“You’re all that stands in your way.”

For the past few years that quotation has been my personal motto and one which I’ve found applies to many situations in life. From the inner voice that feeds fear and defeat to the realization that ‘believing the lie’ fell on us, I think we’ve all had moments when our biggest obstacle has been that flawed creature trapped within a mirror. In those times, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters and to stop being a better example. It’s easy for a person to forget their way and get lost in a world as big as this one.

We live in a time so advanced that occasionally the best things – the simpler things – are forgotten. Every once in a while true greatness takes time; a peculiar fact for such an age of convenient immediacy, no? Those simpler greats include a few character qualities that perfect themselves over a lifetime, such as respect, honesty, honor and dignity. At times, these same traits are misused as some form of pop culture integrity but they’re strong enough to endure beyond fifteen minutes of fame.

What they don’t fare so well against are the other character traits that make us not so great. Apathy, arrogance, ignorance…the list rolls on like a wave in the ocean. Before you know it, the good things are lost in a sea of turmoil and confusion. What soon rises in the wake is the loss of our own graciousness; of our own compassion for all mankind.

Earlier this month, a story in which a pack of teens viciously and randomly attacked an elderly gentleman was reported by KMOV-TV St. Louis. The better – and rightfully angered – part of our being would demand justice, yet the 82-year-old feared further abuse should he be identified on camera telling his story. Take a moment to consider that level of fear. Eight decades of living – surviving three, maybe four, generations – and now this man has to be afraid of children in his own neighborhood.

Surely the labors of his life were not meant to yield such bitter fruit. Isn’t it up to us, the generations that follow, to not only respect but to look out for our elders? Haven’t they struggled with shaping and building society long enough that they shouldn’t have to fear for their own safety? The morality being taken for granted is the same morality which saw them through hard times…and this is the thanks they get?

Dignity cannot risk becoming a lost art, it’s that simple. There’s no more room for philosophizing the meaning of right or ignoring right because it’s the harder choice. To fail the generations before us is to fail the generations that follow us. We have to do a better job of taking care and standing up.

So, what do you think? Is it time to work a little harder at being a better example?

You’re all that stands in your way.

One of my favorite books of the Old Testament is the story of Ruth. There are the obvious inspirations of devotion, friendship and – above all – loyalty but beyond that what really grabs my attention is how magnificent one decision in one woman’s life ended up being. It was not an easy decision, when Ruth decided to stay by the side of her mother-in-law, Naomi – even Naomi advised her to the contrary.

These two women had lost everything; not a little bit but all they had. In society today the word ‘everything’ has become diminished in intensity. It has become a vague summation used for our own immediate convenience. In the days of Ruth, however, when all was lost there were little opportunities to recover. No bailouts in Moab, see?

Both women had lost their husbands, as had Ruth’s sister-in-law. They were without families of their own, career, money, futures and hope. Ruth was young, too young to stay by Naomi’s side, and out of compassion for her son’s wife, Naomi urged her to return to her mother. But in a moment of pure devotion, Ruth gave to her mother-in-law an answer that proved where her heart belonged:

But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” – Ruth 1:16-17 (NKJV)

Imagine for a moment if more of us demonstrated such strength and commitment in this day and age. There was nothing awaiting them in Bethlehem, no home, no job, certainly no riches; but still Ruth journeyed. Be it her love for Naomi or a desire to follow the God of her husband’s family, Ruth took a chance. She took a chance on Naomi, on leaving behind her homeland and all that she knew.

In Bethlehem, Ruth took work gleaning in the fields; essentially picking up grain that had fallen to the wayside. It was the only means she had and through her work, her rewards began to show. One such field belonged to Boaz, an indirect relative of Naomi who took kindness on Ruth. Boaz went so far as to tell his men to leave larger portions of grain behind so that Ruth might gather it.

