I wrote yesterday about how I’ve been praying about which books I should read and review this year, and how I felt led to read Across the China Sky by C. Hope Flinchbaugh.

As I began to read it, I knew there was something unique about this writer — sure enough, I later discovered that Flinchbaugh was a finalist in the 2003 Christy Awards in the First Novel category. Her writing is spectacular, and I felt like every time I picked up the book, I traveled to China. Part of the story takes place in a Chinese orphanage in Shanghai, and part takes place in the countryside, giving me a taste of both city and rural living in China.

You can read an excerpt from the book here. This novel made it very clear to me how powerful fiction can be for drawing in readers so that an author’s message can come through clearly. Although I probably wouldn’t pick up a non-fiction book right now to read about a dangerous cult in China, this novel made me aware of this terrible problem.

It’s such a joy to be able to introduce C. Hope Flinchbaugh to you via this interview! I thank the good people at Bethany House for making this connection for us.

Across the China Sky is such an intriguing title. Can you tell us what your book is about?

Across the China Sky is a novel based on the true testimonies of Chinese Christian leaders that I interviewed in China — leaders who were deceived and kidnapped by the Eastern Lightning cult. Across the China Sky follows the relationship of an engaged Chinese couple who struggle to keep their love alive while being separated and persecuted for their faith.

What inspired you to write this novel?

Several years ago I had the opportunity to go to China to interview some Chinese House Church leaders who were kidnapped by the Eastern Lightning cult. These Christian leaders were devastated by the kidnapping, and they begged me to tell their stories to “President Bush.”

I wasn’t exactly scheduled to have lunch with our president that month, so I wrote their story in my novel, Across the China Sky.

I was stunned to learn about the Eastern Lightning cult, and I was so thankful you included an actual letter from a Chinese pastor in the back of your book. Can you tell about this group? Are they still active?

Yes. The Eastern Lightning cult is a vicious group that seeks to kidnap Christians and brainwash them into believing that Jesus has already returned to the earth, and this time He’s come in the form of a woman who lives in China.

They base their beliefs on Matthew 24:27, which says, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Their belief is that Jesus was the Western Christ. Now the EASTERN Jesus has returned to the earth, and he is a Chinese woman who is to be worshiped as God.

How does the cult operate?

Eastern Lightning cult members do not walk up to Christians and ask them to join their club. They are very subtle and deceiving. They have decided that instead of finding new converts in China, they would rather deceive and then convert the main Christian leaders. They hope that if they can convert church pastors in China, these will in turn tell all their churches to convert to Eastern Lightning.

To do this, an Eastern Lightning cult member will go to an underground church and pretend to become converted. They will be baptized, sing the songs, read the Scriptures, and even testify about what great things Jesus did for them. They gain the trust of the pastors and evangelists and then lure them away with the promise of bringing them some great blessing.

They promised Brother Chen and all his main leaders (34 of them) a biblical seminary training. The leaders were excited to have the biblical training, but in the end they found out it was all a lie and they’d been kidnapped by a vicious cult that tried to brainwash them.

Brother Chen (not his real name) said, “Let our stumbling be the warning for the future of the church in the rest of the world. May brothers and sisters be alert and watchful, to guard against and resist the schemes of cults and heresies, and to walk in the truth of the Lord.”

I understand this is your second novel. How does your first novel, Daughter of China, relate to this one?

Daughter of China is a novel based on true stories of the persecuted Christians in China and the intense persecution of Chinese women and their daughters due to the one-child policy in China. If you want to peek into a state-run orphanage that is not a showcase orphanage for tourists, read this book.

Your second novel made me more keenly aware of the agonies Chinese women must go through when they aren’t allowed to keep a second baby. It broke my heart and made me realize if I were Chinese, I would only be able to keep my oldest son. How did you become so interested in China?

As a child, I sat in on classes when my mother taught inner city children stories from Child Evangelism Fellowship about missionaries from various countries. China always struck my interest. As a teen, my father handed me books about great Chinese missionaries such as Hudson Taylor, John and Betty Stam, Adoniram Judson, and Watchman Nee.

