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Listing, Ranking, and Using Your List

Using Your List

Today I’m talking about marriage again. In the first post in this series, I spoke about the benefits of making a list of one another’s needs. The second one talked about troubles that could be avoided by making the list. This blog will be about using your list.

Vlog

What you and your spouse are going to do is make a list of your most important felt needs. Both of you will get value from going through this exercise.

Why Make the List?

Why will this prove valuable?

What's the importance of using your list?
What’s the importance of using your list?

No one wants to have hard conversations. You probably won’t come up with anything that will be really difficult when you do this list although you might. You don’t want to feel selfish when talking about what you need all the time.

So you’re going to go through the exercise of making a list of your ten most important felt needs and ranking those.

In talking about making a list of your needs and ranking them in order of importance to you, you don’t want to appear selfish. That may be a reason why you would never bring some of these things up on your own.

So the process of going through and working with this list will help you to have some conversations that you might not have otherwise.

Getting Started

I’m going to make it easy for you because I’m going to give you a pre-made list. This is a list that has been compiled from information from marriage counselors, pastors, and health professionals.

What I’m going to do is give you a list of categories that they came up with when they did their research. As you look at the categories, you may feel like something that’s not on the list ought to be. Tell your spouse that you think that category ought to be on the list and both of you add that to the bottom of your personal lists. Your mate may feel that something else is missing. Go ahead and add that to your list too.

You’ll end up with a list of 10, 11 or 12 needs that you’re going to rank.

Now when it comes to ranking, there are two ways to do it. I’m going to talk to you first about the one that is the most effective, but more time-consuming. Then I’ll give you another way to do it, which is less time-consuming, but probably not quite as effective, but will still be very good.

The Pre-Made List

_____ Conversation

_____ Affection/Romance

_____ Admiration/Respect

_____ Recreational/Companionship

_____ Attractiveness of Spouse

_____ Financial Support

_____ Sexual Fulfillment

_____ Domestic Support

_____ Family Commitment

_____ Honesty and Openness

First Way to Rank Your List

For the first one, you’re going to compare your ranking of every need that’s on the list with every other need that’s on the list.

The first way you can rank your list.
The first way you can rank your list.

So you’ll take a piece of paper and on the left-hand side at the top of the paper, write one, comma one, and then you’re going to come down in a column. You write one comma two, then on down one comma three, one and four, one and five one and six, one and seven, one and eight, one and nine, and one and 10.

So there you’ll have the first item on the list, compared with the second item on the list, and then you have the first item on the list compared with the third item on the list. Then you have the first item on the list compared with every other item that is on the list.

When it comes to using that, you will look at number one and number two on the list. Which one of those is most important to you? You’re going to have to rank them in order so pick one, then compare one and three; which is more important to you? Circle the one that is more important.

Then you will come down to one and four and decide if one is more important, or four is. Whichever one it is, circle it.

Once you have compared the first need listed with all the other needs, then you’re going to go through the same thing with the second need listed. However, on this column, you will jump over right beside where it says one and three.

The reason for that is you’ve already compared one and two and you don’t need to compare two and two. So you’ll jump down there and beside one and three, now you will have two and three and then move on down the column. You will have 2,4 2,5 2,6 until you get down to two and 10.

More time-consuming, but more accurate results.
More time-consuming, but more accurate results.

Then go through the process again. Compare each couple. There will be a couple of needs that are listed. Pick one and circle it, then go with item number three compared with all the rest of the items.

You will start with three and four.

So on your row there on the top on the left, you will just have one and two. And then you’ll have two and three and so forth coming down that left column on the next column at the very top. You won’t have anything there for one or two. But you will start with two and three coming down. So coming across you have one and three, two and three, and so forth.

Okay, so now you’re coming down so there are fewer items to put in your column because you’ve already compared them previously.

So we come down to comparing three and four. Below that is three and five, three and six, and so forth till you get down to three and 10.

Next, you will come across and you will start with the four and five until you get down to four and 10 and so forth.

You will finally end up with just nine and 10.

Once you have reached the end, you count how many times you circled an item The one that is circled most will be the most important need for you. It will be your number one ranking.

The one that got the next highest number of circles will be your second rank. You can do the third one which would be the third most items that are circled and so forth until you come down ranking from one to 10 with one being the most important because you will have circled that item the most times.

That is one way to rank it and it’s the most effective way to do it because you are making a decision on every comparison.

The Second Way to Rank Your List

Now here’s a quicker way to do it. It is a really good way to do it. It may not be quite as effective but it will probably serve your purpose.

When I do marriage seminars I use this method just because it is easier.

A simple list.
A simple list.

For this one, you’ll take the list and look from one to 10. Whatever one is most important to you, put number one out to the right of it.

Then look through your list again. If you could only choose one item, what would it be? Out to the right of that you put number two.

Just go down through the list doing the same thing until you have your list of needs in the most important order. The needs that are most important to you will be listed from one to 10

When you’re done ranking this way, you will have to look up and down on the right side to find what the number one most important need is and so forth because your numbers will be mixed up there on the side.

If you want to make it really easy, then you can rewrite them in the most important order.

Trade Lists

Having done that, we’ve come to the important part of this. Double-check to make sure that it represents your ranking and, without commenting on it, trade it with your spouse’s list.

Look at the list first without comment. Give it a minute or two until you’ve looked over the whole list. Then you can discuss the list.

Using Your List

Are there any surprises?
Would you have thought that your husband would have ranked something much higher than what he did?
Would you have thought that your wife would have rank something much higher than what she did on the list?
Are there any surprises there?
Are there any immediate ideas?

There could be some real revelations.

One of you may say, “Well, honey, I hadn’t realized that that was so important to you. I know we haven’t spent much time on that. I’m willing for us to spend more time in that area.”

Likewise, your spouse may say the same.

The two of you may decide to come up with some projects or some priorities in your mind. Because what is important is what your husband or wife thinks. It’s not what’s important as to how you think it would be. It is what they feel.

With an understanding of that, you can then meet your husband’s or wife’s needs more easily than you would have been able to otherwise.

I truly hope this is helpful to you. There will be another post in a day or two.

Two books on marriage.
Two books on marriage.

In the meantime, I have two books on marriage currently available on Amazon. The first is “21 Ways the Principle of Leaving Will Benefit Your Marriage” and the second one is “From Mountains to Molehills“.

In addition, the previous post in this thread, along with the future ones, can all be found right here.

Thank you for reading. I wish you the best in your life and your marriage

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Troubles You Will Avoid by Engaging in the List-Building Exercise

The troubles you will avoid by engaging in the list building exercise.

Vlog

Once again, I’m talking about marriage. Here, I’ll discuss another aspect of the idea of building a list that will help you to meet each other’s needs within your marriage.

In the previous blog post, I talked about some benefits that you can get out of that process.

I also want you to realize that this will help you to avoid certain troubles in your marriage.

You Will Avoid Feeling Like Your Mate Does Not Care

One of the first struggles that this will help you to avoid is the often false idea that your mate does not care about you at all.

When you both start working on the list, your spouse will think, “If they’re willing to do this, at least they care enough to get involved in this project.”

When you see that your husband or wife is willing to do the exercise, that will encourage you.

Working together shows you care.
Working together shows you care.

When the two of you see that the other is making an attempt to get the list filled out, you’ll realize that they’re making an attempt to make some sort of a change in your marriage that had not been attempted before.

So just the process of seeing your mate attempting to work on this project along with you shows that you do care about each other.

It will avoid the feeling that your mate does not care about you at all.

You Will Avoid Looking to Someone Else to Meet Your Needs

Then you will avoid the dangerous situation of looking for someone else to fulfill your unmet needs in your life.

When you have certain needs that are unmet, you have an emptiness inside. You are discouraged and others can see that within you. Sometimes, they just want to encourage you but sometimes they will come along and flatter you.

