Today on my blog I am hosting an interview with author, Kathi Macias.
Kathi Macias, popular speaker and prolific author, is an Angel-award winning writer who has published twenty-one books and hundreds of articles. Whether keyboarding her latest book, keynoting a conference, or riding on the back of her husband's Harley, Kathi "Easy Writer" Macias is a lady on a mission to communicate God's vision. Her insightful words—filled with passion, humor, and soul nourishment—refresh audiences from all walks of life, and her Spanish devotionals, "Desde el Corazon del Padre," (with English translations) can be found on Crosswalk.com each Monday. Her newest book, BEYOND ME: LIVING A YOU-FIRST LIFE IN A ME-FIRST WORLD, is scheduled for a July 1 release from New Hope Publishers and can be pre-ordered at CBD. To book Kathi for your next event, email kenbarry@thebarryagency.com. For more information and to view the Beyond Me music video, visit http://www.kathimacias.com/.
Author Interview Questions for Kathi Macias/Beyond Me
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background? I was born and raised in Southern California in the beach heydays of the fifties and sixties. Though I grew up in a close-knit family, we were not Christians. I attended church with friends whenever I had the chance, but it wasn't until I was twenty-six years old that I received Jesus as my Savior. I published my first book in 1988 (a women's devotional that became one of Regal Book's bestsellers), and have been writing/editing/publishing ever since.
2. How did you become interested in writing? I've wanted to write for as long as I can remember. I was ill quite a bit as a child and consequently spent a lot of time reading. When I ran out of books to read, I decided to write my own. By the time I was in junior high I had already announced to my then boyfriend (now husband) that I would be a writer some day.
3. What compelled you to write a book on this subject? I've authored a lot of books over the last couple of decades, but this book is the "book of my heart," the one I've worked on for many years. It has been a real labor of love because it is what God has been teaching me for the thirty-plus years I've known Him. And because I tend to learn things the hard way, God had to walk me through the message of this book many times before I finally "got it." (And, of course, now that I've said that, I'll probably find myself walking through it yet again!)
4. What is the main theme or point that you want readers to understand from reading your book? Are there any other themes present in the book? The main point, or "heart message," of this book is that God has called us to lay down our lives—daily, over and over again, as we grow more and more like Him, the Supreme Model of You-First Living in a Me-First World. As a result, our sacrificial living may very well not be appreciated or understood by a world that practices and applauds the exact opposite, but we must continue to model that you-first life anyway—even to the very ones who reject our attempts to do so. Though there are other points present in the book—unconditional love, the cost of discipleship, the continual need for "attitude adjustments"—they all revolve around the central theme of God's calling to model a you-first life in a me-first world.
5. Are there some specific lessons you hope readers will learn and apply to their lives after reading your book? Absolutely! The first and most important is that it's not about us—it's about giving ourselves away for others. My book is full of spiritual examples of this concept, but also lots of practical examples as well.
6. Do you have a favorite part of the book or a favorite chapter? I suppose it would have to be chapter 5: "A TALE OF TWO SONS—AND THE FATHER'S HEART," which is about moving beyond the prodigal son and his brother to emulate the father's unconditional love. Most people, as I did for so long, read this parable as a story about the wandering son and/or the dutiful son who did not wander, when in reality it is a love story that should focus on the father.
7. What makes your book different than any other books similar to yours that are in circulation today? My book is different in that it approaches the concept of modeling you-first living in a me-first world as the central theme of true discipleship.
8. How does the book intertwine with God's call on your life and how you are currently serving Him? This book is written out of the very heart of living for and serving Him, as He has been teaching me to do for more than three decades now. I have recently been in a long season where God spoke to me daily that "someone needs to set up the chairs." That someone is me, and I am called to set up chairs for 1) those who will come and speak/minister, and 2) those who will sit and rest in those chairs as they receive ministry.
9. Do you have a favorite Scripture verse? What is it and why is it important to you? I have many, but I suppose my favorite would have to be Deuteronomy 8:1, which says, "Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land." This keeps my life focused on being obedient and faithful to God TODAY. It also reminds me that I need to seek God each morning so I can know just what it is He has called me to today. At the heart of every command/instruction God gives me is the premise to "model a you-first love in a me-first world." This, of course, requires that I be willing to lay down my life for others.
10. Are there any authors that either influenced you personally or influenced your style of writing? Who are they and how did they influence you? Brennan Manning, Henri J. M. Nouwen, and Max Lucado have to be right at the top of my favorite nonfiction authors list, simply because they call me back to the heart of worship, to a fresh appreciation of grace and a clarion call to rely totally upon God and not myself. I need those reminders on a regular basis. In addition, I love their writing styles. Their words "sing," and it is my goal to do the same with the words I write.
11. When you are not writing, what do you like to do? Do you have any hobbies? Okay, now I have to 'fess up to how nearly one-dimensional I am. If I'm not writing, I'm…well, reading someone else's writing. That's at the top of my "what I like to do" list. However, I also spend time riding on the back of my husband's 2003 Harley Davidson Road King motorcycle. He's been riding HD's since 1970 and says he will never outgrow that youthful passion. On the road we are known as "Big Al" and "Easy Writer."
12. Thank you for taking the time to answer a few of our questions. As we close, is there anything else you would like to add? Words are my passion. I have always loved the sound of them, the "feel" of them, the power of them to encourage, teach, soothe, and bless. Words can also be used to curse and maim and injure. As Christians called to the ministry of "communicating the vision" (Hab. 2:2), may we always do so with honor and integrity—and great humility.
