interview

Danger Isn’t Enough: A “Fully Awake” Interview with Author & Filmmaker Joel N. Clark

If you had to pick five words to describe the Christian life, would these make your list: wonder, whimsy, beauty, magic, adventure? These five elements are bursting at the seams of Joel N. Clark’s new book Awake: Discover the Power of YOUR Story.

I haven’t encountered a book like Awake before – I could call it a Christian adventure memoir, but it’s more. In Awake author and filmmaker Joel N. Clark shares stories that challenged him to live a bigger story, one suffused with wonder and deeply connected to God. As Joel reveals in this exclusive interview, he believes God created all of us to live that way, pursuing Him “fully awake.”

Read on as Joel discusses what we stand to gain if we accept the “fully awake” challenge. -Adam Forrest, Zondervan

Awake
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ZBLOG: You write that you want to live “fully awake.” What does a fully awake life look like?

JOEL: For much of my life I’ve heard pastors say, “God is not just found in the four walls of the church, but he’s found in our places of work, in our homes and in our daily lives.” Yet for many years my relationship with God came down to the times I prayed, read the Bible, worshiped (which usually meant singing) and went to church. This was the entirety of my relationship with God and therefore I was bored with him and all things Christian.

Living “fully awake” is about more than finding God in the midst of ALL of my story. It’s about experiencing him fully, his pleasure, his heart and his presence in the midst of every part of it. This is something that doesn’t come naturally, but he is speaking and acting constantly throughout the day.

When I am “fully awake” I am able to see and hear him in all of it and my life is filled with wonder, beauty and magic, even in the seasons of pain and heartache.

ZBLOG: In Awake you recount many of your adventures, and some are quite dangerous! Some readers may be tempted to say, “Joel is just addicted to danger” – but you claim you’ve never been an adrenaline junkie.

So, what is it that drives you?

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Hi Creativity, Meet Ministry… (The UNTITLED Blaine Hogan Interview)

 

Blaine Hogan’s UNTITLED: Thoughts on the Creative Process is a declaration of war against the blank page.

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In this interview with long-time creator Blaine (Creative Director at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL) you will get a taste of his insights on attacking the blank page, executing vision, getting more out of contemplation, and as Blaine writes, “creating beauty from the inside out.”

Full disclosure: Blaine’s UNTITLED eBook isn’t published by Zondervan, but I believe you creators (writers, pastors, teachers, worship leaders, and artists of all stripes) will be encouraged and empowered by Blaine’s perspective. I look forward to hearing your comments! -AF

 

ZBLOG: In UNTITLED you ask, “Is there anything in my work I love so much I would eat it?” That’s my first question: What are you hungry for?

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Blaine Hogan

BLAINE: Movement. Heart movement. In myself first and then in an audience. I’m starving for and always on the lookout for something that I find deeply moving. As I continue to explore this discipline of the creative process, I find that the more I can discipline myself to being open and to exploring various corners of things, the chances for finding things in this vein dramatically increase. And when I find something that moves me, I want to eat it. I want to internalize it, through the lens of my own story — then I want to figure out the best way to tell it.

 

ZBLOG: You support artistic “fringe exploration” and “rebellion,” but you also observe, “sometimes artists get so carried away with their rebellion they begin to wage war with their own center of gravity.” What is your center of gravity? And how do you recommend other artists stay centered?

BLAINE: Put simply, the continually refining work of Christ in my life. I grew up Catholic so I find myself repeating the Lord’s Prayer throughout the day without even knowing it. For me this has always been centering. Contemplation is another thing I use to stay centered. Probably everyone reading this works in a fast paced environment, and the opportunity for silence and meditation I imagine is rare. However, if we aren’t quiet, I’m not sure we can stay centered. When we stop we recognize our breath — something we didn’t “work” to do. It just happens. This is the cosmic mystery of Christ within us. We center ourselves when we stop.

 

ZBLOG: A good number of people I know, both non-Christians and Christians, believe that creative thinking and doctrinal thinking are at loggerheads. Do you see a tension between the artist’s work and the theologian’s? Or can Michaelangelo and Martin Luther sit at the same table?

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4 Posts of Note on Romance Fiction

 

With Valentines Day just around the corner, I wanted to present these noteworthy posts about romance fiction. Whether you're a reader, writer, or bookseller of love stories, you'll find something of interest below. Enjoy!

1. Love, A More Excellent Way

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Blog post by Robin Lee Hatcher (@robinleehatcher)
"Love is what you do when the other person is unlovable," writes Hatcher in this reflection on the costs and joys of love. Read more of Hatcher's post, which was also her contribution to a book called How to Fall in Love like a Romance Writer.

