Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

you are precious. 

Dear Baby, 

you are loved.

Dear Baby,

you are wanted. 

Dear Baby, 

you are deserving of life.

Dear Baby, 

you are worth fighting for. 

Dear Baby, 

you are not a choice.

Dear Baby, 

you are a miracle.

Dear Baby, 

you are not a mistake.

Dear Baby, 

you are not a problem.

Dear Baby, 

you are a blessing.

Dear Baby, 

you are not forgotten.

Dear Baby, 

you have not died in vain. 

Dear Baby, 

you are being fought for. 

Dear Baby, 

you are special. 

Dear Baby, 

you are not unseen.

Dear Baby, 

you are not unheard.

Dear Baby, 

you are wept for. 

Dear Baby, 

you are cherished in our hearts. 

Dear Baby, 

we know you are safe in the arms of Jesus.

Dear Baby, 

we stand for your right to live. 

Dear Baby, 

we will not yield.

Dear Baby, 

we will not give up.

Dear Baby, 

your death will not be in vain.

Dear Baby, 

we will choose life. 

Dear Baby, 

we will help the mothers scarred by this horror.

Dear Baby, 

we will not be silent.

Dear Baby, 

we will not be passive. 

Dear Baby, 

we will try to make a difference. 

Dear Baby, 

we will continue to stand for the Right.

Dear Baby, 

we will continue to fight in God's strength. 

Dear Baby, 

you are not forgotten. 

~ // ~ 

Today is Chain Life Sunday. Please think & share about this. Stand for life.

Why I No Longer Do NaNoWriMo + My Alternative

I have been participating in Camp NaNo & @NaNoWriMo for about 7 years now. I was an enthusiastic supporter of the organization, and I was always recommending it and gearing up for November. But on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, I deleted my NaNo account, unsubscribed from all their emails, & quit following their Instagram. 

There are several reasons for this, and I will briefly list them out.

NaNo’s been promoting homosexuality, transgenderism, & other unbiblical things/lifestyles loudly for about two years now—not only to older adults but to young writers (13-18) as well. I kept thinking off and on about getting out of this organization, but the pros always outdid the cons. 

Then on that Tuesday, NaNoWriMo made a blatant & unjust attack upon police officers which shocked & upset me deeply. They sent out a newsletter which essentially called the police racist, which makes the family members of some dear friends of mine—people that NaNo doesn’t even know—racist, simply because they’re LEO. They also supported terrorist groups and promoted anarchy & the destruction of their country. 

I am not American, but I cannot stand by silent at such injustice & wrong. Do not make this out to be a Black Lives Matter affair. I grew up surrounded by blacks and some of my dearest friends are blacks. Black lives matter, emphatically, and no one can say the contrary. But so do blue lives. Every single life matters, and I will not stay silent on the subject. 

I have deleted my NaNoWriMo account and I will no longer promote or recommend an organization that speaks such rampant injustice and does does not honour authority. I am not alone. Many of my writer friends (more than one with LEO family) were also deeply upset by this. My friends are hurting; my friends’ country is being ravaged. The way to fix this is not by attacking the brave officers who place you and your loved ones above them and their loved ones. The way to fix this is by showing grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness, and moving on. The American justice system may have flaws, but it is not the officers’ fault, it is the responsibility of those higher up. There are bad apples in every group, but on a whole, 99% of police officers are good, self-sacrificing people. 

Again, this is not political in any way, nor is it an attack upon anyone, nor is it saying that black lives don’t matter, nor is it saying that every officer is a good officer, nor is it saying that racism doesn’t exist. It is simply a protest against the injustice of calling every single police officer in America racist—an insult to people I love—and a blatant lie—and a protest against the unbiblical agenda that NaNo is pushing.

To be very plain:

I don't like injustice, and this loud pushing of injustice towards so many children really bothered me. And that's what it boils down into. Police or not, no one deserves this type of injustice. No child should be taught such injustice. No child should be taught such unbiblical lifestyles are okay, either. I could no longer support an organization that did this. 

Feel free to email/message me if you want to see screenshots of emails & posts for proof of what I’m saying. 

Now onto the good news! 

