writing for beginners | Post 5 | Getting Published

GETTING YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED for dummies.  Honestly I underestimated this book.  A friend who has been helping me through my journey in writing suggested that I get one of these books.  My reflections will include the format of the book, and a brief summary sprinkled with personal thoughts.

The format of this book is genius.  There are little icons for tips, warnings, nuggets of wisdom, points to remember, and for possible points of danger.  And they have designated areas that highlight and list important information.  They are not joking when they say it is for dummies – a grade school student could read this and comprehend it.  The book is by no means short.  It is a wide book, and all the pages are filled with information.  Therefore, the format makes this intimidating book approachable.  My advice, wherever you are in the writing industry the fifteen dollars for this book will probably be worth it.

There are a total of seven sections that move chronologically through the writing process starting with the idea and working all the way up to signing the deal with the publishers.  They cover a wide range of options.  For example, some of them are if you want to write fiction or non-fiction, whether you use an agent or not, or if you use a publishing company or self-published. 

For the summary, I will explain summarize the progression and go into further detail for specific parts when necessary.  Part one is the idea process.  I thought this section was extremely valuable as a first time writer because it inspires me to be or not to be a writer, nothing in between.  At this point I wrestle whether I have the qualifications or the experience.  The book describes how to make writing my profession.  Also, as I think of ideas I have to ask, “What can you offer readers that is worth their hard-earned $15 or $25?”  (Zackheim 2000, p, 21). 

Part two brings is finding and meeting the publisher.  Here the book helps us understand the difference between a book idea and an article idea, a good seller and a bad seller. 

Part three is a short section that walks us through the process of creating book proposals and query letters.  I was able to learn how to have a corner in the market through book proposals.  The next step, part four, gives strategic methods for getting my book proposal in the presence of someone who cares.  Here they explain the difference between working with agents and using myself as an agent, and types of publishers.  They are very generous by including detailed information of several publishers.  I learned in college from the way professors would talk about certain books that publishers are not objective.  Just like anything, publishers have a personality.  Depending on what you write about and what audience you are targeting will influence the publisher you seek and which publishers will be interested.  

Sign on the dotted line – part five, the offer, negotiation, and contract.  After this you are home free.  Part six and seven explain production, distribution, and sales.  Essentially this is the retail, but with a publishing/book twist to it.  Part seven was a section that seemed like they tacked on to give more tips and warnings.  It is a place for all the stuff that did not fit chronologically. 

As I said, the book is great.  It is well designed, easy to follow the progression, and highly informational.  I also appreciate the format to make it easier to use as reference.  So it can either be used as a guidebook to walk through each process of getting published.  Or, it can be reference book to provide helpful solutions for troubleshooting and preparation. 

I hope that my summary and thoughts provided some helpful or interesting information you have not known before. 

writing for beginners | Post 4 | Resources

Christian Writers’ Market Guide is a beneficial resource for all writers.  It seems as if Stuart compiled writing resources and information in this reference guide for all writers, but included Christian information because other sources probably exclude it.  However bias or non-bias, it has proven itself as a useful resource. 

Since it is a 600 page reference guide, I did not read every page and give you what I think are the best resources.  I skimmed a couple sections and published what I thought was useful for where I am as a writer and what would be useful for bloggers. 

Enjoy surfing the internet today or whenever, there are several cool things to check out.

Networking

1. The Authors Den – this site is loaded with writers – authors, bloggers, poets, story tellers – and lots of information on events.  The events page is filled with every kind of event – tv shows, free ebooks, deals, seminars – that are beneficial to anyone, but particularly writers. 
2. Backspace – this site has everything the Authors Den has, but with a valuable addition – forums.  There are numerous forums that help connect writer through weaknesses and strengths.  Have a question?  Ask the experts. 
3. Christian Writers Group – This member based group allows you to choose to be an obsessive member or subtle member through Yahoo Groups.  I did not join, so I am not sure of all the benefits, but it might be worth looking into for Christian Writers.  Christian writing, I assume, is a different machine than all other writing. 

 

Style

1. The Chicago Manual of Style – this seems to be a great resource for anyone who works with words.  They provide an extensive index that provides information on manuscript preparation, grammar, punctuation, proofs, etc. 
2. Elements of Style – by William Shrunk Jr.  an online book available for us to reference and learn from. 