 

2. A Touch of Romance: New Trends & Advice for In-store Promotions

Roundtable interview by Christine D. Johnson for ChristianRetailing.com.
In this interview of value for aspiring authors and Christian booksellers, Johnson interviews several of Christian publishing's experts on romantic fiction, including Sue Brower, Zondervan's own Executive Editor of fiction. Here is one of Brower's many wise dashes of advice:

"Many of our [romance novels] now have discussion questions in the back, and I would encourage the stores to create book clubs or an environment where a book club could meet. Sometimes people don't want to admit they read romance because it's not thoughtful reading when, in fact, it is and what helps that is having these book club questions." Read More

 

3. Interview with Lori Copeland, Romance Author

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Interview by Kim Ford for ChristianFictionOnlineMagazine.com
In this interview Lori Copeland shares wisdom for writers trying to break into the market, and encouragement for writers going through difficult patches. "Do the best you can with what you have," writes Copeland, "and learn to be a lemonade connoisseur. Plenty of lemons will come your way, but stay close to the Father, and through it all you'll have the sweetest of faith, hope, and love to help you reap the rewards God has in store." I love that phrase lemonade connoisseur. Read more of the interview.

 

4. Finally! Some Romance Characters that Look Like Me…

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Blog post by Grace Hwang Lynch (@HapaMamaGrace)
Lynch spotlights three women of color who are bringing diversity to the Romance genre, including Zondervan author Camy Tang (@camytang). Lynch quotes Tang:

"My future editor at Zondervan, Sue Brower, saw the lack of Asian ethnic fiction and the need for it, and she persisted in presenting my story to the editorial and marketing teams until they contracted my series in early 2006. Since then, I've heard from readers both Asian and non-Asian who have really connected with and related to my characters, and I'm very grateful." Read more of Lynch's post.

Postscript

Adam & Eve

This stained glass window portrays what may be the oldest love story of them all.

 

Question for Discussion: Is the story of Adam and Eve a love story?

 

-Adam Forrest, Zondervan


(Image attribution: stained glass window, St. Florentin, France. By Mattana (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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Interview with a Christian Vampire

 

'Gospels of sin management' presume a Christ with no serious work other than redeeming humankind … [and] they foster 'vampire Christians,' who only want a little blood for their sins but nothing more to do with Jesus until heaven.

-Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

DOCTOR VANHELSING'S JOURNAL

31 October. On the dark side of twilight, I at last have reached Count Dracula's castle. The Count greeted me eagerly if not warmly, then ushered me into his dining room, where "Our encounter will be most appropriate," whatever that means. I am grateful for the food offered me, but the Count eats naught. From across the table he stares, intently, or almost hungry. Those eyes… I have a creeping feeling this interview was a mistake, but Dracula is the most influential Christian in this region, and I must challenge him with the questions that have seized my psyche over the last three months!

 

Those eyes... more 'undead' than alive...

COUNT: What brings you to my home, Doctor…?

 

ZBLOG: VanHelsing. My name is Zonder VanHelsing. I've come to interview you about the King you serve.

COUNT: I serve no King. I am the sovereign of Transylvania, and you do well to remember that, my good Doctor.

 

ZBLOG: Forgive me, I just mean, it is said you've been a Christian for some time now?

COUNT: Oh. Yes, in my youth I made a decision for Christ.

 

ZBLOG: What did you decide?

COUNT: What do you mean? I decided to believe the gospel.

 

ZBLOG: Please tell me, what is "the gospel"?

COUNT: [He furrows his brow, as if trying to decide whether I'm playing a joke. There are tense moments, but at last he continues.] Everyone knows what the gospel is, but very well, I'll play your game.

We're sinners. If we believe in Jesus, his blood saves us from hell. Jesus died on my behalf so that I do not have to. And that's that.

 

ZBLOG: And how does your decision to accept Christ connect to discipleship?

COUNT: What do you mean?

 

ZBLOG: Well, I've recently read in Dr. Scot McKnight's new book The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited that as many as 75 percent of Americans have made a decision to accept Christ, but only about 25 percent Americans go to church regularly.

McKnight also claims this: "Most of evangelism today is obsessed with getting someone to make a decision; the apostles, however, were obsessed with making disciples." So, tell me about your transition from the Decided to the Discipled.

COUNT: Discipled, what nonsense. I became a disciple when I decided to believe in the power of Jesus' blood! The blood is the life! You cannot let the power of the blood and salvation by faith become eclipsed by discipleship. No, you don't need to do anything if you know and believe the central idea of "justification by faith."

 

ZBLOG: It's interesting you think so, since justification by faith isn't mentioned in the Gospels. And I happen to believe that if we're not growing in our faith, we're, er… undead.

COUNT: You try my patience, Doctor! Why don't you tell me what you think the gospel is!

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Into Amish Country! 3 Fiction Writers on Wisdom, Escape, and Food (Roundtable Interview)

 

Is Amish fiction about fleeing from reality? What should we expect if we meet an Amish person? What do the Amish think about us? Discover answers to these questions and more in this roundtable interview with three preeminent authors of Amish fiction: Amy Clipston (Naomi's Gift), Shelley Shepard Gray (Christmas in Sugarcreek), and Vannetta Chapman (Falling to Pieces). Pull up a chair — wooden or otherwise — and read on.

 

ZBLOG: Has your research on the Amish way of life changed how you view our broader American lifestyle?

VANNETTA: Yes, very much so. It's re-affirmed a lot of things that my husband and I practice (trading in a suburban lifestyle for a rural one), etc. It's also confirmed for me that Americans in general are looking for elements found in the Amish community, elements that existed in our grandparents' community — more intimate friendships, closer knit neighborhoods, slower pace lifestyles, etc. Those things are still available to everyone to some extent.

AMY: I'm more aware of how caught up in the day to day some Americans are, and I try to take a step back and appreciate the small moments with my family. Instead of just focusing on the daily grind of commuting to work, paying bills, and rushing off here and there, I do my best to spend quiet time talking to my children and listening to them every day, even if I can only squeeze a few minutes before they go to bed at night.

SHELLEY: I've definitely learned to appreciate each moment and day more fully. There's a time for everything, and from my research and friendships with the Amish, I've tried to stop being in such a rush and fretting about the future.

 

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Vannetta Chapman

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Amy Clipston

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Shelley Shepard Gray

 

ZBLOG: What’s one thing about the Amish that would surprise most people?

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Wayne Grudem Interview: “Politics According to the Bible”

I recently stumbled on an interesting interview with Wayne Grudem, the author of Politics According to the Bible. Grudem sketches five common mistakes that Christians can make in their posture toward government and politics. The antidote, says Grudem, is growing to understand how the gospel can (and should) change our political sentiments. 

The full interview with Wayne Grudem was originally published by the Acton Institute’s periodical Religion & Liberty. Here’s an excerpt that made me excited:

The gospel, when it is truly proclaimed, will result in changed lives. And I think Jesus wants us to have changed marriages and changed ideas of parenting and changed schools and changed neighborhoods and changed businesses and workplaces, and certainly, that would include changed governments as well.

I think that pastors have an obligation to explain to their congregations how biblical teachings impact the government. In addition to that, there are many passages in the Bible that talk about God’s purpose for government. Another answer to this view that says we should do evangelism and not politics is that it fails to understand the great influence that Christians have had on governments since the early history of the Church. Early in the Roman Empire, it was Christian influence that led to outlawing infanticide, child abandonment and abortion in the Roman Empire. Christian influence led to outlawing the gladiatorial contests in 404 A.D. Christian influence led to granting property rights and other protections to women at various times through history…

 

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While I’m all for pastors preaching on values that could affect our voting decisions — for example, “What is a fair wage?”  — I’m unsettled by the idea of pastors regularly giving their congregations specific voting instructions. In my experience, this situation often carries a subtext that there’s only one valid Christian way to vote. I believe our voting decisions today are only rarely as clear-cut as when Christians in ancient Rome influenced the outlawing of infanticide.

But what do you think? Should churches discuss voting decisions from the pulpit, or is that something better left among friends?

Has your church become involved in political projects? And when conflict over politics erupts, how has your church handled it? I’d love to hear your comments.

(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)


About Wayne Grudem
Wayne Grudem is Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. He holds degrees from Harvard (BA), Westminster Seminary (MDiv), and Cambridge (PhD). He is the author of over fifteen books including the bestselling Systematic Theology and the related Making Sense Of… series.

 

 

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Can One Mom Make a Global Difference? Shayne Moore’s CNN Interview

Do you have to be a world leader to affect massive issues like global poverty and the HIV/AIDS pandemic? No, answers stay-at-home mom Shayne Moore, "You can make a difference right from your own home."   

Moore shares some insights and tips in her recent interview on CNN's "Mission Possible" segment:

 

Global Soccer Mom
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Shayne shares her journey in the upcoming Zondervan book Global Soccer Mom: Changing the World Is Easier Than You Think, which hits stores in January, 2011. Global Soccer Mom is an inspirational story for ordinary women who want to make an extraordinary difference in their world. Global Soccer Mom will help you get started.

  

 

About Shayne Moore
Shayne Moore is one of the original members of the ONE campaign, The Campaign to Make Poverty History, and was a non-celebrity spokesperson for the campaign. She sits on the executive board of directors for Upendo Village, an HIV/AIDS clinic targeting marginalized women and children in Kenya and supports and works closely with World Vision. With an MA in Theology, Shayne is an active speaker and writes for her blog, "Theology Mama." She lives in Wheaton, Illinois with her husband and three children. She can be found on facebook and on Twitter @TheologyMama. Her book Global Soccer Mom releases January 2011.

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Rob Bell on Why He Talks about the Good News the Way He Does

About Rob Bell Read Marc Galli’s interview with Rob Bell on www.christianitytoday.com.

From the interview: “Rob Bell's latest book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians (Zondervan, with Don Golden), is his most substantive yet. It's nothing less than a holistic, biblical theology of salvation—written, paradoxically, in Bell's typical sentence-fragment style. CT senior managing editor Mark Galli sat down with Bell, founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to probe him on some of the more striking statements in his book.”
Read the Interview.

To sample all 23 NOOMA videos with Rob Bell, click here.

To learn about Rob Bell's current speaking tour and past tours, click here.

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