M.L.S. Weech's Blog, page 55

The Need For Pain: Why Happy Characters Are Boring

Greetings all,

First a few notes:  For starters, I have the files for the Sojourn in Captivity audio book. I’m reviewing them now. The (very early) results seem wonderful.

Next: My wife an I are officially trying to have a child. This required a surgery to reconnect her tubes (which had been done during her previous marriage). The surgery went well, and I’d just like to take a moment and thank God for that. She and I both truly wanted to have more children, and we’re grateful the door is open. Her recovery has us both growing (code word for frustrated, which is actually why I’m doing this topic today). She’s stir crazy, and my routine is shot. Her number one comfort is being outgoing and doing things, which she can’t. My number one comfort is routine and consistency, which is nonexistent when I’m working and running a house.

But I truly mean it when I say this helps us grow.  You see, I aspire to have a boring life. I love the idea that tomorrow will be just like today. (Not at all my wife’s idea of a good day, but in this case opposites attract).  It’s all fine and good for a person to like what he likes, but if we don’t experience pain, we don’t grow. No one wants to read about the guy who encountered no stress and overcame nothing.

When we encounter struggles, it changes us. Pain  helps us grow. No, I don’t look forward to it, but I’m better when it’s over. Our characters are the same way.

[image error]Image taken from A Wheel of Time Wiki for character study purposes under Fair Use Doctrine.

A lot of my favorite characters are characters who suffered plenty: Rand from Wheel of Time suffered a ton (as did my favorite character in that series, Perrin). I’d say these characters are the extremes in terms of my top three series ever. Still, all my favorite books (personally) feature characters who truly struggled.

Here’s the next part to why this is so important. The readers or viewers must believe the characters might fail. I often have playful (yet also serious) arguments with a friend of mine (Hi Terry!) regarding why I honestly don’t care for DC. The characters are too powerful.  They have near Olympian power. Sure, Marvel has some OP characters, but most DC characters are of a ridiculous power level. I’m not afraid for them. I’m not in the least bit worried they won’t win the fight or meet their goal. This makes the story boring. If you want readers interested in your story, you need to convince the reader that character might fail.  This is all the more difficult to do because most readers expect a happy ending. They anticipate that, so it’s such an art to instill an honest sense of fear of failure for the character.

The wife and I don’t hate Jodie Whittaker or her Doctor, but we really couldn’t get into her first season. Now, other than Matt Smith (who remains the greatest Doctor ever), I hated every first season of every doctor. I think the writers take time to figure out the new Doctor just like the new Doctor (in the story) takes a minute to figure him or herself out. But we couldn’t get into it. Then something occurred to me: She never lost. Yes, the grandma died (was it the first episode?), but there wasn’t a connection. In fact, I’m of the opinion that character was pretty expendable. Why? Guess:

She was happy.

[image error]Image taken from BBC.com for character study purposes under Fair Use Doctrine.

The only good thing a happy character can do in a story is die. They have no struggle, and therefore they have no interest. The most interesting thing that could happen is to see this wonderful, happy character die, thus causing all the other characters to become even more interesting as they try to adjust to life after happy character.

Most of my readers who I talk to during conventions often ask me about the characters who die. We talk about this a little. The one character I get the most (playful) anger with killing (no spoilers) was the character who was happy. But that character’s death shook the readers and gave them an emotional jolt. This loss affected not only the readers, but the characters around the the dearly departed.

So I had some interest, but then life got consistent for the Doctor. Then things got easy. I can think of a few instances when there was great opportunity for this Doctor to face true loss on a couple different stages, and the writers didn’t take the plunge. But you can only put Lois Lane on the train tracks so many times before the readers don’t even care anymore.  Sooner or later, that engine needs to plow over Lois, or the “act” gets boring. That’s what I feel happened with this latest season of Doctor Who.

So I wanted to throw out those ideas when I had a moment. Hopefully things calm down for me. (I really do appreciate growth, but I miss my routine something fierce right now, and my wife is going to go out of her mind if I can’t take her out next week.)

What do you all think? Do you have a story you realize you didn’t like so much for this reason? Do you disagree?

Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Sonnets For My Savior 32

If He Wasn’t Raised

If He were not raised from the dead,

our faith would be in vain.

We would be guilty of the life we have led,

and our souls would know nothing more than judgement and pain.

I have tried to live a life for myself,

I received the praise of man, but joy eluded me.

It wasn’t until I looked to please God rather than myself,

that joy found me, and I finally felt free.

If Christ remained in the grave,

the only hope we would have is in this life.

But He arose and left the cave,

so our souls have indeed been freed from strife.

It’s so odd that after years of seeking happiness through freedom,

my heart was filled by accepting Christ’s salvation and serving God’s kingdom.

 

Constantly

When I am happy,

when I am sad,

if the hour is early,

if I lost all the time that I had,

When I have an abundance,

when I feel I have nothing,

if I have traveled a great distance,

If I have been gone, but now home is approaching,

When others have need,

when others are blessed,

if I have committed a misdeed,

if another has put my patience to the test.

It doesn’t matter the circumstance, place, or time of day.

The appropriate mindset is one seeking to pray.

Grow

An infinite number of sins piled high.

As far from God as any man can be.

The next day, one sin I forever deny,

but there is still so much growth left for me.

Study the scripture.

Change my ways.

Work to endure,

through trying days.

I’m so far from the sinner I was,

but I’m no closer to my God, who is perfect.

Still I can’t succumb to temptation because,

He washed me clean as His elect.

I’m a sinner; this I know,

but God is with me; the proof is the fruit I bear as I grow.

 

More Than I Can Handle

I can do nothing on my own,

so I need You for everything.

You softened my heart of stone.

I’ve submitted to You, my heavenly King.

In times of stress, I shall not rely on my own power,

and if I never struggled, history shows I’d turn from You.

Please let me rely on You every minute, every hour,

for Your wisdom can accomplish far more than I could hope to.

When I am sad, I can’t pull myself through.

When I am in need, I can’t provide for myself.

All I have, Lord, comes from you.

You grant me my shelter, my food, and my health.

Lest trials come to remind me how much I need You,

let me instead praise you no matter what I go through.

 

Joy

Joy doesn’t come from accolades or fame.

It doesn’t come from riches or gold.

It doesn’t come from winning a game.

It doesn’t come from living until you’re old.

The promise of joy isn’t a licence to do as you desire.

Do not mistake one for the other.

One will lead only to fire.

The other only comes from the presence of the Father.

Shaping God to fit your wants only leads to idolatry.

You live to serve Him, not He for you.

Those who chafe at God’s commands and seek to be free

don’t understand what a foolish thing that is to do.

There is no happiness that compares to the Joy of God’s presence;

neither is there a pain that compares to His absence.

 

Should We Really Follow Our Hearts?

The heart is deceitful above all things

and desperately sick.

Evil thoughts are what the heart brings,

On the candle of sin, the human heart’s desire is the wick.

Man is tempted by his own desire.

The intention of his heart is evil from his childhood.

Indeed if a man seeks his own path, he will only find fire,

for there is no one on Earth who is good.

Only God can make a man’s heart new

It is His way, not man’s that is right.

His way is true.

Those redeemed by Christ have a future that is bright.

Our hearts were broken by Adam’s sin,

but Christ’s sacrifice can change us from within.

 

A Sonnet of Praise

Please, oh Lord, accept my words of praise!

You are mighty; You are just.

Let us serve You all of our days.

Let use remember Your commands and do as we must.

God of love, You granted us salvation.

God of mercy, you sent Your Son to pay for our iniquity.

God of protection, You deliver us from temptation.

God of peace, You offer us tranquility.

All we have comes from You.

Let all we do be for You.

You’re faithful; all you say is True.

There is nothing our God can’t do.

Great is our glorious God.

Wonderful is our Holy God.

The Curse of Greatness

Greetings all,

I thought I might take a moment to discuss a topic near and dear to me. I love stories. They’re just so amazing, and each one is special for it’s own reason. But what happens when someone truly creates something exceptional? A trend I’m noticing these days is that the greater a creation someone has, the more demand that artist is to create something greater, but that’s not a consistent measurement for any number of reasons. Lately, I’ve seen a number of people talk about how awful something is. I’d be in the middle of asking why they didn’t like it, and, inevitably, the other person would say something like, “His first book was so much better!”

