Giving for Christmas

 

No long speeches or talks about giving. I have a few free codes for the audio version of Impossible to Forgive. If you would like one just ask. First come first serve. I only ask you to listen to it.

The Next Step

 There are times I wonder what the next project I ought to work on should be. I know there are some stories I need to finish but what about something bigger. When you've blogged every chapter in the Bible and created 8 journals out of it for people to follow along with it does make you wonder, What could it be? 

The problem is that I do not have a host of people nor a publisher with big bucks encouraging me. So I could ask why try to do something else? What I have however is the knowledge that each of us should use the talents we have to the best of our abilities, even and I might say, especially when no one is watching and maybe even when no one seems to care. 

I won't lay out what I might be doing but I challenge you to rise to the best you can do. If no one notices remember God does. I can't say it will be easy or that it will always feel worth it (it doesn't), but regret is something I can guarantee if you don't try. 

So Go For it!

Now if you accept this challenge leave a message in the reply. You don't have to say what it is just that you are going to accept the challenge to stretch yourself and do something big. 

There are no words.

 

The Apostle Paul said in Romans to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. I was reminded today again there are times when the words are hollow and can even be detrimental. Sometimes speaking the truth in love means not speaking and just showing truth by loving. Especially when people are facing death or the loss of a loved one. 

Words are powerful so I am reminded that often the right thing to do is not to use them. Yes, the person may be okay eventually and God will work it for good. However, it isn't good now and they aren't okay right now. The words though true at the wrong time hurt. So for all of us silent love is the best.  

Teia and the Dragon 3

 Chapter 3

Teia felt dazed but thought she heard something but the words didn’t make any sense. As she opened her eyes she saw that she was on the floor. Her dad lay beside her and something or someone moved away. She couldn’t be sure.  What happened around her was a blur. As she moved to one side and lean on her arm toward her dad the only thing that filled her vision was her dad laying on his back with one arm twisted at an unnatural angle. She took in a deep breath knowing that her dad was hurt. Then the sound of voices filled the hallway.

Treasa was there and several others she recognized. One of the new guards she didn’t remember his name took one hand and laid it against her head and the other behind her and gently laid her back down. The voice telling her to “Lay still. Just don’t move filled her ears.”

People came and moved her and her dad to the medical room where they were checked out. Her dad had recovered awareness halfway to the medical wing and after a few confusing words were asking questions and trying to get up.

Teia remembered the Doc Tock telling him to stay still. When he still tried to move the doctor grabbed his arm and gave it a little twist. This action brought forth a bloodcurdling scream from the man Teia had thought was invulnerable.  Teia had heard people scream in pain before her mother was a doctor, but this scared her. The action however convinced her dad he had to cooperate.

A couple of minutes later when they set the arm, Teia watched as her dad managed to control screaming a second time by biting down on a bit of leather, from his armor. Other people had been injured and Adam wanted to leave to make room for others. Doc Tock had other plans and convinced them to stay close by.

As he explained it, “This way I can make sure you two are not injured in ways I could not see. Besides,” he winked at them. “My colleague, you know the other doctor I work with, might get upset if I let something happen to you. I hear she like you two.” Doc Tock smiled and waved his finger at Adam and then at Teia.

Teia smiled back. Since her mom was the other doctor. Her dad nodded back at the doctor and lay back down. Eventually, they did move to the side of the room so they would not get in the way of new patients coming in. They found a couple of cots off to the side and after a drink from one of the assistants, Teia found herself fast asleep.

Teia and the Dragon 2

 

Chapter 2

The man who called himself Stone, heard the voice of the dwarven girl running yelling as she ran down the hall. He moved himself into the shadows behind a column and let the screaming brat pass by. If a person had spotted his cloaked and hooded presence, they would have thought he looked like a monk or a wizard. He, however, did have to cast a spell or use any magic other than a natural ability to be overlooked. His mentor had told him that his ordinary appearance and the tendency of others to just ignore him was his greatest gift. He had not believed it at the time but found out that it was true. Secrets were told in his presence. Hidden plans were discussed that if the planners had realized he was there would have remained silent. Even now, a panicked girl who would have drug him someplace to help someone completely overlooked him.

“Oh, pu.” Stone rebuked himself. I can not allow that to happen again. HE had enough self-realization to know that his own mind, his own internal dialogue could be his greatest enemy. I have no idea what that girl was going on about. He had felt the quake and the sound of the tornado outside. This was probably what the stupid little thing was going on about. He was not concerned. This castle could withstand almost anything.

Just in case, he moved with a little more speed than the slow steady pace he usually demonstrated. He was certain if the time was right, he could move faster but he had been warned that to appeared hurried is to appear less in control. People did not trust people who had no control, so he walked at a slow steady pace most everywhere he went.  Now his walking speed was no faster than the walk of most people on their way to a casual meeting. Even when he saw the prone figures laying on the floor at the bottom of the circular stairwell he did not speed up. Whoever it was would be alive or would not? The debris surrounding them was not great. He cataloged what he saw. Part of the roof tiling, some of the light transfer cable, a light-capturing roof tile, odd and end filler materials, and oh yes, two bodies a child and a palace guard which he had first noted.

“Oh, my Stevens” Stone whispered through a twisted smile, “You have hurt yourself.”

He reached down and placed his hand on Adam Stevens's side and turned him over. The child he was holding protectively rolled out of his arms away from Stone. He gave the girl one quick glance and seeing she was not responding laid his hand on Adam’s chest.

“Bother,” Stone whispered, “Barbarians, mechanical monsters, giants, and now a tornado. What does it to kill you?”

Stone glanced around and they moved his hand from Adam Stevens’ Chest to his mouth and nose. As his hand began to close a sound was coming up the hall.

“Your luck can’t last forever” The words were no more than a whisper but anyone who heard them would have thought they were spat out as if they had just tasted spoiled milk. 

No one heard the words. As he moved now more quickly than he had in years, a smile crossed his face. No one would know he was ever there. At least that is what he thought.    

