Eric Suddoth's Blog, page 18

Still Waiting

My passport expired in June and I have a trip planned for August, so I filled out my paperwork and mailed in my renewal in early April. I thought that would be plenty of time.

4 months later I’m still waiting.

And I leave in 2 and a half weeks.

Sometimes I wonder how much in life is a teaching tool from God and how much is a joke being played on us?

To be fair, I know many loving and good parents who enjoy pranking their kids. And if God is a loving and good parent, does He fall into the pranking persona?

So, do you think God pranks us?

I mean, look at Jonah. God could have used many other ways to show Jonah he was wrong. But God said, “You know what, how about when the crew throws him overboard I have a giant fish ready to swallow him and keep him safe. Yeah, good plan.”

I bet Jonah would have preferred another boat or maybe a giant eagle to snatch him up and place him on dry land.

But God chose a fish’s belly.

There are other stories with a talking donkey, virgin birth, skeleton army’s…it may appear like myths. But that is the crazy thing about faith, if it was easy to believe, would it really be considered faith to believe in it?

So maybe God uses the crazy, prank-like things in life to show us how God-like He really is. To remind us He’s got it under control.

At least that is how I like to picture Him.

So, if this is a teaching tool, I hope I’m passing at this waiting game. And if it’s a prank, I hope I get my passport with a package with balloons soon.

Either way, I know it’s all going to be okay.

At least that is the what the optimistic me is telling myself. I just have to keep telling myself like the little engine that could.

“It’s going to come. It’s going to come. It’s going to come.”

Peace

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To Do or Not To Do

Have you realized in life everything is either a yes or no type of question?

Wear this shirt? Eat this chicken strip? Turn left? Marry this person? Take this job?

There rarely is a middle ground. Even if you are picking between two peoples side and you can’t decide, you are still saying “No” to both of them by not picking one of them.

Everything is a yes or no.

Many years ago I started writing. I said yes to picking up a pen, I said yes to scribbling some words, I said yes to keeping it in a tattered notebook.

Many people may not see the correlation, but if I didn’t say yes to that internal question 25 years ago, I may not be where I am today.

Can you look back in your life and see yes or no moments that have led you to where you are now? If you can’t, you’re not looking, because those little decisions from yesteryears ultimately led you to the now.

You don’t know where you would be if you had answered one question differently, but isn’t it astounding to think one question could have had a huge paradigm shift.

It could have been you choosing a chicken strip instead of a hamburger. You may think what big change could happen with that, but the possibilities are endless. You could have struck up a conversation with the woman who handed you the honey mustard packet and…15 years later married with 2 kids.

Each decision can make an impact.

I have a friend who would always say, “everything is connected in God’s tapestry.” And that is so true. Every aspect of our lives is connected with a series of yes or no decisions.

Life is fragile. It’s on a constant scale trying to balance itself, and sometimes it gets out of whack and things crumble.

Many times when I write, I try to have an underlying purpose for my book. I like a good story, but a good message in a good story is a powerful combination.

So, I started toying with an idea a few years ago. What if two characters are having similar experiences, but they are on opposite sides of the spectrum.

In real life I cannot play two roles…but in a book I can. I can have a character to choose yes and see what happens. I can have a character choose no and see what happens. I have the luxury of being all knowing in my imaginary world.

This is the underlying premise of Solomon’s Dreams – The Hunting of Huntington. The main character, Solomon “Solo” Davis, meets a woman, Elizabeth Hyde who has dreams each night. She does nothing with her knowledge. Just waits for her dreams to happen.

Solo starts having dreams and he is compelled to stop the tragedies.

She chooses to do nothing. He chooses to do something.

They each have a reason for their decisions. But which decision is the right one?

If you were someone who knew something bad was going to happen to a stranger, would you choose to help or stay distant? Would you act or stay still? Would you say yes or say no?

In life, we have these moments all the time and we subconsciously answer these yes or no questions without seeing the magnitude of our split second decisions.

But these split second answers could have a lifetime of consequences or rewards.

If given a dream would you act upon it or not?

