Soul of a Man

Alrighty, so I just took one of those strange online tests, this one happened to be "what is the color of your soul?" (apparently mine is red), that got me thinking: What is a soul? Where does it reside? Does it have color or shape, and does it look different for each person?

The soul of man is his inner self. what makes him human, the spirit, the "heart" of man is what makes him a sentient thing in a world of other living things which have no soul.

Where did it come from? God gave it to us, to make us different from His other creations.

Genesis 2:7 says, “then the LORD formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

Our souls are that single breath of God that made us what, and who we are, His creations, the only ones made in His image, to share in part, His likeness (Genesis 1:27-28).

As an author, I have my own thoughts about what a soul looks like, what its color is, and such, but the only fact we know is that this immortal part of our bodies of dust is there because God put it there, and He did so for His own purposes and His own glory.

I always saw my soul as a little flame… Sometimes so small it would seem that a breath could blow it out. Its color changes depending on the condition of my heart, emotions, and situation. My soul used to be black as night, only ever sinful all the time, this much I know. But something wondrous happened…

Christ Jesus, the one who created all, and holds it all together, came down, became a man, adopted his own soul, yet without the stain of sin from Genesis 3. He died, willingly giving up His body of flesh and allowing for a time, Death to take Him. But He was raised! After three days He stood again in ultimate triumph over all! The blood of His cross defeated sin, but the dawn of His Resurrection defeated Death!

So now what does my soul look like? Washed in the blood of Christ and built again to reflect His glory I would say it has every color from white to any color you can imagine, whatever pleases Him, whatever color brings Him the most glory.

Sometimes that little flame burns low, begins to blacken, but in confession and repentance that flame burns white as snow, after burning red for a little while, remembering what it took to save my soul from hell.

So what is a soul? That which makes a man set apart for God’s glory from all His other wonderful creations.

Where does it reside? George MacDonald once said: “You do not have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” So one can rightly suppose that our souls for a time reside in our mortal bodies, what about color and shape? I daresay it is whatever your Creator wants it to be! Perhaps it has no definite shape yet, but is being molded by the great Potter’s hands. As for color, is anything God creates not beautiful? It is probably the most beautiful thing ever seen, aside from the glory of the Face of our Holy Father, and our Beautiful Savior.

God put it there so that we could have a share in eternity, it is eternal, and whether we will end up in eternity with God, or eternity without Him, is to be decided in this life alone.

Take heed all who hear: Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…”  

And finally: Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;  call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

“You don’t have a soul, you are a soul, you have a body”…

  

Simply a Man with a Ransomed Soul.

--The Scribe

Project #2 The Grinning Reaper

This, as the title suggests, is my second current project after the sequel to Dragon's Land Book 1: Lost and Found. This project began quite a while ago as a different idea, but was reborn on a cold and cloudy day last winter. Here is a bit of it, the prologue to be specific, please enjoy!

            Bars are some of the worst places on earth to be after midnight, the reason being is that is what is known as the witching hour, and while most will pass that off as a myth a part of it is true. The darkest parts of mankind’s hearts are let loose when the darkness falls, and nightmares awaken. So yeah, this is going to sound funny but…

            A man walked into a bar…

            The bartender looked over his newest patron with some apprehension. He wasn't like the others that came in after twelve, looking to drink their problems away, he seemed to be a man on a mission, and what a mission it must be! Grim is how the bartender would later describe him as he looked his new customer up and down, he was tall and lean, standing at least 6’ 5” or taller, with a scraggly five-o-clock shadow and long black hair that fell to his shoulders.

            He was dressed in a long black coat that fell to his ankles and covered whatever was underneath, except for the spotless black shoes that clacked as the dark man approached the counter, doubtless to order a drink. The man’s pale skin clashed harshly with his dark eyes that bored into the bartender’s very soul as he squeaked out all that he could manage under such an imposing presence.

            “W-What can I get you sir?” the bartender wasn't normally this polite, but those eyes… They belonged to a man who deserved some respect at least.

            The man spoke in a voice that was heavy, deep, and careworn, “A glass of anything, I won’t be here long.” He sat down on one of the stools and grabbed the glass away as soon as the bartender had finished filling it. The man drank down the hard liquor with an expressionless face, he seemed to be waiting for something to happen, and was only drinking to pass the time.

