It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Karri | Marketing Assistant | Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lori Copeland is the author of more than 90 titles, both historical and contemporary fiction. With more than 3 million copies of her books in print, she has developed a loyal following among her rapidly growing fans in the inspirational market. She has been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books’ Best Seller award. In 2000, Lori was inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame. She lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband, Lance, and their three children and five grandchildren.
Visit the author’s website. Virginia Smith is the author of more than a dozen inspirational novels and more than fifty articles and short stories. An avid reader with eclectic tastes in fiction, Ginny writes in a variety of styles, from lighthearted relationship stories to breath-snatching suspense.
An exciting new Amish-meets-Wild West adventure from bestselling authors Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith weaves an entertaining and romantic tale for devoted fans and new readers.
Kansas,1881—On a trip to visit relatives, Emma Switzer’s Amish family is robbed of all their possessions, leaving them destitute and stranded on the prairie. Walking into the nearest trading settlement, they pray to the Lord for someone to help. When a man lands in the dust at her feet, Emma looks down at him and thinks, The Lord might have cleaned him up first.
Luke Carson, heading up his first cattle drive, is not planning on being the answer to anyone’s prayers, but it looks as though God has something else in mind for this kind and gentle man. Plain and rugged—do the two mix? And what happens when a dedicated Amish woman and a stubborn trail boss prove to be each other’s match?
Product Details:
List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (March 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736947523
ISBN-13: 978-0736947527
ISLAND BREEZES
Too much mingling with the Englisch. No good can come of it. But circumstances would dictated that the cowboy and the Amish family spend too much time together.
She has no thoughts of jumping the fence into the Englisch world. And the cowboy? The thought of becoming Amish never entered his head. They fell in love anyway.
There was an insurmontable obstacle. Emma’s father. How could they possibly overcome all that he was and stood for?
Tissue alert! You’re going to need more than a few as you near the end of this book.
I do hope these ladies plan to write more books together. They make a good team. AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Apple Grove, Kansas
July 1881
Nearly the entire Amish district of Apple Grove had turned out to help this morning, all twenty families. Or perhaps they were here merely to wish Emma Switzer well as she set off for her new home in Troyer, fifty miles away.
From her vantage point on the porch of the house, Emma’s grandmother kept watch over the loading of the gigantic buffet hutch onto the specially reinforced wagon. Her sharp voice sliced through the peaceful morning air.
“Forty years I’ve had that hutch from my dearly departed husband and not a scratch on it. Jonas, see that you use care!”
If Maummi’s expression weren’t so fierce, Emma would have laughed at the long-suffering look Papa turned toward his mother. But the force with which Maummi’s fingers dug into the flesh on Emma’s arm warned that a chuckle would be most ill-suited at the moment. Besides, the men straining to heft the heavy hutch from the front porch of their home into the wagon didn’t need further distractions. Their faces strained bright red above their beards, and more than one drop of sweat trickled from beneath the broad brim of their identical straw hats.
Emma glanced at the watchers lined up like sparrows on a fence post. She caught sight of her best friend, Katie Beachy, amid the sea of dark dresses and white kapps. Katie smiled and smoothed her skirt with a shy gesture. The black fabric looked a little darker and crisper than that of those standing around her, which meant she’d worn her new dress to bid Emma farewell, an honor usually reserved for singings or services or weddings. The garment looked well on her. Emma had helped sew the seams at their last frolic. Of course, Katie’s early morning appearance in a new dress probably had less to do with honoring Emma than with the presence of Samuel Miller, the handsome son of the district bishop. With a glance toward Samuel, whose arms bulged against the weight of holding up one end of the hutch, she returned Katie’s smile with a conspiratorial wink.
Emma’s gaze slid over other faces in the crowd and snagged on a pair of eyes fixed on her. Amos Beiler didn’t bother to turn away but kept his gaze boldly on her face. Nor did he bother to hide his expression, one of longing and lingering hurt. He held infant Joseph in his arms, and a young daughter clutched each of his trouser-clad legs. A wave of guilt washed through Emma, and she hastily turned back toward the wagon.
From his vantage point up in the wagon bed, Papa held one end of a thick rope looped around the top of the hutch, the other end held by John Yoder. The front edge of the heavy heirloom had been lifted into the wagon with much grunting and groaning, while the rear still rested on the smooth wooden planks of the porch. Two men steadied the oxen heads, and the rest, like Samuel, had gathered around the back end of the hutch. A protective layer of thick quilts lined the wagon bed.
Papa gave the word. “Lift!”
The men moved in silent unity. Bending their knees, their hands grasped for purchase around the bottom edges. As one they drew in a breath, and at Papa’s nod raised in unison. Emma’s own breath caught in her chest, her muscles straining in silent sympathy with the men. The hutch rose until its rear end was level with its front, and the men stepped forward. The thick quilts dangling beneath scooted onto the wagon as planned, a protective barrier from damage caused by wood against wood.
The hutch suddenly dipped and slid swiftly to the front. Emma gasped. Apparently the speed caught Papa and John Yoder by surprise too, for the rope around the top went slack. Papa lunged to reach for the nearest corner, and his foot slipped. The wagon creaked and sank lower on its wheels as the hutch settled into place. At the same moment Papa went down on one knee with a loud, “Ummph.”
“Papa!”
“Ach!?” Maummi pulled away from Emma and rushed forward. Her heart pounding against her rib cage, Emma followed. Men were already checking on Papa, but Maummi leaped into the wagon bed with a jump that belied her sixty years, the strings of her kapp flying behind her. She applied bony elbows to push her way around the hutch to her son’s side.
She came to a halt above him, hands on her hips, and looked down. “Are you hurt?”
Emma reached the side of the wagon in time to see Papa wince and shake his head. “No. A bruise is all.”
“Good.” She left him lying there and turned worried eyes toward her beloved hutch. With a gentle touch, she ran loving fingers over the smooth surface and knelt to investigate the corners.
A mock-stern voice behind Emma held the hint of a chuckle. “Trappings only, Marta Switzer. Care you more for a scratch on wood than an injury to your son?”
Emma turned to see Bishop Miller approach. He spared a smile for her as he drew near enough to lean his arms across the wooden side of the wagon and watch the activity inside. Samuel helped Papa to his feet and handed him the broad-brimmed hat that had fallen off. Emma breathed a sigh of relief when he took a ginger step to try out his leg and smiled at the absence of pain.
“My son is fine.” Maummi waved a hand in his direction, as though in proof. “And so is my hutch. Though my heart may not say the same, such a fright I’ve had.” She placed the hand lightly on her chest, drew a shuddering breath, and wavered on her feet.
Concern for her grandmother propelled Emma toward the back of the wagon. As she climbed up, she called into the house, “Rebecca, bring a cool cloth for Maummi’s head.”
The men backed away while Katie and several other women converged on the wagon to help Emma lift Maummi down and over to the rocking chair that rested in the shade of the porch, ready to be loaded when the time came. Maummi allowed herself to be lowered onto the chair, and then she wilted against the back, her head lolling sideways and arms dangling. A disapproving buzz rumbled among the watching women, but Emma ignored them. Though she knew full well that most of the weakness was feigned for the sake of the bishop and other onlookers, she also knew Maummi’s heart tended to beat unevenly in her chest whenever she exerted herself. It was yet another reason why she ought to stay behind in Apple Grove, but Maummi insisted her place was with Emma, her oldest granddaughter. What she really meant was that she intended to inspect every eligible young Amish man in Troyer and handpick her future grandson-in-law.
Aunt Gerda had written to say she anticipated that her only daughter would marry soon, and she would appreciate having Emma come to help her around the house. She’d also mentioned the abundance of marriageable young men in Troyer, with a suggestion that twenty-year-old Emma was of an age that the news might be welcome. Rebecca had immediately volunteered to go in Emma’s place. Though Papa appeared to consider the idea, he decided to send Emma because she was the oldest and therefore would be in need of a husband soonest. Maummi insisted on going along in order to “Keep an eye on this hoard of men Gerda will parade before our Emma.”
As far as Emma was concerned, they should just send Maummi on alone and leave her in Apple Grove to wait for her future husband to be delivered to her doorstep.
Rebecca appeared from inside the house with a dripping cloth in hand. A strand of wavy dark hair had escaped its pins and fluttered freely beside the strings of her kapp. At barely thirteen, her rosy cheeks and smooth, high forehead reminded Emma so sharply of their mother that at times her heart ached.
Rebecca looked at Maummi’s dramatic posture and rolled her eyes. She had little patience with Maummi’s feigned heart episodes, and she was young enough that she had yet to learn proper restraint in concealing her emotions. Emma awarded her sister with a stern look and held out a hand for the cloth.
With a contrite bob of her head, Rebecca handed it over and dropped to her knees beside the rocking chair. “Are you all right, Maummi?”
“Ach, I’m fine. I don’t think it’s my time. Yet.”
Emma wrung the excess water from the cloth before draping it across the back of Maummi’s neck.
“Danki.” The elderly woman realized that the men had stopped working in order to watch her, and she waved her hand in a shooing motion. “Place those quilts over my hutch before you load anything else! Mind, Jonas, no scratches.”
Papa shook his head, though a smile tugged at his lips. “Ja, I remember.”
The gray head turned toward Emma. “Granddaughter, see they take proper care.”
“I will, Maummi.”
Katie joined Emma to oversee the wrapping of the hutch. When Samuel Miller offered a strong arm to help Katie up into the wagon, Emma hid a smile. No doubt she would receive a letter at her new home soon, informing her that a wedding date had been published. Because Samuel was the bishop’s son, there was no fear he would not receive the Zeungis, the letter of good standing. Rebecca would be thrilled at the news of a proper wedding in tiny Apple Grove.
But Emma would be far away in Troyer, and she would miss her friend’s big day.
Why must I live there when everything I love is here?
She draped a thick quilt over her end of the hutch and sidled away while Papa secured a rope around it. The faces of her friends and family looked on. They filled the area between the house and the barn. She loved every one in her own way. Yes, even Amos Beiler. She sought him out among the crowd and smiled at the two little girls who hovered near his side. Poor, lonely Amos. He was a good father to his motherless family. No doubt he’d make a fine husband, and if she married him she wouldn’t have to move to Troyer. The thought tempted her once again, as it often had over the past several weeks since Papa announced his decision that she would live with Aunt Gerda for a while.
But she knew that if she agreed to become Amos’s wife that she would be settling. True, she would gain a prosperous farm and a nice house and a trio of well-behaved children, with the promise of more to come. But the fact remained that though there was much to respect about Amos, she didn’t love him. The thought of seeing that moon-shaped face and slightly cross-eyed stare over the table for breakfast, dinner, and supper sent a shiver rippling across her shoulders. Not to mention sharing a marriage bed with him. It was enough to make her throw her apron over her face and run screaming across Papa’s cornfield.
He deserves a wife who loves him, she told herself for the hundredth time. Her conscience thus soothed, Emma turned away from his mournful stare.
“That trunk goes in the front,” Maummi shouted from her chair on the porch. “Emma, show them where.”
Emma shrank against the gigantic hutch to give the men room to settle the trunk containing all of her belongings. An oiled canvas tarp had been secured over the top to repel any rain they might meet over the next week. Inside, resting on her dresses, aprons, bonnets, and kapps, was a bundle more precious to her than anything else in the wagon: a quilt, expertly and lovingly stitched, nestled within a heavy canvas pouch. Mama had made it with her own hands for Emma’s hope chest. The last stitch was bitten off just hours before she closed her eyes and stepped into the arms of her Lord.
Oh, Mama, if you were here you could convince Papa to let me stay home. I know you could. And now, without you, what will happen to me?
Yet, even in the midst of the dreary thought, a spark of hope flickered in the darkness in Emma’s heart. The future yawned before her like the endless Kansas prairie. Wasn’t there beauty to be found in the tall, blowing grasses of the open plain? Weren’t there cool streams and shady trees to offer respite from the heat of the day? Maybe Troyer would turn out to be an oasis.
“Emma!”
Maummi’s sharp tone cut through her musing. She jerked upright. Her grandmother appeared to have recovered from her heart episode. From the vantage point of her chair, she oversaw every movement with a critical eye.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Mind what I said about that loading, girl. The food carton goes on last. We won’t want to search for provisions when we stop at night on the trail.”
An approving murmur rose from the women at the wisdom of an organized wagon.
“Yes, ma’am.” Emma exchanged a quick grin with Katie and then directed the man carrying a carton of canned goods and trail provisions to set his burden aside for now.
A little while later, after everything had been loaded and secured under an oiled canvas, the men stood around to admire their handiwork. Samuel even crawled beneath the wagon to check the support struts, and he pronounced everything to be “in apple-pie order.”
Emma felt a pluck on her arm. She turned to find Katie at her elbow.
“This is a gift for you.” Her friend pushed a small package into her hands. “It’s only a soft cloth and some fancy-colored threads. I was fixing to stitch you a design, but you’re so much better at fine sewing than I am that I figured you could make something prettier by yourself.” She ducked her head. “Think kindly of me when you do.”
Warmed by her friend’s gesture, Emma pulled her into an embrace. “I will. And I expect a letter from you soon.” She let Katie see her glance slide over to Samuel and back with a grin. “Especially when you have something exciting to report.”
A becoming blush colored the girl’s cheeks. “I will.”
Emma was still going down the line, awarding each woman a farewell hug, when Bishop Miller stepped up to the front of the wagon and motioned for attention.
“It’s time now to bid Jonas Switzer Godspeed and fair weather for his travels.” A kind smile curved his lips when he looked to Maummi and then to Emma. “And our prayers go with our sisters Marta and Emma as they make a new home in Troyer.”
He bowed his head and closed his eyes, a sign for everyone in the Apple Grove district to follow suit. Emma obeyed, fixing her thoughts on the blue skies overhead and the Almighty’s throne beyond. Silence descended, interrupted only by the snorts of oxen and a happy bird in the tall, leafy tree that gave shade to the porch.
What will I find in Troyer? A new home, as the bishop says? A fine Amish husband, as Papa wishes? I pray it be so. And I pray he will be the second son of his father so that he will come home with me to Apple Grove and take over Papa’s farm when the time comes.
Afemale sniffled behind her. Not Katie, but Rebecca. A twist inside Emma’s rib cage nearly sent tears to her eyes. Oh, how she would miss her sister when Rebecca left Troyer to return home with Papa. She vowed to make the most of their time together on the trail between here and there.
