Knowing God: Part 2

K nowing God Part 2: How well do you know God? In part one of this series, I confessed that (in spite of the fact that I've been a Christian for over 20 years) I still don't feel like I know God very well. It troubles me. I'd like to know Him as I do my family members or best friends. But He's different, so I guess I'd like to know Him as well as a person can know Him...if that makes any sense. So, I'm setting out to know God better. I'm starting with the book of Matthew. I have no idea where I'll stop.

Official Disclaimer: I don't claim to be a theological guru. I haven't graduated seminary. I'm not a pastor. I'm doing this series of posts just because I want to know God better. I'm sharing it online, not to teach others--though I'd be pretty happy if God used this to help others get to know Him better also. I'm not doing this to argue--though, if people have related ideas to share, I'm all ears. I'm simply posting this to explore and maybe encourage others to explore. If you are a young reader, run everything by your parents. They are your spiritual authority. See what they think. And, as the Bible tells us: If on some point, we disagree, pray about it, and may God give us clarity.

Matthew 1:18-25*

1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, ¹²  she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 1:19 Because Joseph, her husband to be, ¹³  was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her ¹⁴  privately. 1:20 When he had contemplated this, an ¹⁵  angel of the Lord ¹⁶  appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 1:21 She will give birth to a son and you will name him ¹⁷  Jesus, ¹⁸  because he will save his people from their sins.” 1:22 This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him ¹⁹  Emmanuel,” ²⁰  which means ²¹  “God with us.” ²²  1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord ²³  told him. He took his wife, 1:25 but did not have marital relations ²⁴  with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named ²⁵  Jesus.

Initial Take: This is just my knee-jerk reaction to the text. Whatever pops into my mind. Heaven help me.  

I like how God took this guy Joseph, who is in the Davidic line, and drops him into a man's "worst case scenario. "Hey, Mary-baby, I'm so glad we're engaged."
 "Uh, honey, uhm, funny you should mention 'baby.' I'm pregnant, and the baby's not yours."
Train wreck. Bridge collapse. Pick any disaster image you want. This is the end of the world for a man. But Joseph is a prince among men, so even though by cultural rights, he could have done much worse to Mary, he decides to give her a quiet divorce.

I can only imagine Joseph's anguish over this situation. But when the dream comes, the world is turned upside down, and the stakes are beyond reckoning. God drops the bomb: you, Joseph get to be Daddy to the Savior, the Messiah, to God with us. Can you imagine the pressure? I feel it with my own kids. When I see a bad habit of mine that the kids have adopted, it hurts. I can't imagine trying to raise THE SAVIOR.

It seems odd to me that there's less focus on Mary in this section of text and more about Joseph. Mary did the heavy lifting by carrying Jesus for nine months. And given that she was so young, I can't imagine what she must have felt through the process.

Knowing God Take-Away: What do I learn about God from Matt 1:18-25? 1) God is supernatural. In our lives, in this world, there are natural laws. A man and a woman can get together and have a baby, but for that to occur, certain "things" need to happen first. God doesn't have to abide by our restrictions. For us, a physical body has limits. We can only do so much. Not so with God. There are no limits. Thus, Mary, a virgin, becomes pregnant by the Holy Spirit. God's supernatural traits are hugely present in this short text. Next, we have Joseph napping, and an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream. Have you ever "tried" to have a certain dream? You know, you try to program your mind to think on certain things, so that the dream goes where you want it? Doesn't usually work. It's also impossible for one of us to make ourselves show up in someone else's dream. But God can do that. He is supernatural. That is both comforting to me and scary. I like that God can do supernatural things, that He can do a trillion times better than I can. But, His supernatural-ness also makes me wonder how I can ever really know Him.

2) The next thing I notice about God is that He likes to get others involved in what He's doing. When I was growing up, my parents didn't really let me help with stuff that much. Especially when I was little. I was a bit clumsy and very curious. So if my dad went to work rebuilding the fence in the back yard, I wanted to help. But, more often than not, I screwed up. I guess after a while, my parents figured it was better for everyone's health and blood pressure if I didn't "help" so much. But God, He doesn't seem to be like that. In this one section of text, we see God get an angel to deliver messages. We see God choose a guy and a gal to, get this: be the parents of the Savior of the world. Pretty sure neither Joseph nor Mary had ever done that before. But God said, "You two. I choose you." He doesn't seem to care much about our experience or our clumsiness. And that…is an encouraging thought.

Til next time.

Never alone.

*All Scriptures from the NET Bible: http://net.bible.org/#!bible/Matthew+1

Knowing God: Is Such a Thing Possible?

I'm a Christian. Have been for over 20 years. But I've come to a strange and rather uncomfortable conclusion: I don't know God very well. Readers might wonder what I mean by the word "know." But really, it's not a secretive theological concept. I just mean "know" in the way that you might know anyone, a family member, a friend, a coworker. God's different, sure. I get that. The Bible itself reports that there are some aspects of God we cannot know or, even if we did, we wouldn't understand. But still, Christians are supposed to get to know God as much as possible. How else can we make Him known?

The reason I don't feel like I know God all that well is that I regularly find myself believing all kinds of weird things about Him. In any given day, I can question His goodness, His intentions, His power, even His love. So, I'm setting out to know God better. I'm starting with the book of Matthew. I have no idea where I'll stop.

