Mark Joseph Young's Blog: The Ides of Mark, page 7

Medical Excuse

My activity in the latter half of the month was curtailed somewhat by a week in the hospital.  Although I was able to take my laptop, its functionality is somewhat challenging so I only got a bit of work done, mostly doing setup on pages of the Multiverser novel In Version for future publication.

Before I was hospitalized I managed to post the last support pages for In Verse Proportion , character sheets for Joe Kondor's companion character Lieutenant Ezekiel "Zeke" Smith and Derek Brown's wife Amira Vashti Brown, and to launch the next novel, ninth in the series, Con Verse Lea .  I got two chapters of this posted before being institutionalized, and one more since my release, so it's off to a slow but solid start featuring Lauren Hastings, James Beam and his crew, and Tomiko "Tommy" Takano, and resolving the cliffhanger from Re Verse All .

The day I went into the hospital, the Christian Gamers Guild published my new RPG-ology #58:  Random Encounters , sharing tips on running wandering monsters as I learned them over the decades.  The Bible study covered only a few verses, Mark 1:15 through 19, although despite the medical disruption I managed to publish one other post, Musings:  Decluttering , from a pastor friend about removing junk from our theology.

Behind the scenes, I've sent the revised second edition text of About the Fruit, along with the cover artwork for consideration of the new cover, to Ken Goudsward at Dimensionfold Publishing, and am awaiting word on the new release of that.  Meanwhile, Eric Ashley and I continue working on Con Version, what is expected to be the eleventh Multiverser novel, with some struggles in the collaboration.  So I'm keeping busy.

I'm also struggling to stay afloat, and your support either via Patreon or PayPal.me or by buying my books is especially appreciated at this time.  You can also keep up to date on what I'm doing by following the Patreon web log or my other social media sites.

Expectations

Let me not bury the lead:  my first book not part of the Multiverser materials, released in 2006, has been republished in a new edition, What Does God Expect?  A Gospel-based Approach to Christian Conduct , from Dimensionfold Publishing.  It is available through Amazon and other publishers in paperback and Kindle formats.  It explains the concept of living rightly without having rules or laws to follow.  Hopefully this time it will find its audience.

Next week he will be begin the process of readying About the Fruit for re-release.  I have already done a final edit of the text for that, but the cover might prove to be an issue, so we'll have to work on that.

Otherwise things have been mostly routine.  The month began with the publication of mark Joseph "young" web log post #455:  The Song "King of Glory" , which is the worst performance of the worst song on the entire list, I think, but included because it was performed better decades ago by The Last Psalm, and I have some Last Psalm fans on my Facebook contacts list.  There was also a new Christian Gamers Guild article, Faith in Play #58:  Supers , another in the archetypes miniseries.  I finished publishing In Verse Proportion chapters 144 through 147 featuring Derek Brown, Robert Slade, and Joseph Kondor, and posted a final behind the writings look as web log post #456:  Versers Prepare .  I am currently posting character papers to the Multiverser novels support site, all updated to the end of this book, with main characters Joseph Wade Kondor , Robert Elvis Slade , and Derek Jacob Brown already posted along with Slade's wife Lady Shella .  Kondor's companion Lieutenant Ezekiel "Zeke" Smith and Derek's wife Amira Vashti Brown will appear this week, and on Sunday I expect to launch the opening chapter of the long-awaited Con Verse Lea.

The Bible Study has been working its way into Mark, 1:4 through 14, supplemented by Musings:  Distractions about missing the things of God because we're looking at something else, and Musings:  Fish , an excerpt from a forthcoming book about the miraculous catch in the last chapter of John's Gospel.

Eric R. Ashley and I continue writing Con Version, which will be released after In Version, which I am currently preparing for publication following Con Verse Lea. That probably means that I've got a couple years' worth of chapters of novels in the can, but we have both benefited from working together, and I'm enjoying the stories we've been producing.

That's everything, other than to remind you that you can keep up to date by following my Patreon blog whether or not you become a patron, and can support the continued publication of my free online materials through PayPal.me.  Lord willing, I'll still be here next month.

Still Writing

The mark Joseph "young" web log was quiet the second half of this month; there will be a new song post there tomorrow.  That doesn't mean I haven't been busy; Eric Ashley and I have been writing chapters of Con Version faster than I can set up chapters of In Version for publication.

Meanwhile, In Verse Proportion is closing in on the last chapter, with chapters 137 through 143 giving more of the stories of Joe Kondor, Derek Brown, and Bob Slade.  We'll have reached the end by the time I see you here again.

