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Friday, March 7, 2014

The secret key to being happy!

2014/03/07 Bible Journal Friday


COME:


Day 115
Let Jesus Wash Your Feet
John 13:8
8Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Once we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are bathed all over, and cleansed by His blood once and for all eternity! His blood has perfected us forever (Hebrews 10:14), and we only need to wash our feet because we walk in the world and our feet pick up dust and dirt, causing us to stumble.... by washing our feet with a deeper revelation of Himself through His Word. Beloved, this is what gives us victory in our daily walk!


John 13
12So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?13Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.14If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.15For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.16Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.17If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

HEAR:

Happy... I haven't been REALLY happy in a long long time. I've been so concerned with service. I'm serving him at home. I'm serving him at work. I'm serving him by writing my blogs... But...

I notice here, a pre-requisite to service. It's being washed by Him! Not just once. Daily. Washed daily in his Word and Presence. It's not enough just to read a passage of devotional and check that off the list. That's not His presence.

I must spend time in worship and prayer AND Word. Actually reading his Word. If I want this result of "Happy".

DO:

I'm going to spend more time BEING with Jesus, and less time DOING for Jesus!




How about you? You see anything to add to this? Want to share what examples you have seen or experience in yourself or others? Comment below. 

I call you empowered 2 prosper with good success!

By Darrell Wolfe






Bible Study Bloghttp://empoweredtooprosper.blogspot.com/
FacebookFacebook.Com/DarrellGWolfe
Twitter@DarrellWolfe
Personal Blogwww.DarrellWolfe.Com

Thursday, March 6, 2014

God Is...

Who is God to you? How many things can God be to you? Job overcame his nine months of horrible circumstances by forgetting himself entirely and focusing on who GOD is.

We had an interesting exercise the other day. I thought I would put it here to get back to and review.

How many things can you name God is to you?

So here it is. The ever growing list of God is. I don't have time to put them all in today, so I'm going to start the list and come back to it periodically. My goal is to break 365, at which point we could turn this into a journal!

Please add to the list in the comments if you have more I haven't put up yet! If you add one I use, and I do put the journal together someday, I'll notate who gave it, and you'll get a copy of the journal. Just make sure to notate who you are with your google or facebook or twitter handle.

God Is:



  1. My Hero!
  2. My Deliverer
  3. My Savior
  4. My Healer
  5. My Fortune/Treasure
  6. My Abba Father - Daddy
  7. My CEO
  8. My GPS
  9. My Jedi Master Yoda
  10. My Mechanic
  11. My Venture Capitalist Dream Funder
  12. My Defender
  13. God is Great!
  14. ...






How about you? You see anything to add to this? 


Comment below. 


I call you empowered 2 prosper with good success!

By Darrell Wolfe






Bible Study Bloghttp://empoweredtooprosper.blogspot.com/
FacebookFacebook.Com/DarrellGWolfe
Twitter@DarrellWolfe
Personal Blogwww.DarrellWolfe.Com



Wednesday, March 5, 2014

2014/03/05 Daily Reading Wed

COME:

Day 113 of Joseph Prince Devotional
When It Is More Blessed To Receive
Luke 10:42
42… Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” 
If Jesus comes to your home, what would you do? Would you ask Him to sit down and then start serving Him? Or would you sit down and start drawing from Him? Would you let Him serve you and fill you up?

HEAR:

I'm not serving in an official role in a church. But have I turned my blogs into serving? Am I so busy trying to "Build a platform" that I am no longer really sitting and listening?


DO:

 I think it's time to take a look at my calendar again and take a REALISTIC look at what I can commit to.

5:30 AM is too early... I've never done it, probably won't. So I need to find a time that I WILL do my commitments.



How about you? You see anything to add to this? Want to share what examples you have seen or experience in yourself or others? Comment below. 

I call you empowered 2 prosper with good success!

By Darrell Wolfe






Bible Study Bloghttp://empoweredtooprosper.blogspot.com/
FacebookFacebook.Com/DarrellGWolfe
Twitter@DarrellWolfe
Personal Blogwww.DarrellWolfe.Com

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Four Life Lessons from Writing Fiction for Dummies


Writing Fiction For Dummies

Why most fiction authors never get published or make it to the end of their first draft, and some lessons you can learn from that, even if you are not a writer. 

Writing Fiction For Dummies

This is an Affiliate Review: Writing Fiction For Dummies

Why My Writing Sucked:


You plod along with this constant imagination. You are seeing things in weird ways nobody else sees. You have have these stories that just won't go away. You have to write them down. You start with the movie playing inside your head and you write. You write furiously...

