Gardening

To the garden I gleefully go
Harvest is here what’s there to show
An apple tree plump as you know
Zucchini thick run to and fro

Carrots plenty fill the dirt
Cucumber, pumpkin, strawberry dessert
Corn in its stalks, a prickly hurt
As thorns from the roses grab hold of my shirt.

My baskets are filled, my fingers now numb
From pulling and pulling the art of green thumb
But, what’s that, I ask, to myself feeling dumb
Another small plant hid beneath rotten plum

Its nothing I’ve planted, it must be a weed
I guess I must pull it to save other seed
But hands reaching down, fingers did not agree
Instead found myself laying under the tree

“It can wait til tomorrow” I say in my head
One small weed won’t make all my other plants dead.
So I clean up my hands, fingers blistered and red
Then take to my room and drop hard on bed.

The morning a cockatoo bellows aloud
I take to the kitchen where my vegetables crowd.
With cutting board, knife, and hunger abound
I make a good meal, store the rest all around.

In cupboards and fridge, overflowing with fruit
On the table three type of vegetable root
Dust from their cleaning now covers my boot
Making all of my sweeping a point that’s now moot

When I finally put those shoes in the garage
I walk out to sunset, at the garden I pause
The plants still sit happy I give them a nod,
Then see the green weed like a horrid mirage

Again I reach out, but the sun’s getting low
“I guess I can wait till tomorrow” I go
Its only a small weed its no hefty foe
Early tomorrow I’ll pull it, I know.

Then morning and morning went past every day.
Chores filled to the brim making me always say
“I’ll do it tomorrow” in different ways
From committed salute to casual ending of day.

While I rested and worked the weed simply thrived.
Till it fought with the tree to keep staying alive
Its roots dug deep, feet at least five
Its base was bigger than four large beehives.

I woke up so startled to see such a sight
And yet, watched it grow from just a small sprite
I run to the base and prepare for a fight
While I pull and I pull using all of my might

Not even a budge, does the weed end up moving.
I smack my own head knowing that I am losing
I grab a sharp shovel the base I’m perusing.
To see how to take this big weed from its musing

I hit and I smack, I pull and I axe
It’s not going anywhere, that the facts
It’s not just the muscle that my arm lacks
But help from another to get some new tacts.

One friend comes across the road to with his shoes
Surprised as could be when he saw the big view
He calls another, and another two.
And soon we are more than just a small few.

Together we pull, we axe, and we tare
The weed fights real strong, its roots thick, they bare
But after we shovel, dirt piled in the air
The weed let’s ground go, together we stare.

So never forget, when your harvesting dear,
A weed may seem but small interfere
But left there for too long becomes quite severe
Alone you can’t pull it, so keep your friends near.






That’s Not Important


Writing a story is just plain fun. It’s fun to sit down and write all the different little aspects and intricacies about the histories of characters, the creation of castles, and civilization. One of the things that really intrigued me about The Lord of the Rings was the Silmarilian, the deep theological journey J. R. R. Tolkien took himself through in order to really dig deep into what that’s actually going on in his world. That journey created an enriching depth to his books, but at the same point, it wasn’t important.

When you look at The Hobbit, or The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the deep theological truths behind the story don’t play a crucial role. Sure, there are mentions of historical events and characters, but nothing that forces a reader to go back and investigate to understand. An example is Aragon. His race comes from the brother of Elrond, who chose to die, rather than live forever like the elves. This accounts for his old age and the separation between him and Boriamir. That’s all the explanation you need to understand his life length as well as the difference between him and men. Yet the story of Elrond and his brother is extensive.

So theology, when it comes to writing a book, isn’t important unless it is. There are so many books that only have the story itself written and slight details about history needed. What I find really fun for myself is writing about theological depth and myths. What role do they play in my characters’ lives? Is there a higher power allowing my character to come across good luck? I even specified a portion of my website to include different conclusions of the world creation based on different sects.

The truth is I keep calling it theology, but in reality, it’s history. It’s the actual history of how my world was created. I wrote a lot about this is the blog intricacies of theology. This is more focused on the fact that it’s just fun to make stuff up. It’s weird to bind yourself to rules based on historical facts, yet the generalized creativity is  freeing. You can write about whatever you want as little or as detailed as you want because it’s not a book. It’s just history.

That’s the fun of it. Writing is about being as creative as possible. It’s about building a path for readers to enter your world. It’s about building a world they want to stay in. C.S.Lewis got right with the Chronicles of Narnia. A world in a wardrobe where all your imaginations come true.

Rome and Jesus Part 2

A Lamb to the Slaughter



The Maccabean revolution set an example to the nation of what a Messiah was. If a man could rescue them with the power of God, how much greater would be the Man called of God. Their alliance with Rome would soon be turned against them, and their eyes would look back to the sky. The Messiah would be their only rescue from Roman rule. Had they only known His victory over oppression came after His death by Roman hands.

Part one of this series was a very brief history of Jewish life prior to Roman occupation. They were constantly oppressed by new nations who felt they were more sophisticated than the jews, yet the beliefs and traditions lived one despite the oppression. This continued with Rome.