As I said, lots of Christian authors rallied around me & my friends and deleted their NaNoWriMo accounts. My friends and I got busy and worked hard to set up a Writing Camp for Christian ladies. It is called the King’s Daughters’ Writing Camp, and it is a free, online camp for Christian ladies of all ages. You can set your own goals; create your own tent or be placed in one of the current tents; there’s a whole Campground to chat & sprint with the other Campers on... it’s really super fun. It is on Slack, so everyone has to create an account, which is free and super quick to do—and really Slack is an extremely useful app; best messaging app I’ve ever used, actually. It's available both online and as an app, too. Here's some extra info direct from the website... 

"This camp is a gathering of Christian ladies from all over to focus on writing stories that honor God. 

It was created by a group of writers who wanted a safe place for Christian ladies of all ages to connect with and encourage each other in our writing journeys without worrying about the offensive or unbiblical messages promoted by secular writing organizations.

The camp is run on Slack. (Each participant must create a simple account.) There are separate channels in which to chat with fellow writers, participate in writing sprints, get help on your story, and encourage each other. All information such as emails are kept private, and participants may use pen names if they so desire.

Every “camper” is divided into “tents” and each “tent” has an older, mature young lady counselor known as an “Auntie” who will be there if anyone needs anything, to encourage, answer questions, and to just be an older mentor for writers of all ages. 

Since this is an all girls camp, there is no need to worry about inappropriate relationships between guys and girls. We also have a statement of faith and a simple set of rules we ask each camper to agree to."

Isn't that awesome?? The camp website is https://kingsdaughterswritingcamp.blogspot.com; be sure to follow it for updates of the next writing camp. We had one Summer Camp from July 1st to July 31st and it was a huge success. We had over 70 ladies from all over the world & of all ages, and we had an absolutely amazing time. We made so many new friends and wrote a ton and just had a lot of fun! I highly recommend it--and here are some more testimonials! ;) I really recommend checking out the whole website, too—there's a lot of useful and fun information. 

We have spent the summer fixing issues and getting ready and we are now starting a new writing camp, which runs from October 15 to November 15th. If you’re interested in joining in with us, head over to the website; there is all the information you need to know, and the information on how to sign up to join! Let me know if you have any questions. ;)

I am super excited for this new Camp and everything we will be able to do; and I feel so much better and cleaner after definitely breaking up with NaNo. 

Whether you do NaNo, KDWC, or anything else, happy writing, everyone!! And those of you who aren't writers, happy October. :) 

Dear Broken

Dear Broken:
You, with the tears on your cheeks and in your heart. You, standing alone in the darkness. You, with bowed head and aching soul. You, with your heart in pieces and your confidence in rags. 

You are not alone. 

You are not beyond repair. 

For every broken heart, there is a balm. For every sin-stained soul, there is a cleansing. For every tear-filled eye, there is a comfort. 

You are not alone. Another heart has been broken for you. Another soul has shuddered in the agony of separation for you. Another eye has wept for you. 

His name is Emmanuel--God with us.

He has paid the price for your redemption. See, He stands before you with hands outstretched. Behold the love in His eyes. Hear His voice as He calls.

"Child, you are not unwanted. I suffered measureless agony for you. You are not unloved. I love you with an everlasting love; I loved you before the earth was formed. I have sustained you every day of your life. I have kept your heart beating; I have filled your lungs with air. Child, I have done the ultimate sacrifice for you. I died, that you might live. I shed My blood, that you might be washed clean and made pure. I came to earth, I took upon Myself the form of man, I suffered the infirmities and trials of mankind--for you."

Dear heart, know this. You are not beyond redemption. The wages of sin is death, but Jesus purchased your freedom. You have only to ask. He is eager and willing to wash your sins away, to fill you with His peace and joy. He is waiting patiently, unwilling that you should perish. 

There is redemption in Jesus. It has been proven by countless souls throughout the ages. You are not excepted. Whosoever wills--that is you. He promises to save you, if you will go to Him, repent, and ask for His salvation. 

Dear broken, there is Light in the darkness. There is a Friend who loveth deeper than a brother. There is an assured Hope. There is plenteous Redemption. There is perfect Peace. There is great Joy.

Dear soul, if you have wandered from Him, know this: He is abundant in mercy and rich in love. He will receive you with open arms if you return to Him. Know that He is all you need to repair you. He is the Great Physician, the only one who can stitch back together the ragged pieces of your heart. Bring the bits and pieces of your messy self to Him. Entrust your bleeding heart in His hands. He will never fail you. Trust His promises. 

Dear broken, in Jesus there is all you need and crave. 

Broken does not mean beyond use. Broken does not mean beyond help. Broken does not mean worthlessness. 

