Michigan Tea Party Patriot

Tea Party Patriot has moved!

2010-06-04T14:24:00.002-05:00

to the Tea Party Field Guide at www.teapartyfg.com

We've let down our guard

2010-05-14T06:06:00.000-05:00

I just read the conclusion of Elena Kagan’s college thesis. You can read the entire manuscript here. I guess what shocks me the most is that we, as a nation, have become all too receptive of those who are receptive to socialistic idealism. Not that there’s anything wrong with open minds exploring differing viewpoints, but our President’s tendency to surround himself with cabinet member and czars who are quite open in their radical socialist beliefs is more than troubling. It’s just scary.

I understand that those who’ve made politics a career will always delve into various social and economic theory. I’ve read writings of Marx myself, and had little trouble seeing the folly, by the way. I expect that anyone rising to the level of President or advisor of the President has studied just about every type of governance offered by man. After all, one must know the bad ideas in order to argue for something better. The founders of this nation understood the bad ideas. That’s why they established what still stands as the greatest solution to government ever devised—the U.S. Constitution.

So the political spectrum is broad, and our nation’s leaders have immersed themselves in all known theory. So my question is a simple one:

If the President is representative of everyone in this nation, why are his advisors made up almost entirely of socialist radicals?

Elana Kagan is just the latest. Pick any other. Van Jones, Cass Sunstein, Davis Axelrod, Bill Ayers, Eric Holder, Carol Browner, Valerie Jarrett, and his latest gem, Donald Berwick. That’s just the short list. It’s gotten to the point that we’re so immersed in his progressive agenda that we don’t notice, or just don’t care anymore, that our capitol has become the stomping grounds for the people we defended our country against through two world wars and the cold war.

I need to get into detail about these people, about progressivism, and how this socialist agenda has slowly eaten at American society since Woodrow Wilson was in office, perhaps before. See why the party politics is just a distraction? It goes much deeper. Not a conspiracy, just a letting down of our defenses. Our founding fathers warned us that, in order to defend this republic we’ve created, we must always be alert. We’ve not been alert.

I’ll continue on with more postings once I get myself organized. There are plenty of others doing the same, most better connected (and more talented) than I. But I hope that a few of my friends will understand. This isn’t about a political party. It’s about saving this country. All one has to do is look to Europe to see our future. We’ve been fighting hard to align ourselves with European social philosophy. I fear we will get our wish.

For today, I’ll simply ask you to keep an open mind. Research anything I or anyone else tells you. But be prepared to accept what you discover. Let me leave you with these final thoughts.

One of my favorite books that caused me the most grief was 1984 by George Orwell. There are lyrics to a song at the end of the book that have haunted me since I read them more than twenty years ago:

Under the spreading chestnut tree,

I sold you and you sold me.

There lie they, and here lie we

Under the spreading chestnut tree.

In Orwell’s book, those who rebelled against a tyrannical government were easily found out because the masses had been trained from birth that it is their civic duty to rat out the non-conformists. The hero and heroine of our story, after their mini-rebellion is discovered, sit in a diner at the end of the novel, this song playing while they sip their drinks. Their moment of victory smashed, their hope gone, they play the game, walk the walk, and behave as good little patriots who serve Big Brother without question.

Fiction is funny. It has a way of becoming reality. Or, perhaps writers have a special antenna that picks up on social trends. Orwell was one of those. So was Ayn Rand. Atlas Shrugged so mirrors what is happening in America today that I almost weep when I read it. It’s prophetic.

My friends, I don’t care what your party affiliation is, but what’s happening in America is nothing less than the steady dismantling of our founding principles, to be replaced with the progressive utopian dream. Unfortunately, the utopian dream has been tried over and over, from the French Revolution to modern Europe. Each and every time, the dream has been turned into a nightmare. I’d give my life to keep that nightmare from our shores and away from my children.

By the way, for those of you who’ve subscribed to my blog, I’ve moved it to a more permanent site. Go to www.teapartyfg.com. I’ll continue these postings there (don’t wanna lose you, Tom).

God bless. See you next week.

Taxing the Rich...and other fairy tales

2010-05-12T04:54:00.000-05:00

Here’s my new favorite word: fair. Despite the attempts of many (okay, hardly anyone) in the mainstream media to educate the populace on how the economy works, the most popular American argument to solve the debt crisis is to raise taxes on the wealthy. After all, there comes a point where you’ve made enough money (put a little inflection on “money” so you sound really hep).

Here, I’m going to say something that will really piss off a lot of people: you’re not interesting in fairness, you want to punish people who’ve succeeded where you’ve failed. It’s kinda like the high school kid who spreads nasty rumors about the girl who got elected prom queen. It doesn’t matter that you never showered and scowled at everyone who roamed into your personal space, it just isn’t fair. You know, I agree, I think Stephen King should be taxed 90% of his income because he can publish his grocery list and I can’t get my masterpiece into print. He’s not very pretty, either. So there.

But let’s try it. Let’s tax everyone making over $100,000 per year 100% of their income. That would come out to about $3trillion. Not bad. That would cover more than half of the budget. Except, of course, that the top 5% of earners already pay 85% of the taxes, so we’re really not gaining that much. All of this is easily found on the internet, by the way. The IRS is full of little tidbits. I suggest a little Google-ing before casting in stone something spouted by Whoopi Goldberg.

Speaking of hypocrites. Why, in America, is someone who makes millions per year by acting, singing, or sports considered a hero, while anyone making millions providing a product or service that we all need considered greedy? Here’s my favorite: Michael Moore earns millions a year making “documentaries,” all while bashing capitalism. I believe we call this “eating the hand that feeds you.”

Getting past all that, here’s the common sense that ain’t so common anymore: the nasty rich people you so despise are the ones who got rich by building companies, big ones and small ones. And guess what those companies do? Right! They hire you! That way, you can buy the wide screen TV (made by a filthy capitalist), SUV (made by a filthy capitalist), and 2000 sq.-ft. house (made by a filthy capitalist). Then you can drive home from your filthy capitalistic job in your SUV, walk into your big house, turn on the wide screen, and watch Keith Olbermann (getting richer every day) bash the guy who gave you the job, built your car, your TV, and your house. Only in

America

(or any other country with socialist aspirations).

So how hard do you think your employer is going to work in building your company if you tax the jeevies out of him? Let’s see, I can bust my arse 70 hours a week, pull down half a million a year, and have it taxed 89%, leaving me a cool fifty or sixty grand. Or I can push a pen 40 hours a week, pull down $70,000 per year, taxed at 39%, leaving me forty or fifty grand a year. Ummm….think I’ll take the less stressful route. Sorry, employees, you’re all fired. I’m going to Wal Mart!

It is not a crime to grow rich. It certainly wouldn’t be a crime if you suddenly had a flash of brilliance, invented a device that would double fuel economy, and made a few million this year, would it? The rich are people who made smart decisions. Most didn’t luck into their wealth. It wasn’t taken from you and given to them. However, most seem happy with the idea of taking it from the rich and giving it to the poor. Somehow, though, the idea of allowing the rich to invest their wealth into more job-creating businesses is heartless and cruel. Better to just rip the money out of their hands, launder it through the bureaucratic maze in Washington, and hand the remaining 10% to the poor. Then, of course, push lottery tickets on them so the state can get the rest of its money back. Fairness, American style.

I suppose, since the federal government is now the biggest shareholder in General Motors, that we could just let them do the company building. That way, they could build the things that make the most sense to them. Things like electric cars, solar panels, paper shredders. Why bother with capitalism at all? Looks like Uncle Joe Stalin and Fidel were right. We just didn't get it. We understand now. Workers of the world unite!

It's not all Greek to me

2010-05-08T09:24:00.001-05:00

I think the biggest obstacle conservatives face is this: Americans simply do not make the connection between our national debt and the freedoms we enjoy. It's almost like the Meijer Bucks we get in newspaper ads here in Michigan. It's not real money, but a Meijer Buck gets you a dollar off your next purchase. But instead of Meijer Bucks, what we have in Washington is GovBucks. It's not real money, you see. You can use it to buy neat stuff like highways, aircraft carriers, and health care, but we don't really have to pay it back, because it never really existed in the first place. I suppose there's a bit of truth to that. It didn't exist in the first place. We had to borrow it, either from ourselves or other countries.

This of course, is a fallacy. GovBucks do need to be repaid, and at interest. I won't get into the whole debt to GDP ratio, because honestly, there's no need to. This really is common sense. If you spend more than you take in, and continue doing so year after year, you will lose your house, your car, everything you own. What does that mean to a nation? Well, Greece is showing us.

Greece is a typical nation that had been drawn into a European style socialism, where services were provided to the populace by a generous government. We call them "entitlements." It's a word tossed around so often I think we've grown numb to it. I prefer the term "social narcotics," or sonarcs.

The pushers of these sonarcs are those who we refer to as "progressives." So the entitlements are the drugs and the progressives are the pushers. Follow me? I love a nice word picture.

Let's use our biggest sonarc as an example: social security. Social security was one of many sonarcs established by FDR, a progressive of monumental proportions. An interesting side note about sonarcs. Like drugs, the negative effects are rarely immediate. The repercussions often take years, even decades. This results in the initial orchestrator of the sonarc looking like a hero because that first hit felt so darn good. That's why I often refer to the Democratic Party (the official home of pushers) as the Party of Unintended Consequences. Social security, established during the Great Depression (remember, never let a crisis go to waste), when Americans were desperate for any hope the government could offer. They could not see seventy years into the future, when this program would begin to bankrupt the nation. Other disastrous sonarcs include Medicaire, HUD, the central bank, etc. All seem wonderful ideas at first, but soon prove to cause far more harm than good.

Unfortunately, like the drug user, we the people soon discover that
a) we cannot live without our sonarc, and
b) it will eventually kill us.

Such is the case in Greece. So addicted to their "free" government programs have they become that they simply do not care that it will kill them in the end. But there is simply no choice, the pusher is out of product, therefore he must cut off his customer cold turkey. And, like the addicted drug user, the people of Greece are responding with violence.

Here's what foreclosure means to a nation: no more public services. No highway repair, no military, no police force, no public education, nothing that requires federal or state funds. In a word: anarchy. Ironically, anarchy is what liberals claim that conservatives aspire to. When, in fact, it is liberal-progressive policies that will lead us there. The pusher will not stop pushing as long as he maintains power over his victim. You see, the drug works two ways. We get our sonarcs, the pusher gets power and our admiration, though only as long as the sonarcs continue to flow.

When a third party steps in and offers intervention, both the pusher and the addict hate him. Much like a family member is hated by the addict when intervention is attempted. That's why conservatives are so viciously attacked on both sides. We are hated because we love. We love our country and countrymen so much that we are willing to endure endless assaults upon our character, our patriotism, even our personal lives. All because we see the blindness of the addict and the cruel intent of the pusher and work tirelessly to save them both.

American must decrease the flow of sonarcs before we are forced to go cold turkey. While things like the health care bill may appear compassionate on the surface, they do nothing more than increase our reliance on our pusher, the federal government, and draw us one step closer to anarchy. This, the liberal Democrats say, is compassion. If you don't stick just one more needle in your arm, you'll suffer withdrawals. Please, they say, stick with us and we'll make your life better, you need not think for yourselves. We're here for you. Just one more, buddy. And all the pain will go away.

It's time to send the pushers packing my friends. Take a good hard look at what's happening in Greece. This is our future if we continue down the path the progressive Democrats have set us upon.

My Politics from the heart

2010-05-07T05:58:00.001-05:00

Politics was never something I aspired to. So I only have two solid memories of political moments during my youth. The first was when I was eight years old and walked into my grandmother’s living room, having just returned from Cedar Point. My mother sat in front of a TV. She was crying. I saw a man on the screen who I think I recognized as the President. I asked mom what was wrong, and she said the President was resigning. I had no knowledge of Watergate, only that it was a word I’d heard often on the news each night. But I did know something wasn’t right. Presidents were not supposed to make my mom cry. They were supposed to be fearless leaders, heroes who lead our nation and inspired millions.

My second “political moment” came in 1981. By then I was fourteen and a sophomore at Bruton High School in Virgina. Dad was a career Navy man and we’d just moved to Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. As it turned out, 1981 was an important year in Yorktown. Two-hundred years prior, the new Americans handed the British a decisive defeat on that peninsula. In 1981, we got a whole week off from school to participate in the bicentennial celebration.

I’d spent that week with my friends, checking out all the displays, cannon demonstrations, girls, and re-enactments, slowly developing a sense of awe over what had happened there. Toward the end of the week, our new President was scheduled to make an appearance. Oddly, I remember nothing of the speech itself, though I’m sure I listened with my father. What I do remember is standing along the road that entered the park. The Presidential procession rolled in, sirens flashing, the long black limos crawling along between the crowds.

When President Reagan’s limo rolled by, I caught a glimpse, just a glimpse of him as he waved at us. Now, at fourteen I still knew little of politics. Military families tend to lean Republican, so my parents were happy with the new President. But when I saw him, I felt a sense of pride. Reagan had that way about him. All he had to do was show up and we had the feeling that all would be well. President Reagan would never make my mom cry.

Again, at that moment in time, I didn’t know what were the differences in the parties. I certainly didn’t know what a “conservative” was. By the time I finished my own tour of duty in the Navy, I still didn’t know. It wouldn’t be until the early 90s, having met my wife-to-be and getting started in college, that I would learn. I took the pre-requisite courses in American Government and Economics, usually taught by Democratic ex-politicians. I disagreed with much of what they said, but couldn’t articulate why I disagreed. I found this quite frustrating.

Then I discovered (my wife will say she discovered) a boisterous, somewhat obnoxious man on the radio. I’d never imagined I’d listen to talk radio. That’s something that old people did. But Rush Limbaugh brought something new to the format. He brought a passion that was contagious. He also brought with him the best education in conservatism I’d gotten up until that point. His simple message of self-reliance, personal accountability, and limited government filled the missing gaps in my knowledge of the conservative movement. Later I would read for myself what the core beliefs of conservatism were.

I also discovered that conservatism, not Republicanism, was at the base of my system of values. A party is just a shell, a home club so to speak. The party is made up of men and women with varying opinions and beliefs. But I had to choose a party that fit most closely with my conservative values. Naturally, I assumed the Republican Party—Reagan’s Party—would always be a safe home. I was wrong.

Politicians are driven to find approval. It’s how they get elected and re-elected. And the temptation to stray from their core values for the sake of re-election is often more than they can withstand. Oddly, it was those core values that got them elected in the first place, but the fickle winds of public opinion, driven by a questionable media, often steer them off course. I saw my Republican Party break free from the solid moors of conservatism in the last decade. Spooked by a couple of Democratic victories, they shifted into the mushy world of the “moderate.” I prefer to call it the “Can’t we all just get along” mentality.

By the time I hit forty, I knew enough of history and politics to realize that what is happening in Washington is far from what the founders intended for this nation. Any personal sacrifice I had to make was insignificant compared to the consequences of silence. I, and millions of others, did not go to a Tea Party. The Tea Party gravitated toward us. We did not follow. We made the movement, much like William F. Buckley and like-minded conservatives created that movement fifty years ago. We were not blindly following a man shouting “Hope and Change.” We already knew where our hope rested, long before the ’08 campaign rhetoric.

As individuals, we hold certain truths to be “self evident,” that we are accountable for our actions, responsible for our futures, and no man-made government maintains either the right or the wisdom to direct the fortunes of hundreds of millions of people.

For those who disagree, who think that we the people are not smart enough to handle our own affairs, they will point to the Tea Party and denounce it as a fraud. They fail to see, because to them everything that matters is on the surface, the underlying pulse of conservative, freedom loving Americans who somehow managed to pull away from their busy lives and gather under signs and yellow flags. Take away the Tea Party if you wish. The patriots will remain. Yes, they won’t annoy you as much if you can’t see them, but the sleeping giant still lives whether he shouts or whispers.

Only a fool believes he has silenced the will of the masses by diminishing the importance of the banner under which they stand. Take my yellow flag, take my sign, take my buttons. That which you fear still remains. We are tens of millions strong. And we are not going away.

The city on a hill will shine again, Mr. President, with our without your approval. Follow your beliefs, my conservative friends, speak boldly and passionately your convictions, do not fear disapproval, know that you are more intelligent than those who claim to hold all wisdom, and nothing can stand in our way.

Let’s get this party started.

The Fix is In

2010-05-05T05:16:00.001-05:00

Senator Harry Reid said yesterday that the Republicans want to block everything they do. I certainly hope so. Maybe, Senator, if everything the Democrats tried to do wasn’t a disaster to the economy, security, and overall well-being of this nation, the Republicans might be easier to get along with.

The Senator was speaking, of course, about the bill now on the floor of the Senate that would essentially give the U.S. Government sweeping control over financial institutions. This, of course, is not a step toward socialism. It’s a giant leap.

But here’s how the Dems work. The economic downturn of 2008 was primarily brought about because of a bill first signed by Jimmy Carter and given teeth by Bill Clinton. This is fairly common knowledge now, but the Dems have done a good job of denial. In a nutshell, Fannie May and Freddie Mac, two entities that have no purpose but to suck money from the economy, were “strongly encouraged” to make more home loans available to low-income individuals. Because bankers are not in the business to lose money—the greedy bastards—this went against common business sense. But we’re not talking about common sense, we’re talking about the U.S. Government.

So, as was predicted by a couple thousand economists, George Bush, and Mrs. Tracy’s Oak Hill Elementary third grade class, the housing market boomed, then busted. The point here is this: the government was the cause of the economic meltdown. Please repeat that as many times as necessary. Lay down if you need to. It hurts…I know.

And now we have this bill. President Obama, Harry, and Nancy all proclaim that it will “protect the taxpayers from any future bank failures.” Oh how sweet. Let’s see. The government caused the economic downturn, the government took over a trillion dollars of our money and threw it at the banks, and now they’re proposing a bill to protect us against…what? Them?

Don’t be silly, Ron. You know better. What the Bailout Bill does is authorize the federal government to decide which banks live and which die. What lovely power. In fact, here’s a thought, and I’m sure no Dem ever considered this. Since there is one party rule in our government right now, I bet that these banks will make darn sure they stay on the Dems good side. The campaign coffers will be flowing with bank money this fall. I mean, if it’s one lesson us peons learned from the health care bill, it’s that if you don’t have enough allies, you simply buy them (we call it a Blanching).

Now why do you suppose the Republicans would do everything possible to block a bill that would almost guarantee Democrat rule for the next fifty years? How rude of them. Oh, let’s not forget the fact that the government simply has no place in business. If I were a bank that was too big to fail, I might consider making myself small to avoid government attention. I’d be the Bank of Casablanca. Keep a low profile. No gambling going on here. No risk. No loans. Which is probably okay, since the government has sopped up all the available cash anyway, making it darn near impossible for small businesses and private citizens to get credit.

Let’s see. Obama, Harry, and Nancy now have control over health care. They have control over two of our three auto companies. They want control over the banks. And they’ve already tied up a huge chunk of available cash.

But it’s not socialism. Nossir. It’s protecting the taxpayer. Kind of like being in a great big bear hug. From a great big bear. A great big hungry bear.

The Republicans need to block harder. Don’t be the party of No. Be the party of OH HELL NO. Get the job done boys. The Cavalry’s coming in November.

My Congressman and yours-Nancy

2010-05-03T05:39:00.003-05:00

The current regime in Washington has done us all a great favor. Remember the embarrassment you faced when someone asked you who your congressman was or who your senators were and you struggled to come up with a name? Well, guess what, those days are over.

Your congressman, and mine, is Nancy Pelosi.

Your senator, and mine, is Harry Reid (we don’t even need to remember two!).

This is so much easier than those backward days of long ago, when congressmen and senators in the same party would vote differently on each bill. They’d actually read the bills, formulate their own opinions, and vote accordingly. My gosh…how did they ever get anything accomplished with all those people thinking for themselves?

When John Conyers (aka. Nancy) announced to the world that he couldn’t be expected to read the health care bill—it was just too darned long with all those big hard words—you could almost hear a sigh of relief from Capitol Hill. Finally, the pressure was off. When John-Nancy, a man who’s been in Congress FORTY FIVE YEARS, two years longer than I’ve been alive, made the decision to throw in the towel on all this silly individualism, he unwittingly released every single Democrat in Congress from hours and hours of boring research and reading. It was like a med school student who’s been told that all homework for the duration of his time has been cancelled! And, since med school students, along with doctors, are dropping like campaign promises, that may be the next trick to reversing another unintended consequence.

Of course, John needed the name change. As Nancy, maybe no one will connect him with his wife, Monica Conyers, sentenced to jail time after accepting bribes while on the Detroit City Council. It makes one proud to be a Michigander you betcha!

At least some Democrats in the House voted in opposition to their Dear Leader. Oddly, though, Nancy always gets the votes she needs. I’m sure those few renegades aren’t just tokens to appease the curious masses. That would involve political gamesmanship, and something as important as government takeover of health care would certainly be above politics.

I wanna believe it, don’t you? But then we look toward the Senate. Now, I’m sure I’m the only one here who’s had nightmares in which 59 Harry Reid clones invade my small town and stalk about in search of human brains to devour. They’ve certainly devoured our desire to return to the voting booth. I mean, what’s the point? Fifty-nine men and women, all Democrats, and not one of them had an issue with the most expensive and complex bill in this nation’s history? I suppose that’s possible…I mean, if you ask fifty-nine high school boys if they’d rather go to a lecture on quantum physics or be special guests at the next Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot, you’d probably get a unanimous vote.

I should just be more open-minded, I suppose. This is, after all, the twenty-first century. Look at all the problems caused by individuality. Wars, pestilence, disease, the Lifetime channel. Imagine what we could accomplish if we all shared the same ideas, the same thoughts. No dissent. No time wasted on monotonous debate.

In fact, why should we even have to remember Nancy and Harry? Since they’re only following the orders of One, we can just skip the middle man and cut right to the chase. This whole democracy thing is way overrated anyway. Finally, we’ve got our hero to take up his place in the hall of great world leaders, so well loved that they only need one name—Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Che, Castro.

It just shows what can be accomplished if we shed our liberty and individuality and follow the wisest among us. Let’s all write to our congressmen and senators today and let them know they can take the next century off. Obviously, their services are no longer required.

And I didn't even know I was racist

2010-04-30T05:36:00.003-05:00

Just so we understand each other, I want to go over the list of activities that are now considered "racist" in this country. I just want to be sure, you know? Having grown up as a Navy brat and spending another four years in the service myself, I've always been color blind. I don't think I heard a true racist statement until I was a teenager and home in Michigan. At least I thought they were racist statements. Now I see I must have been mistaken, because the people uttering them were union Democrats. Just not possible.

It's a good thing, then, that our current leadership and media is doing such a wonderful job at explaining the definition of racism. Here's what I've got so far. These activities are the new racism:

Speaking out against your President's policies.
Making illegal immigration illegal.
Owning a Confederate flag.
Failing to mention slavery at an event involving southern history.
Voting for anyone other than Obama.
Voting for a Republican (even if it's an African-American Republican...they don't count).
Disparaging any Democrat who ever uttered anything that used to be considered racist.
Drinking Arizona Iced Tea (even though it's brewed in New York).
Calling anyone a socialist.

I'm sure that list is incomplete. Please let me know if I've missed anything. I'm almost afraid to step out the front door or speak in public. What if I ask for a vanilla shake at McDonald's...is that racist? And if I hand the kid at the counter a dollar bill, which contains the image of George Washington, a confirmed slave owner, is that racist? I just don't know anymore. All this time, I thought I was not a bigot. Thank goodness for decent folks like Nancy Pelosi and Janeane Garofalo, who have been so kind to inform me of my hatred toward non-whites. And all this time I thought I was okay.