OHHHHhhhhh! You’re not evaluating this story on it’s own merit, you’re comparing it to something else. Is it a completely unreasonable thing? Maybe not. I mean, every author and artist I know truly wants the next project to be better than the last. But I don’t know that I’d want to be judged on my last work, especially if I were ever lucky enough to create something amazing.

So what I’m going to do is look at a few projects to hopefully show what I mean.

[image error]The Star Wars saga: This might honestly be the most beloved story of all time. Even people who hate Star Wars (like, from 1980-something and beyond) still know it. They still get the jokes and memes. The original trilogy was lightning in a bottle. It does so many things well, and it hit people and culture at a perfect point in history. Here’s my statement though, no follow up, ever, could hope to hold up against it. First, we’ve had some 30 years to romanticize that story. We grew up, loving it, watching it, and reaffirming our love for it.

I don’t have statistics to measure this, but I’d be willing to bet money a guy is more likely to meet and marry a second wife before he’d be willing to let anyone touch is beloved Star Wars. Bold statement right? Is it? God forbid, if I lost Julie, I’d be devastated. I love her. I truly believe God made her just for me in the same way he made Eve for Adam.  Still, I’ve already asked her to try and find someone new if I die, and, after time, I might find someone new for myself. But whoever I meet, I’d meet and get to know on an individual level. How fair would this hypothetical situation be if I compared my second wife to Julie? Even more, people don’t really even consider it. Sure, they may recognize things or appreciate things that remind them of their original spouse, but they don’t hold the previous spouse against  the current one.

But make a prequel movie that doesn’t meet the twenty years of expectations I’ve placed on it, and we’ll riot. Make a sequel that doesn’t line up with my fan theory, and I’ll start a petition demanding Disney retcon the movie, and then I’ll lose my stuff because the director lacked the courage to stand behind his conviction of starting an original story line. This isn’t opinion, search #StarWars on social media and look at the hate. My sons actually said, “The sequels ruined Star Wars.”

[image error]That gave me pause. “Did you even watch it?”

“Yes.”

“Did you like it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then how did it ruin it?”

“My teacher said so.”

First off, my kids are supposed to be learning skills, not being force fed your own personal opinion on art and cultural issues, teachers. No my sons are TAUGHT to hate a thing just because they want to fit in. (Tangent over.)

Here’s my point. You can say you like Star Wars, or you can hate it. But I wonder, if we had someone watch Episode 8, and make sure that person never saw the originals. What would that person think?  What would happen if we watched that movie just for that movie? Is it a part of a whole, sure, but fans today are measuring against decades of romanticized expectations and anticipation. Disney doesn’t stand a chance. I’m not saying 8 was the greatest ever, but it’s nowhere near the worst, and no amount of Jar Jar Binx can honestly ruin A New Hope.

So why talk about this? Am I trying to justify 8 vs the other episodes? No, like Disney, I don’t stand a chance. Neither does 9. Fans have chosen to love or hate that movie already, and they’ll love it or hate it regardless of the content because they’ve chosen to love it or hate it. It’s like politics. I could say the most hateful things, do the most horrible stuff in accordance to anyone’s opinions, but if I label myself a republican, republicans everywhere love me. Do the SAME stuff, and label myself a democrat and democrats everywhere will embrace me. It’s honestly the same with these transcendent works.

[image error]The Cursed Child: People everywhere are pretty polarized about this story as well.  I loved it. Now, fans didn’t have the same amount of time to romanticize this story, and I’ve noticed the dissatisfaction is way down. Do a survey, and I’d bet money those who hate it are those who grew up with Harry. I mean that literally. If they started it at 12 and finished it at 20-something, they probably hate Child.  Find those older readers who were more discerning and less impressionable, and at the very least I bet money that group will have a much more standard Bell curve.  Why do they like Beasts? They went away from all those main characters.  Why don’t they like Grimwald? They made editorial decisions on Dumbledore.  The only real way to stay in a universe and not get flack would be to  create a new story with new characters who don’t alter or affect the ones people fell in love with. Solo might be the most hated Star Wars movie (maybe).  But Solo doesn’t stand a chance. We love Han, and if the Han we see doesn’t fit into our romanticized view, we hate him. Frankly, no one can meet your romanticized view of a character.

