Friday Five | Daniel Darling, Author, Pastor, Speaker

Posts Tagged ‘Friday Five’

Jul

2012

Friday Five: Jenny Smith

Jenny Smith is a gifted teacher, author, and speaker. Recently, she published her first book, Seriously God? I’m Doing Everything I Know To Do and It’s NOT Working! She lives in Adairsville, GA with her husband, Chad and their three teen daughters. You can find out more about Jenny at her website or by following her on Twitter at @keepinstride

As a first time author, what led you to write “Seriously God? I’m Doing Everything I Know To Do And It’s Not Working”?

During the past couple of years, we lost everything we thought defined who we were. Our home was foreclosed, many of our so-called friends disappeared, and we struggled to maintain some kind of home life and make our three daughters felt secure. I was looking for a book written by an author who went through a similar experience. I could find all kinds of practical helps, websites to help us cook a meal for under $5, how to cut your cable bill in half, but nothing that went straight to the heart of the matter.

You say, at times, you felt abandoned by God. Did this book flow out of that seasons of doubt and despair?

Yes. My world continued to crumble. It didn’t match up with what I believed about God. We made mistakes, but I also knew God was supposed to be our provider, and it felt like He had been laid off too. It seemed like God had let us down. Where was He? Why did it seem like no matter what we did, everything disintegrated around us?

I finally came to the end of myself. I realized I didn’t have the strength I needed to face my changing reality. The only option left to was to open my Bible and cry out to God for help. I found great comfort in the book of Acts. I noticed the repeated use of the phrase, “in the name of Jesus”. I has always assumed this was a kind of tag for the end of our prayers, but these early Christians lived daily in the name of Jesus. It was a lifestyle.

So how did you begin to live life in the name of Jesus?

I realized pretty quickly that the early church knew Jesus at a much deeper level than I. Many had actually seen Him, talked with Him, walked beside Him. I remember sitting in my chair thinking, am I going to have to study all the Gospels, I don’t have time for that! That’s when I discovered the “I Am” statements of Jesus in the book of John. They changed my heart and my outlook on my circumstances. Seven times Jesus says “I Am…”

In my book I cover all seven statements both in their original context and as they applied to my current situation. As I journeyed through these powerful words of Jesus and continued to study the believers in the book of Acts, it grew apparent that I had not been living fully the life God intended.

Could you share one of those “I Am” statements and what it means to your life?

The very first “I Am” statement Jesus made spoke directly to my situation – not in a comforting way, but in a piercing way. Sometimes Scripture cuts right to the heart of the matter. I had confused the gifts with the Giver. In John 6:35 we find Jesus telling the crowd that the only reason they followed Him was because their bellies were full! On the day before, Jesus had miraculously provided bread until they “ate their fill of the loaves” (Jn. 6:26b). My heart was pierced as I realized how much of my commitment to Jesus was based on Him letting me eat my fill of life.

This realization both opened my eyes and gave hope. The words Jesus spoke, “I am the bread of life,” began to take root. I realized I had become so dependent on the gifts God gave me that when they were gone, I felt abandoned. The reality was I had not been abandoned! I came face-to-face with a decision: would I follow even if I couldn’t eat my fill?

How can the Church best encourage and minister to those who are struggling in what has become our new reality of hard times?

Recently I was listening to a caller on Christian radio share her difficult situation to the host.In five days she would have to move out of her rental home because both her and her husband had lost their jobs. So many people told her “to have more faith.” I knew how she felt because we often heard the same platitudes. What we need to do is look people in the eye and see them as people, brothers and sisters in Christ and offer real help, not simply words. One of my most vivid memories is sitting at a table with some friends. For the first time in our lives, my husband and I feared we wouldn’t have enough money to pay our bills. I’m talking about the essential bills like groceries, electricity and water. We asked our friends to pray for us, and they offered not only prayer, but money. We decided to wait until the end of the month. God ended up providing some odd jobs, but their willingness to help changed my view of how Christians should respond.

Jun

2012

Friday Five: Andrea Palpant Dilley

Andrea Palpant Dilley grew up in Kenya as the daughter of Quaker missionaries and spent the rest of her childhood in the Pacific Northwest. She studied English literature and writing at Whitworth University. Her work as a writer has appeared in Rock and Sling, Geez, and Utne Reader, as well as the anthology Jesus Girls: True Tales of Growing Up Female and Evangelical. Her work as a documentary producer has aired nationally on American Public Television. She is the author of Faith and Other Flat Tires. She lives with her husband and daughter in Austin, Texas.

Today I’m excited to interview Andrea for today’s Friday Five:

You describe your upbringing as a missionary kid, on the mission field. Did the hard life of a missionary at all contribute to your running from the Christian faith?

In the book I poke fun at the fact that, while most kids my age were playing Pac Man and eating pop tarts after school, I was visiting patients at my dad’s hospital. I spent time with sick people who died the next day. I attended funerals. I watched women wail in public, which was part of the mourning ritual of life in rural Kenya. Even the hospital morgue sat only fifty feet from the front door of our house. So yes, growing up as a medical missionary kid exposed me to more death and darkness than most kids my age would ever be exposed to, living in a western country. And those experiences very much informed my view of the world and my view of God. As a child, I don’t think I fully understood what was going on or why it was significant. But I carried those stories with me over the years. Eventually, as a young adult, they came to bear on my faith crisis.

Recent research has found that Christian kids who are allowed to express and wrestle with doubts have a higher percentage of keeping their faith. Do you agree and why?

I agree wholeheartedly. When I was struggling with my faith as a young adult, my dad spent hours with me sitting on our living room couch, talking. I don’t really remember the specific content our conversations. What I remember clearly—and what matters most—is that he gave me space to express my doubts openly. Although he challenged me, he didn’t judge me for carrying doubts or struggling with faith in the first place. He affirmed that struggle and took it seriously. I would say every Christian kid needs that kind of safe space, that boxing ring where they can climb in and fight out their questions without fear of judgment.

I’m a parent now of a three year old, and as I look down the road to her young adult years, I feel more sympathy for my parents and what they went through in watching me wrestle with faith and then leave the church. I know it wasn’t easy for them. But if they’d overreacted to my doubt, I would have run further away, no question about it.

Was it hard to go back and write about your journey, especially the painful parts? Was there a moment when you felt you weren’t ready to share it?

Absolutely. When the first box of books arrived in the mail, I hid them in my office closet for a day as a symbolic, last ditch attempt at self-protection. Some of the stories were just tough to see in print. For example, the story about my relationship with Michael was one that I didn’t originally include in the manuscript because it reveals in a very painful, personal way my naivete, my mistakes, my wandering. At some point in the writing process, though, my husband encouraged me to tell the story openly as a way to show the reader what my life looked like when I left the church and passed into a moral, spiritual no-man’s land.

So yes, it was at times very painful to write a personal memoir. It still feels personal now, as I watch people read the book and enter into the dark corners of my past. But I believe in transparency in community. I’ve shared my story not for the sake of therapeutic self-disclosure but for the sake of growth and faith in the church community.

Lot of prodigals come back with a bit of a chip on their shoulder, anger at the church, and deep resentment about their Christian upbringing. You don’t seem to express this. Why?

First of all, I had the privilege of growing up in a healthy church environment. I grew up surrounded by smart, thoughtful Christians who read Russian literature, volunteered as firefighters, and cared about the poor. They were the kind of people who took my questions seriously when I started into my skeptic phase. This faith community didn’t overreact to my doubt, which made it easier to come back to church without carrying a heavy grudge.

Second, maturity matters. When I left, I expected the church to answer all my questions all of the time in the same way that a five-year-old expects her dad to know everything about astronomy while looking up at the stars. By the time I came back, I carried more realistic expectations about what the church can offer. Don’t get me wrong; I still struggle with the imperfections of the institutional church. But having spent time away from that institution, I’ve realized that I much prefer the flaws of the church to the greater flaws of churchlessness.