Can we get serious here? These race-baiting liberals are pathetic. The game plan has always been the same: if you can't defend your policies or want to distract the public from figuring out what you're up to, call someone a racist. May I suggest this to those of you who've actually been the victim of racism: you need to stand up and tell these morons to stop using a serious issue like racism for their own political gain. When Janeane Garofalo has the audacity to say that the Tea Parties are the result of racism, somebody in the black community needs to get seriously pissed off. She's cheapened your struggle. So has Nancy Pelosi and any other vicious liberal politician who's only goal in life is to get re-elected and maintain power over all of us, black or white.

Those of us on the right don't see color. We see character. If an African-American conservative (yes, they exist) were in the White House, there would be no protests. If there were a white socialist in the White House, you'd have the same people waving "Don't tread on me" flags in every corner of this country.

Here's my message to those who are driving a wedge between races and classes in this country: Cut the crap. Stick to the issues and explain to us why it's okay to expand the government into every aspect of our lives. Tell us why it's okay to force disastrous bills down our throats and put honest companies out of business. Explain to us why Arizona should simply be tolerant of thousands of illegals crossing its borders and the violence that has followed. And, by the way, the one in ten of us who are unemployed with no way to provide for our families would love to see these "jobs Americans won't do." And since job creation is so important, please explain how Cap and Trade will not destroy millions of manufacturing jobs in this country.

We so eagerly await your response. Wait a minute...I think I hear something. "He's a racist." Ah, thank you so much for your well thought-out rebuttal. I stand corrected.

Maybe on the November ballot we can simplify the process. We'll just have a box for "Democrat" and one for "Racist Gun Loving Bible Thumping Bigot." That oughta clear things up for those of us who are confused.

Why Conservatives can't win, but will anyway

2010-04-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

The liberal machine will work hard toward creating a necessity for their existence. It is the conservative's goal to eliminate a reliance on government, even a conservative government. It is this uphill climb, one with no mountain peak in sight, that the conservative finds himself upon. It is why Franklin responded to the woman on the steps, who asked what sort of government they'd given us, "A republic, if you can keep it." There is nothing more tenuous than a government of powerful men and women willing to take a back seat to the will of the masses. It's contrary to human nature. The only way a republic can survive is if the will of millions of people stand firm against a central government that has, as its very core for existence, a desire to grow and gain control over those that give it life.

It is a fragile balance. We need a government, otherwise anarchy would result. And, as is the nature of men, the government will daily try to convince the masses that they need more of it. When, in fact, it is the government that cannot survive without us. The government, though, is comprised of very intelligent, very well-spoken men and women. Imagine the time and effort it takes to get elected. These are people who have lived every moment of their lives learning to be convincing and likable. So when they tell us we need them to be more powerful--for our own well-being of course--we tend to yield to their demands. We've done it for 200 years. The process of government growth accelerated quickly during the last century as the ability to reach larger number of people grew with technology.

I won't re-hash the old "boiling frog" analogy, though it may fit. I think a better picture is that of a man living in the jungle. He's unprotected and vulnerable to the wild creatures that surround him. One day he finds a lion cub and thinks, "Aha, I'll befriend this lion and he'll be my protector." Each day he feeds the cub and, indeed, it grows and fights off the other animals that try to attack his master. One day, however, the lion realizes he's much bigger and stronger than his master. He turns to him and says, "Now you will serve me."

We cannot eliminate our government, but we can restrict its growth, even reverse it (yes, I know, my lion analogy breaks down here...please feed your lion). The simplistic beauty of the Constitution is that it gives a permanent overriding power to the people, not the central government. It is only by our willingness that the government can grow out of control. Hard working men and women, who are most affected by their government, are least likely to step in and control the beast. They simply possess neither the time nor the energy to make a stand. And the larger the government grows, the more it taxes them, forcing them to work even harder and longer to simply provide for their families. In this continuous cycle of work-get taxed-work harder, the master quickly becomes the servant.

But, as we've seen over the last year, there comes a breaking point into what we are willing to accept. While the collective intelligence and shrewdness of several hundred politicians is, indeed, difficult to surmount, it pales in comparison to the will of hundreds of millions of "simple" men and women whose desire for liberty, though rarely stirred, will crush any hint of tyranny and drive it back to submission.

No, we cannot appeal to millions of people whenever we choose. We have no access to a constant parade of television crews and well-groomed news anchors. We have no single voice that will stand against an onslaught of half-truths and deception. What we do have is a will to be free. It hasn't changed in 200 years, though the faces may have. It's a will that has stopped one tyrant after another, those who would snatch our freedom from us to expand their own power and wealth. It is the most powerful force this world has ever conjured.

Many will say I'm being dramatic. This is just partisan politics. America is not going to go the way of a socialist regime. I ask you to step back and consider the big picture. Look at the slow, methodical intrusion of government into our lives over the last century. And always under programs with sweet sounding names--The New Deal, The Great Society--that promise more fairness and protection from uncertain economic forces. All of these programs have produced horrific debt and "unintended consequences." The government solution to the problems it has created is--you guessed it--more government programs. That's a hungry lion, brother, and we're fresh out of steak.

Americans of every race, gender, and religion have a much greater hunger. We hunger for freedom and the right to choose our own destiny. We often choose poorly and fail, but it's our choice, and unhampered freedom allows us to recover quickly from those poor choices. It is insulting for any politician to stand and claim to represent one ethnic or gender group. Last I checked, they're supposed to represent Americans. Any claim of representation to one group or another is, in itself, divisive and racist. We won't tolerate it any longer.

There's a big whip lashing out across this country. It's time to put the lion back in its cage.

Profit: the 8th deadly sin

2010-04-26T05:28:00.000-05:00

Like many of you, I watched in horror as 15,000 protesters from teachers unions rallied in Springfield, Illinois to demand--are you ready for this--that the legislature raise their taxes. Like most states, Illinois is experiencing a budget crises. And, unlike our federal government, they understand the injustice of mounting debt to pass along to the next generations. Like a company, a state must make cuts when times are tough and they're not taking in enough cash to cover costs. For those of you who never took basic accounting or have spent too many years in Washington, D.C., the calculation is quite complex:

Profit = Income-Expenses

Yes, I used the "P" word. Punishable by imprisonment inside the beltway. I believe they're working on a death sentence now. For my liberal friends, profit does not equate greed. Profit means you're not losing money, going out of business, firing all your employees, eating Alpo, etc. I know, in the perfect world we'd all break even, or at least have all our profits taxed 100% to give to one of the thousands of illegal aliens on the verge of receiving amnesty. After all, they'll need a car so they can go vote for their Democratic friends who penned the amnesty bill.

Back to Illinois. The teacher's unions are rallying the troops to demand that the taxpayer foot the bill to ensure that none of them lose their jobs. Let me help with another definition. Taxpayer: they guy who just got his salary or hours reduced but is happy to have a job so he can support his wife and three kids. Yes, he should turn over some more cash to the state employees. That's fair.

I can help Illinois out. Go to YouTube and search for "Illinois teachers protest." You'll find about a dozen of your best and brightest spouting nonsense (not to mention very bad singing) about their incredible lack of economic knowledge. My favorite is the woman who said she owned a business, but her taxes shouldn't be raised because "those other" businesses make a much bigger profit. Oooh, there's that word again. I think any business person who claims a profit on their tax forms should be forced to wear a scarlet "P" on their lapel. That way society will know exactly who is to blame for the economic meltdown, global warming, and the Lion's 0-18 season. This woman, like many others there, exemplify the liberal position of "tax the rich, but make sure you draw the poverty line just a smidgen over my income level."

Now, I want to compare this rally with those of the evil Tea Partiers.

The Illinois show was arranged by union leaders. The protesters were bussed in (kind of like election day). They protested for higher taxes against the working man to support their income. The prevailing theme was money. More money for them, less for the 99% of the population who do not belong to a public service union.

The Tea Parties are the most disorganized rabble this nation has ever known, save for the aforementioned Detroit Lions. They check the internet for a local Tea Party, hear about one through the grapevine, or just start one themselves. They drive themselves during off hours or take vacation time. They are peaceful, full of energy, and love their country. And what do they demand?

Sacrifice.

Sacrifice for themselves so that their children will not inherit the mess we've gotten ourselves into. Tea Partiers are willing to give up their social security checks even though they'll probably have to pay into it for their entire working lives. Tea Partiers want less government services for themselves, less "free" health care, less government intrusion. Despite the rhetoric from the left, conservatives aren't fixated on money. Who do you see shouting "show me the money!" at their rallies? Not Tea Partiers. Not conservatives. Conservatives are interested in the maximum level of prosperity for ALL.

If a kid growing up on the streets of South Central L.A. wants to start his own business and pull out of the mire, the government needs to get out of his way. Not hit him with so many taxes, fees, and unnecessary regulations that he can't even get the doors open.

Who is going to stand by that kid's side and demand fairness? Not the unions. He's too small. Not the Democrats. They need him on the government dole so he'll continue to vote for them. It will be Tea Partiers, conservatives, the greedy "Profiteers."

One party has done an excellent job of convincing the world that they stand for the little guy, the working man. It's the greatest con game in history. Since Johnson's Great Society sunk it's claws into our economy, the plight of minorities, small business, and every taxpayer has gotten worse. If the Republican party cannot stand up and shine a light on this obvious fraud, we'll continue to have more of the same. So far, it looks like the Repubs are getting the message. Don't blow it. Stand with the Tea Partiers and conservatives and be the party of the little guy. I'll proudly pin on my scarlet "P" and stand by you.

Stick to the premise

2010-04-24T06:59:00.002-05:00

A classic liberal tactic is to distract his conservative counterpart with specific incidents that have occurred in the long battle for the direction of this country. A good example is the one I presented in my previous post, where the liberal brings up the fact that George Bush also spent wildly over what the government took in. This somehow makes it palitable that the current administration doubles that deficit spending and then some. Another example is the case of the Tea Party movement. If the liberal can find just one case of racism among the millions of protestors, the entire movement is disqualified.

This is where it's important for the conservative to stick to his or her premise. That's the baseline of our argument. Essentially, it's this:

limited government as is clearly outlined in the U.S. Constitution
free market
personal accountability
respect for the sanctity of human life

State your belief that these simple steps will create an environment that will allow greater prosperity for a larger number of people. Then ask your liberal friend which of those points he or she disagrees with.

The liberal will continually try to pull you from your premise because he has no real argument against it, other than "corporations are greedy" or some other tired catch phrase. Of course, the corporation that provides their paycheck, house, TV, and electric vehicle is not the problem. It's all those other ones.

History has proven irrifutably that conservatism, even in small doses, results in unprecedented prosperity while socialism (which is the end result of the liberal playbook) causes suffering and poverty on a mass scale. Therefore, the liberal must focus on the issue of the moment to prevail in any debate. As I've stated previously, racism is the issue du jour. Other popular distractions include: the war, housing market crash (remind me to illustrate how liberal polices created that one), health care, and the most recent sex scandal (unless, of course, a liberal is involved).

Let me illustrate the liberal rationale:

A conservative football coach and a liberal football coach meet on the field after the game. The liberal coach says, "Man, you must be terribly embarassed by that fumble in the second quarter." The conservative coach looks at his opponent as if the man had just fallen off the carbon truck and says, "Not really, we beat you 63 to nothing."

Don't get into an argument about the second quarter fumble, my friends. Stick to your game plan. A free market, limited government, and low taxes will deliver prosperity for the maximum number of people at any given time. Write it on your palm if necessary. By sticking to your premise, which you know to be true, no argument can overpower you. No matter how eloquent the speaker, how famous the writer, how prestigious the university professor, a well spoken bucket of dung is still a bucket of dung.

Simple truth trumps an elaborate lie every time.

Bush spent money too!

2010-04-23T05:35:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite argument fired from the liberal left: Tea Partiers didn't protest the deficit spending of President Bush, so they're hypocrites for protesting the spending of President Obama. Actually, we're referred to as racist for protesting deficit spending, but I won't even dignify that childish claim with a response.

First of all, conservatives did protest the deficit spending of President Bush. No, we didn't gather in crowds at the time. The level of spending hadn't quite reached critical mass. The only acceptable deficit spending is that done in time of national emergency, like, say, killing 3000 Americans because we have the audacity to be Americans. Even then, conservatives protested, albeit silently. Conservatives make lousy protesters. You see, it is in our nature to actually work for a living. Any protest must be carried out during our lunch hour. That doesn't allow much time to get a really good frenzy going. The liberal protesters are awe-inspiring. They take to the streets for days at a time. If not for my selfish need for a paycheck and a shower, I'd be all over that game plan!

Back to the spending. Seriously, are these people really going to compare the Bush spending to Obama? That's like comparing a shoplifter to Al Capone. It reminds me of a passage in the Bible: Saul has killed his thousands but David has killed his tens of thousands! Unfortunately, the tens of thousands, actually trillions, being killed are dollars that my kids will be straddled with. I know liberals prefer name-calling to facts, but please bear with me. Facts are just so much darned fun! Take a look at this graph, if you can do so without crying:

The deficit under Bush, in his worst year, was just shy of $500billion. Again, I can't defend that. Bush clearly lost his conservative moorings during his presidency. But look at Obama's very first year in office. Yes, I've heard the arguments that it was "necessary" to get the nation on the road to recovery. That's crap. The last president who tried to spend his way out of a recession took this country into a ten year depression that "ended" only with the outbreak of WWII (another myth, by the way, otherwise, let's just find a good war and all our problems will be solved).

The premise of those opposed to the Tea Party movement is that if Bush did it, it's okay for Obama to do it, even on a grander scale. Sounds a bit like my kids. "All my friends are going to see Texas Chainsaw Gang Rape IV, so I should get to go too!" May I be the first Tea Partier to apologize for not taking to the streets ten years ago. Now that I've taken that first, bold step, can we move forward?

What I see ahead of us is unsustainable debt, inflation, higher taxes, and (dare I say it?) a once proud nation groveling before the United Nations or the EU for a bail out. Remember, whoever holds your debt is your master. And our master will insist that we model our nation after their European-socialist structure. If you're in favor of that, you may return to your previously scheduled Tea Party bashing. If you believe that America is still the greatest nation ever conceived and a shining example for the oppressed masses living under socialist regimes, then let's get off the couch and have ourselves a good old-fashioned protest. I'll bring the snacks.

That troublesome Bill of Rights

2010-04-22T04:45:00.000-05:00

A new label has sprung from the bowels of the liberal left: Tenther. A "tenther" is someone who believes that individual states should maintain most of the power to govern their respective peoples. It's not a new idea. In fact, it's that silly old Constitution that guarantees it. The tenth ammendment of your United States Constitution states:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Let's put that into some simple language: The United States is to be governed by a small, limited government. The vast majority of power will exist at the state level. That means, my friends, that things like the Department of Education, Health Care, free mopeds, what have you, are to be voted upon at the state level. The federal government has far overstepped the boundaries established in the U.S. Contstitution so often that an semblence to the actual United States of America is purely coincadental.

You don't agree? Let's try taking that nasty old tenth ammendment apart. Remember these fun "skill builders" from 5th grade English?

"The powers NOT DELEGATED to the United States by the Constitution," That means, kids, that this amendment refers to everything, and I do mean everything, not mentioned in our 4 page Constitution. Specifically, Article 1, section 8. If the Constitution doesn't grant the power to the federal government, they don't just get to make one up under the guise of providing for the "good and welfare" of the general public. It's interesting to note here that our founders felt so strongly about limiting the powers of the central government that they felt the need to write an amendment to support what was already made clear in the original document. Apparently, it takes at least three documents to convince our current leadership.

"nor prohibited by it to the States," Unless the Constitution spefically prohibits something from the individual states, it's fair game. For the states, not the federal government.

"are RESERVED TO THE STATES respectively, or to the PEOPLE." Say, that's us! If we put the first and last part together and paraphrase, the tenth amendment says:

Any power not granted to the United States government by the Constitution may only be taken up by the individual state governments.

The U.S. Constitution still exists as one the most endearing governing documents in human history. The men who wrote it were all too familiar with governments that grew out of control and, in essence, reduced their masses to servants of the government, instead of the other way around.

The founders of this nation established the levels of government from a "bottom up" viewpoint. The majority of the power would remain at the state and local level. That way, we could never end up with a system in which 300 million people were governed by a few. Because the founders understood the nature of men, they understood all too well the disaster of that scenario. Even if the current administration doesn't abuse the power it has granted itself, it has created the environment for such abuse to exist. Unless every President from this point forward is the absolute picture of morality, we're leaving the door to the hen house wide open. It only takes one fox.

Someone is taking issue...ah, you there in the back row. Yes? I see. The comment is that our nation today does not resemble that of the loosely scattered colonies to which our founders drafted the Constitution. At that time, each state had different economies, a different societal make-up, specific needs. Very true. No doubt, today's America is much more homogeneous than the America of the late eighteenth century. Clearly, back then, it would have been prudent to allow each state to master its own destiny.

The founders, however, weren't only concerned with maintaining socio-economic make-up of each state. By the way, I would argue that there are still large differences between the individual states today. If that statement is wrong, then we have no use for state level governments.

What the founders understood better than most, like I've stated, is the nature of man. Those in power will invariably believe that their's is the only possible solution, and will take whatever steps necessary to maintain their position. We're not talking vicious dictators here. Those in power honestly believe they are doing the right thing, and will argue passionately their cause. In order to achieve those high levels of office, they must be well-spoken, charismatic, and convincing. This is why their power must be held strictly to what the Constitution allows. George Washington said that "we are not a nation of men, we are a nation of laws." The laws penned in the Constitution establish a solid foundation on which this country continues to stand. Today, we're chiseling away at that foundation.

What, exactly, do we plan on replacing it with?

Check out the Constitution and other founding documents here.

An Exchange of Ideas

2010-04-20T12:35:00.000-05:00

A very good friend of mine expressed his concern that my political posts on Facebook were getting a bit too polarizing. That's unfortunate, because it's not my intent to place a wedge between free thinkers on opposite sides of the issues. I'm not sure when it happened in America, but we've somehow tumbled from a nation of ideas, in which folks gathered in taverns over a pint and discussed issues and theories, to a nation that forces each of us to choose sides and toss mud over a concrete wall.

I must admit my own guilt first. I've gotten caught up in the hyper-dramatization of of opposing viewpoints. Perhaps it's too much reality TV. I think, if America is to remain a great nation, it will be when individuals return to some state of open dialogue. We fought a war with real bullets so that we'd never have to return to such extremes again. But if we continue to build this wall between Americans who differ even slightly in opinion, I fear we are heading down that path again. Besides, you simply cannot get a decent bottle of ale on the battlefield.

What I find most concerning is that there are truly intelligent, even brilliant, people in this country who are not willing to voice their opinion for fear it may alienate those close to them. That is a tragedy. America was built on ideas. For the new generation of builders to suppress their gift of intellect is akin to a great artist fearful of displaying his work in public.

In the world of fiction writing, tension is the bond that holds a story together for two-hundred pages or more. It is the same in real life; without that intellectual tension, our minds stagnate and we end up a generation incapable of expressing ideas. If we go about our days discussing nothing more intellectually stimulating than the latest episode of American Idol or the Lotto jackpot, then that life transcript will end up on the reject pile within two sentences.

If we cannot discuss our differences on the battlefield of ideas without reducing ourselves to public shunning, then America, like a novel with no tension, will slip off into mediocrity. As it stands, all sides are preaching to their respective choirs. How great is thy comfort zone.

So let's begin here. I'll post my thoughts on this here blog. I'm very conservative, so that's where my debate will always begin. For a good explanation of what that is, check out the Heritage Foundation "First Principles." I also base my economic theory on that of the Austrian School of Economic Theory. I'm not an economist by any stretch, but I like the free market approach.

The rules (because it's my football and my backyard) are simple: comment with thoughtful responses, ones that you think will change my opinion (if you disagree) or support my opinion (if you agree). Once the debate is reduced to numerous exclamation points or ALL CAPS, we call a truce and move on. Fair 'nuff? Trust me, my friends, both those who agree and those who disagree, there is nothing more fearful to a tyrannical government than a society of thinking men and women who are willing to boldly voice their opinions.

Just ask a King named George.

Compassion belongs to the conservative

2010-04-20T05:08:00.000-05:00

Conservatism demands and promotes excellence. Excellence is derived from a desire to be the best, to outperform those in our chosen field. For most of us, the desire for excellence comes naturally. We find something to become passionate about, which drives us to be the best, regardless of any perceived financial reward. Oddly enough, those who end up receiving a large financial reward didn't begin their pursuit with that goal in mind. Because of their passion, their desire to be the best, they reach great heights, both professionally and financially. Writers are the perfect example. Most writers will never make enough money from their chosen craft to earn a living, let alone become wealthy. But it doesn't matter to them. They love what they do, are passionate, and find great reward from the mere pursuit. Yes, we cry when yet another rejection letter comes in the mail, but we down a 1/2 gallon of Ben & Jerry's and get back to the keyboard. The 1% of writers who do achieve financial success did it by hard work and determination, and passion.

Passion, the rocket fuel of success.

For a small percentage of Americans, however, passion alone isn't enough to drive them forward. Somehow, we've failed to create an environment in which every single resident of this country knows that he or she has the opportunity to pursue excellence and expect a reasonable level of success, whether it come economically or otherwise. Despite an endless stream of "rags to riches" stories, the common belief is that if you're not born into prosperity, you'll never find it. Understandably, an enraged generation brought up on this established falsehood turn to other avenues. Sometimes it's crime. More often it's just a willingness to float through life on whatever the government chooses to "bless" them with.

I reject the notion that poverty is the root cause of criminal activity. Otherwise, the term "white collar criminal" would be ludicrous. Poverty will generate a sense of hopelessness. In a country governed by a select few, the hopelessness would turn to despair. In this country, however, we offer an alternative to both despair and hopelessness. It's called liberty. Essentially, it is the mechanism by which any citizen can pursue happiness. When there is no government obstruction, and the free market is truly free and allowed to follow its natural course, all of us are guaranteed the opportunity to succeed. We're not guaranteed success, in fact we often fail, but we have no one to credit or blame but ourselves.

What our current government is hoping to achieve is a guarantee of success. But not just for the individual, as if that weren't enough to discourage hard work, but now these same bureaucrats are offering the same guarantee to corporations in the form of bailouts. More on that another time.

When we throw money at those at the bottom of the competitive ladder we diminish their desire for excellence, just as we diminish any need for responsible business practices when we throw it at corporations. We create an atmosphere that offers absolutely no reason to take initiative, to reach for something greater than what we were issued upon birth. How is this considered compassionate?

The liberals who practice this psuedo-compassion are engaged in a sort of mass vote-buying. If they can convince 51% of the population that they need either a welfare check or a guarantee of no taxes, they've bought themselves an election every time. Candidates who represent a platform based on limited government and a free market find themselves fighting an uphill battle. Somehow, they have to convince millions of voters who've lived under the cave-like protection of a liberal system that something greater awaits them outside their confined, yet familiar existence, if they are only willing to take the first step into the sunlight.

I admit, it must be frightening. This "protection" has existed now for an entire generation, sealed in stone by Johnson's Great Society. There exists, in America, young men and women who have never known any existence other than life in the "Great Society." That's just the irony. The liberals will claim that their programs are necessary to end the squalor that exists in our culture. In fact, it is this very squalor, which has grown by leaps and bounds since Johnson waved his magic pen, that is representative of what any socialist policy would bring about.

The liberal, never to be frustrated by something so mundane as fact and history, will come to the conclusion that not enough has been done. Have we not heard that from liberal historians? If only Roosevelt had spent more, the Great Depression would have been shortened. Again, they must wear historical blinders to ignore the almost identical economic conditions in 1921, at which time the government spent no money to save the country from certain doom. The doom lasted less than one year.