With the Maccabean rebellion and subsequent kingdom establishment, Rome stood with them as an ally. It was common for Rome to use tensions of nations to ease their own conquest. The Hasmonean Kingdom was established because of the joint work of the Maccabean rebellion and Roman assistance. This same tactic that allowed for the Jewish nation to govern itself came to be the very thing that brought them into Roman servitude.

When tensions arose between two leaders of the Jewish nation, Rome again tied themselves to an ally. They chose whomever would be more submissive to their rule. With this new alliance, Rome took control of the Jewish government. While they appeared to lead, those in higher positions were under the rule of Rome.

The newfound occupation was a heavy toll on many jews. They had only just freed themselves from Greece when this new ally became a dictator. While they were free to worship as they pleased, it was heavily influenced by the leadership of the church being under the Roman thumb. Taxes to Rome were burdensome, the lack of respect for their religion was disgraceful. The people were more ready than ever before for the Messiah to deliver them once and for all. When that Messiah did appear, his teachings split the narrative.

When the miracles first began, people were enthralled. Here was a Man who was teaching, performing miracles, and expounding scripture. Could this be the Messiah? The Christ? Then His teaching became harsher, calling people to repentance, claiming His heritage of God. Many followers found these teachings hard and fell away. Yet despite those that left, many honored him with palms as he entered Jerusalem before his final moments. His teachings were both great and hard.

While the general population struggled between the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the leaders at the time had different struggles. They also felt the tension from his teachings. For them, it questioned their very leadership over the people. They feared this newfound teacher would cause a great tension between Rome and Jewish tradition that would end in their distruction. An even greater tension grew as Jesus’ claims became bolder. He claimed to be higher than the law, able to adjust the law. They saw a man who claimed to be God a blasphemy they could not ignore. Yet, due to Roman rule, they had no power to condemn Jesus to death. Just as Rome was their ally in destroying the Greek oppressors, it would now be their ally in killing the blasphemous Jesus.

Rome’s reasoning for Jesus’ were fully political. They saw the tension Jesus was casusing, and while they didn’t see a reason for his death, they saw the same thing the Jewish leaders saw. A potential for unrest.

All these factors lead to the most significant moment of Christian history. The death of Jesus of Nazareth. The very beginning of the Christians’ battle with Rome was in this moment. In the following years, many would die for the same man killed on that cross. A man they knew had risen from the grave. For many, this looked like the end. Even those closest to Jesus were scattered in his final moments. It would take him appearing multiple times before they would truly understand the role they were meant to play. It would take their testimonies in death to bring it to the very nation that had supposedly killed the movement before it began.

Artistic Blueprint

Years ago, Iron Man stole the hearts of movie goers. We were enthralled by his charismatic persona and intrigued by his bullish personality. While he played a character no one could relate to, everyone could relate to him. The mix of dramatic tension with humor made for a sweet and salty snack no one could have anticipated. This created the perfect cookie cutter for movie success.

For years, we’d see this new style repeated over and over again. It was wildly successful for Marvel as they added the deeper anticipation of a larger world interaction. Movies became cookie cutter or artsy. Artsy was a solid risk. You could either see great success or horrid failure. The cookie cutter was not guaranteed big bucks, but it brought in return.

This isn’t the first time in our lives we’ve seen a cookie cutter style movie play out. The late 90s and early 2000s were filled with movies based on popular teenage books. People found something that was working and capitalized on it.

I’m not here to say cookie cutter is wrong. I think in a lot of ways, finding out what people like is important. Your message can carry a lot further when you understand the best way to carry it onwards, but this cookie cutter style has gone well beyond movies these days. I see post after post on how to make your social media pop. They have key hooks. Phrases that are proven to catch people’s interests. Even lengths are analyzed, so you know how long a video needs to be to keep people interested.

Again, if it’s what people like, is it wrong? When I go to a restaurant, I will definitely get spaghetti if I don’t see anything else that piques my interest. Honestly, I think following the advice of those successful will give you success if you work hard, but being unique is just as important. Steps to success are good, but is abandoning yourself in the process worth the success?

Everyone wants the riches and gold. Everyone wants people to look at their work and marvel, even if they don’t want fame. The real challenge is putting yourself on a canvas and hoping there’s someone out there who enjoys what you have to offer. That’s what true success in this life is. When you can make something that’s purely you and not care about it being just right for everyone else.

Country Music

Driving down a long, windy empty road
Listen to that country music as I go
It talks of God
It talks of trucks
About the lovely girls that get them stuck

A song turns on about old man country
Talks about his daughter on that swing so comfy
Where is she now
She’s grown and missed
Her mommy disappeared when she got so sick

And here I am, a tear streams down, even though my baby momma is still around.
My kids are young, my parents old
But both are still alive and thriving be’in so bold.

The tear is not because they’re gone.
It’s cause I’m on this lonely road that gonna take so long.
The end is not when I get home.
I never really call it home when I’m alone.

So I drive through canyons thinking they would love this.
Tunnels through the mountains, children laughing I so miss.
The silent time
The stars at night
Just knowing that they’re sleeping safely right behind.

