Speaking Up

This is what procrastination looks like.

Update! Last month, I got three people to give feedback on my new draft and I also beta swapped with one of them. Now, everyone has their book feedback back and we are working on new drafts. Er, I will be.

Every time I get beta feedback I’m excited to work on a new draft, but also… nehhhhhh…. It’s like cracking open an egg to get to the juicy contents. Sometimes the hardest part is getting started. Nonetheless, I will get started. I just gotta organize my thoughts.

The most prominent feedback I got was 1) the new ending is not where I thought it was, which switches the focus of the story and actually makes things much easier to work with! 2) I might have a pacing issue in the middle now. >.> So, this next month, I get to start working on all that.

Aside from writing, I’m getting more involved with protests in my country.

My books are inspired by all that I loved and believed in growing up, as well as things I think about today. Found family, love, belonging, comfort… I want to make stories that encourage people to love each other and feel like they can belong and be themselves. I’m working to create lights for someone to hold onto in their darkness, just as the stories I grew up with did for me and those around me.

As a Christian, I also grew up believing in a God who loves His children, which included every human on the planet. I sang songs like Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath and Lead Me by Sanctus Real, except when I heard the latter, I thought we were asking God to lead us in helping those who are poor or suffering in third world countries or something, not just an immediate family. I was frustrated with the connotation that the word “Christian” had in the U.S.: Hate. The Jesus I know is Love: “They will know us by our Love.” Jesus and the Holy Spirit opened the gates to Gentiles—those who are not beholden to Jewish law—saying that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. Through faith in Christ is the path to salvation, not hate from Christ. Romans 14 continues this discussion.

The U.S.A. is no longer a country I can be proud of. Trump has chased out love and kindness. The other day, someone on the street tried to quiz me on whether I was a real Christian or not, based mostly on whether I hated the right things. In high school I labeled myself as a “Christ Follower” and called myself “spiritual/faithful” because even “religious” holds connotations of hate and trauma, and that’s just not what Jesus seemed to promote. Jesus is a path of love, healing, and forgiveness. If I can only be Christian based on hate, then I’ll follow the Holy Spirit and Christ’s teachings to a name that actually reflects them.

I’d rather be called something that aligns more with “Love the Lord your God with all that your mind, heart, and soul” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” and “They will know you by your love toward each other” and “The greatest of these is Love” and “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” If that makes me a heathen, humanist, progressive, political activist, or whatever else in the eyes of other humans, there’s little I can do about them.

I never wanted to be involved in politics. Growing up, that was the last thing on my mind, besides having to do math homework. However, I was also raised, by my school, church, books, TV/movies, and Christian music, to stand up for what is right. To protect, feed, heal, and otherwise help those who are suffering.

The summer of 2016 started out with a beautiful global unity and friendship sparked by the Pokémon Go phenomenon. Then the world came together again to stand up for indigenous peoples’ rights at Standing Rock, South Dakota. Then, America fell apart as a single man rose up to uncover, incite, and further stir division and hate, masquerading partially as a man of God and now as a man saved by God to save America—nay, the world. I cannot stay silent.

I believe Trump is a cult leader and a false prophet. Matthew 7:15-20 says we will know if someone is a false prophet by the fruit they bear. Galatians 5:13-25 identifies fruits of the spirit vs fruits of the flesh:

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

So many people say they wish to “bring Christ back” into this country, but they are being led astray. They focus on examining two controversial things, LGBTQIA and abortion, and forget about the planks of wood in their own eyes, praising and widely supporting a man made out of the very wood they are told to dispose of.

To those who believe Trump was saved by God, I beseech you to think about other historic figures that narrowly/miraculously survived assassination attempts. Hitler is among them. Along with that, remember God is not the only force that may act in this world. On the other hand, sometimes God may give a people exactly what they ask for to teach a lesson. Many of us didn’t ask for this.

Nonetheless, I spoke for four years about this with people like that, and it was fruitless then. “If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town.” Matthew 10:14 Yet, I can’t leave this house or town. I live here. Until I do leave, I must speak up or stand up for what I believe is right. For love. For unity around kindness. For my faith.

This is more or less me just saying, if I vanish from this space suddenly, something may have happened due to my participation in speaking out. The protests I’ve attended so far have been quite peaceful, but you never know what may happen in a new day.

Anyway, that rant was way longer than I intended. Should have probably…been it’s own post…and not part of my general updates. Hmmm….

Remember: You are loved and you belong in a place full of the fruits of the Spirit as listed above. I hope you have a lovely day! ❤