Dr. Gary Chapman is a seasoned writer, speaker, broadcaster and marriage counselor.  His Five Love Languages franchise includes similarly titled books for children, teens and singles.

The premise of this book is that people have “love tanks” that are empty in unfulfilling relationships, and that they can be filled by a spouse who knows how to communicate in a way that’s meaningful to the empty person.

How does Chapman recommend you fill the “love tank” of your significant other?  With aphorisms that predate the Bible, and are found in other writings as diverse as Solomon, Ben Franklin and the latest pop culture guru on PBS.  For example, Chapman advises readers to “give compliments to your spouse, “spend quality time with them,” and  he writes of the importance of receiving gifts. In subsequent chapters, Chapman covers the significance of doing things to show your love to your spouse, and the importance of physical touch.

The Meaning of Gifts, back in 1963 and the ideas Chapman expresses are so similar to those found in Tournier’s work that it would seem appropriate that Chapman would make bibliographic reference to him.  In fact, many of Chapman’s principles seemed to be rooted in Tournier’s work, (see particularly To Understand Each Other, John Knox Press, 1967) even though no credit is provided by Chapman.

It is extremely odd to me that Chapman does not credit Paul Tournier, the Christian Swiss physician in the chapter on the importance of gift-giving. Tournier wrote a rather seminal book,

In each chapter of Chapman’s book, the pattern of presentation is similar. He states his love language principle, uses an example from his own casebook about a couple suffering from lack of knowledge of the principle, records his interview with a couple where he imparts advice to them, then explains how they went on to live in wedded bliss.

If this marital prescription and writing formula seem naïve and simplistic to you, then get on the bus.  Marital problems are complex and often there are no easily identifiable connection between cause and effect in marital disharmony. Pioneer family therapist Nathan Ackerman was more correct when he said, “There are no individual problems, only constellations of problems.”  People do not become dissatisfied in marriage because a husband does not help do the dishes; it is something deeper and more complex than that.

This is definitely a “crossover” book.  While there are eight Bible verses referenced in it, there is not enough other spiritual information to bother the head of a non-Christian reader, and may be evidence for its appearance on the New York Times Bestseller list. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about this book is that people have bought 4 million copies of it. It has been on the Christian Bookseller Association list continuously since March 2003. One can only wonder why.  This question was so important that I asked Dr. Chapman why he thought the book had such legs. In an e-mail reply, Dr. Chapman said,

“That’s a question I’ve often asked myself! Actually, it has been a steady growth from the first year. Every year for 15 years the book has sold more than the year before. Last year it sold over 600,000 copies. It has also been translated into 35 languages around the world.

I have four thoughts: First, it addresses a fundamental human need - the need for love. Second, it is written in the language of the common man, giving an insight that when applied will immediately enhance the emotional climate in a relationship. Thus, third, when people read it they want to share it with their friends. And fourth, and most important God has chosen to keep His hand upon the process.

Of course, in recent years Moody Publishers has made it a priority in their publicity efforts.”

Notes on Book-craft. This book will probably be invisible to men in a bookstore. It has a very feminine cover and the interior design practically squirts estrogen. The book, from that perspective, is a fatality of the school of book marketing that puts “likely buyers” over “who could benefit most from it.” Undoubtedly a woman will want to buy this book for her man, but such actions generally widen the gap when communication is already broken.  Later note: Through research I have learned that there is an edition of this book called The Five Love Languages: Men’s Edition that has a more macho cover and interior design and a new introduction, but otherwise seems to have the same content.

Reviewed by Donald L. Hughes

This list is ideal for writers to consult to determine current trends because it includes Christian books from all categories. By analyzing the books on this list, the subject categories they are in, and the authors, Christan writers are better able to determine the pulse of the marketplace.

As we read through the New Testament we see that most people sought Christ out of their emotional need rather than expecting Him to satisfy their intellectual curiosity. Jesus did not traffic in intellectualism at all; he spoke in parables– little stories that touched the hearts of people and caused them to think about spiritual things.

