Know Jack #369 Yes, Drill Sergeant!

 “Gump, what’s your sole purpose in this army?!

“To do whatever you tell me, Drill Sergeant!

When you have questions, you will never find a more direct, to-the-point answer than from a Drill Sergeant. They have a way of explaining how the world works that leaves no doubt in your mind how things really are or what you should do next.

I think it would be great if we could get corporate America to employ some retired Drill Sergeants to train customer service representatives and monitor their performance. Granted, there would be fewer people working in customer service, but those who survived orientation would know how to do their job and fall over themselves trying to please their customers.

Can you imagine the one-sided exchange between a Drill Sergeant and the cashier at the counter of your favorite fast-food restaurant when the kid working the register said, “we can’t put bacon on that” or couldn’t count change? I thought about including my version of it in this post, then realized the few words appropriate enough to post wouldn’t make as much sense.

Imagine for a moment if each new arrival at college was met by their own Drill Sergeant who explained the ins and outs of college life as they escorted students to their classrooms. Universities could change the safe rooms into motivational rooms staffed by smiling faces of helpful men and women wearing Smokey Bear hats. Tell me who in the world could be more concerned with safety, the environment, and a student’s success than Smokey or someone who dressed like him?

Sgt. Santino said he would be my momma and daddy during our time together. He was true to his word. I didn’t do a thing without his permission. He saw I was in bed early each night, awakened on time every morning, ate right, and got plenty of exercise. Following his advice, I never missed a day nor was I late for work for the next seven years.

I came away from it all with the work ethic that help found House of Honor Books; and the improvisation skills that saved me and my patients in the ER many times. America would do better if we would forget about asking the Community for answers and just ask a Drill Sergeant.

Maranatha

Know Jack #368 My Top Ten

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

St. Augustine

I came across this quote by St. Augustine while traveling through a few states to which I have never been before—physically that is. I go places all the time without ever leaving the house. I tell Kim, “Well I’m off to Louisiana,” (Texas or Wyoming) all the time, though my body is only in the next room.

Those places are most often where I go to work. So, where does this writer go for fun? Well, here are my Top Ten favorite literary destinations.

1. The Bible. I read it for understanding and I study it for personal application/encouragement. However, it is also great literature. It is a single story with multiple subplots, and awesome, true-to-life characters. Most people miss this aspect of the Bible because they are busy trying to prove or disprove something rather than reading for story.

2. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis Originally it was a series of radio talks that Lewis gave to lift the spirits of his countrymen during the dark days of the Battle of Britain. Lewis, a one-time atheist, and professor of Philosophy presents the greatest apology for Christianity ever in an explanation of the two facts that are the basis for all clear thinking in the universe.

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. So glad her publisher talked her into extracting this one from her original manuscript that followed the lines of her later Go Set a Watchman. Watchman, in my opinion, was a total flop. Atticus Finch, the man who does all the dirty jobs no one else will touch is one of my all-time heroes.

4. Pet Semetary by Stephen King. This is the first of King’s books I read and still my favorite. An interesting irony that those who believe “we go on” have such trouble with accepting the move. It’s true, sometimes dead is better.

5. Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes. Personally, I think Cervantes fumbled on the goal line. Nevertheless, if I could be any character in literature, I would be the tragically comic Don Quixote lost in my own world within a world.

6. Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. The ultimate hero’s journey. The story follows Christian’s travels from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. I’ve read the original and the modern English versions. Go for the older one if you dare.

7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. It may be fiction, but it is an important insight into what America is all about—its successes and failures on open display.

8. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. The victors may write history, but the losers are not without a story worth hearing. This is history as told from the other side. If it doesn’t make you want to cry—check your pulse.

9. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. It’s just plain fun. The unassuming Thomas is very much at odds with prevailing attitudes. The view presented of life’s purpose happens to be one I share and a compelling argument for beginning to live one’s best life and dreams now.

10. Come Nineveh, Come Tyre by Allen Drury. Hands down this is my answer when asked about the scariest book I have ever read. It’s frightening because it is fiction that rings with truth. If you’re Woke, pass it by, you just can’t suspend belief in yourself enough to get it. If you believe in the basic goodness of the American Republic, turn off the television and read this.

 

Lost Crusader #155 Blessed Are the Poor

 There seems to be an active idea within the church today, the idea that being poor is synonymous with being just and that the poor exist only because they are oppressed. It’s not surprising that it should be that way given the Church’s desire to be indistinguishable from society. Modern media and politics have declared the blessedness of poverty and the evil oppressive bent of “the rich” who are to be taxed and pulled down into equity. Contrary to what you hear from pulpits and in Sunday School, there is no such idea in scripture; the above text is only one proof.

First, let me point out that it is not the poor who the Sermon on the Mount described as blessed. It is the poor in spirit. That is, the humble, those who do not think too highly of themselves (this may or may not be easier to do based on possessions). The poor in spirit are those of a broken and contrite heart, not a depleted wallet.