So I fear ever writing that transcendent story. Because people forget what it means to truly create something transcendent. It’s notable specifically because it’s unique and original. I think a lot of directors, writers, and creators are unfairly held to a transcendent standard, and it takes away one’s ability to simply enjoy a story on it’s own merit.

[image error]I very carefully didn’t give too many opinions on what I thought of these things because that’s my point. There is not fair comparison. There is no fair opinion. The very nature of an opinion is based on emotion and thought more than any measurable standard. I challenge readers and viewers to think about this the next time you watch or read something. I’ve seen things I didn’t enjoy as much. My wife asked if I’d watch a remake of Krull or a sequel.  I’d probably see the sequel, but I’d have to work very hard not to be unreasonable. I’ve had decades to imagine how I thought the story would go. My life as a writer even began with my work to pen a sequel to the story. So anyone else’s vision would just be insulting to me on a personal level because of my own filter and not because of the actual work, which really isn’t fair.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Do you disagree? I’d really like to have a civil discussion on this.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Mud by E.J. Wenstrom

[image error]This book cover was taken from its Amazon buy page for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine. 

Spoiler Free Summary:  Mud by E. J. Wenstrom is the first book in the first book in the Chronicles of the Third Realm War.  Adem is a gholam, a mud creature, who was created to protect a mysterious box.  Adem must kill Anyone who comes for it or too near it.  When a little boy is the frist not supernaturally drawn to the box, Adem begins to curiously follow the child until he and his sister are forced to flee the city.  At the same time, an angel offers Adem freedom in exchange for bringing back the angel’s long lost love from the dead.

Driven by his desire to be human and free of the box, Adem shatters the barrier between realms, unwittingly setting of a chain of events that only places the world in even more danger.

Character:  Adem felt like this well meaning giant to me. Imagine Wreck-It Ralph meets Ludo from Labyrinth. He does a lot of cool stuff, and he’s pretty sympathetic. It’s been some time since I’ve read this book, and I still clearly remember the character and the bulk of the plot. That’s a great sign.  Wenstrom does a great job letting Adem’s motivations drive the story.

Exposition: This was told through first-person narrative, but the story moved pretty quickly. I only vaguely remember one or two spots where the pace slowed down because of Exposition, and even then, the story moved along well.

[image error]Image taken from Wenstrom’s website for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine. 

Dialogue: This was probably my least favorite part. There were parts where I felt I was being spoken to rather than listening to conversation. I don’t mean that the writer broke the fourth wall; I just mean there were some long verbal explanations that slowed the story a touch.

Description:  I was happy with this. I was able to visualize the scenes and characters pretty well. I got the mental pictures I needed without being forced to slog through bulky paragraphs of description.

World Building: This story is right out of Greek mythology. It’s a journey to the underworld, complete with all the common trials. Some may feel that sort of storytelling is a bit old, but I felt the right mix of nostalgia and interest. I was particularly interested in the broader lore of the series.

Overall: This was a pretty interesting twist on classic Greek myth storylines. Interesting setup. It has some artistically stylistic things I think people will find hit or miss (you’ll either like the style or not), but if you like Greek myths, you’ll probably enjoy this. If I didn’t have a couple handfuls of books to get through, I’d probably read the second book just to see how things develop. 

Thanks for reading

Matt

Sonnets For My Savior 31

A Worthy Friend

Let me encourage forgiveness, not vengeance.

Let me discourage lust rather than permit it.

Let me support endurance.

Let me advise friends with the Holy Spirit.

Let me be deaf to temptation.

Let me be blind to improper conduct.

Let my friends offer me loving correction.

Grant me the wisdom to listen as they instruct.

Help them to provide me good advice,

rather than permit my misdeeds.

Some make seek friends thought to be nice,

but grant me a friend who leads.

