Fundamentals..

Hey my peeps!      ...Here is a thought on life and things concerning it. I like to call it the fundamentals.


     Don't tell me, "Never grow up." Simply because it is impossible. No matter what anyone says we all grow older.  No one can escape the burns and aches of this present life. It is ineveitable.
     Wishing for what could have been is a waste of time. You can't stop anyone from hurting me, because the tears I'll shed are the building blocks to who I will become.
     It is ok to fear but do not be afraid of fear. To fear, fear itself, is to hold your own self back. This world  has enough evils, the least of which should be fear.
     Never say never, because in doing so you are closing yourself off from your future experiences. Life is made up by the moments we make, the decisions we choose. Never is worse than no. No can be rearranged into yes, while never cannot be removed.
     The only thing you should never do, is let go. NEVER give up. Once you have released your grip, you can never again regain it. It is gone forever, lost into the unknown. If you do let go of something, let it be your anger. Anger and frustration bring nothing but trouble and usually destruction follows.
     No matter what, it is always, ALWAYS, okay to cry. It does not matter what anyone says. Tears are beautiful and should fall every once in a while. Crying is not a sign of weakness but rather a show that you are strong enough to be weak.
     Our strengths are found in our weaknesses. If you do not fail you won't know how to try again. If you aren't weak to begin with you don't get the oppurtunity to grow stronger. Remember strength is just like beauty, its truth lies within.
     It is okay to slip and fall, from this we learn to pick ourselves up. Learn from what you do so that you do not make the same mistake twice. And if you do, know that forrgiveness can only be given if you ask.
     Many emotions are asked for but one that should never be asked for is love. Love and grace. Love is freely given. You are loved more than you know, even if it seems you are lost and alone. Because love is the thing that shines in the dark. It is the thing that saves your tears when they fall. It looks beyond the mistakes you've made. It does not care how beautiful or strong you are. Love is always waiting with arms wide open to give but never recieve. Love is the thing that does not fail. Love forgives.
     They say love does not have a name. They say it does not really exist. But I have found that it does and that name is Jesus Christ.
     So as I said, I don't listen when they say never grow up and I won't listen when they say please grow up. I listen to my heart, what I feel inside.  I listen to Love.
      I close my eyes; in my darkness I look for The Light. I may fall and stumble. More often than not, I will cry. I will wish away my fears that so surround me. I will cry out, "Never again!" I will feel truly alone and believe all hope is gone. I have been here before. And when I can't take it anymore, I will reach out, though I am afraid to ask.
     Before I can blink, Love comes swooping in like a superhero. It rushes in and lifts me up like the shining sun. Love whispers, "I am here. I AM." Suddenly my tears evaporate. And, yes, I ask to be forgiven but Love has nothing to forgive. When I open my eyes, I find I NEVER need to search again because Love is in my heart. I stand with Him who saved me from death. He who pulled me from the pit of dispair. He who took away my overwhelming pain. He who is LOVE. 

...it is simply fundamental.



Lui J <3

From Ashes We Rise

Hello friends. I awoke much earlier than normal for me this morning because God gave me this beautiful peice. Here it is..


     She rises from the ashes, shaking off all that she was before, all that she can never be again. A new creature she has become. Light courses through her veins, and she vows never to be that weak again. Tearfully she throws hereself at the feet of the Master. She cries, "Abba, forgive me."
     The kind Master gently lifts her chin to look into her face. His eyes are like fire, an all consuming fire. Not the kind that brings destruction, his flame brings the promise of new life. Locks as white as snow frame his youthful face, which glows brightly like the sun. There is such love in his voice. Love that no one could ever understand, because he's given it all and received nothing in compensation. Yet he still loves with a fierce heart. It is a love that breaks through the chains of the enemy. Because unlike everything else his love is unending. When this world is over he will still love. Tears swell in her eyes, falling steadily to the ground from the power of his great love.
     He whispers softly for her ears alone, though at the same time they will all hear and rejoice. "Child, you are forgiven. Go and sin no more."
     Immedietly the chains she's carried for too long break off. She looks into the eyes of her Saviour and can only feel peace and joy. Her tears evaporate to be replaced by laughter. The night is gone from her life, she has awakened to the brightness of morning and with that the celebration of new life. Free of her bondage she begins to dance, something she's never done before. She dances before the King, laying her soul before him. And she sings praises of his glorious name. When the feast is over, her master charges her to bring them all to him. He gives her a book to read, for when she feels her hope is lost. Lastly he kisses her forhead, marking her as his forever.
     With some reluctance, she leaves him but she knows soon enough they will dance again. For the time being she must dutifully serve. There are those who are still suffering as she once was. It has become her job to show them the light and ease their pain, to show them the greatness of the King. She keeps a song in her heart, a dance in her step, and most importantly the name of the Most High on her lips. She is alive in him. Nothing can seperate her from the power of his love. With her new found faith she looks to him for strength in the upcoming time of peril.
     He says with such fervor, "My child, I will not forsake you. For I made you, I know everything about you even before you were born. You are mine. Walk with me and troubles shall not befall you. But know this, there will be many testings of your faith in order to produce endurance. Suffer joyfully for me and you will receive a crown when we celebrate together again. Never doubt that I am with you; I will send others to protect and watch over you."
     She weeps tears of joy, wanting that day to soon be here. Until that time she fears she is not ready, however such thoughts are not welcome in her time of testing. She bows before her Master and prays that she will persevere courageously till the end. That all she does will be good in his sight. And on that day when their will be much celebration ,that she will enter his throne room humbly to praise him forevermore. She will never forget: from ashes we rise into the light and love of the One who saves.