I also finished publishing The Gospel According to John, with John 21:23 through the chapter recap, and then started the Preliminaries introducing The Gospel According to Mark.  This was announced on the Christian Gamers Guild website, http://christian-gamers-guild.org/wp/... Christian Gamers Guild Bible Study Begins the Gospel According to Mark.  We posted the third verse of that book earlier today.  These were accompanied by Musings:  Sick , about being thankful for what we think is the norm, and Musings:  Unpredictable , about making the most of the time we have with God and each other.  In my prep, I finished the notes for Matthew and started working on Luke.

The Christian Gamers Guild also released RPG-ology #57:  Ives Loves a Parade , a recovered Game Ideas Unlimited piece about putting things together that were not meant to be together.

There was some other work related to web sites, but that's enough for now.  Let me remind you that you can keep up to date through the Patreon web log whether or not you become a patron, and can support my free online publications through PayPal.me.

Critical Moments

Apparently fifty years ago this summer I was on tour in Romania with a select group from my high school chorus.  One of those who were part of that launched a Facebook group to mark the occasion and share memories, and since she was having trouble controlling Spam posts she made me an admin.  It hasn't taken too much of my time, but I do have to keep an eye on it, and I've posted a few memories of my own from the time.

One of those is that it just coincidentally happened that the song posted this month, in web log post #453:  The Song "Never Alone" was written, or at least started, while I was on that tour.  I comment on that in the blog post.

Speaking of web log posts, I did not really want to write #454:  In re:  Comes the Storm , but my publisher had asked that I write a review about a book of inspirational poetry.  I'm a theologian, a Bible teacher, and a performing Christian musician, but I have never found inspirational books at all inspiring.  On top of that, I object to using the word "poetry" to describe prose that is laid out artistically on a page; artistic prose, even poetic prose, is not poetry.  So predictably I did not much like the book, although I did find some redeeming qualities.

Eric Ashley and I completed In Version as predicted.  I am working on setting it up in HTML format, and we have started on the eleventh Multiverser novel Con Version.  Meanwhile, In Verse Proportion is moving toward a finish with chapters 131 through 136 continuing stories for Bob Slade, Derek Brown, and Joe Kondor.

The Christian Gamers Guild released Faith in Play #57:  Heroes , and the Bible Study covered John 21:12 through 22, along with Musings:  Groaning about how spiritual leaders and their parishioners often fail to appreciate each other, and Musings:  Did Wrong which is sort of about divine guidance.

Let me once again ask for your prayers; finding money for my wife's medicine is becoming difficult. Meanwhile, I'll remind you that you can keep current with what I'm publishing through the week, along with some of the events of life, by reading my Patreon web log whether or not you are a patron, and you can also support my free online publications through PayPal.me.

Thanks for your encouragement.

Turning Points

Sometime this afternoon--he may already have done it--I am expecting Eric R. Ashley to draft the penultimate chapter of our collaborative work In Version, which, since we already jointly drafted the final chapter of the book, will give us a complete first draft.  He is leaving it to me to do the read-through edit, and we will probably both contribute to filling in parts of the behind-the-writings record we've been keeping as we progress, but in essence the tenth Multiverser novel has been completed.  That is not, however, the end of our collaboration, as we have already agreed that in a week or two we will begin work on the eleventh novel; we have both enjoyed and benefited from our work together, and I think produced a better story than either of us would have done alone.

On the subject of novels, the serialization of In Verse Proportion continues with chapters 124 through 130 telling more of the stories of Derek Brown, Joseph Kondor, and Robert Slade, including the penultimate behind-the-writings post for the book, mark Joseph "young" web log post #452:  Versers Ready .

There was another web log post, #451:  The Bethel/Hillsong Music Controversy .  A friend had heard something about it and asked me, and I offered a framework for the consideration of the problem but did not give a definitive answer.

Over at the Christian Gamers Guild, RPG-ology #56:  Voices , about characterizing non-player characters by the use of accents and other vocal tricks, got some positive feedback.  Meanwhile, the Bible Study covered the first eleven verses of the last chapter of John, that is, beginning with 21:1 through 21:11, and also had two Musings posts, Peter Hopper about thoughts from a drummer in a band who was almost famous, and Kittens , about indecision.

In other writing news, I finished setting up the support site character papers for the upcoming novel Con Verse Lea.  My publisher asked me to write a few words about a book of inspirational poetry, so I've got a preliminary draft of a review thereof which will probably appear in a few days.  He has also invited me to collaborate on what appears to be a sort of popular theology book that looks very interesting.

In other personal news, my wife was back to the hospital after a bad fall and has been unable to return to work; her income, which is our primary support, has dried up. My patrons provide help, but I am already making choices concerning what not to pay. I might not be here by the end of next month; pray for that, at least.

