Tag Archives: identity

What Does it Take to Obey?

Reprinted from the sermon archives of the late Bible teacher, Ray Stedman:

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:21).

To read this, “Obey Me, and you will love Me,” produces a mechanical, dry Christianity with no warmth or joy or glory. But what Jesus says is, “If you love Me, you will obey Me.” It is easy to do, not difficult. Notice that it is not, “If you love Me, you will have to keep My commandments.” No, it is cause and effect: “If you love Me, the result is that you will keep My commandments.” That is the secret of all proper behavior in the Christian experience. The proof of our love is obedience. READ MORE >>>


WriterTips: A Character Named Creed

How much do authors invest in the backstory of their secondary characters? In an earlier post, I discussed the conventions and process of naming characters within the fantasy genre. The Legends of Karac Tor revolves around a series of adventures by four brothers in the Hidden Lands of Karac Tor. Like any story of this sort, there are many supporting characters, but I want to focus on one I’m particularly fond of. Since my tale is infused with Celtic lore, we need to go back…way back. In Celtic myth, Cerridwen was a goddess known for a special, magical brew which she stirred “one year and a day” to produce the coveted Three Drops of Inspiration. These were later stolen by young Taliesan, the legendary bard of old, who some assert to be the basis of the character Merlin. READ MORE >>>


WriterTips: A Primer on Names in LoKT

For any novelist, many factors go into choosing a good name for each character, including: Culture or ethnicity, Physical appearance, Personality, Temperament, History, and Rank within the story. These comprise the broad swath of identity which a name is meant to convey. Sometimes, an author will want to run counter to stereotype with a name that intentionally defies the conventions. Even so, the character “Maximus” is unlikely to be a shy, effeminate pacifist READ MORE >>>


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