Keep Strong in Your Faith in the Lord as We Enter the Times Ahead

An email I recently received stated at its conclusion, "Keep strong in our faith in the Lord as we enter the times ahead." There seems to be so much truth in that brief statement.

The calendar year, as we know it from January 1 to December 31, is man's calendar, not God's. Man's calendar has a beginning and an end, but God's calendar is one of cycles (winter, spring, summer, fall) with neither a beginning nor an end. Under the old covenant, God gave the Israelites a calendar that began with what is now called Rosh Hashanah. In fact, January 1st is not an official holiday in Israel although many treat it as such.

To those of us that understand the end-times scenario, we see God's cyclical calendar taking a new form as described in the book of Revelations. The beginning, if you want to think of our current age, began at the tomb site in Jerusalem. The end of this age is approaching, and seems to be approaching rapidly.

FEMA, that is the Federal Emergency Management Agency, maintains a public record of severe disasters from 1953 to 2011, identifying 2011 as the highest total over that period. By looking at the list for 2011, it shows hundreds of major disaster, emergency, and fire management assistance declarations: floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, severe winter storms, straight-line winds, wildfires, etc. FEMA ran out of money in 2011, indicating the extent of this year's tragedies.

Outside United States, there were horrific tsunami, earthquake, volcanic and other disasters in 2011, including the event that nearly led to the collapse of four nuclear power plants in Japan. Major flooding in Thailand was just one of the many 'natural' events this year.

Socially, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was to many an unexpected uprising, as was the Arab Spring movement. Both movements hope to overturn the existing status quo governments, and to some extent they are having their degree of success.

Christine Darg, in her excellent book from 2007 entitled Miracles Among Muslims, wrote about large numbers of Islamic believers being converted to Christianity. She describes how dreams and healings are playing an important part in convincing muslim believers that Christ is still alive! This pattern of an end-times harvest has continued through 2011. With all of these events, the world both physically and spiritually is shaking. Will this next year be even more significant? Will the end as described in the book of Revelation take a new form? We certainly seem to be pointed in that direction. I don't know any more than you, but it certainly seems appropriate to follow the advice given by my friend, "Keep strong in our faith in the Lord as we enter the times ahead."

Independent Christian Self-Publishers Must Become Experts

Become an Expert
The advise of marketers is good: develop a label and then promote that label. This same advice applies to authoring, yet I fell into that trap. As a Christian non-fiction writer, I wrote three books in rather quick fashion, and each dealt with three totally disparate topics:

• A linguistic study of the Bible focusing on chiasms
• A topical look at Proverbs
• A look at love as seen symbolically through flowers

All three topics had been and continue to be very interesting to me, but there is only so much of me to go around. God had inspired me to write each book, particularly the first and third, and much of the content had been composed by listening to the Holy Spirit. What I now find is that I must retool my skills so I become an expert in each genre, and that is most challenging.

The self-publishing industry also has its share of learning demands. We can initially out-source those areas where we lack the expertise such as the conversion of the manuscript from a word processor to print-ready format. Organizations such as Create Space can help with the first book or so, but eventually you will want to get out of that arena. You may find yourself creating your own book covers with a tool such as Photoshop, or using Adobe's InDesign to manage the interior of the manuscript. You will learn social marketing techniques such as Facebook and Twitter, and how to create compelling websites. All of these and more are examples of the expertise that the self-publisher will confront and eventually dig into.

To many, writing can be a lonely vocation with hour after hour spent alone researching and developing the next manuscript. As writers, I find that our industry can be one of considerable discouragement. I suppose it is the same with Christian fiction: very little interaction with people who would provide the needed support when the title does not meet our expectations.

Why do we write? It should be because we have heard the voice of the Lord instructing us that we are to proceed in that direction. Without that, we set ourselves up for failure.

For those of us that write, we often do so because built within us is a need to be heard. Some people stand around the water cooler, spouting opinions or concerns because we feel our voice counts. Others more quietly develop close circles of friends where we can share our need to be heard. Authors will often express themselves through the written word because of an envisioned audience that will theoretically listen.

My counsel is to re-think your reason for writing: compose because you want God's next revelation, knowing this is then to be shared.

For me, I recently choose to dig into the subject of Proverbs because two divine circumstances instructed me to move in that direction. Further, I want God's wisdom on that topic – and I have not been disappointed. Each time I dug further into the subject of Proverbs, I saw more and more that I had totally missed with my earlier efforts. Our Lord is in the revelation business, and that in itself allows me to keep moving forward.

