MondokBlog

Writing the next post in our book blogging project has worked me over. I've been cranking through these few words for weeks. There are feelings in this post I haven't wanted to revisit. Yet, we want to tell the truth.  

I'm also struggling with how to say things so that you're not confused. Emotions at the time were schizophrenic. Friend, if you read this and my writing has left you confused, would you let me know either in the comments here on this blog, in the comments in the post, or in an email to me. Here's the thing: this is the internet. With the right kind of feedback I can edit it in seconds. That's one of the reasons I'm doing this writing exercise so publicly.

Our readers fingerprints are all over the work we've done so far. Even the smallest typos and mistakes are easy to miss when you're reading your own work. Your minds and eyeballs have been invaluable. Thanks for your help.

Here's post twelve in our book-blogging project.

Why put my book out on a blog rather than publish traditionally through a print house? I realized in high school that I wanted to write. I had a love/hate relationship with my eleventh grade English composition teacher at Eureka High School. Mrs. Collins would read the writing assignments that scored the highest every week to the class. Most weeks, my paper was on the list. Some weeks, she would read my "A" paper to the class right before I got kicked out of the class at least once being a class clown. She found it was more productive to wait until after I got kicked out of class to read my paper. It was when I was taking college courses that I realized that I still liked to write. Since then, and I've always wanted to write and publish a book. Almost 20 years ago, when I first saw my own writing on a web page, I knew that the future was going to be different. Traditional publishing where a small cadre of operators decided what the masses would read, listen to, and watch, for the first time, had a short shelf-life. Newspapers, magazines, music companies, and Hollywood were no longer in control. The script was about to flip. Industry gurus like Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin are my biggest influencers in my decision to go strictly digital with blogs and social media platforms. Kawasaki's book APE and Godin's daily offerings have empowered the masses. Gary Vaynerchuck reminds his audience that these things in our hands - this phone I'm typing these words into right now - are never more than six inches away. This is true even when sleeping. So that's the thinking behind launching this book-blogging project. I've put it on the Medium platform because I love the built in social and sharing features. It's simple to use as a digital self-publisher. Viewer statistics are built right in so I can see when you love me and when you hate me. Here's the thing: you can do this, too. Pause and let that sink in. You found this blog post or read our story because you found it through our mutual social media relationship.   Why do we need to put a traditional publisher between you and me? You're the one I'm trying to get my message to. You're the one I have to impress. Here are the next two posts in the book-blogging project: Post 10

Post 11

This week, the book-blogging project we launched on Medium last month has gone over 1,000 views. We're really pleased about this and wanted to say thank you. Here's a video I shot really quick with that message.

Begin reading our story here, or read the most recent post and track backwards from there.

Read post 9 here.

We have friends that are trying to adopt children from Ethiopia. We've followed their story for years, literally, and it has been grueling for them. We're friends with two other couples — both amazing — that have adopted multiple children while also having many of their own, natural born children. One family has a total of twelve kids and the other sixteen!

I have friends that have traveled to China, others to Russia, some who are empty-nesters starting over in mid-life with adopted kids, and still others who open their homes as foster parents to provide emergency care for children from families in crisis. Many children are rescued by a foster family that becomes a forever family.

As I think through the roster of moms and dads that make room in their homes and hearts for children, they're not super heroes. In most cases, they don't have above average resources or incomes. They just want to make a difference one kid at a time. They find that it's possible and they learn that it is the most rewarding

"God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." —Ephesians 1:5

In this eighth post from my book blogging project, I write about the early steps of our adoption journey. The Charming and Beautiful Susan and I have never looked back.

Read post eight here.

On January 1, an announcement was made at church that we were, as a denomination, going to participate in a 21 day fast. Everyone was encouraged to pick some activity, luxury, or — I don't know... vice — and replace it with an activity that would help us connect with God.