Then somewhere along the way you lost the inspiration to write, but you push ahead anyway. You figure all writers must go through this, so you plod along. Somewhere along that path you lost the picture in your heart and started writing what you thought would be a logical next step. You took the leap from heart to head and lost the heart of the story.

It became linear, boring, bland.

You don't even like reading it.

So you gave up. Maybe that was days, weeks, maybe even years ago. 

That is my story. Until I started writing more on my blogs and doing more consistent non-fiction writing. That I can do. In fact, that I can do and it seems to come painlessly. I write from what I know and it flows. It's not perfect, it's getting better. I'm learning about SEO and little things to make it more professional. But non fiction works easy for me now. 

I discuss banking 50 calls a day for a major financial institution. In fact, I've processed more than 96,000 phone calls regarding banking and finance. So I can write on banking without hardly thinking about it. It flows out of me like a memory, because it's nearly auto pilot in my mouth on a daily basis.

But I didn't start there. I started not knowing anything about banking. I came to work for the bank to learn about money and how to handle. What I teach now so effortlessly I did not know in 2005 when I was living with my wife and child in my van.

How how did I learn it? Practice. One conversation, one article, one situation I had to dig in to find the answer to through research, one at a time. I've now taken more than 96,000 phone calls for the call center and spent an additional 1.5 years in the branch. That's why I know what I know.

The other reason I know what I know is because I wanted to know. I spent breaks reading internal news feeds and reading through policy sites. I picked up books and blogs on the topic of money. There are people who have worked here for five years that knew less than I did in my first five months. I was motivated to know more, so I pushed and learned.

How does this relate to Fiction Writing? It correlates exactly! 

I never grew as a writer because I:
  1. Didn't write
  2. Didn't push to learn more about writing.
So the solution is to do what I wasn't doing.


Write More


It's that simple. If you want to know something about something; go learn about it, and then put into practice everything you learn. If you find a new technique about how to make the perfect sentence, go try a bunch of those sentences in your fiction journal.

Now my fiction journal is AuthorFun.Blogspot.Com. I find blogging the easiest way to keep notes. Some of my journals are private but not this one. I WANT people to read that one and critique and learn. I want them to grow as writers and help me grow as a writer too!


Learn More


Well, I started that journey to writing more. I'm writing semi-daily. I haven't been as perfect about my schedule there, but I'm writing more this month than I did in the last few years combined, so that's progress.

I needed to learn more. So I picked up: Writing Fiction For Dummies (Affiliate Link) by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy. GREAT book! It really broke down the craft of writing in a way I hadn't realized existed. It honestly never occurred to me that if a Guitarist or Painter needs to study their craft to get better, so should a writer.

I know the reason I don't play guitar as well as I could, even though I've played since 1993, is because I play what I know VERY well, but I don't know what I don't know. I stopped learning more so I only play to the level of my learning.


You can't just practice, you have to learn more and put new skills into your practice! Tweet That!


If you want to develop your craft as a fiction writer I would definitely start by reading Writing Fiction For Dummies (Affiliate Link). I read three books so far this year on writing fiction and this is the only one of the three I'd actually buy. 

Not only am I going to buy it, I'm going to keep it handy and pull it out every time I get stuck on one of the many topics they covered. I'm going to keep it as a guide or handbook! It's that good!


Four Life Lessons, from learning about fiction writing.


1. Take Action. Learn Your Craft


You can't just assume that you are going to be great at something because you have a passion or talent for it. People often say that Michael Jordan was rejected from his high school basketball team. But instead of giving up, he practiced more than anyone else. That practice led to him becoming one of the best of all time. 

It's not just practice though. If you practice the wrong things you will ingrain bad habits. And if you only practice what you know, you'll only get better at what you know. You have to try new things to get better at the craft as a whole. 

Study the greats, learn from others, get feedback. Put into practice everything you can regarding the passion you have. If you are wanting to be a photographer, then don't just take more pictures. Take better pictures. Try new angles, new lenses, new settings. Read, Read, Read, Read... Read more about your craft. Find publications or blogs on your topic. 


2. Create a Powerful Emotional Experience

If you want to be successful in any real endeavor in life. You will need to be able to craft powerful emotional experiences. People don't buy the iPhone because it was the first or the best, even though it was the first and with some debate may be the best. 