A reminder that you can keep up to date, as long as I can maintain it, by following the Patreon web log and other social media.  You can also support my free online writings there, through PayPal.me, and by buying my books.

Rainy Days

That happens to be the title of the song I published at the beginning of the month, in mark Joseph "young" web log post #450:  The Song "Rainy Days" ; it is also a not inappropriate title for the first half of July, as I review the writing and publishing of that period with a bit of my life included.  You might remember that my wife was in the hospital at the end of June; she was discharged in time for Independence Day, has seen a couple doctors since then, and is taking mouthfuls of medicines.  Yesterday she was too sick to swallow anything more than water, and today she fell and went back to the emergency room this time by ambulance.  It took a few hours before they decided she could go home.

Meanwhile, the novel In Verse Proportion continues to be serialized on the web, with chapters 118 through 123 covering more of Joe Kondor, Bob Slade, and Derek Brown.  Behind the scenes, Eric Ashley and I continue moving forward swiftly with the sequel In Version, to be released the same way sometime in the future.

The Christian Gamers Guild published Faith in Play #56:  Guidance , suggesting ways to bring divine direction into a game without disempowering players.  The Bible study covered John 20:22 through 31 with a chapter recap, plus three Musings posts, Lawmaker about the value learning to follow the rules, Refrigerator about growing up, and Feelings about how they might matter.

I have a couple web log posts in the works.  To stay current follow me on Patreon or other social media.

Summertime Blues

My wife came home, returned to work--and went back to the hospital for something completely different, but again not COVID-related.  She is still there this evening.  I expected her to be discharged today--and yesterday, and the day before--but it has been delayed once again.  I spent most of the day with her.

That characterizes a good chunk of the second half of June, as we post the twenty-eighth post on this web log.  However, a lot has happened, and lot is happening behind the scenes.  As I promised, I posted mark Joseph "young" web log post #449:  Cruel and Unusual , about efforts to end capital punishment rather unfairly.  There was also finally a new time travel analysis posted as Temporal Anomalies in Time Travel Movies unravels The History of Time Travel , a rather clever premise fairly well executed.  Also, another lost Game Ideas Unlimited article was recovered as RPG-ology #55:  The Process , recalling how I learned to produce creative output.

The Christian Gamers Guild's Chaplain's Bible Study continued, covering John 20:11 through 21, and including Musings:  Chairs (different from the previous one in the singular), about God putting us in places where we will be comfortable for a while but then feel the need to move.

The novel In Verse Proportion continues with chapters 111 through 117, advancing Derek Brown, Joseph Kondor, and Bob Slade toward the climax of their stories.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes author Eric R. Ashley has kept us driving forward on our collaboration on In Version, which will be the tenth Multiverser novel.  I also realized that I was approaching five hundred posts in the mark Joseph "young" web log, so I started working up a list of my personal favorites from those, which I hope to make post number five hundred, but that's probably farther away than it feels.  Also, Dimensionfold Publishing has expressed interest in republishing my earlier books What Does God Expect? and About the Fruit, probably sometime this fall.

Once again, you can keep up with most of these publications by following me on social media and particularly on Patreon, whether or not you become a patron.

Events

The first half of the month has been eventful.  For one thing, my birthday came, and went, and left behind a new desk chair and a new extra large bath towel, both good practical gifts that I can use.  I had dinner with my wife--who was in the hospital at the time, not COVID, but in for a few days.  The patient menu is actually fairly good, and you can order a guest tray with a rather full meal on it for $7.

Meanwhile, author Eric R. Ashley and I agreed to collaborate on my next Multiverser novel, that is, the next one I'm writing; I have one, Con Verse Lea, ready to publish when I finish releasing In Verse Proportion, and I had started working on the one to follow that, which because it continues the stories of the current book I am calling In Version.  I had started that next book but wasn't sure at all what I was going to do with any of it, and so having an infusion of his ideas has helped significantly in driving it forward.

On that, In Verse Proportion advanced from chapter 105 to 110, two chapters each for Derek Brown, Joseph Kondor, and Robert Slade, with another behind-the-writings look in mark Joseph "young" web log post #448:  Inventive Versers , covering chapters 85 through 105.

Also on the web log, of course, there was a song on the first of the month, one from my high school days, #447:  The Song "When I Was Lonely" .

I have a web log post on cruel and unusual punishment drafted, which I will probably post within the next few days.  I've also drafted an article which lists old fantasy movies in danger of being forgotten, and am working on another on science fiction films, but have not yet decided whether they will go to the web log or to the RPG-ology series at the Christian Gamers Guild.

