I’ll soon post pics and details of my recent trip to Haiti. Meanwhile, I’m delighted to present an interview with Francine Rivers– one of my favorite authors. Read about her latest book, Her Mother’s Hope, and enjoy as she gives us glimpses into her life.
Can you tell us something about your Christian testimony? I was reared in a Christian home. My parents were active in church, my father an elder, my mother a deaconess. I attended Christian summer camps, youth group and said grace at every meal. I thought being born into a Christian family and raised in the faith made me a Christian. It didn’t. Each person makes their own choice, and it took me years to surrender to Jesus – not until after I’d gone through college, married, had children and started a writing career. Rick and I went to church, but came away dissatisfied and knowing there must be something more. We both had personal issues that brought us close to divorce several times. We wanted our own way and to have control over our own lives. Having control is an illusion. As a child, I’d asked Jesus to be my Savior. What I didn’t understand is I needed to surrender my life to Him and allow Him to be LORD of my life as well.
Our marriage was on the verge of collapse when Rick started his own business. We moved to northern California to be closer to family. We made many outer changes, but no change of the heart. As we moved into our rental house, a little boy came over to help and said, “Have I got a church for you!” We weren’t ready to listen. The lady on the other side of our fence also invited us to the same church. Out of desperation, I went a few weeks later. It was my first experience with “expository teaching.” The pastor taught straight out of the Bible, explaining the historical context, what the scriptures were saying, and what they had to do with me in the present. I drank it in! I took my three children to church. They loved it. Rick resisted (after having a somewhat disheartening experience with a denominational church in Southern California). I asked the pastor if he would be willing to teach a home Bible study. He agreed -- if Rick agreed, which he did. Studying the Bible changed our lives. Our hearts and minds opened to Christ. We both accepted Jesus as Savior and LORD and were baptized in May 1986. Since then, God has been changing our lives from the inside out. The Lord also healed our marriage. We celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary this year.
How did you get started as a writer? From the time I was a child, I knew I would be a writer. Because I didn’t know what I would write, I majored in English (emphasis in literary writing) and minored in journalism (emphasis on who-what-when-where-why). My parents had always been non-fiction readers. Rick’s family loved all kinds of books – and lots of fiction. Mom Edith loaned me novels and I loved them. On a dare (from Rick) I decided to write a combination of my favorite genres and wrote a “western-gothic-romance”. Romance novels were booming in the general market, publishers were on the look-out for new writers. My first manuscript sold and was published. I was hooked! I followed with eight or nine more (of what I call my B.C. (before Christ) books). They are all now out of print, are never to be reprinted, and are not recommended.
When I turned my life over to Jesus, I couldn’t write for three years. I tried, but nothing worked. I struggled against God over that because writing was my “identity.” It took that period of suffering “writer’s block” to bring me to my senses. God was trying to open my eyes to how writing had become an idol in my life. It was the place I ran to escape, the one area of my life where I thought I was in complete control. (Hardly!) My priorities were all wrong and needed to be put right. God first, husband and children second (we had three children by then) and third-- work. I prayed God would change my heart. My love for writing and reading novels waned and my passion for reading and studying God’s Word grew.
Rick and I began hosting a home Bible study. I began working with Rick in his business. The children came along and played in the office, hiding in the shipping popcorn. Writing ceased to matter. I was in love with Jesus and my husband and children. God never stops with the transformation process. We began studying the book of Hosea, and I sensed God calling me to write again – this time a romance about Jesus’ love for each of us. Redeeming Love was the result. It is the retelling of the Hosea story, set in Gold Rush-era California. After I turned it in, I wasn’t sure whether I would write anything more. I had so many questions about what it means to be a Christian, how to live for God, different issues that still haunted me. I felt God nudging me toward using my writing as a tool to draw closer to Him. I would ask my question, create characters that would play out the different viewpoints and seek God’s perspective. I began work on A Voice in the Wind. Writing has become a way to worship the Lord through story – to show how intimately He wants to be involved in our lives.