If you could speak to a parent of a child whose faith has shipwrecked, what advice would you give them?

A recent Barna Group study revealed that three out of five young people leave the church permanently or for an extended period of time. That’s a really sobering statistic. I was one of those statistics; I left the church in my early twenties and then eventually came back. How my faith community responded to my departure—with grace and patience—was key to my return. With that in mind, I would offer the following suggestions to parents whose children have left or might leave the faith and/or the church.

a. Let your kids individuate. Listen to their questions, affirm their search, walk with them. But give them space to wrestle out their questions. It’s the only way they’ll come to own their faith.

b. If they have sophisticated theological or philosophical questions, equip them with smart apologetic resources. Give them books or DVDs by Lee Strobel, Nancy Percy, William Lane Craig, Eleanor Stump, Mary Jo Sharp, and others.

c. Raise your kids in community. Look for opportunities where they can spend time with pastors, professors, strong Christian mentors, and other leaders.

d. Help your kids think through faith-life integration. How does Christianity apply to politics, art, culture, etcetera? Encourage your kids to participate in public life. Get them involved in ways that put faith into practice.

e. Think seriously about where you send your children to college. Some kids need a traditional Christian environment while others might do better in a secular setting where they can push against the mainstream.

f. Finally, remember that active doubt (as opposed to passive doubt) can be a very healthy, soul-searching, truth-seeking part of faith. Trust that faith worth keeping can stand up to scrutiny.

Jun

2012

Friday Five: Andrew Wheeler

Today I’m delighted to talk about prayer with my good friend, Andrew R. Wheeler. Andrew organizes the prayer ministry of the elders and Sunday service teams for Willow Creek Community Church–McHenry County. A member of the Church Prayer Leaders Network, he maintains the website Together in Prayer as a resource for churches growing in prayer ministry. He is the author of the excellent book, Together in Prayer.

How important is it for Christians to pray together?

The early church set the pace and the importance of praying together. In Acts 1:14 we see how the disciples joined together in prayer as they waited for the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). This prayer formed the backdrop of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Again, we see in Acts 2:42 that praying together was one of the four pillars of the early church, along with the apostles’ teaching, the breaking of bread, and fellowship. All through the book of Acts we see a church at prayer – interceding for Peter’s release from prison (Acts 12:12); commissioning Paul and Barnabas as the first missionaries (Acts 13:1-3); Paul and Silas praying together while in prison in Philippi (Acts 16:25).

The epistles continue this emphasis on praying together. We tend to read the epistles with Western eyes – individualizing the commands and teachings. But the original audiences for most of the epistles were churches – communities. Generally, the commands and teachings have their primary application to bodies of believers, and secondary application to individuals. So, for example, when Paul exhorts the Colossians to devote themselves to prayer, and to pray for him (Colossians 4), he’s not referring primarily to the prayer closet. We apply these commands to the prayer closet, and that’s not a bad application, but that’s not the original focus.

In many churches today, the best place to really pray together in a meaningful way is in the small group setting. This is the setting where we are at our most vulnerable and accountable. I really think that the strength of the prayer movement within a church’s small groups will help determine the ceiling on the church’s effectiveness.

Why do people have trouble praying in a group setting?

Many people have difficulty with prayer in a group setting because of the difference in the relational dynamic from a private prayer setting. Private prayer is basically a one-dimensional activity, with the only relationship in play being the one between the pray-er and God. Community prayer – praying in a group setting – adds a horizontal dimension. I like to think of community prayer as “praying to God, with people”. Each of those aspects has implications for how we pray together, and balancing those two dimensions is the key to praying effectively.

When we pray alone to God, we pray to One who sees our hearts and is able to move past the words to the thoughts behind them. God tracks with our prayers because, ideally, He is the One leading us to pray in the first place. But when we gather to pray, we pray with others who cannot see into our hearts and who cannot necessarily track with us. When we take the “anything goes” mentality from our prayer closets to the group prayer setting, it doesn’t translate well.

