While you're waiting...

Well, here I go again. I started a post with some big ideas, and found myself unable to finish it to my satisfaction before I leave work. That makes two now; maybe, just maybe, I'll get them done and posted next week. I hope.

The thought currently occupying my mind: Bloom where you're planted. A crass, cliched way to put a biblical truth, the truth that God wants you to follow Him and to take joy, no matter what your situation.

Today a friend of mine told Lana and me to enjoy our courtship time, because "that's the best time of your life." He said that when you get married, everything is so much harder. I'm sure that's true, but I honestly don't care, because I love Lana and if there's anything I want to do with the life God has given me, it's marrying her.

So yeah, I kinda begged to differ with his implication that being married is somehow not as good as the time beforehand (to represent him fairly, he did say that marriage is awesome, just that it's so much harder). But it got me thinking about the entire issue of being in different situations. I do need to enjoy this time of courtship with Lana; it won't last forever.

My time as a single is already complete, gone, finis. And now that it's over, I wouldn't want to get it back for anything, but that's certainly a sobering thought. Makes me want to encourage you readers out there to use your time as a single for God, as Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians. To me, one of the worst things about dating (and there are many bad things about it) is that it takes away that blessed time of singleness from young men and women. When you're dating, you're not married, but you still have a lot of time monopolized by another person; it's essentially the worst of both worlds. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, read 1 Corinthians 7:32-35.

So I want to enjoy this time that God has given me to court my beloved Lana; one day this time will be over and our time of marriage will begin. If you're single and just champing at the bit to find that special someone, I encourage you to wait patiently. God will fulfill that dream in His own time; in the meantime, He has great things for you as a single. Don't get so caught up in the longing to find a mate that you miss out on what He's doing in your life right now. And just don't wait on your mate; while you're waiting, let God use you in mighty ways, ways that won't be possible when you're married.

As I look back on my time as a single, I know I was not perfect, in purity or in any other area. Yet I think that, for the most part, because I committed not to date or to give any part of myself to a girl, God was able to use me in ways that simply would not have been possible otherwise. It scares me to think of how many Christian young people limit God's work in their lives by pursuing romance before His time. Don't make that mistake; use your time as a single for His glory.

Catching Up, and, The Elusive Book

Another week rolling by. The schoolwork looks like it will get really crazy before the semester's over. Can it really be possible that we're actually coming up on midterm? Time flies when you're in love...

I'm beginning to get a little bit frustrated in the writing classes (Advanced Comp and Nonfiction Writing), simply because I don't have the time that I would prefer to spend on the various papers and assignments in those classes. There are a lot of projects going in both, and while I'm not visibly behind yet, I feel like I'm accumulating a wealth of academic debt that I'll have to pay at some point this semester.

But, just have to take things as they come and use spare time to catch up. It's not like life is going to slow down any time soon. And that's okay, because when I have a lot of free time and nothing that really needs doing, I become pretty unproductive, pretty quickly. Busyness isn't always fun, but it just feels right when you're caught up in the midst of it.

The excitement of "the current project" is likely here to stay in one form or another, as well. What I mean by that is that when Hunted finally comes to a close, I'm going to start feeling this massive void due to not having something major like that pressing down on me. So I'm sure I'll start some project or other after that, whether it be a (short) film or a play, or even a book.

It would be so wonderful to get a book written; Lana and I long ago (back in the "just friends" stage, that is) each set the goal of finishing a book before graduation. Of course, I know it's ludicrous to think about starting one right now, with school blazing and Hunted calling; and it may still be ludicrous even after Hunted is in the can (I mean that in the sense of "finished", not in the sense of "kaput"). But it's a dream nonetheless, and at some point you have to start working to make the dream become reality.

What kind of book? Well, a novel, naturally. Fictional storytelling has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I appreciate my Nonfiction Writing course and its emphasis on telling a good story that's true, but I'm frankly more interested in telling fictional stories that are "truthful". Whether that story takes the form of a book, a play, or a movie.