Bishop Miller ended the prayer with a blessing in High German, his hand on the head of the closest oxen. When the last word fell on the quiet crowd, Maummi’s voice sliced through the cool morning air. “Now that we’re seen off proper, someone help me up. We’ll be gone before the sun moves another inch across the sky.”
Though she’d proved earlier that she could make the leap herself at need, Maummi allowed Papa and the bishop to lift her into the wagon. She took her seat in her rocking chair, which was wedged between the covered hutch and one high side of the wagon bed. With a protective pat on the hutch, she settled her sewing basket at her feet and pulled a piece of mending onto her lap. No idle hands for Maummi. By the time they made Troyer, she’d have all the mending done, and the darning too, and a good start on a new quilt.
Emma spared one more embrace for Katie, steadfastly ignored Amos’s mournful stare, and allowed the bishop to help her up onto the bench seat. She scooted over to the far end to make room for Papa, and then Rebecca was lifted up to sit on the other side of him. A snug fit, but they would be okay for the six-day journey to Troyer. Emma settled her black dress and smoothed her apron.
“Now, Jonas, mind you what I said.” Maummi’s voice from behind their heads sounded a bit shrill in the quiet morning. “You cut a wide path around Hays. I’ll not have my granddaughters witness the ufrooish of those wild Englischers.”
On the other side of Papa, Rebecca heaved a loud sigh. Emma hid her grin. No doubt Rebecca would love to witness the rowdy riots of wild cowboy Englischersin the infamous railroad town of Hays.
Papa mumbled something under his breath that sounded like “This will be the longest journey of my life,” but aloud he said, “Ja, Mader.”
With a flick of the rope, he urged the oxen forward. The wagon creaked and pitched as it rolled on its gigantic wheels. Emma grabbed the side of the bench with one hand and lifted her other hand in a final farewell as her home fell away behind her.
He said to them, “Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles.
For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come; fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly.
All these evil things come from within, and they defile aa person.
Your pie, of course, when you celebrated PI Day. Or do you, like many others, have no clue as to what PI Day is all about? Pi the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th. Pi = 3.1415926535… You can learn more here at the official Pi Day web site.
Okay, so you’re not into all that math stuff. It doesn’t matter. It’s still a good excuse to have a slice of pie to celebrate. What’s your favorite kind of pie?
To this day my favorite is a banana pie that was prepared the way my grandfather liked it. It’s a very simple recipe. Bake a pie shell. Slice in bananas until it’s nearly heaping. Top with whipped cream or a similar whipped topping and dig in. Fast and simple and doesn’t last long in our family.
Mesu Andrews expertly weaves the words of the Song of Solomon into this touching story of the power of love. Readers will be transported from the glowing fields of Shunem to the gleaming city of Jerusalem as they experience this rich and textured novel from a master storyteller.
Standing in the massive shadow of his famous father, young king Solomon wavers between fear and bravado, wisdom and folly. In the uncertain world of alliances and treachery, Solomon longs for peace and a love that is true and pure–a love that can be his cornerstone.
A shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah remembers the first time she laid eyes on Solomon in Jerusalem when she was just seven years old. Since then she has known that it was her destiny to become his bride. When her father, a leader of their tribe, secures a promise from King Solomon to marry Arielah as a treaty bride to help unite the kingdom, it seems her dreams may come true.
ISLAND BREEZES
I’m sitting here sobbing as I finished this book. This beautiful story of Solomon and Arielah brought their love to life for me. The struggles and emotions have given depth to this king and his young bride.
I’m at a loss for words here. I’ll always look at the “Song of Solomon” in a new light.
Ms Andrews has a remarkable gift in her ability to bring biblical characters to life. First it was Job and now, Solomon. I’m wondering who is next. I’m looking forward to whomever it is.
***A special thank you to Donna Hausler for providing a review copy.***
Mesu Andrews?is the author of?Love Amid the Ashes?and is an active speaker who has devoted herself to passionate and intense study of Scripture. Harnessing her deep understanding and love for God’s Word, Andrews brings the biblical world vividly alive for her readers. She lives in Washington.
Available March 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Karri | Marketing Assistant | Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Valorie Burton is a certified personal and executivecoach who has served hundreds of clients in over 40 states and seven countries. She is founder and director of The Coaching and PositivePsychology Institute and the author of six books on personal development. She is deeply committed to helping people be more resilient so they can thrivein life and work, be more productive, and live with balance and purpose.
Visit the author’s website.
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
In Successful Women Think Differently, ValorieBurton helps women create new thought processes that empower them to succeed in their relationships, finances, work, health, and spiritual life. In this powerful and practical guide, women will gain insight into who they really are and receive the tools, knowledge, and understanding to succeed.
Product Details:
List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (February 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736938567
ISBN-13: 978-0736938563
ISLAND BREEZES
I’m still working on this book. It has a lot of good stuff packed in it.
Seven key decisions and nine habits will get you thinking more like the successful woman you’re meant to be.
This book tells me it’s never too late to be what you want to be when you grow up. It tells me I can still grow and be successful in a new life.
Over a year ago I was disabled in an auto accident and was told I would never be able to work another eight hour nursing shift. So maybe that incident an this book are telling me I can do something else. I can go with the artist hiding inside. I’m not sure if it will be more with my writing, creating with my pastels or with my sewing machine.
This book is going to take me there. If you really want to be successful and happy with what you do, read this book. Successful women really do think differently.
I’ll meet you at the top.
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Believe You Can Do It
How you explain your success and failure predicts more about your potential than you think
Key Lessons
?Optimism is a key to reaching high levels of success
?Adopt a “growth mindset” rather than a fixed one
?Take notice of your thoughts—and adjust them as needed
Cecily struggled with her weight for several years before her doctor gave her a serious wake-up call: she was prediabetic. She needed to lose 40 pounds and maintain a regimen of exercise and a healthier diet. The mid-afternoon vending machine runs for Little Debbies and potato chips would need to stop. So would the couch potato habits and all the excuses for why she didn’t have time to exercise. But every time Cecily talked about doing better, her thoughts and subsequent words looked something like this:
I’ve tried before and failed. What’s the point of trying again if the same thing is going to happen? It’s a waste of time. I just need to accept that I’m a big woman. My mother is big. My sister gained weight after 30. Why should I think I can be any different? Healthy food is bland. I don’t want it. And I’m embarrassed to work out in public. I don’t want people staring at my flabby, overweight body. I can’t do this.
With these thoughts, Cecily set out to do what the doctor suggested. As you can imagine, her efforts were short-lived. Her counterproductive thoughts overpowered her intentions. Actions follow thoughts, and counterproductive thoughts will always send you in the opposite direction of your goal.
Think back for a moment to a recent failure. Maybe it was a relationship that went south or a promotion you were denied or a decision that got you into hot water. Or maybe it is something simpler—a test you failed or that 21-day diet that you’d already given up on by day two. Got a failure in mind? We all have them. Now, answer this question honestly and without too much thought: Why did you fail? Jot down the first things that come to mind. Just a short bullet-pointed list:
Did you write down your reasons? If not, don’t skip that part. Write it down.
It’s a simple exercise, but noticing how you think about failure can tell you a great deal about how high you will ascend on the success ladder. Numerous books will tell you that to be successful, you should simply emulate successful people. It can be tempting, then, to observe a woman who has achieved success, whether in her relationships or finances or health or work, and take notes about the steps she took to get to her destination. Why is it, then, that you can take two women with very similar backgrounds, education, and experience, and one excels while the other languishes? Why does one clear the hurdle when she faces it and the other trips and falls flat on her face, never to get up again? Why does one set big, compelling goals while the other settles for far less than she seems capable of?????
Many of the answers to these questions cannot be found by simply observing the steps each woman chose to take. The more important insight is to understand what caused one of them to take those steps—to even think to take those steps—while the other did not. The edge the successful woman has over the average is in her thought processes. It is not external, but internal. Sometimes it is learned through experiences and parental examples. However, some aspects of the thought process come very naturally to you. You are either more optimistic or pessimistic in your thinking. Although you may naturally lean in one direction or the other in the face of a challenge or opportunity, an optimistic thinking style can be learned.
Let me be specific about what I mean by these two terms. The hallmark of a pessimist is that she tends to believe negative events in life will last forever, will impact everything she does, and are all her fault. But when faced with similar circumstances, the optimist believes just the opposite. She sees the event as a temporary setback, believes it is limited to this specific instance, and doesn’t blame it all on herself. Instead, the optimist sees all of the external circumstances that contributed—other people, poor timing, and even God’s will.
So let’s go back to that recent failure you identified a moment ago and take a look at the reasons you gave for it. Re-read what you wrote. Then, answer one more question: Are all of your reasons personal faults and character traits? In other words, are your reasons things that you can’t do anything about or are some of your reasons changeable?
Women who are most successful explain their failures in terms of things they can take control over. In other words, they realize they have weaknesses and faults, but those are not the sole reasons why things go wrong. Instead, they focus on the external reasons—people who made things more difficult, the fact that they weren’t as prepared as they could have been, the fact that the economy was bad, the weather was bad, the boss was having a bad day again.
None of these reasons have permanent implications. After all, next time she can prepare better, the weather may improve, the economy won’t be bad forever, and even if the boss keeps his job, she can always find another boss to work for in another department or company. Failing this time doesn’t mean failing next time. With a few intentional tweaks and changes, the next go-round will be a clean slate.
The successful woman is hopeful. She is empowered by knowledge of lessons gleaned from the failure of the previous try. She doesn’t take failure personally and she knows that failing doesn’t make her a failure. She knows that internalizing failure is a death sentence for her dreams. After all, if you’re a failure, what’s the point of attempting to be a success?
This last question is critical. The two thinking styles—optimistic and pessimistic—produce specific results. Numerous studies illustrate that pessimists don’t persevere. They give up more easily. They become depressed more often. And for women, this is even more pronounced. We are twice as likely as men to experience depression, and the average age of the first onset of depression is now just 14 years old—half the age it was just a few decades ago. Because we experience higher highs and lower lows emotionally than men do, we can be more sensitive to the emotional impact of our goals and efforts to reach them. Having an optimistic thinking style results in feelings that encourage us to persevere in the face of challenges.
Consider the girl who sets out to sell Girl Scout cookies. Her goal is to sell 20 boxes in front of the grocery store on Saturday. When her four-hour shift is over, she has sold just four boxes. You ask her what happened and the conversation goes something like this:
You:I’m sure you were disappointed. Why do you think you only sold four boxes?
Girl:I’m no good at selling anything. My mom said she had a sales job once and she’s no good at it either. Nobody likes these cookies that much. I hate bothering people. Everybody’s on a budget these days and all the women say they’re trying to lose weight and can’t eat sweets. I don’t know if I’m going to bother going back next Saturday.
Now, I know you’re not a little girl, but sometimes when it comes to self-talk that little girl voice emerges and it can sabotage your success. The eternal pessimist explains her failures as personal (flaws or traits that have no hope of changing), permanent (the problem will exist forever), and pervasive (the personal flaw that caused the failure will sabotage your success in other ways too). Psychologists call it your “explanatory” or thinking style. I call it the determining factor in whether or not you will be as successful as you are capable of being. The sooner you start paying attention to what you say to yourself about your life, your circumstances, and yes, your failures, the sooner you will break through to the next level.
LEARNING TO FAIL FORWARD
At 28, Meredith Moore became the youngest director in the McDonald’s Corporation. But her stellar career didn’t start off so stellar. A series of bumps could have bruised her, but instead took her on an inner journey that landed her in a role reporting to the president of one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
When Meredith graduated from Howard University with a degree in communications, the Minnesota native took a job at an international financial services firm. Initially she was trained to be a stockbroker, but passing the licensing exam proved to be struggle. Still, on the job she was a star performer her first year—an accolade she thought would be rewarded. But in the stodgy “good ole boy” environment, her talent wasn’t as great an asset as she’d imagined. “The HR rep at the company said something peculiar after my first year and I’ve always remembered it: ‘Talented people push back.’?” In other words, talented people see where there is room for improvement and expect that others want to improve. Talentedpeople question the status quo. Talented people are driven to succeed and therefore they notice what’s happening—or not happening—that might impede success. The culture was not a good fit and Meredith was soon reassigned from the East Coast to the Midwest.
“The company was stuck in 1955,” she reflects. “They didn’t want new people.” If the culture had been the only problem, she may havebeen able to persist longer, but soon Meredith found that her competence was being called into question on a regular basis—something she’d never experienced before. For years, Meredith had confidence in her ability to write—it was something that brought her a sense of joy and accomplishment. It was a gift she’d honed over the years, especially in college. Now, she had a supervisor who told her plain and simple, “You can’t write.” To make matters worse, the supervisor refused to offer any feedback on what exactly she needed to improve. “I had always been pretty good at assessing my abilities. Since childhood, I had been a good writer. The organization beat me down so much that I started to say to myself, ‘I’m not a good writer.’ But my job in marketing and communications was 90 percent writing.”
Work was becoming a struggle as Meredith attempted to please a boss who couldn’tbe pleased. “It was a toxic environment. I tried every chain of contacting the human resources department, mentors, or anyone I thought could help me improve the situation. Everyone said, ‘Just hold on.’ Eventually, though, they said, ‘We can’t help you.’?” Meredith felt isolated in more ways than one—in a company with few prospects for advancement, in a town she had no connection to, many miles from family or the friends she’d had in college, and with no church or community connections. She knew she needed to come up with a game plan. Although her parents advised her to stick it out, that advice felt unbearable to Meredith.
“I had never quit before,” Meredith says. “But the pivotal moment for me was when I began to doubt myself. That had never been my mode of operation.” It was Meredith’s self-sabotaging thoughts that concerned her more than anything else. She understood something at a young age, a critical key to success for women: successful women believe in themselves. They have an authentic confidence that buoys them in the face of challenges and opportunities. Without that confidence, Meredith would lack the fuel to reach her goals. So she quit, and she did so quite unconventionally. One night, fed up, she decided never to go back to work at the company she’d called her employer for a year and eight months. “I packed up in the middle of the night, cleaned up my apartment, took my cat, and drove to Chicago. I left with no job.”
Meredith immediately landed a job that was essentially an internship with an ad agency. At $10 an hour, it was a far cry from her very comfortable paycheck plus benefits at the financial services firm. She was adamant though, that she had made the right decision. “I learned my worth and value. I was only making $10 an hour, but I wasn’t being disrespected. I was willing to let go of all of my earthly belongings to avoid having people treat me badly,” she says. No one understood her decision to leave, especially her parents. But Meredith learned a key lesson through the experience. Previously, she said, she always felt she needed other people to validate her pain and her experiences. But something clicked for her the night she decided to pack up and leave. “I figured out that if I experienced it, it was valid. Other people don’t need to validate my pain in order for it to be real.”
Her leap of faith wasn’t without a net for long. For one, she had her sister and a new church home where she felt inspired and grounded. Then opportunity knocked. “I had forgotten that I applied for a job at McDonald’s Corporation while I was still at the previous company,” she remembers. The company, headquartered in a suburb of Chicago, called a week and a half into her internship with the ad agency and offered her a job as a communications supervisor. She would be supporting the Chief Operating Officer of McDonald’s USA with research for the financial writing needs of the company.
“There are times when you just know that God has a hand in your life,” she says. “There is no way I could have ordained that.” Still, she admits, “It felt like a setback because I wasn’t getting the chance to write.” But she was in the right place at the right time, and the doubts about her writing abilities had dissipated since leaving.
She struck up a conversation with the COO one day. He asked her, “What do you see as your next step here?” It was just the question Meredith wanted to hear. “I think I can be one of the writers,” she answered. He took notice of her answer—clear and concise, and simple enough for him to act on. “He let me start helping out on some of his stuff. For example, he had an upcoming trip to Pittsburgh and let me look at his speech. I gave him some feedback.” And he did the one thing she’d hoped for at her last job: he offered herfeedback. “I loved that he would tell me why something did or didn’t work! I needed that. I could learn!” Within six months, the COO promoted her to communications manager. And when he was promoted to president of the company, the communications demands of his office increased, along with Meredith’s responsibilities. She became external relations manager, and then director of external relations and brand outreach, making her the youngest director at the multi-billion-dollar McDonald’s USA.
LESSONS FOR FAILING FORWARD
Meredith didn’t specifically set out to become the youngest director in the company. She aimed to find a place where her talents could be appreciated, where she could learn and grow, and where a mentor would be an advocate for her. When asked what’s next, she mirrors the same approach that has worked for her so far. “I don’t know what my goal is. I’ve had such accidental blessings, but I’ve been ready for them when they showed up,” she says.
I see it a bit differently. Meredith is the type of woman who aims for passion and excellence. It is a strength so innate to her approach to life that she doesn’t even call it a goal, but it leads her to succeed at high levels. She is prepared when opportunity knocks. “I don’t know what my experiences are preparing me for, but I’m excited about it,” Meredith says. “I’m optimistic about my future. My thirties are looking pretty good!”
We can see many of the seven decisions in Meredith’s story. She refused to downsize her dream, chose courage over fear, actively sought feedback, and focused on solutions instead of problems. Here are a few more lessons:
?She refused to internalize the negativity she experienced at her first job. Instead, she attributed her failure there to the culture of the company and the stubbornness of her boss rather than exclusively attributing the problems to her own character flaws or lack of ability.
?She failed forward. She was willing to take a step back in order to find a better path.
?She took a risk.
?She took decisive action by cutting her losses and starting over.
?She believed in herself.
?She knew herself, and was able to decipher between “her stuff????” and “other people’s stuff.” When others’ negative issues tried to redefine who she was, she recognized it as “their stuff????” and didn’t make those issues her own.
?She volunteered to help with assignments outside of her job description so that she could demonstrate her abilities and also learn and grow.
?Sometimes sticking it out is not the best option. Sometimes you need to push the reset button and start again.
In Meredith’s case, a pivotal shift occurred when she realized she was beginning to be pessimistic about her abilities and doubt herself in a way she never had before. She was self-aware, and she knew her new thoughts were a threat to her future success. She innately understood that she had to turn those thoughts around. She knew it would be an uphill climb to change her thoughts in such a toxic environment, so she changed environments.
We’ll talk a bit more about self-awareness later, but for now, just keep in mind that succeeding at the next level will mean becoming much more aware of your thoughts. What are you telling yourself about your failures? Is it “I always mess up” or “I was exhausted today”? Is it “Nobody will spend money on my products in a bad economy” or “I’vegot to find the people who are still spending money despite a bad economy”? If your mind were an electronic billboard for the world to see, what are the thoughts they’d get to read? It takes intention to accurately capture your thoughts. With practice, you can notice them and approve the ones that help you, inviting them in and repeating them as often as needed to move you to the right actions. It’s all about your thinking style in the face of failures or disappointments.
WHAT’S YOUR MINDSET?
Dr. Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, has spent much of her career studying the mental attitudes of the most successful people—young and old—in the face of challenges and opportunities. What she has discovered is a fundamental difference in the mindset of the most successful people.
Her quest began early in her career as she engaged in research to better understand how people cope with failure. She observed young students grappling with problems, using puzzles as the method of problem solving. Beginning with fairly simple puzzles, she then had students move on to harder ones. Her goal was not to see who finished the puzzles fastest or had the easiest time solving the puzzles. Instead, she studied each student’s thought process by observing the strategies they used to solve the problem and probing their thoughts and feelings during problem solving.
She noticed that a handful of students in her studies did something peculiar compared to the others: they welcomed challenge. They were excited by the puzzles they had trouble solving. The harder the puzzle, the more determined they seemed. While other students were motivated by the possibility of looking smart and were deflated by feelings of discouragement in the face of the difficult puzzles, these students were not intimidated. When these “peculiar” students appeared to be failing because they couldn’t solve the puzzle, they didn’t even seem to view the experience as failing. Instead, they clearly thought they were learning.
What Dr. Dweck pinpointed through her research can profoundly impact how you approach your entire life—from career and relationships to health and financial habits. She called this simple but fundamental difference “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset.”
A fixed mindset is focused on talent. Someone with a fixed mindset believes statements like “You are smart and therefore you will do well in life” and “You are naturally gifted and that will take you far.” Those who have a fixed mindset believe that one’s natural gifts and abilities determine how far one can go in life. These are the people who believe that one’s intelligence is defined by one’s IQ, GPA, and SAT scores. These numbers become not just a measure of potential, but a limitation of potential. Those blessed with very high scores in a particular area of life gain a sense of confidence—but also insecurity. Since potential is measured by a set criteria, falling below that criteria can put one’s very intelligence or value at stake.
I recall believing I was smart and questioning that belief after getting low scores on the verbal section of the SAT. If I had allowed those scores to define my potential, I certainly would not be an author today! When we allow our potential to be limited by grades or performance reviews, it affects our belief in our own possibilities.
Many women are trained to operate in this mindset from childhood on. You were praised for your giftedness. This praise may even, at times, have made you feel more special or worthy than others. You probably don’t like to admit this, but for many it is true. Parents sometimes even encourage this belief in the name of building confidence in their children. But it is dangerous. What happens when you believe the reason you succeed is solely based on your giftedness? When you don’t succeed, it can be devastating. You are constantly in a position of proving how smart you are and how gifted you are. And the pressure can be intense. So much so that people with a fixed mindset shy away from challenges they are unsure they can conquer. “Better to stay in my comfort zone than to risk failure,” they say to themselves subconsciously. Every opportunity or challenge is an evaluation of their worth. “Will I be a success or a failure? Will I gain more approval or end up rejected?”
Another trait of those with a fixed mindset is that they look down on effort. “If you have to try hard, you must not really be that good,” the fixed mindset says. Before I became aware of the mindsets, I discovered this attitude in myself. It was holding me back tremendously and I didn’t even know it. The same could be true for you.
Using the technique of coaching through journaling, I began peeling back the layers as I sought to understand why I was so stuck as I tried to move toward some exciting goals that I’d set for myself. Here’s how that internal conversation went:
Question: What am I so afraid of when it comes to being more assertive about marketing my company and services?
Self: I don’t know that I am afraid. It just seems like if my marketing is effective, I wouldn’t have to directly ask for opportunities.
Question:What is so bad about directly asking for opportunities?
Self:I know it is a normal part of business to ask. And a lot of people ask for opportunities. But if you are really successful and talented, you don’t have to ask. You are asked. You are invited.
This was a bit of a lightbulb moment! I was actually surprised to hear myself say this. “Successful people don’t have to ask.” Where did I get this idea from? I knew I believed it, but I also knew it might be a faulty belief. So I continued probing. This is what you have to do sometimes to get to the bottom of an issue. Without having a name for it at the time, what I discovered was a fixed mindset. Here’s what I was really saying: If you have talent, you don’t have to try so hard. You don’t have to ask! Trying hard somehow diminishes your talent. You aren’t really that talented if the way you arrived at success was by putting forth so much effort. Gifted people are naturally successful. So I continued the self-coaching conversation:
Question:So is it true that successful people—truly successful ones—don’t have to ask? Think of highly successful people you know. Is this the principle they subscribe to?
Self:Well, as I think about my mentors and even well-known entrepreneurs, I know they ask for opportunities. They don’t just wait to see what shows up. They get clear about what they want and they are not afraid to ask for it.
Question:So is your belief that “successful and talented people don’t ask” helping you or hurting you?
Self:It’s definitely hurting me. First, it’s simply untrue. And second, it’s leading me to use an approach that is much too passive.
Question:What new belief do you want to replace that old one with?
Self:Truly successful people ask for opportunities. They don’t just market, they also sell. And they put forth a lot of effort, which in no way diminishes their talent. Instead, it shows their commitment. Not asking because you believe it will diminish your talent is simply prideful.
In this short five-minute self-coaching exercise, I unearthed a limiting belief that had been lying just beneath the surface of my actions (or lack thereof) for years. And it was rooted in a fixed mindset that says effort is somehow a negative. After all, if you fail and you can say you didn’t really put forth much effort, you havean excuse. But if you fail and you truly gave it your all, your very worth is at stake. Women with a fixed mindset are terrified of failure. In the mind of a woman with a fixed mindset, failure is not what you do, but it defines who you are. The exciting part is that you have a choice.
Think back to a time when you failed and then called into question your own intelligence or abilities. Perhaps you began to doubt whether you could ever accomplish what you set out to do. You failed in a relationship and decided you were doomed to remain single forever. “I just don’t get the love thing. I’m no good at it,” you say. Or, “I keep getting rejected by men. I must be unlovable.” These are decisive evaluations of your relationship abilities that give you no room for improvement. “This is who you are and how you are and it’s not going to change,” the fixed mindset says. That mindset works just fine when you are succeeding at everything, but when you start struggling or failing, it simply leaves no hope for the future.
The fixed mindset says life dealt you a hand and that’s it. This often causes people, dissatisfied with the hand they’ve been dealt, to bluff about the hand they’ve been given. These are people who often feel afraid they will be found out. They are constantly trying to prove themselves and sometimes feel like an imposter putting on a façade of smarts and personality to win people’s approval and praise. The growth mindset offers an approach that melts anxiety and opens the door to amazing possibilities. It says your natural traits are more than just something you haveto live with, but simply a starting point. You can cultivate the qualities needed to succeed through your own efforts. A growth mindset believes you can grow through experience and change substantially through your actions. Unlike a fixed mindset, a growth mindset doesn’t disdain effort. It thrives on it!
Because those with a growth mindset believe that through effort they can learn things they previously did not understand, improve personality traits, and even grow in intelligence, they are not as easily discouraged by failure. When you have a growth mindset, challenges that stretch you far beyond your comfort zone actually excite you. You realize you’re going to learn something. You will be expanded by the experience, not judged by it.
Women with a growth mindset believe that with years of discipline and passion, their true potential is unknown. Why waste time hiding your shortcomings rather than simply overcoming them? Why not make friends or search for a spouse who will challenge you to grow rather than simply quell your insecurities? Why stay in your comfort zone and play it safe when you could stretch toward your true dreams?
Another important distinction is this: Studies show that just as people are very poor predictors of what will make them truly happy, we are also poor judges of our own abilities. Those who are most inaccurate at estimating what they are capable of are those with a fixed mindset.
Consider this: If you believe you can improve, you are not as intimidated by the idea that your abilities are not currently as great as you would like. In your mind, those abilities are not set in stone. They will change as you actively learn and grow. However, if you believe that your abilities are permanently set you will be more likely to inflate them. If there’s no room for growth or change, you’ll want to impress people as much as possible right now!
DOES A GROWTH MINDSET NEGATE STRENGTHS?
When you build on your strengths rather than assuming they are fixed, you multiply your efforts. Sure, you may be a natural-born leader and you’ve been leading for years, but does that mean you couldn’tstill be more effective? A woman with a fixed mindset is content to rest on her laurels. A growth mindset sees strengths as only a starting point. Wisely, she taps into her strengths and then nourishes that talent.
Choosing a growth mindset doesn’t mean your individual strengths don’t matter. In fact, a woman with a growth mindset notices strengths and weaknesses more than those with a fixed mindset. It simply recognizes that skills can be developed—whether in one’s career, relationships, finances, spiritual life, or health habits.
This is particularly exciting news if you have ever felt you were stuck with your circumstances—that your intelligence is a fixed entity, that your relationship skills are set, or that your penchant for flubbing finances is an unchangeable trait you inherited from a parent. You can change. You are capable of far more than you may have previously thought.
Dream of changing careers, but feel like it’s too late to change course? Always wish that you had gone to college or graduate school, but fear you can’t cut it? Had a string of broken relationships and feel like you’ll never understand the opposite sex? There is abundant hope for you! You can learn new skills, patterns, and habits that will transform your ability to succeed at the endeavors most meaningful to you. Your most successful path to doing so will marry your strengths with a growth mindset—taking you to higher heights than you’ve ever experienced before.
It’s time to stretch beyond your comfort zone.
I learned this firsthand after uncovering my fixed mindset belief that successful women somehow “ascend” to the top. They don’t have to ask for opportunities. Instead, if they are really talented, opportunities show up on their own. To be clear, opportunities often do show up on their own for women with talent. They are a like a magnet that attracts opportunities. But there can sometimes be a strategic danger to using “attraction” as your sole method of success. What happens when you don’t attract the right opportunities? What happens when you want to go to a completely new level and you are simply not in the right place or around the right types of people to bring that vision to fruition? What happens if God is calling you out of your comfort zone to stretch and break free of your fear of rejection or failure? It is during those times that it is essential to tap into a growth mindset.
In fact, it could be argued that God calls us to a growth mindset. Consider these Scriptures:
?“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”—Romans 12:2
?“With God, all things are possible.”—Matthew 19:26
?“To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”—Ephesians 3:20
From a spiritual perspective, you cannot possibly believe that your potential is fixed and has no potential to expand. If you believe all things are possible, then you can rest assured that if you open your mind, you could find yourself growing beyond your wildest dreams.
Have you told yourself that you’re stuck in any of these areas? Where do you believe you have little hope or no further potential?
?Presentation skills. You are scared to death to speak in front of people. You’ve accepted this, and, for the most part, avoid any situation in which you are asked to make a presentation.
?Accounting and finance. You don’t know the difference between a financial statement and a balance sheet, and see no reason to fix that. You’ve decided you’re not that good with numbers and you can live with that. When people talk finances in a meeting, your motto is from Proverbs 17:28: “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent!”
?Personal finances. Maybe you never find yourself in a situation where you need to understand business accounting, but you cannot avoid the need to better manage your personal finances. You are financially illiterate and don’t understand what it will take for you to ever find financial freedom and peace. And the idea of learning scares you.
?Getting fit. You see women in magazines or even jogging down the street who seem to have some magical ability to take care of themselves. You were never an athlete as a kid, and see no reason to start now. The idea of making fitness a part of your lifestyle—something that you do daily—seems daunting and out of character for you. Yet it is also intriguing. Could you actually do it?
?New career. You don’t actually want to be in pharmaceutical sales or teaching or ___________ (you fill in the blank!) any more. You have a dream of becoming an attorney or author or _________________. But do you really have what it takes? You don’t know anything about the field—you just know you feel drawn to it and you have the strengths for it. Is that enough to take a step in a new direction? There’s so much you’d have to learn. What if you can’t cut it?
?Love life. You and your husband seem to be stuck in a rut. He just doesn’t get you. He probably never will. And frankly, you’re so frustrated with him that you’vegiven up trying to see his point of view or to keep bending and changing to please him. After twelve years of marriage, you have almost lost hope that this will ever be the kind of marriage you’d dreamed of before you tied the knot. Now you just feel stuck. Is there really hope for undoing old habits? Could you actually learn to communicate better?
?Shyness. You’ve always been shy. It’s the reason you don’t have many friends, and you blame your lack of career advancement on it. After all, shy people aren’t exactly good networkers. Shyness is a personality trait, right? That’s not something you can change. Well, what if you could?
That’s the question I want to plant as a seed in your mind. What if you could change? What if being shy or a procrastinator or a poor communicator or math-averse was something you could permanently overcome? If there was a road map to doing so, would you be willing to follow the map? I hope so. Open your mind to the possibility that what you know now as your potential is only a fraction of what is truly possible. The key to advancement is recognizing that your limitations are not unchangeable, fixed, or genetic. With education you can expand your understanding in these areas. With discipline, your possibilities are truly limitless.
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN SUCCESS?
At the beginning of the chapter we examined your perceptions of a recent failure. Your success is determined just as much by your thinking style as your failures. Think back to a recent success you had. It can be something big or small. Jot it down here:
Why did you succeed? Jot down a few bullet-pointed reasons here:
Now, let’s take a look at how you explain your success. Did you attribute it to external factors (luck, other people, the weather) or internal ones (you worked hard, you’re smart, you’re disciplined)? Did you see your success as temporary (I succeeded this time, but who knows if I can pull it off again?) or permanent (it could definitely happen again)? Did you see it as specific (I am good at this one thing, and that’s it) or pervasive (my success at this task represents a bigger theme in my life)?
DO YOU EXPLAIN YOUR SUCCESS AWAY?
Interestingly, a disproportionate number of women who succeed at high levels experience what researchers call the “imposter syndrome.” It is a phenomenon that occurs when you are unable to really connect the dots and internalize your accomplishments. Despite your hard work, competence, and experience, you see success as a fluke, pure luck, or your ability to get others to believe you are smarter or more talented than you really are. As a result, you have a nagging feeling that people are going to find you out—that eventually, the jig will be up and you’ll be found out. Strangely, successful men simply do not report feeling this way nearly as often as women. I recall a coaching client whose successful talent had been showcased nationally, even landing her on the Oprah Winfrey Show. She confided to me, “I feel like a fraud. I mean, I do the work, but I don’t think I’m more talented than anyone else. I always feel like people are going to find out that I’m really not that great.” A recent Psychology Todayarticle pointed out rich and famous women who were impacted by the imposter syndrome. After being nominated for three Academy awards and six Golden Globes, actress Michelle Pfeiffer shared her self-doubts in an interview in 2002. “I still think people will find out that I’m really not very talented. I’m really not very good. It’s all been a big sham.” The article went on to quote Academy Award winner Kate Winslet: “Sometimes I wake up in the morning before going off to a shoot, and I think, I can’t do this. I’m a fraud.”
If it happens at such public and high levels of success, what happens to us in the everyday efforts of life—in our marriages and relationships, as mothers and managers, employees and business owners? Whether you face doubts as severe as feeling like a fraud or occasionally doubt yourself in the face of a particularly difficult challenge, the key is to notice what you say to yourself about your success. True success is not anxious or doubtful, but confident and at peace. If you find that a pessimistic thinking style is invading your thoughts, you have the power to renew those thoughts by choosing a new outlook.
BUILD SELF-AWARENESS
So what does this all mean for you? When you succeed, even in the small things, you want your thinking style to be the opposite of when you fail.
When you succeed, attribute it to:
When you fail, attribute it to:
Internal factors
External factors
See it as permanent rather than temporary
See it as temporary rather than permanent
See it as pervasive rather than specific
See it as specific rather than pervasive
In his book Learned Optimism, Dr. Martin Seligmannotes, “Some people, the ones who give up easily, habitually say of their misfortunes: ‘It’s me, it’s going to last forever, it’s going to undermine everything I do.’ Others, those who resist giving in to misfortune, say: ‘It was just circumstances, it’s going away quickly anyway, and besides, there’s much more in life.’?”
What does this all mean for you? As you navigate the path to your life’s vision, pay attention to your thoughts. Refuse to allow pessimistic thinking to rule. Sure, pessimistic thoughts may invade your mind. But intentionally question those thoughts, and ensure that the thoughts you embrace are accurate and productive. In other words, any thoughts that produce self-sabotaging fear and paralyze you from moving forward need to be rejected. It is a choice. With practice, it is a choice you will make more quickly over time. You will develop an optimistic thinking style that empowers you to dream bigger, bolder dreams and walk into your vision with confidence. And you will be empowered to cut through the fears and excuses that threaten to hold you back. By intentionally noticing your thoughts and questioning the counterproductive ones, you will cultivate an optimistic thinking style that will propel you to the next level.
FOUR QUESTIONS TO CONQUER EXCUSES
What’s the reason you have for not pursuing your most authentic dream? Whatever that dream is in your life or career, you probably have a reason it hasn’t happened yet. But if you look behind the reasons, you might just discover that they could be reclassified as excuses—thoughts you are embracing that sabotage your dreams. Excuses are born of a pessimistic thinking style and fixed mindset. Now, I’m not trying to beat you up about your excuses. I want to help you break free of them so you can go to the next level. Whatever you want to call them—excuses or reasons—they’re in the way. And you are the only one who can demand they go.
So what’s your excuse? Is it a lack of time? Money? Is it that person who is always tearing you down? Is the dream just too hard? Too complex? Too much of a commitment? Maybe your excuse is a lack of education or experience. Or perhaps if you just had more contacts or more friends or fewer obligations or weighed less or…
You get my point. Excuses allow us to justify our lack of progress. They can even bring you sympathy. They let you off the hook. But the truth is, when there is something you were meant to do, you’ll never truly be off the hook. You must do it, which means you must let go of your excuses. That means facing your fear—whether it is fear of success and all the expectations that come with it or fear of failure and all the disappointment or embarrassment that come with it.
Whatever your fear, the good news is that you can muster the courage to conquer it. Choose to let go of all excuses for why you cannot have what you want in life. Coach yourself with these four excuse-shattering questions:
1.What’s my excuse?
2.What does this excuse give me permission to do (or not do)?
3.If I could no longer use this excuse, what would I have to do instead?
4.Why don’t I just do that now?
When you drop your excuses, you discover that the bottom line is you can choose to pursue your dreams—or not. You can live life fully or you can live it small. Living fully takes courage. Courage is a choice. The choice is yours.
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING FOR?
What is it that you are hoping for? What’s that thing that caused you to pick up this book in the first place? There is something you haven’t yet experienced, but want to. There is something that represents that gap between where you are right now and where you want to be. And the first step to you closing that gap is believing two simple words: It’s possible. Just say that out loud right now: “It’s possible.” Your dream is possible. With the right thoughts, the right actions, and the right relationships, whatever divine dreams rest in your heart are possible.
So as you begin this journey, this first step is about hope. You must have it. Hope is the foundation of faith and the essence of optimism. When you stop hoping, you start settling. As I coach women in particular, and as I reflect on my own personal experience, I have noticed how often people downsize their dreams. Women so often attempt to juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. Many downsize their dreams for so long that settling for less becomes a habit. Can you relate? When you stop hoping, you start settling. You begin to settle for a smaller version of your real vision. What have you stopped hoping for out of fear that you won’t get it? In what ways has “settling” crept in and buried a hope for something better?
Give yourself permission to hope again. To dream a bigger dream. Successful women are confident enough to dream authentic dreams. It means you have to be honest enough with yourself to acknowledge the real desires of your heart. No time for surface goals. No time for putting everyone else’s agenda ahead of God’s plan for you. Be bold and courageous about what you are hoping for. I’m asking you to stretch and see beyond your current circumstances and resources. Reach toward the heavens and trust that although your divine destiny lies beyond your reach, God can close that gap by meeting you more than halfway. It’s that kind of believing that requires faith.
As life brings disappointment or failures, it can be tempting to stop hoping for some of the things you truly want. If you’re not hoping for anything, you don’t need faith. So what is it that you need to start hoping for? What is it that you’ve hesitated to admit is the real vision for your life? I believe you are reading these words because now is the time to start dreaming bigger. Now is the time for a new season of confidence and passion and purpose.
I dare you to dream a bigger dream, and refuse to give up hope.
I’m not talking about cherishing false expectations that set you up for heartache and disappointment. I’m talking about renewing the goals, desires, and visions that speak to you deep within your spirit. Hope energizes you. It inspires. It motivates. Sometimes you don’t get what you hope for right when you want it, but if you stop hoping altogether, you cease to take the actions that will bring your dreams to life. Perhaps author Joyce Meyer summed it up best: “I feel that if I believe for a lot and get even half of it, I am better off than I would be to believe for nothing and get all of nothing.”
Be true to your desires by giving yourself permission to hope for something more. And most importantly, believe you can do it. Believing that you have what it takes is the first habit of success.
YOUR BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE SELF
Research indicates that imagining your best possible future self is a powerful exercise. Much of the thrill of changing your mindset to move to a new level of success is becoming the kind of woman who can break through fears, navigate obstacles, and believe that with God all things are possible. All things are possible. You don’t have to know how. But you do have to believe. That’s hope. That’s optimism. Starting today, make it your goal to cultivate optimism as a success strategy.
Every Woman Should Know
?Optimists live longer, on average, than pessimists—by as much as nine years.
?Depression has been described as the “ultimate pessimism.” Women with an optimistic thinking style tend to fend off depression when bad events occur. The opposite is true for those with a pessimistic thinking style.
?In career fields such as teaching, sales, litigation, and public relations, optimism is a predictor of success.
PERSONAL COACHING TOOLKIT: POWER QUESTIONS TO ENHANCE YOUR THINKING STYLE
Answer each of these questions in a journal or with a coach or friend who can listen objectively and give you the space to explore your answers without attempting to give you the answers.
1.Spend some time in meditation. The perfect dream for you is the one God uniquely equipped you for. Paint a picture of what the next level of success looks like for you. What is your real dream (not the downsized one)?
2.What would it mean to you to be able to accomplish that dream? Picture yourself living that vision. What does it feel like?
3.What gifts, talents, passions, or experiences will you draw on to reach your goal?
4.Think back to a time when you were at your best and reached a particularly meaningful goal. How did you do it? What did you learn about yourself??????
5.Consider that meaningful goal you described in the last question. What enabled you to be at your best? Who were the people, circumstances, and other key factors surrounding your success?
6.How could you go about recreating similar circumstances to empower you to reach that “next level of success” you described in the first question?
7.Think back to a time when you failed to reach a goal. What personal factor(s) led you to fail? What external factor(s) led you to fail? What lesson(s) can you glean from these contributing factors to help you succeed when reaching future goals?
8.Realistically, when you look at the picture you painted in the first question, what are the most significant obstacles you might face? If you don’t know, take a look at role models who have already been where you aim to go and pinpoint the obstacles they faced.
9.How can you reduce the risk of those obstacles occurring as you move forward? How will you navigate around those obstacles if they occur?
10.Describe your best possible future self. Who is she and how does she approach life?
Think Differently
Be intentional about what you say to yourself when you fail as well as when you succeed. Choose hope. Dream big. Learn new skills. Believe all things are possible.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Rick Roberson – The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
With a strikingly bold, biblical and practical approach to ministry, Dr. Robert Jeffressis one of the country’s most respected evangelical leaders. Making more than 600 guest appearances on various radio and television programs, Dr. Jeffress regularlyappears on major mainstream media outlets such as FOX News Channel’s Fox and Friends, The O’Reilly Factor, Cavuto on Business, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’s The EarlyShow, CNN and MSNBC. He also hosts a daily radio program, Pathway to Victory, that is heard nationwide on over 720 stations in major markets such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver and Houston. His weekly television program can be seen on 1,200 television stations and cable systems throughout the nation and in 28 countries around the world.
Dr. Jeffress is the senior pastor of the 11,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, and is currently leading the congregation in a $130 million campaign to re-create its downtown campus. The project is the largest in modern church history and will produce a “spiritual oasis” in the heart of downtown Dallas.
Honored in 2006 by Vision America for his steadfast commitment and boldness in proclaimingthe uncompromising Word of God, Dr. Jeffressis also the author of 18 books, including The Solomon Secrets (a 2002 Medallion Finalist), Hell? Yes! and When Forgiveness Doesn’t Make Sense. His newest book, Twilight’s Last Gleaming, was released January 2, 2012 by Worthy Publishing.
Dr. Jeffressgraduated with a D.Min. from Southwestern Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary and a B.S. from Baylor University. In May 2010, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree from Dallas BaptistUniversity. In June 2011, he received the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Jeffress and his wife, Amy, have two daughters, Julia and Dorothy, and a son-in-law, Ryan Sadler.
Visit the author’s website.
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Economic chaos, spiralingimmorality, cultural decay, terrorism and global upheaval have convinced many that we are living in the twilight days of America. Widely respected pastor, author and frequent media commentator Dr. Robert Jeffress agrees, but is quick to add a note of hope and challenge in his latest release, Twilight’s Last Gleaming (Worthy Publishing, January 2012). Although we cannot prevent America’s eventual demise, he asserts, we can postpone it . . . and make a difference for eternity at the same time.
Including a foreword by former governor Mike Huckabee, Twilight’s Last Gleaming offers a bold roadmap to guide readers’ attitudes and actions in these volatile times. “But it is not all doom and gloom,” writes Jeffress. “We have an unprecedented opportunity within our current culture to delay our country’s ultimate dissolution so that we can continue to grow the kingdom. Even if America’s best days are behind her, for American Christians, this can and should be our shining moment.”
The remarkable society whose light once shone as a beacon to the world is dimming. This is the sobering assessment of Robert Jeffress in Twilight’s Last Gleaming, yet he brings with that diagnosis a remarkably redemptive and hope-filled prescription for American believers. With biblical insight and real-world clarity, Jeffressanswers for everyone who wonders what can be done right now—within our culture, our churches, our votingbooths and our neighborhoods—to hold off America’s ensuing demise. He points a way out of the malaise, calling believers to action—not to restore a fading empire’s glory, but to make an eternal impact on millions of souls.
In Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Jeffress also devotes an entire chapter to a pressing issue on many Americans’ minds: Who should I vote for in the coming presidential election? “If Christians place pragmatism above principle, we may or may not win the election, but we will lose our soul,” states Jeffress. However, Jeffressalso suggests that a candidate’s faith is just one issue to consider when voting. Jeffressasserts, “There’s some value to having a non-Christian like Mitt Romney who embraces biblical principles, rather than a professing Christian like Barack Obama who embraces unbiblical principles.” He proposes four questions that every believer should ask himself before selecting a candidate:
· Is the candidate a Christian?
· How would a candidate’s faith impact his policies?
· Do his policies align with the Bible?
· How does he view the Constitution?
With a graceful balance between passivism and extreme activism, Jeffress challenges Christians to be “salt” and “light” in a decaying and darkening culture, standing up against the tide of evil that threatens to engulf America. “We cannot predict God’s ultimate judgment, but we can delay it just like Jonah’s obedience did at Nineveh,” says Jeffress. “But the reason that we’re trying to bide time for our country and prevent its premature decay is not so that we can turn America around, but so that we can preach the Good News.”
It appears as though we may be living in America’s last days. Do we just say our country’s a mess and just give up?
Dr. Jeffress says no. It’s time to get up and take action. We have a chance to aid in restoring souls to our heavenly father.
We have an important election coming up this fall. I can only listen to these candidates so long. After awhile I have no idea of who to trust or who to choose. Dr. Jeffress has a chapter on how a Christian should vote. I think that’s a good place to start. AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
FOREWORD
If you are looking for a sweet little “bookette” that is politically cor- rect and safe to read and share with staunch unbelievers so as not to offend them, then put this book down and keep looking.
Dr. Robert Jeffress must not have gotten the memo that says that the pastor of a prominent landmark church that is one of the most influential churches of Christendom is supposed to be noncontro- versial, nonconfrontational, and nonpolitical. Uh-oh! This book is bold! Even while maintaining a kind, gracious, and broken spirit, Dr. Jeffress pulls no punches in calling a lethargic church to its feet for the fight to delay a coming collapse of our nation.
Dr. Jeffress made national news when in the fall of 2010, he broke from the ranks of the “bridled” when he openlydeclared the threat of radical Islam to our country and culture. No politician has been as blunt in describing the enslavement of women, the violence toward dissidents, and the tyrannical rule of those seeking to impose sharia law. And Dr. Jeffress wasn’t trying to win votes. In fact, he wasn’t even tryingto win friends! He was simply proclaimingtruth and letting people hear it straight without candy-coatingit with preacherisms.
I have admired Dr. Robert Jeffress as pastor of one of the world’s great churches and have enjoyed his company and insight as a friend, but in this book, I stand in awe of the clarity of his convictions and the clarion call for believers to come out of hiding and act like they serve a King!
Read this book prayerfully. Then give it to a friend and urge them to read it. Time is of the essence!
Thankfully, Mike Huckabee
CH A P T ER
1
The Beginning of the End
Several years ago conservative commentator and former Fox News luminary Glenn Beck tapped into the growing sense of angst that Americans—especially Christian Americans—were feelingabout the condition of our country. In August 2010, Beck announced he would hold a nonpartisan rallyin front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. with the goal of “Restoring Honor” to America. Some reports estimated that as many as three hundred
thousand people attended the event.
I happened to be in D.C. the day before the rally, so after fin- ishing my meetings I strolled down to the National Mall that warm
Friday evening and was surprised to see hundreds of people already setting up tents along the mall, preparing to spend the night in order to secure a prime spot for the rally. A father who had traveled hun- dreds of miles with his young family to attend was asked why he had come. “I really don’t know, but I realize something is not right in our country and I want to do something about it.”
That feeling that “something is not right in our country” is not limited to a group of conservatives crowding the National Mall in Washington. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 59 percent of Ameri- cans feel that our country is headed in the wrong direction.1 I have a feelingthat because you picked up this book, you are probably in- cluded in that statistic—and for good reason. Perhaps you are deeply disturbed about . . .
the wholesale effort to remove any and all restrictions on same-sex marriages, abortion, and embryonic stem cell research;
the failure to protect our borders against illegal immigration, threatening the fiscal and physical well-being of our nation;
the runaway fiscal deficit that will enslave our children and grandchildren with trillions of dollars of debt;
the hesitancy of government officials, shackled by political correctness, to recognize and verbalize that we are in a war against terror;
the willingness to abrogate Americans’ First Amendment rights at home to prevent offending Islamic extremists abroad;
the denial by secularists and even some professing Chris- tians that America was founded as a Christian nation.
You wonder what you should do—and can do—to put the brakes on a country that is seemingly about to go over the cliff. You have an abiding love for your country. You have an even greater allegiance to your Christian faith. You have genuine concerns about the kind of nation in which your children and grandchildren will live.
Whatever his motivation, I admire Glenn Beck for his willing- ness to do something to help turn around a country that has lost his way. As I left D.C. the Saturday morning of Beck’s rally and looked out the airplane window at the hundreds of thousands of patriots gathered below, I began wondering what I could do to make a differ- ence in my country.
* America’s Coming Collapse *
Maybe you, too, are wondering what you can do to help reverse the course of a nation that has lost its way. Well, I have some bad news and some good news for you. The bad news? America’s demise is in- evitable. I realize that such a statement seems fatalistic, if not down- right unpatriotic. Since I first started discussing the concept of this book with friends, I realized just how unpopular such an assertion is. Whenever I described the theme of my book as “How Christians should respond to America’s comingcollapse,” the look on people’s faces was akin to that of havingbeen slapped silly: dismay quickly followed by disgust. “America’s comingcollapse? How could you say such a thing?” I understand why people react that way. Those of us privileged to live in the greatest country in history have been con- ditioned to believe that the tenacity and resiliency of the American spirit will ultimately triumph over any adversity we encounter. Yet a simple reading of the Bible tells us that America’s days are numbered
because this planet’s days are numbered:
And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heav- ens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (Revelation 21:1)
Notice that “American exceptionalism” (the idea that America is superior to any other nation that has ever existed) will not exempt our nation from the ultimate destruction that awaits the entire world.
Furthermore, the Bible reveals that America will cease to exist before the world comes to an end. According to Daniel 7 and Revela- tion 17, during the final seven years of earth’s history there will be a worldwide dictator (commonly referred to as Antichrist) who will preside over a ten-nation confederacy. All national distinctions will be eliminated, meaning that the United States Constitution will be abolished.
How can I make such an assertion? Our Constitution guarantees our right to elect our governing officials and to worship freely. Yet during the final seven years of history, this worldwide dictator will rise to power without a vote by the American people, and he will abrogate our most cherished freedoms, demanding that he alone be worshipped. Such a usurpation of power can only occur by the abo-
lition of our Constitution. And once the Constitution is gone, the
United States of America as we know it will cease to exist.
* Can We Postpone Our Nation’s Collapse? *
Enough of the bad news; here is the good news. Although we can’t prevent the ultimate collapse of our nation and destruction of the world, we can postpone it. We have both the ability and responsibili- ty to delay the decay of our nation, even if we can’t ultimately reverse it. Why should we work to postpone the inevitable? The same reason we exercise, take medicine, and watch our diets. While those efforts can’t prevent our ultimate demise, such actions can delay it!
The motivation for Christians working to delay the coming col- lapse of our nation is not to preserve our way of life, but to buy more time to share the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible before America is swept away by God’s judgment.
Most evangelical Christians understand (even if they don’t obey) the mandate to serve as lights in this dark world, pointing people to Christ’s offer of salvation to all who believe. But I have discovered that many Christians do not comprehend Jesus’ command to delay the decay of our culture by acting as “salt” in the world (Matthew
5:13). Many Christians equate efforts to stop the murder of the un- born, uphold the biblical principles of morality, and elect godly lead- ers with rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “If we are going down anyway, why bother?” people wonder.
I understand that sentiment because I used to feel the same way. During the first eighteen years of my ministry I rarely said anything about social issues from the pulpit and felt no need to encourage my flock to get involved politically. I was not about to sully my pastoral
calling by entangling myself in secondary efforts that, according to my understanding of the end times, were futile anyway.
However, I have a different perspective today. While our respon- sibility to delay our culture’s decay is not our primary mission here on earth, it is a necessary prerequisite if we are to fulfill our ultimate calling of pointing people to Jesus Christ. At this critical time in our nation’s history, we cannot afford to sit back with folded hands as we wait for “the end.” God is calling you and me to stand up and push back against the tide of unrighteousness that threatens to engulf our country.
What specifically can you do to effect real change in our country? And how do you balance your primary calling to share the gospel with the calling to stand up against ungodliness in our nation? My trip to Washington D.C. that hot August weekend was the beginning of my own journey to discover the answer to those critical questions that would change my life and ministry forever.
* The Islamic Explosion *
It was during this same period of time that an Islamic imam in New York City proposed building a mosque near Ground Zero. I had par- ticipated in a debate a few weeks earlier on MSNBC with a Jewish rab- bi who surprisingly supported building the mosque. I countered that it was no more appropriate for American Muslims to build a mosque at Ground Zero than it would be for Japanese Americans to build a shrine to Emperor Hirohito at Pearl Harbor. Fortunately, television anchor Contessa Brewer unwittingly pitched me a question right over home plate when she asked, “Pastor Jeffress, why are you character- izing Islam with such a broad brush as a violent religion?”
I responded, “Well, Contessa, I have just been listening to your broadcast for the past ten minutes and heard you report about ten Christian relief workers murdered by Muslim gunmen in Afghan- istan, then you reported about a Saudi Arabian woman stoned to death for adultery while her lover was set free, and finally you just reported about a German mosque being shut down because it was a launching pad for attacks. The American people are waking up to the true nature of Islam.”
With that media confrontation still fresh in my mind, it seemed only natural to say something to my congregation about the debate raging in the country at that time about the mosque at Ground Zero in particular, but also the larger issue concerning Islam itself. After all, a Pew Research poll reveals that 57 percent of evangelical Chris- tians believe that there are multiple paths to God.2 If Islam is one of those alternate roads that leads to the same God, why should Chris- tians condemn the faith choice of 1.3 billion people on our planet?
Endless conservative commentators argued against building the mosque at Ground Zero, but in the next breath they affirmed, “Is- lam is a religion of peace.” That made no sense to me. If Islam were truly a peaceful religion, then why should anyone object to building a mosque at Ground Zero? If people wrongly associated the religion of Islam with the attacks of 9/11, should we give credence to peoples’ distorted view of Islam by refusing to build a place of worship for this so-called religion of peace?
I thought our church’s annual “Ask the Pastor” service, during which members ask me any question they desire, would be the per- fect forum for me to address the subject of Islam. Maybe this was the arena in which I could stand for truth and contribute in some way to reversing the downward spiral of our nation. No, it wasn’t
the National Mall, and I wasn’t Glenn Beck. But we all have to start
somewhere.
That evening a college student asked me to talk about true nature of Islam in light of recent events. I responded:
It makes no sense for people to say Islam is a peaceful religion and then object to building a mosque at Ground Zero. The truth is that Islam is a religion that incites violence around the world. It is a religion that promotes pedophilia. The founder of Islam, this so-called prophet Mohammed, raped a nine-year old girl Aisha and took her as his bride. Today, Muslim men around the world use his example as an excuse for takingbrides—some as young as four years old. It is a religion that oppresses women. Just look at the example of women livingunder sharia law around the world. But for Christians, the worst thing about Islam is that it is a false religion that leads people away from the true God. As Christians and conservatives it is time for us to take the gloves off and tell the truth about this evil, evil religion.
The congregation immediately rose to their feet in an explosive and sustained ovation. I had taken a stand, said what I thought need- ed to be said, and was ready to move on to the next question.
Several days later, someone in our church who monitors blogs mentioned to me that a local online publication had picked up my comments on Islam and was posting particularly angry responses from readers. I thought nothing about it until a local television re- porter called and asked for a comment from me to run in a less- than-flattering story they were doing about my remarks.
Then a popular columnist (and fellow Baptist) from the Dallas Morning News called me for a friendly chat, giving me a chance to either retract or support the statements I had made about Islam.
I sent him some sources for my comments, including one from CBS News relating to the underage marriages in third-world countries that were motivated by Islamic beliefs. His e-mail to me the next day closed with, “Robert, I am afraid you are not going to like my column on Sunday.” I did not know how right he was.
* Un-American and Un-Christian? *
On Sunday morning I, along with many in my congregation, opened the Dallas Morning News to find this headline: “Dallas pastor’s broad- brush criticism of Islam goes way too far,” followed by this opening paragraph:
It’s hard to know where to start in expressing dismay with the Rev. Robert Jeffress—for being uninformed, un-Christian or un- American. The pastor of Dallas’ First Baptist church managed to squeeze all three into recent rant against Islam. . . .3
What followed was a passionate attempt to show that there is ab- solutely no evidence to support the claim that Islam incites violence around the world, oppresses women, or in any way supports mar- riage to underage children. The columnist interviewed a theology professor and expert in Islam at a local university who did not deny Muhammad’s marriage to a nine-year-old girl but excused it on that basis that the girl “was chosen by God” and became a “trusted source of sayings from Muhammad.”4 Furthermore, the professor said that I was endangering our troops abroad by speaking out against Islam— a claim I found somewhat laughable. Will our enemies hate us less if we say nice things about their religion?