Some couples have the privilege of being able to work with each other, but many go their separate ways in the workforce and spend time around other people.

People generally have things at their jobs that they do well. When others recognize that and give you encouraging words, it helps you to feel better. Everyone can have that emptiness of unmet needs in their lives, so they look for something to come along and help that need to be met.

Flattery can be dangerous.
Flattery can be dangerous.

If someone flatters you it makes you feel good. Now sometimes you’re wise enough to know that it’s just flattery. That’s great if you are.

But if you and your spouse focus on that list of needs that you came up with, it will keep you from looking for someone else to come in and help you meet those unmet needs.

It starts off as discouragement, and when you went to feel better, you’ll start searching for those encouraging, flattering words. If those needs aren’t met by your spouse, then you will start looking to someone else for that.

But if you and your husband or wife are engaged in a project that both of you are working on and giving it an honest attempt, then it will help avoid looking for someone else to come and meet that need.

You Will Avoid Drifting Apart

The third trouble it will help you to avoid is that of just simply drifting apart.

I know of a couple that seemed to be very happy in the early years of their marriage. They had three children and did a good job of raising those children with integrity. They worked in different areas and were good at their jobs.

However, they came to a point where they just drifted apart. While talking with a counselor, he or she said, “I’ve never seen a couple like you. Neither one of you speaks badly of the other one. You just have recognized that you’ve just drifted apart.”

When you are engaged in a project such as the list-building project that I’m going to talk about in the next post, then you are both focusing on something that has the prospect of helping your marriage.

List-building can keep you from drifting apart.
List-building can keep you from drifting apart.

That means that you realize that your spouse does care and your spouse is making an attempt.

That’s encouraging.

It will help you to avoid thinking that your spouse just does not care at all.

Then when both of you are focusing on this and you are both trying, it removes the hopelessness. It will also remove the temptation for you to look for someone else to meet your needs.

Then we have the situation of simply drifting apart. Focusing on a project like this, which will help you discover what your husband’s needs or wife’s needs are and the ranking of those needs will help connect you.

The exercise may give you some surprises. The lists may give you something else to work on in your marriage in an attempt to meet those needs. however large or small.

You will have the benefits of realizing that your mate does care.

It will have the benefit of you not looking somewhere else to get your needs met because you see that your husband or wife is willing to work in that area.

Then the fact that both of you are focused on the same thing causes you to be working together rather than drifting apart.

So those are some of the troubles that you will avoid by going through the list-building process. As I stated in the last post, the list has to do with the felt needs within your life.

I certainly hope this has been helpful to you. If you would like more tips on marriage like these, just click here.

I also have 2 books about marriage on Amazon. The first is “21 Ways the Principle of Leaving Will Benefit Your Marriage” and the second is “From Mountains to Molehills.” Please check those out.

My 2 current books on marriage.
My 2 current books on marriage.

Looking Ahead

I also have two more books in the works!

One has to do with valuing your spouse and the other is about developing physical and spiritual intimacy in marriage. Another book about meeting each other’s needs in your marriage will come later . These blog posts are a foundation for that one

Until next time, I wish you and your marriage the best.

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Benefits of Listing Each Other’s Needs

Benefits of listing each other’s needs.

Vlog

Today I’m talking about marriage. In particular, I’m talking about the topic of meeting each other’s needs.

Here, I’m going to talk about the first of seven steps for helping you to meet each other’s needs.

Your Mate Will Feel Fulfilled

The first step is listing each other’s needs and there will be some benefit to doing that.

One of those benefits is that it will make your mate feel fulfilled.

Knowing what one another needs can lead to fulfillment in your marriage.
Knowing what one another needs can lead to fulfillment in your marriage.

Now, whenever your mate has a sad countenance, that often brings frustration to you and may cause you to be embarrassed and have a certain amount of shame.

Shame is especially hard on husbands. It’s hard on both husbands and wives but some researchers have said that it is especially difficult for husbands to feel ashamed.

The other problem is that whenever your mate does not look happy, there may be others that may step into the situation. You may find out that not only your mate but that may happen in your case too. So we need to be careful of that because that is a very, very dangerous situation.

You Will Feel Fulfilled

Having a clear path can make you feel happier.
Having a clear path can make you feel happier.

The second benefit is that you will feel fulfilled.

The first one is your mate will feel fulfilled because you are taking steps to meet your husband’s or your wife’s needs. When they are also doing that, then it becomes reciprocal and you will feel more fulfilled also.

Being happy is a very good thing.

A Warning

I mentioned how others may creep in when either of you are not having their needs met very well. Someone may come along and ask, “Do you want to talk about it?”

You need to be careful in that situation because that can be very dangerous. Especially if the person who wants to show that sympathy to you wants to step in and maybe meet an unfulfilled need. That’s a very dangerous and vulnerable place for you or your mate to be.

It’s one thing to talk with someone who has a similar situation as you. If you’re a man, you could talk to another man. But even at that you need to be careful about airing your problems with your friends and with others.

Now, it may be that you really do need to talk. You might be better served to talk with a professional counselor or a professional religious worker and for it to all be in the proper setting.

Just be careful. If you don’t look happy, or if your mate doesn’t look happy, someone else may come along.

The Bible speaks of those who creep in to women’s houses and they creep into their minds and their souls.(2 Timothy 3:6) It can also happen by getting into your mind and your soul. This can happen to a woman or a man, so you need to be very careful.

You want to affair-proof your marriage and you want to have a happy marriage.

You Will Be Encouraged by Knowing What to Do

Another benefit of doing this is that you will know what to do.

I mentioned husbands not liking the feel like failures or feel ashamed They need to know what the steps for success are.

I remember a young man who was placed on a basketball team and he was very good. His major contribution was his speed and his quick reflexes. He was very good on defense. It could be between his opponent and the basket. If his opponent was not careful, his quick hands would steal the ball.

fter a while he began to anticipate where they were going to throw the ball and sometimes he could jump in and steal the ball that way. But when it came to offense, he felt very inadequate.

Knowing what is expected makes it so much easier.
Knowing what is expected makes it so much easier.

Then not too late in the season, the coach came up with a series of plays, and they started practicing them. They knew where the ball would start, they knew where it wouoldd be thrown next, when somebody would run from one side of the court to the other, and when somebody would run to a certain position.

He really appreciated those plays, because then he knew what to do.

Well, one of the benefits of listing each other’s needs is that it will give you a step towards knowing what to do to be able to attempt to meet each other’s needs more fully.

The List

As we think about that, we’re going to come up with a premade list of 10 categories of needs. These will be felt needs that have been identified by professional counselors, marriage researchers, and many surveys that have been conducted.

In the next post, I'll give you the list of felt needs.
In the next post, I’ll give you the list of felt needs.

Once you look at that list, you may feel that there’s a felt need that’s not on the list. In that case, you and your mate should just add that to the bottom of the premade list that I will give you. So instead of having 10 categories of needs, you may have 11 or 12.

After listing the needs, I will show you how to rank them.

Hopefully, it will encourage you to know that you are taking a step towards something that you can do that will be beneficial to your marriage.

Now this is for newlyweds or for those who have been married for quite a long time. In the process of doing this exercise, you may discover a few revelations that may just help you to improve your marriage in a way that you did not expect.

Well I hope this has been helpful to you.

I currently have two books on marriage on Amazon. The first is “21 Ways the Principle of Leaving Will Benefit Your Marriage” and the second is “From Mountains to Molehills”

My 2 books on marriage.

Also, if you’d like more tips and advice on marriage, click here to be taken to my blog where you will find more posts like these.

Be sure to check back to find the next blog in this series.

I hope you have a great day!

