Into the Fire

Getting outside oneself to take a clearer perspective requires us to look away from immediate circumstances to things much larger than the limited capacity of the here and now. Sometimes this is necessary to alleviate the current difficulties, thereby realizing "the plan" is so much bigger than our singular lives. Sometimes it's necessary to escape the boredom of routine and the consternation resulting from trying to accentuate life in general. And sometimes it's simply to realize this huge space above and beyond us and even all around us isn't random, unstructured, or even simplistic. It's far greater than the most gifted, the most intelligent, and the most imaginative minds in our world can create.

God built this world, the universes, and all that occupy them. In all the years of human life as we know it, mankind still cannot cure the common cold, has not discovered all the diseases and certainly not how to cure them, has never learned how to get along for any length of time without resorting to war over the most noble of causes and the most absurd. God did not build the sin into us. He gave us a choice. We made the wrong one and continue to do so on a daily basis.

There is one remedy, one solution, one answer to all the ills and sorrows of this life. His Name is Jesus. He gave His life that we could have that perfect life in eternity that we can never attain or achieve in our humanity on earth. No matter what we do, we will never be perfect. We won't even be good for long stretches of time. We're sinners. And Jesus is the only Way, Truth, and Life for us.

He's mocked. He's lied about. His followers make terrible mistakes and often demonstrate extreme hypocrisies, but He is faultless. He is the deliverer of mankind. The only one offered. The only one needed. He's the Savior of the world.

If you look up into the far off skies and wonder about who, how, and when, ask God to speak to you. Really. Ask Him to tell you about Himself. But don't ask if you don't want to know the answer, the reality of who He is. He knows your heart and your mind. He sees into your soul. He doesn't mess around.

As mad and evil as the world is leaning, we ache for justice and truth. There's only One place to find them. He's never been gone or absent. He's always been present. However, He doesn't impose His will. He offers it. Through Jesus. Don't delay. Wickedness increases. Ugliness is grabbing hold of hearts. Accept salvation while you can.

Father, hear the cries of empty hearts. Turn the Holy Spirit loose to call out to the lost. Let Jesus show them what real love looks like and wrap them in His arms when they surrender their wicked ways to His perfect ones. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

I don't have the statistical information on blue moons. Suffice it to say I've never seen one. I've seen golden harvest moons, orange huge moons, silver white sliver moons, and bright white moons that take up a hunk of the sky. Never a blue moon. Rare and beautiful, few have seen them.

Sometimes, for many of us, success will be as rare as a blue moon. We may never see or experience it in the conventional sense of the term. However, personal satisfaction does not only depend on the conventional sense of success. I think it's important to measure success on those things we accomplish within family, friendships, and most of all with God. Without the Lord any success, no matter how stupendous and seemingly admirable, means little up against the God-standard. It's like so much chaff in the wind. Blowing about like debris stinging the eyes, making true sight negligible.

Remember, as you make your choices, to consult the One who designed you. He has a successful plan for you. Though it may be contrary to what you've chosen for yourself, if you want to achieve peace and contentment, His plan will work for that. If your goals lean toward the world's definition(s) of success, you might gain it but lose so much more than you gain.

Something to ponder on Monday . . .

Father, I submit to you. Help me to follow you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV)

Take a good look at these shelves. Lots of books. Right? And a mere minute miniscule picture of the writer's competition. Published books. So what makes any author think their book is going to sell? Beats me.

I've resigned myself to the enormous number of available fiction out there. Let's face it: much of it overlooked because who can keep up with all of it? I mean, really. Even those readers who find a way to read several novels a week, in terms of the overall production of fiction, can't penetrate the 25% of books available.

The fresh-faced inspired indie publishers will realize soon enough how hard it is to incite "bestseller" reading status with their entries. Their marketing skills, their personal platforms, their multiple – sometimes international – friends and associates will support them and bring them a rush of interest and purchases. Will it be sustained? Expanded? Successful?