Will I continue to develop the other two genres: chiasms or love/flowers? I don't know and wait further instructions from the Lord. In the meantime, I put the other genres on hold and dig deeper into Proverbs. That, I believe, is my instruction for today.

If your God-given topic is anger, become an expert on the subject of anger from a Christian perspective. If it is about a particular Christian leader, develop the genre by either pursuing more about that leader or finding other leaders that are somehow similar. If your topic is mental health, God alone can help you because this whole authoring/publishing business is driving me crazy.

Christian Authors: Second Edition vs. New Title

For the author / self-publisher, not only is there the whole writing / researching / listening / editing process, the effort to get the book in published form, and the exceptional amount of time spent marketing with advertising, relationship building and developing social media, there is also the effort to produce a second edition. If I am honest with myself, I must admit that I made mistakes in each of my books that I now want to correct.

I must not be alone as evidenced in the non-fiction world by the large number of second editions that are released. In fact, I know one very scholarly man that will never read the first edition of a book because he realizes that the kinks are still up for grabs.

Second Edition vs. New Title
In the case of Joshua's Spiritual Warfare, I've been considering a second edition. I think that the basic flow of the book is probably satisfactory, but some text needs to be removed and replaced because it is either not current or not consistent with my current theology. There are a few typos and there is one chapter that I would like to re-write for greater clarity.

My second book, A Topical Treasury of Proverbs, was written to meet a publisher's deadline. I was not the publisher with that book; working against this time schedule, I am not happy with the quality of that manuscript. I have spent a large part of 2011 preparing a yet unnamed title that in some ways is similar to the first book, but in most ways is a significant overhaul of the original text. When finished, my hope is to self-publish this manuscript.

In my case, I contacted the publisher to ensure that I have the legal right to self-publish this. We reached an agreement that I believe is equitable for both of us. I do not know if they will keep the first book in print once I release the second. It doesn't matter to me because the two are so significantly different.

If your modifications are very small, possibly changing the wording in a few paragraphs or replacing a few photographs, things of that nature, it may not be necessary to release a second edition. If I were to replace a photograph or two in A Garden of Love and fix the use of italics in several places, that would not require a second edition. I would simply submit the revised text to my printer, paying whatever small fees they may charge for this effort. On the copyright page, I would add a note about the second printing with a date, but that is not necessary; in the print-on-demand world, there are few hard and fast rules.

A second edition should be used when the reader would discern a different flavor of the text. There may be substantial editing of some chapters, adding some significant insight that was not in the first, or removing a portion that is not appropriate. Second editions require a new ISBN number; small modifications do not require a new ISBN.

In my case, a new title is warranted for the book on Proverbs. The table of contents is very different from the first book. The flow of the manuscript is substantially different and there is a considerable amount of new content that was not in the first. Also, a good amount has been removed from what was in the first book. Most importantly, the original publisher is not involved with this second title. I have domain expertise in this area of Proverbs, and that is something the publisher does not own.

Should you simply modify your existing text, call your new effort a second edition, or come out with a new title? I don't know and probably don't have the answers. In part it is a marketing question, asking, "How do I best build on the exposure that the title has achieved?" Hopefully my examples with help some shed light on your scenario.

A Tree in Remembrance of My Dad

As I drove to a nursery where I sometimes purchase trees and shrubs, I began thinking about my dad. It was a sunny but cool day in the May of 2007, and I was still holding some grief over his death seven months earlier. My mission was to obtain a tree in memory of Bruce Thomas Clarke, but I did not have a firm idea of what to plant or where to plant it.

I was named after my father – he was Bruce Thomas and I am Thomas Bruce. "A very likable man," I thought, and I pondered some more, for it seemed that everyone just loved to talk with my dad. He enjoyed people and they were very comfortable to be around him.

I drove some more, around a bend, under the railroad tracks, and up a small hill. I was reminded that he was a straight-forward man, having obtained a reputation as a successful business man working for medium-sized manufacturing companies. Dad told it like it was for he was honest as the day was long; a man with integrity. In a word, he was upright.

When I returned home from California after he had died, the ladies where I work (I'm the token man among a bunch of women) presented me with $120 cash to be used for the purchase of a tree. My instructions were to plant a tree in the Gethsemane Prayer Garden where I am the caretaker in memory of my dad. "A sweet and honorable thing to do," I thought, and then I knew just the spot where it would be placed: a new flower bed had just been developed the previous year but not yet planted. Instantly I planned to put whatever tree I selected in the middle of that bed.