It’s true, Paul and the other apostles later debated with pagans and philosophers in Athens and elsewhere, but people do not generally come to Christ because they have been satisfied intellectually. Individuals come to Christ because they see the futility of their own life and realize they need to be rescued from their sin.

A decision for Christ never needs to be forced because Jesus is constantly in the process of drawing people to himself. We can never “win” people to Christ, we can only illuminate the path that leads to Him. How can we do that best?

We can illuminate the path for others by sharing our own little stories just as Jesus did. The goal is the same–to touch hearts. By opening ourselves to people, we cause them to think about their own spiritual situation.

When you share your faith journey, non-believers will draw parallels between your life and their own life. The Holy Spirit will use your story to  transform them.

This CWT Podcast explains how you can organize, write and share your faith journey with others.

When the paper closed, Dan found work at one of London’s Fleet Street tabloid newspapers, and his spiritual life began to decline as he slipped into the hard-drinking life that many tabloid reporters experienced.

It wasn’t until another Christian, Ray Barnett, tapped him on the shoulder to remind him of his calling that Dan did an about-face and began writing for the Lord again. Since then, Dan has covered stories around the world as a Christian journalist, including many dangerous places like Uganda, North Korea, Vietnam and insurgent hot-spots in Latin America. Dan has a special interest in covering the persecuted church around the world.

Dan is the founding director of California-based  ASSIST News Service, and, with a worldwide team, covers religious leaders, presidents, and pop stars. He has had many thrilling experiences which he recounts fully in his autobiography, From Tabloid to Truth.

Dan sat down for an exclusive interview with CWT editor Donald L. Hughes.

CWT: How did you get started in Christian journalism?

DW:  I became a journalist in London in 1968 with the Billy Graham newspaper, “The Christian and Christianity Today.”

CWT: The late 60s were a pretty exciting time here in the US.  There was a lot of excitement in the UK too, wasn’t there?

DW: Yes, the very first person I was sent to interview was Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr.  She had just come over to London for the memorial service for her late husband.  It was amazing to be in a room with the lady and her children and to interview her.

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CWT: What other interviews stand out in your mind?

DW: I was asked to interview Mahalia Jackson, the great the Gospel singer.  She died two days later, so I was probably one of the last people to interview her.

One day in 1975, I got a phone call to go to India to interview a woman almost no one had heard of back then– Mother Teresa.  I was amazed at the poverty in Calcutta, and when I was finally ushered into her small room, the first question I asked was, “Mother Teresa, how do you cope with the incredible poverty of India?”

Her reply stays with me to this day.  She looked at me and said, “Young man, the poverty of India is nothing compared with the spiritual poverty of the West.”

CWT:  What other spiritual leaders have you interviewed as a Christian journalist?

DW:  I have interviewed many of them over the years.  I worked with Billy Graham in several parts of the world, including his Moscow, Germany and Puerto Rico crusades.  I had the privilege of sitting down with him every morning to collaborate on crusade stories.  Recently I had the opportunity of interviewing Luis Palau the Argentinean  evangelist now based in the U.S.

CWT: You’ve interviewed celebrities as well a spiritual leaders, haven’t you?

DW:  Yes, I have interviewed Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Johnny Cash and people like that.  Rick Wakeman of the group Yes! has been a personal friend of mine and I wrote his autobiography years ago called Rick Wakeman, the Caped Crusader.  I met Elton John then, and he wrote the introduction for that book.

Every year I go to the MovieGuide Awards in Beverly Hills, and have interviewed many celebrities there– current stars and some favorites from past generations like Jane Russell and Mickey Rooney.

I once interviewed James Caviezel, who played Jesus in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.”  Interestingly, he told me that scenes on the cross were so painful that he listened to Michael W. Smith worship music to sustain him between takes.

CWT:  What do you think are some of the most important traits for Christian journalist?

DW:  When I worked for a London tabloid, my editor would say, “Wooding,  go get the story, and if you don’t get the story, don’t bother to come back. ” Of course, he said that to all the reporters. He was reminding us that journalists need tenacity, flexibility and creativity to do the job properly. 