Paul recognized a similar problem when it came to the worship service. He gave specific instructions to the Corinthian church in the second half of 1 Corinthians 14 as to how they were to worship together – in an orderly way that glorifies God. The theme of those instructions was that individuals needed to rein in their own participation in the worship service to make room for everyone to participate and allow God to move through multiple people. This same theme applies to our group prayer times today.

What are your “top tips” to help groups pray together more effectively?

I like to think in terms of the “ABCs” of community prayer – Agreement, Brevity, and Christ-centeredness.

Agreement means that we’re praying together in one accord and it’s really the main ingredient that distinguishes community prayer from private prayer. It means that we come together seeking God’s agenda rather than each person bringing his own agenda, that we listen to each other as we’re praying rather than focusing our thoughts on what we’ll pray when our “turn” comes, and that we’re praying alongside each other, picking up the theme rather than skipping around with each person praying a different topic.

Brevity may be the single biggest hurdle for most groups to overcome in praying together effectively. We tend to take our somewhat long-winded closet prayer patterns and bring them to the group setting. This is where the idea of submitting to each other and valuing the contributions of others in the group – as in 1 Corinthians 14 – comes in. When I pray briefly, I make it easier for other group members to track with me and to pray alongside me in agreement. When I limit my own prayer time, I communicate to the group that I value their contributions to the prayer time and foster the environment of really being together in prayer.

Christ-centeredness is the key to honoring God with our prayers and seeking His will. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and God will take care of our physical needs. Focusing on kingdom prayers is a way of seeking God’s kingdom first. This isn’t to say that we don’t bring material needs before God, but they should not dominate our prayers.

Christ-centeredness also means that we’re addressing God in our prayers rather than addressing group members. We’re asking for His intervention rather than putting pressure on group members to change.

Can you expand a bit more on the idea of praying to God rather than praying to people?

Perhaps the biggest subtlety to community prayer is keeping straight the vertical and horizontal dimensions. Going back to the idea of “praying to God, with people,” we often skew this a bit and end up praying more for people to hear than for God to hear. Usually, this isn’t a heart problem with pride the way it was for the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:9-14) but it still shifts the focus away from God and onto people and circumstances.

Here’s an example. Suppose John, a member of our small group, is struggling financially and has been out of work for some time. A typical prayer for John might sound something like this: “Father, may John have the faith to trust in your provision in his time of need. May he be diligent in his search for a job and may he grow spiritually through this time of trial.”

Did you notice how this entire prayer was about what John needed to do? Have faith, be diligent, grow spiritually – these are all things that the prayer directs at John. John, if he’s present, is going to feel more burdened after this prayer than before it; more importantly, this prayer asks nothing of God and leaves no room for His work.

Consider a different frame of reference. “Father, please strengthen John’s faith and encourage him as he goes through this difficult time. Provide for his needs and guide him to the job that you have for him. Open doors for witness to others in need and bear much fruit in this chapter of John’s life.”

This prayer asks nothing of John, but everything of God. Strengthen faith, encourage, provide, open doors, bear fruit – these are all things that God is being asked to do. A prayer like this will encourage John as he senses God on his side. Further, such a prayer anticipates God’s work in John’s life and gives Him the glory.

How important is praying briefly? How do you encourage it?

As I mentioned earlier, for most small groups, getting in the habit of praying briefly will make the single biggest difference in their effectiveness in prayer. Prayer is conversation with God, and group prayer is the group’s conversation with God. Any conversation dominated by one or two people is far less engaging and less interesting than a conversation in which multiple people are participating. And in a prayer setting, praying briefly encourages others to participate and values the work of the Holy Spirit in the entire group rather than just in one individual.

