Israel: Day 8 – See Jerusalem

“What makes a tour great? Any tour—what makes it great?” Amnon asked our group. I love when he asks questions, because he uses the dramatic pause. Very classic storytelling component. The pause is like white space in a graphic—it allows for reflection and interpretation. I dig it.

After the pause, Amnon answers the question. “What makes a tour great is not the tour guide, not the places,” he says motioning like an umpire. “It’s the tourist and what the tourists take in—the sounds, the smells, what they take in with their senses.” I like to think most of us already were using our five senses as we walked the stony and rocky land of Jerusalem, but just in case I was sleeping, I did a cleansing breath and renewed mine.

You are the Tour

When it comes to Jerusalem, there is so much to absorb. I have not experienced New York City outside of John F. Kennedy airport, but if there is a city in my mind that doesn’t sleep, it’s Jerusalem. At 8 a.m. in the morning the streets are filled with compact Mazdas, Mitsubishis and BMWs, Mercedes-Benz tour buses and taxicabs, bicycles, and pedestrians (lots of pedestrians). Merchants pop out of shrubbery and stone walls flashing beaded handbags with Jerusalem stitched on the side and hats. They beckon for you to spend your dollars. There was a jewelry merchant who got on our bus and ended up riding with us to our next destination, because people wanted the necklaces he was selling.

Walking through the Armenian Quarter, we heard a young man playing a soothing tune on his guitar. Another young man was touching up a colorful mural. Orthodox Jewish men quickly bustle past you on the street taking long intentional strides and speaking Hebrew on their cell phones. We could smell chicken cooking in preparation for the lunch crowd. Passing by juice bars and cafes, you hear multiple languages engaging in conversation as they clink spoons, coffee cups and lunch plates.

Entering the Jewish Quarter and walking toward the temple remains, we heard celebratory drums and cheerful calls. Passing by not too far ahead of us was a 13-year-old Jewish boy wearing a robe and prayer shawl. Today was his bar mitzvah. He will read from the Torah scroll for the first time. From this point on, he is now responsible for his actions.

What Your Ears Fear

Today, we entered the gate to go to King David’s Tomb. When we were all outside the gate, Amnon pointed to the wall—bullet holes. This wasn’t the first time Amnon had shown us bullet holes. But every time, it reminds me that in the United States, outside of the September 11 terrorist attacks, we don’t live with a reality that terror could come flying through our living room window. That is exactly what happened during the uprising in the 1980s when shots unexpectedly entered homes on the border of the West Bank across from Bethlehem. We couldn’t go to Bethlehem, and no tours have gone there in years, because of the religious and political conflict. To take pictures of the birthplace of Jesus we stood at a roadside observation point. A group of kids ride by. “Go home!” they shouted. After hearing about how some Palestinian children were used as suicide bombers in previous a few of us shared a thought that crossed our mind: “Are they suicide bombers?”

Walking throughout Jerusalem you will see Israeli police or military carrying military rifles. It looks very similar to an AK-47. They stay on alert. We were eating in cafes and shopping and someone would casually be walking with a military rifle. It puts you in a different mindset.

What Your Eyes Believe

At each tourist site you pass the incoming group and the outgoing tour. It is interesting to observe the various reactions from people, particularly those who are Catholic, Moslem or any of the various Jewish sects. The life of Christ intrigues so many, but not all for the same reason. There are few who leave what are called Holy Places stone-faced. Others leave reflective. And others are moved to an outward emotional response, often tears, praying or kneeling. From my perspective, our tour remained reflective and worshipful. Our security guard, Jonathan, told me that our group was his favorite.

Our tour bus definitely knew how to laugh and enjoy; we even had a song. But this isn’t what made us Jonathan’s favorite: “To see how the places affected you—your passion for what you were seeing and hearing—moved me spiritually. It made those places mean more to me,” he said.

