What Glenn Writes

Discipline was not a pleasant factor in my youth.  As a teenager, I developed a reasonable theory that discipline was a crazy idea developed in some far off country where my parents and teachers were born.

This takes us to another theory where my parents and teachers were part of a foreign conspiracy to take over the United States of America.  Their plan was to plant subliminal messages in my generation to grow up and only vote for presidents who are ex-governors, ex-CIA, or really, extremely short-term senators – somehow this was favorable for the unknown foreign powers.  This, of course, was absurd and unlikely to happen as long as you don’t count any president since President Ford.

I realize now that I am fortunate for the correction I received.  In fact, now I know discipline is a Biblical concept. 

Hebrews 12:5-7 tells us, “And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, ‘My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you.  For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.’  As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children.  Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined?”

This is an encouraging passage when I find myself saying, “Why is this happening to me, Lord?” or when I begin a why-me-pity-party. 

Are you familiar with the why-me-pity-party trap?  Maybe you’re more familiar with the I’m-having-one-of-those-days-pity-party trap?  These pity-party traps seem to be more frequent when I am not spending enough time with the Lord in prayer or studying the Bible.  Could it be the root of the circumstances for these pity-party traps is actually a form of discipline in our lives?   

My comprehension of this concept increases when I consider my own three children.  My wife and I are raising a thirteen year-old princess photographer with excellent baking skills, but must have things her own way; an eleven year-old self-styling stunt woman who will climb anything, go anywhere, and do anything for a laugh or even a giggle; and a nine year-old Bob-the-Builder/inventor who is ready to build his first house, robot, jet-car, and whatever else he can scrap together with the four boards out in my garage. 

Discipline is a daily event in our house… ok, there are days it may be an hourly event.  The punishments are not mean or cruel as I perceived them to be in my youth – the correction is to build the desired character traits and values in our children, to teach them right from wrong, and to keep them safe.  We care for our children, we love them, and a fundamental part of the expression of our love for our children is discipline when needed.  Sometimes, discipline is difficult to dish-out, defining the old saying, “…this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you…”, although I’m not going to try to get my kids to buy that one at their age.

A fundamental part of the Lord’s expression of His love for us is discipline when needed.

A good comparison to this parent-child relationship is drawn from Hebrews 12:9-11, “Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever?  For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness.  No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

No discipline is enjoyable for the recipient or it would not qualify as discipline.  With proper discipline, we receive the benefits of the correction.  This is our hope for our children, and Scripture tells us this is God’s plan for us.

I doubt the princess, the funny stuntwoman, nor Bob-the-Builder understands this now.  I did not understand this in my youth, although the Lord has taught me much.  Through correction and discipline, He has changed my perspective.  That doesn’t mean I like to receive the discipline, but it helps to know the motive.

Some people have difficulty with the concept of the Lord giving discipline.  When you consider He created the entire universe and every particle within it and that He can move planets with just a thought, why would He take time to punish a puny little guy like me?  We find the answer in Hebrews 12:6,  “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.”

The Lord loves us.  Period.  Sometimes we just have to stop and remind ourselves that He really cares.  He loves us.

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com

Remember the advertisement for the x-ray glasses when you where growing up?  You found them in the back of comic books where kids were likely to fall for the promises.

You can see your bones through your skin!  You can see through walls!  You can see in the dark!  you could see through numerous other things…

I was naturally curious, and of course, gullible.  I wanted a set of those x-ray glasses.  As much as part of me knew the promises could not be true, another wanted to believe. 

I wanted to believe those glasses would satisfy that youthful curiosity and reveal the previously unknown.  I wanted to believe the promises of the advertisers.  As a young boy growing up in America, I wanted to believe companies advertising in comic books could be trusted.  I wanted to believe adults were honest.  I wanted to believe adults would not lie to take money from children.  I wanted to believe in the American way of life! 

“Gee Wally, why don’t you just calm down a little bit and we’ll see what the Beav has to say about it.”

Ok, I got a little worked up there.  Let’s move on…

Eventually, I outgrew those childish desires and lost some of my gullible tendencies.  My desire for the x-ray glasses soon matured to other youthful quests offering more empty promises.  There was the awesome ten-speed bike making climbing hills effortless – the word effortless was never defined by the advertiser.  There was the greatest phonograph needle (does anyone remember phonograph needles?) that would never scratch a record (does anyone remember records?) ruined three of my favorite albums.  And those silly iron-on shirt decals which would permanently adhere to your favorite T-shirt when heated… permanently or until you wore the shirt.