Most small groups can benefit from a brief period of instruction or “rules of the road” prior to praying together. I encourage brief prayer by emphasizing the need to value the prayers of others in the group. I invite people to pray multiple times on a single topic if they feel so led, limiting each individual prayer to allows others to participate. And I stress the need to stay on one topic at a time, allowing others to come alongside that prayer in agreement.

For example, suppose a group member is in the hospital. A typical prayer for this situation would cover the group member’s health and healing, the doctors and nurses, peace for the family, financial provision, etc. Covering the topic so completely leaves little room for others to come alongside the prayer in agreement – they’re left with either repeating what was already said (which God does not need) or moving on to another topic.

But suppose a group member opened the prayer time by praying for God’s healing, then another added prayer for the doctors and nurses, another prayed for the family and someone else prayed for financial provision. Such a prayer gets the whole group involved and enables a level of agreement that you don’t see when one person dominates the prayer.

In a small group setting where we’re praying for each other, I like to break up the time and focus on one person at a time. Rather than have everyone read a litany of prayer requests (which tends to take most of the prayer time and causes everyone to forget the things that were mentioned early on), I divide the time up by person. So if we have 6 people and 30 minutes to pray, each person gets 5 minutes. I have them share what’s on their heart for the first half of that time (or less) and then the group prays for that person for the remainder of the time. That way, each person is covered in prayer and the time really moves, keeping the group engaged.

May

2012

Friday Five: Steve Laube

Steve Laube is respected, longtime veteran of the Christian publishing industry, having served as a bookstore owner, an acquisitions editor for Bethany House, and in his current role, as a literary agent. Few professionals understand books and publishing like Steve Laube. On a personal level, my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray serves with the Steve Laube Agency. I have enjoyed my interactions with Steve and especially enjoy reading his observations on books and publishing. I highly recommend you subscribe to his blog.

Steve was kind enough to stop by and chat for today’s Friday Five:

How did you get started in Christian Publishing? Have you always had a love of books or was it something that came later in life?

I began as a part time shelf-duster at a Christian bookstore a few blocks from college campus. That later turned into full time, then management, etc. In 1992 I became an acquisitions editor for Bethany House and worked with them for 11 years. In 2003 I chose to become an agent. Or as some would say, “You fell into the Dark Side.”

I’ve always been a voracious reader. I still remember a required class on reading we had to take in Jr. High. We were to read 8 books (or something like that number) during the course and write a report. I read over 100.

You’ve been on almost all “sides” of Christian publishing, from bookstore owner to publisher to agent. Do you think this gives you a unique perspective on the industry?

It does bring a different view. The bookstore experience puts me in the mindset of the consumer who is looking for a book on a topic or for entertainment.

The publisher side allows me to understand the economics of publishing as well as the entire production process.

As an agent I get to experience the inside story of all publisher, both their trials and their triumphs. I also am privileged to work with an extremely diverse group of writers. You might call it eclectic.

Traditional publishers are increasingly under attack as an outdated relic of the past. But you’ve argued that they’re role is still necessary as curators of content. Why?

It goes without saying that the ultimate curator, or chooser, of content is the end user, the reader. I’ve never meant to say that the agent or the publisher knows best. But at the same time, as a consumer, I want to only buy what’s best or what is well done. And choosing at random from an Internet search is a recipe for disappointment. Instead if I see that a book is published by a particular publisher I can assume, in most cases, that the project has been vetted at a number of levels before it got my attention as a consumer.

The world is divided between those who have seen and read a pile of unsolicited proposals and those who haven’t. It is astounding the amount of material we are sent that is simply not ready. Too often the writer sends it to us without learning the craft first. But there is nothing to prevent that same person to turn it into an e-book next week and it is added to the plethora of titles available to the public.

What do you see as the future for Christian publishing?

A loaded question!

I am a reasonable optimist. I see a bright future. God is raising up a new generation of thinkers and writers who have a breathtaking grasp on scriptures and culture and how we are to live with the Gospel at the center of our lives. This is the future. The creators of great content. And publishers of all types are desperate for that brilliant group of writers.

