In Faith: Recent Episodes
Daniel Dydek
In Faith is a Christian devotional podcast. Our first series, Writing in Faith, runs 26 episodes and links Christian life principles to principles of the craft and life of writing. The second series, Old Testament in Faith, will walk through the Old Testament, stopping at key waypoints along the way to show the relevance of the OT in our lives today.
What did Paul say? Or did Peter say that? Did Jesus? Does it matter?
This week we're looking at three things Paul said, and questioning whether Jesus said it too--and, ultimately, if it matters. And also taking a quick look at part of the character of Paul to see if we should question his motives.
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Kicking off a 3-part sub-series: Did God Really Say? (He usually did.) Today we answer the question: where does the Bible say to "invite Jesus into your heart and be saved"? That phrase isn't, but we can search through a number of other Scriptures to try to find the concept.
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People like to remind religious folk that Jesus ate with sinners--but what do you think those dinners were like? What might have been some topics of discussion? Well, this week we take a look at five of the dinners recorded in the Gospels, who attended, and what reaction they had to sitting with Jesus and breaking bread.
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What do we do when we realize we believe in a heresy? When someone else believes in one? When our pastor preaches one? There's no one-size-fits-all, but we'll take a look at a few key scriptures to help guide us.
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How might Christians view tradition? The Pharisees were somewhat notorious traditionalists, and perhaps why the church tries to be so relevant today. But can we also shun tradition at our own peril--or, at least, a diminished experience in the body of Christ? Tune in to hear Scripture for and against Church tradition.
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Is "Christian Supernatural" an oxymoronic genre? If you hear a book in that genre, do you think "how could a supernatural story be Christian, or vice versa?" This is the episode for you, potentially. Listen in for the briefest of dives into six Scriptures that remind us we're in a supernatural story whether we see it or not.
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Today we look at a few key passages of Scripture as we consider how much value things on earth have. Is it worth fighting for? Getting into arguments over? Judging others for? Removing from our lives just for the sake of removing it? Or, by denying ourselves things, are we only writing a new law that God never gave us? Just three passages today, to maybe help us answer these questions.
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When we're told to "bear much fruit" because it is "to God's glory" it is important to know what kind of fruit we should be bearing. Today we look at what we can expect, what we should expect, and what we should pray for and intentionally bear--no gardener simply throws out random seeds. Neither should we only haphazardly cultivate crops within our character and our souls.
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Fate...freewill...someone should write a fantasy book exploring this idea...
What is predestination? Are we able to choose salvation, or has God already determined it beforehand? We start with each verse that uses the word to see some context, and then go all over the Bible to see where else it might pop up--or might not.
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What do you consider sin? Is it doing something bad? And if we are destined for Hell because of our sins--then do we just need to stop doing bad things? What about people who are mostly good? Or, at least, aren't evil?
Or do we need to think of sin differently? Listen in for a slant on this idea you may not have considered before.
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This week was a busy week, and I did not have the time I need to fully prepare for a discussion on predestination. So instead we're talking about red flags--when is a behavior or action a red flag, versus something we can either overlook or work through? When can we sit in uncertainty, and when should we run? Let's take a look at an interesting real-world example to help us understand how to better tell people about God.
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It feels like sometimes, so much emphasis is put on coming to Christ, on being saved, that the "by faith not works" starts to bleed into the walk with Christ. Or the walk with Christ is largely ignored--that as long as you are saved, you've done the most important thing. And while it is a critical first step, it is still just the first step. In today's episode we look at why there is so much more to look forward to between salvation and heaven.
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Today we're answering this question--is salvation easy, or hard? What do we have to do to be saved? What is the actual process? Do I just say a prayer? Do I have to do anything first?
All this and more!
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Does the Old Testament still apply? Or are the promises of Jeremiah 29:11 only for ancient Israel? Tune in to find out--or to encourage yourself of what you already know.
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Psalm 1:3--does the tree planted by streams of water bear fruit each season? Every season? Should we as Christians see the ripened fruits of our labor constantly? And what about "everything we do prospers"--does that mean something specific to Americans, perhaps?
So much to answer and discuss--listen in to learn more.
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When you find work that gives you joy, criticism arises: well, it must not be hard work (and hard work is the only work that counts); that's great you have that, but when are you getting a real job?; and, with your education and experience you should be able to get a good job, not this...whatever you're doing.
