I have a novel in my head now that I would like to write. It begins with an event that I will never forget.
Many years ago I had what I would call either a dream or a vision. The setting was dark and there was an overwhelming sense of despair and sadness that permeated the place. I walked into this large mansion, as I entered the foyer I noticed there were walls all around but no doors anywhere. I tried to find one but couldn't.
Soon I heard what sounded like a man crying upstairs. I walked up the enormous staircase and as I approached the top I noticed the same as below around me; no doors.
When I came to the top of the staircase the crying grew louder and there was a large room in which there was an opening to. Inside I saw an old man. His hair was brighter the whitest wool I have ever seen. He was on his knees and crying vehemently.
I slowly approached him apprehensively and asked him what was wrong. He told me, "I built this house for my family and they have all put up walls. It is filled with division and a house divided cannot stand." He again began to cry bitterly. "What can I do?" I asked, almost surprised I did. He told me, "I want you to go to all of them and show them the foolishness of their divisions and hatred. I have put understanding in you and you can teach them." I replied, "What can I do, I am insignificant in such matters, I am fearful and weak. The thought of going to them frightens me immensely. I don't like to cause any waves, and while I believe and understand what they are doing is wrong, it is not my business and I should just leave them be." "It is your business," he replied, "they are your family, they are your brothers and sisters and I am your father. Go now, do not fear for I will send my spirit to be with you."
Then I awoke. That was many years ago but the impression has not left me.
I have a book that I am just starting. It has to do with answering the call in that dream. The premise of the story is in my head now. It has to do with all types of divisions within our world; Christians/Muslims, Chinese/Japanese, Nazis/Jews, white supremacists/black people, Catholic/Protestants in Ireland, Tutsis/Hutus in Rwanda, Overweight unattractive woman/model types, rich/poor, Sunni-Shi'ite, Caste system in India, Hindu/Muslim, Mormons/Christians, bullies/scared kids, Jews/Arabs, atheists/believers, those with power that create wars and cause division for profit/innocent people they affect, etc.
It starts out with characters that represent the above around the world and shows what their hatred, racism and division causes. It will at times be violent and hard to stomach.
As these events are taking place a large asteroid is heading to the earth. The governments that know this decide to keep it a secret to avoid panic.
The wars and divisions grow and leaders from various faiths around the world are trying to find a solution to bringing peace in the world. Their conversations show the futility they have in bringing resolution, but also the wisdom in trying to bring about peace.
Then the asteroid hits. The earth is destroyed.
The character's souls are transported to various other realms and places. These are places of judgment and self-reflection. Each place is set up for them by a loving supreme being to show them the foolishness and wickedness of their poor thinking.
Sometimes they are there with those they hated, and other times they are not. Each are shown episodes of their life, almost like in Scrooge. They become overwhelmed with guilt. At times the souls of those they hated, tortured, raped or killed are with them as they watch. Verses from their own faiths will be told to them that contradict their wicked behavior.
One scene will have a Hutu in a room watching an Irish Catholic man's and Protestant man's foolish hatred in action during their lifetime. The Hutu will laugh and call them stupid stating that they both believe in and worship the same loving God yet they hate and kill each other. He will criticize them for being so un-Christ-like. As he is laughing at them a Tutsi man he hacked to death with a machete walks in...
In another story a woman who was a gorgeous model and viciously mean to unattractive overweight woman will find herself on a planet in which, what we call unattractive and overweight, is what is desired of all men. She will be the outcast and the one insulted because of her wretched appearance. She will try hard to look like the other women but will not be able to do it.
A man that was rich and greedy will go to a utopian paradise, perhaps one similar to what John Lennon imagined, in which there are no possessions and all have what they need and give freely to ensure that there is no greed and all needs are met. He learns how foolish it was to be greedy and in his visions of his past he will see many who suffered when he could of helped them.
A Chinese man and a Japanese man will be brought to the Nankin Massacre where the Japanese raped thousands of women and slaughtered over 300,000 Chinese. The Chinese man will argue to the angel that his people are a people of honor and that it is their duty to avenge the Japanese for the atrocities they committed. He will be given his wish and will be placed in a Japanese village as a general with a contingent of Chinese soldiers to do the same to the Japanese. As he sees it happening before his eyes he falls to his knees crying, realizing how wrong he was. Feeling he has brought about dishonor he puts his gun to his head and pulls the trigger..only to awaken beside the Japanese man he so hated and...
A man who was a white supremacist will find himself in a world in which the black people are superior and whites are looked down upon, similar to our 50's and 60's but in reverse. He awakens to find all of his hate-filled tatoos are gone. He will be beaten, insulted and persecuted for the color of his skin. Black people will be conversing at a country club while they are being served by white people. He is one of those on the staff. When the white people go out of the room the blacks will mock them as racist whites have done to the blacks. He will be secretly listening to them and hear them conversing word for word as he once did. He will try to explain to the whites at first that they are better and end up striving for equality and fairness.
An Arab and a Jew will awaken thirsty in a vast unknown desert. They both see the same mirage a great distance away. As they journey to the mirage from opposite directions they are shown what hatred and division caused in their lives. By the time they reach the mirage, and realize it was just a mirage, they are both so disgusted and ashamed by what they saw on their journey that they embrace with joy and forgiveness. As they let go there is a stool before them with one glass of ice cold water. When they both offer it to the other saying they are unworthy the scenery changes before their eyes and they are in a beautiful paradise with as much fresh cold water and every delicacy they can imagine. The angel appears and expresses his joy to them that they finally understand.
Each will be assigned an angel that will be with them, sometimes knowingly and sometimes not. The angel will ask them wise questions that will show them the foolishness of anger, hate and division.
In the end I approach the visionary mansion I saw in the beginning. This time however, it is colorful, bright and joyous. I see people on the grounds eating, drinking and laughing. I hear the sounds of happy children playing together. As I look closely I see those that once hated each other as the best and closest of friends. I see Sunni children playing with Shi'ite children, and all other types, that once would never be seen near each other embracing as brothers and sisters.
I walk in the house to find openings throughout the entire mansion. While there are openings and door frames there are no doors. Never again will there be doors or walls of division. People of all faiths, cultures and philosophies are walking through the mansion with smiles. Each one kindly greets me as I walk by.
Next I proceed up the stairs to the large master room in which I saw the old man crying. As I enter He is there with several other distinguished looking men and women. They are all angels. "We have been waiting for you John", the old man says. I am mesmerized by how perfect and strong he appears but consoled by the gentleness which he exudes regardless of the power he wields.
"I have something I want to say to you," says the supreme one, "Well done, I am very proud of you, we are all proud of you. You are my son and I am your father." I fall to my knees and can only cry. They all come around me and lift me up and carry me out to the grand party taking place in the seemingly infinite back yard. Trumpets are blaring and I hear an angel proclaim, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God!"
Immediately after that I awaken to find myself in the modern day streets of New York city. I walk through the streets hearing and seeing all sorts of division and hatred around me. As I approach the entrance to a subway I see a sign above the entrance that says, "Peace...Are you brave enough to do your part to bring it!"
That is the ending...potentially
The goal is to show the utter foolishness, stupidity and immaturity of division, and hatred whether it be for religious, social, economic, or even for one's appearance, while at the same time to showing the wisdom and supremacy of peace.
All the stories within will be brief but concise and each will expose what divisions cause in graphic detail.
What do you think of such a story?
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Welcome! I am so grateful that you are here! I am an aspiring Christian writer and speaker. My primary goal is to share rare, beautiful and thought-provoking stories that impel my readers to become better people.
I endeavor to share hard-to-find stories that are rich in history, and have values and morals that adhere to Biblical standards. My stories come from various cultures, faiths and time periods. Some are contemporary, some are hundreds of years old and some come from ancient times.
I am working on a devotional book. It will be comprised of fifty-two chapters, one for each week of the year. I will share a story, write a commentary about it, add modern day applications and some Biblical passages to read and ponder for each story.
