Invisiible

This is a self-portrait

(sarcasm)

Invisible

Ephesians 4:25 ESV “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”

Sometimes you can feel totally invisible standing amid the crowd but when you look around, maybe they are enjoying all the beauty out in the world that they don’t see you standing right in their face.

From a June 3rd, 2014 post of mine on facebook – “A Grackle Tale – Sure they’re just annoying blackbirds but I love all birds and animals and communicate with them in some weird ways. Yesterday when one seemed distressed, I immediately went out to see what was wrong. She was looking down in the garden and just being so noisy; I assumed her baby fell from a nest or something. But she was just cawing and cawing and not going down to the garden where she had her eyes fixated on.
Many of her Grackle friends had joined her in a show of support but she was the only one cawing out. They sat in the tree in numbers watching her and ready to respond.
I noticed an empty black flowerpot had been blown into a divot in the garden and just lay there, unable to get out of the hole. 
I looked at her she at me and I said, “What, is this what you’re so excited about?” All the birds stirred as I moved toward the pot; her hanging close by watching me intently cawing and cawing. 
I picked up the pot, set it away on the nearby table so she could see it. The cawing stopped…she and her friends flew away. She thought the black pot was an injured grackle!
Moral of the story? When one person suspects their friend is in trouble, she makes a loud noise so her surrounding friends can support her and help if any danger ensues. Danger gone, the birds (friends) fly away, relieved.
Surround yourself with friends and prayer – all danger and fear will subside.”

There is another moral to the story but not as good as the first one. Sometimes when a friend puts a call out for help, many turn a blind eye and ignore. Humans are not like birds, I do believe we’re the lesser of the species. I’ve never met an animal with an ego as big as humans. Sure this makes people keep their control of not wanting to help but it is also an insult to the injured party.

It’s a harsh reality when you’re invisible. Sometimes I cause my own invisibility because people don’t like what I write. I hit a guilt nerve that resonates through people. Their ego has them thinking I am talking about them in specific when what I write is off the top of my head and is aimed at NO ONE. 

But you see, it is okay because the Lord never said it would be easy, or that you’d be liked for loving Him, no this road isn’t full of ‘everyone likes me’. This road is full of people who have the ‘run-and-flee’ mechanism built into them because what I say is holding a hidden truth that sends people into a guilt phase.

I’m not qualified to preach and preachiness is a big turn off for me. Some of my posts might come off as me being preachy but let me tell you, I speak from my heart, not from a scholarly know-it-all level. Usually, when I post, it comes from something I’m experiencing and I seek out answers as I write and more often than not, my only solace is the words in the bible.

Rom. 3: 9 “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
[10] As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
[11] There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
[12] They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
[13] Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
[14] Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
[15] Their feet are swift to shed blood:
[16] Destruction and misery are in their ways:
[17] And the way of peace have they not known:
[18] There is no fear of God before their eyes.
[19] Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
[20] Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
[21] But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
[22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:”

That’s it my fellow man, we are all sinners! I throw my sin out there in the open for all of the world to read while many choose to hide behind their sin, so they can commit the sin over and over again and feel no guilt. 

1 Corinthians 6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

This is what I try and offer to people. To glorify God. It hurts me to see so many who claim to love God but do nothing to glorify Him. This is all I live for, to aid the weak birds fluttering around. I try to offer my assistance to help them stand and walk on their own. I fear my invisibility cloak will not allow those who NEED the help, to see me offering an extended hand. 

1 John 4:20 “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

May God bless each and every person reading this.

Lent: Day Seven ~ Offended by Christ?

Matt. 18: 6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Offended by Christ?

I have encountered many in my life who were offended by Christ. They say they believe in God but seem offended when I say the words, “So, you follow Christ?” Almost as if I spat phlegm on them, they retreat, “You’re not gonna push that bible stuff on me now, are you?”

What? Bible stuff? They said they were believers, so why are they offended when I say the name Jesus Christ? Many try to put a political spin on this but if you think about it since our first president, man spoke their feelings, their opinions and their desires for a New World, our elected officials heard the voices of the many and moved to make it so.

Each and every president has heard the voices and when you say ONE man or however many sit in congress make laws, remember they are listening to the many people who are offended by Christ, offended by this and that. MAN and WOMAN have shaped this world for millennia. (I say world because not just the USA is involved in fearing Christ.)

When I say the name Jesus Christ, and you are offended, you are only reacting to what other men have tried to feed you. You say that the bible is a fairy tale and it is full of lies, and you do everything in your power to prove it to be truth. Why? Because you too have doubts; you SAY you believe every word in the bible to be truth but there in the back of your mind as you’re digging for proof, there resides doubts. If you believed (meaning have FAITH) that everything in the bible is truth, you would need no proof.

Since the beginning of time, Jesus resided in God. He was there at the creation and will be here at the end. “How do you know that as a fact?” Let me tell you.

Yes men wrote the bible. They physically wrote, in stone or with pen, every word in the bible and events that were taking place in THEIR time. The difference in their writing and that of men who told a fairytale was a spirit that consumed them. Their stories were handed down to each generation and then compiled to make the bible, thus becoming the Holy Bible because the Spirit of God was divinely inspiring the words. Many translations later, the Word still holds truth to believers.

How do I know it was divinely inspired? Well let me tell you. As I’m sitting here writing this Lenten Season of posts, they are not just my thoughts, they are being Divinely Inspired. Meaning, I FEEL the SPIRIT moving in me and inspiring every word I write. I’m not just making stuff up out of my head as I go along, I am being driven by a Divine FORCE that is compelling me to write!

I imagine this is what the very first men felt when they were writing the Bible. They were being driven by the POWER, the SPIRIT of God. to write these things down. Mighty arrogant of me you say? To compare myself to the biblical authors? Well, if you believe in every word in the bible, then you MUST know and FEEL the truth I am conveying in my words, right? God did not die and stop inspiring people.

I am not forcing Jesus down your throat. I am not telling you that if you don’t read my words you’re going to hell. I’m just conveying a message that God has placed on my heart. Take it any way you want it. THAT is exactly the way the bible was intended, for you to read and walk away with what YOU believe.

Did you know that atheist read the bible? Yes they sure do. How do I know this? If you speak to an atheist, they’ll tell you “The Noah story isn’t true.” They’ll go on and on and point out inconsistencies (in their eyes) in the Bible. How would they even know to view these as inconsistencies if they hadn’t sat down to read the bible? Hmm…

Jesus offends them because the story is remarkably unbelievable! A virgin, pregnant by some Spirit God; Jesus, God as MAN. Yeah, remarkable and unbelievable. But to believers who read and BELIEVE the words of men from thousands of years ago, these two events ARE remarkable AND believable and prophesied about since the very beginning of time!

Man fears the unknown. Can you hold air in your hand? No, but you know it is there. Through every breath you take, you know it exists. Science can dissect the elements and show you what it is made up of. Can you hold a star in your hand? No, but science can tell you what a star consists of. And because science can PROVE this to you, you believe and put your faith in man because it all makes sense. This Bible stuff don’t always make sense, so you fear.

Man fears God, Christ, a Supreme being that holds ALL power over you. Science can’t prove the existence of God, nor can they disprove it, so man again, puts his faith and trust in man, not in God.

And we wonder what is wrong with society today? Christ offends man, He is superior and man in his selfish egotistical mind fears being ruled. Hate is running rampant because NO ONE likes to be ruled so they retaliate with pride and anger. That’s the will of man.

The will of God just simply asks you to accept Him, His son, the comforting Holy Spirit that rest in you. Until the Spirit consumes you, you will not understand one word I’ve said. You will continue to deny God, lash out, spread hate, share pride driven opinions and to allow your soul to sleep.

Man fears God and is offended by the mere mention of Christ. To fear one is to fear the other. As man fears the unknown, my only fear resides in what is known to ME.

Pss. 34: 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Quotation Saturday

“Rise and shine. Greet the new day with warmth and kindness. Live and learn and learn to live. Love yourself and love to give! Your journey into today awaits...”
~ Joni Zipp

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.
~Margaret Young

Friends really do come and go. Some come back. Some don't and that's okay!!
~author unknown

People may forget what you said, and they may forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
~ author unknown

"What the mind can conceive and believe the body will achieve."
~Unknown

"The same fence that shuts others out shuts you in."  
~ Bill Copeland

If you have wronged someone -- sincerely apologized and tried your best to make ...amends -- but forgiveness was denied, do not carry the burden of guilt with you. Forgive yourself, and create a better person from the experience. 
~ Dodinsky

‎In life, you can never do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Stay around those who makes you feel yourself. If not, then you are wasting your time & energy with those kind of people & they will surely hamper your growth.
~ Tejas Patel

"You should lower your expectations of other people, and raise them for yourself." 
~ Harry H. Harrison, Jr.

