June Links

WRITING
Help! My ebook Isn't Selling! 10 Questions you need to answer honestly if you want to sell more books.
Thoughts, tips, and insights to help get your book to the next level of quality and sales

The Impact of Writing on the Brain
An amazing infographic on the power of words and prose on the brain


CULTURE
Paradise Lost: Forgotten Virtue of Star Trek
A great article from a fellow Biola grad on the reason J.J. Abrams' new Trek films don't really fit into the canon of that property or brand

Catching Up With Time in the "Before" and "Up" Films
Great insights on two of my favorite film series of all time

1 Million Men to Fight Pornography Addiction
One pastor's mission to get men to dedicate themselves to the battle against pornography

Summer Reading for College Graduates
Great book list from Mere-O and Brett McKracken

Richard Linklater on Small Filmmaking
One of America's most unique directors discusses the current climate of the industry

Youth Workers Respond to Pornography
Youth discuss how the church can fight one of today's most pressing battles.

Listening to Young Atheists
Interesting study on young atheists in America

Why #FitchtheHomeless Backfires
Fascinating look at how the homeless have responded to the Abercrombie and Fitch debacle

LIFE
From A Single's Heart

An open letter of sorts from a single, female Christian missionary to the church.

The Wilderness Time of Spiritual Growth
Wonderful encouragement for those in a tough place

How to Hate Your Life
Some insight from John Piper

What 'Happily Ever After' Really Looks Like
A very encouraging article on one wife and husband

In Which Jesus Is Shown To Be Better Than a Facebook Friend
John Mark Reynolds' wonderful thoughts on Jesus and Facebook.

Still Serving Food
A wonderful piece on working hard at any job

You Are Loved.

This post was originally going to be about Lego or the Fast and Furious franchise, but I ran with the following instead. Just felt led to share...

We are all hurting people. Life is hard, harder than any of us imagined it would be. The realities of interpersonal relationships, demands on our time and energy, and overarching stressors placed on us by both ourselves and others can be truly draining. Some of us hurt often and deeply. Some of us feel lost. But dear readers, please hear me now:

You are more loved than you realize.

You may not feel it. You may not know it. But it's true.

People love you. They may be near; they may be far, but they do. People to whom you have not spoken in some time or seen--they love you. People whom you've hurt or wounded--some have forgiven you, and they love you. In fact, the people who have hurt you, who are too embarrassed or ashamed to reach out to you, some of them may love you too. You may never hear from them again, but they are out there. You are loved, if at a distance.

And God loves you. He is ever-present despite being so far above us, and his love runs more deeply than any person's. His love is the best love: an unconditional love for you in your darkest moments and while you endure your deepest wounds. His love fills voids you did not know you possessed. His love satisfies your longing and covers over a multitude of hurts. You may not be accepting it, but it is available to you. And it is very, very real.

For those of you broken, those of you hurting, those of you in need of just a little affirmation, just know you're not alone as you head into the weekend. Live in that reality, and enjoy your weekend.

C

PS - If you have it in you, reach out to those you love, tell them. Be brave in telling them. Let them know. And know that you are loved also.

Stronghold's Live...Now What?

So, what does an author do after he releases his first, self-published novel. Well, I know what this author did: kept working. According to my worklog, I didn't take a breather until Saturday after Stronghold went live, and I didn't really take another until the following Sunday, when I participated in a Fast and Furious Franchise partial marathon.

So why I am still putting in hours six days a week? Frankly, I still have too much to do. Stunk's Bricks Pics, The 3LC Blog, soliciting reviews, contacting ministry professionals and pastors--well, in many ways the release was just the start of another phase of the project. The bulk of my time since May 28, 2013, has been spent fielding e-mails, researching possible contacts, establishing contacts, and trying, albeit to a lesser degree than I would like, to write.

As many of you know, I am trying to develop a study-guide for Stronghold, which has been a strain, to say the least. Additionally, I have one draft of a young adult romance novel finished, but it is in dire need of massive re-writes, and I do not know how I am going to get it where it needs to be. Then there's the fantasy novel that I've drafted, which too, is in need of repair and possibly, a "return to formula" (here is my initial response to re-reading the draft after finishing it).