So yeah, we'll see. If I start writing a book, of course I'll let you know -- in time, once I have something substantial, at any rate. I know I'm not ready to write one yet, but as the love of my life pointed out, maybe I need to begin the work before I can truly be ready. Time will tell, and God will reveal.

So what are your dreams, my readers? I actually have a post about the subject of our dreams, waiting to be finished, that will precipitate further discussion. But what are the passions that God has planted in you? I know some of you out there are writers; what else have we got?

We really did film this weekend!

Hey, what do you know! We actually filmed on Saturday! Can ya believe it?

No trains were harmed in the making of this film. And no one was harmed by trains in the making of this film. Just thought I'd clarify that for ya, Emy.

So yeah, crazy filming day, long but good. At some point, when I get a bit of spare time and remember, I'll get some screenshots up on the blog. And, who knows, maybe some moving images. The plot thickens...

I guess you guys have figured out by now that I abandoned the whole idea of these cool indepth "Production Updates" (I gave two of them like, way back when this blog started). I wish I could give you guys a really close look at what we're doing in production, but I simply don't have time to do that. Hey, Lana doesn't have a job (and therefore must not be at all busy at any time, right?); ask her. *mischievous smile* I love you, darling!

So we continue to claw our way toward the end of this baby. How much do we have left? Very little and quite a lot. But we'll get there.

I'm really not sure how long the post-production process will take, though. Editing isn't that hard of a job, but it takes a lot of time just because of how many stinkin' scenes there are. Then we have to rerecord dialogue and stick that in there; I have no idea how hard that will be because I've never done anything remotely like it. There's also the all-important score, which I think will be fantastic, but which will require a lot of planning, recording, rerecording, mixing, matching with the film, etc. Once we have all those components, we'll be ready for the final sound edit; I want to make sure we don't sell that short. We'll probably end up recording a lot of small sound effects for various parts just to make sure we get as full a sound as possible.

After that, we'll be ready to plan a premiere and get stuff ready for the DVD release. That's gonna be such a blast. The payoff of seeing this thing finished is going to be amazing stacey.

If no one involved had jobs or school to occupy their time, we could probably finish filming this week, take a couple weeks to edit, then maybe three or four more to get the final sound edit. Sadly, that's not the case.

But we will finish this movie, if the Lord permits. All of our rabid fans will merely have to be patient for a while longer.

Anyways, Lana has already posted about Saturday, so you have that. I won't add much more except to say that when I get to spend that much time with her in a day, I have to call it a good day. I had so much fun filming with her, acting alongside her, being extremely sappy during the brief breaks (as she can testify), driving her around, and watching the Razorbacks with her (even though they lost).

And, as she and I also said over on her blog, yesterday was our one-month anniversary of being "a couple". Talk about unbelievable. Let me tell you singles again, one more time, even though I'm sure it won't be the last: Do things God's way. His plan is incredibly more fun and more romantic than anything this world can concoct.

I am so blessed to have this wonderful woman whom I love and who loves me. If you'd told me three months ago that we would be so madly in love and in the midst of intoxicating romance right now, I would not have dared to believe you. God doesn't just meet our wildest dreams; He surpasses them. I love you, Lana.

Kudos to my movie people!

Currently trying to get a Saturday filming schedule together. Yes, believe it or not, we really are still working on this movie. I'm proud of my people and the job they've done thus far, and I think we're all gonna be pleased with the outcome, if for no other reason than that there is an outcome.

Thoughts on those who have been an integral part:
Lana - Yeah, did you really think I was gonna mention somebody else first? Not an exaggeration to say that without her, there would be no movie; and most of her contributions came before our courtship began. She was one of my chief sounding boards for ideas in pre-production, did way more script-critiquing than anyone else, and tossed out a bunch of ideas herself. She knew that she'd be playing Leslie, one of the biggest roles in the film, but had no idea that her job description would also include makeup artist, co-director of photography, co-production designer, and assistant director. She has truly been a shieldmaiden on this project, doing all of her jobs spectacularly, helping to give things some semblance of organization, and constantly encouraging and being there for me. I love you, darling, and I cannot thank God enough for the job you have done on this film.