They buy it because it Apple, under Steve Jobs, knew how to create a powerful emotional experience. The very packaging speaks to fine lines, and high class. It's a status symbol.

I ran a tire shop for several years and heard often how badly put together Jaguars were from a mechanics perspective. But they create an emotional response in the buyer that overrides other "Facts". 

If you are doing anything worth while. Starting a Church, Business, Blog, or just answering the phone for a company, or ringing up groceries... Whether you are the cart pusher or CEO... If you will make a point to create powerful positive emotional experiences for your clients they will come back because of you. 


3. Stories have structures



If you want to write a flowery description of an event that occurred, it could make great non fiction writing. If you want to write fiction you must introduce structure. Stories have a begging, middle, end, plot, and purpose (story line). There is a mission to accomplish.

I can't believe I never saw it before. Every movie or TV show I watch now; I see these structures in the story. Even watching a simple sitcom, I see these structures running through it. Actually knowing what I know in this book has helped me to appreciate Movies and TV more, and watching those has helped me understand what is going in in the written form too. 

Life has structures too. Look for the patterns that God has frequently shaped your life with. When you see a pattern start to emerge listen for God's voice in it. If you are missing the structure, the pattern, the cadence, the rhythm... it may because you went off script and you need to return to His path. 


4. Story Goal



About 1/4 into a story, be it a 20 minute sitcom or 3 hour movie, you will see a set up for "The Story Goal". The story goal is the thing your character(s) must accomplish in that story. Some major event or tragedy interrupted their life and caused them to pursue this goal to it's bitter end. During the next sections, 2/4 and 3/4, of the story you will see two major set backs (at least) and more commitment from the characters to keep up, with temptation to quit. The last part, 4/4, of the story the character is "all in" and must complete the story. The ending may be good or bad. But the story goal will not be unanswered (unless it's going into a two parter!) 

Our lives are never so simple. And yet... I feel as though this does play out in our lives. That series of events in senior year of high school that seemed all consuming then, are but a memory now. My story goal changed. You see. In the movie the character existed before you came in and (usually) lives after you end. They keep going. The story, although captivating for a time, isn't meant to go on and on. 

I feel like out lives are lived as a novel series. Each book is a portion of our lives, each chapter plays out. Maybe all of High School was one book, with four parts. For me, I think my last two years was one book. 

Learn to recognize the ebbs and flows of your life. When a story goal is ending, another will be soon to follow. 



In Review:

So watch for your Story Goal (it will change from time to time), look for patterns and structure in the way God communicates with you, and remember to fully engage, create powerful emotional experiences for those around you, and in doing so, for yourself. If you have a desire to do or be something. Take action. Don't just wait for it, learn about your craft and put it into practice. 

    What patterns do you see in your life? 

    How can you create positive powerful emotional experiences for the people around you? 


    * If you are a writer, or just interested in behind the scenes type information. I suggest you buy this book. If you click my affiliate link I will get a commission from that sale from Amazon. I thank you for your support. Writing Fiction For Dummies (Affiliate Link)

    ______________________________________________


    By Darrell Wolfe


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      Disclaimers:

      FOR MY FULL DISCLAIMER: See my "Start Here About" page. Click Here

      Information here is As-Is. These are the opinions of a fellow traveler and seeker of truth. I am not a doctor, lawyer, licensed financial advisor, tax preparer, etc, etc... I'm just one guy, sharing what he's learned. As such, the information may be as true or faulty as the guy on the buss stop giving you directions. If you need accurate information I encourage you to seek the help of a professional in your field. 

      * I do make money from this blog. 1 Tim 5:18 says the worker is worthy of his wages. I do earn affiliate commissions or freebies from some of the products I discuss at various points on this blog. Regardless I only suggest things that have personally helped me, or someone I know. If you click on an "Affiliate Link" and you buy something I'll get a cut. Thanks for your support! 

      I am a conservative Christian. I write from a bible-centric point of view. I welcome people from other points of view to jump into the conversation. If you don't like bible-centric writing: I encourage you not to read my posts.... Unless you want to learn something new. 

      * In all you do: Live Long and Prosper, with GOOD SUCCESS! 


      Thank you, Darrell Wolfe



      The Book Of Job in Modern Style.


      Job Tell His Story




      It was the worst day of anyones life... ever. Ten months ago, without any warning, tragedy struck. My morning was great, got my work out in, prayed for two hours over my family and kids. I turned my phone on, which I keep off at night and during my morning routine.