 

Books

1. Read Print – if you are the type to read books online – this site offers free books by various authors.  Also, they provide a coupons page beneficial for anyone, even non-writers. 
2. Fetch Book – this site is very practical for finding the best price for all your books.  Just type in Title, Author, or ISBN, select the book and click on Compare Prices. 
3. Writers Write – there are several links that help the writer with resources, contests, coupons, blogging, marketing, graphic design, etc.  It seems if you wanted to publish a book you could do it through this site alone. 

 

Writing for Beginners

1. Once Written – this site has an indie feel by providing content and opportunities for independent writers to emerge.  Take advantage of this site if you are want to move from beginner to intermediate, to professional. 
2. First Writer – a similar site that might lead you down another path you prefer. 
3. PWC Writers – I went to this webpage and opened the “Procrastination or Preparation.”  this excerpt made me feel at home as a procrastinator.  I am sure the other excerpts speak truth for the lies we conjure. 

 

Language

1. Google Tools – need a definition type “define:word” no spaces and the google defines the word for you.  Also, check out translation tools for different languages. 
2. Oxymoron List – “Largest List of Oxymorons Ever Collected Online!” Some of them are very comical. 
3. Slang – a slang translator. 
4. The Verb – “An Active Guide to Better Writing.”  This article is worth subscribing to and reading what writers are doing and learning. 

 

Search Engines

1. Google Print – What doesn’t Google do?  Now we can Google books. 
2. Google Tips – there is more to Google than what meets the eye.  Check out this site and learn the Google way of life. 
3. Google Blog – search blogs through Google.  I was so happy when I typed the title of my blog and it came up on the first page. 

 

Website

1. Personalized Google – customize your own search engine for your webpage visitors.
2. Wilson Web – learn how to promote your site.  
3. Workz – website maintenance tips.  

writing for beginners | Post 3 | Conversation with an Author

Being a writer has never crossed my mind, even writing as a hobby.  I blogged because it was cool, not because I thought I could write.  In fact in college I almost failed my basic English courses because I was unable to meet teachers’ expectations of an average writer.  I wrote paper after paper and failed each time.  I passed the class because I met Laura– a really smart junior who nurtured me to average writing.  I passed.  The sequel to that class I passed as well, but the experience was not as redemptive.  I suffered through the whole class.  But it was more because the professor was not inspiring and did not like me. 

Five years later I am sitting on a porch with an author eating exotic fruit – I later discovered that it was at my local grocer.  We chitchatted about writing and our lives for a few hours.  We talked about knowing whether I am writer, audience, and agents.

My first question for him was, "How do I know if I am a writer?"  To be honest I expected a simple answer like, "Your only a writer as much as you want to be a writer."  I underestimated him.  He taught me a system to figure out what type of person I am.  This test gave me the letter combination that unlocked my dreams of publishing a book.  He said these type of people make great writers.  Then he went on to drop names of his friends who were authors of books I read that had the same combination. 

Next he drew a simple chart that demonstrated the variety of audience.  The extremes were slackers and pioneers.  Right in the middle is the largest group of people because they are common people.  I call this the moneymaking audience.  If you want to write to make money, write a New York Times Best Seller for the common person and you will make a lot of money.  But if you want to bring change and clear trails for the rest to follow – write a book for the pioneer, and don’t expect the big bucks. 

While we are talking about money, he advised me to get an agent.  The means is for money; the end is marketing, which is the popularity of the message being written.  For example, he explained, if you walk into a publisher with a partial draft and they like what they see, they will work with you to publish it for $10,000, which is only ten thousand copies sold in the first year.  That amount of money, he told me, is no risk for average publisher.  Therefore, they are not taking a risk on me as a writer.  In other words they are not investing in me as a writer, in marketing the book, in marketing my name as a first time author.  But an agent is able to fight for a bigger investment.  A bigger investment from the publisher means the harder they work to get return on their investment. 

Finally we edited my paper.  He warned me that he was going to make a lot of marks.  I sat there with him as he explained his marks. I left critiqued, overwhelmed with how much work there was to do, yet never felt a deeper desire to write. 