Dear soul, Jesus is the only One for you. He is the only One that can help you. He's the only One that can change you. He's the only One that can heal you. He's the only One to get glory. Come to Him and fall down at His feet. He will raise you, free you, bless you. 

Dear broken, do not despair. Do not give up. There is hope for you. There is light. There is help. Over and over God tells you so in His word. And God does not lie. Take Him at His word and go to Him in faith. I challenge you, go read book of Romans, the book of Galatians, and the book of Ephesians. Over and over you will see, there is redemption. Read the whole Bible; over and over you will see the theme: there is redemption. There is hope. In Jesus Christ. 

Dear Christian, if you are struggling in the darkness, know this: He has not forsaken you. Cling tightly to Him and believe His word. He will see you through this. The light is still there. Soon the morning will break, and you will understand. Until then, hold on to Him and claim His grace. It is enough for you, for His grace is measureless. 

Dear heart, I pray that if you have never turned to Jesus for salvation, that you would do so. I pray that if you have wandered, that you would return. I pray that you claim the redemption and grace in Christ Jesus. There is only one thing that can vanquish your darkness, and it is the Light of the World--Christ. I pray that you know that Light and abide in it. 

God bless you, dear one. My heart aches for you. I pray you turn to Jesus, for He is the only way to have peace. 

Please, stay. Please, seek the Light. Please, do not despair. 

There is hope. There is hope. THERE IS HOPE. 

Do not give up. I promise that Jesus is all you need. I promise that if you hang on to Him, you will find the peace you are looking for. 

I promise, because I know it. I have experienced it. 

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." (Rom. 15:13) This is my prayer for you.

Dear heart, choose hope. 

 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. --John 14:27.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. --John 16:33.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. --Isaiah 26:3.

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. --Lamentations 3:21-26.

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. --Romans 15:4.

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; --Hebrews 6:18-19.

It's Okay to Ask for Help

In this world there's a huge pressure to be strong. "You've got this." "You can do it." "Just keep pushing on." "You're strong." And all the other catch-phrases running around.

There's a good side to all this encouragement. But there's also a downside to it. The downside that weakness is made out to be at terrible thing. That everyone expects you to be strong. That you're supposed to do it all on your own. There's a sort of attitude going around that implies that people talking about their problems are just self-centred brats who won't try to help themselves out of their problems.

I struggle a lot with asking for help. I love my friends and I don't want to sadden them. To reach out for sympathy, to admit that I'm hurting and that I need some care, makes me feel guilty. Guilty for bothering them. Guilty for turning the attention to me.

And yet, I need help. That's how I process my pain. I need someone to listen to me pour out my story & my feelings, to sympathize, to let me know they care. I don't need them to fix my problem necessarily--I just need them to listen to me until I've let it all out & processed it all.

I need people to help me.

Is that weakness?

No.

It is strength. It takes strength to pull off the mask and show your mess. It takes strength to admit you can't do it yourself. It takes strength to be real instead of being perfect.

It takes strength to ask for help. 

So reach out and ask for help. I know you wanna be there for your friends and help them through their low points. But you know what? They want to be there for you too. They want to help you too. Friendship works both ways. It's a mutual build-up. To ask each other's help isn't weakness. It's being real and building a real friendship.

There's a fine line between just constantly complaining & being a parasite, and just asking for help because you're struggling, of course. I'm not talking of those false friends who just live off of you. i'm talking of the real people who need help but are afraid to ask for it.

And I'm here to tell you, it's okay to ask for help. 

It's not attention-seeking to admit you're hurting and that you need someone to care for you. It's not unkind to admit you need the kind of help you offered them. It's not weakness to admit you can't do it yourself.

It's okay. It's right. It's wise. Because we weren't made to carry our burdens alone. We were created to help each other. To build each other up. We weren't created to be alone. We were created to be together.

So if your friend is reaching out for help, don't ignore them. Don't walk away on them. Don't duck out of the conversation. Be there and reach your hand out to them. Let them know you care. Let them know you're there for them. Let them know they're doing the right thing in asking for help. Listen to them and try to help. Be there for them. Point them to the Best Friend & Counsellor. Be strong for them. 'Cause someday you'll need to lean on them. And that's how it should be.

And if you are struggling, please, reach out for help. Maybe some folks will shut down the conversation. Maybe some will refuse to notice. But there are people out there who care. It's okay to ask them for help. That's what they're there for. And when they are hurting, it'll be your turn to support them.

