with the scars left from my school days. Regaining that damaged sense of worth isn’t easy. The message that you’re not worth liking or being around continues to replay.
The other challenge is how such abuse damages faith. After all, many in my world told me I wasn’t worthy of a relationship, so it was hard to believe Jesus wanted to have one with me. Then there was the question of how God could care when He never intervened. We do live in a fallen, broken world, but I’m thankful for the Lord’s protection even in the midst of abuse. The wounds are there, but He helped me survive.
Getting out of the situation helps. So does time. The more positive interactions you have over time, the more healing can take place. I’m grateful to my college pastor for his patience as I struggled. He helped me make the first steps into wholeness. But you can’t erase years of abuse easily.
More recently I’m thankful for a Godly counselor who worked with me to uproot and overcome many of the old patterns with the Lord’s help. Beginning to understand how deeply He loves me and how precious I am in His eyes is balm to a wounded spirit. He’s also shown me people who love and care about me.
Bullying isn’t a matter of “kids will be kids.” It is soul-killing abuse, whether the abuse is physical or verbal. If your child is being bullied, do whatever it takes to get him or her out of the situation and find help to overcome the effects. The good news is that Jesus is strong enough to heal and restore. He offers power and strength for the lifelong journey through death to true life.

Susan Richardson

Power of Words talk with youth

2010-05-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here is part one of a four part You Tube video of me talking to a youth group about our experience with bullying and the power of words. Search me on You Tube to find Parts 2-4!

Chapter 5 - LISTEN

2010-04-22T17:00:00.001-07:00

Here is a new video blog for my novel LISTEN, where I discuss Chapter 5.

Kinder Than Kind

2010-04-15T16:10:00.001-07:00

Loved this post from Jerry Jenkins' blog. This is the valuable lesson we need to teach our youngsters.

http://www.jerryjenkins.com/2010/04/14/kinder-than-kind/

How do we teach them? Like we say in the writing world, Show Don't Tell.

2010-04-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here's Chapter Four in my ongoing discussion about the writing of LISTEN!

JOHN'S STORY

2010-04-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

JOHN’S STORY

As a novelist, I often write from experience, but when I released by sixteenth novel, Listen, I was shocked to find that I was experiencing what I wrote.

It was mid-February of 2010 and I was busy promoting my newest book, Listen, a novel about the power of words, in which a small town’s private conversations begin being posted on a website for all to read. I had set up a Twitter account to talk about the power of words and a blog to support this same theme. Listen was a labor of love, with an intense writing process that forged in me a passion to help people everywhere understand that words are weapons if they are not used in love.

I never imagined that I’d be dealing with the very topic of my own novel, in the most heartbreaking of ways, only two weeks after its release.

It was February 15th when my son, a fourth grader, came home from school and broke down in tears. After much prodding we discovered that not one, not two, not a handful...but twenty kids had formed a mob against him, and were verbally bullying him daily. As a mother, I was so heartbroken that I couldn’t get a grip on my emotions. I saw the utter pain in my son’s eyes as he said, “Mom, how am I going to go through the rest of my life being this unlikable?” He went to his room and I could hear him crying, and I curled up in a ball and cried on my bed, wondering how so many kids could turn against such a sweet-natured, creative, and unique kid.

I knew we were in a desperate time and that I had to intervene. My husband and I went to his room and tried to talk to him about how loved and liked he was, but he wouldn’t believe us. He had twenty fourth graders telling him differently. You’re stupid. You’re fat. Nobody wants “John germs.” Our voices seemed so small, and as a mother, I’m not sure I’d ever felt so helpless.

I knew I couldn’t send him back to school and told him he wouldn’t have to go. That evoked the first and only smile we got from him that evening. I could see relief in his eyes, and I realized how tormented he’d been.

The next morning Sean and I made an appointment with the principal, Mr. Bailey. He got us right in, and we met with him in his office. We told him we’d made the decision to pull John from school, and I could see the hurt in his eyes. We relayed to him the information we’d gotten from John: that twenty of the twenty-six kids in his class had turned on him. There were five who did not participate but did not stand up for him. Only one child, a girl, took a stand against what was happening.

As we talked, my mind raced through all the scenarios we were facing. Was I going to have to homeschool him? How brutalized was his self-esteem? How was I going to make him understand that everything these kids said about him was wrong?

As I tearfully conveyed the information to Mr. Bailey, he was nodding, and I could see tears in his own eyes. He was feeling our pain. He told us that he believed what we were saying, and that he thought a mob-like mentality had formed. We knew that one kid in particular had started it, weeks ago, and had somehow managed to get nearly the entire class involved. We were all perplexed....we knew most of the students. We knew their parents. These were good kids. How could it have gone this wrong?

