It's no secret spring is my favorite time of the year. Nothing like seeing fresh "blooms" like the ones featured in this post's opening image to lift the spirits of the weary soul.
So glad to be leaving winter behind. This year, in Western Washington (where I live), we had a harder than normal winter. Spring came a little later that I'm used to from past years but at least it's here now. Yay!
Sorry I haven't been posting on my Typepad site as often as I should, but things are moving in my life. Biggest development/boom being my faith. I'm praying and drawing closer to the Lord. Better yet, I feel as though lately I'm acting more through a spirit of love than at any time I can ever remember--except for maybe when I was first "saved" wayyy back in 1990/91. Wssshew, that was a long time ago!
Haven't spiritually matured like I should. Heck with nearly 30 years in the faith, I should be titan my now, but alas I'm not. Have NEVER spoken in tongues as of yet, and haven't received the gift of prophesy either. But these are GIFTS of the Spirit. Stuff that: the Holy Spirit, Jesus, or the Holy Father; imparts--as THEY so will.
Something in me has changed, and I need to keep at it, because that change is for the better. It is a change of love. The kind of unconditional love that God has for His creation. Don't claim to have mastered this kind of "love" yet, but I feel like I'm actually doing it now; I can love people unconditionally. Love and freedom in the Spirit are were I'm at now. I wanna be more like God and reflect the loving side of His nature.
On the way to work, I'm listening to BBR(?) more and more. Anyway, it's a really God-centered stations that plays HYMNS and has a lot of pastors sermons on it. It's NOT Christian Contemporary either; rather, it's programming centered more on the WORSHIP of God, as opposed to a Christian's self-help center.
It's all about Jesus. About trusting and growing in Him. Nailing my sin the cross and letting Him use me as He sees fit.
I've had head knowledge about this way of living FOR-EVER! But somehow life here on Earth drew me away from really putting my roots down, and growing in the true manner of the Christ-centered faith.
Don't claim to understand all the mysteries in the bible. But what I have experienced lately is a greater indwelling of love. Christians are made to be fountains from which springs up life giving water. I wanna be like that. To be a source of life.
Christians are meant to be LIFE-GIVING fountains.
Besides may rebirth of sorts in the faith, I've also got a new job! This job is actually HELPING my faith. Why? Because it's in a machine shop, manufacturing environment where I have to use several different kinds of forklifts to move product around very big and heavy items in tight tolerances. Gotta be an ACE on the forklift here, and my skill level isn't there yet.
Yeah, the job I'm at now requires that I use this for some loads and unloads!
Already had to unload one truck using this style forklift. A lot of my company final products require a high weight rated forklift to more them around. Hopefully in the upcoming weeks I'll get opportunity to work on my skill with this other style of forklifts. Had to more a competed unit through the manufacturing hallway using a forklift rated just under this last week. We're talking 4" clearances load to machine shop stuff. Gotta be REAL CAREFUL. So you know I'll be praying a lot at this job for forklifting skills and safety from on-high.
LOVE the guys I get to work with. Probably the best group of men I've every had around me. So I'm real encouraged by that.
Writing-wise I'm on the 2nd draft of "The Commune: III" now. Basic story is framed in. Now I've gotta improve everything--except the 1st 10 pages which are rock sold thanks to: Scriptshadow 10-page, attention grabbing screenwriting challenge back in January. At first I rebuffed this challenge, but then I said, "What the heck" and went for it. Truth of the matter is I already had a rough draft carved out from an unused opening that at one point I thought I'd use for "The Commune II". That opening really didn't fit the story for "The Commune II", but with the challenge, and the some encouragement from Scriptshadow regular, Brian McHale-Doyle; I shaped it up and submitted it. No, my entry wasn't chosen my Carson Reeves, the head guy at Scriptshadow, BUT it did serve a purpose. It got the ball rolling on this dark sci-fi script. The more I settle into the new job, the more writing and editing I hope to do. When "The Commune III" is done, I'm going back to Thars with renewed energy. Sometimes you just need a break from the grind. And no matter how much you love your story, all writing eventually becomes a grind. Somewhere in Solomon's writings he says something to extent, "... the excessive devotion to books in wearying." Been there, lived through that, many, many times.
O-kay, so I've laid out my new blooms this spring: spiritually, in the working here-and-now, and also in my writing world. Would love to know what's "new" in your life. So feel free to comment in comments section. Hope your life is blooming like these:
Till we talk again,
Yours truly,
E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA