My recommendation is to read the Bible, starting with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ...the disciples are also listed in the Book of Acts. Matthew had an occupation bestowing upon him a title most people hated ---tax collector. But, he quit that occupation to follow Jesus. It is said that Mark followed Peter, but was a better writer than Peter ...so he wrote down events Peter shared with him about Jesus. Luke was a doctor, and very meticulous ...at least that was the impression, and good enough for me. And John was considered the 'beloved' apostle.

If any of us want to understand love, I feel we can't deprive ourselves from not knowing the greatest love we can know. 

I believe the entire Bible is so rich and deep, but some parts can also be confusing, especially in the Old Testament ...so, that is why I suggest first reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

When one says a person is 'crushing on someone', I know that it goes a little beyond just liking them a little ...and sometimes it goes a lot beyond that.  When I was just out of college, I was 'crushing' on a girl ...but, I was doing my best not to make her feel I was crushing her, as I didn't put any pressure on her, and gave her all the space she felt she wanted.  But, I did go to the same church as her ...and we were friends. I was feeling we could be 'best' friends, but I was sort of put in the 'friend-zone'.

I understand that two people's emotions are not likely to travel at the same pace, and time needs to have its due.  And it's a;so good to get a sense of whether you are traveling in the same direction also. My 'crush' traveled south ...but that is not the type of direction I am referring to. What I mean by direction is whether you are getting closer, or growing further apart.

And it is also important (actually, much more so) whether we grow closer to God, or distance ourselves from Him.

Meanwhile, it seemed like in no time at all, the Pastor's son asked me to teach Sunday school.  I will not tell how that went ...as I've probably already written about it more than a couple times, but I had never read the Bible before that.  To shorten that part of the story, I did teach the class, and I felt I at least had to know something ...so, that led me to read the Bible at that time.

We may not understand parts of the Bible, but we may also not understand parts of life as we are living it.  And both things were happening to me at the same time ...as the Bible was helping me understand life.  Sadly, that doesn't happen for everyone.  And the sad part of that greater 'everyone' just happened to be my job. I worked with kids in a mental health facility.  And I wholeheartedly wanted to help them. 

Yes, I was not that much older than some of them, and to a certain extent I was just beginning to understanding life for myself. Yet, God doesn't always chose the qualified, He qualifies who He chooses.  And I believe God directed me to this job.

When you are not the parent or a family member, there is only so much you can do ...but, in other ways sometimes you can do more. Yet, they were only going to be there so long, so I wanted to somehow give them some sort of hope for when they left the facility.  Back then, there weren't so many restrictions, so I handed out Bibles to them ...but, I also gave a couple of them a book I wrote, entitled 'So Loved ...'

A couple of the kids said it helped them cope with their life's situation by reading 'So Loved ...', and one girl said receiving the Bible saved her life.

I also realize that I wasn't just writing so I could help others ... the writing was helping me probably more than anyone.

I didn't realize I'd be writing more ...but, I guess I needed more help.

For what it's worth, I am going to try to list the links here, so I can share what I aimed to share.

whenwesearchfortruth.blogspot.com (So Loved ..)   ***more color********

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I wish I could remember the name of the wonderful and helpful gentleman at Vantage Press who worked with me.  He is probably the one who wrote the summary on the inside cover of the book, which I will type out shortly. I did not publish the book, I had it printed, and I was very pleased with the job they did.  I had told them I couldn't afford to publish, and they said they would print me some copies within my price range.

Here is  what he wrote: 

So Loved ....by a writer who wants to be known only as Stephen, is a powerfully emotional play that is essentially about the force of love ---particularly the effects of love or the absence of love on young lives.  The central character, Stephen Tressel, dedicates his life to love, with results that are ultimately tragic, but, in a way, beautiful.

The lives of two families ---the Tressels and the Razohns---are revealed in So Loved ...beginning with Stephen's parents.  Rich and Sarah Tressel are first seen as high school students who marry because of an unwanted pregnancy and are soon sunk in a miserable marriage that leads, among other things, to the death of their baby daughter. 

The girl Stephen loves is Ruth Razohn, the child of another loveless marriage, rather like that of Stephen's parents ---with a childish domineering father and a mother too passive to protect her child.

The playwright brings his characters to life in a suspenseful play with the convincing detail that only real life provides.  The ardent faith that suffuses the play is the power beneath the poetry with which the play begins and which it rises to again and again ---at the right moments.

https://sometimesanovelidea.blogspot.com       (So Loved ...) 1st book 

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Family members said they didn't like the ending of the story.  Partly as a result of their comments, I decided to rewrite the ending. 

