God saved me at 19 and has been the great joy of my life ever since.

I’ve been passionately in love with the woman of my dreams for almost 12 years. We’re in a great time of our marriage and are connecting spiritually, emotionally, and physically better than we ever have.

God has been good to us in giving us four kiddoes. Daniel (9), Jack (7), Alli Kate (6), and now Sam (5 mo). My boys love playing baseball, reading, and snuggling. Alli Kate is a daddy’s girl, but dreams of being a mother and wife that loves Jesus and builds a home for ministry. So she is at her mom’s side all day.

2. What first planted in your mind a desire to adopt?

Our kids have been a part of every aspect of the process. We prayed and talked with them in deciding to adopt, where to adopt from, and thanking God for providing for the adoption. They’ve participated in all of our fundraisers by serving. We eat Ethiopian meals, watch documentaries on Ethiopia and adoption. They helped pick out Sam’s name and talk about having him with us all the time.

The first and best model for adoption is God adopting us. Our horizontal model is primarily the Lucas family http://sheepdogger.blogspot.com/. Greg and Kim have adopted all four of their kids. Of the four 2 are brothers coming from an abusive home, another son with Autism, and a daughter from China. Their family is a beautiful model of grace, love, and community. They are inspiring and great teachers to us.

Want to support these folks as they move on in faith to adopt Sam? If you send them some money, send me an e-mail, or comment here, and just for fun I’ll send you an autographed Eric Peters CD (with EP’s autograph, not mine). While supplies last. (I have several.)

Some specific ways you can help: Like their Facebook page, participate in their fundraisers, buy a t-shirt, or donate US Air flyer miles. Thanks, blogfriends. –Sam

I am delighted to present to you this short interview with the very talented and funny Jennifer Trafton. Jennifer is the author of The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, a novel for young readers and old readers (see Question 1).

Idea: Why not spend some of that Christmas cash you got on a fine, beautifully illustrated story? Or you could buy illegal drugs? I think the choice is clear.

Jennifer is personally autographing every edition purchased from The Rabbit Room bookstore. I assume that other people are autographing the copies sold in other locations. (Bad form. Not very British of them.)

My 7 year old daughter has The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic sitting beneath our tree, awaiting her discovery on one of these 12 days of Christmas. We’re all very excited to get our hands on it after she reads it in one day.

1. What are your thoughts on what makes a story “for children” and, conversely, “for adults?” Any thoughts on what makes “children’s lit” unique/worthwhile?

I’ve never been very concerned about putting things into categories. Good stories are good stories. In my view “children’s literature” is any literature children like to read – which can, of course, differ from child to child. When I think of the stories that have tickled my funny bone the most, that have stretched my imagination in myriad directions, that have dealt with profound issues of life and death in ways that are searing in their simplicity, I usually end up in the “children’s section” of the bookstore. If such stories are not “for adults” as well, I pity the adults.

There is nothing wrong, of course, with a book having a specific intended audience. A story has two participants, the writer and the reader, and they make a kind of magic together. Whether or not that relational magic works has less to do with formulas than with empathy. When I picture the readers with whom I want to be in that relationship as a storyteller, I picture kids (often particular kids I know) because I love their imaginative scope, their freedom from many “adult” concerns and hang-ups, their lack of cynicism, their embrace of silliness as well as mystery. So I write “for children” because I feel like, at the level of the imagination, and in the stories I love to read and love to write, I’m one of them.

2. What is your favorite color and what do you want to be when you grow up?

My favorite color is joyful and I want to be red when I grow up.

Wait. Stop. Reverse that.

Okay, continue.

3. Is there a deeper reason why you believe you are called to write novels other than for the billions of dollars you make?

No, the billions are enough. Occasionally I wake up in the morning and say to myself, “Jennifer, you have all those imaginary dollars lying in your imaginary bank account, doing nothing but gathering imaginary dust. Isn’t there more to life than this? Making art is a treacherous and beautiful adventure. It requires great courage and creative playfulness and a healthy sense of self-mockery. A story can change someone’s life; it can wiggle its way into a child’s heart and plant a seed there that will grow and blossom as the years go by, until one day that grown-up child (who has never fully grown up, thankfully) will look back and say, ‘That story was one of the things that shaped who I am as a person.’ What a terrifying privilege for a storyteller! What a responsibility! What a calling!”

