Inspired

The one person who has most inspired my writing career is Michael W. Smith. He’s the very first Contemporary Christian Singer/Songwriter I ever listened to, and his songs have inspired me for over two decades. What I want more than anything else in the world is to be able to encourage and inspire other people through my writing and singing the way Michael W. Smith has encouraged and inspired me.

SLPT6

Forgetting the door was locked, she tugged on the handle to no avail. Her face dropped into her palm with a sigh; she unlocked the door and exited her room. The phone lay askew on the floor well below the small gash mark it had left upon its collision with the wall. Lovely. Richard had apparently taken his vengeance upon the telephone. One could only imagine what his wrath might be toward the speaker who had been on the other end of the conversation.

SLPT5

“It’s not my problem,” Jeanette whispered into the air as she rolled over to face the wall as the light streaming in through the window was bothering her eyes. But then the phone began to beep its irritating signal to notify her that Richard had left the receiver off the hook. “It’ll stop eventually,” she tried to reason as she swung herself upright with a groan. “Figures.”

SLPT4

What the heck? What could it be now? Jeanette kept still, debating with herself whether to get involved. Footsteps clumped down the stairs accompanied by indistinguishable muttering. The entry door slammed shut followed soon after by another door slamming. She couldn’t tell if it was the outside door or the door to the kitchen. She’d probably better go downstairs to check and make sure everyone was alright. No telling what Richard might do when his temper flared. 

SLPT3

Not bothering to reply, she cracked the door open enough to slide the old rotary through, then gently slid it closed again and refastened the lock. She crawled up onto her bed and buried her face in the pillow. The Air Force was her best option. How could she even think of turning them down? There was no money left for school. There was no job for earning more money. All she had was a prison cell of a bedroom in her step-father’s house. Even her mother had abandoned her, for him.

SLPT2

So that was it. She had to stay now. She had burned her bridge to salvation by not so politely requesting the recruiter never call her back again, ever. She tried to wipe her tears away with her already drenched shirt sleeve. Why couldn’t she just go? There was nothing left for her here, no one needed her, and no one even wanted her around. All she had to do was pack a bag and walk away, just walk away and not look back. Just walk away, but she couldn’t. Something was holding her back. Something she couldn’t identify, something she couldn’t explain. 

SLPT1

She replaced the receiver handle back into the awaiting cradle. The recruiter had called again. She didn’t know what to say. Her commitments were always fulfilled. She couldn’t tolerate the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, knowing she had disappointed him. But what else could she do? All the excuses she’d given him over the past several weeks didn’t faze him or weaken his resolve, and the incessant calling had to stop. She’d made up her mind to go, but then she changed it, and that was it. A woman is still allowed to change her mind, isn’t she? She tried to reason with herself, the pangs of guilt still washing over her.

My Lungs are Clay

My lungs are clay

My heart is lead

My jaw is tight

My eyes are dead

My memories

Are stinging bees

My future plans

Are fallen trees

The pain within

My gut profound

The chest contains

My hollow sound

My life is death

My sorrow great

My prison is

My only fate

Reality

The human brain can’t tell the difference between that which is real and that which is vividly imagined. Therefore, when we continually run a sequence of events through our thoughts, we’re choosing to re-create the same realities over and over again. The internal world is more important than the external world because it’s where we spend most of our time and because it’s what makes us who we are. So, if you don’t like the person you've become or the circumstances in which you find yourself, the only way to change them is through changing the thought processes of your brain.

Happiness

Happiness is not a direct result – of obtaining a particular object, experiencing a certain pleasure, or achieving a desired social status, but rather a by-product of making a wise choice. The pursuit of happiness is a delusion, fooling a person into a continuous state of depression by conditioning the individual to rely upon circumstances as a basis for determining personal contentment. Also, when happiness is seen as a future event or goal to achieve, the ability to enjoy the present moment is diminished. Therefore, my admonition is to focus on enjoying each moment as it arises and believing for the ability to make wise choices now that will result in desirable consequences later.

Obey

There is a four-letter word in the English language that no one wants to say and fewer want to hear. It's more socially unacceptable than the "F" word, more formidable than "shit," and less desirable than "work." The word is "obey." I cringe at the very sound of it.

In our modern, American society, where self-sufficiency and independence are among our highest values, the very thought of obedience evokes a particularly defensive reaction. Everyone wants to be the boss. No one wants to be the servant.

But our Christian faith calls us to a life of service, beckons us to obedience, and promotes a sacrificial love in the place of self-serving. However, the only way we can serve others instead of getting caught up in our own needs and our own affairs is to continually focus on improving our level of obedience to God, to His Word, and to the promptings of His Holy Spirit.

Contagion

Kindness is contagious, so is negativity. Smiles and frowns flow through the atmosphere like warm and cold fronts circling the globe. Sometimes they cause clear skies. Sometimes they cause a storm. When attitudes collide, the fallout can be disastrous. Sometimes there’s a tornado warning. Sometimes we get caught in a flash flood. All the time, we need to pay attention to the energy within our environment so we can evacuate when signs of trouble surface or hunker down and take cover when the unexpected hits.

The Side of the Road

I’ve heard the story of the good Samaritan so many times. And each time I’ve thought to myself, “Of course I would stop and help a stranger if I saw someone bloodied and lying on the side of the road.” But how many times have I seen someone looking despondent and not stopped to lend a listening ear? How often have I been so caught up in what I was doing, that I didn’t reach out to make someone else feel loved and appreciated? How many times have I been too busy to even notice how someone else has been bloodied by adverse circumstances or beat up by frustration or fear? The meaning of the parable is not just to teach us who our neighbor is, but how we are to treat those we come into contact with every day. We rarely happen across those in need of major medical care, but we often pass others in need of spiritual care. How many more times will we continue to pass by on the other side of the road?