{"id":1688,"date":"2012-04-16T10:40:37","date_gmt":"2012-04-16T14:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/activistfaith\/?p=1688"},"modified":"2012-04-16T10:40:37","modified_gmt":"2012-04-16T14:40:37","slug":"writing-to-make-a-difference-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/activistfaith\/2012\/04\/writing-to-make-a-difference-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Writing to Make a Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest post from Activist Faith co-found Daniel Darling<\/a> with novelist Kahi Macias on social issues. Great input for writers wanting to make a difference.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kathi Macias<\/a><\/strong> <\/strong>is a great friend and a fellow New Hope<\/a>
\nauthor. She is a prolific author, having written nearly 30 books and
\nghost-written numerous others. She has taught and coached writers at
\nconferences around the country is an in-demand public speaker at women’s
\nconferences.<\/p>\n

My wife is actually reading How to Keep a Tight Ship When You’re Surrounded by Loose Cannons<\/a>, <\/em>which she says has already provided her with a lot of laughs and much inspiration for raising our three children.<\/p>\n

1) You’ve been writing and speaking for a long time-what first stirred in your heart the passion to put words on paper? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to write. I was reading
\nbefore I started kindergarten and just seemed to have an ongoing love
\naffair with words. When my husband, Al, (then boyfriend) and I were
\nwalking home from school one day in junior high I announced to him that I
\nwas going to be a writer some day. He often comments that I’m probably
\nthe only person he knows who knew what I wanted to be when I grew up–and
\ndid it!<\/p>\n

2) You’ve helped New Hope Publishers launch their first fiction line<\/a><\/strong>. You guys are doing something a bit different with it. What exactly is “missional fiction?” <\/strong><\/p>\n

“Missional fiction,” or “fiction with a mission,” is just that:
\nfictional stories based on true stories of those whose lives are
\ndedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission and going into all the
\nworld to preach the gospel and make disciples. The stories are based not
\nonly on foreign missionaries but also on nationals, all of whom are
\nchallenged at some point in their faith–possibly even to the point of
\nlaying down their lives. Ultimately, though, we hope to challenge
\nreaders to move into that same level of faith. Of course, not all the
\nseries that will be included in this “fiction with a mission” line will
\nbe about missionaries, but all will have a greater mission of educating
\nand challenging readers to a deeper level of faith and a more vibrant
\nlove-relationship with the Father.<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0No Greater Love<\/a> <\/em>weaves a story of romance into the epic story of Nelson Mandela, apartheid, and South Africa. What drew you to this story? <\/strong><\/p>\n

This story was originally birthed in my heart more than twenty years
\nago, as I watched the violence and upheaval in South Africa, preceding
\nthe release of Nelson Mandela from prison and the downfall of Apartheid.
\nI couldn’t help but wonder how it was affecting believers in that
\ncountry and how it might eventually affect us in other countries as
\nwell. The nugget of an idea–an interracial, forbidden romance–sparked
\nthe story, though it sat on the back burner for many years before I
\nsensed God releasing me to move forward with it. By that time my vision
\nfor the story had grown to include believers in other countries around
\nthe world–hence, the Extreme Devotion series of four books, rather than a
\nstand-alone book as I had originally anticipated. (God’s plans and
\ntiming are always so much better than our own!)<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0More Than Conquerors<\/a> <\/em>is
\nset in the violence of Mexico’s drug wars. This is an especially
\nrelevant given the increasing attention given to what is happening
\nthere. What surprised you the most about what is going on there? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Not only does\u00a0More than Conquerors<\/em> delve into the violence
\nof the Mexican drug wars, but it encompasses the superstition of the
\nMayan culture in the Southern portions of Mexico as well–San Juan
\nChamula in Chiapas State in particular. We hear so much about the
\nillegal immigration problem in our country, about the violence of the
\ndrug wars spilling over across the border, and also the human
\ntrafficking that is interwoven with so much of these problems. But we
\nseldom hear of the extreme devotion of those in Mexico who love and
\nserve God under some very harsh and dangerous conditions, and who
\ntreasure family second only to their relationship to Christ. That’s the
\npart of Mexico I wanted to bring to life in\u00a0More than Conquerors<\/em>.<\/p>\n

5) If you could give one piece of advice to young, emerging, writers, what would that be? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Spend time with God, discovering and developing your own calling and
\npassion for ministry, and then let that focus birth the words and
\nstories you write. It’s too easy to jump on someone else’s bandwagon,
\nonly to discover it’s already full and straining at the seams. You don’t
\nneed to adopt someone else’s vision; God has one tailor-made just for
\nyou. Seek Him first–and He will be faithful to reveal it to you. And
\nthen be patient until He moves you forward in the fullness of His time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

+++<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
DILLON
\nBURROUGHS is an author, activist, and co-founder of Activist Faith.
\nDillon served in Haiti following the epic 2010 earthquake and has
\ninvestigated modern slavery in the US and internationally. His books
\ninclude Undefending Christianity, Not in My Town (with Charles J.
\nPowell), and Thirst No More (October). Discover more at\u00a0DillonBurroughs.org<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest post from Activist Faith co-found Daniel Darling with novelist Kahi Macias on social issues. Great input for writers wanting to make a difference. Kathi Macias is a great friend and a fellow New Hope author. She is a prolific author, having written nearly 30 books and ghost-written numerous others. She has taught and coached…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":230,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nWriting to Make a Difference - Activist Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/activistfaith\/2012\/04\/writing-to-make-a-difference-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Writing to Make a Difference - Activist Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Guest post from Activist Faith co-found Daniel Darling with novelist Kahi Macias on social issues. 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