This line of reasoning convinces me until my rent is due. Then I pray everyone rushes to the store and buys my book.

4. On a scale of 1-3, how irritating do you find scales?

Seven, at least. Seriously, they are the bane of my existence these days. I’ve tried everything—soap, rubbing alcohol, scouring pads, pliers . . . They will not come off. And believe me, they itch.

I think my next book should be about a dragon.

5. What’s next for Jennifer Trafton, author? A new novel? A line of knitted green berets for the “army stuff” section at Wal-Mart? A run for Governor of Puerto Rico? Spill the beans!

In 2011 I’ll be diving back into a third novel I’m in the middle of writing, which I am very excited about, because I will get to think about giraffes and ridiculous inventions and call it “work.” (How many of you can say that about your jobs? Other than the zookeepers and mad inventors reading this, of course.) I will also be rearranging my closet, editing things that need to be edited, washing dishes occasionally, warning people about giants, and eating way too much ice cream. Beyond that, I’ve given up on “planning ahead” in life. The best (and worst) things come unexpectedly. I hope there will be many new friends to meet, great books to read, travels to new places, much to laugh about, a lot of Oreos, and very few beans, spilled or unspilled. Like the heroine of MOUNT MAJESTIC, Persimmony Smudge, I am craving a new adventure right now. But as Bilbo Baggins once wisely said, sometimes all you have to do to start having an adventure is to go out your own door: “You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no telling where you might be swept off to.”

Thanks, Jennifer.

Find Jennifer at her website. (You can read the first chapter of her book here.)

Jennifer on Twitter.

Jennifer at The Rabbit Room Store. (Autographed copies.)

A.S. “Pete” Peterson is a Marine Corp veteran and the author of two novels, The Fiddler’s Gun and Fiddler’s Green. He also is a bit of a pioneer in the fascinating modern world of independent publishing.

Pete is also the brains (and brawn) behind the enormously successful Hutchmoot (the Rabbit Room’s conference/retreat/gathering). Pete has been a force in coordinating the Rabbit Room community and serving that community in many ways. I want to thank Pete for his kindness to me personally and for his ongoing service to the Rabbit Room community in particular and Christians sub-creators and appreciators of sub-creation in general. Also, thanks for that wicked rug-burn I had for months after you tackled and wrestled me to the ground in front of a hundred people.

Get Pete’s book right now, or suffer a similar fate.

Here’s some questions I asked Pete as an expert journalist and part time wrestler.

1. Fiddler’s Green features some excellent writing. Tell us about your theory and method of sentence-crafting and what it means to you to “feed the troll?”

Thanks, Sam. I don’t know that I’ve got a ‘theory of sentence-craft” but words and sentences certainly do sing a kind of music to me that I love to read and therefore love to write. I often find myself having to admit to people that I’m slow reader. I wish sometimes that that weren’t true but the fact is that when I read, I read “aloud” in my head because I want more than just the information a sentence conveys. I want the flavor, rhythm, and sound of it, too. When I read a book I often read sentences and passages multiple times just to appreciate them, especially if it’s a good book. So my love of the sound and mystery of words is such that I find I’m skeptical of people who are quick readers. If a person can read a book in a day, I have to wonder if they are really taking the time and putting in the effort to appreciate what they read. Maybe they do, but consider me a skeptic.

The job of any good writer (and I hope to be one someday) is to pay attention to the way words are put together. It’s not just about what the words are telling the reader, it’s about how they tell the reader. Ideally, every word, every sentence, every paragraph should be working overtime to convey more than one piece of information at once. If I can get a single word to communicate character, theme, and plot all at the same time then I’ve found the correct word and putting together sentences and paragraphs filled with those exactly correct words is what the art of writing is all about.

