Career and Calling: The Tugging In My Heart

November 9, 2018

Me Drawing

Yesterday, I took time away from most things that busy my day (the blog, the social media, etc and etc), and really began to think about what I’m really, really passionate about as it relates to my career and calling in life … my work. Majority of that time was spent, quietly, in prayer, writing, reading and just taking time away from breaking news, social media and consistent busyness.

Over and over again, I could feel the pull of writing, cartooning and storytelling.

Journalism is merely a small piece of that reality. And yet, it is one that is so important to consider.

When I’m not busy with a barrage of news stories, interviewing, writing and editing, I’m often working on my sci-fi fictional writing, short stories, blogs, and my comic strips. As of late, I have not taken the time to actually work on those stories and have only recently began to get back to blogging. That’s my fault.

I was glad to be reminded … to just take time away and just get away from all of the noise of the world … and really hear what is tugging at my heart.

Each time, I’m reminded of my childhood. I’m reminded of my ongoing imagination playing storyline after storyline of ideas, characters, concepts and more. Sometimes, if I’m not careful, I slip into that same thought pattern, coming up with stories and thinking about the plots of my current work more and more.

I do it so much, it feels like those characters in my middle-grade novels and comics I’m writing and creating are my kids. One, because a bit of myself is in each of them and then two, my wife said that they are my kids. And she’s right.

She then told me this:

“Finish your stories … if not for yourself … for me!” – Rachel Lyons

THAT motivates me. And Rachel is right!

 

Advertisements
In All Posts, Media , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
permalink

Seven Years of Blogging!

November 7, 2018

Medium article - church2

I took a look back in time on my WordPress blog posts to figure out when I wrote my very, very first article.

It was October 6, 2011, and my very first blog post, “Mom came up with the idea first..,” was my very first entry. It was for a news site I ran called Cartoon Daily News.

That post was definitely not my best post. But, it was a start and it was a good, humble beginning.

Blogging and writing online gave me the opportunity to express myself in ways that I never thought possible.

I also had a chance to give my thoughts and ideas and to integrate some of my doodles and drawings. Because of blogging, I really began to start investigating and discovering various interests that I have had for a long, long time.

Then, there’s blogging for the purpose of figuring out how to get out of the job I absolutely hated. I was working full-time in a cubicle job at a major bank, doing a job that was neither my area of interest or my skill set. I was making a LOT of money. But I was utterly miserable.

Writing and blogging helped me survive that period of my life. Blogging also helped me find the way back to my God-given gifts and talents. I’ve always been a storyteller. In fact, if I didn’t have the chance to write and blog and express myself, I would probably be worse off.

I fell in love with blogging and writing online so much that I realized that it was time to start looking for work that would allow me to write more. Fast forward to the time I’m writing this blog post — working for a local newspaper not far from Dallas.

Blogging also gave me a chance to share my faith, something I take very seriously. There’s a lot of people who need inspiration, encouragement and uplifting. So, blogging over the years afforded me the chance to share thoughts and messages that hopefully made a difference in the lives of others.

 

In All Posts, Media , , , , , , , , ,
permalink

Trusting God!

November 5, 2018

DSC00099

My wife and I had a candid conversation about trusting God with our hearts. We talked about my career path and her career path … mostly mine.

For example, I love the idea of pursuing a Ph.D. and I may do that sooner than I think. But, I also like the idea of earning more training in the media realm, particularly Journalism and Creative Writing and even Graphic Design (Art, Illustration).

When my wife Rachel and I attended a nearby college preview day to see what they had to offer, I was really excited by what I learned. Then came the questions … does this make sense, will this work, and so forth.

I’m learning not to cringe if I get excited over various topics or ideas that light up my heart. Where do we learn that “cringe” feeling over things that light us up, the things that make our heart soar?

My guess is shame. That among other issues of course. We feel like we can’t have certain things in life because we are either not worthy of it and God certainly wouldn’t want us to have certain things … or we lack believe that God is a giver of good gifts.

Matthew 7:11 (NKJV)

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Theirs just some things that God will not let me have … at least not yet. And it is not because God is cruel, unloving and unfair. Far from it! God loves me and loves you, and often times I see that love in play when He withholds certain things from me that are not for me and gives me the things that He desires to give me out of his abundance and out of his love for me. This is actively God’s Grace and God’s Mercy. His Grace and Mercy means way more to me than material things.

Psalm 84:11 (NKJV)

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.

My wife spoke this point to me: “trust God with your heart!”

Note, not “trust your heart,” or “follow your heart.” We both knew that could lead to some very interesting, treacherous places.

So, in the midst of all of the questions I have about what’s next, I have learned to just relax and see the Lord in the midst of it all. We want to be sure not to lean on our own understanding of the issues of life, but to reach out to and acknowledge the Lord in our life … the Lord of our life … trusting God and Christ Jesus as we go forward.

 

In All Posts, Faith , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
permalink

A Merry Heart

September 5, 2018
"Angelo Rules" by Team TO and Cake Entertainment

“Angelo Rules” by Team TO and Cake Entertainment

 

One of the things I’m grateful for is a “merry,” or cheerful heart. My wife woke up one morning to this scripture she shared with me … Proverbs 17:22 …

A merry heart does good, like medicine. But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 (NKJV)

It has been days since Rachel and I read that scripture and discussed it in length. We know that there’s a lot going on in the world, our culture, our own life and our family and it can be kind of tough to actually be “cheerful” or “merry.”

It has actually been really nice that she’s been reminding me of how cheerful I always tend to be. In fact, the running joke is that I don’t really need too much more caffeine because of how cheerful I am most days.

Usually you have to wait for the holidays for that, right? A dozen or more genuine “Merry” Christmas responses should do it, right?

But, what if it was a choice.

What if we chose to see the blessings that God has given us. I woke up that morning because the Lord so willed for me to be up and alive that morning. I have a sound mind. I have a portion of health and strength. But, more importantly, I know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And that’s enough to be cheerful about.

But, note the wording in the scripture. “A merry heart does good, like medicine….”

The world is full of things in front of us by which we can medicate ourselves. But, the end result will only be an artificial cheerfulness, an artificial and temporary “merry” state, a temporary happiness.

“A broken spirit,” sadness and desperation is draining. It is completely opposite of being cheerful. As the text says, it “dries the bones.”

But, when we find ourselves in God’s Word, spending time in prayer and consistently focusing on Christ in our circumstances, the real medication for our ailment of sinfulness, we can have a “merry” heart, which does good like medicine.

In All Posts, Faith , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
permalink