How the Universe Began, The Jewish Learning Institute. God blessed the Jews with understanding thousands of years ago. I have never been able to express this in an understandable way. This is beautiful. It's almost as though God, himself, is giving this lecture. I suppose he was. Take a little time to listen. You will not be disappointed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLXcWTSJBZ4
Over the past ten to twenty years, the world has seen a dramatic increase in Christian and Jewish defamation, suffering from religious extremists and secular group attacks on the opposing side, and various individual-prompted desecration of properties.
This novel is about a secret worldwide organization of very devout Christian and Jewish men and women of great power and influence formed to curb these attacks. Their primary method is to let adversaries know that to attack Christians and Jews will no longer be ignored. The price of attacking these two religious groups will come with a good chance of retribution. That retribution will likely come by means of a quasi-military reaction in the form of the organization's special forces unit called The Team. The Team is an African special forces unit made up of South Sudanese, Somalis, Iranians, and Americans. The Team is not a band of bloodthirsty killers. They are all victims of terror, but work hard at leaving revenge to God. The Team trust and lean heavily on God. Prayer and service to God come before all else. Gathering disciples, even from their enemies, is their commission from our Lord, and they are spiritually chained to it.
In this novel, you will see how adulterated our worship of God has become in America and Europe. You will see how Christians in Africa reflect a much more accurate image of Jesus Christ than those in America and Europe. Some may and will think these characters are fictitious extremist, but they have no experience with Africa and its peoples. Their daily and past sacrifices in daily life and for their religious beliefs is why they chose South Sudan. African people know what it is like to have their faith tested at the sharpened edge of a machete; to see people around them give their lives for their faith. The Team are not a made up fiction, in fact, they are the African standard. What have we Americans and Europeans demonstrated in our faith to be the main makeup of a team of devout followers willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary? We have our faithful followers, but they are dwindling in numbers.
In conclusion, not just the Third World, the entire world needs God and his heroes. The Team introduces the world to our Lord's type of hero. The hope is for The Team to give hope and encouragement to future and current Christians and Jews. Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you…” I asked, and it was given to me. Pray with faith and conviction.
Less than 3% of all published authors ever make a living at writing. Writing words is cheap. Publishing books is expensive. A person had better have all of his ducks in a row when he deals with an agent or a publisher. There are many items on the to-do list once you finish the writing portion. To start with, the editing, that you do all by yourself, is very time-consuming. Keep a large bottle of antacids handy. Outlines... stories about your stories; you reduce your 3 or 400 page novel to three pages to entice the agents, publishing boards to continue their interest. Writing back-cover ads to grab readers in 25 words or less. When choosing a book to buy, the average reader spends 20 seconds. You have 20 seconds to grab that person's interest - to handcuff them to the book. Word counts that change moment by moment in editing. The word counts must be accurate. Table of contents with their chapter descriptions that must keep a reader going through the dead spots that every book has. Most writers are good for about three chapters. Then the inspiration dries up. You must develop and express your marketing plan(s) to the agent and publisher. Yes, you are the main marketing executive of your book, on top of all the other titles you carry on your back. Give the agents and editors your current lecture circuit itinerary. Social media: websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter. How many thousands of subscribers, likes, followers on that wonderful social media. Professional photos of yourself. Business cards for all the important people you know and are endorsing your book. Be able to give several very valid and alluring reasons why people should and will buy your book over that famous person's book next to yours. Don't forget the video of you speaking like a world-famous orator to convince some stranger(s) how well your book will sell. Sell yourself constantly. Thanks to Steve Laube, literary agent, for all this info. My answer to these exciting facts is that horrid facts never discourage the talented.
I tell you all this not to discourage. I tell you this to let you know there are potholes in this profession that are common to the craft - not just to you. Armed with this info, you will not be surprised by these demoralizing holes in the road. Writers must be a one-man or woman corporation that has boiled their normal two-thousand employee force down to - uno, you, or, if you are fortunate to have the funds, hire an editor or a general assistant to handle social media, etc.
Personally, I write because I love to write, and I'm very good at it. I hate writing like someone else, or copying the style of current trends. I strive to write different - like me, yours truly. Furthermore, I may not get published again, but that is not the end of the world for me. My pay is that I get to write for God in a very non-God society, and it makes me feel empowered. I was born stubborn and a little over-sure of myself. God cracks his whip on me occasionally. You'd better include some armor in this brutal writer's market.