From that point, Boaz became something of a guardian towards Ruth and Naomi. None ever took advantage of the other. Under Naomi’s advice, Ruth went to Boaz and in one simple gesture let it be known that she would be wife to him. Eventually Boaz did take Ruth as his wife and from their marriage, something truly amazing happened:

“So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.” – Ruth 4:13-17 (NKJV)

From King David, we can extend the lineage of Ruth to Bethlehem’s most famous birth: Jesus Christ. As a fan of the little things, the small moments, the small details, this just blows my mind. What if, in that moment on the road between Moab and Bethlehem, Ruth had listened to Naomi’s advice and returned to her mother? It certainly wouldn’t have been a frowned-upon decision, would it?

No, everything (there’s that word again) hinged on a single decision. Ruth’s decision to walk the less traveled road, to take the chance and not the easy way, forever earned her a place in history. A stranger in a foreign land, a woman who had nothing, was part of the greatest bloodline in Biblical history. Even when everything had been lost, the smallest decisions still mattered. In Ruth’s case, the decision contributed to the forgiveness of all mankind.

The Bible has stopped being written, but those who choose to follow Christ are still called upon to follow that less traveled road. We could easily turn away from the adversity or just sit down and give up. We could refuse to take a chance on one another. But maybe there’s something greater in store – before eternity.

I choose to believe that every day presents us with the opportunity to start anew. Sure we’re going to struggle and fail along the way but we can’t be held back by that. May we all be more mindful of the chances we take and the decisions we make. After all, we never know when one decision might affect.…

Is it possible to become so ‘connected’ that you forget who you are?

By that I don’t mean that you shut off the computer one night and can’t remember your name or how you ended up in whatever room you’re in. I’m referring to the priorities and beliefs that make us both who we are and what we represent. Do the things you say (write, type, text, etc.) reflect the truth of who you are?

At what point does the person you are now keep you from becoming the person you wish you could be?

Before this comes across as a rant, let me just say that I don’t write to point fingers or pass judgment. There’s enough of that available in other places and I don’t welcome it here. I believe people should be treated with dignity and given the chance to earn respect. At least, that’s the kind of man I want to be.

Admittedly, in my own life I’m a guarded person. I’m not an expert when it comes to making small talk or meeting new people. As a novelist, having to be clever in 140 characters or less can be mind-bending. On more than one occasion, I’ve given many a cricket the chance to chirp.

I tend to put more time into thinking about what I want to write in an update than I actually spend on typing said update. It isn’t because I’m a perfectionist; I don’t believe in perfection in this life. I’ve simply come to believe that on some level we’re all an example to someone else. If we, or I, make the claim than it has to be substantiated in actions, motives and decisions.

Because this is all temporary…

I can’t be one of those people who goes against their morality or settles in order to be popular. When I was younger, sure, maybe; but not anymore, thank you very much. What’s more, I don’t believe that’s what God would want from me. That might be lame to some people but I still believe one day I’ll be held accountable for these choices I’ve made and, ultimately, will make.

That’s what I’m trying to live up to. How about you?

When I decided to change the way my books are processed (Lulu vs. LSI) I took the opportunity to reflect on what I was really telling the reader. While that prompted me to change from the 254-pages in Blood Brother: Homecoming to 348-pages in Homecoming, the most recognizable change is in the title of this series.

Why did I drop Blood Brother from the title? Besides the fact that it made some people cringe – admit it – I also think it confuses the market. If I were targeting (only) the horror audience, I’d definitely have stuck with the title. But, as a great friend mentioned to me, these books are really “inspirational thrillers” not “horror stories”.

Also, I think it implies that the books are all about the character Eric Kade — who became a blood brother to the character Nickel Warren as a kid. The books are really about both characters and what Eric represents in Nickel’s life. (Sorry, you have to read the book to know what that is.) Both characters are equally important in my opinion and, thus far, Nickel has been one of my favorite characters to develop. She is the reader’s unofficial narrator as she is the newbie in the world Eric has submersed himself in.

So, if you’ve read BB:H and are curious if you have to read it again …. no. But you’ll be missing out on much more than what the abbreviated version covered. While there is a 94-page difference, there were also several pages that were cut out of BB:H before I began building it back up again. I’m entirely pleased with Homecoming and regard it as delivering the story I really wanted to tell. Also, as it stands – and despite being a larger book, it should retail for a cheaper price tag than BB:H. Take that, recession.