I think the end of your question is referencing the term “feeding the gnome” which is an idea that Stephen King talks about in his excellent book On Writing. He suggests that every writer has a gnome in the basement that supplies the writer with his stories. To get good stories from him, you’ve got to feed your gnome well. If you don’t feed him at all he might die. So feeding the gnome is about remembering to refuel yourself creatively. It’s about reading. It’s about watching movies. It’s about hiking through the woods and paying attention to the world around you. And it’s also about doing these things well. I could feed my gnome a steady diet of reality TV but guess what kind of stories that gnome is going to hand back to me? Not the kind I want to write, that’s for sure. My gnome is currently looking a little thin. I’ve just come off finishing Fiddler’s Green and haven’t had much time to feed him. I’m looking forward to fattening the ugly little guy up after the first of the year.

2. What has having a community of artists, readers, and other weird people so close by and connected to you meant for you as an author?

Being a part of a thriving artistic community has been invaluable. It’s great to be able to look around and see other people working hard to put beautiful and meaningful things into the world. The best part is seeing the day-to-day reality of it. New artists often have an idealized vision of what it means to live the artist’s life. They imagine it’s having the time and luxury to spend every waking moment pursuing your creation. The reality is that artists are really hard working people–not only working hard at what they are creating, but working hard to support their families, to pay their bills, to survive another month. Very few subsist on their art alone and there’s no shame in having to work a real job. That’s part of the deal. If you aren’t willing to work a nine to five job and pursue your art at the same time then you might be in the wrong business. Being in a community of artists who have worked their entire lives without giving up on what it is they love is a real inspiration for me when I go through periods of feeling like I’m doing it all for nothing. Doing it for nothing is kind of what it’s all about. You’ve got be willing to do it for nothing. You’ve got to love it that much.

3. Describe how your vision for Rabbit Room Press figures into the complex and ever-changing future of publishing and tell us whether or not you’re optimistic about independent publishing?

I think one of the areas where a lot of publishers have let readers down is in their failure to brand themselves, and that’s what I really want to see Rabbit Room Press do. In the film industry the analog is Pixar. People will go to a Pixar film simply because it’s Pixar, because they trust that Pixar knows good stories and will not disappoint. I want to develop a press with that kind of reputation, and I think that’s something that today’s incredibly vast market is hungry for. There’s actually too much choice in the market. I think readers are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of product available and they have few ways to discern the good from the bad. The solution to that is to provide an offering of work that’s guaranteed to be good so that if someone enjoys one Rabbit Room Press book, they’ll be comfortable reading another even if it’s outside of the genre they typically read. Twenty years from now I want readers to be able to walk into a book store and head straight for the delightfully English-looking Rabbit Room Press section because they know it’s filled with exotic worlds, and big ideas, and beautiful things. I want the Rabbit Room Press logo on a book’s spine to be an invitation that a reader can’t refuse.

Idealistic? Maybe. But it’s always best to aim high.

4. What is your life for?

My life is for Taco Bell Chili-Cheese Burritos. I die a little every time I enter a Taco Bell that doesn’t serve them. This is my most desperate hour. Save me, Taco Bell. You’re my only hope.

5. Now that Fin’s Revolution is finished, what’s next for A.S. Peterson, author? Can we get a scoop on some future novel possibilities?

I’ve got a few things stewing and I haven’t decided which I want to commit to. One is a sort of middle grade science fiction novel, one is a comedic mystery set in early 20th century St. Louis, and one is an epic western. I’m currently leaning toward the western but I haven’t yet found a way into the story I want to tell. We’ll see.

Sounds excellent, Pete. I vote for St. Louis science fiction and according to a commercial I saw, my vote counts.

Find Pete at his website.

On Twitter.

On Facebook.

On The Rabbit Room.

Thanks, Pete.