Being able to work with a known author on a measly assignment I wrote for school was very exciting and redefined the craft of writing for me.  For the writer the word processor is the canvas where words, sentences, and paragraphs are shaped to compose a work of art.  Editing is drawing.  Deleting is painting.  Words are the sculpting clay. 

As the sun settled the mosquitoes emerged and our conversation was interrupted with redundant smacking from trying to annihilate the pesky bugs.  So, we moved inside to conclude our time together and talk about my follow-up from we talked about.  I left his house comparing my English teachers who are not published, and my time with an author.  He was able to tap the desire to write out of who I am, rather than making me think I need to become something in order to be a writer.  That is why it was not merely a conversation with an author, but with a friend who saw the good.  Yes, he had to look hard to find it, but it was there and he erased doubt that polluted any hope of being a writer.   

writing for beginners | Post 2 | "On Writing Well" Reflections

On Writing Well is a great book for those of us who need the words to find the words to write words.  Honestly, I approached this book with very low expectations and perhaps that explains my appreciation for it – how good can a book on writing actually be?  I’m convinced Zinsser is a good writer because he published a book on writing.  But he does not merely give strategy and tips, but inspires and challenges our framework for what writing actually is. 

Zinsser teaches literary art and has us wrestle with language.  Literary art is not to use language to communicate.  Art is to use language for story.  For fiction it is another world beyond this one.  Non-fiction is the world we live – a true story.  As writers we have the ability to mold words and sentences into images, emotions, experiences, and action.  A good writer does not merely entertain, but is able to link the story written with the reader’s story being lived. 

The task of becoming a good writer is not simply accomplished by reading my reflections, or reading Zinsser.  But understanding the ideas expressed in this book get the aspiring writer to perform the task.  Three themes from Zinsser can help us with the task of writing for art – clutter, momentum, and voice.  

We are not writers because we have a lot to say, but because we can say it with less.  “Clutter is the disease of American writing” (Zinsser 2001, p, 7).  Zinsser communicates this theme by encouraging us to edit frequently, to master the English language, and to cut out unnecessary word usage.  There is a myth that long is good.  Very few teachers challenge students to communicate complex ideas with little and less words.  In the beginning, teachers create writing to be a sluggish, cumbersome monster that causes more evil than good.  This is where Zinsser completes his task.  He deconstructs writing systems only to reconstruct.  He does not deconstruct only to leave us to be overtaken by our own monsters that we reconstruct from his demolition pile.  

There is a chapter that is worth buying the book and reading it on its own.  It is a chapter that needs to be read repeatedly.  It is a chapter that needs to be meditated on.  Chapter 10, titled “Bits and Pieces” has numerous tips that involve parts of speech, punctuation, and the act of writing.  This chapter is filled with useful sound bites that are loaded enough to teach a course.  Some of the sound bites are:

-       “Most adverbs are unnecessary” (Zinsser 2001, p, 69).

-       “Most adjectives are also unnecessary” (Zinsser 2001, p, 70). 

-       “Prune out the small words that qualify how you feel and how you think and what you saw: ‘a bit,’ ‘a little,’ ‘sort of,’ kind of…”  (Zinsser 2001, p, 71).  It shows that we are afraid to commit.  I am not somewhat of a writer.  I am a writer.  Or, I am not a writer. 

-       “Many of us are taught that no sentence should begin with ‘but.’  If that is what you learned, unlearn it – there’s no stronger word at the start” (Zinsser 2001, p, 74). 

-       “Surprisingly often a difficult problem in a sentence can be solved by simply getting rid of it” (Zinsser 2001, p, 80).

-       “Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it’s where the game is won or lost” (Zinsser 2001, p, 84).

Clutter is obviously a soapbox for Zinsser.  But it is a soapbox that is worth the time and appreciation.   

It is valuable to know that clutter, momentum, and voice are here communicated as separate themes, but they are co-dependent for their execution.  Clutter ruins any possibility for momentum and communicating with a clear voice.  Likewise, momentum cannot co-exist with clutter, and the reader is sure to be confused trying to listen to the ebb and flow of any writing.  

Therefore, there is not much to say about momentum that is separate from clutter.  Zinsser said, “Make sure every component is your memoir is doing useful work.  Write about yourself, by all means, with confidence and pleasure.  But see that all the details – people, places, events, anecdotes, ideas, emotions – are moving your story steadily along” (Zinsser 2001, p, 135).  This is true with all writing.  Unnecessary information only adds to the deadening of our voice. 