      I was about to send my weekly tithe check in through my bill pay app. The following events happened during that morning, before I had turned my phone on at 9 AM.



      I got a voice mail from my vice president of marketing.



      Uz Foods, a high end grocery line was under attack. Distribution channels had provided contaminated food and there was a mass lawsuit being filled in conjunction with a full investigation of the matter by the FDA. Stock prices raided as a mass sell off ensued.



      A fire broke out in my clothing factory burning down the entire building, all the merchandise, and killing all but one employee who made it out and called 911.



      A small band of terrorists attacked an alternative fuel car manufacturing plant killing all but one employee who escaped just before the largest mass suicide bomb ever wiped out the building and an entire city block.



      After that news I sat down with my wife to Pray and Thank God for His blessings in our lives, all the good times we had and ask his direction for what to do.



      The next morning I had a painful sore on my neck. Over the next nine months a full blown staph infection had taken my entire body over from head to toe. Antibiotics seemed to do no good. My private doctor had been good to me for years and set up a home hospital in one of my spare rooms, despite the fact I was out of money and may never be able to pay him for it.



      Despite it all. I learned a valuable lesson. And I'd like to share it with you.







      ******



      Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. I'd love to make a community with this project. If you would like to add, comment on, critique, or otherwise participate... that would be great!



      Please include any information about yourself, your blog/wesbite/amazon author page that you want to share with the community also.



      * I may include "Affiliate Links" which means I earn a commission when you buy products I link to. To see my full about page and disclosures: Click Here



      It's Author Fun By Darrell Wolfe



      To Subscribe to the RSS: Click Here



      For Non-Fiction writing by Darrell G. Wolfe: Click Here








      The Book Of Job in Modern Style.

      Job Tell His Story


      It was the worst day of anyones life... ever. Ten months ago, without any warning, tragedy struck. My morning was great, got my work out in, prayed for two hours over my family and kids. I turned my phone on, which I keep off at night and during my morning routine.

      I was about to send my weekly tithe check in through my bill pay app. The following events happened during that morning, before I had turned my phone on at 9 AM.

      I got a voice mail from my vice president of marketing.

      Uz Foods, a high end grocery line was under attack. Distribution channels had provided contaminated food and there was a mass lawsuit being filled in conjunction with a full investigation of the matter by the FDA. Stock prices raided as a mass sell off ensued.

      A fire broke out in my clothing factory burning down the entire building, all the merchandise, and killing all but one employee who made it out and called 911.

      A small band of terrorists attacked an alternative fuel car manufacturing plant killing all but one employee who escaped just before the largest mass suicide bomb ever wiped out the building and an entire city block.

      After that news I sat down with my wife to Pray and Thank God for His blessings in our lives, all the good times we had and ask his direction for what to do.

      The next morning I had a painful sore on my neck. Over the next nine months a full blown staph infection had taken my entire body over from head to toe. Antibiotics seemed to do no good. My private doctor had been good to me for years and set up a home hospital in one of my spare rooms, despite the fact I was out of money and may never be able to pay him for it.

      Despite it all. I learned a valuable lesson. And I'd like to share it with you.



      ******

      Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. I'd love to make a community with this project. If you would like to add, comment on, critique, or otherwise participate... that would be great!

      Please include any information about yourself, your blog/wesbite/amazon author page that you want to share with the community also.

      * I may include "Affiliate Links" which means I earn a commission when you buy products I link to. To see my full about page and disclosures: Click Here

      It's Author Fun By Darrell Wolfe

      To Subscribe to the RSS: Click Here

      For Non-Fiction writing by Darrell G. Wolfe: Click Here




      Tuesday, February 25, 2014

      Dual Lives


      02/25/2014 Writing Practice




      Her leg's feel heavy as she climbs the stairs to her apartment. Juggling a back-pack, brief case and a box of her own collected evidence she manages to get the keys out of her pocket and place them in the door. That's odd... I was sure I locked this when I left today. I must need to sleep more than I thought.



      Christine pushes the door open, sets the box on the coffee table. Slinging her brief case and back pack down on the couch she collapses next to them.



      Reviewing the day in her mind she retraces her steps.



      She arrived at the crime scene and her SO had been giving her a hard time for being around at all. The case is personal, you shouldn't be here. But no one grudged her for wanting to be involved. But there was something the SAC said that bothered her. Or... it was he didn't say. He seemed to be holding back on her.



      "How's the investigation going?" she'd asked.



