ARTICLES
Thoughts on life, inspired by fiction.
Can Fiction Change Lives?
Whether you’re an avid reader or an occasional one, the power of fiction is something we’ve all experienced at some point. And it’s not just about entertainment; it’s about the transformative influence stories can have on our faith, our families, and our understanding of ourselves. Fiction isn’t just something we should feel like we’re indulging in. Fiction is one of the most powerful ways we can grow as a person and as a community.
Faith: A Complex Conversation
Imagine the feeling when you’re deep into a novel, and a character grapples with questions of faith that you, too, have pondered…maybe even issues that you’ve been pondering recently. It’s uncanny, isn’t it? And as you flip those pages, you find yourself desperate to see how the characters handle the questions that you, too, have asked. They may be questions you hadn’t even known how to put words to, or questions so personal that you had no idea how to look it up or seek advice. But in those characters, in that story, you find encouragement and wisdom. You find other people who wrestled with a problem and found strength through faith. Fiction has a way of delving deep into intricate spiritual questions in a way that feels approachable, which in turn helps readers to explore their beliefs. Whether it reinforces your convictions or challenges them, fiction creates a safe space for spiritual exploration.
Family: A Reflection in Literature
Family is a universal theme in literature, for good reason. Even when a story is set in a world far removed from your own, the dynamics of the relationships are often strikingly familiar. By diving into these narratives, readers can gain fresh perspectives on their own family lives—views that ar e often more insightful than what we could achieve through countless conversations around the dinner table, because they don’t just look at everything from one point of view (our own). These narratives invite us into the hearts and minds of others and helps us open our eyes to what those we love best might be experiencing. Fiction can show us the truth of our families in a way our own simple observations often fail to do. And then, in turn, it helps us open up new dialogue with them.
Self-Discovery: A Pathway Through Pages
When you poll fiction readers on WHY they read, one of the most popular answers is “escape.” And that makes sense…we all need an escape from the everyday. And yet, fiction is a lot more than JUST an escape. Novels are windows into other possibilities. A well-crafted narrative can make us consider choices we’ve never thought of and outcomes we’ve never imagined. Fiction puts us into the heart and head of someone else–something nothing else in our lives can ever quite achieve. Through those pages into which we “escape,” we in fact encounter situations we otherwise never will, to see the world and the people in it in new ways. Opinions and stances that immediately make us defensive or offended in regular conversation can look very different when we’re experiencing those things through someone else’s eyes. And that leaves us with questions to ponder, ideas to explore, empathy and understanding we hadn’t had before we opened that book. Fiction isn’t just an escape–it’s a a catalyst for personal growth, urging us to explore who we are…and who we want to become.
Mindfulness: The Hidden Perk of Reading
Let’s be honest—life gets overwhelming. While many look to mindfulness practices like meditation to find balance, there’s a case to be made for reading as a form of meditation. A good book allows you to step outside your immediate concerns and immerse yourself in a different world. It’s an invitation to be present, which is one of the most understated benefits of picking up a novel. Reading fiction can clear our heads of the worries clouding them, helping us to put our own concerns into perspective after living for a while in someone else’s shoes and dealing with their concerns. And thanks to the wide variety of reading available, we always know there’s a book out there promising exactly what we need in each day. Books can help us laugh, make us cry, take us away, or ground us.
Community: Shared Stories, Shared Connections
Maybe reading seems like a solitary endeavor, and it certainly can be. But what’s the first thing you do when you finish a book you absolutely LOVE? You tell someone about it! Better still is if a friend is already reading it too, or already has. When we share books with friends, we don’t just have parallel experiences–we open a door to community. Shared conversation on stories and the subjects they bring up not only help us understand the book on a deeper level, it helps us understand each other on a deeper level. Maybe you’re part of a book club, or maybe you’re simply sharing a favorite book with a friend. Either way, that common experience is like going on a literary journey together. And at the end of that journey, you’ll all have a deeper, richer understanding–both of the story and of each other. It’s the kind of experience that you’ll want to embark on again as soon as you’ve finished one leg of the journey!
Closing Thoughts
The impact of a good story extends far beyond the final page. Whether challenging our faith, deepening our family relationships, spurring personal growth, encouraging mindfulness, or building community, fiction enriches our lives in countless ways. So, the next time you pick up a novel, remember: You’re not just reading a story. You’re embarking on a journey that could well change your life.
