M.L.S. Weech's Blog, page 46

Musings on Christianity 10

Should We Judge or Not?

The most persecution I think I witness Christianity receive is when they are being attacked for their beliefs. The sad thing is, they’re not being ridiculed because they believe in Christ per se. Many people can (and do) say “I’m Christian.” They’re scorned when they apply Christian doctrine to real world situations.

If I say to you, “I’m a Christian,” you might say to me, “That’s nice.” You may even say, “I’m not, but do you.” But if I say to you, “I believe abortion is wrong.” Now the divisiveness comes. Now the anger comes. I’m not talking about me standing on a street corner waving a sign or throwing animal blood on the window of an abortion clinic. I’m not talking about anything as demonstrative as that. I’m just talking about stating a personal belief and what I will teach my sons.

I state, “I’m pro life.” That’s when I’m suddenly bombarded with social media posts and dirty looks.

This is not a chapter on pro-life vs pro-choice. The Bible is clear on murder, and even science has a distinct list on what it calls “life.” I’m not going to debate something that’s clear in my mind because that’s not the function of this book. The function of this book is to clarify things that might not be obvious to the new Christian or one who is seeking to understand Christianity.

A much more difficult question comes from this singular example. Should we judge or not? 

How many times have you heard or even said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1)?

Just a bit further down, we’re asked, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)

That seems pretty clear so far. From this we know to make sure to look at ourselves closely and work on our own righteousness or sanctification.

The problem (the biggest problem when one wants to quote one part of the Bible without reading the whole) is that people only stop at those verses. Paul wrote much about judgement.  “Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” (1 Corinthians 6:3).

Looking around that verse, we learn that he is speaking on a few things. First, he is telling believers not to go to the court instead of the church (1 Corinthians 6:1). But once more, don’t stop there. Look at Paul’s justification. “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?” (1 Corinthians 6:2)

Paul’s justification for judging cases between brothers is that the saints (Christians) are indeed to judge the entire world.

And then come those who buck at the inspired word of God. “That’s Paul talking, not Christ.”  Doctrinally, we know that Paul was the human means by which God spoke to us. His words, sent to him by God. 

So let’s go to Christ to see if we can find him speaking more about Judgement. “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement” (John 7:24).  The context of this verse is that Jesus had just finished teaching and healing on the Sabbath.

As to appearances and right judgment, how does one judge? Let’s go back to Matthew for some clarification. “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). 

How will we judge who is speaking falsely or not? Jesus was nice enough to give us that measurement too. “You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:16-17).

If you put all of this context together, you get a clearer picture on what we are supposed to do. I’ve broken it down in my mind into three key parts.

1: Judge yourself first. Most of what Christ spoke about and against when speaking about judgement wasn’t about the act of judgement in and of itself. It was against hypocritical judgement. There is indeed a righteous type of judging (John 7:24) and a wrong sort, the censorious, self-righteous sort of judgements. So we can’t even begin to judge if we are not first aware of our motives. Judge yourself, and be sure you are defending God’s word, and not your own desires. Judge yourself and be sure you are glorifying God and his law rather than your self.

2: To judge yourself, look at the fruit you bear. Be sure you are living a Christian life, bearing fruit for Christ. It’s easy to recognize a hypocrite from a true believer. Just look at their life. No one is perfect, which people love to spout when speaking about righteousness and Christianity, but do they strive to be better, or do they live happily in their sin (1 John 3:6)? That verse I think, helps tie the above verses together in a beautiful way. Whatever you’re going to judge, if it’s something you yourself do, shut your mouth. Let that self-righteous fury go, and humbly turn to Christ to seek forgiveness for yourself. If you want mercy and forgiveness for your sins, repent; turn away and lay down that sinful nature and pick up the cross. Then you might just lovingly pull that other along side yourself and help him see that repentance and freedom from that sin (and all sin) is possible through Christ.

When you see someone self-righteously and aggressively acting out, understand that’s not the manner in which we are to judge. This doesn’t mean a Christian can’t make Christian decisions. A business might lawfully decide what clients it wants to serve or not. I’m not sure what the whole nation allows, but I know for a fact that the state of Arizona, where I grew up, has a perfectly legal right to refuse service to anyone for any reason. Now, you as an individual may feel that law is wrong, but then you’re problem should start with the law, and not the person obeying or invoking it. I’d caution you though. Before you speak out against the laws you disagree with so much, remember that it is the law itself that grants you the right to speak out (the First Amendment).

