So I want to write a children's book. What do you all think? But I have no idea how to produce the manuscript, where to send it, if it would be a profitable experience or a complete waste of time? I have already began writing the story which takes place on a horse ranch and involves a couple of very cute donkeys but there is this voice in my head, no maybe it is more of a feeling of doubt that is telling me to stop before I even try and get the paper and pen out. So here I am asking my small and humble readership "What do you all think?". The story will not be another cookie-cutter religious book about Noah building the ark or a cutesier little A B C book, although the latter sounds like an easy project, but rather a real life drama where the actors are donkeys.
Doubt and fear are two of our very worst enemies. They always are with us, they never really go away but hide inside our souls like a retro-virus just waiting for the opportunity to appear bringing with them all of their trappings of defeat. These feelings are not from God because God is not like that, He wants us to prosper. He wants us to realize our dreams as long as they fit into His will for our lives. So where do these enemies of doubt and fear come from? Well, just think about the fear of failing for a moment. What is the worst thing that can happen to us? Lets jump into skydiving as an example, if your parachute fails to open you will surly die and the seconds leading up to death would be horrific. Or maybe sailing to Hawaii, where the sail boat could spring a leak brought on by the repeated ramming from a large pod of Killer Whales who are waiting and eyeing you as the boat disappears beneath the water. OK, so I get fear so lets look at doubt. I'm standing on the side of the freeway its rush hour traffic can I successfully run the entire width of the freeway without getting hit by a single car. Or maybe I have smoked cigarettes all my life. Say, 5 packs a day and I'm doubting if this will increase the likelihood that I will get lung cancer?
How many people actually make it to the top of Mt. Everest or swim the English Channel? Not many, is it because its only super people who train and have developed skills that allow them to conquer their fears and doubts? OK, that is kinda true so now we are getting somewhere. I'm convinced personally that anyone can accomplish anything if they only would put their mind to it. Is it possible that your parachute wont open? Yes! Is it possible that your sailboat might sink? Absolutely! But life is for living and we need to take some risks in order to keep our fears and doubts in check. Do you know that there are people who do not leave the false security of their own home?
Some folks never venture out the front door of their houses and what a tragedy this is. Contently sitting on their couches watching the Nature Channel while nature is just waiting for them in their very own front yards just steps outside their front doors. Get Off Your Couch! Then there is the group of people that most of us are in who hear and read about life's success stories and wonder if we could invent something or accomplish some great task that no one has yet to complete. This group is a very large group of people of which you and me are a part. Our problem is that while the front doors to our houses do not present a problem we allow other people with their own doubts and fears to cloud up our skies and bring those dark, gloomy rain clouds that will eventually put out our fires and rain on our parade.
So I'm gonna throw caution to the wind, get my butt off my couch, step out of my front door, turn my laptop on and write this children's book about 3 donkeys Bonnie,Clyde, and Roxy. It might not ever get published let alone end up on the New York Best Sellers book list but I will have the satisfaction of thumbing my nose at my fears and doubts and sending them back into their dismal hibernation. So, are you ready? All donations and advance signed book sales can be sent to PO Box 771 Alpine Ca. 91901 , please include a postpaid self addressed book-sized envelope. And please allow some time for my doubts and fears to beat me up a bit.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Doldrums
Doldrums. Do you know what they are? Do you know where and why they exist? Did you know that 75% of the earth's surface is covered with sea water. The great oceans of the world are a large part of God's design for us to be able to live and thrive on planet Earth. The oceans are teaming with life and the majority of that life is found along the shallower, continental shelves of the continents on which we live. I live in San Diego, California where the ocean has a large part in contributing to our local economy. Commercial fishing boats regularly haul in tons of fish, other boats harvest kelp that can grow up to 18" in a day. Sport fishing boats too add another dimension to our economy by offering tourists a ride out to the rich, fish laden kelp patties off our local coastline. Sailing boats also grace the surface of our local waters as their sleek hulls glide effortlessly through the crest of a glassy, rolling sea wave. Its on these sail surfaces of sailboat's large, triangular sails where the wind's power can be captured and redirected. This force when redirected through the mast and tiller breaks the water's surface tension propelling the boat through the water.
Its interesting to me that Dr. Luke, inspired by God writes that on the day of Pentecost God's power was revealed from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind that filled the whole house where they were sitting. When the Holy Spirit filled them, they all began speaking to and hearing each other in their own native languages. The experience of the filling of the Holy Spirit was so severe that some men, who were not involved in the filling, said in mocking voices " They are full of new wine".