How did you become interested in the topic of Chinese orphans?

My interest in the orphans began when I saw two documentaries on television, each depicting the dying rooms in China’s state-run orphanages. Videotapes do not lie.

I saw babies lying in a room left to die—they looked like so many scattered rugs on a hard floor. I looked at my second child, a one-year-old baby girl, and realized she would not be with me had I given birth to her in China. I knew then that I had to do something to help these orphans.

I researched the Chinese orphanages by doing interviews with people who had been to China. After one look at Human Rights Watch Asia’s report on Chinese orphanages, called Death by Default, I knew I had to write the book. The lame boy in my first book is named Zhu, after a little one in the Death by Default book. Zhu died of starvation while the workers around him ate three meals a day.

Daughter of China has inspired a number of couples to adopt children in China—it doesn’t get any more rewarding than that.

Who are your sources of inspiration?

The great scientist Isaac Newton was asked in his old age how he accomplished so much in his life. Newton answered, “If I have seen further than anyone else, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

My giant was my dad — my biological and spiritual father, a mentor, friend, and great evangelist at heart. He personally led thousands of inner city children and teenagers to the Lord through his chalk art evangelism.

When I was a child, he drew chalk pictures at camp meetings, inner city parking lots, street corners, and churches. I sang and played the guitar or piano as he drew, bringing squeals of delight from children as he changed the lights above the picture to yellow, blue, and red, revealing in the end a “hidden picture” under a black light.

My dad and I went to China in October 2002 and met with the leaders together.

Do you know what he did? He fasted meals and gave away every penny he had to the leaders who were still brokenhearted from their recent kidnapping experiences — leaders who needed a gray-haired pastor to love them and tell them it was going to be okay. My dad did that — and they respected him.

Dad drew chalk pictures for Chinese children, put coins into the cups of beggars we saw on the street, and taught in underground seminaries. He died in June 2006, and would you believe, I am still standing on his shoulders? You can see a picture of the two of us together on my website.

That is a wonderful picture of you and your father. What a blessing that you were able to be with him in China. Thank you so much for writing this book and for sharing your insights into the persecuted church in China. I hope to be able to visit there someday.

For now, the very least I can do is pray for my brothers and sisters who are there, struggling to keep their faith strong.

Hope Flinchbaugh is an author, freelance writer, and homeschooling mom from Pennsylvania. Daughter of China received a Catherine Marshall Christy Award of Excellence in 2003. Hope’s nonfiction book, Spiritually Parenting Your Preschooler, was released in August 2003. She’s also a contributor to Soul Matters, a series released in bookstores and Sam’s Clubs in 2005.

A few weeks ago, my online writing group was discussing mission statements. I didn’t have anything to contribute because … I don’t really know what my mission is. I just like to write, and when I write I feel like I’m pleasing God. That’s it.

One of the mentors in our group impressed on us to pray about every aspect of our writing, and ask God to show us how to best spend our time this year. So I began to pray, “God, please show me what you want me to write. Please show me what you want me to read.”

As soon as I prayed that prayer, things began to fall away for me. I felt less excited about certain writing assignments and more excited about others. Seek Me and You Will Find Me. This is the phrase I’ve been impressed with since the start of the year.

I don’t feel like a parenting expert or a writing expert or even a “Christian Living” expert. But these are the areas I love sharing about. And in the past week two invitations have come to write as a parenting columnist. Thank you, Lord. This seems to be what I’m called to do this year.

As I’ve prayed about reading material, certain books have jumped off my stack of TO READ books, making my heart beat faster when I open the first page.

One of those books had a pretty green cover with a picture of a Chinese woman drinking tea. The cover intrigued me, and so I began to read Across the China Sky by C. Hope Flinchbaugh.

Wow.

I am NOT the same person since finishing that book! My heart weeps for the persecuted church of China — and I had no idea God would use the connecting point of my interest in orphaned children to captivate me with Flinchbaugh’s story.

When I finished the book, I wanted to know more. It was based on a true story involving the kidnapping and torture of a group of Chinese pastors. The author went to China and interviewed some of these people, and her writing reflects a depth of passion and knowledge that is unlike anything I’ve ever read.