Official Disclaimer: I don't claim to be a theological guru. I haven't graduated seminary. I'm not a pastor. I'm doing this series of posts just because I want to know God better. I'm sharing it online, not to teach others--though I'd be pretty happy if God used this to help others get to know Him better also. I'm not doing this to argue--though, if people have related ideas to share, I'm all ears. I'm simply posting this to explore and maybe encourage others to explore. If you are a young reader, run everything by your parents. They are your spiritual authority. See what they think. And, as the Bible tells us: If on some point, we disagree, pray about it, and may God give us clarity.

Matthew 1:1-17*

1:1 This is the record of the genealogy ¹  of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

1:2 Abraham was the father ²  of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 1:3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 1:4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 1:5 Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, 1:6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon (by the wife of Uriah ³ ), 1:7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, ⁴  1:8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah, 1:9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 1:10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, ⁵  Amon the father of Josiah, 1:11 and Josiah ⁶  the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

1:12 After ⁷  the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, ⁸  Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 1:13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 1:14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 1:15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 1:16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom ⁹  Jesus was born, who is called Christ. ¹⁰ 

1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to Christ, ¹¹  fourteen generations.

Initial Take: This is just my knee-jerk reaction to the text. Whatever pops into my mind. Heaven help me.  

Ok, I absolutely hate genealogies. Seriously, that's why my efforts to read the whole Bible in a year always seem to get derailed just a few books into the OT. But one thing I notice is that God seems to take family history pretty seriously. They are all over the Bible. And I guess, for the first century Jew, it would have been pretty critical to establish Jesus was from the Abrahamic/Davidic line due to prophecies that claim Jesus will come from that line. Gotta love these names: Hezron (sounds like a gas station) Amminadab (sounds like an ointment), Salmon (well, you know). And Zerubbabel (Really? Bet he had fun in middle school). 

The other thing that always strikes me about genealogies is that, to me at least, their presence is a kind of proof of the authenticity of the Word of God. As a fiction writer, I know quite well, to put something like this in a book is the kiss of death. I mean YAWN. There's no fiction value here. You only put something like this in if you are writing a history. And you only put stuff like this in if you aren't worried about contradiction. After all, it's RIGHT there. You can check it fairly easily. 

Knowing God Take-Away: What do I learn about God from Matt 1:1-17? A couple of things stand out. 1) God isn't embarrassed by His family. Look at that list. There are some tough cases there. Abraham did some things that would make the tabloids today. David might not make the tabloids, but he sure would inspire a provocative miniseries. Solomon; shoot, he decided to experiment with everything under the sun before he finally figured out it was all dust in the wind without God. But God still lists their names here and many places elsewhere. And these are places of honor too. Some of us, if we had a family member who did some of the stuff these folks did, well…we probably wouldn't mention that we're related to someone at a party. 

2) The next thing I notice about God is that He has a set timing for things. Look at verse 17. Notice the beautiful symmetry of 14 years between Abraham and David, David to Deportation to Babylon, and Deportation to Christ? That's just astounding to me. How often do things just "work out" that way? Jesus is extraordinary, and so the timing of His birth needed to be extraordinary. God has a timing for everything, and it's perfect timing...every time. Maybe next time I'm wondering why God didn't come through with this or that when I thought He should have, I'll remember the number 14. 

Til next time.

Never alone.

*All Scriptures from the NET Bible: http://net.bible.org/#!bible/Matthew+1

Cue Dramatic Music and Fanfare: Announcing the Title of Berinfell Prophecies, Book 3

Greetings and a very fond hello from Tannersville, PA, the new location of Christopher Hopper and my Writer's Bootcamp. We are ensconced in a hotel that is literally built into the side of a mountain, and madly chewing away the hours of Saturday with a frenetic display of head-to-head typing. Seriously, we are hitting the keys so fast and for such a prolonged stretch that our fingers are beginning to tingle. :-D

{Hey, Wayne, shut up about the writing already and get to the title!}

Oh, oh, right! The title. The title for Berinfell Prophecies Book 3…that title? {YES! THAT TITLE!}

Right. Now to it! The title for Berinfell Prophecies book 3 is:

The Tide of Unmaking

{Um, Wayne, I don't see anything there. Where's the title???}

You have to work for it. Just click in the open space above and highlight the invisible text. Or, you can just look in the fine print on the photo below!

Mark your calendar. Berinfell Book 3 will release in all formats May 15th. Info for the Collector's Edition Hardback will be forthcoming soon.

Are You Married? If so, read this!

Maybe my wife Mary Lu and I have been watching WAY too much Grey's Anatomy, where there are rampant relationship issues, betrayals, affairs, etc, BUT it continues to caution and sober me that our marriages are critically important and, in many ways, so fragile.



I suspect that a lot of us married folk may have gotten to a place we never thought we'd be, a place where something's not quite right. Many of us are dealing with conflict between husband and wife, daily. Many of us are hurting from broken hearts, furious that our expectations haven't been met, or vexed that all our efforts to help have gone virtually unnoticed. Some of us have "walled-off" our spouses or are building up our defenses, stiffening so that "this time" we won't get hurt again. Many of us have kids / teenagers / jobs / careers that cause enough conflict to exhaust a superhuman, and we feel we have little left for our spouse.