Teia and the dragon 1

 Teia and the Dragon 

(A unedited work)

Teia and the Dragon

Fifty-two years before the world changed. In this “Time Before” technology reigned over much of the world. Communication and knowledge were easy that many forgot how to survive without it. One day all technology ceased to function. Electricity no longer followed the rules man understood. Knowledge was no longer accessible for most. Governments fell and civilization collapsed. No one knew what had caused the change. least, no one admitted to knowing.

Chaos reigned for years, small groups who were better prepared than others survived. The world turned into producers and builders and into takers. The producers and builders tried to build a new society. The takers took from anyone and everyone. The builders and producers who could defend themselves survived and the takes eventually ran out of people to take from. At least that is our hope.

One group had an advantage, hidden away from society a retreat had been built, a castle unlike any other. Those who lived there right after the change believed it was built as if someone knew what was to come. Though they tried no one was able to ask the man who ordered it built if this was so. This group lead by the Stevens family renamed the refuge, New Hope. They reached out to all who were willing and began to build a better world.

However, not everyone wants a better world. For some, if they can not rule it they would rather see it destroyed.

Chapter 1

“I’ve never seen a storm this bad” 

Teia took her eyes away from the window and looked over at her new friend, Treasa. “Did you see a lot of bad storms in your old village?” Teia was curious. Treasa and her hit it off the first time they meet a couple of months back when Treasa’s entire village of dwarves moved to the outskirts of New Hope Castle’s governing area.

Teia tried not to smile when she thought of the dwarves. They really were not dwarves out of the old stories her dad had read to her when she was a child, but humans who had been altered by something in the air and soil. The average dwarf was shorter than her four-foot five height and Treasa was not an exception. Treasa was taller than Kevin who sat on the floor by the edge of the window staring back into the room. Teia tried to ignore him with his arms crossed, face tense and bottom lip sticking so far out Teia thought she could sit a pencil on it and it would stay.

The light in the room intensified than dropped back to the normal soft glow that lasted well after dark in the castle.  Not a second later the boom of thunder filled the room.

“I think I felt that.” Treasa quivered out now looking at Teia, then she whispered back, “we nev’r had a window to look out of during storms but I don’t think so.”

The lights of the room began to pulsate again. This Teia knew was because each time lightening flashed and rolled outside the collectors on the roof sent the light into the castle. Many people found the light show fun. The flashing and flicker balls of lightning bounced across the sky like a balloon or flew like they were thrown by some giant hand.  The flashes created by the lightning caused everyone to move in a room to appear as if they were moving in a series of short movements.

“and we nev’r had anything like this.” Treasa smiled, waving her hand as the lights pulsed in response to the near continual flashes of lightning. Teia when what she meant only those in the castle as far as anyone knew had this type of conductive lighting.

Teia who had spent the first eight years of her life in a cottage outside of the castle as was the custom and remembered her first storm in the castle. The light which seemed to glow from places on the wall and ceiling being transformed into pulses of bright light in the storm. The sight filled her with wonder but sent her mother to bed dizzy and nauseous.

“It would be more fun outside” Grumbled Kevin who did not even lookup.

Teia did not argue with him. They had had this discussion on their way up here. Treasa and her told him that it would not be safe outside with this much lightning. Besides both of the girls knew their parents would be furious if they had tried going outside in a storm like this. Kevin as always came along anyway but grumbled and pouted. Teia wished he would go hand out with someone else, but she knew they were the only children his age in the castle.

Teia looked back out the large window. It was a marvel from the Time Before. Rain, Snow, Ice, and hail could beat on it and nothing would ever come through. She remembered her grandfather had said they were nearly indestructible.

“A machine gun couldn’t even put a chip in it.” She remembered him saying. She knew what a gun was. Her dad had a rifle back in the cottage to hurt with. She had read about machine guns in books but could not imagine why anyone would want to shoot at a window with a rifle let along this gun from the Time Before.

“Look at those clouds,” Treasa said eyes wide.

Teia quit thinking about the glass and looked beyond are the clouds which could be seen in the lightening’s near continual flashes. The clouds churned like a pot of soup getting ready to boil over. There was also a movement in her feet as the castle itself was being swayed by the wind. Teia thought it must be a trick because she had never felt anything like it before.

“So, this is where you all are hiding. I told your moms I would find you here.”

Teia and Treasa turned around to find a man of above-average height and with the muscles of a soldier standing there in the leathers of a palace guard. Most who left the guard put away the leather and returned to the mixture of homespun and clothing left over from the Time Before. Teia smile at her dad who was not like the average man. Adam Stevens though being elevated to the ruling council and no longer a member of the palace guard still worked closely with them so refused to set aside the leather clothes and armor which made them recognizable.

Kevin stood up and before Teia could say anything announced, “I told them they shouldn’t be here.”

“YES!” Treasa growled pushing Kevin who also stood taller than her but only by a couple of inches. “You told us that we need to go outside.”

Adam Stevens ignored the exchange and looked straight at his daughter through the pulsating light and said in a voice that did not invite the argument, “Your mother would like you to come downstairs.”

He then looked over at the other two and said, “Your presence is requested as well.” Teia and her friends looked at each other and knew this wasn’t a request.”

Adam’s eyes looked straight at Treasa and added in his normal voice, “your mom has a bad feeling about this storm.”

 Teia noticed Treasa’s eye grow wide and her mouth first drop and then move closed her face taking on the look of a teacher getting ready to give bad news. She could see Treasa was about to say something when the wind which was could be heard through the walls of the castle took on a deeper, rumbling sound. Teia had never heard anything like it before.  

She looked at her dad who just before had a smile on his face now transformed. He, she reasoned, knew what the sound meant. Before she had time to think any more about it her dad turned to the side and began waving them toward the stairs. The words “RUN! NOW!” burst from his mouth but were being drowned out by the increasing noise.

They ran. Kevin always the fastest way off in a dash and gone before Treasa and Teia were halfway across the twenty-foot circular room. Teia held back just a second to allow Treasa to head down first and as she followed; she felt her dad’s hand pressing on her back.

They were nearly three-quarters of the way down the stairs when the noise changed. The sound didn’t just fill the air, but she could now feel it in her feet. She looked back at her dad and yelled, “The castle is shaking!”

“MOVE!”

