I woke up early this morning. When I fell asleep a few hours earlier I was listening to my Relax playlist on my Ipod. I have liked John Denver’s music since I was a teen. As I lay there this morning, the song by John Denver called Looking for Space came on. Perhaps for the first time ever, the lyrics of this song really grabbed me. 

John Denver thought that most people have times when they were looking for space. He thought most people knew the joy of soaring like and eagle and struggling with deep despair. The end of his message is positive. Read these words a time or two (the bold is my emphasis).  

On the road of experience, I’m trying to find my own way.
Sometimes I wish that I could fly away
When I think that I’m moving, suddenly things stand still
I’m afraid ’cause I think they always will 

And I’m looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I’m looking to know and understand
It’s a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I’m almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I’m deep in despair

All alone in the universe, sometimes that’s how it seems
I get lost in the sadness and the screams
Then I look in the center, suddenly everything’s clear
I find myself in the sunshine and my dreams

Chorus

On the road of experience, join in the living day
if there’s an answer, it’s just that it’s just that way

When you’re looking for space
And to find out who you are
When you’re looking to try and reach the stars
It’s a sweet, sweet sweet dream
Sometimes I’m almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
But sometimes I’m deep in despair
Sometimes I fly like an eagle,
like an eagle I go flying - Flying 

John Denver went through some difficult days in his life. This song is an expression of how he felt in that process. So I post these words today because I’m feeling much like the words of this song. I’m not saying that I’m looking for space in my life. I don’t want space from my work or from my family… I’m looking for a space. Perhaps you are too. 

telemicus out

I haven’t thrown out a hot opinion like this in a long time. I’ve come to a conclusion, and it’s a little radical, but I think I’m right on this and feel free to throw down your own HSO (hot spiritual opinion) if you like. (I’m sure the theologians will dismantle me on this, but think it through.) 

Love is NOT the most powerful force in the world. The songwriters pour emotion into music and move the masses to believe that love can change the world. The writers pen stories of the power of love overcoming every foe on the planet. But there is one foe that love, even in its purest form cannot subdue… selfishness! 

Please understand… I think love is the best thing we experience in life. It drives us all and I believe it’s the most important thing. We all need it to grow and thrive. It is the fabric of all good relationships. It calls people to nobility and heroism. I cannot begin to give love its due in this little window, but the notion that all you need is love is inaccurate. 

How many wives deeply love husbands who cheat repeatedly? How many kids love their daddy only to see him walk away? How many men have loved faithfully for years while their wives coldly go about their lives unaffected? How many ministers have loved and served their people faithfully only to have the poison of church politics destroy it all?  

We simply can’t love deeply enough, long enough, faithfully enough to change another persons heart. Bonnie Raitt was right when she sang, “I can’t make you love me if you don’t. I can’t make your heart feel something it won’t.”  

God is the embodiment of perfect love. To be in his Presence is exist in love. Yet, in heaven, in the Presence of God’s love, Lucifer chose selfishness over Love. God’s love and the absence of sin did not prevent selfishness from giving birth to pride. Pride is a sin of self-worship and its core is self-centeredness. Does this mean that God or His love is weak? Of course not! With a thought, he could force us all to adore him. God’s design for love is that it cannot be forced on another; it can only be offered and demonstrated to others. Once in a while we choose love over self. 

Has faithful love ever overcome? Of course it has… it does every day. My point is that our love, no matter how deep, enduring or faithful cannot change the selfish heart. In the end, they have to choose love over self. In the song, Difficult Kind, Sheryl Crow says,  

If you could only see
What love has made of me
Then I’d no longer be in your mind
The difficult kind 

It’s easy to see when love takes the place of selfishness. The only way love conquers selfishness is if selfishness surrenders. Those of us who have surrendered to God know that the test of our faithfulness to Him is not our struggle to believe, it is to choose to love Him beyond our own selfish desires.  

telemicus out

I am a member of the Rockwall Christian Writers Group. One of our members is helping a fellow author promote a new book through a Blog Tour. The Telemicus Files is one stop on the tour.  The book is Informed Consent and the author is Sandra Glahn. Some of the information here is story summary and a few interview questions, but I want to share a few thoughts of my own as well. 

My Thoughts: 

I enjoyed the book. I love stories that have unique twists and plot changes that you don’t see coming. There were several times I thought I had it figured out and Sandra zigged when I zagged. The characters were realistic and developed well. The emotional turns were strong and the story didn’t let me off the hook, (I found myself experiencing anxiety.) I also enjoyed the subtle Christianity displayed in the fabric of the story. It didn’t feel like window dressing, it seemed the texture of the glass, clear, but unobtrusive. If you enjoy fiction and especially if you have a medical background, you’ll enjoy Informed Consent. 

Book Description:

Jeremy Cramer, M.D. is the next Einstein of infectious disease research. While working on a way to revive water submersion victims, he makes a breakthrough discovery in AIDS research that thrusts him into the center of a media frenzy. But the publicity turns negative and his marriage reaches the breaking point when he accidentally infects a colleague and his negligence allows his son to contract a lifethreatening disease. The viruses test the limits of his new formula and his ethics. In his frantic efforts to save his son and his marriage, he must decide whether to allow his child to die or violate the rights of a young transplant donor. The choice forces him to stand face-to-face with the unfathomable love required to sacrifice an only son. 

Interview Questions:

How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific ‘what if’ moment?

The story had a thousand or more ‘what if’ moments. I’m pursuing a PhD in Aesthetic Studies, and I worked on the setting, characters, a lot of the plot, as well as my narrative voice during three novel-writing classes taught by a novelist who writes fiction reviews for Publishers Weekly. And I got some great feedback from fellow students who don’t believe in Christ about ways to address faith issues more naturally. I also took a Dante class, which influenced my choice to give my characters five of the seven deadly sins. (I’m saving the other two for a future work.) 

What made you decide to write a book that deals with AIDS?
   
The church in Africa is doing a fantastic job dealing with HIV-AIDS. The North American church not so much. So I wanted to tackle some of our misconceptions, challenge some of our stereotypes, and hopefully help readers consider their own involvement with AIDS patients. 

Who is your favorite character in the book and why?
   
Dr. Nate Barlow. He’s imperfect, but he cares so much for his patients. And he’s a good friend. He has every reason to be arrogant, but he’s oblivious to his own greatness. 

Author Bio:

Sandra Glahn, ThM, teaches in the media arts program at Dallas Theological Seminary, where she edits the award-winning magazine Kindred Spirit. The author of six books and co-author of seven others, she is pursuing a PhD in Aesthetic Studies (Arts and Humanities) at the University of Texas at Dallas . She recently released her first solo medical suspense novel, Informed Consent (Cook). She is the co-author of three other such novels, which include the Christy Award finalist, Lethal Harvest.

If you would like to order Informed Consent, click here and it will take you to the book on Amazon.

telemicus out