Scribble and Scrambles - Weather or NOT

Yesterday, in Iowa, during January, we hit 50ish degrees.

Almost balmy, I tell ya.

Today I breezed out of the house without my coat because it was 50 yesterday.

Ha.

Today is a different story, try minus nine wind chill, actual temp two degrees.

We did have a fifty - something -- fifty mile an hour winds delivering flash frozen snowflakes.

You know I'm a fan of flakes. But I've decided I prefer mine when I'm hunkered down in the cozy couch with my hands wrapped around a warm mug of coffee or tea. Up close and personal pelting, also know as snowblasting, kind of takes the awe and excitement out of snowflakes.

Stay warm.

Scribble and Scrambles - Convicted

I think I'm borderline complacent. Not quite apathetic because my complacency bothers me, but sometimes I think I wouldn't mind sitting this round out, or a few rounds, or maybe even all of the future rounds.

But, like God is prone to do, He's been delivering sermons to convict me.

The theme of late seems to be, in so many words, "do I care if people find Jesus?"

This is a tough one. Of course I care. I love my friends and family. I don't want anyone to choose death over life. I care about strangers and acquaintances, about patients and check-out girls. I've been conditioned to believe that all people have the evidence and experience they need to find Jesus, and that I don't necessarily need to provide any more. That if I get too vocal I'll just do more harm than good. That if I just live my life and answer questions that might be asked of me, this is enough.

But is that true?

I'm not a preacher, but I'm an ambassador. I'm not a theologian, but I carry truth within me. I want to leak that truth, but I don't want to hurt or judge people.

Can I tell you why Jesus means more than the world to me? If you don't want to keep reading, don't. I'm not going to preach regularly. And as far as I know I'm talking to the choir. (Those who agree with me and know Him, too.) But maybe I need to write this in case someone stumbles into this post and needs to "hear" what I have to say.

I believe in Jesus, I love Jesus, I've given my life to Him because I have seen and still see His power at work in my life. I know people quibble about His "Godness." Most will claim that He was a good man, a good teacher, a good example. Some will think that He was secretly married, or didn't actually die, or didn't come back from the grave. Lots think He sinned like any body else but the good outweighed the bad and that we should "do unto others as we would have them do unto us" and live like we are at least trying to reach for His example.

I know lots of people accept God and label all belief as toward one big God with many names. But loads of people have trouble with the narrowness of teaching that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

I love C.S. Lewis' comments. (my paraphrase, not a quote) Jesus is either Lord, a liar or a lunatic. Jesus claimed to be God which is the major reason He was crucified. He spoke "blasphemy" by claiming to be "I AM", the eternal, powerful and unspeakable God of Genesis. Lewis' point -- since Jesus made this claim, more than once, He put a hot potato in our hands. He either is who He says He is, or He is a liar. If He was a liar He can't be a moral and good teacher. And if He wasn't lying, but actually believed He was, but isn't, then He was insane. Lewis said equal to a person who claimed to be a poached egg. If Jesus is not a liar or a crazy man, then that means He is who He claimed to be.

Faced with this question and having read and considered I made my choice.

My life has several chapters where Jesus was a distant God. One I knew on the surface. But when things got rough and painful, I began to struggle with such a shallow belief. As I dug He confronted those shallow beliefs with the truth. I couldn't deny that He loved me. Nor could I deny that He was calling me, or would enable me to become a person that I'd always wanted to be.

When my life was lived to get what I thought I needed but realized it was only what I wanted, I didn't want to meet my own eyes in the mirror. Hedonism was a lonely place full of noise and artificial light because the quiet and shadows brought introspection and fear.

When I found myself at the end of Kelly's best effort, broken, bleeding and miserable, I looked up and I gave up. My life was a royal mess and I didn't want it any more so I gave it to Jesus.

Ten years later, I am astounded at the changes in my life. Don't get me wrong, God has asked me to undergo some serious soul surgery. The process and His love have changed my life.

When I look back at the direction I was heading, I shudder. My children. Where would they be? What would their lives look like? Probably a lot like the miserable one I was living. After all, kids learn by example.

I'd be divorced, that's a given.

What would I have missed? A living breathing relationship with a flesh and blood God. Seeing my children follow Him and bloom into role models and human beings as they were created to be, beautiful and in the image of God. I'd have missed hours praying and talking with a man who's heart beats with mine, a man who has truly become my soul-mate. I'd have missed the struggles that have made me capable of being alone with my thoughts and at peace with people who've hurt me. I know where I'll be in eternity, I feel it my very core.

All because I believe Jesus is who He says He is, and I've anchored my future, present and past on Him.

Serials and Scenarios - Matthew Raley -- On His Toes

I know you guys think my titles are weird...but no one ever comments. On His Toes -- he wrote Fallen. Ha. Ha.

