Only for My King: Cover Art

From the back cover:
Do you need a hero? I'm not talking about a flying man in a mask, but someone whose life is a pattern of service and surrender to God.

Only for My King is a book of heroes. In every chapter you will meet a Biblical example, a historical hero, a contemporary Christian and someone I know personally. They are artists, poets, missionaries and mothers. Each of them will point you to Jesus—the only perfect hero.

You will read scriptures that assure you of the Lord's care and support, hum along with hymns that put scriptures into poetry and pray through Psalms that express the desires of your heart.

This book is not a call to lengthen your To Do List, but an encouragement to surrender each area of your life to your King, trusting Him to empower you for His glory. The old hymn “Take My Life and Let It Be” serves as a framework to pray through our lives, responsibilities and talents as we surrender to Jesus Christ: the King we serve and the Friend we love.

...You serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:24)

Chapter 6 Excerpt: Godly Messages

When my husband attended Western Baptist College, he enjoyed acting in the college drama presentations. One semester the production was called “Bite Size Theater,” and the actors performed several short plays at the same event. One was “Spreadin' the News,” a comedy set in a small Irish town. Mark played Bartley Fallon, a garrulous Irishman prone to gossip and pessimism. The next play in the program was “Corpus Christi” which dramatized the Creation and God's interactions with Adam and Eve. Mark played the part of God. Mark said it was an interesting contrast, playing those two parts! He said it made him consider which character's lines he was speaking in his non-acting life.

The Bible is full of verses that contrast godly speech with ungodly. It also gives us practical advice about the kinds of messages we should be sharing.

A fool does not delight in understanding,
but only wants to show off his opinions. (Proverbs 18:2)
The mind of the righteous person thinks before answering,
but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil things. (Proverbs 15:28)
The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness. (Proverbs 15:2)
Do you see a man who speaks too soon? There is more hope for a fool than for him.(Proverbs 29:20)
Better to live in a wilderness than with a nagging and hot-tempered wife.
(Proverbs 21:19)
An endless dripping on a rainy day and a nagging wife are alike. (Proverbs 27:15)
Since you put away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25)
...Coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. (Ephesians 5:4)
No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)
Do everything without grumbling and arguing. (Philippians 2:14)


This is an excerpt from Only for My King, a Bible study that will be available in just a few weeks.