Rewriting the ending was not that simple, as other parts leading up to the ending had to be changed ...and it then led to many parts.   And it led to extending the plot ...which led to another book, which I felt was too long, so I made it into two books instead.  These second and third books were not printed, the pages were only Xeroxed ...enough to bind a couple copies for me, and one for my parents (the ones who had said they didn't like my previous ending).


There are people in our society who do not want to socialize, and that is usually considered not normal.  Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD) is one of many conditions professionals provide treatment for ...& for every little thing in life which doesn't meet our expectations, there is usually a drug that can be prescribed. Those without much tact, often laugh & call others 'mentally ill', a label that's often hurtful. (Just an author's opinion:  In the case of Avoidant Personality Disorder, well, I don't consider it a mental illness to find more order, not disorder, in avoiding certain personalities.  I've found it healthy to avoid alcohol and drugs ...and have also found it wise to avoid joining the increasingly lax standards of a culture which views sex in such a casual manner.) Having worked with troubled youth within a mental health facility, I find it very important that a child enters this world with two parents committed to each other & their child. But, if it cannot be that way, and often it just isn't ...one caring parent can make all the difference. Feelings shared between people can often build a very strong bond. And I would contend that good friendships should grow and mature this way.

All that is good, though it does not often go the way we'd like it to. Deep feelings are great when managed in a healthy fashion, yet misunderstandings can bring forth great sorrow ...when the friendship ends.  This can be very painful, but we should look to others for help and support during those very difficult times.

With Maggie, this is not what happened.  
What hope did Maggie have left??

What future did she now have??  And worse yet ...did she even care at this point??


sometimesanovelidea.blogspot.com/2018/05/blog-post_35.html
(The Curious Whether and How) 2nd story

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One fairly accurate statement is that whatever you are going through, you are likely not the first, nor is it likely that presently you are the only one experiencing the pain.

There is said to be such a thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy ...which states that if you think a certain thing will happen, it may not happen merely because it was going to happen, but because your mindset interpreted actions and events a certain way that influenced your own responses and actions, leading to the very thing you thought would happen (because you helped make it so).

Yet, there is also a saying that tells us that God's ways are not our ways.  So, the specific ways we think we'd like things to happen, often don't happen that way.  But, I don't believe God wants us to give up on each other. God loves us so very much, and He designed life inclusive of relationships ...the most important relationship being with Him.

Faith and trust may not always be easy for us ...but, it is crucial to our understanding and the betterment of our lives.

I cannot tell you what you need to know ...I can only tell you of Him whom you need to know.  I hope you experience the good in life.  The bad in life is difficult to even read about, but maybe reading about it may help you to partly avoid it.  Or it may help you empathize with those who are hurting, and encourage you with a hope of perhaps helping them out.


sometimesanovelidea.blogspot.com/2018/05/blog-post_12.html
Do the Birds in the Wilderness, Not Heard, Stop Singing Their Songs?     3rd story

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When I got married, I didn't feel writing was a priority ...but, instead I had lengthy Bible studies with my wife, as we explored various questions ...searching for answers that others were not providing us. And what we were exploring, we shared with others, but with each friend so eager to speak, it is most important to have a friendly conversation than to think we are in some Bible class. So, naturally tangents are acceptable ...friends should not set up rules for conversation. And the expected result is that ones own thoughts get lost in the conversation. That being said, I began to write a 4th book as a way to communicate at least some of the flood of ideas. I was just writing away, not focusing on it's length. And it just started getting longer and longer. It eventually became longer than the previous two stories combined (which I had split up, when I felt it was 'too long' as one).  I got a bit carried away, writing my wife and our kids into the story.  Some of the events happened close to the way I wrote then, but I felt the story would be more interesting with a bit more conflict, so I didn't quite write it the way it was ...as I took artistic licence, creative licence, dramatic licence, narrative licence, and literary licence as is usually considered acceptable. I wouldn't even go as far as saying 'based on a true story'. Rather it is often called embellishment, but I am writing it as a 'fictional story', so I can't really be accused of any of that ...only literary licence, as my grammar and punctuation are otherworldly. That 4th book, I self-published (if that's what they call it) ...and you can buy The Evolution of Confusion, well, half of it anyway.  I forgot to mention that Xulon Press evidently thought 'too long' was important, as they said they could not publish my 600-page length book, so I published only half of it.
But, in some form or another, it is all here ...not half of it, but the entire story, to the end. I am not writing another book ...as I am now writing blogs like this one. (I think this one is #525.) (I see how lacking I am as a writer (not in quantity, but in quality) ...as this professional review makes my book sound better in some respects, and of course ....shorter.  Listed under its title, the following:
The Evolution of Confusion
So many people today are questioning Creation as a reason we are here today. Evolution is still what is taught in schools ...as science advances the narrative, correcting where they feel Darwin was wrong, but still adhering to his general principles.

