Occasional Sputterings

 "You can't tell a story collaboratively," said Jack. `Good stories start with a single voice and transition from expression to expression, until ... " "Shut it," said Emily. "Just because it doesn't make sense to you doesn't mean it's not done." "But the narrative structure is weak," whimpered Jack. "And it's just lazy to force different characters to tease out different parts." "Once a failed writer, always a failed writer," replied Emily, as she brought coffee to her mouth. "The only thing failed writers are good at is spotting other failed writers." "Well, we are a pair," said Jack. "But then, you never even tried." "Just waiting for the right story," said Emily. "I don't waste my time practicing on the perfect novel. I fill my days with reading, coffee, and hunting for that perfect story note!" Rolling his eyes, Jack said, "You don't g...

 I think the recognition of beauty is one of God's greatest gifts to us. Sometimes it's enough to simply feel a sunset, hear the laughter of a child, or smell something that reminds us of a pleasant memory - because beauty is often not just one thing; and sometimes the inclusion of one aspect of beauty can help us appreciate another. God's funny like that. It's exceptionally useful when there doesn't seem to be any; when things are genuinely horrific; when the people around you are empty, or evil; when chronic pain makes it hard to even sleep, let alone dream. It is times like these that the gentle reminder that hope exists is priceless. And beauty is a vehicle for hope. It doesn't have to ONLY convey hope. It can convey love. Or discontent. Or frustration. Or any number of things. But, on some level, the part of a human that can recognize incomprehensible wonder, the part that can connect to one's childhood, and the part that can receive forgiveness are all...

 Moments memorable are commonplace The touch of sunlight on one's face That doesn't make them vain or trivial It just creates the chance for an easy ritual I met George when we went to the park Three kids in tow, not looking to hark But God has a sense of rungs And George shared about forgiveness and tongues Take a prayer closet and sit and listen Pray in secret and wait on God's vision Forgive the offenses and seek it for self To build upon your spiritual health

 May your days be filled with simple wonders And your nights be filled with dreams Of ancient wooden sailing ships And consequence-free schemes May your days be filled with simple wonders Whether magical or real Things you can cherish by yourself Or with your friendship seal May your days be filled with simple wonders Of dangers far and wide The kind that make you shake your boots and make you grow inside May your days be filled with simple wonders Rainbows, butterflies, and truth Things that remind us, no matter our age, of the innocence of youth May your days be filled with simple wonders Moments that can be shared as a gift A powerful, rooting reference that in adulthood are oft adrift May your days be filled with simple wonders And your nights be filled with dreams Of hope and songs without remorse and imagination streams

 And you might have heard of the terrible bird called a side-hawk (to those in the know) With terrestrial flair and a mane that's quite bare, known to talk (if it lands in the snow) And true, it's quite rare, for this bird's affair, to find comfort between sidewalk and street Its secret, of note: it's a shifter, a bloke, who spends half of its time quite discrete You'd not recognize, in diminutive size, the absence of quite bloodied claws  For, instead of a beak, at the strongest, his peak, has a form that's less muscle, more straws And if you would follow, the meeker and smaller, he'd show you how his transitional bends Are painful to see, in his eyes there's no glee, and each change, to his form, fully rends But if you are there, and lay your soul bare, you'll learn of the secrets he knows He hails from the place, where sidewalk ends grace the chalk-work of small girl, boys, and crows So I hope that one day, in the usual way, you can learn where th...

 Soul, ten times bigger than yours Heart, ten times wider Life, ten times harder than yours She is a mighty fighter Hands, ten times warmer than yours Back, ten times stronger Mind, ten times tougher than yours It comes from deep inside her Words, ten times deeper than yours Thoughts, ten times wiser Dreams, ten times broader than yours She needs no one beside her Dance, ten times smoother than yours Sings, ten times louder Sight, ten times further than yours And you are who delights her

How playful must you be to see an archer in the stars? To watch the lights crawl in the sky to give fearsome name to Mars? The best dreams are all playful and ask of us to grow to add depth in a direction that normally we wouldn't go I like to think that painful dreams can be replaced by good ones where elements of horror can be sung away by bold ones And happiness and light though seemingly naïve are actually a source of hope: an emotional reprieve So dance with me, oh reader, and believe that hope is real for I believe if you can suffer then you can smile and heal.