Consider for a moment those to whom Jesus said the gospel was addressed. The whole have no need for a physician. If poverty makes one just, then why should there be a need to preach to them? The difference between the rich and poor in the gospel accounts lay in the respective numbers who responded in a positive manner to the gospel.

Be aware that distinction is not exclusive. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were both rich and politically connected, yet heard and acted on the gospel message.

In truth, poverty and wealth each have their spiritual pitfalls and opportunity for blessing. Some of these pitfalls come from within, from our attitudes. Other attacks come from outside, from society’s judgment of us (Woe unto the minister who prospers!). Fortunately, it’s not what you have or lack that determines blessedness, but who you have.

Jesus taught an infinite value of personal worth without regard to money, talent, or appearance.  This brings me to an important point our society has forgotten. You do not lift up the poor by tearing down the rich. Jesus said, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the God of very rich men. However, their true riches were not in material possessions. It was in their possession of a relationship with God. A relationship which, by the way, they didn’t fail to share, even with servants.

Why does God make some rich and others poor? You might as well ask why some are black and some are white, or why some are male and some are female. When I was an aircraft mechanic, the answer to such questions was simple—designer’s choice.

Rich or poor, God made you as you are for purposes only God knows. The divine expectation is that we be grateful and content with His design and follow His plan as it is revealed to us. Be prepared to understand that plan will include lifting up others as the means to being blessed.

Maranatha

Know Jack #367 Writing on a Budget

 “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”

Stephen King

Jack Benny (Google him) was famous for two things: being 39 for decades and being a notorious cheapskate. I tend to be rather manic-depressive when it comes to money. In my writing style, I tend to emulate the late Mr. Benny. I try never to use a $100 word when a ten-cent one will do. Neither do I like using five words where one good one will do the job.

There are as many writing styles as there are voices in the world. Some sound alike but unless there is a conscious effort to emulate someone else, writers who are serious about their craft work to develop a unique voice. I am of the opinion that the voice they finally decide on reflects their core personality.

As long as it is your own voice, there is no right and wrong to finding it or what it sounds like. This is something that, when working as an editor, I try to constantly keep in mind.

Some writers tend to be rather wordy. Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo runs over 444,000 words and is replete with extensive, flowery descriptions of people and places. Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote is 900 pages and over 344,000 words. Both are classics and personal favorites.

On the other hand, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a classic that I have read and reread a dozen times. It might be 30,000 words but that’s stretching it a bit. Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea falls just short of 23,000 words.

I have read each of these books and like them all. A quick read of my books is evidence of the direction in which I lean while writing. I once had an editor who often objected to my having a character walk across the room without first detailing that he got up out of his chair.

It is true that I use obscure references without bothering to explain them. In my defense, many writers do. If you’re a Stephen King fan check out how many books have a character named Dwight Frye. It’s fun when you get it and goes unnoticed if you don’t, so why not have fun?

In the name of economy, I also refuse to write a sentence, add a comma and then explain or add a description of what I just wrote. In today’s market that may or may not be a good thing. However, it is my thing, my voice, and, so far, it has worked.

Talk is cheap, so I try to be thrifty with my words. If a word ends in “ly”, I have to ask myself twice if I need it. The exception may be blog posts in which I ramble.

Maranatha

 

Lost Crusader #154 But Then…

 “Behold your King!”

Pontus Pilate

Israel looked but didn’t see a savior or a king in the bloodied prisoner in Roman custody. “Away with him, away with him! Crucify him! So they took Jesus and led him away…where they crucified him…”

When I was a young man, I wrote a masterful paper on the Hundred Years War. My theme was that the savage slaughter of innocents across Europe was definitive proof that God did not exist. It was thoroughly researched and well-made case complete with numbers and statistics about deaths in battle, wanton civilian massacres, and corrupt kings. Man’s inhumanity to man run amok and where was the loving God? He must not be real.

But then, I saw Him on the cross… and the world changed.

Years later, as a young Christian minister, I was persuaded to abandon a military career to become Minister of Youth and Christian Education. The job offer vanished the day after I left the service. I was asked by the church leadership to move away so as not to draw members of the congregation away. I was devastated and I admit I held a grudge.

But then, I saw him on the cross… and I changed.

Severely depressed, thousands of miles from home, and alone, I was at my wit’s end. Deceived into believing I had been abandoned by God and family, and questioning my own faith, I was at the point of giving up.

But then, I saw him on the cross… and our relationship changed.

The point I hope to make here is that life presents difficulties that seem impossible to overcome. Christian faith is not all sunshine and miracles delivering its disciples from every distress. It is about being made into a person fit for another world in which the highest ideals here are the mundane. It is not a world where people jockey for position, riches, or fame, but one based on love.

Love given, is the picture God painted on the cross. There is a line in the song that bears the same title as this post that says, “Redemption’s cost for me display, how could my heart have not been swayed…” Love received and shared is my answer to the picture God painted.

