There  is  no  power  as  that  of  an  idea.  It  is  the  idea  that  has  changed  many  facets  of  history.  The  greatest  inventions  and  innovations  all  started  with  a  simple  idea;  science,  medicine,  business,  engineering,  design,  even  America  itself.  It  was  the  idea  that  ignited  in  me  at  a  young  age  a  spirit  of  purpose,  passion  and  creativity  that  continues  to  empower  me  to  this  day.    It  is  this  spirit  that  empowers  me  in  all  facets  of  my  life,  even  at  the  core  of  my  faith.      But  even  an  idea  starts  somewhere,  at  the  footsteps  of  curiosity.  As  children,  we  all  flourished  with  creativity,  curiously,  and  outside-­‐the-­‐box  thoughts  and  behaviors.  But  what  happened?  Fear.  It  was  this  realization  that  fuels  my  heart  for  making  a  lasting  impact  in  communities  and  lives  both  locally  and  one  day  around  the  world.  I  hope  that  my  creativity,  ideas  and  faith  will  ignite  in  people  the  same  spirit  of  purpose  that  was  ignited  in  me.    

Who Am I?

Who am I? I am the man of course! The man of innumerous talents and unrivaled wisdom, according to me. I know my future wife thinks I am handsome (as do I) and our kids will think I am the bomb! I mean who wouldn’t love a man

such as myself? Though my family will be my greatest accomplishment, I am not such a bad businessman, according

to me. My brother in law and I own a construction company that isn’t too shabby. Of course, all this success will pale

in comparison to my gorgeous and feisty wife.

Now one person that I have a love/hate relationship with is my best friend. That guy needs to stop trying so hard to

find a wife. Talk about embarrassing! But hopefully, one day he will find someone that feels bad enough, I mean loves

him enough to marry the big lug! Maybe he should have been a doctor instead? That would definitely be a help to him. Truth is that I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for my partner in crime who covers for all my antics. But as

much as he helps me, I don’t think I could help him with all his shortcomings.

According to me, my Chicago sports teams are what I sweat and bleed. And since I am their biggest fan, they can do no wrong. I guess we share something in common, we both never do anything wrong. Though I will admit I am a closet

Minnesota Vikings fan. It really is hard being perfect in an imperfect world!

Now about this world I live in. There are days I wonder how such a handsome fella can blend in to such a normal society. I look around and I feel like the best man in the world. Though I must admit that I though like this status, it

gets a little boring. I think everybody could take a page from my book.

When the day comes, and I do get married, you could ask my wife and her sister about me, and they will probably tell you how I try to go and do my own thing. They will tell you how I am lazy and try to find the quickest way of doing

things. According to me, they’re just jealous because of how smart and resourceful I am. On top of that, they are just

jealous, as all ladies are, that they can’t figure out how to outdo me, since I am the man. One thing is for certain; they

will never find a way to beat me in an eating contest! My sister in law seems to always be confused about how she feels about me, since she flirts with me all the time

(does it matter that she is drunk when it happens?). This is because she knows a real man when she sees one,

according to me. Or is it that fact that she is just drunk on all of me?

But enough about me, what about you? You may think you are important, but are you really? You may think you are

something big, but you are not as amazing as me! Not only do others know it, but they believe it! I guess they know

truth when they see it. Are you one who believes in all the greatness packed inside me or do you fight knowing what

the reality is?

Since we all know, according to me, I am one macho of a man. If you don’t think so, then I guess I will have to just

remind you myself! Because we all now how much people like my advice and good looks, though they are too

embarrassed to admit it. I am never have been nor ever will be afraid of the truth, that no matter what, it all comes down to three simple words…according to me.

My Inspiration

When asked who inspires my life, I can think of no greater person that inspires me than Clive Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis). I am

inspired by C.S. Lewis because he is a master of addressing issues and expressing values in a profound, thought provoking way. Lewis characterized these qualities in a simple and candid fashion. No matter the scope of the topic, he conveyed his viewpoint

with convincing passion and boldness. These qualities are made evident in his book Mere Christianity, where Lewis states:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who

was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make

your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not

come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Lewis’ writing style causes the reader to become submerged into the story by arousing their thoughts and opening their minds to

the topic being discussed.

One area in which C.S. Lewis is inspirational to me is on the topic of personal faith and belief in God and living that faith out in everyday life. In Mere Christianity, Lewis stated: "Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of

your changing moods.”

