The Brilliant Writing of Tosca Lee

I just want to write this post to give a shout out to an incredibly talented author named Tosca Lee. Today, her paperback version of Iscariot is out, and I highly recommend you go grab a copy! It is a book about the life of Judas written in first person.
So here is a little bit about why I love Tosca's writing. First of all, she has a way with words that is both poetic and simple at the same time. It's not so poetic that it's hard to understand, but the way she strings words together really creates a beautiful masterpiece. It's like listening to well-performed harmony. Secondly, I love when she writes in the first person. She has been able to portray characters so in depth in ways we haven't thought of them before. I know she does a ton of research for her historical books, so a lot of work and thought goes into her character creations, and it just shows!
Another thing I like about Tosca's writing and why I believe it is so unique is because she explores chracters that are notorious or perhaps have been looked over or have had a bad reputation, but she helps us to see them in a new light. Basically, it makes you think. And that's good, especially when it comes to the Bible. Because so often we either skim over the stories and the characters so we don't get any sense of personality or motivation for these people's actions; or we just go by the Bible stories told to us when we were children, which hardly ever give us a wide or a deep perspective.
You may think the hero of the story, or the main character, needs to be redeemable. Tosca takes a risky approach and writes about characters such as a demon, Eve(the first woman/also the first sinner), and Judas(who is known for betraying Jesus to death.) I appreciate her endeavor to reveal more about these characters primarily because one: they are human and we can relate to some of their feelings and motives(excluding the demon;)), and two: they help to portray the other characters around them in a new light.
I love the book Demon because essentially it is about a demon telling a man the story of Lucifer's fall from Heaven and the creation of the world and man from his bitter perspective. Even though this demon is hateful and cynical, the story he tells is true, and it helped me to be even more grateful for what Jesus has done for us. This demon character's version of the story reveals how much God loves people and the lengths he went to in order to redeem his prized creation, and how audacious that is. The demon is angry about it because he has not received the same favor, but I am left with a sense of wonder and gratefulness for God's mercy as a reader.
The book called Havah is the story of Eve from her creation to her death. I enjoyed this book because it was fascinating to me to grasp what her life might have been like from start to finish with all that she went through. It helps us connect with the first woman on a more personal level, as we journey from her days in bliss in the garden of Eden, to her and Adam's banishment, to them starting their family and living life with this sense of loss because they are no longer in paradise. It was also very interesting to see how, because she lived so much longer than we do now, she saw several generations of her lineage be born. I mean, everyone on Earth came from her. I've never thought about Eve and Adam that in depth until I read this novel.
And finally, I love the book Iscariot, which is about Judas, because it explores his early life as well as some of the possible motivations for his decision to follow Jesus as well as to betray him later. It makes us think about it differently, that maybe his motivation was not what we think. Judas was a man who loved Jesus, just like us. This book makes you ask the question, would I have done the same thing he did? I also appreciate the character development in this book and how we get to see Judas' life from childhood to his death. He is a very well-rounded character. And last of all, my favorite thing about this novel is how it reveals Jesus in such a personal way. Judas, of course, was one of the disciples, who were Jesus' closest followers. I love how Tosca potrays the intimate friendship the disciples shared with Jesus. It made me feel closer to him as well, just to see how real and human Jesus was to his friends.
The last reason you should read Tosca's books is that she co-authored an incredible trilogy called The Books of Mortals with author Ted Dekker, who is a New York Times Bestselling author and pretty much my favorite. ;) Anyone brilliant enough to write alongside Ted Dekker is worth reading in my opinion. But she is good on her own anyway!!
Alright, so if you actually got through this, congratulations! And now go buy one or all of Tosca Lee's books! http://www.toscalee.com/
While you're visiting her website, make sure to sign up for her newsletter, where there are give-aways, bonus chapters to read, and a free magazine subscription. Go for it!

Why I Write

I write because I believe words have the power to create. In the beginning, it was words that made the mountains spring up and the flowers unfold. It was words that shed light into what was once only darkness. It was the Word Himself who came to show us what life and love really mean. The Word becoming flesh: the Word creating life.

            I am convinced that our words and our stories literally have the creative power to restore what has been broken, to birth new callings and identities, and to instigate encounters with the Creator Himself. They have the ability to awaken dormant dreams and change the course of a person heading for destruction. I write because stories have awakened me in ways that have left me changed forever, in the best way possible. And I want to be a part of that. Stories show us that we are not alone in this life. Characters remind us that there are countless others out there who share our pains, our joys, and some of our experiences. Stories incite the imagination, and imagination possesses the power to help us become. Become that person we were always intended to be from the beginning. Stories call us to adventure, and words paint pictures in our minds that make us think of greater places. They help show us what we really care about and the beauty we were fashioned to enjoy.

            Every single word carries with it a seed, and when sowed in the right place and time, that seed can grow into something so much more significant than the sight of that word in the first place. Words strung together in the proper harmony create life and can reveal truth. They can show us circumstances we’ve always thought of a certain way from a new perspective. New perspectives breed growth and change.