A hand too far away that’s always at my side.
I reach into the air with nothing there to find.
So far behind
The miles they grow
While all I’m wishing for is time to not move slow.

And here I am, a tear streams down, even though my baby momma is still around.
My kids are young, my parents old
But both are still alive and thriving be’in so bold.

The tear is not because they’re gone.
It’s cause I’m on this lonely road that gonna take so long.
The end is not when I get home.
I never really call it home when I’m alone.

So here I am, the tears all gone, walking through an empty house without a single song.
The house alone
Is not my home
You and them, you are my song, you are my home.


Thirsty

The thirst it burns. I need more
To the cupboard, I go
I grab a cup, the only one
Is it enough? Don’t know.

I fill it to the very brim,
With nothing left to spar
I drink it in a single gulp
I check if more is there

Again, I fill it to the brim
I hope this time I’m filled
Yet once again, a single gulp
My thirst alive, not killed

To take away this longing thirst
My cup can not be all
For when I fill it to the brim
The needed waters fall.

My cup alone is not enough
I need another’s hand
To fill below my spilling cup
Fulfill my thirst demands

Rome and Jesus


Part 1: The Foundation – Judaism Before Roman Rule


All things physical represent a spiritual truth. This is shown in many things but especially in significant historical events. The one I’ve been pondering lately is the growth of the Christian faith. A growth that was exponentially assisted by one of its most brutal enemies.

To understand the growth of Christianity, you have to look back on its origin. That origin is the Jewish traditions lived by Jesus Christ himself. Judaism was a vibrant complex culture that has lasted through, and continues to last through, multiple destructive occupations that should have ended them. It’s no wonder the Messiah would come from their people, because of their ability to survive under the worst of circumstances.

Judaism is unique in that at its earliest stage God, or Yahweh, was the only true God. In the cultures that surrounded them, gods were lifted in victory and cast down on defeat. This may have been the core substance in allowing Judaism to strive in defeat. Daniel, despite being taken captive in Babylon, still worshiped Yahweh and was preserved from the lions. Within their captivity they held to the truth that Yahweh was the only God and that he could bless them individually, despite the seemingly doomed reality of their people as a whole.

Their faith was not in vain. When Persia took control of Babylon, their more open mindedness allowed Judaism to thrive again. They returned home. They rebuilt the temple. They established what would likely become the major traditions at the time of Christ’s ministry among them. Exile did not break their spirit. In fact, it solidified their commitment to the Law.

This would be a type of what was to come. The newest challenge would be Greek influence. This perhaps was the greatest test of their traditions.

With the conquests of Alexander the Great, Greek philosophy slowly trickled into the wealthy jews of their day. Those that reformed their ideas found a place among the courts of the Greeks. The clash was not one of war but one of word and practice. Those that pushed for change in jewish tradition felt informed about the world. This led to the slow decline that allowed a Greek king to defile the temple.

This blog isn’t about their defeat, but about their perseverance. Traditional jews gathered together to fight against their oppressors. Through strength in arms they gained victory step by step. Many factors played into their return to the temple and eventual freedom from Greek oppression, but one in particular highlights a greater story. Almost poetically, Rome was an ally in the cause. The very nation that would come to oppress not only them, but the christianity that would come from their midst.

Thanks for the Memories

This last month has been crazy. I set a goal to do a blog every day, and I did pretty good if I do say so myself. Now I think it’s time for a change of pace. As I mentioned, with all this writing, I’ve reached back towards my novel. The goal of writing a daily blog has made that ultimate goal more of a challenge. So, I’m moving away from the daily blog.

When I set the goal to write daily, it was definitely a large mountain to climb. I’d written consistently before, but I always set a regiment that allowed some leeway on how often I sat down and wrote out an extended blog. This time, though, I wanted to write one every day, or at least post one every day. So to writing I went. Any moment I had, I was writing to give myself a decent pool to pull from if, for some reason, I didn’t get a chance to write out an entire blog one day. Any idea that popped into my head, I’d stop what I was doing and make a note to myself about it.

This constant idea slash writing flow got a little monotonous, not because of the writing, but because I needed a little more creativity and little less day to day. So, to break up the bloginess, I turned to the theology of my book. I read through it and created a timeline, both things that weren’t extremely cumbersome to make sure I still had “blog” energy. This ignited a new fire to finish my book.

When I say finish my book, realize I’ve written out the entire story. I have it all on paper right at this moment. In my last round of edits, I made some significant changes to make the story more cohesive and allow the protagonist in the story to shine a little more than he did before. With all these changes, I need to go back through and really smooth out the chapters to give it a good flow. That’s the challenge, really. I’m not creating anything new, just editing what I’ve already got. It’s never fun to criticize your own work, but it’s necessary.

So, while writing a blog has been a fire beneath my fingers, it’s taken away from the bigger goal of finishing my book. So, in the coming days, I won’t have entire blogs every day. I hope to stay consistent, of course, but that might be daily quotes or just a simple thought, with blogs mingled every couple of days. I know a lot of this is talking to myself, but that’s really what a blog is, right? Watching someone talk to themselves online as if someone else is listening.