Some months ago, I completed work on an editorial project involving Dr. Timothy Cross. Timothy, author of over thirty books, resides in Cardiff, Wales. When he first showed me his proposed manuscript, I liked it immediately, and recommended it for publication by the company I was working for at the time. Then, through a series of events, it ended up being brought into print by Christian Focus. The title chosen makes me think of Twitter. And that could be a blog post in and of itself!

I so much like the way that Timothy wrote the book, that I thought I should share some background to the story with you. It comes in the form of an interview. Enjoy!

To purchase a copy of the book, check out this link here or here.

Jim: The English language uses many sayings from the Bible, and people often quote them without even realizing they are quoting from the Word of God. You have been working on this fascinating book, “A Little Bird Told Me–Everyday Expressions from Scripture”, for some months. How did you first come up with the idea?

Timothy: Like an oak tree, the book grew from a small acorn! I kept on hearing politicians, colleagues and even footballers using expressions from the Bible without realizing it, and I thought that pointing out that these were biblical expressions, and explaining their meaning would make for interesting messages for my gospel slot on the monthly South Wales Talking Magazine. The response to the messages was very encouraging, and I typed up some of them and these were published as a mini series in the Evangelical Times. This wider audience response was also very favourable and I thought ‘I’m on to something here’. Surprisingly, the subject does not seem to be very well covered in Christian literature, and this motivated me to get a compilation of everyday expressions from the Bible and their meaning into print.   My experience reveals that both Christians and non Christians seem to have a fascination for the origins of and background to  expressions from the Bible which are in everyday use.

Jim: Tell us about some of the blessings to you personally in working on this project.

Timothy: If one is convinced that the Bible is no ordinary book but the very Word of God itself, then digging into Scriptures–whether it is preparing a sermon or researching a book or for personal devotions–is one of the greatest privileges and blessings possible this side of eternity. The more I study the Bible (and I have been at it a long time!) the more I am convinced of its divine inspiration. According to 2 Timothy 3:15, the purpose of ‘all Scripture’ is to lead us to Christ. Thus when a believer studies Scripture in the right spirit, the Lord Jesus always draws closer. The inspired Word and the incarnate Word, while distinguishable in principle, in practice are inextricable in our personal experience.

Jim: We’ve heard it said that all writers get “Writer’s Block”. Is this true of you? How do you deal with it?

Timothy: At the risk of being a heretic I have never suffered from ‘writer’s block’ and I have written over thirty books. A godly elder once told me that when it comes to sermon preparation,  ‘Let the message make an impression on your soul, then there will be no trouble with expression.’ The same applies, I believe to Christian writing. Christian writing is unlike secular creative writing in that it is not original but rather a matter expounding the Scriptures which have been given. Saying that though all Christian writers and preachers aspire to expounding the Scriptures with both clarity and passion and not put any human barriers between them and the hearers/readers.

Jim: What was the most surprising or inspiring saying that you think you used in this book?

Timothy: When people say ‘I’m almost at my wits’ end’ they never fail to be surprised when you say to them, ‘Did you know that you have just quoted from Psalm 107:27?’ Choosing the most inspiring saying from the fifty-two is difficult. You are asking me to choose a Quality Street chocolate! I personally though find it incredibly heartwarming when Almighty God refers to His redeemed children as ‘The apple of my eye’–see Chapter 1.. This can only be explained by divine grace–God’s love for the undeserving and ill-deserving.

Jim: There are 52 readings in this book. That could seem an unusual number. Tell us about this.

Timothy: There was no predetermined plan to this, but rather just the way the work panned out. It began with six chapters, and I never thought that these would go beyond the South Wales Talking Magazine and Evangelical Times. The Lord’s people kept encouraging me, though, so I continued my research, and the chapters came to 31, which I thought would be suitable for daily devotionals–31 days being in most months. A publisher–you!–then asked me to increase the chapters to 52. I was reticent, as I was by then working on other writing projects. Before I knew it, though, extra ‘Everyday Sayings from the Bible’ came to my mind and attention, and these were written up. In fact I now have several extra chapters which are not included in the work. Books have an ideal length in my opinion. I like them to be neither too long nor too short. Fifty-two–the number of weeks in a year–seemed to be the ideal length. Each chapter is self contained while being in line with the overall theme. It can be read either one chapter at a time or a few chapters at a time in a pick up, put down manner. It might even make a daily travelling companion for someone commuting to work, or a spiritual ‘pick me up’ during the lunch hour.

Jim: You are very good at drawing lines of application from the truth you are writing about to us in our modern world. How would you advise ordinary people to cultivate this practice when dealing with family, friends and neighbours?

Timothy: If this compliment is true, it stems from my years in the pulpit. Pulpit preaching is a matter of the explanation and the application of a biblical text–not so much a matter of making the Bible relevant, but rather bringing people under its eternal relevance. While the Bible was written in a certain context which should always be borne in mind when accurately expounding it, as the Word of God it is also timeless. God is our eternal contemporary and thus His Word is always relevant. Similarly, human nature does not change even if human technology does. Those in Bible times shared the same hopes, fears, aspirations, stresses and perplexities as we do. But their needs–just as our needs–were met by the saving and sustaining grace of God in Christ.