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Walking on Water

Walking on Water
Sermon Video

Fishing

Recently, I went fishing with a couple of my friends.  While on the boat, one of my friends said he was thirsty and would go get himself something to drink.  He stepped out of the boat, and, looking very tall, walked to the shore to get his drink. 

Fishing story
Fishing story

The second friend decided he was also thirsty and going to go to shore to get a drink.  He, too, stepped over the edge of the boat and walked to the shore. 

I decided I would step off of the boat too.  I promptly sunk up to the bottom.  The two friends on shore turned to one another and asked, “Do you think we should have told him where the stones were?”

Half Full or Half Empty?

I was thinking about the pessimist and the optimist.  They were both farmers.  One day it was raining.  The optimist said to the pessimist, “Look at the wonderful rain.”  The pessimist replied, “It may be good for now, but I hope it quits before too long, or it will drown my crops.”

A while later, the sun was shining.  The optimist said, “The sunshine is just fantastic!”  The pessimist said, “I hope my crops don’t burn.”

The optimist decided he was going to do something to get the other man to be positive.  

He was always seeing the negative!
He was always seeing the negative!

A few days later, the pair went duck hunting and the optimist saw his opportunity.  He brought along his special dog.  One of the men shot a duck, and the dog took off, just skipping across the top of the water!  He got the duck in his mouth and skipped back to the men across the top of the water back to the shore.  

The optimist thought, “I’ve got him now!” and he turned to the pessimist and asked, “What did you think about that?”

The pessimist answered, “Your dog can’t swim, can he?”

Solid Faith

A missionary was visiting a tribe in Africa.  He told the chief the story of Jesus walking on the water.  The chief told the missionary that it was impossible and he wouldn’t believe until he could find proof, although he didn’t know how he would be able to find proof.  

The missionary called for his assistant to bring a refrigerating device to the village.  They had the chief pour water into a container and they put it into the device and it froze.  The missionary told the chief that was the same water that he had poured into the device.  He took the ice and put it on the ground and stood on it.  The chief then had to admit that man could walk on water.  

A Brief Recap

Today’s scripture is from John 6.  It comes just after Jesus feeding the 5,000.  The Bible tells us that the disciples hadn’t fully comprehended who Jesus was.  It says that their hearts were hardened.  (Mark 6:52)

Could that be like us sometimes?  Could our hearts be hardened?

Jesus discerned that the people were going to try to make Him into the king that they wanted: a king who would deliver them from the tyranny of the Roman government and just take care of things for the moment. (John 6:15)

But when Jesus appeared before Pilate, He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)

He had not come to just take care of that one moment in time.  He came as the Messiah, as the Savior of the world.  He came as the Great Miracle Worker and He was indeed God in the flesh.

He performed many miracles including turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana, healing the nobleman’s son, healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda, and feeding the 5,000 with two fish and 5 loaves of bread.  

After feeding the 5,000, Jesus perceived that they were going to try to force Him to be an earthly king.  He instructed the disciples to go down to the boat, and He told the gathered crowd that the day was done and it was time for them to go home. 

Once He gave those instructions, He turned and was quickly gone from their sight.  

He went up into the mountain to pray and the disciples went down the mountain and got into the boat.  (Matthew 14:22-23)

The Sea of Galilee

The Bible tells us that some of the disciples were very experienced with boats.  Peter, James, and John had all worked as fishermen. (Matthew 4:18-21)  They had fished the Sea of Galilee and knew what it was like and what storms were like on that sea.

The Sea of Galilee isn't always this calm.
The Sea of Galilee isn’t always this calm.

That day, a storm did come up.  The disciples were in the boat about 3-4 miles out from shore.  Jesus saw them and walked out on the water to them.  Of course, they were startled when they saw Him and thought they were seeing a ghost. Had they not noticed Him, the Bible says He would have passed right by. (Mark 6:47-48)

How awful would it be if He passed us by?

Sinking

When they realized that it was Jesus, Peter said, “Lord, if it is You, bid me come to You on the water.” and Jesus said, “Come.”  and Peter stepped out onto the water. 

Focused on the storm instead of the Savior, Peter began to sink.
Focused on the storm instead of the Savior, Peter began to sink.

Peter walked on the water, for a little bit.  Then he saw that the storm was raging and got his eyes on the waves and he began to sink.  He cried out to the Lord and the Lord reached down and saved him.  (Matthew 14:28-31)

Now, I don’t know if they both walked back to the boat, if Jesus carried him to the boat, or if He dragged Peter through the water, but they both got back to the boat, and immediately they went to the other side of the sea.

John 6:16-21

16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea. 17 They got into a boat and went across the sea toward Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat. And they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” 21 Then they gladly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going

The Lord performed a miracle.  He can do that if He wants to.  `

Face Life

Jesus had fed the 5,000.  They enjoyed that and were astounded.  Then Jesus sent them down to the boat and went off by Himself.  He was not physically in their presence.  They had to go to the boat and get out on the sea.  They had to face life.  They had to face it without the physical presence of Jesus.

We have to face life without the physical presence of Jesus near us.  His spiritual presence is always with us.  

Remember what He said to Thomas?  “Because you have seen Me you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believed.”  (John 20:29)

That includes you and me.  

We have to go through life without having Jesus’ bodily presence with us like He was in that time; Just like he wasn’t physically present when the disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee.  

We have to face life.  We have to be aware of His spiritual presence and by faith realize that He is with us.  

Sometimes it seems like He’s not around, and we wonder what’s going on.  

The Bible tells us that we are to occupy until Jesus comes. (Luke 19:11-27)  We need to be about life and face it as it comes.

Call on The Lord in the Storm

Storms of life come.  It’s not always sweetness and light.  Sometimes there are difficulties.  

The prophet Jeremiah was thrown into a well by evil men who wished him dead.  There was mud and silt at the bottom and he sank down.  

Another man heard about his situation and asked the king to free Jeremiah.  The king agreed and the man took some of his staff and lifted Jeremiah out of the mud and saved him.

Call on the Lord in your storm.
Call on the Lord in your storm.

During the dark times of life, you can call upon the Lord.  

The disciples called on Him when they were in the midst of that great storm on the Sea of Galilee.  

Call on The Lord When You Are Sinking

Peter’s lack of faith caused him to sink just after he witnessed a spectacular display of God’s power.  

Depression can often come just after a great victory.

When Peter began to sink, he knew to call out to the Lord.

Elijah the prophet had a great victory over the prophets of Baal.  Fire came and consumed the altar that had been soaked with water. (1 Kings 16:18-40)  Many of the false prophets were eliminated.  But after that, Elijah was concerned and the depression set in.  (1 Kings 19:4-8)

Peter was on top of the water but began to sink.

You’ve probably had ups and downs in your life.  Perhaps in some of the low points, you’ve begun to sink a little bit.  

I’ve got good news for you. God still loves you!  You can still call upon Him and He will reach down and pull you up.

Call out to God when you are sinking.
Call out to God when you are sinking.

God is powerful, and He cares about everyone. We do need to face life as it comes and do the best we can.  

But when the storms of life come, call on Him.  If you have begun to sink in your spiritual life, call on Him.  

Trust God and His Timing

God's timing is always perfect.
God’s timing is always perfect.

When Jesus and Peter got back in the boat, Jesus decided that it was immediately time for them to get to the other side, so they arrived there immediately.  

Sometimes, God will make the change just that quickly.  Not always.  Sometimes we have to go on through the storm.  

Trust God and His timing.  Sometimes he does things quickly and immediately.  

We know this: we struggle in this body of sin and death, but one day we will pass from this life and when we do, we will be changed immediately, in the twinkling of an eye!  Mortal will put on immortality and death will be swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:51-55)

Face life.
Call on God in the storms of life.
Call on God when you’re beginning to sink.
Trust His timing.

