Words are powerful. They can break one's heart or cause it to grow larger. They can hurt or heal. Let's forget about the children's rhyme with the stick and stones, broken bones, and the words that can never hurt us. I never cared for this foolish song even as a child. The straight truth is words have the ability to severely harm us. A much more joyful truth is words can encourage, spread love, promote healthy self images, make someone smile, make someone's day, and even on occasion help save a life.
I'm going to be honest about my world view. We don't live in a nice world. We don't live in a safe world. We don't live in a good world where people (ourselves included) genuinely love and care about their fellow man. There's hope for this world, though! His name is Christ. In our natural state He is nothing but an incredibly popular cuss word that rolls off our tongues often. In a state of redemption He is our God. Of course, He has always been God and always will be God. I just didn't always acknowledge him as God because I was too busy being lost and having Him as a mere profanity. After becoming a Christian I was in awe of some of the kind words which found their way out of my mouth. Years later I'm still in awe of this divine intervention! Miracles happen. My being born again is one of them.
This Christian man has kind words to say because he has a relationship with Jesus. I hope by God's grace that kind words continue to amaze me as He does an ongoing work in my heart to touch the hearts of others.
I love you all and thanks for reading this blog.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
My High School Graduation Speech
I like testimonies a lot! You know the sort of thing I'm talking about. Everyone knows at least a few Jesus Freaks who proclaim with boldness the truth about the One who saved their lives. Testimonies can be given and heard not just in churches. They can be told and listened to anywhere from a pub to a classroom to the family living room holding a Bible study. My graduation speech from high school turned out to be a testimony. I brought the six-year-old document out of a high school scrapbook a few minutes ago. I have a humble pride about this speech. The last line still rings true for my life. I hope this speech means a little something to you. It's always meant a good deal to me.
Friends, faculty, board of elders, family, classes of 2003.
High school can seem like an eternity, that is however until the final test is taken and the door to the house that held the last four years of my life is closed. It is after the door closes that I realize how small the house actually was.
Christian Fellowship School has been a good influence in my life. The teachers whom I have learned under do indeed have hearts that are turned towards the Lord. They have been positive, godly influences for me and I thank them very much for being so.
It is in high school that some people are sculpted into the type of person that they are going to be for the rest of their life. They enter into 9th grade as aimless boys. They exit 12th grade as young men with a purpose. They leave with the joy of a life that they never could have imagined before they began to enter into it. They enter high school lost and they come out of it saved. I am one of these people.
I look ahead to the future now. A future that will, without a doubt, be brighter than the past. I don't know where I'm going yet. I never really do until I get there. Although, one thing I do know is that wherever I find myself and in whatever situation, with Jesus Christ in my heart, I will be happy.
Friends, faculty, board of elders, family, classes of 2003.
High school can seem like an eternity, that is however until the final test is taken and the door to the house that held the last four years of my life is closed. It is after the door closes that I realize how small the house actually was.
Christian Fellowship School has been a good influence in my life. The teachers whom I have learned under do indeed have hearts that are turned towards the Lord. They have been positive, godly influences for me and I thank them very much for being so.
It is in high school that some people are sculpted into the type of person that they are going to be for the rest of their life. They enter into 9th grade as aimless boys. They exit 12th grade as young men with a purpose. They leave with the joy of a life that they never could have imagined before they began to enter into it. They enter high school lost and they come out of it saved. I am one of these people.
I look ahead to the future now. A future that will, without a doubt, be brighter than the past. I don't know where I'm going yet. I never really do until I get there. Although, one thing I do know is that wherever I find myself and in whatever situation, with Jesus Christ in my heart, I will be happy.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
"Could we get seconds on the Ginger Ale?"
I was seated on a plane ready for takeoff from Detroit to St. Louis when the two most interesting passengers sat down beside me. My family vacation to Maine was almost over. The family and myself were on the connecting flight to bring us back close to home. I wasn't sitting with my family members, though. No, I was sitting next to two young strangers. Kids. A girl and a boy. They were brother and sister I believe. I knew when I saw two kids join me in the row I was in for an interesting flight.
Well, I wanted to start up conversation immediately. All I managed at first was a friendly single word of "Hello." I said it to the boy. He was seated right beside me. He said, "Hello" back. Then I started to try and think up the best way to connect with these two young passengers. I'm a kid at heart! I kept analyzing what we could talk about. Did these kids even want to talk to someone more than twice their age? Finally, around twenty minutes in on takeoff, I turned to them and said, "That's my favorite part!" "Us too!" they said together. And the wall had been torn down. We talked for the rest of the flight.