And if you feel like you're all alone and no one cares for you, know this. I care. I care for you, whoever you are. You are a person and you ought to live & be loved. I want you to live & be loved. And know this, too: God cares. The One who formed you in the womb, who keeps you breathing every day, who watches over you--He cares. He knows you can't do it alone and He's standing there just waiting for you to kneel at His throne, cast your burdens on Him, and ask for His help. He's waiting with one hand outstretched towards you, waiting for you to take it, pleading with you to accept His help. The Lord Jesus is standing there, with his nail-scarred hands outstretched, saying, "Child, I paid the ultimate price for you. I showed the ultimate love towards you. Will you accept it?"

God is there for you. Because He cares.

It's okay to ask for help.
It's right to ask for help.
It's wise to ask for help.
It's courageous to ask for help.

Please don't try to do it alone. Show true strength and put your hand in the hand of God. Then you will receive all the Help and Strength you need.

Stop the Rain Cover Reveal Tour!!

YOU. GUYS. 

IT'S FINALLY HERE.

Man, I love this book so much already and I've only read snippets. Many snippets.

Kassie was working on Harley's story while I worked on Nathan's. Harley reminded me of several of my characters, and my heart went out to this poor, broken adult kid. He's basically become my nephew. No joke.

I cannot wait to read this book. Even though I know it will tear me apart even worse than Tattered Wings and O To Be Like Thee did. 

So anyways, here's the book.

THAT COVER THOUGH. THAT COVER. 

And here's the...

Synopsis 

He left his entire world in Iraq. So why did the war follow him home?

Harley Keane and his best friend Nigel were just kids when 9/11 rocked their world and changed their lives forever. When they’re finally old enough to join the Army, all their childhood dreams seem about to come true. But war wasn’t supposed to be like this. A kid’s dream isn’t supposed to become a living nightmare. Fellow soldiers aren’t supposed to bleed out in front of your eyes.

Back home, safe and unwounded, Harley feels anything but. Why would God spare him when so many others were taken? Why won’t the nightmares stop, even when he’s awake? And how long can he hide the truth that threatens everything he has left? When Harley’s invisible scars refuse to stay hidden, will he let anyone close enough to help? And how do you go on with life when “okay” isn’t okay at all?

Coming November 11, 2020

A PTSD awareness novel – no one fights alone

*cries*

Author Bio

Kassie Angle is a teenaged Christian author, cowgirl, therapy dog trainer, stereotypical INFJ, and Army girl to the core. Her first love, i.e. debut novel, O to be Like Thee, swept her unexpectedly into the world of indie authors. She tries to use her stories to fill the silences in literature, helping more people understand the world of the Army and showing how God heals the broken-hearted. You can find her and more of her writing at SoldierGirlStories.com.

*NOTE: KASSIE’S DOMAIN HAS LAPSED AS OF 2022 AND BEEN TAKEN OVER BY ANOTHER COMPANY. DO NOT GOOGLE IT*

Instagram: @saving_grace_and_a_blue_sky

So, yeah. There you go. It's coming. Get ready. 

'Cause this book needs to be read. 

Thanks, Kassie. Thanks so much.

Choose Truth: The Truth Will Set You Free

So somehow I did not have a post for Monday. Which I did not realize till Tuesday. Oh well. 

But it kind of turns out well, because there's something I want to say. 

*disclaimer: I do not endorse all these men, but these quotations are worth pondering.*

There is so much that frustrates me right now in what I'm seeing going around. So I'm going to address it. Because someone has to speak the truth. Even if no one sees this.

"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." (Sir Winston Churchill). 
"The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future." (Theodore Roosevelt). 

You can't change history to fit what you think it should be like. You can't remove the unsavoury parts. You can't pretend stuff never happened. You can't lie and make up new facts. History is our past. Something we need to study and know so we can learn from it. Ignoring it only causes it to be repeated even worse than it was before. The only way to change history is by becoming familiar with it and learning from it so we can make changes in our present. To hide or change a nation's history grievously harms that people. 

"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." (George Orwell).
"Each time history repeats itself, the price goes up." 

You can't blame those now living for what happened before they were even thought of. It is unfair in the most flagrant way. Is a baby to blame for his father's bad actions when his father was a teenager? Is a grandchild to blame for what his grandfather did a hundred years ago? Wasn't that what the Nazis said--if your grandparents were Jews, you were tainted? So if your grandparents owned slaves, you are racist? Because a king attacked your country three hundred years ago, the current prime minister is hateful? 