Today I’m excited to introduce you to a guy named Dave. Dave Bruno. Dave is the author of a new book, The 100 Thing Challenge. Dave and I met at Hutchmoot (The Rabbit Room retreat/conference/whatever) and spent a wonderful weekend not talking at all. He really regrets this. (Actually we just didn’t get to connect and both hope to remedy that next time. There were so many wonderful people there. By that I don’t mean Aaron Roughton. I mean, Aaron was there, but…)

I think Dave has some real wisdom for us and I hope you’ll give his answers a read. I think I win because he has to have 100 things, but I only need 5 questions. Bamo. Here we go. (Bamo?)

1. Tell us about how you got from ChristianAudio.com to the 100 Thing Challenge and a little about yourself.

I tell the story in chapter 2 of my book (plug, plug) about how I’m a reluctant entrepreneur. Sometimes I feel like a tired out labrador retriever who wouldn’t mind taking a long nap, but there’s always someone throwing sticks to fetch. It’s in my blood to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities, especially when it can bless people in the world.

Here’s a secret, I’m not personally a big fan of audiobooks. I’m a reader. I like to underline and write little notes in the margins. But when my buddy Cory Verner (now ChristianAudio’s president) approached me with the idea of starting a company to publish thoughtful Christian titles that had been overlooked as audiobooks, I couldn’t resist. There was a market need to fill and we’d bless people by being successful with the business. No brainer!

The whole ChristianAudio experience was great. My plan was to try to spend about 5 years growing the company and then sell it or my part of it to free myself up for “the next thing.” Well the next thing, the 100 Thing Challenge, came along 4 years into running ChristianAudio.

I’m a writer and a huge believer that average Americans need to pursue simplicity instead of affluence in order to generate economic and cultural wealth. When my crazy idea to live with only 100 person possessions turned into a worldwide movement and an opportunity to publish a book, there was no way I wasn’t going to fetch that stick.

2. What is the 100 Thing Challenge and wouldn’t the 101 Thing Challenge be just a bit better?

Just one more thing; that’s all I need to make it “just a little better.” Right? Well, I think the 101 Thing Challenge — the Just One More Thing Challenge — would be a perfect match for what I call “American-style consumerism.” That’s the kind of consumerism that always wants to get more in the hopes of arriving at the dream life. The problem most of us have faced is that we’re always getting, but never getting there. It never stops. 101, 102, 103, and on and on.

So I conceived of the 100 Thing Challenge as a way to break free from the bondage American-style consumerism. My theory has been that if I remove myself from the routine of excessive consumption, my behavior would change. And it has! The “official” 100 Thing Challenge that I write about in my book has been over for a year now. But I still have about 100 personal possessions. I’m happy to say that I’m no longer a participant in the unending cycle of acquisition that used to characterize my consumer behavior.

The 100 Thing Challenge isn’t about “100.” It’s about helping people who feel stuck in stuff free themselves.

3. But Dave, things aren’t bad are they? Didn’t God make the world? Your book is a thing!? Can you contrast your position with the dangers of Gnosticism (the body, pleasure is bad) and Asceticism (enlightenment, spiritual elevation comes from denial of food, pleasure, things!)?

Sam, I think all of your readers should flee from Gnosticism . . . right to Barnes & Noble to buy my book. Seriously, though, I do have strong theological convictions here. There’s a lot to say about this. But I’ll just mention that Ecclesiastes was much on my mind during the 100 Thing Challenge. It says, “There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt.” Seems like riches are bad, right? But Ecclesiastes goes on to say, “Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them . . . this is the gift of God.”

That is the guiding principal, I think, where possessions are concerned. It’s all from God. Not just the things, but also our power to enjoy the things. American-style consumerism says that the things come from brands (preferably luxury brands) and the power to enjoy the things comes from within ourselves. That attitude doesn’t square with a Christian worldview.

4. The Bible is filled with admonishes not to envy, but politicians (“You have a right to what your neighbor has”) and advertisers (“Your life is incomplete without this thing I’m selling”) are continually working to encourage just that. How do you call on Christians to simplify, while making it clear that God does call some to the responsibility of greater wealth and all to contented thankfulness?