Fiction: Your New Pathway to Divine Connection
Ever thought a good story could bring you closer to God? Here’s why faith-based fiction is more than just entertainment.
Why it Matters:
- Engaging with faith-based fiction opens new dimensions in your spiritual life, offering a unique way to connect with the Divine.
- You may have skipped over fiction thinking it’s just leisure reading, but it can be a potent vehicle for spiritual discovery.
More Than Just Stories:
- These aren’t just tales; they’re explorations into the complexities of faith, spirituality, and the human experience.
- You encounter relatable characters grappling with moral dilemmas, spiritual crises, and personal transformations.
How Fiction Facilitates Faith:
- The story arcs can serve as allegories or metaphors for your own spiritual journey, inviting self-reflection and deeper understanding.
- Reading becomes an act of spiritual meditation, each page a step closer to God.
Prayer struggles got you down? Discover how faith-based fiction can be a gateway to deeper spiritual connection.
Why it Matters:
- Many women aged 24-54 feel disconnected from traditional prayer methods.
- Fiction can offer an alternative route to spiritual exploration and connection with God.
The Prayer Struggle is Real:
- Pressures of daily life, emotional overload, or even past religious experiences can make focused prayer a challenge.
- You’re not alone: Many women struggle to find time and emotional space for effective prayer.
Unlocking Prayer Through Fiction:
- Fictional stories can serve as a form of meditative reflection, allowing you to engage with spiritual themes without the ‘pressure’ of formal prayer.
- Through relatable characters and experiences, you can uncover insights into your own spiritual journey.
The Big Picture:
- Books aren’t just for escapism. They can be spiritual tools that help you find a different pathway to God.
- As fiction increasingly becomes a medium for spiritual discovery, look for books that incorporate themes you can resonate with, and perhaps even discuss with your spiritual community.
In Between the Lines:
- The beauty of fiction is its ability to approach real-world challenges—like prayer—in a nuanced way, making the complex simple and the daunting approachable.
- Dive into narratives that explore complex relationships with faith, prayer, and God, enriching your own understanding in the process.
By using fiction as a means of enhancing one’s spiritual life, you can peak directly into your struggles and needs
The Transformative Power of Fiction
Whether you’re an avid reader or an occasional one, the power of fiction is something we’ve all experienced at some point. And it’s not just about entertainment; it’s about the transformative influence stories can have on our faith, our families, and our understanding of ourselves. Fiction isn’t just something we should feel like we’re indulging in. Fiction is one of the most powerful ways we can grow as a person and as a community.
Faith: A Complex Conversation
Imagine the feeling when you’re deep into a novel, and a character grapples with questions of faith that you, too, have pondered…maybe even issues that you’ve been pondering recently. It’s uncanny, isn’t it? And as you flip those pages, you find yourself desperate to see how the characters handle the questions that you, too, have asked. They may be questions you hadn’t even known how to put words to, or questions so personal that you had no idea how to look it up or seek advice. But in those characters, in that story, you find encouragement and wisdom. You find other people who wrestled with a problem and found strength through faith. Fiction has a way of delving deep into intricate spiritual questions in a way that feels approachable, which in turn helps readers to explore their beliefs. Whether it reinforces your convictions or challenges them, fiction creates a safe space for spiritual exploration.
Family: A Reflection in Literature
Family is a universal theme in literature, for good reason. Even when a story is set in a world far removed from your own, the dynamics of the relationships are often strikingly familiar. By diving into these narratives, readers can gain fresh perspectives on their own family lives—views that ar e often more insightful than what we could achieve through countless conversations around the dinner table, because they don’t just look at everything from one point of view (our own). These narratives invite us into the hearts and minds of others and helps us open our eyes to what those we love best might be experiencing. Fiction can show us the truth of our families in a way our own simple observations often fail to do. And then, in turn, it helps us open up new dialogue with them.