Publishers, in my opinion, are shocked at the revolt of indie publishing. They've been in control of the gateways to fiction for a very long time. Their processes, their acquisitions, their "take" of the publishing pie has all come into question now by those pesky little authors wishing to sell their labored-over stories to more than a particular demographic (in the case of the CBA) who might get their knickers in a knot because one of their majorly bad words like hell, damn, or boob was used! Or worst of all: a realistic mention or concept of sexual attraction (no graphics mind you).

But it's hard to sell books. Regardless of talent – or sometimes lack thereof – getting to the audience that best suits an author's story is no easy game. That shelf of books in the picture is just the proverbial drop in the bucket. Well-known names of favorite authors tend to get the majority of readers because it does take diligence to seek out fresh ones in the oceans of new titles.

The marketing factor crushes many of us. Prancing about on the various sites to strut our stuff doesn't bode well. We shrink at the "selling" and shirk the dynamic because we cannot figure out what might make our work more appealing to the audience we think would appreciate it. And so it still remains, when everything else is stripped aside, we stand alone with the command reverberating in our brains: Sell that $%#* book! And we can't.

So why bother creating these novels? The only reason I can give is my own: I've been given characters and a story to tell. That's it. In the maze of books I hope you find them. Then I hope you like them - if you ever read them.

Father, it's all up to you. Ultimately, finally, and rightfully so. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Most people at some point in their lives have had a toxic relationship. Whether as kids or adults, some people must be put behind us in order for us to be free of their oppression. Not tossed aside like so much garbage but constructively set aside for good or until whatever their toxicity causes in us can be extinguished. If what they do can be remedied, healed, overcome, or dealt a courageous death blow in terms of eliminating the poison they spread, we can regain a relationship with them if we feel we can both handle it appropriately.

In some cases the "burning bridges" moniker must be assigned to a particular "thing". One of the warnings in the writing world is to be careful not to burn your bridges. "Burning bridges" implies a negative occurrence. After all, a fire can burn and destroy things, sometimes making them impossible to rebuild. However, as the picture above states, sometimes we need to let go of certain elements in a field, career, or activity, let alone with people, that somehow cause us damage or for our own protection. When we strive to attain a particular thing and it seems as though every avenue toward it is roadblocked, perhaps there are other more satisfying or worthy streets to follow to similar destinations.

Careful inventory and scrutiny of our lives should provide the necessary moves to get on the road God designed for us. I'm not suggesting it's always easy to find or that it doesn't include keeping some bridges solidly intact, but others probably should be incinerated because they keep enticing us to cross them yet again and deliver us to a place we were never intended to go.

Father, deliver me to the places you have just for me. They are where I need to be. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

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If you love Denzel Washington and don't mind some heavy-duty violence coupled with the good versus evil theme where evil is absolutely extinguished in so many creative ways, go see the 2 hr. 11 minute film The Equalizer.

It's a movie where film critics try to wreak havoc on its intent, its length, its flaws, etc., when it's not the least bit pretentious about what it is. Denzel Washington is a man resolved to leave his past behind because of a promise to his dead wife. But when the ugliness of a Russian mob strikes (literally) too close to home, his abilities are awakened for the sense of vigilante justice. And oh what skills he has. Who knew there was so much potential death and weaponry in a Lowe's/Home Depot type of store? Well, now we know.

If you like an understated hero in thriller-mode with, yes, extreme violence toward the end, Denzel will give you what you want. Of course not recommended for everyone. Language is bad from certain characters but doesn't permeate the entire movie. It is what it is. Exciting with a positive ending.

Father, good v. evil is the reason we need you above all else. Help those with pliable hearts see their need. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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'The Equalizer' TV Trailer: Denzel Washington Doesn't Look at Explosions

You know you're desperate when your spam folder with its advertisers/promoters of a product and those obviously from a different country, laboring with the English language, tell you what a great blog/website you have: and you feel thankful.

You know you're desperate when . . . fill in the blank.

Ah well, such are the slow times of affirmation.