Maybe something a little easier, tomorrow will you live your life to make someone’s life a little easier? No dream needed. Will you impact someone else in a positive way that could drastically change their life.

You don’t know what your simple yes could do for someone. Who knows, they may be pleading to God right now for someone to say yes and help them.

So, how will you answer?

There is always a question like this to be answered…always.

Peace

No pressure, but if you are interested in reading book 1 of my Solomon’s Dreams series it has recently been re-edited.

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Re-Edit…in Life Too

Sometimes in life you think things are going well until someone points out one of your blind spots. It may sting, but good friends need to point these things out so you can better yourself.

I know I have blind spots. I’ve had friends to point out some of my quirks and idiosyncrasies, usually with rounds of laughs and poking fun. But I’ve also had friends who told me some deeper blind spots to better myself.

The only way we can improve is to know our flaws. And then work on improving them.

I hear many people say, “I know my flaws and I’m fine with it. You have to love all of me or none of me.”

Is that really how our attitude should be?

Instead of changing and improving, we cause others to bend where we don’t want to bend?

There are many people in this world that are not bendable. They break at a little critique. They snap at an unflattering word from a loved one. They retaliate with fiery arrows and daggers.

Life shouldn’t be like this.

We should acknowledge we are not perfect. We should listen to guidance from those that want to help us. We should heed their wisdom. We should…but so often we don’t.

I am horrible at grammar. I hate editing because sadly I can never see my own problems. It takes someone else to point out my wrong verb tenses, missing commas, and often misused words. (I didn’t know there was a difference between clinched and clenched…apparently there is.) It takes an editor to point out these flaws to improve my stories.

I have recently went through another round of edits on my first book, Solomon’s Dreams – The Hunting at Huntington. My book has been praised for the story, but the editing needed some work. So instead of getting upset at reviews on their unfair claim, I had it re-edited.

I didn’t see the flaws. But it took other readers to point out the rough edges.

But now, my re-edited new version of my first book is now available for download on Amazon. (the story is the same.)

Editing like life is a process.

You are not perfect. And that is okay.

It’s just not okay to stay that way if you know it.

So, maybe you need a re-edit.

Life is about learning and growing…are you ready?

It may feel hard, but it will be worth it in the end.

Peace

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Come Alive

I’ve been trying to jog more lately. I used to run quite a bit before I tore my ACL about 5 years ago, but the last 5 years my mileage has been low.

I bought some new knee straps that have been helping me, so in the evenings I stretch, wrap my knee, put my earbuds in, and run.

An album that has resonated again lately during my runs is The Greatest Showman. Each song inspires me to dream a little more. So, come dream a little with me.

This week my song of choice has been Come Alive on the album. The other night while I was jogging a few of the lines hit me like a freight train.

And the world becomes a fantasy

And you’re more than you could ever be

‘Cause you’re dreaming with your eyes wide open

And you know, you can’t go back again

To the world that you were living in

‘Cause you’re dreaming with your eyes wide open

So, come alive

The Greatest Showman

So, are you more than what you currently are?

I think we could all agree there is something more inside us that we are not tapping into. We are settling for our same self of yesterday…but we are more than our yesterdays.

We need to open our eyes and see the potential in ourselves. We need to dream a little more to spur ourselves to believe the impossible isn’t really impossible. We need to dive into the fantasy that so many people are living out in real life.

It’s easy to sit on the couch and watch a television show, movie, sporting event…it’s so much harder to live a life worthy of someone else watching.

Did God intend us to spend the evening hours and weekends glued to a television living vicariously through another’s life?

No. He intended you to live a life that would cause others to ooh and aww.

Are you living that kind of life?

If not, it’s not to late to come alive.

Just as the song says, as you step out and take that chance you can’t go back to the world you were living in.

Once you take that leap of faith, taste that sweet nectar of adrenaline, look fear in the eyes…you’ll realize you are more than you thought you were.

You’ll see the world with more possibilities.

You’ll see possibilities that were once unfathomable.

You’ll fathom the life you weren’t meant to live.

But you won’t go it alone.