Well, God’s yet to call me to the responsibility pursuant to tens of millions of dollars, so I’m just guessing here. I do have a couple of thoughts, though.

First, fill your ears with admonishments that don’t encourage envy (and other vices). How? Ditch the TV. I wish I had more time to extol the glories of not owning a TV. Look, I truly believe that Christians are fighting a losing battle if they fill their minds with hours of television. It’s like a law of the universe: watch a lot of TV and you will succumb to American-style consumerism. It’s not worth it. Get rid of the TV.

Second, in America we’ve come to associate wealth with outward displays of affluence. But that’s not the biblical perspective. A Christian should be rich on the inside, regardless of outward display. Christians in American need to retrain themselves to not only believe this (we all say we believe it) but to actually act like we believe it. This cannot be theoretical. So I strongly believe most Christians in America should pursue simplicity for an extended period of time, a year or more. It’s the only way to deprogram ourselves from the consumer conditioning we’ve received and accepted. A life of simplicity leads to a life of contentment.

5. Any helpful tips for parents during Christmas on how to avoid (even with good intentions) training our kids to become slaves to envy/thanklessness/idolatry/selfishness etc.?

Time. I’m really serious about this. Time. Put a five-year Christmas plan into action. Aim for this: after five years of a concerted effort to prioritize Jesus’ incarnation and family time and charity during the Christmas season, your children are glad to celebrate Christmas without being showered with consumer junk. Don’t try to “make a point” this Christmas. Parenting isn’t about making points every now and again. It’s about passing on a heritage of virtuous behavior and healthy emotions and strong faith to children. This takes time. That’s my main “tip.” Commit to training up your children over time.

And be gracious. They’re just kids. While they don’t need lots of junky toys, neither do they need lots of lectures. Celebrate Christmas with them.

Thanks so much, Dave.

Here’s Dave’s website.

Dave on Twitter.

Dave and The 100TC on Facebook.

Again, consider getting David’s book.

Sam: Tell us about your upcoming book. Why did you write it and who might benefit from reading it?

Greg: The book is titled Wrestling with an Angel. It began as a personal journal, morphed into a public blog and then bled over to the actual book. It is a collection of memoirs and life lessons of grace reflected through the struggles of my severely disabled son.

The title of the book comes from Genesis 32 and illustrates my struggle with God through caring for my son. But more than a memoir of my relationship with my son, it is a rather raw account of God revealing grace in my life through the most unexpected, and undesired circumstances.

At fist glance, it might be seen as a book about disability—and I hope that families dealing with the challenges of disability will read it and benefit from it. I especially hope that fathers raising disabled children will be helped by the book since most points of perspective on families dealing with disability comes from a mother’s view.

But the book is actually about a father seeing himself in relation to God, through the life of his disabled son. It is a book about coming to the end of your rope, the end of your strength, the end of your understanding, and finding that God’s grace really is enough—that in our greatest weakness, God really is our greatest strength. This is the universal message of the book. We are all disabled by sin. We are all looking for healing and hope. The cross is the ultimate answer for our ultimate handicap, and every difficulty of our disability is pointing us there.

Sam: What part does local church/ gospel community play in the life of your family?

Greg: The local church, and especially the gospel community we are a part of, is central to the overall spiritual health of my family. But that’s not all. The emotional, mental and even physical aspects of our family are often kept in check through the local body of Christ. Our gospel community has always been a place where the diversity and disability of our family has been welcomed and even celebrated.

I use the term “gospel community” to describe the real heart of our local church. We don’t just meet on Sunday morning, hear an inspiring message and go about our own way the rest of the week. Our gospel community is comprised of close families and good friends doing life together. We share each other’s burdens and celebrate each others victories. We attend our kid’s ball games and birthday parties; help each other with work projects, counsel, encourage and even admonish each other through life.

Sam: Do you have any wisdom/encouragement for people who are being moved to explore adoption or other avenues of mercy?

Greg: Wisdom? Allow me to stack a pile of soap boxes and climb to the top.