Father, you lead. I do my best to follow. Thank you, Lord, for everything. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The human touch. Reaching out. To another person. To a pet. Touch is important to us. We either welcome it or repel it. The situation determines our reactions to touch.

As a writer/author, touching a reader is paramount to me. I don't write humor or horror so I'm not necessarily trying to make someone laugh out loud or scare them to the point where they'll be sleeping with the light on for a few nights. I want to touch that emotional place – and hopefully one that reaches the spiritual heart – to incite involvement, investment, and interest in my characters and their circumstances. Without those reactions to my words I've failed to touch the reader, to make them care about the story.

Most writers can't make all readers happy. Few novels have universal appeal. But for those willing to take the time to read my books, I definitely want to leave them with having felt that special touch only words and a good story with amazing characters can evoke.

Touch is more than a tap on the arm or a hand held in affection. Touch is personal. To welcome touch means someone invites that communication. A mere handshake can convey all kinds of feelings just from two hands interlocked, positive and negative. Like touch, words have all kinds of innuendoes, again both positive and negative. Implicitly or explicitly, authors want to touch people – because without touch we have no connection to each other.

Father, thank you for repeatedly touching me with the awareness of your beauty, love, perfection, forgiveness and grace. Nothing compares to you and your touch. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV)

Some of you may remember one of my very favorite series TV programs JAG. From the first time Marine Colonel Sarah MacKenzie (Catherine Bell) was introduced we wanted to see the sparks fly between Mac and Navy pilot and JAG attorney Lt. Harmon Rabb (David James Elliot) and oh how they did ignite. As is the customary trajectory of Donald Bellisario productions, we would be teased unmercifully with their UST until the final episode of JAG when the couple arrived at a coin flip plan to be together.

It took several seasons before Castle's Kate Beckett and Rick Castle joined more than forces on their homicide solving partnerships. Their taunting and teasing mixed with some critical cases that found them trapped together created a silent bond that grew between them and finally resulted in an engagement as the couple found themselves in separate locations until Kate eventually returned to the NYPD. As they planned their wedding, the latest Season Finale ended with a fiery crash before their vows were said. And since then things are definitely different with little spark and much confusion. 

NCIS gave viewers the flippant but dedicated Tony DiNozzo stacked up with the nerdy Timothy McGee and the former no-nonsense Marine LeRoy Jethro Gibbs as their boss. When one of their agents (Kate/Caitlyn) is murdered by a sniper, Israeli Ziva David enters the scene with flash, intensity, and a low-key chemistry between her and Tony. Over time, Ziva and Tony explore moments of closeness and then withdraw until Ziva's final episode when they at long last share a meaningful expression of their feelings for each other and Tony leaves Israel without her.

What we want as we watch these characters pursue their careers and their affections is for them to experience the rush of romance and to fall in love demonstrating that onscreen chemistry isn't always easy to find with co-stars but is sensational when it happens. Included with that must be good and complex stories where their dilemmas are cast aside in order to do their jobs but never eliminated. The methodology often includes other attractions for them, creating conflicts in their relationships. The viewer wants them to be together with each other, but then what?

When the UST is resolved, the tension is released, and there is less romance between them. It's almost as if the air leaks from the balloon and the very thing we thought we wanted isn't it. Because it's very hard to pull off love when all we want to see is romance. The secrecy, the tension, the stolen moments, looks, innuendo, all cease to exist as if falling in love somehow dampens the relationship and takes all the steam out of the attraction. It takes immensely talented writers to pull off love after tantalizing audiences with romance. Love is comfortable while romance is daring. Love brings trust while romance brings intrigue.

It takes amazing writers and good actors to keep the romantic tension going when characters commit. It shouldn't but it does. Probably why romance novels tend to follow a formula with a generally happily-ever-after ending. It seems there's nothing left to say after the couple falls in love. Now that's a shame.

Father, you designed us for both romance and love but not without commitment. Let us experience what you have for us in every arena and seek after all that entails. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.