And apparently I was being un-Christian by calling Islam an evil religion. The professor opined that I had broken at least three biblical commandments in my comments, including “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The professor must think that Jesus was also “un-Christian” when He criticized the Pharisees, whom He referred to as a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 23:33).
Knowing that many in my congregation were reading this indict- ment of their pastor before they came to church, I felt like I had to make a response to the columnist. Before I began my sermon that Sunday, I said that I had a few comments I wanted to make: “Many of you read the column in the Dallas Morning News accusing me of being uninformed, un-American, and un-Christian. Whether I am un-Christian and un-American is something readers will have to de- cide for themselves. But uninformed I am not. . . .”
I then delivered a ten-minute rebuttal to the columnist, citing evidence for the claims I had made, and concluded, “And so I stand by my statements from two weeks ago about Islam. It is a false reli- gion, based on a false book, written by a false prophet.”
Again, the congregation stood in unison and applauded wildly. Assuming this would end up on the evening news, I felt obliged to add, “For those of you watching on television, please do not equate this applause with a hatred for Muslims. We love Muslims and want to see them to come to faith in Jesus Christ. But you can never point people to the right path to God unless you first of all convince them that they are on the wrong path to God.”
The statement not only made the evening news, but nearly three hundred thousand people downloaded the video clip from YouTube over the next few weeks, and the church was flooded with e-mails from around the world. The majority were very supportive. Some from Canada and Europe said that I did not present half of what I
could have shared about radical Islamists and their goal of world domination. Of course, there were a few who accused me of being demon-possessed or paid by Fox News to make my comments.
But what astounded me was the number of professing Christians who were convinced that speaking out against another religion was inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ. One wrote:
The [First Baptist Church pastor’s] comments about Islam serve only to foster bigotry and hatred, not understanding and toler- ance. Anyone who thinks Islam is an evil religion does not un- derstand what Islam is all about, and I am speakingas a lifelong Christian and a Baptist. As for his comments about Islam be- ing a “false religion built upon a false book written by a false prophet”—so what? . . . Beingan American and living in the USA means that we tolerate all religions and respect freedom of choice in religious matters.5
* The Real Dilemma *
Even some of my closest friends who agreed with everything I said questioned the wisdom of being so vocal about a potentially volatile subject. Some law enforcement officials warned me of the necessity of increased security around my family and the church. After all, Islamic death warrants had been issued for people making much less inflammatory statements than I had made. Was it really worth en- dangering my own safety as well as the safety of our congregation by making such incendiary comments?
Our church was just beginning a $123 million building project for our new campus in the heart of downtown Dallas. One trusted
deacon warned me, “Your comments might jeopardize the church’s ability to obtain financing for this project. Do you really want to risk your life, your ability to preach the gospel, and everything you have dreamed of for our church by speaking out against Islam?”
It’s one thing to have bloggers criticize your message, methods, and motives. But to hear a friend voice such a concern would make anyone stop and think. It certainlydid me. Why did I feel so com- pelled to speak out against Islam at this particular time? Was I simplycapitalizing on the feelings of Islamophobia sweeping the country as America approached another anniversary of September 11? Was the issue really worth endangeringmy life and jeopardizing my minis- try? My brother, who serves as an elder in a Presbyterian church, bluntly asked me, “Would you rather be known as a culture warrior or a preacher of the gospel? If you are not careful, your legacy is go- ing to be the former rather than the latter.”
Ouch. During my thirty-five years of ministry I have taken well-publicized stands against homosexuality, abortion, and dis- crimination against Christians. I have been threatened with physi- cal violence and with the loss of our church’s tax-exempt status by the ACLU and other like-minded groups. As America continues to “slouch toward Gomorrah,” as Judge Robert Bork described,6 it is easy to see political and social activism as the quick fix to our cul- ture’s social and spiritual ills. Many people think that if we can just elect the right candidates, who in turn will enact the right laws, we can “save America.” Perhaps you, too, have been tempted to focus on political solutions to reverse the decay that is eroding the moral and spiritual foundation of our nation.
Yet consider the example of the apostle Paul. This warrior for the Christian faith lived under one of the most godless, oppressive regimes in human history. No government was more hostile toward
Christianity than the Roman Empire. In fact, it was Rome’s anti- Christian sentiment that was responsible for Paul’s imprisonment and eventual martyrdom.
But what was Paul’s attitude about his persecution? Did he pen a letter from prison with the underlying theme “when bad things hap- pen to good Christians like me”? Did he attempt to mobilize Chris- tians into a political movement that would overthrow the Roman emperor Nero? To the contrary, Paul was amazingly sanguine about his imprisonment. Nineteen times in his short letter to the Philip- pians Paul refers to “joy,” “rejoicing,” or “gladness.” Why was Paul so upbeat about his depressing situation? He explains in his opening words:
Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. (Philippians 1:12–14)
Had Paul’s goal in life been an existence filled with pleasure and void of pain, then his imprisonment would have been a tragedy. He would have written, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out to be a giant detour in my plan for my life.” But Paul had a greater purpose for livingthan peace and prosperity. He had dedicated his life to sharingthe good news of Jesus Christwith as many people as possible. And it was through the lens of that grand purpose that he viewed every circumstance in his life, including his suffering.
The result? Far from being a catastrophe, Paul’s imprisonment served as a catalyst in helping him fulfill his mission. Because Paul was in chains, other Christians were being emboldened to share their faith like the apostle. Paul’s focus was not on reversingthe social injustices that had landed him in jail but on the great opportunity these injustices had provided him to share the good news of Jesus Christ. But the apostle doesn’t stop there.
* Against the Night *
Paul moves beyond his own situation, encouraging you and me to adopt the same purpose and therefore utilize the same “lens” through which to view the dark culture in which we live:
Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse genera- tion, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. (Philippians
2:14–16)
I want you to carefully reread the phrase “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.” Is there any better description of the culture in which we are living, more than two thousand years later? Someone has said that there is no century more like the first century than the twenty-first century. Both are characterized by wholesale immorality and hostility toward Christianity.
Yet Paul did not admonish the Christians in Philippi to straighten
out their crooked culture. He did not call on them to instigate a re- bellion against the Roman government. Instead, he reminded them that against the darkness of their world they were to be “children of God . . . holding fast the word of life.”
Several weeks ago I gained a little more insight into the metaphor Paul is employing in this passage. My youngest daughter was getting ready to leave for her freshman year in college, so I invited her to go shopping with me, thinking we would spend an hour or so at the mall, perhaps purchasing a dress from her favorite store.
But as soon as we arrived at the shopping center, she made a bee- line into a jewelry store. She already had in mind what her parting gift would be, and it would cost more than I had anticipated spend- ing! She had her heart set on a ring she had seen a few weeks earlier and asked the salesman to see it again.
I knew immediately this jeweler was an experienced salesman. Instead of simply bringing us the ring to inspect, he first laid a piece of black felt on top of the display counter. He then placed the ring on top of that black cloth. The brilliance of the ring nearly blinded me—even to the price. It was spectacular! The salesman understood a truth about jewelry that the apostle Paul understood the gospel message: the darker the background, the brighter the light.
The jeweler had one purpose in his encounter with us: to make the sale. Instead of cursing the black felt background, the jeweler used the darkness to highlight the beauty of the stone, creating in us an even greater desire to purchase the ring.
The apostle Paul was also motivated by a singular purpose in life: “selling” the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. Assuming that the Philippians, as well as all of us who are Christ- followers, would be inspired by the same purpose, Paul encourages us to take advantage of the darkness of the culture in order to high-light the brilliance of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. We are to appear in this dark world as “as lights, holding out the Word of Life.” Instead of allowing the daily flow of negativity from the media or forwarded e-mails from friends to drive us to despair, we should see our present situation for what it is: an unprecedented chance to point people to the hope of Jesus Christ. Why? The darker the background,
the brighter the light!
* What Is Your Focus in Life? *
I’m convinced that one reason Christians are so discouraged and frightened about the condition of our country is that, unlike the apostle Paul, their lives are focused on personal peace, prosperity, and the avoidance of pain. No wonder they are frightened by terror- ist threats, health-care reform, fiscal insolvency, and open hostility
to all things Christian. They realize that their private worlds are in danger of being turned upside down. After all, if the focus of your life is money, then the thought of higher taxes is very disturbing. If the focus of your life is convenience, then the prospect of government- run health care is a nightmare. If the focus of your life is avoiding death, then the prospect of a terrorist attack is alarming.
Recently in a sermon I encouraged our members to watch cable news less and read their Bibles more to gain God’s perspective on the world. I mentioned one specific commentator whose daily homilies would cause anyone to want to retreat into an underground bunker while awaiting the end. Boy, did I hit a nerve! One elderly couple in our church confronted me and said, “We can’t believe you told us to quit watching that commentator. We have to watch him every day because we’re old, and we’re afraid!” As my children used to say to
me, “Thank you, Captain Obvious.” No wonder this couple is fearful!
But the real answer to this couple’s fear is not just a change of channels but a change of focus. Fear is like a warninglight on the dashboard of your car. When the Check Engine light appears, you probably don’t drive to the dealer and say, “I’ve got a problem with my car. This warningindicator won’t go off. Would you please dis- connect the light?” The illuminated light is an indicator of some- thing else wrong with your car.
In the same way, fear is not so much a problem itself as an indica- tor of something else wrong in your life. Almost without exception anxiety is an indicator that we have built our lives around the tem- poral rather than the eternal. When our sense of well-being in life depends on our net worth, our jobs, our health, or our family, then we become fearful when those things are threatened.
But when we share the same passion that permeated every fi- ber in Paul’s life—the spreading of the kingdom of God throughout the world—then we will we view a darkening and threatening world differently. Government instability, economic uncertainty, cultural decay, and international chaos provide the perfect backdrop for dis- playing the contrasting brilliance of Jesus Christ. Instead of cursing the darkness, we should welcome it!
When Paul encourages Christians to appear as lights in the world, he is simply echoingthe words of Jesus Christ:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid- den. Nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)
Imagine walkinginto your home one night after havingdinner out with your spouse. What is the first thing you do when you walk into a dark house? Do you start whining, “Why, oh why, is it so dark in here? I’m afraid of who might be lurking in the corner, ready to pounce on me”? Or would you say to your spouse, “I don’t care for this darkness. We need to sell this house and move to someplace where there is more light”? Instead of complaining about or fleeingfrom the darkness, you would simply displace the darkness by turn- ing on the light! The best remedy for darkness is light.
Jesus is reminding all of His followers that He has left us in this world for a reason. We are here not to fear the darkness or aban- don the darkness, but our assignment is to displace the darkness by holding up the light of the gospel. Jesus, the Light of the World, has returned to heaven. But while He is away preparing for His return to earth, He has installed an auxiliary lighting system in the world. It is called the church. In the book of the Revelation, the apostle John compares the church to seven golden lampstands, illuminating the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:12, 20).
* Left Behind . . . for a Reason *
All of this talk about Christians being the “light of the world” is not just some warm, devotional thought to encourage you to be nicer to other people. You will never understand your purpose for living until you grasp this concept. If you ask the average Christian, “What do you think God’s purpose for your life is?” they will hem and haw, or give you a deer-caught-in- the-headlights stare.
Ask a more mature Christian the same question about his pur-
pose in life and he might answer, “To enjoy fellowship with God.” That sounds like a good response, until you think about it. If God’s purpose for your life were to enjoy a relationship with Him, then it only makes sense that the moment He saved you, He would zap you off this planet and take you to heaven, where you could enjoy a perfect relationship with Him. Frankly, God could enjoy a much more fulfilling relation- ship with you in heaven than He is experiencing with you on earth.
After all, God is lucky to get a few minutes alone with most of us each day. He continually has to compete with distractions for our affection and attention. No wonder the famed evangelist of yester- year BillySunday used to say that the best thing a person could do would be to come to one of his revivals, get saved, walk out into the street, get hit by a truck, and go immediately to heaven! There, the new convert could enjoy a perfect relationship with God for eternity, untainted by sin.
But Jesus and Paul are saying God’s plan for our lives is different than Billy Sunday’s “get saved, get killed, go to heaven” plan. God has chosen to temporarilyforgo a better relationship with you in heaven and leave you in this dark world for one purpose: to light up the place with the good news of Jesus Christ!
You are not here to build a bulging portfolio of financial assets, to make a name for yourself, or to wring as much pleasure as possible out of the seventy or eighty years of your life. Instead, God chose to
leave you on earth to point as many people as possible to the sav- ingpower of Jesus Christ. The Lord was clear about His reason for coming to earth: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). And Jesus was equally clear about His reason for leaving you and me on the earth. His final command to His disciples was, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the na- tions” (Matthew 28:19).
Without trying to put you on a guilt trip, let me ask you a simple question. What is your strategy for fulfilling Jesus’ command? You probably have some kind of plan to earn a degree from school, to further your career, to help your children maximize their potential, and to provide for your family’s current and future financial needs. What is your plan for fulfilling the one purpose for which God has left you on earth?
If you don’t have such a plan, you are not alone. A few months ago when I started focusing on the unique calling of Christians to be lights in this crooked and perverse generation, I challenged our church members who were sincerely concerned about the direction of their nation to join me in the only strategy that will make a lasting difference in our country. Face it, both the Republican and Demo- cratic political parties are ideologically bankrupt when it comes to reversing the downward course of our country. The only way to change our nation is by changing the individuals who make up our nation by introducingthem to Jesus Christ. With the rallying cry “The only way to save America is by saving Americans,” one thou- sand of our congregation’s members committed to becoming part of what we called “The Pastor’s Light Force”—a group of men and women who wanted to change our nation by introducingpeople to Jesus Christ.
Realizing that most Christians don’t have a strategy for being “lights” in the world, we shared with these thousand members a sim- ple strategy for introducing people to Jesus Christ—a strategy I will describe in chapter 5.
* Don’t Forget to Add Salt *
Am I insinuating that Christians are to make evangelism their sole focus in life and withdraw from any political involvement? Not at all. Jesus said that Christians have another role in this world besides serving as light.