Unfortunately, this is life in a sin sick world. It's life, but it is not REAL life. We are Christians, and we are called, commanded even, to something better.

Husbands, are you loving your wives as Jesus loves the church? Are you sacrificing your time, needs, and pride to meet her needs? Are you helping her to see how beautiful she is, inside and out? Are you doling out back scratches and back rubs? ;-)

Wives, are you respecting your husbands, empowering them to lead? Are you showing him through words and physical contact that you think he is a great man? Are you giving him the freedom to work, to decide, and even to fail in an honest effort?

Husbands and Wives...are you?

Here's my challenge to us all: Read 1 Corinthians 13 (below). Then, break the "love list" down into parts. Find THREE ways from that list that you can love your spouse TODAY.

¹ If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 ⁸ Love never fails.


If you succeed today, then do it tomorrow too.

The Door Within Movie: Prayer is THE thing!

In the last WEEK, I've had a dozen or more emails, IM's, posted comments, etc. asking about the possibility of The Door Within (my first book) being made into a movie. Maybe God is on the move because, just this past WEEK, I've had some VERY preliminary discussions on that very possibility. But here's the thing: a Door Within movie is still a million miles away from happening. These are just the very first, tentative, eency weency steps. So, my prayer warriors out there: Pray. Tell your friends: Pray. eMail your Prayer Chains to: Pray. Seriously, this isn't the time to go crazy with movie thoughts. But DO go crazy with prayer. Much love and thanks to you!

Time is money. NOT.

It's the New Year. Resolutions aside, how do you plan to spend the New Year? Whoever said Time = Money was quite wrong. Time is far more valuable. You can spend time and money, of course. But you can't save time. It cannot be stored or banked away.

We all live on a fixed income of moments that, like it or not, WILL be spent. Compounding the issue is that we don't know what the sum total of our "time income" will be. God knows how long we will live, but we don't. Most of us have a kind of vague notion of living for a while. Barring illness or tragedy, we figure about 70-90 years. Maybe longer if science whips up some long life concoction someday. But there's no guarantee. We cannot count on time like we might check our bank balance. We cannot purchase more time. Time is literally priceless.

The good news is that, like money, time can be invested. You can take "right now" and invest it in something. Trouble is, too many of us will invest in something that pays temporary returns. A bit of pleasure here, a warm fuzzy there. A tickle of the taste buds, a cheap thrill, a new gadget--fill in the blank with any number of self-centered endeavors.

This is short-sighted investment at its worst. Why not invest your "right now" moments in something that will last. And not just last a lifetime. I'm talking FOREVER. The best investments are those that have a lot of time to earn returns. That's why someone who starts putting a hundred bucks a month into a savings account at age 20 will have so much more money at age 60 than someone who doesn't begin investing until age 40. And what if we knew exactly what to invest in? What if we had the world's greatest financial adviser to give us a serious trader tip? Sure fire, can't miss HUGE windfall investment tip? That would pretty much ROCK, right?

More good news: God is omniscient. He knows everything. And He gave us the greatest investment advice in the history of mankind. He told us just how to spend our time so that we would reap the greatest return. He said, "Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. And love your neighbor" Matthew 22: 36-40 (*BPV, 2012)

Love God. Love others. That means spend your time for the benefit of God and mankind. If you do, you begin laying treasures up for yourself in heaven. Rewards, crowns, the coolest jobs, etc. etc. Sound good? Yeah, I think so. But it might sound a bit mercenary or materialistic to some. But why should it? God Himself tells us to lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven. God Himself promises the rewards.

In his book of essays, The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis addresses this issue. "Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

I could write on this topic so much more, but I can't afford the time. I've got some investing to do. How about you?

* BPV = Bat Paraphrase Version

Amazon Blitz EPILOGUE

Hi, all! Well, the Amazon Blitz went great! From my combined resources of NovelRank and Amazon Associates, it looks like 24-29 copies of The Errant King were sold during the Blitz. The best sales ranking appears to be: 6,195th, a 19,000 rank improvement. And that's very, very cool. 


Sword in the Stars sold approximately 15-17 copies during the Blitz. The best sales ranking appears to be: 13,911th, a 16,000 rank improvement.


And better yet, both books continue to be ranked in the teens. So thank you to everyone who bought during the Blitz or spread the word! You rock!


If you haven't already joined the Starseeker Contest, please consider the adventure! Lots of prizes: Amazon Kindle, Books-4-Life, Namesake in Book, even your very own Star!

 Buy Sword in the Stars or The Errant King from Amazon.com on TONIGHT, December 9th between the hours of 6pm--10pm Eastern Time.

ATTENTION STARSEEKERS:

If you're in the Starseeker Contest, we'll be AMPING the points for those who purchase Sword in the Stars or Errant King during the Blitz. Here's the chart:

Buy one book during the Blitz = 5,000pts.

Every additional book you buy during the Blitz = Double the Points--every book

Example: 1 book = 5K, 2 books = 10k, 3 books = 20K, 4 books = 40K, and so on...

Bonus Multiplier: If Sword in the Stars OR The Errant King breaks 500th on the Bestseller List, double any points you've earned from book buying. If Sword in the Stars OR The Errant King breaks 100th on the Bestseller List, triple any points you've earned from book buying. If Sword in the Stars OR The Errant King breaks 10th on the Bestseller List, quadruple any points you've earned from book buying. If Sword in the Stars hits #1 on the Bestseller List, multiply any points you've earned from book buying by TEN.

