Kings

Joe and I stumbled upon a show called Kings. Joe thought it looked interesting so we watched it without knowing much of anything about it. We were amazed at the number of Biblical allegories present in the show! They kept turning up. If you ever watch it, see how many you can find.

I thought it quite intriguing and couldn't help thinking who thought to write the show. Was it a group of Christians or people that liked Bible stories? I don't know, but it is amazing how much of a person's world view, opinions, agenda get thrown into his show or book or art for that matter. Creative expression in these forms, and others, are an extension of a person's soul, sharing a piece of how he is and what he's about to the World.

"I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I writeto you, dear children, because you have known the Father." I John 2:13

Sadie

A clip from My Darkness. Everyone is looking for a reason to hope. Will you give them one?

“Why do you care? Really, Mark. Why does it matter to you if I am another murder on that man’s conscience? What drives you to keep rescuing me? And what am I going to do when in another few weeks, you aren’t around any more.” I gritted my teeth and tore a hunk off of my dry blueberry bagel. I chewed it and watched the agony tear across his face. I was sadistically enjoying myself. Usually, I was the one who suffered.

“I want to protect you!” He tore a bite off of his wheat bagel and threw it in his mouth, mirroring me.

“Why? Did someone hire you to be my bodyguard, and if that is the case, who on this lonely planet cares enough about me to do that? Mark, look me in the eyes and tell me who it is because right now, you are the only person I know that seems to care a wink about whether or not I’m alive tomorrow.” I slammed my coffee cup I’d been cradling between my fingers onto the table and frowned. “And the worst part is, there are more people who’d like me dead or at least permanently out of their life forever. So tell me, who is it Mark? I want to know if there is any reason left to hope!” My voice wavered as my anger melted to despair.

He stared at me, his mouth open, his face screaming defeat. He let out a deep breath that I heard and felt. Its tension overwhelmed me. “I can’t tell you, Sadie. I can’t tell you exactly who I am or what I do or why I’m here.” He avoided my eyes. “You have to find that out for yourself. But, I can tell you one thing, someone did send me, and I do care about you a lot, and I am thankful I was sent so that I could have the opportunity to be here with you, today.”

His voice rose and fell, like a speeding roller coaster. “Sadie, you’re a treasure: to me, to your new family, to the one who sent me. I know that as a fact and no matter how many times you try to talk your way out of that truth, you can’t! You know why? Because a truth is a truth! It can’t be false or wrong or mislead because then it would be going against its own nature. Just like I was made to protect you.”

He reached out his hand, cupped my chin, and pulled me closer. “And I’m not leaving in three weeks. I can promise you that much.” His voice wavered.

I couldn’t bring myself to look into his eyes so I stared at his bagel. Was this for real? Was he for real? Had someone really sent him to me to rescue me, to save me from myself and the things that tear at my soul?

“What’s the ending of this story, Mark? Is it a happy ending? I have to know because I’m losing the will to fight! Just tell me if it gets easier.”

He shook his head, and I stared into his eyes. “I don’t know the future. I’m sorry. All I can offer you is the hope of a happy ending.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, and a single tear slid gently down my cheek, dangled on my chin, and dropped into my cup of coffee. I took a few deep breaths and sat back, breaking the hold Mark had on my chin. I needed room to think. To know whether or not I should believe him.

Inspiration

These verses were the inspiration for my book, The Darkness. Read them and be encouraged and reminded. God is great, we know the end of the story, and we are on the winning side. Believe in Jesus and be set free. ;-)

"And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out."

Ephesians 6

Dreaming of kittens

I was with Joe and my mom walking though a grassy field. I wandered off and found two man lying down playing with two tiny kittens, one black and the other gray. I went up to pet the kitties and naturally started talking to the men. They said they were so tired but couldn’t take a nap because the kitties would run away. Trying to be nice, I volunteered to watch the kittens for them for awhile. They were so excited and thankful. I brought the kittens back to Joe and my mom and told them the plan. They said I should invite the men back to our home to sleep in our spare rooms. I went back and did so, but they let me know that they wanted to sleep in their car. I nodded and left, carrying the kittens home. I noticed the men behind me piling into their red jeep, but it didn’t bother me. I had two baby kittens to tend to. Walking home, I noticed the men behind us several times, but we kept going. Once we were inside, I began to get the kittens situated. It was then that I thought of the possible danger we were in. I yelled to Joe and my mom to immediately lock all the doors and windows. I grabbed the phone and brought it with me into the closet. I called the police, telling them that two men were coming to get us. After the phone call, I crept to the window and looked outside. I found the two men and two others, holding guns, and creeping through our yard.