And then there's the projects on the horizon. National Novel Write Month is coming in 5 months, and in order to avoid last year's debacle (again, see above review), I am trying to not only verify the project I will write but also outline it so that my time spent in November (writing the first draft in 30 days) will prove profitable. Plus, there's a handful of ancillary things happening. I have re-established my writing relationship with Figures.com (my first piece is posted here), and I am hoping to put together a few other pieces or pitches for other publications in order to build my portfolio. Then there's the comic idea with which I've fallen in love and desperately want to write, as time allows.

I guess, what I mean to say is that the work doesn't stop when the big project is done. If you want to take writing seriously, you work. In some ways you may feel you work harder after the big release. The "crunch" of a deadline may have passed, but the reality of being a writer is ever present. Of course, I am also speaking as one who does not have a full time job yet. What will happen to my timetables and project schedule once I obtain one I do not know, but I am certain that it will affect things radically.

I hope you will continue to join me on my journey. If you were kind enough to buy Stronghold but were left disappointed, I apologize. As I've said, I sincerely believe it is the best book I could have written at present, and I am trying to make the next one even better. If you read Stronghold and loved it, I hope to continue fulfilling your expectations with my next work, whichever one that is. If you're not on board with the book but you are a fan of the blog, thank you; your coming here does not go unnoticed, and with each increase in readership I am encouraged that I am doing something right.

So, here we are, looking forward with great expectation. Together. I hope this little corner of the internet brings you some level of entertainment or encouragement. Thank you all again, so very much,

C

A Few Thoughts on Preparing One's Testimony

I have been recalling, composing, and revising my testimony in preparation for possibly speaking at churches in the upcoming year. The process has been encouraging, exhausting, and terrifying all at the same time.  On the one hand, looking at my life as a narrative has been a very enlightening experience. I have seen points from the past directly inform the present. I have witnessed motifs and decisions that seem to pervade my personhood. I have seen my life more fully as a story.

In many ways, its normal. And simple. In others, its somewhat unique or compelling (at least as far as I'm concerned). What's fascinating to me is that the supposed "big mountaintop moments" I assumed would shape me right after they happened have been forgotten in the overarching narrative over time. The real factors that have informed who I have become appear to be the day-to-day choices that became habits, or the consistent patterns that emerged in the background of living. I have found some stunning clarity in reviewing life this way, even as my findings are, at times, disconcerting.

Additionally, I am struck by my relationship to God in all of this. Whether I was "on fire" or dulled to lukewarmness or simply apathetic and cold, I see instances of provision, of divine help, of a writer at work behind the scenes--not only paying off set-ups from a decade or two previous but also preparing me for another encounter or event I could not foresee as the season of training for it took place.

The more I look back on my years of wandering, the more I see that God, either directly or indirectly, has delivered me from folly more than I care to admit. I see him motivating good choices, or allowing me to make the bad ones, then later taking the emotional and mental consequences of those poor decisions and gaining some glory from them. Some I still see as having no benefit or positive outcomes (yet), but given all that I have now seen, I am hopeful that God can still use them.

But perhaps more telling than any other facet of this exercise is this: God is patient. Very patient.

You see, I am a broken person. I do not mean this in the sense that "nobody's perfect, esp. not me" but in the sense that I have deep-rooted issues and shameful flaws. I really do. And everyone I know only sees them in bits and pieces, usually by accident. But God--God sees them all, all the time. He does not get to be protected from them. He knows the ill-thoughts that I never voice, the dark imaginings that I never confess, the harsh judgements I keep hidden, and the great hurts I will not share. And yet, in all of that, I believe that he loves me. He loves me with a love that I cannot fathom, a love that I do not deserve and could not reciprocate on this side of eternity.

The Bible is powerful. The stories of others are compelling. And perhaps this is my Westernized individualism speaking, but frankly, I don't know of anything that has shown me the love of God with as much potency as his love for me despite myself, especially when taking the fullness of my life into consideration. The fact that the Creator of the universe, who is so above everything, would dare to love a broken creature like me, is more telling than anything. What a friend we have in Jesus, whose reconciliatory act on the cross allows this relationship to occur. How amazing it is that he would come to this earth and make himself so available to those so undeserving. Persons like me. Perhaps like you.