Once again, here are the links to use to purchase books for the Amazon Blitz. Just click below:

The Sword in the Stars

The Errant King

To Arms! To Arms! The Amazon Blitz for Errant King is Upon Us!!

FRIDAY, December 9th between the hours of 6pm--10pm Eastern Time.  Can you say EPIC? Greetings, faithful readers! Wayne Thomas Batson here. With Christmas not far away now, I wanted to let you know I've got a new series of fantasy books out. The Dark Sea Annals, an Epic 7-book Fantasy Series with AMG Publishing. Book 1: The Sword in the Stars came out in 2010, and Book 2: The Errant King just came out last week. So if you loved The Door Within Trilogy or any of my other books, please check out my new series. If you think you might get The Errant King, please consider, joining our Amazon Blitz! See below!  Buy Sword in the Stars or The Errant King from Amazon.com on FRIDAY, December 9th between the hours of 6pm--10pm Eastern Time. I'd like to announce the official Errant King Amazon Blitz! If you've never done a blitz, the concept is to slam Amazon with book orders during a concentrated period of time. This accomplishes two very important things:   1) Tons of orders in a concentrated time will make The Errant King jump up high on Amazon's bestseller's list. This creates high visibility, more sales, and so on.   2) Also, getting tons of orders right around a new book's release date influences the publisher to pump up the marketing and even increase print runs.   Buy Sword in the Stars or The Errant King from Amazon.com on FRIDAY, December 9th between the hours of 6pm--10pm Eastern Time. Here's the purchase link: Errant King Amazon Blitz Link I'd like to thank everyone who participates, so if you purchase a copy of Sword in the Stars OR The Errant King during the blitz, and then email me your snail mail address, I'll personalize a special Sword in the Stars/ Errant King bookplate sticker and send it to you. I doesn't matter if you buy one book or fifteen. I'll send as many stickers as you need. Thanks so much for reading my stories and being so faithful! Never alone.    WayneThomasBatson Bestselling Author of The Door Within Trilogy, Isle of Swords, Isle of Fire, The Berinfell Prophecies, Sword in the Stars,  and The Errant King  www.enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com www.heedtheprophecies.com www.swordinthestars.com

Why Should Kids Get to Have ALL the Fun?

Nothing against kids, but it has always seemed unfair to me that they always get to be whooshed through the portal for all kinds of great fantasy adventures. I guess it must have seemed unfair to prolific author Sharon Hinck as well because she's written a fantastic fantasy series--an epic adventure for women and moms! Sound odd to you? Not so. In fact, without any fear of "Man Card Deductions," I read The Restorer and REALLY enjoyed it. Looking for gift idea for the fantasy woman in your life...check out Sharon Hinck's The Restorer!

Order The Restorer-Expanded Edition at Marcher Lord Press (at their discounted price!) before December 9th and receive two free downloadable booklets ­ an indepth Restorer literary guide, and a creative bookclub/party planner. http://www.marcherlordpress.com/

The Seek the Stars Contest is HERE!

Welcome to Dark Sea Saturday! I hope the turkey nap is over and the shopping cramps are all worked out because you are about to have an adventure...

To celebrate the release of The Errant King, in association with AMG International Publishing, it gives me great pleasure to announce to my readers: the 1st Seek the Stars Contest!

WHAT IS IT?
The Seek the Stars Contest is an opportunity for my readers to have EPIC fun, exercising their God-given talents to form communities of readers and spread the word about books they know and love.

WHAT’s AT STAKE?
Fun. First of all, we all love to communicate with others about the things we love. We all need friends. Competing in the Seek the Stars Contest gives you the opportunity to do both. But there are, shall we say, a few prizes involved as well. More to come soon about all the specifics, but here are some items you could win:
• A Brand New Amazon Kindle!
• Ownership of your very own Star. Not kidding. Some winners will be able to have a real star registered in his/her name or even in his her team name!
• Free eBook downloads.
• All kinds of unlockables: behind the scenes Dark Sea Annals stuff, custom artwork, desktops, posters, Original Dark Sea Music Tracks, online games and more!
• A few hard-working winners will become Books-For-Life Guild Members. These folk get a signed copy of each and every book that I ever write!
• Get your name in the Acknowledgment Section of my next book.
• Get a character in my next book named after you!

WHEN DOES IT START?
The contest kicks off on DARK SEA SATURDAY, that is: Saturday, November 26th and ends SEVEN months later on Tuesday, June 26th. The number Seven is significant. Remember it! The start date is today. But, of course, you kinda know that, right?

When you click the link below, you'll come to a screen that looks like the picture at the bottom. Just click the button, enter the security random letters thingy, and it should download. You don't have to join the club or sign up for FileDropper.

CONTEST UPDATE #1:
All Constellations have been Founded! In less than 24 hours, all seven Founder positions have been claimed! I still have dozens of emails to sift through, but I suspect there are lots of anxious Starseekers anxious to get started. So...GET STARTED. Don't wait for me to email you with your Constellation Team. Just start loading up on points however you can. 

