Not Exactly a Redesign

I finally started tinkering with my main site again, removing links that were never going to be used and updating the status information for both To Everything a Purpose and Fallen Sparrows. I removed all links and references to the hacked-and-therefore-defunct feedback forums. I redirected the latest news link to this blog and added a direct link to my Flickr site so they can view any photos I post.

So far, there is nothing on the main page that even mentions Knights of the Blood or 411-SINGLES. Because of the way the site is currently laid out, this is where a redesign becomes necessary. Most likely, I expect to center the redesing around 411-SINGLES as that is my main focus at this point. The two current novels will keep there own sections, which will probably stay as they are now. Knights of the Blood may get set up with a similar section, but it’s not a priority. This blog will still be the best source of updates for anything I do, mainly since I can update it from anywhere.

The main holdup for a complete redesign is coming up with some graphics I can use for 411-SINGLES and deciding what the new layout should be. The graphics will be the harder part, as I have not really toyed around with Paint Shop Pro since I did the cover art for Fallen Sparrows. It shouldn’t be too hard once I come up with an overall graphic theme for it. I’ve got ideas, but none of them are rising head and tails above the others yet. Keep your eyes open, though. This is my second update in as many days. That’s gotta be a good sign.

The New Project

Other than fiction and the occasional poem, I’ve never really been interested in writing anything else. Even though I’ve been told several times that it’s harder for an unpublished author to publish a novel than a nonfiction work, my heart has always been in telling a good story. Even though finishing Fallen Sparrows got to be a bit of a chore because of not being able to consistently keep writing it, I knew if I started writing something new I wanted it to be a novel.

Knights of the Blood is still very much alive as an idea, but it is more of a backburner idea now. That’s actually a good thing, since the research for the historical aspects of the novel are going to take a lot of time and taking more time will allow me to develop the story better before I start writing in earnest. What’s surprised me is the book that I am now hard at work on, because it is not only nonfiction but it also has the potential to completely upend my life in very exciting ways.

But first, a little background info. Over the holidays, I experimented with a very popular online matchmaking service that you may have heard of: eHarmony. I must say that the matches that I was notified of were by and large pretty good. The problem was that I couldn’t get any of them to talk to me. The guided communication process eHarmony uses is sound, but I could never get to a point where any of the young ladies I was matched with were willing to communicate openly, as opposed to the canned questions and responses that start the process. It was very frustrating. I knew that if I gave it more time, this would improve, but my finances were such that I could not renew my subscription for awhile. Then, as I thought about it more, I realized that any time that I have ever tried to make something happen for myself in this area, it never worked. I decided that if I got the money to renew my subscription again, I would instead give that amount to God in the form of an offering at my local church. I did that, and I haven’t looked back.

You see, this particular decision was a turning point for me. An epiphany, if you will. I realized that if it was in God’s plan for me to get married someday, He wanted to be the one to orchestrate it. What surprised me was that once I accepted this, I was perfectly content with it. What encouraged me in this was also realizing that being content as a single by no means meant that I had to give up my desire to be married someday.

It was from this realization that I started analyzing some other thoughts I had about being single. When I started putting them all together I realized I had enough material to write a book, and a book that would approach this material from a different perspective than any other book I had seen to date. That meant the book would not only sell, but help other people who have struggled with singleness like I have.

The theme is simple: Contentment in singleness without giving up. The premise: As singles, we set up mental roadblocks or attitudes that prevent us from serving God in our current circumstances. We need to learn to get past these roadblocks and change these attitudes and start serving God now, start serving each other now, rather than waiting for a life milestone that may come later rather than sooner, if at all. We need not give up looking for marriage, but it should not be our focus, else we will miss the blessings and opportunites that God wants to give us while we are single.

My current working title is 411-SINGLES: Contentment in Any Circumstance. The 411 is a reference to Philippians 4:11 where the Apostle Paul, himself a single, tells how he has learned to be content in any circumstance. The research and preparation is going so well, I’m getting ideas faster than I can write them down. I currently have three sets of surveys nearly ready (one for singles, one for married persons, and one for pastors/singles workers) that I hope to distribute in an effort to expand my research past my own experiences and make sure that the unique needs of other singles are being addressed also.

I’m excited. Potentially, this could turn into a Bible study series with video lessons, speaking opportunities, and who knows what else. My youth pastor friend, Bob Johnson likes to say, “See it big, keep it simple.” I’m starting with the book, and trusting God to do wonderful things with it. I personally can’t wait to see what happens.