Daniel - My little brother (he's still my little brother for the time being since I have a couple inches on him, though that could change in the next few years) was the first to share the Hunted dream, way back in summer 2005. His slavemaster boss has prevented him from being on location as much as he's wanted to, but he's done a good job as 1st assistant director when available. He also spearheads the film's comic relief by playing wacky woodsman Shawn. Incidentally, guess who can only do filming for half the day on Saturday because he has to go mow lawns? ;-)

Hannah - If anyone has cause to complain about their part in the project, it's probably my sister. That's because she never thought she was even going to have a part in it, and I never counted on us needing her. But she's been a crucial part, doing a lot of our camera and boom operating. Sometimes she gets frustrated by having to run the camera with four crazy losers and Lana in front of it; but she has done a yeoman's job and deserves a gold medal for her patient, steady effort. Snaps for you, sis!

Trevor - It simply wouldn't be right to make a movie like this without the T-Rev Meister's involvement. He and Daniel and I have filmed a lot of really bad video together; hopefully Hunted doesn't quite fall under that classification. Trevor has always been a great actor with a natural instinct as a filmmaker. His main official contribution to Hunted is the part of Ryan, who's a bit more straight-laced than most of T-Rev's previous characters (like Fred in the play It Happened At Ernie's). But he's also helped in a number of small ways behind the camera. Finally, he has the irritating ability to memorize his lines with little effort, while the rest of us are still squinting at the pages and going over a scene for the umpteenth time.

Dusty - Our fearless youth group leader brings his skills to the big screen as Clyde, the villainous elder brother of Eric and leader of the Adams County Gang. Dusty's done an outstanding job thus far in his acting and has been able to help a bit behind the scenes, though not as much as he'd like. By the way, what was I thinking when I cast him and Chris in parts that have them interacting with each other on screen a lot?

Chris - See previous entry. Chris has struck exactly the chord I was looking for in his part as Carl, Clyde's sidekick. Both of these guys have had limited time in filming but have hit home runs in their acting roles thus far. They've also been very supportive and patient with me as I continually make filming plans and then change them. Thanks a ton, dogs.

Tara - You can count her the second member of the "Younger Sisters of Key Players Who Never Thought They'd Be So Crucial To This Movie" club. And yes, I know that phrase is technically unclear, but you know what I'm talking about. Anyways, Tara has found herself following Hannah around a lot as an operator of our boom (the microphone carrier, basically). Both of them have been troopers, although Tara seems to have found a niche for going to sleep in the midst of late filming nights; she's done it both times we had to stay out late. Sheesh, who sleeps at 2 in the morning, anyway?

Tony - Maybe we should change the name to the "Younger SIBLINGS of Key Players Who Never Thought They'd Etc." club. As the younger brother of our sunshine princess, Ton' never thought he'd get plunged into one of the key acting roles in the movie, that of the other wacky woodsman, Travis. But of course, a story's not a good story unless it involves some character or other getting plunged into something unexpected. So there we go. At any rate, Tony has come on at the eleventh hour and acquitted himself extremely well in front of the camera. I particularly like his petrified intensity during the scary story scene.

James - Being called on to play a henchman who serves under the likes of Clyde and Carl is no small thing. James has amply handled his role thus far and even brought a nice unexpected spin to some of his scenes. Of course, out of all our cast, he has the biggest problem finishing a scene (a scene, say I? Nay, rather a line) without bursting into voluminous laughter. But we still love him anyway.

Josh - An imposing demeanor and experience as a bad guy in the Easter program (playing a Roman soldier there; Dusty and James have also done this many times in the past) make Josh an ideal choice for the tough-guy role of Dirk, another henchman. He's only had one filming day so far, but Lord willing that will change on Saturday. Daniel is on record multiple times as saying that he's not looking forward to shooting at Josh with a paintball gun (oh wait, did I just give away a plot spoiler?).