Both Lewis and I not only believe in God, but in the fact that there was only one true God, Jesus Christ. Lewis’ defense of his faith is summed up in these words: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by

it I see everything else”.

As I have grown older and more mature, I have come to the realization that one of the greatest gift’s I could have been given by God was creativity. What a powerful tool for developing ideas to better the world around me. It was this same tool that allowed

C.S. Lewis to convey his timeless passion for storytelling to audiences around the world. Today, nearly 50 years after his death, Lewis’ passion continues to influence and inspire people around the world through the power of his stories.

C.S. Lewis also wrote about the topic of having dreams and aspirations. C.S. Lewis was one of the greatest dreamers in all of

history. His ability to cast a creative vision into the hearts and minds of his readers is unrivaled to this day. Lewis states , “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and

you get neither.” This quote is one that inspires me because of its emphasis on aiming high (the “impossible” ideas) and not on aiming low (the “possible” ideas).

C.S. Lewis also inspires me to have self-confidence. I myself have had a history of anxiety and depression, so self-image has been

a personal struggle of mine. C.S. Lewis addresses this struggle with simplicity when he states, “We are what we believe we are.” It is this self-confidence that has taught me to remain persistent and strong no matter the circumstances. I now share a similar

perspective as Lewis in the fact that: “You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down”.

I hope that one day I will be able to pay forward the influence of C.S. Lewis in my life to those I come in contact with. It was his influence, among others, that has had a profound impact on my life and my view of the world around me. In the words of C.S.

Lewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

Strange Disovery

What use to be unthinkable has become our norm in this time. Recently, confusion and despair have begun to take their toll in all civilizations. Then, I made a discovery. A discovery that may lead to not just answers, but solutions that

many of the perplexing situations I have encountered since Armageddon. Every answer I have thought to be a

solution, has only led to more questions about the unknown. Could the discovery made today finally bring closure to all

that has happened? Could this discovery lead me down the uncharted path I have longed to discover? I was traveling through the Desert of Abandonei when I came across ruins of a city. As I began to rummage

through the battle worn remains, I realized this was not just any city, but the city of Archaeos…the epicenter of

civilizations of history past. This city was the first to rise in the reign of Kairos and was the last to fall from

Armageddon. The bloodiest of all wars since the creation of mankind. I continued our journey through this war zone and had no luck finding any substantial items that could be of benefit to us. Just then I stumbled upon something, but

what exactly? As I began to inspect the object, I noticed that the object was in the shape of the letter C, roughly

12mm tall by 25 mm long, made of silver colored metal. I was confused as to its use. I couldn’t sleep at all that night,

my mind was racing. What could that thing have been used for? Was it important? Why was it left abandoned in the ruins? Was there a reason I happen to stumble upon it? I could not find peace in the finding of this discovery.

A few weeks had passed and things seemed to get back to normal. Nightfall came and I was preparing for

bed, when I suddenly had a realization. I rushed out of my tent to where the item was resting. As I inspected the item, I

remembered reading about it in a journal I found during one of my previous expeditions. If my memory served me right, the item dates back to the reign of Preparos, during the Great Information Period. Also, this item was not just

one single piece, rather a group of about fifty smaller pieces that when banded together (the state in which I

discovered the item), gave access to a possible hidden sanctuary where it was believed the Emperor hid manuals

detailing strategies involving various functions of the society. If this is true, then this sanctuary could possibly contain instructions as to rebuilding the world around me.

The next morning, I arose early and began searching through the lower ruins of the temple. That’s when I

discovered something. Hidden among the old manuscripts was a satchel, blood stained and war torn. Upon opening it,

I found a blank piece of canvas encompassing a piece of metal with the letters “I GL NE” stamped across it. It appeared as if these letters might have been part of a longer word or phrase. As I made my way through the temple

with the canvas in my hand, I noticed a table in the center of what appeared to be the main room of the temple. I

approached the table and that is when I noticed writing etched in its stone. It read, “To those who see nothing, will

find everything.” What did this mean? As I turned to walk away, the light of the torch pierced through the blank canvas I had discovered earlier. As I held the canvas in front of the torch, letters began appearing, then words. The

message read, “Scattered pieces hold secrets, but gathered pieces reveal answers.”