Here's the list of Official Constellation Team Founders:

1) Winter's Read from Washington State
2) KK* from Ohio
3) Belac from Michigan
4) Songkeeper from Texas
5) Star Dreamer from Illinois
6) Vocal from Colorado
7) Sir Nagek from New York State

*I used initials for folks who didn't give a Fantasy Name alias. 

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE RULES HERE!

Personal Response

I recently posted about a yahoo article where comedian Conan O'Brien officiated a gay wedding. As you might expect, most of the responses here agreed with the Christian perspective. However, I recently received a comment that opposed it. But, for the most part, this was not some bombastic irrational person screaming out vitriol. This was a person who had serious heart and bravery and really seemed interest in investigating. I tried to comment back, but apparently, it was too many characters. So, I post it here. Hopefully, Anon, you come back and get a chance to read it.

Hi, Anon, thanks for entrusting the readers here enough to post a contrasting view. I can totally hear the compassion in your words and the heart behind it. The only way I can respond coherently is to reprint your words here with my replies immediately following. See below:

You Wrote: This makes me sick. Sorry, Mr. Batson, but I comoletely disagree. What is wrong with being gay? Gays are born with something different in their brain, something that makes them attracted to the same sex.

Response 1: 2 different questions here. What is wrong with being gay? If you believe the bible, then homosexual lust and sex are wrong. No way around that. But what about the genetic component? Are people actually born gay? There is huge sociobiological debate on this. But no this: there is NO conclusive proof that anyone is born gay. There are some genetic points of interest that might support the "born gay" position. But there are equal scientific grounds to show otherwise.

BUT: even if it could be proved conclusively that people were born with traits that would make it far easier for them to become gay, that would have nothing to do with it being sin or not. We are all born sinful. And each of us struggle with certain sins. It may be that all of our genetic codes are messed up in one way or another. One person might have the genetic fingerprint to be addicted to alcohol, sex, drugs, violence, etc. etc. But that doesn't mean we excuse the acts that often follow.

To suggest that there's something wrong with these people is, in my mind, completely ridiculous.

My response: it's not ridiculous if the Bible is your guide. And I'm not being bigoted in the least. I think there's something WRONG with every person on earth, especially me. It's called a "sin-nature." We all have it, and it makes it easier for each one of us to lean toward certain sins.

 I understand that maybe marriage must be between a man and a woman, but this is not right.

My Response: Thank you for granting that point. Marriage always has been understood as man and woman. The word is defined that way. If words are to have meaning, then we must not simply change to meet politics or cultural trends. And the word "marriage" is not just some flexible term that has become antiquated over the years. Marriage is a critical social custom that builds the foundation of a nation.

 Maybe it is a sin to be homosexual. But is that what you are going to say? That people that are different than you are worse?

My Response: No, I never implied that homosexuals are worse than me or worse than heterosexuals. All sin is counter-God. A homosexual's sins are no worse than my own. The trouble is that some segments of our society are fighting hard to normalize activities are wrong. It is the same as a sitcom that makes it seem like casual sex is fine and dandy. It's not. It's sin, and even if you don't believe in the bible, casual sex leaves a terrible hurt on most people who engage in it.

 Who cares if someone isn't like you, isn't heterosexual? Why can't people just leave other people alone?

My Response: again, you seem to want to blame me, as if I am the measure of what's good and right in the world. Thank God it is not me! As to why can't people "leave other people alone?" No one is attacking anyone here. America is an open marketplace of ideas, isn't it? So when Yahoo publishes an article with a well-known celebrity going so far to support gay marriage as to officiate the "wedding," then it is my right (and as a Christian) a duty to speak out. The trouble is that many in the homosexual community confuse different opinions with bigotry. I'm tired of being called "intolerant" and a "bigot" or "homophobe" simply because I maintain and support a differing opinion on the subject. Those who support homosexuality are often very aggressive and in-your-face with their beliefs. Fine, but don't "name call" when I oppose you and oppose you well. Either support your beliefs or concede defeat. Don't resort to immature name calling. 

Reading that it makes people sick to think about gay marriage is truly sad, sad that they can't leave it be. It's the way people are, and it's not going to change.

My Response: It's not sad. Imagine someone taking something dear to you and staining it. That's what's happening here. Marriage is what it is. Don't be upset because the word has meaning. If homosexuals want a union, then call it something else. And as to saying, why not leave it be because it'll never change? Think about where that logic takes you. Some people commit incest. Should we leave that be? Some rape. Some commit sexual abuse. Should we leave those things be as well? People commit adultery ALL THE TIME--Christians included. Should we leave that be? Of course not.

I really don't understand this. Is your entire life governed by the bible? Are you simply the puppet of the written word, to kill or shun those that are different or against this? Explain yourself, please.

My Response: Yes, my entire life is governed by the Bible. Not when I sin. And that is my own personal tragedy. God's word is my guide and keeps me from so many destructive paths and horrors. Am I a puppet for holding to a standard of right and wrong that transcends what I simply "feel" is right or wrong?

But, I want you, Anon, to take a very VERY careful look at your words there: "to kill or shun those that are different." You brought those words to the table. I never mentioned them. I don't urge anyone to kill or shun. That's the kind of emotional propaganda that gay rights leaders so often employ.

Love everyone. Hate the sin, especially that sin in my own life. But do not remain silent when beautiful, sacred things are being attacked.

Look What the Stork Delivered!!