We were surprised at how seriously our principal took it. Even though we knew him, and knew what an outstanding principal he was, we figured we’d get a song and dance, and some papers on how to help a kid stand up to bullying. Instead, he immediately called in all the fourth grade teachers and asked them to report what they’d been seeing. Next he called in the school counselor, Mrs. Carmen, and told her what was going on. We could tell Mrs. Carmen was visibly moved by the incident. She sat down at the table with us and said, “I want to do something, but I need your permission.” She explained that she was already scheduled to talk to the fourth grade about bullying on this same day. She asked if she could specifically use John’s name and this incident and talk to the kids about it. Sean and I looked at each other and then decided, Why not? What else did we have to lose?

We were in the principal’s office for two hours, and the compassion and genuine concern we felt from him was almost indescribable. We walked in feeling defeated and broken. We walked out with the hope that our school cared about our child.

The rest of the day we spent with John, taking him out to eat, trying to explain to him how precious and special he was, and that kids are often meanest to the most unique of the crowd. He nodded, but I knew that he was still hurt, and that the rejection from his peers had deeply wounded him. It was all I could do to not cry for the entire day. I wanted so badly to take all his pain away.

That afternoon we sat by the curb, waiting for the kids to be released from school so we could pick up John’s little sister, Cate. John was quiet and pensive. I wanted to hug him and rock him, but he was ten. All I could do was pray. I noticed our van was suddenly encircled by boys from John’s class, and one motioned for him to roll down the window, so I told him to go ahead.

To our surprise, they all had big tears in their eyes. The first one said, “John, I am so sorry for everything we did to you.” The second said, “Yeah, me too. I will never bully you again.” And the third one added, “And we’re never going to let anyone bully you again.” More apologies came and after they were done, John looked at me with his jaw hanging open. I was shocked too. Did that really just happen?

That afternoon the principal called and asked to speak with John. I could see John nodding enthusiastically with the phone pressed up against his ear, and then the principal asked to speak to me. Would I consider allowing John to come back to school? I asked John if he wanted to, and he said that he did.

That evening, the mom of the only child who stood up for John called and asked if I’d heard what happened at school. I said no, that I didn’t, but told her some boys had come up to John and apologized.

She went on to tell me that the counselor had taken John’s homeroom class into her classroom. She began to ask them if they’d ever been hurt by words. Many kids responded and tearfully told of incidents where they’d been hurt by words. Mrs. Carmen set them up perfectly, because then she asked, “Did you notice that one of your classmates isn’t here today? Who is that?” “John,” they responded. Mrs. Carmen said, “That’s because of the words you’ve spoken against him.” She then went on to ask each child if they’d bullied John. One by one, they admitted it. She asked them, “Why do you think you bullied John?” and one boy responded, “Because he’s weaker than me.” Mrs. Carmen said, “The truth is that he’s stronger than all of you, because he took all your bullying upon himself and never bullied back.” These words pierced through their hearts, and most of the kids started crying, understanding how terribly hurtful they’d been to my son. Even after their long discussion in Mrs. Carmen’s room, many of the children who’d bullied John were still crying when they got back to their classroom, convicted of what they’d done, fully understanding the consequences of their actions.

The next day we sent John to school. I felt unsure and worried about him all day long, praying that things would go well. I showed up early to wait for school to get out, eagerly wanting him in my safe care. Suddenly I saw him, the very first kid bounding down the path. Usually he was one of the last kids, and he certainly didn’t bound. He jumped into the van with a humongous grin on his face. “Mom! Guess what?” “What?” I asked. “You know how I didn’t have any friends yesterday?” I nodded. “Well, today everybody wants to be my best friend!” He went on to tell me how all the kids came up to him an apologized. Some wrote cards. One girl wanted to get “John is my friend” t-shirts made. He hugged me and said, “This has been the best day of my life.” I choked up and could hardly believe the turn around I’d witnessed.

I believe John’s story ended well because of the drastic measures the school took against verbal bullying. They treated the incident just as if John had been punched out on the playground. We have seen the devastating effects of verbal bullying in our society. Suicides over Facebook posts and beatings from text messages. Even mass shootings.

We have to get the message out to our children that mean and hateful words are weapons. What once was mostly seen in high school settings has slowly seeped into our elementary schools. Younger and younger kids are now willingly participating in the verbal abuse of other kids. Thanks to one school, a group of kids will never look at words the same way again. And who knows? Maybe they will end up standing up for another kid in the future, a kid who doesn’t have a good home base like John. We’ll never know if the actions of one elementary school’s principal and counselor, and the lessons they taught a group of fourth graders about the power of words, will prevent a future Columbine.