 An invisible kiss, riding the air, floats upon a breeze. Traveling amongst, the ambient bliss, arriving near your seas. Knocking gently, with kind intent, It does not awaken you But roams the plenty filled gardens, collecting morning dew. It repeats its knocking, gentle, scented, until you rise and hear. And as you open door, the day greets and then the kiss draws near. It waltzes airly without out landing, and sets upon your brow. And as it contacts, your forehead, you know i'm with you now.

 Gone to Sierra Madre Don't know when I'll be back If you knew me you'd know why If you don't, won't give you lack Gone to Sierra Madre Where the skies are all clear The rivers are clean And where I have no fear Gone to Sierra Madre Where my darkness can die To cleanse my inner beast And my fortune to scry Gone to Sierra Madre Won't be back home soon mother nature is calling mother mountain is too Gone to Sierra Madre Or she'll come to me Wouldn't that be a sight Like the ground walking free Gone to Sierra Madre For it is my home And when I am returned I am never alone

[ TOC ]  Book - Introduction I keep wanting to write a book. Sometimes it's a book of poetry, sometimes it's stories, sometimes it's essays, and sometimes it's doodles. But I quit. Lots of little reasons - chores, boredom, irritation, distraction. The reality is, like anything else, the writing isn't the hard thing. It's the expression of the hard thing. It's an indicator of disarray - but it isn't something to put stock into. Because books matter. And ideas are valuable. Perhaps a mis-quote to put things into perspective: "Success isn't doing the one thing right; it's learning to not do the many wrong things often enough that something sticks" ~ Some random person. Here in the middle, my attribution: I give credit to God for getting me this far. I have lived in a God-bubble my entire life; this doesn't mean my life is perfect - rather, that I am far more blessed than I have any right to be...

 [01 - intro + meet main (1257)] It was a dark and stormy night. The wind  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20201102-01-0254/+4 Marcus sat in his warm chair and held the thick, closed portfolio. Hearing the breeze ease through the trees made him turn. Barely visible in the moonlight, the sounds of swaying branches reminded him of beaches of crushed shells with only the tide to keep him company. The smell of leather drew him back. * I've checked this a dozen times. He has the spark. He just doesn't see it. * Opening the portfolio, Marcus reviewed the dossier. Upon the desk a holographic man stood, rotating slowly. Dressed in a loose t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, the figure repeated the same set of brisk motions: a burpee, a pull-up, a round-house kick, and a box-jump. Swiping in mid-air, the holographic man became a baker; the figure began making an endless collection of pancakes. Cont...

 Two part approach [o] main character is surrounded by wonder/beauty/interesting and cannot see it [o] pick-your-path element - reader decides how the main character responds ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [01 - intro + meet main] [02- meet sidekick] [03 - decision - man vs nature OR man vs self OR man vs society OR man vs man] [04 - develop sidekick; either side-kick is decision independent OR side-kick is dependent] [05 - foreshadow success AND fail - what does each decision / type of conflict / look like resolution-wise] [06 - introduce first minor conflict - all four types] [07 - introduce minor conflict resolution - one of the four will result in killing the main character (go back)] [08 - introduce second minor conflict - four types] [09 - introduce minor conflict resolution - one will kill the main character (different than #7); (go back)] [10 - introduce third minor conflict - fou...

This is the reef that never ends. Cause it goes on and on my friends ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He talked to her. Said good and true things. Sometimes. She asks a question. He tries responding ... but maybe talks too long or pauses long enough. She interrupts - not wanting to lose her thought(s). He gets hurt - maybe gets offended, maybe forgets what he was going to say. And he feels smaller. Why don't words work? So he attacks. Or defends. In the trenches, is there a difference? She crumbles. She was just trying to connect. Maybe she's perfect. Maybe he's flawed. There doesn't seem to be a way to be vulnerable without being attacked. He learned, long ago, that being attacked is painful. And only stupid people let themselves be hurt. So when his guard is up, he stops the attack. Because if he can't be pain-free, at least he will be safe.