What does your life look like as a story? Do you see God in its telling? Do you see his mercy, his patience, and his grace with you? Do you not see how much his love is poured out for you, and how badly he wants for you to see it, know it, and follow him? If you don't, look harder. You may just fall in love with him all over again. And that'll be a story with telling.

Thanks for reading,
C

Missing the Mark in the Prior Year and Looking Toward the Next

Twelve months ago, I developed a list of 30 things to accomplish while I was age 30.  I divided the list into "Life Goals", "Personal Projects", and "Learning" and listed 10 things in each category. These were not outlandish things; they ranged from the small "Give 30 toys to charity" or "Learn how to make my sister-in-law's oatmeal cookies" to the large things like "Follow the Lord's leading to move back east" and "have 15K in savings". At the time, I assumed these goals would be attainable. Looking back on them now, I realize that they were. They were totally attainable, but I blew it.

At first, I was not sure why, either. I am relatively disciplined person. I can keep myself on task throughout the day, and I can both develop and maintain a schedule, especially when I have a self-imposed deadline or goal. How in the world did I drop the ball on my 30x30 list?

After some reflection, I think I have my answer, and I am actually okay with it--which is either a personal step toward giving myself more grace or becoming slothful (I haven't yet decided which one). Here's the bottom line: Making a 30x30 list was a novelty, not a need; and in the face of all that I was doing this year, I simply made no time for it. Sure, I had certain bullet points in the back of my mind, to "read 30 books", for example; but other items, like "learn to build a backyard pull-up apparatus", were forgotten as they had no bearing on my major goals like completing Stronghold, getting a job, or working toward membership in a church (but as many of you know I have not completed all of those goals, either).

I also took a step back from the list and asked myself, "Okay, you did not do X,Y, or Z, but what did you do? What were your A, B, and C, achievements?" This, too, changed the game. Case in point,  I wanted to memorize 30 portions of Scripture, but I only hit 18. Fail. But the passages I memorized were, for the most part, contextualized, not singular verses, which is something to consider. Yeah, I failed to "learn how to grill fruit", but I learned how to publish a book. Maybe that can be a wash.

So, I now have a choice, I could look toward the upcoming year and make a 31x31 or I could just sit for an hour or two and really focus on a few things that I feel I must complete based on my immediate needs, life goals, and overarching desire to grow in Christ and develop as a human being--in ways beyond bullet points like "get a passport". I may develop that list and post it, similarly to how I did around New Years, but I have not decided. Ultimately, I want to live intentionally and mindfully in order to be a better human being and example of Christ to the world. That extends far beyond completing a gimmicky list of bullet points, and it takes far more diligence as well. Here's hoping I have it in my 31st year.

As always, thanks for reading,
C.J.

Many Thanks to You All

Last week, my first novel, Stronghold, went live for sale on Amazon in print and digital formats. The release day was full of ups-and-downs, and the week that followed was no different. The excitement of completing a major project was followed by the drop in adrenaline, and the realization of being so vulnerable and laid bare in the work began to make me feel altogether frightened of what others would think of me after the fact, not only as a writer but as a person. These emotional valleys were escaped eventually by not only seeking the Lord and encouragement in his Word but also through constant encouragement and support from others, and inasmuch as I felt the experience deeply, I look forward to my next novel and the slightly more aggressive release to accompany it. 

But that day is some distance from now, and this post is not about that, or me, really. This post is about all of you. A week after Stronghold has hit, I have confirmed one thing: this is a hard gig, this writing thing, but those of you who offer your support, encouragement, and enthusiasm make it a little easier and tremendously rewarding. I want to thank you for the facebook messages, the kind words, the "shares", the "likes", and, of course, the purchases. Given that I have not had a paycheck for some time now, I better recognize the value of money, and the time commitment needed to earn it. Your spending it on my book is a sign of trust that I will provide you something of value, and that transaction is far more humbling to me than I thought it would be. I do not say this flippantly: I truly am moved that you feel my work is worth your time and money. I hope--oh how I truly hope--that when all is said and done that you feel the purchase was worth every penny you spent and every minute you invested. Please let me know what you thought after you've finished it (and you can offer constructive criticism; I can handle it--most days, anyway). 