Israel: Day 6 – Via Dolorosa

Today is Sunday—usually considered the Christian day of rest—and we had a brief service in the Church of Bethesda. Bishop Keith A. Butler led us in worship songs and scriptures. After, we all moved to the outside grounds where we saw the centuries old ruins of the original pool of Bethesda mentioned in John 5:2-8. Jesus performed a miracle for a man on the Sabbath (Shabbat). I like what Pastor Sean R. Moore shared about the passage: “Sometimes, it seems like someone else is always beating you to the punch,” he said. “But here we see that Jesus shows up on the scene Himself to perform a miracle.”

The Way of the Cross

We started our day hearing about a miracle Jesus performed, and now, we were on foot walking through Lion’s Gate to follow the path Jesus walked while carrying His cross to Golgotha—the place of His crucifixion. In Hebrew, Golgotha means skull. The path, called Via Dolorosa, is also a bazaar with numerous merchants. Along the path are stations, which reference scriptures in the Bible, such as when Jesus fell. At Station No. 1 Amnon tells us “The entire way: Not 100 percent. Some of it is tradition. But some of it is fact.” He warns us to stay close together and do our best to keep with the group. Pastor Moore confirms: “It is easy to get lost. You can stop to take one picture and lose the group just like that.”

Making our way past the first few stations the road became narrower and seemed flooded with people. Because I was taught in my childhood to follow the leader, I stuck close to Amnon. The road went up and down. Amnon brought to our attention after we trekked up the first hill how out of breath we were. “Now, can you imagine doing that carrying a cross?” Perspective.

Now, we were headed down. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, we made a sharp turn to the right. People were weaving in and out of our group. The atmosphere was filled with so much bustle and commotion. It was almost hard to hear, but Amnon pointed to a location on the stone wall. “This is where Jesus fell the first time. That is where He put His hand to steady himself.” Tradition or fact? Either way, I believed we were on the route.

Our group continued walking. We came to a doorway that stated that this was the station where Simon helped Jesus carry His cross, because He had fallen again. By this point, I don’t know how Jesus was even able to keep moving; nonetheless, carry the cross. He had been whipped, beaten, and slapped. Let’s not forget, on His head was a crown of thorns (I saw the actual plant the Romans made the crown of thorns from and to put it simply, the thorns are no joke—very sharp to the touch). All I thought, “He kept going. He kept going.” We kept going.

Another up and down and turn to the left, and the group was at the final stations where the nailing, crucifying, dying and resurrecting occurred. Of course, the location looks nothing like what it must have looked like in 1^st century B.C.1 A.D., but Amnon explained how the series of the events happened. Present-day, the location is home to a church, which encompasses all the stations. Amnon pointed to where Jesus was nailed from outside the church. Then, he explained that all the events happened within the short proximity of the other, because of the weight of the cross and the effort it took to lift it.

As we walked into the church, it was packed with people. We climbed steps toward the area where the cross stood. About 12 feet from there was a stone—the place Jesus’ body was laid when it came down from the cross. People were kneeling down to touch, to pray, to take pictures and to weep. For about 15 minutes we couldn’t move, because the crowd was so great, and the group in front of us would not continue. It brought to mind the scriptures that talk about the throngs of people and multitude that would encompass Jesus. I, also, wondered if the crowd was like this while Jesus hung on the cross. Still, centuries later people are pushing close to get close to Jesus.

After verbally requesting to pass, our group had to be more assertive and make our own way through the area. I made a comment only loud enough for a few people to hear: “He has risen.” I did not mean it to be insensitive, and no one who heard it took it that way. But in that church seeing these sites, reminds that I am Christian, because Jesus is risen and alive. For me that was an indescribable feeling. Jesus went through pain and shame for me.

Next, we came to the rock where Joseph of Arimethea took Jesus’ body to prepare it for burial. Because it was Passover, he couldn’t finish, but Joseph sealed Jesus in a tomb, which was the next item—the Holy Sepulcher. Again, because of the crowd and our time schedule, we couldn’t walk through it. I can’t say I was disappointed. Jesus wasn’t in there. Again, He has risen! I did greatly enjoy this portion of the trip, because it put into perspective the events before and after the crucifixion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Israel: Day 4 – To Jerusalem

My third day in Israel got a high ranking: Sermon on the Sea of Galilee, visiting Megiddo (or Armageddon) and baptized in the Yardenit (Jordan) River. So much, and it’s still early in the trip. But today, we packed up our luggage and headed to Jerusalem—the Holy City.

We crossed the Judean Desert, driving in and out of parts of the West Bank. The sides of the roads are lined with what Amnon, the tour guide, calls electronic fences and barbed wire. “If an animal touches the fence, we send a patrol car out to check.” At certain locations we saw military and police officials stationed. “They have to be there, in case of suicide bomber. It doesn’t happen so much anymore, but we take no chance.”

I have heard about bombings and shootings on CNN and read the news, but to be in the midst of it brings another layer of perspective. People live and work in those locations. Children were outside playing. Can you imagine? You are going through your usual day when all of a sudden a car drives to the bus stop, parks and then unexpectedly blows up only yards from your front door. It happens, because you believe differently. There is persecution in this part of the world that Americans don’t have to worry about facing.

Forget the Garden … Gethsemane

Entering into Jerusalem our tour bus climbed Mount Scopus and parked at an observation point high above the city near the Hebrew University. This was so Amnon could give us a brief overview of the topography before heading back down the mountain. We took our pictures, and as we approached the bus, I heard cacophony: “Hats: 4 for 10! Handbags: 3 for 10! You are beautiful. I will marry you. Come please. Come. 4 for 10!” I said, “Where did they come from?” They must have a tourist honing device or it’s the big tour bus we are riding in. Either way, it was a bit much. I don’t like store associates approaching me in the store, so this experience was another level of commerce for me.

Our second stop in Jerusalem was the Mount of Olives, appropriately named because it is covered with olive trees. Beautiful olive trees. Also, in Hebrew, Gethsemane means “olive press.” Amnon said, “Forget the garden. Gethsemane means crush or press olives.” Then, Amnon asked my favorite question, “How do we know this is the place?” And of course, we get quiet and contemplative while waiting for him to tell us. Then, he responds, “We do not know for sure.” (By we, he means historians and archeologists.) “It could be here (he points to where we are standing), over there (he motions to the right) or over there (he points to the left). We do know He, Jesus, was here with His disciples. That’s what is important.”

Jesus had his final moments of prayer—just Him and the Father—in Gethsemane. Pastor Sean R. Moore read from Matthew 26:36-46. He spoke afterward and said, “Jesus is about to make the most important decision in His life and His closest friends are sleeping.” That resonated within me as I stared at the olive trees that dated back hundreds of years. Past the olive trees, you can see the sun beginning to descend into the Western horizon. Pastor Moore continued, “We all have Gethsemane moments, and we have to make a decision to stand and move forward, even if it’s just you and God.”

Holy of Holies

Imagining Jesus sweating drops of blood in Gethsemane definitely stirred up my spirit. Our next stop was the Western Wall or Wailing Wall. Because it was Shabbat, it was crowded. Many people were entering. Different sects of Jews entered as well as tourists from other countries. Amnon explained that the temple was destroyed many years ago, but the Western Wall remains. There rests the Divine Presence of God. He told us that we could write our wishes on a slip of paper and place them in the wall. “After a time, your wishes will come true,” Amnon said.

We all walked to the area before it splits into separate sections for men and women. Amnon gave us a few more instructions before releasing us to go to the wall. I didn’t feel entirely comfortable approaching the wall. I kept thinking, “I’m not Jewish” or “what will I pray?” I didn’t have any paper, so I didn’t write down a wish. Entering into the women’s section, I saw women sitting, standing and kneeling. Some were singing. Others were crying. All were speaking to God. I hushed my thinking, and told myself, I will speak to God. I waited patiently for an opening at the wall. A space became available. I moved in close to it placing my palms on it. Up close I could see the pieces of paper with wishes folded and crumpled into the crevices of the stone. I closed my eyes and began to pray. Within moments, my forehead was against the stone and tears fell from my eyes. I was pouring out my heart—not loud balling, but an internal weeping. All the things I was afraid to think or say to God flowed out of me. Please understand that I believe in the Holy Ghost and know that God lives in me, so He is never far. But the experience throughout the day, driving into Jerusalem had moved me emotionally and spiritually. I had to let it all go.

We closed the evening with a Shabbat dinner. Shabbat Shalom from the Holy City.

Israel: Day 3 – Yardenit River Baptism

Many of us, about 80, were seated in the stony waiting section of the baptismal area. People were singing worships songs and some were taking pictures in their white baptismal robes.

Bishop Keith A. Butler moved in front of the group and began to recite Matthew 28:18-20. We quieted ourselves and listened. As he finished the passage, he explained the symbolism of the water baptism. “Just as Christ died and was resurrected so shall we be,” Bishop Butler said. With that he started the group in the song “Thank You Lord.”

Because I was seated in the front row on the far right side, one of the tour guides, Mishi Neubach, motioned for me to head toward Bishop Butler and Pastor Sean R. Moore who were positioned in the water. I stood up and waded into the Yardenit (Jordan) River. My feet moved slowly, because I wore flip flops, which were a challenge walking. Also, my heart was pounding. I was baptized by water and the Holy Ghost in 2003, and I remember a similar feeling. Outwardly, I am sure it didn’t look like I felt anything, but on the inside I was ready to roar from excitement.

About three feet away, Bishop Butler signaled for me to cross my arms in front of my chest. I did. “My sister upon your previous confession of the Lord Jesus Christ, I baptize you …” I know he said more after that but I was bracing myself. Under I went. Up I came. My first response was that my hands went straight up and then, suddenly, I felt like laughing. I was filled with immense joy. The biggest smile spread across my face.

Israel: Day 2 – Beatitudes

A new day and a full day in Israel – Woohoo! Well, not so woohoo—before we left the hotel, I almost tore up the room trying to find my cash that I thought I lost. I knew I had carefully placed it away the night before so I knew I had it, but couldn’t remember where I put it. A few hours later the Holy Ghost showed me where I put it. Now … woohoo!

A night of rest helped, but I was still groggy and slightly off. No matter, because we were going to Capharnaum, Mount Hermon, Caesarea Phillipi, and the Mount of Beatitudes.

Capharnaum

Our guide Amnon described Capharnaum as Jesus’ home base. It is mentioned several times in the scriptures. It is where Jesus met Peter, James and John and told them, “You will be fishers of men.” On site were remains from the 1^st century B.C./A.D. We saw the Star of David and the Christmas star carved into stone right next to each other. Amnon in his inquisitive teacher tone asked, “Why are the Jewish symbol and the Christian symbol right next to each other?” A few mumbles went among us about the answer. He told us that neither symbol was a religious symbol. He said the religious symbol of Israel was the seven-candle Menorah and not the Star of David. You learn something new every day … particularly in my situation.

Mount Hermon-Caesarea Phillipi

Remember in Day 1 when I said we drove past Mount Tabor that some believed to be the possible site of Jesus’ transfiguration. Well, some others believe it is Mount Hermon. At the base of Mount Hermon is Caesarea Phillipi—the city where Jesus asked His disciples two questions:

1. Who do men say I am?
2. Who do YOU say I am?

Peter spoke up and responded, “You are the Christ.” After Peter said this, Jesus replied, “Blessed are you.” Here is the “light bulb, ah-ha” moment: God wants to bless those who receive the revelation of who Jesus is. Jesus goes on in the verse to tell Peter that He will use Him to build His church. If you connect that with Matthew 26, which is the Great Commission, you realize—or at least I realize—God is talking to all of us. All of us who have the revelation who Jesus is are blessed and called to build His church.

Mount of Beatitudes

Speaking of blessed—we came to the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5. You know it: Blessed are those who dot dot dot. Yes, I have read it and heard it many times, but standing on the mountain looking at the Sea of Galilee it became a breath of fresh air. Pastor Sean R. Moore described as “how are attitude should be.” What was renewed in me was that blessings are promises of being in a partnership and relationship with God.

Amnon said that it was not 100 percent that the location of the mount was the place, but he said he had traveled to many other mountains, but none with the same acoustics. In this place, Jesus did not have to talk loud (there were signs encouraging us to do the same). You could clearly hear a person who was speaking at a normal volume at any location of the mountain. This was our last location of the day, so Amnon encouraged us to take a moment and meditate. I observed the banana trees and olive trees surrounding the property as well as the beautiful flowers. I wrote a great deal in my journal about this visit. Truly a blessing.

Israel: Day 1 – Road to Damascus

The Word of Faith HolyLand Tour touched down and took off. After a 10-hour transatlantic flight, we landed in Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport. My feet felt like sand bags as I plodded off the plane. Not knowing where to go, I followed the crowd. Sheep. Bahhhhhh! After collecting baggage, we moved to the transportation area where the busses waited. Tour guides and assistants instructed for us to leave our bags by one curb and to head to another curb. Our bags would be taken to the hotel, but us, we were off to begin our tour of the HolyLand. So I shook the cobwebs out of my eyes and the molasses off my feet. Our bus driver Romi said, “Welcome home.” First stop: Caesarea by the Sea.

Caesarea

Driving to Caesarea, our tour guide Amnon told our group (called the Yellow group) that the road we were traveling was the Road to Damascus. Tel Aviv presented itself to be a modern city—neon lights, marketing billboards, and high rises. We stopped at an urban mall for lunch. Yes! Authentic Israeli Mediterranean food. I had a turkey shawarma wrapped in warm, pillowy pita with creamy chickpea hummus and crunchy cabbage. Is your mouth watering? Mine is just recalling it. So fresh and delicious. And let me say, eating with your hands is the best. Just use sanitizer.

Back to the Road. We drove along the Mediterranean Sea, which was on the Eastern side of the bus. It reminded of driving the Pacific Highway in California. After about an hour, we arrived to the Roman Theater. Because we couldn’t see the edifice from the road, it was breathtaking to enter the Roman Theater with its exquisitely set marble structures and stone steps and the sparkling Mediterranean as its backdrop.

We all eased cautiously down the steps, which were about 18 inches high, and sat down as Bishop Keith A. Butler, founder of Word of Faith International Christian Center, read a passage from the Bible: Acts 5.

Without a microphone we could clearly hear Bishop from the stage as he read the passage from his smartphone. From time to time I know I am slow to catch on to things, but as he was reading, it hit me: “I’m here. I’m in Israel.” Hearing the scriptures and look around the theater and the surrounding grounds, it happened: The Bible took on a new life.

Mount Tabor and the Sea of Galilee

From Caesarea we continued on the Road to Damascus toward Tiberias. As we drove, Amnon pointed out different cities and landmarks. A landmark that struck me was Mount Tabor. It is believed to be the site of transfiguration. In the Gospels, it states that Jesus took Peter, John and James up the mountain and as Jesus prayed a light shone from Heaven and Moses and Elijah appeared. Jesus was transfigured into glistening light. I gazed at the top of the mountain imagined what the miracle looked like. That had to be such an amazing moment!

We winded through many more roads before approaching Tiberias. When we had reached the city, I could see the Sea of Galilee. It was in around this body of water that Jesus spent a great deal of time. The sun was setting, so the sparkles and twinkles on the waves were serene. Our hotel is positioned right at its shore. I would get three gorgeous days to hear and learn more about this location and others near it. My excitement is high, but so is my fatigue. I need a shower and a bed. Good night!