Meanwhile the industry itself is carefully weighing the impact of technology (e-books, social media, etc) on publishing as a business. It is not an easy task.

The irony is that there have been many shifts in the publishing industry in the last 31 years I’ve been working in it. Each shift is perceived as a major one. And the e-book revolution is no different.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring Christian author, what would that be?

Prepare yourself. Work at the craft. Make your writing and insight so astounding that it brings and exclamatory gasp from the Agent when he reads it for the first time. I guarantee that each time I’ve had that “gasp” that project was sold to a publisher very quickly.

Go to our web site and see the guidelines. Investigate our list of resources (books, web sites, writers conferences, book coaches, etc.) on the site as well.

May

2012

Friday Five Interview – Russell Moore

Today I’d like to repost an interview I did in 2010 with one of my favorite contemporary Christian leaders, Dr. Russell Moore. Russell D. Moore is the Senior Vice President for Academic Administration and Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

The grandson of a Mississippi Baptist preacher, Dr. Moore is also a preaching pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, where he ministers weekly. Dr. Moore is a thoughtful writer whose columns always spark introspection and discussion. He is a senior editor of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity and also blogs regularly at Moore to the Point.

Dr. Moore’s has written several books, including Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches, and Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ. Prior to entering the ministry, he was an aide to U.S. Congressman Gene Taylor. He and his wife Maria have four sons: Benjamin, Timothy, Samuel, and Jonah.

Apr

2012

Friday Five: Bob Waliszewski

If you’re a concerned mom or dad, then certainly you’ve made good use of Plugged-In Online. It’s a terrific resource from Focus on the Family featuring detailed and up to date entertainment reviews. Today I have the privilege of interviewing Bob Waliszewski, Plugged In director. Waliszewski reaches a large radio audience weekly with his syndicated “Plugged In Movie Reviews.”

Waliszewski has been interviewed extensively by media outlets such as CNN, CNBC, Daystar Television, MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country,” Fox News Radio Network’s “The Alan Colmes Show,” the Associated Press, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times and The New York Times in which he most often tackles the controversial entertainment issues that confront families. He was also featured on CBN’s 700 Club, FamilyNet’s At Home Live!, Focus on the Family’s Mind over Media video and Shine TV New Zealand. Waliszewski regularly speaks to teens and parents on popular culture, and was called to testify before a subcommittee of California legislators on the subject of violent lyrics.

Waliszewski has written articles for several Focus on the Family publications (Focus on the Family, Citizen, LifeWise and Breakaway). In May 1997, Waliszewski was presented with an Evangelical Press Association “Higher Goals” award for an article on gangs written for Teachers in Focus magazine. Waliszewski co-authored Chart Watch, a book that includes more than 400 album reviews from a biblical perspective, and chapters on media discernment, and Plugged In Parenting: How to Raise Media-Savvy Kids with Love, Not War.

Today, Bob was kind enough to stop by and answer questions for the Friday Five:

Plugged in Online has been offering entertainment reviews since 1999. What good and bad trends have you seen in the entertainment culture since then?

The department was actually launched in 1991, and although the website wasn’t yet up and running, in some sense (but to a lesser degree) we started offering entertainment reviews even then. The most significant trend I’ve noticed is what I call “the splitting of the pendulum.” What I mean by that is that in the 20-plus years I’ve worked here (and let’s just highlight one form of entertainment—movies), I’ve never seen more positive films coming out as I have in the last few years. When I started here, we were not seeing “Courageous” and “Fireproof” and “October Baby” shaking things up at the Box Office. And we certainly weren’t seeing the likes of “The Passion of the Christ” with its $361,000,000 domestically. Nor were we seeing in significant numbers positive (albeit not faith-based) films like “Dolphin Tale,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and “Up.”

However, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme at the same time – films like the “Saw” franchise, “The Kids are Alright” (and getting nominated for best picture?!), “Sex and the City,” “The American,” “American Reunion,” etc. What’s more, the PG-13 rating has crept so far that one can never know if a film is really in R-rated territory such as “Yes Man,” “Easy A,” “The Back-Up Plan,” “Land of the Lost” and “Love Guru” or if it’s truly a PG-13 like a “Blindside.” I might also say I like the trend I’m seeing corporately with Wal-Mart/P&G – companies spending their own money to make family-friendly films (i.e., “Secrets of the Mountain”).

Christians have always had an uneasy relationship with the entertainment industry. What advice do you give believers in both engaging and resisting?

Simply seek out what Jesus would do and watch and do accordingly. It’s really not all that difficult. A bit gray sometimes, but with prayer and a discerning mind set, still possible. If need be, think of it in more modern terms. Picture Jesus walking the planet today with his 12 disciples. And now John or Bartholomew approaches Jesus and asks him in the present, “Jesus, in the movie theater this weekend, the film ____ opens. Can we load the van up and all go see it this weekend?” What would be His response?

You advocate parents have a filter for their children’s viewing habits, but good Christians often disagree on where the lines should be drawn–rating system, vulgarity, violence, sex. What do you advocate?

Hebrews 1:9 says that Jesus hated wickedness. Notice it doesn’t say He tolerated it. Christians today often think they’re doing right by being tolerant of entertainment that glamorizes the very things He went to the cross to pay the penalty for. I believe it would serve us well to become better “haters,” as Jesus was excellent at it. If we hate sinful things, we’d certainly avoid them, much the same as we avoid lima beans in the salad bar line if we hate ‘em (which I do!).

The last decade has seen an increase the production of Christian films and video games. Is the church in the midst of an artistic renaissance of sorts?

Time will tell. But as I mentioned above, it is an encouraging period in which we’re living.

If you could give one piece of advice to an emerging Christian filmmaker, musician, gamer, or artist, what would you say?

Don’t compromise morally. Take the high road when it comes to integrity. Seek Him first and all these “things” will be added unto you. Then I’d add, don’t think cheesy and subpar are acceptable just because it’s “Christian.”

Apr

2012

Friday Five: Julie Ziglar Norman

Julie Ziglar Norman is the youngest daughter of world renowned motivational and inspirational author and speaker Zig Ziglar.

After 25 years of living every day with regret, shame, guilt and depression but trying to cover it with a smile, Julie began her journey letting go of the shame and embracing freedom in Christ.

Having spent 20 years as her father’s personal editor and with a background in sales and business management, Julie has become a dynamic international motivational speaker herself. The founder of the Ziglar Women Faith and Family Conference, she is continuing the legacy of encouragement begun by her father over 40 years ago. Her personal, transparent speaking style has endeared her to audiences all across America.

Julie’s latest book, Growing Up Ziglar details her struggles growing up as the father of a famous Christian leader. Today she was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions:

What was it like growing up with a famous dad?

My dad was not famous most of the years I spent growing up. He was a salesman working on straight commission so he travelled a lot. Dad was a good father. He always gave it his best effort. He taught me to obey the law, tell the truth and work hard, but he didn’t become a Christian until I was a few weeks shy of being seventeen years old. Until then, Dad couldn’t have known everything he needed to be teaching me.

I missed being raised in church. I missed being taught Biblical principles. I know the Bible made all the difference because of my little brother Tom. Tom is almost ten years younger than I; Dad raised him with the Instruction Manual, took him to church and read him Bible stories. Tom has had a totally different life than my sisters and I had, and it is most apparent in the choices he has made. I believe it is because Tom learned the “why and how” behind the rules and expectations.

When I talk about what it was like growing up with Mr. Positive Attitude himself, I enjoy teasing about waking up to an “opportunity clock” instead of an alarm clock. I point out that most families look forward to the weekend; not the Ziglar family, we looked forward to the “strong end.” When we got the sniffles we had a “warm,” not a cold. Daddy was always positive and looked on the bright side and he brought lots of joy and laughter into our home. He was a fun and loving father who always had a good story and lots of hugs and kisses for his children.

