C.J. Sears's Blog, page 10

God’s Grace: The Day I Almost Went to Jail

I know a thing or two about anger. Ask anyone who’s gotten to know me over the years. They’ll tell you that I have exhibited a tremendous temper. When things go bad, it erupts.

I’m the type of person whose anger is often hard to read until it happens. It comes from nowhere, bursting out like an alien creature. Something relatively minor or petty will have set me off and I’ll lash out at the unsuspecting victim. Sometimes, it gets violent.

About thirteen years ago, on a spring day at Lamar High School, I went into a raging fit. We were playing a game of knockout basketball (I think that’s what it’s called) and it wasn’t going well for me. I’m not athletic and back in those days I was quite overweight. I was already kind of sullen about this activity and not performing up to my low standards didn’t help.

I bottled the anger at myself (and my fellow students, who often were passive aggressive toward me when it came to sporty events) like I always do. I don’t think I had a clue what was about to happen.

The coach told me to “get back in line” which I was already doing. He repeated himself as I got closer to the back. And I gladly told him what I thought of his repetitious order under my breath.

He heard me. I figured he would. He asked me to say again what it was that I’d told him. So I did. Loudly. Boldly. Proudly. Sinfully.

Naturally, he didn’t like that. He instructed me to run the bleachers, knowing that I was tremendously out of shape and not happy at the moment. So, I did my best to hold in the rage and did as I was told.

Then he ordered the other students to do something similar. I believe I dropped a few steps to get out of their way and that’s when he saw me “disobeying” him.

It’s been awhile, so I can’t remember exactly what he said to me. Someone impartial might be able to better verify that part of the story.

But I exploded. I couldn’t hold in my feelings any longer. I picked up a chair.

“You’re not going to throw that at me,” he said (paraphrased).

Well, proved him wrong. He threw up his arms to block the seat, but it definitely connected. Left a thin scratch which he later pretended was a bigger injury than it was.

I was shortly suspended for the rest of the year and nearly jailed. In hindsight, I was dangerously close to making a long-lasting and criminal mistake that might’ve ended with me facing dire repercussions.

I was briefly infamous when I returned to school next year, but I mostly kept my nose clean and stayed out of trouble bar a minor fight here and there.

Why am I telling you this story? Because God has forgiven me, yes, even for this. That’s amazing. That’s ridiculous. That’s ridiculously amazing.

Do I deserve this forgiveness? No. I acted with hatred in my heart. I intended harm to my fellow person. It doesn’t matter that I felt in the right or that my opponent wasn’t an entirely innocent party. I sinned against my neighbor and against God by giving into anger, temptation, and not loving another human being. It was wrong, I was wrong, and I should’ve been punished for it even more severely than I was.

But God is good. God is loving, kind, patient, compassionate, and above all things He is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I wouldn’t be who I am today without Him. I’d be stewing in that miserable anger, that ever current firestorm of prideful flesh, if it weren’t for Him.

By His will, His love, I’m a calmer person. I don’t bottle as many things. I let both major and minor rushes of anger slip away and beg forgiveness. A great weight on my soul has been lifted and it isn’t by my own doing.

I am not a sinless man. No one is or has been except for the Lord incarnate, the Son of God. I’m certainly capable of anger, lust, hatred, greed, envy, etc. and this is the sinful nature which I remain at war with as all Christians do. But I’m better than I was and that’s all due to Him and His holiness, the work of His Spirit in me.

Thanks and praise belong to Him. I need His grace and mercy each and every day and so do you, so don’t let the glory of His love pass you by. Turn to the Almighty, seek Him where He is (and He’s everywhere, all around us, near your heart and your lips) and be made well. Believe and be forgiven and cleansed in Christ, by His sacrifice, the ransom He paid for many sorry sinners like you and me.

Thank you for reading this post. I hope it hasn’t been too long a wait this week. God bless and peace be with you.

Good News: The Gospel Truth

“If I fought wild animals in Ephesus with only human hope, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (1 Corinthians 15:32)

The gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaimed in Scripture, disseminated by the apostles, is indisputable good news. With all the headlines today of fake news and mistrust in the media, it comes as a relief that the truth we believe in is considered to be good news. But why is this news so important? Why is the gospel an integral part of our faith?