So what is compassion? For the individual, it is to offer help to those in need. America still leads the world when it comes to charity. For a government, though, compassion comes in the form of creating a system that allows a maximum level of individual liberty. This is what the conservative must remember when confronted by those who claim to represent the downtrodden. The poor will always be with us, but liberal policies put in place under the guise of assisting those few do nothing but expand the numbers of those below the poverty line. Conservative policies cannot eradicate poverty, but they will, as they have in the past, reduce and limit it to an absolute minimum.

It is at that point that the masses above the poverty line have more power and the means to help their neighbor. Never underestimate the unstoppable power of a free market system. When individual liberty is thrust upon a society, a tsunami of ideas, enterprise, and economic growth is the result. For a government comprised of a few hundred to believe that they can replace the spirit of hundreds of millions with poorly contrived documents and empty political phrases is the opposite of compassion and liberty. It is socialism, and it remains to this day as one of the great evils of our time.

My Conservative Temperament

2010-04-18T16:40:00.000-05:00

I'm reading After the Hangover by great conservative thinker R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. I'll review it when I'm finished, but I just read the chapter in which he defines conservatism. No easy task, especially given the media's tendency to reduce the movement to a single personality like Rush Limbaugh or Mark Levin. True, men like these are conservatives, but they are a product of the movement, not framers.

Tyrrell defines conservatism as "a temperament to delight in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Part of that pursuit includes the acquisition and exchange of property (not solely real estate, folks, though the word "property" seems to spark that image). Modern conservatism is a temperament, not an ideology or an anxiety. It is a love of liberty, not a mesdemeanor.

Frank Meyer, who left the Communist party in the 1940s and set about fighting against it, wrote a series of "articles of belief" of the conservative movement. I won't impart them all here, but two that so closely fit with my plunge into conservatism are these:

American conservatives are opposed to state control of the economy.
American conservatism derives from these (previous) positions its firm support of the Constitutions of the United States as originally conceived--to achieve protection of individual liberty in an ordered society by limiting the power of government.

I suppose, since out of the seven articles, I most closely attached my conservative identity with those two, that I would have sprang from the more libertarian ancestry of the movement. Although, since my belief that freedom is a God given right, I may not have sat at the head table at any libertarian gathering.

I'm not one for memorizing long definitions, so if I were to forced to pull out a quick answer to anyone questioning my belief, I'd have to say: a conservative believes that the central government, as identified in the constitution, should remain small an non-intrusive. A conservative wishes for as much freedom and liberty to be granted to individuals as is possible while still maintaining order. How's that? Still a bit long.

I suppose I could just shout "Liberty!" but I don't think many Americans even know what that means anymore. If they did, and they believed it to be the cornerstone of our constitutional foundation, then they could never accept a government that has grown so unsustainably massive and, apparently, unable to resist any opportunity to dictate how we are to live, what we should drive, where (or if) we buy health care, and what my kids should be taught. I saw one attempt to identify the conservative movement as "the party of leave us alone." I think I like that one. Thought "Don't Tread on Me" looks a heck of a lot cooler on a flag than "Leave us Alone!"

I'm not sure how the Republican Party became the conservative party. In fact, they did a pretty good job of distancing themselves from the conservative movement until Ronald Reagan embraced it fully. It is for this reason (though I didn't figure it out until recent years) that I couldn't justify the actions of Republicans in the earlier half of the last century. Even as late as Nixon, the Republicans were very standoffish. Republican presidents like Hoover and Teddy Roosevelt would actually be classified as liberals. Our recent George Bush, though a proclaimed conservative, seemed to drift from his moorings on the issue of spending and government expansion.

I'm also not sure how the Democratic Party become the home of left-wing liberals, but they seem quite comfortable there. That's a shame. Since a majority of Americans identify themselves as conservative and only a small percentage openly admit to being liberal, one must wonder how Democrats keep getting elected. We know how they get un-elected, though. After campaigns full of patriotic rhetoric, they invariably revert to their progressive ideological nature.

The conservative movement sprang from the realization of millions that Roosevelt's New Deal was an unmitigated disaster (No? Two words: social security). With each liberal intrusion into our lives--Johnson's Great Society, Carter's Dept. of Education, Clinton's first attempt at nationalized health care--conservatives found new motivation. And now we have a president who's level of federal spending dwarfs that of any before him. While many of my Republican friends, the ones who forget that they held all the power only a few years ago, are crying "this is the end!", my conservative friends are rejoicing, regrouping, and mounting the counter-attack. We've been here before, and each time we've emerged stronger, because conservatism is but a reflection of what defines the American idea, and most Americans know that. The few that don't will continue to whine and mourn the loss of their promised utopia.

More on this topic later, when I debunk the myth that liberals are more compassionate than conservatives.

The Hurricane Wall

2010-04-17T06:25:00.001-05:00

I like to equate the liberal philosophy, actually based on Keynesian economic theory, to that of Hollywood style mad scientists who set out to dominate the world by controlling the weather. "Pay me my 10 trillion dollars or I'll make it snow all over the World Series! bwaha bwahaha BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Actually, a World Series in the snow sounds kind of fun, but I digress.

Here is the unfortunate fact for liberals: the economy is a natural force, much like the weather. People make things, they sell things, they buy things. They go through this endless cycle because they want things like food, shelter, maybe a nice Chevy. Liberals refer to this human survival instinct as "greed."

Now (pay attention), when one of these folks finds himself in trouble because no one wants to buy his pet rocks anymore, popular for so many weeks, he is faced with a decision. He can pray for a resurgence in the pet rock market or switch over to Chia Pets. Unless, of course, we have liberals in office, in which he'll receive a bail out, funding for additional pet rock research, or never-ending unemployment benefits.

I mentioned that the economy is a natural force like the weather, so let's stick with that analogy. I shall force my brain to stay on track for at least five seconds. To believe that you can control the economy is to believe that you can build a wall in the Atlantic Ocean to stop the onslaught of hurricanes. It certainly sounds like a good idea. I mean, think of the billions saved in damages, not to mention the lives of thousands. You know the liberal mantra: if it saves one life, it's worth it.

In Liberalville, we'd build our Atlantic Wall (we'll call it the "Hurricane Relocation and Urban Revitalization Program") at a cost of, let's say, $100 billion dollars. We'll use recycled material to reduce the cost and environmental impact. Now, the summer after our wall is built, only six hurricanes wallop Miami.

"Hurray!" shout the liberals. "If not for our wall, a dozen hurricanes would have made it through. Success!"

And, being the patriotic Americans we are, we believe them because, after all, they wear ties and use sentences that require sixty-three commas and majored in poly-sci in between anti-war/oil/business/church/Bush/styrofoam cup protests. After the math, in which a third level congressional intern figures that six hurricanes, at a cost of a gazzilion dollars per 'cane, we are blessed with a savings of infinity dollars. Squared.

This scenario is exactly what liberals attempt whenever they utter phrases like "stimulus" or "revitalize." They like to pump trillions of your dollars into their project. The economy gets no better, but they'll shout that it would have been much worse had they not intervened (see Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932-1945). In the meantime, they show an incredible talent for ignoring politicians who did nothing in the face of a similar crisis and were awarded with much better results (see Warren Harding, 1921-1923).

Despite failure after failure of liberal policies, America just keeps trying. It's as if the idea of controlling the economy is so good (and wouldn't it be wonderful?), that the very act of implementing a liberal agenda makes one a hero in the eyes of history. He cared, dammit! He was an epic failure, but he cared!

Here's the plan kids: the hurricanes will come, it will snow in January (and possibly on the Series), and we'll have drought in summer. We can spend a lot of money on a wall in the ocean, or we can take the bad with the good and take responsibility for our own decisions. Conservatives, take heart, we have a President in the White House who has inspired us like no other. The sleeping giant is alive, thank you very much, awake, and setting November in its sights.

Let's tear down a wall.

Ignorant and Uneducated

2010-04-16T14:03:00.002-05:00

You know you're winning the war of ideas when the opposition resorts to name calling, lies, and misquotes to slander you. Since I've proudly made clear my involvement in the Tea Party movement, I've been called racist, homophobe, uneducated, and ignorant. I've also been called a "birther." I like that one the best. A "birther" is someone who believes that President Obama is not a U.S. citizen. While these folks seek the same goal as I, to rid our country of the socialists who've managed to lie their way into public office, I must disagree with their tactics. The attack on the President's nationality is a waste of resources. Besides, he's given us so many other avenues to turn public opinion against him, it's hardly worth the effort.

For those of us who've actually gone to a Tea Party instead of reading the New York Times hit piece (oddly, they can't understand why they're losing subscribers), you've found that we are highly educated, peaceful, actually fun to be around, loyal to our country, color blind and, I'm so sorry to have to tell you, absolutely committed to bringing this nation back to its constitutional roots. In fact, I just read the Contract from America, put together after polling 500,000 Patriots. The ten points mention things like controlling government spending, protect the Constitution, and reducing our dependency on foreign oil.

All those opposed to those points, raise your hand. The other 99% of you, those who I like to refer to as "non-idiots," stick around.

The current regime in Washington is proof that the founders were correct when they warned us about out of control federal government. They are so certain that everything they do is golden that they completely ignore the protests of those they supposedly represent. Our Constitution established a small, limited central government, leaving most of the control at the state and local levels. If Californians want government health care, they can vote it in for California. If Virginians don't want it, they don't get it thrust upon them from three thousand miles away. That way, you see, when it fails, it only effects the folks in California, not the whole freakin' country!

Here's what we want. We want governors who stand up, grow a spine, and tell the socialist in the White House that we are sovereign states who do not want or need his health care, his taxes, his cap and trade, or any of his attacks on the corporations who provide real jobs.Then we want the federal government to stick to what the constitution allows them which, by the way, is not "anything that provides health or security." There is no amendment that says "Insert your pet issue here." You guys 'n gals work for us. Got it? Now, for those of you with your hands raised, come up with actual arguments to support a socialist agenda, or shut up and get back to your tingly-legged "news" program host or American Idol.

If you choose to engage in your losing battle, you are in for a hell of a ride.

This is what happens when the uninformed and ignorant are called out.

A beautiful mob

2010-04-12T05:35:00.000-05:00

I attended my first Tea Party event yesterday in Clinton Township, near Detroit. I confess that I've never attended any kind of political rally in my life. I'm one to cast my vote, make my opinions known, but otherwise stay out of politics. That's for people with time to spare. I'm busy. Trying to make a living here, you know?

A funny thing happened to me on my way to minding my own business, though. Let's start, shall we, with the beginning.

In October of 1981, I'm a short, pudgy, fourteen year old boy living in Yorktown, Virginia. I know, pretty cool place to live, huh? I don't get to call it home, though. I was a Navy brat. Dad was a lifer. Home was wherever duty took him. Yorktown would forever be, though, the place that impacted me the most. This October day will always stand as the pinnacle of that early influence.

You see, for those of you not up on history, October 1981 marked the bicentennial of the Battle of Yorktown, the final victory that would boot the British off our shores. In Yorktown, it meant a week of no school. That's how I saw it. We went down to the battlefield and checked out all the displays, the reinactment and, of course, the girls. The highlight of the week was a visit by the new President, sworn in only nine months before. I thought that was kind of cool, so I stood by the road to watch his motorcade pull into the park.

Mind you, these were not happy times in the U.S. The country still reeled from a massive recession. The hostages in Iran had been released around the same time as the inauguration. And Viet Nam was still a very fresh memory for millions. By 1980, very little national pride remained.

Fourteen year old boys pay little attention to those things, though. After all, there's girls. Even if they didn't notice you, they took up about 99% of your thought patterns. That was until a limo with a President rolled past me on an October day. I knew little about Ronald Reagan, only that my dad was thrilled about his election. When I saw him through the glass of that limo, waving to the crowd, I suddenly felt proud of my country. Perhaps it was because I'd seen a few of his speeches by then, or maybe I was caught up in Bicentennial fever, but 1981 would prove to be the year that the conservative seeds would be planted in my brain. I went on to join the Navy myself in 1984, serving under a Commander in Chief who inspired us to give our all for this country.

Fast forward to 2010. No longer do I see a nation of proud Americans. I see a country deeply divided, and a President determined to divide it even more. Instead of inspiring speeches, I see apologies to our enemies, I see a President mocking those of us who disagree with his progressive policies. And I see a Congress and Senate full of career politicians who refuse to do what is right, more concerned with their political futures than the future of this country.

I've said many times that this generation will have to sacrifice. We cannot leave our children with a $14trillion dollar debt. That means we'll have to forego many of the benefits our parents enjoyed. But is that enough? I'm not so sure anymore. I may have to stop minding my own business and actually take part in this system. If I want change, I can't do it from a blog or facebook.

I'm not sure where I'm going from here. All I know is that I cannot sit and watch my country be destroyed by a radical regime. And once this one is voted out, I have to stand vigilant against the next one that will surely come along. I can't join the military again, but I can still fight. I'll have to sacrifice. There are things I'd rather be doing than passing out fliers or joining an "angry mob" at political rallies, but what did those men at Yorktown give up? The time for minding my own business is over.

Failure

2010-01-09T07:39:00.002-05:00

If you ever need a topic to write about, just join up with a writer's group. The chatter alone provides an endless supply of worthy topics.

This week my new group, the Penwrights, broached the subject of failure. I can't recall what was involved in the original conversation starter, but it lead to a very important point. One which every writer--in fact, anyone striving for success--should come to.

When you set out on any journey, you're not presented with two options: success or failure. If life were only so simple. After all, if you succeed, great. If you fail, well, the pressure's off. You can go back to American Idol or planting crops on Farmville.

No. Failure is simply the point at which we give up. Success is still out there at the end of a very long road, but we've stopped along the way. Think of it as the early American settlers who "failed" to make it to California. Failure didn't happen to them, they simply chose to stop in Missouri.

I've watched a lot of writers come and go now. I've also watched a few who stuck around. Most of the stuck arounds are published or well on their way. Know the difference? Some stopped typing while others kept at it.

But that's not fair, you say. Some of the published writers got pubbed after only a few years of trying. I've been at it for ten years and still nada, zip, a big fat zero. Welcome to the dream. No one said the Oregon Trail would provide clear passage for every wagon that ventured upon it. Some of them got snow, arrows, drought, you name it. Never the same trail twice.

It will be the same for any venture we undertake. If you want to be a success, you identify the goal and start moving that way. Lord, I hated typing that. It's been said so many times it's cliche (you know what they say about cliches...avoid them like the plague). But some truths are so self evident that they need repeating.

One of my "mile markers" this year is to get my writerly website up and going. As soon as I'm done here I'll be on to that. Then I'll work on my article for Women 2 Women Michigan. It's not a big paying job, but it's writing. So is this by the way. Every stroke of the key is one step closer to a book on the shelf. Every "no" is one step closer to a "yes."

By the way, some of you may honestly decide you're not cut out for whatever it was you set out to do. That's fine. But I implore you, don't be like 99% of the people in the world who are happy to sit by and let life happen to them. Choose another course. Challenge yourself. If you fail 99 times out of a hundred, thank God for that 100th attempt.

Keep typing. See you at the end of the trail.

Inspiration: $30 per month

2010-01-02T09:02:00.000-05:00

Passion is great as far as driving forces go, but let's get serious. It's like the boost that gets the space shuttle out of the Earth's atmosphere. Once in orbit, we need something to sustain us. This is true of marriage, Christianity, health & fitness, and especially writing. These are all long term commitments. Anyone who has ever relied on that initial red hot passion to keep them going has found out the hard way that it's a long, hard fall back to Earth.

Weight loss was always a big challenge for me. Like many, I'd lose it, gain it back, lose it again, and so on. Over the last year I've finally been successful at maintaining my healthy body weight. How? By shelling out a few bucks when inspiration was necessary. I've bought a Bowflex, a treadmill, exercise DVDs, even the P90x program. All these cost money, but you have to weigh the benefits. If I spend an average of $500 per year on exercise inspiration, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than my health care costs as I get older. Even a $40 per month gym membership is a good investment in your future (me, I have to have the Bowflex staring me in the face every day or I'd get lazy).

How does this apply to writing? Well, it's the same thing, isn't it? Today, on January 2nd, there are probably millions (yes, millions) of aspiring writers pounding on their keyboards, determined to conquer the publishing world. Discouraging, isn't it, to know that there are so many competing for the few open spots on a publishers booklist? Fear not. By February, over half will have dropped out. By June, you'll be hard pressed to find 10% of them still pounding out their word quotas.

I know. I've been there. When I've tried the "lone wolf" path of writing, things didn't go so well. It worked for Hemingway, but most of us need a kick in the pants on a daily basis.

You've had a long weekend and spent much of it surfing the net. You've probably come across a few writer's groups, books, forums, and organizations. Some are free, but the really good stuff costs money. But what's a little inspiration worth to you? Don't run yet, I'm not actually selling anything here (except for the Amazon books over yonder just to help pay for my book habit). I'll gladly make a few suggestions, though.

Buy a writing book. Right now I'm reading The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. It reads like a daily devotional and, in fact, that's how I'm using it. I read a very short chapter and write my thoughts in my journal, which leads to...
Buy a fresh journal. Not just a pad of paper, but a nice one. I bought two so I could leave the big one at home and carry the more compact one in my truck. Write in it every day. Describe the tree outside, anything. Just write in it.
Join a writer's organization. This is a bit more costly. I like the American Christian Fiction Writers. It's a great group with writers of every level and genre. I think the going rate is $80 for the first year. There's also Mystery Writer's of America, Romance Writer's of America, and a slew of others for your particular genre. All have local chapters, critique groups, and best of all...
Writer's conferences. This is a big expense, I won't lie. Expect to spend close to $500 by the time you're done with flights, lodging, and conference fees. They're worth every penny, though. Do yourself a favor and talk to the other writers in your organization about how to best prepare for a conference. Don't walk in blind. You'll be talking to agents, editors, publishers, and published authors. Don't wait for your big break, make it happen. A conference is an ideal setting for that. I'll be attending the ACFW conference in September.
Subscribe to a writer's magazine like Writer's Digest. That way you're guaranteed a monthly boost.

Here's a challenge for my new (and old) friends out there: Pick up a copy of The Art of War for Writers. It's small, inexpensive, and a very quick read. Beginning in two weeks, say on Monday, January 18th, we'll have an online book discussion. As you'll see, he doesn't get deep into the mechanics of writing, so it should be a very light, fun discussion. I'll shoot for posting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Three chapters a week.

Fair enough? If nobody shows up for my little party, I'll do it anyway. This exercise is as much for my own inspiration as yours. By the way, add "Start a blog" to my list up there. Yes, there's a good chance no one will read it for a long time, but this is for you. A journal is your primary thought pad, but a blog gets you out of your comfort zone, writing for the world to see. It's also a lot of fun.

A Blank Page

2009-12-30T09:24:00.001-05:00

Every new day is a chance to start over. Even more so for the first day of the year. This year I took my brand new shiny Border's gift card out and bought--guess what?--brand new notebooks! Ah, your heart is beating faster, I can hear it. Thrilling, yes?

Okay, so it's not a stack off the "New Releases" shelf. It's just a notebook or three with empty, blank pages staring at you, demanding ink. But that's what the new year is supposed to represent, isn't it? A new beginning. A chance to finally get it right. Naturally, we'll screw up 2010 just as badly as 2009, but we've got at least one day to dream! That's why we get a vacation day on January 1st. That way, we can say we've gotten through the first day of the year without completely hacking up our lives. No work, no mistakes. You can't mess up your teenagers, because they'll sleep all day. Wives will be taking down the Christmas tree and husbands will be outside ripping down the lights (we don't care if they break, we've got a whole 11 months before they have to go back up).

So here's what you do: go to your nearest Borders, Office Max, or any other notebook seller, and shop. Yes, shop. Do you know how many notebooks there are? You can go with the basic legal pad or lined notebook, or you can go all the way and get Moleskine. I went in between this year and got Piccadilly. One large for home and one medium for the truck. Both have rubber band thingys to hold them closed. You never know when a sudden gust of wind will try to rip them open.

A blank notebook isn't like a blank Word document. Notebooks won't be submitted for publication. You can do anything in there. So no pressure. I started mine with the proclamation that I am, indeed, a writer and set a few goals. Right there on the first page. Now I can't miss it. Do that. Write a letter to yourself on the first page. Be encouraging yet demanding. Set your goals and take no prisoners.

It's a blank page. Just like a new year. You write the story.

What's a Writer?

2009-12-29T14:59:00.003-05:00

If I had to choose a word to define myself, other than Christian, husband, and father, it would have to be "writer." The normal people among you would naturally assume I write for a living and, if fact, make a decent income from my chosen craft.

The writers among you know better.

I first decided to write a novel in 1997. I've completed three since. None published. I've had a few magazine articles published, even paid for two of them. But the dream has not yet been fulfilled. I admit, I've allowed myself to become discouraged and even given up for a year or so. During that time I watched several of my friends go on to be published. I'd be lying if I said I weren't a bit jealous. It's all part of the writing life. We simply can't understand why others get published while our own awe inspiring talent goes unnoticed. Never mind the fact that I haven't actually submitted anything in two years. That has nothing to with it, I'm sure.

Here's something I've learned along the way: if I'm feeling sorry for myself, my writing buddies are not going stop and wait for me to pull myself together. Writers aren't coaches. They're herd animals. Keep up and you'll get all the encouragement you need. Fall by the wayside and you're dinner for the lions. Only a fool would stop and wait for you, lest the lions get a double portion.

I hate New Year's resolutions. But I will resolve to re-acquire the tenacity I once held. The drive that made each minor victory a reason to celebrate, because the journey itself made the destination all the more desirable.

Tomorrow is my 43rd birthday. I'm in good health (lost 30lbs. in '09), still a pretty darn good writer, and I have the full support of my family. I'll write another novel, better than the last, and see where it goes. If it goes nowhere, I'll try again. After all, writing makes me a writer. Getting published or not doesn't change that.

The lions will have to sleep tonight.

Not Another Christmas Blog

2009-12-19T08:51:00.004-05:00

When you choose the blogging lifestyle, there is immense pressure to post something poetic and heart-felt during the week leading up to Christmas. While I'm quite capable of that task, I get the feeling that there are approximately 17 million bloggists doing the same thing.

...so why fight it?

While lying on the couch last night, watching the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol (which so blows Disney's away), I was thinkin' deep thoughts. I quickly got rid of those before I required an Advil. What popped in next was what I entitled my "Life Christmas Card." It was a culmination of memories that paint my Christmas portrait. I'm ashamed to say that it had little to do with Christ. I'd say it's more of a 1970's version of an American feeding frenzy.

But here's my list of top ten childhood Christmas memories. You can play the home version if you like.

10. Running over Jennifer on the most awesome Flexible Flyer ride of my life.
9. The smell of laundry detergent and rubber boots when I walked into my grandmother's side door.
8. The color coded branches (purple went on the bottom) of our fake Christmas tree.
7. The cardboard fireplace that went with us from Hawaii to Washington.
6. Making popcorn balls with dad and using butter to reduce the pain of the second degree burns.
5. Our Firestone Christmas albums, which I played from October to Christmas (and not a minute afterward).
4. Shopping at the Oceana Navy Exchange with a total stranger on "Dependant's Night."
3. Lying on a couch in the Goodboe's Oceanside Navy Housing dwelling, listening to Sleigh Ride on the radio while mom and the Goodboe's were out shopping (Dad was underway on the Kitty Hawk).
2. Watching Fiddler on the Roof--all of it--with my wife when we actaully had time to do that sort of thing in December (okay, not a childhood memory, but it's definately a top 10).

and my number 1 Christmas memory of all time...

Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, which we can never do again because the DVD doesn't include the Dolly Madison commercials.

