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Today, I bring you an interview with Kathi Macias, author of the Freedom Series books on human trafficking entitled The Deliverer. Leave a comment at the end if you’d like to be entered in the drawing for the book.

Q: While this is the third and final book in the Freedom Series, I’m sure there are people who are just learning about it. Would you please share what prompted you to write these books on such topic as relevant and difficult as human trafficking?

I was finishing up my previous fiction series for New Hope Publishers (the Extreme Devotion Series, dealing with the persecuted Church around the world) when Andrea Mullins (the publisher at New Hope) asked me what topic I wanted to tackle next.

We discussed a few possibilities, and then she suggested human trafficking. I was aware of it and thought it was terrible but had no idea how widespread it was. I agreed to do some preliminary research and get back to her.

When I discovered there are more than 27 million people held in various forms of human trafficking (sexual slavery, forced labor or military conscription, involuntary donation of body parts/organs) and that many of them are children (including an estimated 100,000—300,000 MINORS held in sexual slavery in the US today!), I was horrified.

I was also convinced that I had to do everything possible to help educate others about this widespread horror and to call them to join the fight. Not only have I now written/released the Freedom Series on human trafficking, but I’m speaking on it everywhere/every chance I get.

Q: What was your original objective in writing these books, Deliver Me From Evil, Special Delivery, and The Deliverer? And, what are you hearing back from people who have read the books? How are they taking action?

Originally, my plan was to see the books alert readers to this horrific crime and, hopefully, challenge them to get involved in fighting it some way. That seems to be happening but on such a larger scope than I had imagined.

The response from readers is overwhelming! Pastors have written to say they are challenging their entire church to get involved on some level, and I’m being invited to speak all over the country on this topic. I am thrilled to see the Light being shined in this terrible darkness at last!

As for specific actions, pastors and civic leaders are inviting me (or others in this ministry) to come and speak to their congregations/groups to help educate them on this massive tragedy. Readers tell me they are posting about my books all over the net to help snag people’s attention.

I’m getting invitations to speak on radio and TV as well. I’ve also been contacted by readers who are getting involved in setting up safe houses for rescued victims, which is a huge need. I was even contacted by the Department of Homeland Security and invited to participate in group conference calls on the topic. Overall, I’m thrilled at the way God is using these books to help sound the alarm and to “rescue the perishing.”

Q: It seems there is always someone in your books who is an intercessor. Why is that important for you to include?

This is vital to me, and as you said, I almost always include an intercessor in my novels. I know there were intercessors in my own life who prayed me through some incredibly dangerous and difficult times, and I appreciate those heroes of the faith more than I can express.

Highlighting their importance in my books accomplishes two things: it enables me to honor those faithful intercessors that often get no recognition in this world, and it also calls others to get involved in intercession as well.

Q: You write books as you often call them, parables with a purpose, on topics such as human trafficking, the persecuted church, illegal immigration, and your Christmas 2012 book is about homelessness. Some might call you an advocate. Why is it important for Christians, and the church as a whole, to discuss these issues?

You’re right that I call my novels “parables with purpose,” because I believe Jesus is our example and that’s what He told to His followers—parables with purpose. He didn’t just tell them “nice stories” to entertain them. He told stories that would grab them right where they lived, and then challenge them to change their hearts, their minds, and their lives.

The church has always been at the forefront of serious social change, leading the charge to abolish slavery for instance, and leading the charge on these other issues is right where the church needs to be now. The first step is to discuss the issues, to make people aware of them, and then to call them to action. I believe gripping fiction is one of the most effective ways to do that.

Q: Will you give us a glimpse, a taste of things to come -- without getting too far ahead -- of what’s in store for your next series and books on the horizon?

In addition to the 2012 Christmas novel, Unexpected Christmas Hero, dealing with homelessness in America, I will be releasing a new series starting in January. The first of the three novels is called The Moses Quilt, and it deals with a contemporary interracial romance, set against the background of a quilt that tells the story of the courageous, faith-filled woman known as Harriet Tubman.

A contemporary novel dealing with the issue of abortion will follow, with the first woman doctor in America, Elizabeth Blackwell, as our backdrop heroine. The final book will be built around the much beloved Fanny Crosby, as we deal with the issue of people with disabilities.

That series is from New Hope Publishers, but I also have a book releasing in the spring of 2013 from B&H Publishers called Last Chance for Justice. It’s part of the multi-author Bloomfield Series, and I’m very excited about it.

Q: You also write a devotional blog. Can you tell us what the focus is and where we can find it?