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Book Writing Strategies

Book writing strategies. Are you a “pantser,” an outliner or somewhere in between? One is not better than the other. They’re all equally good. It’s just important that you figure out who you are.

Vlog

I want to encourage those of you who are writers to find what your style is and what works for you.

Are you an outliner a pantser or somewhere in between?

What is your writing style?
What is your writing style?

Outliner, Pantser, or In-Betweener?

Now an outliner is someone who plans out the project ahead of time and develops an outline.

A pantser is someone who writes from the seat of his or her pants and is able to just start writing and go and have a lot of success doing that.

Maybe you’re somewhere in between.

I remember when I was in high school and grade school, they would ask us to write a paper and they would want us to give them an outline. They were trying to teach us how to be outliners and how to write from an outline.

I was a little bit more of a pantser, or maybe I just didn’t like to plan that much. But sometimes I would write the paper first, and then I would go back and make up the outline from the paper. That’s sort of like how a pantser works, although I don’t consider myself that much in these days.

Now, I have also learned the value of planning your project before you write it. Nowadays, I am more inclined to do at least some type of outline first before I write.

Book Writing Strategies: Be an Outliner

An outliner can be a very extensive outliner.

They may be a person who would write complete sentences for all the main points, all the sub-points, all the sub-sub-points, and so forth. By the time they had that done, they would have a lot of words already.

Sample outline
Sample outline

They know what direction their book is going to go and how it would end. Once that was done, all they would have to do is just go in and fill it out.

Some outlines may not be as detailed.

Some may have complete sentences for the 3-7 main points and then just have phrases or words for the sub-points and then just words for the sub-sub-points.

Or maybe just words for the main points and single words for the sub-points and so forth.

It’s whatever works for them, but they still have a pretty detailed plan before they start.

Book Writing Strategies: Be a Pantser

Do you prefer to write by the seat of your pants?
Do you prefer to write by the seat of your pants?

Now a pantser would have an idea of where he’s going and just take off writing and keep writing toward the end in view. If it’s someone who is really good at it, that’s all they need to do. Ups and downs and twists and turns that the writing project would take in between just come naturally to them.

A true pantser has the natural ability to go up and down and use literary devices as they work.

Book Writing Strategies: Be an In-Betweener

Then there is the person who is somewhere in between.

In the area of writing fiction, Randy Ingermanson. has developed a method that’s called the snowflake method. That method is in between the two.

I consider myself to be sort of in between, although now I lean more toward a plan than I used to.

The in-betweener uses both methods.
The in-betweener uses both methods.

Let me give you some ideas if you’re an in-betweener. If you are a fiction writer, you might have a story that goes something like this: There is a character, (describe that character) who had a problem (describe the problem). Then you could have maybe three major disasters that happen.

In the first part of the story, you come to a major disaster. Maybe your character overcomes it, maybe not, but it leads to another one. Build that as you continue working on trying to solve the problem. So then the second major disaster comes about halfway through, and another major disaster about three-fourths of the way through. Then you have the resolution, the climax, the ending, and then you tie up the loose ends.

So if you’re a fiction writer, and you want to have the in-between of the outline and being a pantser you might think of the three major disasters and know how the resolution is going to come about.

If you are a nonfiction writer, instead of having major disasters, you will have either steps to a solution to a problem or different ways of solving a problem.

So you would want to have at least an idea of what the problem is and have some sentences or key words that would remind you of what you know to be the solution or the steps to the solution of that problem.

That would be an example of an in-between method for nonfiction writing.

More Tips and Information

There’s also a type of blueprint that you can do with 12 to 15 ideas. Take those ideas and turn them into questions, and have bullet points related to the questions.

Although that’s closer to an outline idea, it still allows your creativity to flow as you go through doing that.

Useful tool!
Useful tool!

I hope this has been helpful to you. If you’d like more tips like these, I would urge you to go to www.randycarney.com. You’ll find many more posts like these; several of them include videos.

You could also subscribe, subscribe to my YouTube channel, or Rumble channel to see all my writing videos.

For the best tips, get my book “How to Write a Book in 28 Days or Less Without Stressing Yourself to Death.” In it, you’ll get three different methods are being able to write a book, even if you’ve never done so before.

Pretty soon I’m going to be releasing a free Writers Roadmap to Success. When you go to the website, look for that. It’s coming soon.

I hope you have a great day. Until next time, this is Randy Carney reminding you that YOU CAN WRITE A BOOK!

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What To Do When You Are All Alone

What to Do When You Are All Alone

A couple of weeks ago, I did a post on the wedding at Cana where Jesus turned the water into wine. 
Then I wrote about Jesus healing the nobleman’s son and how you can be a noble person.

This week I’m covering another miracle of Jesus, and what to do when you feel all alone. It’s found in John 5.

Sermon video

John 5:1-18

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great crowd of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water. After the stirring of the water, whoever stepped in first was healed of whatever disease he had. 5 A certain man was there who had an illness for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been in that condition now a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred. But while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 Immediately the man was healed, took up his bed, and walked. That day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath day. It is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”  11 He answered them, “He who healed me said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ” 12 So they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 Now the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in that place.  14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have become whole. Sin no more lest something worse happens to you.” 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 So the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day. 17 Jesus answered them, “My Father is working still, and I am working.” 18 So the Jews sought even more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

The Sick Man Healed…and Scolded!

The sick would wait for the waters to stir to get a chance to be healed
The sick would wait for the waters to stir to get a chance to be healed

Verse 2 talks about a pool of water.  Invalids would gather around it waiting for an angel to stir the water.  Some people think the water had medicinal properties, but I don’t think it did.  If that was the case, it would have had healing properties no matter what.   

The man mentioned here had been laying by the water for years. He watched closely and when he saw the waters stir, he tried to get there first. But because he had no one to help him get to the water, someone always beat him to it. 

Then Jesus came and asked if he wanted to be healed.  The man didn’tr realize who Jesus was and explained his situration.  He was still looking at what earthly people were able to do.  

Jesus told him to get up, pick up his bed, and walk.  The man may have doubted.  But he did as Jesus saidf and he had been healed!

This healing took place on the Sabbath.  When the Jewish leaders saw the man carrying his bed and told him it was unlawful for him to carry his bed on that day.  He told them about the man who had told him to do it.  The man had broken the Sabbath.  

Jesus had already moved on, so the leaders spoke to the man.  There he was, all excited about being healed, and he was scolded.

But Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.  He said we are to do good.  What’s better?  Keeping some rules or following Jesus’ lead.

Of course it’s important to set aside a day for rest and worship.  It’s good for your physical, mental, and spiritual health.  In Luke 14:5, Jesus said, “Which of you having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

After the man was scolded by the Jewish leaders, Jesus found him again. He told the man to go on his way and “sin no more.” 

The Jewish leaders were angry at what Jesus had done.
The Jewish leaders were angry at what Jesus had done.

So the man left and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. This angered them even more because He had healed (done work) on the Sabbath. Not only that, He had also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  They wanted Him dead. 

Jesus IS the Messiah

As I’ve said before, John 20:31 says, “But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”  

Then in 1 John 5:13 he writes, “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

So the Gospel of John shows us who Jesus is.

We’ve seen some near disasters in the story so far, then the resolutions, and then persecutions coming again. 

I think there are four applications we can make in our lives from this.  

When You’re All Alone, Look to Jesus for Help

Think about the three Hebrew children (Daniel 3).  They were ordered by King Nebuchadnezzar to bow down and worship a false god,  which would break the second commandment; no idols. The three,  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused. 

The whole nation complied, with the exception of these three.  The king had ordered that anyone who disobeyed his decree would be thrown into the firey furnace. 

Three went in, but the king saw four.
Three went in, but the king saw four.

After they had been thrown in, the king went and looked inside.  Instead of three inside, there were four. 