I wrote the publisher (Bethany House) to see if I could ask the author some questions about the book, and Flinchbaugh graciously responded. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a Christian in modern-day China, come back tomorrow and you’ll learn why we must PRAY for our brothers and sisters in China.

When my husband and I were in Cavendish (Avonlea), P.E.I. several years ago, we both noticed there were a lot of Japanese tourists visiting the Green Gables site. I asked one of the Japanese schoolgirls there why Anne of Green Gables was so popular in Japan, and she held her hand over her mouth and giggled.

Then another girl who could speak some English touched her own braided hair and answered, “Akage no Anne. She’s very popular in Japan. Akage no Anne means ‘Anne with red hair.'” She told me they read about Anne Shirley in their English textbooks at school.

This is a little fact I tucked away for years until I ran across this site that explains more detail. This is from the Prince Edward Island government website: Anne of Green Gables.

I’m quoting directly:

“In Japan, Montgomery became part of the school curriculum in 1952. In 1939, when New Brunswick missionary, Miss Shaw, left Japan, she gave to her friend Hanako Muraoka her prized copy of Anne of Green Gables. Secretly, the respected Japanese translator rendered Montgomery’s text into Japanese, Akage No Anne (Anne of the Red Hair).

When the Second World War ended and officials were looking for uplifting Western literature for the schools, Muraoka brought out her translation of Anne. Ever since, Anne has been a part of Japanese culture, with her exotic red hair and comic outspokenness.

Yuko Izawa’s recently published bibliography of editions gives some idea of the continuing popularity of Montgomery in Japan (see Credits under Works Cited). Today, there is an Anne Academy in Japan; there are national fan clubs; one nursing school is nicknamed “The Green Gables School of Nursing” and is sister school with the University of Prince Edward Island’s School of Nursing.

Thousands of Japanese come to Prince Edward Island every year as visitors to Anne country and the Land of Green Gables. When the National Park house called Green Gables caught fire in May 1997, the Japanese responded immediately by sending money to restore and repair the building. Dozens of glossy Japanese magazines have devoted whole issues to photographs of Island scenery and crafts and of course to the sites devoted to Montgomery and her works.”

This completely fascinates me!

As I’ve been reading through the Anne of Green Gables series this year, one thing really strikes me about Montgomery’s writing — her descriptions of setting. The beauty of Prince Edward Island is what attracts us so much to the world of Anne — and I can’t help but imagine how Japanese readers feel when they’re reading it.

Japan is densely populated, with many people living in high-rise apartments surrounded by noise and concrete. Anne’s world was one filled with beauty, quiet, nature, and peace. It’s something few of us have, yet all of us long for.

I can’t believe this video — this is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen! It’s the little Shopping Penguin who waddles to the fish store to buy fish for his family. Now my kids want to go to Japan to meet this little guy. You gotta see his Pingu backpack!

Club Mothers and Wives, Club M.A.W., is up and running, and I’d love for you to visit and tell me what you’re reading!

Author and mom, Michele Steinhauser, has started this new club for women — and she’s building a great community. Her site is based on rooms of the house, and I’m the club “MAW-derator” for … you guessed it. The Library!

There’s a discussion board set up, and I’d love for you to click on over and sign up, then join in the discussions. I’d love to know what you’re reading. To be honest, most of the books on my nightstand are new Christian books, what the publishers and publicists send me. But I’m also reading an older book for my ladies’ Bible study, as well as working through the Anne of Green Gables series … slowly.

How about you? If you’re reading a great book — or you’re the author of a great book, come tell us about it. Especially if you’re reading something older, a classic even, I’d love to know. Your advice will be much appreciated.

Michele Steinhauser is a gal with a huge heart, a mom of two boys, living in northern California. I met her in fall 2005 at the Glorieta Christian Writer’s Conference. We found ourselves sitting next to each other at breakfast one morning — and ended up becoming buddies.

She’s been such an encouragement to me the past year — and if you visit her new home at Club M.A.W. I’m sure you’ll know what I mean.