I remember the scene in Finding Forester when Sean Connery (Forester) has his protégé copy something that he has already written.  I remember when I was learning to teach I would listen to other teachers and try to copy their style.  Some critiqued and said that I sounded like Rob or Jason.  But soon I discovered my own voice through copying others.  “Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or a craft” (Zinsser 2001, p, 238).  So let’s imitate the best that we can.  Copy excerpts of our favorite writers for practice (not publication) and soon our voice will emerge.  It is like the daughter imitating her mother’s cooking.  Time brings experience and liberates her to add and delete elements to give it her personal touch. 

My reflections on clutter, momentum, and voice cannot take us where we want to go with writing; neither can Zinsser.  But the advice from this post and even more the wisdom of Zinsser can help us in the task of writing.  Art does not just happen; it emerges from messy and embarrassing mistakes.  And the key is becoming embarrassed because if we are not embarrassed than we have not realized that our writing can be better.  Zinsser takes us to that place of embarrassment and gives us the map to find our way out.    

writing for beginners | Post 1 | Preface

I am a beginner.  I have only published an article in a church newsletter and posts on my blog.  My writing has never graced the presence of an editor.  I am an average person who is starting this journey in learning the art and business of writing.  Therefore, I write on writing from a non-expert point of view with an amateur style that will hopefully progress. 

What to expect from this series of posts

-       Reflections for On Writing Well by William Zinsser

-       Reflections for Getting Your Book Published for Dummies

-       Resources found from Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide

-       Conversations with an author – journal

-       2-4 posts on a particular subject that will serve as a draft for an article to get published where your thoughts, critique, and opinions will help me get published.  

I look forward to your comments.  

J.smith

Forgiveness | additional thoughts

I was reading over my previous post and had additional thoughts.

I thought it was interesting that on Halloween they made sexual offenders post a sign on their door saying “No Candy At This Residence” in Maryland. My wife, Gina, commented that it is smart – keep them away from the temptation of making the mistake again. Gina is very wise. But now everyone will judge and socially outcast that house, that family, that person because of the sign. The names on the internet are a subtle way of communicating the truth, but the sign is full exposure to neighbors, friends, and coworkers.

The problem I have with this is not the necessary action to protect children - please protect children and protect the offenders from hurting children and people. The problem is our exaggerated judgment upon these offenders for their mistakes. Would we treat these people different if everyone else knew all the things we struggle with. If there was a list on our door or on the internet that revealed all our sins, would we be so quick to judge? Would we be so quick to outcast people?

Isolation deceives. We isolate ourselves so that we will not be isolated. We hide the truth from people because we know how they will respond – as if no one else makes mistakes or does things they are embarrassed of. There are too many pastors, leaders, business professionals, husbands, wives, and children that are in isolation because they know that if they confess the truth it threatens their livelihood. At one degree it might be necessary to loose the job or temporarily be isolated from normalcy. So we take the risk of isolating the truth of our inner struggle to avoid isolation from things we depend on – job, friends, family, house, neighborhood, reputation.

Forgiveness frees people to be vulnerable. If we learn to forgive the big and the small offenses, it might save a divorce, stop a school shooting, prevent people from becoming sexual offenders, and hault rising prices caused by thievery (maybe forgiveness is the answer to rising gas prices). Forgiveness is the reason to confess. We might find that upon confessing we put our livelihood at risk, but having our livelihood in isolation is hell on earth. At least, loosing our livelihood for confessing the truth is choosing the road that leads out of hell.

The majority of us would agree that stable marriages, safe schools and neighborhoods are all good things. The Kingdom of God is this and much more, but it means that we must be risky. Jesus came to us with an agenda for us to follow. He knew that people are not going to be vulnerable all the sudden. He knew that people are not going to be radical forgivers unless they see others forgiving them radically. With small, subtle changes in our own life and patterns, we will achieve what we all strived for through our own agenda – making a difference.

forgiveness

There was an interesting conversation on NPR centered around sexual offenders and their names published for all to see on the internet. There is tension because the life of this sexual offender is forever influenced by this public information, yet this public information is deemed valuable to concerned neighbors and co-workers.