The Bible says the fourth was “like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25) I believe it was the Son of God. 

When the time came to open the door of the furnace, they came out, their clothes weren’t burned, their eyebrows weren’t singed, and they didn’t even smell like smoke. 

They came out unscathed, and God took care of them.

Then there’s Daniel.

The order was given that no one was allowed to pray. Daniel made the decision that he was going to continue to pray just like he always had. Three times a day, he went into an upper room, left the doors and windows open, and talked to God.

Daniel was thrown into the lion's den alone.
Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den alone.

The punishment for Daniel’s defiance was to spend the night in the lions’ den.

He was thrown in with no man to help him.

The next day, the king called down to Daniel and asked if his God had been able to save him. Daniel looked up and said, “O king, God sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths so they have not hurt me.” (Daniel 6)

God took care of him.

We have the story of Jonah.

He was swallowed by a great fish or whale. The animal had been prepared to do something unusual.

Jonah was in the belly of that fish alone for three days. There was no man to help him.
But while in there, Jonah prayed. After three days, the fish “spit him out” on dry ground.

Jonah spent 3 days alone in the belly of a big fish.
Jonah spent 3 days alone in the belly of a big fish.


Jonah went on to Nineveh, preached, and there was a great revival.

God took care of him.

When you feel like you’re all alone, look to Jesus for your help.

People have had loved ones pass away for one reason or another. Maybe a father dies while serving his country, leaving behind a wife and kids. Maybe a mother suffers from a terminal illness, and she leaves behind a husband and children. Single parents. It’s difficult to raise children all alone.

But the Bible tells us that God will be a father to the fatherless and a husband to the widows. (Psalm 68:5-6) and God is our comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3)

All over the world, persecuted Christians are facing death seemingly alone. But they aren’t alone. God is with them.

When You Sense God is Prompting You to Do Something Unusual, Act on It

My son and daughter-in-law (Rusty and Brenda) are missionaries in Japan. Something that all missionaries have in common is that it takes money for them to get where they need to go. It takes money for them to be able to survive.

My son and his family are missionaries in Japan.
My son and his family are missionaries in Japan.

Most countries that missionaries go to will not allow them to take other jobs in their country because it will take jobs away from their citizens. They go to the country under a missionary visa and they have to have that support that comes to them.

Rusty was raised in southern Illinois and Brenda was raised in Oklahoma. Neither were familiar with big cities. God spoke to each of them independently about becoming missionaries. After discussing it together, they understood that He wanted them to go to Japan.


So Rusty, from tiny little Thompsonville, Illinois, and his wife, were told that they needed to secure $108,000 a year.

Many people thought that was an excessive amount and it would make Rusty and Brenda rich.

However, Rhonda and I went to visit them in Japan. While there, we went to the grocery store and decided to buy them a watermelon. When you translated the Japanese amount into American dollars, that watermelon was $40!

So, $108,000 a year was not an excessive amount for them to live on in Japan.

Before leaving, they had to go out to various churches and raise money and get sponsors. They’d go out, and when they came home I would ask how it went. They would say it went great, someone had given them $30. Next time it was $50, then $400. But, those were all one-time offerings.

They just kept going, though.

They started coming back with the news that a couple people had committed to giving them $25 a month, then some people committed a little more.

After about 10 months, they had gotten so much support that they were up to 80% of what they needed. That was a miracle to me!

They made the plans and were able to go.
When God calls you to do something that seems hard or even impossible, do it!

He will bless you for it.

Get to Know Jesus

When the Jewish leaders asked the man who had healed him, he didn’t know. Then Jesus found him. (Aren’t you glad that Jesus comes to us?)

It only takes one offer of salvation for us to turn down, and then it’s on us. I believe that every person, at some point in their life, will have some type of encounter with Jesus.

What about those who have never heard?

Study the Bible to get to know Jesus better.
Study the Bible to get to know Jesus better.

Here’s what we know:
If they look up at the stars and realize that there’s a creator, God is going to send them some way to have more light.

What about those that live in countries where they could be killed for converting to Christianity? People have had dreams. In those dreams, Jesus came to them. You may think that it was just a dream, but it was the real Jesus and they accepted Him!

How do I know it was real? Because after they woke up, they tell people that they met Jesus in a dream. They face the loss of their own lives. That’s how I know it’s real. They met Jesus.

I believe that in every person’s life, Jesus, the Savior of the world, will come to them with an offer of salvation. It’s what you choose to do with Jesus that will count when you come to the end of this life.


But it goes beyond that single act of salvation. Get to know God. The man who was healed didn’t know who Jesus was. Jesus came to him, and he got to know Jesus.


How do we get to know Jesus?

One of the ways is through studying the Word of God. You may not have read a book since high school. Reading may be difficult for you.


When we lived in Georgia, we interviewed some parents who wanted to enroll their child in the Christian school we had. Sometime after evening, the pastor asked the father about his salvation experience. The father confessed that he had been intoxicated the night we had visited. But the pastor had shown the man the scriptures and told him how Jesus wanted to save him. That night, he believed.

After that, he became a Bible scholar. He would read a passage of scripture, and see the number at the bottom of the page that represented a corresponding or related verse, so he’d go read that. He told me once that he’d done it for three hours the night before. If he had trouble understanding some words, he would get a dictionary and look them up.


The Word of God is different than any other book. It is a living Word. I believe that if you take it and read just a little bit, search and meditate on it, the Bible says you will have good success.


That’s one of the ways to get to know God.


Another way is to talk to God. You don’t have to use flowery King James language.

Talk to God.
Talk to God.


Richard Wurmbrand was a Romanian Lutheran priest. He lived in a Communist country and was imprisoned because of his faith. He founded the organization called “The Voice of the Martyrs.”


He sat in a prison cell after having undergone an extensive time of torture. The physical suffering had devastated his mind. 
He started trying to pray.

 
“Our Father, Which art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy ….” Then he could not remember anymore. 

Richard Wurmbrand
Richard Wurmbrand


I thought how disheartened I would have been if that had happened to me. 
But, then he said, “Suddenly it came to me that it was what we call ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ I was so happy I could remember what prayer it was. It was like the glory of the Lord came down and filled the prison. 

A young boy found a young girl’s name on a messaging site. After looking over her profile, the boy thought she sounded interesting and began to send her messages.

She replied and they chatted back and forth for some time. The more they talked, the more they wanted to know about one another. Finally, the boy asked if he could just call her.

They wanted to know each other better.

Tell Others About Him


An old friend, who has since passed away, often told me that in the past, he didn’t give God credit. Then he got saved and got to know God in such a way that he wasn’t ashamed and didn’t’ care what others thought.

Tell others about Jesus and what He's done for you.
Tell others about Jesus and what He’s done for you.


That’s what we all need to do. We need to tell others about Jesus.


There was a football player who would kneel down and pray after getting a touchdown.

Controversies aside, here’s the point. If you know God, if you know Jesus, and you know you’re saved and that your life has been changed, and there’s someone who needs help, they may just need you to tell them where that help is.

They can turn to Jesus.

If you’ve never called upon the Lord, I would say that you need to do that today!

Call upon Him.

Do you feel like you’re all alone? You’re not. Jesus is present. Call upon Him. He can help you in your time of need.

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Facing the Impossible

Sermon video

The Story

The story
The story


There was a little boy who was excited about the day because he wasn’t going to have to do his regular chores that day. His mother was preparing some food so he went over to look at it. He asked what she was doing. She said since she didn’t know how long they were going to be at the event, she was making a lunch to take with them.3.

She was packing a meal of leftovers: Two fish and five loaves of bread.

They headed to a hillside in Galilee where they had heard the Master was going to be speaking. They were excited because they had heard about healings that had taken place in His presence and had heard about His teaching. They were looking forward to hearing Jesus speak to them.