Do you always have an opinion and stand by it or are you the neutral kind? If you cannot take a Moral stand on an issue that you are passionate about, then, you are not much of a Man or Woman. Here is something inspirational for you. The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life is one big road with many signs. So when your riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, instead put your vision to reality. Wake up and live.
~ Unknown

Life is a ticket to the greatest show on earth.
~Martin H. Fischer

“Expecting life to treat you well just because you’re a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge you because you’re a vegetarian.”  
~ Unknown

I don’t normally like to post by authors unknown, but there are some pretty thought provoking quotes out there by this person, ~unknown~

May you all find a word in your heart to share with someone, as long as it’s good, you will feel good! ~Joni

E.S.P of Writing: Part II

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin
***

Have you ever heard of E.S.P.? It is short for Extra Sensory Perception. That’s not telling us a whole lot now is it? To me, I perceive it as an Extra sense. What? we have an extra sense?

Have you ever heard your mother say, “Don’t you have the sense God gave you?” Well maybe your mother didn’t but I’ve heard it a few times in my lifetime, and I always looked back and whispered, “Yes, my sixth one,” and as she would turn her back I know I had a tongue sticking out at her. I was just an ornery child like that.

We at f2k (the FREE Creative Writing Course) have a lesson that deals with the senses. We have the normal five senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste, but we have also added three more to add to the effect of your writing; time, space, and the unknown.

Eerie isn’t it, the unknown? Not really: As the sky opens up and unleashes a torrential downpour this late afternoon, I wonder if the newly born kittens are dry. Look at that sentence! The sky would be SPACE, late afternoon would be TIME, and a moment of wonder would be the UNKNOWN. It is THAT simple.

And to top it off the sentence is showing not telling. You get the idea here, right? Now try this on for size.

As I walked down the street in the afternoon sun, I wondered where the aroma of coffee was coming from. I grabbed the pole to catch my balance, as my mouth watered in anticipation of finding the noisy outdoor bistro on the corner.

As I walked down the street (space) in the afternoon (time) sun, I wondered (unknown) where the aroma(smell) of coffee was coming from. I grabbed the pole (touch) to catch my balance, as my mouth watered in anticipation (taste) of finding the noisy (sound)outdoor bistro on the corner. (sight)

Notice how those two sentences, a small paragraph, used all eight senses? In our f2k lesson we ask for you to write a paragraph (READ my words, a PARAGRAPH) using the eight senses. Would you believe, it could take four and five paragraphs to use eight senses?
Keep in mind, many in the class are novice writers, but seriously?

Over six hundred people signed up for this free course, and many quit after the first lesson because they found that either, there are too many restrictions (thanks, we don’t allow porn), there are too many guidelines, (yes, when we say 500 words, we don’t mean 648)and this is my favorite, “I am a stiff shirt.” *loud laughter here*

I like kidding around with the rest of them, but really, this is a business I take quite seriously and in all of my eight senses, it tells me that this “stiff shirt” is going places, while the rest of the people continue to try and balance a ball on their nose and ride a tricycle at the same time.

E.S.P of Writing

Hebews 5:14 says: But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
***

Are we being asked to exercise our senses? Darned tootin! For when our senses diminish, like the morning mist, we will also.

When we walk through the pages of life it is our senses that bring us from one place to the other. Without the senses, life would be an empty abyss shaped as a bowl full of nothing. A senseless bowl that sits there with nothing in it. Even if it was full of mashed potatoes and gravy smothered on top, if you didn’t have your senses, it would just be a bowl.

How would you know it was a bowl if you didn’t touch it to feel the shape? How would you know the bowl held mashed potatoes with gravy, nudging its way in a steamy mist toward you, without the aroma carrying the fragrance to your nostrils? 

Even without sight, you can tell that it is mashed potatoes. The texture, the taste, the scented aroma, even the sound of the plopping into the bowl would give you an idea that you are about to dive into a delicious something. Molecules of cooked potatoes are leaping at your nose!

You see what I’m getting at? Our senses will spell out a world of imagination and vibrant life. When one sense is lost, the others stand at attention waiting for direction, but really they need no direction because they are there just quietly activating without you even knowing it.

This is what we need to do when writing. We need to allow our senses to guide us through the words and world of imagery. Don’t think about what you’re going to write, allow your senses to lead the way into a tale of glory.

Your writing with the senses is a lot like faith. You either trust in it fully or you have doubts in your thoughts. There is no room for doubts where faith is concerned. Faith is diving off a bridge, arms flung wide open, and out of nowhere you are caught by a feather that places you in the water. A boat might come by to save you but faith is trusting that a boat will come by. Some might die, but faith will keep you alive.

You have senses to carry you through life. Taste, touch, sight, smell, sound, and in our f2k, we liberally added: the unknown, space and time. These are the senses that you will write with. These are the senses that will propel your writing to new heights.Be sure you have faith in your writing as the senses haul you from one place to the other and your reader will thank you for taking the extra time to touch them in ways no other has ever reached.

Come alive with your senses, they’re there for a reason, so use them to the very best of your writing ability. Our writing is a sixth sense of sorts. We need more than five senses if we’re going to carry our story to the heights that we see envision.

Write Right...

I'll knock some Sense into you!

Matt.17: 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
***
Senses...the sweet sensation

When we walk through the pages of life it is our senses that bring us from one place to the other. Without the senses, life would be an empty abyss shaped as a bowl full of nothing. A senseless bowl that sits there with nothing in it. Even if it was full of mashed potatoes and gravy smothered on top, if you didn’t have your senses, it would just be a bowl.

How would you know it was a bowl if you didn’t touch it to feel the shape? How would you know the bowl held mashed potatoes with gravy without the smell? Even without sight, you can tell that it is mashed potatoes. The texture, the taste, the smell, even the sound of the plopping onto the plate would give you an idea that you are about to dive into a bowl of something.

You see what I’m getting at? Our senses will spell out a world of imagination and vibrant life. When one sense is lost, the others stand at attention waiting for direction but really they need no direction because they are there just quietly activating without you even knowing it.

This is what we need to do when writing. We need to allow our senses to guide us through the words. Don’t think about what you’re going to write, allow your senses to lead the way into a tale of glory.

I read one girls post in f2k. She said she wrote the dialog and then went back to fill in the tags. What? When you’re writing, the flow of dialog should come as natural as the flow of senses. You can’t go back and recapture what you wanted to smell or taste or say or do; writing needs a natural flow.

Your writing with the senses is a lot like faith. You either trust in it fully or you have doubts in your thoughts. There is no room for doubts where faith is concerned. Faith is diving off a bridge, arms flung wide open, and out of nowhere you are caught by a feather that places you in the water. A boat might come by to save you but faith is trusting that a boat will come by.

You have senses to carry you through life. Taste,touch, sight, smell, sound, faith is the sixth sense, the unknown, space and time. These are the senses that you will write with. These are the senses that will propel your writing to new heights. Be sure you have faith in your writing as the senses haul you from one place to the other and your reader will thank you for taking the extra time to touch them in ways no other has ever reached.

Come alive with your senses, they’re there for a reason, so use them to the very best of your ability.

Hebews 5:14 says: But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Is he telling us to exercise our senses? Darned tootin, he is! For when our senses diminish, like the morning mist, we will also.

ANONYMOUS

"Let us, thank be what we are, and speak what we think
and in all things keep ourselves loyal to truth
and the sacred professions of friendship." -- Longfellow

To remain anonymous...

In this ever growing world of Internet communication, it is very easy to remain anonymous.

Lurking in the shadows sometimes makes people feel good about themselves. I find that when adults do it, it is merely a troubled person ashamed of something hidden deep within that they have not either faced, dealt with or they like to remain in troubled pain.

Childish and immature, I see remaining an anonymous figure the way the angels must have looked at Lucifer. He’s there, he needs someone to reach out to him, but he is too proud even to receive the help of the angels, for he is better or so he thought.