I read you struggled as a teen and young adult; you went through depression, alcohol, and men. What do you think led you down the road of negativity, when you grew up in a background that expressed positivity?

I made bad choices that led to negative consequences. My choices were based on my immature, thirteen-year-old desire to “belong and fit-in” when our family moved from Columbia, South Carolina to Dallas, Texas. The process was complicated by a situation where a jealous girl started a false rumour about me that was so bad none of the kids with good reputations would be my friend. Ultimately, I earned the bad reputation I had wrongly been given. I wasn’t actually a rebellious child, at least not openly. I was a people pleaser of the worst sort and that, I believe, caused the majority of my problems.

Was it hard for you to relive your struggles for your new book Growing up Ziglar?

It wasn’t difficult at all to relate my struggles. I learned long ago the more secrets you have the harder it is to live a well-adjusted, problem-free life. Often the things that grieve us most are buried deep to escape the pain, but that which we will not admit cannot be forgiven. For several years now I have been free to speak of the past and all of the shame and guilt that once ruled my world. Once I stopped the offending behaviour and understood fully that Jesus Christ had forgiven me totally – forever, I had nothing to hide.

How did you overcome your problems?

I surrendered each behaviour to God. Thankfully, He didn’t demand all of the changes at once, but He shone a light on each thing He wanted me to deal with. As soon as one would be dealt with He’d show me another fault or sin I needed to address. I had to become willing to let God change me from the inside out, even when it hurt. I also prayed daily for godly wisdom, the truth I needed to see and the power to carry it out. As I wrote, I was not afraid of the judgement of others. I am wildly, unimaginably free in Christ.

What advice would you give to someone who is going through turbulent times and cannot see any hope?

I would share with them the promises of God, and quote Jeremiah 29:11 – ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Then I’d tell them I, too, felt hopeless but the truth set me wildly free. I would share how the following verse has shown me that all my junk, the messes of my life, are used by God to comfort others…even them and that God will comfort them and use them for His glory, if they will only let Him.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (NKJV)

Apr

2012

Friday Five: Jenny and Tyler

Jenny & Tyler are a husband-wife pop-folk band originally from Newark, Delaware, and currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of singer-songwriters Jenny Somers and Tyler Somers. They have a unique style that has often been called, “soul grass.” The duo has independently released three full-length albums and two EPs, and regularly tours the United States. They have collaborated with artists such as Mac Powell, Levi Weaver and Joel Rakes.They have just released a brand-new album, Open Your Doors.

I found their music on Noisetrade and immediately loved its creativity, originality, and spiritual depth. So I asked them if they’d stop by for a short, but sweet interview on today’s Friday Five:

Was there a moment in each of your lives when you knew music would be your life?

There wasn’t a specific moment per say, but when we first went to Nashville together during the summer of 2006, we solidified a lot of things, both relationally and musically. Part of the reason for solidifying musically was because we were given free studio time at a place called Dark Horse, where we decided to record each of our best five songs. Those songs became our first record, A Prelude.

A few years ago, you packed up everything and moved to Nashville. Wasn’t this a great leap of faith?

Because before moving to Nashville we’d spent time living there (and had jobs and an apartment lined), it really wasn’t a huge leap of faith. Going full time with music about 6 months after we moved there, however, was more of one, but still not what I, Tyler, would consider a true leap of faith. It really seemed like God paved the way for us, so that it felt more like taking a small step than a leap. For example, when we set out on the road on the first ever tour in February 2009, we knew that a few dates of that tour guaranteed us enough money to cover our expenses for that whole month, which included newly purchased health insurance. That’s been the case ever since. God’s always provided more than we need.

I think a lot of aspiring musicians might think that all they need is a guitar and a Youtube account to “make it big.” But isn’t that easy, is it?

It takes a lot of work. We spend the most time behind a computer and steering wheel Here’s a blog post we wrote about it, part 1: