Care of Creation is an organization that believes that missions and care for God’s creation belong together.
This organization was started by Edward Jones, author of Our Father’s World (which I finished reading a couple of days ago though I reviewed it here last Monday), in 2005, and currently works mainly in Kenya. Their stated goal is “to mobilize the Church to respond to environmental challenges with and through the love of God – and that’s what evangelism and evangelicalism is – or should be – all about.”
Care of Creation has an arm in the USA, where their focus on mobilizing the church to care for creation through seminars, consulting programs with churches, and working with students. In the UK, the organization works mainly on sponsoring tree-planting partnerships between schools there and in Kenya.
Edward says in his book:
Two things jump out at me. First, on the positive side, one of the great challenges of sharing God’s love with people is overcoming their preconceived ideas about him. How much easier when we can let people know that the God we worship loves his world as much as they do–more, in fact–and that he’s the one who put that love for the world in them in the first place.
Second, on the negative side, consider the great damage done when a person who loves God’s creation but doesn’t know him encounters a Christian who says he knows and loves God but shows by his words or actions that he really doesn’t care much for God’s creation.
Have you ever thought of the correlation between Christianity and your attitude towards creation before? How has it affected you?
I’m no athlete. Sure, I played volleyball in high school and Bible school and I love the outdoors–hiking and such. But the kind of talent and dedication that gets an athlete to the winners’ podium at the Olympics? Not even in my wildest dreams…or nightmares. I’m not that fond of pain.
I don’t dream of Olympic medals. But the training of an athlete holds similarities to other areas of life. Such as writing.
1. Train hard. No one gets to the Olympics by deciding one morning that they’re going to be a great figure skater, taking a couple of lessons, and then trying out for the Olympic team.
The same holds true with writers. We need to train hard. We need to practice, practice, practice. Write a book. Write another book. Take classes and workshops. Practice some more.
2. Get a coach. I doubt it would be possible for an athlete to make the Olympics without a coach. A coach guides the training, evaluates the progress, and makes decisions about competitions.
In writing, the coach would be an agent. It is possible to succeed in this venue without an agent, but getting a coach will go a long way to focusing the training. I don’t have a coach yet. It’s one of my current goals.
3. Play with a team. Even athletes in individual sports practice together, not only in isolation.
Find places where writers hang out. Get to know other writers. Make friends. Challenge each other. Hold each other accountable.
4. Compete. No athlete can figure out if they’re really any good unless they test their abilities against others in their field. That’s where the rubber meets the road.
Contests are good competitions for upcoming writers. If you’re hoping to be published by a Christian house, may I suggest checking out the Genesis contest? The results will help you understand how close…or not…you are to the big time.
5. Ignore the couch potatoes. I’m talking about the person who hasn’t ever laced on a pair of skates but critiques the techniques of the athletes in the Olympic preliminary rounds instead of admiring the passion and dedication that got them as far as they are.
Don’t let non-writers look down on you for writing, for practicing. Some people will only commend you when you ‘win.’ Don’t let their attitude hold you back.
Last fall at the ACFW conference, I had the editor of a major publishing house ask for the full manuscript of one of my novels. You may recall the focused ‘training’ I went through for a couple of months to make sure I was sending the very best version of that story that I could send.
Last Friday I got a rejection letter in the mail. It was a nice rejection letter with comments specific to my story, showing that the editor had actually read the novel (or a good portion of it, at least.) It was an encouraging rejection in that it included the invitation to send them something else because they liked my writing style.
Am I devastated? Not so much. Sure, I wanted to sell this novel. Wanted to be on that Olympic podium with my name on the cover of a book. But you know what? I trained hard (even without a coach!). I learned as much as I could from other writers along my journey. I suggest online places such as Forward Motion and American Christian Fiction Writers. I competed and made it into the final round.
There are always those who say they’re going to write a book one day. Most of them never do. You know what? I may not have won the medal this time around, but I’m way ahead of the wannabes. It’s time to fine-tune the training regimen and keep my eye on the prize. Maybe one day my moment on the podium will come.
I have to say, I’m not totally convinced I want one, but the fact remains, there’s a lot of hype out there. Aside from an abysmal name choice, many people aren’t certain whether this new device lives up to its pre-release hype.
However, if you watch this video, I’m sure you, like me, will understand how totally amazing this piece of technology really is. Three minutes. Enjoy.
Our Father’s World: Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation
By Edward R Brown 2006, 2008
It seems a lot of times Christians aren’t interested in environmental issues. It’s like we believe that God made the earth for us, handed it over, and we can do what we like with it. As parents, do we give our kids a puppy and then not care if they take good care of the puppy or not? Of course we care.
Edward Brown is a rare breed: a Christian dedicated to restoring the natural world. In fact, he is the founder of a mission organization called Care of Creation, which is dedicated to pursuing a God-centered response to the environmental crisis.
These days there is a lot of talk about whether or not global warming is ‘real.’ Brown says that is not the heart of the issue. He believes that “even if the (apparently overwhelming) evidence for human-induced climate change turns out to be wrong, God’s creation is still in deep trouble. In fact, many of the thing that I personally am worried about–such as the availability of fresh water–will reach a critical stage before we feel the serious effects of climate change.”
In his book Our Father’s World Brown takes the reader back to the creation story in the first chapters of Genesis. God gave Adam the command to care for the earth, not to trash it for his own means.
Ever set up dominoes in a row, then bump one and watch them all fall? This is like the effect that Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden had on all of creation. Everything was affected. And just like you cannot return the dominoes to standing by starting in the middle, so too can creation only be righted by fixing one wrong at a time, starting from one end and working to the other. The natural culmination is that each person is right with God.
Further, he states: “a positive relationship here is a sign of growth and maturity–and a poor or negative relationship is a warning sign of problems. In fact, how I treat my dog and my lawn and how I dispose of my waste really is a measure of how well God’s redemption is working in my life.”
He talks about four relationships: our relationship with God, than being at peace with ourselves, joining with others in community, then dealing with the mess in the world. He believes that mobilizing the church is getting to the very heart of what the church was designed to do by God.
“In God’s wisdom, He seems to have decided that the creatures who caused the curse in the first place–you and me, the human race–should be those charged with the job of reversing its effects. It is as if he were saying to us, ‘You broke it, I’m going to let you help me fix it.’”
In short, Brown believes that the current ecological crisis is primarily a spiritual problem, and that the only full and real cure for it is for people to acknowledge it as such and correct the four relationships as denoted above.
“Creation damaged by our sin will be restored by our redemption.”
What do you think? Does this concept resonate with you in any way?
Just a short note today on plotting. I’ve got a few novels (seven complete) under my belt, and I’ve tried the whole range of styles from seat-of-the-pants to uber-plotted. This time, I’m trying once again to find a balance.
Thanks to Cheryl Wyatt, author of five romance novels published by Steeple Hill (the inspirational arm of Harlequin), for a series of blog posts she wrote awhile back on her hybrid style she calls plotstorming. If you’re looking for a happy medium, check out these posts, using her novel Ready Made Family as an example:
Sometimes in my country living mode I forget that not everyone has the opportunity to garden and grow some of their own food. Many people in cities–even in smallish towns!–live in apartments, basement suites, or townhouses with no yard at all. Add in all the other renters who don’t have the freedom to dig up their yard, and you have a lot of people without the option of gardening.
Have you ever heard of sharing backyards? It’s the concept of connecting the folks who’d like to garden with those in their own neighborhood who have available yard/garden space. Programs are available in many Canadian cities and several others in the USA and New Zealand. It’s free to sign your town up. All the details are on the website, including FAQs that specifically address privacy issues. Check it out!
What a great idea! Not only will food be grown in more backyards, this program brings neighbors together. It helps cross generation barriers, create friendships, and provide teaching opportunities. It may help older folks stay in their own homes for longer because their yards won’t be a burden on lessening abilities.
Question: Do you grow any of your own food? If not, would a program like this be a benefit in your neighborhood?