There were a few that probably should have made it. Like staying up until 4am with Randy playing Sea Battle on his Intellivision. Going to Showcase Cinemas to see The Black Hole. The first time I tried a piece of divinity, which turned into a lifelong love affair with sugar and corn syrup. The one time I opened and re-wrapped one of my presents and it turned out to be a Coke can with a blue strobe light in it (Mom loved Spencers). Ronco commercials. Shopping at Perry Drugs. Getting a Billy Joel cassette from Uncle Wilbur, who had no idea what to get a 13 year old boy.

By the way mom. Thanks for a great Christmas in San Diego. Dad was out to sea. We had a tiny 3rd floor apartment. The tree was pathetic. The plastic fern was tacky. The greasy hamburgers on University Avenue were awesome. The fake snow at Sea World was just silly. It will always be one of my favorite Christmasses. And not just because it's the year I discovered divinity.

Waiting on God...Patiently

2009-12-10T18:18:00.003-05:00

You'd think, after being a follower of Christ for over 10 years, I'd have the system down by now. I mean, really, Jesus made it sound pretty simple. Follow me. I can do that. Where we goin'? When we gonna get there? Are we there yet?

Thus is the problem I face. Somehow I missed the scriptures that talked about the patience that the servants of God had to endure. I mean, really--bondage for 400 years, then you'll get to the Promised Land? "Excuse me," I'd say as I raised my hand from the back row (closest to the bathroom), "but, uh, won't we all be dead before that happens?" I'd surely embarass my tribe as I requested the "Quick Start Guide."

And then there was Moses. Fifteen years into legal retirement age, collecting his sociable security benefits, getting the free coffee refills at the Wal Mart cafeteria, and he's called to lead a million people across the desert. For another 40 years.

I'll be honest. Patience is not my strength. I think of microwave popcorn as "a step in the right direction."

So, whenever an opportunity to serve God has popped up in the last ten years, I've jumped in like a congressman at a spending party. And the results were always about the same. I've stopped lately, and asked myself, "Self, maybe you should pause and seek the will of God before making a total arse of yourself again." I wonder if Moses had the same thought after he offed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand.

I've got a lot of buried Egyptians myself. Sunday school teaching. D. Heading up the Wednesday night children's ministry. F. Adult Bible Study. D+. Stewardship Committee Chair. C-. The list goes on.

Not the proudest ten years of my life. I didn't even do so well in the prayer department. But I suppose I should learn from this. All these failed or mediocre attempts had one thing in common. They were my idea or I jumped on someone else's idea. I'm not sure I prayed once to receive direction from the Lord. And, if He gave me direction, I was probably too busy or distracted to listen. My wife had endured this shortcoming of mine as well.

It's tough for me to grasp that my life is a mere tick of the second hand in God's eternal clock. I may never see the fruit of my labor. I may die in the desert after my nine hundredth meal of manna and qual. Not even microwave popcorn. But, somehow, I have to deal with the fact that my calling may seem unimpressive to me and the rest of the world. I suppose I should be happy that God's still talking to me, regardless of my failings.

I call this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas the "Long Pause." It's a time to reflect, think about the direction of our lives. I often find myself wondering what happened to the dreams I used to have. Did I just give up and settle for what came my way? I think probably I did. I started digging into my writing again this year, and it feels great. But I've also seen those who've passed me by, their success leaving me in a trail of half written novels and dusty keyboards. Where did I go?

Yes, I know. Regrets won't do any good. But, somehow, I get the sense that plowing right in is not the right answer, either. Maybe I get frustrated and quit because I'm following my own direction instead of His. It just so happens that my 43rd birthday falls at the end of this month, another time of reflection. It's a double whammy for me. I think, for my New Year's resolution, I'll promise myself to do nothing. I'll do nothing without first seeking His will and waiting--patiently--for a response. And following His lead, no matter how small a step it may seem to me at the time.

Maybe then I'll finally get a report card I can hang on my Father's fridge.

The 21st Century Heretic

2009-05-15T06:32:00.004-05:00

My friend Dave Gerber, pastor of a Nazarene Church here in Michigan, is in a debate on facebook regarding the Emerging Church. Dave is not your typical pastor. He'd never make it in a Jan Karon novel. Maybe Tom Clancy.

Like a good student and teacher of the bible, he goes in with an open mind, tries to see both sides of the argument, and engage in a calm discussion. My own Methodist church sets the standard for open-mindedness and calm discussions. As Pastor Dave surely knows, keeping an open mind is a good way to get labeled a "heretic."

It's become a popular word in the 21st century American Christian crowd. My handy dandy Google dictionary defines heretic as "a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church."

For those of you outside the church (and I can't blame you if you fear stepping inside), each denomination has a set of defined principles, beliefs, etc. There's a bit of variation, sometimes in the way they baptize (and at what age), the exact wording of your confession of faith, how communion is served, etc. The Catholic church, of course, varies greatest from the large grouping of denominations labeled "Protestant."

However, the "doctrines" of the church as a whole remain fairly simple and surprisingly few. I prefer Paul's 2 step plan: confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that he was raised from the dead. It's so simple anyone can do it. Hey! How 'bout that? It's almost as if God intended that anyone have easy access to heaven. No cover charge, just a simple dress code (a white robe...where do I sign up?).

Like any good organization, though, the church has managed to take a 2 step plan and turn it into something the U.S. Congress would be proud of. And here's the rub: those churches who are trying to reverse the over-regulation of the past hundred years or so and go back to the basic principles are the ones getting the bad press. As far as I can tell, in order to be a heretic in the church, you have to reject Jesus as Lord or deny that he was raised from the dead. We can argue a few more, the virgin birth comes to mind. But let's keep it simple for now.

Let's talk about what a heretic is not. A heretic is not someone who believes that the prophecies in Revelations were fulfilled in the first century. A heretic is not someone who believes that homosexuals should be allowed to marry (please...this is not my belief, but I don't feel someone should be tossed from the church for that particular stand). A heretic is not someone who worships on a day other than the one you've chosen. A heretic is not someone who votes Democrat.

This is not the time to make non-believers feel as if they need a masters degree in churchology to sit in a pew. We are in an age when people have lost all hope in their government, in corporations, even in themselves. They need something to grasp onto. If they look at the church and see us bickering like a roomful of politicians, they'll look elsewhere.

I find, as I get older, I respond to questions about faith with "I don't know" a heck of a lot more than I used to. If you have all the answers, please don't let me know. I've heard from you enough. Jesus had 3 1/2 years to teach his fledgling church all they needed to know. And guess what? After that 3 1/2 years most of them still didn't get it! They disagreed with one another, then later found another victim, Paul, with whom to disagree. So which one of the disciples were heretics, my friends?

I'll let you choose. Because I don't know.

A long long Trail of Tears

2009-04-05T17:16:00.005-05:00

My pastor tread on sacred ground this morning. Sacred because it's a subject I struggle with in the privacy of my own vehicle or during some sleepless night, having been kept awake by two cats under the influence of a full moon. It's one of those subjects I fear, because it forces me to confront many of my beliefs, some I've held since my youth.

The subject dealt with the continual build up of arms, nuclear and otherwise, by this nation that I hold dear. The pastor stated that this build up, in our nation and others, is done on the backs of the poor. I bristled at that statement. After all, the U.S. doesn't allow it's citizens to starve while funnelling trillions into a military build up with the intention of invading a neighbor.

Not directly, anyway.

After reflecting upon some of my previous reflections, I've always known that any funneling of a nation's resources for military purposes is a drain on the economy. And any drain on the economy, whether a useless government program, a recession, or military build up, always hits the poor the hardest. That's the natural way of economics, so it's logical. Imagine what we could do if the trillions of dollars that has gone into the military could have gone back to the taxpayers. Think of the humming economy that would emerge from that situation. Jobs for everyone. Billions of additional income for charitable causes. Our one nation could literally feed the world.

Yes, I know what you're saying. And I'm saying it, too. That simply would not happen. If we were to hit the "off" button on our military and simply lay our guns on the bar, we'd be overrun by our enemies. In fact, if we'd followed the directives of Christ 200 years ago, we may not have even taken up arms against England. After all, we were told to submit to authority.

So the million (or trillion) dollar question is this: is it the Christian's place to remain passive and accept whatever oppression comes with it? Let's be realistic now. If we follow the commands of Christ to the letter and listen to what He's saying, the church would always suffer persecution. Or has America found the magic solution? We can worship Jesus and be free of any persecution. Freedom of religion. That's America! Except that the church in America enjoys this freedom from within a wall of nuclear warheads. Ouch. I mean, really, ouch.

If we are perfectly honest with ourselves and not use our highlighted bible (you know, the one where you've highlighted all the verses that apply to you and your way of life), we have to come to the conclusion that there really is no such thing as a Christian soldier, not in the literal, secular sense anyway.

And if we are perfectly honest and not use the John Wayne version of history, this country did not win it's freedom without committing certain atrocities, those same atrocities that we fled Europe to avoid. Ouch again. Darn, this is getting hard.

In fact, if we follow this long trail of tears for several thousand years, we'll find that the only country that can say it's free of any guilt is...none of 'em. Not a single nation on this earth exists without horrific abuse of another people's basic human rights. As another matter of fact, the only nation that has been mentioned in the Bible as having received God's special blessings is Israel. Ain't that a blip? If we were to vote on the country most likely to be wiped off the map in the last sixty years, and the next sixty, it would be Israel. So if God allows that kind of pounding to be continually prescribed to His chosen people, what makes us U.S. of Americans think we're getting off with a free pass?

Are we destined to be a persecuted lot? Has all this freedom come at the cost of our own humanity? Believe you me, I'm not suggesting I've got the answer, nor did my pastor. His job is to make me step outside the old comfort cube and take a good hard look at myself and my beliefs. Doggone him, he's doing a good job. I love him, but he can be really annoying that way.

And here's the punch line: If we do come to that conclusion, that we are to remain passive and accept our fate, we know, at least we should know, that we will still find absolute joy in the fact of our salvation. Because, we know in our heart of hearts, that we are sinners, just as much as the guy holding a gun against our temple, demanding that we renounce our faith. After all, the guy with the gun is sending me home at last. Unless we manage the world's quickest evangelistic maneuver and get this guy on his knees, he's the one in trouble, not us.

During the sermon this morning, then during a long walk outside my home after the sermon, and while I've tapped out this blog, I've managed to answer zero questions and plant a couple hundred fresh questions, each one of which could result in a blog posting of it's own. Each one, no doubt, resulting in another large planting of questions. The harvester, the guy with the answers, unfortunately, is still biding His time, waiting for the moment when He's pretty sure that not one more soul will be saved.

Until that time, I'm afraid, we'll continue down this trail of tears. Killing so we won't be killed. Our enemies killing us so they won't be killed. We can all agree to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we just can't agree on who will go first.

Washing off the Ash

2009-02-26T07:23:00.005-05:00

A very good friend of mine e-mailed me yesterday and asked what exactly I'm doing these days. He wondered if I'm blogging while on the treadmill (working on it), writing a novel, and performing some sort of service at my "real job." What struck me is that he referred to my blog postings as "religious." I guess there's no other way to categorize it, but it still struck me as funny. I've never considered myself religious and still don't. Let me explain.

I'm a fairly intelligent person, though I have my moments of self-destructive idiocy. My favorite method of self-destruction is food. Love food. All kinds, man. My wife and I have this fantasy of going to Disney World without the kids and eating our way through Epcot. I can (and have) consumed an entire batch of chocolate chip cookie dough without breaking a sweat. You are now, no doubt, picturing me as a contestant on his first day at the Biggest Loser Ranch..."Why, yes, Allison, I do enjoy the occasional snack of vanilla frosting and graham crackers...no, no, the whole can...what's that? Oh, all the crackers, baby...are you going to be pregnant every season? Sorry, my blood sugar is low...got any of your prego-stash Twinkies around?"

But it's not quite that bad. I have struggled with my weight since I was ten years old but have never been obese. I have my ups and downs, like most, but I can never just give up and coast along. I've been on various diets and exercise routines and, for the most part, have held together and survived 42 years on this planet.

Stay with me. I'm going somewhere with this. Until groups like Weight Watchers turned the corner some years back, weight loss plans were often very regimented. Rules had to be adhered to, calorie counting followed precisely. It was, and often still is, a religion. I hated it then, I hate it now. That's not living, brother. If a hot piece of apple pie hits my plate, it's go time.

The plans that did work, and still do, are those that give me some freedom. The aforementioned Weight Watchers lightened up some years ago and provide a lot more flexibility in my eating plan. My exercise schedule is fairly loose, but I stick to it. All this means that I'm dieting, but not on a diet. I'm dieting in the way that we were meant to diet, by returning to a normal lifestyle, not the McDonald's mentality that we've attached ourselves to over the last fifty years or so. What we call a diet, our recent ancestors called living.

Let's bring this analogy home. Religion, to me, is a set of rules that I have to follow to gain God's grace. Many of my Christian friends are nodding in agreement. Oh, really? Take a look around, many of our brothers and sisters shout "heretic!" at every one they don't see in a mirror.

But faith, as I prefer to call it, is simply letting go. Letting go of what? I'm not sure. Pride, selfishness, greed, and gluttony...especially gluttony (I recommend Weight Watchers). Faith is more like the diet that is simply a return to normalcy. This is what God wanted from us in the Garden. Just trusting in Him and enjoying the life He's provided for us. Know what happens when we try to improve on the life He's provided for us? Please refer to the newspaper stories in section A on any given weekday. Just like trying to improve on our natural diet leads to reality shows where people actually compete to turn around the morbid results of their eating habits.

I shudder to think that anyone refers to me as "religious." I'm sure it happens because that's the tag society has created for those of us who go to church every Sunday. I don't like rules. I'm still me. But I'm me without the excess baggage. I'm free, unhindered by sin or rules. When I came home last night from Ash Wednesday services and washed the ashes from my forehead, I wasn't any less a follower of Christ. It's just ash. Underneath was flesh, blood, and a spirit I'm still trying to understand.

And I'm looking damn good in my 32 waist Levis.

Fighting Rome

2009-02-09T18:27:00.005-05:00

Like most Christians in American, my political leanings are conservative. I was a conservative before being a Christian. At that time it had nothing to do with abortion, religious freedom, lax restrictions on the porn industry, or any of the other reasons normally associated with the so called religious right. It began with my military upbringing and then my understanding of economics.

It's extremely tempting to launch into an argument against big government and for a more conservative platform. Trust me, it's taking everything in me to stay off my soap box. That is not the intent of this blog and I must remain true to that or start another blog.

I say all that so that you'll understand the depth of my passion for the conservative movement. If I were an extreme liberal, explaining that would serve the same purpose. Because what I ponder, what every student of the New Testament must ponder, is the Christian's place in a very secular, political world.

Jesus made it clear that neither the Jews nor his followers (who were, of course, also Jews) were to defend themselves against Rome. He never spoke out against Caesar or even Herod. Every minute of his time on Earth was directed at focusing on our spiritual well-being. Prayer, giving to the poor, humility, self-denial. And loving our enemies.

Paul reinforces these aspects of the Christian life later in his many letters. Never does he rally the faithful to speak out against the oppressive rulers of the day. Though Jesus and Paul both speak out against injustice. Which seems to be the gray area here. Are they speaking about injustice on a national scale? Or the daily injustices doled out among individuals? It's tough to say.

While Jesus and Paul certainly saw the futility of taking a stand against Rome, would we have advised William Wilberforce to keep silent his views about the slave trade in England? I'll hazard a guess that no one reading this thinks so. If, in certain cases of extreme human suffering, we are to take a stand against the powers that be, where is the boundary line between real suffering and simple disagreements on policy?

I write this because I have no answer to that question. I write this because, like many of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I wonder where the Lord would prefer I spend my energies. I could make the case that big government could eventually lead to outright socialism, which leads toward government abuse of power, lower standards of living for all, and poverty on a mass scale.

My liberal friends would say I'm overreacting. Our system of government would never allow things to go that far and our Constitution allows for the reversal of such extremes. It's happened in Europe, after all, and several countries have reversed a trend toward socialism. This I can grant you. Unless the Constitution is completely overthrown, we can undo any harm done by a wildly socialistic government. I'm not sure I believe that, but for the sake of the argument, I'll concede to it.

Which brings me back to my quandary: is it the Christian's place to expend his or her time, talent, and energies fighting for a political stance, be it conservatism, liberalism, or any other ism? Are we better serving our Lord by helping the poor, visiting prisoners, and reaching out to a lost generation, one person at a time?

There is no easy answer to this. The Church is expected to continue its mission despite the economic and political circumstances in which it finds itself. After all, China now has a larger population of Christians than the U.S. The Chinese church doesn't seem to be waiting for a more agreeable human rights arrangement with its government before they enter into service to the Lord. While they get imprisoned for holding unauthorized church services, we protest the removal of a nativity scene from the courthouse lawn. Has the U.S. church gotten a little soft or are we realistically heading off a plunge into a socialist, anti-church America?

To some that seems preposterous, something only found in the minds of the most fanatical conspiracy theorists. But let me leave you this: there is a bill floating around in Washington called the Fairness Doctrine. While the title says fairness, it is obviously an Orwellian attempt to silence the conservative majority in talk radio. If something like that is possible in America, how far will we go? And I still haven't answered my question. Do I speak out and spend hours writing congressmen or do I keep my attention focused on things I have more power to control, like giving a homeless man a coat or volunteering in a soup kitchen?

If anyone has an answer, I'm listening. I believe God has an answer, so I'll spend more time listening to Him and less time screaming at the headlines.

Empty Cubby Holes

2009-02-05T10:10:00.004-05:00

I want to back up a bit. I'm writing a series of books and today's chapter topic stood out as one that I should include here. Writing is a wonderful way to get your thoughts flowing, isn't it?

A major factor in the shrinking church is the amount of information now available to the new believer. While many would say information is always a good thing, I'd like to make the case that we're losing a great number of people because of the information available.

Here's the scenario I use in my book:

Remember your first day of kindergarten? If not, think about your child's first day. When you first walked into that room, you were awestruck. Everything was a wonder. All the little chairs and desks neatly arranged. The alphabet running along the top of the walls. The smell of glue. The jars of paints. You'd never been so thrilled in your life.

Now imagine this: as you walked through the door for your first day, there's a high school senior standard there with a smirk on his face. He tells you about the thirteen years of tests, homework, bullies, and pretty girls that snicker as you pass by. He tells you that you'd better start practicing now if there's any hope of making the basketball team. And the SATs. Oh, my, wait 'till you experience the pressure surrounding those!

By now you've turned tail and run home to your Tinker Toys.

While this scenario seems silly, it's very close to what happens to the person who has finally decided to step out in faith and believe in a loving God and his Son. Often, within a day or even an hour of believing, the new Christian is accosted by the Expert. And there are plenty of them. The Expert explains what you should believe, where you should worship, how you are to be baptized, which bible version is correct, and what not to watch on television. You are directed to a series of approved books explaining the history of Israel, how to be a Godly wife, and how to prepare for the End Times. Before you do all that, though, please sign up to serve coffee after church or do your time in the nursery.

It's enough to send you back to the Tinker Toys.

If we can just allow the new believer to bask in the glow of this new discovery, take in the sights, sounds, smells, rummage around in the empty cubby hole under his desk. Maybe, if we can keep our Expert mouths shut long enough, we'll have a new friend.

If, however, our desire to steer our new convert in the "correct" direction is more important to us than letting her take that first childlike step with all the wonder that comes with it, then we're destined to become a body of believers cut off from the world and shrinking in numbers.

Missing Christians

2009-02-03T12:31:00.003-05:00

While most folks can buy into the notion of an intelligent being floating about in the cosmos, the idea of creation and a God very much alive and active in our daily lives is a bigger stretch. It is this step of faith that causes many to fall into the "agnostic" or "non-affiliated Christian" categories. Polls tells us that 80-90% of Americans proclaim a belief in God. Preachers proclaim a 70-80% absence from the pews.

Why?

Let's start with a typical scenario found after the Sunday morning services of any church of any major denomination. The congregants file out, shake hands with the Pastor, head downstairs for cookies and coffee, visit with one another for maybe twenty minutes or so, and chat.

Know what they chat about? The weather. The economy. Football. Kids. TV shows.

Notice something missing? That's right. Rarely will the conversations turn to Jesus, salvation, the bible, or even the sermon they just heard.

It's a comfort thing. Even church-attending Christians feel uncomfortable talking to each other about their faith. So, if we the followers of Christ can't even get over our embarrassment to speak His name in the church, why are we surprised when most Americans see no reason to attend church or speak openly about their faith?

Taking it a step further, if most Americans are unwilling to publicly proclaim their faith (unless, ironically, running for public office), why should the children of those quiet Christians grow up believing in anything at all? They shouldn't. And since this slip into a "personal religious viewpoint" has been going on for over forty years, it's no surprise that the pews are emptying.

This leaves us with two problems: how to start speaking openly about our faith, thus reversing the trend, and how to convince an entire generation of agnostics that God is real, God is alive, and God wants a relationship with them.

I don't believe this is simply a matter of packing people back into the church. I honestly believe that our country's survival depends on it.

More to come...

x=God

2009-01-31T16:31:00.003-05:00

Now that I've demonstrated what little I remember from college, let's make this simple. We can spend our lives, and many have, using whatever math and science we have at our disposal in an attempt to drill down to the origins of life. The problem is: we just can't come up with an answer based on our own understanding. No matter how many theories and proofs that pop up on either side of this debate, there are simply too many unknowns, too many assumptions, and too many preconceived notions to come up with a clear, irrefutable answer.

You'll never find x.

So what do we do when math and science can't answer a problem? We turn to logic.

Yay! Say the atheists. Now we've got 'em!

After all, who can argue the logic that you cannot believe in something you've never seen, never touched, never heard.

Well...I can.

In my head, and in yours, is a clump of gray matter that weighs about 6lbs. We all got pretty much the same hardware package when we were born, despite what our spouses may claim. Now, as I try to comprehend the cosmos, the edges of the universe, exactly how far a billion light years really is, how the Captain Kirk can have instantaneous communications with Starship Command, I get a headache. I crash. Time to reboot and grab a cup of coffee.

As I try to imagine a God who created all the universe, knows every thought of every human, knows when a sparrow falls dead, I get a headache. Crash. Coffee. Two cups.

Our brains, as remarkable as they are, are finite. The universe is not. God is not. For us to assume that something cannot exist because our 6lb. lump can't fathom it...well, it's arrogant. I don't care how eloquent someone can speak or write against belief in God, he's working on the same hardware that I am. He's limited in his thought. He must admit that, whatever we believe about the origins of life, it is fantastic, almost impossible to comprehend.

So why can't x=God? Don't think religion, think super intelligent life outside of our universe. It seems that people can swallow that pretty easily. After all, in an infinite universe, there must be a higher life form somewhere, right? Well, why can't we call that higher life form God? Got a better name? Darrel? Somehow, "Darrel the highly intelligent life form" just doesn't fit into a Sunday hymn. But if Darrel suites you, I'll leave it alone for now.

Let's not get sidetracked with the subject of worship. I like baby steps. If I can convince one person that it's possible a highly intelligent creator may be responsible for this rock on which we live as well as the 6lb. lumps of flesh in our heads, then my work here is done.

Well, almost. But let's stop there for today. After all, you've only got 6lbs. to work with.

X=whatever works

2009-01-29T10:24:00.009-05:00

For those of you who don't remember high school Algebra, other than the zombie-like expression on the face of your fellow detainees, you cannot solve for two variables if you only have one equation. You need two. Three variables, three equations. Four variables, four equations, and so on.

When it comes to less stringent sciences, like economics, the variables are endless and the equations are few. That's why it's so frightening when the government decides to "help" the economy along. All they're doing is adding another variable into a sea of unknowns.

Now let's apply what we've learned to something even less tangible: the creation of the universe and, more specifically, life.

