This morning, God gave a very sweet gift of insight that left me blubbering.

For the past ten years of praying and writing, I’ve gone with God’s leading. I’ve laughed off the fact I’m an author genre-jumper, thus a publisher’s nightmare. This morning God gave a little glimpse of the blueprint He’s had in mind the whole time—the order of the books as well as their themes.

The Fall: Rapha Chronicles #1, at it’s core, is about foundations. Everything points to God’s everlasting, unchanging, unfathomable love that pours out to us through the ages. Researching and writing The Fall tore me to pieces, revealed blind spots of prejudice and exposed religious idolatries as it cleared the ground for a deeper understanding of God’s love. It was a beautiful, painful, excruciating, healing experience. If you’re familiar with C.S. Lewis’s “Voyage of Prince Caspian” where the boy, Eustace, is “un-dragoned,” that would be a good analogy of what I went through. It was a deep ripping and tearing that only our amazing, loving God, the divine surgeon, could do. So many tears and so much astounding, blinding, healing communion. The whole time I was overwhelmed and grateful beyond words. Though I’d walked with Christ for decades, it was time to know God’s heart. It’s a broken heart with overwhelming compassion for us hurting humans. To know Him better, my heart too had to break—“shatter” is more like it. 

I had already been writing “One Night With a Rock Star” for a couple years when I got blindsided by “The Fall.” The process, in a beautiful, intertwined way, took me deeper as the character, Esther, has to go deeper with God to handle temptation and the repercussions of choosing God’s way in the midst of it. Plus, the character Sky was on a spiritual quest and, since he’s eloquent and a deep thinker, I had to grapple with foundational issues that a seeker with major guilt-baggage would wade through in the quest for relationship with God. In truth, don’t we all deal with that? Therefore, “Rock Star,” though it appears opposite in genre from “The Fall”—Inspirational Romance vs. Messianic Judaism/Science & Religion—was a logical progression. “The Fall” dealt with the foundation of God’s redeeming love while “Rock Star” put that loving relationship into modern context to affect our life choices and human relationships. God loves us. He then transforms us so we can lead others to Him by loving the way He loves us.

Which brings me to the latest book, “Servant of the King: Memoir of Modern Apostle Kemper Crabb.” The next choice in our progression—once we are filled with God’s love and our lives are marked by that love even in our relationships—is to be God’s servant. Allow me to borrow an Oswald Chambers term for this step: Abandonment. There’s no real template for abandonment. God’s plans for His children are as individual as our fingerprints. As we move forward with Him we discover His unique will for setting captives free through our lives. Kemper’s life is a wonderful example of a life fully given. No, he’s not perfect. But Kemper holds nothing back from serving God. His love for God is deep and passionate therefore when God speaks to his heart, he obeys—even when obedience leads to great risk and sacrifice. Everything in Kemper’s life is laid at the foot of the cross, therefore God works through him in a powerful way. 

In our walk with God, we move from fearful, rejected child to beloved, redeemed child and on to trusted, faithful servant. When we’re overflowing with God’s love for us, it can’t help but affect those closest to us. Eventually, God can use our tiny lives as a powerful light in this dark world.

God often keeps me oblivious to the bigger picture of what He’s doing with my life. What a sweet encouragement to get a glimpse of His plan for the books He’s had me write. It’s like listening day-by-day to the Master Builder’s instruction, just laying bricks with no real clue what the finished product will look like. Today I got a glimpse of the blueprint—just a glimpse though because God knows too much makes me spaz. But that glimpse deepened my faith. Once again I trust-fall into my loving Father’s plan. 

He first loved me.

I love others with His love.

My life is abandoned to His service.

Good plan.

Chana Keefer is wife of one, mother of four, and bestselling author of three. She loves old barns, old movies and brakes for homemade hot chocolate cookies anytime.

For more information on Chana’s books or to order copies to read and share, visit Chana’s Amazon Author Page.

 

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