Where do you get your ideas for your plots? Almost every story I have written since becoming a Christian has come from a question that regards a struggle in my own faith walk. The plot centers around the different ways that question can be answered by “the world” – but the quest is to find God’s answer. Here is a list of my novels with the questions that started each story:
• A Voice in the Wind: How do I share my faith with unsaved family members and friends who have no desire to read the Bible or hear me talk about my faith? • An Echo in the Darkness: How many times are we called upon to forgive people who hurt us deliberately -- and (in many countries) would like to see us dead? • As Sure As the Dawn: How do you deal with anger – especially when there is “good” cause? What is “righteous anger” and how does it look? • The Scarlet Thread: What does “sovereignty” mean in man’s relationship with God? If He is in control of everything, what does that say about the bad things that happen to people? • The Atonement Child: Is there complete forgiveness and restoration for a woman who has aborted her child? Does abortion have any effect on the woman and the man involved in the crisis pregnancy? Does it impact people around them? (This was my most painful and personal book because I needed to face and deal with my own abortion experience. The character of Hannah is based on my story; Evie is based on my mother’s.) • The Last Sin Eater: What is the difference between guilt and conviction? This book came out of The Atonement Child. What I learned: guilt kept me imprisoned for years. Conviction sent me to my knees before the Lord where I received forgiveness and experienced His love and grace. • Leota’s Garden: Are abortion and euthanasia connected? Is euthanasia merciful or an act of murder? This novel also came out of my work on The Atonement Child. While studying the abortion issue from all sides, I realized the arguments for abortion are exactly the same as those for euthanasia. While going through a post-abortion class with other women (one a nurse), I learned that the elderly are already at risk. One scene in the book continues to shock people. I wrote it for that purpose. I want people to understand life is precious. The movement toward legalizing euthanasia continues to gain momentum (and has less to do with “mercy” than saving money for care). • And the Shofar Blew: What is a church? How do you build it? During my travels around the country and speaking at various churches, I saw many struggling through building projects and massive programs to draw more parishioners. Size of building and number of people in the pews seemed to define success or failure. Like a government out of control, the “church” (in many cases) has forgotten its foundation and purpose. Christ is the cornerstone. Believers meet together to study the Word of God, worship Him and encourage one another – and keep their doors and hearts open to those seeking God. Unfortunately, too many congregations have left their first love (Jesus Christ) and turned to idolatry (placing a building/drawing a crowd/being “politically correct” above a relationship with the Lord). • Her Mother’s Hope / Her Daughter’s Dream: What caused the rift between my grandmother and mother? When my grandmother had a stroke, my mother raced from Oregon to the Central Valley of California to be with her. Grandma died before she arrived. My mother was heart-broken and said, “I think she willed herself to die just so we wouldn’t have to talk things out.” I have wondered since: What causes people (even Christians) to hold grudges? What might have brought resolution and restoration to these two women? Could my grandmother have loved my mother without my mother understanding it? The two books have many personal, family details woven in and I will be sharing this information in my blog.
Which is your favorite book of those you’ve written? My favorite book is Redeeming Love. It was my first as a born-again Christian, my statement of faith, and the most exciting year I’ve spent writing anything. I felt God’s presence throughout the months of work, as though He were telling me His story through thousands of Scriptures as well as explaining the inner heart-ache and quest of each “my” characters.
Which book was the hardest to write and why? The Atonement Child was the most personal and difficult to write because I had to face my own abortion experience. Added to the considerable research I did, and women who shared their experiences with me, I went through an intensive post-traumatic stress Bible study for post-abortive women at our local pregnancy counseling center. Reliving all aspects of my abortion decision and experience was excruciating – but healing. After twenty-six years of being imprisoned by guilt and shame, I was free through the power and love of God. Though the book was the most heart-wrenching to write, it also proved to be the most life changing. I’ve received countless letters from other post-abortive women and have learned my experience is not unique. Our nation is filled with wounded men and women. The character of Hannah is based on my story, Doug is based on Rick’s, and Evie is based on my mother’s.
Which character is your favorite? My favorite character is Michael Hosea from Redeeming Love. He is like Jesus – the lover of my soul. I have another favorite: Hadassah from A Voice in the Wind. She is the kind of Christian I want to be.
What advice would you give to a new writer? Write what you need to read. Write from your heart and. Write truth. Sometimes it hurts to peel away the layers of self-deception and see ourselves in the mirror, but it will also draw us closer to Jesus. And your work may minister to others struggling with the same issues. Read the Bible every day so that it will flow naturally into the story. Study the Bible from beginning to end. It is the most exciting reading in the world. It is also alive – and will help you recognize when you are entering into sin and need to realign yourself with the Lord. Keep your focus on Jesus. Tell us about your current work.