So, is that the team? Well, most of the prominent ones, anyway. But of course, we could not do it without our location providers: Tim and Susie (my parents), Tyler and Tracy (Lana's; even though we haven't actually filmed anything at their house, our film crew has received their hospitality), Clinton and Lichea (Trevor's parents), Dusty and Amanda, Wayne and Georgia, Jordan, and of course my dear Gramma and Papa.

And the list is still not complete; hopefully the credits will be. As we (Lord willing) wind down to the end, at last, of the production process, I want to thank all those who have helped us on this film. And thanks as well to people like Meggy and Emy and many others who have encouraged us and prayed for us. You guys rock my face off.

Most of all, thanks to the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows, and from whom come all good things. We love You and pray that this movie glorifies Your Name, our God!

And that's all for this week, folks. Don't anticipate another post from this quarter till Monday. As always, please pray for our Saturday filming plans, that God's will is done. Namarie!

Another short one

Not time to chat again, I'm afraid. Sad how that works. I am, however, working on another post that has me pretty excited, but that one must await completion.

Today another good day. Lana and I once again experienced God's lavishing of love on us, and grew closer together. I don't know how God does it, but I praise Him for it.

School just may be getting extremely crazy; I'm not sure. At any rate, I've got a variety of things to work on for different classes, and hopefully I'll be able to get a lion's share knocked out this evening. School rocks my face off -- though I don't particularly enjoy it. Any of you guys identify with that paradox?

For now, well, thank God for life, love, and the pursuit of happiness that can only be found in Him. You are worthy, my Lord and God, of everything I have. Praise You. To my beloved Lana, thank you for talking to me today and letting God use you; I love you and could not stop thanking Him for you even if I wanted to. You truly are my sunshine.

Put your hope in God

What an awesome God we serve. Great is His Name, and greatly to be praised. Not to us, oh Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory.

I don't want to tell you guys too much because you don't need to know. But suffice it to say that Lana and I were going through a really tough time last night and this morning, and God brought us through it in an amazing way.

She skipped lunch today to spend time in the Word and in prayer, and invited me to join her. Of course I wanted to be there for her sake, but I didn't anticipate the work God was going to do in me.

Having gotten out of class before me, she had already been spending time with God for a while when I got there. I sat down beside her, feeling as miserable as I had -- well, as I had for a while already that day.

After a while, Lana started humming -- bless her wonderful propensity for humming and singing; I couldn't have married a girl who wasn't like that! -- and the song was "As the Deer", based of course on Psalm 42, which I have previously referenced on this blog. The Psalm was already on my mind from yesterday, when I read from it during our morning worship at church. But as I began to read it now -- along with Psalm 43, the two Psalms having originally been together as one -- I don't know. It's difficult to explain. I have identified with so many of the Psalms at various times, but I've never had the feeling that I could have written one of them word for word, that the connection between it and me would be that strong.

Well, this morning I felt like I could have written Psalms 42 and 43. I won't post them here, though I encourage you to look them up yourself. But the key verse, which is repeated twice, is 42:5: "Why are you downcast, my soul? Why so troubled within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." I have identified with those words so many times, but have never felt them burning in my core as they now did. The Psalmist knew the answer to the questions he was asking in this passage, and so did I. "Put your hope in God..."

I did exactly that, and began to feel the burden lifting off my shoulders. In its place, a nearly manic joy. I had gone from being depressed to being happy in a matter of moments, all because of the amazing Word of God.

I joked to Lana later that I had learned two things today (neither of them in class, incidentally, but that's a part of the joke that only she would fully get): God is awesome and the Bible is true. Seems elementary, basic, milk-type stuff, doesn't it? But we can't truly comprehend how correct those two statements are. This very day, many people doubtless considered them, assented, and yawned; I found a new sense of awe and a new depth in my relationship with my heavenly Father. And for that I thank Him.