The conversation included secret spy camera pens (which they showed me a picture of in the magazine in the backseat pouch), the new Harry Potter film, ginger ale, the disgusting gum that was stuck to the magazine in my backseat pouch which made reading it an impossibility, the clouds, the new film Up, what grade of school they were going into, and how long they'd been on vacation.
At one point we were discussing what beverage we would each choose when the flight attendant came by with the beverage cart. The young girl was talking about a Pepsi, the young boy I don't recall, and I told them it was always Ginger Ale for me. So, when the beverage cart stopped at our aisle I said, "Ginger Ale for me." And they said, "Ginger Ale!" One Ginger Ale was not enough however! I showed them a trick! I said, "Hey, you guys want seconds on the Ginger Ale?" "Yeah!" they said. I told them to watch this as I pushed the flight attendant call button above my head. When the flight attendant returned I said, "Could we get seconds on the Ginger Ale?" He was happy to meet our request. I do believe at that moment I was the kids hero.
Shortly after the seconds on the ginger ale the flight came to a close. I wished the boy and girl the best on the rest of their travels. They went on their way and I went on my opposite way. I was happy to have had the opportunity to travel with them for an hour and a half.
I was glad I'd started a conversation. I was glad I could get them seconds on our beverage of choice.
Well, I wanted to start up conversation immediately. All I managed at first was a friendly single word of "Hello." I said it to the boy. He was seated right beside me. He said, "Hello" back. Then I started to try and think up the best way to connect with these two young passengers. I'm a kid at heart! I kept analyzing what we could talk about. Did these kids even want to talk to someone more than twice their age? Finally, around twenty minutes in on takeoff, I turned to them and said, "That's my favorite part!" "Us too!" they said together. And the wall had been torn down. We talked for the rest of the flight.
The conversation included secret spy camera pens (which they showed me a picture of in the magazine in the backseat pouch), the new Harry Potter film, ginger ale, the disgusting gum that was stuck to the magazine in my backseat pouch which made reading it an impossibility, the clouds, the new film Up, what grade of school they were going into, and how long they'd been on vacation.
At one point we were discussing what beverage we would each choose when the flight attendant came by with the beverage cart. The young girl was talking about a Pepsi, the young boy I don't recall, and I told them it was always Ginger Ale for me. So, when the beverage cart stopped at our aisle I said, "Ginger Ale for me." And they said, "Ginger Ale!" One Ginger Ale was not enough however! I showed them a trick! I said, "Hey, you guys want seconds on the Ginger Ale?" "Yeah!" they said. I told them to watch this as I pushed the flight attendant call button above my head. When the flight attendant returned I said, "Could we get seconds on the Ginger Ale?" He was happy to meet our request. I do believe at that moment I was the kids hero.
Shortly after the seconds on the ginger ale the flight came to a close. I wished the boy and girl the best on the rest of their travels. They went on their way and I went on my opposite way. I was happy to have had the opportunity to travel with them for an hour and a half.
I was glad I'd started a conversation. I was glad I could get them seconds on our beverage of choice.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
First Lines
The first line is incredibly important to a short story. My first fiction teacher at Southern Illinois University taught this idea. I realized I agreed with her. The first line can draw the reader in or it can leave them disenchanted with the story from the start. I can spend an hour or more running first lines through my head for a new story I want to create. After the first line everything else seems easier.
So, here's the idea. I started talking about fiction. Now, I'm going to talk about faith. The host of the television show "Inside the Actor's Studio" always asks his famous guests a few unique questions at the end of each show. One of the questions is: If there's a heaven and there's a God what would you like to hear God say to you upon first arriving?
I always have loved the idea of this question. I love it because I do believe in God and heaven. I love it because it's interesting. I love it because of the answers people think up. Well, I seriously doubt I'll ever be on "Inside the Actor's Studio" since I'm not an actor. I took one acting class in college, but after that my career was over. Although, I'll never be on the show I do have an answer to the question. I've thought about it many times recently.
My answer? "Welcome home, son."
I would take great pleasure in hearing your answer!
So, here's the idea. I started talking about fiction. Now, I'm going to talk about faith. The host of the television show "Inside the Actor's Studio" always asks his famous guests a few unique questions at the end of each show. One of the questions is: If there's a heaven and there's a God what would you like to hear God say to you upon first arriving?