I started writing a weekly devotional several years ago in response to a request from the then newly formed group CAN (Christian Authors Network). I sent it out as a group email and had about 40 recipients then. The devotional mailing quickly grew and expanded beyond the CAN group with countless readers signing up to receive it.

I also started posting it each week on my devotional blog, a part of my primary website, where you will also find my “Easy Writer” blog, which is more writing-related. (You can also sign up there to receive the weekly devotional in your inbox.)

Over the years, the devotional has been picked up by Crosswalk, Black Christian News, Latino Christian News (I offer it in Spanish as well as English), Believe.com, Christians in Recovery, etc., so the readership has mushroomed beyond anything I ever imagined. God is amazing, isn’t He?

Q: Finally, we know you as an award-winning author, but you also enjoy speaking for women’s events and other groups as well. On what areas or topics do you focus your speaking presentations? How can a church or group find out more about having you speak for their event?

I speak on various topics, including the issues I address in my books, but on other topics, too. One of my most requested topics is “When Passion and Purpose Collide.” That, along with several other popular topics, can be found in the speaking section of my website.

To see my current speaking schedule and/or to explore the possibility of having me come and speak, just go to http://kathimacias.com/speaking/speaking-schedule/ and click on the Christian Speakers Services button to make contact. You can also see some of my speaking endorsements at http://kathimacias.com/speaking/endorsements/.

For more opportunities for free copies of The Deliverer by Kathi Macias, please visit Facebook.com/CSSVBT.KathiMacias.

*I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview and/or book review on my blog. This blog tour is managed by Christian Speakers Services.

                                                                         

See the broken glass? A robber did that. He broke in and stole from one of God’s ministries, Surrender40.

Five robberies have occurred in sixty days in the area, including the Pentecostal church down the street from Surrender40.

Not only did the perpetrator rob ministries but he also robbed the ministries’ recipients, like himself, of what God’s workers could have done for them.

Trachena and Steve Muchnick run a wonderful ministry to the homeless in drug-infested Miami. At the time of the robbery, Trachena was in the building and able to hide in the bathroom and escaped harm, thanks to God’s mighty hand of protection.

Through the ministry, they give out meals, shirts, socks, sweaters, blankets, jackets, Bibles, hygiene items, and many other items, feeding over 200 people every two weeks and preaching the Gospel to them.

They also minister to the inmates in the Florida prisons and visit the sick and suffering in local area hospitals. Devotionals are written on a weekly basis and sent out to over 100 women, a large majority of them are incarcerated for life.

The city of Miami recently outlawed all homeless feeding ministries. Anyone violating the ordinance will be arrested and fined $300 for each occurrence. Because of this, Trachena and Steve planned to move north within 30-60 days.

It has also been their dream to open a homeless shelter for those who desire to get off the streets and a transitional shelter for inmates coming out of prison.

Unfortunately, their dreams are smashed. In less then four minutes of ransacking and burglarizing, everything is gone. Now, they must start all over again at the bottom. Their financial coffer is empty.

Never defeated, they keep their coffer of faith full. They know God will restore and replace what the enemy stole from them.

The culprit who did this was arrested days later and is now in jail, facing a life sentence for being a career criminal. At the moment, he is in one of the jails in which the Muchnicks have preached. If you feel so led, please pray for him. His name is Kevin.

I’ve never asked my readers to support a specific ministry, so I hope you will not mind. I believe strongly in Trachena and Steven’s work. They are now turning to others to ask for donations to get to the $10,000 mark that they need to move the entire ministry.

Would you prayerfully consider donating to their cause? If you feel so led, you can donate on their website through PayPal or you can send a check to the address listed on their website. 

As everyone’s finances are strained in these times, if you are not able to help financially, would you please pray for them? Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated.

May the Lord bless you!

                                                                         

The players:

Mistress: Sarai, Hubby’s wife

Hubby: Abram, Mistress’ husband

Maid: Hagar, Sarai’s servant

Angel: Angel of the Lord

Act 1:

Childless through many years of marriage, Mistress is frustrated. One night, she turns to Hubby in their tent:

Mistress: “The Lord has held back children from me. Go, sleep with my maid. Maybe we can have children through her.”

Hubby hearkens to Mistress. Listening with interest, he willingly grants her request.

Maid becomes with child.

It all backfires. Besides a big belly, Maid gets a big head.

Maid, singing taunts to Mistress: “I’m pregnant and you’re not! I’m pregnant and you’re not!” 

Later, Mistress to Hubby: “It’s all your fault!”

Hubby: “She’s your servant. Do what you want with her.”