It is the filling of these humble men, who by the way were ready and willing to receive, that I wish to contemplate. In some ways God's children are like the sails on a great ship that when we make the choice to open ourselves up it then becomes possible for God to fill us with His great power. And just as in the mechanics of a sailboat, we then allow God's power to propel us through the waters of life. If one has ever been on a sailboat it quickly becomes clear that wind can appear in all shapes, sizes and sometimes chooses not to show up at all.
The doldrums are found on an area on our globe, which is located at the equator. It is an area where winds are not consistent but are actually for the most part non-existent. Many sailors have drifted for probably what seemed like endless days and nights before finding the beginnings of a light trade wind. What hope that light breeze must have offered to them after bobbing around on the surface of the sea. The doldrums give you a feeling of despair where all of your hope evaporates into thin air. A haunting feeling that God has forsaken you, taken away His Holy Spirit and that your faith has gone overboard and is somewhere lost at sea. It is during these hopeless and trying times that as human beings we might desire death as a welcomed friend.
Friends, if you ever feel like this know that you are not alone. Hold fast to your faith in God. If you don't yet have a relationship with Him, call out to Him and He will hear your prayers. And know that when you are in the doldrums it might look like a hopeless situation from your viewpoint but be reassured that your drifting will not last forever. For on either side of the doldrums there is always waiting new hope! For while the Earth continues to turn God's refreshing gentle breezes will always be waiting for you to open up and fill your sails with His never ending, powerful, rushing wind!
Its interesting to me that Dr. Luke, inspired by God writes that on the day of Pentecost God's power was revealed from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind that filled the whole house where they were sitting. When the Holy Spirit filled them, they all began speaking to and hearing each other in their own native languages. The experience of the filling of the Holy Spirit was so severe that some men, who were not involved in the filling, said in mocking voices " They are full of new wine".
It is the filling of these humble men, who by the way were ready and willing to receive, that I wish to contemplate. In some ways God's children are like the sails on a great ship that when we make the choice to open ourselves up it then becomes possible for God to fill us with His great power. And just as in the mechanics of a sailboat, we then allow God's power to propel us through the waters of life. If one has ever been on a sailboat it quickly becomes clear that wind can appear in all shapes, sizes and sometimes chooses not to show up at all.
The doldrums are found on an area on our globe, which is located at the equator. It is an area where winds are not consistent but are actually for the most part non-existent. Many sailors have drifted for probably what seemed like endless days and nights before finding the beginnings of a light trade wind. What hope that light breeze must have offered to them after bobbing around on the surface of the sea. The doldrums give you a feeling of despair where all of your hope evaporates into thin air. A haunting feeling that God has forsaken you, taken away His Holy Spirit and that your faith has gone overboard and is somewhere lost at sea. It is during these hopeless and trying times that as human beings we might desire death as a welcomed friend.
Friends, if you ever feel like this know that you are not alone. Hold fast to your faith in God. If you don't yet have a relationship with Him, call out to Him and He will hear your prayers. And know that when you are in the doldrums it might look like a hopeless situation from your viewpoint but be reassured that your drifting will not last forever. For on either side of the doldrums there is always waiting new hope! For while the Earth continues to turn God's refreshing gentle breezes will always be waiting for you to open up and fill your sails with His never ending, powerful, rushing wind!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Crossroads
Have you ever been down that road? Its a road that you know where it will take you and so you travel down it with the knowledge and security that you will reach the end and your final destination. But what about those unfamiliar journeys? Where the road does not seem so familiar and you pass street after street and don't know if and where you should make your next turn. You have arrived at the crossroads.
The young man stood very still in the twilight hours of that November morning. The air was heavy with dew and there was a distinct fall snap that chilled Chuck to the bone. He had three things with him as he stood in the dark shadows of the trees which were growing along the shoulder of the dirt road. In his hand was his guitar case that he held as if it was a trust-worthy weapon, in his heart was his faith which his mother had instilled in him at a very young age and covering him were just the clothes on his back, old and worn, a steady reminder of why he was running away in the first place. Chuck was the eldest son of a Louisiana share cropper who was setting out on his own in search of fame and fortune.What he would find was his fate.
