Return to Eastlake – More Small Town Tales

 

My third novel is available now, and I’m very excited! (Can you tell?) It’s been a very long process and the revising/editing has been extremely tedious. Originally, I had planned to have the book ready this past summer, but even putting away my current WIP (work in progress), and devoting my somewhat limited time and energy to completing this one, it still took a long time to finish.

If you’ve read my previous book, At the Drive-In, then you know what to expect from the sequel. Set in the fictional (small) town of Eastlake, Texas, the book follows a number of characters (and the aforementioned drive-in) over an extended period of time, and the stories, although interconnected, are not presented in chronological order.

There are stories about the schools, the church, and the drive-in, and though they are often based on my personal experiences, they are not intended to be biographical. Many of the events described did actually happen, but quite a bit of literary license has been applied, so none of the stories should be considered accurate or completely truthful.

And of course, some of the stories are entirely fictional, for example, the trilogy of tales about the teenaged carhop who disappears without a trace (in the previous book). The story continues here in the sequel, and yes, I do finally reveal what happened to Krissy Holder. (I was surprised at the number of people who asked about that particular story and really wanted a resolution.)

So, even if you missed the first set of stories, grab a copy of Return to Eastlake, and as always, let me know what you think!

Being Thankful - 2020

I love Christmas, but seriously, can we not be in such a hurry to skip past the most important holiday of the year? Now, more than ever, we need a time of Thanksgiving. A time to turn our focus away from the barrage of the daily news of doom and gloom. A time to count our blessings.

I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of hearing about how awful 2020 has been. Even the memes aren’t funny anymore. I’m just tired of the negativity. In reality, it’s just another year on good old planet Earth (which is not our true home!) So, let’s stop spending all our time thinking about the bad news, and instead, start turning our thoughts to the more positive things around us. I love the way Paul says it in the book of Philippians - Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (4:8 NIV)

Several years ago, along the very same lines, I shared the following message for Thanksgiving. Still sounds pretty relevant to me!

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already! Or will be this week anyway. Such a wonderful time of year! The cooler weather, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year. Just a string of big events that come one after another in rapid succession. No wonder people get so stressed.

So, how do we deal with all this extra anxiety? I suggest we try and focus on the positives in our lives and not the negative. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18a (NIV), Paul says “give thanks in all circumstances.” What a great statement! Like most people, there are times when I find it easy to be thankful. But like most people, there are also many times when I find it extremely difficult to be thankful. Or to be more honest, I forget to be thankful.

Thanksgiving is a good time to be conscious and conscientious about recognizing our blessings. (A little off the subject, but as much as I love contemporary Christian music, I often long for the old hymns like Count Your Blessings.) This month alone, I could easily rattle off a list of my trials and troubles, some of those circumstances that make me want to scream and complain. And when I get bogged down in worrying about my problems, I do forget to be thankful.

So, let me focus on the good and not the bad for now. I am thankful for family and friends. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for a long and somewhat successful career. I am thankful to live in a free country. And I am thankful for a God who watches over me and mine.

I won’t bore you with a long list of family and friends, but I will say that I am truly thankful most for the people in my life. Many of them have passed, but I still treasure their memories and value the lessons they imparted and the legacies they left behind. I am thankful for my wife and children and I pray that I can always be a good husband and father. For the many friends, former colleagues, and others, I have probably not said enough how much I appreciate the love and support and encouragement! If you want to reduce your stress over the next few months, enjoy the people around you. Time invested in people is rarely wasted.

I’ll be honest and say that I wish I had the body of my twenty-year-old self! Lord knows I don’t want to be twenty again, but I often miss the energy and vitality of that age. Nevertheless, I am thankful for the generally good health I enjoy. I often jokingly say that I wish I had taken better care of myself when I was younger, but honestly, many people my age are much less fortunate when it comes to health issues. I’m no spring chicken, but I’ll gladly accept the aches and pains that come with my age. And I will do my best to stay in shape in the years ahead.

One of the joys of Facebook (there are some to go along with all the frustrations!) is the ability to connect with former students! I am thankful for the years spent with young students and athletes whom I will never forget. I thank God for allowing me to be a teacher, coach and principal and I pray that my impact on the lives of my students was positive. There are few pleasures in life greater than watching your kids grow up and become successful, even if they aren’t really your kids! I am so incredibly proud of the fine adults you have become, even though you will forever be teens in my mind! If not younger!

If you are a frequent reader, you know I have fairly strong political views. Despite the recent election ugliness, and the ongoing negativity of the mainstream media, I am proud of my country and thankful to live in a free society. Obviously, we live in an imperfect world, but when you consider the living conditions in much of the world, we should be thankful to live in the USA. I am.

Finally, and most importantly, I thank God for all the many blessings in my life. Everything above I credit to a good God who loves His people and watches over us. I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who not only promises an eternity with Him, but also provides for us while we await that final blessing!

So, whatever your circumstances today, count your many blessings and give thanks!

Reaping What You Sow

For the last 4 years, the Democrats and the Mainstream Media have delighted in referring to President Trump as an “Illegitimate” president. Despite a total lack of evidence (which even Special Counsel Mueller and 40 million wasted tax dollars couldn’t uncover), we were supposed to believe that the Russians had somehow conspired with Donald Trump to steal the election from Hillary Clinton. Congressman Adam Schiff swore he had solid evidence to prove it!