Mistress, then, treats Maid harshly.

Act 2:

Treated severely, Maid runs away to the wilderness.

Feeling forsaken and utterly alone, Maid, in tears over her plight, sits by a spring of water, somewhere on the way to Shur (meaning a wall), where she encounters an Angel of the Lord.

Angel: “Where did you come from? And where are you going?”

Maid: “I am running away from my Mistress.”

Angel: “Return to her and humble yourself to her. Then, I will greatly multiply your descendants. The Lord has heard your cry of distress.”

Act 3:

Maid names the Angel: The Living One Who Sees Me.

She also names the well: The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.

Finale:

Maid goes back where she belongs...serving her Mistress, the one ruling over her. And she is blessed with a multitude of descendants.

Personal application:

Act 1: The problem

Question 1: Have you ever had a situation that just wasn’t working out right?

Question 2: Have you ever had a problem, or been a part of someone else’s problem, and you, or the other person, did something without thinking it through?

Question 3: Has someone treated you so badly that, in your hurt, you wanted to escape?

Act 2: The consequence

1): Maybe, like Sarai, you got tired of waiting on God. You tried to help Him out by acting on your own, doing something that wasn’t His plan, and you suffered overwhelming consequences.

2): Maybe, like Paul, when those around you struck out on their own, not consulting God, you got caught in their aftermath, and you felt as if you were shipwrecked.

3): Maybe, like Hagar, you ran from your situation to the wilderness, where you sat down all alone, forsaken, and cried a bazillion teardrops. Maybe you ran up against a Shur-wall.

Act 3: The application

At one time or another, we have all experienced at least one of the above three scenarios.

When circumstances become overwhelming and our heart is aching, we all want to run to the wilderness to escape our problems, whether of our own or someone else’s doing, and cry.

We might feel alone and forsaken, but are we? No. God is with us. It’s not like the song, I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City! He’s not somewhere else.

In the Old Testament, God’s name and His presence were synonymous: Jehovah-shammah, meaning the Lord is present or there. In the New Testament, it is the same; Jesus’ name is Immanuel, God with us.

God is present; He is with us. He sees our tears; He sees our heartaches; He sees our struggles.

He says, “I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Josh. 1:5 NKJV)

We cannot run to a place so desolate, so forsaken, that the Lord will not find us. For wherever we go, there He is! No running away from any circumstance can ever separate us from God’s presence.

*Denouement (conclusion)

Running to your prayer closet to seek the Lord is preferable to running away from your trials. In God’s presence, you will receive His guidance, comfort, provision, love, forgiveness, joy, and His peace. Whatever your heart needs.

When you sit by the well of the One Who sees you, you are filled with courage and strength to return to where you belong...to serving and submitting to the One ruling over you.

No matter where you go, what you do, what your need, or what happens to you, God is there and you will encounter Him. And you will be blessed in your returning to Him.

In your tears and your heartaches, in your wilderness times of distress, remember...

...The Living One sees you.

                                                                         

I Am...Abiding Love...

...so that as you abide in Me, you abide in love.

I Am...Mighty and Strong...

...so that you may have My strength and power for your weaknesses.

I Am...the Joy-giver...

...so that your joy may be filled to overflowing.

I Am...the Provider, Jehovah-jireh...

...so that you may have provision for all you need.

I Am...Life Everlasting...

...so that you may have Eternal Life within you.

I Am...the Lord of Peace...Jehovah-shalom...

...so that you may be filled with My peace in a chaotic world.

I Am...the One Who whispers to your soul...

 

God once said to me, “My name is I AM, not I WAS or I WILL BE. If My children insist on living in the past with regrets and unforgiveness, then I am not there, for My Name is not I WAS, even though I was to others, yet I still am. If My children insist on living in the future, I am, in essence, not there yet, for My Name is not I WILL BE, even though I will be what they need when they get there. If they want to change My Name, change it to TODAY, for that is where they will find Me. I am where My Name is. My Name is My Presence.”

In the New Testament, Jesus is Jehovah-shammah, as Matthew, quoting prophecy, said of His name, “‘They shall call His name Immanuel,’ translated as, ‘God with us.’” (Matt. 1:23b NKJV)

The last thing Jesus said to His disciples was, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20 NKJV)

I Am...always with you, intimately involved in all you do...

...Jehovah-shammah, Immanuel...

...so that you may know Me in your innermost being.

I Am...so that you can be!

“Let’s play follow the leader!”

Remember saying that? We’ve all played that age-old game. Running around the yard, doing exactly what the leader did.

