Entries from October 2008 ↓

Well, I did it.  Today, I joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and, consequently, set a goal for myself for November.  I am going to write a novel this month.

“Slow down, now,” you say, “a novel in a month?  It can’t be done!”  Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s what I said, too.  However, the more I sat and thought about it this morning, the more confident I became that I could actually be successful.  So, here is the formal declaration of my goal for the month of November 2008: I, Eric Sherwood, am going to write a novel of (at least) 50,000 words before December 1.

Fifty-thousand words.  Holy crap.  To be honest, I am both ridiculously scared and excited at the same time.  I hope that both of the emotions will drive me toward achieving my goal.  Moreover, when I am completely honest with myself, more of the fears (listed below) are quite unjustified:

• 1) That is a big (and I mean BIG) commitment. 1,667 words written per day. 2,084 if I take a day off every week. This is really the only one that is justified. It is a big deal and it is going to be hard.
• 2) People might think I am an idiot. Let’s face it; becoming a (published) author is a lofty life-goal. Tons of people try it and, like, seven are actually successful enough to become household names.
• 3) It might suck. I cannot decide if this is one of the justified fears or an unjustified one. Of course, the first draft probably will suck to some degree, but I know that all of the good novels started out as a flawed first draft.
• 4) Insanity. OK, probably not…but there is a bit of a chance that I might actually lose my mind during the whole ordeal. *Shrug* If I walk up to you in November spouting gibberish, just shake me a bit and do your best to hold out until December when I should return to my semi-normal state of mere confusion. J

On the other hand, though, I really am excited about it.  I have always wanted to write a novel and this seems like a perfect opportunity to do so.  I know that I want to write professionally and this is just one of the ways that I am going to work towards making that dream a reality.

So, I am going to need your help.  Send me an encouraging text message occasionally.  Write on my Facebook wall, please.  I know that I will be stressed out quite a bit this month (Thank God that Phillip is going to be doing most of the heavy lifting during our Sunday School hour on Sundays this month.  Thanks Phillip!).  Oh!  And keep me accountable.  Ask me how it’s going and hit me (gently, I’m kind of a wimp) if I do not boldly proclaim that I have already finished my word count for the day.   

From what I can tell by reading the NaNoWriMo forums, Week 2 will bring the mental roadblocks and fatigue.  There is a good chance that you might find me on my roof screaming curses at the Phoenicians.  Or wheeling around an IV filled with Starbucks’ bold blend.  Either ignore me or give me a hug, or try to do both with that awkward sideways hug that everyone hates.  I will appreciate it either way.

*Deep Breath* I am going to do this.  Look for random posts this coming month about the overall process.  I will keep writing my posts of other flavors, but this will be my focus.  Here we go…

If you’ve ever looked at my Facebook status or followed me on Twitter, you know that I read a lot of blogs. I am constantly inspired by what others write, but this post by Jon Acuff over at Stuff Christians Like was worth a direct post.

He has created a rather clever scorecard for rating the holiness of a church’s logo. The post starts like this:

Everyone knows that if you have the letter “t” in your church name/logo, it better be spelled out in the shape of a cross. I know through Christ we are free from the law, but the “t law” is still in effect. If you refuse to adhere to that, a team of Christian graphic designers come to your church and confiscate your copy of Photoshop and Illustrator and take all your fonts except for Comic Sans.

Anyway, take a look at the full post.  I am still laughing hard enough that my employees are beginning to question my sanity.

I am going to start this post by humbly asking for your forgiveness. I want to rehash a topic that has been talked about for years, but it is something that I have been thinking a lot about lately. With the current economic and political situation of the United States, it seems like as good a time as any to start thinking about it again.

I assume that you all have heard the phrase “God helps those who help themselves.” Many believe that this quote comes from the Bible, and, at first glance, it seems to be harmless. After all, Proverbs 6 warns against laziness by honoring the work ethic of the ant and in Matthew 25, Christ presents two parables that speak of the virtues of preparation and hard work. In truth, however, this phrase is not in the Bible at all; Benjamin Franklin coined the phrase in Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1735.

And, honestly, how much further from the truth of our Lord can a phrase be? God helps those who help themselves? No! Our Lord helps those who cannot help themselves! Jesus healed the lame man at the pool at Bethesda (John 5:1-8). He healed the paralytic man whose friends lowered him through the roof in Capernaum (Mark 2:1-5). And He healed you and I, desperate and wicked sinners who had no hope of ever spending eternity with our God and Creator. He gave His life so that we might be freed from the bondage of our sins and know the joy of being able to boldly approach the Father and be presented holy, faultless, and blameless before Him.

Unfortunately, that phrase has a tendency to creep into our everyday speech and it is rarely spoken in a loving manner. The homeless, the prostitutes, the addicts…they can all be written off because they are obviously not helping themselves. That is not how our Saviour sees them. Thankfully, that is not how our Saviour sees us. I challenge you to try to become more like Christ in this way: help the helpless just as Christ did for you.

How do you feel about the phrase “God helps those who helps themselves?” Is there a bit of truth to it? Is it completely true?  I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.