Rather than run with me into the fire,

grant me friends who will guide me to do as you desire.

 

 

Precious Blood

Precious Blood spilled for me.

Gracious gift no one deserved.

My debts are paid, and now I’m free.

My guilt wash cleaned, my soul preserved.

Perfect Lamb raised up on high

A wretched sinner’s heart washed clean.

A man without sin chose to die.

A greater act of love has never been seen.

The price was paid.

Our souls were won.

The sins of man,

laid on the Son.

Precious was the blood that was spilled,

for from that price, our hope was filled.

 

 

More Than We Can Handle

The Lord always provides a way.

Trust in his faithfulness.

He is with us come what may.

His light delivers all from darkness.

Temptation comes to all,

but we need not hear it.

Even though we may hear it’s call,

the Lord provides a way out through the Holy Spirit.

We’re never tempted beyond our ability.

Through Him we can endure.

Rather than focus on our own susceptibility,

have faith in the Lord who is pure.

Deliver us from evil, oh Lord above.

Let each time we resist temptation be a symbol of our love.

 

 

Stones

They stood around her, ready to throw.

She was guilty, and they wanted to punish her.

Their piousness was just a show.

She was only as much a sinner as they were.

Faced with their own sin.

They went away.

They didn’t think to look within

and consider the price they’d have to pay.

Before you pick up stones of your own,

consider the sins you’ve committed.

It may cause you to drop your stone,

when you realize you can not be acquitted.

Rather than pronounce your condemnation,

seek to lead sinners to salvation

 

 

More Like Him

He is our King, yet He served.

He was without sin.

Blessed is he who has observed

all the commands given by Him

His sacrifice was a demonstration of his love.

His bore our sins on the tree.

He humbled Himself, coming form above,

and gave all of Himself so we might be free.

He was truthful,

correcting His disciples when they spoke out of  turn.

He was mindful,

teaching even those who refused to learn.

Rather than make my own way and act on my own whim,

Lord grant me courage to be and act more like Him.

 

 

Trust God, not money

The Lord provides and blesses those who are wise,

But borrowers are slaves to their lenders.

Blessed are those who trust God through all of their lives,

But why should he grant more to a foolish spender.

One cannot serve God and Money;

He will be a slave to one or the other.

The days of he who serves the Lord are sunny,

But he who receives one dollar can only hope for another.

He who trusts in his riches will fall,

But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.

Instead, listen and heed the Lord’s call,

and he will bless you beyond belief.

For the stingy, greed is all they foster,

But those who trust in the Lord will prosper.

 

 

The Spirt

The helper whom God sent

manifests in us and teaches

Jesus told us before his accent

the Spirit would come to all He reaches.

It was the Spirit who came on the Judges of Israel.

It was the Spirit who placed Jesus in Mary’s womb.

Those who live by the Spirit are well,

but those who live by the flesh will only find death and a tomb.

The Spirit is the source of our gifts,

knowledge, wisdom, discernment, and healing.

Through the Spirit, our knowledge of the truth exists. 

The Spirit does wondrous works through the believing.

When we are weak, the Spirit helps us.

To aid our prayers, the Spirit intercedes for us.

Such An Awesome 2019! (convention)

Greetings all,

[image error]So we got some rest, and boy did we need it. AwesomeCon 2019 was such a wonderful, huge event. As usual, I wanted to take a moment and give you some insight as to how things went.

Last year ended on a high note. We had always planned to slow way down this year to get life figured out and write some more books. The wonderful thing is I honestly thought, “Well that was just an amazing success, but no way do I do that sort of stuff again.”

Well, I didn’t.  In terms of books sold, I did even better. I sold fifty one books! I don’t remember the count from Baltimore Comic Con, but I remember it being in the forties.

The first thing I need to do is praise God for such an amazing blessing! Through four years of work, I’m seeing progress in this business venture, and all things come through him.

The next thing I need to do is thank all of you! If you stopped by and picked up one (or a few) copies of my work, you’ve helped my dream come true. I hope you enjoy the stories. I hope reading them makes you that much more excited for the things I’m working on next.

