Scripture for Monday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2013

March 18, 2013

23 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” ~ Mark 10:23-27 (NASB)

Lord God, it’s easy to be lured by money and wealth, yet Jesus told us that riches can keep us from Heaven because our possessions and not You become first in our lives. Thank You that with You all things are possible. Even though I am not rich, other attractions and temptations can become in the same position as wealth for a rich man. Help me to put You above money, position, people, or anything else. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Scripture for Passion Sunday 2013

March 17, 2013

13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them. ~ Mark 10:13-16

Heavenly Father, make me a little child in Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scripture for Saturday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent

March 16, 2013

6 But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. 7 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, 8 AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” ~ Mark 10:6-9 (NASB)

Lord, thank You for my marriage of more than 45 years. May our life together until death did us part be an example to other Christians and to help those with troubled marriages to remain joined together through You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Guest Post from Debra Johnson: 5 Ways to Improve Your Dialogue

March 15, 2013

One of the hardest obstacles a writer comes up against is dialogue writing. Like animators trying to imitate human movement, getting the intonation and words exactly right is hard. We are so familiar with speech that any mistake can be jarring and take a reader right out of the story.

Here are five ways that you can improve your dialogue writing:

  1. Listen – The first step to realistic dialogue is listening to real people speak. You may not have noticed exactly how you and your friends talk, but by listening in at the supermarket, on the bus, or in the office you can pick up some common threads. Using your listening skills to pay attention to how real people speak will make your dialogue that much better. Just eliminate the ah’s, uh’s, you know’s and other filler words that are realistic but unnecessary and annoying in dialogue.
  2. Use slang and contractions – Many times a character’s language sounds stilted or fake due to a lack of slang. We use slang all the time. Idioms like an axe to grind, words like cool or neat or on the rocks, and even simple phrases like sure or okay are considered slang but are common in conversation, as are contractions. Don’t sounds more natural than do not. Real people don’t speak like a dictionary, so unless your character has some issue or difference, make sure you include slang and contractions.
  3. Easy on the accents – This does not mean you have to go overboard with slang though. Many times a writer will include a character that is from a particular area or has an accent. The continual inclusion of slang and accent like ain’t, cuz, or bro can get annoying after a while and detract from the story. You can sprinkle slang and accents in to remind readers of the character’s origin, but don’t make it so often that readers get annoyed and stop reading.
  4. Trail off – Real people do not speak in complete sentences. If you aren’t writing a cop giving a report or a medical doctor giving a diagnosis, then don’t expect everyone to speak in full, complete sentences that are clear and precise. Real people trail off, they leave out ideas, and they make you work for your info. Make the readers work to understand as long as you don’t take it too far.
  5. Be clear – One of my pet peeves when it comes to dialogue writing is the fact that many writers don’t make it clear who is speaking. He said and she said are all well and good when there is only one he or she, but when there is a group, the dialogue becomes harder to follow. Don’t be afraid to use characters’ names and be repetitive when it comes to clarifying who is speaking. I would rather read a dozen John saids than try to figure out who is speaking on my own. A good way to identify the speaker without an attribution like he said is to include an action tag. John took a sip of coffee. “Dialogue.” eliminates the need for John said while still making it clear who is speaking.

These are just a few of the suggestions I have for writers looking to improve their dialogue. The point is to make it sound as real as possible. Avoid the information dump and characters that come off sounding rehearsed and boring. Try to add life to your characters with your dialogue and bring readers into your story.

Note from Lillie: For a longer and more detailed post on dialogue, see Creating Fictional Characters, Part 6: Putting the Right Words in Their Mouths.

About the Author:

This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of www.liveinnanny.com. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: – jdebra84 @ gmail.com.

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Scripture for Friday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent 2013

March 15, 2013

43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, 44 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] 45 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 46 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] 47 If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell. ~ Mark 9:43-47 (NASB)

Father, Jesus told us to throw out our eye or cut off our hand or foot if they cause us to stumble. We should enter Your Kingdom whole spiritually—our physical body doesn’t matter. So often my thoughts lead my astray from Your way. Cleanse my mind and purify my soul. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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