First, let’s refresh ourselves with what Scripture says:

“For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the Twelve. Then He appeared to over 500 brothers at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one abnormally born, He also appeared to me.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

Here, Paul outlines the basic tenets of the gospel. He makes it clear that Jesus fulfilled Scripture by dying for our sins, was entombed for three days, and resurrected on the third. Then the Lord made his risen body known to all His disciples, starting with Peter, and appeared last to Paul, who considered himself “the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle” (1 Corinthians 15:9) because he’d been a persecutor of the faith.

So Paul says that the good news of our Lord is simple. He died, in essence, so that we may live. He rose again so that we may have eternal life in Him. He confirmed the authenticity of Scripture by accomplishing only what God truly can: the fulfillment of prophecy. And thus we who are loved by Him can know we are saved by His effective grace and mercy upon us hapless sinners.

“But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Paul says that God’s grace has accomplished His work for him. At first blush, he seems boastful, but he quickly affirms that it is only through God’s calling that he has been an effective minister of the gospel. His works merited nothing, but God’s grace was in him and shining through the darkness.

So again, why is the news so good? What makes the gospel stand as the radical idea it is? The answer has always been grace. It always will be grace. But grace extends further than cleansing us of all unrighteousness. Indeed, the Lord has loved us so that even that wasn’t enough to proclaim His total sovereignty and greatness as our Father, Savior, and Wonderful Counselor.

We are not only saved by grace, not only forgiven, but granted life eternal with our Lord Jesus Christ in paradise. We are granted the great gift of faith in God by Him. This is wonderful, awesome, incomparable news! We should proclaim it from the rooftops, in the streets, and in our homes! And indeed, many do, thanks be to God, and they’re far better at it than I am!

But our cynicism sets in. We twist the words of Scripture to make them say things they don’t mean. Christians add and subtract from the gospel of Jesus Christ, transforming good news into a terrifying burden and an expectation of despair. We worry that complacency will set in, deadening faith. But if we don’t abide in Christ, then we are as worthless branches to His vine, because apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

The good news is not a death sentence. It’s the opposite, in fact. The gospel brings life and conquers death, which is the last enemy to be abolished by our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:24). And if His gospel is not good news, if He has not died for our sins and risen again, supplying us the hope we have in Him, then we may as well be merry, miserable, and dead in our trespasses.

The Lord Jesus Christ saved me from my sin. If you so believe, then He has done the same for you. His grace is effective, powerful, irreversible, and beyond compare. The message is near you, in your heart, and on your lips. Remember Him, the sinless Son of God, and believe on His name. He is the Lord your God.

Thanks and praise belong to Him. I know this is a little late in the week, but I hope it’s been a dose of what you needed today.

“Bright eyes cheer the heart; good news strengthens the bones.” (Proverbs 15:30)

An Impromptu 2nd Anniversary Post

The blog is now a fully-fledged toddler. Yes, you read that right. This slice of insight into my personality has been going strong for two years. But what does that mean? How does one even “go strong” in the first place? Does the blog have muscles? Can it bench-press a couple hundred pounds? I’m afraid these daring and provocative questions won’t be answered.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have known if WordPress hadn’t reminded me! If you asked me to remember a date that isn’t a holiday or a small subset of birthdays, you’d be in for a rude surprise. I’m not sure how one celebrates an occasion like this. Is there cake involved? Should I buy candles? Are these rhetorical and cheesy questions annoying? My guess: yes, they are.

What do I think of this second anniversary? I’m ecstatic. The fact that I haven’t quit the whole thing is a testament to its relative success. No, I’m not making money off of it. But knowing that others have found it either entertaining or enlightening prods me with joy. Whether you’re reading this because you like my novels (please tell your friends), my takes on media (don’t treat them as infallible), or love hearing from me about my faith and what I’ve learned from Scripture, I’m glad to be a small part of your life.

It’s said that once you open Pandora’s Box, you can never go back to the way things were. Whether that’s a fictional company engineering dinosaurs or a man using his free time to operate a blog, I believe it. This site has been a significant portion of my existence for two years. No matter where this goes, I can’t walk back what I’ve created.

You may be looking for news on Book 3 aka The Sons of Darkness. Congratulations! You’ve got yourself caught. Now what’s the next step of your master plan?

All right. You can put down your Bane masks. I’m glad you asked. You’ll be pleased to know that there has been, in my opinion, significant progress. I have untangled the abominable knot which held the story in place and led to my simultaneous creative burnout and writer’s block. I have written over a dozen pages of new content which is better than I’d hoped coming off my lengthy paralysis.

I don’t have a sneak preview. This hurts you, I know, but it can’t be helped. Until I’m certain that the course I’ve taken with the story is the right one, you shall not collect $200 – I mean, read another snapshot of what’s been written.