Greetings, Knights and Swordmaidens! No, the Batson household hasn't welcomed a fifth child. But in many ways, the moment a writer gets to hold his/her book in hand, well…it's just pure joy. I came home very tired from teaching today. And BEHOLD, there be boxes on me doorstep! Big FEDEX boxes! Immediately, I'm turning cartwheels!

In other news, don't forget: Mark your calendars for...

1) Dark Sea Saturday: November 26th--visit Enter the Door Within (HERE) for a HUGE announcement. The kickoff of the biggest contest I've ever been a part of.

2) December 3rd Lunch, Signing, Errant King Release Party:

WANNA DO LUNCH? Author chat and booksigning for The Errant King coming soon: December 3rd 12-3 pm in Ellicott City at His Way and Nora's Cafe. Contact Michelle Audrey Black (410) 549-8746 to reserve your seat!

LIVE Chat with Three Fantasy Authors! Come one, come all!

 

Live chat with Fantasy Author's Donita K. Paul, D. Barkley Briggs, and Wayne Thomas Batson: You're invited! Live 90 Min. Chat with bestsellers Wayne Thomas Batson & Donita K. Paul at DeanBriggs.com, Monday, Nov. 14 @ 8 pm (Central) http://t.co/Wbi4r7ex.

 

Dark Sea Saturday is Coming!

Forget Black Friday.

Dark Sea Saturday is better.

A ridiculously fun announcement coming soon.

This is Not Funny. Not at all.

Maybe I spend too much time surfing the Net. Today on Yahoo, I found this article on Late Night TV host Conan O'Brien officiating a gay wedding. Looking at the headline, I thought, "You're kidding me." Nope. Not kidding at all. Here's the article if you want to read it: Conan's Big Day

Note to Young Readers: This post may be a little R-Rated, just because of the subject matter. I'll be addressing the issue of gay marriage, so please check with parents about reading on.

On some articles, Yahoo gives readers the option to post comments. So, I did. Weird thing is that, as I was writing, I felt a strange hesitance...a sense of "Oh, this is going to ruffle some feathers, maybe I shouldn't." But feeling that makes me mad. It shows just how pervasive the culture's influence has been on me and largely on Christianity as well. Liberals and activists have so "normalized" things like homosexuality that Christians get timid. We become afraid to express our opinions for fear of being called a bigot or worse. Well, forget that. Christ told us we should expect to be insulted for His name. Does that mean we go hate on people? No, of course not. We LOVE people. ALL people. But we don't condone sin--not our sin or others. And we certainly don't sit back and allow sin to be called good.

So, for what it's worth, here's my take on the Yahoo article:

It's completely appropriate that a comedian officiates this same sex marriage because it's a joke. It's a sham and a mockery of a pure and beautiful thing between one man and one woman. Look at it this way: from the beginning of the cultural practice of marriage it has ALWAYS been defined as one man and one woman, as is natural and fitting. Male and Female we have been created. No way around that. (Even if you don't believe in Creator, Created, or Creation). Humans have two sexes: Male and Female. The way the penis is shaped, the way it works, the way it's stimulated is completely in concert with the way the vagina is shaped, the way it works, and the way it is stimulated. Ask any doctor, nurse, or expert in human physiology. You'll see a myriad of amazing features of male and female anatomy and why they work the way they do. Whether you believe in God or not, you have to delude yourself not to believe that Male and Female were made, designed, evolved FOR EACH OTHER. And rational people had always understood this, and so marriage was appropriately used as a term for a ceremonial (and spiritual) union between man and woman.

If gay men or women want a type of union, fine. I don't agree with you. I don't think it's right. But I'm not naive to think that they won't find some way to have a union. Thing is: don't call it marriage. The only reason the word "marriage" is appealing to you is that you want what you do to be equal to what men and women do. You want what you do to be recognized in the same way. But it can never be equal to what men and women do because men and women are different. It can never be recognized in the same way because it is NOT the same thing. Have a union. But call it something else and get over the language barrier. For if words are to have any meaning at all, there needs to be a definition. And as long as the word marriage has been used in human history it's been defined as male united with female.

And let's not have any of this nonsense, playground name-calling. Bigot, homophobe, and the like. This name-calling is what people do when they run out of intellect. They hope to bludgeon those they disagree with into silence. I could just as easy call you a bigot for not accepting my views on sexuality. I might even go so far as to call you a "Christo-phobe." Maybe I should...what with the way some people react when you mention God or, heaven forbid, Jesus. When I speak out against the practice of homosexuality it is no more "hate-speech" than someone who disagrees with your politics or *gasp* your opinion of a sports team. You may be a rabid Dallas Cowboy fan and think me a barbarian for liking the Redskins, but when I diss the 'Boys, you wouldn't likely call it hate speech. It's a difference of opinion and/or preference. So dispense with the name-calling and start offering rational, researched, evidential responses.

And on that note, I want to make clear that, as a Christian, I cannot support or condone sin of any kind. The scriptures make it clear that homosexuality is one kind of sin, just as I mentioned before: sex outside of marriage, incest, adultery, etc. But please know, I understand the depth of love that all kinds of people can have for each other. The Bible talks clearly of friends who are closer than brothers. And there are men I love with powerful intensity. But the problem begins when brotherly love converts to lust and sexual behavior. That perverts actual love into something deviant. No matter how many people want it or "feel it" it's just not right. But here's the thing: if Jesus came today instead of 2000 years back, I bet He'd hang out with gays in much the same way as he did the tax collectors, prostitutes, and Samaritans. He would flock to those who recognized their need for love and relationship, and HE would give them the water that cures their thirst forever.