But are those things important? Will God only call you to do the most difficult things? What constitutes a "real" job? And isn't working for the kingdom "good"?
Answers to all this and more in today's episode as we continue to look at work, redefined.
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When God said: "Six days you shall work, but on the Seventh you must rest," was it one command? Or two? That is, do we only work because we must? And only rest because we must? Or was this commandment put in place because without it, we would love work so much as to do it every day? My guess is most of us would take any any time off from our jobs that we could--but I don't think that's what God intended when He "prepared good works in advance" for us to do. Listen in as we try to re-imagine a life of working for God.
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Plenty of preaching tells us to desire what God desires; and we please Him when we do what He desires. But what is it, then, that He desires? Join me on a journey through Old and New Testament as we explore 39 verses telling us just that.
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Are denominations biblical? Paul prays for the church to be unified; now we are fractured almost endlessly. At every perceived heresy, it seems like, a new denomination arises.
But it doesn't mean we have to abandon the idea of denominations. Instead perhaps we can return to Scripture and find a better frame of mind when we consider doctrines and beliefs, and even the idea of the "true" Christian.
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Some of the questions that come to mind when making a difficult life-choice is: "What if I screw up? What if I choose something God doesn't want for me? Will everything just fall apart?"
It can be easy to think, in a works-based society, that God similarly only gives us what we need if we're doing what He wants us to. Even if you've got the "salvation by grace alone" thing down, don't we still have to obey Him for Him to bless and provide for us?
Listen in and see what you think after we look at some critical Scriptures.
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What is freedom? Freedom from law? What is law? Funny how something that is talked about so much has so many definitions behind it. Today though we answer these for those who follow Christ, adhering to Scripture as much as we can. We're still mostly working on the foundation though, with some (maybe) good real-life examples thrown in.
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What does Scripture say in regard to obeying the laws of the land? Should we as Christians subject ourselves to those laws, or do we obey a higher authority? What if that law requires us to sin--or to aid others in the commission of that sin? Our conversation continues--but is not yet finished--in this week's episode.
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Are we free from the law of the land once we receive Christ? We've been given complete forgiveness, we're told; why are we still punished on earth? From an unlikely source we get some insight into this question.
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In today's episode we dive further into our previous Isaiah passage and ask: how can a good God "create the blacksmith who fans the flames and forges a weapon fit for its work"? Turns out, God uses weapons devised by the enemy to accomplish His will throughout Scripture. It may sound messy, and we may not like it, but it's a part of God worth exploring.
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"It's a small world," they say, and east is not so far from west. Or is it? Just how far does God remove our transgressions from us, according to Psalm 103? Listen in for a message of hope for those seeking forgiveness.
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Christianity is meant to offer a lot of hope, love, forgiveness...it can seem, to hear some talk, that a life following Christ is a lot better than one rejecting him. And in many ways, that's true. But if we're only concerned with the material, natural world, a life in Christ can be...hard. Things still go badly, sometimes. We don't always get what we want. Our path forward seems blocked or broken. And all those happy Scriptures start to ring hollow. What do we do? How do we respond? Listen in for some (hopefully) helpful things to consider.
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Welcome (officially) to the new season of In Faith! Today we introduce this session as we ask ourselves an old question reimagined: when you prioritize, when you choose an action, a path, an idea--who do you do it for? Yourself? Your spouse? Your parents? Your friend? If you consider yourself a follower of Christ, do you do it for him? I would encourage you to--and I do, in this episode!
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This week we finish out Genesis by mining a couple nuggets of faith and wisdom from chapters 46 through 50: inflicting our own grief when we don't trust God; sketchy government deals; another early example of God shunning favoritism; another prophecy of Christ; and the reassurance of forgiveness. It's been a great ride, and I'm thankful for all who came along. New season next week!
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As we read Genesis 42-45 we see Joseph take his brothers on a journey of repentance and forgiveness, and leaves us some nuggets of wisdom as we seek our own path of forgiving others according to New Testament teaching. It can be difficult, but God's grace is. enough to help us on our way.
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When God promises us something--through a dream, like Joseph, or through His Word, or through other people--how much are you willing to go through to see it fulfilled? What are you willing to give up? Joseph went through a lot, but saw God's faithfulness.
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We look today at a strange set of chapter, documenting two cases where "God's People" didn't act very godly, and--what's up with genealogies? Why should we care? Listen in to find out!