It’ll be Monday when this is posted, but I’m writing this as the sun drifts beneath the clouds on a cooling Sunday. Surveying God’s wonderful creation these past months has served as a kind of antidote to a poison circulating in my system. It’s a thrill when I look out over the grass, see past the pines, and hear His wondrous nature. The environment is not God, but it has been wonderfully made by Him in His good pleasure. Don’t take it for granted. Get out of the house when you can.

I thank the Lord Jesus Christ that I have not been left to simmer in the heat. He has washed me with His blood and adorned me with His righteousness. I am a sinner who, by His grace, can be recognized as a saint, as all in Christ come to be. That seeming paradox is a comfort all its own. Where I am not faithful, He is. Where I am broken, He makes me whole. Where I am fallen, He redeems my soul.

Let this be a quiet celebration. No fancy sales. No statistics. Only a whisper in the dark.

Thank you for reading. God bless and peace be with you.

We Are All Judas, But There’s Hope

“Then one of the Twelve – the man called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?’ So they weighed out 30 pieces of silver for him. And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray Him.” (Matthew 26:14-16)

This may be a provocative title for a Christian blog post, but it shouldn’t be. We all need to recognize our sin. To think we are above the sins of Judas – those of unbelief, greed, and betrayal of our Lord – is to reveal our pride and arrogance. You may not think you would betray the Lord for thirty pieces of silver, but you most certainly have turned against Him many times in your life.

Consider that you have blasphemed, harbored hatred in your heart, and lusted after that which you do not have. Look to the truth that you have sought worldly glory and possessions. Have you not sold out a coworker or a friend for a taste of fame and success? Are you not a criminal in chains, bent toward self-destruction, roaming about like a jackal and carving the flesh of a scavenged corpse with your rotten teeth?

Tell me, you who have not sold Christ, where is your love? Have you not put your faith in manmade doctrines, political aspirations, earthly kingdoms, and the fallible wisdom of men? Do you believe yourself innocent of the criminal enterprise, that you have not lent mind space to hatred, envy, strife, self-loathing, and the lust of the flesh? Do you not see that in your arrogance, you betray that you indeed have sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver?

We are all Judas. Whether it is for the lust of the eyes or the flesh, or the pride in one’s lifestyle, we honored the world and not our Father in heaven (1 John 2:16). We are all guilty of this self-same betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ. And do not think that because you are saved unto eternal life, that you are incapable of this sin. You are not only Judas, but Peter as well.

What did Peter do on the night of Christ’s arrest? He denied Him three times, as it was prophesied by the Lord. Upon the third denial, he had a startling realization:

“About an hour later, another kept insisting, ‘This man was certainly with Him, since he’s also a Galilean.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:59-62)

Be like him, because you are him, and weep. You will deny the Lord. You already have by pretending you have no sin. How can we who weep, betray, and deny expect to have a hope for tomorrow?

We are all Peter. We are all doubting Thomas. We are all Judas. But the key difference between us and Judas is that we may repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His grace, His mercy, we can be forgiven all sins, including our betrayal of His Lordship. It was not Judas’s betrayal of the Lord which confirmed his condemnation. It was his refusal to acknowledge that he needed the grace of God.

What does the Scripture say?

“Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,’ he said. ‘What’s that to us?’ they [the chief priests] said. ‘See to it yourself!’ So he threw the silver into the sanctuary and departed. Then he went and hanged himself.’” (Matthew 27:3-5)

Judas recognized that he had sinned. He knew that he had betrayed an innocent party for selfish gain. He felt shame and condemnation for his actions. The problem was that rather than seeking forgiveness through Christ, he thought it better to relieve his tortured soul from the temporary pain he was experiencing via suicide. That’s not to say that the suicide itself condemned him – don’t mistake my words – but that his unbelief continued into death.

I don’t know where Judas is now, but I don’t think it’s heaven.

But fortunately for us, we do not have to make that same mistake. We can believe in the name of the One He (our Father in heaven) sent! By His grace and righteousness, His mercy upon sinners, we inherit eternal life through Jesus Christ.

For Scripture says: “The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation…for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:8-10,13)

Yes, we can find ourselves in the worst of the apostles. But we, through Him, can find ourselves in Christ and for Christ by His glorious mercy upon us. Thanks and praise belong to the Lord Jesus Christ and may we all come to know His truth before we shuffle off this mortal coil.