I always have loved the idea of this question. I love it because I do believe in God and heaven. I love it because it's interesting. I love it because of the answers people think up. Well, I seriously doubt I'll ever be on "Inside the Actor's Studio" since I'm not an actor. I took one acting class in college, but after that my career was over. Although, I'll never be on the show I do have an answer to the question. I've thought about it many times recently.
My answer? "Welcome home, son."
I would take great pleasure in hearing your answer!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Summer Reading
Barnes and Noble booksellers always put out a Summer Reading table every year around this time. Every summer I realize I've read a few of them while quite a few others I have not read. This is good, though. I personally believe one should read what they want to read when they want to read it. A summer reading table is a fantastic idea! If I were to make it my goal to eventually read every title on the table, though, it seems as if I'd be paying too much attention to what other people think I should read in comparison to choosing, and thinking, for myself. Pick and choose. Read what you want! Then pick and choose some more. Having said this, here is fifty book I've greatly enjoyed over the last five years or so. I don't expect you to read them all (or any for that matter since it's totally your decision). I thought maybe one or two of the titles might catch your interest and then you'll pick up the book for yourself and find that you greatly enjoyed it. If I can help you find what is in my mind a great book then this blog has served its purpose.
The list is as follows:
1. Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (Robert Fulghum)
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey)
3. The Chronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis) (Read all seven if you read even one. They're worth the time!)
4. Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 (Garrison Keillor)
5. The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)
6. Something Wicked this Way Comes (Ray Bradbury)
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)
8. James and the Giant Peach (Roald Dahl)
9. The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)
10. Big Fish (Daniel Wallace)
11. High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)
12. Ray in Reverse (Daniel Wallace)
13. The Giver (Lois Lowry)
14. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (Sherman Alexie)
15. A Long Way Down (Nick Hornby)
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer)
17. Teacher Man (Frank McCourt)
18. Our Town (Thornton Wilder)
19. Bagombo Snuff Box (Kurt Vonnegut)
20. Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
21. Dandelion Wine (Ray Bradbury)
22. Farewell Summer (Ray Bradbury)
23. Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
24. Beowulf
25. Travels with Charley- In Search of America (John Steinbeck)
26. Biloxi Blues (Neil Simon)
27. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)
28. The Great Divorce (C. S. Lewis)
29. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
30. About a Boy (Nick Hornby)
31. Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician (Daniel Wallace)
32. The Lathe of Heaven (Ursula K. LeGuin)
33. I am Legend (Richard Matheson)
34. Y The Last Man (Brian K. Vaughan) (This comic has ten trade paperbacks. If you read the first you'll probably want to read the other nine!)
35. Great Dream of Heaven (Sam Shepard)
36. Now and Forever (Ray Bradbury)
37. The Clown in the Belfry (Frederick Buechner)
38. Leaves of Grass (Walt Whitman)
39. The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton)
40. Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller)
41. A Good Man is Hard to Find (Flannery O'Connor)
42. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick)
43. Survivor (Chuck Palahniuk)
44. The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
45. The Wrecking Yard (Pinckney Benedict)
46. The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
47. Nine Horses (Billy Collins)
48. Through Painted Deserts (Donald Miller)
49. tuesdays with morrie (Mitch Albom)
50. Fables for Our Time (James Thurber)
If you decide to read one of these you haven't read, and happen to enjoy it, it would mean a great deal to me to hear about your enjoyment of the book.
The list is as follows:
1. Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (Robert Fulghum)
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey)
3. The Chronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis) (Read all seven if you read even one. They're worth the time!)
4. Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 (Garrison Keillor)
5. The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)
6. Something Wicked this Way Comes (Ray Bradbury)
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)
8. James and the Giant Peach (Roald Dahl)
9. The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)
10. Big Fish (Daniel Wallace)
11. High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)
12. Ray in Reverse (Daniel Wallace)
13. The Giver (Lois Lowry)
14. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (Sherman Alexie)
15. A Long Way Down (Nick Hornby)
16. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer)
17. Teacher Man (Frank McCourt)
18. Our Town (Thornton Wilder)
19. Bagombo Snuff Box (Kurt Vonnegut)
20. Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
21. Dandelion Wine (Ray Bradbury)
22. Farewell Summer (Ray Bradbury)
23. Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
24. Beowulf
25. Travels with Charley- In Search of America (John Steinbeck)
26. Biloxi Blues (Neil Simon)
27. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)
28. The Great Divorce (C. S. Lewis)
29. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
30. About a Boy (Nick Hornby)
31. Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician (Daniel Wallace)
32. The Lathe of Heaven (Ursula K. LeGuin)
33. I am Legend (Richard Matheson)
34. Y The Last Man (Brian K. Vaughan) (This comic has ten trade paperbacks. If you read the first you'll probably want to read the other nine!)