Hope to see you there!

I haven’t done one of these blog quizzes in a while, and I was curious about this one. The last time I was in New York was via the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, which is actually a cute movie about a girl working for a fashion magazine in NYC.

Meryl Streep’s role as power editor is amazing — and the theme is about a woman’s dilemma of whether to put her job or her personal life first. (If you’d like a quick laugh, click here to see a snooty-hooty clip from this film, where editor “Miranda” first meets journalist wanna-be “Andy.”)

All of the racing after cabs made me appreciate my simple life driving my own mom vehicle, no Prada required.

You Belong in the East Village

A little bit arty, a little bit punk – you seem to set trends that many people follow. It’s likely that you’re an academic of sorts, even if it’s just on the weekends.

And yes, it’s a bit thrilling as a writer to have MY column on the front cover — even better, because it’s not about me. God only used me to help spread the message of Liz Curtis Higgs — her journey of grace, forgiveness, and hope.

It all started with an email I received from her publicist several months ago — offering me the opportunity to interview her. I about fell out of my chair. You see, last summer, I read her book, Grace in Thine Eyes, which I reviewed for Christian Book Previews here. I remember thinking — wow, Liz is living the dream life of an author!

Liz is one of those rare modern novelists who takes enough time to thoroughly research her historical fiction — so that readers are completely transported to 19th-century Scotland, or whatever era she’s writing about.

If I’m going to take the time to read a novel, I want to be transported, don’t you? It’s the second-best thing to actually visiting a place — which happens to be the romantic isle of Arran, off the coast of Scotland. And Liz stayed there, in a real castle, talked to real people — then brought it all back for us armchair travelers through her delicious prose.

I ate it all up — piece by piece — not even realizing that she was taking me along for a spiritual ride as well. Ah, the power of words.

So I had a great time asking her about her most recent trip to Scotland (did you know she’s collected over 800 books on Scotland for her personal library?) She’s been there so many times it’s like a second home to her. I just stare at these photos and dream.

You can also click here to learn more about her new book that is coming soon, My Heart’s in the Lowlands: Ten Days in Bonny Scotland, which is “an entertaining armchair travel guide to Dumfries and Galloway—the land where fictional Jamie, Leana, Rose, and Davina have roamed through our imaginations, and where fascinating, real characters live today!”

And I hesitate to share this with you because it will lower my own chances of winning (heh heh) — but her publisher is offering a free nine-day TRIP FOR TWO TO SCOTLAND if you click here. You must go to the Waterbrook Press website to learn all the details — the deadline is April 30, 2007.

The rest of the January issue of CWO is great as well, with a brand new column debut from Allison Bottke, Boomer Babes Rock! Allison writes:

Did you know there are over 38 million baby boomer women? Considered to be some of the healthiest, wealthiest, and best educated women to ever hit midlife, we’re a diverse group between the ages of 42 and 60, born from 1946-1964. An obvious example of diversity is our age range, which spans 19 years and means that while some boomer women are grandparents (like me) others on the lower range who started their families later in life are still getting kids into preschool.

The other columns and articles will give you plenty to read this month, keeping you inspired to start your new year with fresh steps of faith.

The Royal Family has joined the blogosphere. Yes, it’s true. I heard about this from Melodee at The Amazing Shrinking Mom.

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has joined the ClubMom blogging team. Can you believe it? Take a deep breath. If you’re a blogger, you’re now in royal company.

For some reason, I feel validated. Blogging is hip. Maybe the Queen herself will be posting one of these days — or at least leaving a comment.

Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, is passionately committed to improving the lives of children. The Duchess travels the world to build support for a number of children’s causes …

The Duchess of York balances being a mother to two daughters, Princess Beatrice of York (age 18) and Princess Eugenie of York (age 16), and charity work with a diverse international career.

Pour yourself a cup of hot tea and check out The Duchess Diaries. And remember, in England, they call us “mums,” which doesn’t mean a flower. Say that with a British accent, “I’m a mum. Would you care to join me for a cup of tea?”

