Merry Christmas my friend!
Many years ago, a young mother at the church I attended discovered Christian fiction. Those books she read impacted her faith so much she started a book club. She felt that God had used those novels to draw her back to Him. And she wanted other people to experience some of what she had through reading those stories. She felt God was using fiction to work on her heart.
I didn’t join the book club for a number of years while I worked at my church because I didn’t think I could squeeze in another church activity. I also mostly read nonfiction (inspirational, theological, or biographical) at the time.
Sadly, I was a bit snooty about fiction.
Little did I know what I was missing!
My friends in the group insisted there were just certain books I had to read. They finally basically forced them on me.
The one’s I specifically remember were:
Francine Rivers’ The Mark of the Lion series
Randy Alcorn’s Safely Home
Lynn Austin’s Gods & Kings series
So I finally read the books.
There were some sleepless nights.
There were bleary eyes, blurry vision, tears…
And even bigger shifts in my heart and my opinion of fiction.
There was a realization that there is power in story.
It was silly really, because as a high school librarian I learned that novels had swayed public opinion with novels like:
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
And many more.
These fiction books changed our culture!
We are bombarded with fiction every night on a screen that is swaying the thinking of generations.
And finally Jesus taught with stories. Mark 4:33-34 says:
“With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable.”
I have a quote from my romcom, Blown Together, which is set in both Oxford, Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama. The heroine is a lonely author and she reads a letter from her mentor.
There is power in story. Stories change thinking, change lives. There is beauty in words. Words work their way into our hearts and nuzzle us up to greater heights. Words and stories inspire leaders, change societies, and spark revolutions.
Transform lives for the better, Elinor. Spark a revolution of love for the first Author.
So that’s how and why I fell in love with Christian fiction–because of the power of story. I pray to glorify God and reach people with His story in my little novels.
I love hearing from you! What’s going on?
Do you have a special Christmas tradition or recipe?
Any prayer request today?
Blessings,
Janet
PS I’ve recently changed my reader gift attached to this newsletter to share my favorite novel I’ve written to everyone! If you haven’t read it, get it here! If you’ve already read it, please share the link with friends or on social media! 🙂