Now I am an adult finding those x-ray glasses symbolic for many empty promise purchases.  The excellent, razor sharp knives that would never dull broke when we first tried using them – they remained sharp that way.  We had the drinking glass-froster breaking the glass on the first use – only three stitches in my hand and you can barely see the scar.  The sonic-charge fuel economy device for my car did reduce my fuel expenses – I didn’t spend a dime on fuel when the car was in the shop with carburetor problems (does anyone remember carburetors?).  

And for this article, I will refrain from listing the four get-rich-quick programs taking more money to get started than was ever generated (even though one such scheme included these cute gimmick glasses you could advertise in comic books).

We want to trust people.  We want to believe in them.  Why is this so different when it comes to God’s Word?  Should we want to believe more in men who want to take money away from us or in the Bible?  We know what we should do, but what is reality?

Before we answer, let’s consider the unique qualities of the Bible.  Secular and Biblical history prove the Bible was written over the course of 1600 years, 60 generations, and by over 40 writers of different backgrounds – kings, peasants, philosophers, doctors, and fishermen.  Consider the Bible was written in different places, from the wilderness to a dungeon, and in a comfortable room.  The Bible was written during war and during peaceful times, when the author was in the height of joy to the depths of despair, on three different continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe), and in three different languages – Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. 

Yet, for under all the different aspects and variables that the Bible was written, the same central theme remains consistent: God’s relationship with Man.  Not once did the authors contradict each other.  Not once has man been able to improve or disprove Scripture, and of the hundreds of statements about history, astronomy, botany, geology, and the other branches of learning, the Bible remains scientifically perfect. 

Even with Darwin’s birthday coming up in a couple of months, we can look at the evolutionist’s tireless efforts to disprove the Bible - they can’t.  They can’t even prove their own beliefs, let alone try to disprove Scripture.

Entire kingdoms, cultures, and religions have sought to destroy the Bible, yet it remains victorious, indestructible, and popular.  The Bible has influenced the world like no other book, blessing millions in each generation from the lower class to the highest.  The wise, the godly, and the most honest of men claim the Bible as God’s Word and Holy Truth. 

The proofs of the Bible are inexhaustible, spreading from religion to religion, from one belief to another, from culture to culture, generation to generation, and from individual to individual.  The Bible applies to all and to one. 

No advertiser can make the claims the Bible holds as only God’s Word can.  His promise in His Word is full and unbroken. 

Can you take off your x-ray glasses and see the truth?  Who is easier to believe?  God or man?

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com

One of my favorite Christmas commercials is the one we can easily identify with a simple phrase, “Horse ‘Em”.  If you are not familiar with this commercial, Polaroid would have us believe Santa Claus employs a wicked looking elf to help him determine the best gifts for children. 

This is a far-fetched concept, as we all know most of Santa’s elves are on disability after eating hamburgers tainted with the “mad-reindeer” disease.  Santa currently employs tone-deaf Oompa-Loompas kicked out of the chocolate factory for their inability to sing.  They had a choice: Go back to Loompaland, a diet of mashed green caterpillars, and avoid any run-ins with snozzwragers and whangdoodles for the rest of their lives; or, go to the North Pole like migrant workers, drink all the hot cocoa they want, and live in the relative peace of the toy factory.

Of course, while this is a fact, we can also assume the wicked looking elf in the commercial may be a vegetarian, and therefore avoided the mad-reindeer fiasco.  I’m not sure how he gets along with the Oompa-Loompa Local 100 Union, but that would be a story for another article. 

In the commercial, as Santa reads the “Dear Santa” letters with the wicked little elf looking over his shoulder, he struggles to understand the exact toy the child is describing.  Reading aloud with a furrowed brow, the letter goes something like this…

“For Christmas I would most like to receive a Dukem Nukem Blastroids 2000 Arcade pack, but not the Blastorids pack with the four bonus levels, but the one with the power section.  And please don’t forget it must be …”

Santa frowns, and turns to the ugly elf.  The elf shrugs and looks puzzled. He holds up a toy rocking horse and says in a gruff voice (most vegetarian elves have gruff voices), “Horse’em?”