That being said, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, a thousand times. I hope that in some way at some point, I can enrich your lives in the same degree that you've enriched mine. 

Scripture Memory: Psalm 51

Sin is an aspect of life with which we all need to contend. Humans are fallible; they commit wrongs. They hurt each other with intent, and they hurt God without remorse. We do these things because we are born into brokenness, internally within our souls and externally within the world around us. For some individuals, this is not a problem. This is just the way things are.

For me, this is hard. I hate my sin, both the thoughts and the actions. I hate to hurt others; I hate to hurt to God, and I hate that I do both so flippantly and so often. Though I strive for excellence, though I long to live righteously, my sinful heart continues to show how badly I am in need of God's grace and mercy. 

This reality leads me to Psalm 51 time and time and time again. In the past month, I've dedicated this Psalm to memory (again, in song, which I will refrain from sharing for the benefit of your ears), and I have had to sing it in confession on more than one day since cementing it in my mind. Psalm 51 is a Psalm of David following his lusting toward Bathsheba, taking her as his wife, and murdering her husband Uriah. Despite the egregious actions and events leading to this psalm's composition, the text itself is beautiful: 

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy 

blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions, 

and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words 

and blameless in your judgement.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, 

and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, 

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; 

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 

Let me hear joy and gladness; 

let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 

Hide your face from my sins, 

and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

 and renew a right spirit within me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation 

and uphold me with a willing spirit. 

Then I will reach trangressors your ways, 

and sinners will return to you. 

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, 

O God of my salvation, 

and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 

O Lord, open my lips, 

and my mouth will declare your praise. 

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; 

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; 

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; 

build up the walls of Jerusalem; 

then will you delight in right sacrifices, 

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; 

then bulls will be offered on your altar. 

I could dissect and deconstruct this psalm for pages, but I won't today. I will simply leave you with a question. Does your sin wound you to your core like it wounded David? Granted, David wrote this after some truly despicable deeds: lust, adultery, and murder. His sins were grievous and had horrific consequences. But ours do also, perhaps not to the same degree but certainly to some degree. His sin led him into grief, contrition, and utter brokenness before God. Where does your sin lead you? 

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Sola Scriptura: A Recommendation

[I've spent a good deal of time and energy promoting my own book recently, so I decided to end the week by focusing on someone else's]. 

Keith Buhler was a student with me at Biola University about whom I can say three things. First, I owe Keith a debt of gratitude for introducing me to David Gray’s White Ladder, an album that was integral to my college experience and has stood the test of time and remains in my collection (even as I type this, I am listening to it). Second, Keith Buhler is a good man, and I can attest to this due to my most vivid memory of him, one which is highly embarrassing to me (so I will share it with you). He and I were invited to accompany two young women on a day-long, dorm-floor-event during which all the young women and their dates were to perform a scavenger hunt in Hollywood, followed by dinner at a restaurant where each group would share its findings. Well, long story short, I fell asleep during the day’s events, and Keith was not only a wonderful companion to his date but also the young lady that I treated so poorly—I recall his either doing impressions of me sleeping or taking pictures to that affect in order to cheer up my rightfully-disheartened date (Rachel, I am still sorry for my behavior). Third, years after this when he and I reconnected, Keith not only treated me as a friend but also did not bring up the embarrassing affair, an act which confirms that he is a genuinely gracious person.

That being said, buy his book.

Just kidding (sort of); I am actually going to discourage some of you from buying his book, not for lack of its merit but for its intentional niche appeal. You see, Sola Scriptura is not for everyone. I wish it were, as it is an engaging and, at times, riveting read full of vibrant ideas and wonderful truths; however, its format is also direct to such a degree that some readers will have neither the desire to engage it nor sensibility to enjoy it.

STRONGHOLD released!

