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@obrian-of-the-surface-world

I will definitely be praying for you. God sees you and knows what you are going through, and I know He will strengthen and guide you as you seek Him. Pour yourself into His Word and you’ll find His comfort.

May He pour out His loving kindness and joy onto you and your family.

Thank you, Lily! May the joy and blessings of our Precious Savior Jesus, fill you and your family and friends with His Hope and Peace! Thank you for your kind words and thoughts. Merry Christmas!
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” [Isaiah 9:6]

Thank you, Lily! My publisher is WestBow Press (a division of Thomas Nelson). I am currently in the edits and deep into the revisions. Sometimes it goes very slow, but it is still moving forward. How is your writing going? Do you have a publisher yet or a plan on the route you want to take?
Happy New Year too! 🙂

Congratulations on the publication of “An Apprentice Escapes”!
I am so proud of you for getting your work out there! Is your next book a sequel or a stand-alone story? Do you have a synopsis for the new book?

As for WestBow, we paid for a mid-level package, but I must get the edited version out to them so they can start to work on it. Once I get further into the actual publishing process interactions with them, then I can speak more directly about how it was working with them. My WIP is a full set of 300-400 paged novels (tetralogy). I have the first two novels drafted and put out on my site, but I am editing them in the background one scene at a time. Trying not to raise too much attention until I have a more finalized version. I have other stories (never published), but this is the one I feel led to have published initially.
I have put a few scenes out on the Audio Cinema Forum from different parts of the book. I tend to have a theatrical flair, so they include sound effects, ambient noises, and character voices, and background music.

HI Lily,
Sorry it has been a while before I responded.
My idea really comes from a spiritual ache to address something that I see lacking in fiction and especially faith-based fiction.
Many people gravitate to a particular thematic point to illustrate with their story, which is fine, but one thing I saw lacking was the importance of knowing Jesus, not just as Savior, but as Lord. It is this shift that leads to the empowered walk of faith in a Christian’s life. When a person comes to faith they learn of Him as Savior, but it is in the fellowship with Him, and the walking with Him that we learn true Purpose, and Christ’s living out His Purposes through us. Too many Christians come to faith, but if they don’t allow His Lordship to infuse their lives, they will live a meager and defeated life. We don’t get credit for what we do in life, but in what we LET HIM do through us. God wants to conform us into His image in character. We are to mirror Him. To shine with His light. To accomplish things, not under our own steam but in the power of His filling. (Philippians 1:11 & Ephesians 5:14-18)
The world does not need more of us, they need more of Him.
My WIP deals with a MC who has to come to terms with his being ill-equipped for the leadership role he is called to, to carry out a task that is beyond his ability to carry out. Often times the Lord has to get us to the place that we recognize that self-power is not what will allow us to accomplish His plan, but a humble and desperate reliance on Him. (Matthew 19:26)
I struggle reading all of the other fiction that self-glorifies the MC, rather than dealing with “real” insufficiencies. God does not “empower” the proud, but raises the humble and the meek. He does mighty things through those who most yielded to Him.
That is why I cannot write a “superhero” character. God Himself wrote the laws of the universe and only He can suspend them. I wanted to write a story (even though it uses a fantasy pallete) in a world where the real God is present and not just a placeholder archetype. God has an intimate desire to reconnect with humanity. He went to the cross to prove that. I needed to write a story that is not just another redemption story, but one in which the Lordship of the Christian believer is addressed. I see so many defeated Christians going through the motions of trying to be good people, but that is not enough. God wants connection. He wants us to walk in His empowerment and not merely in our own efforts.
Oftentimes, we find God’s strength coming through us when we acknowledge our weakness. (Romans 8:26, 2 Corinthians 12:9 & 13:4)

I haven’t read those, but I did read Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson many years ago as well as The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Recently I have just finished the Christian apologetics book “Is Atheism Dead?” by Eric Metaxas, but I’ve been wanting to read “Bonhoeffer” a biography also written by Eric Metaxas. I will have to check into those other two.