Adoption is very difficult. It is a long and often heart wrenching process. Depending on what type of adoption is pursued (domestic, foreign, special needs, etc.) you could wait upwards of four years and spend up to $40,000 on the adoption process. You could also wait a few months and spend as little as $2,000.00.

I’ll put this as simple as I can. Some types of adoption are not for everyone, but everyone can and should be involved in the adoption process.

According to UNICEF, there are somewhere between 143 and 200 million orphans worldwide. By some liberal statistics (and perhaps sprinkled with some divine irony) that’s about the same amount of people who identify themselves as “Christians” in the US.

I have a firm conviction that every member of a Christ-centered, gospel believing church should be involved in the adoption process. If you have room in your family, fill it with a child in need of a family. If you have money in the bank, but cannot physically adopt, support a family who can.

As American Christians we are incredibly wealthy. Our houses (even the smallest of them) are bigger than most foreign orphanages. We have the resources, we have the room, we have the gospel…all that’s missing are 200 million orphans!

I also believe that the greatest influence of the gospel is within the immediate family—Dad pastoring his family and both parents living the gospel in front of their kids. If this is true, then one of the greatest ministries of the church and one of the most effective settings for evangelism and discipleship should be the ministry of adoption.

At our local church, my pastor is setting the example for this. He and his wife have three amazing children. They don’t “long for” more kids, neither do they feel that there is something missing in their lives in their early 30’s. They simply saw a need that broke their hearts, found some room, scraped up some money and now they are on a waiting list for a child in Ethiopia. Talk about Great Commission obedience!

With this in mind, take some time to walk through your enormous house and ask God what he would have you do with your part of the 200 million orphans worldwide, most of whom may never hear the gospel, much less have it lived out in a loving family of their own.

Ok, I’ll climb down from my soapbox now.

***

Thank you, Greg. May God be strong on your behalf.

Greg Lucas is a cop, so his day-job is centered on justice. But there is more than justice on his heart. He and his wife, Kim, have a household where art is on display. It is a gallery of love, with portraits of mercy and sculptures of grace filling every space. Not convinced? Read on, and check out Greg’s new book here. Interview, away…

Greg and his son, Jake

Sam: Briefly tell us about your family. I understand you have twenty-three adopted kids from ten different continents. Correct?

Greg: I’m sure that opening question perked your reader’s attention. In reality I have four adopted children from two continents. Although I will remain open to any number the Lord sees fit to send me—or send me to.

I have been married to my wife, Kim, for 22 years. She is the love of my life and the part of me that makes me tolerable to the outside world. Besides being the most wonderful human being that I know, she is also a full time mother and a part time neonatal flight nurse who flies in helicopters to rescue babies. She is the closest thing to a super hero that I have ever experienced.

My oldest son, Jacob, is 17. He is my greatest challenge and one of my greatest teachers in life. He has taught me much about the character of my heavenly Father.

Noah is 16. He is the gentle giant and quiet leader of our family in my absence. Noah was almost beat to death by his stepfather when he was two years old. He came to live with us when he was four, nearly broken to pieces. It took many years, but God put him back together again and today he is a towering trophy of grace.

Aaron is 15 and the half-brother of Noah (by blood). It was Aaron’s biological father that abused Noah. Aaron was two years old when he came into our family. He was the meanest two-year old on the planet (seriously). Today, he is one of the coolest kids I know—kind and compassionate; gentle and loving—another testimony to God’s transforming grace.

And then there’s Hope, one of the best things ever made in China. She is four going on forty. As my wife says, “She is a young body with an old soul.” Hope came to us at the most difficult time in our lives and I am convinced that God, in His providence, sent her to rescue us rather than us to rescue her. She will change her world someday, mark my word.

Sam: How does the Gospel inform the adoption and care of vulnerable people?

Greg: I would love to write a book in response to that question, but I don’t have to because Dr. Russell Moore has written the best one I know of on this subject (Adopted for Life). Since there are so many aspects and illustrations to this subject, and since Dr. Moore already has the book, I’ll refer to the scripture that best reflects the gospel in relation to adoption in my personal experience.