As I understand it, as long as the name resides on the list everyone has the right to treat the person as an outcast. Can the person be forgiven for such a crime? And does forgiveness for this mean the name being deleted from this list? Finally, does forgiveness mean that person should be trusted again?

Forgiveness, too often, is taken lightly. If we were honest with ourselves, we would know that fear drives us to keep people who hurt us far away. So we say we forgive, but in our hearts we know that this person will never be the same to us. Not only are offenders outcast by those they hurt, but those never hurt or will hurt or even know. Outcasts are not a result of crime, they are a product of unforgiving people.

Is it possible that when Jesus challenges us to forgive over and over, that he is actually challenging us to trust and continue to trust that person no matter how much they wrong us? Is it possible that Jesus is challenging us to wipe the slate clean when we forgive people, to treat them as if they have done no wrong? Finally, what would this world look like if we forgave like that?

It is easy to assume the worst. However, maybe the Kingdom of God can be experienced through this radical type of forgiveness. It would be ridiculous if people kept trusting and forgiving, but in many cases that is what Jesus calls to be - ridiculous. We might come to find that the lack of authentic forgiveness is the reason for increasing violence, sex offenders, and injustice.

Forgiveness frees people to be vulnerable. The more forgiving we are, the more people are willing to be vulnerable and confess what makes them inhuman; the more willing we will be to confess our inhumane acts. Forgiveness is a full expression of love that moves us closer to finding out what it means to be human. I am sure that the prodigal son that Jesus talks about, never felt so human than when his father treated as if he never left.

midwife

Today was the first Midwife visit for Gina, Murray (we are having a boy!), and I. It was unusual from the beginning. We thought the appointment was at the end of the month but someone called to confirm an appointment for today. Also, when we got there, the office for the midwife was in an apartment building down town Baltimore. You can assume what I was thinking… “we are going to have a back-ally baby, what are thinking!” We walk into the office, or should I say apartment, and the wall is cluttered with happy family pictures with their new baby, hopefully taken with the families that birthed them.

The people were real confused of why we were there and thought that they screwed up big time because they did not have us down to visit today. However they managed to squeeze us in for an appointment. When we left the office, literally minutes later as we were pondering how the appointments got messed up, another Midwife calls and asks why we did not show up for our appointment… OOPS!

Anyway, as we were talking with the midwife in the office we asked about birthing tubs. So we asked how the baby does not drowned in the water when it comes out – she said, “We pick it up out of the water”… I thought -dah! She went on to explain that the baby does not take its first breath until they suck the mucus out of its mouth so when the air is available it will take its FIRST breath. How cool is that, even though Murray is alive and well inside Gina, I will see him take his first breath, I will see creation climax and yet begin at the same time. That is pretty gnarly!

Another little fact that I learned was that African Americans have more stretchy skin than white people, thus making childbirth a little more easier, interesting.

Finally, you will notice the baby ticker to the right that reveals how long you have to buy us something for Murray to have on his birthday.

Peace and sorry I have not posted in a long time.

I saw our baby for the first time. It made the pregnancy seem all the more real when we saw our baby jump quickly and settle slowly in the embryonic fluid. The nurse was able to print off some pictures for us, and we are excited to share them with all of you.

One of our favorite pictures was the baby’s foot. I would love to say it looks like mine, but that is impossible because Gina says I have hobbit feet. They are big and hairy. I cannot help but think about the journey my child is going to choose. As a soon-to-be parent it is easy to criticize and imagine ourselves as the perfect parents and being the one’s to inspire our children to follow the simple and narrow way, but the truth is I have trouble following that path. I suppose that is part of helping my kids follow that path is to explore and search together as opposed to having everything figured out and just feeding the answers to him/her.

dipstick

When I was a baby it was a temperature dipstick.
When I was a child it was the dipstick used to scoop the powdered sugar in my mouth.
When I was a teenager it was the oil dipstick for my car.
When I was a college student it was the coffee stir dipstick.
Now, it is the urine sample dipstick that is a symbol of the present and future times that will revolutionize our life. This dipstick announced to GOOD NEWS to Gina and I that she is with child! I am going to be a dad… to someone other than Rumpert (our dog).

mornings

Alessiooooo's photos
I went on a retreat to learn how to pray. It is interesting and ironic. Ironic because we are learning how to pray by listening to a guy teach us how to pray, but we are not really praying. However, it is interesting. I admit I was skeptical at first because how is praying going to change my life by merely listening to someone talk about it. I have always understood improving a prayer life by just doing it more. But, as my speech teacher said in high school, “Practice does NOT always make perfect when you are practicing the wrong way.” Change first has to happen in our thinking and then in practice. Paradigms need to be shifted, perspectives changed. It is life through a crystal and not a telescope.


