don't let this happen to you--hire a copy editor!

Can you spot the typo in this recent ad from the Daily Inter Lake?

Typos happen...but they can also make you and your business look unprofessional.  Typos can make people question whether you really do know your stuff (even though you do!).  Typos can make a potential customer fail to take you as seriously as they should.

I can help!  I work as a freelance copywriter and I take on a variety of projects.  I can provide you with a free quote for services that meet your communication needs.  You can find more information on my background as a writer here.  My email address is: rmiller001@luthersem.edu

multitudes on monday (121-125)

This week I am thankful for:

121. How well writing has been going this month.  I started the new year with the thought of really investing in doing even more with my writing and growing an even larger audience.  Thanks be to God, doors continue to open.  No, I haven't "made it" as a writer yet, but I sure am enjoying the journey.

122. The joys of really good cinema.  Recently, I've seen movies that moved me profoundly, spoke to me, and enriched my life: The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Midnight in Paris.  All of these had something very special to say and I am the richer for having experienced them.  God is a creative and awesome God in giving people such wonderful artistic gifts.

123. Kisses and face pats from my little daughter.

124. The joy of watching my husband teach my daughter so many valuable things.  He is so patient with her and excellent at coming up with new things to teach her about her world.  She hangs on his every word.

125. Good friends, to whom I can pour out my heart.  Friends who have time for me.  What a gift!

What are you thankful for today?

why i won't be boycotting starbucks

On January 25, Starbucks posted the following status to Facebook: “We are proud to support Marriage Equality legislation in the Washington State Legislature.”  Of course, some conservative Christians raised brouhaha over this statement and the comments in response to Starbucks are still coming in.  For example, one commenter said: “I will be taking my dollars elsewhere because of this support - and I do love my Starbucks. But I do have the right in this country to choose how I spend my money. And I choose to not spend it with a company supporting something I do not.”  A few months ago, it became apparent that Starbucks matched employee gifts to Planned Parenthood and at that time also many Christians declared that they would no longer buy coffee from Starbucks. 

But I do not count myself among the boycotters. 

Unlike my more liberal friends, I don’t agree with Starbucks’ expenditures.  It’s not how I would spend my money and I don’t appreciate these causes.  I don’t support Marriage Equality legislation (although I am certainly far more concerned about the redefinition of marriage within the church—which I expect to be set apart for God— than in the State—which I expect to act like the world).  I definitely don’t support the mission and work of Planned Parenthood.  Although there are caring people who work there, I do not trust the organization itself to truly do what is best for women. 

If I don’t like Starbucks’ money going to these causes, then why have I failed to jump on the boycott bandwagon?

Well, first of all, I believe boycotts should be more than a knee-jerk reaction.  Because our decisions directly impact someone’s business, we should stop and think hard before we boycott.  We should think about the message we send by our boycott.  (Are we contributing to the “intolerant bigots” view of Christians today?)  We should think also about what other companies are contributing to the causes of which we disapprove.  For example, there is a list of the other companies who are part of the Washington United for Marriage Business Coalition, a pro-gay marriage group.  The list is long and although many of the companies are local businesses in Washington, there are a number of prominent national businesses as well.  I believe each should be scrutinized equally when it comes to potential boycotts.  Are you prepared to drop your insurance company (American Family Insurance)?  Are you willing to start using another search engine (Google)?  Plan to change your computer’s operating system (Microsoft)?  Unless you are willing to consider these choices, you are simply succumbing to a herd mentality, doing the “trendy Christian thing.”  We live in a world where it’s cool to boycott Starbucks in some Christian circles, but if we are not consistent, we run the risk of simply coming across as hateful and making very little impact.  (Note: There is a similar list of companies that currently match employee's gifts to Planned Parenthood here.  Starbucks is not listed on that list but is listed here; I have been unable to substantiate whether or not they are still providing these matching funds.)  

Sooner or later though, we come to realize that all businesses and all money are tainted with sin.  If we dig deep enough in most companies, we will find something we don’t like, something of which we disapprove.  Yes, there may be times when we feel conscience-bound to boycott a business (and if God is calling you to do that, by all means do!).  There may be times when we feel so uncomfortable with a certain group’s business practices that we decide to shop elsewhere.  But we should think and pray carefully before we haul off with an angry boycott. 

Yes, sin is serious.  Yes, Christians are concerned with turning away from sin.  But we also have to think about how our tactics make our message come across.  Are we giving off a haughty attitude or are we portraying the Biblical understanding of sin?  Sin is something we are all complicit in.  Sin is something we all need a Savior to deliver us from.  And that Savior did come, because He loved us enough to give up His life for us.  So, the story begins with sin, but it ends with a Savior. 

Where is the Savior in the angry boycott language?  Is our communication style making it harder for people to see Jesus?  Rather than boycotting a business for having different values than our own, maybe it would make sense for each Christian to become friends with someone who believes vastly differently than they do.  Maybe in gently sharing God’s love and care for their friend, an open heart to Biblical truth may result.  Christian disciples are not made by placards, slogans, and boycotts.  Christian disciples are made through the Word, the Holy Spirit and the power of personal relationships with Christians.  And Christians who are plugged into the Scriptures and Christian community fundamentally begin to change from the inside out.

We shouldn’t expect Starbucks—or Google—to have Biblical values.  But maybe we can all befriend and care about Starbucks one barista at a time.  The way Jesus would.  And maybe those individuals can be changed to see the world the way God does. 

teaching your kids about God: devotions together

A couple of weeks ago, I began a series of occasional posts on that most important of responsibilities we have been given as a parent: teaching our kids about God.  The first post focused on how play-acting can be a helpful teaching technique with kids.  Today, I want to talk about the benefits having devotion time together, side by side.

Years ago, I remember reading a wonderful article in Discipleship Journal about how we go through seasons of life in relation to our devotional times.  The time a single college student has to spend in the Word, prayer, and worship is different from the time a young mom or dad with small children has to spend.  There are so many seasons and stages of life and we ought not hold ourselves to the standard of a previous stage of life.  The important thing is simply to be in the Bible to the best of our ability in the stage of life we are in.

Some of my mommy friends and I were recently discussing that we all struggle to even start having a devotion time because we feel we cannot get into it with the depth that we would like, the depth that we have had in the past.  The feeling that easily arises is, "Why start?"  But what we fail to recognize is that consistency is the key, not perfection.  To be in the Word regularly, even if all we can manage is a few minutes, is better than a once-monthly, stressed-out cram session.  After all, we can always add to a consistent routine.  There is room to grow, but at least there is a foundation.

What does this have to do with teaching our kids about faith, you ask?  Well, when I was growing up, my mom made a point of having me see her read God's Word.  I think, remembering that from a child's perspective, I held her up to a high standard that said somehow she managed to go in depth in the little kid years.  And so when when I couldn't figure out how to do this, I felt like a failure.  I talked to her recently about this and it seems it was more challenging than I remembered.  I began to realize that what really matters is just that I read God's Word and that my daughter sees me reading and valuing God's Word. 

About a week ago, we started a new routine at our house: Mommy and Burrito devotions together in the morning.  It all started at Burrito's initiation.  I went into her room to get her up and found her in her rocking chair with a children's Bible.  "I'm listening to God's Word," she told me.  My heart was warmed and since I was behind on my Bible reading (again), I ran and grabbed my Bible and study guide, plopped down on the floor and took this God-given opportunity. 

I caught up with my Bible reading that day and the experience was so precious that every day since then I have gone in, gotten her changed and had devotion with her.  I read my Bible.  She pages through a children's Bible of her choice.  Yes, she peppers me with whispered questions.  "Who's this, Mommy?...Is this Jesus?...What are they doing?...Are you all done with your reading?"  Sometimes I try to read the same sentence in my Bible many times before I finish it.  But we are learning a routine together and gaining mutual accountability.  We are valuing God's Word together.  Sometimes we share with each other what we are "reading."  Opportunities for teaching arise right and left.  When I finish my reading, I read her a Bible story or two.  Then we fold our hands and pray together.  We ask God's blessing on the day and we give thanks for the answers to prayer.  It's simple and it's beautiful. 

I think we will be having devotions together for a long time.

fun winter day activity: molasses-on-snow candy

Molasses drizzled on fresh, clean snow.

Burrito and I have been trying to come up with fun winter's day activities.  We have been reading the wonderful series of children's picture books based on the original Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (for example: A Little Prairie House (Little House)).  The pictures are beautiful and the stories are just the way I remember.  It's been wonderful to share those memories with her.  We recently read Christmas in the Big Woods (Little House) and Burrito was fascinated by the molasses-on-snow candy that Laura and Mary made.  When it snowed heavy and thick this week, she suggested that we make the candy.  So, I dug out The Little House Cookbook and looked up the recipe.  It's very simple: 1 cup of molasses, plus 1/2 cup of brown sugar.  You prepare pans of snow and set them outside to be ready when the mixture gets hot.  You mix and heat the molasses and brown sugar until it boils and then turn it down to medium heat.  You heat the mixtures until it is 245 degrees, stirring frequently to be sure not to burn it.  Then, you bring in your pans of snow, drizzle the mixture across the top (I used a measuring cup with a pour spout so that Burrito could pour too), and let the candy harden.  When it has cooled and hardened, you break the candy into bite-sized pieces.

