A Little Truth about God

          Cecil chuckled. “Sometimes it’s harder to do God’s work than anyone realizes.” He scrubbed a little bit on one of the pans he was washing. “What about you? You said you used to go to church, but not anymore. Why is that?”

Teresa shrugged. “I guess I just got busy. I also think that I got tired of all the rules that they gave us in church. I didn’t see the point.”

“If you want rules, try being a monk, or in your case, I suppose, a nun.” He turned the pan over in his hands, guessing that it would have to just be clean enough. “We have rules for everything—what time we get up, when we go to bed, when and how we pray, what we wear.” He lifted his brown tunic a few inches off the ground with both of his hands. “But I do believe that all those rules are to keep us close to God. I think each person needs to figure out what he needs to do to stay close to God.” (From the novel “The Truth Beyond the River”)

I can’t remember exactly what our pastor said during his sermon at this week’s Lenten service, but it reminded me of the lines above.

Sometimes we make Christianity way more complicated than it needs to be. That works for some people, but in general, most people want to keep it simple.

How simple is Christianity? Believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Know that God the Father is always there for you, that the Son died on the cross to take away your sins, and that the Holy Spirit will help you to keep your faith. Love God above all else and love others as you love yourself.  

For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9, Good News Translation)

I started this blog years ago to keep track of my writing goals. Seeing as those goals have gone by the wayside, I’m mostly using this blog to unashamedly promote my books. I published “The Truth Beyond the River” several years ago, and it is still available on Amazon.com. Click this link or you can always message me for a signed copy. Chris

Introducing . . .

 

 As you read here just over a week ago, my latest books have arrived. I’m looking forward to my next vendor sale where I can push all my books off on my town’s people, but that isn’t until mid-April. You can get your own copy from Amazon or from me directly. Just shoot me a message.

In the meantime, I see that I never even shared the introduction from the book, even though I’ve told you the premise. Forty days’ worth of pain. How fun could that be?

On April Fool’s Day of 2023, I threw out my back toting a suitcase full of books to a sale. I didn’t think much of it. My back had been “going out” off and on for 37 years. It would be all better within three to four weeks, with heat, rest, and the right sort of stretches, and maybe the chiropractor if my back was stubborn.

            This time was different. Ten weeks later, the pain was still there. Most mornings, it was a struggle to get out of bed. I couldn’t bend or walk normally. Nothing in my toolbox was working, and neither was the chiropractor or the variety of meds my primary care provider provided. Physical therapy gave me a few good days, but that pain kept returning. 

            I blogged about it and then started reading blog posts I’d written over the past thirteen years when I was dealing with various other pain. Yes, lots of back pain, but also migraine headaches, a broken leg, bone spurs in my heel, bursitis in my hip, a frozen shoulder, and the worst one up until now – kidney stones.

            There was also the emotional pain of losing my mother and the mental pain from that COVID-19 pandemic, which I wrote about in an entirely different book.

            How did I get through all of that pain? Yes, my family and friends were immensely supportive, and my medical community gave me everything it could. But at the end of the day, or at one a.m. when I thought I was losing my mind, and I got up to write, God is the One who got me through.

            Forty days of devotions all about pain does not sound like a cheery book to read. But the idea is to give you the strength and hope to get through those bad days and to turn your pain over to God. You might be disappointed when He doesn’t take your agony away, but He is always there and will answer your prayers in His way and His time.

 And if nothing else, you’ll want to read the book to see how many times my weird sense of humor sprung up, even without narcotics in my system.

Click here to order your copy on Amazon.