Santa nods vigorously.

This is repeated with another child’s letter.

The third letter Santa opens reads something like the first two, asking for some crazy product in exact detail, but out of this letter comes a small Polaroid photo showing the exactly toy described.  Santa and the Elf turn to each other and say, “Ahhh!”

I think this is a favorite commercial (second only to the Little Santa riding a triple-blade electric razor head through the snow) because it is so easy to appreciate Santa’s position.  As my beautiful wife, Karen, and I considered our Christmas list this year, we came across a few people where we just looked at each other and muttered with a shrug, “Horse ‘em?”

Can you relate?

I was among the fortunate this year in not receiving any rocking horses, from Santa or anyone else.  And, while it was tempting, Karen and I avoided the rocking horses in our gift giving.  This temptation we see exploited by Polaroid in really just a cop out in the gift giving tradition; it is an easy way out instead of really considering the other person receiving the gift.

We would do well to remember what we are told in Philippians 2:4-5, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus…”  The whole Christmas season is wrapped around the attitude we find in Jesus Christ and expressed in these verses – putting the interests of others before ourselves. 

We also find this in Matthew 22:37-39, when Jesus tells us, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Yes, I know this sounds great for the easy people on our Christmas list, but what about the really difficult people where it is just so easy to say, “Horse ‘em?”  For this, we must return to the reason we are giving a gift in the first place… because remember, we are not forced to give.  In every situation, we do have a choice in the matter and can decide a Christmas card is enough, maybe a nice meat stick made from ground reindeer would be ok, or just a telephone call.  In any case, if a gift is warranted, then the thought behind it should not be on how easy it is for us to make the purchase, but on what the person would appreciate and what would make them happy.

Another tool for finding the right Christmas gifts is prayer.  For Karen and I, our prayers were answered many times throughout the season in how the Lord not only provided the resources necessary, but also the perfect gifts for the people on our list. 

Fortunately for us, there were no tone-deaf Oompa-Loompas or wicked looking elves. 

Just curious… how did you do this year in your giving?  Did you have a few where you had to “Horse ‘em?” 

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com

Let’s talk about real fear. I looked fear in the face. I sneered at fear. I laughed at fear. Then I started to cower, realizing my fear was real… a fear stalking me, creeping up on me. I stood my ground as I looked around; realizing the fear that challenged me was as real as it gets. How do I face this fear? How do I conquer this fear?

I gave that fear a smirk and decided to do what I did as a child: I turned the television on manually.

An emptiness feeds fear when we loose our remote control.

Some laugh, others can relate, yet only a few have faced such fear and retained their sanity. Most know the magnitude of such fear… a fear driving mere mortals half crazy, yet we do not want to reveal the hidden truth behind remote controls and the power they yield.

And to lose that power?

Fortunately, I remember a period of time before the remote control. Yes, I know you would prefer such a barbaric time never existed. As hard as it is to believe, it did exist. There was a time when we actually got out of our chairs and turned the television on or changed the channels manually. Some more advanced families had children do it, but the verbal orders were never the same as pressing a button.

The power is in the button.

So as I turn to the television to find the unfamiliar controls (located behind a flip-up door and masked with such alien words as “MANUAL POWER”, “MANUAL CHANNEL SELECTOR”, or “MANUAL VOLUME CONTROL”), I am forced to accept my power is lost for awhile. Without this power, I realize my next move requires a crucial decision on my part – I must find a channel I will be content to watch unless I want to get out of my seat and walk across the room again.

I have lost my ability to “surf”. The following uneasiness far outweighs the earlier fear. I am truly powerless. And, yes, as you are guessing, I am pitiful.

The real truth behind the remote control is we prefer to be in control of what we hear and see. When the programming does not suit our needs, wants, or desires, we want to be able to make changes until we find something suitable to our tastes.

Could that be what Paul was warning Timothy about in the Bible? (Oh come on, you knew I was eventually going to get to something Biblical!)

Paul explains in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.”

This is a warning there will come a time when people will not endure sound doctrine or Biblical teachings, but instead will go from teacher to teacher – or from church to church – until they find one that will not insist on getting rid of sins or sinful pleasure. Having “itching ears”, there will be a desire to find speakers who will “satisfy their itch” by providing an excuse for their passions in the name of religion.