Science has attempted to explain the origins of life with a few known variables. For example, depth of fossils, nitrogen content in the atmosphere, the decay rate of certain radioactive particles, etc. While the scienctific community has opened our understanding of the natural world, no human being can ever claim to have the answer to the million dollar question: where did it all come from?

One of the first things I learned while working on my engineering degree is the art/science of making assumptions. Assumptions allow us to plug in a likely number where one doesn't exist. The further one goes back in time, the larger the pool of unknown variables. The scientist has no choice but to plug in more and more assumptions to get his answer. So if x in the equation is the age of the Earth, he'll plug in his last assumption. How about one-hundred billion years? Yes, that will work nicely. Now to the next assumption...

See where I'm going with this? This same scientist's "Age of the Earth" equation also involved hundreds, if not thousands, of assumptions. Which leads us to the next thing I learned as a young engineer: margin of error. The more assumptions one makes, the greater the margin of error. Even on something as "simple" as building a skyscraper, a few wrong assumptions and the whole thing comes toppling down. Aren't we glad that humans didn't design the planet?

The point of this post is not to argue the age of the Earth. That's simply another impossible-to-know variable in a long list. The point of this post is bring home this point: no human can assume to know the origins of life. It's all guesswork. Much of it with very good arguments. It must have very good arguments because there simply exists no proof. Or, at best, circumstantial evidence.

But I can make my point even more easily than that. I don't even need Algebra.

to be continued....

Somewhere Along the Way

2009-01-27T15:59:00.003-05:00

I remember the day I graduated Lawrence Tech University with my Engineering Degree. This was it, man, I'd done it. Here was a guy who scraped through high school with a C- average and an impressive collection of beer bottle caps. Here was a guy who spent 4 years in the Navy and had a Chief recommend that he not re-enlist. Here was guy whose career goal, before meeting his wife, was to get a job on the auto assembly line (I owe that woman my life).

And I had, not just any degree, but an engineering degree. That requires like math and stuff.

I was going places. I'd never want for anything. Or so I thought.

This is not about bad economies and the realization that no job is really safe. I've learned that one many years ago. This is about a guy who thought he had it all, and in the eyes of the world he did. But, in reality, what he was lacking far exceeded what he'd gained.

I'm talking about faith, of course. Even more basic, I'm talking about the realization that I had a spiritual side. For someone who had a career based in science and tangible evidence, this was a stretch. While I wouldn't go so far as to say I was an atheist, I'd call my religious leanings "Disinterested Agnostic." It seemed like a nice, safe place to be. I'm one who likes to hedge his bets.

Fact is, it was the science and math part of me that pushed me to investigate the claims of the atheists. The way I saw it, I had two choices. I either believed in an intelligent creator, or I believed that all matter and energy just suddenly appeared from...nothing. Whatever I believed, it went against known science and was pretty incredible.

Think I'll continue down this path on my next post.

Forgiving the Unforgivable

2009-01-25T13:14:00.004-05:00

This has been a popular subject with me lately. Forgiveness. It is, arguably, the most difficult of all that our Lord calls us to do. Forgive those who sin against us as God forgives our sins. It sounds easy enough when we recite the Lord's prayer each week, but we don't really understand how difficult it is until we've been betrayed to such a point that we see forgiveness as impossible. Surely God doesn't expect us to forgive people who use all that they know about us in an attempt to destroy us.

If you think I'm writing this from first hand experience, you'd be correct. While the betrayal I speak of is not of a personal nature, more of business, it's still hurtful in that it goes far beyond honest competition. It's an outright attempt to destroy the lives of others. It gets very personal.

Now, I didn't write this to vent my frustration. I wrote it because I know that I will allow myself to be destroyed if I cannot forgive. Even more important than the survival of the company is the welfare of my soul and the greater achievement of a happy, loving family. After all, honestly, if the company is destroyed, I'll find other means of income. Perhaps even start another company. The employees there would struggle for a while, but they're good people and would find employment elsewhere. But if I were to allow this to fester in my heart, it would make me a bitter man for the rest of my life and not much use to God, my family, or myself.

Fortunately, I do have the power to forgive. And it is a power given by the Holy Spirit. Don't think it's much of a power? Look around at all the people on this earth who live their lives for vengeance. Entire nations are destroyed by it. Yet each of us can choose to let it destroy us or move on.

I choose to move on. In fact, I choose to pray for those who hate me. And I have. It may be the single most tangible evidence of Christ in our lives: the ability to forgive and push aside the anger that would otherwise eat at us like a cancer. When I allow myself to view the world through the eyes of those who want to be my enemy, I see that they too feel betrayed and hurt. Either of us can make the argument that we're the victim. But that accomplishes nothing.

Jesus knew that we could never experience the freedom He offered if we couldn't shake the chains of our anger. I forgive those who sin against me. And I pray that they can forgive me as well.

Chapter 1

2009-01-21T12:15:00.002-05:00

The most intimidating thing I did this year, so far, is to sit down to a blank Word document and type "Chapter 1." Do you have any idea how vast that white space can look with that at the top? It's an arctic wasteland. From within the wasteland anything can happen. I can start nuclear wars, cause people to fall in love (and out), kill off a few bad guys. Or just stare at it.

Which seems to be the easiest thing to do.

Do you think God wrote "Chapter 1" thousands of years ago and then suffered writer's block? Did He write the first chapter a couple dozen times, tear it out of the typewriter (no laptops yet), crumble it up and make a spectacular 3-pointer into a black hole? Maybe that's where all the dinosaur bones came from. They're just rejected first chapters. After all, what editor is gonna buy a bunch of non-talking reptiles who do nothing but eat plants and each other?

So He decided on a love story instead. Much better idea. Of course, it had to have all the bad stuff, too. Wars, rumors of wars, hurricanes, floods, Nancy Pelosi. But then came His son about two-thirds through the book. Man, that was great. And it wasn't even the end. Most writers save the best for last. I guess the end is still pretty exciting. But still, I think the editors will have an issue with the savior showing up too soon. Doesn't exactly play out like a good western, does it?

Anyway, I'll get back to chapter 1 tomorrow morning. I don't think I'm clever enough to let the hero save the day in the middle. I'd better do it the normal way.

A New Start...Again

2009-01-20T08:29:00.003-05:00

The last couple of years have been a whirlwind of highs and lows for me. I started with a new company, stopped writing, watched my daughter enter high school, and have felt betrayed by someone I once respected. The worries of running a small business in a terrible economy have weighed down on me until I could hardly sleep at night. All the while, I've felt myself growing more and more distant from God.

Recently I've made the decision to turn that around. Jesus said that if we set our sights on the Kingdom of Heaven, everything else will fall into place (the New Ron Translation). It's a simple verse, like most in the Gospels, but one easy to forget.

A couple of weeks ago my Pastor announced that we were looking into starting a weekly meal for the needy in our area. Keep in mind, I live in northern Oakland County, Michigan, once one of the richest areas in the country. The idea that we needed free meals for the needy was absurd only a few years ago. It's not so absurd anymore. So we're going to do what a church is supposed to: take care of our brothers and sisters, Christian or not, because that's what Christ expects of us.

I saw this as a chance to do something real. Not another ministry to serve other Christians or sending money overseas, but a chance to help my neighbor, someone I can see, touch, speak to. It's why the church is here.

We had a meeting at the church last night to get an overview of how such a project will work. Of course, other churches are already doing it, so we have the blueprint. I'm hoping things will get moving quickly, as the need is growing in our area. I suppose I'm a bit selfish, because I see this as an opportunity to lift my spirit as much as helping others. I want more than anything to feel that excitement I first felt when I came to know the Lord. Just by taking that first step last night, attending a meeting, I'm already feeling His presence again.

The Associate Pastor who gave the presentation last night told us of a man, retired, who learned of the program at their church and just started showing up every week at the same time to wash the dishes. He wasn't even a church member (he is now). I thought to myself: doing dishes for the Lord. What could be better?

It doesn't have to be a big job. But just to do something for the Lord would be better than anything I could accomplish in business.

So I've felt more at peace about the things happening in the world around me. Businesses come and go. I've forgiven those who have wronged me, worked hard to see things from their point of view. I can see how they've felt betrayed or hurt. Nothing can harm me in this life that won't pail in comparison to the glory that awaits.

Happy 2009.

A Pilgrimage

2008-06-05T05:48:00.002-05:00

My Pastor is leading our church on a discussion of the emerging church. For those who aren't familiar with this movement, there's plenty on the blogosphere and other websites. In a nutshell, the basis of the movement is to bring mainline churches back to their historic roots, search for a deeper spirituality in Christ.

This part of the movement I'm all for. I didn't grow up a Christian, but even I could see that many mainline churches had become nothing more than social clubs, their members having a "form of godliness, but denying it's power." Returning to ancient traditions keeps us in touch with our heritage and creates a bond with our Christian ancestors.

But (there's always a "but"), there are parts of the emerging movement that cause much unrest in my spirit. While I fervently believe the church is to open to anyone seeking spiritual healing, in no way should the church approve of behavior clearly defined as immoral in the Bible. If a gay man or woman walks into my church, I trust he or she will be loved by the congregation and find a safe haven to begin his or her spiritual walk. That does not mean we approve of the sin. If I sink into porn addiction, I do hope that my brothers and sisters in Christ will do everything they can to stop me and get me back on the right path. If I continue to ignore their pleas, they should do as Paul instructs--have nothing to do with me, toss me out of the church.

I definately want to see a change in my Methodist church. We've strayed from the deep spirituality of our founders and have become a place of socialization and pot lucks. As have most of the major denoms. The reason I've stayed so long is that I see the power of a large organized church to spread the gospel to the world and fight for justice. The reason I sometimes want to leave is because our leadership often seems determined to become part of the world as to not make any waves.

That's not what John Wesley had in mind. Wesley made waves. So did our Lord.

I'll continue to study the emerging movement. Perhaps there is more good to be gained if we can leave the bad out. Otherwise, I may have to struggle yet again with a decision about my church.

The End Times

2008-05-28T05:56:00.002-05:00

As a Methodist, I don't hear a lot about end times prophecy in my church. This annoys me at times. But, after years of reading countless web pages and books on the subject, I can understand why. I've yet to read any one opinion that I completey agree with. Any pastor preaching on the subject would, no doubt, alienate at least half his congregation.

I've come to the conclusion that no one person has got it right, yet. Every author I've read (fiction and non-fiction) has come to the table with his or her opinion of how things will or have shaped up. They then stretch a few prophecies to fit that opinion.

While I believe that most of the book of Revelation is directed at the fall of Rome, I also believe that history, and prophecy, tends to repeat itself. I believe that Jesus will return to establish the final "Eden" here on earth. I believe that He will gather His elect from the four corners of the earth.

What I don't believe is the literal translatioin of the imagry used in Revelation (most clearly used in the Old Testament as well), nor do I believe that all has been accomplished and we're living in the new earth now.

When will Jesus return? Don't know. Will I still read all those websites and books? Yup. Nothing will bring me greater joy than the return of our Lord. How can I not watch for it? Like all believers, I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve who wants to open just one present. Just a little taste of what's to come. The problem is, though, if we really got a taste of what's to come, we wouldn't want to spend another second in this world. We'd be useless. Ever asked a kid to get his chores done on Christmas Eve?

Watch with me, brothers and sisters, but get to work on time, okay?

2008-05-21T05:55:00.000-05:00

Writing chum Robin has been issuing prayer requests for her husband. I'm not sure if I'm at liberty to say what for, so I'll leave it at that. He needs healing...physically. By now, maybe some spiritual. If it were me, I'm sure I'd need both.

It's always toughest to see those you love going through hardship. Helplessness is probably one of the worst feelings a person can tolerate. We often wish the pain upon ourselves. At least, then, we have options, even if they're not good ones. How often does a parent sit up with a child in pain, praying for God to transfer that pain to themselves?

I don't want to place Robin's situation on the same level as a child with an ear ache, but one can imagine the torment she's going through. I imagine several breakables in her house have come to violent destruction.

I often wonder what it was like for the disciples as they watched Jesus die on the cross. Such torment to their souls would have been comparable to a few moments in hell. To watch the man they loved and knew as the Messiah being whipped, spit on, and laughed at. All the while standing silent. Can you put yourself there? Can you even come close to feeling their pain?

But it was that pain that launched the incredible wave of evangelism that spreads to this day. Perhaps even Saul witnessed the crucifixion, laughed and scoffed with the other onlookers. Imagine his shame later as he preached to the gentiles. No thorn in his side would even compare to the suffering of his heart.

I will pray for Robin and Case. Not just for the physical healing, though, but that their faith will be strengthened. God has a plan for them, though they're only concern right now is to get through this day.

Grace and Peace be with you all.

Pumped

2008-05-14T05:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, as I was filling up the Avalanche's 31 gallon tank, a guy pulled up next to me, said, "There goes another two weeks pay," and took off. He was obviously bitter. I only shrugged and smiled, not having time to respond. And I wondered, if he had some good news, would he have stopped to share it with me? I think probably not.

You see, I can't seem to let all this bad news get me down. I've never felt happier, standing there pumping $3.79/gal gas into my gas guzzler. Can something so trivial possibly overcome the joy of knowing my Lord and that I have eternal life waiting for me at the end of this very short road?

It strikes me as odd, that Christians in America, who have more than they could possibly use, let such little things trample their joy when Christians in Africa, who have nothing, are constantly smiling and singing His praises. How can I possibly complain? How can any of us? Jesus was right about the rich. But it's not greed that keeps us from the Kingdom, it's the distraction of all that we have. We cling to our possessions and money like a passenger on the Titanic clinging to the last life boat.

I wonder if I can let it go. Can I be like Peter and trust in Jesus to give me the power to walk on the water? I hope so.

As I sit in my nice house writing this, with heat (yes, in May) pumping through the ducts and filtered water pouring from the faucets, I don't feel rich. I feel like my life boat has become an anchor. It all keeps me from doing His will.

No, I'm not unhappy. But my happiness doesn't come from my job, my house, or my money. Jesus is the source of happiness. He must be the only source. I'll keep my eyes on Him. Because if I don't, like Peter, I'll begin to sink in the mire of this world.

Praise God! When Jesus returns, I'll be looking up. If anyone wants my stuff, you're welcome to it!

Real Freedom

2008-05-12T07:35:00.001-05:00

In this morning's Oakland (Michigan) Press, I read an article about a family that moved to South Africa to work with children who are victims of the AIDS epedimic. The thing is, this guy had a good job in computer programming, a wife, and three beautiful little girls. He also had a very nice house in an upscale neighborhood.

He quit his job, sold the house and everything in it, and hauled his family on a mission trip. And they're all happy about it.

Now that's freedom.

That's the kind of freedom Jesus talked about. The thing is, the freedom is already there. We just have to have the the courage to reach out and take it. Why do we believe that we're trapped in whatever situation we're in? Who's richer: the guy making a million dollars a year or the guy who can sell it all off and go do the Lord's work?

I don't know what will happen tomorrow, next week, or next year. The RV market (my business) can come crashing down and I'll be left with nothing. But here's my freedom: I'll still be filled with joy, even if I'm working the double shift at Wal-mart and living in my trailer.

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Mt 6:19-21

That's freedom.

Some Time Outdoors

2008-04-28T05:40:00.003-05:00

I took Andrew on his first turkey hunt this past weekend. Actually, his first hunt of any sort. While I ran my son ragged chasing silly birds that should be much dumber than us, I prayed that he would see God's hand in His creation. There's something about sitting in the spring woods while the sun rises that makes everything else in my life seem trivial. As well it should.

In twenty years, I may or may not still be in the trailer hitch business, but my son will still be smiling at the memory of a distant gobble and the hot pursuit to follow. Maybe he'll be shushing his own son as they listen intently at an impossible number of birds waking up the forest.

Why do we worry so much about the little inconveniences life throws at us?

I watch people practically yelling at the gas pump as prices go up and up. But, really, is this going to impact their lives all that greatly? If the whole world economy came crashing down today, what can I do about it? I'll tell you. I'll open my bible every morning, read the Good News and rejoice that I have been given life at all, and that I've been given new life through Jesus Christ.

The beauty of being born again, while I'm still here on Earth, is that all the details of life are put into perspective. Business, bills, sickness--all are like leaves floating in the current of a river. The leaves are either there or not, but the current still carries me toward the everlasting life I have in Christ Jesus.

Marriage and Darwin

2008-04-22T05:50:00.002-05:00

I had a busy weekend, as is often the case of a 21st century dad. This was different, though. Kelly and I went to the Love & Respect marriage conference in Lansing. It was a fantastic conference. The speaker is the author of the book by the same title, Emerson Eggerich and his wife Sarah. The basic premis is: As much as women need unconditional love, men need unconditional respect. It's biblical based, which means Oprah and her audience would boo the writer off the stage. Imagine, giving men respect. The guys get their share of learning, too. It's one of those things I wish I'd known twenty years ago. As much as I love my wife, I came back with a whole new understanding of her and even deeper love.

This is our second major marriage conference in the last ten years, along with a dozen or so books. I'm often amazed at men (and women, for that matter) who will spend hours of their free time learning how to improve their business, teaching their kids a sport, or working out in the gym, but not spend a minute working on their marriage. What in the world could be more important?

Okay, I won't preach (today). After the conference we went to see Expelled. Cool flick. Ben Stein attacks the issue of institutional Darwinism with his usual wit. What I found most interesting, as many a believer can understand, is that the arguments of some of the most intelligent men in America sounded pretty darn lame to me. I always think of the bible verse that says "I will confound the wise." That pretty much sums it up. In order for faith to make sense, you have to have it first! I'm offended by the whole notion that Christians are just fools clinging to a false hope because we just isn't smart enough to get all that there science stuff.

Please. I'm not a bitter, small-town American and I'm not stupid (though I have my moments). Don't look down your ivy-league snoot and brush me off because my interpretation of life and creation don't match yours. The idea that, if our 6lb. brain can't prove the existence of the God of the universe, then He must not exist, is the height of arrogance.

Okay, that's enough for today. I could go on for pages.

Me in Real Life

2008-04-16T05:55:00.002-05:00

When I first accepted Jesus as Lord, I knew my life would be changed and would have to change even more. That has been a struggle to say the least. Jesus spoke of "little foxes" ruining the vinyard. After 10 years, I understand this verse. The big foxes aren't an issue. Greed, pornography, malice, slander...all of those were easily dispatched at the moment of my salvation. Even the litte foxes were kept at bay for a while. But, as my brothers and sisters out there can attest, they creep in eventually. Even the big ones pop up from time to time and I end up on my knees, praying for the Lord to take 'em out, like some cosmic game of Whack a Mole (remember that?).

I had started this blog today with the intention of talking about my daughter, who is bursting into her teenage years with a vengance. She, unlike me, has been raised as a Christian and embraces her faith. However, the little foxes give her (or me) no rest either. I'd like to believe that I can drop her into the world and that she'll maintain a proper bearing, resisting all forms of temptation, but that's just not the case. She is easily drawn into the same self-centered behavior typical of teenagers, often even mean-spirited.

It upsets me, but it's also a reminder that this Christian walk is not something to be undertaken with a passive attitude. Like marriage, it takes work, hard work. Yes, we're saved by faith, but living the life Christ wants for us takes effort on our part. Like a marriage, my wife may stick with me because she made a promise, but our happiness takes effort from both sides.

So, while I'm chasing the little foxes around my vinyard with a broomstick, I have to keep one eye on my children's vinyards as well, pointing out the little foxes to them as well. No easy task, this parenting thing.

Passion

2008-04-04T06:03:00.002-05:00

I'm reading a book now that makes referrence to a Zig Ziglar book, in which Zig defines for us why most people are not happy in their pursuits. There's more to it, but essentially, few of us pursue what it is we are most passionate about.

I'll take it a step further and suggest that we don't even have to get paid to pursue what it is we are most passionate about, as is often the case with budding writers. The mere act of doing what we love will make the "unpleasant" tasks of our day pallatable, even enjoyable.

This is especially true for those of us who love our Lord Jesus Christ. Our passion to serve Him in every aspect of our lives makes anything unpleasant seem almost trivial. I mean really, in the light of spending eternity in the presence of His glory, does much that happens on Earth really matter at all? I've made the statement before and I'll do it again: I'd rather live in a cardboard box knowing Jesus is my savior than in a mansion with all the wealth I can imagine.

Once I start to let go of that passion, the daily search for His truth, I get overwhelmed by the worries of the world and my own sinful nature. But the moment I take up my cross and dive head first into the depths of His word, the weight of the cross suddenly feels like air compared to the weight of the world.

Let His passion be your passion. Why worry?

Those little worries

2008-04-01T05:55:00.003-05:00

Today my wife will go to the doctor. Nothing serious, but my mind starts working overtime at these moments. Mind you, I'm the eternal optimist. Nothing ever goes wrong in my world. And if things do go wrong, I figure they were meant to be and something better always comes out of it.

Drives Kelly nuts.

But I'm driving along yesterday with the rain tapping my windshield and something forgetable playing on the radio, and all the possible outcomes of her doctor visit play in my mind. I see me sitting at work when she calls with the report I've always dreaded the most. I'd try to stifle the tears as I tell the guys I have to go.

My little scenario ends tragically, of course. And I'm actually starting to lose it as I drive. And it's just my imagination!

I used to think that it would be easier to lose a spouse the older you get. Now, I'm not so sure. She becomes such a part of me that it would be like getting half my limbs amputated to lose her. But there I go again, it's just a routine check-up.

I never used to be like this. But, by the time you get to forty, you see a lot. You know that life isn't always fair. You've watched people your age die or get stricken with some horrible disease. And you wonder when it will be your turn.

Jesus tells us not to worry. And I suppose I follow that order most of the time. But nothing is more fearful, I think, than being alone. It's hard not to worry about it.

Enough of that. I'll pray that everything will be fine. And I know everything will be fine, because we have a Savior who will heal our sufferings one day and wipe every tear from our eyes. I may have to live through some trials before that day, but I'm probably tougher than I give myself credit for.

My Snowy Spring

2008-03-27T18:45:00.001-05:00

Good friends Robin, Dineen, and Ronie are no doubt looking out their windows at green grass and perhaps even a few green shoots. They are probably not tapping on their own laptops with a quilt upon their frigid ligaments. I, on the other hand, am staring at a lovely white landscape and a steady stream of more to come. I haven't felt warm in so long that I'm sure I've entered into a state of semi-preservation. Best if consumed before June 1st, 2063.

As twisted as it may seem, though, I'm rather enjoying the scenery. We Michiganders learn to hate winter with ferocity by the time we're 20. Much like the natives on King Kong's island, though, we've also come to need that which we fear the most. You see, sometime around mid-February, we begin to wonder if this is the year it finally happens. Winter will never end. We envision ourselves huddled around the fireplace, mugs of hot chocolate warming our fingers, while more daring souls go out to light the 4th of July fireworks.

By the end of March, however, we've seen the mercury tickle fifty degrees once or twice, so we know it's just a matter of time before the starlings nest in our barbecue grills and '67 Mustangs start cruising the streets. Oh, yes, and the Tigers shoot for another pennant with 5 players batting over .300 and not one pitcher with an ERA less than 12.

So this, one of the final snowfalls of winter, is a bit of a blessing to me. I love being a northerner. I think we should have the same pride in our roots as our southern brethren. Don't get me wrong, I love Dixie. I love the warmth, the hospitality, and those wonderful accents. But most of those folks will never know what it's like to walk through the woods and actually hear individual snowflakes hitting the ground. They'll never get to marvel at the shapes snowdrifts take on at the edge of a roof. They'll never look out at a full moon on the snow and swear it was midday.