            The bar had gone silent as soon as the stranger had walked in, and it remained so for some time until the stranger himself broke the silence. He put down his fourth shot and caught the hapless bartender in his unyielding gaze. “The dreams of a drunkard are filled with the sorrows and nightmares that he tries in vain to drown. All in all, a perfect hunting ground.” 


There you go! More to come, haven't made much progress on this one yet, still only on Chapter 1, but the planning for it is done, it just needs to be written.

--Thanking God for my talents
-The Scribe

True Love

True Love....
An odd concept, and yet one that enamors human minds to no end. Many know the phrase, but few understand what love is really about. Let me give you my humble insight, what I've learned in my relatively short life. I'm not done learning, I'll be a student of love until the day I die, and on into eternity, if The Bible is true in what it says about God's love... But we'll get to that.


C.S. Lewis said once: "Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the other person's good as far as it can be obtained."

I think Mr. Lewis was on to something. Being an avid student of the Bible as he was, I cannot help but think that 1 Corinthians 13 was on his mind when he said this.
I won't reiterate the entire chapter, but I'll use parts of it later on.

But first, let's discuss what others think of love. Many do think that it is just an affectionate feeling, or a passing fancy, something that comes and goes with time.

But fantasy of the traditional sort, the type that involves true courage, real virtue, emphatic ties to good morality, and a concept of love that many discount because "fantasy" is the genre.

What is the most traditional fantasy story? I daresay, the knight rescuing the princess is the cliche of the century. But why? Why would a knight risk everything, often going up against a dragon or equal monstrosity to save the fair maiden? True love... Maybe?

But the love the Bible speaks of isn't even that, it is stronger, wider, longer, and more amazing than any other thing in this world.

C.S. Lewis has another pertinent quote: "He [God] didn't love us because we were lovable, but because He is love."
So, a new dimension, if God is love, than it is only through Him that we know it, and because of Him that we can show it, it is a part of His image in us, His creations.

A dear friend, mentor, and wonderful expositor of God's Word said this about love: "Love is giving whatever I have, that you need, because God wants me to."

Sounds like Lewis right? That is because they both draw from the same source. We can know True Love, because God showed us True Love.
Christ Jesus, gave everything... Let me say that again, Christ Jesus gave everything to save us. His divinity, gone when He took human form, His power, He refused to draw on it to save Himself from the cross, His majesty, shown only once outside of His signs to three disciples. He even gave His life... The Author of Life, had to die to save humanity.
Jesus said this Himself in John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."
Jesus did that same thing, but for His enemies.We, who were enemies of God, rebels to His will, were made as sons, and loved with the Ultimate Love, the Love of God.

So that is Ultimate Love, and that is how we get True Love, but where do we go from there? How do we show this kind of love?
By giving anything of ourselves, anything for the sake of another. What could drive a man to fight incalculable odds to save someone else, even at the cost of his own life? Simply, True Love, not the wordly kind, not the fading kind, but real, True Love.

How do we learn this love?

By befriending other people. Mike Donehey, the lead singer of the band Tenth Avenue North said this: "What better way to learn to love like God loves, than to be put into situations where we have to love those who don't deserve it?"

There you have it, True Love is giving anything to love someone who may not deserve your love, but you choose to give it anyway. Love is a choice, True Love is a commitment. And while we are on this earth, we are called to love like God does, and His Word teaches us how to do this, but we must choose to do it, it isn't easy, not at all, and you will get hurt sometimes. Love is hard, but it is worth it, whether you are loving your friends that God has given you, or your wife and family that God has given you responsibility for, or even your enemies, the Love is the same. And the reward is inexpressible in my meager words.

1 Corinthians 13:7 "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Undeservingly Loved By The Father,
--The Scribe





"To Write the Love, of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky."

Dragon's Land Book 1: Lost and Found

As I promised (albeit a little later than I thought), an excerpt from my first novel, part of a trilogy and in the second stage of editing to be published. I hope this gets you excited to read the whole thing!



This is from chapter 4, the first encounter with the series main antagonists, the monstrous dragons of Orcion:

 Clouds obscured the sky, thunder rumbled as a light rain began to fall, adding to the sinister atmosphere. And as lightning lit the dark world the dragon roared at the newcomers, ready to kill.

Cael suddenly yelled to get the dragon’s attention, and it turned its murderous yellow eyes on him.  It resembled a cat in body: long, slender limbs, with wide eyes and pupils that were narrowed into angry slits.

 The dragon’s bronze scales began to spark with electricity, they were shimmering gold in color and they glowed in the darkness and flashed off of the raindrops, adding it seemed, to the storm’s rapidly growing fury. The dragon snarled at its new enemy, spread its wings and turned its body so that its shoulder, and the myriad of bone spikes that sprang from it, faced its foe.

 Cael recognized the movement and tensed himself to jump. The dragon roared and sprang forward covering the distance between them in an instant, Cael jumped aside just in time to evade the razor sharp bone. The dragon continued its headlong rush right past him and smashed into one of the massive boulders that dotted the clearing, carving large, jagged furrows in the stone.

 Diving into a roll, Cael stood up from the ground panting because of the rush of adrenaline from his close shave. The dragon recovered from the shock of hitting the rock and shook its head, apparently fine with smashing into large boulders. The dragon looked at Cael, who was now taking a ready stance and igniting his hands in preparation for the next attack, and narrowed its reptilian eyes with anger. Cael saw the angry glare and smiled as he saw the ragged scar on the side of its neck.

“So it’s you.” He said, “Didn’t think you’d be coming back for more. If I’m honest with myself I thought you were dead the first time.” The dragon roared, shaking the ground beneath the companion’s feet.

 Soran watched the melee and calmly bandaged up Brenna’s bleeding arm, having already taken her to the edge of the clearing so as to avoid getting in the way of the fierce confrontation. Brenna was not taking things so lightheartedly, “Why are you making conversation with it, you idiot!” she shouted in Cael’s general direction, “We have to run, we can’t fight that thing!”

Cael gave her a reproachful look and elaborated, “But we’ve met before, do you really have that little faith in me?”

 The dragon watched them with narrowed eyes knowing that another head-on attack would be useless. With a sudden burst of speed the dragon bunched its leg muscles and leapt towards the Soran and Brenna, knowing that they were the weaker of its current opponents. With a flying leap, Cael intercepted the beast mid-flight with a solid kick to the ribs.

Brenna stared in shock as the beast that had been hurtling towards her at top speed suddenly changed direction to fly headfirst into a tree. “Just how freakishly strong is he?” she thought to herself.

 Cael dropped to the ground and stood ready, knowing full well that even with a powerful kick like that, all he had done was make the dragon angrier. “He isn’t going to fall for the same trick twice.” He thought quickly. Cael sent a double stream of flame towards the still-prone dragon, engulfing it in a sapphire inferno. 

Thanksgiving

I believe that Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of reflection, one that is apart from normal, everyday life, set aside to remind us of what we should be thankful of.
But for Christians, should not this special reflection of what God has blessed us with be a daily exercise?

God blesses us everyday, and many of us do thank Him often for these blessings, but to what point? Do we thank Him for our family, our friends, our jobs? All good things to thank God for....

But my point is this: how many of us thank God for a beating heart?
Or how about thanking Him for working lungs?
Or maybe for bodies that hold our souls in place until He takes them to His side?

Often  I believe that many do not thank God for this life... They see it, (and to a point, rightly so)  according to Romans 8, that the creation and we ourselves are groaning, waiting for heaven's touch.

Have you considered that living life in this sinful, dark, despairing, fading world is a privilage?

How so you ask?

How could we know the love of God if we didn't know the hatred of man?
How could we deeply consider the unfaltering faithfulness of our LORD if we didn't see the betrayal of humanity around us?
And how could we delight in the truth of our Savior, that he died and bled for us, even as sinners, and for now, sinners still, if we didn't see the stark contrast of the world around us, the fading verses the eternal?
And how could we see the glorious light or Christ if we were not surrounded by darkness which begs a constant need for light?