I find it easy to say I will never turn away from the truth, yet how easy is it to turn to fables and false religions that pamper flesh and condone sin? How easy is it to ignore a preacher making me uncomfortable, or a teaching cutting to close to home? How easy is it to lock the doors to my house and pretend sin only exists outside of my home?

I find it easy to say I will never turn away from the truth, yet how difficult is it to accept? Do I use that mental remote control for my mind and change my thoughts to another channel or line of thinking? Do I turn to another teacher, perhaps one that is inside that pretends to know what is best for me?

Or do I leave my finger off of that powerful button?

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com

I am sure my sister and her husband are not a minority in college romances leading to wedding vows and joint repayment of student loans.  Their love blossomed, and on May 10, 2000, they harvested the product of their love – a newborn baby boy. 

Their stories about college life are interesting, specifically some of those unique trivia games they play on campus — such as Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon.  The concept of the game is to track selected celebrities to Kevin Bacon by linking them through co-stars in various movies or television shows.  Considering these profound, analytical, and thought-provoking games, should I be surprised at their method for naming their baby? 

They took her name, Malena, and combined it with his name, Joshua, to arrive at their baby’s name, Jonah.  I am not sure how many degrees it takes to track Jonah back to Kevin Bacon, but I know the little tike is lucky his name is not Mojaleshanjoamsheluan (no offense intended to those named Mojaleshanjoamsheluan).

Now with a name like Jonah, the perfect theme for the baby’s room is from the Book of Jonah in the Bible.  In looking for decorations though, there are varieties of different versions of the same tale. There seems to be creative license taken with the story of Jonah.  Many have debated the story as fictional, so perhaps the reason for blurred facts is to make the story believable.

Wait!  We need to look at the basics before we change history.  As the Bible presents the facts, they are believable and credible. 

In the first chapter, God calls upon Jonah to preach to the City of Nineveh.  Jonah is a Jewish man with a severe dislike toward those in Nineveh.  He runs away and hides in the bow of a ship traveling away from the city. 

After a great storm threatens the safety of the ship, Jonah convinces the crew their only rescue is to throw him overboard.  Verse 17 follows what happens to Jonah with, “Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah.  And Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” 

Is this difficult to believe?

“Great fish” translates from the Hebrew word TANNINUM, which means a large sea animal or sea creature.  This could mean fish, whale, shark, or a species created by God for Jonah’s purpose. 
Research reveals the Great White Shark has the size as an adult to swallow a man whole if the teeth do not rip the victim to shreds. 

A Sperm Whale has the capacity to swallow chunks of food eight feet in diameter, proven through autopsies finding shark skeletons in the stomach of these large creatures.

One candidate providing the best evidence to support Jonah’s historical account is the Whale Shark, with a report of one found off the Florida Keys in June of 1923 and towed into the Port of Marathon.  The reports show the Whale Shark was 32 feet long with the circumference behind the eyes at 14 feet.  The largest circumference was 23 feet behind the pectoral fins. 

Some counter this story with questions on how Jonah survived the stomach acids in the fish or how could he breath?  Two of the animals mentioned above could have swallowed enough air with Jonah to allow him to breath and float on something while “visiting”.  And again, we are talking about God - can’t He do anything without us questioning or denying what He does? 

These are three examples of existing evidence to support Jonah’s experience.  Beyond these species, the Lord is able to make whatever creature required to accomplish His will and desire.  With Nineveh, the Lord needed a preacher to convert an entire city. 

Historical and archaeological evidence from Nineveh show a ministry for a pagan god named Dagan, part man and part fish.  Images of this fish-god guard the entrance to the palace and temple in the ruins of Nineveh and they appear on ancient Babylonian seals. 

Jonah records the entire city of Nineveh repented, fasted, prayed, and begged the Lord for mercy when he preached.  This was shortly after Jonah 2:10, “And the Lord ordered the fish to spit up Jonah on the beach, and it did.”

When we know historically Nineveh worshiped a pagan fish-god and there were many fishermen in the city, it is very possible there were witnesses to Jonah’s arrival on the beach – a man spit from the mouth of a sea creature.  No wonder the entire city listened and repented… they probably thought Jonah conquered their god before coming to Nineveh! 