"What do you have there?" a voice shatters the stillness of the morning and sends Chuck's heart rate into an irregular beat as a huge push of adrenalin courses through his blood vessels. Chuck startled, backs up a couple steps in the opposite direction of the voice. "Is that some kind of an instrument?" the stranger's voice while still hidden in the shadows begins to sound slightly less threatening to Chuck but instinctively he takes another couple of steps backwards. "Who are you" Chuck musters up a bit of courage and begins a conversation with the darkness.
"Who am I? Who are you is the question of the hour or better yet who would you like to be?" Now the voice was beginning to sound very familiar almost like Chuck's father only with a touch of charm and class not associated with a southern cotton farmer. Now as the first light of the morning began to beam over the distant hills Chuck could begin to see the silhouette of a tall man. He was very well dressed in a black suit, white silk shirt complete with a tie and felt hat. There were no wrinkles in his face but he had the aire of a man who was well educated well beyond his years.
"Well...." sheepishly Chuck begins "I would like to play this here guitar in New Orleans!" The tall stranger stepped out of the shadows and into the light "I'll make a deal with you my young friend" the tall man says as a hearty smile reveals two rows of perfectly straight white teeth. "What kind of a deal" Chuck reluctantly offers in a bid to discover who this stranger was and what he really wanted. "I know allot of people son and I can make your dreams come true not only in New Orleans but in Nashville too!" Chuck set his guitar case down and offered the man his hand. The man's grip was strong, warm and he felt as if this man was telling him the truth. "Why it wont cost you any money" the tall man chuckled "But it might just cost you your soul...So do we have a deal?" Chuck's load now lightened he began to feel like he was as free as a bird with no burdens and reached out once again to shake the tall man's hand only to watch it dissolve into thin air. In fact the tall man had completely vanished as quickly as he had come.
This story while being part of our American folk lore has some interesting parallels to our lives today. If we say that the tall man was the devil himself then we know him to be the father of lies. Coming as an angel of light Satan wants to deceive us and see him as a good man and not the hideous creature that we have heard conjured up in our children's stories. Its this red humanoid, grotesque face holding his devilish Triton that helps to convince people everywhere he is nothing more than a mythical creature. This view is definitely unfortunate but probably part of his plan anyway. In his beginnings Satan was in fact the most beautiful creature God created. Key word here is created, Satan is a created being. What fills Satan and caused him to fall in the first place is pride and that is why God hates pride so much as a sin. Satan offered to give the young man his dreams and the young man gladly shook on the deal.
While our dreams are important sometimes they are not really what we need in the end. The fame and fortune of a popular musician may lead to an empty life of loneliness, pain and suffering. Many musicians have died due to drug and alcohol abuse an affliction which is usually brought on by loneliness. Being in the lime light and those velvet curtain calls are not what you might think they are. Being on the road day after day eating fast foods and staying in endless hotel rooms is not my idea of fun. Gobs of money in the hands of a lonely man can only bring bitterness and destruction. Most, but not all, of Hollywood's Stars have had turbulent lives that usually end in their premature deaths or loss of their initial fame and fortune. God says "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but ends up losing his soul?"
A couple of weeks ago I was up in Tustin, Ca. where I met Kenny who played "Pugsley", a childhood star on the 1960's hit sitcom "The Adams Family". The show still runs world wide and has developed into a "Cult" classic. Kenny was cheated out of his residual program stock years ago. And at the age of 50 he was however not happy, successful or gleaning anything from his stint as a child actor on the glamorous studio sound stages of Hollywood. In fact at the age of 12 he was told by his agent that his career was over and that he had been "Type Casted" and nobody wanted to hire him. Ouch, what a blow for anyone especially a child to take, a blow that must have sent Kenny reeling. At the spry age of 14 depression began to set in and led him away from school and into a life full of drugs and alcohol abuse. He has worked on and off as a "Grip" performing behind the scenes lighting and camera set up and rail moving. Today, Kenny has a long black beard, kind eyes and a testimonial of where stardom has deposited him...homeless on the streets of Pasadena.
So if you are ever somewhere you didn't expect to end up and a tall man, nicely dressed appears out of nowhere and offers you your dreams, you had better take a deep breath and ask God which way He wants you to turn.
The young man stood very still in the twilight hours of that November morning. The air was heavy with dew and there was a distinct fall snap that chilled Chuck to the bone. He had three things with him as he stood in the dark shadows of the trees which were growing along the shoulder of the dirt road. In his hand was his guitar case that he held as if it was a trust-worthy weapon, in his heart was his faith which his mother had instilled in him at a very young age and covering him were just the clothes on his back, old and worn, a steady reminder of why he was running away in the first place. Chuck was the eldest son of a Louisiana share cropper who was setting out on his own in search of fame and fortune.What he would find was his fate.
