Category: dogs

I woke up so relaxed this morning, leisurely brewing a pot of coffee while simply staring out the window of our RV’s front door. I slept like a baby last night, without a care or thought or dream in my head. All was quiet!

Yesterday marked the day that I came to the end of my first real edit, of a project I consider to be a labor of love, if you will. As I’ve mentioned before, I’d been writing my first fantasy/fiction novel this last year, but God had other plans. Just as I was nearing the 2/3 mark of that particular project, I was led to set it aside and return to my own story; one that had been written this time last year. In truth, it was more like a fast food version of my life story, and I’m not even sure that more than 15 to 20 subscribers even read the whole thing. I don’t blame them! When I went back through and read it again myself, I realized how jarring and incomplete it was in so many places.

Over the last three months, God has been walking back through the paths of my journey with me, asking that I complete a work that He’d begun in me, so long ago. I believe that there is something, somewhere, within the pages of my journey that someone needs to read. What that thing might be, is not for me to say, or even bother trying to figure out the who, what, why, when, and/or where parts. In the end, I suppose that the only important thing I’m striving for, is to simply follow wherever God leads.

I wouldn’t say that I tore up my first attempt at writing down my story, but I will say that I broke it apart, added, changed and/or removed whatever was not necessary. No fluff! At first, I gathered a large amount of work I’d written over the last few years, wanting to share so many different things, and to be honest, make the book bigger! I thought I needed to build up the number of words and pages to produce the expected size of a standard novel. It was a nightmare, as the book I sought to produce, became so fragmented that even I got lost! I found myself at an impasse, unable to edit something I no longer recognized. Easter weekend was where I found my answer, while walking along the river and singing worship music. I heard God say, “No More Fillers!”

Letting go of societies expectations of what this book should be, in size and quality, I went back at it, boldly deleting great chunks of words I’d previously thought were so important! Something beautiful began to happen, as I allowed my actual Chief Editor to select the content to be added. By letting go, and letting God direct my writing, I’ve blown through all the barriers and obstacles that hindered my progress! In only a few short weeks, I’ve been able to successfully edit the project in its entirety, with last night being the last of it. Now you can better understand why I slept so well last night.

While you may be thinking that completing a novel, aside from the audio recording still needed, would be the most exciting thing for me right now, it isn’t! Something happened inside my spirit, on this second run at my own story; the memories were not so painful to write about, and not nearly as confusing. In just over a year, God has been healing and transforming my heart, as I never imagined could be possible! As I worked through the editing process, it was as if I were reading someone else’s story, though I knew it to be my own.

As I’ve always been a very passionate writer, usually it served me quite successfully in my literary endeavors… but not while writing my own memoirs! Perhaps this is why it’s taken me two attempts to write down my truths with purposeful passion, rather than passion based on pain and suffering. Now, when I look on my memories, I do it with love, peace, patience and understanding… Something only God was able to accomplish! Though the work is not over, the peace that dwells within my soul now, allows me to walk, write, think, talk and pray… in freedom!

Eustace wants to share some midweek pick-me-ups!

I thought this was a better picture of him, aside from the AI giving him an additional halfleg…

Speaking of half a leg, we’re halfway through the week, and nobody’s stuck a pen lid in the water dispenser… yet!

One day I spied a small bird, simply sitting on a branch,

When I set out a bowl of seeds, the little fella did a dance,

Landing on the table, the bird gathered the seeds with care,

Through a mouthful of seed, a story he did share…

In the forest, he told me, was a family of mice

Who’d nearly been eaten, by a cat with a vice,

With their home destroyed, all their food had been lost,

The bird thought the seeds could be shared, at no cost…

I refilled the bowl of seeds,

suggesting he come back,

He could help out this tiny forest family,

whilst I give that naughty cat a whack!

I’m gonna get this first edit finished by the end of the week, if it’s the last thing I do! Do you hear me, book, there’s a new sheriff in town!

Please forgive me if I don’t chat as much as normal this week. I’m going to put my best efforts towards completing this first edit of my memoirs. I’m feeling excitement, exhaustion, and quite a bit of emotions, all rolled into one purpose… get it done!