The archaeological discoveries at the site of ancient Nineveh also unearthed the preserved name of YUNAS, or translated – Jonah.  By his preaching, the entire city avoided God’s wrath and destruction through repentance and prayer.  This provides secular evidence of Jonah’s place in Nineveh’s history. 

I wonder if you can get YUNAS in six degrees to Kevin Bacon?

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com

I was a teenager that knew everything there was to know about the world.  I was smarter than my parents or my teachers, and I had better ways of doing things.  Anyone who did not agree with me did not know what they were talking about.  This established the firm belief that no one understood me.  

I knew I would never need the stuff they were teaching in school.  A + B = C, fractions, metrics, and proper grammar were concepts that I would rarely use in my career as a wealthy person.  How many rich people do you know carry slide rules?  

Ok, this was before Bill Gates grew his empire.

My adolescent views fell apart soon after graduation.  My first job out of high school had me in a tool shop using algebra, trigonometry, fractions, and metrics.  Even my checkbook always seemed to have an unknown I needed to solve.  And all those nouns, pronouns, verbs, and proper grammar helped me write letters, resumes, and business correspondence needed throughout my career.  

Unknown to me as a teenager, the practical application of what I was learning in school came after graduation.  My frustration was not knowing how to apply what I was learning (a contradiction to knowing everything).

In my Bible studies, the practical application of what I am learning often comes after the lesson.  I struggle with the same frustration of not knowing how to apply the information.  My experience tells me the time will come.  The difference with Biblical knowledge is the Holy Spirit will give us guidance for the application.  When you seek the Lord as His student, he remains with you throughout your life – and His teachings are consistent and applicable.

A good example of Biblical teaching on life application is in 2 Timothy 2:3 through 2:7, where Paul is writing a letter to remind Timothy of past lessons.  Beginning in verse 2:3, “Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, just as I do; and as Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in worldly affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army.  Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. Work hard like a farmer who gets paid well if he raises a large crop.  Think over these three illustrations, and may the Lord help you to understand how they apply to you.”

In the first four verses, Paul gives Timothy three examples to help relate the information to his life as a Christian.  The first example is to be a good soldier, meaning to live up to a certain standard in his lifestyle and not to be detoured by the deceit of the world.  The second example is to be a good athlete by following the rules.  The third example is a farmer following the natural laws of agriculture and receiving a reward for good produce.  

Finishing in verse 7, Paul instructs Timothy to consider the three examples and let the Lord help him understand and apply the examples to his life.  This is an important and basic step.  We need the Lord to teach us how to apply His Word to our lives.  

The life applications in one verse are numerous, revealed only through divine training and your life experiences.  This is what makes God’s Word real and personal.  His truth and meaning are undeviating, yet applied to our lives in a personal and direct way. 

I could not understand how to apply my school lessons when I was a teenager.  The information was not personal, nor did it have meaning to me at the time – although I knew all there was to know.  After choking on my ego a few times, the application of the knowledge I ridiculed soon became a way of life. 

As a new Christian, I found some Bible stories far-fetched and unreal.  Yet as I matured in my Bible studies, the Bible became as real as any history book, and the lessons are applicable.  The Lord shows me how to make the teachings a way of life.

How do you relate to the Word and the lessons we learn? How do you apply it?

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com

I am fortunate to have a patient wife. Karen is a blessing to me in many ways, and her patience is one of her stronger assets. Our marriage is proof that God plans our lives. He knew from the start that only a woman with an abundance of tolerance would be able to put up with me!

Our twenty-one years of marriage has had many blessings and a few struggles. Our blessings include our three children and countless friends; our continuing challenge is communication. Of all the victories we share, keeping an open line of discussion is a battle that always returns.
Silence is a stealth war in marriage. You may go for days without talking – I mean really talking. You can have the ‘Good morning’ and the ‘Good night’, and even ‘gotta go, I’m late for work’, but is that really talking? Real silence sneaks in and visits for weeks, stealing the life from a relationship.

Karen realized this early in our marriage. She found four words that are an excellent weapon against the assault of silence. They are simple words and when put together form a simple phrase: We need to talk.

Perhaps these words strike something primal, something embedded deep within me that causes me to cringe. Maybe my mother said that to me as a child when I did something wrong and was imprisoned in my room for an indefinite period. A teacher might have said those words to me before sending me down to the school dungeon where the principal’s office was located. Whatever the case, these words get my attention. They cause me to stop – to listen – to pay attention to the needs of my wife.