A Christian is also completely fine making Christian decisions and stating Christian opinions. When one speaks calmly (countenance) and gently (meekness), he’s acting in perfect accordance to both our country’s laws and the word of God (so long as what he’s saying is indeed in accordance with the word of God). A man can’t be right if he’s speaking wrong in a righteous manner any more than a man can be right speaking right in an unrighteous matter.  This is the crux of the entire chapter, and it leads to my third key part of judgement.

3) If you are doing all you can to be righteous (seeking Christ likeness) and bearing the good fruit that can only be born of a life dedicated to Christ, then, you may judge, and judge rightly. You have the discernment and discipline one needs to be the judge we are meant to be.

Why then do we judge? Well, first we judge to ensure we’re living as we should (again it begins with you). Then we judge not to elevate ourselves or shame others, but to offer salvation. But we can’t appreciate salvation if we’re unclear just how in need of it we are. I’ve said several times that Romans is a beautiful book. It’s  so comforting. But (again as I’ve said several times) the first three chapters are very convicting. I find the comfort in my salvation because Paul does a marvelous job explaining just how lost we are without it.

But rather than judge to persecute, why not rather judge to offer salvation? Why not judge to determine who needs Christian fellowship or who needs evangelism? What if we used our judgement to determine not who should be punished, but instead who most needs to hear the gospel?

What would this world be like if we sought not to elevate ourselves, but instead to glorify God by identifying sin and seeking to eliminate sin? What would this world be like if we worked to purge sin from our midst instead of punish sin? For the punishment (wrath) belongs to God (Romans 12:19-21, quoted from Deuteronomy 32:35).

That wrath was coming to all Christians, and it is coming for any unrepentant sinner. It really doesn’t matter what the sin is. I’ve had people tell me one type of sinner goes to Hell or another type of sinner goes to Hell. Nope! Unrepentant sinners, sinners who don’t accept Christ as their savior, go to Hell. This is a truth, not a threat. If that statement makes you feel defensive, I’d simply, and calmly ask that you look at your life to identify what you’re doing that makes you feel threatened. If you’re repentant, if Christ is your savior and you’re working to grow in your sanctification, which is evident in the fruit you bear, then you truly have nothing to worry about. If you feel threatened because what you want is the sin you covet, then what do you want me to do? I’ve told you what the Bible says. You can have your sin if you want it. Both God and I will let you have it (Romans 1:24). Why then be shocked at the price? Just acknowledge that you’re not worried about it and go on about your way.

However, if that fear is strong, if you’re so defensive as to feel you need to retaliate against me, please realize that I’m not the enemy you need to fight. Neither is Christ. Fight instead the temptation. Fight instead the sin. Fight by praying to Christ for forgiveness and then put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17). 

If you feel no fear or worry, then why would my words bother you at all? For those of you who read this and feel anger or fear at these words, consider why they make you feel that way. If you are living the most Christian life you can, striving to be like Christ in all things and being thankful for his sacrifice when (as we all do) you fall short, live joyful in the knowledge that you are safe with him. If you who read this feel anger or fear at these words, consider why they make you feel that way. If you reject Christ and all he stands for, or if you reject Christ and his existence, then why not do as you wish? Like I said, I’m not stopping you. I don’t have that power.

 

For our panel: When we judge or speak out against sin, how can we be sure we’re doing so in a righteous way? How do we balance our call to judge rightly against the fact that it is to God that vengeance belongs? How do we ensure we’re doing all we can to remove the plank from our own eye? What verses do you recommend to those who are seeking to be wise in judgement?

What Is My Brand? What Do You Get When You Buy An M.L.S. Weech Book?

Greetings all,

[image error]I’m honestly just watching Kurt Hugo Schneider videos, and in a few, he “writes” a song for a popular singer. My wife and I frequently dance to his writing of an “Ed Sheeran” song.  What he does is look for elements common to the performer, and that got me thinking about my brand.

So branding is an interesting concept. Some writers brand by genre. This guy may write horror while that guy writes romance. If you like the genre,  a certain author will fill that need. I’ve had dear friends talk to me on occasion about how often I jump around. Honestly, I don’t have the first clue how to hold still. I can’t even type a blog like Thumper talking about the forest with Bambi.

