Dreams

To start things off I’d like to share a link with you. This is what has been keeping me busy for a while http://www.batalugu.com/v.php?bid=620&key=0979cf694b093c18b2dfe573f2ea088c85d16dd1. It is my biggest book project so far. Check it out let me know what you think.

My thoughts for this entry have been brewing over the past week and a half or so. A few of weeks ago I finished the book associated with the link above. The guys over at the website have been debating whether to make the books available on PDF or just have the books available to order in hard cover. They sent me a PDF file so I could print it off and give my feedback. It wasn’t until I actually saw it printed on paper that I realized how much it means to people to have a dream fulfilled. Now, this was in no way a finished book. It was a very raw copy. Printed from my printer with standard printer paper. I didn’t even realize that having a book printed would create the emotion inside of me that it did. I never even considered being an author a dream. I have always liked to write and make up stories but getting published never really crossed my mind. Just about every other day since I printed that book I have seen or heard something related to fulfilling your dreams. One was in a movie. One of the characters asked another “What is your dream, what do you want?” Another was in a magazine that asked the question “Is what you’re doing for a living, what you’re called to do?” The latest was the weirdest. Just a couple of hours ago I had a Dove chocolate candy. If you’re not familiar with Dove candies, they have a little saying on the wrapper. I’m not sure about the big candy bars, but the little round ones do. Well, the one I had said “Get out there and make your dreams happen.” I had been thinking about using this as a topic for a blog entry, but once I saw that, I knew I needed to.

My question I like to ask everyone is basically what I saw in the magazine. Is what you’re doing for a living, what you’re called to do? Sometimes we can’t help it. Writing right now won’t pay my bills, now that I have recognized that as a dream I’d like to fulfill, I can work toward that goal. Are you doing what you love? I have always loved kids. I knew I was called to be a husband, father, and provider. I now have six kids, so I didn’t really focus on profession as long as I provided for my family. Now that I have experienced what it feels like to know what you want to be when you grow up, I’d like to encourage everyone to realize that dream before you’re well into your adult years.

Think about the things you like to do. As you think back over the years, do you keep putting something on the “back burner” only to start it up again.

Take a little time. Find a quiet space. Pray for guidance if you would be inclined to do so. Search the desire of your heart. Reignite that passion, and as my Dove candy said. “Get out there and make your dreams happen.” It will feel like a major weight has been lifted off of you.

Thanks for continuing this search with me,

Paul.

What Makes You Happy?

The other morning I was watching a movie after I got home from work. You know, winding down, getting ready for bed. I had seen this particular movie was on before, but I had the willpower to change the channel. Maybe I was ready to have something to eat and veg, but whatever the reason, I watched this movie called "Honey." It was along the lines of Dangerous Minds, Sister Act, or any other movie you can think of where someone comes in to save the inner city youth. I don't mean to seem cynical, or uncaring, the movie was just predictable. It ended up being pretty good, but still predictable. Regarding the uncaring tone, I'm actually the opposite. I am really bothered by kids that have to live on the streets dealing drugs, and don't get a chance to be kids. Check out the movie. Yeah it's a chick flick, but if you don't admit it to the world like I just did nobody will ever know.

My main reason for admitting this is, there was a line in the movie that has stuck with me. Jessica Alba was talking to the guy that ended up becoming her boyfriend, her dreams of starting a dance studio for the kids were fading. He was giving her a pep talk, and he asked her, "What makes you happy?"

I guess that doesn't necessarily mean that has to be your profession. But, do you do what makes you happy. I've said here before I will continue to do this until I feel like I am supposed to move on to something else. My posts here have gotten even less frequent because I have been writing under the pen name Andrew Pearson, over at www.batalugu.com. Check me out if you haven't already.

Think about it. Really think. What do you like to do? What comes easy for you? What satisfies you? My whole adult life I have been a provider, and I like that. I also like to write, but I was so focused on the provider part of me, I didn't take time to look at the other things that make me happy. Spending "real" time with my kids, instead of being a workaholic, creating characters, and getting lost in a story, is what makes me happy these days. I still have a job that I like, that pays the bills, and allows the kids and I to do fun things, but it is the kids, and the writing, that is my source of happiness.

What's Yours?

Thanks for pondering this with me

Don't Forget The Rearview Mirror

Since we're in between the two holidays let me start off by saying Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Just so there is no misunderstanding, let me begin this train of thought by saying, Christmas with my kids and grandkids is always a time I love and cherish, and this year was no different. My Christmas Eve this year had a extra added bonus. It also gave me a lot to think about. In the writing world, a lot of advice people are giving these days is to get involved in the social media. It allows you to plug into other writers, agents, publishers, etc. It also gets your name out to the public. So, over the past few months I've gotten a little more involved in Facebook. What started as a marketing tool, has suddenly had a very personal affect on me.