The Guild also published Faith in Play #55:  Marriage , on the exploration of the concept of marriage within games and stories.  The Chaplain's Bible Study moved from John 19:42 through 20:10, and included Musings:  Children about how they imitate our lives, and Musings:  Chair , about the aforementioned birthday present and my reactions to expectation and hopes in that regard.

There is a new time travel movie analysis well on its way, which might see the web site before next week.  All of this was accomplished with an injured knuckle that severely impaired my typing for at least a week.

Finally, of course, you can get more immediate updates on what has been published by following my Patreon blog or other social media.

Remembering

Yesterday was Memorial Day in these United States.  Thanks to the passage of the Monday Holiday Bill passed in 1968 it always occurs on the last Monday in May, creating a "three day weekend" which quite a few people stretch to four by taking Friday with it.  On the other hand, prior to this school children often got four-day weekends--if a fixed date holiday fell on Tuesday or Thursday, educators thought it too complicated to have students attend a single day, so we all got off the corresponding Monday or Friday, a three-day week.  Having been moving from middle school to high school when this was effected, I have often believed that was the reason it was done.  To me, the thirty-first of May is always Memorial Day, one of the holidays I committed to memory as a child, along with Washington's Birthday.  Fortunately they didn't mess with the law establishing Thanksgiving, so that four-day weekend is still honored at the end of every November.  In New Jersey we have another November four-day weekend, because the New Jersey Education Association--the teachers' union--holds its annual convention on the first weekend of that month, calling all teachers to Atlantic City.

So lacking an appropriate holiday greeting for a day on which we remember those who gave their lives, in whole or in part, for our defense, I will just say to anyone in that category, thank you.

Now, let's see what I can remember about the second half of May.

It began with the promised mark Joseph "young" web log post #446:  The Religious Freedom Abortion Argument .  In brief, there are some who claim that any law which restricts the right to get an abortion is an impingement on religious freedom; this article considers the merits and flaws of that argument, from theological and constitutional perspectives.

We also continued the chaplain's Bible study with John 19:29 through 41, and two more Musings posts, Walls briefly comparing the walls of Jericho to the walls of the Philippian prison holding Paul and Silas, and Remembrance Law observing that a law requiring us to be thankful is a nearly useless requirement.

The Christian Gamers Guild also gave us RPG-ology #54:  Names , another recovered Game Ideas Unlimited article about how things get named.

In Verse Proportion continued with chapters 98 through 104, the stories of Bob Slade, Derek Brown, and Joe Kondor moving toward climactic moments.  Behind the scenes I have finished the reference character sheets for Con Verse Lea and made strides on the HTML versions for the support site, and I've also written several chapters of the novel to follow that, now under the title In Version.

Let me again mention that there is a Patreon web log which provides information on new articles more quickly, and sometimes includes musings on other subjects such as whether that Supreme Court opinion leak might have been a hoax.

That said, there will be another of these mid-June; hopefully I will see you then.

Another Year

Obviously it is not January; it's May.  It's also not my birthday, which is almost a month from now.  However, this twenty-fifth entry in The Ides of Mark web log begins a second year of entries covering what I've written and published, in bi-monthly installments.

I drafted a new web log post on the question of abortion being protected by religious liberty, but I have not yet posted it for a few reasons; it will probably appear next week.  Meanwhile, the only web log post so far this month was the one opening it with a song, mark Joseph "young" web log post #445:  The Song "How Many Times" .  It's a bit--quite a bit--nostalgic, but still a decent song.

The Christian Gamers Guild Bible study continued with John 19:18 through 28, and two more Musings posts, Commendation suggesting that "well done good and faithful servant" is not about works, and Destinations about where God is taking us.

The Guild also published Faith in Play #54:  Stigma , responding to someone's suggestion that the word "Christian" be dropped from our group name. I have that series drafted through March, but am still looking for topic ideas beyond that.

The novel In Verse Proportion continues to appear serialized, with chapters 91 through 97 giving a lot of Joseph Kondor, some Derek Brown, and a bit of Robert Slade.  In related news, I finished the setup of the forthcoming Con Verse Lea and am working on the character sheets for the support site.

In unrelated news, I accepted an invitation to sing at a not-quite-local bar (next county, twenty-five minute cross-country drive).  I forgot to record it, but my host made and posted a video (on Facebook) of perhaps the second half of the four-song gig. So if you want to see and hear me talk a bit, sing a bit, and fumble with some guitar work, you've got this opportunity.

And let me not forget to mention that you can get several fast-tracked updates each week through my Patreon web log, whether or not you are a patron.

And that concludes the first half of May.