I’ve entered the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest for the past three years, finaling in Speculative Fiction each year. The past two years I’ve also been a category judge. This year’s contest just opened a couple of days ago, with a deadline of March 31st, 2010, 8 a.m. Pacific Time. If you’re thinking of entering, you might be interested in some things I’ve observed from both sides of the fence:
Have a Finished Manuscript
I’ve been amazed to hear how many folks rattle off several openings, send them to this (and possibly other) contests, and then wait for the first-round results to see if it is ‘worth’ completing the stories. I don’t understand this attitude. Do you love the story or don’t you? What if you get through to the next round and the agent or editor judging your category asks to see the whole thing? Uhhhh, sorry, I still have to write it. I’ll get back to you in a year or five when it’s ready to submit. If I feel like it. What a waste!
The whole novel doesn’t have to be polished, but do put in an effort to complete the first draft. If not before you enter the contest, then while you await results. Then use the time after first round results to polish the story. If you’re going to conference, you’ll have a complete novel ready to pitch, whether or not your entry was a finalist. An editor asked to see my full romance manuscript even though it did not final. (I haven’t heard back yet.)
Ask for Critiques
I’m not talking about your parent, your spouse, or your best friend here. I’m talking about a fellow writer that understands the craft and can explain to you what does or does not work. Sure, it’s only their opinion, but that’s why three crits is a good average. More can muddy the waters, but if three people all comment on the same issue, take heed. Don’t be defensive, just figure out how to solve the problem and move on. If only one points out something, weigh their opinion against the overall direction of the plot. You may still want to follow their advice.
If you’re an ACFW member (and you have to be, to enter Genesis), look into the Scribes Crit loop if you aren’t already a member of a group. You’ve only got one chance to join every month, though, so be watching for notification of the next intake toward the end of January.
It’s a Fine Line
What is? The line between a polished set of pages and a sterile set. Sometimes we’re tempted to polish our voice right out of those fifteen pages in a desperate attempt to be acceptable to the judges.
Be true to your voice while making sure you’re not breaking too many rules and being written off as an amateur from the first paragraph. Don’t let the critiques you receive turn into a story written by your group. What sparked this story into existence in your own mind must still exist.
Double-Check Spelling and Grammar
Turn on the spell-and-grammar-check function of MS Word (or whichever program you’re using.) Make sure spellcheck is set to American English. Then carefully go over each green squiggly and red underline. Remember that your judges will be reading this in their Word program and each of those underlines will show on their monitor, so you’d better be confident about any that you allow to remain.
Yes, 15 pages is Enough
We hear all the time about agents and editors making a snap decision on rejecting a project after only a page or two. And writers complain that it isn’t enough words to know for sure.
Having judged over 60 entries for Genesis, I beg to differ. One page is ample 90% of the time. Command of the English language and story-telling abilities shine through very quickly, as does the lack thereof. I’ve very very VERY rarely changed my mind about the quality of the manuscript (as a judge) after the second page.
If you’re tempted to say something like, “But you have to trust me that it really gets good around page 5 (or page 10, or page 50),” then what the heck are you doing starting the story where you did? Start it where things get interesting!
Send a Synopsis?
Genesis allows you the option of adding a one-page single-spaced synopsis to your entry. The following is my opinion only, as a judge, and may or may not be the opinion of the coordinators.
*DON’T send one to the first round judges. There’s really no need. These judges evaluate entirely on the merits of the first 15 pages and don’t care if you have a good synopsis, a bad synopsis, or no synopsis at all.
*DO write a synopsis and have it polished and ready in the event that your manuscript finals. You’ll have a couple of days to go over your entry before submitting to the final round. That’s the perfect time to add your synopsis, because this round will be seen by agents and editors who have the power to acquire a story they love.
*DO put your synopsis at the end of the entry, not the beginning. Let the pages speak for themselves.
Format Correctly
There are examples of the correct format on the ACFW website. It’s not that hard to do it right. Take a few minutes to learn how to set up a manuscript–it’s a skill you’ll need many times if you’re going to be a successful writer.
What has been your experience with entering or judging contests? Have I missed an important category on the list?
To me, this seems like a no-brainer. For a bag of flour to say that it is ‘Whole Wheat Flour’ it needs to contain the whole kernel of wheat. What else could it possibly mean?