Thank you for reading. I hope this hasn’t been a confusing or disheartening message. It is intended to be both uplifting and revealing to our character as human beings, even believers. May His blessings and His work in us shine brightly in the darkest corners. May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

A River Crashes Against You

“I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me, hears My words, and acts on them: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built.” (Luke 6:47-48)

The foundation of our faith is Christ. We have no hope in anyone but Him. No politician, no celebrity, no activist, no man on earth can save you from your sin. No man, selfish and proud, can be that dam which stops the rising tide of our sin. If you are looking to yourself, or your family, or your party, or your government to relinquish you from the capsized ship that is sin, then you are lost in the deep and will be swept away.

Left to our own devices, we perish, we plunder, we murder, and we move along the current of damnation. But if you look to Him, profess His name and lordship, you will be saved (Romans 10:13). It is a simple and undeniable truth that those in Christ will be sanctified, glorified, and justified by Him. We have been predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, Son of God (Romans 9:29-30).

Indeed, if your building block of faith is not Christ, you will find yourself in immense trouble. As He says:

“But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great!” (Luke 6:49)

Where are you putting your faith? Do you trust in Him, the One who made you according to His purpose, the One who washes you with the regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5)? Or is your faith in fallible, errant man? Do you trust the Wise and Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, our Prince of Peace Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6)? Or do you cast your lot with the greedy, malevolent, self-serving forces of the world including your own?

I know where I stand. I am not perfect, but He is. I have no hope except in His righteousness, His blood, His sacrifice for me, a sinner saved by His grace. When the end comes, and it will, where will you stand?

Thanks and praise belong to Him. God bless, thank you for reading, and peace be with you.

The Thread We Weave: Love One Another

“In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted; let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.” (Psalm 10:2)

Stories are inherently defined by conflict. This battle can be one of ideologies or wills, a physical assault, or a game of shadow threats looming in the background. Most great stories are a tale as old as time – the pursuit of good by the works of evil. You can’t weave the thread of a convincing narrative without some form of conflict, whether it’s heroes versus villains, society versus the individual, etc.

It’s in our nature to root for the triumph of the protagonist. We watch Indiana Jones because we want to see the Nazis fail and our favorite archaeologist prevail. Audiences cheer for Batman because they’re there to see the Dark Knight wallop the Joker or the Riddler or Bane. We ooh and ah at every close shave in the Jurassic franchise, urging our heroes to escape the dinosaurs as we crave the comeuppance of the villains.

But what happens when there’s no clear hero? Who do you trust when everyone radiates pride, arrogance, mischief, thievery, lies, and hatred? How can you be at ease when the whole world has gone crazy and you’re just scraping by? What do we do when we can’t fight the rising tide?

That’s the thought that’s been on my mind for some time now. Turn on a news report (any channel) and you’ll be treated to nothing but spin and outrageous claims from the media, from Democrats, from Republicans, from the activists, celebrities, and corporations in between. It’s maddening and no one would blame you for wanting to live under a rock or in an isolated cabin.

I don’t talk politics. I am not a political person (though I do have positions). I believe that it is inherently a corrupted system that is most often serviceable rather than being capable of great good. Truthfully, I think the most that gets accomplished is hot air and inflated egos. But I am not an anarchist either, so don’t mistake this as some weird manifesto!

Why am I even writing this post if that’s how I feel? Because cooler heads need to say something about what’s going on in this country. It’s difficult to keep abreast of current events without being made aware of how turbulent the talking heads on the tube make everything seem. You’d think we were on the verge of Civil War the way some speak.

Maybe we are, but it won’t be because your average American citizen wants to fight their brother and sister. It’ll be because the pundits who can’t let well enough alone are transfixed by the need to be petty, spiteful, and self-righteous. Their rallying cries speak to a mindset that cannot conceive of a contented life. There’s always some new cause to fight for.

At what cost? A divided country. Hateful rhetoric. Dehumanization of the so-called enemy. It serves no purpose but the whims of evil, of the devil, of sin and sinfulness. It glorifies no one, but reveals us humans to be what we are and always have been: vindictive, wrathful, loathsome, uncompromising, and self-serving wretches.

“All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 53:3)

I am a sinner. You are a sinner. Furthermore, I am a human being. You are a human being. Please remember this. Please engage others with this knowledge. When you’re tweeting at someone, you are speaking to another person. They are not usually a faceless, mindless robot (though they may act like one). When you’re harassing someone on the road, know that said person was born the same as you were into this crazy thing we’re all living.