That hurts some authors. I would probably be more successful more quickly (an important combination of words) if I stuck with one genre. Readers like to know what they’re going to get when they buy a book.

So if I don’t stay in one genre, what is my brand? What do people who buy my book get?

Please allow me to offer you a list.

[image error]Characters you connect with: If you read the first ten pages of one of my books, and you don’t feel an immediate connection to the characters you’re reading about, I’ve failed, and you probably won’t enjoy the story. I want people who buy my books to fall in love (or completely hate) the characters.  Here are some examples:

” … keeping me engaged with the plot and the characters with some mad skill.” — A review for Caught.

“Mr Weech does some good worldbuilding here and delivers lots of character development — not just with protagonist Bob Drifter, but with pretty much his entire cast.” — A review for An Unusual Occupation: Part One of The Journals of Bob Drifter.

“While each of the different POVs fascinated me, I found Bob’s voice to be distinctly enjoyable.” — Another review for An Unusual Occupation: Part One of The Journals of Bob Drifter.

“There is just an awful lot to like about Bob. He is a well-conceived, fully fleshed out character that you can’t help but admire and root for.” A review for The Journals of Bob Drifter.

Fast Pace: Even my longest book, The Journals of Bob Drifter, has a pace that moves. I typically write short chapters that let a reader feel like they’re flying through a book even if that book is 130,000 words. I want readers to feel like they’re on a roller coaster that set the world speed record. True, Bob evolves more slowly, but that evolution is spent building anticipation. This fast pace creates a story that’s hard to put down. Here are some examples:

“The story hits fast and you quickly are embroiled in a fast moving action sequence.” — A review for Sojourn in Captivity.

“Repressed was fast paced with nicely timed reveals.” — A review for Repressed.

[image error]Surprises: If you want at least one moment where your jaw drops, and you say, “WHAAAAAAAAAAT?” my books are for you. Honestly, I’m not sure which of my stories has the biggest surprise or plot twist. What I can say is that every time someone comes to me to talk to me about my book, they immediately comment about the surprise. Most reviews mention the end of my stories.  Don’t believe me?

” … and the ending was good.” — A review for Stealing Freedom.

“The narrative direction this story goes (without giving anything away) is both surprising in the moment and completely logical in retrospect.” A review for Caught.

“Caught” is a thrilling psychological horror full of nightmares, gore, and unexpected plot twists. It keeps you guessing every step of the way.” “I can’t remember the last time any novel has surprised me. This shows a clever ingenuity that impressed me.” A review for Caught.

So there you have it. If you like fast-paced books with great characters and surprising twists, I’m your man. All of these were different reviews for different books from a number of different reviewers (though in honesty there are some repeat reviewers because they became return customers).

I hope this gives some of you who maybe haven’t tried my work a chance to see why you might be interested.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Story Review: Phobosteus by Dennis Mombauer from Alien Days Anthology

[image error]Cover image taken from the book’s Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Spoiler Free Summary:  Phobosteus by Dennis Mombauer is the eleventh story in the Alien Days Anthology. Falb has a goal to capture an Apparition (an alien creature). But he’s about to learn more about himself than the alien race he’s targeted.

Character:  As I sometimes have to do, I have to admit I don’t remember any of this story at all. I read a few pages here and there in the hopes that something would shake out, but the story just wasn’t memorable for me. This story was especially hard to recall. I legitimately read a few pages, which is normally more than enough to jog my memory, but nothing came to mind. 

Exposition: The forgettability of the story has one positive attribute: It means I didn’t get frustrated about the story dragging on, which means that whatever happened, it at least happened at a nice pace and rhythm.  

Worldbuilding: See above.

Dialogue: See above.

[image error]Image of Mr. Mombauer taken from his website for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine. 

Description:  Probably another indicator that the story was not bad because I don’t remember anything about it. This indicates that I wasn’t slogged down or bored at reading the story. 

Overall: It doesn’t happen too often that I read a story and have no ability to remember anything about it. It’s even more rare that a casual glance at a story fails to help me remember the gist of said story. This almost always means that while I was reading it, I wasn’t remotely interested. I wasn’t bored or angry at the way the story was crafted, but nothing grabbed my attention to hold my interest.

