Today I’m honored to have Chana Keefer, author of the Fall, as my guest. I’ve been thinking a lot about her question: What is your one thing? Sometimes life has a way of narrowing things down a bit, of slicing away ulterior fillers and reminding us of those things we cherish most–God and family. As you read her post, prayerfully consider her question. What is your *one thing.* Not what do you hope your one thing is, but, based on how you live your day-to-day, the thoughts that fill your head, the things you long for, what is your one thing?

The grizzled cowboy shifted forward in the saddle and fixed the nervous city boy with a steely gaze, “The secret of life?  One thing,” he said holding up a finger.

“Right.  One thing,” the city-slicker parroted back expectantly, “What is it?”

The cowboy grinned, “That’s what you gotta figure out.”

(to view the scene on Youtube, click Here)

One Thing.  What did Jack Palance’s tough cowboy in the movie City Slickers mean?  He was pointing out that a focused life would be a fulfilled one.

Think about the stars in the nighttime sky.  One star is true north—Polaris, the North Star.  By referring regularly to Polaris, a captain can guide a ship, knowing with certainty that he is heading toward his desired destination.  But what if he got just a bit off.  What if he decided that the bright planet Mars in the nighttime sky should be his point-of-reference because it was brighter on a given night?  Then, because he liked it better, he decided this ever-changing light in the sky would represent true north?  Right, he would end up lost, confused and far off-course.

But don’t we do that all the time?  We decide what to wear based on the ever-changing fashion world, we decide what’s intelligent based on evolving scientific data, we decide what to aim for as a career based on emerging trends in business, we base our relationships on our fickle emotions—then wonder why we are lost, confused and far off-course from the meaningful life we would like to live.

One thing.  What is going to be that one thing, the true north, the unchanging aim, in your life?  This one question will set the course for your life’s direction.

But choose wisely.

As a follower of Christ, He is my true north.  Proverbs 3 verse 6 says it like this:  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.

What does that mean—In all your ways… ?

Job opportunity?  Look to God.

Possible romantic relationship?  Look to God.

Where to go, what to do, who to hang out with, how to spend your money—these are just a few of the in all your ways where God is true north and, in Shakespearean terms, “That ever-fixed mark,” your Polaris that checks the course and keeps things on track.

So what’s one, if not the, most important choice in life?  What does your life point to?  An ever-fixed mark—or an ever-changing one?

One thing.

What’s yours?

Chana’s novel–the Fall:

Rapha, a powerful angel, had seen it all in his countless years of service. at least he thought he had. Then he met Adam.

Lucifer had it all, Adonai’s favor, Rapha’s friendship and unrivaled power throughout creation. But he wanted more.

THE FALL is a biblical retelling of ancient times through the eyes of an angel who was once best friends with Lucifer.  Keefer’s writing has been compared to J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis combined with Frank Perretti and a dash of M. Night Shamalayan.  Or, as one reader put it so eloquently, “Harry Potter meets the Common Book of Prayer.”

THE FALL is Chana’s first published novel. She hopes there will be many more to follow, but regardless, she’s hooked–addicted to the written word. BTW, she brakes for old barns, cute dogs, chai and people who do what they do with passion for God.

FB: Chana Keefer + my author page: The Rapha Chronicles, Book 1: THE FALL

Chana is a wife, mom of four and author. She and her family reside in Southern California.  Her first novel, THE FALL (Rapha Chronicles #1) recently topped Amazon’s Hebrew/Old Testament Bestseller Category and hit #9 in Science Fiction/Fantasy.  Chana brakes for homemade chocolate chip cookies, old barns and anytime one of her kids suggests watching “Pride and Prejudice.”

www.chanakeefer.com  (her blog and way for you to get the best price on the paperback of THE FALL $10 + free shipping for orders of 3 or more!)

Join us at Living by Grace today as we talk about making God and the things of God first in our lives. I’ll leave you with this question–what’s one thing you can do this week to give God the time and focus He deserves? Is there anything God’s asking you to scale back on?

And make sure to come back to Living By Grace Friday and Saturday for a continuation of our in-depth look at the book of James.