Romans 8 verses 1-11 gives a summary of the gospel with this introductory declaration, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” With this sentence as a backdrop, it is safe to assume that all those outside of Christ are the “vulnerable” ones, or even more descriptively, the “condemned” ones.

After laying out the gospel in terms of death to life, law to grace, flesh to Spirit, and unrighteous to righteous, the Apostle Paul says in verse 14, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God (or who are “in Christ”) are sons of God.” Then, in verses 15 and 16 he explains what the title “son’s of God” truly entails.

“…but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…”

In summary, we were orphaned by sin, enslaved to fear and vulnerable to the most unspeakable evils this world could inflict upon us. We were outside of Christ and outside of hope. But God, by His mercy and grace, brought us into Christ and into His family allowing us to call Him “Daddy” and receive full rights to His inheritance—the inheritance of His only Son. All this was accomplished through the cross.

Now the important parallel:

Every time a Christian goes to another country or another state or even another neighborhood and brings an orphan into their family, the gospel is being illustrated all over again. And the gospel story is being lived as a testimony to that child long before he or she can even comprehend the truth of the gospel itself.

My four year old daughter doesn’t fully understand the gospel yet. But she can articulate almost every detail of her adoption. When God does turn the light of regeneration on in her heart, what a bright light it will be, and what a powerful testimony she will have.

Now, perhaps we can better understand God’s emphasis in scripture on caring for the orphans and other “vulnerable” people. For in their physical plight, we can best see our own spiritual story as we point them towards the Defender of orphans; the Father to the fatherless; the God who places the lonely in families.

Thursday we’ll conclude with part 2. Greg will talk about his book and make the Gospel-centered case for adoption.

Here’s the link to the publisher’s website for the book.

1. Fact: The Wilderking Books are gold for children (and adults) on many fronts. Truth? Check. Goodness, Beauty? Check, check. Were you inspired to write the trilogy by any concern over a lack of worthwhile fiction for kids, or was your motivation simply to make billions of dollars?

I wouldn’t say any ‘concern’ about existing children’s fiction motivated me. I was quite ignorant of what was out there when I started writing the Wilderking books. I’m only a little less ignorant now. I will say I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much worthwhile fiction is out there–though there is plenty that isn’t worthwhile. Here’s the thing, S.D.:  I want people to like what I like. I think that’s a good enough reason to write stories. I have a particular vision of the universe, and I believe things would be better for all of us if more people shared that vision. I’m joking, but only half-joking. It takes a lot of work to write a book; in order to stay motivated to do that work, one needs an overblown sense that it’s important for people to hear what one has to say. The billions of dollars, that’s just a bonus.

2. What sets The Charlatan’s Boy apart from The Wilderking Trilogy?

Sadness. There’s a sadness in the Charlatan’s Boy that has no parallel in the Wilderking books. I’ve been dipping into Buechner’s book, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale. An amazing book, by the way. As Buechner argues, the grand comic vision of redemptive history is rooted in the reality of deep sadness and hurt  and danger from which we have to be redeemed. I think (I hope) the comic vision of The Charlatan’s Boy is more fully realized than that of The Wilderking–in part because the sadness, loneliness, and hurt are more fully realized.

3. What are two important things for aspiring writers to remember as they work on their craft?

First of all, let me thank you for the way you phrased this question. You didn’t say, “What are the two most important things…” You said “What are two important things…” Do you realize how much that takes the pressure off? I know lots of important things aspiring writers should remember. I don’t know which two are the most important. So here are two from the list:

a) Pursue your audience. Woo them. It’s not their job to stay interested in what you write. It’s your job to keep them interested. As a corollary, don’t try to impress your reader. That’s for sophomores. Try to love your reader.

b) Speak English. When there’s a word derived from the Latin or Greek and another word from the Anglo-Saxon and they mean the same thing, the tie goes to the Anglo-Saxon word. There are reasons to go with the Latinate word; just be sure you’ve got one, and it’s good a reason. Let your default be the Anglo-Saxon word. It’s true (I think) that something like 75-80% of the words in an English dictionary derive from Latin or Greek. But here’s an exercise for an aspiring writer. Pick a favorite passage from the King James Bible. Count the words in the passage, noting how many derive from Latin or Greek. Divide the Latinate/Greek words by the total number of words to get a percentage. It won’t be 75-80%. It won’t even be close. It may be as high as 25%. It will probably be considerably lower. That’s something for aspiring writers to put in their pipes and smoke.