Once you step out, just wait, others will follow. Others will want what you have. Others will seek out their dreams and fantasies. Others will step out and open their eyes to their new tomorrows.

So, consider coming alive.

The only other option is staying where you are.

They will both end in death eventually…just the path will be different.

Just as poem says,

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

Robert Frost

Which path will you choose?

Peace

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Happy Release Day – Friday, July 16th

When I first came up with the idea of Solomon “Solo” Davis, I would not have imagined I would still be thinking about him, writing about him, and learning about him 6 years later.

That is the interesting thing about writing. There are things about each of the characters I have yet to uncover.

It seems like in each book I pull away a layer and discover a secret the character wanted to keep hidden.

But just like in life, some secrets cannot be hidden forever. And sometimes when the truth comes out – fireworks happen.

Book 3 picks up three months from the last book (so Book 1 happens in October, Book 2 happens in early April, Book 3 occurs in the first week of July – Independence Day).

When you think of freedom what do you think of?

Do you think about the price it cost to have that supposed freedom?

Book 3 dives into various characters price of freedom. (I hope you can see the correlation while reading the book.) It’s not just because it’s DC on July 4th… but is there anywhere else that is the epitome of freedom in the United States?

But freedom is different looking for each character. That is the interesting thing about freedom, it comes in many different forms.

Freedom is bigger than a sparkler you hold in your hand, a pledge you recite to a flag, or a picnic with beloved friends and family.

It is so much bigger.

It’s something to not take for granted.

Because at any minute things can change rapidly.

Just like in the book freedom has a price. Sometimes is it deadly.

Peace and happy reading

If you don’t want to buy the book, contact your local library. They should be able to order it.

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There’s Nothing Better Than You…Really?

There is a line in the song we sing at church, Graves into Gardens, “There’s nothing better than You, Lord, there’s nothing nothing is better than You.”

And this line is nice to sing on Sundays. It’s easy to sing in a worship service. It’s easy to say nothing is better than God in that setting.

But do we really mean it?

Is nothing better than God?

Then why do we neglect Him?

I hear so many times, myself included, that I don’t have time to read the Bible. Or praying isn’t one of my favorite things to do. Or I cannot sit in silence longer than 3 minutes.

If we can’t do these things, but can sit and watch an entire season of a new television show in one day (I’ve done that to many times) how can we say nothing is better than God?

So, is worship just a song we sing with catching lines and hooks without meaning what we sing? Is it like karaoke on Friday night only for a good time?

Shouldn’t worship be more than that?

Shouldn’t our lives be a daily worship session?

I read in a book one time that when it says don’t take the Lords name in vain, so often we think it is about cussing. But it’s not just cussing. The Lord’s name should be in every aspect of your life. It should be don’t take your life in the Lord in vain.

Meaning, you should live wholeheartedly like the song says, like “nothing is better than You.”

Are we passing the test?

Do people see you as a walking example of Christ or the thief on the cross dying beside Him?

I think there are moments in everyone’s life when we are a good example. Then there are times we crash and burn. But the good thing about the Gospel is it isn’t a one time deal that you can have your privileges revoked. It’s not a game of who’s going to come in first. It’s not what the world says it should be.

It’s a process. It’s a growing. It’s a passing of time. It’s a changing of seasons. Hopefully, it’s a continually chart of improvement and purification in the upward trend. Hopefully it’s not a slow decline or the dreaded stagnant status quo.

We may not be where we want to be. But hopefully we are not where we were a year ago.

Also, if you think you are at your spiritual high glass ceiling, it is time to wake up. Start the day with new eyes. And see the endless possibilities.

May we learn to sing the songs on Sunday with truth and conviction.

And may we learn to live like we sing.

Peace

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Solomon’s Dreams 3 – The Price of Freedom

My latest book, Solomon’s Dreams 3 – The Price of Freedom will be available soon. Here is the first chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

SUNDAY

CHAPTER 1

He closed his eyes and waited on the park bench, tracing the hundreds of initials etched in the wood. His heart was racing, but it wasn’t the brisk jog through the woods on a lonely winding path that caused his blood to pump harder than usual. He lowered his head, allowing a few drops of sweat to roll down his nose, sliding down the slender curvature. He licked his lips and smiled at the saltiness.