When they arrived, a couple of men came and introduced themselves to the small family. One said his name was Philip, He told them it was good that they had gotten there early, and it was good that they were there to hear Jesus speak.

He told them of a time when they had heard Him speak in that same area, and pointed out a spot where the sound would carry and thought that might be where Jesus would speak from that day. (All of these details aren’t found in the book of John. This account is also found in Matthew, 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, and Luke 9:10-17.)

The mother saw some friends and decided to go sit with them for a while. Then another man walked up and introduced himself as Andrew.

The boy was especially excited because he had been given the special responsibility of carrying their lunch. Andrew saw the bread and commented that the boy had come prepared. The boy said they even had enough to share if he wanted to.

People were coming that day because word of Jesus’ miracles had spread. They had heard about Him turning the water into wine, and about the healing of the nobleman’s son.

They knew about the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had tried and tried to get to the water as it was stirred so he could be healed but had never succeeded. Then Jesus told him to take up his bed and walk, and he was instantly healed.

The people continued to arrive throughout the day. They brought their sick and Jesus began healing them.

Others were coming to hear Jesus teach, so they began to gather on the hillside.

At one point, Jesus began to teach. The people were so enthralled that they didn’t realize the time, and that they hadn’t had lunch yet. Some of the disciples wanted Jesus to send the people out to the town so they could get some food.

Possible Crisis

Jesus turned to Philip, and there came a possible crisis point of belief.
There are times in life when you need to make a decision, and you need to believe. If you don’t believe or act on your belief, you’re not going to get the blessing that could be there.

Jesus asked Philip, “Where can we buy bread, so these people can eat?”

The Bible says that Jesus asked Philip this because He wanted to test him. Philip told Him that there wouldn’t be enough money if they had 200 days of wages, to feed all those people.

Another crisis point: Andrew had some information. He didn’t think the information would solve the problem, so he debated as to whether he would even say anything to Jesus or not. He decided he would. He told Jesus about the boy with the 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.

The third possible crisis point came when Jesus told the disciples to do something. They were focused on the impossibility of the situation. However, they had been around Jesus long enough to know that they needed to do what He said.

Many of us would have thought that this was an impossible situation.
The disciples realized that Jesus was not going to send the people to the villages to purchase food. They had the 2 small fish and 5 loaves of bread, and Jesus was telling them to get the people ready to be fed.

Jesus told them to instruct the crowd to gather into groups of 50 or 100. That’s how we know that it was 5,000 men that were there. That didn’t include the women and children.

Could this feed over 5,000 people?
Could this feed over 5,000 people?

Then Jesus did the impossible.

The Scripture

John 6:1-15
After these things Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great crowd followed Him, because they saw His signs which He did for the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountain, and He sat there with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming to Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for each of them to receive but a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish. But what are they among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, numbering about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were sitting down; and likewise, they distributed the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He told His disciples, “Collect the fragments that remain, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 When those men saw the sign which He had done, they then said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Therefore, knowing that they would come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus departed again to a mountain by Himself alone.

They recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, but they still had the worldly mindset that He was going to take them away from the authoritarian government.

He was there for so much more. He was going to take care of what would happen in their lifetime and more than just that day.

Jesus met their needs.
Jesus met their needs.

He met their needs for physical food on that day. He met their needs for healing. He met their needs by teaching them the scriptures from the Old Testament.

Although it doesn’t say it in these passages, I believe it was like it was when He spoke to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, (Luke 24:13-35) speaking to them from the Law and the Prophets. He showed how those scriptures pointed to Him.

They recognized Him as the Messiah, but He also knew that they were going to try to set Him as a political king. That is when He left.

There were physical healings on that day, but there was something that every member of that crowd experienced.

Those that did not need physical healing saw a miracle take place with their own eyes. It wasn’t hearsay. Over 5,000 men and their families saw this great miracle that Jesus performed on that day and they knew He had to be the Christ.

Back to Everyday Life

After they left, they had to go back to normal life.

We know that life isn’t always sweetness and roses. Sometimes, even among the roses, there are thorns. Sometimes there are difficulties. Their lives were no different. They had their share of problems, too.

But because they became aware of Christ and believed in Him, the scripture says that the ones who believe in His Name will be saved. Regardless of how difficult their lives may have been after that day, if they believed in Him, eventually, they wound up in Glory.

Sometimes you and I have difficulties. We may have happiness in our lifetime, or we may not. But one day, we will be with the Lord forever.

We’ve had the story and we’ve had the scriptures.

The Application

I have 4 thoughts that come out of this concept of facing the impossible

First of all, evaluate the situation. Look at every scenario that you can think of, every nook and cranny.

If you’re a business person, you may have a business plan that says if it gets to this point, I will shut it down. If you’ve come to the time to shut it down, so to speak, then do that.

But it may be during the time that something looks impossible that God wants to do something unusual.

Secondly, use what you have. They had 2 fish and 5 loaves.

Moses had a rod in his hand. God told him to throw it down, and when he did it became a snake. Moses ran from it, but God told him to pick it up by the tail. He did, and it became a rod again. (Exodus 4:1-4)

Moses used his rod as God instructed and the Red Sea parted!
Moses used his rod as God instructed and the Red Sea parted!

When the Israelites were leaving Egypt and came to the Red Sea, they didn’t know how they would get across. God told Moses to lift his rod over the water and the sea parted and the Nation was able to cross on dry land and escape Pharaoh’s army. (Exodus 14)

Exodus 17:8-16 talks about the battle against the Amalekites. Moses went to the top of a hill and held his arms out, holding the rod in one hand. His arms began to grow tired, so he lowered his arms.

When he did that, Israel began to lose the battle. When his arms were raised, they were winning. He sat on a stone and a man got on either side of him to support his arms.

Israel won the battle.

Use what you have. It might be an impossible situation, but God can take a little thing and make something big out of it.
There’s a song written by Kittie L. Suffield that I want to share with you.

Little is Much


In the harvest field now ripened
There’s a work for all to do;
Hark! the Master’s voice is calling,
To the harvest calling you.
Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame;
There’s a crown, and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus’ name.
In the mad rush of the broad way,
In the hurry and the strife,
Tell of Jesus’ love and mercy,
Give to them the Word of Life.
Does the place you’re called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He’ll not forsake His own.
Are you laid aside from service,
Body worn from toil and care?
You can still be in the battle,
In the sacred place of prayer.
When the conflict here is ended
And our race on earth is run,
He will say, if we are faithful,
“Welcome home, My child—well done!”

Little is much when God is in it. Use what you have. The little boy gave his lunch and he saw Jesus multiply that.

Use what you have, and then watch for God to work.

You don’t have it figured out, how it will work. Sometimes it will work out in a way you don’t expect. People in financial trouble will get an unexpected gift from someone. Sometimes they promise to do that for a few months.

Watch for God to work.

You have skills, and other people know about those skills. Other people know about people that need those skills. Sometimes they will come and give you a job opportunity. Maybe you have a profile online and a head-hunter will see it and contact you with an opportunity.

The fourth thing is to continue to trust God. The day on the hillside was a wonderful day. God had provided them with a great supper out of a little boy’s lunch of 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.

But, everyone had to go back home and face life again.

The wonderful song, I Remember the Fish, written by Rodney Griffin, expresses this beautifully.