Self-Discovery: A Pathway Through Pages
When you poll fiction readers on WHY they read, one of the most popular answers is “escape.” And that makes sense…we all need an escape from the everyday. And yet, fiction is a lot more than JUST an escape. Novels are windows into other possibilities. A well-crafted narrative can make us consider choices we’ve never thought of and outcomes we’ve never imagined. Fiction puts us into the heart and head of someone else–something nothing else in our lives can ever quite achieve. Through those pages into which we “escape,” we in fact encounter situations we otherwise never will, to see the world and the people in it in new ways. Opinions and stances that immediately make us defensive or offended in regular conversation can look very different when we’re experiencing those things through someone else’s eyes. And that leaves us with questions to ponder, ideas to explore, empathy and understanding we hadn’t had before we opened that book. Fiction isn’t just an escape–it’s a a catalyst for personal growth, urging us to explore who we are…and who we want to become.
Mindfulness: The Hidden Perk of Reading
Let’s be honest—life gets overwhelming. While many look to mindfulness practices like meditation to find balance, there’s a case to be made for reading as a form of meditation. A good book allows you to step outside your immediate concerns and immerse yourself in a different world. It’s an invitation to be present, which is one of the most understated benefits of picking up a novel. Reading fiction can clear our heads of the worries clouding them, helping us to put our own concerns into perspective after living for a while in someone else’s shoes and dealing with their concerns. And thanks to the wide variety of reading available, we always know there’s a book out there promising exactly what we need in each day. Books can help us laugh, make us cry, take us away, or ground us.
Community: Shared Stories, Shared Connections
Maybe reading seems like a solitary endeavor, and it certainly can be. But what’s the first thing you do when you finish a book you absolutely LOVE? You tell someone about it! Better still is if a friend is already reading it too, or already has. When we share books with friends, we don’t just have parallel experiences–we open a door to community. Shared conversation on stories and the subjects they bring up not only help us understand the book on a deeper level, it helps us understand each other on a deeper level. Maybe you’re part of a book club, or maybe you’re simply sharing a favorite book with a friend. Either way, that common experience is like going on a literary journey together. And at the end of that journey, you’ll all have a deeper, richer understanding–both of the story and of each other. It’s the kind of experience that you’ll want to embark on again as soon as you’ve finished one leg of the journey!
Closing Thoughts
The impact of a good story extends far beyond the final page. Whether challenging our faith, deepening our family relationships, spurring personal growth, encouraging mindfulness, or building community, fiction enriches our lives in countless ways. So, the next time you pick up a novel, remember: You’re not just reading a story. You’re embarking on a journey that could well change your life.
The Good Word
A Guest Post by Henry O. Arnold
We are told that words are powerful, that words matter, that a spoken thought has a ripple effect in the world whether for good or ill. The main character in my novel A Voice Within the Flame is Samuel, the last great judge and prophet before the monarchy was introduced in Israel. There is a descriptive phrase written of Samuel that is used nowhere else in Scripture, nor is it used to describe any other character. It is stated of Samuel that God “let none of his words fall to the ground.”
This is biblical poetry and does not just refer to Samuel’s prophetic declarations. Those pronouncements, while profound in effect, were infrequent and not the everyday life that Samuel led. This idiomatic expression reveals Samuel’s deep and knowing character rooted in truth. Whatever Samuel spoke, either in the sacred language of God or the common communication of man, it could be trusted.
The ancient Hebrew phrase “fall to the ground” means that something is useless and carries no weight or power. In Samuel’s case, his words did not fall to the ground like “precious liquors if spilt upon the earth, or like an arrow shot from a bow not arriving to the target,” as one commentator wrote. As spilt liquor upon the ground or a missed shot of an arrow are useless, so are thoughtless and foolish words when spoken.
When Samuel spoke his words carried the full weight of truth. Many times people did not like what Samuel had to say or the way he said it, but the measure of everything he spoke was bathed in the oil of truth, and the people trusted him.
The Bible, the Ancient Greeks, the Drama
A Guest Post by Henry O. Arnold
The Invention of Tragedy
The invention of tragedy as a form of dramatic storytelling often is attributed to Aristotle and the ancient Greeks. The basic construct of a tragedy is that the protagonist—the one with outstanding qualities—rises to prominence before succumbing to disaster and being destroyed due to personal failures, circumstances beyond their control, or a combination of these two factors. Tragedy has been a creative style of expression in multiple art forms ever since.
The Role of Catharsis in Tragedy
When told well, a literary tragedy gives an audience the opportunity to experience catharsis. Simply put, when we become engrossed in a story, we experience deep and intense connection with the characters and, thus, identify with them. With our imaginations, we enter the story’s unfolding action and see ourselves in the different characters. Our emotions are engaged, and by the end we will have had a complete empathic experience. It is like a cleansing for the soul.
Long before the Greek playwrights wrote their stories and the actors donned their masks and began to orate in the amphitheaters, there was King Saul, the first true tragic figure of this kind in the Bible. Preceding when Sophocles wrote of Oedipus’ encounter with the prophet Tiresias, Saul encountered the prophet Samuel.
The Tragic Formula in Crown of the Warrior King
In my novel Crown of the Warrior King, the story of King Saul picks up where my first novel, A Voice Within the Flame, left off. Saul is in the early days of his kingship, winning the hearts and minds of the people of Israel with his success on the battlefield and benevolent leadership. But then personal hubris (excessive pride and self-confidence), crept in, and the tragic formula began to develop.
Art holds up the mirror of our humanity reflecting the tragic and comedic realities of our human nature. In Crown of the Warrior King, Saul reveals those human qualities we recognize in ourselves and makes choices that prove to have fatal consequences. It is a cautionary tale for us all.
Cutthroats and Swindlers and Thieves…Oh My
A Guest Post by Henry O. Arnold
The Bible as an Entertaining and Instructive Book
John Milton of Paradise Lost fame wrote in a letter to a friend, “Why is the Bible more entertaining and instructive than any other book?” I say it is because the stories are addressed to “the imagination, which is spiritual sensation.”
More than forty writers are attributed to its authorship, and the divinely inspired literary styles and stories range from historical, poetic, wisdom, prophetic, narrative, and epistolatory to apocalyptic. Some of my favorite passages are in Psalms. Every human emotion is expressed in those one hundred and fifty psalms. Honesty at its most raw.
The Timeless Relevance of Biblical Stories for Modern Readers
Scripture also does not shy away from revealing every distinguishing trait of human nature—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some stories are so outrageous that people can’t believe they are included in such a holy book. I say, how could they not?
This great quote from Bono describes one of many reasons I have such affection for the Bible: “That the scriptures are brim full of hustlers, murderers, cowards, adulterers, and mercenaries used to shock me. Now it is a source of great comfort.” Ancient times or modern times, nothing is new under the sun.
Conflict and Tension in Crown of the Warrior King
When I began to write my biblical historical fiction series, The Song of Prophets and Kings, I dreamed of gleaning truths from these three-thousand-year-old stories without altering any of the historical events and put them into an artistic context so a modern reader could relate to the situations and the emotional life of the characters.
With the publication of Crown of the Warrior King, the second installment of this series, the tension between the characters sharpened, and the conflict between the monarchy and the theocracy has intensified. The choices made by the main characters threaten to destroy the nation of Israel and bring down the reign of King Saul before it barely had time to be established.
The human struggle in this novel is as relevant for the modern reader as it was for those who lived through it so long ago. We can learn from our past. It is not inevitable that we repeat it.
Chaos, Hover, and Create
A Guest Post by Henry O. Arnold
Human Love for Order
Human beings love order. When our world descends into chaos, we quickly begin the task of restoring a semblance of it. When the larger world around us becomes chaotic, we are fearful of being sucked into the wider maelstrom.
God chose to reverse the chaos of the amorphous universe. After hovering over the waters of turmoil, God began the process of creating form and beauty out of disorder.
Maintaining Order in Our Lives
Just contemplate what you do in the waking hours of a single day and consider all the ways you attempt to maintain order in your life. How do you react when your personal world order hits the turbulence of life and is threatened by upheaval?
We spend a great deal of physical energy bringing form out of our chaos and maintaining an ordered life. And when our world does spin out of control, too many times our natural response is to complain, curse, and blame.
The Three-Step Process to Bringing Order out of Chaos
In the book of beginnings, Genesis 1:2 reveals a simple three-step process to bringing order out of chaos. How and when the chaos in the universe came to be is a debate others can argue. But chaos existed in the dark, wet, void of the cosmos. Perhaps this image was in the subconscious minds of the creators of the lava lamp.
Then God hovered. The original Hebrew meaning for hover is “to brood; to be relaxed.” When we are relaxed enough to ponder and mediate on a situation, the time spent in doing so allows our imaginations to consider new forms to replace the chaos.