Israel: Takeoff

Faith. In our information-riddled and tech-driven society, many words that once carried meaning now have become buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz—words like love, hope, joy, peace, and faith. We know what they symbolize. But even in being able to articulate something like faith, can we honestly say we know what it means? Do we have deep, intimate connection with love, hope, faith? Or are they just words we throw out to make things sound better … make ourselves feel better?

I know this is a deep, almost melancholy way to open up a blog about my excursion to Israel, (which I’m super dooper uber excited about) but the best way to describe this trip is in one word: faith. When I first heard of the HolyLand Tour, it was the beginning of 2009. While I was interested, I dismissed the idea that I could go–money, relationships, money. Well, the urge to go never went away. It grew stronger and stronger. Finally, I began to pray about it in December 2009—a full year later. The answer was clear: Go. All I had at the time was the $500 deposit, which came from my income tax refund check. The rest? I believed God would provide. Throughout the next seven months (all money was due in August), I saved what I could in a savings account using the Dave Ramsey baby steps. Additionally, after praying about it, I asked God if I should ask for donations from family and close friends. He gave the green light, and I sent an e-mail. When May rolled around it didn’t look like I was going to have the final total in time. But a week before the money was due, I had every dollar.

Faith. It is now. Faith is present every day. Faith believes that God will partner with you when you DO what He has placed in you to believe. It’s taking steps into the un-natural – the supernatural. I have 10 hours ahead of me … an ocean ahead of me … foreign territory ahead of me. I am so excited to take steps where Jesus walked.

Writer in High School Science

“Wake up!”

What do people in  between million dollar paychecks do? There are many answers to that question, but mine is they substitute teach. I got the early morning call to show up at an alternative high school within an hour and a half. My only question before I hung up was “What is the class?” She said, “Science.” Silence. She adds, “You’ll be fine.”

While I had a large interest in science as a young child, I hadn’t gone near the stuff since I nearly failed chemistry in the 10th grade. As I hurriedly rushed out of my apartment, I was not feeling particularly confident in my ability to make it eight hours in a high school science class. But I asked for divine help — and I needed all Heaven had to offer. The question is “Would I recognize it and would I use it?”

Write Yourself Out of Trouble

I arrived to the school and within seconds of pushing open the front doors, the principal appeared from his office: “Are you the sub?” I contemplated, “Should I say yes?” I confirmed his assumption, and he gave me the 5-minute orientation to the school and classroom. The teacher was absent unexpectedly so no materials were prepared; however, she managed to e-mail the principal a drafted lesson plan, of which I had 20 minutes to review, comprehend and make copies.

The period bell rang. The challenge began. You know how you treated your high school substitutes, so you know this was not about to be fun. The students didn’t want to do anything. After reconnecting with my teacher stare and teacher voice, I got some students to focus and actually do the assignment. However, some classes were absolutely obstinate to do the work assigned. My attempts to coerce and discipline were futile and honestly laughable. So I conceded to their choice to not do the work and sought to manage their behavior. This is what we call a fail.

I could have used my strengths and creativity to try to reel in their attention and motivate them to actually learn something, but I got stuck in a box–an 8 1/2 x 11  e-mailed lesson plan. After I left the school, I realized I had a longer list of options. For example, every subject area uses writing. I know plenty of writing exercises that may have gotten the students’ attention. But I was stuck in my own self-imposed limitation. Creativity can write you out of trouble if you do not allow yourself to be limited by what you claim not to know or understand. So, clearly, the students may not have learned anything, but I know I did.

What do you want to do? How can your writing take you there?

Tags: millionaire, teaching, writing

Writing: Movie Snob to Film Savvy

Watching movies is one of my most fav activities. The writer in me loves to see written scripts come to life on screen. As much as I love movies, I will not pay $10 to see just any movie, especially when trailers and reviews indicate that the film will have noticeable flaws that will cause me to huff, puff and mutter “you got to be kidding me.” Yea, you don’t want to be stuck near me during these moments.