Maybe I’ll invite her for a visit here someday, if she’s not too busy doing duchess-y things.

P.S. I left a comment at Duchess Diaries. hehe. I wonder if she’ll read it. I feel like I’ve chatted with a royal this morning (don’t tell her I’m in my bathrobe and slippers).

With October’s leaves in transformation, I feel like autumn is officially here. And today, I also feel like I’ve entered a new season of parenting.

This morning, I kissed my 18-month-old goodbye, left in the care of two sweet nursery workers at our church’s Mom’s Morning Out program. It wasn’t her first time staying in that room, so she didn’t cry. But it was MY first time actually leaving the building. She waved to me and promptly began playing with toys.

My first time! All five kids in “school!” Granted, I only had two and a half hours to myself. But it was a new sensation for me to feel as if my days of full-time stay-home parenting are slowly coming to an end.

So what’s a mom to do with kids in school and time on her hands? Well, I wore my jogging suit, the one from Target that’s halfway hip, so I went to Curves and worked out for half an hour, then to Mega-Mart to catch up on shopping.

It was like a reunion for me — yes, life in a small town is good if you’re in the mood. I’m usually not. But today I saw everyone in the world, and I had plenty of time to chat. No kids wiggling out of the cart or interrupting me. I was a social butterfly — feeling so happy and light, I actually made it over to the electronics department to pick out a new answering machine. Something I’d put off for about a year.

Today’s joys contrast sharply with yesterday’s complete and utter despair. I was home yesterday with my two youngest, trying to unpack and get caught up from our trip. All was quiet upstairs, and I was thrilled that my kids seemed to be happily playing together.

Rule #1 of mothering. If it’s too quiet, then something is wrong. I almost had a heart attack when I went to check on things. My three-year-old had decorated his wall AGAIN with purple magic marker. He’d gotten into the first-aid kit and opened all the band-aids. And the worst. He found my husband’s collection of cassette tapes from the 80s (recently recovered from the attic), and he unraveled them all. The tangled brown ribbons covered every square inch of his room.

One of those tapes was a gift my husband mailed me when I was teaching English in Japan. It was a recording of children’s songs, and I listened to that tape over and over and over. I used it in all my classes. I loved it. I can safely say that tape made such an impact on me that I fell in love with this guy who was thoughtful enough to make it for me.

When I saw the destruction, I sat in the floor and cried. “I’m sorry, Mama,” a little voice said. “I won’t do it again.” And he won’t. Because there are no tapes left to destroy. No more band-aids to open. And my mom and I are repainting the room next week.

I have absolutely no regrets that my children are all in school. None. They need the break from me. And I need the break from them. I love my kids. I love being a mom. But I’m ready for the next step.

What else is new? Another first. We took a road trip this week and rented a beautiful cabin in the mountains. Just our little family of seven. It was the first time my husband and I have ever done this! We cooked in our cozy kitchen and ate outside on the picnic table. We had so much fun, and it reminded me of how we felt as newlyweds in our first apartment. Our tiny kitchen had everything we needed.

I’ve spent the entire last decade changing diapers, and we still have one more child to potty-train. These have been happy years, but I’m looking forward to more road trips, more mountain cabins, more precious blocks of time to think. And dream.

One of you wrote to me recently to tell me you saw my mother/daughter book for sale at your local Christian bookstore in Niverville, Manitoba! So, hello to everyone up there!

I read here that you’re located 55 kilometers south of Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba. OK, my knowledge of Canadian geography is not all that impressive, but since I know several of you now from Manitoba, I’m so intrigued. This site says your population is 1600 people.

My kids rarely get to see snow down here in Georgia. I’m sure you have beautiful winters up there. We were watching Anne of Green Gables the other day, and my oldest daughter asked me several times why we can’t live somewhere where we can ride in a horse and buggy through the snow, like Anne and Diana did, on their way to the Christmas dance.

Maybe we’ll be able to hop on a plane or train someday and come for a visit. I still dream of one day renting or buying a used RV and traveling around the country — and it would of course be thrilling to venture into Canada.

I hope we can stay connected until then!