Now that we have an election tainted by accusations of fraud on a massive scale, I’m glad we have the proper terminology in place. More than a week later and a majority of Americans do not believe that the election was fair. Only 39% believe that the election was “definitely free and fair.” Another 21% agreed that it was “probably” free and fair, although among Republicans more than 70% did not believe the election was fair and free. https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article247121139.html

Honestly, I don’t know if the number of fraudulent ballots in crucial states would be enough to sway the final outcome or not. But there is no doubt whatsoever (in my mind) that the election was far from fair and honest. There are just too many allegations of fraud to ignore, including:

·         Dead people voting

·         Voting machine software that “glitched” (and changed votes from Trump to Biden)

·         Unverified ballots counted (largely mail-in votes)

·         Poll watchers denied access to polling stations (during voting and counting of votes)

·         Postal workers instructed to change dates/timestamps on ballots

·         Poll workers wearing Biden/Harris hats, shirts, facemasks, etc.

·         Poll workers providing instructions on how to vote (with written cheat sheets)

Deny all you want, but if any of these things happened, they should be investigated.

So does that make Joe Biden an “illegitimate” President? If the American people do not believe that he won the election fairly, then he will always be considered as such. And we can blame it on the Democrats (and the media) themselves. By refusing to acknowledge any possible fraud, by fighting so hard to prevent any investigations, and by contesting audits and recounts in states that still have questions, they have made it clear that winning is more important than assuring the American public that the election was fair and honest.

In the best interest of their own candidate (and the country), they should be supporting any and all efforts to verify the results and “legitimize” the winner. Then, maybe they wouldn’t have to explain Biden’s newest label, the one they invented, an “Illegitimate President.”

 

Some Observations on this Crazy Election

 So, Joe Biden is President-Elect? Unofficially, of course, but not likely to change. Whatever we think about the state of this wild election, barring some miraculous turn of events, he will eventually be our next President. Here are my thoughts on the matter.

Regardless of the winners and losers, most Americans wanted a fair and honest election. I don’t believe we got one. Although the Democrats refuse to even acknowledge the obvious facts, a lot of fraudulent activity took place this year, and once more we are left with plenty of doubt about the legitimacy of the outcome. How much fraud occurred and how much did it impact the results? We may never know.

Like many conservatives, I am discouraged and disheartened. I am concerned about the future of my country. I don’t know that I have ever seen an election with such a stark contrast between the candidates and their positions on the major issues. I don’t know that I have ever seen an election with more emphasis on the personalities of the candidates, and less on the actual issues.

Biden and Harris represent an absolute abandonment of everything that has been done for the last four years, and I can’t help but see that as a bad thing. I fear their radical Liberal positions on abortion, guns, immigration, healthcare, taxes, trade policies, the environment, and everything else, will have a huge negative impact on our country. (I wonder if 70 million people really voted for all that!)

I haven’t seen any movement toward the positive yet (at least on social media). After four years of pure hatred, the ultimate sore losers are now the winners. So far, they have been as ungracious in victory as they were in defeat. To my Liberal friends, I suggest that if you really do want to promote unity and healing, you could start by putting an end to the horrible, vile, and disgusting memes you post daily. Like I said, negative impact.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope that like most politicians, they will lay their campaign promises aside once they have attained the office. Perhaps Congress and the Judiciary will provided some of the checks and balances the founding fathers intended. If not, we may be in for a tumultuous season. In the meantime, I will pray for my country and its leaders (whether I voted for them or not!). I am an American and my President will have my respect and allegiance.

What Lies Ahead

 

Well, Election Day is finally here! Tomorrow, anyway. I was beginning to think it would never arrive. I hate to be so pessimistic, but here are my very dire predictions for the coming weeks (and months).

At the end of the night Tuesday, I predict that Donald Trump will have a huge lead, yet the networks will not acknowledge his victory. Joe Biden will refuse to concede following the advice of such sage politicians as Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. Riots will break out in all the usual places (Blue states and major cities with Democratic mayors), with accusations that Trump cheated and somehow stole the election. It will be like 2016, only worse.

As the days and weeks pass, I predict that more and ballots (Democrat, obviously) will be miraculously found in swing states all across the country, and slowly, but surely, Biden will pull ahead and be declared the winner. The Republicans will call foul, and the poop will hit the fan!

Eventually, the Supreme Court will be called upon to rule on the legality of all these suspicious newfound ballots. Amy Coney Barrett will become the most hated woman in America for refusing to recuse herself from the fight and actually doing her job.

And how will it all end? Who knows, but whoever wins, the country will surely lose.

If Biden wins, he and his party will begin the process of turning our once great country into a Socialistic nightmare. His promised lockdowns will cripple the economy, the Supreme Court will end up with a ton of new Justices, and the environment will become the new focus as our oil and gas industries are destroyed. Higher taxes will drive businesses away and eleven million new citizens will further drain our limited resources as we begin our massive new welfare state offering free healthcare, college, and maybe even a Universal Basic Income. And don’t forget, Beto O’Rourke will be coming around to collect all your guns.

The only thing that can stop the Liberal agenda is a Republican Congress, so pray that the Democrats don’t gain control of the Senate, and then, start praying for unprecedented levels of governmental gridlock. It may be all that can save us!

If Trump wins, expect the next four years to be worse than the last four. The overwhelming hatred that spews forth from his opponents will increase and the culture of division and negativity (created by the Left) will continue to spread, courtesy of the Mainstream Media. The loud and persistent voices of those who hate our country will never stop, as long as Trump remains in the White House. More investigations and probably another impeachment will waste millions of taxpayer dollars that could be used to actually help our country, but some people are apparently way better at tearing things down than building them up.

So, no matter who wins the election, the next four years will not be pretty! I wish I could offer a more optimistic outlook, but sadly, we are living in perilous times. Fortunately, I do still have hope! Remember that God is in control! Nothing that happens in the coming weeks and months will surprise Him. So, keep praying and keep believing that He will continue to watch over this world (and this country), no matter who we elect to occupy the White House.