As you played that game years ago, could you have imagined saying it many years in the future but in reference to your life?

Paul was a leader and encouraged the Philippian believers to follow him, “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.” (Phil. 3:17 NLT)

In essence, Paul said, “Be co-imitators of my life.” “Learn from those who shape their lives after us.” “Mimic us and observe those that live as we do.” “We” meaning Paul and his other followers who were living exemplary lives. They were setting an example, a pattern of living, something worthy of being imitated.

He also told the Corinthians, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1 NIV)

Why was Paul a good leader? Why was he able to tell others to follow him? Because he truly followed the Lord.

Can we say the same about our lives?

Our lives will more than likely be a disappointment to others at some time or another. The Lord never said we were perfect. But He said He is. And our lives should point to Christ as the Perfect One to follow.

Jesus has always entreated others to align themselves with Him. He started by calling the Disciple Dozen to follow Him.

One day on the lakeshore of Capernaum, as Jesus walked through the crowd gathered there and was teaching them, He saw Levi, a tax collector. He looked at him and said, “Follow Me.” No other conversation. Levi got up, left his old way of life, and followed Jesus. He is otherwise known as the disciple Matthew.

Jesus called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew as they fished. He called James and his brother John as they mended their nets. One day in Galilee, Jesus found Philip and called him to follow.

All the disciples left their old way of life and followed Jesus.

On one occasion, Jesus spoke to the disciples and a crowd, saying, “If any of you wants to be My follower...you must put aside your own pleasures and shoulder your cross, and follow Me closely.” (Mark 8:34 TLB)

And He speaks the same to us. “Leave it all behind and follow Me!”

Jesus said, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” (John 12:26 NKJV)

By definition, if anyone is serving Jesus by being an attendant, ministering to one, waiting at a table offering food and drink to guests, supplying food and the necessaries of life, taking care of the poor and the sick, serving as deacons, serving another’s interests, s/he is to also follow Jesus.

If we’re going to serve Him, we must walk as He walked, do as He did, follow His lead.

In other words, we can’t just “play” follow the leader. We must be sure that what we are doing in service to Jesus is truly following Him and not just doing works. “To follow” means to be in the same way with, to accompany as a disciple. A disciple is one who imitates Jesus’ example by serving others. True service brings honor.

If we follow Jesus, Paul urges us, “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ” (Phil. 1:27 NLT), to walk “worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:12 NKJV), and “now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him.” (Col. 2:6 NLT)

We need to ask ourselves...

Am I “playing” follow the leader?

Is my life worth imitating?

Have I left my old way of living to follow Jesus?

Am I truly serving others?

Am I living my life for God’s glory?

Our prayer should be as David’s, “Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.” (Ps. 25:5 NLT)

Are you like this...

Or can you say to others with confidence, “Follow me”? 

 

                                                                         

As soon as hubby drove out the driveway, I started my daily housewifely duties: picking up his socks and turning them right side out, turning off the lights he left on, closing the doors and cabinet doors he left open, putting his dishes in the sink, and whatever else I could find that he had done or left undone.

And then, it started:

Why does he leave his socks all balled up? Why can’t he turn off the lights? Why can’t he close the cabinet doors? Why can’t he put his glass in the sink? Why can’t he...

On and on, I mumbled, all in my heart and under my breath. I grumbled while I washed the clothes. I complained while I did the dishes. I murmured while I vacuumed. This negative attitude seeped into other areas of my thinking. Its tentacles grabbed my thoughts and slowly began to suck the life out of me.

I noticed negativity taking a foothold. I started to frown more often. My heart became two sizes too small, just like the Grinch’s heart.

I mumbled to myself that...

...my children wouldn’t clean up their rooms or make the right choices.
...my server brought my salad after my entrée, didn’t fill my water glass, brought me someone else’s meal, or ignored me altogether.
...the person in the car in front of me drove too slowly in the fast lane.
...the nosy neighbor across the street was always watching to see what we were doing and why couldn’t she mind her own business.

Oh, the endless list! I stumbled over all the negative pebbles I flung in my own path.

All this happened many years ago until it finally dawned on me: What is my grumbling and complaining doing to me? What is it doing to my marriage? How is it affecting others? I knew that if I did not change the thoughts in my mind and heart, my negative attitude would spill out as poison on my husband, the kids, and everyone else, if it hadn’t already.

The Bible says, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt. 12:34b NIV) What would be the outcome if I continued? I certainly did not want negative criticisms to roll off the end of my tongue.