The moral of the story, kittens aren’t always as innocent as they appear. ;-)

May all who have breath praise the Lord.

"The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created.

He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.

He gave the sea its boundaries

and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.

Let everyone in the world fear the Lord,

and let everyone stand in awe of him.

For when he spoke, the world began!

It appeared at his command."

-Psalm 33

This isn't science fiction. This is the living, breathing truth. God lives, and he is active and present.

But not only did he speak the world into existence, he did the same for man. We are his: created, formed, and loved. However, unlike an artist who creates a painting to admire or to gain monetary gain, the Lord artfully created us so that we could be in relationship with him.

God Almighty is the potter who wants his pots to turn around and be different because of who he is and because of what he has given them. He desires his pots to live in light of the potter's sacrifice and the potter's beauty, to not let a day go by without praising the good things the potter has done in them and throughout the whole world.

If we fail to praise him, the rocks will cry out. He deserves our praise, glory, and adoration that much. He deserves and longs to be glorified in every nation. He created mankind for relationship and so that we could turn around and praise him.

Praise the Lord!

Worry

I've decided to work consciously on not worrying the next few months. Worrying and over thinking about things is easy for me. But trusting in God every day, no matter what happens to provide for our needs (the jobs we need, the money we need, the health we need, and so much more) is difficult. I'm sure you've read this passage before, but I would encourage you to read it in this version from the Message. I think it offers some practical insights that are easy to overlook. So when things get stressful, do what I'm going to try and do, take a deep breath, look at the situation from God's perspective, and make a conscious decision to trust.

Matthew 6

"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.

"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Double Happiness

Double Happiness, a large Chinese character, is traditionally used in Chinese wedding ceremonies. In the ancient Tang Dynasty, there was a student who was on his way to the capital to attend the nation's final examination where the top learners would be selected as ministers in the court. Unfortunately, he fell ill while he was passing through a mountain village. A herbalist doctor and his daughter found him, bringing him to their home and treating him well. The student recovered quickly. When he had to leave, he found it hard to say good-bye to the pretty girl, and so did she. They had fallen in love.

In response, the girl wrote down the right-hand part of a couplet for the student to match:

"Green trees against the sky in the spring rain while the sky set off the spring trees in the obscuration."

The student replied, "Well, I can make a match though it will not be easy. You'll have to wait till I have finished the examination." The young girl nodded, and the student left.

The young man won first place in the examination. The winners were then interviewed by the emperor and as luck would have it, the emperor asked the winners to finish a couplet. The emperor wrote:

"Red flowers dot the land in the breeze's chase while the land colored up in red after the kiss."

The young man realized immediately that the right-hand part of the couplet by the girl was the perfect fit to the emperor's couplet so he used it to answer without hesitation.

The emperor was so delighted to see the matching half of his couplet that he made the student his Minister in the court, allowing him to pay a visit to his hometown before holding the post.

The young man returned to the village where he had first met the girl. He found her at home, and he told her the story of the emperor's couplet.

They soon got married. For the wedding, the couple DOUBLED the Chinese character, HAPPY, on a red piece of paper and put it on the wall to express their happiness for the two events. From then on, it has become a Chinese social custom.

The Midnight Visitor

I was sleeping on my side as I’m inclined to do. I opened my eyes in the middle of the night because something had awakened me. Everything was dimly lit, the moon casting faint shadows into our room through the shades beside our bed. I turned to my back, stretched out my toes, and stared up at the darkened ceiling, trying to get comfortable.

I found myself gazing up at a creepy old man crawling out of our ceiling. It seemed as if a trap door had been cut into the ceiling directly above my side of the bed, and he was using it to crawl out of our ceiling and land on top of us. He was an elderly man, and his white, bearded face scowled back at me as he began to lower himself through the trap door.

Worried he was going to drop onto our bed and harm my husband and I, I threw the covers off, leapt out of the bed, and ran to the wall where the light switch was. I flipped on the lights and yelled, “A man is going to drop on us!” Joe, my husband, sat up and looked around wildly, his eyes a strange mixture of sleep and fear.

My eyes eventually adjusted to the brightness of the room, and I stared up at the ceiling from which the man had been hanging. He was gone. I shook my head and looked again. The faint lines that had marked the trap door were no longer there, and the scowling man had vanished, just like that. My heart continued to race as I assured myself that it all been just a dream.