The sound changed again and with it the floor quaked. The pressure of Adam’s hand on Teia’s back changed as the sound of the noise changed. Instead of pressing her forward, it pulled her back. Teia found herself being pulled into her dad’s chest. His head and shoulders surrounding her head. She could only see his chest and his arms which pulled her tighter. The lights dimmed and then she could sense them falling. She thought she heard her dad yell a prayer but was not sure as she felt his weight land on top of her and then she remembered nothing.

Burying regret

 

Over twenty years ago I made up a little story for our oldest daughter. I called it Teia and the Dragon. I never completely fleshed it out but gave her the end of the story. For National Novel Writing Month, I decided to get back into it and try to at least get the rough draft finished. 

It may never be good enough to publish but I know Teia would be thrilled with it and probably her kids. So if nothing else it will bring them joy and it will be worth the time. Besides finishing the rough draft after all these years will feel like a victory. A victory against the doubt and fear which held me back all those years ago. 

All of us have some form of regret, I regretted not doing this years ago. I'm fixing some of that now. 

If you have the chance to fix one of your regrets then try. For the rest of this month, I won't be leaving my thought out here. I might throw out a chapter or two of the book but for now, I have an old regret to bury. 

Leave a word of encouragement for me will you, or better yet bury one of your regrets and tell me about it.

Photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash

What if he wins?

 What are we going to do if he wins?

Keep living!

This is America. We have had all kinds of leaders and what is certain is things change. Yes, a group may have power for a number of years but that can and does change. Before the 1980s the one place that everyone thought was a lock was the House of Representatives since the great depression, democrats were going to hold it. For those who are around now, we know that isn't the case anymore. 

I have lived long enough to see leaders come and go. Most no, ALL of them since, Carter were said by someone or a lot of someones that they were going to destroy the nation. Interestingly we are still here.

I'm not saying that our votes don't have consequences or that it doesn't matter but I am saying we need not worry. We do need to vote responsibly and not just because one or the other candidate promises to take care of us. Let's be honest this is how most vote though they like to quote good causes, often it's about us being better off. Really we need to look at what is best for the nation, not just us. 

Enough on responsible voting, what I want to say is we do not have to panic. Besides, panic isn't going to help us. protesting about the results isn't. What is going to help is us doing what is right and living right. For me I know God is still going to win in my heart and that is what ultimately counts.  

Singing in Troubles

 In last week's Bible Reflections, I talked about David writing and singing songs in the dark places of his life. It was a good reminder to me that we need to be praising God no matter where we are at. 

It was also a reminder that even though we know something (or wrote it in this case), we need to be reminded about them. A preacher once said that yesterday's strength won't help you with today's problems. For some of us, we really do need to read our own stuff. 

Currently, I don't know when the repercussion of Covid in ministry is going to be finished, when my wife's health is going to be under control, or what direction I need to take in my writing. No, I don't have a mad king trying to kill me and I'm not hiding with the enemy of my people, but I do have uncertainty and that works like cancer to weaken. This devotion reminds me to keep praising God. 

So I do, PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSING FLOW...

Back Again

 

Back from my time of retreat and I'm ready to go!

Okay maybe?. 

Yes, I was refreshed but as I have found too often that time away doesn't take the problems away. The problems are still there but the hope is that you have allowed yourself a break so now you can continue. 

What I have to remember is finding times of rest isn't just a week here or a week there a couple times a year. I have to remember to get rest every day (this is called sleep) and time off every week as the Bible recommends (actually commanded in the Old Testament). This is the maintenance that we all need.

Time away.

 

There are times we need to recharge and refresh. For the next couple of weeks, that is what I will be doing. It is long past due, but I'm taking it. The question for you is are you taking the time off you need? If you don't your mind and body will shut you down. Your family and friends not to mention your work will suffer. 

God gave man sabbath because we need it. It doesn't have to be a Sunday or a Saturday now under Christ, but we still need times to recharge. Jesus took time away and I know you and I aren't better than He is. 

See you later.  

Would you run for office?

 

All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.

This is a question we must ask is, but also what are we to do. Often if we do have these thoughts, we can get bogged down with what options we should follow. With so many good things that need doing in the world, we can get overwhelmed and end up doing nothing.  

Recently, I was asked if I would consider running for political office. The person reminded me that Christian men and women are often leery to enter this arena, but if true people of true Christian conviction don’t run who will. I couldn’t argue, too often the extremes are willing to run (on both sides). The people who are willing to work out issues don’t want to run unless things have gotten unbelievably bad.  

Side Note: There are a lot of areas of concern which don’t cross moral lines but only people who don’t care who gets the credits can work in those areas. These would be people who are humble, and those people usually don’t run for office.

There is the thought that ministers shouldn’t be involved in politics, but if his ministerial position isn’t full time, what is the difference between being a part-time public servant or part-time insurance or used car salesperson? I don’t honestly believe there is. These positions can be honorable and offer a public service. These positions can be reprehensible and, I’ll use the word that comes to my mind, these jobs can be filthy. The difference is how they are done and what the motives are by the people who are in them.

You might argue to get elected you will have to compromise your Christian principles? But to return to my illustration, for a person to be a successful salesperson one could argue you have to lay aside some of your Christian principles. This is a weak argument though a valid concern.

You could argue a Christian running for office gives the church a bad reputation. Again, if they are doing it in an honest way, why?  People are going to say bad things about Christians, the Bible promised it. The key is to not do anything to deserve it.

One could argue an honest person can’t really get elected. To which I could ask that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t try. How many people in the past have done what was considered impossible?

So, am I going to run? No. I consider my position as pastor full time or at least be available to be full time as COVID has shut down part of my ministry. I am also a writer. I don’t desire another job.

However, do I wish honest Christian people would run? Yes.

? Maybe, my wife should run? …..

This of course isn’t a treatise on the subject. Perhaps it isn’t something worth putting on my blog, as if some of my other ramblings needed to be published. I hope that it causes you to think, even disagree.

Forget the Pain

 CS Lewis in his book The Problem of Pain said, "But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world..."

The problem I thought of is that today we have Tylenol and Advil, not to mention a host of other things to help us forget our pain. We have a struggling marriage but that's okay we have the pain reliever called divorce. We are facing hardship at work or at home but instead of dealing with it, we grab the pain reliever called alcohol.  People face trouble in their finances because they don't save, overspend, or both and we have the pain reliever of government bailouts, bankruptcy, and credit cards. 