This isn’t a typical review for me, but I have to be honest about the impact stories have on me because I hope that if someone buys a book based on what I say, they get what they expect to get or better. I’m sorry I don’t recall anything about this story. I’m also sorry I don’t have constructive feedback like I normally do, but that is a part of what writing is. Reading it again would give it more attention than the other authors, and I don’t think that’s fair either. I still think the anthology as a whole is perfect for the commute to and from work (audio format). That’s because the worst of the stories is still pretty solid, and that’s a compliment.

Thanks for reading

Matt

 

Musings on Christianity 9

Scorekeeping Is Bad

When was the last time your wife frustrated you? When was the last time your husband said something rude to you? When was the last time your brother got on your nerves?

Do you keep a running tally? Have you ever said or thought something like, “You always … “ or “You never … “?

The thing is, the Bible doesn’t have anything good to say at all regarding holding grudges or being angry. The best thing it does is tell us that there is a distinction between righteous and unrighteous anger.

I don’t know about you readers, but this is a hard thing for me to do personally. I was raised in a sort of scorekeeping lifestyle. I did this, so now it’s your turn. You did this to me, so now I should be allowed to do this to you? I did this for you, so now you should feel obligated to do that for me. This sort of scorekeeping, trade sort of mindset isn’t Biblical.

When you hold on to anger in your heart, you’re feeding your spirit with the wrong sort of nourishment. There are several verses that warn about this.

“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses,” (Proverbs 10:12). “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense, “(Proverbs 19:11). A

As usual, those who try to split the word of God tend to scoff at Old Testament scripture. (I’ve said they are part of a whole numerous times, but I am fully aware that those young in the faith or questioning of it try to create conflicts where there are none.)  So, with that in mind, here are some New Testament verses. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” 

And here we come to the crux of this chapter. The formula of Salvation is simple.

Christ’s death on the cross = sufficient for all sin. One death for all (Romans 6:10).

In that one, loving sacrifice, Christ redeemed all of our sins. Not just mine, not just yours, all the sins of the redeemed. Repentance for sin is the acceptance of that sacrifice and key for our Salvation. Those who don’t accept that salvation and repent of their sins aren’t covered.

But our human minds want that trade off. Our human minds want reciprocation. When we are hurt, we want those who hurt us to be punished. When we do something nice, we want something nice done for us.

Christians, Christ died on the cross for you? If your own human logic desires such reciprocation, why hesitate to die for him? This could be literal (as in being martyred), but in this case I mean in a metaphorical manner. Salvation is demonstrated by letting the old self die and taking up the life Christ gave for you (Romans 6:11)?

However, even then our salvation is a gift. Therefore, the forgiveness of our sins is also a gift, one given despite the number and severity of our sin.

Why then, do we harbor grudges? I understand my own shortcomings in this. I count everything. Not just what people do for or against me, but my own sins. I covet my sins and my transgressions, seeking to make up for the things for which I’ve already been forgiven. I haven’t yet learned to let go, and it affects my relationships.

Does it affect yours? The Bible is clear that I need a heart of forgiveness, but my sinful flesh, bred and nurtured on the concept of human payment, seeks more.

The only solution I can can consider is to hold fast to the word of God, and at my point in my development, this is a big cause. I have to hold fast to the fact that vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19). I have to hold fast that the price for sin has been paid through Christ’s death (gospels).

If you are like me in this, repent with me. Address your grievance or as forgiveness (Matthew 5:24) or overlook the offense (Proverbs 19:11).

For our panel: What are some ways for one who’s used to holding on to his anger to let go? Why do people hold onto anger in that way? What are the dangers for people who can’t let go of the guilt of offenses they’ve already repented for? What verses can one memorize to help with this problem?

I’ve Started the Alpha Draft of Betrayed!

 

Greetings all,

[image error]You can buy Caught (the first book in the series) on Amazon or Audible . 

Betrayed is coming along. I’ve started the Alpha Draft, which is the draft I do after my alpha reader (in this case) has had a chance to look at it.

 

First thing’s first. I want to take a moment to thank Grace for taking the time to read this rough draft and provide the feedback she did. For us self-published authors, finding readers is hard enough, let alone finding a reader who’s willing to read a rough draft.

Now is the time I take her feedback into consideration and do another chapter-by-chapter pass on the book. This cleans the mechanics of the story up, but more importantly it gives me a chance to locate plot holes and timeline issues. This trilogy spans something in the neighborhood of seven years, and there are a lot of things that happen that have to time out correctly.

