Click to buy

Generally I read a book on the way to work (I walk), today I walked out the door checking Twitter. My friend Kelly Stone (@KellyMarieStone) reTweeted: “RT @michaelgungor: A bit of a fiery rant about Christian media, wine, and yes, zombies. (http://bit.ly/t3Zfzz). Compelled by curiosity I followed the link.

Wow. Amazing. It turns out its the blog of Michael Gungor, who I have previously never heard of, and his post is a few of his thoughts on “Christian” media.

By “a few of his thoughts,” I mean 2,969 words of awesomeness!

You have to read it (click here).  I know you’re thinking, “3000 words? really?” But you know, it’s worth it.  Some things can’t be packaged into tiny 250-300 word capsules. Maybe that’s part of the wonder I felt when reading it, that Michael didn’t care to shorten his thoughts, or abbreviate his point into separate posts. He just put it out there: Ready or not, here I come.

And that’s also the point of his post, that “Christian media” has become more a marketing machine than culture of artistic impression, and God forbid, creativity.

His focus is music, but I would also agree this point is true with books.  I read quite a bit, maybe more than the average Joe (my bookshelf), but most of the fiction I consume is not Christian, as it generally annoys me in the first few pages.

I am writing a novel and in doing so have read the “bibles” on writing, and the “what not to do” sections could be filled by many “Christian” novels written by the higher selling authors. They have a “feel” to them that’s easy to pick out, much like Christian radio stations, which are easily distinguished even before the “Jesus loves me” lyrics can be heard.

Not that it’s entirely bad, but the eerie feeling is one of inadequacy, of missing the empirical standards set by many secular authors like Stephen King, Philip Roth, Dan Brown, and John Irving.

I know my ideas may never be bought into by the larger marketers (oops, publishers), but that’s why I must create it. That is why I cannot settle for the subpar, call it “Christian” and expect people to like it. The Christian public may buy it, but like me, they are likely tired of the same old crap they get handed.

And so I raise my Guinness and toast to writing the way I want, to making my posts 2,969 words if I must. *chug chug*

For those of you still reading, Gungor’s music is amazing, and I leave you this video.  If you want to buy their album, as I did, click here: Gungor – Ghosts Upon the Earth.

I love to read and I love to write, but no matter how hard I try when I write, I always feel like my ideas and words are mediocre at best, and every one else is a brilliant literary savant.

I frequent Jon Acuff’s blog, made famous by his comical and witty book “Stuff Christians Like” (my review here) and more recently “Quitter” (great book!), and I was blown away by a recent post titled “The talent we have the hardest time recognizing is our own.”

He posted a video by a guy named Derek Sivers which sums it up pretty well.

Derek asks at the end of the short video, and I would like your thoughts as well, “Are you holding back something that’s too “obvious” to share?”

Mine is writing.

The talent we have the hardest time recognizing is our own.

Amazon Link

I enjoy reading so I read quite a bit, often 3-4 books at a time.  I recently finished a couple and found myself at a loss of what to read next, so I decided to get out old faithful.  We all have one; the book that you can read a million times.  It’s like comfort food for the soul.

My “old faithful” is Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes.”  It’s the only book other than the Bible I’ve read at least four times.  It’s a story about two boys, Will and Jim, and a mysterious carnival that blows into town.  I just can’t get enough of it.

Bradbury’s writing is so playful, and descriptive, I just can’t get enough.  Sometimes I will read a sentence or paragraph ten times in a row because it’s so brilliantly flawless: perfect.

The pic for this post is the front cover from the copy I have, a 1970 Bantam paperback that is near the end of it’s life.  (Take that ebooks, lol You’ll be irrelevant in 41 years and I’ll still have my paperback!)

So, what’s your “old faithful?”  What book keeps you coming back time and again? What is it that you love so much about it?

You have probably noticed there are some advertisements on my blog, and they are there for good reason: to give.  Originally, I opened an Amazon Associate account to help pay for my hosting and domains, but I don’t want to profit from what I write here.

So I am giving it away.  So, if you like to buy from Amazon, please stop here first and click through one of my book links, then search for what you want at Amazon and 4%-6% of you purchase will go toward the charity listed for that month!

Starting March 2011, all proceeds from my blogs (www.CRMooney.com and www.christianwriterscorner.wordpress.com) will be given to a different ministry or cause.  I will be posting a capture of my earnings and receipt of the giving for accountability.  There is a two month pay cycle, so the receipt won’t show until I have been paid, and the money given.

Also, please feel free to click through to the different organizations and see if you would like to donate on your own!

To see what’s been given so far, click the “giving” tab at the upper right of the blog, or click here to go to the Giving page.

My daughter Laila (8 years old) wrote this song today. I am humbled. I love you baby girl!

“Good Morning Jesus”

Good Morning Jesus
Good day
You know that i love you
Want to come and play
Maybe hide & seek
Or Maybe tag
I know that you love me
Today & Everyday
Every night i Pray
And you always listen
You never ignore me
And that makes me glad
Good Morning Jesus
Have a nice day.

umm, yeah. Here’s a little diddy I wrote today.

I own a lighting store called A Light in the Darkness. It’s a neat little shop that has thousands of different lamps, chandeliers, and the like. I also sell the bulbs for every model you could think of. My motto is “My light will free you from any darkness.”

When you walk through the aisles, every lamp is lit so you can see how brightly they shine and what kind of light they cast. They are screaming, “Look how bright my light shines! I have what it takes to free you from darkness!”

These bulbs scoff at the others still in the package. They call them useless and tell them how dull and insignificant they are sitting on the shelf. “See how much light I give off? And you just sit there doing nothing.”

All of the lights are in separate rows, so you can clearly see their labels and what each is good at. Sometimes you can hear them argue about who does their job better and why they’re so important.

It’s a funny thing how proud the lights on display are. But they are the ones that never leave the shop.

The lights that are still in the package, they are my greatest asset. They have the potential to be everything and more that the display lights are, but are content to remain where I put them. They wait for the day that I take them from the shelf and send them to be the light that frees someone from darkness.

And that is important, because I have a specific light for every need. And not everyone knows what type of light is needed for their particular circumstance. These customers are easy to spot as they wander around my store from aisle to aisle looking for the one that’s “just right.” I’ve had a few complaints that it’s hard to know which light to choose when they all say they are the best. So I help them and guide them to a shelf, giving them the light that’s just right for their need.

I wish the display lights could be used to help someone, but they are too busy trying to outshine the others and too afraid to leave the store. They fear that they might be unplugged and their lights cease shining. I try to tell them they will be plugged in again when they are ready to be used but their fear paralyzes them.

So I am surrounded mostly by display lights who give light to no one but themselves in a store that is already lit, while a handful wait patiently for me to send them.

Remember, “My light will free you from any darkness.”