This wasn’t just a fun day for me though. Steve D’Adamo was right there with me, and he sold copies of his book, The Warden of Everfeld: Memento. He even posted a blog about his side of things.

So I won’t go over information he covered because I frankly want you to read his blog. But I do have some additional insights.

How I measure “success.”

[image error]I ran into another author who was a bit upset that sales weren’t there. Now, some authors measure success in terms of profit. I’m not one of those. Even with multiple books, I still don’t have enough products to expect to actually profit. I “made” $289. That’s fantastic. It’s certainly way more than I normally make. It paid for my table ($273.35 for badges and table), but I spent $456.66 ordering books, so I actually lost $441.01. That might lead to a lot of sad faces and discouraged hopeful authors. First, AwesomeCon is a huge event with pretty expensive artist alley tables.  I don’t go to AwesomeCon to make money. I got to AwesomeCon to have fun and meet people. I got to meet new readers who I hope will become loyal readers. My two of my three most loyal readers were all people I met at AwesomeCon. So yeah, I lost money up front, but those people buy my books I later release, even if they wait to do so at the next AwesomeCon.

So I told the author I mentioned above, “I already know I’m going to lose money here. I don’t count success by dollars made. I count it by books sold.” Fifty one is a new record. So I see this event as a huge success.

How could I have done better? Well, I’m still not used to having so many books.  I ordered twenty copies of each of my longer works (Caught and The Journals of Bob Drifter), and I ordered thirty copies each of my shorter works (Repressed & Sojourn in Captivity (paperback) and The Power of Words).  I only sold more than half of one of those. So I just ordered too many books.  If I’d only ordered half of those numbers, I still would have lost $213 (or so), but that’s expected at an event where I still have a very limited number of things for people to buy. This is something I’m going to try to adjust. At Shore Leave, I intend to sell prints as well. It’s a low-up-front cost item that will help me diversify what people can come to my table to purchase. I’ll also be able to bundle them and increase deals for potential customers.

Now, Shore Leave is much less expensive to attend. I clearly don’t need to order more books. I took that money I earned from AwesomeCon to pay for my table. If I sell all of those books, I’ll make back that table. Mathematically, I will still have lost $100-something, but I’ll have that many more books out there for people to read, (hopefully) enjoy, (hopefully) review, and (hopefully) recommend to a friend.  

2.  Try new things:

[image error]This cover gets a lot of looks, so I’m going to try and sell prints of it.

As I mentioned above, I’m always looking to try new things. My biggest mission is to provide low-cost (both to me and the potential customer) products to purchase. Bookmarks did not work. They make great hand outs, but people just don’t want to pay for those. So I looked around and realized that there are a lot of artists in artist alley (go figure). So the new plan is to commission art based on my books to sell prints of at conventions. I don’t expect to do as well as people who sell cool pictures of trademarked characters, but I’m not touching that. But if someone looks at a really awesome picture of Caden or Elele, they may want to buy it. They may want to know about the character. This may work; it may not work at all. The point is you have to diversify your options. Not everyone reads. Most people who go to conventions buy art from someone. Why not art based on my books? Plus, it gets Carlos and Collin some attention. Also, I’m sharing profits with them so I don’t pay up front. It’s a risk on their end, but it’s an investment of time for the potential to profit money.

3.  Sharing is great!

[image error]I’ve shared a table before, but I didn’t know how to do it. I’d read both of Andrew’s books (I shared a table with him a few times), but he’d only read one of mine. Also, we thought of our one table as two tables rather than thinking of the table as ours. This might have been something I did wrong. I’m not saying we didn’t try to help each other out, but we were still pitching our stuff more individually.  Steve knew all my pitches for all my books. He understood my work, and he knew how I was marketing. We talked before hand. We also pitched what was right for the reader. If someone said they liked traditional fantasy, I put Steve’s book in his hand. Steve must have sold at least three of my books. I might have sold as many of his. We amplified one another. Now, Andrew is wonderful, and he worked hard for each other. I just lacked the understanding of how sharing a table really works. This is something I really want to continue to try. It brings the up-front costs down for each of us, and it really works when you’re selling the books people want.  In fact, during AwesomeCon, I actually told a reader I probably don’t have a books she likes (she’s a fan of Terry Pratchett). I directed her straight to Andrew’s work. I told her, you’ll love him.