The other issue is character development and plotting. Kaitlyn and Kira in particular have some critical areas of growth. There are a lot of foreshadow elements that should pay off in Discovered. So while I work on this draft, I’m looking for ways to establish critical character development aspects without being heavy handed.

[image error]I felt a touch of discouragement as I started the Discovery Draft exactly a year ago (as you read this Dec. 7). The truth is, writing is a war of endurance. When it’s not full time, you sit down and take what time you can. I’d expect to get through the Alpha Draft sometime in January. Then it’s off to Sara for the Developmental Edit. Assuming she gets it back to me in two weeks or so, I can start that draft in March. Then it goes off to Beta Readers.  They get a month to read it and provide feedback, so I should work on my Beta Draft in June. That means I get Sara another crack at it for proofreading in July, and so September or October 2020 is a likely neighborhood for the official release.

Things could go faster as I get time here and there, or they might slow down if finances make it hard to send the book out to Sara for either of her two rounds of edits. I feel confident that those dates are pretty solid.

While I’m waiting for feedback, I’ll keep plugging away on Discovered. I’m still outlining it at the moment. Using the timeline above, I think I could maybe get the Discovery Draft done around when Betrayed comes out.  My math says there will be about two months where I can’t move forward with Betrayed because I’m waiting on feedback. That’s way less certain than Betrayed’s fall 2020 release.

I know this is a big slowdown from the eight titles I’ve released in the last two years, but a lot of those releases were portions of other projects. I have other projects that are further along, but I’ve been trying to get the Oneiros Log finished for years now, and I owe it to those readers to get that finished before I start bouncing around as I’m want to do.

I promise I’m working as hard as I can, and I’ll keep putting out the best stories I can in hopes that you will find them entertaining.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Story Review: First Friendship by A.N. Myers from Alien Days Anthology

[image error]Cover image taken from the book’s Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Spoiler Free Summary:  First Friendship by A.N. Myers is the tenth story in the Alien Days Anthology. Robert has been given an impossible window cleaning job by the Shoma, an alien race that now essentially runs earth since they arrived. Then Robert meets a man who explains the secret behind the Shoma. That information inspires Robert to do what he can to send a message to the alines who’ve made his life so horrible. What will the consequences of his message really do?

Character:  I admit, I couldn’t remember Robert’s name, but he (as a character) is easily the most memorable character in the entire anthology. He’s sympathetic; he takes action to do something. His arc is memorable. I rooted for this character. I understood him. 

Exposition: While there was some tucked away in the dialogue, this story moves swiftly and doesn’t bog the reader down with more than they need. 

Worldbuilding: While taking place on earth, Myers does a nice job of helping us understand the history of this alternative reality. This history becomes a sort of plot device that creates some symbolism for readers who like that sort of thing. I don’t normally need symbolism, but I don’t mind it either. I appreciate it most when it fits the plot and doesn’t beat a reader over the head, and this story does it that way.

Dialogue: This was also probably the best in the whole anthology. For starters, there were more characters in this story. But it flowed naturally and gave us insight into the characters. It wasn’t just about what they said, but how they said it. 

Description:  Typically for me, this had about what I liked but perhaps not as much as a harder scifi reader would want.  The best example is the Shoma. Their height and stature are plot elements, but I couldn’t say another thing about them. That said, I got a mental image for how I think they look, and I always like the movie theatre in my head more than any other anyway. 

Overall: I can say this is probably the best story in the anthology (and one of only about half I liked very much). This story had a character I was able to connect with who took action. I cared about what he was trying to do, and I cared about what his actions might do. This story does sort of move fast (down on his luck main character gets an offer he can’t refuse), but I didn’t mind that so much. I appreciated the attention to character and tone along with the history of this alternate earth and how it related to how the story ends. This story ranks first among my top three (the other two I’ve already discussed in earlier reviews). 

Thanks for reading

Matt

 

Musings on Christianity 8

Why Would God Allow This World to be Broken?

In an earlier chapter, we discussed the idea of bad things happening. Some see a distinction between humans and the world. This question may be phrased more like, “If God made everything, why would he allow us to … ” or “ … why would he let the world be like this.”