My King is no longer on the cross. He has risen, as He said. I was the cause of his crucifixion and the object of the salvation he won there. I have but to look at the cross to find the cost paid for me. In doing so my hope and faith are reborn.

Who or what then can separate me from the love of God? As long as I can see the cross, the answer remains the same—neither height nor depth, neither things present nor things to come for I am not my own. I was bought and paid for by Jesus on the cross.

You don’t have to “see” it, nor understand it. Derision and slander change nothing. He was crucified for me; I can do no less in return.

Maranatha

Know Jack #366 Faking It

“If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle them with bovine biscuits.”

Anonymous

Although that’s not exactly how it was told to me, I’m planning on utilizing the above bit of wisdom on my upcoming road trip. I’ll let you know how well it works when I get back in October.

I signed up to attend a writer’s conference a few months ago. On the application, they asked if I would be willing to sit on a panel in one of the sessions. Forever one to jump in over my head, I answered yes. Well, I found out about a week ago that I was going to be on a panel talking about crossing genres with Raymond Benson of James Bond fame. Given my cryptid, paranormal, supernatural, western, and Christian writing, I may be safe there.

I was also told that I would be moderating a panel with the title, Death by Any Other Name: Natural, Homicide, Suicide, Or ? My mission since I agreed to accept it, is to get a pathologist, a rheumatologist, and a healthcare executive, who are all fiction writers to discuss post-mortem implications for writers.

I’ve worked with doctors before. I have even said nice things about some of them. It’s not their clinical expertise that is intimidating. That is the result of my feeling that moderators are often considered the least qualified of the people involved. The organizers probably figure that, with my background, I know enough to pronounce all the words correctly and to stand aside while the experts talk.

No problem.

However, occasionally I’m a bit of a realist, and let’s face it, I’m a small-time writer, I don’t belong to any writer’s associations, I haven’t coined any unique new names for genres, nor won any prizes. Unlike the panelists in the group, my books have critical reviews. At the moment, I feel both small and insignificant by comparison.

That’s why I’ll put on a suit and tie, walk in like I’m in charge and try to bamboozle the you-know-what out of everybody in the place. I hope to call on the great wolfbat hunter Sandbar Jack to help me. He’s the hero of one of my stories and the personality I need to take over. Kit Mann is too upfront; Ed Landry would put up a fight. Sandbar Jack will stand on the sidelines and laugh to himself while poking fun at how seriously everyone takes the proceedings. In the end, he generally leaves everyone scratching their heads wondering how he fooled them. 

Maranatha

Lost Crusader #153 Let’s Talk About This

 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow…”

Isaiah 1:18

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says that all clear thinking in the universe is based on two observable phenomena. First, human beings all demonstrate, by word and deed, that they believe in an objective, rule of right and wrong that they didn’t make up but that governs human behavior and is employed by people when they disagree. Secondly, they knowingly break that rule.

The response, “Well, nobody’s perfect”, perfectly illustrates his point. The very idea of human imperfection, if rationally approached, has ramifications that go to the heart of what it means to be human. Rats may gnaw their way into your house and eat your food. But when they do, the rats are just doing what rats do. As far as we can know, there is no evil intent. The same can be said for every animal and plant, except one—mankind.

When people do us wrong their intent is weighed and innocence or guilt of violating the rule of behavior is assessed. If a person walking down a crowded aisle, into which my foot protrudes, trips over my foot, I will ask to be excused (from wrongdoing) as I did not mean to trip them. Generally, a reasonable person will agree there was no intent, and all is settled. However, if I see another person coming and purposely extend my foot tripping them, that’s an entirely different situation.

Now, enter our scripture. In weighing right and wrong, whether we think about it or not, we are employing a standard against which to measure. Since everything is not necessarily black and white to us, things are seen as good, better, best and bad, worse, and worst. That is, we are using a scale, and the scale has preferences. It is not a mindless scale, but a scale designed by a mind based on a constant.

Christians call this mind, God. The top of the scale, the gold standard, is God’s own perfection. Now, because God is love and seeks us to join in a love-based relationship. It is God’s desire to elevate us to the divine level at the top.

Knowing we are not perfect, God says let’s talk, get to know each other, and have a relationship that will lift you up to share the divine life. If you never hear the offer, you have an excuse for not responding (but not for wrong behavior because that you do know.). If you hear the offer and ignore it or reject it, you are without excuse.

It's not a choice between churches or personally held truths. It is a choice to share the divine life or reject it. Sharing it is heaven, standing apart from it is hell. There’s nothing blind about the choice, nothing unreasonable, and nothing imaginary about it.

Accepting God’s offer doesn’t make a person perfect. It starts them on a journey that leads there. It’s no easy road. Things can and do go wrong. People lose direction and wander off the road. Some are always trying to find shortcuts. Still others refuse to ask for directions.

Thomas (the doubting guy) once said to Jesus, “Lord we don’t know where you are going, how can we know the way?”

The reply is memorable. “I am the way, the truth and the life…” Which is the short answer to how to find God.

Mraantha