Hi Lily,
My week has been busy at work and finding time to write is tough, but I am still pressing through. How was your week?
“Is Atheism Dead?” was a good book. It addresses the discoveries in science and biblical archaeology and some of the later under-reported regrets and conversions of prominent “atheists” who came to find faith in Christ. The secular world does not like to advertise when they find things that don’t fit their “anti-God” narrative, so it was good to read about those things which further affirm the faith we hold and already know to be true. I believe the study of Biblical Apologetics isn’t just for the purpose of debating the lost world, but also serves as an affirmative wind in the sails of the saints. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on those things which are “true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy,” so I wanted to read something that counters the darkness of this world, and brought out “good reports” that so often get hidden in the daily newsfeeds. I think it is important for writing too, because it helps us not to only see the bleakness of a fictive world, but also the redemptiveness of what God is doing behind the scenes.
I do tend to have a lot of danger and suspense in my WIP novel, but I have to deliberately counter that with finding my grounding and anchor in the goodness of our loving Heavenly Father. Being centered in that mindset is important to keep from descending into cynicism and nihilism. Jesus walks with us through dark valleys, yes, but the darkness is not the destination, it is only part of the journey towards the greener pastures and still waters bathed in the light. Hope is in the destination. Love is in the fact that He is present with us (Immanuel), and faith is being able to look beyond the troubling times and know He is bringing us through to the lighted lands.
God does not want us to be naive to the evils of this world, (Matt. 10:16), but He wants us to walk in His Presence and find our contentment there as He shows us a peace that passes understanding.
It is good that you live in the country. I used to and miss doing so. Cities are noisy, congested places, with too much traffic and it is hard to find quiet without the background noise of traffic.
My wife and I try to get away from the city as much as possible by going out on trail walks in the nearby hill country. There are tall trees and streams there and it is so much more restful just hearing the babbling brooks and shushing noises of the wind in the trees and the accompanying bird song. Our getaways have always been towards seeking natural settings rather than urban areas. We particularly enjoy the mountains of Colorado. What about you?

We did go to Yosemite back in 2016. I don’t think we’ve been to Zion Natnl yet. We went to the Banf Natnl Park in the Canadian Rockies back in 2019, and also went to New Zealand in early 2019. We visited the Smokie Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN in August of 2017. We’ve taken the cograil train up to Pike’s Peak in 2013 during our first trip to Denver and then the Colorado Rockies, so yeah, you could say We love the mountains. 😉
Part of those experiences give me great fodder for writing stories set in mountainous countries, so I am sure that is playing into my current WIP. There is something so awe-inspiring about it that makes me think how vast our Heavenly Father is and about how small we are. But that is His amazing love that He thinks of us, and chooses to love us. Psalms 8:4-9 and 144:3-5 seems to echo that wonder.

I forgot to mention what work I do besides writing. I am a Healthcare Compliance Analyst for a major medical device and manufacturing company. I principally work with areas related to Healthcare Law and Anti-bribery International laws related to the Healthcare industry both domestically and abroad. We do internal company training and systems training for our corporate employees.

My favorite has probably been the Colorado Rockies, though each of the mountainous places has its own unique charm. Recently we went to Breckenridge, CO and it was such a peaceful place. As far as the townships around the mountains, I highly recommend Gatlinburg, TN, but it is kind of difficult to get to, if you have to fly into Knoxville, TN. It is about a two-hour drive from there, but it is set down in the valley between two mountain ranges. The town is “touristy” but very friendly. New Zealand was amazing, but I would not recommend going there now that their govt has gone crazy with lockdowns. The Smoky Mountains have a forested charm. We also visited Whistler, BC in Canada in 2018, but again their govt has become dangerous. It is a shame we cannot go back.
There is a rock ridge that sets in the middle of a long valley surrounded by snow capped mountain in the North Island of New Zealand called Mount Sunday, but it is actually a rocky hill. It was the site location where the wooden fortress of Edoras was filmed in the Lord of The Rings movie. That hill is constantly buffeted by strong winds that blow through that valley and are channeled by the surrounding mountains. The winds blew the movie set down many times until they got permission to bore drive anchor rods down into the rocky top of Mount Sunday. Mount Sunday has become a source of inspiration for me along with the historical passage in 2 Samuel 24:24-25 where David bought a threshingfloor, which later became the Temple site where his son Solomon built the Temple of the Lord. The land was under a plague, and David followed God’s direction and God lifted the plague from Israel.
In my current work in progress, I have a hillock very similar to this site which is a threshingfloor and granary. The high winds are strategic for separating the grains of wheat from the chaff. It is amazing to me how God uses symbolism in life to reveal deeper truths. Threshing is a kind of purification process for grain, even as it is for each one of us as believers. God wants to remove the husk of the old and bring forth in us what is useful for making bread. Jesus was born in Bethlehem (House of Bread). Jesus said He was the Bread of Life and that His Body was the Bread broken for us. It is Jesus’s brokenness that bought our salvation and grafted us into Him when we accept His sacrifice for us. Matthew 13:38 is illustrative of this separation process of threshing. (More to come later. It was getting late at the time I was writing this reply.)