I attended Bethany Bible college and studied Theology/Church Ministries. I have served in various ministries. I spent a year as the Director of the Ranch with Centrum Ministries (a live-in men's discipleship ministry). I have served in men's ministries and children's ministries. I have also been on mission trips to Mexico and in the United States.
At a certain period in my life I drifted away from the Lord. I felt as if I was the only one truly stiving to live up to the Christian standards I was taught. I lived without compromise, I didn't go to the right or left, as best I knew. But I soon began to see that I couldn't find hardly any kindred spirits. Almost everyone I knew compromised here or there. Many would tell me you're overdoing it and being too religious. "You're too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use," I was told.
The Bible does tell us, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. I simply found the narrow road too difficult. I, like so many who bear the name Christian, decided I could create my own path that would give the outward illusion that I was a follower of Christ but would allow me to keep the sins I didn't want to let go of. Of course I would justify these sins by saying, "Everyone else does it," or even find scriptures I could twist to fit my own desires; a talent, Lucifer, is a master of, may I disturbingly add.
So I began to compromise, only a little at first, but in time I was no different from most of the unbelievers in the world. I can agree, sadly, with Paul in saying that I was, "the chief among sinners." I ashamedly can say that I have been so weak and given in to all manner of temptation. But praise be to God, who can work all things together for good, for in having tread through the mud, I understand and can relate to those who feel they are unworthy.
I would attend church at times during this period of hypocrisy. It was hard for me to even glance at a cross or any image of Jesus. I felt like a lover who had betrayed the one who faithfully and unconditionally loved him.
Though most put on their Sunday best and everyone seems to have it so together at church, once I became involved in ministry, I began to see that everyone had issues and struggles in their lives. Many of the families and couples that seemed perfect were, in fact, full of disorder and some on the brink of divorce or worse. Though it crushed my belief in the happiness and perfection of some, it consoled me to know that I wasn't alone in my struggles and inadequecies. This instilled in me a seed that I wanted to, someway or somehow, help others. A seed that God has kept alive and watered over the years.
Next, I came to a place in which I didn't want to just believe in what I was taught, I wanted to believe because I truly searched for the truth myself, with an open and unobjective approach. I delved into the study of the Bible, many other faiths, philosophies and belief systems. In my research and through much prayer I ended up once again, as a follower of Christ; but this time because I found the truth, not because I simply believed in what I was taught.
I found what I to believe, as truth, in many different sources. Some that many conservative Christians would say I could not and should not find truth from. To me truth is truth, no matter where it comes from. Whether it comes from Confucius, Lao Tzu,Ghandi, Abe Lincoln, Mark Twain, Hindu teachings, Muslim teachings, ancient Summerian texts, or the girl serving me at Starbucks I care not. As long as it adheres to the teachings and principles found in the Holy Bible, my standard, I will use it.
I have spent countless hours reading and studying religious books and historical books over the years. Most from the earliest times to the period between the 1500's to the early 1900's. In my opinion they wrote differently in the past compared to many of the contemporary Christian writers of today. It isn't so much in the words they used or the styles the wrote. To me it seemed they had more passion and devotion in thier writings. They also seemed to have more of a genuine care and a sincere love for those they were writing to. It didn't matter to them if their book would become a best-seller or bring them fame and fortune. What mattered to them most was that their works would truly help their readers to become enlightened and lead them to become better and happier people. Knowing they were proclaiming the Gospel, in their own artistic way, was something they could take pride in.
I must admit that sometimes when I hear the biography of a preacher, writer or speaker I am inwardly repeled when they appear to have such a life of perfection. Many grew up in strong and healthy Christian families, they attended church regularly and never seemed to get into any real trouble. I think to myself, "How can this man or woman relate to me?" "They did it right, I did it wrong." "Can they understand what it is like to commit a sin over and over again when you know you shouldn't?" "If I was to be honest with them would they judge me for my past or the hypocrisy in my life?" I am not saying it is just to think this way, only that I often do, right or wrong. With some of the wisdom I have obtained in knowing people, I understand that even the best have weaknesses and shortcomings to work on. I am not afraid to share what I have done, knowing that as I decrease the Lord my increase!
Sometimes it is difficult for the average Joe to take instruction from one they feel cannot relate to their life. In humility I can say; that almost anything you are struggling with, I can relate. I have found myself in places and in situations where I felt just like the prodigal son in the midst of his folly. I often asked myself, "What are you doing in this place or with these kinds of people? You are better than this, and you have a loving Father who is waiting for you to come home."
I have two of the most wonderful and beautiful daughters in the world! I have shared many of these stories with them as they have grown into the amazing young women they are today. They have seen me at my best and at my worst and our love is deep and unbreakable. I went through a divorce about ten years ago and I won custody of them. I know the struggles of being a single parent. We have had times of plenty and endured times of suffering. I know what it is like to look in the cupboard on Monday and see just one box of macaroni and cheese left and realize that I don't get paid until Friday. I also know how God always came through and provided for us, when I deserved it and when I didn't. He remains faithful even when we don't. Our God is awesome!
I have had times of financial prosperity and abundance. I have also had times when I lost everything, wound up homeless and had literally nothing but my health and a flicker of hope that God would redeem me yet again.
Two years ago my daughters came to me in tears saying, "Daddy we love you so much but we are not happy in Florida, we want to go live with mommy for a while in Las Vegas." It absolutely broke my heart. I knew I had the legal right to say no, but I didn't want to force them to stay with me. I sadly let them go.
I went through a period of deep depression after that. I kept their bedrooms exactly how they left them. I began to isolate myself and drink alcohol more and more to cover my pain. I would sit in their rooms, with a bottle of wine and cry my eyes out wishing they were with me. I would peep through my shut blinds and see and hear their old friends running, laughing and playing...without my daughters. It was a heart-wrenching time for me.
About a year and a half after they left, I was launching a business I ran successfully in my younger years. It was an auto-delivery company and I would transport cars up and down the east coast. I began to receive calls from my daughters asking me to move and be with them. They would call in tears and plead with me to move to Las Vegas to be with them. With the ecomomy and job market being the worst in the entire country it was at first, a tough decision to make.
Finally I a question came to me that compelled me to move as soon as I could. The question was, "Would I risk sturggling financially and being with my daughters, or succeed with my business, and not be with them?" The anwer was simple and I am now residing in Las Vegas..with my beautiful daughters. And yes I am struggling, trying to find good paying employment. At just 17 years old I worked for a company in which I would drive around and sell frozen food products door to door. I am actually making about what I made all those years ago!
I believe that we can learn from all that we go through in our lives, the good, the bad and the ugly. In losing my girls it helped me understand how God, our loving Father feels when His deeply loved children wander away from Him. I will never forget those times I cried until tears would not come out anymore. I wondered if I fell short in being a good and loving father to them. I always provided for them, went to their games, practices, plays. Even though I worked full-time I was very hands on and active in their lives unlike many parents these days. I tried to instill in them good values and morals. I loved them with my whole heart...but they left me!? It wasn't that they didn't love me either, they just wanted to try something different. How much that is like what I did to God!
Regarding my calling to serve my Lord and my God I have been like Jonah. I have always known that I have a gift from the Lord and that I am called to preach his Word. I have run from this for too many years. I chose not to serve or get involved in the some of the churches I attended because I believed that if you are going to serve the Lord in a ministry, you must be living a pure and holy life. Not that you must be perfect, for there is none perfect but Christ, but that you must be living up to the standards you profess as best you can. I also know that you can allow room for mistakes and sins that will come out here and there. I am not close to perfect and have a lifetime to continue working on my shortcomings. I am just a fellow pilgrim like you battling his way through life trying to make a positive impact on those who may come across my path.
If anyone actually reads this far thank you for your interest and taking the time to hear a little of my story. It is my hope and my prayer that the stories I write, along with the commentaries and applications may bless your life!
~J. Lawrence Finley ~ "A Follower of Christ"
I endeavor to share hard-to-find stories that are rich in history, and have values and morals that adhere to Biblical standards. My stories come from various cultures, faiths and time periods. Some are contemporary, some are hundreds of years old and some come from ancient times.