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. (Mat- thew 5:13)
In the days before refrigerators, salt was used to keep meat from spoiling. Salt prevented premature decay. However, eventually the meat would decay and have to be discarded. Salt couldn’t prevent decay; it could only give meat a longer shelf life.
When Jesus encourages believers to be “salt” in the world, He is reminding us that while we will never be able to reverse the decay in our culture caused by the curse of sin, we can slow down the process. By how we live and what we do, we can delay the collapse of our na- tion and our world. In describing the final world ruler, commonly referred to as the Antichrist, the apostle Paul writes:
And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:6–7)
Specifically, Paul refers to the church as the force that is restrain- ing the torrent of evil that will finallybe poured out during the final
seven years of earth’s history. Perhaps this visual image will help you understand the truth Paul is teaching.
Picture fifty thousand Christians with their backs pressed against Hoover Dam as leaks begin springing out from the loosened bricks in that massive structure. This band of believers realize they will not be able to prevent the eventual collapse of the dam, but perhaps they can postpone it for a little while so that as many residents living in the path of the inevitable flood can be saved. Their goal is not to repair the dam but to stall the collapse of the dam in order to rescue people.
Similarly, there is nothing you and I can do to prevent the even- tualcollapse of the world under the weight of sin—a collapse that will coincide with God’s final judgments duringthe Tribulation and the return of Jesus Christ. It is all part of God’s immutable plan. The role the United States of America will play during those final years of earth’s history is unclear. What is clear is that our nation will not be exempt from God’s final judgment against the earth, indicating that we will not be able to reverse the downward spiral of sin. But we can postpone it.
Delay God’s judgment? You may be wondering, Don’t you believe in the sovereignty of God? Don’t you realize that there is nothing we can do to postpone the day of judgment that God has already placed on His calendar? After two advanced seminary degrees and thirty-five years of preaching and teaching the Bible, I must confess that God’s sovereignty is a mystery I cannot begin to fathom. But what is clear to me from Scripture is that our action—as well as our inaction— does have real consequences.
Consider the prophet Jonah’s activities in the wicked city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. Through the preaching of this re- luctant prophet, many of the city’s residents repented of their evil
wickedness. And how did God respond?
When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it. (Jo- nah 3:10)
I have read and heard countless attempts to explain away this verse. “What this verse really means is that . . .” Here’s a good rule of thumb for interpreting the Bible: when the plain sense makes good sense, seek no other sense! The text plainly says that God had planned to rain down judgment upon the residents of Nineveh. However, be- cause they turned away from sin, God postponed His destruction of the city, which eventually did collapse in 612 BC. What was the catalyst for the Ninevites’ change of heart that led to God’s change of mind? The actions of one man named Jonah.
* You Can Make a Difference *
Although this story raises as many questions as it provides answers, one principle flashes like a neon sign: believers can make a differ- ence in their world. From our admittedly limited perspective, we can postpone God’s judgment against our nation by acting as salt and preserving righteousness in our nation.
Why should we care about delaying the inevitablejudgment of God? For one reason: to give unbelievers a little longer to turn to Je- sus Christ and escape eternal separation from God. People frequent- ly ask, “Why does God allow evil to run rampant in the world? Why
doesn’tHe just go ahead and send Christ back to reclaim the world
and end this whole mess?”
The apostle Peter answered that question in his final letter to a hurtingchurch. Christians who were enduring tremendous persecu- tion were asking the apostle, “Why doesn’t Christ return and end our suffering?” Unbelievers were askinga variation of the same ques- tion: “If Christ really exists, why doesn’t He come back and fulfill His promise?” Peter says there is only one reason that God is allowingthe world to continue as it is before He draws everything to a close:
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:9–10)
Here is a revealing glimpse into the heart of God. Yes, He is a God of judgment, but He is also a God of mercy. His desire is not to judge as many people as possible but to save as many people as possible. One mark of a true follower of Christ is that we mirror that same passion for rescuing those who are in danger of being swept away by the flood of God’s final judgments.
Joni Eareckson Tada has spent more than forty years in a wheel- chair as a quadriplegic. Recently, she was also diagnosed with breast cancer. An interviewer asked Joni the inevitable question: “Why does God allow suffering in the world instead of ending it all with His return?” Joni answered, not as an armchair theologian but as a wheelchair-bound disciple who reflects the redemptive heart of God:
The rule of thumb is that we experience much suffering because
we live in a fallen world and it is groaning under the weight of a heavy curse. If God being good means he has to get rid of sin, it means he would have to get rid of sinners. God is a God of great generosity and great mercy, so he is keeping the execution
of suffering. He’s not closing the curtain on suffering until there is more time to gather more people into the fold of Christ’s fel- lowship.7
Joni correctly reasons that an end to her suffering would also mean an end to unbelievers’ opportunity to trust in Christ. So she waits patiently for that future day while she works to be salt and light in the present day. If Joni is willing to stay in her wheelchair a little longer and postpone her eventual healing so that others might come to know Christ, shouldn’t we be willing to get up out of our chairs and do whatever we can to delay the inevitable “closing of the cur- tain” for the same purpose?
* Standing Up and Shining Bright *
This book is about what you and I can do during these final years of earth’s history—or of our own history—to be the salt and light Christ commanded us to be. Notice that Jesus’ instruction to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13–15) is not an “either/or” command but a “both/and” mandate. As light, we are to illuminate the saving power of Jesus Christ. As salt, we are to stand up against the tide of unrigh- teousness that is sweeping our country, evidenced by the wholesale acceptance of sexual perversion, cruelty toward children, and idola- try. As we will see, these are three sins that are guaranteed to bring God’s judgment against any nation.
Unfortunately, many Christians have adopted an attitude of passivity toward those sins God has labeled as abominations: ho- mosexuality, the murder of unborn children, and elevation of false gods at the expense of worshipping the true God. We have cloaked our indifference with piety (“I’m going to focus on my relationship with God”), theology (“I can’t change God’s sovereign plan”), and even patriotism (“I shouldn’t impose my morality on others in a free country”).
Yet whenever God’s people refuse to be salt and stand up against unrighteousness, evil always triumphs. And God’s judgment always comes. We only have to travel back in history sixty-five years to see the end result of passivity that is covered in a veneer of piety, the- ology, and misplaced patriotism. Many German Christians used all three rationales for excusing their inaction against the evil of Adolph Hitler.
Erwin Lutzer recounts a testimony from a Christian living in
Germany about the end result of indifference:
I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust. I considered my- self a Christian. We heard stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it, because, what could anyone do to stop it? A railroad track ran behind our small church and each Sunday morning we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We be- came disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars! Week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us. We knew the time the train was coming and when
we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more. Years have passed and no one talks about it anymore. But I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. God forgive me; forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians yet did nothing to intervene.8
It’s time for Christians to intervene. In the chapters that follow we will discuss some practical ways to stand up against the rising tide of evil that is destroying our nation. In our discussion we will tackle some difficult dilemmas such as . . .
Should Christians join with Mormons and other non-Chris- tian groups to oppose abortion and same-sex marriages?
Is it better to elect a qualified non-Christian or an unqualified Christian to office?
Should Christians seek preferential treatment for their faith in a pluralistic society?
What would Jesus really say about health-care reform, fiscal policy, and illegal immigration?
When should Christians disobey the government?
* Don’t Forget the Mission *
We must never lose sight of our ultimate goal in standing up against unrighteousness. God has not called us to save our country. Instead, He has commanded us to save those who are living in our country from His coming judgment. Salt restores nothing; it only buys us a
little more time to shine the light of the gospel in this increasingly dark world.
Allow me to be blunt. Outlawing same-sex marriages, reducing the number of abortions performed each year, or displaying the Ten Commandments in every classroom in America will not increase the eventual population of heaven by one solitary person apart from the proclamation of the gospel. In fact, if we are not careful, we could actually decrease the number of people in heaven if we ever compro- mise our long-range mission to achieve short-term goals.
When a prominent Christian leader joins with a popular mem- ber of a non-Christian cult to fight immorality and justifies the alli- ance by saying, “We have to save America first and then worry about theology,” he is telegraphing the not-so-subtle message that tempo- ral concerns supersede eternal issues.
Most people have been conditioned to relegate “theology” to ir- relevant issues like the number of angels dancing on the head of a pin or speculative topics such as predestination and free will. How- ever, theology is “the study of God.” What could be more important than a person’s understanding of his Creator and what He requires of His creatures? As A. W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into a person’s mind when he thinks about God is the most important thing about that person.”9A person’s belief about God shapes his life on earth and determines his destiny for eternity. When Christian leaders imply that the differences between Christianity and a cult like Mormonism are minimal compared to their agreement on social concerns, we are in danger of jeopardizing our unique mission to be lights in this dark world.
I was recently invited to lead a pro-life march of several thousand people in Dallas to the Dallas city courthouse, where the landmark case Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion in America, began. The march
was to begin in front of another church that denies that faith in Christ alone is the only way to be saved. By joining hands with the leader of that church and marching together to protest abortion, what mes- sage would I be communicating? Is it possible that someone seeing
me alongside this religious leader might assume that the differences in our beliefs are inconsequential? Could my actions cause someone to become part of that congregation and embrace a belief system that will result in his eternal separation from God? Would I have not only surrendered but actually sabotaged my most important calling as a Christian in order to achieve a lesser goal? Honestly, I’m still wres- tling with those issues.
However, I’m certain that in heaven abortions will be nonexis- tent since there will be no death. In the eternal state there will be no same-sex marriages—or marriage of any kind for that matter. When Christ reigns over the earth, there will be no need to display the Ten Commandments anywhere, since God’s law will be written on the heart of every occupant of heaven. The culture war will eventually be won in the new heaven and the new earth. But the real war that is raging on earth right now is a spiritual war for the eternal souls of every human being. Paul describes our enemy’s goal in that war:
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are per- ishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians
4:3–4)
Satan, “the god of this world,” is working overtime to blind un- believers to the “light of the gospel” so that they will remain in dark- ness for all eternity. As those who have been charged with the re-
sponsibility to hold out the light of the gospel, we must not diminish or diffuse that light by sacrificing the eternal for the temporal. Cur- ing serious but short-term social ills should never take precedence over healing man’s spiritualsickness. After all, cultural maladies are simply symptoms of a much more dangerous disease. In the pages that follow we will seek to find the balance between standing up for righteousness in order to preserve our culture from premature de- struction and shining bright with the unique message of the gospel.
However, don’t confuse balance with passivity. Whatever we do, we cannot allow complacency to neutralize our resolve to fight evil or jeopardize our ultimate mission of pointing people to Christ. Remember, being salt and light does not have to be an “either/or” proposition. As Christians, we must be both.
While it is true that far too many Christians remained silent dur- ing the rise of Nazi Germany, there was a remnant of believers who stood tall against the tide of evil without compromising their ulti- mate message. Albert Einstein, a Jew who was exiled from Germany, made this startling confession about how a small but determined group of believers interested him in Christianity:
Being a lover of freedom, when the [Nazi] revolution came I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth: but no, the universities took refuge in silence.
Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers, whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks.
I then addressed myself to the authors, to those who had passed themselves off as the intellectual guides of Germany, and
among whom was frequently discussed the question of freedom and its place in modern life. They are, in turn, very dumb.
Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing the truth. I never had any special in- terest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration for it because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual truth and moral free- dom. I am forced to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly.10
Once again there is a tidal wave of evil that is threatening to overwhelm our country. If we sit on the sidelines, we not only ensure the destruction of our nation but consign countless souls to an eter- nity of separation from God. It is time for the church to stand up for righteousness and shine brightly with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must not allow evil to triumph during the twilight years of America.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to
Dee Stewart of DeeGospel PR for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christian Fiction Romance Author Rhonda Bowen writes for Kensington Publishing Corps (Dafina Books.) She has written two faith based novels Man Enough for Me and her current release One Way or Another. She is also an event planner and currently resides in Toronto, Ontario Canada.
Atlanta reporter Toni Shields will do whatever it takes to get a good story. So when she’s arrested for sneaking around the mayor’s house, she’s prepared. What she’s not prepared for is getting demoted–or her run-in with stubborn Adam Bayne, director of the local young men’s rehab center. . .
The first time Adam saw Toni, she was wrangling with the cops. Now she’s looking for a scoop at Jacob House. Adam has no intention of letting her near his boys–yet as usual, her pushiness wins. And when she genuinely helps a teen in trouble, Adam sees a side of her that cares about more than just a headline. Soon, they become close–their attraction growing. But there’s more to both their lives than meets the eye. Toni has a haunting family secret, one that is taking a great toll on her. And when she uncovers that Adam has a devastating past of his own, not only their relationship, but their futures, and their faith, lie in the balance.
Praise for Man Enough for Me
“A sweet Christian romance.” –Publishers Weekly
“Enough drama, romance, and faith that keeps you turning pages.” –Tiffany L. Warren, Essence® bestselling author
Product Details:
List Price: $14.00
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Dafina; Original edition (February 28, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758259581
ISBN-13: 978-0758259585
ISLAND BREEZES
This one’s going to rock your heart. Get out the tissues. I dare you to make it through this book without a tear.
I have to admit that Rhonda Bowen jerked me all over the place with this book. No matter what you thought you knew about the characters, there was always more.
I was really caught up by Toni and Adam, and then near the end, I was feeling mighty low when they parted. I was having a hard time figuring out just how this book would end.
Yes, I needed more of those tissues.
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER Rhonda Bowen
(February 28, 2012)
Chapter 1
The metal felt icy and unwelcome as the cuffs snapped tight around Toni’s wrists. She grimaced. This was not how she planned to spend her Wednesday night.
The burly police officer dragged her to the cop car, placing his hand on her head of long dark silky hair as he lowered her into the backseat. At least he was being civil. The same couldn’t be said for the one manhandling Afrika.
“Get your nasty hands off my butt, you perve,” Afrika snapped, shoving him away with her shoulder.
The short dull-looking cop stumbled back a bit, seemingly surprised at her force. Yeah, he didn’t know. Afrika might look tiny but you didn’t want to mess with her. More than once Toni had seen her friend take a chunk out of her pro-basketball-playing ex-boyfriend Tyrone. She was nobody’s victim.
For once though, Toni wished Afrika would take it down a notch. It was bad enough that the cops had caught them snooping around the mayor’s premises. No sense encouraging the Atlanta PD officers to find a creative way to actually charge them.