I Remember the Fish

They sat down for supper in their quiet little house
Looked at one another, what was God doing now
Times were hard, and debts must be paid
Where was God, so little food on their plates
Then the daddy broke his silence, and the kids just listened in
He said “When I face a challenge, and feel like giving in,
I go back to my favorite memory, to be exact it happened here in Galilee
When my mamma woke me up and said that we were going out
To hear a man named Jesus on a hill outside of town
We listened to His sermon, people needed fed
I handed him my lunch, you know the rest
So no matter how hard life may get
I remember the fish
I’ve often heard of miracles but never witnessed of one until
I was watching the impossible, saw those baskets fill
with so much food, there were faces full of joy
How my faith grew, that day as just a boy
So children learn this lesson, listen to your dad
Miracles can happen when you give God all you have
Then when you’re weak, draw strength from that day
When he met your need and he multiplied your faith
Like When my mamma woke me up and said that we were going out
To hear a man named Jesus on a hill outside of town
We listened to his sermon, people needed fed
I handed him my lunch, you know the rest
So no matter how hard life may get
Just remember the fish
O don’t forget what he did
Just remember the fish

I don’t know what you’re going through, or what situation you may be facing. But I believe that if you look back on your life, you will remember a time when you were in a situation that you didn’t know the way out of, and God pulled you through it.

This was the Prophet. He was the Christ.

Make sure that you know that you know that if you were to pass from this life you would go to Glory.

Glory awaits those who accept Him.
Glory awaits those who accept Him.

We may have 100 years of tragedy and suffering or oppression. That’s just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity in Heaven.

When you find Jesus Christ, the Lord comes into your life, and for eternity, you will be in Glory and it will be worth it all.

Remember the fish, but trust the Prophet.

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Turn the World Upside Down

Turn the World Upside Down

Our Nation needs a stirring. It needs to be turned upside down!

Sermon video

Acts 17:1-10

17 When they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 According to his custom, Paul went in, and on three Sabbaths he lectured to them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I preach to you, is the Christ.” 4 Some of them were persuaded and joined with Paul and Silas, including a great crowd of devout Greeks and many leading women. 5 But the Jews who did not believe became jealous and, taking some evil men from the marketplace, gathered a crowd, stirred up the city, and attacked the house of Jason, trying to bring them out to the mob. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers to the city officials, crying out, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 They troubled the crowd and the city officials when they heard these things. 9 When they had taken a bail payment from Jason and the rest, they released them. 10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 


What was it like for the men who had the report given that they had turned the world upside down? Sometimes you make a statement and don’t think it will have any effect on someone, but it does. It can cause a turnaround in their life.
What were these men like? What had they seen in their lives? What did they see and face?

The apostles turned the world upside down!
The apostles turned the world upside down!

They Saw Jesus’ Miracles, Opposition, and Deliverance


When speaking of the 12 apostles, Jesus called them and they started following Him. They saw Him do many miracles. At least 4 of them saw the water turned into wine. They saw the healing of the nobleman’s son. There are 5 more miracles recorded in the book of John.

These were ordinary men. Some were professional fishermen, but they weren’t like the teachers of the Law who had studied it in depth.

But they say the miracles. They saw blind men receive their sight. They saw lame men walk.

They also saw the growing opposition toward Jesus.

They also saw deliverance. Early in Jesus’ ministry, there was a group that wanted to capture and kill Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus stepped into the midst of the crowd and just disappeared. His enemies couldn’t find Him. The apostles witnessed that.

They saw Jesus overcoming the opposition that was coming to Him.

Then it got worse, and Jesus was captured. He was taken before Pilate with a series of false accusations. Even Pilate could find no fault in Him and said He was innocent. But, He was crucified.

The apostles saw the persecution and the death.

They witnessed Christ's ultimate victory.
They witnessed Christ’s ultimate victory.

But they also saw the greatest victory of all. Three days after His crucifixion, he rose from the dead. Mary told them she had seen the risen Jesus, He was alive. Peter and John ran to the tomb and found it empty.

He is alive!

The apostles were ordinary people like you and me. When the soldiers came and arrested Jesus, they feared for their own lives. All of them forsook Him and fled. But after they saw Jesus alive again after He had been dead, they saw that what He had preached about was true. They saw that because He lives, we, too, can live. They saw that He was the first fruits of the resurrection, and when we go through the valley of the shadow of death, we come out on the other side.

Life After the Ascension

Jesus ascended and went to Heaven. The apostles began to see God working without the physical presence of Jesus. He was there spiritually, and the power of the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost.

Peter preached and 3,000 souls came to the Lord. (That was just counting the men.) Many came to Christ.

They immediately had a space problem. They had nowhere to meet. They considered the temple, but it was the Jews’, and these people were Christians.

They began meeting in people’s homes daily. They broke bread together, they remembered the Lord as they had communion, and would go to the temple for larger gatherings when they could.

These were the people who saw God moving and it turned their world upside down.

Eighteen centuries after the words about these men that turned the world upside down, according to 100 Verses that Shaped America by Robert Morgan, this verse was one of them.

William Tennent

There was a man named William Tennent who came from Scotland to America in 1718, 58 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Like many who came to the New World, he was a man of faith and had a prominent role in the founding of the country. Many of them were well educated. William Tennent graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1695.

The Log College
The Log College

Also, like the others, he saw a need for training new preachers. He built a log cabin. It was a seminary. It became known as The Log College. Men who felt called to preach attended and studied at the college. They studied the Bible, and then they would be equipped to go out and pastor churches.

It was during this time that “The Great Awakening” began in America, and it was all because of the people that came seeking God, not gold, and wanted to evangelize the people who were already here.

George Whitfield

There was another man named George Whitfield who came from England. He was quite an evangelist. He heard about the Log College and offered to come and preach. William Tennent gladly accepted the offer. However, he didn’t know what time George Whitfield was to arrive.

Word spread around the community that he was coming, and a large crowd began to gather at the 20×20 cabin. It turned out to be around 3,000 people!
Since he didn’t know when his special speaker was going to arrive, William Tennent took the opportunity to preach a sermon himself. It’s said that it was very powerful.

These men were instrumental in being used by God for the Great Awakening in the fledgling nation.

A recent Gallup poll said that, in the years since they’ve been keeping records, church attendance has been steadily declining. It’s the lowest that it’s ever been.

We need another Great Awakening in the United States. It will not be by our might or power, but by God’s spirit.

These were people who turned the world upside down.

The 12 apostles saw the beginning of the church and the ministry of the church.

They Saw Their Own Miracles, Opposition, and Deliverance on Occasion

Then they began to experience opposition.

Peter was thrown into prison. Prayers for his release went up. That night, an angel came and released Peter from his chains and he was free. He went to the house where he knew the group was gathered and knocked on the door. A young girl went to answer the knock and recognized Peter’s voice. She was so excited that she didn’t even open it but instead ran to tell the others. They thought she was insane. They said it couldn’t be him, it was probably his ghost. Peter continued to knock, and when they finally opened the door, they were astonished. (Acts 12:6-16)

Some of the apostles were imprisoned.
Some of the apostles were imprisoned.

They saw God’s deliverance.

Paul and Silas faced opposition as well. But they also experienced miracles, time and time again, just like they did when Jesus walked the earth. There are stories about it all throughout the book of Acts.

Paul and Silas were thrown into prison in Philippi. At midnight, they were singing praises to God. The other prisoners heard them. Then, an earthquake came and all the doors of the prison were opened and their chains fell away.

Now, the other prisoners were smart. They figured they could just walk out, but they knew they would be recaptured and it would be worse than before.

The jailer came and found the door open and thought all the prisoners had escaped. He was so afraid of the consequences that he pulled out his sword with the intent of killing himself.

But Paul called out to him and told him that they were all still there, and no one had escaped.

The jailer took them out of their cell and took them to his house. He asked what he had to do to be saved. They told him he had to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be saved, as well as anyone in his household who believed. The jailer and his household believed and were saved. (Acts 16: 16-40)

So the apostles had seen deliverance from opposition too.

Just as it was in the life of Jesus, their ministry went on, and they would be delivered time and time again.

The Bible doesn’t tell their whole life stories, the book of Acts just ends, and their lives went on.