Snobbery is Easy

So, Saturday I went to a friend’s house, and she had an independent film. My eyes lit up! I heart indies. And this film was Christian-based, thus I got doubly excited. I look at the cover (one eyebrow goes up). I scan the description (both lips cock to the side). As I am about to set it down and forget that I even saw it, something says, “Watch it.” Ignoring unctions is not on my to-do list, so into the DVD player it went. Maybe all my pre-judgments and presumptions are wrong, and this is going to be a mind-blowing storyline.

In the first 15 minutes (which is the hook time frame for a movie), I was convinced the movie was as I predicted: not worth my time. But again, I kept watching. The story unfolded, and 78 minutes later I determined that while the main plot was good, it lacked in development, originality and structure. I had learned a valuable lesson: not to let my film fall into the same traps.

Savvy Takes Training

I can look down my nose at other films, but what I can’t do is keep that stance and release my script into the world only to find out I made the same mistakes or worse. Training. It’s a great word with an awesome definition:

Definition of TRAIN

transitive verb

1: trail, drag

2: to direct the growth of (a plant) usually by bending, pruning, and tying

3a : to form by instruction, discipline, or drill b : to teach so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient

4: to make prepared (as by exercise) for a test of skill

5: to aim at an object or objective : direct <trained his camera on the deer> <training every effort toward success>

Check out No. 2. That is a hot definition! Especially since it ties so well tied into Biblical scripture (John 15:5). Now, I see the reasoning behind watching the film. I needed to learn the wrong way in order to train to do it the right way.

For the upcoming week, I am dedicating a portion of my days to fleshing out my script. The focus will be on supporting cast character development and plot originality. As it stands my film would look similar to the one I saw on Saturday–void of depth. It would be unacceptable to unleash my work into the world in that state, especially when I am claiming God is my co-writer. Screenwriter Cheryl McKay states:

“As a writer, I love to welcome God into the process as my co-writer. I pray about what to write and how He wants me to write it. Sometimes I complain to God: “If You are helping me write, why do I have to rewrite?” I sense His smile with the reminder that I’m not writing Holy Scriptures. He shapes me through the rewriting process while I shape the work itself. Then, He prepares me to speak about the stories He’s led me to tell. (Can you say character development?)”

God gives me His best; it’s only fair and just that I do the same.

Tags: revising, screenwriting, writing

Writing: Journal Because It’s a Journey

So often we hear about the journey of life, i.e., finding our way, discovering our purpose, chasing destiny, blazing a trail, etc. The journey never means the same thing, nor should it mean the same thing, to any person. It is an intimate and personal experience that does connect to another’s journey.

Okay, L, why so existential?

Glad you asked! Remember when I said I wanted to have more time to write? Recently, I resigned from my job. What I didn’t realize is that I wasn’t just resigning from a job, but I was resigning from attempting to chart a course that wasn’t meant for me. Too deep? Okay, quick and dirty–I stopped trying to be successful and make myself happy in career field that pays my bills, but doesn’t get me any closer to my God-given purpose.

Talk about hijack–or maybe not. Since listening to God’s instruction and making the decision, I have had nothing but peace and excitement on the inside of me. Weird. Well, for Christians it shouldn’t be weird. Being at peace is suppose to be our natural state (John 14:27).

Journal Out Destiny

At the conclusion of my first week of unemployment, I am fueled and empowered by faith. My journal writing has kicked up a notch and the Holy Ghost insights are enough to make me want to go screaming all over downtown Phoenix. What has been just as, and maybe even more, amazing is rereading older journal entries and meditating on the information I wrote six months to two years ago. It’s given me a clarity and direction to head toward … and more to journal and write about.

Journaling is crucial and necessary–you can’t remember every thought, idea and feeling that happens. When I wrote the first two chapters of my book, they came from journal entries I wrote five years ago. My entire book is already written in my journals. It’s a matter of piecing together the information.

I have to thank my mother for giving me my first journal when I was 10 years old. It has been a powerful resource, tool and weapon in my life. If you are on a journey, and you are, you need to journal. Write it out; walk it out.

Tags: career, success, writing