Okay. Here's Matt's interview.

I totally got his book, and I love what he had to share here and at Novel Journey if you are so inclined. Suppose it's the violin connection?

Oh, wait, that can't be it. He can play his. Now I'm really envious.

Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre. I would love to be that tempestuous and rude and get away with it. I would love to have a dark past. But these things don’t go over well in the pastorate.

If you could ask any person, living or dead, a random question -- what question would you ask of whom?

In the late 1960s, my grandpa traded a lemon ranch with a large white house on a hill in Santa Barbara, CA for a mobile home park way up in the northern reaches of the state. The move resulted in my dad meeting my mom, but also made grandpa seem displaced until his death. I would ask him why he made that trade. I can’t complain, but . . . it was Santa Barbara!

If you could change something in any novel, what would you change about it and why?

I would fire Melville and give Moby Dick’s plot and characters to Ernest Hemingway. Needs tightening.

Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.

I love almost every word Raymond Chandler wrote. Here he is describing Mrs. Regan in The Big Sleep: “The calves were beautiful, the ankles long and slim and with enough melodic line for a tone poem.”

What period of history intrigues you the most?

1789-1914 in Europe and the United States. Everything we struggle with today, everything we regret, goes back to events in that period—totalitarianism, urbanization, industrialization, the decline of community, total war, secularism, on and on. A writer who captures many of these changes for me is Henry Adams.

What would you write if there were no rules or barriers? (epic novels about characters in the Bible, poetry, greeting cards, plays, movies, instruction manuals, etc.)

I would write essays. There is such a range you can cover in an essay—from the academic to the ordinary, the artistic to the political. I like the cozy proportions of essays, and the limited time investment for the reader. I also like the fact that such a small composition can be memorable.

What makes you feel alive?

Music, art, and literature. I am an aesthete way down to my bones—which I realize is perceived as pathetic, but I don’t care.

How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?

Truth. Even though I’m artistic, my default mode is analytical. When I see, hear, or experience integrity, I am always struck and sometimes overpowered. For me, truth is the gate to powerful emotions. This is a big reason why the Bible has a hold on my imagination.

Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.

My little family—my wife Bridget, and my sons Dylan and Malcolm. I couldn’t imagine not taking them.

Where would you most like to travel ----- moon, north pole, deep seas, deserted island, the holy land or back to a place from your childhood, somewhere else? – and why.

I want to go to an old European city like Vienna, get a place for about a month in an interesting district, and just hang out. I’d people-watch in cafes, lounge in museums, and go to concert after concert.

Favorite season and why?

My favorite is autumn. The light is richer than at other times, the smells heavier. And I love trees, and the melancholy of their approaching slumber.

Which compliment related to your writing has meant the most and why?

At the final stage of the editorial process for Fallen, a reader from outside Kregel was supposed to spot errors. She could also ask about anything that was unclear in the writing. I was so gratified that she didn’t have any questions.

What criticism has cut the deepest and why?

I am cut the deepest when someone shows me that a piece of writing is self-indulgent. What makes a writer great is his or her ability to edify. If I only please myself, then I have committed a writing sin.

I once made a comment on a blog. When my best friend read it, he wrote me that I had totally missed the point of the discussion. And he was right. He made me examine my pomposity yet again.

What would you do today if you knew you had only a week to live?

Make that last sermon a really good one.

What word annoys you more than any other?

Relevant. As in, “Churches need to be more relevant to the culture around them.” It expresses little anymore but the tyranny of groupthink. I think audiences are most powerfully moved by the unexpected—a quality the world badly needs to see in churches.

Superhero you most admire and why?

Batman. It’s all about the look.

Societal pet peeve…sound off.

I’ve had enough of the casual thing. It’s boring. It obliterates any sense of occasion. It looks terrible. It’s conformist. The casual thing is nothing but communism. The time has come for men to burn their freakin khakis and assert their individuality as gentlemen. [Cue crickets.]

CREATIVE CORNER:
Pick any of the following and have fun with it.
Pick a Genre - Describe a kiss….

Suspense

The breeze carried a single brown hair from her shoulder to his cheek. She pulled it back toward her and they continued staring into the dark. He sighed. Would they ever stop running? Was there any place on earth the cranberry smugglers wouldn’t find them? Why had he finally met the right girl, only to draw her into a fight with the most ruthless fruit terrorists in Western Massachusetts?

He turned. “Bertha—” He could almost feel the dead stare of the cameras scanning the bog. He felt that everywhere he looked were the red dots of camera eyes, tracking them. He no longer cared.

He took her by the shoulders and she looked into his eyes, but snagged her new melton wool jacket on the rugged fence post . . .

Thanks, Matt. It was fun. Can't wait for the next novel.

Happy Weekend!

Scribbles and Scrambles - Dang! Apparently I Don't Get Out Much!

