I am looking for Guest Bloggers for ‘this’ blog, at ’this’ site entitled: ’The Dire in the Mire.’

All of the blog entries that you see up to this point have been my own- and I had great intentions at first, but then things changed in my life and I have not been able to post very regularly. So I thought that I might request fellow Christian Bloggers to appear as Guest Bloggers. I’m thinking that we could

• (A) republish your blogs from your own sight (you would get full credit, of course; as well as a link to your site) which would provide you with more exposure, or
• (B) if you, or someone that you know, would like to write good Christian commentary but don’t have the time or skills to run a blog site, then we could partner in that way (you write what you’re just itching to say, or teach- I post it on my site and give you the credit as the author).

Do let me know if you or anyone that you know might be interested.

Thanks, and be blessed in Jesus name,
Tony

You can reach me by commenting here or at ufoundet@yahoo.com

“A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house, it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote ‘Revelation 3:20′ on the back of it and stuck it in the door. When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it, was this cryptic message, ‘Genesis 3:10.’ Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.’ Genesis 3:10 reads, ‘I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.”

This kind of adds new meaning to that part of 1 Peter 3:15 that says: “Always be prepared,”

Have Fun and enjoy your weekend.

God tells us that we are to become like children, that we are to be just that naïve (some would call it faithful) and that we are to take no forethought concerning the end logistics of those things that we direly need, or even desire out of right motives.  Jesus said, in Matthew 18:3 “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

But too often, we consider ourselves to be ‘too mature’ for relying on the Life of Jesus within us.  We have become too self-reliant to call so constantly – through prayer – for those tiny moments in our day though we might not hesitate for even a moment to cry out to God when faced with the great tragedies of lives.  In behaving in this manner, we are effectively staving the life of Jesus within us – by neglecting our own daily spiritual nourishing.  The life of the Son of God within us is not nurtured by our daily intake of food, but by the daily outpouring of prayer.

Image courtesy of http://pastorhawkins.wordpress.com/

Children are audaciously, and magnificently, bold in their prayers.  They will ask God for anything, without ever contemplating whether or not it might be too impractical for actually being possible.  So our quandary in being ‘Mature Christian Adults’ lays not so much in our lack of belief that Jesus is God’s Son, and our Savior, but rather in not daring to ask Him for anything – little things – on a daily basis; or, worse yet, not even bothering to.

And that is, in part, why Jesus said in John 16:24: “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” 

Interestingly enough, the apostles Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply said: “Pray without ceasing.”  What they did ‘not’ say was ‘eat at fine restaurants without ceasing’ or ‘invest without ceasing’ or ‘build your career without ceasing’ or ‘make business contacts without ceasing…’

Children take little or no thought in these matters.  They simply rely – even unconsciously – that their loving parents are taking care of all of the things that they need to sustain their lives – and even more than what is necessary when it is warranted – simply because they care for them.

Matthew 7:8-11 says:  “⁸For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

 ⁹“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Suggested reading which inspired today’s Blog: The Purpose of Prayer, Oswald Chambers

Message: As a Christ follower, you’ve probably experienced times of silence-when it seems like God isn’t listening. Silence, can be a very intimate form of communication, one among familiars, which only serves to strengthen the relationship – in maturity, and in trust.

Scriptures Used: Psalm 22:2-4; Psalm 46:10; Acts 13:22; Hebrews 13:5

You can download this video along with handouts and study guides at “Free Video & Study Guides for Small Group, Sunday School, Home Study Groups. at SpeedCreed.com“

Do you remember the 6th grade? I barely do. I think we used bone hammers & chisels and wrote in stone.

The following were answers provided by 6th graders during a history test.  Watch the spelling! Some of the best humor is in the misspelling.

1. Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert. The climate of the Sarah is such that all the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.

2. Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada.

3. Solomon had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines.

4. The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we wouldn’t have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth.

5. Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice.  They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.

6. In the Olympic games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled biscuits, and threw the java.

7. Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out: “Tee hee, Brutus.”

8. Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was canonized by Bernard Shaw.

9. Queen Elizabeth was the “Virgin Queen.” As a queen she was a success.  When she exposed herself before her troops they all shouted “hurrah.”

10. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking. Sir Francis Drake circumsized the world with a 100-foot clipper.

