21 Questions The Chosen Series is Asking of My Writing

In 2017, Frank Peretti spoke a goal into my heart during a powerful keynote at a writer's conference: "Write in the Kingdom. There is no higher voice." I pinned his words to my wall, and I've tried to apply them to the infinite decisions that writing demands. I question myself and God often. Am I still writing in the Kingdom? What does that mean now? 

When I discovered The Chosen series, I didn’t just watch it. I collided with it. When I clicked on my first of many Chosen discussions and deep dives, I was unprepared for how Peretti's words were about to explode with meaning. I had stepped into a free masterclass on how to “write in the Kingdom." After the stressful and demoralizing years I'd spent studying the normal way, this world was as absurd and astonishing as Narnia.

Technically, my favorite question in The Chosen is Andrew saying, "Wine hands?" But here are the questions the series is asking of my writing: 

• Is the message I'm writing a direct continuation of Jesus' story? 
• Am I building in the Kingdom of human hearts that Jesus talked about?
• Am I weakening my story to match what's already been done? Or am I willing to pioneer something new? 
• Am I studying my craft and presenting a fully developed story? 
• Am I losing myself in my work so that people will look past me to Jesus?
• Am I getting out of the way? 
• Am I trying to feed the 5,000, or am I placing my loaves and fish into Jesus' hands? 
• Am I trusting that God will protect me from messing up what He's showing me to do?  
• Am I investing in creating the absolute best quality I'm capable of? 
• Am I hoping for easy validation, or am I working hard to earn an emotional reaction from my reader? 
• Am I more concerned with expressing myself, or with serving my reader? What am I giving to my circle of influence? 
• Am I taking myself too seriously? Am I giving laughter? 
• Am I limiting God by measuring my options against what I think I’m capable of? Am I thinking big enough?
• Am I willing to change course, narrow my focus, and even let go of dreams that aren't Kingdom building? 
• Am I willing to lovingly challenge my reader out of their comfort zone?
• Am I allowing God’s voice to guide my decisions?
• Is God my number one audience?

I'm grateful for God's help clarifying my goals, but to all the people making this happen, I wish I could personally thank you! Dallas & Amanda Jenkins, Ryan Swanson, Tyler Thompson -- you are champions of excellence for creators and writers everywhere to follow. The show would have been enough, but your endless honesty about the creation process is truly priceless. 

#getusedtodifferent is right. 

The Treasure Map, Tyler Scott Hess

Although it's a good book for any season, The Treasure Map will be a great read for Christmas break, and a great Christmas gift. I read a pre-release copy, and my review is as unbiased as it can be when I totally enjoyed the story.

The book opens with a deceiving lack of intensity, and all I can say without spoilers is: WELL PLAYED.

In an unexpected way, I related to both story threads. First, the safety and structure of a loving home, then the horrifying opposite – a world with all its freedoms stripped away. Although it’s fiction, the two contrasting voices strike a nerve with both the loving world we want and the dystopian world we fear. I’ve never lived that ugly world, but I’ve certainly spent time with people who hated my faith, and it’s not hard to imagine what the world would be like if they were in charge. Thank God this is fiction, but it’s not unreal. Read it, and you’ll see what I mean.

I appreciated that for all the suspenseful moments, there was a comforting balance of coziness, and a refreshing absence of graphic violence. Some wild moments yes, but no gratuitous gore. Even in the darkest shadows of the story, we hear a voice of warning mixed with hope, victory, and power. It’s a great message to the Faithful to stay strong, and be watchful. We aren’t defeated yet!

I Corinthians 13 for Writers

Though I write with the voice of an angel, and have not love, I am become as a forgotten word in a dying language. 

And though I have the gift of enchanting language, and can unravel all mysteries, and absorb all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could change the world by sharing my ideas, and have not love, I am nothing. 

And though I give a portion of my royalties to feed the poor, and though I put my reputation on the line for the Truth, and have not love, it profits me nothing. 

Love suffers rejection, and is faithful. Love doesn’t envy the success of others. Love isn’t prideful about accomplishments. Love isn’t puffed up. 

Love isn’t self-focused, doesn’t seek favor, is not oversensitive to criticism, is not easily threatened. 

Love rejoices at the success of others. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

Love never fails: but where there be prophetic writings, they will fail; Where there be inspired messages, they will cease; where there be magnificent stories, they will vanish away. 

For we understand in part, and we write in part. But when perfection arrives, then my scraps of writing will be washed away. 

When I was a child, I wrote as a child, I understood as a child, I reasoned as a child; but when I became an adult, I put away childish things. 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I am known in part, but then I will be known fully.
  
And now I must write faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.