CHRISTIAN FICTION IS BENEFICIAL

I'm pretty sure I won't get to blog tomorrow (Wed.), and maybe Thursday. We are leaving today to go to Gainesville to help Milton's sister Norma and her husband Ron get settled there, and we'll be very busy. Her doctors at Duke are sending her to Shands for further tests. It's a sad and unusual situation. Several years ago, she had thyroid surgery to remove a goiter. Goiters, small growths on the thyroid, run in their family. But a routine biopsy of Norma's revealed it was cancerous. Since then, a yearly test reveals there's cancer in her body BUT IT DOESN'T REVEAL WHERE IT IS! Which is scary. Finally, a scan revealed a spot on her lung, and they removed it. This year, the tests are STILL saying there's cancer somewhere, but again, they aren't revealing where the cancer is. So there's a specialist at Shands who's successfully treated this unusual medical condition. If you think of her, say a prayer for her.

Karen Ball had a two-part post on Charis Connection blog the last two days. http://charisconnection.blogspot.com It's very interesting, and she has some good things to say. She analyzes why women like to read Christian romances.

In my promo of Christian romances or fiction, I tell people it's a hobby. I say, "If you can watch TV or play golf or fish or shop, you can also read good Christian fiction. It's not only entertaining, it's beneficial. Charles Colson said, 'Stories change us because as we read we identify with characters who demonstrate courage and self sacrifice, and in the process our own character is shaped.' Most importantly, Matthew 13:34 says, 'Jesus used stories when he spoke to the people. In fact, he did not tell them anything without using stories."

I don't look at it as a conflict of interests at all—for a Christian to read Christian fiction. Some say, "Well, if you're reading, you should be reading the Bible." Not so. Again, I go back to my hobby argument. Yes, there's a place for Bible reading in our lives. Of course. If you want to keep up your piano playing, you practice piano. If you want to walk the Christian faith, you read the Bible. But there's also a need for diversion. Even Jesus had enjoyable times. Remember when he attended the wedding in Cana and turned the water into wine? Or, when he came away from his grueling ministry schedule and took time to relax with friends?

Concerning love stories…

I think we could safely say that the majority of marriages start with a love story. Think of your own dating. What led up to engagement and marriage?

Love.

So it's a universal thing—a love story—that happens to almost every married couple. I say almost to cover unusual circumstances, like maybe, arranged marriages in India or other countries (something that's still being done today).

We're on a quest for love. Think of current movies as well as past ones. Sleepless in Seattle grossed $126 million at the U.S. box office, and While You Were Sleeping grossed $81 million. Pretty impressive figures, and these are from years ago. With today's ticket prices, they would be even higher. Goes to show how much people like love stories.

Jane Austen opens her classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, this way:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

I paraphrase,

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man needs a wife."

And since millions of men and women fall in love…

Well, that's the basis for…love stories.

And when the man and woman are Christians, you have…tah dah…Christian love stories.