11. The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. He was born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couple.

12. Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained.

13. Delegates from the original 13 states formed the Contented Congress.  Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin discovered electricity by rubbing two cats backward and declared, “A horse divided against itself cannot stand.” Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.

14. Abraham Lincoln became America’s greatest Precedent. Lincoln’s mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation Proclamation. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show.  They believe the assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposingly insane actor. This ruined Booth’s career.

15. Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Bach was the most famous composer in the world and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English. He was very large.

16. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.

17. The nineteenth century was a time of a great many thoughts and inventions. People stopped reproducing by hand and started reproducing by machine. The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick raper, which did the work of a hundred men.  Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbits.  Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Species.  Madman Curie discovered the radio. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx Brothers.

After recently reading over all of the tips and pit falls for new attendees at a writer’s conference, authored currently by a friend of mine – who also happens to be a member of the board of ACFW – I concluded that “Yep- I’d experienced ‘all’ of those things at the ACFW Dallas conference (ironically, some of them I experienced at the hand of that particular friend, who at the time had not yet become my friend.

At the ACFW conference (and in keeping with my friend’s recommendations), I looked right, smelled right, was kind, giving, prayerful, etc. and for those conscientious efforts I

Image courtesy of St. David's Christian Writer's Conference

 was even approached by an Agent who asked me after our luncheon conversation to send her chapters and a synopsis of my manuscript (others at the table dropped their jaws nearly to the floor!).  This agent continued to treat me amicably throughout the remainder of the conference- even seeking me out on more than one occasion.  But 4 months later, and after several unsuccessful phone calls to her office, her secretary finally confided in me that her boss had never even opened my packet.

Another agent, whom for my $1000.00 dollars was made exclusively available to me for 15 minutes, told me that, “while she liked my work, she could never sell it because it exceeded 95,000.”  My naïve reply to her was, “Well, given that criteria, War and Pease would never have been published.  Neither would Moby Dick, nor Ulysses, etc; and while I’m not saying that my work is anywhere near that caliber, I think you get my meaning.” She then pretty much dismissed me, prematurely, so that she could finish her cookie before being bombarded with the next hopeful in the long line behind me.  “Next!”

I’ve come to the conclusion (and I hope that this does not offend) that the ACFW is pretty much an ‘all girls’ club and a De facto factory recruiting station for formula romance fiction.  When I was in Dallas the female to male ratio was about 500 females to 10 males or less than 1% male attendance (and I’m pretty sure that many of those were merely supporting husbands accompanying their hopeful wives).  This suspicion was somewhat affirmed in an allusion made by my friend (that writer of ‘tips’ mentioned earlier) who is incidentally, a member of the ACFW committee when she wrote to me recently to say: “Yeah, but more guys have been showing up over the years.”  However, a quick look at the Current ACFW Board Members page reveals (you guessed it) 13 females and one token male (sorry Randy).  That reflects that same ‘less than’ one percent male representation.

So why do I even care?  You may be asking ‘what’s wrong with females dominating the Christian Romance Novel genre and even having their own nearly exclusive club in support of one another?  Here’s the Reason:  On the ‘Who We Are’ page at ACFW’s website it says the following:

“In January 2000, six authors with a vision … came together and formed American Christian Romance Writers (ACRW). (Note: In September of 2004, the name was changed to American Christian Fiction Writers to better reflect its members’ scope of writing.) They intended to develop an organization that served writers of Christian romance and women’s fiction.”

So there you have it:  If I’d known that I was spending a Thousand Bucks to attend “an organization that served writers of Christian romance and women’s fiction,”  I never would have pony’d up the cash.  I am a man and my Novel (in Manuscript), A Chain of Flames, is not ‘chick-lit.’  Now granted there are several sub plots that deal with romance and women’s issues but it is also an adventure novel.  So plainly speaking: I feel that I was duped by the ACRW’s acronymic change that seems to have been designed to do nothing more than broaden their conference attendance base.  And that’s just not fair- because it was at mine (and other’s) expense.  Not to mention the anguish and hopelessness that I felt in thinking for several years (before I recently figured this out), ‘Maybe my book is just no good – I mean, if a big organization like American Christian Fiction Writer’s (no mention of Romance Genre or ‘Women’s Fiction’) doesn’t give it a second thought then maybe I should just face the facts.”  Everyone in the writing profession knows that when you stop believing in your work, you might as well toss it into it’s grave.

