Oh, yes, I taught 13 and a half years. I taught English, first at a Catholic school and then at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif.
Apathy is a spiritual numbness that creeps in and corrupts the good that God intends for our life and the good that He wants us to accomplish for Him and His kingdom.
The English tradition offers the great tapestry novel, where you have the emotional aspect of a detective’s personal life, the circumstances of the crime and, most important, the atmosphere of the English countryside that functions as another character.
Lots of people want to have written; they don’t want to write. In other words, they want to see their name on the front cover of a book and their grinning picture on the back. But this is what comes at the end of a job, not at the beginning.
I’m interested in the dark side of man. I’m interested in taboos, and murder is the greatest taboo. Characters are fascinating in their extremity, not in their happiness.
I have to know the killer, the victim and the motive when I begin. Then I start to create the characters and see how the novel takes shape based on what these people are like.
Essentially and most simply put, plot is what the characters do to deal with the situation they are in. It is a logical sequence of events that grow from an initial incident that alters the status quo of the characters.
It is the job of the novelist to touch the reader.
I myself have suffered periodically from hearing voices at night when I’m trying to sleep.
I knew from the age of seven that I was meant to be a writer.
I don’t think anyone could write about another culture and get it 100 percent accurate.
A powerful truth is that if we love the Lord, love His Word, love His people, and love one another, we won’t want to gossip.
The past can’t be changed, can it? It can just be forgiven.
We are to make a plan for the day, pray over that plan, and then proceed with that plan. When we are willing to regard the unexpected as God’s intervention, we can flex with the new plan, recognizing it as God’s plan.
When God is in sharp focus, then life is also undistorted.
Remember to say what you mean, but don’t say it meanly.
When we don’t understand and don’t agree with the way life has gone, we are to bow before God and once again confess that we can’t understand His wisdom. In faith, we are to accept His wisdom, His Word, and His workings, trusting in Him and obeying His commands.
As we come to know God better, we will also find it easier to know, follow, and accept His will for our life.
A godly woman is beyond average because she keeps her word. She honors her vows. She exhibits great faith. She overcomes great obstacles. And she affects her family, her community, even the world.
Your attitude toward others, work, and your daily life is a reflection of your attitude toward God.