Stop trying to saddle people with guilt for crimes they never committed. But wake up and start insisting that people take responsibility for the crimes they did commit. Stop screaming when someone is punished for the wrongdoing they did. Stop pretending that someone didn't do any wrong. It is blatant injustice and evil to allow someone to evade responsibility for their actions. MAN UP! You made a wrong choice, you must bear the consequences!! Why should you, guilty, be allowed to go scot-free while the innocent suffer for what they never did? 

If it was anything but the current situation, everyone would be screaming at such injustice. Even children know that to let a wrongdoer go free and punish someone who didn't do anything is horribly evil. Even children understand justice. 

"Have we reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while other people are not held responsible for what they themselves are doing today?" (Thomas Sowell). 
"It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people." (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Ignorance is one of the most dangerous things in the world. Ignorance sparks prejudice and hate. Ignorance starts well-meaning stupidity. Don't be ignorant. Study. Look things up. Dig for facts. Find the truth. Know what you're supporting. Listen to other perspectives. Try to find what's truly the right. Find out about the people who are the prominent actors or names. Check into facts for yourself. Don't make.a judgement without finding out what really happened first. Stop spreading stories without finding out their veracity first. Try to understand the reasons behind something. Don't get swept away by emotion-triggering language or pathetic stories. Take a look at the source of the information and see if it's trustworthy. BE INFORMED. 

"To be ignorant of the past is to be forever a child." (Cicero). 
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." (Martin Luther King Jr.)
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!  Woe unto them [w]hich justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!” (Isaiah 5:20-23).

Stop trying to hide the facts. If something is corrupt, say it. If someone is being unjustly attacked, say it. If a lie is circulating, SAY IT. It is by keeping silent that you allow these things to become rooted. Lies cannot stand before truth. Speak the truth. Let it be known and heard. Don't be silent. 

"Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." (George Orwell). 

"If not us, who? If not now, when?" (John F. Kennedy). 

There are so many voices yelling to be heard right now. Remember to take a break from the chaos and go to God. His voice is the only one that matters. His words are the truth. Listen to what He has to say and then repeat it. Say it loudly. Let it fill the earth. Don't be threatened or shamed into silence. God's truth cannot be proven false. It is TRUTH. Pure and absolute. Now and forever. It will stand against all attacks. Stand in God's strength. His Name is a strong tower; run into it and you will be safe. 

"If I were to remain silent, I'd be guilty of complicity." (Albert Einstein.)
"What you allow is what will continue."
"The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." (Albert Einstein). 
"You have enemies? Good. It means you've stood up for something, sometime, in your life." (Sir Winston Churchill.)
“Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; & let him be your fear, & let him be your dread.” (Isaiah 8:12). 

Speak the truth. Because only the truth will last at the end. Start showing true love. True love is truly desiring what is truly the best for the other person. Read that again. WHAT IS TRULY THE BEST. That is Godly love. Love means not letting them hurt themselves. Protecting them from anything that can harm them. That’s why true love is disciplining, nurturing, challenging, restraining. It’s protecting the loved one from hurting themselves or walking blindly with someone/something that will hurt them. That’s why just letting them do what they want to do is not love. That’s carelessness. It’s selfishness. It's the best way to hurt someone. Love is hard work and calls for investment and sacrifice. Love is working now for the results later. Letting loose is having it easy now, and paying the consequences later... often with steep prices. “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour:” (Romans 13:10). Letting someone harm themselves in some way is failing your responsibility.

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." (Abraham Lincoln).  
"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear." (Thomas Sowell). 

Teach this love. Spread it. Show it. Extend grace and mercy.

Start speaking, living, sharing the Truth. 

The Truth is what will set you free. 

The Truth is true justice. 

True love wants to set others free from their chains.

Choose the Truth. 

Don't be silent.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."  

A Call for Justice

When authors starts writing a story, they usually have to figure out the character. This can range from taking a test on 16personalities.com, to doing a character questionnaire, to having a random bullet-point list of stuff about them, to writing an in-depth biography, to just writing the story and finding out what the character is like and what he’s been through. I do both. Most of the time I just write my story and discover as I write what the character is like, but I do also take quizzes and write biographies. 

Regardless of how he sets about it, the bottom line is that any author is going to craft character as he writes. One thing you discover extremely fast is that no character is the same. They can have the same name, same job, same family, same nationality, same city, same race, same hair or eye colour... and yet they will be completely different. You know that. 