So let me pose a question: Is anyone aware of any Christian agents, publishers, conferences etc. that are not so predisposed to stamping out quick-little-money-maker-fluff-books, and who might be open to work of ‘Christian’ fiction that was written in hopes of measuring up to the art of writing and not merely with the profit-factory criteria in view as its end result?  Granted, a publisher must keep the bottom line in view throughout the process but can there really no longer be a balance between the art and the mechanism?

And to ACFW/ACRW I’d like to say this.  I forgive you for leading me to believe that I might not have ‘the stuff’ and thereby causing me to abandon my efforts for a couple of years.  And just to let you know: ‘I Rise Again;’ to submit obligingly to the scrutiny of the wholeness of the industry and not merely to some ambiguous subset.  I will stand or fall based on the quality of my work, and not by my inability, or unwillingness, to submit to a mold or ‘join the stable.’

Be Blessed in Jesus name,   

Main image on ACFW.com Home Page

Anton

FOLLOW-UP to this blog:  After having a discussion with my new friend, noted  author, Nancy Moser, I’ve concluded (based on her assessment) that I may have been a bit harsh in seeming to categorize all ACFW Member Writer’s as being mere drones of some ‘Formula Fiction Machine.’  I’m sure that that there are many talented and truly inspired masters of the craft who have gone through, or continue to remain within, The ACFW.  I apologize to any whom I might have offended.

Your servant,

Anton Cleav

Image Credit: by Mark Spears, A.K.A. Daily Jesus on Facebook

What are tears? 

 And why are they so uniquely Human?  I seem to recall that there may be a few species within the animal kingdom that are known to shed tears but I believe that it’s more along the lines of “Polly Want A Cracker (not ‘really’ language’),” and not therefore comparable to the human experience.

A Google search for “why do people cry?” reveals 34,300,000 pages returned.  Many of them deal with the scientific rendering of the answer (i.e. “a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lachrymal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid, serving to moisten and lubricate … blah, blah, blah), but mostly, the answers focus on just what you would expect: ‘People shed tears in response to great emotion.’

So, does God differentiate between our regular emotion (along with our wants, desires, needs, etc.) and our heightened or superior emotions?  Yes, He does (of course He does).

Consider this: God told King Hezekiah, through the prophet Isaiah, that he would not recover from the illness that he was suffering from, that he would soon die because of it.   Hezekiah’s response?

“Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.”

Isaiah had barely left the palace when God suddenly, and immediately, spoke to him again:

“Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life.”  II Kings 20:5

Or, consider what God said to King Josiah through the Prophetess Huldah in II Kings 22:19; “…because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.”

And the Psalmist writes: “Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll — are they not in your record?” Psalm 56:8

So it seems obvious that God is well acquainted with our tears and that He is fully aware of their significance.  But that shouldn’t lead anyone to believe that just by mustering up a few ’crocodile tears‘ that they can unduly influence the Lord’s favor.  He is completely familiar with the difference between the genuine article and those that are but cheaper imitations.

How do we know that God is so intimately acquainted with the phenomenon of emotional weeping?  Because of the one verse in all of His Holy Word that has the dubious honor of being the shortest of Bible verses.  It is found in John 11:35:

“Jesus wept.”

Image courtesy of The Costume Company of Brisbane, Austrailia

A couple of days ago, I when I arrived at my factory / warehouse where we produce Christian Gifts item for wholesale, I noticed something out of place.  In the grass, next to where some old pallets are stored, I spied an empty beer bottle.  Now, you have to understand that this facility is way off the beaten path, A Canadian Mountie would be hard pressed to find it even on one of his better days.  But this always happens whenever my neighbor changes Realtors.  Our properties are so close together that ‘Lookie-Loos’ just naturally traipse about my place while entertaining themselves with the lofty notion of buying his (Me thinks he’s over-priced it).

So here’s this beer bottle (“Bush” I believe it was), and what an eyesore!  At this point the word “Security” pops into my head and I remember that I still haven’t replaced that ‘dusk to dawn’ bulb on the side of the building, and that I still haven’t replaced the regular front light fixture with the motion sensor that I bought 2 year ago (still in the box), and.  Oh yeah, one of the two security cameras (are are there really more ? ??) is still on the fritz.

