Reason for My Absence

Well, I realized last night that I haven't blogged since Good Friday. I've had several entry ideas swirling around in my so-called mind, but haven't had the time to devote to "fun" writing. But, I may as well tell you what I've been doing since polishing off the Easter basket malted milk eggs, in case you care or wonder if I'll ever return to online theo-geekiness.

- Lots of interpreting last week. Got to share a little bit with a late-stage cancer patient who reads his Bulgarian New Testament during chemo treatments. He's an Eastern Orthodox believer who is seeking to know God more during this trial. I've been praying for him.

- The kids are on school vacation this week. As I type this, Curious George is on in the background.

- I have finally quit procrastinating and am working steadily on revising my book. As some of you know, in February I completed the first draft of a book on biblical repentance and restoration from eating disorders. My pastor's wife, a nouthetic counselor, gave me some helpful suggestions. I am currently in the process of going back, line by line, and being sure my words are salt, light, and biblically accurate. Once I finish this revision, it's time to start looking for an agent and writing proposals. Getting published is hard; I expect it will be more so in this economy.

- Simultaneously, I've been trying to help my former pastor in Bulgaria get his book "Heralds of the Truth: the History of the Evangelical Church in Bulgaria" published in the United States. Since I copy-edited the English translation, I'm familiar enough with the content to do the querying of publishers, editors and historians, but seems no one's biting. Not much interest in Balkan Church history. Go figure the odds.

- My car's in the shop (remember that ice storm that hit New England in December? The auto repair shops are still digging their way out from all the damages). I'm intimidated by my husband's Volkswagen.....it's a stick-shift. Why Europeans prefer those things, I'll never know. I can never seem to coordinate easing up with my left foot (clutch) with giving just the appropriate amount of gas (right foot) without making the engine race. My hands start to sweat just thinking about it. I'd rather walk to the store, or improvise.

- Did I mention the kids are all home from school?

- Two more bulimic women have contacted me via e-mail for counsel. I am a prolific writer and care deeply about helping them, but with all this "spiritual writing" I admit I've been finding it hard to balance prayer. This is an easy snare to fall into, as it leads to relying on myself to "acheive" results. Bad idea. Nothing good dwells in me; I'm reminded of that constantly. You'd think I'd be pretty humble by now, but noooo......

- My oldest daughter (12) is getting baptised Sunday, May 3rd!

- We listened to a guest evangelist's message this Sunday which strained credibility. Seems an American Muslim student converted to Christianity, was warned her brother was coming to check up on her from her country of origin, and he beat her up. She then allegedly got on a plane with him and returned to said country (earlier this month), where she became the victim of an honor killing (death by stoning). The really incrible part of the story was the gushing e-mail he read the congregation, supposedly from her "devoutly Muslim" sister, exclaiming in glowing terms about her faith and love. The sister claimed she was ordered to "choose between Muhammed and Issa" (the Muslim name for Jesus), which, as any Muslim would know, is a false dichotomy, since both are considered prophets. The "choice" (a suspiciously Western, evangelical term) would have been between "Issa" and "Allah", but there were several other details of that story that just didn't add up. I was considering an entire blog post to analyze the claims, but I don't really see the point.

Strange....an American university student who is known to have been the victim of an honor killing two weeks ago - and it never made it into ANY news media ANYWHERE in the world? Hmm. Sounded a little too scripted - like the movie "Behind the Sun". Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for evangelists to embellish or fabricate stories for emotional impact. My husband and I suspect that may have been the case here, although we certainly hope we are wrong. Have to suspend judgement on this one.

- I briefly considered writing a tongue-in-cheek entry on "The 10 Worst Praise and Worship Songs Ever Written", but I've been trying to cut down on the biting sarcasm and snark factor. Ephesians 4:29, 1 Peter 4:11, James, James, James, James, James, and all that. They say snarkiness isn't a Christian virtue.

- If you're looking for something true and edifying to peruse, go read this, posted at Puritan Fellowship. So true.

Time to load the dishwasher, fold the laundry, and get with God before attacking my book again (well, it's actually His book. He's just letting me be the agent, so I'd better get it right). Thanks for visiting, and hope to be back online soon.