            I write because God has given me words, and if I don’t write they will remain caged up inside where they will produce nothing. The gift of writing give wings to the influence my Creator wants to have through my life. Writing has also given me a way to commune with my Savior and worship Him. It is both a gift He has given me as a way to know Him better as well as a gift to be given away.

            I write because there are more stories to be told and poems to be written to match the beating of people’s hearts or refurbish a rhythm that has diverged from its original beauty. I write because I was created to write, and I feel my Creator’s pleasure when I do it.

Bride: A Christmas Poem

When your words formed life

A story began that would end with a glorious bride
All the tension of Heaven climaxed to this point of creation
This beginning of Earth, Eden
From whose inhabitants would spring the origination for all nations
With every exhalation from your lungs
And every note of the songs sung
A new breed sprung
And you, all knowing the outcome of our betrayal
Spoke the words just the same
And from your heart man was made
Recognizing that one day another new breed would have to come
From your own seed
The only way to redeem
A species who too readily received
Lies and false realities
But when that day came
Oh, when that day dawned you opened up your heart so wide
It tore at the sight of your soiled bride
And broke with a love that only your son could provide
So God became a little boy
You infiltrated our world as a baby born to an unmarried girl
As one of us you showed that a new chapter would unfold
And before our very eyes you grew
Until you realized that the reason you had come
Was to speak life
Yet at the mercy of death
With every breath you drew in you knew it was merely a matter of time
Before you would hang upon that Roman beam and die
For the souls of your beloved bride
When your words formed life
You knew the pain it would require
But you were writing a story that would be like no other
That would start an unending fire
Unite brother to brother
And create possibilities
That would invade our sense of reality
And then through this incarnation we would see
That becoming a part of your Kingdom
Was the only route to life and freedom

The Freedom in Affection

I want to allow myself to receive God's affection.
I mean, how often do we really do this? If we were all to sit down and evaluate our daily lives and the way we function and the fumes we run on, how much of our energy and actions come out of this place of affection from God? I think most of us, whether we realize it or not, are trying to live our lives on empty tanks. And we wonder why we get worn out. We wonder why we feel distant from those around us. If we do not know our true value and that we are loved for simply existing, we cannot love others. We have nothing to give. What we give will be empty duty fulfillments, void of life.
Stagnant.
But love moves us forward. Love stirs and awakens us to become who we are meant to be. Love moves those around us, arouses hunger just by the sight of us, because they wonder how someone can bask in light and joy and never tire. If this seems like a distant reality for you, think again. Why did Jesus come anyway? So that we would still walk in the futility of our efforts? No--He did not come so that we would struggle through life, He came so that we could live. True living is having no worries, not being concerned with the affairs of tomorrow, giving ourselves away because it is our joy to do so, and though we may or may not die tomorrow, we have right now to make a difference. It is living without regrets because the past is forgotten. It is living with hope because the best is yet to come.
So, I want to allow myself to receive God's affection. Too often do I forget. Too often do I get caught up in details and duties and not even realize I'm coming to the end of myself until I collapse in weariness of heart or mind or body. Too often do I run on empty fumes when all along I had an abundant supply of favor, love, joy and peace to propel me forward. Too often do I grow bored with the mundane when God promises us His constant presence. And too often do I forget who I am. Because who I am is not what I do or how many people like or appreciate me. Who I am is how I'm loved.
And we cannot love when we do not have love.
I have such a deep desire to see others through God's eyes, but I find myself struggling to do so. It is too easy to see the faults, to see the fallen man. And it is because whether I know it or not, I am also looking at my own shortcomings.
Here's a challenge (one that my good friend actually suggested to me once): Ask God how He sees you, and then close your eyes and quiet your mind and wait for the answer. He might show you a picture, you may hear words or a sound or a song. But be astounded at what He shows you, because believe me, it will be beyond your wildest hopes. Let Him define you, and soak it all up. Let His perspective inflate your spirit. Then keep asking for it

.
Our generosity and love and energy will never run dry if we allow ourselves to see the truth. Because the truth supercedes circumstance, time, feelings, human reason, or bodily needs. The truth will set us free to live lives we've never imagined possible.
This place is closer than we think. Open up, and see what God will do.

(This post was inspired specifically by Ted Dekker's new book Outlaw as well as Dan Hamann's Nov. 3rd Sunday sermon at CCK.)