Yes, I realize there are problems we don't cause ourselves and we do need the help of God and others to pull us through. This also isn't an excuse to not reach out in compassion. However, there are times the most compassionate thing we can do is to let someone suffer until they reach out to the one who can help with all our pain, Jesus. 

Don't look at others, but look at yourself. Is the pain you are facing a result of something that needs to be attended to by you or by surrendering to God? Then don't try and forget the pain or cover it, deal with it. It's probably time to wake up to the reality God is trying to show us.  

Planning and living in the moment.

I asked God today what is the plan? How do I need to organize my day to be efficient? It was then it hit me what if life wasn't always about planning and efficiency? It was at this moment I remembered that God is so much bigger than we are. He created a world where there are very efficient creatures and some that aren't. There are well planned out people and people who don't plan anything. These people aren't bad (whichever you aren't) they are normal. We need both the planned and the spontaneity for our lives to be their fullest.  

I am wondering does God both have a plan and lives in the moments? I believe he does and though those seem completely incompatible maybe they are for us, but God is more than we are. 

How does this apply to our lives? Perhaps it is a reminder that we need to find the balance between these two both have a plan but don't be afraid to have spontaneity. Or if you are great at living in the moment maybe you need to start using a plan too. Let's find the balance. 

To use another illustration if you're a hammer, remember there are screwdrivers out there too. 

Just ask!

YES! 

 Our youngest daughter got an article written about her book in the newspaper, the front page continued to the top of the back page (almost the entire top of the back page). It isn't the New York Times but it is still great. 

How did this take place? I mentioned what she had done (published as a senior in high school) and said it might be a feel-good piece. I thought it would be just the thing for a small local paper. They could have said no and the results would have been the same as a no if I had not of asked. 

This reminded me again of the power of asking. Now, I'm not saying we need to be annoying but there is a time and a place to ask, so ask. The worst that usually can happen is they say no. However, a yes might bring more than you expected. It did here. 

Not only did she get a very thorough article, but when we talked to the reporter he told us she was the best interview he had ever had. He went on about how great she was in her answers and in her demeanor. He also praised us for supporting her and being good parents. (I'm smiling)

Why? Because I asked. 

Well, months later and things are still the same?

Working Title/Cover for old/new book.

 Well, months later and things are still the same.

Have you ever felt that way? I have lately. 

Now I want to point out that it isn't true. We have vastly improved our video for our Sunday services. I was able to finally open a file that has been locked away for 20 years taking a book from an idea to rough draft in an hour (pictured above). I thought I was going to have to rewrite the entire rough draft. School has started again. My daughter finished her teaser book. I finished the rough draft of another story I started over 25 years ago. Do I need to go on?

Things have been happening, yet the return to what was before Covid-19 is nowhere in sight. This above all else is what I believe is fueling this feeling. 

For me, to overcome this I am writing down what I am doing each day. I am also writing this, a declaration to myself and both of my followers that things are changing and in some ways getting better. 

Is everything lined out and perfect?

No! but let's be honest. They never are. I and I guess you who read this have to remember our feelings can lie to us. Don't let them. 

Let's charge forward. (and maybe get back to writing on a blog like I used to?)

It's my Blog and I'll brag on my daughter if I want too...

Yes, it's just a small book. It's just a taste from a larger project. But it's my daughter's, Elizabeth, first published book. So I can brag if I want to and I want to. 

It's a great story too. 

Darkly is the Dark Lord of Ineget, a world where magic runs in the blood of its people, but the destiny of the Dark Lords begins on Earth. It begins with the death of Camelot, the end of magic and Merlin. It begins with the heartbreak of a mother and Mordred, knight of Camelot, who legend casts as it’s villain. It begins at The Battle of Camlann. This small, limited-edition book is the first legend from Darkly: Legends of the Dark Lord. It is the first commercially available work by E.M. Areson. Mordred’s birth was never planned. He was a child of magic gone wrong. The godson of Merlin, knight of Camelot, and heir to the throne, his crime was to the illegitimate child of a king and the need for history to assign a villain to Britain’s greatest tragedy. This is the story of the death of Camelot and the end of Mordred's time on Earth.

It's only a $1 on kindle but I would wait and get the print copy but that's me or better get both. Either way, you will be supporting a senor starting high school get more of her work published. 

The Battle of Camlann

The Unspoken Prayer Request

We often look around in church and maybe just wonder if these people who are asking for unspoken prayer request are really got a real need, just gathering attention, or following the actions of others around them.

I was reminded recently that there are times you want prayer and you really, really, can't go into detail. Yes, some may just want attention, some may be following the crowd, but pray anyway because there are some who desperately want prayer. They NEED prayer and they can't share. 

So let's pray for these because someday you may find out just how desperate an unspoken prayer request can be. 

Evidence is a dangerous things.

Trust me I have evidence!

If you are careful you can see where people twist evidence to prove their points. The current argument over masks is a perfect example. Both sides have some evidence and from what little I have seen shows more of the middle of the road approach. However, I notice both sides of the debate ignore contrary evidence or hype up supportive evidence rather than admit either side has merit. 

The yells of "liberty" and "saving lives," not to mention slander of the worst kind which doesn't allow for honest debate or differing opinions. Both sides, for the most part, want what the other is claiming they don't but the yelling, screaming, and labeling people gives us permission not to listen to anything which contradicts our ideas.

How did we get to this place? I would argue we have always been in this place. A look at history shows a huge lack of cooperation and setting aside personal bias for the public good. Unfortunately, it is tragedy, tyranny, suffering, or war which motivates people to be cooperative.  

So should we pick a side we like best and go at it?

No.

We need to try and find the truth and be willing to admit we may not have all the information. If we are going to be responsible people and I would add responsible Christians we have to walk a middle ground which means the extremist on both sides will probably hate us. It may mean that we need to let some people go their own way. 

No one said life was easy. 

Comfortable?

Being comfortable isn't bad but it is a poor way to live. 