Famous writers lush over their prolific artistic talents with the written word. How they excelled in their formative years by their pens. In the third grade, I was reading Mad Magazine. In the sixth grade, I hand-wrote a 364-page novel. My teacher took it from me and shredded it in front of the class for not listening to her diatribe. She didn't deter my writing. I was well aware that the novel stunk. Growing up, I read such classics as the annual DC Superman Edition, Batman, a lot of the Marvels, and still managed to get the award for reading 25 library books during the school year. I loved Tom Sawyer and all the other Mark Twain classics. I read all the Horatio Hornblower collection. To this day, I read and collect military and war books. I sound like a nut. Keep a little of your own personality. Don't sell everything God blessed you with. I picked the toughest market and the toughest genre to write in to thank my Lord for everything he has done for me. Other genres are tedious. I harbor no regrets in choosing to abandon the secular market, where some told me that I would have success. However, success to me is measured in service to God, love of family, and service to my country.
I am finishing the 1st draft of the book today. Praise to God, for He gave me all the inspiration for the novel. At times, it has been a voyage on rough seas. At times, it has been a voyage on calm seas. But God has always left his door open to give me inspiration.
The novel's characters are employed by our Lord, but are hardly pristine. The cast does not spend every moment locked away in solitude beseeching God to smite the evil militia groups. Actually, they spend a great deal of their time studying and training. Working with God, He gently directs us to action. Action that, at times, may be in the form of study or physical workings. He uses the spiritual gifts that He gives to us. But - they never go anywhere without prayer. Their studies have large measures of God's word mixed in, for their training is based on God's word. Even Samuel has his "oops" moments.
A quote that I carry with me, always, from Alan Redpath, "The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, but the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime." We all have our failings in our quest for sainthood. The key is to never give up. When you fall, turn to God, and ask for help to stand again. He loves us all, and wants to lose none of us. The book demonstrates several of the most unlikely people that give their life to Christ. They do this through Christians that live their lives as a living, loving example of Jesus Christ. In other words, they want some of what you got. Jesus wasn't stupid. He knew what grabbed people, attracted them. Let's use this technique that is proven to work so well in disciple gathering.
Hopefully, this novel will encourage service to God, which is service to your fellow humans. If it inspires just one person to serve God, then it has accomplished its goal. The shepherd leaves his sheep to save just one sheep who has gone astray. God, through faith in Jesus Christ, offers us eternal life. He offers us eternal life because he asks us to serve him, on this earth, even to worldly death. Martyrs were not just in Roman times, in the Colosseum, Christians are being martyred around the world every day.
Colossians 3:2-3
"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
The Team smells a rat in chapter 17. Everything is not always as it seems.Long-sought killer finds he is nothing but hype compared to God. An exciting chapter full of twists and turns. An unlikely band of counterfeits become a national treasure, and The Team gives them their approval. God gives Mabior what he thought he would never find, and what he does at that point is awe-inspiring.
If we really look deep into life, we find that God turns evil into good for his purposes. We discover that everybody and everything is at God's beck and call. This is the underlying basis of chapter 17. We should look at evil as bad, but, at the same time, we should understand that God will use it for his will, his good. As I near the finish line of this book, it is up to God what he chooses to do with it. I just know that I love serving God, and writing is one of the ways that I am capable of serving God. It is His will, not mine.
I was a little upset today. I was repairing a toilet and that stupid inanimate object would not do as I commanded. After I won a hard-fought battle, I began to wonder; does God ever get angry at us for not doing as he commands us? Of course, he does. Surely, he thinks as my earthly father did, "Do you think I tell you to do this just to hear my head rattle?" Only when I had children of my own, did I fully understand the meaning behind that. He meant that he has many more years of experience than I do and quit asking why every time he tells me to do something, so listen up, son. Same goes for God, listen up, son - and while you're at it, quit asking me why and quit talking to inanimate objects. It is the same thing people are doing in their worship of idols.
I do all this griping and complaining about a simple repair as our brothers and sisters in prisons around the world are facing nothing but imprisonment, torture, and death just for their Christian beliefs. I must improve my vision.
I attempt, very poorly at times, to listen to God as I am writing. I write for God and for God alone. His glory is my goal, my satisfaction, my reward.
General Iverson intervened at that point, "Frank, this is your first time working with The Team or any group such as this. I'm sure it is quite an eye-opener. I think you'll find them up to the task at hand. Frank, when WCPN gave this most difficult task to JJ and Mark, my son, they were asked what kind of men they would be looking for. Mark answered, 'I speak for both of us when I quote David Livingstone, 'If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.' And we , JJ and I, will demand of them to do it all for God and God alone.' Now, sir, you know exactly who and what these men before you are." The Team just stared intently at Frank.
My feeling is that Jesus asked the same of the Disciples. It gives me goosebumps to think of someone asking for this kind of dedication and commitment. Martin Luther King said, "A man who believes in nothing worth dying for, is a life not worth living." That may be one of the present-day society's problems: Society teaches us, whether on purpose or by unthinking example, to believe in nothing worth dying for, only being served.