When I woke

When I woke from the dream of my pale, empty life

And came face to face with all my disgrace
I cried in the night mourning my plight
To be seen and be known when I couldn’t see light
I had known the right answers, my heart proved them true
But the one thing missing was You

I woke from the lies that were shocking my hopes

Into dead, futile dreams of a child who couldn’t cope
When I saw that my world was much bigger than me
I gave you the keys

Your nearness blasted through the walls I never knew

Enveloped my blindness, told me I was new
Your whispers of love broke every chain
And I could see that my life would never be in vain

See, you bled from your veins

A sacrifice too deep for words
And if I were to discard or discredit its worth
You would have died and I a prisoner would remain
A slave to the pain of this Earth

But your love conquers all

It ruptured every wall
Until all I could do was fall

In my flight in the night

When I wanted to give up this fight
You came and you held me tight
When I woke from the dream and only your truth lingered
Like edges of hope lining my heart with your Word

Memory's Door: A Book Review

Memory’s Door is a novel by author James Rubart and is his second installment of the Well Spring series which began with Soul’s Gate. The book is essentially about four people who are part of a prophecy who are called to enter into spiritual realms and fight against a spirit known as “The Wolf.”

This book was just as enjoyable as the first for me and captured my attention in many ways. Rubart’s writing has a way of stirring up in me a desire to see beyond the physical, to be a part of the spiritual world in a deeper way. He also skillfully weaves in the concept of freedom into his novels, and Memory’s Door is no exception. I found myself desiring greater freedom in my own life as I read about the journey the characters were on. I believe Rubart’s writing is extremely anointed and that God has given him a unique gift to bring healing and freedom to people through the craft of story. That excites me because as a writer I want to do the same. For me, stories are not just about entertainment: they are a vital way to communicate truth.

I think that most people will be able to find themselves relating to at least one of Rubart’s characters in this book.  I love the way they learn and grow throughout the story. I found it interesting (and somewhat comical at first) that towards the beginning of the book some of the things they thought or said seemed immature. I thought, man they shouldn’t be acting like that at this point, or they should have more faith! But in reality don’t we all lose our faith at times, and don’t we all do or say silly things? By the end of the story, after all they went through and all that was revealed to them as they fought the enemy, they are different people. They are softer, more open, more loving towards each other and their faith is stronger.

Memory’s Door has a lot of lessons to teach and it is also a page turner, which is a bonus! I believe that if you allow God to speak to your heart through Rubart’s words and story you will find yourself longing to step into new realms of faith and adventure with God.

You will find healing and freedom just like the characters.

James Rubart has deep insight and wisdom about the spirits of our culture as well as the lies and thoughts that we all struggle with in our minds. Memory’s Door is quite worth the read!

The New Creation: An Eternity of Discovery

The air was charged. Not with electricity, but with excitement, anticipation, wonder at the prospect of spending a lifetime in discovery of this good thing I had found. Or rather, had found me.
How could it have found me? How could He have found me? So little, so insignificant, tucked away in this little corner of the world. And yet my tiny heart had always had a home, had always been destined to be caught up in the greatest story of all time.

I remember being a little child surrounded by blessings. Parents who knew Jesus, a church full of loving and caring and nurturing people, 3 meals a day and a roof over my head that offered comfort and peace and shelter. Sure, I had struggles. We all do. We all have to wrestle with the pain of life, and childhood is not without its painful and harsh learning moments. But tonight God has reminded me of some of those moments where honestly all I can really remember is what I just described above: an electric air. Someone bigger than the universe had found me and loved me like His own child.
I didn't know how to describe it back then--I didn't know fully what it was. But I remember being in worship services or chapels when I just felt excited. My heart was beginning to come alive to a hope that had already been active for centuries before my birth. I was just starting to see who God was--small sparks igniting in my imagination of what this life with Christ could really look like.
I didn't know it back then, but what I was experiencing was the wonder of being a new creation. As a little girl I virtually only looked forward. I had a lifetime of adventurous discovery ahead of me, years upon years to spend diving into the heart of my Creator and learning through his eyes. Learning my role in His story. Learning what the Kingdom really looked like, really felt like.
Anything could happen.
I find myself today in a different place, yet I long again for this same wonder I experienced as a child. Because I still have a lifetime; in fact, an eternity of discovery before me. I am writing a novel called "The New Breed." It's a story full of wonder, the supernatural, and faith. The characters are discovering that there is more to life than what they have seen with their physical eyes.
Writing this story truly has taken me on a journey. It has challenged me to see things from new perspectives, much as it has for my characters.
What I don't want is to stay where I'm at. I've realized that I've given something up. And to be brutally honest, a lot of what I've given up is the faith to believe that anything is possible. That I can live in wonder and anticipation of the great things God is going to do next. That I can experience and see for myself what is taking place in the spiritual realm. My own book is coaxing me on to enter into new levels with God.
What is this Christian life supposed to look like? "The New Breed" is another phrase for the new creation. If we are a new creation, we do not act like or experience life the same as we used to before the blood of Christ set us free. We don't think like those who are still in darkness.
You will find that the air is charged if you just reach out and touch it. God's presence is here and he inhabits our very hearts. I think so many of us have hesitated to just take that one simple step forward; because I believe that if we do, we will see that there never was a real wall blocking us from living a supernatural life. Those walls, those blocks are a figment of our imaginations.
Let's use our imaginations for good, for faith, and not for hindering the possibility of a limitless life.
We are the New Breed.