I drove further, over the top of that hill and in towards the village where the nursery is situated, still not knowing what tree I would select. My thoughts went back to when I was a child in his home, and then to his later years when he became a very successful tennis player in his senior years. I like to think of him in his later years for he had become very gentle. I can't say he was that way to me while I was growing up, but once he moved into retirement, he no longer had the stress of his job or my rebellious childhood ways to deal with. Now he could show me love and encouragement as I pursued my dreams. Dad had become soft and gentle.

My ideas about selecting a tree began to form as I turned right onto the main road; the nursery was just down the road on the left. I would select an evergreen which remains green year-round, just as Dad was consistent through his summer or winter times. I would find an upright tree even though the location called for a possibly more ornate plant, because that was more like his nature. And I would look for a tree with soft needles for that was like the man that Dad had become.

As I turned into the nursery, I knew of only a few trees that fit that description, and immediately the 'Concolor' fir came to mind. In the spring and early summer, the new needle growth of this large and prominent tree is the color of my Dad's eyes, an unusual shade of hazel with blue tones! I stopped the car but could not get out, for God had given me a vision of my Dad that would last into the years: a likable tree that others will be able to enjoy and discover even though they never knew him. My eyes were again misty, for I knew my God had given me and others "A Tree in Remembrance of My Dad."

The Editing Process for an Independent Christian Self-Publisher

The editing process for an independent self-publisher should be considerably different than going with traditional Print-On-Demand publishers. As a self-publisher, you have much more control but it is easy to think that the manuscript is good enough. The traditional publisher should help with grammar, sentence structure and page layout; however, they probably will not help with the flow. Is the book engaging? Does it move from topic to topic without loosing the reader? If there is Scripture mentioned or points of theology, is it presented properly?

While two of my books are self-published, A Topical Treasury of Proverbs was published by Biblical Studies Press (BSP). I have nothing to say against BSP for they were very easy to work with. However, there was a deadline that they set for July 1, 2008 to complete the final manuscript.

In order to keep my commitment to BSP, I had to reduce the number of work days at my regular job from five to three, but more importantly I had to compromise the editing process. The book is a categorization of Proverbs into 100 topics; it would have been appropriate to run the categorization scheme by other people to gather their thoughts. I did not need sentence structure or grammatical editing because it is mostly the Bible; but the basic content did need to be reviewed and it wasn't. I have recently begun a re-writing process that will correct that mistake.

Another type of editing has to do with keeping the reader's attention. I have been recently reading Billy Ng's excellent book entitled Witnessing to Dracula. In his chapter entitled "Pigs Do Fly", notice how Billy uses action packed verbs and other descriptive words as he describes some pigs that got loose on the way to the market:

"I stared unabashedly at the pigs and then at the driver. He did not seem perturbed. His focus was on the traffic lights.

The light finally turned green. All five cars dashed forward like mustangs at the starting line, the little car on steel tracks. With its exhaust spewing out a storm, the little brown car accelerated and shot through the intersection making a wild left turn. As it veered left, the car tires flew off the smooth tram tracks and hit the road hard. The four-inch difference in height between the tram tracks and the road caused the little car to shudder violently. Suddenly, one of the back doors of the small car flew open!

Literally, two pink pigs flew out of the car. My jaw dropped as the pigs slid out from the car."

Notice the action verbs: stared, perturbed, turned, dashed, spewing, accelerated, shot, veered, flew, hit, shudder, and slid. The word flew is used three times. This is excellent literature and Billy Ng should certainly win some type of award for great Christian writing.

A good editor should be able to look at a manuscript not just for proper wording, but for engagement of the reader and reasonableness. As you look into self-publishing, consider the various ways that your manuscript should be tweaked so that it will have all the potential that the Lord is already planting in you.

Matthew 1:1-17 - Abraham, David and Jesus Christ

Do you see the New Testament as the beginning of something new, a continuation of something old, or a combination of the two?

I love to read the Word of God, particularly when I see a new or different interpretation of the Bible. I have been studying the book of Matthew with the idea that someday this study might become another book. (See www.bible-discernments.com for a list of current books). One of the things I enjoy in particular is looking at the literary structure of the text to see what it reveals.

Many people have looked at the introductory words of Matthew 1:1-16, seeing them as a lineage that points from Abraham to Christ with some imperfect people such as Rahab and Tamar – and that is how I looked at these verses as well. But my spiritual eyes have been trained to look for the chiasms and literary structure in the Bible, so once I spotted the pattern, I immediately had to ask, "Okay Lord, I see the repetitive pattern; now why is it here?"

