Truth vs. Feeling: Creative Life Devotional Series

       The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

       The answer of course, in the next verse, is that: "I the Lord search the heart..." And thank goodness for that! At least SOMEONE understands me- and yes- even the bad things!

       A long time ago in one of those crazy deep, "Iron sharpeneth iron" conversation I've had with Tiffany (Betrayer's cover artist and creative consultant), I remember her saying something to the effect: God's truth isn't dependent on my feelings."
       It's stuck with me ever since.
       It's so easy to get caught up in the subjective, the sensory, and the mundane. But it's so true, that God doesn't change. His opinion doesn't change. I might switch moods like changing a pair of shoes, but He remains constant. I might get grumpy because I'm hungry. He doesn't. I might be tired and discouraged, and feel like the future is nothing but bleak, that God doesn't hear, or that He's against me, or even wonder if He exists. But thankfully, I know that none of those things are true. I might feel them, but they are wrapped up in a mood that will pass. God remains eternal, as indelible and unchanging as the laws of the universe He's created. 2+2 will never equal 5, no matter what my opinions are on it. And the same God who designed the mathematical system, the laws of gravity, the musical chords that flow so elegantly in their patterns, who stamped his seal onto our conscience and onto the universe, also revealed Himself in His word.
       Everywhere you look now you see the message: Follow your heart.
       God says: Your heart will deceive you.
       It might feel good to, well, go with a feeling on something. It doesn't feel wrong. How could a loving God condemn me for ... ? Or, conversely: I don't feel loved right now. How could God forgive me for ... ?
       In a world where absolutes are frowned upon, and having the "courage" to follow whatever feels right is applauded, it's easy to get comfortable with those ideas. But if you really stop and think about it, that's not a great place to be. That's like saying that traffic laws only apply to everyone else, not to me. So when I run a stop sign and get T-boned by someone because I didn't feel like stopping, who gets hurt? Well, both of us. When we run God's stop signs, it's on just as grand a scale (and even more so, because we're talking eternity here!), and lives can be ruined just as effectively by "following your heart" as by ignoring traffic laws. If I want God to let me off the hook for something because I was having a bad day, but then you come along and hurt my feelings because, because you were having a bad day, then why should God let my sin slide and not yours?
       See where I'm going with this? God's truth is absolute. My heart is fickle. Without His truth there would be no stability at all in the world. Nothing to fall back on. The same justice applies to each of us, and each of us is offered the same mercy and forgiveness. I may be grumpy about that at times, but in the end, it's so comforting to know that certain things you can absolutely count on.
    
I would love to explore this topic so much more. My mind is going crazy with ideas, but since the same 24 hour days apply to me as to everyone else, I'm out of time.

July Announcements

       A happy July 1st to everyone. You are all probably busy gearing up for the Independence Day weekend, and have a ton of stuff going on. I know we do. With garden season in full swing, helping out with hay, work, writing, and all the other random projects we seem to get sucked into. In between all that I've been working furiously on getting things together to be able to attend Honesdale's Sidewalk Sales event. Things are finally coming together. Lord willing, I'll be there! I'd love for you to come out and see me. I'm excited and nervous about it. I've never done any type of event like this before, and it's feeling really scary and overwhelming. But hopefully it will be a good step outside my comfort zone!
       The Sidewalk Sales take place on Main Street, Honesdale, July 22nd and 23rd. That weekend I'm also planning to announce what my next big project is, and when you can expect to see it in print! I'm ridiculously excited about this one. Abby, my partner from Unseen Things, has done some promo artwork for it, which I'll be proudly displaying at my table. So come on out!
       One of the extras I've been working on for this event was a short write-up on why I chose "Crazy Cabin Books" as the name for my publishing imprint. In case you ever wondered, here it is.

       Why Crazy Cabin Books as a publishing imprint?

       A big share of my “growing up” happened in Alaska, with a gang of girls that are very dear to my heart. Throughout my teen years my family would drive up there every other summer—a tradition that lasted until I had the money to fly up on my own. We had a family we were friends with there that would let us park our camper in their yard, and their cabin out back became the central crazy house for all of us girls. Three sisters from their family were part of the group, myself, and a mutual friend of ours who traveled up from Texas. There we spent long glorious nights talking, dancing, laughing, writing ridiculous stories that each person would start, then pass around the room, taking turns adding on to. We would dream, and plan, and hone our views on life and faith, and inevitably tease each other about boys.

       Those times are still etched indelibly into my identity, and I’m so thankful. So in honor of those girls and those good times, and that cabin bursting with laughter and dreams, I’ve chosen “Crazy Cabin” as the imprint that all my books will bear, since it’s already imprinted on my heart.