Growing up in Christianity you hear it all the time... we should spend time with God in the morning because he should be number 1 on our list for the day, early in the morning our minds are not filled with distractions, it is what everyone did in the Bible, so we should do it. Well people in the Bible also worshipped God naked in public; I have not seen this...yet.

I looked at this truth from a different angle and have pretty much convinced myself that praying early in the morning is a divine response from soul that is engrained into the our being. Although I have never made praying or meditating a continual practice in the morning, I have noticed that my soul is drawn to God in the morning. I don’t know what it is exactly. Maybe it is the peace, maybe the cool of the morning, or maybe it is the innocence of a new day, a clean slate. I think it is the latter. I think in the mornings, the start of a new day, we are experience a glimpse of resurrection. So why spend my resurrection moments rushing out the door to get to work, or watching cartoons, or surfing the internet?

It has not become a pattern for me yet, but I am now convinced it is necessary for my pursuit of God.

Run

The wonderful sounds of Jimmy Eat World was ringing through my ears as my body was crying out in anguish through the painful messages of the burning throat, sharp pain in the ribs, shortness of breath, and the ache of my legs. I attempted to run yesterday. By “attempt” I mean tried to run the distance I had set as a goal, two miles. I went the two miles, but only ran for about a mile of it.

The first half-mile was really easy because I was going off my adrenaline rush that was evoked by my preparation of going to run. It started with wanting to enjoy the beautiful day. Then I gathered the appropriate equipment. I was fully equipped from head to toe with my red bandana tied around my head, my large black headphones that are more appropriate for being a DJ and not a runner, my sexy, white iPod, and my Forest Gump Nike running shoes. Finally, I stretched my muscles and was limber and eager to start my journey. I felt so great running past all those cars as people watched, until later when people were probably concerned as I staggered into the road periodically.

I will try again tomorrow.

It made me think several things about Scripture and how it says to “run the race.”

I might let you know my thoughts after my next run.

Got milk? Or...

Gina and I finally found a faith community for which we are excited about. Within four weeks of attending their gatherings on Sundays we were invited to go over someone's house for dinner. This is good.

The night was an unforgettable first-time dinner engagement for me. This is why...

First, the weather that night was a the opposite of the weather two days earlier. On wednesday it was a beautfful 70 degrees and Sunny. Friday, the night of the dinner, it was freezing, raining, snowing, sleeting, and there was ice all over the Road. We almost had to cancel.

Second, this is not unusual, but it added to the irony of the night - the third couple to join us was an hour late. It was a good thing that my wife and I ate a bowl of cereal before we left. Also, it was good because it gave us some time to get to know the other couple. Later they said they planned it that way...I wonder.

Third, in light of eating cereal. We discussed the benefits of using organic milk because it typically has less puss than the average grocery store milk. Yes, that is right I said PUSS! It is somewhat common in dairy cows and it is formerly know as "mastitis." It is caused by an infection in the cow's utter. I suggest reading the linked article so that your conscience can be settled.

Finally, previous to our conversation about milk, I started a conversation centered around potty humor, which, sadly, is common dinner-table talk in my circles. I started the conversation admitting that I peed the bed a couple nights ago. You are probably wondering how this conversation led into milk with puss. Or, you are assuming how the conversatiions got linked and are probably wrong. Therefore, I will explain. Peeing the bed led our conversation into health issues, which led into our frustrations with the health system in America, and this led to our conversation on organic foods - specifically milk.

This was Sarah's (one of the people at the dinner) delayed reaction to the milk info as she tried to enjoy a bowl of cereal with average, non-organic milk...".I was so grossed out but drank the milk out of my bowl nonetheless, all the while thinking it might not stay down as I went back to bed and attempted to fall asleep."