Yes, this seems strange but expert after expert will tell you striving and growth are what make life worth living. This is why I don't think that eternity in heaven is going to be us sitting around all the time being comfortable. No, it won't have the strife we struggle with today but I don't see it boring either. This is a different lesson and not where I'm heading.

We (myself included, or especially) have to accept that if we are going to be happy and fulfilled then we need new challenges. We need to be uncomfortable. 

I am learning video streaming and editing now. There is also an ongoing effort to learn more about God and ministry. Yes, there are times I would like to just be comfortable and there are seasons for rest and comfort but it is never to be our life. The key is balance. 

So what are you doing to make yourself uncomfortable?

 

And so it Ends?

Today I begin editing the final book in the Bible Reflection Series. This has been quite a week. Finishing the first draft of a novel that I have been working on and off for over 25 years and now finishing the edits on Bible Reflections. Both of these projects I knew would be possible and do-able but I have been seeing them as off in the distance to see them here and now nearly done is amazing. Especially when I consider Bible Reflections covers my thoughts on every chapter in the Bible (nearly 1200) or the word count for both Bible Reflections and my story add up to nearly 1/3 of a million words. 

What will happen now? Now? 

I will take the next step and create new goals. Which is what we do if we want to see something accomplished in our lives. So it ends, which means something new can begin. 

Do you think you could write your own blog/journal on every chapter in the Bible? This is what the Bible Reflections journal is designed to help you do. If you take on the challenge it might take some time and maybe even years (it's designed to take 4) but what a very do-able and exciting thing to accomplish. Others are, why not you? 

And one day you can say, And so it ends!    

Fear never goes away

Years ago I asked Stan Toler, a major writer in Nazarene circles, if he still felt fear when he wrote a book. I'm not sure if I wanted a yes (to make me feel better about my own fear) or a no (a hope that eventually it would go away). His answer was yes. He still felt some apprehension when he published a new book. He gave me some other advice and now I wish I had written it down. His advice has merged with so much over the years I can't say which is his and which isn't. This being said I believe the point he did try to make was if what you write matters to you then putting it out for others will bring apprehension. 

 I agree and I also know that putting what you are passionate about out there takes courage if you care about the work and about your relationship with people. 

So where am I going with this and what does it have to do with the picture of the claw holding a crystal? The picture is of a prop I have which comes from a story that I played with years ago. I'm talking over twenty-five years ago. The story has been heard in parts by my friends who have the other two claws and my family. It isn't the first story idea I came up with but it is the first original story I came up with as an adult. It has sat in the background of all my writing for years. My youngest daughter has challenged me to finish writing it and so I have. In my spare time and rewriting all of the early chapters from earlier times it is coming together. Eighty-five percent of the book is complete and now I find myself struggling with fear. 

Fear, in my estimation, shouldn't be a problem. I have already published several books. In a month the eight set Bible Reflections series will be complete. If I, a pastor of a small church without a doctorate, can write a reflection on every chapter in the Bible, some quarter of a million words and publish what some would find very controversial. why am I apprehensive about a fictional book?  

I think there are two reasons. First, the Bible Reflections is meant to spur others into writing not to give a definite answer to every question in the Bible. To say it another way, I expect and maybe even hope that people will disagree with what I write as long as it causes them to grow in their knowledge of the Bible. In other words, I have accepted that some people will not appreciate what I write and I have accepted that. Second, it's done. You aren't afraid of the surgery after the surgery is over. Yes, maybe any complication but the concern, fear, is now behind you. In other words, I can compare it. Third and maybe not finally, this work is very dear to me. It's like letting your daughter go on their first date. You have done all you can to prepare her for the world but now you are no longer in control.    

This blog is being written as a way to keep that date another day away. Yet, it is also here to force me to admit what I am doing by delaying my writing. I might be wrong but if nothing really crazy happens this week I could have The Staff Story (what an underwhelming working title) finished in a week. I write this to hold myself to that date. I will also talk to my writer friends to also keep me accountable. 

I see the enemy, it is fear.

Someone said this and at least for me this story isn't shooting or bombing me. 

 

 

 

Change yourself

Jesus told taught that it does no good if you gain the whole world but lose your soul. With all the call for change in the world, I am reminded of tow things: One: the only person you can really change is yourself and Two: what good is it if you get everything you want and lose your soul in the proccess. 

I want to make one thing clear. I'm not saying that we need to not work for change. However, if we work for it and even if we get it and we have lost our souls then we have ultimately lost. There is also the problem that change brought about by means which are not holy will ultimately corrupt the work. 

So what do we need to do? First is we have to make sure our hearts are right and actions are right. Second, we need to do a double check on our heart. You might say isn't that what you just said to do in the first point? The answer is yes, but often we justify our feelings and actions rather than see them in light of scripture. Finally, go out and try and help others change.

Musing on Church Reports

The day I am writing this was the day I began working on my annual year-end report for my denomination. The reports can be summed up in three words, buildings, budgets, and butts. Unless you're having a stellar year on all fronts there is always something to be depressed over. Even if you are having a great year on paper there is plenty to be depressed over. Pastors usually hate these reports because they either make you exaggerate or make you into a failure.

You can brag about new members but the truth is 60% of your current members never go to church thus you're a failure. You hold the standard high or focus on retention as well as evangelism and well you aren't getting new people and you're a failure. 

You have a 3 million dollar facility but you can't pay your denominational obligations because of the mortgage you inherited and so you fail. You make your denominational obligations but the roof needs to be fixed and/or members wonder if the university you support that charge kids an arm and a leg to go is really ripping you off and so you feel like a failure. 

Attendance has increased 10% as has the offering but what you know is the community you live in has had a 20% increase in both wealth and population so you're a failure. The church has barely or nearly heald its own as the culture around has become antithetical to organized religion and business and young people are leaving faster than Uhaul can bring in the trucks but you feel like a failure. 

You're told you aren't doing enough (you can clean the church, visit everyone, encourage the faithful, engage with the lost, start that new program that worked for First Church...) so you're a failure. You are told by experts you aren't taking care of your family by giving quantity as well as quality time and taking care of your body, mind, and spirit,  so you're a failure. 

Did I mention I hate these reports? This isn't a confession that is going to win me any favors with many denominational leaders. 