"What do you have there?" a voice shatters the stillness of the morning and sends Chuck's heart rate into an irregular beat as a huge push of adrenalin courses through his blood vessels. Chuck startled, backs up a couple steps in the opposite direction of the voice. "Is that some kind of an instrument?" the stranger's voice while still hidden in the shadows begins to sound slightly less threatening to Chuck but instinctively he takes another couple of steps backwards. "Who are you" Chuck musters up a bit of courage and begins a conversation with the darkness.
"Who am I? Who are you is the question of the hour or better yet who would you like to be?" Now the voice was beginning to sound very familiar almost like Chuck's father only with a touch of charm and class not associated with a southern cotton farmer. Now as the first light of the morning began to beam over the distant hills Chuck could begin to see the silhouette of a tall man. He was very well dressed in a black suit, white silk shirt complete with a tie and felt hat. There were no wrinkles in his face but he had the aire of a man who was well educated well beyond his years.
"Well...." sheepishly Chuck begins "I would like to play this here guitar in New Orleans!" The tall stranger stepped out of the shadows and into the light "I'll make a deal with you my young friend" the tall man says as a hearty smile reveals two rows of perfectly straight white teeth. "What kind of a deal" Chuck reluctantly offers in a bid to discover who this stranger was and what he really wanted. "I know allot of people son and I can make your dreams come true not only in New Orleans but in Nashville too!" Chuck set his guitar case down and offered the man his hand. The man's grip was strong, warm and he felt as if this man was telling him the truth. "Why it wont cost you any money" the tall man chuckled "But it might just cost you your soul...So do we have a deal?" Chuck's load now lightened he began to feel like he was as free as a bird with no burdens and reached out once again to shake the tall man's hand only to watch it dissolve into thin air. In fact the tall man had completely vanished as quickly as he had come.
This story while being part of our American folk lore has some interesting parallels to our lives today. If we say that the tall man was the devil himself then we know him to be the father of lies. Coming as an angel of light Satan wants to deceive us and see him as a good man and not the hideous creature that we have heard conjured up in our children's stories. Its this red humanoid, grotesque face holding his devilish Triton that helps to convince people everywhere he is nothing more than a mythical creature. This view is definitely unfortunate but probably part of his plan anyway. In his beginnings Satan was in fact the most beautiful creature God created. Key word here is created, Satan is a created being. What fills Satan and caused him to fall in the first place is pride and that is why God hates pride so much as a sin. Satan offered to give the young man his dreams and the young man gladly shook on the deal.
While our dreams are important sometimes they are not really what we need in the end. The fame and fortune of a popular musician may lead to an empty life of loneliness, pain and suffering. Many musicians have died due to drug and alcohol abuse an affliction which is usually brought on by loneliness. Being in the lime light and those velvet curtain calls are not what you might think they are. Being on the road day after day eating fast foods and staying in endless hotel rooms is not my idea of fun. Gobs of money in the hands of a lonely man can only bring bitterness and destruction. Most, but not all, of Hollywood's Stars have had turbulent lives that usually end in their premature deaths or loss of their initial fame and fortune. God says "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but ends up losing his soul?"
A couple of weeks ago I was up in Tustin, Ca. where I met Kenny who played "Pugsley", a childhood star on the 1960's hit sitcom "The Adams Family". The show still runs world wide and has developed into a "Cult" classic. Kenny was cheated out of his residual program stock years ago. And at the age of 50 he was however not happy, successful or gleaning anything from his stint as a child actor on the glamorous studio sound stages of Hollywood. In fact at the age of 12 he was told by his agent that his career was over and that he had been "Type Casted" and nobody wanted to hire him. Ouch, what a blow for anyone especially a child to take, a blow that must have sent Kenny reeling. At the spry age of 14 depression began to set in and led him away from school and into a life full of drugs and alcohol abuse. He has worked on and off as a "Grip" performing behind the scenes lighting and camera set up and rail moving. Today, Kenny has a long black beard, kind eyes and a testimonial of where stardom has deposited him...homeless on the streets of Pasadena.
So if you are ever somewhere you didn't expect to end up and a tall man, nicely dressed appears out of nowhere and offers you your dreams, you had better take a deep breath and ask God which way He wants you to turn.
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