It's Time to Burn the Bill of Rights...

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I have recently acquired an ugly, pulsing spiritual bruise…just above the bridge of my nose. Yep, you guessed it: right between the eyes.

My community group has just begun a new study series: Seeking Him, Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival by DeMoss and Grissom. Excellent study. Perhaps, a little too excellent. The 2nd week just absolutely nailed me. Week 2's topic: Humility.

Ouch. Didn't see this one coming. There was a list of characteristics in one of the lessons, showing on one side the traits/habits of Proud People and, on the other side, those of Humble People. The activity asks you to circle the number of the traits that you believe are mostly true of you. So I did it. WHAM, seven out of the first twelve characteristics of proud people are true of me often enough that I couldn't avoid them.

Then, I turned the page.

Well, heaven's to Betsy, lookie there. Turns out there are two more PAGES of characteristics. The first 12 had already nailed me plenty, and now, I find that there are double that and then some to wrestle with. Hence the bruise.

I've got pride issues. Too often do I go through a day pretending to know better than God, pretending to be a good man, pretending to…well just pretending.

The trait that left the welt was phrased in this way: "Proud people are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation."

Somewhere, probably eons ago, I started to build my own Bill of Rights. And unlike the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights of our nation (which I support whole-heartedly), my personal Bill of Rights is a malignant cancer that needs to be burned.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are nice things. But I started creating my own personal rights, things like:

I have the right to entertainment.

I have the right to sleep in.

I have the right to sit on the computer for hours, for no good reason.

I have the right to eat whatever I want, whenever I want.

I have the right to be a full time author.

I have the right to take most of the summer for my own amusements.

I have the right to have kids that never argue or disobey.

I have the right to a wife who meets ALL my needs.

I have the right to experience God whenever I call to Him.

You have any rights like that? You see the problem with each and every one of them, don't you? God never promised me any of those things. All those selfish, me me me, rights are nowhere to be found in God's word. In fact, God mostly just tells me to do the opposite. I'm supposed to die to self. I'm supposed to put others' needs first. I'm supposed to lose my life to save it. I'm supposed to expect trials and hardships. I'm supposed to be content in all situations. But somewhere along the line, I whipped out the quill and scroll and started composing my personal Writ of Selfishness.

Unfortunately, I'm not alone. We hear all kinds of rationalization these days--even from Christian folks. But God wants me to be happy--seems to be the carte blanche excuse for all kinds of evils: affairs, abandonments, sinful sexual preferences, expenses, new toys, on and on and on.

Forgive me for being blunt, but I don't see anywhere in Scripture where God says "Do whatever it takes to be happy." As my good friend Christopher Hopper likes to say, "God is much more concerned with your character than He is with your happiness."

Take a good look at your expectations. Have you fashioned your own bill of rights based pretty much on you getting what you want, regardless? Are you placing ridiculously unfair expectations on your job, your spouse, your kids, your friends, or even God? How about when you're driving, when someone fails to let you into the lane of traffic you're aiming for, do you get really, really mad?

See the trouble with these prideful, self-created rights is that we will often go to any lengths to protect them. And we'll be insanely furious when someone infringes upon them.
"What do you mean, I have to take the kids to their dentist appointments? This is my day off!"
"Throw the ball around? No, not now. This is 'Daddy' time."
"I know the bills are tight, but we've just got to have a vacation."

Maybe you're thinking you might have a pride issue too. So what do we do about it?

Read this:

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, ²³
   “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

  And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, ⁴⁵

   “Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

  Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Isaiah 6: 1-7⁶⁷

When the prophet Isaiah caught a glimpse of God's glory, His purity, His Holiness, well, Isaiah was undone. By comparison, Isaiah knew he was dirt.

In some ways, I find myself jealous of Isaiah. I mean, he had an up close and personal experience with God. Who wouldn't feel humbled in the presence of the Living God? But maybe, just maybe I lack the perspective to understand how devastating such a meeting might be to me. Maybe it's enough to learn all I can of God's holiness in His word. Certainly, there's enough in the Bible to humble me.

But still, maybe you'll join me in praying, "Lord, please send your messengers with coals from your holy altar to touch all the parts of me that are unclean, especially, my mind and heart. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The Unthinkable Has Happened! Hear ye, hear ye! The Battle of the Books has Come!

My books have declared war on...each other. How can this be? I have no idea. But my question to you is, who would win? I mean if each of my series of books went to war against each other, the main characters and supporting cast--who would win? You the readers will determine the victory!

It's the First Annual Battle of the Books! We're setting it up in playoff fashion. Who will win the first round?

ROUND 1: The Matchups

The Door Within Trilogy  

versus

 Isle of Sword/Isle of Fire

The Dark Sea Annals (Sword in the Stars, Errant King)

versus 

The Berinfell Prophecies

Readers and Fans: you will determine which series move on to the Ultimate Book Championship. Starting now, I will keep track of votes that you post as comments! All you have to do is say which books series will win each matchup, and why you think so! Voting for the first round will remain open until November 15th!