Read Dan Wooding’s exciting autobiography, From Tabloid to Truth.

– Dallas Kinney, Pulitzer Prize winner

But a burning mouth is not where you’ll get your bounce from chili peppers. Expect a rush of creativity as the Capsaicin releases endorphins in your brain to extinguish the fire in your mouth. Endorphins are natural painkillers and produce a temporary high. Theoretically, the more chili peppers you eat, the more creative you’ll be. The question is, do you want to suffer that much for your art?

Are there other foods with less fiery characteristics that will lift your spirits, brighten your mind and enhance your creativity?

Brain Function

If you want your brain to function properly, you’ll need amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. One of the essential functions of amino acids is to deliver messages to your brain. Lack of amino acids could be the cause those gaps in thinking that older people sometimes call “senior moments.”

Amino acids start a chain-reaction in your body. They produce the neurotransmitters Dopamine and Serotonin which are vitally important for a healthy nervous system. You can increase the transmission speed of nerve impulses by having an amino acid-rich diet.

You get amino acids from lots of foods, but whole grain bread is one of the best sources. White bread doesn’t do anything for your brain— it’s whole grain bread that supplies the amino acids you need.

Seafood for Serenity

Adding more seafood to your diet will make you happier and give you more energy. Many writers live a very hectic life— many are trying to achieve their first literary success between a full-time job, caring for a family and many other responsibilities. In cases like this the body generates stress hormones and this brings on a tired feeling. When you eat seafood you get a lot of Selenium, a mineral that will give you an upbeat mood. Seafood is rich in Selenium.

Every writer wants to feel motivated and to be able to write quickly and efficiently. If you have an amino acid called Tyrosine coursing through your body, it will release dopamine and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), brain chemical’s that will change your outlook. Were do you get Tyrosine? Turkey and chicken.

An Upbeat Mood

Feeling irritable or blue? A lack of vitamin C may be your problem. As most people know, foods like oranges and grapefruit which are rich in vitamin C and can boost your epinephrine levels. A lack of vitamin-C-rich foods also inhibits your body’s ability to absorb the iron it needs to fight fatigue. So, if you need to fight fatigue, eat about six oranges per day and you will experience less nervousness and depression. Vitamin C supplements are also helpful.

When you’re in the produce aisle getting all those oranges, don’t forget to pick up some bananas too. They are rich in magnesium, and without magnesium you’re going to find yourself suffering from fatigue, insomnia, and muscle twitching. In more extreme cases you may have a rapid heartbeat or other cardiovascular issues. In severe magnesium deprivation cases, people experience tingling and numbness or even hallucinations and delirium.

Hydrate for Health

Finally, make sure that you have enough water on hand if you want to give your creativity a jolt.

It seems like everyone is walking around with a bottle of water in their hand, and that’s a good thing, especially for writers. Even cases of mild dehydration slows the flow of the blood, and this affects brain function. The right amount of water each day keeps you from feeling lethargic. How much water is enough? Most health care professionals say 8-10 glasses per day are about right. Can you replace some of this water with soft drinks or coffee? No, they may act as a diuretic which actually increases dehydration, and drinks have any caffeine content are more likely to put you on edge than to make you more creative.

So what is the ideal writer’s lunch? Start with a nice shrimp cocktail. Then have a turkey sandwich (chili optional) on whole grain bread, with a orange and banana salad. Enjoy it with a chilled bottle of spring water. Give the meal a few minutes to flood your body with the natural chemicals that will stimulate your creativity, then start writing!

By Donald L. Hughes

Mayo Clinic researcher Dr. James Levine said, “Getting out there and taking a walk is what it’s all about. You don’t have to join a gym, you don’t have to check your pulse. You just have to switch off the TV, get off the sofa and go for a walk.”

Levine says the bottom line is this: walking is good, whether the outcome measurement is blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint problems or mental health. Just 30 minutes of exercise each day can keep you healthy.