What helped carry me through the pain of watching my child go through this was my faith. I knew what we were going through with the bullying of my son and the release of my book was perhaps ironic but not coincidental. When John was crying in his room and I couldn’t seem to gather my emotions, I asked God, “Why would you let a little one suffer like this?” The next evening, after the “best day” of John’s life, I was tucking him into bed when I felt God’s voice in my spirit. “The reason I didn’t move before is that I wanted John to see me do something big, and if I’d handled it little by little, he would’ve missed My hand in it.”

His mom would’ve too.

And a classroom full of fourth graders.

I am now spreading the word about the devastating effects of verbal bullying, and how we must talk to our children about the power of words, and how they can stop the cycle of violence with simple acts of kindness.

Visit my blog on the power of words at www.renegutteridge.blogspot.com and Listen’s official website: www.listentoyourself.net.

And follow me on Twitter (ReneGutteridge) as I encourage you in your daily word habits.

Let’s not allow this generation to destroy each other with words. Speak out against verbal bullying.

2010-04-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

When you become a mom, there is nothing you wouldn't do for your kids. But as you soon realize, there are often situations where you feel completely helpless. That's what happened to me this February when this adorable, sweet and unique little boy, my son John, was verbally bullied at school, by not one of his classmates, but twenty. I'd love to say that his case is rare, but it's not. Thousands upon thousands of children are verbally bullied. According to Paul Coughlin of www.theprotectors.org, an anti-bullying organization, 160,000 children stay home a DAY due to fear of being bullied. And that statistic is from the 1990s. Imagine the number today.

Tomorrow I am going to post my personal story, of how my son John became the target of extreme verbal bullying, and the touching true story that followed. Please tell everyone you know who is interested in combating verbal bullying to come visit my blog tomorrow. Help me spread the word about the Power of Words. When I wrote my novel LISTEN, I never imagined that I would be living out the nightmare I wrote about. But God has a plan, because all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Help me work out the good. Spread the word about LISTEN. Come follow me on Twitter. And join me in a word revolution!

Rene

Chapter 3 - LISTEN

2010-03-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since my last post. Had a computer crash but am up and running now! Check out my newest VLOG on my novel, LISTEN. I discuss what went into writing Chapter 3.

Mystery Blogger! James Scott Bell

2010-02-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

Today is my first mystery blogger! I asked my friend and fellow novelist, James Scott Bell, to write some thoughts on the power of words. My mystery bloggers will be talking about words in their world. We'll have writers, lawyers, pastors, teachers and more. It will be fun. So here are some thoughts from Jim on the power of words inside a novel. I wonder what would happen if we thought just as carefully about how we use words in real life?

The Right Words by James Scott Bell

Mark Twain famously said that the difference between the right word, and the almost right word, is like the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. That's the power of words, and the writer needs to be merciless in the search for the right ones.

I see a lot of bland writing in unpublished manuscripts. Description that merely describes, rather than giving us tone or emotion, for example. That's a waste of space. Like this:

The wind blew in from the desert, making the grass brown. Only the oleander plants seemed to thrive, their blooms and green leaves healthy.

But now see how Janet Fitch does it in White Oleander:

The Santa Anas blew in hot from the desert, shriveling the last of the spring grass into whiskers of pale straw. Only the oleanders thrived, their delicate poisonous blooms, their dagger green leaves. We could not sleep in the hot dry nights, my mother and I.

Every detail of the weather here has tonal and thematic significance to the narrator, who is introduced in the third paragraph reacting to the weather.

Or how about this, from Raymond Chandler, in his short story "Red Wind":

There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.

What's the key to finding the right words? It's part alchemy, of course. You can't buy the ability. But you can work at it by first looking to the emotions roiling inside the Lead character. Then keep writing and trying different words until there is a connection between them and those emotions.

I see too many lightning bugs on the pages of aspiring writers. Squash them! Zap them with a bug zapper! Then crack some lightning.

2010-02-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

It's time for a video about Chapter 2! Learn more about my protagonist, Damien Underwood, as I talk about setting him up for conflict in LISTEN.

Video Blog for Chapter 1 of LISTEN

2010-02-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

Here's my next video for Chapter 1 of LISTEN. Make sure you've read the chapter before you watch, unless you don't mind spoilers!

2010-02-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

Check out the PROLOGUE video for LISTEN, where I speak on the writing of the powerful first scene, and what kinds of decisions I had to make in doing so.

Video Blog Intro for LISTEN

2010-02-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! This is my first post on my new blog for my novel LISTEN, which releases today! In this video blog I talk about why I wrote the book. Check it out! Next video blog I'll talk about the prologue! Stay tuned!