According to Wikipedia here (part way down the page) it can mean this in Canada: “It is legal to advertise any food product as “wholewheat” with up to 70% of the germ removed. While the resulting product will contain the benefit of fiber in the nutritional information, it lacks the more recently-discovered health benefits of antioxidants found in the wheat germ. Canadian consumers can be assured of wholegrain products by a label stating 100% whole grain wholewheat.”
Why do I care? Because I’ve been baking whole wheat bread for the last thirty years. I’ve had trouble finding flour I liked and, once I’ve found some, I’ve gone out of my way to purchase it. We believe in whole grains. But I thought that whole wheat flour was whole grain.
This past year we had the opportunity to buy locally grown wheat. I gave a sample of the flour we’ve been using to the gal who would grind my grain. Her analysis? It isn’t 100% whole wheat. She’s owned a health food store and has been grinding grain for thirty-some years. I trust her more than I trust the label on the bag.
But I’m choked.
What’s a Trojan Horse? Wikipedia tells me: “A Trojan Horse has come to mean any trick that causes a target to invite a foe into a securely protected bastion or place.”
Welcome to Appreciate a Dragon Day! Meet my Resident Dragon. He’s been standing watch over the road I live on for a lot of years. I’m not sure what he’s waiting for, but he’s the Sentinel. Also a favorite roosts for hawks, crows, red-headed blackbirds, and other birds.
Well, on to the main show. Here’s a little snippet from my (shelved) young adult fantasy spoof Quest To Be Queen. Teagren is the quester. During this segment of her quest she and her companions have been captured by Serena, who runs a society that reveres the dragon. Teagren can talk to animals, so she has a chat with George, trying to get to the bottom of the situation. And she’s in for a wee surprise.
She could think of no good reason to tiptoe around the topic. “The leader, Serena, says that they have to sacrifice a male to you every full moon. Is that true?”
Now she was sure; the dragon did roll its eyes. “Serena is an idiot.”
“Well, yes, I must agree. But do you or do you not accept these sacrifices from the sisterhood?”
“Well, yes,” George replied, mimicking her. “In a manner of speaking, I do.”
Teagren’s heart sank. “What do you mean? Please speak clearly.”
The dragon rumbled to itself. “No one has ever conversed with me before, so I can’t say I’m used to speaking clearly. But I’ll try.”
Teagren tipped her head to one side and waited.
“Honestly, girl, she gives me no choice but to accept them. You have no idea how stubborn she can be.”
“I do have some idea, I assure you. But that is hardly a good enough reason to eat them!”
“Eat them?” George’s words came out in almost a squeal. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
Teagren narrowed her eyes. “What else would you do with them? If it’s worse than eating them, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m a vegetarian. Why would I eat them?”
“Vegetarian?” This time it was Teagren that squeaked.
“Yes, vegetarian. Have you never heard of that? It refers to folks who don’t eat meat. Humans consist of meat, I do believe, and therefore I don’t eat them. Though occasionally I have swallowed a fly by mistake and a few times there have been slugs in my salad, disgusting things.”
There was a rock behind her. Teagren sagged onto it gratefully. A vegetarian dragon? Was such a thing even possible?
And hey, a lot of my buddies are writers…and a lot of you write fantasy. So I thought it would be fun if we’d celebrate this auspicious together holiday tomorrow. Think about what you can contribute. Perhaps a brief snippet of one of your dragon scenes? A piece of art or jewelry? A salute to a favorite dragonish fantasy author, book, or series?
Here’s a preview–a dragon rock painted for my birthday last year by my daughter Hanna. Join me tomorrow with more dragon fun, and be prepared to drop a link in comments here to your own blogpost so we can enjoy Appreciate a Dragon Day together! No flame wars now, you hear?
This organization was started by Edward Jones, author of Our Father’s World (which I finished reading a couple of days ago though I reviewed it here last Monday), in 2005, and currently works mainly in Kenya. Their stated goal is “to mobilize the Church to respond to environmental challenges with and through the love of God – and that’s what evangelism and evangelicalism is – or should be – all about.”