The finished product!

A couple of tips: if you drip the molasses mixture anywhere, it will make a terrible mess!  Be prepared to use some elbow grease and some vinegar to scrub it off.  Secondly, if you keep the candy in too warm a place, it will slowly melt back down to liquid.  So, eat what you want and eat it fast!:-)  Delish!

Book Review Friday, Part 2: Life, In Spite of Me

I picked up Life, In Spite of Me: Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice by Kristen Jane Anderson because stories of people who have overcome serious depression resonate with me.  I have battled depression and anxiety at least since my teenage years and greatly appreciate stories of those who have survived and even triumphed through these illnesses.

Kristen Anderson suffered a series of deep emotional wounds and losses as a teenager.  She had several family and friend deaths occur, including the loss of a friend to suicide.  Shortly thereafter, she attended a party with a boy she liked and was raped.  No one knew that this had happened.  Her despair began to deepen and deepen, until one night she went for a walk and impulsively threw herself on the train tracks, intending to kill herself and end the pain.  Instead, the train ran her over and severed both of her legs.  She was profoundly wounded.  She shouldn’t have survived, but she did.  Thus began a long journey back through physical and emotional rehab, spiritual transformation, and deep inner healing. 

Kristen believes that God had a plan in all of the pain that she experienced.  According to her account, she was only a nominal Christian prior to the accident.  This crisis became a moment of reckoning, forcing her to re-evaluate everything and come to a personal relationship with Christ.  As a Lutheran Christian, I frequently found myself questioning the way the theology was articulated (did she really have no faith, or did her faith simply deepen with the accident?), but I had to remind myself that God clearly has done a work in this young woman’s life, a work that led to the healing of her broken soul, a deepened faith in Jesus, and a ministry of encouragement to others who are without hope.  I appreciated her vulnerability in sharing her story and the clear transformation God made in her life. 

For those without hope and those who are tempted to end it all, this book could be just the encouragement they need to keep going.

3 stars out of 5

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group .  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review Friday, Part 1: Heaven is for Real for Kids

This week, I have two book reviews for you.  Be on the lookout for the second one tomorrow.

You can hardly be a mommy or a member of a church without having heard of the book Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back.  Countless numbers of my friends have told me “it was AWESOME” or “I couldn’t put it down.”  I still have the adult version of the book in my “to read” stack (which is a bit of a skyscraper, truth be told).  But this week, I at least got to read the picture book version, Heaven is for Real for Kids: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd and Sonja Burpo. 

I read the Kindle version of this book.  My Kindle is admittedly not the best to use for picture books, due to its black and white screen.  However, the pictures were still beautiful and detailed. 

In case you have been living under a rock, the story details how Colton Burpo had a vision of heaven (or visited heaven?) at the age of four during a serious illness which hospitalized him.  I appreciated that the book didn’t go into whether Colton died or not, thereby avoiding a can of worms for a parent to explain.  The book is careful to avoid scary parts of the story and instead focuses on the hope that Christians have.  It expresses this in simple words that are easy for a child to understand.  I really appreciated that the book also included a Bible passage on every page as Colton recounts his vision of heaven.

For people who are looking for big revelations about heaven that they’ve never heard before, this book may be a bit of a disappointment.  There is nothing really new here (and that’s probably a good thing).  All—or virtually all—of Colton’s vision is Biblical.  As the book points out in the Q and A section, a few people in the Bible also got to see (or visit?) heaven, so it is not outrageous for a believer today to have such an experience.  From what I’ve heard about the expanded adult version of the book, Colton had never been told much of the things he saw prior to his vision.  So, maybe the fact that there is nothing new here is simply a testament to the truth of the hope that we have in Christ.  There was a part of me (always the skeptic!) that felt it was a little too convenient how closely the book clung to interpretations of Biblical passages.  Was this truly all new to Colton or had he heard it somewhere?

Either way, we are all encouraged to have the faith of a child and Colton demonstrates that for us.  This book is a helpful resource to teach your children about heaven, with good pictures and not too many words per page.  Many of the Bible verses included would be good memory verses. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”