Productive/Creative – Analog Man in a Digital World
Non-mainstream thoughts and musings
I saw this moron, in the span of about 10 minutes: run a stop sign, run a red light, tailgate, speed, and pass unsafely, all while talking on his cell phone. The license plate said “House of Representatives” and was plate number 052.
Just saying.
Finished rebuilding the Chopper Trike for a friend… here it is! Only have to put the basket back on once the paint dries.
Closeup of the brake bridge we added:
Much thanks to Deborah B. for inviting me to the Blog Hop party! I’d love for you to check out her work at DeborahBaudoin.com. So you’re asking, “What’s a blog hop?” and of course, I will give you an answer. It’s a cool way to find out new authors, read a few cool articles, and generally keep you from wasting too much time on Facebook.
As part of this exercise (yes, there’s exercise involved) we were asked ten questions about our upcoming works. For me, the best part of watching a DVD is the behind-the-scenes special features, because I love to get to know the cast and crew behind the movie. This is the literary equivalent, more or less. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I do!
1. What is the working title of your book? Ummm…… heh. I’m working on that.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book? I’ve been a fan of techno-thrillers since I was a young teenager. I can remember the first time I saw the Matrix, and I knew I was sucked in. It’s sort of a combination of Hackers and Swordfish and The Matrix… to name just a few! My ideas of Cyberpunk are also heavily influenced by the tabletop role-playing game Shadowrun. As in The Matrix, there will be plenty of social, philosophical, and spiritual ramifications for our protagonists.
3. What genre does your book come under? Action Adventure for people who like to think.
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I wouldn’t pick Keanu Reeves, simply because he’s so closely associated with the character Neo. Maybe Jesse Eisenberg as the main protagonist, or maybe Wil Wheaton, or Shia LeBouf. Somebody who seems naive at first, but has a bit of a crazy streak under the surface. The main character’s girlfriend could be someone like Olivia Wilde, or Gwen Stefani… as in the book, she actually fronts a punk-rock band. I wouldn’t want an actress to have to do that scene with voice-overs. That’s lame!
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Boy lives a carefree hacker life, gets framed for a crime he didn’t commit, and has to decide whether to turn in his friends and get whacked by the mob, or turn himself in and never see his life (or girlfriend) again.
6. Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? I self-published my first book, and it was a great learning experience. I’m planning on self-publishing my books until I can devote enough time to properly have them edited. Or unless somebody offers to publish it for me… yeah, I’d consider that.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? First draft of my last book took 30 days (yes, it was for NaNoWriMo). The first re-write added another 10 months, so overall, it took about a year to have a usable manuscript. This was on top of a full-time job. I know professional authors who only write a book a year, and that’s their job!
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? As I said, the main characters are similar to The Matrix‘s but that’s where the similarity ends. I can’t say I’ve even read any books like it, but movies like The Net, Swordfish, Hackers, and a little bit of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Yeah… all that’s inside my brain.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book? I was encouraged to write what I know, so I wrote about a young, naive computer programmer (who plays music at night) who gets caught up in the wrong crowd. I know a lot about that kind of thing.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? Well, besides the action and drama, there’s this really great scene where they try to escape from the FBI… I guess that counts as action? I don’t know, it’s just good. I tend to write weird characters, and as random as my brain is, you never know what’s on the next page. There’s always something interesting that grabs you when you least expect it. That’s just my ADD kicking in!
Who’s next on the NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP?
You should check out my good friend (and excellent comedy writer) Blake M. Petit. I love his stories!
Yes, it’s true… I’m secretly a Supervillain. This video explains why.
There are days when you wake up and dread getting out of bed. Do you know what I’m talking about? Those days, when you wish you could just pretend you weren’t a Christian, and didn’t have to be nice to anybody for a few days.
I’m just being honest. If you’ve never experienced this, then you’re not human. Everybody has bad days, and I’m no exception, even though I’m cheerier than most. There are some days (and more specifically, some people) that just make me wish I could move to a deserted island. There are people that suck so much energy out of you, it hurts to be in their presence.
How do you deal with people that suck all your joy out? Killjoys, pessimists, cynics, nagging, criticizing, and so on. After hours with them, you want to end the misery with blunt force trauma to the head (yours or theirs, doesn’t matter which).
We see Jesus (in Luke 6) as he’s teaching a crowd. He offers the Beatitudes, and then he follows them with some warnings:
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Sounds easy, but it’s not. Now, for the real question: How far would Jesus love them? Would he allow them to drive him crazy, or would he look into their souls, see what they needed, and free them from it? At what point did he cut them loose?