Most of us are not monsters. We are people. Can we please, in this discourse, acknowledge that truth, and be charitable to one another? Can we not escalate tensions over perceived slights, mistaken rhetoric, and otherwise inconsequential events? Can we behave rationally, functionally, with a twinge of moderation in our efforts?

I don’t know that we can. But we should at least try and not be the same people we were as children, running across the playground, shouting K-I-S-S-I-N-G at any one who will listen. Our civilizations are built on a fragile alliance of hopes, dreams, and the backbone of the human spirit.

The foundations aren’t sturdy, but they don’t have to crumble because we can’t get along. I know this is going to fall on a lot of deaf ears. It always does because people always want to go their own way, come hell or high water. We’ve been doing it since Eden and it’s never worked out well, but we keep trying.

So, you who would read this, if you take nothing else from this post, listen to the words of Him who saved my life and my soul:

“This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

Thanks and praise be to Him. Whether you agree with all this or not, I’m glad you spared the time to read this. It’s my hope that we can all be a bit more cordial to each other in the future. There’ll come a day when that’s a guarantee, but this is for the meantime. God bless and have a wonderful weekend.

Current Thoughts, Book 3 Update, & Thanks

Birds are chirping a colorful and lively song. Are they cardinals? Blue jays? I don’t know, but I love the cheery notes as they carry from beak to beak and then to the innards of my ear. The warmth of the summer wind billows around me. There’s a sense that if I move out into the open, I’ll burn, but I can’t fight the notion that this very hot and humid air is exactly what I need.

Right now, as I’m writing this, I’m sitting in a lawn chair on my front porch. There’s nothing but blue sunny skies and green vegetation as far as my eye can see. You can taste the flavor of the steadfast pines which dot the horizon. It’s as if there’s a dull, almost tangy syrup wafting alongside the scorching, paradoxical breeze.

There’s a dog to my left, panting. She’s too out-of-shape to be lumbering around in this temperature. I might have to put her inside, whereupon I’ll curse myself for not being able to put up with those lonely, brown, bulging eyes. Then she’ll be back here with me, panting, tired, but content.

What’s the point of this post? There isn’t one, really. I just thought I’d share my thoughts, describe a few things, see if I can get the juices flowing. I want to return to my novel writing, I really do, but I cannot force myself back into the mix. That paralysis, while not what it was, still lurks as a vampire (or a blood-sucking lawyer) hunched over my flank.

It’s not that I can’t write or progress the story. I’m sure that I can. But what form will it take? Is where I’ve left the narrative the proper direction for the story unfolding? Could it be that I’ve gotten off on the wrong foot to begin with? Perhaps, indeed, this third book is a story worth telling, but not in its present condition…

Look, it’s no secret that I’m having trouble with this thing. I’ve been very vocal about it in recent months. Creative burnout, writer’s block, stress, and what I believe to be depression have all played a role in the delay of this third novel in my series. To some, this admittance might come across as a plea to look away. You might think I’m telling you to walk off and forget this book series ever existed.

But that’s not what I’m saying. I’m telling you the truth because that’s what you deserve to hear. You deserve to have your trust rewarded. Thus, I will not lie and pretend that there has been progress where there’s none. The book is still in development. It remains in my scopes. It is my one and only large writing project for the foreseeable future. I want to finish this book and I want it to be a quality effort.

You who’ve read my work seem to enjoy what I’ve offered. 4.5 stars on Amazon for The Shadow Over Lone Oak after 20+ reviews isn’t bad. You’ve offered fair criticism and I’ve also taken that into consideration! And when you find an error, I fix it for both our sakes. So I don’t want to just rush to market with Book 3. I don’t want to give you a dime store novel that I crapped out in a hurry (which I’ve never done as I’m sure you know) in order to meet a self-imposed deadline.

I wanted Book 3 out this year. I really did. Perhaps it still might make the cut. But late 2018 is no longer, in my opinion, the most viable target release. And with Kindle Scout gone the way of the dodo, there are obvious differences in how the book must be delivered and developed. It’s freeing, in a way, but it also means envisioning a new method of getting the word out to my prospective readers. I’ll have to think about that as I work.

I hope and pray that the Lord will grant me the flash of inspiration and drive I need to complete this book in a logical, concise, and thrilling manner. I did have a small spark of creativity the other day, actually. The title of the book has shifted a few times since I started, and I hope this is the one that sticks.