The Satisfaction of a Job Well Done
After such a brooding time, one goes into action to create beauty, to restore the benefits of peaceful existence in one’s heart and to the community at large. God’s response when the creation process was complete was to say, “It is good.” What a wonderful appraisal to be able to say when one is finished creating something beautiful, that “It is good.”
From the beginning it was so. Chaos, hover, and create.
Tell Me a Story
A Guest Post by Henry O. Arnold
Conflict and Drama
When our girls were young, they would badger me with requests such as, “Daddy, tell us a story about when you were bad.” I think our girls learned about the reputation of my younger days by listening to family stories at the gatherings of the Arnold clan. Do not be tricked. When you think your kids aren’t paying attention, they are.
I never told them all the stories; they were too traumatic for their little psyches. I usually distracted them by suggesting we create our own stories full of characters that got into trouble.
“Like you, Daddy?” came the innocent question. “Well, maybe…” was my cagey reply. We would create scenarios fraught with conflict, danger, and drama, and we figured out how their characters got into and out of these troublesome situations. This freed their imaginations and got me off the hook.
Surprises and Authenticity in Storytelling
I have lived in the world of storytelling all my life as an actor, a playwright, a director, and a novelist. I have played and written about all manner of saints and scoundrels. Kay, my wife, tells me I do best with scoundrels. She knows me too well. But to be an effective storyteller it goes back to the advice I gave our girls: pay attention.
I try to look at life from a 360-degree perspective, paying attention to what is happening around me but also what might be happening within me. Surprises will follow. I am surprised by what other people reveal of themselves, and many times I am surprised by my own reactions. Both responses are real and authentic. I want my characters to be fully believable because I have fully felt them.
Refraining from Judgment
Refraining from judgment is a test for a storyteller. I seek to describe the action taken by the characters and the possible motives behind the action. There are always consequences to the choices characters make, just like in real life. As a writer, I try to make logical connections between character, choice, and consequence.
The Art of Daydreaming
This requires daydreaming. “He has his head in the clouds” would be an apt description when it comes to the artist. I see the reality of the world around me, and then I take the time and freedom to daydream about what it was, what it is, and what it may be in relation to my story. To create a compelling story requires time spent in the clouds to give meaning and depth to our lives here on earth. Defy the law of gravity. Keep daydreaming. Keep creating. The world is a better place for it.
The Singer of Israel
A Guest Post by Henry O. Arnold
My parents gave me my first Bible on my eleventh birthday with the inscription written in my mother’s hand: “To our son, with the hope that this book will serve as your guide all the days of your life. Our love and prayers will always be with you. Mother and Daddy.” It was the standard KJV translation. “If this translation was good enough for the apostle Paul, then it is good enough for us,” was the occasional argument heard among the brethren back then. It sits on my desk—dog-eared, held together with a rubber band and petrified masking tape, with the pages inside marked and worn.
Now, do not be deceived. As sweet as my mother’s sentiment might be, I tested the inscribed words. Their “love” was tried and their “prayers” were many when I took a prodigal turn and remained “in the wilderness” for what, I’m sure, seemed like ages to them. I am grateful to the faithfulness of my parents, and like the prodigal son, when I “came to my senses,” a discovery of an active, loving relationship with God and an intense thirst for scripture came with it. A devotion to tell or retell stories from the Bible would soon follow.
All artists, whatever their art form, interpret life through a particular lens. My lens just happens to be scripture. I have been asked often how I came up with the stories I have created in my historical fiction series The Song of Prophets and Kings. I usually react by quoting Isaac Newton when he was asked how he came up with the theory of gravity. His reply: “By thinking on it continually.”
Writing really is no mystery, no sleight of hand. It is hard work. It is a constant devotion to a task. It is not a sudden onset of inspiration—that is, of course, if you are already busy at the work of creating when inspiration appears. I have thought about these stories in this series and how I may compile them in a cohesive whole for a long time. I have invested years of labor and received generous encouragement from Kay, my wife, and many others all along the way.
The third volume of the Prophets and Kings series released in December 2022 and is entitled The Singer of Israel. I devoted this volume to the rise of David to a prominent place in the court of King Saul only to be forced to flee for his life and remain on the run for years.