I have just completed the second in a set of two books about mother-daughter relationship over four generations. This was intended to be one long novel dealing with the different ways generations have lived out their faith – but became so long it needed to be divided. Her Mother’s Hope will be released March 16, 2010. Her Daughter’s Dream will follow in September. There are numerous family and personal details woven into both books and I plan to share those things on my blog.
PLEASE NOTE: A complimentary copy of this book was provided to the me as a blog tour host by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for posting this interview on my blog. Please visit Christian Speaker Services at www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com for more information about blog tour management services.
If you check my Easter blog for 2009, you'll see I'm writing about the huge Easter quake in Italy. This year it's in Southern California.
Ok, so we had a 7.2 Earthquake on Easter Sunday here in San Diego county.. 900 aftershocks followed. And today, q 5.2 in Calexico, just over the border from San Diego.
The world is going berserk.
I'll write an article on this tomorrow. For now, read my recent article in The Examiner.
66 Love Letters – A Conversation with God That Invites You into His Story reads as a two-way conversation with the author (who represents us with all our shortcomings and questions) and God.
Using the conversation as a backdrop, Dr. Crabb explains the emphasis in each book (love letter) of the Bible, and unfolds the unifying and underlying theme—the common thread that pulls each letter together and makes it practical to our lives. Crabb highlights the human dilemma—our thirst to understand and resulting anxiety when we do not, our craving for emotional comfort and consequential confusion when there is none. His insight blows the fluff off of feel-good messages and exposes the core problem—our selfishness. He persistently points us to the only solution, the one seen in every book of the Bible, God’s Son.
My criticism of this work is that Dr. Crabb interjects some controversial viewpoints that are confusing and unnecessary. (For example, stating that Heaven is this earth remade—that would need a book to explain). But overall, I recommend this book for believers wanting to unpack the truths of the Bible in a simple way and to see the bigger picture beyond the nitty-gritty hard-stuff we often don’t “get”.
This article first appeared in Examiner.com this past weekend. See it in its original context here.
From Oscars and accolades galore to degradation and betrayal, Sandra Bullock's story seems like a fairy-tale in reverse. Happily married to Jessie James (or so she thought), this last year was pivotal for Sandra. Her role as Leanne Tuohy in the award-winning movie, The Blindside, boosted Sandra's career--she won Best-Actress Award--and changed her life. Sandra was touched by Leanne's down-to-earth, feisty nature, and the way the Tuohys lived out their faith in Christ in a practical way: They adopted a homeless boy -- just as God adopts us.
The Blindside's huge success resulted in Sandra being whisked up in a whirlwind of glory. She was the new Julia Roberts. She won every heart. But before her crown had time to tarnish (and after lavishing praise on her husband for his support), her own heart was broken. Her husband turned out to be the new Tiger Woods--not in golf excellence but in adultery.
Jessie James has reportedly had eleven affairs while being married to Sandra--including with an exotic dancer from San Diego. Numbers aside, James not only betrayed Sandra--but also his daughter, Sunny (who Sandra went to battle for so James could get custody rather than the girl's porn-star, drug-abusing mother). Now Sandra and her precious stepdaughter may be separated, adding another wee broken heart in the mix.
What to make of all this? It's a spiritual battle. Sandra's heart was touched by the Tuohys. She was honored for playing a noble role, one that revealed Christ in action. Then poof! She discovers her husband is a cheat and she may lose the child she almost adopted.
All this gives us good reason to pray for Sandra. And for Sunny. And for all involved. Janey DeMeo M.A.
When Eddie and Lynn Padilla moved to Morocco in 2006, they expected to stay for good, raising a family and helping orphans. They never dreamed that four years later they would find themselves and their two young children being escorted by police to a plane bound for America—leaving 34 crying orphans behind.
For two of those orphans, Samir and Mouhcine, the Padillas were the only parents they’d ever known. Eddie and Lynn were “Dad and Mom” and the two Padilla children were their beloved siblings. The family is now torn apart, trusting God for the welfare of the children who are now under the care of strangers.