Yet-- without them or some instrument of measure, we can't see what might be happening. After all, we have all known people who have gone to the doctor and said I feel great, I don't need any test and then drop dead. 

Are they perfect? No, but we can't really measure the things that truly matter like the person who has been a nominal Christian for year now faithful and growing. We may not be keeping up with the increase around us but we are getting some and they are important. We might not be meeting every obligation we want to but ministry is still taking place. 

These reports are tools to force us to see what we might not like to see. If we use them honestly without letting them beat us up or falsely embolden us, they will help us address issues that we may not see or we've been unconsciously (or many consciously) ignoring. 

I am reminded of the end of the song Johnny Cash sang called, "A Boy Named Sue"  At the end, he came away with a different point of view about his name. And he said, "If I Have a boy I'm going to name him Bill, or George, anything but Sue. I still hate that name." 

So, NO, I still don't like the reports, but with the right Point of View, I can appreciate them for what they are an imperfect tool to help us grow, or I should say help me grow. 

In case this post gets me sacked:

Send donations to 

Charles Areson

4 Lausanne Ct.

Tell City, IN 47586

(This last part is a joke, I couldn't find the sarcasm font)

Did I lay a post around here someplace?

No. To answer the question in the title (There is a personal application at the end).

Getting back into writing a post isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Yes, my posts of Bible Reflections are going out 6 days a week but those are all scheduled. This one isn't. This one has been languishing at the sidelines and now that the Bible Reflections is done getting back into writing here isn't on the front burner.

So what is the problem?

I asked myself that. It isn't like I don't have any thoughts, I have a lot, most I need not put in public but we all have those and many put them out there anyway. My problem is I didn't add this to my calendar.

In the past, with this blog and later with Bible Reflections I had a reminder "Do Blog" every Monday on my calendar. It isn't there and thus I get the idea I'm all caught up when there is something I want to do but not doing.

I stopped between the last paragraph and this one and put it there. Will it help? Yes. It will help me. What about you? What are you wanting to do and always seem to forget? Maybe you need to add it to your calendar, get an accountability partner, put a sticky note on the bathroom mirror, but find something.

We have good intentions but without a good plan, the best of us fail. So what do you need to do? Then do it, now. Putting it off will delay chasing what you want.

Side note: What does this blog do for me? It's not that I have hundreds of people signed up to read it. I keep it to keep me writing and to give me an outlet to express my thoughts. Who knows my kids or grandkids or generations to come might gain some insight or get a laugh. Even it helps no one, the discipline helps me and that is always good.

The person, the puppy, the crocodile, and the fleshly man.

I will say that this is a work in progress. My thoughts are being laid before you as I work through an issue. I recently finished listening to a webinar on the science of conflict. It was very good and I appreciated it. There was one concept that I had studied before but this time it caught my attention in a new way. It was the breakdown of the human brain.

Here is the summary:
Reptile Brain- crocodile - basic instinct safety, food, reproduction
Feeling Brain- Puppy- feeling of belonging emotions
Rational Brain- Person- reasoning person, purpose in life

The idea one participant threw out that this conflict sounded like Paul's war in himself as talked about in Romans 7. The logical end of this idea is the "flesh nature" is really just the puppy and the croc. A natural part of who we are. Leading us to the conclusion that living in the flesh is natural and thus could not be the result of sin. All of life therefor is just trying to be a better person.

I don't think the instructor was making that conclusion, but some were. There is a problem with this. First, these instincts are never referred to as sin in the Bible. Seeking safety, emotional security, and the like are all promises God wants to give to his people. So where is the struggle?

The struggle is there is a fourth aspect of the flesh nature which wants to live according to its own wishes. This person isn't in the croc or the feeling brain (though it is where they act out) it is in the rational brain. The reason this isn't seen in science or in brain scans is this nature/sin wasn't originally part of God's plan. God's plan was for us to have these levels in our life and have them work in harmony.

As I see it, God's greatest condemnation isn't for those who react out of the croc or the puppy, but those who live in disobedience because of rational choices. It is also for those who know they can or should do better but don't, again a rational decision.

The problem with sin is that it puts things out of harmony. Like the illustration of the brick. Give it to a criminal and they throw it through a window. Give it to a good person and they build a hospital. The problem isn't the brick. The problem is the person. The ultimate enemy we have to conquer is, as Paul calls it, the flesh, not our own nature.

Are there things we need to relearn so that we are in harmony with ourselves, Yes. Is there something to be said about the science of conflict and people responding as a croc? Yes. However, do we still have a problem and it isn't what God gave us? Yes.

We're living in a golden age!

My daughter wrote a great story called Raven*. As we were discussing it one day she came across a song by Zan Wolf called Golden Age. As we discussed her story, we thought that if ever Raven* would become a musical this song would make a great opener. 

What does this have to do with us today?

Plenty, we are living in a day where we are talking about a vaccine for Covid-19, not in decades like they had to in the past but by the end of the year. While in quarantine many received generous grants from the government and many were able to work from home. We had church in our living rooms. When you were bored you had smartphones, Facebook, online games, and lots of streaming options. And that is just a few of the great benefits we have. 

Is everything perfect? Of course not. But we are too quick many times to focus on the negative rather than rejoice in all we do have. 

We are living in a golden age and though we may not be able to run all over because of the stay at home orders, we can still run all over the world with our computers and phones. We have so many possibilities if we will just look around. 

Perhaps many of us need to shut off the news, block the negative posts, unsubscribe to downers, and see what great blessings we have even in the challenges.

*Raven is a short story in the book Darkly: A Collection of Legends. The book is currently in the editing stage which she is funding from her own funds and a little from a Go Fund Me campaign. If you are interested in helping her go to her page. Thanks.

I feel I would be remiss in not giving a link to Zan Wolf's Golden Age. (It's the words, not the video which fits the story, Raven. Unless you can picture knights in armor on skateboards?)

Reopening, I just got used to being closed!

I'll be honest and say that the recent "stay at home" order has caused major changes in our lives. It caused me to work harder or at least work harder to learn things I didn't know before or didn't know well before. In the last week, I have begun to get in a routine and things have calmed down to a new normal. I didn't have as much to do as before or maybe I should say I knew how to do things faster. I was ready.