Stronghold is now out in the ether (in digital and print), available for anyone to find and read—those who know me and those who don’t. The moment is equal parts encouraging and terrifying.  Yes, I am ecstatic to have finished, produced, and released my first novel, but I am also aware that a lot of people are going to hate it, and I am preparing myself for that. In the end, I have come to grips with one fact: Stronghold is a piece of art, and it’s the best I have to offer the world creatively at this point in my life. For some that will prove enough; for others, it won’t. As for me, I am left on my knees, presenting the book before God as an offering of my finest efforts, for his honor and to his glory. I have attempted to write a work that is excellent, honest, and entertaining.  I suppose you will tell me how I did in the months to come.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey to now; I hope you will continue with me on the exciting path that lies ahead.

C

Again, you can order Stronghold in print from Amazon or get it for your Kindle.

Reactions, Realizations, and Re-assessment.

Next week, my first novel, Stronghold, will become available to the public, to those who know me and those who do not, to those who believe as I do and to those who don't, to those who will like it and those who won't.

Regrettably, I have carried a load of stress in the last several days leading to this. I have felt the clock tick as my initial readers found last minute errors I had missed, as they reacted in ways different than I expected, as the disappointing realities I have previously discussed came to fruition. The burden of this has weighed heavily on my mind and infiltrated my demeanor. Some of my attitudes have been unacceptable, and I have been forced to process through a range of emotions that cut deeply and sting when doing so. I have had to apologize; I have had to repent. Ultimately, I've had to let go of my expectations.

And it's been the best thing that could have happened, especially before release.

Once the book goes live, the train will leave the station. It will move on a track that God has ordained, and I cannot control that. He has prepared the hearts and minds of those with whom it will connect. They will find it, and he will get his glory. This side of heaven, I may never know who they are, and I have come to grips with that. More importantly, however, I have come to grips with the fact that those near me, those close to me and around me--perhaps those whose approval I want most--may not be the persons for whom God led me to write this book. I have to come to realize that their dislike of it is in no way a rejection of me (or God) but simply the reality that no art speaks to everyone, and the artist cannot and should not expect this, no matter how passionate he or she feels.

I take great joy in this, for it opens me to grander possibilities that God is using my work in ways I do now know, even as things in front of me are not what I would have desired. If this is really God's book, if I wrote it in obedience to his calling to share my heart, if I offered it back to him and said "this is for you; this is my worship", then I have nothing to fear in the face of man's rejection and no reason for disappointment if God uses it in ways I don't expect or cannot see. God will do as he pleases, and he will do rightly, far better than I would do if I were in control. In my prayers of late, one thing has resounded in my mind: God will shock us with his goodness.

As a creative person, these realities are perhaps the most encouraging and helpful ones I could possibly encounter in this season of life, and I am glad to have learned them now rather than in several months, after failing to properly assess the responses of others and destroying relationships as a result. Of course, these are simply words. The test will be how I react when the feedback begins to arrive. I hope that you will provide me with it and force me to live out what I have claimed.

Thanks for reading, enjoy the holiday weekend. With much love and affection,
C

Countdown to Stronghold: Part 6: Less Than A Week Until Release

Six days from now, Stronghold will be available for purchase.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Truth is, I think I’m more nervous about this than any other enterprise I’ve entered in life until now. I figured this would happen. This isn’t like a school assignment or the first day on a new job. I’ve been working on this text for over 2 years, and this is the end result of hours and hours of my best efforts. Truly, I feel like this is the best I’ve got—this is the best I can create at this point in my life. Given that assessment, I have my moments of doubt, and I ask:

What if they don’t like it?
What if it’s no good?

What if it’s all for naught, and no one reads it beyond those given a free copy …

I am not plagued by these questions; I'm not kept awake at night or haunted by them every time I sit at the keyboard, but I would be lying if I said they were not there, lingering in shadow and peering into view now and again. So, what if Stronghold, the best I have to offer, is a mediocre failure on all levels?

Then I suppose I’ll just have to make sure I improve with the next one. I’ll just have to make my best that much better. I’ll just need to dig deeper. I’ll need to fight harder. 