4. What is your life for?

I don’t see how I could improve on the Westminster Confession: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” I do like John Piper’s suggestion that we glorify God by enjoying him forever. The ability to enjoy the good things that remain, by God’s grace, in this shipwreck of a world is a vitally important thing, I believe.

5. Tell us what makes your books, which are speculative in nature, so American. Why not just do another England-inspired fantasy?

I love British literature as much as anybody. I’ve got a PhD in British lit, for crying out loud. But when it came down to producing rather than consuming literature, it seemed important to me that I speak in my native tongue. There is a vitality, a vigor in American storytelling traditions. I’m an American [cue Lee Greenwood], an inheritor of that verbal and narrative legacy. It makes sense that I should make use of it.

Thanks, JR. As an American, who’s proud to be, I especially liked the part about Lee Greenwood.

Jonathan is also the author of a great little book on Saint Patrick called Saint Patrick. He lives in Nashville, TN, with his wife Lou Alice and their six children. Lou Alice is a peach.

4.      What is the most important insight you would have for artists who are praying for discernment in how to properly balance imperatives like personal worship, church serving (local), Church serving (the Bride entire), family, art (intake and output), rest, and asking famous musicians really long questions?

Balance is not exactly my area. Can’t you ask someone else?

All those things are spokes. Christ is the hub, the center. I know when I acknowledge Him as that, and rely on Him as my inner source of goodness, my relationships with family, other people, and work, are put right. When I get out of sync there, everything else begins to wobble and spin.

We need to take time to reflect, to be alone with God, to worship Him privately as well as with other believers. God wants us to experience our union with Him, to abide, to walk in reliant trust. Without taking time for that relationship, we’re just setting ourselves up for more self-effort, more frustration, more failure.

5.      What (300 books?) have you been reading lately and how has it impacted you?

Since I’ve been in a songwriting deadlock for a couple of years I recently read a book called Art and Fear, a short, easy book but it packs a punch. I also reread a book by Brenda Ueland called If You Want To Write, with some of the same themes. If I could encapsulate both books in a few sentences, it would be “Nearly everyone struggles with feeling inadequate as an artist. Some people quit because of it. But we learn to write, to paint, to play, by doing it – not by theorizing about it. So sit your butt in that chair and get back to work. Stop thinking about quitting, and stop your lame whining and procrastinating.” Similar to Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art, but without the “F” word. I highly recommend all three books.

Two more that I’m rereading right now (I have to read things over and over or they don’t ‘take’); Jeanne Guyon’s Intimacy with Christ, a humble, childlike series of letters by Guyon to a friend about various aspects of walking with Christ. And I don’t mean a figurative “walking” with Christ, like “read more pray more give more do Christian crossword puzzles more.” She shows what it is to be walking with Christ as an ever-present, indwelling Lord and Savior, and what it means to take up your cross.

And lastly, Dan Stone’s The Rest of the Gospel (When the Partial Gospel Has Worn You Out). Exactly what it says. This book gave me a lot more to go on than merely “Jesus died to pay my sin debt so I can go to Heaven when I die.” I can’t live on money that’s stuck in a trust fund until I’m eighty-five. I need spendable assets right now, every day. Dan Stone shows the pin number for the divine debit card so that I can access what I need, when I need it.

Thanks, Ron. Catch Ron at these virtual locations:

RonBlock.com Ron on Facebook Ron on Twitter Ron at The Rabbit Room Ron at Banjo Hangout

Hear Ron perform with his band, Alison Krauss and Union Station, here and here. Buy records here.