As I began my ascension from the chamber of the temple ruins, it seemed a great storm had moved over my

location while I was beneath the temple. I made by way quickly away from the temple towards where camp was. Suddenly, I felt the ground shake a heard a great noise behind me. I turned to see the temple collapsing from the

storms of time. I left the temple that day dismayed by what I discovered in the ruins. I not only left with more

questions, but deeper ones. As I lay and write this entry in my journal, I have yet to find answers to those questions

that arose from my exploration of the temple that day in 2789.

I Am On the outside people see me as the girl who has everything but if they knew me they would know that isn't true. I feel like dying, my mom passed away of cancer 3 years ago and she was my best friend. Now who am I to talk to? My dad just got remarried to this Barbie look a like who tries to be my mom, but she never will. I asked my dad why he married her and he told me that we have a reputation to uphold in the community. My therapist said my dad is going through his mid life crisis but I think he's just going crazy. But his new Barbie doll, as I call her, yeah I don't like her one bit. How can she try to act like she knows me and wants to be my friend? I know she's just doing this to make my dad happy, I hope he see through her fakeness one day like I do. Ugh I just don't like her. Everybody thinks that I am some kind of princess. The reality is that I don’t feel this way about myself. Why can’t everybody just treat me like the girl that I am? Instead, all people do is smile when they see me. But on the other hand, I don't know how junior high will be, I'm so scared but all my friends will be going there when the new school year starts. So it won't be that bad. I am one of the most popular girls in school and it doesn't hurt who my family is. Everyone wants to be my friend, as my dad would say "rubbing elbows with us is like rubbing elbows with the Kennedy's". I'm got on the cheerleading team, we've been practicing cause the first game stars the same week as school. But there is Luke McAlister, and he is so cute. I think he noticed me at practice today. Everyone girl in school wants to go out with him, he is the quarterback of the football team. I could totally see myself as Mrs. Luke McAlister, wouldn't that make everyone jealous? Oh but what a life that would be. My best friend, Ashley, just got here we're going to the mall and doing some school shopping. I love my dad and the gift he gives me, but what I really want from him is his love. I guess this is the way he shows his love to me. Oh well, maybe tomorrow he might finally tell me he loves me. Well I am heading to the mall to spend some girl time with Ashley. I can’t wait to see what cute clothes they have. And maybe even see Luke McAlister. So excited!

A problem.

A solution.

Now what?

Their decisions.

They defined and destroyed me.

Gone from here.

But there forever.

One moment.

Two Choices.

Pivotal decision.

Good drink.

Bad decision.

Life wasted.

Consuming passion.

Timeless message.

Lives changed.

The Rant I don’t understand why you expect things done for you. If for no other reason, to maintain your individuality. Stop expecting everything done for you. The government is not your parent, so grow up. Life is sometimes hard and unfair. Life is defined as 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. You may not be able to control your circumstances, but you can control your reactions. Everybody has issues, you are not different. It seems you have forgotten that fact, or have chosen to ignore it. The nation is becoming more and more entitled. You would rather have your thinking done for you, instead of developing your own ethics and principles. Government healthcare, welfare, over-regulation, handouts, bailouts, and the list continues to grow longer with each passing day. It seems you have forgotten that all the blessings you have today, you have taken advantage of with little to know effort from you. The very things you continue to plunder are the very things generations before you made great sacrifices for. And what do you do, you hold your hand out for more. The best advice I can give you is take the same energy you use to make excuses and use it to make personal progress. Take initiative in learning ethics, principles and character development. If you don’t, then what are you teaching those following in your footsteps? How to self-destruct? I, among many others, have had to make great sacrifices and tough decisions. In hindsight, those sacrifices and decisions are what helped mold me into the individual I am today. It is time you stop with your excuses and start accepting responsibility for the course you are currently plotting. If you don’t, then you may very well be part of the last generation in America to have experienced any freedom at all.

Run. Chase. Awaken. Dreams.

Fear doesn’t discriminate. Neither do dreams.

Still running. Looking back. No progress.

Adjust your sails to the winds of change.

Stay out of trouble, or at least make it find you.

Do that man and dog really think I am stupid?

Sometimes we are too close to the picture to see it.

Faith. Live with or without.

Never burn the bridges you build.

Epiphany. Discovered yours today?

Where are you on the canvas of life?

An idea is a dream until one dares to do the impossible.

Simplicity can be found in complexity.