It was the last Sunday in June. He had often wondered what this time of year would feel like in a less humid area, but sadly, he was stuck in Washington D.C. He often thought about picking up and heading to the Rockies where snowcapped mountains could be seen 365 days a year, but he knew that wasn’t in the foreseeable future. This was where he was meant to be. For now.

Raising his head, he watched as a few lightning bugs chased one another, lighting up the desolate park. He knew it wasn’t safe to be in a park this time of night for some people. But he wasn’t one of those people. He was the one people should be warned about. He looked down at the Fitbit on his wrist, showing him his heart rate was still spiking at 134 beats per minute.

He took a few deep breaths, closed his eyes, and let his body sink into a relaxed posture. He slumped his shoulders and exhaled. He inhaled again, letting the craziness of the world into his psyche. He didn’t want to let it go, didn’t want to exhale. He wanted to hold in all the animosity swirling in his lungs. But he couldn’t and eventually let out the air.

He heard a pair of sneakers hitting the paved path in the distance. He wondered if this was the one he was waiting for. The pounding started to get louder. The pace wasn’t anything extravagant, easy to overtake if necessary. He kept his eyes sealed and listened to the crickets chirp, feeling like a kid camping in a pitched tent with his two brothers. He’d had a good childhood, no matter what the news might say. So what if his father abused him? So what if he learned to bob and weave his father’s punches before he could ride a bicycle? It had taught him more than the rest of the world would ever understand.

The sound of jogging feet was getting closer. He thought about opening his eyes and seeing if this was the main attraction for the night, but he knew there were other ways to find that out. Instead, he waited patiently. His grandmother had always told him that patience was a virtue. He used to roll his eyes at her condescending tone and wonder what Bible story she was going to force down his ears before supper. Some people would have regrets over tarnished relationships, but he never let that emotion grow enough to give it a second thought or a period of remorseful mourning. She was dead, and life went on.

He heard an owl hooting as if singing along to the melody of the crickets’ legs and the drumming of the runner’s steps. He listened intently as the runner came within a few feet of the park bench, inhaled deeply, and started to exhibit a crooked grin. He knew he didn’t need to open his eyes to start the chase. All he had to do was smell him.

The man jogged by and left a trail of musky cologne that was just one notch up from a feminine perfume. He chuckled to himself that just because a smell was bottled for a man didn’t mean it deserved to be on one. He opened his eyes and watched Tuck, a twenty-seven-year-old former college baseball stud slowly jog away in his green jersey shorts and gray muscle tank shirt with a pair of expensive earbuds plunged deep into his canals. He rolled his eyes at the man’s cockiness; wearing earbuds to tune out the surroundings this late at night wasn’t the smartest thing. But then again, Tuck wasn’t known for his smarts. He flaunted his good looks as if it was his only good quality. Many women had fallen victim to his playboy ways. Too many.

He stood up and stretched his legs and started to run in Tuck’s direction. He didn’t care about being loud. The man’s deafening music would drown out any sound. He looked down at his Fitbit and saw his heart rate was creeping up to 147 beats a minute. He felt like his heart was about to explode, but he didn’t care. By time he finished, the device would probably tell him to stop and cool down.

He watched Tuck follow the paved path into an area of trees. He looked around, but there wasn’t a soul in the park. What crazy person would be running through the park at ten o’clock in the evening?

Just good ol’ Tuck.

Too bad for him.

He took a deep breath and ran full force in Tuck’s direction. He was within an arm’s reach of him when he caught a whiff of his Abercrombie or Hilfiger cologne. The revolting smell surged through him like a lightning bolt. His legs went into overdrive. Tuck might have played baseball in college, but an unprepared baseball player could not compete with a hurling linebacker.

Tuck didn’t see it coming.

He didn’t hear it either.

