Author: Rosemary B. Althoff
What I’m Working on This Year
My task this year is to write two books. The first is FROM SILENCE TO SINGING, which is the conclusion to my sci-fi Soul’s Warfare series. The next is THE JUDGE’S DILEMMA, a legal thriller.
Today I’ll work to develop characters and the timeline for J.D. but yesterday I was busy, busy, and now, after an active morning, I’m very sleepy. If I put my butt in the seat by the computer, I’ll get something done.
About Assertion, a Both/And America, and God Active in Science
by Rosemary B. Althoff
Three topics come together in Rosemary B. Althoff’s Soul’s Warfare series, They are all taught in the Bible by the Lord of Words, that is, Jesus. And, as far as my limited education and experience goes, the concepts are the theme of all my endeavors.
Here are the conflicts in the stories:
- Assertive communication.
In Book 1, The Hot Marble, of the Soul’s Warfare series, lack of assertion gets characters in trouble. The main character, young physicist Lewis’s best friend Fred betrays him because of jealousy and low self-esteem. - A unified, both/and America.
In Book 3, The Horned Edge, and the in-progress Book 4 (From Silence to Singing), a sinister political and spiritual movement that fosters divisive thinking threatens to conquer two worlds—including Earth and Lanthra. - God active in the physical universe.
In Book 2, Lewis learns the hard way that human endeavor alone cannot conquer the enemy.
How can people interact without fighting? Through respectful assertion. How can a nation in conflict heal? With confirming communication, which is dropping the all-or-nothing thinking and replacing it with (informed) both/and thinking. How can people who love God bring Him into the world’s conversation? By realizing that the omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient loving One who made all universes (if there are more than one!) is active in our physical reality—in the past, in the future, and right now.
Making peace
with healthy communication
Escaping a Double Bind
Ever been caught in a double bind? Are you bouncing between the wall of “this absolutely needs to be done” and “I’m gonna get in serious trouble if I move to get it done”? Living in the middle of a double bind makes you crazy, depressed, and spiritually immobile.
A psychologist told me that the only way out of a double bind is to take action. It can be to absolutely get the thing done (and face the trouble—if it comes), or it can sometimes be to do something new altogether. But a person in a double bind must take an action toward his or her deepest God-given goals.
I recall a time when I finally got the courage to take action out of the black hole of a double bind. For a while I didn’t do anything except stew in the situation. Finally my dear husband took me tenderly aside and said, “Rose, you’ve got to get help.”
I went to a counselor. I saw the threatening walls of my double bind and named them. One wall was “I need to get a job.” I wanted to be a professional author, but wasn’t making any money from writing and so my “dream job” did not seem to be an option. The other wall was “Care for your family.” I had children to care for, and I was afraid that getting a job would mean that they would not be okay.
I took action. The opportunity opened up right away (thank you, God!). I got a part-time job writing a newsletter for a Bible society. So, I was writing and making a little money. But I began to see that a bigger income was necessary. The double bind threatened to close on me again, so I investigated my action options—and enrolled in graduate school to gain the skills I needed to write and understand science. At first, I was taking one class at a time and using the budget plan. It was a difficult stretch. Then, God opened another opportunity: I received a paid assistantship. I could get paid to do something I loved: Learn communication, learn science, and write a lot.
Hard choices continued to come up. My family had to move. Should I stay in graduate school and commute an hour each way? Yes. Then I got very sick. Should I drop out of school? No. I stayed in school, I graduated, I got a job doing work that I loved (teaching college courses in communication and writing skills) … and my family was okay.
Now years have passed. Life’s joys and difficulties continue onward, with choices to make at every turn. But I’ve learned the important truth: Don’t stay stuck in the double bind. Take ethical action with prayer. The Lord will close doors and open them—sometimes dramatically. Jesus will forgive you if you make a choice you have to un-make. He’ll uphold you and bless you and guide you through the next action.
My prayer for you is Psalm 143:8. Tell the Lord what you are experiencing. Then say, “Let me hear You in the morning, because I trust You. Let me know the way to go, because to You I lift up my soul.”
What 2024 Resolution Are You Leaning Toward?
Earlier today I wrote that I plan to rest—even while being active. How can I make that goal specific? I know (because the Bible tells me so) that rest is attainable. Is rest measurable?
S.A.M.: Specific, Attainable. Measurable.
Rest means to me that I am physically alert and active, mentally at peace, and spiritually trusting God.
I know that my perception of being rested changes by the moment, but the state of being rested is long-term. With the help of God, I can enter a state of rest.
How to measure rest? (1) One physical way is to keep track of sleep and eating. When I’m stressed, both get ragged. I overeat and under-sleep. I’ll keep records of those living essentials. (2) A way to measure mental rest is to keep track of my moods. (3) But spiritual rest? How can I measure that? Here is how I will do that: I can monitor my anxiety level. When I trust God, I get less anxious. Although occasional anxiety may hit me, I don’t plan ti live in it.
Rosemary Althoff, Author 