What I say is this: when you begin to thank God during this special time of reflection, (which oddly enough comes in the season of death and harvest)  thank God that He is so far different from what you see around you, and thank Christ for allowing you to live through Him in this dead world.

In Christ Alone,
-The Scribe

Current projects

So I thought it might be nice for any reader who is interested in what I am up to writing-wise to have a list of my current projects.  Any questions about any of these projects can be directed through the comments, well, here you go!
Dragons Land Book 2: The Lost Library
This is the second installment in a trilogy that I have been planning and writing for 4 years now, almost 5,the first book is completed and undergoing editing right now, I will post excerpts from that in the near future.

Incarnate: the Grinning Reaper
This is a pet project of mine, and an idea I'm quite proud of, not much to tell yet, but I have most of the main plot planned out and some of the first book written.

Bloodletter: Bloody Fate
The rebirth of an old idea, not much for this one but I have main characters and plot mostly done, lots of work still to do, but it is on my list.

The sequel and prequels to Dragon's Land
No titles yet, or, I don't want to give them away just yet, but aside from Incarnate these are my next projects after Dragon's Land.

I have quite a few others in the wings, but the ideas are too rough to reveal just yet.
Anyways, there you have it, I've got my work cut out for me, but I'm going to enjoy every moment, and hope that you all can enjoy the fruits of my labors in die time.

-The Scribe

The Rising of the Moon

This will be my first post that doesn't involve Scripture so bear with me, there will definitely be more of that in the future, but since this is a dual-purpose blog, this is the other purpose.

I've been thinking of a new idea for a story, I haven't figured out a setting, or really a plot, but I have a character, one with a serious dual-personality issue. Here is a bit of dialogue:

"Why are we following some guy we don't know sis?"

"You wanted answers, and he might have them, or...  She might have them."

"What do you mean she? Does he have a girlfriend, or a wife or something?" he said with a snort.

His sister turned around and shuffled her feet a little, looking a little guilty.
"No, he doesn't, at least, I hope he doesn't. Anyway, that isn't what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" her brother asked with raised eyebrow apparent, even in the dark.
"Let's just say he has dual-personalities, like, really badly."

Her brother looked even more skeptical, "So we're following a crazy person in the middle of the night to who knows where?"

The person they were following appeared right beside them even though he had been far ahead seconds ago.
"She means I have the soul of the Night Queen embedded in my body, that is as dual-personality as one can get, now let's go." with that he walked off into the dark, and of the brother and sister wanted answers to what happened to them, they had no choice but to follow...

The Grace of God, to a Worm of a man

Psalm 22 verse 6 says something interesting...


It says "But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people."

This statement in light of earlier verses in this Psalm (i.e. verse 3 "Yet You are Holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel."), throws a very stark contrast into the human heart.

Jeremiah 17 verse 9 says that the heart of man is "deceitful" and "desperately wicked", and if the heart is said to be "deceitful" who is being deceived, and what is the deception?
Well to answer plainly, we, humanity are being deceived, by our own inward selves, by our lying, wicked hearts.
What is the deception? Simple. that we are more than worms...
This Psalm reminds the heart of its own lies, and thus we do everything in our power to avoid things like this Psalm, things that remind us of our lowly nature.
Why do we need to be reminded that we are lowly?
Isaiah 6 verses 1-3 reveal it quite plainly:
 "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!'"

God is Holy, He is high and lifted up, the earth shakes just being near His presence, so who are we in comparison?

Worms... Lowly crawlers of the earth.
And yet... He values us...
Within the same passage that speaks of us as worms, we are told that God cares for us, that He rescues us (Psalm 22: 9-10 and on).

God cares for us, and values us. The fact is, we are worms, let not your heart deceive you! We are worms. But God, the Most High, the Holy One, loves us and cares for us. Psalm 103 is full of great promise and obvious care.
See this in particular: Psalm 103 verse 14: "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust."
Dust we are, worms we are. But He still remembers us, He brings us to mind, and our God cares for us. Indeed: Psalm 103 verse 13 says: As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion on those who fear Him."
We are worms, we are dust, but our Heavenly Father cares for us.

Grace be with you--
The Scribe