I actually see less distinction in this than some, but there are insights Christianity can offer. God made this wold perfectly. When he formed it, it was all good (Genesis 1). The fall of humanity brought about the fall of the world as well (Genesis 3).

So one would think, why would God let this happen? I actually have a mentor, teacher, and parental perspective. Parents, when you watch your children, do you follow them around with a pillow to make sure they don’t fall? When you buy them an X-Box or other expensive or fragile toy, do you sit there and watch them play to be sure they don’t break it? Teachers, do you constantly stand over the shoulder of your students and tell them what to do as they need to do it?

Sure, teachers, you teach. You show them the way. You explain what they need to do, but any teacher who gives homework can’t possibly answer yes to the question above. At some point, you leave the student alone to see if learning has occurred. Neither can any teacher who has ever administered a test ever say yes to the question above. Part of being in one of the roles listed above means eventually leaving the person alone and letting them make mistakes.

Why do we think God should do something even our own mortal minds knows we must eventually stop doing?

The truth is, God gave us a perfect world, and one rule, one symbolic rule of obedience to follow. Humanity chose disobedience (Romans 5:12-21, compare Genesis Chapter 3). Our action brought consequence.   

My thought (and I’ve spoken frequently on how I’m not an expert) is that those consequences themselves are an opportunity. Think about it. Parents, when your child has done something irresponsible in the best of circumstances, didn’t you eventually have to give them your trust in even the lest ideal circumstances? In a perfect world, with one, and only one, rule to follow, humanity still messed that up.

In a broken world, God gave us several covenants (Mosaic to name one, see Exodus 19), which eventually led to the New Covenant in Christ. But now, in this broken world, we have endless ways in which we can glorify God, which is what we were made to do. In a world full of sin, pain, and harsh environments, each time we choose to put our faith in Christ and do as he would have us do, we glorify him and bear fruit of our salvation, not as a work of justification, but as evidence of the gift of salvation through faith we have already been given through Christ (Romans).

This all builds to a much more interesting question. If God wanted us to be obedient beings who never turned from him, why didn’t he make us incapable of such? Why not make us essentially robots who couldn’t deny him and couldn’t fall to temptation? Now that’s a really great question, and it’s one I don’t necessarily have a Biblical answer for.

I do, however, have a thought to consider. If I make a robot, I know it will do as I’ve designed it because the programming prevents it. But that robot is heartless. It doesn’t do what I say because it loves me; it does what I say because it can’t do anything else.

My sons could easily do whatever I tell them. Observably, this world might think me a great parent, but am I? Stay with me here. My sons can have a number of reasons to do what I say. They could do it out of resentment, a sense of obligation, fear, or love. Some parents don’t even care why a kid goes to bed on time or does his homework after school. Isn’t that dangerous? If we don’t speak to the motivations of our children, how do we know their hearts are true? Can’t any one, no matter how horrible, act contrary to their personality for a time? So I want my children to do what they do out of love. I’ll deal with fear of the Lord in another chapter, but our first commandment is to love God with all of our hearts, all of our minds, all of our strength and all of our souls (Deuteronomy 6:5, cross-reference Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27)

  We can’t love if we aren’t given hearts. Robotic slaves who are only capable of doing what they’re programmed to do is something man as a species has already proven they can do, but only an all-powerful God, can make man, who has a heart born of evil, and change that heart, in this broken world we live in, and lead it to Himself. That glorifies Him. 

For our panel: If God wanted us to be obedient beings who never turned from him, why didn’t he make us incapable of such? Why is the world broken? If we couldn’t obey God’s one rule in a perfect place, why give us many rules in a broken world? What are things Christians can do to remain strong in a world this broken? Do our hearts matter if we’re doing the right things? Could we or should we try to fix this world? If so, how?

I’ve Finished Plotting Discovered!

Greetings all,

[image error]You can buy Caught on Amazon or Audible. 

As promised, I’ve completed the plotting for Discovered, which is the final book in the Oneiros Log.

I don’t know that I’ve ever announced that I’ve finished plotting or not, so this is a good chance to tell anyone interested what that is.

When I’m working on my process, I always start with Character Generation.  Once that’s done, I plot out the stories of the main characters. For this, I ask myself what type of plot this character is going to have (or plots), and I ask myself what sort of character journey that character is on.