...Lui_J...

The Virus synopsis

hello world and all who inhabit it..

This next bit is from a story I wrote called The Virus. It's just the synopsis but hopefully it'll tickle your fancy.

           V

              

    A virus, an evil doctor, a wild boy and a girl who can’t speak. Mankind has fallen, and less than 

one -fourth of the former population remains alive. The survivors of the Virus have become barbaric, 

themselves away in small towns and rejecting anything that is less than perfect. 

   Zuri doesn’t speak, she is rejected by all the safe towns and left to become a Wanderer. Wanderer’s are 

those who are  not excepted  and have nowhere to go. Riyn,  her best friend accompanies her, finding 

himself rejected as well. Zuri and Riyn search for larger, more prosperous towns, until they are captured 

by the men in  mechanical birds. They find themselves in a fearsome place known only as The Facility. 

    Dr. Grey comes between Zuri and Riyn, causing Riyn to lose hope and Zuri loses the desire to live. 

The only thing keeping them alive is their knowledge of a cure. When worse comes to worst, they must

each find away to escape The Facility and spread the cure to the rest of mankind. Will time run out? Can

Zuri find her voice? Will the love that stands between Zuri and Riyn prosper? Can they defeat Dr. Gray’s

evil plans for all of man? And lastly will mankind accept the cure?

Last of the Sky Riders

..so this just came to me the other day. Here it is.. The Last of the Sky Riders.

  
     "The stars fell from the sky. Raining down at first like beautiful diamonds, then as deadly blazing fire. The sky turned black. We all feared the sun had abandoned us to die alone in the dark. When all hope seemed lost, a small light broke through the bleak nothingness, the black sky. And bringing with it: salvation. The Sky Riders.
     "The Sky Riders lead us back into the light and helped us to rebuild. They became our watchful guardians. But across the stars came the Nevari, evil creatures of the dark. The Nevari brought war to our humble planet, fighting against the our protectors. The sky turned red, many were lost. The majority of the Sky Riders were killed, and my people were enslaved by the Nevari. They took away our freedom and our hope all in one day.
    " But there are times, when the stars come out at night and all is quiet, the seedling of hope begins to grow again. We wait listening for the return of the Sky Riders, for them to come and save us once more. There are rumers that they will return one day, that all our not dead and some live among us. We eagerly await for our salvation from the darkness. To live in light nad freedom once again. For the last of the Sky Riders."

enjoy!

peace and cheese

..Lui_J..

its called an obsession

so basically I'm obessed with the Hunger Games.

The Almost Fairy Tale

     The not so good, but not so bad, King of Ombar has sent his knights on a quest to find the

Flower of Eternity these past ten years. The flower is said to hold the key to unlocking the gates

of eternity and with that comes untold power and supposed immortality. The King is obsessed

with finding it, so much that he has lost more men in this ongoing quest than if he had

commissioned a holy war.

     My father, rest his soul, was one of the first to go. He was great man, a favorite knight of the

King. Father left to find the flower when I was twelve, which was a decade ago. He never

returned. No one ever does. I live alone now. I’ve been an outcast ever since. But now the

King of Ombar has need of more men to continue on with his relentless crusade for the flower.

All his good men are gone and those that are left cannot be spared.

     With no one left to volunteer I step forth from the shadows: “I will go.”

      Every eye in the room trains on me. They probably didn’t know I was in the throne room

or attending the meeting. Few people look at me in confusion, certain they recognize me, while

many more scoff at my audacity. It is the king that I focus on. Does he remember who I am?

Certainly he does.  After all I’m the spitting image of my father: same build, brown hair, and

gentle blue eyes. It is not until a courtier whispers in the king’s ear does he finally realize who I

am.

     “Young Jack, is that you? My, how you’ve grown. What is it you want?”

     Cautiously I approach the king. “Sire, I would like to volunteer to go in search of the Flower

of Eternity.” I say my words soft but strong to gain his attention and his trust. Although I hardly 

believe in the flower, I want to prove my worth and regain my family’s honor. And just

maybe I’ll find out what happened to my father.

     At first the king laughs. It’s a hearty laugh as though I’ve just told him the most amusing

story. I hold his gaze until he concludes that I am serious. Quickly his attitude sobers. He studies

me delicately looking for any sign of weakness that he can use against me. “Dear boy, what

makes you think you can find the flower when so many before you have failed, even your father.

Can you do better than they?”

     “My king, I do not know but I must try,” I say earnestly.