Hi Lily,
No worries. You didn’t keep me us late. I just got on to SE late and began to reply not realizing the time. That was on me entirely.
Thank you for asking about Dad and for your kind prayers for him. Dad is doing well. He is still actively preaching God’s Word and adjusting to Mom’s absence. We know she is with Jesus, but the human ache is still there. God’s sustaining Hand of Comfort meets us each morning to carry that grief for us. I don’t know how unbelievers can cope with heartache without the assurance of Christ and His Grace to walk in.
We did visit the set of “Hobbiton” near the small town of Waikato. The owners of the pastoral property allowed the movie team to build a more permanent replica version when they filmed the 3 part “Hobbit” movies, so people can actually tour the area and get the experience. They even have a “Green Dragon” restaurant at the end of the tour where you can drink “Hobbiton Ale” and have a buffet-style meal.
I do believe that Elijah will be one of the two witnesses that come back to earth in the last days (Rev. 11).

Hi Lily,

My dad typically preaches through the biblical books, so on Sundays, he is presently in 1 Peter, and on Wednesday nights he is going through the Book of Jeremiah.

I found out my uncle on Dad’s side (his sister’s husband) passed away this morning, so we are going to another funeral. It has been a hard year, but I am so grateful those we lost were believers in Jesus and are in heaven now.

I have seen and did buy DVD copies of all of the LOTR and Hobbit movies.
I put a short 45 second video of our 2019 visit to Hobbiton on my Instagram site.
Here’s a link if you would like to see it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZPau9vrjbV/

I have been going through a bible study on dealing with grief and disappointment. Working through the healing process with God’s help.

Thank you, Lily. He had leukemia and was sent home on hospice. He wasn’t expected to pass so soon, though. The funeral is on Monday at 10 am CST. It is a 4 1/2 hour drive so we have to leave tomorrow.
My aunt is doing okay with God’s grace helping her. They were married almost 60 years. (Would have been 60 in June.)
I think my favorite movie of the series would be The Two Towers. It is where Gollum finally reveals himself and Gandalf returns after the battle with the Balrog. It seems to have the most drama of the three books and the Ents deal with Saruman. There are so many ups and downs, twists and turns, that it makes this part the highest part of the drama. I didn’t necessarily like the last part of the Hobbit 3 part movie, “The Battle of The Five Armies” because it seemed the most improbable. There is a scene in it where Legolas climbs rocks that are in freefall as if he is superhuman and has superhuman speed. It was a ridiculous special effect. The Hobbit was only one book, but they added so much (non-Tolkien) stuff that it came off as a clunky story that was artificially stretched to get the most out of the movie box office money. Such a disappointment, really. I don’t like Hollywood adding “woke-isms” to classics.
Here is a picture of Edoras (Mt Sunday) in New Zealand.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qpvHuA4asoi0gSSdM-5oEhUWgYetVmjI/view?usp=sharing

@obrian-of-the-surface-world

Hey Brian! Long time no see *glances at calendar* Whoa, really, long time no see lol.

Anywho, how have you and your family been? How’s your writing?