Then I type out brief scenes and moments of that journey. This lets the discovery writer in me play while still getting organized. For instance, in this story I gave a lot of thought to who would survive the story. This book ends in a pretty big psychic showdown (a few of them actually), and it’s hard to imagine a conflict going on like that without any casualties.

In stories, it’s one thing to know the plot points (what happens), but an author also has to know what’s going on with the characters. What do they learn? How do these events change them?  When I plotted Betrayed, one of the characters makes a very important decision. That decision impacts how things develop in this book as well.

Betrayed introduces two very important characters (not just those two, but two you’ll want to know about).  I can’t tell you about one (spoilers), but I can at least name the other. Mariana is critical to the trilogy. She’s a great counter to Kaitlyn because there are also similarities. Mariana only has about one chapter in her point of view in Betrayed, but she plays a prominent role in Discovered as one of the main characters. You will also get to meet Daniel, whose story I love.

Hopefully, Discovered brings the story to the place I’ve always imagined it, opening a new world with endless possible stories. Will I write them? Probably not. If I’m being honest, I have far too many other ideas I want to play in. My honest hope is a Netflix or Youtube or Hulu will take what I built with the Oneiros Log and decide it might make an interesting super hero series.

[image error]It does close out the story of Oneiros though. Other main characters for Discovered are Sal (of course), Kaitlyn (of course), and Kira. Where Dom got the love in Betrayed, it’s time to show the story from Kira’s point of view. Given how important these events are to her, it would have been unfair to take her moment in the spotlight away. Though this story has been (and will continue to be) pretty brutal to her.

I’ve started the outline for Discovered, which is when I take all the plot lines and weave them together in a much more traditional outline. This gives me the main thread before I start my discovery draft. I don’t imagine I’ll finish the outline before I start work on the Alpha Draft of Betrayed, but having the plotting done is probably 40% of my work on any story.

I have every hope that Betrayed will be out sometime in 2020, though when has more to do with finances and book sales (you all can help with that) than workflow. If I can’t afford the editing and art fees, I can’t move forward. It’s my sincere goal (especially now that Discovered is plotted), to finish the saga in that same year.

That will mean I can jump back to The 1,200 and start working on Mercer (my little procedural cop show with a Harry Potter twist). Then I’ll get to work on the rest of my to-do list.

As always, I just want to thank you all for the help and support you’ve given. I think that while my readership is small, you all are so loyal and supportive. It gives me hope that this readership will only continue to grow.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Story Review: A Bolt from the Blue by S.K. Gregory from Alien Days Anthology

[image error]Cover image taken from the book’s Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine.

Spoiler Free Summary:  A Bolt from the Blue by S.K. Gregory is the ninth story in the Alien Days Anthology. Iris is on a nature walk with her boyfriend when lightning strikes, and not the romantic kind. As literal as that lightning is, the terror it brings is that much more terrifying.

Character:  Iris was one of the few characters in this anthology I could really sympathize with.  The open was slower to give readers more of a connection. It’s not the best way to do it, but at least Gregory made sure the reader cared about Iris before moving on to the plot. This story has a sort of “thrown into the kettle” feeling. it doesn’t make Iris seem very competent, and it forces her to react rather than to act. However, the circumstances that force her to move feel relatable.  

Exposition: This was solid. There was some internal monologue where description or action would have been better, but the story moved pretty quickly. 

[image error]Image of Gregory taken from her website for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine. 

Worldbuilding: This story takes place on earth, and the plot sort of stops (see below) short of evolving, so there wasn’t much worldbuilding to work with. I felt frustrated because the very moment where I was hooked and interested to know what happened is the same moment the story ended. It has a cliffhanger ending that just doesn’t do it for me.

 

Dialogue: The dialogue was good. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever read, but you could tell the conversations were relevant and helped to reveal the characters. I’d probably say this was the author’s strongest attribute. 

Description:  The description was solid. I had what I needed from the scene without getting bogged down. It was sparse, which I liked, but most scifi readers wouldn’t appreciate. I liked that we got a somewhat proportional amount of scenic and character descriptors. This let the environment be every bit as real in my imagination as the characters. 

Overall: My only problem with this story is honestly that it just kind of froze at what I felt was the beginning of a much better story. Short fiction doesn’t have to end in a cliffhanger, and it certainly doesn’t have to end before the characters have had any opportunity to grow or take action. The idea had a ton of merit, but just as I was about to embrace the story, it ended. 