This story tells of a school teacher who is taken to court by the ACLU for teaching about God in her classroom. Is it going to be the Scopes Monkey Trial all over again??

Not quite ... 


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manypeoplehaveapenname.blogspot.com         4th book, 7 parts (The Evolution of Confusion) Part 1 of 7 ---The Essence (+)  


Recapping the end of first half of: The Evolution of Confusion  (Part 2 of 7 ---pages 266 through 285)

whenwelastleftyou.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2019-06-09T14:59:00-07:00&max-results=7  
(Part 3 of 7 ---pages 286 through 315)


whenwelastleftyou.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2019-06-09T01:07:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=4&by-date=false
(Part 4 of 7 ---Pages 316 thru approximately 320, no page #s)


sometimesanovelidea.blogspot.com/2018/05/blog-post.html
(Part 5 of 7 ---pages 320 through 558)



manypeoplehaveapenname.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2018-05-26T18:32:00-07:00&max-results=7
(Part 6 of 7 ---pages 559 through 599)



manypeoplehaveapenname.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2018-05-22T19:21:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=1&by-date=false   (Part 7 of 7 ---Epilogue)              


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I did mention that I used the name of my wife, and our children in my writing.  Speaking of writing, we Homeschooled our children and one available resource my wife found was 'Studentreasures', a division of Nationwide Learning Resources, Inc., a publishing company out of the state of Kansas.  The following is from our then 4 year old daughter Leah:

'All About Zebras' ...written and illustrated by Leah

Dedicated to: Jesus ...He made zebras

Hello!

Zebras are my favorite animals.  My name is Leah.  I am 4 years old.

I have a stuffed zebra named 'Zebra-boy'.  He goes with me places.  This is a story about zebras.

Once there was a zebra named 'Stripe'.  He had a very nice family.

"I love my family", said Stripe.  "We are very close and stick together."

"Some times we don't get along, but we know we can forgive each other and be kind again. We know we are safer when we stick together."

"There are some guys that try to catch us.  We can run very fast."

When Jesus comes back the lion will lay down with the lamb ...and zebras too!!!

"Sometimes people come and take us to the zoo.  The zebras do get food, water, and lots of attention, but being free is best of all.  What do you think?!?

It took a long time to write my zebra book.  It was fun.

My Dad is writing a book too.

Tomorrow is my birthday.  I will be five.

The last page has zebra facts, family & friends.

Bye!

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What does God do??  To Leah, though she may have not understood how it all works (and neither does her Dad), she accepted that God (the Father), Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all One ...and she was thankful for Creation, the zebras being created, and Mom & Dad too.  (And of course, a world full of wonderful things, and more people.)  Yes, it continues ...she was also thankful for an older sister and two younger brothers ...and one more brother yet to come the following year.  

Many people have questioned what God does in their life, but to the Israelites who were made to be slaves in Egypt, it was a spectacular display when God sent Moses to address Pharaoh.

And Aaron's rod, that humble instrument God had Aaron and Moses use ...was considered holy, and was placed in the Ark of the Covenant, along with a golden container of manna, and the Ten Commandments. 

As generations passed, they didn't always understand the Ark of the Covenant ...and once King David didn't even want it near him, though he understood it's power, and that it was holy.  He also knew what God had done in his life, and though times were frustrating, the thought of what God had done, and who God is never left him.

The scrolls, beginning with the Torah and also the writings of the prophets were also considered holy.  Yet, again, the people didn't always understand the writings, but the writings were considered extremely holy and were treated as such.

The same can be said of the Gospel accounts of Jesus, where they were copied by hand with such meticulous care as to not make a mistake with God's Holy Word.

No, don't believe there was an agenda to change the truth that was to be passed on to us ...the agenda is happening today, to discount the truth.

How can I not recommend that everyone read this Holy Bible!?!