If you enjoyed this first chapter, check out the rest of the book on Amazon in the coming weeks. Or you can preorder it now. It is sure to keep you in suspense. This is the third book in the Solomon’s Dreams series, so if you haven’t read the first two, check them out as well.

Peace

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The Reconnect

Why do friendships fizzle? Why do conversations end? If you’ve ever disconnected from someone there may be many reasons.

There may be reasons for leaving. A toxic environment. An egotistical self-centeredness. A deprecating tone.

Then sometimes it’s just…I’m not sure why.

Time. Relationships. Location. Life stress. The ebb and flow of life changes. The cyclical seasons of age.

But the beauty in these chasms that have eroded inch by inch through time that it takes one person to reach out. One text. One Facebook message. One DVD mailed (inside joke).

And then suddenly a bridge is built.

In the last month I have reconnected with various good old friends. I’m beginning to wonder, am I about to die because these meetings just dropped out of no where. And I’m so glad they happened.

Each time I reconnected it was like I had just seen them at Bible Study last week…but it wasn’t last week. Or last year. It’s been years.

But that is the thing about reconnections. There’s no finger pointing of who dropped the ball. No one asking why the other hasn’t texted. No disgruntled snide remarks (or I hope there aren’t).

It’s like the gap was filled and time stood still.

I keep saying I think the best gift God gives is our memory.

Memories of good times. Foolish gifts. Weird moments. Classic movies. Guilty pleasures. Treasured music. And other friends.

I went for a visit and left 5 hours later. And when I left it felt like I just stepped into their warm home.

If I could bottle a tiny bit of what Heaven will be like, it will be that feeling of reconnecting.

Sitting around recalling times that evoke laughter like hearing Noah talk about the months in the stinky arc. Hearing stories from the disciples and the humorous side of Jesus. Hearing when Jonah was spit back on dry land.

What a time of reconnecting with people I have never met. But also reconnecting with loved ones who have already gone.

But why wait until Heaven to reconnect?

Are there people you need to reconnect with now?

We all have those people.

May we all be as bold as my friends reaching out to me. They may never know the importance of those nights. But thank you.

Peace

P.S. this post is about you…you know who you are.

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On Hold – Telephone and Life

A few days ago I reached out to the United States Passport Service to expedite my passport. I’m going on a trip in August and I was concerned I wouldn’t get my passport in time.

It took 26 phone calls to get through. 26!

Apparently I wasn’t the only one calling. Well, I eventually spoke with someone who said he would expedite my passport, took my credit card information and said I should get it in 20 days. He confirmed my email and said I should receive confirmation.

A day went by and no email. No credit card charge. Then another day went by.

I started to get nervous because my Subway charge popped up less than an hour later, but my Passport expedite fee still hadn’t shown up after a couple of days.

In times of waiting worse possible scenarios always seem rational.

What if he didn’t expedite my passport and I miss my trip? What if he typed in my credit card information wrong and my passport won’t get here in 20 days? What if my credit card got declined?

What if? What if? What if?

So I called again yesterday. It took less than 26 calls, but I finally got through. Then an automated voice warned me that my wait time was longer than 2 and a half hours. I went about my afternoon working. I went to Evansville. I had supper. Then the voice came back on over 3 hours later, “your wait time is approximately 25 to 30 minutes.”

Sweet relief. I was getting to the end. Then after 25 minutes the voice came back on. “Your wait time is approximately 12 to 15 minutes.”

I thought that was weird since I had already waited the 30 minutes.

So I waited some more.

I went to a friends house with my Bluetooth EarPods and continued to listen to the classical hold music while reconnecting, laughing and sharing stories.

After an hour, “Your wait time is approximately 6 minutes.”

I didn’t believe the automated voice. But I remained on hold.

Finally after over 5 hours of listening to the same song, hearing the automated response of experiencing higher than normal call volume, I got through.

I waited over 5 hours to have a one minute conversation where I got the confirmation I needed, my passport has been expedited and they won’t charge my credit card til later.

I got off the call and we all had a good laugh. I felt both stupid and relief. Why didn’t I trust that my passport was being expedited? Why was I nervous of missing the trip?