Toni’s mind scrambled for a solution as she sat in the back of the cop car on the way to the station. The clock on the dash said 10:34 p.m., leaving her with barely an hour to file her story and get out of this mess. She thought of all her possible lifelines, including her brother, Trey, and her sister-in-law, Jasmine. But none of those options were appealing. Her brother’s smug look she could deal with, but she would rather spend the night in a cell than get another lecture from Jasmine, who seemed to forget that at twenty-seven she was the same age as Toni and not in fact her mother. That left only one person. Unfortunately, said person was sitting beside her, just as helpless as her, and a lot less cooperative.
By the time they got to the mini-precinct, south of downtown Atlanta, Toni realized that she was on her own.
“So, Miss Shields, you want to tell us why you were in the area of the mayor’s residence tonight?”
Toni smiled at the large man who had been the one to handcuff her earlier. “Just taking a walk, Officer Powell.”
“I’m looking at your file here, Miss Shields, and you seem to like taking walks near the homes of well-known people in this city.”
Toni shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a fitness buff.”
She hoped Afrika was holding up okay. They had been separated, and the other officer was questioning her in another section of the station. Toni could see her, but couldn’t hear what was going on.
“And what about that camera you were carrying?” he asked, an eyebrow raised.
“I like photography too. It’s a new hobby.”
Officer Powell rubbed his eyes. “Where’s the memory card, Miss Shields?”
“Memory card?”
“Yes,” he said. “You know, that little thing that records the pictures? There was none in the camera. And we didn’t find it when we searched your things.”
Toni shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Officer Powell sat forward, his forehead wrinkling. “Miss Shields, you were caught wandering near the mayor of Atlanta’s home in the dead of night with a very professional grade camera and a major zoom lens,” he said. “I personally think you might have even been on the mayor’s property but unfortunately there’s no way to prove it. Do you expect me to believe that there was no card in this camera?” he asked. “Now, either you produce the card on your own or we’re going to have to search you.”
“But you already searched me,” Toni said innocently.
The officer glowered. “A full body search.”
Toni pursed her lips. “You can’t do that. Full searches can only be conducted by someone of the same sex. And I’m looking around and all the officers I see on duty tonight are men.”
He rubbed a hand over his head tiredly. “Then you can be someone else’s problem.” He closed her file and stood. “My shift is over anyway.”
Toni looked at the wall clock. 10:45. Right on schedule.
“Okay, please tell me you have a plan to get us out of here,” Afrika hissed into Toni’s ear moments after Officer Powell seated them beside each other in the holding area.
“Sort of.” Toni turned her head left and then right as she tried to work the kinks out of her neck. The back of that cop car had not been good to her.
“Sort of? You’re gonna need to give me something better than that.” Afrika twisted around in her seat, giving Toni full access to her glare. “I can’t go to prison, Toni. I may act hard, but I ain’t no criminal. I can’t go down like this!”
The hysteria in Afrika’s whispers went up a notch at each statement, and Toni had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Afrika would definitely not see the humor. And with Toni’s hair looking a shaggy mess, she couldn’t afford to have her best friend and hair stylist not talking to her.
“Afrika, we weren’t caught doing anything wrong,” Toni said, hoping her even tone would mellow her friend out. “They have nothing to charge us with. All they can do is detain us for a couple hours.”
She left out the part about what could happen if they searched her and found the memory card in her bra.
Afrika narrowed her eyes at Toni. “How long is a couple?”
Toni shrugged and glanced away. “Maybe four or five.”
Or seventy-two, she thought.
“A lot could happen in four or five hours,” Afrika murmured.
Toni saw her friend glance out the corner of her eye at the thick red-skinned woman who had taken up the entire bench across from them with her size ten frame and size twenty attitude. The bottle blonde had skewered them with her bloodshot eyes when they first came in, before going back to the production of picking her nails, which were so long they seemed like weapons themselves. A darker skinned woman of indeterminable everything lay buried in multiple layers of clothing on the only other bench, snoring.
“Don’t worry. It’s usually pretty quiet this time of night,” Toni said, leaning her head back against the wall.
Afrika scowled but didn’t say another word. Toni knew her friend was still mad, but she was glad that Afrika had calmed down. It would be a long twelve minutes if she had to sit there and listen to her whine.
“Well, well. Looks like it’s ladies night up in here.”
“Mikey?” Afrika had a puzzled expression on her face. “What you doing here?”
“Hey, cuz.” Mikey chuckled and unlocked the door to the holding cell. “I work here. What you doing here?”
“Keepin’ bad company,” Afrika said, throwing a nasty look Toni’s way.
“Toni,” Mikey said. Her name on his lips sounded as oily as the chicken grease that had stained his uniform. There was no doubt he’d had a three piece for dinner.
Toni forced a smile even though she really wanted to gag. If he was any other cop on any other day, Toni would have given him a piece of her mind for the way his eyes were roaming all over her. But she needed this Good Times reject, and he knew it.
She got up off the uneven bench and followed Afrika out of the cell, feeling the heat of Mikey’s gaze on her behind. She scowled. She was used to guys raking their eyes over her five- foot-four frame, particularly her generous behind, but it still disgusted her.
“So it says here that you aren’t charged but you need to be searched,” Mikey said, a toothpick in the corner of his mouth as he flipped through Afrika’s and Toni’s files.
“Don’t even think of putting your nasty hands on me,” Afrika warned.
“Easy, cuz.” Mikey laughed. “The search would have to be done by another woman.”
He turned his eyes on Toni. “Unless you want to waive that right.”
Toni fought her gag reflex again. “Thanks, Mikey, but you can already see we don’t have any weapons. Plus, like you said, there are no charges. You’re gonna let us out in a couple hours anyway. Why not save yourself some time?”
Mikey raised an eyebrow and Toni sugared up her statement with a smile. He laughed again. She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
“I guess you have a point there,” he said a moment later, stepping forward and removing the cuffs from Afrika’s wrists.
“It’s about time.” Afrika scowled. “Where’s my stuff?”
Mikey pulled a small plastic tray of items from behind the station desk and slid it over to Afrika.
Toni held up her wrists toward him expectantly
He glanced at her hands but didn’t reach for the keys. “You’ve been in here an awful lot lately. Maybe you need to sit in a cell a couple hours and cool off.”
Toni scowled.
“Or maybe you could help me change my mind,” he suggested. His eyes swept her frame again and she noticed his voice had ducked to a whisper.
“How about dinner again?” He leaned forward to drop the last words. “This time at my place.”
Toni resisted the urge to step back as the slightly rank smell from Mikey hit her. She would bet anything that homeboy had been rocking the same frowsy uniform all week. Nothing short of a gun to her head was putting her anywhere inside Mikey’s place.
“I don’t think so, Mikey,” Toni said, just as she heard the doors to the station open behind her.
He glanced up and nodded to the newcomer before moving around the desk and away. “Well then, I think I’m gonna have to take a little more time writing this release,” Mikey said stiffly. “I don’t want to miss anything important.”
He looked past Toni at the person behind her. “How can I help you?”
“I heard one of my kids was here. Rasheed Roper?”
“Oh yeah,” Mikey said, turning back to the desk and flipping through the stack of reports. “He got picked up with some other youngbloods near the old Bankhead Courts. Residents called it in–said they were a bit noisy. We found a little weed on a couple of them, but your kid was clean.”
Toni tapped her foot impatiently as she listened to the exchange. She glanced up at the clock–11:00. The Thursday morning edition would go to print in the next hour with or without her story. And if the latter was the case, all the crap that she had gone through tonight would be for nothing. She wasn’t having that–not after she’d had to beat out the other Metro section reporters for the front page.
“Let me get him and then you can sign him out.” Mikey turned away.
“Mikey”–Toni grabbed his arm before she lost him completely–“the cuffs?”
“Toni, we going or what?” Afrika asked from the door, a sour look plastered on her face.
“What did you say your kid’s name was?” Mikey looked past Toni as he started moving toward the back again.
“Rasheed Ro–”
“Come on, Mikey,” Toni whined, slapping the desk in frustration with her handcuffed palm. “You really gonna do me like this?”
“Like what? Girl, I never told you to get your behind locked up. You the shizzle up at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tell your boss come bail you out.”
“Do I look like I have time for all that?” Toni shot back.
“Uh, hey, you think you could get Rasheed . . . ?”
Forget Rasheed.
“Can you just hold on? Your kid will still be a criminal in five minutes,” Toni snapped, swinging around to glare at the stranger who kept interrupting.
Her anger died on her lips when she saw exactly who was behind her. As she craned her neck to take in all of his six-foot-something frame, she couldn’t help but think of the fence she nearly broke her neck scaling less than an hour earlier. Now here was a brother who did not need a boost. And with his I-do-real-work-every-day arms he could have probably hoisted her over without breaking a sweat.
However, the expression on his gorgeously angular face told her he wasn’t inclined to do anything for her at that moment, except maybe help Mikey put her back in the holding cell. The slight downward turn of his full lips and the tightness in his strong jaw confirmed the irritation.
But, boy, did he make ticked off look good.
She was trouble personified.
Adam could tell before she even opened her pouty mouth. It was in her flushed cinnamon-toned skin, the dark inquisitive eyes, and the legs that he was mad at himself for looking at. Women with legs like hers shouldn’t be allowed to wear jeans that looked like they had been painted on. It was just wrong to mess with a brother’s head like that. Especially when he was trying to keep it PG-13 upstairs.
He felt bad for staring. But she kept looking at him with those huge eyes and he couldn’t turn away.
“You don’t look old enough to have grown kids,” she said after a moment.
“I think you got bigger things to worry about,” he said. “Like making it out of this place tonight. But it looks like you already have a plan for that.”
The big beautiful eyes turned into slits. “Maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to judge, seeing that I’m not the only one at the police station in the middle of the night.”
“Only one of us is wearing cuffs,” he shot back.
“It takes one to raise one,” Toni said. “In your case I’m sure the blunt wasn’t rolled far from the weed.”
“Whatever.” Her tongue was sharper than an army knife. He had nothing.
He didn’t even know why he was getting so riled. Maybe because he was ticked off that his day had had to end with him in a police station picking up Rasheed. But more likely it was because the woman in front of him was stealing more of his attention than he wanted to give. And the joker in the too-small uniform sexually harassing her was working his last nerve.
“All right, here he is,” Mikey said, returning from the back with a cross-looking Rasheed only a few steps ahead of him.
Adam felt the corners of his mouth drop into an even deeper frown. He saw Rasheed visibly tense when he saw him.
“Yo, Bayne, I wasn’t even doing anything!” he protested.
“I don’t wanna hear it, Rasheed,” Adam said, shaking his head. “Go sit over there, till I get through with this mess.
“You got something for me to sign?” he asked the sloppy officer.
Mikey nodded and began pulling together a sheet and clipboard for Adam.
“Toni, I’m calling a cab, and I’m leaving.”
So her name was Toni. Adam glanced back at the young woman standing at the door. She looked even more annoyed than he felt.
Toni turned back to the officer. Desperation and frustration fought for position on her face. “You really gonna make her leave me, Mikey? You know if I don’t get back and get this story in I’m done.”
Mikey shrugged as he handed Adam the clipboard.
“Say the word and you can be out of here right now,” Mikey answered.
Adam found himself hoping that Toni turned down whatever homeboy was offering. Instead, she stomped her foot, and uttered a word he used to use quite frequently before God put a noose on his tongue.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” she hissed through her teeth.
“Really?” Mikey said, sounding surprised. “I never actually thought–”
Mikey stopped short when he caught her glare. “So eight on Friday then?” He tried to whisper but Adam still heard him. Adam shook his head in disappointment.
“Whatever,” Toni said. “Just get me out of these.”
Mikey grinned as he fumbled with the keys and freed Toni’s hands from the restraints. With a look of pure annoyance, she snatched the release form from Mikey’s pudgy fingers and examined it. She probably wanted to make sure that whatever she had done didn’t end up on her record.
Adam frowned but began to scan the form in front of him. He just wanted to sign Rasheed out and be done with it. The night had gotten too weird. However, when Mikey leaned in a little too close to the woman, Adam couldn’t help but look up again. And when the rent-a-cop put his hand on Toni’s behind, Adam didn’t even think before he reacted.
“Brothah, you need to back up,” he said, stepping forward angrily. Who did this toy cop think he was?
But before he acted on his temptation to handle matters in a less verbal manner, the petite woman turned around and kneed the officer hard in a place so close to the groin that it made Adam shudder. Mikey hollered like a five-year-old and doubled over in pain.
“You think you feel something now?” Toni hissed at his bent over form. “You lucky I never put my foot where it really wanted to go.”
“Oh man, she got you!” Rasheed hollered with a laugh.
“If you ever put your hands on me again, you’ll be sorry you ever met me, you got that?” Toni snapped angrily in the officer’s ear.
Rasheed was still hooting in laughter as she stuffed the release into her pocket and grabbed her stuff out of the tray on the table. Adam stepped way out of her way as she stormed past him and through the door, pulling her friend behind her.
He glanced at the cop, still crouched over and holding on to the table for support, then at the door where Toni had just exited.
Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half-brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai’s hand, she asks one thing–that he promises never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return–to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees.
But as the years stretch on and Sarai’s womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain–lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram’s patience last?
ISLAND BREEZES
I like books that force me to think about what a biblical person’s life might have been like. Jill Eileen Smith does a very good job of rounding out the lives of Abraham and Sarah.
She lets us in on the depth of feeling between this woman and her husband. I imagine most of you know the basics of this marriage from Scripture, but Ms Smith will draw you into this story and leave you wanting more.
This is a book I didn’t want to end. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the “Wives of the Patriarch’s” series.
***A special thank you to Donna Hausler for a review copy.***
Jill Eileen Smith is the author of the bestselling Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba, all part of The Wives of King David series. She has more than twenty years of writing experience, and her writing has garnered acclaim in several contests. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.
Available March 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
Lori Copeland is the author of more than 90 titles, both historical and contemporary fiction. With more than 3 million copies of her books in print, she has developed a loyal following among her rapidly growing fans in the inspirational market. She has been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books’ Best Seller award. In 2000, Lori was inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame. She lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband, Lance, and their three children and five grandchildren.
Virginia Smith is the author of more than a dozen inspirational novels and more than fifty articles and short stories. An avid reader with eclectic tastes in fiction, Ginny writes in a variety of styles, from lighthearted relationship stories to breath-snatching suspense.