So those are a few insights. Ultimately, I couldn’t be happier. It took Julie and I a week to recover. We were so exhausted, but we had so much fun.

If you were one of the people I met at the event, thank you so much for giving our work a try. We truly hope you enjoy the books.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Pleasantly Exhausted

Greetings all, I’m still recovering from AwesomeCon. It was really great, but I honestly just need to get some rest. So no book review this week.

I promise I’ll do one next week, and my blog on Saturday is still ready to go.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Sonnets For My Savior 30

The Body

Where is the body you worked so hard to bury?

What happened to the guards you set to watch the grave?

Rejoice believers and be merry,

Look, there is no body in the cave!

Man has found the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Indeed the body John the Baptist lay in Syria.

But where is the body of the Son of Man?

The truth is those who would deny him lack the most basic criteria.

Some have claimed he was stolen in the night.

Doubters say the body was concealed.

Couldn’t Rome and the Pharisees find a body with all their power and might?

Instead the Faith grew with no body revealed.

If emperors and armies sought the body and could not see,

the only logical reason is that He is risen! He is risen indeed!

 

Lazarus

Lazarus sleeps while his sisters cry.

They send word, but the time has not come.

They fear Lazarus is doomed to die,

but this trail is for the will of God to be done.

Four days, Lazarus slept.

Jesus arrived, already knowing what had occurred.

He looked upon the sisters and wept,

but what happened next, would change all who saw and heard.

“Come out!” the Lord had said after they’d rolled the stone away,

and out Lazarus came, strips of linen around his hands and feet.

Many saw and believed that day,

From then on, the hypocrites plotted, blind in their conceit.

They never thought to ask themselves the meaning of the event,

that the world could look and see that Jesus was truly, truly God sent.

 

Reason For Suffering

True, some people suffer for the sins they commit.

The wickedness of the wicked is upon himself.

Relief is there for those who turn to Christ and submit,

but only death waits for those who relies on themself.

There are also those who suffer so that God may be glorified.

Observe Job and see how he endured.

Be patient and trust God will provide,

Do not turn to sin for comfort, but hear these words and be reassured.

Still those who are truly blessed are those who suffer simply for his sake.

Blessed are those who are persecuted and reviled!

For the Kingdom of Heaven awaits!

Rejoice, for your rewards have been gathered and piled!

For whatever reason one thinks he may suffer,

Seek Christ; trust in him and no other.

 

To Control Ourselves

Some seek to use the Word to lift themselves up.

They use scripture to justify their own goals.

They have no interest in drinking from their own cup.

In seeking to condemn others, they only risk their own souls.

Some seek to use the Word to do as they wish.

They only seek the words that validate their own desire.

They treat the word like some sort of buffet dish,

but this path only leads to fire.

The saints are called to judge each other.

God judges those outside.

But consider also before you call out your brother,

what sins of your own are you trying to hide?

When we pull our Bibles from the shelves,

we should use it first to control ourselves.

 

The Greatest

He who would be first should be last.

Those who would be greatest should serve.

Let man’s pride be left in the past.

For we’ve already received more than we deserve.

Seek to be the servant of all.

Welcome the little children in his name.

Listen to hear His glorious call,

rather than seek your own fame.

A servant is not greater than his master.

A messenger is not greater than the one who sent it.

To serve the self is the path to disaster.

But blessed are those who serve and submit.

Care for the children and welcome them;

those who do receive Christ and the Father who sent him.

 

The Greatest Power

There is only the one creator.

He who made all.

There are none who can do more,

And all power is His to call.

No burning star,

Can shine as bright.

No crashing wave

Can match His might.

Other powers desire

What tiny spark he gives

But none can match the fire

Of the eternal God for which we live.

No other power can compare

Against the Lord, our God, who made the sea, land, and air.

 

Hold Me

Hold me tightly, Lord, in your mighty hands.

I know none can take me from you.

Your might is greater than anyone understands.