I liked the idea, but I hate having things dropped on me without time to prepare. It was January 1 and January 1 was the first day of the fast. I felt compelled, rushed, and unprepared. I panicked because I hated that I was instinctively nonspiritual. I have plenty of things I could give up, (i.e., binge watching Netflix series, Ben and Jerry's, Dunkin' Donuts, coffee) but what should I pick. And why should I? I developed an attitude.

We Mondoks have been through some transition in the past year with a job loss and big move to New England, and I've gotten out of the habit of writing. I've actually been in a writing and creativity slump, if I'm honest.

I've been wrestling with this for several months. I've even questioned if continuing to write as a habit or as a creative outlet was even worth it. I've had a hard time answering that question affirmatively.

Before January 1 was over, I decided to participate in the 21 day fast. I gave up watching shows on Netflix and replaced it with this book blogging project. It wasn't planned, but a plan started coming together. I wanted to replace the activity of watching TV with an activity that nourishes my spirit and causes me to meditate on the good things God has done in our lives. That's the precise effect doing this project is having.

The project is going to take longer than 21 days. It already has. If you've been tracking with the project, it has been some very sad reading. It has dredged up painful memories. But I will tell you that working through this has caused me to abundantly thankful for where our lives are now. I'm blessed to recount all that has been provided and all we've learned. I'm amazed at the capacity the Charming and Beautiful Susan and I have to love this little girl we've adopted.

I'm grateful for the 21 day fast and I pray you get something out of what we have to share with you.

In the next post, God sends us more angels. But he also sends more trials.

Read post 7 here.

Be careful not to despise these little ones. I can guarantee that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father, who is in heaven.

‭‭—Matthew‬ ‭18:10‬ ‭‬‬

This is a verse we told our children about often as we were raising them up in our faith. We wanted to open their eyes to faith early in life when they were most teachable. We didn't want them to be afraid of what they didn't understand. We wanted them to know God was working in places they couldn't see to guide and protect and develop them as his agents in the world. We taught them that God had dispatched angels charged with their care.

Both of my children are thinkers. From an early age, my children would avoid bed time by asking me questions about God. When Charity was going through a difficult or dark time, she would ask me, "Daddy, where are my angels?"

As my daughter Charity came into her teen years, she learned guitar and started writing songs. Thoughtful songs. Faith-filled songs. Songs that asked questions that were difficult to answer. One of the songs she wrote was called "Where are my Angels?" I borrowed the title for this book project from her.

Another verse I taught my children concerning angels is the following:

Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. —Hebrews 1:14

This is what I pray this book-blogging project teaches readers. Teaches me.

Read the sixth post here.

I sat down the other day to make a list of all of the angels God sent our way in our journey. I couldn't do it. The list is too long. I know I'll miss some.

But, to the best of my ability, I will introduce and name our angels by name. In the fifth post of my book blogging project, we meet our first angel couple.

Read the fifth post here.

post 1 | post 2 | post 3 | post 4 | post 5 | post 6 | post 7 | post 8 | post 9 | post 10 | post 11 | post 12 | post 13

In this post, I mention a movie sequence. Here's a short video you can watch to get some perspective.

Dragging out my files and putting time into this effort has been tough on my wife and daughter. They just want this to be behind us. They don't want to re-live the experience, but every time I decide to jump back into this project, they feel like they have to. It's tough on me, too. It's kind of like pressing on an old sore just to see if it's still painful. It is. There's been unbelievable healing in our lives, but it's painful.

If that's how my family feels, you might ask yourself why I'm doing this. For one reason: writers write.

Writers work out their experiences in print. In private, they pour out what's inside into a journal, note pad, or computer screen and process what they're thinking, what they've learned, or how they're healing. As much as I hope you reading these words will add something small to your life, this is mostly about me working things out. There. I said it. This is about me. But I think you already knew that.

I learned something from a writer named Frank Schaeffer. I read his book Crazy for God and reviewed it on my blog. The book was fascinating and irreverent and even, in my opinion, disrespectful to his family and the religious tribe Frank's family was a part of (I'm loosely affiliated with the tribe Frank exposes in his book). And I asked the question: "Why would he write this?" He personally responded to my post: "Because I'm a writer."