The Canadian preacher A. B. Simpson once said of the apostle Paul, “Paul did not carry a cemetery with him, but a chorus of victorious praise; and the harder the trial, the more he trusted and rejoiced, shouting from the very altar of sacrifice.”

So, I learned to give that sacrifice of gratitude, sometimes even through gritted teeth.

I learned that thankfulness and praise are the best replacements for any complaints, turning each negative into a positive. For instance, if my husband does something that irritates me, I replace it with a positive, like having a husband who loves the Lord, or having one who isn’t an alcoholic, who doesn’t fool around, who isn’t an addict, or whatever. And I do the same for anything else.

I found that, if I am constantly negative and boo-hoo my circumstances more than being thankful and positive, I magnify my circumstances above everything else. And if I am not careful, I will be just like the Israelites thousands of years ago, as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years, whining and complaining, which resulted in dire consequences.

What is my response today?

Now, when my day is darkened with a multitude of problems that cause my gratitude to stick in my throat, I strive to remain positive anyway. When my eyes spill over with the tears of heartache, I attempt to find a way to be grateful.

I do my best to focus my thoughts on what is “true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others.” (Philippians 4:8 The Living Bible)

When faced with circumstances beyond my control, I try not to respond with feelings but try to purposely choose to be positive, thus invalidating the negative.

I do not want my gravestone to read: Died from too much whine!

Now, as I watch my hubby leave the end of the driveway, nothing fills my heart but gratitude!

           

***I originally wrote this for Chicken for the Soul’s upcoming book The Power of Positive. It never made it {sniff-sniff} so I’m using it for this month’s Christian Writers’ blog chain topic of change. Please visit the other participants are in the right sidebar.

Intentional.me

“Come to Me, all you who labor and

are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Matt. 11:28 NKJV

* ...all you who labor: to feel fatigue, to work hard, to labor with wearisome effort, to toil, to grow weary, exhausted, tired.

Exhaustion plagues many people after a long day’s work at a job they hate. Stress consumes the worker as the economy serves up less and less for each dollar. Everyone toils to stay afloat, to make ends meet.

What is the return for the strain of intense labor? Solomon asked, “What does a man get for all his hard work?” (Eccl. 1:3 TLB) He lamented, “All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied.” (Eccl. 6:7 NKJV)

The stomach may be full but the soul is not satisfied. The body is sapped of energy. So many are just plain wearied and tired. It hits all of us at one time or another. And just as it is possible to get weary physically, it is equally possible to get weary emotionally and spiritually.

Do you ever feel tired, overburdened, and weary?

* ...and are heavy laden: to load up as a vessel or animal, to bear, something carried, to heap on.

When you encounter heavy burdens from...

* relationships that are strained to the breaking point,

* the job market being almost non-existent,

* prices on everything continuing to climb,

* family problems that loom,

* a death in the family,

* daily schedules,

* the attacks of the enemy and you feel like giving up,

...does the stress overwhelm you? Do you need a rest?

* ...I will give you rest: to repose, refresh, to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labor in order to recover and collect his strength to give rest, intermission from labor.

Work is not always laborious; it can also be fulfilling. Solomon also said, “Every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor - it is the gift of God.” (Eccl. 3:13 NKJV)

So, how many enjoy their work? How many realize it is a gift of God? Enjoyment of our labor comes much easier if we praise God for what we have, keep a positive attitude, and take a break to rest from it once in a while to avoid burnout.

Even God rested on the seventh day. Jesus got weary and rested. He took time to enjoy Himself. He attended weddings and dinners with friends. He laughed and teased and had a good time.

He also spent time in prayer to recharge Himself. He took time to slow down and be with the Father, going off to the solitude and serenity of the mountainside or the gardens to pray. One day, Jesus sat by the well of His forefathers to rest and recuperate, to quench His thirst.

What do you do before every last drop of your physical, emotional, and spiritual vitality have evaporated?

* Do you rest from your work?

* Do you take a vacation?

* Do you take a day off now and then (especially if you cannot take a vacation), just to enjoy yourself and your family?

* Do you relinquish your will, surrendering to God’s leading?

* Do you keep a positive attitude?

* Do you spend time in prayer?

When labor becomes arduous and circumstances burdensome, sit by the well of the Father, lowering your bucket into His spring of Living Water to quench your parched spirit and soul, and regain your strength and power, pausing until every thought of stress is lifted.

Rest in God’s promise, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” (Jer. 31:25 NIV)

“Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.”

(Is. 40:31 NLT)

“Come to Me, all you who labor and

are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

(You might find encouragement in these two posts entitled Let Down Your Wings and Come, Sit by the Well.)

                                                                       

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