Now, everything has changed again. I have meetings to prepare for meetings. I am in communications with the Health Department, other pastors, the district, and individuals all about what this reopening will loke like for us.

REALLY! I just got us to the new way and now change comes again.

However, we just went through a time of radical readjustment so though I might like a time to relax it isn't going to happen. The good news is we have just been through this, we got this.

Yes, it is a new time of uncertainty but we have shown we can do it.

So, "
once more unto the breach my friends!"

And so it begins, again...

Today I'm going to start to rewrite a story that I have picked up and put down multiple times for nearly 25 years. Will I get it right this time? I don't know. I do know the version I had 25 years ago wasn't very good or even 5 years ago. I'm hoping this time will be better at least 90%, which is good enough to publish.

There are times you need to set something aside. The key is to not leave it there forever. The key is also not to quit doing anything else. If I had waited until this story was done, before starting anything else than 10 different books, 27 different versions, of other books would never have been completed not to mention the other 5 which I am also working on. I would never have blogged every chapter in the Bible or started a small group of people journaling the Bible themselves.

This blog isn't about me, it is about any of us who feel we need to set something aside for a time but then either don't pick it back up or don't start anything else. It is a warning, if you wait until everything is perfect then you will never get anything done.

Even God doesn't ask us to get perfect then come to Him. If God doesn't why should we ask it of ourselves?

It can't be done! and you're right.

I have been thrilled to hear Jon Acuff's book Finish. To sum it up it says no to perfectionism and yes to accomplishment. What I love is that most of the advice I am hearing I have been doing for the last 12 years. Saying no to things, Cutting the goals down, and accepting imperfection, just to name a few.

One of the great reasons people give up as Jon puts it is they think it can't be done. And you know what? He's right.

You can't read the Bible in a year.
You can't journal faithfully every day.
You won't always eat healthily.
You won't be perfect. (By the way, this is why God has grace.)

The problem is we don't give ourselves grace. We think it has to be perfect and we have to do it all right now.

I am right now finishing up on the edits on Bible Reflections. For those not familiar with it, it's my thoughts on every chapter in the Bible. It is nearly a quarter of a million words. It is the culmination of 3 years worth of work. Except it isn't. The work is the result of 12 years worth of writing first in online classrooms and then on a blog. In the first year of the 3 years, I was writing on one chapter for each 5 in the Bible five days a week (2 days built in so I could stay ahead). Guess what that first year, I didn't always succeed.

When I choose to take on the whole Bible I used those posts but saw that doing it 7 days a week wouldn't work so I broke it down to 6 days a week with two-week-long breaks. Then I broke it up into a 4-year project because I knew more than one chapter a day would be impossible. Then I went further and gave those who joined with me, permission to miss a day of journaling or more. I told them if they only did half, that then they would have only journaled half the entire Bible, which was better than most Bible scholars would do in a lifetime.

When I published the first book so the church could start with me, it was full of mistakes. If I waited until everything was perfect we never would have started and the project would never have been completed. Trust me, those that have taken this journey with me this first time aren't going to be talking about those mistakes in grammar when we finish.

I say all of this to point out that if you wait until it's perfect or you're perfect, you won't accomplish much or as much as you could.

I am saying that you should produce junk? NO! There are books I have written which are not published because they need real work (a real editor) to get them ready. When I have the money then they will be completed. However, there are times that it is better to have it, as Jon would put it, "90% and published than 100% and in my head."

Thanks, Jon.

Ministering every day

The great thing about having a blog that very few people read is there are no expectations to perform. This being said, I do want to get back to blogging regularly for my own sake and for those few who get this. This, however, is not why I am writing today. I am writing to celebrate today.

With the Covid-19 shutting everything down it seems less ministry can take place. Yes, there are online service and phone calls but not the Bible studies where I can share the Word. This bothers me most for those who don't understand or have assess to technology. I use to teach or in some way participate in 7-9 services/groups a week. This didn't include other meetings I was involved in. Now, I am doing 2 online services. It seems that the ministry has really cut back.

The truth is something else. Now, with those services online I have the capacity to ministry to more people than I did before. With work that I did in the Bible, Reflections books are still being used, so I am leading personal Bible studies for people. I was told yesterday by someone that though he doesn't write things down, he makes sure and reads the devotional every day. This person doesn't have the access to technology and yet, I'm in a way ministering to him in this crisis.

This is the great gift of books. They can teach when you aren't around. I knew this and thought it was important but it wasn't until yesterday that I really truly knew how important that could be. I might not be CS Lewis, Chuck Swindol, or Max Lucado, but what I have written is helping some in a time when other ministry isn't available.

So why didn't I write this yesterday, right after I got the call? I was working on reviewing the edits on and formating of Bible Reflections 6 both the devotional and journal. A work I can now see could do more ministry than any personal work I could ever do. It seems I am ministering every day.

You might not be worrying; you might be grieving.

You might not be worrying; you might be grieving?

I have been reading about grief and some of the things that cause people to grieve. We can grieve the loss of course of a loved one but what are we really grieving? The loss of what might have been, the phone calls, the advice, the time we could spend together, the wisdom we could have learned. Understanding this we can understand that we can also grieve losing other things, friendship, a job, a dream, or a relationship with our family. The loss of these things can cause us to go through the grieving process.   Summed up in the grieving process of 1. Denial and isolation; 2. Anger; 3. Bargaining; 4. Depression; 5. Acceptance. 

I won't spend much time here, but I will point out that the grieving process isn't a 1-5 method. Most people jump around in these stages. It isn't clear cut and perfect. It is also good to remember people are different. 

How does this tie into worry? 

Glad you asked. Worry is giving space in our minds to dwell on our difficulties and troubles. This isn't trying to work through the thing but just gnawing on it. Worry and anxiety are unhealthy and according to the Bible sin.

No one would call grieving sin. We see grieving demonstrated in the Bible. Paul when comforting the Christians about the death of other believers in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, he doesn't tell them not to grieve, but not to grieve as those who have no hope. Grieving is part of the human experience. 

If someone came up to a grieving mother who lost her child and told her to "get over it" or to quit sinning by crying about this deserves... (I won't say what I think they deserve as promoting violence is rarely good).  They are absolutely wrong! Some would call this person heartless.