God has blessed me with all this. As well as a wonderful wife, beautiful kids, and a home with lots of big windows to adore His creation. Forgive my sappiness. It's my backlash against taking life too seriously, getting caught up in the worries of business, and forgetting that it's all very temporary.

Like the snow on my grass. I think it's time to take a walk.

It's Not Personal, It's Business

2008-03-25T05:45:00.002-05:00

That's one of my favorite lines from You've Got Mail. In a way, I believe it to be true. After all, business in a free-market economy (certain presidential candidates may want to look up the definition for that) is nothing more than a chess game. You plan, maneuver, go on the attack, and try to take as much of the market share away from your opponent as possible. Life is temporary anyway, as is any business. Nobody is physically or emotionally hurt. Most of the time.

My problem is that there are those who would use this mantra as an excuse to sink an opponent by any means necessary, much of it slightly left of honest. And when you peer into a business and find that it's not a boardroom of cigar puffing millionaires, but a group of men and women with families struggling to get by in a very unforgiving world, suddenly it feels very personal.

This creates a quandary for the Christian. Competition must exist for a free market economy to work. But you must be willing to sink an opponent and, in the process, destroy the lives of everyone working there (admittedly "destroy" is an exaggeration, these conditions are also temporary).

So, as someone who loves the Lord and wants to do His will, how do I operate as a businessman in this kind of ruthless environment?

I think the basic principles of Christianity apply here. First, I must forgive those who've dealt unfairly with me. No, The Donald wouldn't approve. He'd say I should sink 'em fast and let them be a warning to anyone else who'd trifle with my business. But the Lord trumps Trump. I'll go with forgiveness and move on.

Second, the golden rule needs to be put into play. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That goes for customers, employees, and competitors. The golden rule may result in bronze profits in the short run, but faith will never let me down in the long run.

Third, it's not personal, it's business. Wait! Isn't that where we started? Yes, it is, but it needs to point to me, not to my opponent. If I fail, if the business fails, life will go on. I'm still saved by grace, this is still temporary, and, honestly, I and everyone in the company will move on to bigger and better things.

Because success and failure are not just measured by wealth. If a man makes millions at his business, but his marriage is in shambles, he's a failure. If a woman has all she ever wanted, but has lost the love of her husband or the respect of her children, she's a failure. Would I go so far as to say The Donald is a failure because his first wife divorced him? Let's just say I wouldn't trade what I have for what he has. I have great respect for his business savvy, but I'll take a rain check on that marriage advice.

I could go on with this, and maybe I will in a book someday (I know, some day is today!), but I have to convince myself of these principles first. I do that by writing them down. To see it on the screen makes it more than a hidden belief. It's here for my friends and family to see. So when I get obsessed with my business, one of them can give me a gentle kick in the pants and remind me what's important.

Life is personal, and it's my business.

Here he goes again

2008-03-01T09:38:00.002-05:00

My friends who will check in to see if I've actually posted something recently will, no doubt, roll their eyes and say, "Another name change on the blog, Ron? Would you just settle on one thing or another?"

My answer is "No." Nothing is permanent, especially on the blogosphere. I have several passions in my life: Jesus, my family, and writing. Expect any one of those topics to surface from time to time, with a smattering of fly-fishing, politics, and hunting.

Read my blog if you wish. There is certainly no shortage of other blogs to read or websites to visit. This is mostly a place for me to get the rambles out of my system before I write something printable. The spiritual journey is a long one...very long. I expect to never run out of topics. If you're looking for a place to make you a better writer, go visit one of the links on the left. Don't ask me, man, I'm just faking it. If you're looking to be the perfect husband, please let me know when you've found the secret. If you're looking to be the world's best hunter...uh, it's a struggle for just to stay awake in the tree stand.

But if you're searching for truth, so am I. I say searching because it never really ends. I've found the source of all truth, but He's still teaching me. I like to read about it. I like to write about it. So there it is. I'm back. I'll probably be alone here, but I'm writing even if you're not reading.

I'll keep my friends up to date on my latest ventures, they'll be surprised to learn that I'm steering toward the dark side (non-fiction).

Until I feel like posting again. See-yah.

Where now?

2007-08-22T17:55:00.001-05:00

The last comment on my very old June post spoke of blog burnout. And we've all been there. Somehow, what started out as fun turns into just one more task we have to accomplish on a regular basis. Those of you with jobs, hobbies, a church, children, and insatiable food cravings know what I'm talking about. Yes, I could get everything I need to in 24 hours, but who wants to do that?

I'm going somewhere with this. Really. I think "down time" has been given a bad rap. Kinda like SUVs in California. Sometime around 1984 (I've narrowed it down to September), some guy in a suit made the decision that daydreaming equaled laziness. I beg to differ. Although, by the time we grow up, we refer to it as "meditating."

I've decided (without confering the afformentioned suit) that the average male of my species requires 2.37 hours of "nothing" time daily (no, ladies, THAT doesn't count). It doesn't all have to happen at once. I suggest you pace yourself. Start with a Calvin & Hobbes comic collection. That definately counts. Sitcoms count, too, but they often leave you feeling a bit slimy, so I recommend another source. During the course of this downtime, the brainwaves darn near flatline. The heart should keep beating. If it stops, consult your family physician or have your wife initiate THAT. Either method is fine.

After several weeks, you should be very near the daily recommended allowance of dowtime. Let nothing interfere. Not blogging, not work, maybe THAT. But that's where I have to draw the line.

Ready to get started? Okay, here we go...

The blog duldrums

2007-06-27T11:14:00.001-05:00

It happens to all of us. We get all excited about a new blog and we post madly for a few months. Then we get busy busy busy and start posting less and less frequently. Hohum. After all, how much do I have to say?

Maybe narrowing my blog to marketing was a mistake. I still have much to say on the subject, but I'm not having nearly as much fun. So, I'm gonna loosen up.

Here's what I did this weekend: I went fly-fishing on the Manistee River in Northern Michigan (he says reverently). This is the time of year when the Hex Hatch occurs. What's that? Well, let me tell you. All summer long, mayflies hatch in various bodies of water. Most of these are tiny creatures, easily recognized by their forked tails and curved bodies. The Hex fly, however, is huge by mayfly standards. That sucker is a couple inches long. When they run into you, it feels like a sparrow that flew off course. Naturally, the big fish go nuts.

Unfortunately, this hatch occurs right around sunset, almost 10pm this time of year. So you find yourself wading a river in total darkness until the wee hours of the morning, casting toward sounds, losing flies in trees.

But when the BIG ONE hits! Boy howdy! I caught one 16" Brown Trout this time. After that, things died down a bit. Such is fly-fishing. I met a great guy, "Doc" Beemer from New York. He's retired and drags his poor wife all over the country fly-fishing. His blog is at www.beemertravels.blogspot.com. How he gets an Internet connection in a Grayling campground, I have no idea. I can't even get a cell phone signal (as God intended it).

So there's my non-serious post of the day. We'll return to a more serious nature when I darn well feel like it.

ACFW Conference is coming soon!

2007-06-25T11:20:00.000-05:00

If you're like me, you don't have the budget to hit every writer's conference you'd like to. However, if you can only make one, I'd highly recommend the ACFW Writer's Conference in Dallas this September. My reason is this: if you can only afford one, make sure it has everything you need in one place. At ACFW you have plenty of workshops to choose from, no matter what your genre, you have agents and editors who-this is key-make themselves available throughout the weekend for you to talk to. If you're a beginner, you can talk to writers of every level. If you're an old codger with 30 published novels, you get to hang out with a lot of fun people.

The cost isn't bad, either, for an event of this magnitude.

Seeya there!

2007-05-16T05:24:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing ORCHARD OF HOPE (Revell March 1, 2007) by Ann Gabhart

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ann H. Gabhart has published a number of adult and young adult novels with several different publishers. The author of The Scent of Lilacs, Ann and her husband live a mile from where she was born in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. She is active in her country church, and her husband sings bass in a southern gospel quartet.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Nothing will be the same after the summer of 1964.

Drought has gripped the quiet Kentucky town of Hollyhill, and the town seems as if it is holding its breath--waiting. Jocie Brooke is nervous about starting high school. Her sister Tabitha is experiencing the weariness of waiting for a new baby. Her father David is feeling the timidity of those first steps toward true love. All of these pivotal steps in life are awaiting the Brooke family.

Into this cloud of tense anticipation, a black family from Chicago, the Hearndons move here to plant an orchard outside of town. Fresh off the Freedom Train, Myra Hearndon is sensitive to what the color of her skin may mean in a Southern town. Her family will have to contend with more than the dry ground and blazing sun as they try to create their ORCHARD OF HOPE.

Jocie finds herself befrending a boy that some townspeople shun. Due to unspoken racial lines in this southern town, the presence of these newcomers sparks a smoldering fire of unrest that will change Hollyhill..and Jocie...forever.

In this close-knit community, everything is about to change.

Let this riveting novel take you along to experience unexpected love, new life, and renewed faith amid life's trials.

Tagged again

2007-05-11T06:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, Becky wants to play the "tag you're it game." This is what incredibly silly people like us do when we've run out of ideas. I haven't posted in a while because it's spring. It gets a bit nuts around here in spring. Baseball, softball, fishing...you know, the important stuff.

Let me fill me friends in on my latest venture. After attending a United Methodist conference (I know, not as boring as it sounds) last week, I came away with a desire to get involved in our church's fledgling Emerging Worship program. For those of you who don't know what that is, Google it. It's pretty interesting. I volunteered to be the drama coordinator. Which means I get to write my own skits. Unless I get a block, then I "borrow" one.

So that's what's going on in my life. Now, the eight things you didn't know about me:

1. I have three siblings (one deceased), and we were all born in different states.
2. I started elementary school in Hawaii.
3. My favorite place to live as a Navy brat was Washington state.
4. That's where I learned to snag "shiners" in Puget Sound.
5. I wrote my first story in Junior High. It was about a werewolf.
6. I had every intention of going to school for journalism after the Navy, but chickened out and went into engineering.
7. I am a Shellback, meaning I crossed the equator while in the Navy.
8. One of my favorite things to do is follow my wife around the Ice House in Grayling. It's a quilt shop that actually used to be an ice house. Of course, after that I go fly-fishing.

I don't know 8 people who haven't already been tagged. So this ends here!

2007-04-19T07:24:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing A BIGGER LIFE, Navpress Publishing Group (January 15, 2007)

by Annette Smith

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In 1997, Annette was working as a home health nurse. She traveled the back roads from house to house, caring for ill and injured, homebound people. Because of her unique position in the lives of relative strangers, she often found herself bearing solitary witness to intimate behind-the-scenes situations full of grace and meaning. The desire to honor both a particular patient and a poignant scene involving the woman and her husband prompted Annette to write a fictionalized story, The Anniversary.

That first story appeared as a column in the Houston Chronicle newspaper and as an essay in Today’s Christian Woman magazine. Later it became a chapter in Annette’s first and best-selling book of short stories, The Whispers of Angels, that has sold more than 100,000 copies

Since then, Annette has penned four more books of stories, two volumes on parenting, and the Coming Home to Ruby Prairie trilogy.

Annette and her husband Randy, a High School teacher and coach, make their home on a wooded lot in Quitman, Texas. They are the parents of two young adult children, Russell and Rachel, both out on their own. Wally, a grateful, rescued mutt provides warmth and entertainment and keeps the Smith’s empty nest from feeling too lonely.

In addition to writing, Annette continues to serve part-time as a registered nurse. She finds the people she works with and the patients she cares for provide great inspiration for her fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Joel Carpenter did not plan for his life to turn out like this. He never meant to be a single dad, working at a hair salon in Eden Plain, Texas. But after making a careless choice four years ago, his marriage was permanently shattered. Now at twenty-seven, he finds himself juggling custody of his preschool son with Kari, the ex-wife he still loves, and sharing Sunday dinners with a group of other single dads.

Joel regrets the choices that brought him to this place, but it's not until the worst happens that he learns how much he still has to give. In the midst of deep tragedy, he learns that forgiveness is way more important than freedom. Hopefully it's not too late!

A BIGGER LIFE is a story of love in the midst of heartache, and friendship in the midst of real, everyday life.

Obvious Avenues

2007-04-13T06:12:00.000-05:00

While I like to drop an occasional bit of wisdom based on my marketing experience, maybe prodding a few of you with ideas you hadn't considered, let's not miss the obvious avenues of marketing that stare you in the face every day.

Take a look around (in a cyber sense). If you're reading my blog, chances are you're reading others like it and see the same links over and over. Have you noticed things like writer's organizations being advertised on these blogs? Those should be your first step if you're a new writer. Most will acknowledge your new book in a newsletter or e-mail loop. Writers are readers, they make good customers.

What about this odd thing I do every Wednesday (unless I forget) with the book reviews. That's the brainstorm of Bonnie Calhoun. Something like one-hundred blogs post the same book review every week. All the writer has to do is ask Bonnie and their book is all over the blogosphere. Free stuff, man. Can't beat it. (Now, if someone in the MWA would catch on to this little game...).

What about the Amazon bookstore? I don't just have that to make a whopping 8% off any book I sell for Amazon. I use that to advertise books I like. Someday, my books will fill those slots.

Marketing doesn't have to involve money. It will eventually, but give yourself a head start.

Now, here's my best advice: GET YE TO A CONFERENCE. The AFCW conference is the place to be for the Christian writer. The MWA has a wide selection. Check out the websites. Being a writer is a solitary life, but it doesn't have to be.

2007-04-11T11:10:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing CORAL MOON Zondervan (April 27, 2007) by Brandilyn Collins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brandilyn Collins is the bestselling author of Violet Dawn, Web Of Lies, Dead of Night, Stain of Guilt, Brink of Death, and Eyes of Elisha just to name a few.Brandilyn and her family divide their time between the California Bay Area and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.She also maintains an informative blog called Forensics and Faith where she daily dispenses wisdom on writing, life, and the Christian book industry.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
The figure remained still as stone. Leslie couldn't even detect a breath.Spider fingers teased the back of her neck.Leslie's feet rooted to the pavement. She dropped her gaze to the driveway, seeking...what? Spatters of blood? Footprints? She saw nothing. Honed through her recent coverage of crime scene evidence, the testimony as last month's trial, the reporter in Leslie spewed warnings: Notice everything, touch nothing...

Leslie Brymes hurries out to her car on a typical workday morning...and discovers a dead body inside.Why was the corpse left for her to find? And what is the meaning of the message pinned to its chest?In Coral Moon, the senseless murder of a beloved Kanner Lake citizen spirals the small Idaho town into a terrifying glimpse of spiritual forces beyond our world. What appears true seems impossible.OR IS IT?

Presently this Kanner Lake Series of books has its own character blog called Scenes and Beans. Stop by and visit the folks from Kanner Lake!

Spam Laws

2007-04-05T15:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been lacking this week. I'm in Indianapolis doing a trade show. Beautiful town, by the way, definitely pay it a visit if you get the chance.

Sally Bradley asked about spam laws. This is one of those cases where the government has created more problems than they've solved. Shocking, I know, but true.

Essentially, if someone gives you an e-mail address or phone number to request information, you're within the law to e-mail or call them to sell a product. That's general, but for our purposes, it's good enough. If you e-mail or call and they ask you to stop, then stop. No problems.

My company sent out a 30,000 phone taped message a few weeks back. One person complained. One. And no attorneys were heard from. So don't concern yourself with it. Where you might get into trouble is if you buy a mailing list from someone and cold call those people. Chances are, us little old writers won't ever have the money to do that anyway.

Play it smart. Make it clear to your customer that you may call or e-mail them, and you'll have no issue. And the next time some politician offers to fix a problem for you, politely tell them you can handle it yourself.

Your Trade Show

2007-03-30T08:36:00.001-05:00

One of the MWA members dropped an interesting post on the mail loop this week. She noticed that there are two types of authors at book signings: those who sit behind the table and wait and those who work the floor.

I hadn’t thought about that until she mentioned, then realized I’ve seen the same thing. Having never held a book signing, I once again have to revert to my experience in the RV industry. My version of a book signing is the trade show. I live by a few rules at the trade show that I believe are relevant to your book signings.

First, stand, do not sit, at the front of your booth (or table). Greet the customers as they pass or approach. Engage in conversation. It doesn’t matter how great your product is, people won’t beat a path to your booth (unless your selling Play Stations).

Second, tell them the benefits of your product before you discuss price. Now, with books, this isn’t so much an issue. The price is set. But you should expect to have a “pitch” ready for anyone approaching your table. In sales, we use a script. The next time you’re at a trade show, watch the guy selling the salsa makers or automatic melon balers. Really, just stand back and listen to him speak to several customers. He’ll give the same speech over and over, not varying by so much as a single word. I promise you, he’s written that sales spiel out and practiced it to perfection. Do you have to do the same? Not exactly, but you should have your initial pitch ready, just as you did when you chased editors into the men’s room at the last writer’s conference. You may need to tweak the pitch a bit as you learn, but give it a try. You may surprise yourself.

Finally, whether you make a sale or not, get the customer information. How? A drawing for a free book is always good. A gift certificate for the store you’re at is even better. Whatever it takes to get a name and e-mail address. These are solid leads to a salesman, because you’ve met the prospect face to face and he or she has expressed interested in your product. They’re golden. Add them to your database (get that started, too), and send them updates and your e-newsletter.

Remember, if you had to justify a book signing by the number of books you sell there, it’s not worth the time or effort. Your goal is to get your name out and gather readership. It takes time. Be patient. And keep smiling.

2007-03-28T11:08:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing RECLAIMING NICK (Tyndale Fiction, 2007)

by Susan May Warren

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award winning author SUSAN MAY WARREN recently returned home to her native Minnesota after serving for eight years with her husband and four children as missionaries with SEND International in Far East Russia. She now writes full time from Minnesota's north woods. Visit her Web site at http://www.susanmaywarren.com/.

ABOUT THE BOOK: RECLAIMING NICK is the first of The Noble Legacy series. Book Two, Taming Rafe, will be available January 2008.

A Modern Day Prodigal Comes Home...
NICK NOBLE HADN'T PLANNED ON BEING THE PRODIGAL SON.
But when his father dies and leaves half of Silver Buckle--the Noble family ranch--to Nick’s former best friend, he must return home to face his mistakes, and guarantee that the Silver Buckle stays in the Noble family.

Award-winning journalist Piper Sullivan believes Nick framed her brother for murder, and she’s determined to find justice. But following Nick to the Silver Buckle and posing as a ranch cook proves more challenging than she thinks. So does resisting his charming smile.

As Nick seeks to overturn his father’s will--and Piper digs for answers--family secrets surface that send Nick’s life into a tailspin. But there’s someone who’s out to take the Silver Buckle from the Noble family, and he’ll stop at nothing--even murder--to make it happen.

Endorsement:
“Susan May Warren once again delivers that perfect combination of heart-pumping suspense and heart-warming romance.”--Tracey Bateman, author of the Claire Everett series
If you would like to hear more about Nick, he has his own blog. Also, the first chapter is there...

2007-03-22T19:21:00.000-05:00

Mark Terry made some very good points in his comment Monday. My observations in this blog will often be high-altititude. Details are up to you, your agent, and your publisher to hash out. Remember the key word in "Marketing Plan": Plan. If you think selling is easy, give me a call. I'll put you on the phone with your first 100 calls to RV owners with a product that is, without argument, the best and safest trailer hitch on the road. On your first day, 100 people will laugh at you, slam down the phone, and tell you to get lost. On the second day, you'll call in sick. It takes years of training and experience before a salesman becomes really good at his job. Why would you think it'd be any different than writing?

My point is, like Mark says, you're often just saying "I exist" to someone who may never be in a position to buy your books. Then, the next time you call, they won't remember who you are, so you'll say "I still exist" and perhaps find out what the weather is like on their end of the line. You've heard this before in the writing business, and I'll tell you again in the sales business, half of your job is building relationships.

Your first call will likely end with you asking to do a book signing. Remember: start locally. Most beginning authors probably can't make a nationwide tour fit in to the budget, but I'd be willing to bet there's plenty of bookstores within range of your home to keep you occupied for a while.

Let me stress this again: work with your publisher and agent. One or both these people can get you started on the right foot. Show that you are willing to put forth some effort and listen to their advice. They know what they're doing. Really.

Okay, here's another tidbit for today: If you find a published author who's willing to do things like, oh, pop into your blog and give advice, hang on! Make friends with that person. Chances are you'll hit it off anyway. After all, you're both writers. This is also a good reason to join a group like ACFW or MWA. Both of these organizations are full of published writers who enjoy helping out the un-pubbed.

Contact Organization

2007-03-18T18:01:00.001-05:00

In the olden days (the 80s), most of us were forced to keep track of our business contacts on anything from 3x5 cards to those little spiral bound address books. The introduction of the Franklin Planner was a major revolution. Now, we have a whole bunch o' neat stuff to choose from.

I mentioned on Friday that part of your marketing plan should include picking up the phone and getting your name out to all those bookstores. Again, coordinate with your publisher on this. First of all, he'll be thrilled that you're willing to take on such a task. Of course, he'll already know it because you included it in your proposal (didn't you?). Second, he'll want to make sure that you understand who you'll be talking to and what you can promise them. Funny thing about sales, often the salesman forgets what a profit is in the excitement of making the sale. Your publisher will not be amused if you do that. That information is between you and the publishing house. I'll leave it at that. Just let them know your intentions.

How many calls can you make? That depends. But an average cold call should last about two minutes. If you get someone willing to chat, by all means, chat. Remember, you're building relationships. It takes time. Be patient. If you spend an hour a day making calls, you should expect to make twenty or thirty per day. That won't even scratch the surface if you want to reach every bookstore in America. Start locally and work your way out. If you're novel is set in another city or region, put that area on your "A" list.

Now, organization. Here's your marketing term for the week: Customer Relationship Management Software or CRM. We use Maximizer where I work. This is how sales companies keep track of you. It's "the list" you always demand to be taken off of. Now you'll be putting people on yours.

I don't expect you to go out and pay thousands of dollars for good CRM software. I'm still looking for a personal version. But for now, Outlook will be fine. You're going to use all those "other" boxes in an Outlook contact. Especially the one titled "Notes." You'll track date and times of your call, what was said, what kind of interest level you received, the booksellers favorite ice cream, his kid's dance recital, anything you can use to grease the conversation the next you call.

You have to THINK LIKE A SALESMAN. I know, it's scary. You'll get people who don't want to talk to you, lie to you and say they're busy, tell you to call back again and again and again, and some who are downright rude. By this point, you've gotten a book contract. I assume you're thick-skinned. Thicken in further.

By the way, those little headsets are great. Get one. Next we'll talk about scripts.

Push and Pull

2007-03-16T07:44:00.000-05:00

Marketing in any business is performed via two basic methods: pushing and pulling. What do I mean by that? It's quite simple. When you place an advertisement in a magazine for a product, you're trying to pull customers directly to your product. They see the ad, call you direct or call a retailer, and buy the item.

Pushing is when you try to enlist the retailers to sell your product. It's a subtle difference. When I sell a widget to a customer directly, it's a done deal. When I sell ten widgets to a retailer, my work isn't done yet. Though I'll mark those ten widgets as "sold," they really aren't until they make it into the hands of the final consumer.

Following? Okay, what does this have to do with selling my books?

You probably won't sell books directly to the consumer, but you will market to him or her. We've already discussed how this is done. Blogging, websites, direct mailings, etc. are ways to "pull" the consumer to your product. Now the consumer needs a place to buy it.

"Easy," you say, "Amazon!"

Not quite. The last numbers I saw reported that less than 25% of books are sold online. Those other 75% are picked off the shelf. Someone has to put them on the shelf. In order for that to happen, someone else has to convince that bookstore buyer to put them there.

Don't wait on your publisher. They'll do the usual marketing campaign for a new book. If you're Stephen King, sit back and relax, they'll jump through burning hoops to market your book. For the rest of us, we got calls to make.