      He had the faintest bit of pause when he saw her approach. Then when he answered her his face twitched involuntarily, the same way it usually did when he was trying to bluff her at poker.That was before he became too good for that because the Special Agent in Charge. "We've got our best people working on it. Why don't you go home and get some rest. It's been a tough week for you."



      She nodded and faked a faint smile, she'd go home. She'd just take the long way home, right through the middle of the investigation unit to glance at their findings "on the way to her office", she'd told someone who asked.



      On the way home she stopped by the crime scene again. Yellow tape was gone, people were going about their business as usual. They had no idea that her best friend and lover had been taken from this very spot. That her life had been crashed to a halt in one moment.



      She went over every moment of the traffic cam footage in her mind. Retraced every step the investigators took to collect the evidence. Something wasn't right. That was three weeks ago. Tire marks on the street where they'd taken off too quickly and spun the tires. She retraced the grass, the sidewalk, the gutter. Clean. Well actually it was disgusting, full of hastily discarded chewing gum and other nastiness, but it was clean of evidence. Wait...



      There's a glimmer of something coming out of the drain. Drain! Yes! They missed the drain! She took out her flash light and peered down into the mess. There was a ring down there. She pulled it out using some floss, paper clip, and a letherman she always kept handy.



      Now she's back at home. She uses the rest of her will to force herself off the couch. Her legs ache. The world spins for a moment; she looses her balance. She regains. I've got to get more sleep. She reaches the kitchen and takes a cup from the shelf. Fills it with ice water from the refrigerator. Then something gave her pause.



      She turned around and noticed a glass on the counter in the drying rack. She'd done dishes this morning and left the kitchen spotless... hadn't she? Christine put her glass down and pulled her Beretta from the holster instead.



      Turning around and taking the hallway first she cleared each room. Then she noticed the guest room door was slightly ajar. They hadn't used the guest room since they'd moved in. In fact he'd insisted on keeping the door closed and vents closed to save on electricity.



      "No need to warm or cool a space we're not using. That's just a waste of money." he'd said.



      She pushed it slightly with her foot. The door moved quietly back against the wall. Everything looked right. Nothing out of place. Bed made. Once she'd cleared the whole house she sat back down on the couch, replacing her side arm with the glass of ice water again.


      You're losing it Christine. You forgot you used a glass and forgot to lock the door. That's all. Nothing else. Maybe you do need some more sleep.



      With that the pushed her stuff onto the floor, wrapped herself in the light blanket they kept on the back of the couch for just such a nap and fell asleep.



      ----



      ----



      He hadn't expected her home so soon. He didn't have time to put that glass away. He didn't want to close the door all the way either because she'd hear it. Hiding in the hall he'd managed to get out without her seeing, closing the front door behind him as the noise from ice hitting her glass covered the soft sound of the front door latching closed.



      That was close...



      I'll have to be more careful. Mitchel would let her in soon. He'd tell her what was happening. But only after he'd figured out a plan. Something that would keep her safe. His own apartment was the perfect place to hide, because it's the last place they'd expect him to go. But it's not a long term solution...





      *****

      FBI Research = Wikipedia




      Rank structure



      The following is a complete listing of the rank structure found within the FBI:[45]


      • Field Agents

        • New Agent Trainee (until graduation from Quantico)

        • Special Agent

        • Senior Resident Agent (non-supervisory, in a Resident Agency (satellite office))

        • Supervisory Senior Resident Agent (only applies in Resident Agency offices)

        • Supervisory Special Agent

        • Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge (ASAC)

        • Special Agent-in-Charge (SAC)



      • FBI Management

        • Unit Chief

        • Section Chief

        • Deputy Assistant Director

        • Assistant Director

        • Associate Executive Assistant Director

        • Executive Assistant Director

        • Associate Deputy Director

        • Deputy Director

        • Director








      ******



      Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. I'd love to make a community with this project. If you would like to add, comment on, critique, or otherwise participate... that would be great! Please include any information about yourself, your blog/wesbite/amazon author page that you want to share with the community also.





      It's Author Fun By @DarrellWolfe



      To Subscribe to the RSS: Click Here



      For Non-Fiction writing by Darrell G. Wolfe: Click Here



      Any work not otherwise attributed is Copy Right Darrell G. Wolfe



      All Rights Reserved © Darrell G. Wolfe



      Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I may also have received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” A Big Thank You to Michael Hyatt for helping us Bloggers with these new legal disclosure requirements.








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