VERSES FOR THE ULTIMATUM
OPENING PAGE: Philippians 2:1-2
CHAPTER 1: Anger/James 1:19-20
CHAPTER 2: Wisdom/Proverbs 4:7
CHAPTER 3: Anger/Proverbs 17:14
Anger/James 3:5
CHAPTER 4: Seeking/Jeremiah 29:13
CHAPTER 5: Salvation/Luke 19:10
Love/1 Corinthians 13:4-8
CHAPTER 6: Child of God/1 John 3:10
CHAPTER 7: Comfort/Psalm 62:5-6
Rest/Matthew 11:28
CHAPTER 8: Judgment/Ecclesiastes 12:14
CHAPTER 9: Trust/Psalm 40:4
Love/1 Corinthians 13:4-7
CHAPTER 10: Faithfulness/1 Corinthians 4:2
CHAPTER 11: Truth/Proverbs 23:23
Giving/2 Corinthians 9:7
Eternal Life/John 3:16
CHAPTER 12: Lies/Proverbs 19:9
Sin/Colossians 3:5-6
CHAPTER 13: Temptation/1 Timothy 6:
9 Jesus/John 14:6
CHAPTER 14: Strength/Psalm 140:7-8
Knowledge/Jeremiah 33:3
CHAPTER 15: The wicked/Psalm 73:6-7
Safety/Psalm 17:8-9
CHAPTER 16: Snares/Psalm 141:9-10
Living in Christ/Philippians 1:21
Asking God/James 4:2
CHAPTER 17: Courage/2 Chronicles 20:17
Protection/Psalm 140:1-2
CHAPTER 18: Rescue/Jeremiah 1:8
Jesus/John 3:16
CHAPTER 19: Good/3 John 1:11
Mercy/Matthew 5:7
CHAPTER 20: God/1 Corinthians 3:22-4:1,
NLT Sacrifice/John 15:13
Salvation/John 14:6
Gods will/Mark 14:32-36
CHAPTER 21: Sacrifice/John 12:27-28
CHAPTER 22: Obedience/Jeremiah 42:6
CHAPTER 23: Salvation/Matthew 7:13-14
EPILOGUE: Fellowship/Philippians 2:1-2
Christmas/Luke 2:13-14
Sometimes people ask how much of my life shows up in my books.
Too much sometimes.
Last spring, when I first wrote this manuscript, I was in…a mood. Let me revise that: a Mood. The problem was that I was way too busy. My to-do list consisted of thirty-four items—and these were not five-minute tasks like sweep the floor. The pressure weighed me down and made me a frazzled and frayed female. “Don't Tread on Me” should have been tattooed on my forehead.
I got to the point where I figured that I might as well include item numbers thirty-five, end world hunger, and thirty-six, ban commercials from television, because the chances of my checking off the last item—on time—seemed just as impossible. As far as making time for God? I had Him penciled in on Tuesdays from 2:30-2:31 A.M. It didn't help that our youngest was graduating from high school and the whole empty-nest thing loomed large…
But, by gum and by golly, I got the manuscript turned in. On time. Check one off the list.
Or not.
A few months later, when I received the editorial review of the manuscript from my editor (where she gives the author extensive notes regarding the bigger issues to address), I was faced with a problem. Though Julee was tactful, basically the whole manuscript was a moody mess (my term, not hers). The husband Cal was nasty and totally unlikable, Annie was constantly picking fights (and winning, of course), and the issue of faith? It was generally a beat-'em-over-the-head-with-God book. I could have sold the sermons on cassette for a good profit.
However, curiously, the Jered-Jinko storyline—the criminal storyline—was okay. Not a problem there. But the story about the family? The police should have been called to handle the domestic disputes. The topper was that I even had Annie die in the end. Deathbed scene, the works. Talk about a downer! Yet the odd thing was, I didn't shed a tear in writing it. That should have told me something (like I was just plain weary of her and glad to see her gone?).
Needless to say, when confronted with these awful truths, I was stunned how the stress of last spring had adversely affected what I was writing. All my books stem from self-experience, but this one was over the edge. In truth, it was disconcerting. Even a bit scary.
But God is good, and Julee is patient (and my list of thirty-four to-dos had all been completed—numbers thirty-five and thirty-six still pending). I give whampum thanks to both of them for giving me the opportunity to redeem this book from the pits of negativity and (hopefully) lift it up to some semblance of true faith and inspiration for the reader. Our God is the God of second chances, and I certainly got one with this book. Big-time.
Your turn. Don't waste the chances He offers nor the lessons He gives you to learn. And take my advice, make your life easier by putting Him on the top of your list.
And keep Him there, no matter what. Many blessings,