Because sometimes in life things don’t go as planned.

As I sit and reflect our life is like this hold time. But sadly, many of us wait longer than 5 hours to feel the sweet nectar of confirmation.

I think God knew we are a bunch of impatient creatures because throughout the Bible, it repeatedly calls us to wait. Be patient. Be still. To hold on.

It’s easy to recite the verse during a 5 hour phone call…but it’s harder after a decade of waiting.

Waiting for your Dream to come true – a dream you feel in your bones. Waiting for a miracle to awaken like the morning dawn. Waiting for circumstances to align perfectly to pave your future with a better path.

Once again, I think God knew we needed these verses to remind us like a caring Father to “just breathe.”

In those verses I can hear God saying, “ It’s going to be okay, Eric. Just hush, relax and let Me handle it.” Then in other verses I can hear God saying in a gruffer time, “Just chill, Eric! I got this!”

But how often do we confuse God handling it with picking up the phone to speed the process because we think we can do it faster and better than Him? It’s as if telling God, I know you said to wait…but I’m going to by-pass You and find out what the hold up is.”

I often wonder if we are in two camps.

The first camp is those that wait it out without doing anything. They expect God to move so there is no need in moving themselves. They pray. And wait. They pray again. And wait.

The second camp is those that wonder if God wants us to pray and then act. Put our feet to our prayers so to say. A call to action. To move.

I see both are good. But I see flaws with both as well.

David could have been in the first camp when Goliath was causing havoc. David could have prayed and felt God would take care of Goliath and sit back and wait. But David was supposed to act.

Then there are stories like Gideon where God slowly dismantles things to prove to us He is the one doing it. When God doesn’t need us to fight a battle. He just needs us to wait.

So I wonder if life is a mixture of the two?

An Arnold Palmer of faith with a little tea and a little lemonade. A little waiting and a little action.

Sometimes we are called to move.

But sometimes we are called to wait.

And sometimes we are left in the middle wondering what to do – the other third group who hadn’t even made it to their campground yet. (So maybe there are many camps…not just 2)

So wherever you’re at. Take heart. Stay hopeful. Find joy. Feel His peace. And wait…or move.

If you decide wrong, I bet God can fix it. He’s done it many times before.

Peace

Crazy Thing About Airfares – I’m Heading to Portugal

I love to travel. I love to explore new lands and immerse myself in foreign surroundings I have only looked at in books and magazines.

But I love a good deal even better.

Today, I got an alert from Scott’s Cheap Flights about cheap flights to France. I wasn’t interested in France so I did a quick search for Europe.

Flight to Lisbon, Portugal roundtrip $335. I immediately booked it. It’s hard to find flights in the US that cheap.

So, I fly from Chicago to Madrid. I have a few hours layover in Madrid and then fly to my final destination, Lisbon.

Here is the interesting thing about flights and fees. Do you know how much the flight from Chicago to Madrid cost because it was a nonstop flight?

Around $800.

So, even though I’m flying to Madrid and moving on to another place, one would expect my flight to be more. Another plane. More gas. More wages for employees. Another free movie. Another free beverage and cookies. And my cost is $400 less.

Yes. That is the strange world of airline tickets.

A few flights I have booked in the past my seat only cost $1. A standard fee they have to charge for the ticket. The rest went to fees and taxes they are required to collect. Yes. My seat on the airplane cost $1.

And then, I don’t pay for luggage but put everything as a carry on. Why pay for luggage when you can do a carry on for free?

People think it’s unaffordable to travel overseas, but if you watch you can find some really good deals. Sometimes you have to play around with flights, dates, cities…seek and you shall find.

I laughed earlier this year and wondered how many trips I would take this year, but for this price it’s hard to pass up.

So, if anyone is interested in finding cheap flights definitely check out Scott’s Cheap Flights. I have went so many places in the last few years because it was actually cheaper flying overseas than flying in the United States.

Life is short. Explore. Dream. Save for an adventure. And then take it. You don’t know what next year holds.

Peace and happy travels hopefully for you

https://scottscheapflights.com

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