Even if they have the same personality type, characters will be different. For instance, in two of my books, I have an ENFP (Adalyne Kemp), an ISFJ (Nathan Kemp), an ISTJ (Jennifer Gray), and an ENFJ (Jerry Gray). 

ENFP

ENFJ

ISFJ

ISTJ

Just one letter different, but boy, does it ever make a difference. No one would ever confuse Jerry and Adalyne, or Jennifer and Nathan. Nathan and Jerry have only two letters different, but they are completely unalike. Even if you have two characters with the same letters (for example, both MCs from Victoria Minks’ Jonas & Olivia are INFP), they will be totally different. For the record, I am ESFJ, and I have a friend who is an ESFJ, but we are still quite different. Personality is extremely complex. Ask anyone who has looked into it. People can have completely conflicting characteristics. For instance, you can be very shy, but also really enjoy being the centre of attention. You can be extremely lazy but very goal-motivated and hard-working. 

Anyone crafting characters knows (or finds out really soon) that many things affect a person’s character. Their upbringing. Big moments in their life. Their family and friends. Their personality. The things they’ve seen and read. Their opinions, prejudices, visions, likes and dislikes. There is so much that goes into making someone who they are. We’re all unique to start with, but then you start adding completely different life happenings on top and people become more and more different. I can’t express how much character crafting makes this obvious. My American characters aren’t like my French ones. My characters who were brought up in Christian homes are nothing like those who were abused. Out of the hundred of characters I have ever created, I do not think there is ONE who was 100% alike as another one. They. are. all. unique. Backstory plays a HUGE role in crafting who you are. 

In short, it is utterly ridiculous to say that people are all the same. They’re not. It’s a blatant lie. Look around you. There is practically nothing that is 100% unique--even man-made things! Two notebooks can be 99% different and yet one can be a bit darker than the other. No two paintings are alike. No two meals. Nothing that we make with our imperfect hands is perfectly similar. When we come to things God has created, the diversity is even greater, because He is a God of diversity. Flowers, plants, birds, bees, animals... there is nothing that He has created that is not unique. And then you come to humans, who were created in God’s own Image. Each one is different. There has never been anyone who is 100% similar to anyone else in all of history. In the 6,000 years or so of the history of the world, out of the billions of humans God ever gave life to, not one was ever a reprinting of someone else. What about fingerprints? DNA? It’s a biological FACT that we are all unique. 

You know that. So why do you ignore it? Why do you generalize? Why do you lump people together? Why do you slap labels? Why do you do blanket assumptions? Why do you judge someone based on someone else who was somewhat similar (notice how vague that is??)? The plain and simple fact is that this is INJUSTICE and FOLLY. It is never just to judge someone based on what a family member did. Why is it right to judge them by what someone of the same race, or town, or country, or profession did? It isn’t. It’s flat-out wrong. It’s a gross injustice. And I mean gross in the sense that it is a tremendous injustice, but it’s also applicable in the sense that it’s disgusting.

Call out the wrong. We must. It is our duty. But it is also our duty to be just. And judging, hating, and assuming on anyone because of what someone else did is UNJUST. You would be so indignant if because of something your sibling did people hated you. SO QUIT DOING IT. Yes, there are bad white people. Yes, there are bad black people. Yes, there are bad Americans. Yes, there are bad police officers. Yes, there are bad Minnesotans. Yes, there are bad Minneapolis citizens. Yes, there are bad officials. Yes, there are bad rioters. YES, THERE ARE BAD HUMANS. But Cain killing his brother didn’t make all his siblings murderers. Pharaoh hardening his heart didn’t make all Egyptians wicked. Barak being a chicken didn’t make all the Israelites cowards. Judas being a traitor didn’t make all the disciples betrayers. 

What about the 12 spies Moses sent into Canaan? The 10 doubting God didn’t make Joshua and Caleb disbelieving too.

The bottom line is this: Judging someone based on someone else is WRONG. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you—you don’t want to be judged by what someone else did, don’t judge others by what another else did. 

And at the end of the day, God is the Judge. Not you. Judge yourself before you judge someone else, and even then, be careful. 

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 

And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, Who will render to every man according to his deeds.

Remember to love. 

Remember to forgive. 

Remember to be Christlike. 

Jesus called out wrong without fear.

He also reached out to those who were in sin to help them. 

He also prayed for His own executioners.

He died for them too.

That’s the difference between God and man.

Which one do you want to be like?