That's not the whole story, of course; the experience also inspired a series of thoughts about the divine art of life that will probably make it to a CtB article in the future. And I'll leave it to Lana to tell you, if she desires, what God did for her. But for now, I want to tell you, again: God is awesome and the Bible is true. Two little facts; eight words; the capacity to forever alter your life.

So, discussion time: the Psalms. Do you read them a lot? Do you closely identify with any (or all) of them? Which ones are your favorites and why? Have you tried praying them? Are there any that you find hard to understand or hard to reconcile with faith in God? Let us discuss.

Alas, so little time

"Sir? . . . We're in a terrible rush." - Inigo, Princess Bride

Well, I do wish I had time to write out a proper post for my loyal and wonderful readers, but unfortunately I don't. I'm already ten minutes late getting off work, thanks to a last-minute phone sale.

God is just straight-up awesome, in case you weren't aware of that fact. Any particular reason for me saying that? No, not really, other than the incredible bride-to-be He has given me and, well, just the joy of eternal life.

Heading into the weekend. May not be able to film on Saturday, AGAIN. I'm still trusting God on it, but boy, I don't know how He's gonna pull it off. I guess it'll make it that much cooler when He does.

Anyways, I'll catch ya'll on the flip side; have a great weekend; worship God alone; I love you, Lana. Namarie.

Staying Off the Escalator (till then)

DISCLAIMER: My bride-to-be, under the suggestion of my future mother-in-law, said that maybe I should make some statement about my always writing and publishing my posts from work; some might misunderstand and think that I am clandestinely breaking the rules. I certainly don't want you to think that, so let me clarify by telling you that my job is patently of the desk nature. As an authorized agent (basically a sales/customer service representative), I get to sit at a desk in a comfortable chair in an air-conditioned room, with high-speed Internet. When I don't have customers, as has especially often been the case lately, I usually have free reign and am thus able to do fun stuff like post on my blog.

OK, now I can really begin the post.

It's a strange experience, being in love. I didn't expect my feelings for Lana to intensify at the rate they have in the nineteen days since I declared myself to her; they have. I expected us, of course, to grow closer together, but not like we have. She was already my best friend and had been for a long time; we had already achieved a high level of platonic intimacy. But now we truly are growing as close to one another as two humans can, though not of course on a physical level.

And the physical restraint has a beauty that the world simply cannot match. There's something special about waiting to share that first kiss until your wedding day. More than that, we have decided not even to hold hands -- for now, and maybe all the way up to the wedding.

The world would look at that and declare its ludicrosity. "How can you say you truly love each other and yet not kiss or even hold hands?" I think even the vast majority of Christians would say that we're going too far.

But we are not practicing restraint for restraint's sake. We do not believe kissing and holding hands are wrong; they are, on the contrary, part of a glorious landscape for displaying romantic affection, designed by God our Father. We fully believe that He means for us to enjoy those actions freely -- one day.

But we aren't married yet; we have not yet become one flesh. And so we have chosen to avoid hand-holding for the simple reason that it is dangerous. Why is it so? Because God never designed man and woman to stop at hand-holding in the ladder of physical intimacy. A ladder, in fact, is a misleading analogy, because with a ladder you can get on and off at your leisure. It's more like an escalator; when you get on it, it's designed to take you to the next floor. You can still get off with some effort, but the further you go, the harder it becomes to stop it from taking you upwards.

Hope that illustration makes sense to you. Because of the danger, Lana and I have chosen not to step onto the escalator. Is it hard to maintain that, being as in love with one another as we are? Absolutely. But I think it's so much easier than it would be if we decided to jump on and just try to stay on a low level.

So, again, we don't think that physical intimacy is wrong; it's a blessing from God. And we love Him and one another enough to wait to hop on that escalator until we're allowed to go all the way to the top. I know, because I know God and because of what He has done thus far in this relationship, that it will be far more than worth the wait.

Sunday and CtB

Thanks to those who prayed for filming on Saturday and for my sermon last night. The filming ended up falling through yet again, but the message went pretty well and I could definitely feel the prayers.