I am working on a devotional book. It will be comprised of fifty-two chapters, one for each week of the year. I will share a story, write a commentary about it, add modern day applications and some Biblical passages to read and ponder for each story.
I attended Bethany Bible college and studied Theology/Church Ministries. I have served in various ministries. I spent a year as the Director of the Ranch with Centrum Ministries (a live-in men's discipleship ministry). I have served in men's ministries and children's ministries. I have also been on mission trips to Mexico and in the United States.
At a certain period in my life I drifted away from the Lord. I felt as if I was the only one truly stiving to live up to the Christian standards I was taught. I lived without compromise, I didn't go to the right or left, as best I knew. But I soon began to see that I couldn't find hardly any kindred spirits. Almost everyone I knew compromised here or there. Many would tell me you're overdoing it and being too religious. "You're too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use," I was told.
The Bible does tell us, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. I simply found the narrow road too difficult. I, like so many who bear the name Christian, decided I could create my own path that would give the outward illusion that I was a follower of Christ but would allow me to keep the sins I didn't want to let go of. Of course I would justify these sins by saying, "Everyone else does it," or even find scriptures I could twist to fit my own desires; a talent, Lucifer, is a master of, may I disturbingly add.
So I began to compromise, only a little at first, but in time I was no different from most of the unbelievers in the world. I can agree, sadly, with Paul in saying that I was, "the chief among sinners." I ashamedly can say that I have been so weak and given in to all manner of temptation. But praise be to God, who can work all things together for good, for in having tread through the mud, I understand and can relate to those who feel they are unworthy.
I would attend church at times during this period of hypocrisy. It was hard for me to even glance at a cross or any image of Jesus. I felt like a lover who had betrayed the one who faithfully and unconditionally loved him.
Though most put on their Sunday best and everyone seems to have it so together at church, once I became involved in ministry, I began to see that everyone had issues and struggles in their lives. Many of the families and couples that seemed perfect were, in fact, full of disorder and some on the brink of divorce or worse. Though it crushed my belief in the happiness and perfection of some, it consoled me to know that I wasn't alone in my struggles and inadequecies. This instilled in me a seed that I wanted to, someway or somehow, help others. A seed that God has kept alive and watered over the years.
Next, I came to a place in which I didn't want to just believe in what I was taught, I wanted to believe because I truly searched for the truth myself, with an open and unobjective approach. I delved into the study of the Bible, many other faiths, philosophies and belief systems. In my research and through much prayer I ended up once again, as a follower of Christ; but this time because I found the truth, not because I simply believed in what I was taught.
I found what I to believe, as truth, in many different sources. Some that many conservative Christians would say I could not and should not find truth from. To me truth is truth, no matter where it comes from. Whether it comes from Confucius, Lao Tzu,Ghandi, Abe Lincoln, Mark Twain, Hindu teachings, Muslim teachings, ancient Summerian texts, or the girl serving me at Starbucks I care not. As long as it adheres to the teachings and principles found in the Holy Bible, my standard, I will use it.
I have spent countless hours reading and studying religious books and historical books over the years. Most from the earliest times to the period between the 1500's to the early 1900's. In my opinion they wrote differently in the past compared to many of the contemporary Christian writers of today. It isn't so much in the words they used or the styles the wrote. To me it seemed they had more passion and devotion in thier writings. They also seemed to have more of a genuine care and a sincere love for those they were writing to. It didn't matter to them if their book would become a best-seller or bring them fame and fortune. What mattered to them most was that their works would truly help their readers to become enlightened and lead them to become better and happier people. Knowing they were proclaiming the Gospel, in their own artistic way, was something they could take pride in.
I must admit that sometimes when I hear the biography of a preacher, writer or speaker I am inwardly repeled when they appear to have such a life of perfection. Many grew up in strong and healthy Christian families, they attended church regularly and never seemed to get into any real trouble. I think to myself, "How can this man or woman relate to me?" "They did it right, I did it wrong." "Can they understand what it is like to commit a sin over and over again when you know you shouldn't?" "If I was to be honest with them would they judge me for my past or the hypocrisy in my life?" I am not saying it is just to think this way, only that I often do, right or wrong. With some of the wisdom I have obtained in knowing people, I understand that even the best have weaknesses and shortcomings to work on. I am not afraid to share what I have done, knowing that as I decrease the Lord my increase!