Constant communication is necessary in my relationship with Karen. Without it, our friendship is limited. The same applies to my relationship with God.

I need constant communication with Him in order to have a friendship. The challenge is listening and obedience. Hearing Him through the daily drone and onslaught of information can be difficult, and accepting His message can seem impossible.

God is showing me through His Word how to listen to Him. The Bible tells us the Lord has an audible voice, though few are blessed to hear the voice of God. Instead we have His Word in the Bible and His gentle, persistent prompting within us.

The Bible tells us in James 1:19-22, “Dear brothers, don’t ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry; for anger doesn’t make us good, as God demands that we must be. So get rid of all that is wrong in your life, both inside and outside, and humbly be glad for the wonderful message we have received, for it is able to save our souls as it takes hold of our hearts. And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. So don’t fool yourselves.”

In these four verses, we are given seven commands as Believers. 1) Listen much; 2) Speak little; 3) Do not become angry; 4) Get rid of what is wrong inside; 5) Get rid of what is wrong outside; 6) Humbly receive God’s Word; and 7)Obey God’s Word – not just listen to it.

Listening is an important step. As we discovered in the above verses, listening also requires action. The difficult part is that action usually requires changing something within.

When I listen to Karen, she relates her feelings and emotions to me, which prompt a reaction or a change. If she tells me she needs more hugs, I hug her more. If I listen and do nothing, it would be worse than not listening at all. My reaction is a change within.

My relationship with Karen requires communication. I need to listen to her, share my feelings with her, and act upon what she tells me.

My relationship with God requires communication. I need to listen to Him, share my feelings with Him, and act upon what He tells me.

Glenn Sasscer -www.glennsasscer.com

What is the difference between a Pit Bull and an angry woman?

Yes, I know, an old joke… lipstick, right?  Or, one has teeth and claws and the other is on a leash?  You can rationalize with one and the other wears a dress?  If you don’t know, then you must still be single.  And, of course, there is the simple answer to what is the difference between a Pit Bull and an angry woman: Nothing.

While I may be rubbing the cat’s fur the wrong way with this bit of humor, and I might even be making some Pit Bull owners upset with the comparisons (not to mention the Pit Bulls themselves), there are valid reasons to be cautious: They can both hurt you.

My motivation for this article comes to us today from my office life – yes, I am a writer, but I also have what some refer to as a “real job” to pay the bills.  I am fortunate to work from a home office, as I am quite certain the ladies in our office would have killed me if we all worked together. 

Telecommuting has real life-saving advantageous.

I did a little research today after… well, let’s just say, an incident, and it would turn out there are several studies as to the impact of anger and the effectiveness between the genders.  Is an angry man more feared than an angry woman?  Which gender gets their way more often in the workplace when their hackles are raised?  Should it matter?

I cannot claim to be completely innocent when it comes to frustration and anger at work, as few of us could honestly say we at peace with the world around us.  There are other men in the office who have had their irrational moments, so yes we all get angry. 

Yet in my personal experience, I find a continental divide between understanding the anger of the opposite gender.  I seem to be able to relate to and comprehend the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ behind the guys in the office being ticked off, but the women remain a mystery to me. 

I have tried to understand.  I have tried to communicate.  I have listened.  I have engaged in office negotiations and treaties with the opposite gender, only to learn I am yet another clueless male.
However, through all this, angry women in the workplace do serve a wonderful purpose for me: They make me appreciate the love of my beautiful wife all that much more!

What is the difference between a Pitt Bull and an angry woman?  I understand the Pitt Bull.

Do you have troubles understanding the opposite gender and their emotional tirades in the workplace?  I’m curious - drop me a comment and let me know.

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com

November was a blessing and a curse.

If you followed this blog at What Glenn Writes , then you know I participated in the NaNoWriMo contest, or the National Novel Writers Month contest. This is a serious writing sprint from 0 words to 50,000 words in thirty days. I did it in 27 days.

Go me.

November was a blessing to get me writing again. November was cursed in that all I did was write in my free time to keep up with the pace and schedule. I work during the day, so writing was an evening and weekend event… sometimes it was a late evening or early morning hours event.

There is a reason why the NaNoWriMo winners badge has a cup of coffee on it.