Thanks for reading

Matt

 

Musings on Christianity 7

I’ve Repented! Why Am I Not Like Christ?

A man decides he wants to be in shape. He brings a bag to work with him. After work, he hits the gym. He does this for a week. The next week, he takes off his shirt in the bathroom and looks in the mirror.  The gut is still there. He gets on the scale, he’s only lost one pound.

Why isn’t he skinny? Most would answer simply. It takes time and commitment.

Sanctification is no different. When one repents, accepts Christ as his savior, and even gets baptized (which is a symbol of salvation, not a requirement), he’s just filled his metaphorical gym bag. No human in the flesh will ever achieve perfection because he’s still made of sinful flesh. Therefore he’s literally composed of sin. His heart is born in sin (Psalm 51:5).

Just like that man who’s realized he needs to live a healthier life, so to a repentant sinner  is one who’s realized he needs to live a more spiritually healthy life. Just like that man in the gym, so to does the man who’s just repented needs to realize that it takes time and commitment.

Paul is an amazing source of encouragement for sanctification. Whenever he talks about growing in faith, he talks like the beefiest muscle man speaking to that wimp who’s just decided to hit the gym. 

He teaches us to discipline our bodies and keep it under control (1 Corinthians 9:27). He teaches us to see the day of Christ’s second coming as the goal, to run for it, to finish (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Another great stumbling block for me (and some others I know) is the discouragement that comes when you’ve dedicated your life to Christ, and then you sin. You begin to mourn, but an unaware Christian can fall prey to the Devil’s schemes by beginning to believe that God has forsaken him.

Have you ever thought, “I can’t stop sinning! God must not want me”?

I have. I’ve had sins I’ve struggled with that made me feel ashamed and weak. I have sins I struggle with that make me feel foolish and slow. That’s when this tiny verse from 1 John comes to mind. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin” (1 John 2:1 partial).

If you stop there, your discouragement only grows. Read the whole verse, and even the rest of the second: “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2: the rest of 1-2)

This isn’t a message saying, “don’t worry if you sin, God doesn’t care.”  To complete this picture, we need one more verse that is typically (even by me) misunderstood.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Remember that sadness and remorse I mentioned above? That’s a good thing. The difference between the redeemed and the unredeemed has a pretty simple measuring tool (there are a few, but I’m focusing on this one): The unredeemed don’t mourn their sin. They don’t feel guilt. The most painfully misguided think their sin is like some sort of unlimited credit card that Jesus will pay off. Let’s think about this realistically. 

A father gives his son a credit card with which he should buy some food. The son proceeds to buy whatever he wishes, choosing not to purchase any food, but instead using it for women, drink and debauchery. When that father receives the bill, do you think he’ll simply pay it with no complaint? Won’t he instead say, “Son, I gave you that card for things you need, and you just used it to put your life into a deeper pit.” Would that father, no matter how much he loves his son, choose to still pay that bill? Now you could run off on this tangent, but the truth is the father (even if he really wanted to, which I affirm he wouldn’t) would ether be unwilling or unable.

When we mourn our sin. When we strive to change our lives, we stumble. Like the person who’s just started working out, we pull muscles. Our commitment fades for a moment (usually because of discouragement, which could deny them the spirit necessary to push through, or because of a true unwillingness to put forth the effort, which shows the person never wanted to change in the first place).

But if we remember what Jesus said, we can seek that comfort, and there is much comfort to be found. This comfort doesn’t brush our sins aside as if they don’t matter. They lovingly tells us we’re forgiven. They tell us to rise again and trust God, who’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

This is all to help one realize becoming Christian in no way makes you perfect or sinless. It’s the beginning of the journey, and the end comes when you finish the race. Run! Sprint! If you fall, get back up and keep running! The Lord is there waiting for you! He’ll wrap you in his arms and welcome you. You just have to keep running.

For our panel: Do you ever feel discouraged? What do you do if you do feel discouraged? How does one address any critics who may become aware of a sin you’ve committed? I guess that question is in regard to people who want to call you a hypocrite. When you stumble, in whatever way, how do you maintain that you are indeed saved even though you’ve just sinned? How should a person respond if they sin? Does a person’s sin immediately mean he’s not saved? Are you willing to share a sin you may have struggled with even after salvation?