Well, contrary to popular belief, there were plenty of times when Jesus cut people loose… let them go, pushed them further than they were willing to go. He didn’t always suck it up and put up with it. He told people what they needed to hear, and if they couldn’t handle it, he moved on. The Apostle Paul was the same way. In Matthew 11 and Luke 10, we even see Jesus denouncing entire cities that refused his message.
So, okay, maybe we don’t have the power to look into people’s souls, but we can pretty much figure out what they need (I mean really need, not just what we want to *ahem* give them). And let’s assume that you’ve given them truth as best you can, like Jesus would have.
So then what? Let’s see what Jesus did with people that tried his patience.
In Luke 4, Jesus was teaching in his home town, and the people wanted to know why he didn’t do more miracles there. He tells them the truth, and they responded with:
29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
He just slipped through and left them alone. He ignored their accusations, and left the situation. In Luke 19, Jesus enters the temple and begins throwing over tables, telling the sellers to get out! He then proceeds to do what He did best, which is tell people the truth, and this was the outcome:
47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
He spoke truth, and didn’t allow himself to be caught in lies. Everywhere He turned, people asked him inappropriate questions, and He always gave an answer, though not what they were looking for…
People asked Jesus who should take care of their estate. Jesus told them He wasn’t an arbiter of wills.
They asked if they should pay taxes. Jesus told them to give the government its due.
They asked how many times they could remarry, and who’s wife would she be in Heaven. Jesus told them they didn’t have a clue about what Heaven was like.
The focus isn’t going to be on who’s married to whom in heaven… our focus will be on worshipping the God of the universe.
So what do we do?
Always remember: We can’t control other people’s actions, but we can control our own reactions. Take a deep breath, smile, and walk away.
I thought I’d do something different today, and post up a link to an excellent article written by a friend, Stephanie Stevens. In my quest to simplify my life, I’ve come across a lot of challenges, and she addresses some of them in her blog post, What Simplicity Isn’t: 4 Things. I highly recommend reading it, as I hope it will make you stop and think about what we’ve come to think of as “simplifying” in today’s world.
I personally have had difficulty separating “simplicity” from “frugality” and “minimalism.” They aren’t the same. I’ve caught myself using these words interchangeably, but the truth is simplicity doesn’t always mean the least amount of stuff.
In the past, I was forced to be frugal out of necessity. I fixed my own car, built my own computers, put together my own bikes out of spare parts, used every trick I could to save money. This isn’t simplicity! I was always stressed about these jobs, because I couldn’t afford to just get it fixed.
Years later I still do most of these things, but I’ve come to realize it’s out of habit, not because I need to any more. God has blessed me to where I can call up a mechanic and have them fix my car without worrying about how we’re going to get groceries. I can just pop on Amazon and get a tool I need to make a job easier and faster. I don’t have to buy the cheapest washing machine, and deal with the fact that it’ll break down constantly. I’m slowly coming to grips with the fact that cheaper isn’t always simpler or easier.
Now before you can spit your gourmet coffee, yell “DUH!” and slap yourself in the forehead, let me explain. My wife and I both came from relatively poor families. I was taught (and rightly so) that you shouldn’t waste money. But as I’ve grown, I’ve come to realize the benefits of using money as a tool to get things done to simplify life and save time. I’m past the point where I feel the need to build and fix everything. It just takes too long, causes too much stress, and isn’t worth the time if I can spend a bit more to get it done quickly.
I still enjoy building bikes and computers, though I haven’t built a computer in a few years. I’m only going to do those things if I enjoy them, though. Why would I stress over it? Either I can do it myself, or I can’t… and if I can’t, and I can have somebody else do it much more efficiently, then why not?
Simplicity. What does it cost you? Is it worth it? Do you enjoy it?
Is Minimalism really the answer to simplifying your life? They are not always one and the same.
Is it your surroundings or your mental effort that needs to be simplified?
Where do you draw the line between a “life of ease” and “simplicity?” Where do you need to be?
As I sit here, sipping my green tea (with mint!) I can’t help but think about the many things I’ve been blessed with. And yet, in our deepest, darkest parts, we’re all dissatisfied. We’ve learned to hide it, but we are unable to enjoy the world the way God created on our own.
As I think, my mind wanders to the “to-do” list I have made for myself as a writer. Am I a writer? Well, I like writing, I’m pretty good at it, obviously God has gifted me with the ability to write.
But is that all it takes to be a writer?
And more importantly, just because I’m good at writing, is that what God specifically wants me to do? Well, yes, it’s true that God gave the ability for me to use, but *I* decided how to use that gift. I’m the one who wants to be a Christian Fiction novelist. I never received a message saying “You are to be the next Frank E. Peretti.” I would like nothing more than to do that, but is that what God really wants from me?
Well, no, it isn’t. He wants me to first and foremost seek Him.