I absolutely loved having my bride-to-be there with me, from 5:00 till time to go home. It was great to have her in class and to sit by her in the service. We actually got to sing side-by-side for the first time (usually I'm up on the stage). She encourages me and lifts me up so much. So do my fellow youth leaders Chris and Dusty, who left their seats and came and prayed for me during the worship. I love those guys and appreciate them so much. I know that I don't have a clue how good I have it in my youth group. Or how good I have it with the love of my life, for that matter.

The message was, well, really hard. At no point did I feel that I was communicating particularly well, but that's okay since what matters most is that I'm submitted to God. There were plenty of things I wish I could have said better, elaborated on, made clearer; but ultimately I believe I obeyed God's call and delivered the message He gave me. If I do that, then I have succeeded even if there is no response. And there was some response (visible, that is), so I consider myself very blessed.

Call me immodest, call me vain, but I'm really looking forward to hearing from those of you who have received the latest CtB and read the "Warrior of the Dawn" short story. I hope you all like it; I think it's one of the better pieces I've written, though that's not saying much. I would like to make clear that it's not an autobiographical story; I do identify with the protagonist, but not in a way any of you would likely understand. I had already written the story when I started this blog, and this name was the only good one I could think of, so, there.

And I fully realize that some of you have NOT received our newest issue, so all I can say for you is be patient; it's coming. Hope you like pictures of me and Lana; I think it has five. Unfortunately, they're in black and white and don't show up particularly well, so maybe we can get them all posted online (I know Lana's already posted the best one on her blog).

Also, please pray for our beloved Meggy and her family, who are completing their move to Colorado as of today. I can't imagine what it would be like to move that far away from everything I've ever know, and I know it has to be very tough for them; so lift them up before the Father.

Elen sila lumenn omentialvo. There, Emy, I did it.

What God's been showing me (a little bit of it, anyway)

Boy am I glad it's Thursday afternoon. Not that the week is over, but the more undesirable aspects of it are. Now the focus shifts to printing CtB tomorrow, prepping for the major woods shoot on Saturday, and, well, doing the major woods shoot on Saturday.

As you know if you read Lana's blog, we went yesterday and picked out a beautiful white gold bracelet. We went to JCPenny's first, followed by the mall jewelry stores, Sears, Dillard's, K-Mart, and Kohl's; then went back to Penny's and got practically the first one we had looked at. Oh well, neither of us minded how long it took, if you can imagine that. It was so much fun to take my girl around the mall and Fort Smith while shopping for jewelry for her. She had a ton of fun too.

Now she has something she can wear and show to people when she tells them about me; that's the main reason I got it for her. I have a watch from my future father-in-law that I can show people; now she has a bracelet from her future husband to show off. It's only fair, as I see it. Of course, I guess the fact that I just love buying things for her counts in there somewhere as well.

Thank you again to those who responded to the FtF query in the previous post. As for me, well, I don't know. On the one hand, it feels like FtF was very significant and formative for me; on the other, I feel quite nearly the same as I did going into it.

Of course, I know that (1) it's not about me and it ultimately doesn't matter how it affected me as long as the Lord's Name was lifted up; and (2) if I was there and doing what God called me to do, then it did affect me, maybe in ways that I can't even comprehend.

I don't feel radically different, as if the heavens have opened up and sprawling new avenues of truth have been revealed to me. But on the other hand, the opening heavens and sprawling avenues probably do fit the last several months for me; God has shown me so much and drawn me closer to Him. Hope you don't think that means I've unlocked perfection; on the contrary, I've been reminded of my imperfection and my utter dependence on my Savior. And I still continue to rebel against my God in ways that shame me.

Thanks to two particular works of John Piper (who is by the way a must-read theologian; seek him out and read his stuff), Desiring God and The Pleasures of God, I have been impressed (not in the sense of admiration, but in that of having something pounded into you) by the amazingly simple equation of life: Love for God = Happiness. Or, to put it more properly as Piper does, revising the old Westminister Catechism, "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."

