Where the Wind Begins
91,400 wordsProposal
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” give a fuller definition of the Gospel.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus; Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the
light of His glory and grace.”
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus; Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the
light of His glory and grace.”
What God offers us is the ability to rise above circumstances as He, through the redemptive accomplishments of His Son, transforms us into citizens of Heaven. As the writer of Hebrews declares, this is not our country. Because of this process of transformation or sanctification, God is not as interested in changing our circumstances as much as He is interested in changing us and I am not at all hesitant to say that the difference is much greater than we here in the West have made it out to be.
Western society is an oasis—historically and currently—in a desert of misery. The word “relevant” is passed around a lot these days, but if we want the “Good News” to be relevant to the starving mother in Darfur holding a bloated, dying, diseased ridden child with no hope what-so-ever of “planting her seed faith” in order to reap, we must conclude that Jesus did not come to offer health and prosperity and He certainly came to do much more than give us an all expense-paid trip to Heaven. He offers us the ability to tread on the “scorpions and serpents” of circumstances just as He walked upon the water.
One of the best examples of what God offers in Christ is apparent when one compares the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes with the New Testament book of Philippians. The former is the journal of a religious man who knew that God existed and that it was best to obey His rules, but found no joy in that Truth. He was religious and he was miserable. The latter is a letter that Paul wrote from a jail cell to the church at Philippi. The former describes the thoughts of a man who tried everything, owned everything, and found satisfaction in nothing. The latter had everything, but gave it all up for the knowledge of Christ (who, Himself, described His economic condition as not having a place of His own to lay His head), endured an ever-present “thorn” in his flesh, and remained joyful. The letter is replete with words of joy and contentment which the writer encourages his readers to seek in knowing Christ as Lord not in praying that God change circumstances. Indeed, Paul tells us that he had learned to be content in all circumstances.
SummaryI have taken the sentiments of these two books and placed them in two characters. Morv Areed (Moreen) Hassani is a lady in her mid fifties who has suffered great losses—family and fortune--as a result of the bloody conflict between her home country of Iran and that of Iraq. She was forced to leave a promising international medical career and her country as a result of religious persecution….she is a Christian. In the states she lives out her faith as part of a local Eastern Orthodox fellowship.
Malcolm Richardson is a multi-millionaire (in his late fifties) who had retired early. He has everything he can buy and is board with it all. The man has made tremendous mistakes with his family throughout the years and is now suffering the consequences of those relational mishaps. He has been married three times (resulting in a very large blended family) and has struck out all three times. Consequently, he lives alone in his 8000 square foot mansion on the bay in Kemah near Houston, Texas. Malcolm spends his time reading and pondering Shakespeare, contemplating his mistakes, trying to mend his relational mishaps, landscaping his property, and visiting the small cafe down the street. He believes in God, but does not believe God is actively involved or even cares about the everyday lives of people.
The title comes from Solomon describing life as a “chasing after the wind”. Malcolm Richardson feels that his life is as Solomon describes it. Moreen, who runs that frequented café, mentioned above, informs the millionaire that this may be true for him, but she knows where the wind begins.
The story contrasts these two outlooks on life as the two main characters, their families, their friends, and their struggles interact. The book’s ending lends itself to at least one and maybe two sequels. In the introduction, I have included a short summary of Ecclesiastes and Philippians. Also, an appendix can be developed from my notes that would allow readers to connect characteristics drawn from those two books to the characters in the story.
The length of the manuscript is 87,148 words.
Purpose and Target Audience
While it is certainly legitimate to create something for the mere act of creating and enjoying, I do not know if it is possible in most cases taking into account the baggage (some good, some bad) with which we come into a project. I readily admit that there is a purpose with which I write. Aside from the epiphany I had several years ago concerning the stark contrast between the “religion” of Ecclesiastes and the “relationship” of Philippians, I took the opportunity to present some other ideas that are near to my heart and I believe God’s as well. Below is a generalization of these ideas.
· Emphasize sanctification over circumstances, character over comfort and declare this to be God’s approach
· Elevate the daily walk in the faith as paramount
· Introduce readers to the book of Ecclesiastes and its dark, real life, “rubber hits the road” perspective
· Invite evangelicals to be less provincial and exclusive in their religious world views
· Introduce evangelicals to the possibility that high church liturgy can be moving and meaningful
· Introduce readers to the richness of Shakespeare
Novice and amateur do not adequately describe my lack of experience in the world of publishing (which is zero), but I have always been a fast learner and would be willing to gather productive advice from any source. The only marketing idea that I can possibly come up with at this juncture is to get involved with the internet chat sites. I certainly am not averse to any type of public appearances or speaking engagements.
Personal Background
I am in my 50’s and have worked in farming/ranching, sales, managed restaurants, worked as a hospital orderly and then a paramedic, went to seminary, and spent time roust-a-bouting in the oil fields of east Texas. Along the way I have accumulated many hours of university classes, mostly in communication, i.e. speech and English. Also, over the past 15 years I have read extensively in business, astronomy, Shakespeare, theology, and philosophy. And during all this, I have experienced the assaults of a fallen world and raised two fine sons with the woman I have been married to for over 25 years.
Currently, Suffer the Slings and Arrows, Dialogues with Job, is being looked at by Lighthouse Publishing and I have started a third project (also fiction)…this dealing with the heartbreaking issue of child custody battles.
Most importantly, I love the Word of God and spend time in it daily (have been since the age of sixteen). This and the life experiences listed above qualify me to take Scripture and turn it into a narrative of life where God is constantly reaching down to us and encountering (for the most part) ignorance, ambivalence, or hostility...even among those who try to respond with affection.
No comments:
Post a Comment