Matthew 1:1 begins, "The book of generations of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.". After the presentation of the lineage from v2-16, Matthew identifies the fourteens in verse 17:

• Fourteen generations from Abraham to David
• Fourteen generations from David to Jeconiah (representing the exile)
• Fourteen generations from Jeconiah to our Messiah

While the fourteens are repetition in themselves, there appears to be a deeper presentation in the lineage:

Have you heard it said that a picture is worth a thousand words? In the lineage of fourteen generations from Abraham to David, Ram and Amminadab are the center point. Ram was Caleb's brother (1 Chronicles 2:9) and his son Amminadab assisted Moses in taking a census (Numbers 1:7). Both Ram and Amminadab would have died in the desert because only Joshua and Caleb were the only ones to go into the Promised Land.

Likewise, Jechoniah was the last king prior to the exile, and his son Shealtiel is listed as the first son of the captive Jechoniah (1 Chronicles 3:17). The point is that to the Jew reading these first verses from Matthew, the double reminder of desert wanderings and exile were times of severe tribulation, but the times of victory would be that of Abraham, David and Christ. That is why Matthew 1:1 begins as it does: in grace, our Messiah has taken the position of Abraham and David and has overcome the dual punishments.

In presenting David in this light, we can begin to see Matthew as a sequel to 1 and 2 Chronicles. The author of Chronicles portrays David as the Lord's favored king, but that book ends by describing the fall of the Jewish people in 586BC. There was one set of hard times which had the wanderings in the desert as the low point. The second low point was even more severe for it results in the exile of most of the Jewish people. But with this lineage, we see Matthew describing how David and his kingdom have been replaced by an even greater king, that of Jesus Christ.

Copyright © 2011 Bible Discernments

Considering Self-Publishing Your Christian Book?

Considering self-publishing your Christian book? As the author of three books between 2008 and 2010, two have been self-published. I've learned a little and have a great deal more to learn. This article becomes the first of several blog writings that attempt to get you going.

Let me first explain that by self-publishing, I am not referring to taking your manuscript to a publisher such as Xulon or BookMasters or WinePress, each of which have their unique advantages. I am referring to self-publishing as the process of setting up your own business (typically by obtaining a DBA from your local governmental authority), and then publishing your title under the name of that DBA.

There are a great deal of advantages of being a true self-publisher, possibly the most important being the ability to gain control of the entire process. You will likely spend considerably less money during the process, but there is also much more work involved. As the self-publisher, you get to choose the title for your book and you get to set the price. You determine when the manuscript is ready for publication, and you get to monitor the sales on a regular basis. If there is a quality issue for the first edition, you have control over when and how a second edition will be published. You see, there are lots of reasons for being a self-publisher – I've listed just a few.

The major disadvantage of self-publishing is that you will spend more time on the publishing end, and you will probably make some mistakes that a publisher with lots of books will seldom make. My hope in this series of articles to help you reduce that number of mistakes – I've made quite a few.

Virtually every new author, whether self-publisher or with a publisher, under-estimates the amount of effort required in marketing your book. The traditional publisher will not truly help you in this, although they should offer to put your book title on their webpage, help create a press release, and other display areas. True marketing is the process of getting the public to somehow pay attention to your work: web pages, Facebook, Twitter, public speaking, contacting bookstores and other retail locations, developing advertising campaigns, etc.

I have read that for every hour spent writing (and re-writing) your manuscript, there should be an equal number of hours spent promoting the book. This effort is regardless of whether you self-publish, as I have done, or go with one of the more traditional publishers. My experience is that with most Christian non-fiction books, there should actually be more time spent marketing than writing.

The problem that we Christian authors have is that there is a tremendous amount of competition. Each year, I am told that there are 60,000 new Christian manuscripts published; that is huge. It is very easy to get your manuscript lost in the fog, no matter how good it is. That is where aggressive marketing becomes essential.

Therefore, my first piece of advice is to set your goals with realistic expectations. Write because you are convinced that the Lord has instructed you to do so. Listen intently for His direction. And when you are released to begin, go with the expectation that your costs will probably exceed your sales. That means the money you invest will probably never be fully recovered but that's OK because God said to. Whether you self-publish or go with an established publisher, you will not get discouraged because the Lord told you.

As I was in the middle of writing my first book, Joshua's Spiritual Warfare, I came across a book on self-publishing that became the model that I have followed for each of my books. That book is Morris Rosenthal's Print-On-Demand Book Publishing, and is applicable to Christian books as well as secular books. In this book, Rosenthal writes about Lightning Source which is a key company in this self-publishing industry. If you are at all serious about self-publishing your manuscript, I recommend that you get a copy by clicking on this Amazon link.

Bon voyage,
Tom


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For other articles about self-publishing in this series, see:
Index of Self-Publishing Articles by Thomas B. Clarke