I had to overnight a package for my office today. I'm still suffering from the sticker shock.

Keep in mind that I rarely send packages. I'll save things up so I can hand deliver them if need be.

Several years ago Rob worked on a lake-side vacation home for a week in a neighboring state. He forgot half of his luggage. He called wondering if I could UPS it to him. I checked into it and discovered it would cost forty-five bucks. Hello! So he bought new underwear and a pair of shorts and some contact lens solution for thirty.

Anyhoo. Back to the future. So I drive the package to an official UPS drop off station to save the office the pick-up fee. The guy measures the very small package, weighs it, promises it will arrive at 8:30 a.m. in Texas and gives me a total. Eighty-eight bucks.

Oh my!

Serials and Scenarios - Fallen

Click on the book cover to visit the Amazon page with more reviews. And on his picture to visit Matthew Raley's website.

Book Description:

As Jim finishes a long day at work, his gaze lands on an expensive car pulling up to the coffee shop visible from his office window. His jaw dropped when the attractive young woman behind the wheel stops her car...and out steps his young, married pastor, Dave. Jim wants to give Dave the benefit of doubt, but as chairman of his church board Jim feels duty-bound to confront him. But as he begins to explore his pastor's private life, will be be able to handle the truth that he uncovers?

My Review:

What a tangled web I read. ..Wow.

Fallen grabbed me immediately and did not let go until the final silken strand. Matthew Raley has written a book that may need to become part of seminary curriculum. Maybe Fallen should be required reading for elder or deacon boards. Without heavy discussions regarding theological ideology, or overwhelming use of scripture, Raley manages to wind the reality of truth around cheap grace, religiousity, legalism, licentiousness, grace, forgiveness and accountability. And pride gets the life sucked out of it.

Two male characters from different circumstances and generations interact with affection, wariness, concern and pain. I found myself agonizing with Raley's main character ,Jim while he got more entangled with his own thoughts as well as the series of facts and perceived realities. I have been Jim, and I dare say I've been a Dave.

I know many will think this is a story about dangerous pastors, but don't miss the point that wound its way around my heart. Our lives are woven and God doesn't miss a stitch. He'll use whatever means to make sure my life is one that glorifies Him. No matter how painful or costly, God will shape the ones He loves and died for.

This story is overtly Christian. But with an honest look at religion vs. relationship and enough mind games to entice readers who don't claim Christianity but love cat and mouse games. I'd suggest it to anyone who has ever been burned in church politics, too.

Raley is a new author to watch. I'm looking forward going to get my hands on his next novel. I hope it will be soon.

Scribble and Scrambles - Squabbles and Labels

Lily and Lola have a typical sibling rivalry infested relationship. Lola is the smarter dog, she gets the tricks and loves to perform. She is obedient and she's manipulative. Lily is the snuffling attention, affection hog. Don't even try to bend over to pet Lola because you'll get a face full of Lily. Lily also has the tendency to wander and be distracted. Both have strengths and weaknesses and their qualities clash -- often.


Feral, the frolicking, fearless kitten runs roughshod over the timid Freckles. Interestingly, Freckles used to be the mean cat on the block. Why in the world would she let some little whippersnapper take over her world and the attention of her people? We'd love to see more of her, but she won't come out until he's no where to be seen.


And a few groups of sisters I happen to see often...well...shudder. I don't really want to go there with the details, but lets just say labels, issues and pecking order are set in concrete and not necessarily truth.



So how much should we allow circumstances or another person's strengths or weaknesses define us?

Here's another worthy goal in 2008. Let my yes be yes and my no be no and the person I answer to be God. I wonder how many things I'd do differently and how many changes would occur in the way I label myself.

How about you? Still wearing a label from childhood that doesn't fit and never has? What are you waiting for? I'll bet there are some people who'd love to see a little more of "you" if you'd just come out of hiding.

Scribbles and Scrambles - Falling Snow and Junk Yard Dogs

I have no idea why I'm inspired to write about snowflakes.

Why does the poetry bug bite?



The puppies are playing junkyard dog -- you know, the growling, snarling, fighting that siblings everywhere partake in. Except with 65 pound dogs, you don't allow it in the living room next to the cute little antique table with the Ming vase perched on top. Fortunately, the kids took care of my Ming years ago.

Ocean's Eleven blares from the living room. My Cheerios/Grape-Nuts bowl shares table space with my laptop, and I'm transfixed by the snow.

Velvet on Ice

Black velvet sky
No one does black velvet like God

Shards of ice bits
Swirling
Swooping
Floating

Each perfect
created
individual

Being what
Doing all
that it was created for

Covering filth
Blanketing brokenness

Glorifying the Creator
Floating like grace
Covering dead and dying

Painting a picture
of redemption
on living black velvet