Hopefully, once I’ve completed this run through, I will make an audio version of everything in its entirety. From there, all that’s left to do is let it breath for a bit, listen to my own audio cut, and tuck in any bits hanging loose. I feel somewhat embarrassed to have taken so long in the completion of this task, but even now, the content is powerful enough to draw up great emotions. I find the need to work for a time, followed by a break, and then rinse and repeat.

I need to wrap this up though, as I feel God lighting a fire under me to get back to my other project, which is also nearly 2/3 of the way there. Perhaps I have used up more time than I should have, hemming and hawing about having to actually say that I’m finally done. In the end, I know that it will have been worth all the effort, if for no other reason than to please my God!

As I work towards finishing this first full work, it’s as if I can feel water sloshing over the edge of the literary dam that I’ve kept held back. While I’ve been distracted with cleaning up the beginnings of my literary river, the waters have been backing up. I can feel the splash of watery words dropping down upon my head, trying to escape the barrier that prevents them from landing on a page. They are all crying out to be written and shared, tired of waiting for me to release them. Like water that needs to flow, in order to produce energy and life, so to do these words seek to flow from my mind, and onto the page. It’s Time!

What part of no don’t you understand?

How many times, as parents, have we found ourselves asking our kids this question? We set rules and guidelines, so as to protect and care for them, until they can safely function in the world on their own. When we catch them doing a thing we’ve clearly told them not to do, their response to the question above is usually something like “Oh, this? I thought you were talking about something else.” Are you kidding me?!

This was where I found my brain going, after reading through the events that occurred right in the middle of Jericho falling, and the ripple effect that tore through the Israelites camp. Honestly, sometimes human nature irritates me so much! Looking at the ones involved as if their naughty children, is the only way I can find understanding in the dumb things we children seem to do.

For example! Consider for a moment that you are a man of fighting age, following God’s chosen army around Jericho for a week, only to watch the walls fall to the ground because God said they would if you walked around it. At this point, you’ve been informed by the one directing the army, “keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the lord and must go into his treasury.” Joshua 6: 18,19 NIV. With what you know of God thus far, and as one serving in His army, logic should dictate that you follow this directive.

As I read further into this story, there was, in fact, a man in this very position. His sin and disobedience to God cost the lives of at least 30 some fellow soldiers later on, in the next city the Israelites went up against. You see, Joshua was unaware of what Achan son of Carmi, took for himself and hid in his tent. When Joshua sent the army to Ai, they were routed and sent fleeing, leaving the Israelites very confused, as to why they lost the battle; why would God allow this to happen? When Joshua sought God for the answer, this was where he learned about something bad happening in the camp, but God didn’t just give him the answer… I think this was a lesson, somehow.

The whole of the community were to come before the Lord, tribe by tribe, until God chose the tribe involved. From here, they were to come before God by families, until once again, God chose the family involved. Now at this point, if I were Achan, I’d be sweating pretty bad! Where can you run, where can you hide from God? How many of us can remember the feelings we went through, as our parents put us on the spot about what we thought had gone unnoticed. We had knots in our stomachs, as we awaited whatever punishment was forthcoming for said offense. I honestly cannot imagine how I might feel coming before God, knowing I could not escape the truth! For this particular man, and his entire family, the consequences were deadly… they were all stoned to death!

You want to know why I think this story bothered me so much? I think it’s because, even today, we still try to hide our sins and shortcomings from the one who already knows; He knows before we’ve even thought to do the sinning. I cannot even put myself above this embarrassing truth of our human behavior. I squirm uncomfortably, at the thought of all the times I think my attitude or behavior is hidden from the eyes of my Father. It’s not!

I realize that even today, our sinful human nature is always there to attempt lulling us with the safety net of our salvation… it’s not that bad, God will forgive us! We bolster our spiritual confidence with the thought that as long as we don’t do the big no no’s, we’re good with God, for the most part. It is so easy to find ourselves creating biblical excuses for bad behavior. As I mentioned before, I’ve been simultaneously reading the New Testament along side the old, and it has been very edifying. I am finding that all of the books in the bible are so cohesive with each other, adding depth to my studies.

I want to leave you with a verse I read this morning, from the book of Galatians. I think that within this verse lies part of my answer, as to how that soldier could be so foolish, when he most certainly should have known better:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6: 7-9

Have a blessed day, everyone… hugs