Jim: Are you available to give talks to people at churches, conferences, etc., on the topics in this book? What is the best way for people to contact you if so?

Timothy: Yes!–though I have quite a full diary of preaching engagements, involved as I am in the local church. I am contactable via the contact section of my website.

Jim: Dr. Cross, it has been a pleasure interviewing you on this subject. Thank you for taking the time for this interview!

Timothy: You are more than welcome. If the readers find half the blessing in reading the work as the blessing I had in preparing the work, I will be more than amply repaid.

To purchase a copy of the book, check out this link here or here.

To read a sample excerpt from the book, click or tap here.

This interview is © copyright, blogspot52.com 2015 and may be reproduced in its entirety provided due acknowledgement is made of the copyright holder, with or without graphic or illustrative content.

Introducing John Lehman

John and Suzie Lehman

It is an honor to serve authors in their writing endeavors. Some time ago, my pathway crossed with that of John Lehman, family counseling pastor at Hampton Park Baptist Church in the beautiful upstate city of Greenville, South Carolina.

John has become a friend as we have worked together on his writing and blogging projects. His first book, It’s Apparent … You’re a Parent! is available as a beautiful, small-format hardback of 128 pages.

Shortly after the book was released, in my capacity as a publisher at Great Writing, I interviewed John. Enjoy reading the interview, and also the short video introduction that John gives to his book.

Great Writing (GW) and John Lehman (JL) discuss the book

GW: John, thanks for taking the time in your busy schedule to talk to us about your new book. It’s a fascinating story as to how you came to write it. Tell our readers about it!

JL: It was just a few weeks before my eldest daughter’s wedding, and she mentioned to me that she and our second daughter were talking and wondered if I would write a book for their own child-rearing.  I was initially flattered, and excited, and then when I began, was quite overwhelmed!  I realized that what I wanted for them more than anything else was to know God’s Word and apply it in this situation in a very timely and accurate manner.

GW: At first, did you really take your kids’ request seriously for you to write down the principles you had used in your parenting?

JL:  Yes, once I realized that I was going to embark upon the project, I realized how serious it really was!  And, although parenting is quite a challenging task, watching one’s child become a parent could be even more difficult!  And, not that they would not do right, but I wanted to be sure that they were applying principles from God’s Word rather than just doing things the way “mommy and daddy” did them.

GW: We’ve heard that being an author can make one a solitary person, yet your book shows you as a very hands-on kind of dad and husband. Did you find that writing, in a sense, pushed you away from your family somewhat? Or was it the opposite, and that you found you could have them involved in the writing and reformulating process?

JL: I found the best time to write was when I had larger blocks of time to devote to it.  I should have been able to write a quarter of a page a day, and it would have been easy, but, instead, I wrote many pages at a time.  I took several “vacations” away from church and home to work through this.  Although it took me four years to finish, all told, it probably took me four months of actual time.  What helped the most through the process was talking about the principles they remembered, which allowed me to be sure the book was about principles rather than about practices.

GW: In reading through your work, it seems to me that you do not claim to have been a perfect parent. What’s your view on that?

JL: I recall early stating the principle that is within the book that “If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God . . .” and I did that quite often.  I’m thankful that the Lord gives guidance, and forgiveness, and therefore I was able to seek His will throughout the time, and when I erred, first go to Him for His forgiveness, and then followed through in asking my children and family that same.

GW:  John, what would you say was the most challenging aspect to you personally in writing this book?

JL: The most challenging thing about the book was making sure it would be profitable.  I didn’t want to just write a book for author’s sake, but wanted to do it to help others.  If anything, that helped me to be sure I wasn’t just going through the motions, but was seriously putting concepts and principles down on paper so they could be followed to help in years to come.  The Bible stands, and all it says is true, so if parents during my generation, or five generations from now, will use God’s Word, and the principles in it, they will be able to parent according to God’s standards, no matter what society is like.

GW: In America, the family is increasingly under attack. Can you be confident that this book will give ammunition to families to ward off the inroads secularism is making in our postmodern society? Could you give one or two examples?

JL: Just like folks today use “if  . . . then” statements for formulas, God has done the same.  God has promised in His Word that if man obeys His commands, then He will bless them.  Imperfect parenting can still result in proper outcome if the principles of God’s Word are applied and continually sought.

GW: Now that the book is complete, do you have the approval of your kids? What do they think of the book?

JL: I’m encouraged that they have all read the book, and have encouraged me by the principles that have been written down.  Some of our discussions have centered on the parenting we did as parents, and that has been enjoyable, and sobering, as I realized that God has helped in our child-rearing in and through us, and also IN SPITE of us!

GW: What would you like to say in closing, John?

JL: Thank you, interested present and prospective parents, for considering this book.  The only true source of anything is God’s Word, and I’ve sought to use it for the foundation and core of the instruction written down.  May the Lord bless you as you faithfully prepare and parent your children for God’s glory!

View John’s Introductory Video Trailer to His Book

And There’s Even More…

To find out more about John and his ministry–and to purchase a discounted copy of his book online–visit John’s site, www.itsapparent.org. Use the discount code SCACS to buy the book for a special discount (spend just $10 and get free shipping). There, you may also preview and download a sample chapter of his book as well as get a free download of the study guide that goes with it.