A few days before Christmas I was bouncing around Facebook and saw a friend I hadn't talked to in a very long time. Like 30 years long. He sent back the confirmation. On Christmas Eve I saw he was online, so I contacted him and we got together on the phone. We talked for over an hour, which didn't come close to getting us caught up, but it was a good visit. We hit the high points, family, careers, activities, etc. One thing he asked me really stuck with me. He said "Man, where have you been, you just kind of fell off of the planet." I had never really thought about it before. We tend to get so caught up in moving forward with life, it's almost like tunnel vision. If we don't take the time to knock out the walls of the tunnel, we miss a lot of the important things. I saw a sign the other day. You know, the billboard philosophers you see around town. It said "Don't look back unless you want to go that way." Well, that may be true in some cases, like if you're still burning oil lamps (which I don't remember by the way) instead of hooking up electricity. I say, don't forget to look in the rearview mirror once in a while. If you don't look back periodically, or even sideways outside of your immediate circle, you are possibly depriving yourself of some of the most meaningful times in your life. In this day and age when we have to have our schedules readily available on our cell phones just to keep up, it is hard to get together in person sometimes, but a quick note in social media could make someones day. I know it really was an added bonus to my Christmas Eve. Don't forget to check the rearview mirror.

Make someones day next year, Paul

Thursdays Child John 5 Religious Frustration

Before I get started I need to mention another story I just posted over at www.paul-akaandrewpearson.blogspot.com. Short stories are going to go over there now, so I can devote this blog strictly to Thursdays Child, and random thoughts of my not so normal mind. Or, maybe it is normal, and everyone else just isn't ready to admit it. HHHMMM. Check out the story, and let me know what you think.

I know I haven't had a Thursdays Child for a while and for those stop by mainly for that, I apologize.

I have a feeling we're going to have more titles with "religious frustrations" in them now that we're going to get into more and more of Jesus' teachings. This post is going to include all of John 5. The first part of the passage is about Jesus performing a miracle, but I think the real lesson is the last part, where he reprimands the religious leaders.

The story is about a man who has been sick for thirty eight years and lies by the pool of Bethesda waiting to be healed. The only way to be healed is, if you are the first person to get in to the water, while the angel is stirring it. Since there is no one to help him in, someone else always gets there first. He explained this to Jesus when Jesus asked him if he wanted to be well. So, Jesus told him to pick up his sleeping mat, and walk. What we don't know, and what I wonder is, does someone bring him there every day, on their way to work maybe, and pick him up on their way home? Does he stay there for days, until someone takes him home? And where are they when the water is stirred? Why don't they tell us this information. It would probably help us to understand it a lot more. ANYWAY, He's walking with his mat, and guess what? It's the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders saw him. They asked the man why he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath, he told them the man who healed him told him to. At first, he wasn't sure who healed him since Jesus had left but, eventually he was able to tell them it was Jesus. After that the leaders started harassing Jesus. Starting in verse 17, and continues through verse 47, the end of the chapter. I won't write all 30 verses here, but the ones that really stood out to me were, verses 41, and 42. Jesus tells them, "Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me, because I know you don't have God's love within you." Isn't that how we should all feel? As long as the things we do glorify God, why should we care what other people think? I know certain denominations have rules they abide by. Where do these rules come from? Why aren't some allowed to dance? Why do some think speaking in tongues is wrong? On one hand I think, if we just lived our lives, and treated people the way Jesus would, we would be fine. But, we would miss out on so much. The Holy Spirit came because Jesus went to be with the Father. The Holy Spirit is the one who provides us with the power that Jesus had while He was on the earth. If we did live as Jesus did, yes, that would ensure our salvation, or ticket to heaven. But, getting to know the Holy Spirit and experiencing God in that way, makes life a whole lot more rewarding. The restrictions denominations put on people are actually preventing God from using them to their full potential. That's what frustrating to me. We teach our kids to do their best, so they will learn to live up to their full potential. That shouldn't to school and work. That should apply to doing living for God also, and should continue as we grow into adulthood. If you've never experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, I encourage you to just ask God to show Himself more in your life. Ask Him where to start, then, just be aware of all thoughts as they come to mind. He'll direct you. He just might direct you right over to Google. There are Christian sites on the internet too. Just keep searching.

Thanks for searching with me,

Paul