The Padillas, originally sent out by Calvary Chapel Downy, worked with Village of Hope (VOH), an organization taking in orphans, many abandoned at birth because they were illegitimate—a despised stigma in Muslim Morocco. Unwanted babies are often discarded in hospitals or left in trash bags to die. Without structures like VOH, there is little hope of these children having a loving childhood.
VOH’s approach to helping orphans is to set up small, family units rather than huge, dormitory types of orphanages. House parents (or even a house family, as was the case of the Padillas) then foster no more than eight children, creating a real family nucleus.
The house-parents at VOH were from several countries including the UK, Holland, New Zealand, South Africa, America—and one family of converted Moroccans who fostered seven children under five years of age. The Padillas were the only Americans.
On March 6th at 3pm all the house-parents—including the Moroccan family—were ordered to leave the compound and the children. By 9pm, the Padillas found themselves on a bus headed for the airport escorted by police. They took their two biological children with them, leaving behind their belongings and beloved foster children. Samir, whose 2nd birthday was to be celebrated on March 8th, and his one-year-old brother, were left bewildered, scared and alone.
Some of the children in the homes have known their house-parents for ten years. They now find themselves with total strangers, longing for the loving embrace of their parents.
One little four-year-old girl doesn’t yet know her parents can no longer take care of her. She was taken to South Africa on a brief, permitted visit, and scheduled to return in April. She will return home to strangers – workers commissioned by the Moroccan government to take care of the children abandoned by a society that doesn’t value orphans.
This trauma began unexpectedly a few days prior to the deportation of the VOH workers when Moroccan government officials questioned the missionaries and the children. They then alleged that the house-parents were proselytizing to minors. However, their allegation lacked evidence, no trial was given and the decision was inexplicably irrevocable.
The puzzling piece in this drama is that the VOH compound was legal and legitimate. The missionaries had openly stated their standing as Christians, and had accepted the conditions placed on them by the Moroccan government. Those limitations included the requisite that the children were to learn about Islam as well as Christianity and to be well acquainted with the Muslim culture. The missionaries honored this stipulation to a tee, trusting that God would use their obedience and reveal Himself to the children.
So why were the workers ordered to leave without any proven misdemeanor? The Bible answers that question. We are in a spiritual battle. And the battle is worsening. Hostility towards Christians is increasing worldwide, and with it, hostility to children—particularly orphans. This is a time when we, the body of Christ, need to step up our prayer quota and stand in the gap for the children and the nations. Morocco’s children need our prayers more than ever—as do the children worldwide. We worked with many Moroccan children in France. I knew a lot of Samirs and Mouhcines. We brought them to our Saturday Club and taught them about Jesus. (Parents gave there children over willingly, happy to have less to worry about for an afternoon.) My husband visited Morocco several times, and was touched by the faith of those who’d come to Christ—sometimes at the risk of their lives. Many practice Christianity in secret.
But in the case of the VOH workers, their faith was no secret, even though they heeded the government’s prohibition to proselytize. Parents like the Padillas showed the love of Jesus to the children and to all those around them. They lived it.
The Padillas are now in Colorado with family, trying to make sense of it all. They will soon have to look for jobs in a country where unemployment is at a high, while the need for missionaries in nations like Morocco has never been greater. But they are not the only ones who’ll need to look for jobs. So will the 24 Moroccan employees who worked at VOH who are now fired. Mercilessly left unemployed – while 34 children are left parentless.
“My children ask for the other children,” Lynn told me. “To them, home is in Morocco .” Then the sobering words of a loving mother whose heart has been broken, “I never even got to make Samir’s birthday cake” But in spite of the pain, Eddie and Lynn have kept an eternal focus. They are praying that the Muslim workers who are now taking care of the children at VOH will search their hearts and ask themselves what this was all about. What caused these people to come here to take care of our abandoned children? They hope and pray God will use this tragedy for His higher purpose – that of drawing the nations to Himself. Yes, even nations like Morocco.
Let’s join them in that prayer.
For an official statement from the parents of VOH, go here.
Janey DeMeo is founder and director of Orphans First. She is also an author and speaker. Her husband, Louis, is a church-planter and pastor. They were formerly missionaries for 22 years in France, and are now based in Southern California where they continue their ministry. They both taught at the Calvary Chapel Bible College.