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Sneak preview of the upcoming Topics in Faith series--Jesus' miracle of walking on water was unprecedented. Why this miracle? The answer sounds like a punchline, except for its profound relevance to our lives.
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We all wrestle for blessings from God and from Man--but should we? Or should we ask and let what comes, come? We start with Jacob as he slowly reconciles with everyone he's cheated, then look at ways we, too, wrestle and cheat.
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Not only does He provide, but His providence is up to him--not us. If He promises to care for us, He will, even if we stray.
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In Faith is back after a 19-month hiatus! Here's what's been happening, why we're back, and how we can "mourn on the way," as it were.
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In what may be our last episode for a while, we look at God--is He a God of wrath and judgement? What do His names say about Him, and what has He shown of His character in just the first 25 chapters of the Bible? If you see the God of the OT as wielding lightning bolts, you may be in for a surprise.
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Today we read through Genesis 17-19, and what we mean by faith, law, and righteousness. There's a lot of anger, frustration, and hate flying around out there because of those who don't follow the law--but should we as Christians expect them to? Do we, ourselves, follow the law? Some uncomfortable topics and questions, but important to ask and answer honestly in our growth toward Christ-likeness. I hope you'll join me.
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Today we're looking at the on again/off again faithfulness of Abram and Sarai, and one of the most beautiful passages of God's faithfulness anywhere in the Bible. We need to always remember it depends on Him, not on us--and that's where true freedom lies.
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Another week, another Special Episode--changes are coming! Spring is in the air, motivation was down the drain, and a golden opportunity to grow my faith in God is here. Lots to discuss, and more to come, take a listen and let me know what you think!
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Today we look closer at the story of Babel in Genesis 11, tracking God's sovereignty through the scattering of language, people, and how He lead Terah, Abram, Sarai, and Lot from Ur to Haran to Canaan. When life doesn't seem to line up with what God promised, we sometimes need to remember just who is in charge!
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This week we consider God's timing as we look through the events of the Flood, and the beauty of His first covenant. Sometimes it's easy to think God can move immediately--and He can--but no matter what speed, it is always perfect timing. The best thing we can do is follow His steps.
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This episode takes a brief break from Genesis to let you know what's been going on behind the scenes here, and why I'm recanting Episode 8: Genesis 5-6. You can find the text of the correction at danieldydek.com/blog.
The episode itself will be revised, so if you've listened to it after Feb. 13, 2021 there is no correction to be made.
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This week we're diving into Genesis 5, and a little bit of 6, working our way through our first big genealogy and some difficult verses about the Nephilim, and God's regret at making mankind. There's a lot to distract us here, so let's keep Christ in front of us as we go.
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This week we look at Cain and Abel's sacrifices, and when sin crouches at our doors. When someone else's sacrifice is "better" than ours, how do we respond? How do we feel? Is it the worship that is misguided, or us? Listen in to find out how to navigate through some of these questions, and more!
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Today we talk about the unpopular and uncomfortable topic of the consequences of our sins. Thanks be to God it's not the end of the story--but it is part of the story, and we need to understand and acknowledge it if we are ever to be mature Christians. So, let's get through it today and be grateful for a Savior!
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Today we're in Genesis 3, where we'll be for at least two weeks. For now we're just looking at the temptation of Eve and Adam, and then a whole slew of New Testament verses as we find out some common tricks of Satan, and what sin itself actually is. We finish with a mental image that will hopefully help us to rightfully compare what Satan offers and what God offers.
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This is an update episode, first to announce that the podcast is back! It's been too long a hiatus, but we'll quickly be diving back into Genesis 3. For today, here's what's been going on for me since July last year, and what we have to look forward to for 2021.
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Hey all, work and life can be hectic! So through the summer, until the end of October, look for new episodes every other week, beginning next Saturday, August 8. Hope you'll join me!
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Today we read through Genesis 2, and look at a scattering of New Testament passages that quote from it, all on the topic of marriage--the two becoming one flesh. The goal is to ask some important questions about the creational reality of marriage, to get us thinking about what God has designed versus what man has turned into ceremony and tradition.
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Today's Passage: Genesis 1-2:3.
Was the earth created in 7 days, or billions of years? Does it matter? Today we read through the first part of the Creation story, spending most of our time talking about why the earth may not have been created in 7 calendar days; then reversing in one quick passage from John 2 to show why we can accept a 'young' earth and a literal interpretation of Genesis 1. Most importantly, we talk about what the Creation story tells us about God.
