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| C. Kevin Thompson |
As I sat in the waiting room a couple of Wednesdays ago,
wondering what news the doctor’s report would bring, God did what He seems He
has to do quite often with me.
Refocus.
I’m a gung-ho kind of guy. Give me a task, and I’m on a
mission. The more passionate about that task I am, the higher the urgency
increases. This can be a good thing, but like so many “good things” in life,
you can get too much of it.
Or lose yourself in it.
Amongst all the races I run (to use my Apostle Paul-like
voice here), as a husband, as a father, as a grandfather, as an assistant
principal, as a writer, and as a son of God, it was sitting in that waiting
room, next to my youngest daughter, waiting to hear how extensive the disease
had or had not spread, I realized how much I was branded in the image of God.
I know about the coin. The image Jesus used to help his
disciples understand a concept of image and ownership. What is Caesar’s? Hand
it over. What is God’s? Hand it over, too. The difference? Caesar asks for a
percentage. God asks for it all. Caesar loves conditionally (Just stop paying
your percentage, and you’ll see). God loves unconditionally (When we stop
giving our all, He loves us anyway).
So, there I was, sitting in the waiting room. Refocusing.
Trying to find myself again. Then it hit me.
“You wish to be like your Heavenly Father? Then, for you,
it’s quite simple. For God loved sinners. Then, to show them how much He loved
them, He wrote it all down so they’d never forget. So, be like your Father.”
Love sinners.
And write about it.
Just make sure you leave them something that points them
back to your Father. It won’t be scripture, but it needs to be scriptural. When
you do that without losing your focus, then you will be about as close to the
image of God as you can get.
This won’t be for everybody, for not everyone is a writer.
Some people are mathematicians and scientists, and they will make God wondrous
with their computations and discoveries. Some people are philosophers and
theologians, and they will cause others to seek Him with their reason and sound
minds. Some are plumbers, carpenters, and bookkeepers, and they will glorify
God in their work, too, showing His handiwork in everything they build and
tend. Some make music and help others’ hearts soar to His throne room.
But, you’re a writer, Kevin. This is your function within
the body of Christ. Your gift from God. Your talent.
So, for
today…and every day hereafter, help me, Father, live in Your image. The image
You crafted for me before time began. The image I so easily get confused with
earthly things. When I stray, pull me back to the waiting room of life until I
am refocused. And when I am, may my words help others ultimately find Your
unconditional love so that You may embrace them for all eternity.
And
thank You for the good report from the doctor, Lord. We’re trusting You for
even more.
Amen.
(The
Blake Meyer Thriller Series, Book 3)
A
Perverse Tale. A Precarious Truth. A Personal Tribulation.
Supervisory
Special Agent Blake Meyer is at an impasse. Bound and beaten in a dilapidated
warehouse halfway around the world, Blake finds himself listening to an
unbelievable story. Right and wrong warp into a despicable clash of ideologies.
Life quickly becomes neither black nor white. Nor is it red, white, and blue
any longer.
Every
second brings the contagion's release closer, promising to drag the United
States into the Dark Ages. Tens of millions could be dead within months.
Every
moment adds miles and hours to the expanding gulf between him and his family.
What is he to believe? Who is he to trust?
C.
KEVIN THOMPSON is an ordained minister with a B.A. In Bible
(Houghton College, Houghton, NY), an M.A. in Christian Studies (Wesley Biblical
Seminary, Jackson, MS), and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (National-Louis
University, Wheeling, IL). He presently works as an assistant principal in a
middle school.
His Blake Meyer Thriller series is out! Book 1, 30 Days Hath Revenge, is now available!
Book 2, Triple Time, is also
available! Book 3, The Tide of Times,
just released! Also, the second edition of his award-winning debut novel, The Serpent’s Grasp, is now available!
Kevin is a huge fan of the TV series 24, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, and Criminal Minds, loves anything to do with Star Trek, and is a Sherlock Holmes fanatic, too.
Twitter: @CKevinThompson
Goodreads: C.
Kevin Thompson
