15 Books
I sat at my desk and thought about all the book titles that were rolling around in my heart. I came up with 15 titles, complete with outlines.
I have written one and self published it. At present I’m working on two more. One is a kind of revision or re-writing of the first. It is a different telling of my story. The other is a compilation of short story reflections. Sort of, everyday thoughts about ordinary things that expand one’s perspective and uses things we see everyday to springboard us to higher level thinking about value and meaning in our messy, modern lives.
There is so much going on in our world. Most people I know have lives so far from what might be considered mundane that it isn’t extraordinary to hear them say that they should write a book.
New York and Benghazi connect with 9-11 in the minds of millions. So many small cities like Ferguson, MO and Sandy Hook, CT have become household names with intensely meaningful significance to people far beyond their boarders. Their residents, friends and family have touched the world. Other stories of tragedy and triumph are just as prevalent, but not quite as reported.
What makes a story move? Authors do. Videographers do too. A story can go viral instantly with the massive amount of media options available to us. Daniel, the prophet, called it an explosion of knowledge in the Bible. Of course, the exact wording depends on your translation. The point is, our generation has seen this come to be.
When I was twelve years old, we had five channels on our TV. We were poor, but even the rich kids only had a few more. They simply didn’t reach. It wasn’t just the receiver, it was the sender too. Radio signals don’t go through mountains, but now we have satellites and cell towers to boost the signal. So, anyone and everyone has the opportunity to get their story out there.
What’s your story? Is there an inspiring tale or a tragic event that you’d like to share? Why? Why would you want to tell people about it? Would you like to offer perspective or elicit sympathy? Are you looking for justice or offering hope?
We all have the same 24 hours in the day. We work and play. We serve and carry out tasks of daily living, each in our own ways and by our own routines. Telling stories is as much a part of daily living as breathing. Most of the time though, we don’t write the stories or produce video recordings to share with the world. We usually hold our stories pretty close within our own small circle of influence.
To those few who reach out, I say “Bravo.” We connect with each other by common experience or by sharing emotions and philosophy from our human experience. Our lives have meaning and purpose. We are made in the image of God, the ultimate story-teller. To live by the Cross, we connect vertically, with God in prayer and obedience and we connect horizontally, with people in tangible acts and intangible relation.
What is your story?