Yet, if a child's mother loses a child to a rebellion or through a broken relationship, often that person is told to trust God and quit worrying. I will admit some people do turn this problem into a time of worry, but I am considering we need to take a different approach. Perhaps instead of beating them up because they are worrying, we should consider if the person might actually be grieving? 

Anyone who has lost a relationship with a child knows it can be as if they had died. Some people have told me it would have been easier if they had died than what they went or what they are going through. If you don't know what that feels like be glad but it's true. There are things worse than losing someone to death and just like in death you grieve. 

I think some people aren't really worried, they are grieving. They are also carrying guilt because they believe they are sinning when actually they are just being human. 

NERDS UNITE! card game

Story

School at Everywhere High is going great and the school's newest club, Nerds Unite, is the biggest thing anyone has seen. People from the sports department have joined the club. Yes, some aren’t very happy but when everyone brings in their nerdy collectibles and talks about the things, they have accomplished it is a great time. Everyone wants to be the top nerd, but who will be the nerd to rule them all? There will be challenges to overcome. At times, the actions of one nerd will affect everyone. Someone may claim the title, but it be won’t until the year ends that the top nerd will be revealed.

Overview

The goal of the game is to gain as many points (collectibles and monster cards) as you can before the end of the school year (cards run out).

Basic Rules

Each player starts with three cards. Each turn involves drawing a card (or drawing up to 3) and playing one card. Depending on the card played battle may take place, cards gained or loss, the gaining or losing of a turn or nothing. Then the game proceeds clockwise.

Once the player draws a card, they can either play a collectible on the table before them, play a phobia on another player, play an inspiration which removes the appropriate numbers of their phobias, play an action card or begin a battle by putting it in the discard pile.

Collectables

These are how you get points to win the game. Add to your collection by playing the collectible card vertically in front of you on your turn. You can’t add a collectible to another player's collection unless an action tells you. Collectables can be discarded but why would you.

Phobias

Phobia cards can be discarded or played on another player. No player can have more than 8 phobias. Phobia cards are laid horizontally beside the other player's collectibles if they have any. When you have a phobia, you can’t add collectibles to your collection.  Phobias are defeated by an inspiration card or by a role of 20 by anyone in battle.

Inspirations

Play an inspiration card to remove phobias. Yes, they can be discarded but do it at your own risk. NOTE: Some inspirations are more powerful than others removing 2 or more so look carefully.

Actions

When you play an action, it is placed on the discard pile and then you must do what it says. If the action card says play immediately it must be played immediately when drawn unless it is one of the first three cards you are dealt. Some actions help, some cost you, some are generally neutral, and some do nothing (Action? cards).

Battle Actions (look for the lightning bolt on the card)

These can be played as a discard, but to be used in battle they must be played at the beginning of your battle. However, if you have the card calling for all nerds to unite it must be played before the first role of battle. As a courtesy, the person beginning battle should give a moment for this card to be played. When all nerds unite the player of the card receives the monster card when the nerds are victorious (which you will be). In the event of a critical fail or the monster wins everyone loses a collectible. 

Battle

On the day you and the other players are taking a collectible to school there is a problem, someone wants to take them. Yes, this is a battle but let’s be honest, you aren’t trying to kill anyone just defeat their horrible plan to take your stuff. The resolve of the monster the players are trying to defeat is listed as their HP. A battle begins when a monster card is laid on the discard pile. When the monster is played the person playing it names the monster and the number of HP, it has. The player who placed the monster now begins the battle. The first player will play any 1 battle action card they want (I assume you understand you can’t play a card that isn’t in your hand) by laying it next to the discard pile in the battle action area (see table play 2).  The player will then roll a 20-sided dice once for himself and once for each collectible he/she possesses. If the total of all the roles is greater than the monster’s HP then that player collects the monster card and sets it beside their collectibles. They have the bragging rights for defeating them. If the total is less than the monster’s HP then the player loses a collectible (place the card beside the discard pile until the battle is complete) and now the next player faces the monster its HP reduced by the previous player's role.  If a player rolls a 20, victory is instantaneous, the player takes the monster card and sets it aside and all phobias on the board by every player are defeated and placed in the discard pile. If the player rolls a 1 it is a critical fail, the monster wins, and everyone loses a collectible to the discard pile. The battle continues until all players have tried to defeat the monster. The player who defeats the monster begins regular play unless the monster is defeated by the player who played the monster card. If no one defeats the monster all collectibles and played action cards go into the discard pile and play begins with the person who started the battle. Points for victories 2 points for each gym coach, 1 point for each cheerleader, 1 point for every 2 jocks or pitchers, and 1 point for every 3 bullies you defeat.

Ending the Game

When the last card is drawn the last round begins unless the players have decided to shuffle the discard pile adding in the Badge of Honor card. When the last card is played the player with the most points wins. On the chance that players have the same victory points then a roll of the dice decides the victor. High role wins (if after 10 tie rolls, one of you might consider buying a lottery ticket because this is more than luck and please share the winnings with us).

Side rules (feel free to ignore these)

You may choose to have the critical fail and critical hit bonus only affect the person rolling.

Burgundy is not red, no matter what my daughter says. Play the game you’ll see what I mean (unless everyone agrees otherwise).

When you roll for a battle be a good sport and show your rolls. Use paper or your smartphone to keep track of HP points lost and the number of roles each player takes. Of course, if your all super-geniuses then you can keep all of it in your head.

Rules are rules unless you decide otherwise, you bought it after all. Changes to the rules made in the middle of the game are kind of cheating so try not to do that.

Leave positive reviews of the game on Amazon, every game store, and gaming site on the internet.

Ideas are always appreciated but sorry you won’t be financially reimbursed for them. Not trying to be stingy but the legalities are a pain. Not to mention lawsuits only make lawyers rich.  

If you like the game buy a copy for the president and most of Congress (your equivalent outside the USA). Who knows maybe a good game night might lead to better conversation and less stupid in politics?

This game is to make people laugh. We don’t hate cheerleaders, jocks, pitchers, and most gym coaches. If you’re offended, sorry, but we aren’t going to change the game.

Table Play

Table Play 2