The added benefit of exercise is that it also clears your mind. If you have an unresloved problem in the plot or progress of your manuscript, clarity often comes after an exercise break. Walking is an immediate way to break a mental logjam. Dr. Levine said, “Unlike a health club membership or personal trainer, walking is there for everyone. Walking doesn’t cost you anything, you can do it barefoot and you can do it now, this minute.”

I recently came across a Web site, www.gmap-pedometer.com, that makes creating a walking route in any neighborhood especially easy. This site combines Google Maps with a method of measuring the distance of a walking route you create, and even calculates the number of calories you burn based on your weight. View the bonus video above, then go to the web site to create your own exercise route in your neighborhood.

Here are some tips to vary your writing. 

Change the beginning of sentences and paragraphs. For example, you could select one of these options:

• Start with a noun. “Skydivers did not fare well as gusts forced hard landings at the Mississippi State football season opener.”
• Start with a prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase starts with in, of, at, with, as, or with.  Example: In Starkville hospital next day, skydiver Ted Wilson said that gusts were strong but he felt the show must go on. Another example: With his leg in a cast, skydiver Ted Wilson expressed remorse that he jumped from the plane in high winds.
• Start your sentence with a subordinate clause. Beginning a sentence with “Because” or “Since” is looked down on by some grammar mavens, but it is perfectly acceptable usage. Example: Because skydiver Ted Wilson agreed not to sue Mississippi State for the injuries he sustained in an game-opening stunt, and in recognition of his school spirit, the Board of Regents voted to honor him with a pair of season tickets.

 Christian Writing Today ‘Toon

Use direct quotations. Although you don’t want to overuse such quotations, they have real attention-grabbing power. Example: “We will suspend the pilot license of Greg Jones effective immediately,” said FAA official Ken Donaldson at a news conference. “He knew weather conditions were bad, and in allowing Ted Wilson to jump he exercised poor judgment that could have resulted in a serious injury or death.” Some key things to remember about using direct quotations to vary your opening sentences:



 Start paragraphs with different kinds of sentences to add variety to your writing.

• Interrogative (question) example: What motivated Ted Wilson to jump from that plane in high winds? It could have been a desire to kill himself, or it could have been school spirit.
• Exclamatory example: Don’t jump to conclusions! If 30,000 fans were watching for you to make a ceremonial dive from the plane to open the game, you probably wouldn’t want to disappoint them either.
• Imperative example: Stop all this talk about what motivated Ted Wilson to jump. Mississippi State won the game, and that’s all that counts.

Write your story or chapter in the normal way, then review it and see if you can apply some of these techniques to make it more interesting. Do your best to avoid paragraphs that start with I, the, a, an, there or it.

With that trend away from books, many retailers changed their mission and their name to the more general “Christian stores,” rather than called being Christian bookstores.

In recent survey by Christian Retailing magazine, owners and managers of Christian stores indicated that they were moving even further away from the core of Christian book sales and are now stocking non-Christian products. According to Christian Retailing magazine, “Cookbooks, nonreligious gift items like general greeting cards and art, family-friendly films that are not specifically religious and ‘books with spiritual themes’ were among the most mentioned types of general market items carried by Christian specialty retailers.”

Of those responding to the survey, 52% said they were stocking secular products in a “desire to offer a broader range of thought” or to “respond to increased customer demand.”

Respondents did not focus on other elements fueling the change, such as the fact that many of their Christian customers are less discerning about the value of various products being offered, or the higher profit margins that are often available to retailers selling non-Christian items. 

Thinking about germs on my keyboard is not the kind of thing I’d normally share with people. So, it was a relief for me to discover someone else has given some thought to the problem. The people over at JustSayHi have composed a little 15 question quiz, and when you’ve finished it, you’ll have an idea about how your keyboard rates. I did pretty well…  they estimated that there were about 1,168,440 germs on my keyboard right now. That’s equivalent to the number of germs on 234 toilet seats! How will your keyboard rate?

1,168,440How Many Germs Live On Your Keyboard?