::| rumpert |::

We had to run a quick errand around the corner to my in laws on Saturday. So all three of us, Gina, Rumpert (our dog), and I, drove over. While I drive Rumpert often times will sit on my gut nestled in my arms at the same time enjoying the wind and view outside. Saturday, as many may know, was an exceptionally nice day for March, so Rumpert was more than happy sitting in his usual spot with my window wound all the way down.

Well, my dog proved his toughness for which I am proud of because now we know our choice not to get him neutered was a good one! Going 30 mph Rumpert decides to leap from my arms onto the back road that led to his grandmother's house. Immediately I thought our young dog was dead. I quickly look in my mirror to see Rumpert tumbling and flopping all over the road only to spring up and walk off to play in the nearest yard.

I have realized the following:
1. Rumpert, though a made up name by me, is now synonymous with TOUGH
2. Getting your pet neutered is over rated and I would say bad advice. Think of what could have happened if Rumpert lost his manhood, his toughness. It would have been a sad, sad day for Gina and I, and a loss of $175.
3. Lassie is not all that impressive anymore.
4. Maybe I could make millions with my dog???
5. If my dog can jump from a moving vehicle could I?
6. The spiked collar was also worth the $5, it brought out the potential he was storing inside as a little dog

In summary...
A small puppy, $175. Not getting him neutered, $0. A spiked collar, $5. Watching him strut away from jumping out of a speeding vehicle, PRICELESS!

I took this line from Mastercard and in no way promoting getting in dept through credit card services or am I plagiarizing.

peace

::| Arriving |::

This lent season I have discovered something about arriving, or the desire to arrive. On Ash Wednesday, Gina and I went to an Ash Wednesday service. Near the end of the gathering they had us come to the front, kneel on a pillow, and someone else whispered “From dust you have come, and to dust you will return” while they marked ash on our forehead in the shape of a cross. This ancient tradition reminded me of my mortality and humanity, which is not a bad thing. It was a reminder of how far I need to go.

As we (Gina and I) celebrate Lent together this year, I have noticed a deep longing for arrival. For a lot of people arriving is getting that financial break, that new car, the desired weight, or beating the latest video game. For me, it is vocation. I long to be in an environment where my vocation and occupation are one.

Arriving for Jesus was arriving at his unbearable death. Arriving for Jesus was sacrificing himself, giving up rites as God and coming to earth as a human. And then, arriving for him was the arrival for us all, his resurrection. Ultimate redemption for all of humanity.

The way I see it, we all want redemption we just long for it in things like money, a job, a person, an ideal image. Paul said, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. ” (Rom 8.19). All creation groans in anticipation for the full arrival of God’s Kingdom. That is the arrival we truly want because we know it is through his resurrection and return that dust is not the end of the story for us.

God Bless You

Sneezing - A sternutation, sternutatory reflex or, more commonly known, sneeze is a semi-autonomous, convulsive expulsion of air from the nose and mouth. This air can reach speeds of 70 m/s (250 km/h or 155 MPH). Sneezes spread disease by producing infectious droplets that are 0.5 to 5 µm in diameter. About 40,000 such droplets can be produced by a single sneeze.[1]

This has been one of my soap boxes for some time now. Everyone that i talk to about it shows no interest or just thinks i am psycho.

We have developed a superstition with saying “God bless you!” or “Bless you!” after someone sneezes. Some would say it is manners to say it, but I say it is superstition. This is why...

- In the middle of class while the teacher is still conducting class - someone sneezes and then not one, but several people feel the need to have to say “Bless you” to the person who sneezes.

- Again in a classroom setting - One person is reading and while reading another person sneezes. The person reading stops the flow of his reading to say “Bless You!” to the person who sneezed.

It is a superstition for the blesser and not the sneezer. For some reason the blesser thinks that people’s perspective of them will be altered for the worse if they do not bless the sneezer. From what we have discovered from Wikipedia the sneezer should be the one saying bless you because they have just contaminated the surrounding air with thousands of spit particles that could contain threatening diseases.

So let us flip culture around and have the sneezer be the blesser and the blesser be the recipient of an authentic blessing that could potentially save them of getting sick. Let us put aside our worries of people thinking that we are rude for not blessing a sneezer, and be blessers for the sake of wanting shalom on earth as it is in heaven. Let us not be driven by the impulses of cultural mannerisms that deceivingly allow us to believe we are good.

Peace