35. Great Dream of Heaven (Sam Shepard)
36. Now and Forever (Ray Bradbury)
37. The Clown in the Belfry (Frederick Buechner)
38. Leaves of Grass (Walt Whitman)
39. The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton)
40. Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller)
41. A Good Man is Hard to Find (Flannery O'Connor)
42. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick)
43. Survivor (Chuck Palahniuk)
44. The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
45. The Wrecking Yard (Pinckney Benedict)
46. The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
47. Nine Horses (Billy Collins)
48. Through Painted Deserts (Donald Miller)
49. tuesdays with morrie (Mitch Albom)
50. Fables for Our Time (James Thurber)
If you decide to read one of these you haven't read, and happen to enjoy it, it would mean a great deal to me to hear about your enjoyment of the book.
Friday, April 17, 2009
When I was a little boy I told my mother I'd never learn how to read. Learning to read was a struggle. I wanted her to stop trying to teach me. Giving up seemed easier. If I gave up I could then spend that time playing more Nintendo. I already knew how to play Nintendo. Why complicate things with all this reading business? Well, Mom didn't give up on me. She taught me how to read. Years later she reminded me how I'd said I would never learn. It seemed a foolish thing to say upon reflection years later. It seemed like the absolute truth at the time.
Why do we give up on ourselves so easy? Why do we lose faith so fast? These are good questions! We ought to contemplate them.
When I was a little older, and had learned how to read quite well, I thought riding a bike must be the most difficult thing to do in the world. I knew I'd never get it right without falling after a few fleeting seconds of pedaling. With my dad's help and perserverance in not giving up on me I learned how to ride a bike. The first time I rode without falling was a moment of triumph I haven't forgotten since.
At the age of seventeen a large part of me wanted to be happy because a large part of me was not. I thought misery would be the road I'd travel for the rest of my life. This time it wasn't Mom or Dad that could help me out. This time my self doubt was something they couldn't fix. This time I needed God and I knew it. True happiness arrived at the doorstep of my heart on a night in May of 2002 when I accepted Christ in a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've known happiness ever since!
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that so many times in life we doubt that we will be able to learn this or do that or be this or accomplish that. We have a choice. We can give up hope. Or we can persevere. My mother taught me how to read. My father taught me how to ride a bike. God saved my life and gave me happiness while also teaching me how to share it with others.
So, now I'm twenty-five with a new area of doubt in my life. A part of me doubts that I will ever get to fall in love and take a wife. Well, to this doubt I remind myself that I love to read books, I learned how to ride a bike quite well, and I'm a very happy person!
I will persevere. I won't give up hope. I'll keep having faith! And, by the way, with God nothing is impossible!
Why do we give up on ourselves so easy? Why do we lose faith so fast? These are good questions! We ought to contemplate them.
When I was a little older, and had learned how to read quite well, I thought riding a bike must be the most difficult thing to do in the world. I knew I'd never get it right without falling after a few fleeting seconds of pedaling. With my dad's help and perserverance in not giving up on me I learned how to ride a bike. The first time I rode without falling was a moment of triumph I haven't forgotten since.
At the age of seventeen a large part of me wanted to be happy because a large part of me was not. I thought misery would be the road I'd travel for the rest of my life. This time it wasn't Mom or Dad that could help me out. This time my self doubt was something they couldn't fix. This time I needed God and I knew it. True happiness arrived at the doorstep of my heart on a night in May of 2002 when I accepted Christ in a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've known happiness ever since!
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that so many times in life we doubt that we will be able to learn this or do that or be this or accomplish that. We have a choice. We can give up hope. Or we can persevere. My mother taught me how to read. My father taught me how to ride a bike. God saved my life and gave me happiness while also teaching me how to share it with others.
So, now I'm twenty-five with a new area of doubt in my life. A part of me doubts that I will ever get to fall in love and take a wife. Well, to this doubt I remind myself that I love to read books, I learned how to ride a bike quite well, and I'm a very happy person!
I will persevere. I won't give up hope. I'll keep having faith! And, by the way, with God nothing is impossible!
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