Calls? Yes, see that gadget on your desk that you normally use to order pizza because you spent all afternoon looking for the right active verb in the opening of chapter 23? That's your best tool for selling your book. Barbaric, isn't it? In the day of the internet, when you can reach millions of people instantly, why bother with the phone?

Here's a shock for you. And it's like this in my "widget" business as well. Retailers aren't scouring the internet looking for the next great product to put on their shelves. Most likely, the very first time a bookstore buyer hears about Ron Estrada is when I introduce myself over the phone. Today, I will probably call about twenty widget dealers in the hopes they'll carry my product. Maybe one will place an order. The rest are just relationship building. It'll work that way for you, too. A "no" is still contact. You'll be calling again.

Since this is a task I perform daily, I'll pick this up again next week and talk about how to organize your contacts and script your calls. Oh my, it's almost like real selling, isn't it? Don't panic, if I can do it with my widgets, you can do it with those stunning novels.

And remember, make sure your agent or editor knows you're willing to take on this task and, of course, coordinate with your publisher. This is a team effort.

In today's news: James Cameron has announced that he's discovered the lost driver's license of Jesus. In news that will rock the religious world to its core, the birth date on the driver's license is December 26th. While church leaders mourn, retailers rejoice at the added day to the Christmas shopping season. In more news that will rock the religious world to its core, the driver's license is from New Jersey. More on this as it develops.

2007-03-14T07:41:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing THE RELIANCE ( Barbour, January 1, 2007) by Mary Lu Tyndall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

M. L. (MARYLU) TYNDALL grew up on the beaches of South Florida loving the sea and the warm tropics. But despite the beauty around her, she always felt an ache in her soul--a longing for something more.

After college, she married and moved to California where she had two children and settled into a job at a local computer company. Although she had done everything the world expected, she was still miserable. She hated her job and her marriage was falling apart.

Still searching for purpose, adventure and true love, she spent her late twenties and early thirties doing all the things the world told her would make her happy, and after years, her children suffered, her second marriage suffered, and she was still miserable.

One day, she picked up her old Bible, dusted it off, and began to read. Somewhere in the middle, God opened her hardened heart to see that He was real, that He still loved her, and that He had a purpose for her life, if she's only give her heart to Him completely.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
A YOUNG BRIDE separated from her husband just as a child has been conceived...

A GRIEVING HUSBAND tempted to take his anger out through the vices of his past...

A MARRIAGE AND A SHIP threatenend to be split apart by villainous Caribbean pirates...

In THE RELIANCE, Edmund Merrick tormented by the apparent demise of his pregnant wife Charlisse, sails away to drown his sorrows. He turns his back on God and reverts to a life of villainy, joining forces with the demented French pirate Collier. When his mind clears from its rum-induced haze, will Edmund find the will to escape?

Seemingly abandoned by her new husband, Charlisse battles her own insecurities as she is thrown into the clutches of the vengeful pirate Kent, who holds her and Lady Isabel captive.

Will she be swept away by the undertow of treachery and despair? Can Edmund and Charlisse battle the tempests that threaten to tear them apart and steer their way to the faith-filled haven they so desperately seek? Or will they ultimately lose their love and lives to the whirlpool of treachery and deceit?

Fight for the Cure

2007-03-11T14:39:00.000-05:00

I'm going to break protocol here and talk about a topic that's taken up a position near the top of my ministry list.

Ten years ago I don't think I could name one person who had cancer. Within the last two years, it seems I hear, on a weekly basis, another name of a friend or relative who's been diagnosed with one form or another of this disease.

This morning in church, I found that the six year-old son of a church member was diagnosed with cancer. Surgery was performed Saturday to remove most of the tumor from his brain. I know this child. I've seen him play, run in the halls, laugh with other children.

Six.

At six your biggest concern should be running out of your favorite breakfast cereal.

Friends, I don't know what to write. I don't know how to even deal with something so tragic. Well, that's not exactly true. I can pray. And I will pray. It's moments like this, when we feel the most hopeless, that God uses us to reveal his nature. If you feel inclined to pray, the little boy's name is Jason. His mother's name is Pam. She'll need your prayers, too.

As fate would have it, I've taken on a project this year for my church's representation at the American Cancer Society Relay for Life even here in Oxford. My project? I wanted a prayer tent, to be manned for the entire 24 hours of the event. Right now, I feel like I could man it myself for the entire 24 hours.

I have a link at the top left of this blog. It will stay there until the Relay for Life is done for the year on May 20th. If you feel the need to give, you can make a donation through that link. You'll see my name on the page, I'm one of the team members. Our goal is $200 each. It seems a paltry sum when $200 won't even pay for the five minutes of chemotherapy. But it adds up.

I know many of you are involved in this event in your own towns. God bless you. Let's use the power of prayer and the compassion of Christ to reach out to the millions who suffer from this disease.

What's your title?

2007-03-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

One key element for marketing via the internet is this: People who visit a web page are looking for information before they're looking to make a purchase. I know this because it's been a hard lesson at Hensley Mfg., the company where I now work. Hensley makes some high-end products for the RV industry, an industry notorious for being on the super cheap side of things.

We've come to one conclusion at Hensley: we have to give away information before we can expect to sell anything.

And that will need to be your attitude as well.

Let's pick on someone we all know and love: Brandilyn Collins. If you go to her blog, what title to do you see? Brandilyn's Books or the I Love B.C. Blog?

No, you see a very catchy title: Forensics and Faith. Bingo, in three words she's pulled any Christian suspense reader into her little web (pun definitely intended). What has Brandilyn created? Say it with me class:

Her EMPIRE.

Oh yes, that again. See how it all fits so nicely. Now I'm going to pick on another (possibly former) friend: Robin (Miller) Caroll.

Robin's well written mysteries are backdropped in the Louisiana Bayou. Maybe we can come up with Robin's empire. She'll surely ignore it and choose her own, but what the heck. Think southern swamp, alligators, cops, gumbo, it's all fair game.

Okay, you can pick on me, too. I don't have a contract yet, but my mysteries are set in Northern Michigan. Think log cabins, diners, trout, rivers.

Get started. I'd play too, but I'm nursing my displaced back.

2007-03-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing THE WATCHERS ( Bethany House, March 1, 2007) by MARK ANDREW OLSEN

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
MARK ANDREW OLSEN whose novel The Assignment was a Christy Award finalist, also collaborated on bestsellers Hadassah (now the major motion picture: One Night With the King), The Hadassah Covenant, and Rescued. The son of missionaries to France, Mark is a graduate of Baylor University. He and his wife, Connie, live in Colorado Springs with their three children.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Just below the surface among the family of God lives another family tree--one traced in spirit, invisible and ageless, known as the Watchers. For two thousand years they've seen beyond the veil separating this world from the next, passing on their gift through a lineage mostly overlooked. Throughout history they've scouted the borders of the supernatural frontier, but now their survival hangs by a thread. And their fate lies in the hands of a young woman, her would-be killer, and a mystery they must solve....

"Congratulations. You just reached my own little corner of cyberspace.

Who am I? Abby Sherman, that's who.

Who are you? And why are you checking me out?

Drop me a few pixels, and let's find out!"

With that innocent invitation, Abby Sherman unwittingly steps in the crosshairs of history, and thus begins her harrowing tale--taking her from ocean-front Malibu to the streets of London, the jungles in West Africa, the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, and to the very gates of heaven itself!

A sneak preview of eternity becomes her one-way ticket to danger--and discovery….

Two lives collide in a globe-circling adventure involving both peril and discovery: Abby, a young woman whose visions of heaven turn her into a Web-celebrity; and Dylan, a troubled young man sent by an ancient foe to silence her. From California beachfronts to Nigerian rain forests to Jerusalem and back again, THE WATCHERS is high-octane blends of action, mystery, and spiritual battle spanning centuries.

A woman's awe-inspiring vision launches her on a quest through distant lands and ancient history, face-to-face with eternity and into the arms of a family line on the brink of annihilation...

A man who is hired to exterminate her discovers the folly of blind loyalty, then learns how to wage war in a realm he never believed had existed...

An extraordinary saga of the unseen war against evil, the reality of the supernatural, and the transforming power of forgiveness.

More on Budgeting

2007-03-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

Author Mark Terry kindly pointed out that my marketing budget was way too low on Monday. I agree. The point I want to get across is that you cannot put too much into a marketing budget. And here's the really fun part: Most of what you spend on marketing will net you zero sales.

At this point you're wondering if I'm suffering a little cabin fever. Let me illustrate my point with a non-publishing product. How about, oh I don't know, trailer brake controllers. Just so happens I manufacture and sell those things. If you're not an RVer and don't know what a brake controller is, that's fine, just think of it as a widget.

Let's say my widget costs $100 to manufacture. So my minimum cost per unit is $100. That's the easy part. Now I have to estimate my first year's sales, just like I asked you to estimate your first year's advance. Let's shoot for 1000 units. Which means my manufacturing costs will be $100,000. Now overhead-salary, office space, electricity, everything that costs money but doesn't go into the product. Let's say that's $200,000 a year. Now my minimum product cost is $300, at least for the first year. Oh, wait, there's that marketing thing. Here's where that big MBA degree is worth it's weight in Christmas tree tinsel.

It's not a science. Obviously, the more you market, the more you sell. But you just can't take out an ad in every magazine available. That'd cost millions. TV? Forget it. Not for my widget. So you set an advertising budget at $100,000 and carefully select where you'll advertise. For my brake controller, that's RV magazines and websites. For you? Well, you have to figure that out, that's why we're here.

But let me use my brake controller again. I spend about $3000 a month for an ad in a national magazine. Do I sell $3000 worth of brake controllers per month off that ad? Probably not. In fact, there's not one source I can justify based on direct sales. However, and here's the tricky part, I know that a combination of magazine ads, RV shows, web site, etc., will convince enough people to buy to cover my ad costs, and hopefully garner a small profit at the end of the year.

Do you see what I'm getting at? Marketing is like fishing. You'll make 100 casts before hooking a fish. But the 99 were necessary for you to find out where the fish are not. Not Randy Ingermanson, Not Terry Whalin, none of the guys I talk about can give you a magic formula for marketing. They can get you closer, just like a good fishing guide can find the hot spots for you, but it still takes a lot of trial and error, and a lot of money, before you figure out what works.

2007-02-28T08:58:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Valley Of Betrayal
(Moody Publishers - February 1, 2007) by Tricia Goyer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
TRICIA GOYER is the author of five novels, two nonfiction books and one children's book. She also was named Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference Writer of the Year in 2003. In 2005, her novel Night Song, the second title in Tricia’s World War II series, won ACFW's Book of the Year for Best Long Historical Romance. In 2006, her novel Dawn of A Thousand Nights also won book of the Year for Long Historical Romance. Tricia and her husband, John, live with their family in northwestern Montana.

ABOUT THE BOOK : A Valley Of Betrayal
For reasons beyond her control, Sophie finds herself alone in the war-torn Spanish countryside, searching for her beloved Michael. His work as a news photographer has taken him deep into the country wracked by civil war.

What was once a thriving paradise has become a battleground for Nazi-backed Franco fascist soldiers and Spanish patriots. She is caught up in the escalating events when the route to safety is blocked and fighting surrounds her.Secrets abound in the ruined Spain. Michael is loving but elusive, especially about beautiful maria. The American who helped Sophie sneak into Spain turns up in odd places. Michael's friend Jose knows more than he tells. When reports of Michael's dissappearance reach her, Sophie is devastaed. What are her feelings for Philip, an American soldier who comes to her rescue?

Sophie must sift truth from lies as she becomes more embroiled in the war that threatens her life and breaks her heart. On her darkest night, Sophie takes refuge with a brigade of international compatriots. Among these volunteers, she pledges to make the plight of the Spanish people known around the world through the power of art.

Acclaimed author Tricia Goyer creates a riviting cast of characters against the backdrop of pre-WWII spain. Love, loss, pain, and beauty abound in A Valley Of Betrayal, the first book in her new series, Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War.

The Budgeting Writer

2007-02-26T09:39:00.001-05:00

Yes, the “B” word. It strikes fear into the heart of every Visa Card carrying American. However, for the small business owner, it had better be an integral part of your Business Plan.

“Ron!” you protest, “you’re in the wrong blog! We’re writers, not business owners.”

Wrong. Here’s rule…um…#212: If you’re taking yourself seriously as a writer, you have to convince yourself that this is your business. Otherwise, it’s a hobby. And a business must have a budget. Even if you have no income from your business yet, you must plan. If you’re not taking yourself seriously enough to do that, how do you expect an agent or publisher to do so?

Don’t know how to make a business plan or budget? Sure you do. A business plan is nothing more than a statement on what you intend to accomplish and the steps you’ll take to get there. So write down those lovely little steps. Need help? Okay, here’s a general outline for a novelist:

Goal: to write and publish 1 novel per year with sales of 5,000 copies the first year and a 10% increase in sales for every year following. (Yes, I realize this is simplistic, but rule #16 said to keep the blog entries short. Expand as necessary.).

Assumption: $3000 advance for the first novel with no royalties (Income).

Budget (Expenditures):
Materials: $300
Books: $200
Training: $1000 (conferences, air-fare, lodging, seminars, etc.)
Marketing: $1500

There! Wasn’t that easy? What’s that? I used up all of your advance? Darn right I did. Remember: you are a small business. I challenge anyone to find a small business owner who actually made a profit his or her first year. In fact, most take a loss. Most of you are currently taking a loss. Notice there is no line item that says “Run out and buy a new laptop.” If you must, it goes under Materials. But unless you’re down to writing with sharpened chunks of coal, I suggest you hold off on that.

I’m going to continue on this topic Friday. Your homework is to come up with a budget for this year and your first year as a published author. I don’t care if you think you’re five years from publication. Get it down on paper. Take my abridged budget and expand. Add topics and put in details for each heading. Break down the materials into paper, envelopes, whatever. Marketing, of course, can be broken down into a long list of sub-categories. Guess at those numbers for now, but, as you can see, you’re biggest expenses will always be marketing and training. Good thing you don’t have to worry about production (unless you go the self-pubbed route).

Get budgeting. I’ll see you Friday.

A funny thing happened on the way to my empire...

2007-02-22T15:54:00.000-05:00

The cool thing about developing your “empire” is this: it forces you to sit down and think, “Do I really want to be writing on this topic for the next five or six years?”

That’s a good question to ask yourself. Many of us newbies flit from genre to genre in search of our “niche.” The thing is, our niche usually ends up being the place we happen to be when we get a sale. Brandilyn Collins talks extensively, in her own special way, about branding. To sum it up, she says don’t hopscotch between genres. Your readers develop expectations as does your publisher, so don’t torque ‘em off (I thought "torque 'em off" was a phrase Brandilyn might use).

Now back to the previous problem. I get the feeling that some us will end up falling into a genre simply because that’s the door that opened up for us. Nothing wrong with that. Somebody wants to pay me real money to write romance, I’ll do it (under a pen name). That will never happen, because I just can’t get excited about romance. Well, you know, the written kind. Please disregard any further insertions of foot in mouth.

But I can get excited about several different genres-mystery, suspense, espionage thrillers, and several others. Now here’s the difference: what am I really passionate about? What gets my mojo running? If I were to look at my web browser history right now, what would most populate the list? Okay, after Dilbert and the Weather Channel. I won’t tell you what that is for me, because I’m still wrestling with it. And, oh yeah, praying about it.

Which brings me back to my empire. Not exactly the same as genre, but there will be some connection. So, I’ve taken a simple concept and confused the heck out of it. But maybe that’s a good thing. Are you settling on an empire because it happens to be what your current WIP is about?

Take a look at that browser history. Where ya been hangin’ out at? Chances are, that’s your empire, the one that will drive you out of a warm bed at 4am to catch up on the latest and, of course, write about.

Remember, this isn’t a race. We’ve been punching these keys for a loooong time. Let’s not rush into something we’ll regret in a few years.

2007-02-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Wedgewood Grey: The Black or White Chronicles: Book Two (Black Or White Chronicles)(Faith Words, February 2007) by John Aubrey Anderson

John was born five miles north of the setting for Abiding Darkness, a cotton country town within a rifle shot of two rivers, a bayou, a double handful of lakes, and endless acres of woods. After graduating from Mississippi State, he flew six years in the Air Force then twenty-nine years for a major airline. And now he gets to write.

He and his wife have been married for forty some-odd years and live in Texas—about twenty miles south of the Red River. He spends the biggest part of his time writing; she’s immersed in leading a comprehensive, women’s Bible study.

They like greasy hamburgers and Dr. Peppers, most species of warm-blooded creatures (the kind that don’t normally bite), and spending July in the mountains.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Wedgewood Grey is the second book in the Black and White Chronicles. The first was Abiding Darkness (August, 2006).Mississippi cotton country . . . in the spring of 1960.
The War At Cat Lake is fifteen years in the fading past . . . but the demonic beings who launched that first battle, are alive and well at Cat Lake. Waiting.

Late on a Friday night, on a muddy little road a mile east of Cat Lake, a ten-year-old black child is forced to watch while a gang of white men beat his mother to death. Aided by Mose Washington, an old black man, the boy exacts a measure of his own revenge. When the sun comes up on Saturday morning, Mose and the boy are fugitives.

Missy Parker Patterson, who as a child stood at the epicenter of the first war, is married and living in Texas. In the aftermath that follows Mose Washington’s disappearance, she goes back to Cat Lake to discover that the demonic beings have been anticipating her return . . . and so begins the second battle of The War At Cat Lake.

In 1962, an old black man and his grandson move into the country near Pilot Hill, Texas. The people in the local area are told that the old gentleman’s name is Mose Mann—his grandson introduces himself as Bill.

However, the lives of the new arrivals are not as peaceful as they seem. The unassuming old black man and his grandson are being pursued by a triad of formidable and unrelenting adversaries . . . a ruthless political leader, an enduring lie, and an invisible army allied beneath the banner of a hatred for God.

Wedgewood Greyis a story about the impact of choices that real people—people like you and me—are sometimes forced to make.

Blogs and the bloggers who blog them

2007-02-19T19:54:00.000-05:00

On my first post to the new format, I asked you to read Randy Ingermanson's newsletter and think about your empire. You may or may not have a specific empire in mind by now. Me? I think I do, but I'm still turning it over. That's fine. This isn't a race. Just don't beat to death.

With that in mind, your empire I mean, I want you to look at your blog. No blog? Get one. It's free, easy, and the quickest way to start building your empire. Blogger is fine, but check out a few of the others available, too. The best way to do that is visit the blogs you like, see how they're laid out, and go with the provider of the one you like best.

Most of you have blogs. What do you talk about there? The weather? Your kid's latest discovery under an old sheet of plywood? Britanny's latest hair style?

Stop it.

You heard me. Stop the insanity! Your empire should be focused. And so should your blog. If your empire is Siamese cats, don't blog about anything that has nothing to do with Siamese cats. If your empire is cast iron cooking, don't you dare enter a post that doesn't contain several pounds of iron.

"But Ron!" You cry. "I need a place to tell my friends what's going on in my life!"

Fine. Get another blog, title it "Stuff About Me," and use that to get all your editorial needs out of your system. Didn't I say blogs (most of them) are free? You can have two. Some people have five or six. I'll save them for another post. Your marketing plan should include a blog that reflects the central theme of your writing.

I promise you, if you start a blog that's specific to your empire, you will find a lot more people stopping in. People with similar interests. People who don't want to hear about how cute your kids are (I do, but not on your empire blog). People who read. People who will someday read your novels!

So hop to it. Give me those blogs! And keep 'em focused.

Networking

2007-02-16T16:51:00.000-05:00

Networking. It's nothing new. You've been told: go to conferences, talk to lots of people, get on the mail loop, etc. All that is still good advice. There's nothing like meeting people face to face if you want to make an impression (hopefully a good one). A human network is vital for any profession, especially writing.

But what about the quality of your network? Occasionally, a new member of ACFW or MWA will ask how he or she should go about finding a critique group. It's easy, I say, the hard part is finding a good critique group. What do I mean by good? I don't mean their writing is on par with John Steinbeck with their first novel. I mean a group of writers who have a goal, like you, and are making daily strides toward that goal, like you. Your critique group is your innermost networking circle. If it consists of men and women who write "when they have time" or have done nothing to improve their skills in five years, guess what? You're going as far as they are.

I know this sounds harsh. But this is the reality. I've been through more critique groups than I care to admit. Know what most have in common? All the members have given up. Maybe it took them a while. I don't know. I didn't stick around long enough to find out. Because I have a goal, and am taking the steps each and every day to achieve that goal, and they weren't. I don't have time to encourage someone who isn't giving it their all. Neither do you. I've now been in my current group for two years. That's a record for me. What's different about these ladies? They're as committed to reaching their writing goal as I am. Their writing improves noticeably over time (hopefully, they say the same for me), and things are happening. Robin's first book is out in October. And four people, not one, are rejoicing.

Yes, this sounds a bit heartless. We're Christians. We're supposed to lift each other up. But if you read the New Testament, you'll find that Jesus didn't spend a whole lot of time getting His disciples out of bed in the morning. You are called. You follow. Or you don't. His time was short. Our time is a bit longer, but in high demand. Jobs, kids, church--most of us aren't blessed with eight hours of uninterrupted writing time every day. Every minute you invest in your writing is precious. If you're spending time pointing out the same mistakes your crit partners have been making for years, it's like investing in a dotcom. You're getting nothing in return.

If your inner circle isn't helping your writing career, find another circle. Make your current group your friends, by all means, but as far as your writing goes, you need to be surrounded by focused, driven, chew-your-draft-to-pieces, professionals like you.

I spent a lot of space here just talking about your inner networking circle. I'll re-visit this topic again and talk about those larger circles. Your homework this weekend: evaluate your critique group or inner circle. Are they helping you reach your goal? Are you helping them? Be honest. You may have to make some tough decisions come Monday. Come to think of it, I may just find myself voted off the island. Better get to those critiques...

2007-02-14T09:11:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
Christian Writers' Market Guide 2007: The Essential Reference Tool for the Christian Writer
by Sally Stuart. WaterBrook Press; Pap/CDR edition (January 16, 2007)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sally E. Stuart is the author of thirty-four books and has sold more than one thousand articles and columns. Her long-term involvement with the Christian Writers' Market Guide as well as her marketing columns for the Christian Communicator, Oregon Christian Writers, and The Advanced Christian Writer, make her a sought-after speaker and a leading authority on Christian markets and the business of writing. Stuart is the mother of three and grandmother of eight.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Christian Writers' Market Guide has offered indispensable help to Christian writers. This year, for the first time, this valuable resource comes with a CD-ROM of the full text, so you can search with ease for topics, publishers, and other specific names.The 2007 edition also includes up-to-date listings of more than 1,200 markets for books, articles, stories, poetry, and greeting cards, including information on forty new book publishers, eighty-three new periodicals, and thirty-four new literary agents. Perfect for writers in every phase, this is the resource to get noticed–and get published.

It contains listings for: 695 periodicals, 228 poetry markets, 355 book publishers, 133 online publications, 29 print-on-demand publishers, 1185 markets for the written word, 321 photography markets, 31 e-book publishers, 122 foriegn markets, 112 literary agents,and 59 newspapers.It also gives you comprehensive lists of contests, writers groups and conferences, search engines, pay rates and submission guidelines, editorial services and websitesThe Christian Writers' Market Guide is a must have for any serious Christian writer that is looking to get published and is a crucial element in your marketing strategy.

My Empire

2007-02-12T13:35:00.000-05:00

Welcome back.