“That sounds easier than it is,” you say, and you’d be right. But the main reason we fail to properly seek God is because we’re too busy trying to fulfill our own agenda. We can’t hear God over the noise and racket we fill our minds with. How can we listen to His still, small voice when the TV is on full volume, the kids are on even fuller volume, and every spare minute we have is consumed with “how am I going to make ends meet?”
Welcome to the modern world. This is what we struggle with. So how do we hear God? Quiet your mind, quiet your surroundings, still your active life, and listen. Read your Bible, put on some quiet music, and listen. Not for just five minutes, either. We can’t expect God to reveal Himself to us like a drive-through window. It doesn’t happen on our schedule. We have to be available to listen.
So in light of this, what are my goals in life? I mean, my real goals, not what I think would make me the most money.
* I want to write as much as I can. This could mean writing novels, or it could mean blog posts, or it could mean writing letters to my friends and family.
* I want to spend more time with my family. Especially doing things with them, not doing things around them.
* I want to play more music. Nothing fills me with wonder, joy, and passion like playing music. I’m not a very good songwriter, but I have been given the gift of music, and I want to use that as much as I can. It might mean playing in a band, or doing more music in church, or maybe teaching my kids to play instruments.
* I want to read more books.
* I want to bless people with what I’ve been given. I don’t want to develop a dependency on “stuff”, but would rather use it as a way to bless others.
* I want to read the Bible enough to be fluent in it.
I’m sure there are more things than this, but these will do for now. What are your goals in life? Are they too specific? Do you need to quiet your life before you can hear God? I know I did.
Huge pile of rusty bikes! We’ll see if I can get a few gems out of this pile.
Dad found his new bike:
In the last two years, my entire life has been turned upside down. From everybody’s perspective, I was on top of the world: I had lost 40 pounds, had gotten in shape, had self-published a book, started riding my bike to work (saving gas, money, and the environment!), was working at the best job I’d ever had, and by all intents and purposes, I had everything going for me.
Except for one little problem. I had made this my god (little “g”). I was too busy to read my Bible, was too busy to pray on a regular basis, too tired to play with my kids, too drained to spend quality time with my wife. I scrounged cycling forums several times a day, and kept meticulous records of my weekly mileage (I clocked in 4000+ miles in one year, on my bicycle!) But it wasn’t enough.
I was trying to better myself, but in the process, I had lost what really matters. I no longer was doing what I needed to do. I didn’t really need to get healthier or save money. I wanted to because it made me feel better physically and mentally. But spiritually, I was sick!
The truth is, I was seeking approval from the wrong place. I was getting plenty of accolades, even from the people whom I was cheating time from. But I had walked away from talking with God. I was content that the relationship would stay on hold, and that God would be there, right where I left off, when I needed him again.
And then I got hit by a car that ran a red light. Shattered my life, shattered my femur, shattered my self-confidence. It shook me from top to bottom, and all of a sudden I realized I wasn’t as close to God as I had thought. I found myself unable to stand or walk, stuck with a hospital bill I couldn’t pay. I was completely helpless.
For a few days, I stuck it out. I was strong, I could deal with this. But after days of having my leg in traction waiting on surgery (and you don’t want to know how they did that… let’s just say, even on morphine, it was extremely unpleasant) I broke down and admitted there was absolutely nothing I could do. And then, when I realized all those pounds I lost and miles I rode were worthless if I might never walk again, God came to me. He was there, all along. He hadn’t moved: I had left Him behind. In my own quest for self-improvement, I had lost touch with my Creator.
I urge you, if you’re in a place where everything is going fine, don’t forget about God. It’s easy, but don’t do it. You cannot enjoy all the things in life you’ve been blessed with without acknowledging who allowed it to happen.
“But,” you say with your hands on your hips, “God didn’t give me fitness/money/whatever, I worked for it!”
Who gave you the ability to walk? Who kept you from being run over by a car running a red light? Who do you think blessed you with eyesight to be able to read this? God did. It wasn’t an accident. Who allowed me to get hit by a car? God did. Why? Because when you can’t walk, you can’t run away from your problems. God won’t chase you; He will make you stop running. That’s how He works.
Self-improvement for its own sake is pointless. Only when you replace the worldly approval with Jesus do you see benefits of doing good. You can obsess over simplicity just like you can be consumed with materialism. For some it’s a matter of obsessing over something good, like exercise, while leaving your spiritual condition in shambles.
Focusing on anything, even “good” things, outside of God, will land you in trouble. One day you may find yourself unable to run. Once you realize you are helpless, truly helpless, then you will be able to see God do miraculous things.
Good works are not a substitute for a relationship with God.
Today’s minimizing victim: old t-shirts that are taking up space in my dresser. Gone!