The BOOK Cometh

What a standout Wednesday! Usually I am a bit worried on Wednesday. I am never worried about going to the eleven AM study at the church although I've been praying for the Lord to show me what He wants me to say rather than let my mouth run away with me as I so often happens. My concern normally is focused on the evening Small Group... saying what is profitable rather than something that might hinder another, as I feel I did the first night. Indeed, although I don't worry much about money or provision, I do concern myself over fulfilling God's plan for my life, giving Him my best and loving those He loves. Whew! That "love your enemies" bit? That's is a toughie!

I am also pressed by the fact that several times, and in variant ways, God has called me to write a book. The story of my life is a story of God and He is incredible, it's also a story of brain injury told with candor. If I write this story, satan will be riled, family members (some, not all) will be disturbed, friends might be nervous... I've made some starts and soon dropped it.

After our evening Small Group meeting at the Cooks, God led to to deep thought about "THE BOOK." No more excuses, It is a beginning. Anthony, Sarah, Brandy and Richard have unknowingly pushed me into God's lap from which I derive the courage to type that first faltering feature, The Foreword...

FOREWORD
(Not FORWARD, as I once thought. Logical, but quite gauche in literary circles, I'm told.)

My life is full and rich and so very blessed! There's not much I would change. I would add my family to my neighborhood if my dream to do so was possible and didn't interfere with their own dreams and drives, but even though most of my beloved progeny are miles away, I am blessed to share a home with an adoring man who is consistently my biggest fan - as I am his; to share the area with my brilliant and delightfully creative, though benignly destructive daughter Athena and her equally brilliant Brian, who is more of a constructive sort ; to worship and fellowship with a church family I so sincerely love, I would gladly claim any and all as housemates. These people are more than dear to me, they are precious! I find them awesome to be around and always learn from every encounter.

Folks who've known me a while, realize I can be and often am, painfully transparent and have few, if any, of my own secrets. I am currently working on this book (or perhaps two) and do not plan to leave secrets untold. By invitation early in my years in Christ, I have led a particularly unusual life, so much so that many, until they know me better, assume most of my experiences are pumped up, aggrandized, or just pain lies. Not many in my family and only some friends know the full extent of where God has walked me to and through... or where I've foolishly wandered off on my own. Simply put, my story is too full and too weird to be untrue!

God had great plans for me and he knew I love adventure and indeed find in each day some sort of mystery, miracle, merriment, misery, marvelous new fact... the list is endless. My story includes murder, attempted murder, healings, incest, romance, rape, redemption, hijacking, Mormonism, miracles of every sort - real, hard core acts of God outside the parameters of the explainable, near death experience, stupidity (my own and others') great love, deep sorrow, death, life, joy, hate, sin, fun and so much more... My story is about God and His amazing dealings with me and those close to me.

Read it and be blessed. Not by the writing, which is ordinary at best, but by the amazing way God takes a personal interest to see that I had lessons to bring growth. He used every experience as a personal sermon wrapped elaborately and especially for me. Some were incredibly painful, others had me literally jumping with glee, I've never been bored in my life, never! True statements. Come along and see....

So, after years of requests from friends and foes alike, I have prayerfully decided to continue in transparency and make the plunge before stroke, senility, yet another TBI or other brain insult makes the project even harder to accurately produce. I don't plan to hold anything back, not the hurt, not the silliness. I will try to protect identities if appropriate but hope for permission for complete candor. I don't do well with lies, get mixed up with pseudonyms, I even having trouble getting the truth straight at times and mix two events ending up with an entirely new one... interesting but not always accurate. I will be using a number of people and documents to help me keep one fact appropriately connected to the next. Wild as it may seem, each adventure is true as I recall it. I hope you weep, rejoice and walk with me as I lead you along the treacherous mountain goat trail in a semi, the agonies of incest, the glories of miracles, epiphanies of a most unusual sort, a walk out of addiction, the threat of death delivered by church fathers... Oh, I'd better leave it at that or I'll give away the plots!

What I write is true to the best of my knowledge. If you discover boo boos, let me know and we'll seek the truth together. The stories are incredible as has been my life. They are tragic, and funny, melodramatic and gut-wrenching, slap-stick and dramatic... My life has never been dull and never shall I expect it to be boring, but then I am more easily and interestingly entertained than most.