Turbulence Is Opportunity For Change

DENVER—On July 20,2010 as many as 30 people were injured when United flight 967 hit severe air turbulence and made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport.  “It came out of nowhere.  There was really no turbulence but all of a sudden a huge jolt,” said Anya.  People who fly often know that turbulence is a common occurrence.

Turbulence is life force.
I like smooth rides, predictable destinations, balance, and order. Unfortunately, the “Friendly Skies” of life are full of upheaval. The most insidious type of turbulence is unexpected.  Problems come at us, unexpectedly, shaking the very foundation of our lives. We all respond differently to hardship but one fact remains true.  If life were a free ride, unchallenged by trouble, we would become content, dull, and flavorless individuals living a lukewarm existence. 

It is opportunity.
Adversity acts as our barometer.  The way we handle these unstable circumstances will determine our ability to make right or wrong choices.  Normally our first response when faced with a problem is flight or fight. This is where our faith in God is put to the test.  Refuse to allow fear of the unknown to rule over the situation. Reject the urge to follow the sway of fickle emotions. Ignore the ranting of a troubled, angry mind. If you want the best possible conclusion for your present situation, change your perspective. Act in faith. Believe the impossible. Embrace the unknown. Walk on water.
 
Let’s love turbulence and use it for change.
Life demands our best. Dig deep within the wellspring of belief and find your hidden strength. Everyone battles something, but not everyone comes away victorious.  Don’t hide from your problems, embrace them.  Abundant lives are forged in the crucible of trial.  When we feel like we are free falling, we have to remember God is holding the other end of the bungee cord.  If we will trust Him with our financial problems, dreams, families, health, or personal difficulties, we are free to focus on the opportunity for change that God has planned for us.

Just as fire purifies gold
Just as abrasion polishes metal
Just as heat strengthens and tempers steel
Just as boiling water brings out the flavor in tea…..adversity, fire, pain, and suffering refines our character.


“For I know the thoughts and plans I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”  Jeremiah 29:11  


  *”Turbulence is life force.  It is opportunity.  Let’s love turbulence and use it for change.” Quote by Ramsey Clark

We're Not In Kansas Anymore

I love the classic book The Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum.  He captured the longing within us to be set free from all of life’s problems.  Many people believe he wrote the book as a Parable on Populism, to explain the political situation at the time of its writing.  Others think it is a simple story of everyone’s rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. I can see both ideas but I have my own take on the story.

Let’s face it, the meat of the tale is a broken relationship.  Dorothy is mad that Auntie Em is not listening to her problems.  She is having issues outside her home that are threatening her peaceful life.  To top it off she feels misunderstood, taken for granted, and ignored by her family.  She starts to imagine a place “Over the Rainbow” where her life will be better and she will have no more troubles.  Now here comes Mrs. Gulch, a nasty neighbor who threatens to dispose of her dog Toto, the center of the young girls’ universe. This act of hatefulness is the catalyst that sets Dorothy on an emotion cyclone. Our feelings, like a twister, wreak havoc in our mind, heart, and actions.

We have all been there. Someone close to us has stopped meeting our needs. We feel angry, disappointed, or hurt, by our spouse, friend, or family member. If we let our thoughts brew, our feelings come together like the perfect storm.  Sometimes we are tempted to fix the problem by running away emotionally or by abandoning the troublesome relationship altogether.  However, here’s the catch. Like Dorothy who leaves her present situation for something that looks better, she soon finds out the “Yellow Brick Road” leads her further away from the peace she was seeking.

As the story unfolds, it runs parallel to real life.  Dorothy finds herself in a place where she has to confront the issue she tried to escape.  The Wicked Witch, her problem, is chasing her in a new form.  What she finds inside the Emerald City is a hoax.  The Wizard can’t fix her problems, she has to take responsibility for her new life in Oz, which comes with a whole new set of problems.  Remember the flying monkeys!

My point is, we all make good and bad choices in life. Like Dorothy, no mater how bad we have messed up, or how far away we find ourselves, there is a way home. The Parable of the Prodigal Son also tells the story of a broken relationship.  A young man leaves his fathers house to spread his wings and find his own place in life. After spending all his money on thing that don’t satisfy he returns home, broken and defeated.  Thankfully, we have a heavenly father who is waiting for us to realize “There is no place like home.”  We don’t need to click our heels together, we have a free gift.  It’s called grace.



Check out this Amazing Grace Youtube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3SQlTIjJ2U&feature=related

Survior

 I am a survivor of the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference and I have to say it was an awesome experience. Each day was packed with sessions, workshops, panels, and clinics. I walked around the halls in a blur, dizzy and star struck by the array of editors, agents, authors, and special speakers.

You guessed it. I am a writer and a wannabe author. I jumped out of the shoot with a speculative fiction trilogy, a hard sell in the Christian market. I have never been one to look before I leap. My first workshop was entitled “Practice Your Pitch.” The instructor was excellent and I got to first base with two editors. Now I must wait to see if I will make a Home Run.

This blog will detail my Batting Average as a writer to a published author. I hope that others will join and comment on their Strikeouts and Grand Slams. Since writing is only one of my many passions, there will be room for other ramblings. The speakers and discussion groups during the conference challenged us to open our eyes to a field ripe for harvest.

The diverse group of men and women wanting to change the world through the power of the written word was humbling. New friendships were forged as we sifted through the plethora of information provided by a talented and caring staff. As we prepared to head home, and back to our keyboards, many of us exchanged emails and phone numbers. The eyes of our hearts no longer clouded and blurred with the vision of our names in print but bright with a new focus.

I arrived at the conference with query and manuscripts having a single-minded purpose, to have my first book published. I left with a new perspective of who I am, what I have been called to do, and how much there is to be done for the sake of justice and compassion in this world. I will Write His Answer.

Post your passion.