I often see in my writing classes people using a mystery name, that keeps them hidden from the world. Writer’s are known to use pen names, which keeps them hidden, but is all the mystery needed? What are they ashamed of?

Pseudonyms are good for the romance writer who wants the “feel good” name to match the book, but is a pseudonym a great idea in a professional atmosphere?

Take Raven for example, she always signs her name after posting as anonymous. AND I know that she uses her real name when she gets published. (I know it because I SAW it) ;-)

But when I see people posting anonymous without any clue as to your name it makes me wonder what is hurting inside you so much that you need to hide?

I am bringing forth a blog to help writer’s, while I am far from perfect ie: typo’s, mis spelling and what not, are all a part of the natural flow of, oops, I did it again. I am in no way a master of my domain. I see many more websites and blogs that far exceed my knowledge.

I am here to guide and aim you in the right direction. I see so many writers making mistakes, I am not exempt, that I feel the need to share with you some of what I’ve learned. Guess what, I see some masters of THEIR domains making mistakes and guess what else, their REAL name is attached to their page so everyone knows them, by name!

Cuteypie gives me no clue as to who you are in a chat room, but when I see a name like that in a professional atmosphere, it makes me wonder just how serious that person is about learning an art.

I appreciate all comments and respectfully comment on each one as they come in. I leave the comments open because I’m assuming that I’ll receive the same respect. You know what happens when you assume don’t you? Nevermind.

I’ll keep my comments open for a bit longer without all of the trouble one needs to go through when they are protected. This is a site for YOU, the serious person who wants to be a writer. I’ll respect you as long as you respect me. (And probably when you don’t respect me, I’ll STILL respect you.) That is WHO I AM!

Get some Sense!

Creating a world that is richly laced with the senses is what your reader wants. Have you ever read a story with none of the senses used? I bet it was a pretty boring story, eh? Senses bring your story to life in ways generic writing never will.

When we talk, we use our senses don’t we? When we communicate what we saw today, or heard on the radio, or ate for lunch etc. etc., we use our senses also. So why when you write wouldn't you want to leave the reader with a rich frothy taste in his mouth and weave your images into his mind like a finely crocheted afghan?

The best lesson I learned in writing was making use of the senses. It livened up my work like a fourth of July fireworks display and made my words dance to their own lively tune. This is what I want YOU to accomplish in YOUR writing.

When I was young, I remember my mother telling me to, "Act like you have some sense." If she only knew, I write like I have some sense, six of them to be exact.

Senses ~ Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, and the unknown.

Sight ~ The light shone through the window. The rays danced on the floor. The mountains basked in the glory of the dappling sunshine.

Sound ~ The drumming of my heart was enough to keep me awake. The shrieking car peeled out of the parking lot. The church bells played a somber tune.

Smell ~ Ahh the fresh aroma of newly cut grass. The scent of grandma’s apple pie wafting through the open window has me wanting some. The tang of vinegar tickled my nose.

Touch ~ The hairbrush was rough on my scalp. The stucco wall left dimples in my hands when I fell into it. The cars hood was scorching hot!

Taste ~ The dill pickle was bitter after eating pretzels. The lemonade was sweet to my tongue’s palette. Grandma’s apple pie tasted delicious after it finally cooled down.

The Unknown ~ I wonder if the sun always does a pirouette across the waves? I’m wondering if Grandma is thinking about me up there in heaven.

The unknown is the tricky sense that we use to bring home our thoughts. The unknown can be as exciting as the rest of the senses if used wisely. Use it in your writing so the reader can touch base with you, the narrator. It gives the reader a glimpse into your thoughts.

Can you see what is in front of you right now? On your desk?

Can you smell the pans that you left on the stove from tonight’s dinner? Old coffee sitting in the coffeepot?

Can you taste the leftover spaghetti in your throat? A lit match might leave a sulfuric taste.

Can you hear your computer humming? A fire engine racing by?

Can you feel the stiffness of your chair and how it is making your butt hurt?

Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you won a million dollars? Can you imagine what life is like on other planets?

Bring it home for me. Take advantage of the six senses in your writing. Make your writing jump out and speak to me. Go ahead, I know you can do it.