That's what’s funny, friends. After all the hours of editing, the conclusion that I have drawn about my writing is that I always want it to improve, I always want its quality to delight and surprise; I always want it to be excellent. Even if people read Stronghold, and it connects with them--even if they love it and it does well (whatever that means), I still need to get that much better. I need to dig that much deeper and fight that much harder, because that's how the Lord gets his glory, when we refuse complacency and strive to do all things with excellence because we do them to his honor and praise. 

Truth is, I want my best novel to always be the one I’m presently writing. I just hope that each sets a very high bar, starting with Stronghold. 

I guess you'll all let me know, huh?

The Golden Rule and the Love Ethic

The wisdom of Jesus Christ is so profound that no other thinker has ever rivaled him. I stake my life on this claim. Christ claimed to be God's son and one with The Father in Spirit. He demanded worship. And he called us to highest ethic of human love in all of history.

Our  modern cultural dictum of ethics, which finds roots in numerous key thinkers of the past, says “Do not do to others what you do not want done to you.” This is a fine rule for  being a civil person. But this is not the highest ethic of men; in fact, this negative framework has been characterized by some as “The Silver Rule,” for a greater ethic exists beyond it. That higher ethic is voiced by Jesus Christ, and we sometimes refer to it as "The Golden Rule". The Holy Bible presents this rule as follows: “Do unto others as you would have them to you” (Luke 6:31). The former rule lies in the withholding of ill in order to preserve oneself from ill, whereas the latter demands one do good to others because of the good one inherently desires for him or herself.

I had held to the Silver Rule in my own life for many seasons until I realized something horribly unsettling: it is an anti-philosophy, a philosophy against poor behavior, against ill-thought, against wrongdoing. But this means that it is a philosophy focused not on good but on evil; for it requires its adherents to ask “what evil should I not do?” rather than "what good should be done?".

The philosophy presented by Christ on the other hand is a positive one that embraces virtue with a noble command that forces humanity beyond comfort. Christ encourages us to act in benevolence because we inherently desire to receive benevolence. This is not a philosphy against anything but a mantra for the pursuit of another’s good given own’s longing for good. Since you value being fed, then feed others; knowing that you desire to be served, serve others; because you value gifts, then give.

Now, I know that two major criticisms can be leveled against me in this breakdown. The first is that I am misrepresenting the Silver Rule, that in fact is not an “anti-philosphy” but in fact a noble, positive philosphy framed within negative language; however, I feel that this criticism discounts the power and value of language itself. The Silver Rule says nothing of living to increase another’s benefit. Anywhere. It simply says don't harm them. One can invert its teaching to draw the conclusion to do good, but the dictum itself provides no such exhortation: its teaching is plain; do not wrong another if you would not want to be wronged. Thus, I find that labeling it as an anti-philosphy is valid. Second, one can make the argument, and rightly so, that the Golden Rule is dependent on one’s selfishness. Indeed it is, but in no way does the language embrace one's selfishness nor say do good in order to receive good. The language says to do good because you also would want good done to you. This is an important distinction, for the ethic of Christ plays to the aforementioned human selfishness in order to invert the practice of fulfilling the isolated needs of the one to fulfilling the various needs of the many. What I mean by that is this: Christ recognizes that individuals possess personal desires and needs and that they meet those because persons inherently love themselves. He demands that those who follow him also apply that self-love and value to the well-being of others. This is not a dictum of withholding evil but zealously pursuing another’s good inasmuch as we do our own.

This is a high ethic, but that does not mean it is wrong. In fact, in its high calling we see its worth and nobility.  Therfore, this week, I challenge you to put this into baby-steps as best you can:

• Be patient with others in the same manner you want others to be patient with you.
• Show kindness to others in the same manner you want others to show you kindness.
• Listen to others in the same way you want others to listen to you. 
• Encourage others in the same way you would want encouragement from others.
• Meet the needs of others as you would meet your own needs.
• Attempt to understand another to the same extent you want others to understand you.

I could add to this list, and I am sure you could also. I encourage you do so and try to put it into action. I will be honest; I fail at this each and every day, and I need both Christ's forgiveness and his own leading to live in such a way. This is a large task and rising to it well is going to take time, a great deal of time. Maybe a lifetime. So let's get to it.

Thanks for reading!
C