So my mind wanders toward imaginative thoughts of what else might be done while still maintaining an atmosphere that is ‘low-key.’  Then it hits me: ‘A Sign.’

But not just any sign, mind you – no store bought clichés about “Guard Dogs,” or “Gun-totin’” owners or anything like that.  Any criminal with the presence of mind to even find the place is going to be able to surmise that ‘no one is home.’ – It’s really quite serene at night – ‘Stars-a-Million.’

Then it hits me again, in two parts- that is, what must be the contextual nature of my signage (and remember that you saw it here first).

And Remember:  Thursday is now Fun Day at The Dire in the Mire.  Six days of Serious is plenty.  Check-in and get-chur Fun on!

Triple-digit temperatures and a relentless months long drought have brought much of South Texas to its knees this summer, resulting in stern water restrictions and a steady string of heat warnings. Lawns are parched, children stay indoors, and many are left to wonder both why, and when will it end?

About 200 people of faith, from in and around the town of New Braunfels, Texas (about 30 miles NE of San Antonio) decided to stop merely waiting and attempt a Biblical solution; they prayed for rain.

The group, which was made up of several churches, denominations, and many who were simply ‘unaffiliated’ grew from the hopeful inspiration of event organizer Dotty Duke along with her husband Charlie.  Dotty and Charlie Duke went to services at Christ Our King Anglican Church where they shared their idea.  The word spread quickly and soon the buzz was all over town, in the local newspaper and on the radio.  In fact, yours truly first heard about it on the Weather Channel, first thing this morning.  Unfortunately, neither Al Roker nor Stephanie Abrams related the event with much sincerity.  In fact they were downright disrespectful – hollering out mock elations like hallelujah! And Amen! … But granted- all this occurred just after they’d peaked on their ridiculous shtick about trying to guess what kind of underwear the other was wearing under their clothes, so maybe- well … enough said.  But here’s the thing:

GOD ANSWERED THE PRAYER

For a few minutes at least, the heavens opened and New Braunfels officially received .03 inches of rain, and the same amount was recorded in San Antonio, according to the National Weather Service.  A breeze whistled through trees in the town square and a light rain pelted the burgundy dome of the gazebo, where pastors stood to address the crowd; which, included Kevin Boston of Harmony Baptist, and Michele Hess, a pastor at Vision Church.

Now – the drought was not ended- and, in all honesty, we know that .03 inches of rain was not enough to lighten the oppressive heat.  Although (and again, according to the National Weather Service), the temperature in New Braunfels dropped from 100 to 76 degrees Thursday afternoon.

So, while maybe God didn’t give those faithful 200 or so exactly what they had asked for, He did let them know that He is still there, that He’s still in control, and that He is listening.

So please, continue in your faith South Texas.  And continue to endure, knowing that God always knows what is best, even when it does not seem to make sence to us as humans.  But just keep praying and God’s wisdom will prevail in the end (we’ll be praying  too).

References used in this blog:

J Walk Blog, Prayer really works

San Antonio News, New Braunfels residents pray for rain

Our idols are not divine- they are manmade (or woman-made, boy-and-girl-made), the materials of which are of our own choosing.  They may be ceramic, or wood, paper or even of the mist of ether.  The one commonality that they all share is that we place our devotion (i.e. time, effort, affection) toward the ranking of their adoration; and this, in direct competition, (if not in opposition) to the complacent adoring of our God.

God will not restrict the flow toward Ashton.  As always, He will allow the minions to gather and engage, to rant and extol, until there can be no doubt as to the level of unbridled frenzy toward the fad, the trend, the vogue, … the cult.

And I know- I should probably lighten up just about now.  So Ashton- if you’re reading this, no offense, dude- nothing personal, you just happen to be the guy of the moment.  In fact, I’m sure that a certain amount of congratulations are in order but just be aware:  As Stan Lee once said under the iconic guise of Peter Parker, AKA Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility. (Which, incidentally, I believe to be a knock-off from Luke 12:48, which says: “and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.).

And to worshipers everywhere, know this: Not all idols are monolithic, or carved of stone.

With great power must also come great responsibility