Whatever comes, You can carry me through.

Grip me more tightly, Lord, that I might be nearer

Nearer to you every day.

As You carry me, my eyes become clearer.

As I am with You, I see a better way.

Hold me, Lord, and let me take my rest in Your grace

Because I have none of my own.

I have no hope if I plead my own case;

I am forgiven through Christ alone.

Hold me tightly, Lord, that I might feel you with me.

Your embrace is comfort; Your love sets me free.

99 Cent Deals for AwesomeCon!

Greetings all,

AwesomeCon starts today, and I’m thrilled to say I have three books for just 99 cents each while the convention lasts.

An Unusual Occupation, Repressed, and my newest title Sojourn in Captivity are available at the discount. I hope you’ll choose to give one or all of them a try.

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Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: The (NIV) Bible

[image error]Greetings all,

This review has been long in coming. It was easily my favorite book of 2018 (for a number of reasons). So a real in-depth review of this book is simply not possible. There are numerous versions with commentaries for each book. So I took some time to think about what I could offer that I haven’t already said.  So here’s what I came up with:

Why the Bible? As I’ve said, this book changed my life. I see and think differently.  My coworkers have noticed. People who hang out with my family notice. The more I try to read and understand how to live Biblically, the better I feel, and the more blessed I feel. Despite some low lows in 2018, I had a source of comfort, support, and wisdom.

Favorite Books:  My favorite book of the Bible is actually Job. Why? Because that guy suffered. That guy had everything, lost everything, and gained even more. His story gives me context to my life. His behavior during his trial gives me perspective on how I’m supposed to act during my trials. It’s not a “fun” book of the Bible or even very comforting. But it is edifying. It gives me perspective that I don’t think I would see the Bible, Christ, salvation, or suffering the same way without it. A close second is Romans.  I’m not sure which of my old blog posts I went into detail on that, but I did. I’m sure if you search Romans, M.L.S. Weech, you could see an in-depth perspective on why that book means so much to me. The short version is that I find that book to be the most comforting book in the Bible. That’s probably different for anyone (my wife seeks the Psalms for comfort for instance), but that’s my vote.

[image error]Image taken from the Covenant Community Church website. This image is not an endorsement or condemnation of CCC or its doctrine. I simply wanted an image for review purposes under Fair Use doctrine. 

Books I Struggled With the Most: I’m currently reading 1 Chronicles. I’m starting to put together what it’s doing. But I’m at a complete loss in this book. Yes, that makes it harder to enjoy. Also, it’s repetitive. Now, I’m certain there is a wisdom and there are many secrets to glean from this book and many others. One idea I’m playing with is a study of Christ through his genealogy. 1 Chronicles makes that sort of study possible. Some may argue Matthew or Luke, and they’re not wrong per say, but Matthew skipped a number of  generations to simplify memorization. 1 Chronicles lets me fill in the blanks. I also struggled with Leviticus. I understood what it was setting up a bit more, but it was a lot of direct information.

[image error]So I close this with another attempt to explain why I think reading the Bible is such a worthy endeavor. First it is my personal opinion (I’m unaware what my church thinks on the subject), that simply reading the Bible with an open mind is honestly one of the best things one can do if they are interested in salvation. Now, let’s assume you’re not saved and have no interest in being saved. Very well.

This book is still the richest single collection of narratives, poems, and historical information one can hope to find. Let’s get the tangental comment of historical out of the way. First, not even a scientific atheist would argue the existence of a historical Jesus. Debate the other aspects if you wish, but no one denies it. Even still, that’s not actually what I mean. I’m referring to the Epistles, which are actual letters written by actual, historical people to actual, historical readers in archeologically verified locations. Letters from Paul, James, Peter, and John are like finding an old World War I person’s journal or letters to home. This is my basis for the term historical information. Sure, one can read a thousand books on a thousand locations, but the Bible provides one book about dozens of locations.

So whether for spiritual purposes or educational, reading the Bible is a pursuit most worthy.

I hope you’ll choose to try it. If you have questions on where to read or why, I’d be happy to offer you my thoughts.

Thanks for reading,

V/R

Matt