Who What Why

Greetings Dear Readers,

As a writer, I am reminded constantly how important every step of the writing to publishing process is. It is not enough that I have conceived of and written a tale. It must be revised, edited (by my amazing editor RJ), and constantly perfected. Eventually you reach a stopping place and pull the trigger on publication. The work is never truly perfect. There are missed errors. There exist disagreements about how grammar is structured. No matter how much your perfect your writing there is always room for improvement.

As an author the story is mine. The characters in my stories have much to say to me about what they wish to become as their story unfolds, but that is not up to them. It is in my control. I listen to my characters. Sometimes one of them will wake me up in the middle of the night with an idea as to how I should help him out of a jam. One who is slated for death is trying to bargain his way out of it. Ultimately though, I must choose the fate of each of them. A secondary character in The Foster Father of God had much more to say, so the was given his own novel The Praetor. Another charter wanted to say more but what he had to say was not fit for my readers so I silenced him. In fact I killed him in both The Praetor and in Chronicles of Thanatos the Reaper.

Once the book is published, people will invariably show me the errors in my completed work. I am the author and I am the perfecter but in both of those roles, I am imperfect. In pondering this each day that I write, I realize that I must treat all of my characters with respect. They are all my creations and I am responsible for them and their well being. So as a pilgrim who is responsible for the creation of me? Who is my author and what is my place in the story? The simple Sunday school answer is the best one. It is Jesus.

The author of the book of Hebrews begins to conclude his letter with an admonition that we “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” In the story of ME, it is Jesus who is the author, editor, perfecter, and publisher. I am simply a character in his story who stands around telling him how to write, when instead I should be excitedly playing out the part he has created just for me. Not only did he create this part of the story for me, but he in a way no other has, suffered for his art. The author of Hebrews continues, “ (Jesus) who for the joy set before him endured the cross.”

Another translation, God’s Word says it this way, “We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him.” In every writing there exist simple questions that must be answered. In this case we get the who, what, and why. The who is Jesus, the what is that he is both the author (creator) of our faith and the perfecter and goal of it. The why is that he died for the sheer joy of what lie ahead for him. That thing that lies ahead is the completion of our faith in our eventual summation of our relationship to and reconciliation with him.

I am far from perfected and hope to public let you watch Christ perfect me so that you can find some short cuts to your own reclamation. So I write, edit, and perfect. I strive to be what I am authored to be and often fail. Next time we will look at When, Where, and How.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."

The Last Day of Summer

Greetings Dear Readers,

As today dawns where I live the sky is grey. The sun is not expected to appear but its light drives away the darkness as I type. The air is chilled and it will likely rain. None of this is a complaint. Today is the last day of summer. Some places the sun is shining bright, but I commemorated the end of summer yesterday.

For lunch yesterday I had an almost perfect bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. The bacon was apple smoked. The lettuce was romaine. The bread was lightly toasted and the Miracle Whip® was oh so perky. The only thing that was lacking was that it was not on Sun Beam® bread. It is hard to find where I live. The star of yesterday’s celebration, though, had to be the tomatoes.

The tomatoes on my sandwiches were perfect red globes of captured summer sun and rain. They were bursting with juice and flavor. Some of the best tomatoes I have had since I was a boy. What made these tomatoes doubly special is that they were a gift. I do not know who to thank. They were left in a bag by my door. For two weeks now someone has left me tomatoes anonymously as a gift .

I never seek out the giver of anonymous gifts. I presume that if they wish to be known I will learn it naturally. I do, however, wish to thank them here. The tomatoes have been a daily blessing. I have made sandwiches and burgers with them. I have sliced some and eaten them with pepper and some sliced cucumbers. The best though was surely yesterday’s BLT’s.

It is not too late for the rest of you. Do something today to celebrate the summer. To my readers on the southern half of the planet I wish you a wonderful spring. You should celebrate too. Just as the sunshine slips away here and the air chills, it begins to warm and bring new life to the southern hemisphere. Perhaps one of you can celebrate with a BLT in six months.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Dancing in the Doldrums

Greetings Dear Readers,

I have watched several sea and ship related movies of late. I have noticed how intense the situation becomes when a ship flounders in the doldrums. The actual doldrums are an area between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer that often experiences periods of dead calm. In the days when wind was your energy for movement, this was disastrous and dangerous. In the movies we often see the frustrations and dissatisfactions of sailors boil over during times stuck in the doldrums.

So here I sit. No paying job. Looking daily for work that will fit who and what I am. I feel fear and spend time fighting off worry. I wrestle with the holes in my self-worth and my obligations to others. All I can do at this time though is to wait. I come to the question then, of what do I do whilst I am waiting?

The resounding answer is to wait. You see my wind is not the weather but rather my wind is the Spirit of God. He will fill my sails when it is time. He knows my skills and obligations better than any. He knows my heart and desire to serve only him. He knows my weaknesses, worries, doubts, and inabilities. He is good and kind and loves me more than I can imagine.

So I will mend my nets, see to my rigging, clean and polish the brass. I will wait for the wind and the compass reading that tells me where to head. As a show of faith, I will dance a little. My woeful heart will sing. You may join me if you wish.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Crossroads

Greetings Dear Readers,

I have spoken of milestones. I have written about the journey and always wish you to find joy in it. The truth is that there are also always forks and crossroads in the journey that require our attention as well. Most of these are distractions. Most of them offer danger and some even death.

Over the course of my life I have come to several of these crossroads and sometimes I have chosen properly, sometimes I have not. When I have chosen unwisely it has hurt my family, friends, and my walk with Christ. It has assuredly even harmed strangers people for whom I was supposed to be an example of good and instead became an example of failure.

Amidst all of this one thing remains a constant. I made choices. I am making choices today. I stand at a crossroads where everything seems dark and daunting. I am not alone, but I am terrified. I am not without hope but I can see no further than the next moment. There is a place of balance I am trying to maintain.

I am not supposed to worry about the future, but I am supposed to be honest about my options. Only God can give me enough grace to do this for when I look at both I feel little hope and great fear. I do not know what is next but I have responsibilities and I know that God will care for me but I do not see a way to go. You see it is all a balancing act of refusing to lose my faith and hope in God, owning my failures and continuing to chase my dreams. Today, however, I stand at this vast crossroad and only want to follow the narrow path.

Do I pursue my dreams or just take an everyday job that will meet my bills? I have tried this before and it does not work for me. I need time to work on the things that I know I am called to but need income to do the things I must. So here I stand, at a crossroads where I know I have the love and support of my children. My faith community is helping me. I know that Christ is with me. Today however, I am not sure where to step, so I wait and listen and hope.

Wishing you joy in the journey – especially when pausing to get your bearings

Aramis Thorn