Into the Fire

Passionate thoughts about the world of writing and the Power of God

  • The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters,

    but a man of understanding draws them out.

    Proverbs 20:5 (NIV)

  • HE IS RISEN!

    Luke 24:6 (NIV)

    John 14:6 (NIV)

  • His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

    2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)

  • May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

    Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)

  • Writing Christian Fiction takes on a multitude of factors and focuses. Some of it is truly evangelistic which translates to heavy on revealing the Gospel which is encapsulated in the scriptures John 14:6 and the well-known John 3:16.

    Some of it is less specific – or vague – in that it will mention God or prayer in crises. Even some secular novels do that.

    I would say that much of Christian Fiction touches all the bases in between those two categories.

    As an author of Christian Fiction, I primarily write love stories heavy on the romance but veered out of my lane with one mystery (Race). My tagline is: Raw Romantic Redemptive which tells you that my novels might not be your typical “romance” novels, but redemption will always be in the mix.

    In my estimation, the endgame of writing fiction is that the ideal audience for the stories we write is finding and/or pursuing the best audience for our work. That is how I intend to review Lora Strong’s Book 2 Granite and Gloss Felons and Finders.

    The hero is Granite, “made of stone,” able to do the hardcore work of the “company” who employs him, now saved because of his encounter with “Gloss” in their first encounter (Granite and Gloss Rescuers). His team are some of the best in security/protection/etc. The heroine is a beautiful artist with synesthesia who sees and feels everything in colors.

    Wrapped around the horrid “grid” of sex trafficking, this biblically based encounter with Spirit-led pursuits and the unlimited and specific leading of the Holy Spirit reveals the anatomy of Christianity and how it’s supposed to operate in real life. Not fanciful in the eventual outcomes of dangerous pursuits to stop the purveyors of these evil crimes, it addresses the wins and losses realistically while employing the available guidance and protection the Holy Spirit can and does provide.

    The story is a testimony to the power of God, the salvation of Jesus Christ, and the ongoing personal work in an individual by the Holy Spirit.

    Communicating the precise types of relationship between the Holy Spirit working in each person, it’s a declaration of the faith, trust, and pure belief that can belong to anyone who dares to make Jesus Christ their Savior.

    It’s a perfect treatise for Christianity, and I would highly recommend it for younger, new-to-the-faith Christians who desire to go deeper with their Savior, to learn the intricacies of salvation, faith, trust, and the incredible love that God has for each one of us.

    Father, I pray that you would continue to bless Lora as only you can do. Continue to give her the precise inspiration and encouragement for the stories you have just for her to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

  • . . . Cast all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you.

    Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

    And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

    1 Peter 5:7-11 (NIV)

  • But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

    1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

  • See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. but encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has been said:

    “Today, if you hear His voice,

    do not harden your hearts

    as you did in the rebellion.”

    Hebrews 3:12-15 (NIV)

  • A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

    though you look for them, they will not be found.

    Psalm 37:10 (NIV)

  • An oracle is within my heart

    concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:

    There is no fear of God

    before his eyes.

    For in his own eyes he flatters himself

    too much to detect or hate his sin.

    The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;

    he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

    Even on his bed he plots evil;

    he commits himself to a sinful course

    and does not reject what is wrong.

    Psalm 36:1-4 (NIV)