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Today we're looking at why the Old Testament is still relevant to Christians today, as it was to the early church; why we shouldn't view it as boring; and how we might begin to reconcile the seeming contradictions we'll find. Kicking off a brand new umpteen-week series--let's go!
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Today we're covering a random smattering of topics--repentance, vocation and calling, defining your audience and writing to it, and eucatastrophe. While we might see future Writing in Faith episodes, this should be the last for a while. It's been fun, but also looking forward to our next series!
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Today we try to define "love" from a Scriptural standpoint--for the devotion, focusing more on the command to "love one another." For writers, we look at four relationship tropes that pose inherent danger and unacceptable risk if our readers begin to internalize them as anything close to true, or a model to follow in real life.
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Today we look at THE foundational principle of life, the universe, and everything, from Genesis chapter 1; and how "In the beginning, God..." underlies everything we should know and understand about Creation and Scripture. For writers, we pare back everything we've read, heard, and watched to take a look at the idea of 'story' and how it informs what we create.
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Today we talk about salvation--who can be saved, how, what happens after, and when do we get to heaven. For Christian writers, we're talking villains--how to create and use them to address evil and sin in the world in a way that pleases people, and--I believe--God.
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Today we take a brief look at what the Bible says about men and women--or is it wives and husbands?--and how faith and the Spirit works in and through both to preach Christ to the world. For writers, we get an introduction into writing "the Other", those who are not ourselves (our race, gender, culture, religion, etc) and how to write well.
Sanderson on Sexism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v98Zy_hP5TI&list=PLH3mK1NZn9QqOSj3ObrP3xL8tEJQ12-vL&index=4
Starting at 54:43
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Today we take a second look at Scriptural grace--what is it? Is it just forgiveness for sins, or is there some power in it, something to help us live up to the holiness we've been called to? For writers, does grace cover us when we "break the rules" of writing? How do some authors break rules in a way that still makes sense, and makes for a powerful story, while others make us roll our eyes and throw the book?
LINKS:
Blue Letter Bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org
Pumped Up Kicks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXO-jKksQkM
Order of Adjectives: https://theeditorsblog.net/2014/04/08/keeping-adjectives-in-line/
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In this episode, we discuss holiness--setting ourselves, and what we write, apart for God's purposes instead of our own. In our spiritual life, what does "holiness" mean? Why should we choose it? For those of us calling ourselves Christian writers, our books should be different than those of the world--but we don't necessarily need to write only Sunday School-approved stories. What should we consider when trying to make our books holy? Answers to all these and more in this episode.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” -- Romans 5:8
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Non-health-related delay this time--I've been super-busy preparing for the release of The One Known, Book III of The Triumvirs series. Check out danieldydek.com to see more, and check out what's been going on. Also, slight change in topic schedule! All good things.
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In today's episode, we look at the promises of God as foreshadowing of things to come, gaining insight into another aspect of who God is and helping us know Him even better. For writers, we take a little bit more practical look at how to set up foreshadowing in our works, in order to best serve our readers and the kind of ending we want to create.
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In today's episode, we discuss practical methods for moving ahead on your journey in Christ when you can't seem to get started on steps toward pursuing your goals. For writers, there's the dreaded "block:" we break down three kinds of block and ways to move past them, as well.
Kingdom of Heaven episode: here
Your Best Life episode: here
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In this episode we talk about some key differences between God's wisdom, and the wisdom of the world, and important thoughts for Christians as we navigate our journeys through life. For writers, we look at Promises, Progress, and Pay-offs to make sure we give our readers what we've promised them.
Sanderson 2020 Lectures: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSH_xM-KC3Zv-79sVZTTj-YA6IAqh8qeQ
Sanderson 2016 Lectures: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH3mK1NZn9QqOSj3ObrP3xL8tEJQ12-vL
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In today's episode we take a look first at story structure, introducing a 10-part structure I learned from author, blogger, and podcaster K.M. Weiland. After a quick gloss, with non-spoiler examples from my book By Ways Unseen, I also defend this structure against the fear that such a formulaic device could only result in boring, predictable books--it doesn't have to. Then, in the devotional portion, we take a look at the structure of the Bible for some maybe-surprising ideas.
