Me, My Writing, And More Messages
Messages in audio are on my YouTube playlist at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfMRv647JQfE1TzlDkHeRyQKRbkbbM1oX
These messages are to share messages about me, my characters, and my writing. It is also to share messages that I don't know where to place.
These messages and more are on my "Me, My Writing, and More" playlist at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfMRv647JQfFZfeKglr2nY0z8mfb5cjnG
"A Little About Me"
I have had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since I was 4. I have more health issues now. My health includes more than one kind of arthritis, acid reflux, and asthma. I use a wheelchair and walk with crutches. My health limits me in many ways but I try not to dwell on that. I am in constant physical pain, always feel tired, and always feel sick but I try not to focus on that. I try. There has been a lot of emotional pain. I have been angry and depressed most of my life. I still fall into that pit sometimes. The physical pain has gotten worse over the years. But the emotional pain is not the same. I did not used to believe in Yeshua (Jesus). Now I do. Honoring Him is what motivates a lot of what I do. I want to please the Lord. I am not going to go into a lot about me. This "Spoken Word" is not about me. The Lord gave me this project. I want to honor Him with it. I want to help who I can how I can. I hope to use what I have been through and currently go through to help others.
"I Take No Credit" Text
Some would look at all the books I have published and think it is amazing. It is amazing but I am not the one that is amazing. The Lord is the One that is amazing. I do not take credit for my stories. I do not take credit for what I have written. I do not control the ideas. I follow their lead. I give the Lord the credit for my writing. I love to take photos. The Lord makes the beauty. I just take the photo. The Lord keeps my mind full of ideas. Sometimes I almost feel overwhelmed with all the ideas but I am not going to complain. I am so thankful to the Lord for each idea He has given me. I am so thankful to the Lord for every book He published through me. I believe the Lord keeps me filled with ideas so I will not give up. I am thankful for that. The Lord cares enough to keep me writing so I will not give up. He truly is Awesome. I feel the 'spoken word' message project is the Lord's project. I want to honor Him with the 'spoken word' project. I want to honor the Lord with the writing He has given me and continues to give me. I want to honor the Lord with photos of the beauty He provides. I want to honor the Lord. I am glad if you like what I have written. I am glad if you like the photos I have taken. I am glad if the 'spoken word' messages have touched your heart. But I take credit for none of it. Praise the Lord for His Love. Praise the Lord for His Faithfulness. Praise the Lord for His Greatness.
"My Sort Of Testimony" Text
Growing up, all I was really focused on was the pain of my disability. The emotional pain. The physical pain. I had no hope. I don't think I really believed in much of anything. I did not know the Lord back then. I did not read the Word. The only reading I ever did was for school. I did not pray. I had no hope. I don't even think I tried to hide it. My life was full of pain. Emotional and physical pain. That's all I knew. That's all I could really focus on. Then the Lord gave me the ability to write. The imagination to escape out of the pain in a safe way. Then I started liking Michael Jackson. I still like Michael Jackson. His music has gotten me through a lot of painful times. One day someone in a group I was in they told me about the Lord. They told me about Jesus and I just believed. It didn't feel complicated. It didn't feel. It felt simple. I believed. I believe now. I still do call Him Jesus. A lot of times when I'm talking about Him I'll refer to Him as Yeshua. Yeshua is the Hebrew Name. That is the Name He would have had when He walked the earth in the flesh. I'm thankful I believe. I had no hope before I believed. But now I have hope. I still get depressed. I still have a lot of pain. Physical and emotional. But I have hope. That's one thing I did not have before I believed. I still work on my writing. And that's still a good escape for me. I still love Michael Jackson. I still love his music. But I love Yeshua more. I have hope. Sometimes believing is simple. Sometimes it's hard. I don't have a testimony or a major testimony like some people do. But I had no hope. And I do now. I love Yeshua. I'm still learning. I still have a long way to go. I'm better than I was at following Him. But I'm nowhere near where I want to be. So anyone that does not have a major testimony if you believe that's what matters. Stick to your belief. Grow in your belief. Yeshua is good. The Lord He came to save us. Whatever you're going through don't give up. Have hope. And don't give up. Keep trying. Keep holding on. Have hope. Believe in the Lord.
"Since I Believed" Text
I don't feel much has changed since I believed in Yeshua (Jesus). My health has not changed. This arthritis has not gotten better. Actually, things have gotten worse. I still struggle with physical and emotional pain. I still struggle with depression. I still struggle with strongholds. I am asking the Lord to break those. I still deal with a lot. Those are the ways I am the same. I never prayed at all. Now, I pray every day. I pray about everything good and bad. I ask for forgiveness every day. I commit to the Lord every day. I never used to read the Bible. Now, I read or listen to the Word every day. At least a little every day. I didn't used to think it mattered what I said, what I thought, or what I watched. Now, I try to be careful what I say, what I think, and what I watch. I try to be careful what I hear and listen to. I used to hold on to grudges. Now, I choose to forgive even if emotionally I don't want to. I used to be so focused on me and how I felt. I still focus on how I feel but it is not my only focus. I will always be overly emotional. I used to feel empty, broken, and meaningless. Now, I feel I have a purpose. I guess I changed more than I thought. My life is still full of constant pain. I always feel tired and sick. I still choose to believe in Yeshua (Jesus). I want to follow Him. I want to honor Him. I want Yeshua (Jesus) as my Lord and Savior.
"A Little About My Writing" Text
I did not choose to start writing. It chose me. The Lord chose to give me the gift of writing and an overactive imagination. He also gave me the gift of photography. Photography is a hobby of mine. Writing is a passion. I am thankful for the gift of writing and the imagination. It gets me out of my head in a safe way. It started with fiction. Writing fiction is still my favorite thing to write. The characters are my favorite part of fiction. Especially my characters. I write a little poetry. I have written lyrics without music. Those are usually written for my characters or in their 'voices'. I have written children's books and spiritual books. I try to include something about the Lord in all my writing. Fiction remains my favorite thing to write. My heart is in all my writing. I follow the ideas no matter what the writing is. My books are published and available but I do not focus on sales. My motivation for writing is to honor the Lord for the gift. My hope for my writing is to help, comfort, and inspire.
"About My Characters" Text
My characters are my favorite part of my writing. Second to the Lord, my characters are the heart of my writing. I honestly feel my characters say things better than I do. I know I am the one that writes them. But I never feel like I control my writing. I go with the inspiration and the ideas. I always make sure I stay true to the characters. Some of my characters are so strong in my head and heart. I want to have the heart, love, peace, balance, and the dedication (to the Lord then to people) of John James, the focus and dedication of Jye, the emotional strength of Kye, the generosity and humbleness of Ty, plus the wisdom, understanding, sweetness of Gabriel. Also the loyalty of all these characters. I have a lot of characters. These five are some of my favorites. Ty and Gabriel are my absolute favorites. Ty, Angela, Nick, and Jeremy are in and all my stories. Gabriel has been in every story since he was created. For most of my characters, I don't know where the inspiration came from. Only a few were named after anyone. Most of the names came from baby name type sites. All my characters are 100% fiction. They are not meant to be anyone else. The only exception to that is when I create a fictional version of the cat I had or the dogs my family had. A few times I have put a fictional version of myself in my writing. Those are the only times my characters are not fiction and created by me.