As an insight to my writing process and a way to gauge your reactions, I’ll give you the progression of Book 3’s working (and possibly final) title:

1st Iteration: “The Dead Spring”

2nd Iteration: “The Lost and the Dead”

3rd Iteration: “The Darkest Valley”

Current Iteration: “The Sons of Darkness”

What do you think? Does the title intrigue you? Knowing nothing about the plot, what does that rendition make you believe about the particulars of the story? These are interesting questions and I hope that this makes you excited for the novel’s release – whenever that may be.

So as the shadows dim around me and the air cools a bit, I’ll be thinking about how to proceed. What lies ahead for me? What evils await the characters in my book? Well, that’s a story, as they say, for another day.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me through all of this. Whether you’re here for my evangelistic/scriptural posts, the stuff I write about pop culture and media, or are simply a fan of my books, I want you to know that I love and value you for your time, opinions, and input. God bless you and may you have a good weekend ahead.

Due Rewards & Control

“The key to a happy life is to accept that you are never actually in control.” – Simon Masrani, Jurassic World

Yeah, I’m still on a Jurassic kick, but trust me, this is going somewhere. Even secular works, by the grace of God, can remind us and point to our need for Christ.

I think we’re all, to some extent, control freaks. We’re prone to believing that we have plans, goals, and ideas about what we want and what we should be doing with our lives. In our arrogance, we think we’ve mastered ourselves and our environment, that we can execute these promises to ourselves without regard to the reality which surrounds us. We are wrong.

Life isn’t ordered like that. Life isn’t something we plan one step at a time. It happens to us, around us, and without us. Whether you’re in the midst of your own personal American dream or down in the dumps, scraping by, looking to eke out an existence, the truth is that you cannot account for every outcome. Or any outcome. Life is chaos, a branch of one decision leading to another, often with unintended consequences.

Now, don’t get me wrong. We bear the responsibilities of our decisions. Our sins belong to us. We are culpable for them in every way. If we choose to murder, to steal, to lie, or simply to gossip behind our friend’s back, that’s entirely on us as sinful people.

“We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did,” says the crucified thief on the cross (Luke 23:41). He understood that he was 100% at fault for present predicament. He did not blame the world or God for his actions, but acknowledged the Lord Jesus Christ before man. For this reason, for his belief in his Savior, the Lord assured him a place in paradise (Luke 23:43).

So am I being contradictory? No. We receive the due reward of our deeds. If we do not believe on Him, we will not be saved. If we choose to cheat and harm others, we will reap what we sow. But it is also true that we cannot control our own lives. We don’t have the power, the foresight, or the wisdom to accomplish such a great task. We are small, fickle things, and in our sin we affect each other in ways that we never imagine until it’s too late.

“Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions.” – Alan Grant, Jurassic Park 3

You won’t see me give credit to JP3 often, but this quote rings familiar and true. You can see it in the storied history of humanity. Our efforts to end a horrific war led to the creation of nuclear warheads. We seek to keep world peace, but put peoples in internment camps, rattle governments, and spearhead rebellions. We try to cheer up a friend, but set him down a darker path. Like the Pharisees, we, in our ignorance and pride, can take a person and make them twice the child of hell that we already were.

Think of how the governments of the world have increased security at the expense of privacy. We exchange dignity, love, and fellowship for an unsteady peace of the mind. We tear down philosophical barriers only to put up walls between ourselves and the ever-changing “them” that frustrates us. This is the chaos of our existence, the great evil that is in control, our ever present sin, the will and voice of the enemy – “the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens” – who deceives us (Ephesians 2:2).

We are not in control. We never have been. We struggle, we concede ourselves to the enemy, and we die in our sin. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a man, a God, who loves us so much that He died for our trespasses. There is a person, our Holy Savior, who looks on us and sees scattered children, sheep, that He sacrificed Himself to bring into His flock. May you look to Him, to the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe on His name. Amen.

Thanks for reading. God bless and peace be with you.

Humble Beginnings: A Review of The Evolution of Claire

The Evolution of Claire is a new addition to the Jurassic franchise. This novel marks the first foray of the property into a canonical extended universe – a world of fiction beyond the films that is not relegated to promotional websites like Masrani Global and the Dinosaur Protection Group. As such, there are certain expectations fans might have in regards to quality, tone, and characterization. For the most part, this is a successful expansion to the Jurassic universe and should be commended for its efforts.

That said, it is not the most desirable entry point. The Evolution of Claire is a prequel to the latest films Jurassic World and Jurassic World:  Fallen Kingdom. The novel, set in 2004, chronicles the journey of college freshman Claire Dearing as she joins an internship at the forthcoming theme park. Thus, the reader is promised a peek into the inner workings of the theme park as it undergoes construction while building on the establishment of the character we meet in the films (played by Bryce Dallas Howard). And again, the book delivers, offering insight into the various troubles with integrating extinct creatures into a new business venture that’s never been successfully executed.

But that’s not all the book presents the readers. This is, primarily, a novel for the younger crowd, particularly a YA audience. As such, it suffers from all the accompanying fluff and junk that curtails that genre. In this case, superfluous characters, a juvenile romance, and the author’s personal politics hamper the potential of the book. There’s an interesting prequel buried beneath a litany of one-dimensional characterizations, poorly placed progressive rhetoric, and a romance arc so predictable you can call the whole of it from the book cover alone.

One character, Wyatt, seems to exist for the sole purpose of being crapped on and ridiculed by the author. That might be fine if he wasn’t a one-dimensional caricature who does little more than say slightly mean things about women. He, as well as the vast majority of the intern cast, feels inorganic to the story being told. Much like the other anachronisms (such as YouTube’s inexplicable early existence and allusions to “mansplaining”) in this book, it doesn’t fit the narrative nor the timeline.

Tess Sharpe knows her audience. I don’t deny that she has talent, and when she’s writing a book that more closely resembles a Crichton novel, it’s pretty good. But then the other half, the pixie dust fairytale romance, kicks in and I’m reminded that these characters don’t belong to the world they inhabit or sound their age. These are college freshman with tremendous credentials, but they’re often written like young teens.

”We don’t wear clothes or makeup for you. I do my hair because it makes me feel awesome and like a magical freaking mermaid. One who lures sailors into the sea and eats them.” She smiles, wicked, challenging, and so, so cool, still. – p. 73

”He’s playing ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight,’ and I’m laughing as they sing about being in the jungle, because Justin is a goof. A totally cute, utterly at-ease-in-his-own-skin, true-blue dork. And I tell him that. Not the cute part. But the dork part.” – p. 139

Now, granted, this isn’t entirely out of character for young women. But when you contrast it with their more scientific dialogues in the book, it makes the whole read schizophrenic. I don’t buy that these are the same characters speaking these lines.

”Physical adaptation to the modern environment,” Tanya says. “Studies suggest they existed in a world where [oxygen] levels were much higher. So without human interference, those Triceratops we saw yesterday wouldn’t be able to romp around – if they could exist at all, they’d be out of breath all the time. Plus we’re dealing with dangerously high carbon emissions and a warming climate. All these factors have to be taken into consideration.” – p. 120

It’s not that someone is incapable of both personality types or expressions, but that the changes are so tonally jarring and frequent that the novel doesn’t feel cohesive. Whenever I read the “fluff” of YA tropes, I’m completely unconvinced this belongs as an extension to the Jurassic universe.

Anyone who has read my work knows I’m not against romance, humor, or even schmaltzy bits in fiction. But there’s a time and a place, a way to write it, and too often this novel doesn’t succeed. Any time I’m yanked away from the park operations, the mysterious death of an intern, and the arrival of new dinosaur species, the book drags and becomes unfocused.

All art is personal. There’s nothing wrong with injecting oneself into a given work and I can tolerate other points of view, even give them credit where due. But there’s a point where it crosses the line from being a valid character trait, theme, or plot-point to becoming obtrusive, preachy, and over-the-top. When I’m engaging in an internal dialogue more often with the author’s belief system as a reader than the plot and characters themselves, something’s wrong with way the novel has been crafted.

In a way, I admire Sharpe’s gusto. It isn’t easy to put yourself out there for others to scrutinize and pick apart. I can love and respect her for that as a person and as a creative type. I just don’t think this was the right franchise or medium for that aspect to overtake the importance of the story being told.

But, as a Jurassic Park fan, can I recommend this book? Yes and no. If you can tolerate the occasional injection of politics and poorly conceived character dialogue/traits, there is some meat on the bones for hungry dinosaur lovers. But if you’re starved for a more “adult” take, this book will leave you with an empty stomach.

Now that my totally original and clever pun is out of the way, I’ll just say that I’m glad I read the book and am hopeful for more extended Jurassic universe. I just hope they pick an author whose resume is more suited to the material – no disrespect intended toward Tess Sharpe – next time.