To read K.M. Weiland's entire blog series on Story Structure, you can find it here:
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/secrets-story-structure-complete-series/
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In this episode, we're talking about obstacles in our journey of faith and writing, especially publishing. Sometimes obstacles are to be overcome; other times they are put in our path to get our attention back on God when He needs to redirect us. How do we know which is which? Listen in to find out!
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In today's episode, we look at our journey as Christians and as writers, and what we should expect from ourselves as we go. For Christians we explore the question of whether we can be sinless in this world, now that we have Christ living in us. For writers, I offer some suggestions on how to determine if it's time to be done with your story and move on to the next. When might your book be ready for the world? Listen in to find out!
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In this episode, we're talking about how to live your best life now, and three things you'll need to do to find it and pursue it. Like last week's topic, this has very little to do with what your life may actually look like, except in light of the Kingdom of God. But if you're willing to seek Him first, you can certainly begin to live your ideal life today. For writers, we're looking at what attitude we'll need to have in order to write our best book now.
Find Jenelle Leanne Schmidt's books here.
Find Katelyn Buxton's books here.
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In this episode we take a look at what the Kingdom of Heaven is, and what it isn't; and how do we apply that knowledge to our lives--what we read, hear, study, hope for? For writers, we talk about Author Brand, what it is that makes you more than just a person who writes.
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Today we're talking about building up our own character in Christ, and a path laid out for us by the Apostle Peter in his Second Epistle. For writers, we look at Character Sliders--a concept from Brandon Sanderson, and ways to use it to actively build our characters and make them grow or change, and passively to help assess why a character might be falling flat.
All Brandon Sanderson's BYU lectures from 2016 can be found here.
Don't forget to visit my website at danieldydek.com!
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In this episode, we learn more about our freedom in Christ, and key things to think about in living out that freedom for ourselves, and with those around us. For writers, we ask two important questions surrounding 'questionable' content like language, sex, violence, and others: can we? Should we?
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This week we look even deeper at the idea of the body of Christ and how we live in it; now that we have our gifts, what ministry is ours and what do we do if someone else's ministry seems to undo our own work? For writers, the words we use have been described as windows through which our readers watch the story unfold. The debate is whether these windows should be clear, or stained glass--how much attention should the narrative draw to itself? Listen in to learn more!
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Hey listeners, I wasn't able to record a full episode this week, just because of some minor health issues that affected my voice. I'm back and better now, so I put together this quick update for the weekend, correcting two things I said in last week's episode, as well as asking you to consider participating in the creation of this podcast! I have 8 more episodes still to record and release, but I would love to hear from you on what sort of questions you have about faith--or writing! Mention me on Twitter, @DanielDydek and use #WritinginFaith; or find my page on Facebook, DanielDydek.Author and leave your comments. Thanks in advance! And I'll be back with a full-length episode next weekend. As always, until then, keep the faith, and keep writing!
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In this episode, we look at the spiritual gifts as given to us in 1 Corinthians 12, and attitudes that will help us value our own, and others, gifts. For writers, we look at the spectrum between plotting and pantsing your novel, to take it from concept to first draft.
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Today we look at two of the letters to the seven churches, found in Revelation 2-3, and discuss the consequences of sending the wrong letter (or message) to the wrong church. For writers, why is your 5-star book some people's 2-star read? Maybe they're just getting the wrong message.
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This week, we learn that the apostle Paul "became all things to all people" -- which sounds like hypocrisy, except he did it in order to reach as many people as possible with the Gospel, and share in its blessing. We as writers should feel safe and confident writing any genre we have been gifted to write, as long as we do not fall into sin, and we are able to redeem the topic for Christ, and seek to share the blessings of the Gospel with those who read our books.
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Where can we as Christians and writers find wisdom, and inspiration? Our verse for the week and some personal experiences can guide us in our walk and in our work.
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This week we take a look at the parables of Jesus and ask why stories are useful, and why Jesus chose them as his primary means of revealing truths hidden since the beginning of the world. Once we understand this, we can understand why our own stories are so important, and worth sharing even if our readers may not fully understand our message until much later.
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This episode introduces your host, Daniel Dydek, and the podcast, and talks about our first devotion and writing topic: recognizing the uniqueness and usefulness of Scripture, and making sure you can answer the two most important questions about your writing--what purpose do your words have, and are they the right words for your story?
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