[ TOC ]  Book - Chapter - Christian -- 2020 08 04 - 1519 - iteration 01 Truly effective adjectives work better as verbs than nouns. Too, too often a person might consider themselves a Christian because of a single moment in time. It might be a baptism. It might be a dedication. And it might simply be a conversation. The danger, though, is that - unlike most other words - this one has actual, enduring merit. Because the implicit idea behind this word is that you embody a certain world-view. And that you seek an actual relationship with God. And thus, for it to actually be true, it should not reflect something done in the past. Rather, it should identify how you'll act in the present and immediate future. The Bible talks about being deceived. One of the most common instances of this is someone trusting unconditional grace. For the word Christian to have the appropriate depth, it means: You'll trust God with your goals, your heart, your inner self. You'll intentionally repent ...

[ TOC ]  Book - Chapter - Competence -- 2020 07 23 - 0258 - iteration 01 Faking it until you make it means you often don't realize when you do make it. This could be chalked up to bad parenting or bad mentoring. Regardless of the reason: Receiving the recommendation you should fake success without context ... Might ensure you achieve success ... But it doesn't teach you how to recognize it. And it doesn't teach you how to appreciate it. At the core of this is a fundamental lack of competence. Obvious consequence: Without that competence, you will always rely upon others to help you course correct. Not-so-obvious consequence: You will likely always rely upon others to tell you when you NEED to course correct. What if we expected people to be competent instead of successful? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- some additional thoughts: - The absence of competence mak...

[ TOC ]  Book - Chapter - First -- 2020 06 09 - 2014 - iteration 01 One of most arrogant things you can do is not grant someone else a voice. It is very easy to do. You yell, out of anger or pain, and crush someone's soul. Or, during a conversation, you simply don't listen. Because, of course, things are self-evident - anyone who disagrees is wrong. It is the danger of presuming a single story is enough. That there is no need for additional context. That YOUR perspective is objectively true. Nobody is completely right the first time. Revelations and insights often come from someone with whom we're in conflict. What if we raced to see who was most merciful instead of who was first? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- some additional thoughts: - Presuming any single person is completely accurate will always eventually bear failure - We are a social bunch of animals - an...

[ TOC ]  Book - Chapter - Belong -- 2020 06 19 - 1801 - iteration 01 Everyone wants to be part of a group - on their own terms. When you're young, you adopt the terms of others. Maybe you want to emulate your father or your mother. The terms then are often mimicry of those you adore. Maybe you want to sneak a drink or cigarette with your friends or watch a football game. The terms might be to mimic those you respect. Hopefully, as you get older, you have more of a voice in the terms. The terms might be to be respected for your accomplishments. Thus, on some level, by belonging to a group (or a person) you are offering someone an opportunity to create a kind of home for you. What if you have a moral obligation to be overly kind / gentle with those who provide you a home? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- some additional thoughts: - Most homes don't require brick or mortar - w...

[ TOC ]  Book - Chapter - Shine -- 2020 06 22 - 1521 - iteration 01 You were made to reflect. In this modern age of disposable priceless artifacts, it is very easy to miss very important things. An obvious one is that you are a walking reflection of what and who you value: 1. You think about what both who and what you've seen. 2. Your behavior is a reaction to, and informed by, your thoughts. 3. And what you display, by your behavior, reflects this. The greater the quality of what you reflect, the brighter you will shine. This also bears fruit in the realm of worship. You were not made to have a comfortable life, to find love, or to even be happy. Comfort is temporary, human love is temporary, and even happiness is temporary. However, you can choose to be satisfied by where you are. You can choose to mirror agape love, offering thankfulness and mercy. And you can choose to be joyful. And if you do, you'd be surprised how bright you can shine. ...

  [ TOC ]  Book - Chapter - Identity -- 2020 08 28 - 1202 - iteration 01 You are who you have been and we're you're going. How you envision your identity is a powerful, powerful thing. It impacts what choices you think you have and how you frame yourself. It's like the story of the bound man. He spent years in a tiny box - and when he was finally free, he couldn't walk. Having a wrong self image can also make it harder ... To learn from mistakes / change behaviors To discover new opportunities, ask questions, or accept criticism. Or to admit when you are wrong - or accept you are right. The solution is to choose not to let yourself be defined by ONLY your past. You are a living, breathing soul - and you're heading somewhere! Do you enjoy and find engagement in your current identity? Does your current identity fill your days with joy? Then choose to be satisfied by your identity! Grow in it. Do you feel trapped, unappreciated, and disengaged with your current identit...