What a delightful phrase, "enjoying Him forever". Do we often hear about our need to enjoy God? Sure, we hear quite often about believing in Him, knowing Him, surrendering to Him, even loving Him. But, to enjoy God? I think the Church falls short in expressing that fundamental need that rests in all of us. Our passionate love for God, our enjoyment of Him, is meant to be our fuel, our lifeblood, our thirst that is always satisfied and never quenched.

This is what David meant when he cried out, "Oh God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You, my soul thirsts for You in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Or as an anonymous Psalmist exclaims, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I come and see the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long men continually say to me, 'Where is your God?'"

Feel free to check my quotes as I don't have my Bible right here with me at the moment; those are from the opening verses of Psalms 63 and 42. But when was the last time you felt that passion for God? That longing, that thirst, that desperation? When was the last time your heart cried out as godless people around you mocked the Name of your God?

And how do we get this hunger? That's the more pressing question. If you're like me, you can at best claim to have this passion only at times during your life; and often you wonder where it has gone. I have no answers, other than the ones you hear all the time: Read your Bible, pray, go to church. Whether or not you believe it, those really do help, if you seek God in doing them.

Ask God to give you a heart that longs for Him, and then don't stop there. Get into His Word; seek His face; shut all else out and focus on Him. As you attend church, enter with a mindset of willing obedience. If you do those things, you are already on the right path.

But don't ever stop seeking Him; that is, after all, what you're already doing at this point. Note the biblical promise: "You will seek Me and find Me," God tells us, "if you seek Me with all your heart." There are a lot of promises in the Word, but that is one of the most heartening to me.

Anyways, I don't even know if any of you guys even have any struggles with this, but I do. Lana can tell you that I often write out stuff in e-mails to her that she already understands, just so that I get it more clearly. Not a bad habit, I guess, especially for a writer.

But yeah, that's something God's been revealing to me and bopping me on the head about a lot over the past few months, so I thought I'd share that. I'll try to get more into what He's revealing to me, in future posts. For now, sayonara and please pray for our filming on Saturday.

Unlabor Day is over

Life rolls onward. Back to school today after Labor Day weekend. I got to be with Lana, but otherwise it was fairly blah. My writing instructor, David Cooper, possesses an almost maddening personality. He is consistently pleasant with a soft, ready smile, but he never crosses the line into what I would call actually "being nice." He seems to think that our reason for being on earth is to be with family and to travel, so he encourages us to share about our experiences in those areas; but although he's encouraging, he never seems to be truly interested in us. I think he's a pretty good teacher, but his blandness gets to me every now and then.

Sitting here at work now; will shortly go and proofread CtB with my lovely co-editor. I think it's, well, another good issue; there's quite a bit about romance, but I don't think you can blame us for that. I am excited about finally being able to unleash the "Warrior of the Dawn" short story on the world.

Just as a heads-up to all of you: It may interest you (it will doubtless interest those from FBC Branch who read the blog) to know that I am scheduled to preach at my church Sunday night. It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity. Please pray for me as I prepare this week, because I already seem to be running short of time; and pray for the message. Right now God seems to be pointing me toward a hard-hitting turn-and-repent sermon, centered around the book of Malachi and other passages (go check out Malachi if you're unfamiliar with it; it's definitely hard-hitting). But He could very well change it in the course of this week; it's happened before, so pray that I will seek His will and be obedient to whatever He calls me to preach.

Set to film again on Saturday for the first time in three weeks. It'll be our most intensive shooting day yet, Lord willing, all taking place up at my grandparents' and involving all of our major actors. Please pray for that as well, that everyone's schedules will work out, that we'll work quickly and efficiently, and that we'll do a good job and glorify God.

And, well, that's it for now; I have some other stuff to work on. But finally, I would like you readers to respond in the comment section about something I'm curious to know: What did God do in your life through Fan the Flame? What is He (hopefully) still doing? I'm really interested to see what kind of impact (if any) it made on your life, however small, so please let me know. Thank you readers, just, well, for being readers, and for commenting! God bless.