Sometimes it is difficult for the average Joe to take instruction from one they feel cannot relate to their life. In humility I can say; that almost anything you are struggling with, I can relate. I have found myself in places and in situations where I felt just like the prodigal son in the midst of his folly. I often asked myself, "What are you doing in this place or with these kinds of people? You are better than this, and you have a loving Father who is waiting for you to come home."
I have two of the most wonderful and beautiful daughters in the world! I have shared many of these stories with them as they have grown into the amazing young women they are today. They have seen me at my best and at my worst and our love is deep and unbreakable. I went through a divorce about ten years ago and I won custody of them. I know the struggles of being a single parent. We have had times of plenty and endured times of suffering. I know what it is like to look in the cupboard on Monday and see just one box of macaroni and cheese left and realize that I don't get paid until Friday. I also know how God always came through and provided for us, when I deserved it and when I didn't. He remains faithful even when we don't. Our God is awesome!
I have had times of financial prosperity and abundance. I have also had times when I lost everything, wound up homeless and had literally nothing but my health and a flicker of hope that God would redeem me yet again.
Two years ago my daughters came to me in tears saying, "Daddy we love you so much but we are not happy in Florida, we want to go live with mommy for a while in Las Vegas." It absolutely broke my heart. I knew I had the legal right to say no, but I didn't want to force them to stay with me. I sadly let them go.
I went through a period of deep depression after that. I kept their bedrooms exactly how they left them. I began to isolate myself and drink alcohol more and more to cover my pain. I would sit in their rooms, with a bottle of wine and cry my eyes out wishing they were with me. I would peep through my shut blinds and see and hear their old friends running, laughing and playing...without my daughters. It was a heart-wrenching time for me.
About a year and a half after they left, I was launching a business I ran successfully in my younger years. It was an auto-delivery company and I would transport cars up and down the east coast. I began to receive calls from my daughters asking me to move and be with them. They would call in tears and plead with me to move to Las Vegas to be with them. With the ecomomy and job market being the worst in the entire country it was at first, a tough decision to make.
Finally I a question came to me that compelled me to move as soon as I could. The question was, "Would I risk sturggling financially and being with my daughters, or succeed with my business, and not be with them?" The anwer was simple and I am now residing in Las Vegas..with my beautiful daughters. And yes I am struggling, trying to find good paying employment. At just 17 years old I worked for a company in which I would drive around and sell frozen food products door to door. I am actually making about what I made all those years ago!
I believe that we can learn from all that we go through in our lives, the good, the bad and the ugly. In losing my girls it helped me understand how God, our loving Father feels when His deeply loved children wander away from Him. I will never forget those times I cried until tears would not come out anymore. I wondered if I fell short in being a good and loving father to them. I always provided for them, went to their games, practices, plays. Even though I worked full-time I was very hands on and active in their lives unlike many parents these days. I tried to instill in them good values and morals. I loved them with my whole heart...but they left me!? It wasn't that they didn't love me either, they just wanted to try something different. How much that is like what I did to God!
Regarding my calling to serve my Lord and my God I have been like Jonah. I have always known that I have a gift from the Lord and that I am called to preach his Word. I have run from this for too many years. I chose not to serve or get involved in the some of the churches I attended because I believed that if you are going to serve the Lord in a ministry, you must be living a pure and holy life. Not that you must be perfect, for there is none perfect but Christ, but that you must be living up to the standards you profess as best you can. I also know that you can allow room for mistakes and sins that will come out here and there. I am not close to perfect and have a lifetime to continue working on my shortcomings. I am just a fellow pilgrim like you battling his way through life trying to make a positive impact on those who may come across my path.
If anyone actually reads this far thank you for your interest and taking the time to hear a little of my story. It is my hope and my prayer that the stories I write, along with the commentaries and applications may bless your life!
~J. Lawrence Finley ~ "A Follower of Christ"
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