P. S. – Go see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The critics are woefully wrong about that film. And if that doesn’t motivate you, I’ll just say that it has the single best opening sequence in the entire series. It’s so good it pays for the ticket by itself.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully I’ll have another post sooner rather than later. God bless and have a wonderful week.

Edit: Corrected a typing error and clarified my review with additional points.

Humble Beginnings: A Quasi-Review of The Evolution of Claire

The Evolution of Claire is a new addition to the Jurassic franchise. This novel marks the first foray of the property into a canonical extended universe – a world of fiction beyond the films that is not relegated to promotional websites like Masrani Global and the Dinosaur Protection Group. As such, there are certain expectations fans might have in regards to quality, tone, and characterization. For the most part, this is a successful expansion to the Jurassic universe and should be commended for its efforts.

That said, it is not the most desirable entry point. The Evolution of Claire is a prequel to the latest films Jurassic World and Jurassic World:  Fallen Kingdom. The novel, set in 2004, chronicles the journey of college freshman Claire Dearing as she joins an internship at the forthcoming theme park. Thus, the reader is promised a peek into the inner workings of the theme park as it undergoes construction while building on the establishment of the character we meet in the films (played by Bryce Dallas Howard). And again, the book delivers, offering insight into the various troubles with integrating extinct creatures into a new business venture that’s never been successfully executed.

But that’s not all the book presents the readers. This is, primarily, a novel for the younger crowd, particularly a YA audience. As such, it suffers from all the accompanying fluff and junk that curtails that genre. In this case, superfluous characters, a juvenile romance, and the author’s personal politics hamper the potential of the book. There’s an interesting prequel buried beneath a litany of one-dimensional characterizations, poorly placed progressive rhetoric, and a romance arc so predictable you can call the whole of it from the book cover alone.

Now, maybe I’m being a bit harsh on the author. Tess Sharpe has already seen more success than I have, so she must know her audience well. I don’t deny that she has talent, and when she’s writing a book that more closely resembles a Crichton novel, it’s pretty good. But then the other half, the pixie dust fairytale romance, kicks in and I’m reminded that these characters don’t belong to the world they inhabit or sound their age. These are college freshman with tremendous credentials, but they’re often written like young teens.

”We don’t wear clothes or makeup for you. I do my hair because it makes me feel awesome and like a magical freaking mermaid. One who lures sailors into the sea and eats them.” She smiles, wicked, challenging, and so, so cool, still. – p. 73

”He’s playing ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight,’ and I’m laughing as they sing about being in the jungle, because Justin is a good. A totally cute, utterly at-ease-in-his-own-skin, true-blue dork. And I tell him that. Not the cute part. But the dork part.” – p. 139

Now, granted, this isn’t entirely out of character for young women. But when you contrast it with their more scientific dialogues in the book, it makes the whole read schizophrenic. I don’t buy that these are the same characters speaking these lines.

”Physical adaptation to the modern environment,” Tanya says. “Studies suggest they existed in a world where [oxygen] levels were much higher. So without human interference, those Triceratops we saw yesterday wouldn’t be able to romp around – if they could exist at all, they’d be out of breath all the time. Plus we’re dealing with dangerously high carbon emissions and a warming climate. All these factors have to be taken into consideration.” – p. 120

It’s not that someone is incapable of both personality types or expressions, but that the changes are so tonally jarring and frequent that the novel doesn’t feel cohesive. Whenever I read the “fluff” of YA tropes, I’m completely unconvinced this belongs as an extension to the Jurassic universe.

Anyone who has read my work knows I’m not against romance, humor, or even schmaltzy bits in fiction. But there’s a time and a place, a way to write it, and too often this novel doesn’t succeed. Any time I’m yanked away from the park operations, the mysterious death of an intern, and the arrival of new dinosaur species, the book drags and becomes unfocused.

But, as a Jurassic Park fan, can I recommend this book? Yes and no. If you can tolerate the occasional injection of politics and poorly conceived character dialogue/traits, there is some meat on the bones for hungry dinosaur lovers. But if you’re starved for a more “adult” take, this book will leave you with an empty stomach.

Now that my totally original and clever pun is out of the way, I’ll just say that I’m glad I read the book and am hopeful for more extended Jurassic universe. I just hope they pick an author whose resume is more suited to the material – no disrespect intended toward Tess Sharpe – next time.

P. S. – Go see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The critics are woefully wrong about that film. And if that doesn’t motivate you, I’ll just say that it has the single best opening sequence in the entire series. It’s so good it pays for the ticket by itself.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully I’ll have another post sooner rather than later. God bless and have a wonderful week.