I also tried an experiment with the contest. I offered an opportunity for my readers, family, and friends to get involved in the fun of writing. I think one of the best elements of writing is coming up with the character names, their specific traits, what they drive, their back-story, and even what they order on a pizza if they have one. Using my Twitter account, I posted opportunities for followers to make suggestions.

For example, one of my actual postings on 11/02/08 was, “Need name for convenience store clerk in the opening scene for the book. She works the night shift, tired, but helps our hero. Any ideas?” On 11/05/08, I posted, “Lead character still eating brkfst: Any idea on what he’s eating? A trucker talks w/him - need name for trucker. Need truck stop name, too.” Both of these postings resulted in suggestions from followers that were used in the book.

There were many suggestions and much encouragement, and quite a few followers want me to continue the process. The challenge comes where not too many followers liked the Twitter interaction, had trouble with Twitter, or preferred email. Altogether, I needed to develop another way to handle the interaction on a broader base, so I renovated my website and included a submission form.

For those Twitterfied followers, I will continue to post opportunities on Twitter. For those who prefer blog reading, I will post the same opportunities to my blog, “What Glenn Writes” .

Hint: If you like the blog and are looking for convenience, you can sign up for automatic email updates or RSS feeds from the blog. Just check out the sidebar to the right.

So, this story will continue. Yes, I finished the contest, but 50,000 words do not make the novel complete. I am guessing the total count will be closer to 75,000 words. Would you like to add your words to the mix?

See you there!

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com

Little did I realize my new website (www.glennsasscer.com) might awaken ghosts from my past - an old friend sent me an email. As we consider who we are, many may claim we are a product of our environment, and as such, a product of our pasts and experiences. We are whom we are due to how we have lived our lives and the events happening to us in our history.

Ghosts of the nature to which I am referring, wherever and whomever they may be, live dormant in our memories yet remain a permanent part of our lives. Even the bad ghosts (or memories) serve a purpose for healing, for making us stronger, and allowing us to gain confidence in overcoming the ‘bad ghost memories’.

Fortunately, this ghost was a good ghost memory, and while our exchange was short, the encouragement should be long lasting. I met this ghost when we were both young, dumb, and immature - her, not so much, me… well, let’s say I kept the average for young, dumb, and immature in the lower range of the ranking.

I found encouragement in knowing her testimony. She found her faith in God, she found a good husband, she works in a career she enjoys, and she is addressing the ghosts in her past. I was one of them for her.

Too often, we accept the motto from the Lion King, where Pumba and Timon suggest “…put your past behind you…”, just before breaking into a song where a young Simba becomes an older Simba right before your eyes. While this may work well for a cartoon warthog and meerkat, eventually the cartoon Simba had to face his past to address his future. To fully realize and accept himself as a king, he had to fully realize and accept who he was in the past.

In reality, our past influences who we are today much more than we often realize. Waking the ghosts from our past is a way of embracing and accepting ourselves instead of pretending we are someone different, untouched by history, or self-created. Suppressing or hiding our memories away, keeping a lid on our ghosts, or denying our past is denying who we are today.

While some painful memories do not need to be dragged out into the light every day, addressing the pain of these memories is good therapy to bring about healing in current relationships, actions, and reactions. Once we address the pain, the ghost no longer has power over us and does not need to be chained up, locked away, or feared.

I know this is easier said than done, but the freedom is worth it. And, with liberation, we open the door and move on… with life.

As a writer, the ghosts and events from my past provide a complete library of potential characters, plots, events, or even simple catch phrases. Awakening the ghosts stirs a pot of creativity, bringing a robust life to my novels or short stories. Add to the pot of creativity the ghosts of my wife’s past, stories friends are telling me, and just the new take on life my children provide every day, and we have a mixture of characters and stories just waiting for their chance in the spotlight.

My encouragement to you, dear reader, is to embrace the ghosts of your past… not just the nostalgic, feel good, all warm and fuzzy ghosts and memories, but also the ones locked in the dungeons of our thoughts and chained up in the closets of our pasts. Yes, you may need to forgive. Yes, there may be pain. Yes, it may hurt. And yes, it may not be pleasant, but liberation and freedom comes with a cost. Forgiving the past instead of denying the past brings a reward beyond explanation in a few words on a blog.

My thanks to you many ghosts for making me who I am today, and my thanks to my God for using them.

Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com