So here is the fourth post from my book-blogging project. Thanks for taking the time.

Read the fourth post here.

post 1 | post 2 | post 3 | post 4 | post 5 | post 6 | post 7 | post 8 | post 9 | post 10 | post 11 | post 12 | post 13

The third post of my book blogging project is live.

In this bit, you'll meet three people: John, Timmy, and Ruth. I've changed their names because I've worked hard to be friends. We're all about to go through an ordeal in this story, and no matter who gets hurt by whom, as difficult as relationships get in this narrative as it moves forward, the Charming and Beautiful Susan and I have prayed hard that grace will rule the day.

We decided this on day one. We decided long before we felt like deciding this. We decided this long before we ever knew there were going to be struggles and trials and pain and anguish and disappointment with God and life and people. We decided this before we knew we would feel hate or think about revenge. Making this decision crowded out some of those negative, cancerous emotions.

I picked the name John because that was the name of the disciple Jesus loved.

I picked Timmy because Timothy was a student of Saint Paul, wise beyond his years and teachable.

I picked Ruth because she left everything familiar and comfortable in the midst of her grieving to care for the family that remained.

These names aren't just names, they're prayers of blessing over people we've come to care about.

This is the beginning of intertwining journeys.

Read third post here

post 1 | post 2 | post 3 | post 4 | post 5 | post 6 | post 7 | post 8 | post 9 | post 10 | post 11 | post 12 | post 13

Do you feel like something is going to happen? Something bad? I’m not talking about normal pessimism where you think the rug is going to be pulled out from under you. I’m talking about an impending feeling of doom. Maybe you sense the death of a loved one. Or maybe it's some other tragic event. You don’t talk about it much because people will think you’re weird or paranoid. Or maybe the event has already happened and if you tell someone you knew it was going to happen, they’ll tell you you’re Monday morning quarterbacking. It’s easy to predict events that have already gone down.

I put the question out in a Facebook status update recently, and people weighed in immediately in great detail. In some cases, people shared their premonitions with shocked, vehemently unresponsive listeners. When tragedy hit, people said, “You saw this coming.”

Why does it happen? How? Did you know it’s Biblical? In the second post of my book blogging project, I write about how God gave me a premonition of tragic events coming my way. I think God was preparing me for what was coming. The event can’t be changed, but you and I can be.

Read the second post from my book blogging project, Where are my Angels.

Here’s where

It was two and half years ago when I finished writing a book. Sort of. I found out about a contest a book publisher was running where the top three finishers would get a free publishing deal. I had written about 75,000 words on my blog and various articles and, over a period of a month, pulled them into a book. A little too quickly. The book was not ready to be submitted as a manuscript but I thought our story about Allie would be compelling enough to overcome some of the book’s incompleteness. The book got finished, but the manuscript was rough and unedited outside of my own proofing. When I didn’t place in the contest, I had an editor friend and some other writer/editor friends give me some feedback and we went back to the drawing board. Here’s the thing, though: once you get published, especially if you self-publish, you have to promote, distribute, build an audience, do ebooks, etc. Even really well-known authors have a hard time these days getting any kind of return on everything they put into it. Publishing houses are shutting down left and right or merging with stronger competitors. Because of the internet. Because of the internet, anyone can see their words in print and hope to be found and build an audience. You don’t have to mail tons of manuscripts to publishers or pay to self-publish. You can publish your work your self on your website or blog. All it takes is your time, your work, your story, and your passion. We’ve been on a journey for the past decade that has revolved around caring for the most awesome, loving little girl in the world. Allie was born as our granddaughter but we’ve adopted her as our daughter. She has profound special needs. There are snippets of the story here on this blog, but the complete story is emerging here. We’d love it if you joined us as we tell how this little girl has changed our lives.

Here’s where

post 1 | post 2 | post 3 | post 4 | post 5 | post 6 | post 7 | post 8 | post 9 | post 10 | post 11 | post 12 | post 13