Okay, I’ve read Randy’s e-zine and have a good grasp of Strategic (long term) and Tactical (short term) marketing. Why tactical marketing? Well, as most of you have discovered, writing doesn’t pay well, or at all, during the learning stages. But we have expenses: books, conferences, websites, postage, laptops…it all adds up. Wouldn’t it be nice if all that were paid for by someone else? Take a look down the left side of my blog. I’ve got advertisements from Amazon, Randy Ingermanson, Terry Whalin, and Google. All these are affiliate programs. No, I won’t make a ton of money by advertising these products, but maybe I’ll cover some of my expenses. Check out my book store. This was almost no work on my part. Not only do I keep a list of recommended reading, I get little profit anytime one of you buys one of those books.

You can do it, too! That’s the point of all this. If you’re promoting another website, product, or book on your blog, get something for it. It’s not money grubbing, it makes sense. Everyone benefits. Why not you? By the way, I won’t promote anything I haven’t checked out myself (with the exception of the Google ad, which selects random advertisers based on content).

The Strategic portion of our marketing plan is where we’ll concentrate most of our time. On Friday I told you that Randy wants us to determine our “empire.” That’s not his term, by the way, but, being a mad genius, he borrowed it. That’s a good point to get across now: Don’t re-invent the waffle! If someone is already doing it right, adopt it as your own. We’re writers, not marketing professionals.

So what’s my empire? Well, I’ve got a few choices. I love Jesus, writing, fly-fishing, camping, men’s ministry, mystery/suspense/thriller writing. I can’t group all that into one empire, it would be way too narrow. I can have several empires, but I need to focus on one for now. Let’s see…my novels always involve a man on a faith journey. My current series has a heavy dose of fly-fishing.

How about this: Men’s ministry and fly-fishing. I could come up with a website with a catchy title. Something like “Reel Men…thoughts on fly-fishing and being God’s Man.” That may be too narrow as well. Maybe just “Real Men–being God’s Man in the 21st century.” That keeps my focus on Christ, which is important to me. But will it tie into my fiction? I think so. I could use my current series and the fictional town of Trout, Michigan as my empire. Maybe it will involve elements of mystery, fly-fishing, and faith. I like that. The men's ministry ties in with a desire I've had for several years to write a series of non-fiction books. There's no reason I can't develop this marketing plan to focus on both my fiction and non-fiction ventures. Remember, this plan can cover years, even decades. Look ahead. Think big.

I’ll leave it there for now. I’ve got plenty of time to develop this. How about you? What’s your empire? Space travel? Cats? Scrapbooking? Think about it. I’d like to hear your ideas.

I’ll leave Randy alone for a while and take a look at some other ways to develop my marketing plan. On Friday, I’d like to talk a bit about networking. Put on your thick skin (if you’re a writer, it’s always handy). Some of the things I say on this subject may ruffle a few feathers. But stick with me. Nothing I say will step outside of Christian boundaries, but we have to remain tough and focused to reach our goals and fulfill His will.

The Fiction Marketing Journey: Step 1

2007-02-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my Fiction Writers Marketing Journey. To kick things off this week, I asked you to visit Randy Ingermanson’s website and determine where you fall in your writing career. Me? I think I fall into the “Junior” category. My writing is looking pretty good, but I’ve still got some things to learn. I’m not going to go any deeper into the finer points of writing, but I would recommend Randy’s Fiction 101 & 201 course. The rest is up to you.

Now, why am I doing this? This project is not meant to be long term. My little scheme is to use this blog as the staging area for my marketing plan. Why? Because I can lay it out, step by step, as I go. AND I can include you in the process. You see, like Randy, Terry, and a host of other writers, I don’t buy into the deception that a successful writing career is luck of the draw. I’m not talking about writing a best seller and retiring to Jamaica, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask that our hard work pay off at least enough to lead a comfortable existence. But most importantly: if I’m truly called to this ministry, why should I settle for less than my maximum potential? There’s a parable Jesus told about some servants who were given money (talent) to invest. Those who took the biggest risk and got the greatest return were rewarded even more. I’m already investing a lot of time and work, why not go the distance and make sure the fruit of my labor doesn’t die on the vine?

My point? It’s not enough that you have talent. It’s not enough that you were called. You must do whatever you can to ensure all that talent doesn’t go to waste. That’s where marketing comes in. It’s an investment in your writing. The greater the return on that investment, the more you can give back to Him. I’m not just talking dollars, I’m talking souls reached for the Kingdom.

Now, let’s continue. The next thing I did on my journey was to subscribe to an e-zine. That’s right, why kill myself learning this stuff when someone else already knows it? I hate to keep picking on Randy, but he’s the “Mad Genius” that got me started on this path in the first place. The first edition of his marketing e-zine told me to find my “empire.” What’s that? Well, it’s what I’m passionate about, or good at, or want to be good at. I’m going to think about that over the weekend. How about you do the same? Go and subscribe to Randy’s e-zine, The Mad Genius Writer, and read up. Oh, by the way, when you do, you’ll notice that I’ve already taken some short term steps. I’ll let you figure it out after you read Randy’s e-zine.

See ya Monday!

A New Screwtape Letter

2007-02-07T15:30:00.000-05:00

If you haven't been on Terry Whalin's blog today, get there. He's posted a "Screwtape Letter" written by Greg Stielstra, author of Pyromarketing. If you're called to write for our Lord and have found yourself tempted to tone down your gospel message to reach the unsaved, this letter is for you. I won't re-post it here. Go check it out on Terry's blog.

2007-02-07T09:13:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducting The Longing Season (Bethany House July, 2006) by Christine Schaub.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Christine Schaub is the author of the MUSIC OF THE HEART series, including Finding Anna, the “rest of the story” behind the writing of the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” (October 2005) and The Longing Season, the story behind “Amazing Grace” (July 2006) with Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Books.

In 2003, Christine won the “On the Page” screenwriting contest at Screenwriting Expo 2 in Los Angeles. Her one-page story, written on-site in 24 hours for Jacqueline Bisset, was selected by the actress as the best Oscar Wilde-type comedy for her persona.

While working in freelance corporate communications, Christine completed three feature-length screenplays, including a drama/comedy, romantic comedy, and sci-fi action/drama; developed four biopic teleplays for the stories behind the hymns; and published an online column for the MethodX website (Upper Room Ministries).

Christine honed her writing skills after more than 15 years in corporate communications for healthcare, pharmaceutical, and entertainment companies. She has also been a featured conference speaker on working with at-risk youth and changed lives in the classrooms with her creative presentation style.

Christine's love for the arts and creativity have taken her from church platforms to civic and professional stages, performing classics and dramas from her own pen.

Christine graduated from Anderson University with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications. She has served on numerous boards and committees, usually as Communications Chair, and has received both regional and national awards in writing and design.

ABOUT THE BOOK
All of the books in the MUSIC OF THE HEART series are based on a hymns and their histories. The Longing Season is about one of the greatest redemption stories of all time: John Newton and his song, Amazing Grace.

Nature conspires against him, tossing the ship like a toy. Directionless--just like his life.
It seems his odyssey will end here, in the cold Atlantic.
Grief and terror grip his heart, but he will not surrender...not yet.
She reads the sentence again and again.
The first day I saw you I began to love you.
He'd written the words, sealed and posted them, then vanished.

She has a choice--turn toward the future, or wait, wating and hoping.

And so begins her season of longing.

Christine's website link is: http://www.christineschaub.typepad.com/

When?

2007-02-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

Whenever the subject of marketing comes up in writer circles, the question of timing invariably surfaces as well.

When do I start thinking about marketing?

“Now” would be my answer. No, I don’t mean spend $800 on a website design and call the local bookstores to schedule your signing tour. Unless, of course, you’re ready for that. What I mean is this: Before you create your character, develop your plot, stroke the first key, ask yourself “What about my novel makes me different from the thousands of novels that will hit the bookstores this year?” Is it a protagonist with a unique occupation, like writing crossword puzzles? An interesting setting like post-Soviet Russia? A different time like Chicago in the 1890s?

I can’t help you with this part of your marketing plan. This is entirely up to you. I assume you have a hint of creativity living somewhere in your cranium. Stretch it now. Put yourself in the chair of an acquisitions editor. Manuscripts fly across your desk like spitballs past a substitute teacher. What do you want to see? What would stand out?

Okay, that’s as far as I, or anyone, can take you on that topic.

To answer the “When” question beyond that point, you first must decide where you are in your writing career. Randy Ingermanson uses a simple approach to this. You’re either a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior. And no, that doesn’t mean you’ll be a published author in four years from the first moment you decide to pick up a pen.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to go to Randy’s website and figure out where you are. Be honest. There’s no shame in being a Freshman for three years. We all learn and grow at our own pace. That’s a statement you’ll here me use a lot, by the way: learn & grow. That will be the one consistent piece of your journey.

Now, do your homework. We’ll pick this up on Friday.

Best Reader Comment of the Week

2007-02-03T08:30:00.001-05:00

As Lawrence Block pointed out once, Charles Dickens either invented the book tour... our St. Paul did. - Posted by Mark Terry

Marketing You Betcha

2007-02-02T09:01:00.000-05:00

As I near the day when I find myself signing a book contract, my mind is already steering toward the question: What next?

If you've been reading guys like Terry Whalin and Randy Ingermanson, you have a good idea what's next. You've busted your keys for a year or more on a novel. Before, that, you've likely shed a few tears over novels that were pronounced DOA. And before that, you've spent years 'n years learning and perfecting your craft. We like to call it a craft. It makes us feel artsy. The fact is, my fellow artists, if you don't have a little Trump in your soul, or are at least willing to get a little Trump in your soul, your art won't get into too many hands, and your publisher may one day invite you to find a new publisher.

It's harsh, yes. That's me. I turned 40 last month, so I think that gives me just enough years to tell it like it is. Just barely.

So, I'm going to be writing a lot more on this subject. I hope a few of you will join me. I won't try to re-invent the ice-cream cone, but I will be picking up some clues from guys like Terry, Randy, Chip MacGregor, and Bob Bly (more on him later, but do check out his website).

Here's your first rule: keep your blog postings short. I'm probably pushing the limit already today. If you want to join the new revolution of the Marketing Writer, stick around. Oh, by the way, if you're not sure aggressive marketing fits in with the Christian World View, I'll have to disagree. Going out into the world to spread the Good News is marketing. Paul wore out his sandals doing it. We will wear out our keyboards.

Germ

2007-01-30T19:45:00.000-05:00

Germ by Robert Liparulo is one of those books that makes me sorry I every read things like The Hot Zone. Good fiction is usually based partially in fact. And, the fact is, biological warfare and terrorism is a very real possibility in the near future.

The book opens like a Hollywood action film, with the flash of the sun on the windshield of an FBI agent's car as he flees two men on what should have been a quiet Saturday at home. His partner, Julia Matheson, is somewhere behind him, feeling helpless. Two chapters later, Julia has lost her partner and mentor and finds herself in a conspiracy so deep she doesn't even trust her own supervisor back in her Atlanta headquarters. Eventually, Julia teams up with a surgeon and his bear-like brother to form an unlikely trio, all of who are hunted by a ruthless hit-man as they search for answers.

Their search eventually leads them to a madman who has created the ultimate assassin, a designer Ebola virus that can pinpoint a single man, woman, or child anywhere on the planet. Or millions of men, women, and children. With the potential release of this monstrous weapon at the door, our trio of heroes soon realize that their own lives are all that stand between the planet and disaster of apocalyptic proportions.

Besides great characters and a spine-tingling plot, Liparulo does an excellent job of setting up the story. He weaves the back story, going back to the end of World War II, into the plot so well you hardly notice a beat.

I recommend Germ to any thriller lover. Just be careful. If you breathe, it will find you.

Bethany House Survey

2007-01-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

This is fun. Jim Hart, the Internet Marketing Manager over at Bethany House is conducting a survey for a new novel by Ann Tatlock, Things We Once Held Dear. Among a few other questions, he's got three possible book covers posted. You'll choose your favorite.

Ever looked at a book cover and say, "Why in the world did they use THAT?"

Now here's your chance to get a say in the design. Here's the link:

http://www.faithinfiction.com/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=8

Susan May Warren

2007-01-30T07:01:00.000-05:00

I don't like it when I mess up, but it happens. I was suppose to interview Susan May Warren on my blog. I agreed to January 22nd. Then realized, too late, that I'd be off at the Tampa RV show the week prior, giving me no time to prepare. Hopefully, Susan will show up on my blog another time.

In the meantime, I suggest you visit her website at http://www.susanmaywarren.com/. I've read three of Susan's books. For those of you who like a good romantic suspense with a big helping of faith, Susan can fill that order nicely. I must admit that I'm not big on the romance part of it, but she doesn't overdo it. In fact, she blends it so nicely as part of the plot that you hardly realize it's there. To me, that's a good thing. Every story should have a touch of romance, but it needs to be interwoven with the plot.

I recommend the Mission: Russia books and the Team Hope trilogy. Actually, I'm disappointed she didn't write more books set in Russia. I like reading about different places, and post-Soviet Russia is definitely an interesting place. Susan spent some time there as a missionary. I bet she's got more stories tucked away in her head.

Okay, hopefully my repentance will be accepted. Get over to Susan's website and blog and tell her Ron sent you. Perhaps then I won't have to grovel so much at the conference.

The Continuing Saga

2007-01-29T07:41:00.000-05:00

No, it's not another episode of "Pigs in Space." I'm well into the agent search now. I think I put as much sweat into the proposals as I did the actual book. It's a good feeling of accomplishment, though. It's only one more step in a long journey, but it beats watching from the sidelines.

Which brings up a subject that's been nagging at me since Saturday morning. My daughter likes to tape and watch American Idol. For the most part, it's a clean show, though I keep a close watch when it's on. At this stage of the contest, they're going through the initial try outs. I have to tell you, there's a lot of people out there who are living a fantasy, one involving talent they don't have. That's all fine. More power to 'em. My problem is the grieving that goes on for those who don't make it past this stage. Yes, I understand they feel their dream has been shattered (Though, I have to believe some of these people are network plants for entertainment purposes. I mean the bad ones). And it's okay to shed a few tears over disappointment. But the problem I have is that few of these people will actually continue their quest. Which is a shame, because some are actually good, they just need work. And that's the problem, very few want to go through the usual route to stardom. They're looking for an easy way.

Really, do you think Paula Abdul has any sympathy for the 19 year old who claims her life is over because she didn't get picked to go to Hollywood. I don't know a thing about Paula, but I'm willing to bet she paid her dues. The judges, even the rude one, will tell these people to keep trying, try out for Broadway, but the contestants don't want to hear that. I'm generalizing, yes, but as a writer I've watched a lot of other would-be novelists drop out of the race. I'm sure it's the same with singers, actors, and other artists.

The good news is that this presented a great life lesson for my daughter, which I seized. I told her that she can dream as big as she wants, and that's great, but prepare yourself to struggle for it and work hard. There's no easy ticket. And, if you'll notice, the people who do make it on American Idol have been at this for many years, paying their dues.

So now to practice what I lecture. Murder on the Side has begun its long journey toward publication. I've started the next book in the River Bend Mysteries series, which has a working title of Harvest of the Fall. Okay, not original, it's a working title. The plot, however, will rock your socks. I'm getting bold in my old age. Hey, if we don't get a little cocky, we'll end up crying on the sidelines.

Friday Top 10

2007-01-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

Top 10 Celebrity Products we’d like to see…

10. The Hillary Clinton lamp collection. Aerodynamically designed for distance and impact.

9. The O.J. “Non-Acquittal” line of gloves. Tight spot? Tight fit!

8. Nancy Pelosi cookware. Lightweight for easy travel to high places.

7. Al Gore global warming casuals. Simply peel off the layers as the temps climb.

6. Mahmoud Admadinejad’s history books. The pages are all blank so you can write your own!

5. The Bill Ford, Jr. piggy bank. For every penny you put in, two disappear.

4. The Tom Cruise wedding planner. Only one page because, really, nobody cares.

Okay, I'm lazy today. I want help! I'll let you guys fill in the top 3! Just leave 'em in the comments.

3.

2.

1.

2007-01-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

This month we are reviewing not one, but two books by Marilynn Griffith! This prolific writer has TWO books coming out this month! This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is posting about If the Shoe Fits (Steeple Hill Cafe', 2007) by Marilynn Griffith (fellow CFBA member, blogger, writer, and mother of seven)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marilynn Griffith is wife to a deacon, mom to a tribe and proof that God gives second chances. Her novels include Made of Honor (Steeple Hill, Jan. 2006), Pink (Revell, Feb. 2006), Jade (Revell, June 2006), and Tangerine (Revell, January 2007). Her other credits include Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman’s Soul, Cup of Comfort Devotionals and her Shades of Style series (Revell, 2006). She lives in Florida with her husband and children. To book speaking engagements or just say hello, email: marilynngriffith@gmail.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Have Glass Slipper, Need Prince...
If the Shoe Fits is the second book in the Sassy Sistahood Novels. The first in the series was Made of Honor (Steeple Hill, Jan. 2006).

In all my thirty-five years, I, shoe designer Rochelle Gardner, have never had so many men interested in me! My teen son's dad is back in my life after suffering from amnesia (yes, really). The church deacon has had his eye on me for years (and never said a word). And the young waiter (from the restaurant I've visited for singles' events) is trying to steal my heart. I've been struggling with my faith, trying to figure out which man God has chosen for me and wondering if I have the courage to step forward, on my not-so-pretty feet, to accept love. It's almost too much for the Sassy Sistahood to handle, but my girlfriends always have my back!

The book link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0373785763
Marilynn's website link: http://marilynngriffith.typepad.com/rhythmsofgrace/

Back to Winter

2007-01-23T12:29:00.000-05:00

I'm back! For those who missed me terribly, I was in Tampa all last week for the RV Supershow. What a great time. I love the RV community and I really loved the weather in Tampa. I could have done without the traffic and the crummy service at my hotel's restaurant, but those are the breaks.

On the plane trip home I read 90 Minutes in Heaven. It's been out for a couple years and I finally broke down and bought a copy in the Tampa Airport gift shop. What a great read to get you through a travel day. The funny thing is, the trip to heaven only lasted a few chapters. It was the author's recovery from his car wreck that inspired faith and revealed the power of prayer. I highly recommend it. I'm too lazy to get the link. Go to Amazon and get it.

So now on to greater things. I'm still polishing my proposal for Murder on the Side and have sent out one agent query. More to come. I try to stagger them a bit. I'm excited about the marketing plans I have for this book and the series. More on that later.

2007-01-10T07:35:00.000-05:00

This weeks blog tour is A Pagan's Nightmare by Ray Blackston. For a full review, click here!

The book is available at:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446579599

Ray's website is at:

http://www.rayblackston.com/

Finding an Agent!

2007-01-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

Now that Murder on the Side is el-completo, it's time to find an agent! Yes, I know this can be a long, grueling process, something akin to swimming Lake Michigan while the Coast Guard uses you for target practice (if'n you ain't up on Michigan current events, this means nothing to you).

But it's exciting to have my work, or at least my finely tuned query letters, out in Publishing World. I've done it before, but this is the first novel that I've written that's made me feel like a real writer. Why is that? My first was obviously the attempt of a newbie who hadn't bothered to read a single book on plot, characterization, or dialogue. The second was written as a series in cahoots with my crit partners. I think it's publishable, but I had help. This time, I've got at least a sophomore level understanding of the basics of novel writing. Maybe even a junior level. The publishing business doesn't mystify me anymore (stymie, yes, but not mystify).

I understand now that an editor at Harper Collins hasn't been awaiting my arrival for his or her entire career. The work has only just begun. And I'm pumped! I realized the other day that, after my 8 hours in the office, I put in 3 or 4 more hours a day on my writing, whether it be the actual tapping of keys or reading a "how to" book or research. While normal people are watching brain-flogging sitcoms, I'm working. But it feels wonderful.

My friend Mark Terry was telling me how he keeps lining up new novel projects while he's got more than enough paying gigs to keep him going for years. My reply was that he's moving toward what he loves most. Paying the bills is a good thing. But eventually you'll need to answer your calling to find contentment. Even if you don't make a dime off it for the first ten years.

Okay, off to my agent search. Let the games (and the wait) begin!

100 Hours of Silence

2007-01-05T09:21:00.000-05:00

Out of respenct for Miss Nancy and the new regime, I, as a card-carrying Republican, will remain silent for 100 hours. There will be no Top 10 or any opinions whatsoever expressed on this blog.

Thank you Miss Nancy for showing me the error of my ways.

'07 Already?

2007-01-03T12:49:00.000-05:00

Hmm...seemed to have missed my New Year's post. Okay, Happy New Year!

Here's my New Year's reservations:

Complete 2 (count 'em) 2 manuscripts.

Umm...submit 'em.

Stop volunteering for things that get in the way of my writing.

Free-write in the notebook every day (I've already missed Jan. 1st and 2nd)

That's enough.

Happy Birthday to Me

2006-12-30T16:14:00.000-05:00

Funny. I don't feel 40.

Friday Top 10

2006-12-28T15:45:00.000-05:00

Top 10 New Year's Resolutions for the Writer in YOU!

10. Admit that deep fried Snickers bars do not inspire creativity.

9. Ignore e-mail messages from mysterious agents with e-mail addys like hotagent@hotmail.hothothot.com

8. Accept all criticism graciously.

7. Understand that all criticism isn't right.

6. If your mother says it's good, be grateful. Every little bit helps.

5. Blog reading/writing does not count as part of your writing time.

4. If it's bad through chapter 5, it's bad. Start over. Or make chapter 6 the first chapter.

3. Pick one or two conferences. After a point, it's just a party.

2. Never let your characters write your novel, unless one of them is John Updike.

And the number 1 New Year's Resolution for the Writer in YOU!

1. Learn a writing rule, then learn how to break it.

Chapter 28

2006-12-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

It means nothing to you, but it happens to be the last chapter of Murder on the Side, the first of my River Bend Mystery Series, and I started the final edit on it this morning. I set a goal of Dec. 31st to have it complete, so I seem to be on track. Of course, my readers will point out a few things to touch up, but nothing major. The joy of novel writing comes when you hit the final turn. For me it was somewhere around chapter 20. Then you just can't type fast enough. It's when you settle into the groove and your best writing comes out. I stumbled at the beginning. With the help of my wife and crit partners, I made a few course corrections and got it on track.

This is my third complete novel. They get better with each attempt. Is this the one that gets me on the board? I think so. I'm confident enough to start book two of the series in early January. I still have to write the proposal, which takes considerable time as well, and send it out to agents. Maybe by the time the ACFW conference comes along I'll be on my way. Will I quit if things don't turn out that way? Absolutely not. We try again. And again. It's what we do.

I am eagerly anticipating 2007, even January. What a wonderful life I have. What an awesome thing it is to have no regrets.

2006-12-25T07:04:00.000-05:00

His peace be with you.

Christmas Card

2006-12-23T19:36:00.000-05:00

I just can't resist a classic. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

My official blog Christmas Card.

Friday Top 10

2006-12-22T08:47:00.000-05:00

Top 10 of my Favorite Things about Christmas...

10. It's acceptable to have glass bowls full of chocolate scattered throughout the house.

9. The unspoken joy of exterior illumination.

8. The TBS 24-hour A Christmas Story marathon.

7. My bright red Grinch jammies (okay, I wear 'em from October through April).

6. It's becoming rebelious and cool to say "Merry Christmas."

5. I get to wear both of my Grinch ties to church (see a theme here?).

4. Laughing at the people on the news who actually stand in a two-day line to buy something they can get at half the price in another month.

3. Knowing that I'm raising my kids with better values than someone who would stand in a two-day line to buy something they can get at half the price in another month.

2. Having my 11 year-old son explain to me the significance of the lion's sacrifice in Narnia.

And my number one favorite thing about Christmas...

1. After 40 years, the single most memorable moment in Christmas television history is that of a six year old cartoon boy quoting King James scripture.

And all of God's children said...