What say you, then? How will Aidan, Antoinette, and Company fare against swashbuckling Cat, Anne, and the crew of the William Wallace?

Can unbeatable exAssassin Alastair Coldhollow and young King Lochlan hope to match arms against the likes of Tommy and Kat?

We'll find out! Let the games begin!

Bat Fiction Update: The Incredible Shrinking Author and More!

Happy Fall to everyone! As always, thanks for being faithful readers!

Lots of news to pass along. First:

The Errant King, the 2nd book of the Dark Sea Annals, is due out at the end of October. And this just in, the final cover image. What do you think?

Speaking of covers, I need your help! I'm working on Imagination Station book 8: Mystery of Starlight Island for Focus on the Family. And we've got three cover images on the table. These are black and white sketches of what the eventual cover may be. Which of the three do you like best and why?

And last but not least: Anyone else out there battled weight issues? I have been since the 5th grade. But in recent years, with all the deadlines and teaching (and 50 other excuses), I've really let myself go. I got on the scale and it literally said, "Ouch!"

I've tried tons of diets: South Beach, Atkins, Body-4-Life, The Real Food Diet, etc. etc. ad infinitum. And mostly, they work--to a point. But they often do your body a disservice in the process and make it easier to gain back and then some.

So, this summer, I found myself tipping the scales at the highest I've ever been. I won't tell you the number, but let's just say there are professional linemen in the NFL who would blush to see the number I put up. {Sigh}. I began to find my quality of life and my usefulness to others dwindling. I certainly understand that there are those who have legitimate metabolic issues. That kind of weight gain must be an awful burden for those who have it.

But for the vast majority of overweight folks, folks with normal metabolism like me, we just do it to ourselves. And it impacts absolutely EVERYTHING. Every part of our lives. How much we can get done at work. How much we can play with our kids. How active we can be. And seriously, I believe that we disgrace the Temple of the Holy Spirit and make God look bad when we're fat.

Now, I'm not calling eating a sin. God made it pretty clear to Peter that everything God made was good for food. But somehow I don't think God was urging Peter to eat a whole triple cheese, meat lovers deep dish pizza and follow it up with three pints of Ben and Jerry's. I won't speak for others, but for myself, I've committed the sin of Temple Abuse...over and over and over again. And now, I'm paying for it.

That said, God has given me a fairly resilient body. And I'm just 42. So I'm not throwing in the towel. Rather, I'm getting out of the premature grave I've been living in. And I'm making a change. Or rather, God's empowering a change in me.

I've begun the Jenny Craig program. What? Another diet? I thought you said--actually, I did say. And yes, I am starting another diet, but just in name. Jenny Craig is all about learning to eat the right kinds of foods at the right times and in the right portion sizes. So, really, it's more about life modification than some fad diet. The fantastic thing about Jenny Craig for me is that they provide meals. Yep, it costs. But really, it works out to be just about 30% more than my personal grocery footprint. And to have the menu made for you, the food right there, is absolutely essential for someone with a crazy schedule like mine.

Go to Jenny!

Yeah, I know, I know. Jenny Craig sounds girly. But seriously, there are tons of men on the program doing very well. Everyone from pro surfers to actors to regular Joes like me. Still, I wish they'd have a men's branch called, Stone Cold Craig or some such. Appeals to the macho in me.

So, how did my first week go? Pretty easy, really. And I showed up on Sunday for my weigh in 14lbs down. That's right 14lbs in one week. The Jenny Craig consultants told me it was a site record for their office. Praise God. Week two is going well. Can't wait to see what I weigh in on Sunday. I know it won't be a ridiculous number, but it WILL BE DOWN.

So, I pledge to you, my readers, that I will do this. And I will get down to my healthy weight. And I will come on here every week and let you know how much down I am. And if I don't, you can yell at me! Deal?

PS: If anyone else out there wants to use this as an opportunity to get fit as well, just post comments right along with me. Iron sharpens Iron.

Never alone.

Bat Updates!

Hi, All! I just realized that I haven't posted since July 13th. DOH! Lots of life has been happening. School ended for me on June 23rd, but it was off to OC with the fam. Back from that, I continued working on GHOST.

I expected to get the edits back for The Errant King (Book 2 in Dark Sea Annals) in June, but they didn't come. So, I started working on a book for Focus on the Family's Imagination Station Series. Book 2 (Shown Below) just hit the CBA Bestseller List! I'm writing book 8 in the series, a pirate tale called Mystery of Starlight Isle. This is for a younger audience than my usual, but lots of fun I must admit.

I had a couple of trips in July: Eastern Shore to crab and fish with my son Bryce, Atlanta for ICRS convention. Then, right at the end of July, BOOM, the edits for Errant King show up. Great stuff from Jeff Gerke. I think you're really going to like Errant King...a sprawling, epic adventure.

First week of August, my fam took off for our annual North Myrtle Beach vacation. Didn't do a stitch of writing, but had a very rich family time. Upon return, I had to jump into my classroom to start the castle construction. Long story.

Next week my teaching year begins. Wow. Summer went by so fast. For the Fall, I have this on my plate: Books 8 & 9 of the Imagination Station Series; eBook thriller GHOST; Berinfell Book 3 with Christopher Hopper; Dark Sea Annals Book 3...got any spare prayers?