They Experienced Ministry, Death, and Ultimate Victory

Many of them were crucified. According to tradition, the Apostle Peter said he wasn’t worthy to be crucified like Jesus was so he was hung upside down on the cross.

Another one was crucified on a cross that was shaped like an “X” as opposed to the traditional one. On a traditional cross, one wouldn’t last very long. This man was in agony for 3 days before he died.

These were some of the same men who had run away before. They were capable of having human fear just like you and me. But they had seen Jesus die and had seen him risen, and knew that it was real. They knew that if they passed from this life and if they knew Jesus, they would pass on to Glory.

It changed their lives. It changed their boldness. They preached time after time, and many souls came to the Lord.

Boldness is needed now!
Boldness is needed now!

It didn’t end after that first century. It’s gone on and on and on and is still going on today. Millions have believed because their message was passed on.

They turned the world upside down because they had been with Jesus.

What part of your world needs to be turned upside down? Your school? Your job? Your family? Your nation? Let it happen because you know Jesus and you’re not afraid to talk about Him.

Since 1973, over 60 million babies have been killed. We didn’t stand up! The other side made their voices heard and continues to.

We need to be bold and radical for the Lord.

Your Personal Relationship with Christ

If you have never accepted Christ as your savior, I urge you to find a place to get alone with God and ask Him to come into your heart and your life.

The apostle Paul wrote that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved and whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:9-13)

The most important prayer.
The most important prayer.

You may have prayed many times in the past. You may have prayed for safety on a trip, or for the health of a loved one. But have you ever talked to Jesus and told Him that you believe that He is who the Bible says He is and you’re willing to submit your life to Him? Have you ever called upon Him and asked Him to save you? If you’ve not done that, I urge you to do that.

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How to Write with Writer’s Block

Today I want to talk to you about how to write with writer’s block.

Vlog

Ah, the dreaded writer’s block. You look at a blank page, a cursor is just blinking and you can’t get started. You can’t get anywhere.

I want to give you some advice if you feel like you have it so you can write anyway, Here are seven tips to help you deal with writer’s block.

Write Something Unrelated

Well, first of all, just sit down and write. Write something unrelated. If you do journaling, this would be a good time to do your journal entry. It doesn’t matter what it is. You can write a letter, email, or a funny story. Just write something and then see if your creative juices have gotten started. Then you can turn back to your regular project.

Plan Your Writing

The next thing is to plan your writing.

Have a plan before you begin.
Have a plan before you begin.

If you’ve not already done this, sit down and devise a plan for your writing. Write down a series of phrases. That’s one way to do it.

In previous posts, I’ve talked about other ways to set up a plan for your writing. You can do questions followed by anywhere from two to seven bullet points. Then you will have a plan for your writing.

Pick a Time to Start

Then pick a time to start. Now this time the start is not based on your feelings. In fact, you probably don’t feel very good about it at all if you’re describing yourself as having writer’s block. But pick a time to start and don’t make it too far away.

Set a Word or Time Goal

Next, you’ll want to pick a word goal or a time goal. The time goal works better for me because I can just write and do free-flow writing and write as quickly as possible. But that may not be your style.

If you’re going to do a word goal you will need to pick the number of words you want to write. You can still write quickly with that method.

Pick a length of time that works for you.
Pick a length of time that works for you.

Set a Timer

Set a timer for a specified length of time. I recommend anywhere from five to 25 minutes, whatever seems to work in your situation.

Countdown

Now, here comes the key. You have your plan set there in front of you. You have your timer ready to go off. Then you just count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and push start.

Finish Your Daily Goal

Stay on target and finish your goals.
Stay on target and finish your goals.

Then use your writing prompts and finish the daily goal. Finish it regardless of your feelings.

Sometimes people say they weren’t very inspired on those days. My experience has been that after a few days, I can look back and try to find the day when I didn’t feel inspired, and really can’t tell much difference between the quality of the writing.

That is the key; you have to write. Just force yourself to go through it. If you do it the way I’m talking about, writing can be fun, especially if you use the timer method.

If you’re using the daily word goal method, just keep going until you get the number of words you have set as your daily goal.

I hope this has been helpful to you. Hopefully, you will no longer have writer’s block. When you get started writing and when you look back on it, you will probably find that it wasn’t that bad after all.

For more tips like these, go to www.randysblogs.com. For the very best advice, you can get my book, “How to Write a Book in 28 Days or Less Without Stressing Yourself to Death” on Amazon.

Until next time, remember: YOU CAN WRITE A BOOK!

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How to Write a Book for Amazon

Today I’m talking about writing again; specifically talking about how to write a book for Amazon.

What you need to do first of all is to write your book. I’m not going to go into detail about that here. You can check out my other blog posts for that information, or check out my recommendation at the end of this post.

Libre Office

To write your book, you need some software. You may already have word processing software that is bundled with your computer program.

For years, I used Microsoft Word, and I really liked it. I think it’s where most people first learned word processing. Some may have learned on WordPerfect. Then I bought a new computer, and I didn’t have Microsoft Word anymore.

Find a word processing program that works for you.
Find a word processing program that works for you.

In the past, I had used Open Office and I was really happy with it. Then I found out that there was a successor to it, called Libre Office.

So if you want a free online word processing program you can download, Libre Office is something I have been very happy with. It’s been very stable. It’s worked for me very well.

With this program, you can save the files as PDF files or as doc or Docx files and so it’s been terrific.

So Libre Office is an alternative that you could use if you don’t already have a software program.

Book Length

I would suggest that you shoot for a book between 100 to 200 pages long. You might go as much as 250. That seems to be a good size, especially if you’re starting out writing a book for Amazon.

Size

Amazon will want to know what size book you want, meaning whether it would be 8 1/2 x 11, or 6×9. They sort of like six by nine. I think you can also do you can do 5 1/2×8 1/2.

I just went with their recommended formats and I’ve really liked doing those books that way.

If you choose a size 6×9, you could set up your word processing program with that 6×9 format, then go through the process of writing your book.

My book talks about how to outline your book come up with your topic and themes, and all of that. That’s outside of the scope of what I’m talking about today.

Free Template/KDP

The next step is to have your book put in the template they want you to use. So since you’re writing for Amazon, I’d recommend that you use Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP publishing. That is especially for Amazon.

Then you will want to copy the words out of your book that you have written in your work into their document.

So they give you the template that looks like a book and then you can paste it in there.

There are a few templates that will help you format your book.
There are a few templates that will help you format your book.

Now if you’re going to write an ebook, it would be good to get to a template for the ebook. You could go to TCK publishing. He used to offer a free template that would help you format your book and he gave you good information as to what fonts to use, and other things like that. TCK publishing stands for Tom Corson-Knowles. (I hope he appreciates this plug) You can get that it’s very good.

Cover Creator

You will also want to paste the cover into the document. You have the option of having someone make a cover for you and then you can put it in, or there is a cover creator where you can create it right there.

I recommend the combination of both. Get someone to help you to create a good picture for a cover and format the cover with the words that you would like. You’ll also need to figure out your back cover copy. Once you get that then paste it into their cover creator.

The nice thing that they do with that is take the predominant color off of the picture that you pasted in and put it on the back cover of the book where the words for your blurb about your book will be placed.

There are so many possibilities!
There are so many possibilities!

So those are some tips for how to write a book for Amazon. I hope they’ve been helpful to you.

If you’d like more tips like these, you can go to randycarney.com and that will take you to my website, where there are many more blog posts and videos about writing.

Also, be sure to follow me on Facebook, YouTube, and Rumble.

Best option
Best option

Your best option, however, is to get my book “How to Write a Book in 28 Days or Less Without Stressing Yourself to Death” on Amazon.

Until next time, I’m wishing you the best and reminding you that YOU CAN WRITE A BOOK!