Box of Chocolates

I like reinvention. Small tweaks here and there on the otherwise perfectly perfect. I find beauty and sometimes humor in those things. Hence, the box of chocolates. You never know...

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." True enough, but definitely true about this blog. I have every intention of keeping it focused on the journey to my novels, but we may rabbit trail every now and again.

The topic for today? The purpose of this blog. Yes, there is a purpose. I am not just aimlessly posting stuff hoping that people will take interest in my otherwise ordinary life!

I have this grand vision of producing some pretty awesome books about this story that God put inside me. The story is a product of my imagination but there is a lot of reality in it as well.

Observations from life, things that have actually happened to me or people around me, discoveries of the human condition, and the central point of my life - discovery of the Creator of Heaven and Earth and the reality of the spiritual realm.

The story unfolds in my mind like a movie. Sometimes I am just watching things unfold. At the end of writing furiously I see inspiration at every turn and my characters have taken turns I didn't know they were going to take. Sometimes I know exactly where they need to go, but I don't know how they will get there, and then after some pressure, tension and reality they come to the end I needed them to come to.

I've been writing since I was a child, but I have been writing this particular story for three years. Every novel has a story behind it. Every novel has a writer, with a real life lived, that stands as the pillar under that book. Why waste it? Pain has a purpose.

James 1:2 - 4 "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever troubles comes your way, consider it an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." Some translations declare that "you will be lacking nothing."

I chuckle at this every time I read James because I do consider each trial an opportunity. It doesn't mean it doesn't hurt and I am not affected deeply in the midst of trials, it just simply means that I have an attitude of acceptance, openness and self-evaluation. I am ready for opportunities for growth and maturity. But I bleed, sometimes profusely.

I think this is an opportunity. With those closest to me prickling at the idea of opening myself up for such risk of pain and hurt, I still forge ahead. This life is not my own, it is for Christ that I live this life - why I breathe, and why my heart beats - and it is for you that I would serve and love in the face of our adversary.

Love is an action, not a feeling. Love can only be true when it faces opposition. Until then, "love" is a good feeling of hormones in the body.

So, here is my invitation to join me as I walk this journey to the finished story.

A couple of things before we start out:

1. You won't stop me or discourage me.

You can question and doubt until you are blue in the face. You can believe that I won't make it, that this is just a neat fantasy that I have. I smile because you have only caught me mid-journey.

You are welcome to come along, but you won't be able to stop me.

(Small fact: My first name means "Industrious one" or hardworking. My middle name means "Consecrated to God" - I am a hardworking individual that is committed to God - therefore, if God is for us, who can be against us.)

2. Share!

Dialog with me, challenge me. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Remember number one: You won't stop me, so you might as well sharpen me!

3. Remember I do bleed.

You don't need to intentionally harm me. I do have wisdom enough to sever a relationship that is poisonous!!! I don't dance with a devil; I come out punching.

4. Give me the benefit of the doubt.

If I hurt you, I did not mean to. I am human, I love Jesus, but I will never claim perfection in my pursuit for His righteousness in my life.

I never declared that I was perfect, and neither did He. His true love in action has simply accepted my repentance and my commitment to love him, serve him and do life with Him.

5. Let's have some fun!

I will be real and genuine. I have nothing to hide. Sometimes I am not completely transparent, there are things that I am working on, but you will always get honesty from me.

I am not the most scholarly writer out there and I have a lot to learn, but I am in a breathless pursuit of learning - I am a life long learner. I intend to bringing excellence along with being genuine.

My favorite musician, Jonny Lang, has a song "Don't Stop". It is a great blues-rock version of the prodigal son. But my favorite line from the song is "the journey of a thousand miles starts when you take the first step."

One foot in front of the other, consider this one step in the journey of a thousand miles...