     The King of Ombar leans back on his throne, “I like his spunk,” he says to himself. He looks

me in the eye. “All right Jack, you may go. Hopefully you will succeed where everyone else has

failed.”

The king motions to someone then two guards escort me out, but not before I’m given a type

of scroll. The scroll is a reproduction of the original found by the king as a young man. It gives a

detailed description to the possible location of the Flower. After many failed years of searching

for it himself the king made copies for his knights hoping they would have better luck than he. I

might be his last hope now.

     With my head down and full of many thoughts I head to my humble home. News of my

journey has already spread through the village for many well-wishers have gathered. Among

them is man called Bo. Bo is short for Beauregard, he is the Knight of Kantune. Although a

knight he might be, Bo is scared of practically everything. He steps forward stopping me in my

tracks.

     “Sir Jack,” Bo says with a flourish. “I offer you my services on your quest, although my fears

may give you little help. Can I consider myself your comrade?”

     “Sure, Bo. Come along.”

     I don’t mind Bo. He’s a quirky character but he’s all right enough. Besides he’s one of the

only knights who hasn’t volunteered for the kings quest. I think poor Bo just wants to earn a little

dignity. He follows me taking grand strides and waving farewell to the people, I shake my head

and let him have his moment.

     As I near my house the smell of turnips and wet dog attacks my nostrils. It can only be the

village soothsayer Alba. He’s hardly a wise man, and none of his concoctions ever work. I’ve

always been nice enough to play along with his charade and instead of treating him like the

village idiot as others do. My only problem with Alba is that he often speaks in riddles, rhythms

or by beginning each word with the same letter. I can barely understand him most of the time.

     “Medicine, my master.” Alba hands me a strange looking flask. I thank him kindly but he

stops me again. “ A question I must ask. Might I accompany thee on thy task?” Then he’s

mumbling something unintelligible, perhaps a riddle.

      Before I can answer Bo says, “You would be most welcome Master Soothsayer.”

     I smile politely to not hurt either of their feelings. This trio is hardly the team of the century.

We consist of a knight who’s frightened of all things living and dead, a nut-case wiseman, and

me. I don’t know the first thing to do. At least we’re off to a good start. Although Bo and Alba

aren’t ideal companions, there’s no denying they make for good company.

     Dawn breaks too early for us all, however we are thankful for the beauty of the day. I take the

bright sun as a good sign and Alba agrees with me. However, the nice weather is quickly

replaced by chilling rain that doesn’t let up for days. I decide to remain positive, hoping nothing

worse will find its way to us. Bo constantly complains that he should have stayed home and safe.

Alba at least likes the rain. At one point he stops to do a rain dance for good luck.

     Several days of travelling bring us to the end of the forest. I have no clue where to go and to

make matters worse the scroll is completed. It will be of no more help. No wonder no one ever

comes back; they’re all still out their searching no doubt. An eerie feeling falls over me at the

same time a group of clouds clear to reveal a tower. My gaze follows it to the ground where I

find it is surrounded by a previously invisible maze. As strange as it is I feel drawn inside.

     “I’m going in,” I say.

     Bo tries to convince me otherwise. “Sir Jack, I think it not best too. A million horrible things

could lie waiting to harm you.”   

     “Mazes are made mysteries,” Alba begins, “Towers are built upon intrigue. Residing within,

our curiosity finds only troubles.” For once his words make sense.

     “I appreciate both of your concerns but I have to do this. I need to know if it has any

connection to my father.” They both seem to understand but are hesitant to follow me. “You can

wait here if you like.”

     Alba squats down, “Wait we will.” Then he mutters some strange gibberish.

     “I have to agree with him,” Bo says. “Fare thee well, Jack. I wish the best of luck to you.”

     They act as though I’m never coming back. I promise to return soon to put them at ease then

continue on alone. I don’t mind being alone. I’m used to it. As I enter the stone maze the wind

stands still and all sounds come to a halt. I have to tell myself I can still breathe and that I

haven’t gone deaf. It’s just a trick of the maze. My thoughts run wild trying to figure a purpose

for such a place.

     The further into the maze I get, I start to notice weeds and vines are overtaking the structure.

At the center, the black tower is greatly out of place amongst the overgrown vegetation. It’s a

struggle for me to get through and unfortunately I don’t have a proper sword to cut through the

thickness of the vines. Instead I do my best to squeeze my way through the less tight areas,

getting stuck only once or twice.

     Finally reaching the door, I’m excited at what treasures and amazements the tower might

hold.  I’m greatly disappointed to find this is not a magical tower like from the stories but more

like a very tall one-room home. Why in the name of the king does this place exist?  Then I see

the sleeping maiden. Her long locks are the color of gold, her skin is also golden, while her lips

are pink. Is she the secret?  Cautiously I approach the fair maid and in doing so, something

catches could lie waiting to harm you.”

     A glass orb containing a golden flower calls out to me. It clicks in my head that this is the

Flower of Eternity. Suddenly I’m overcome with an inner confliction. Do I help the pretty girl

or do I take the orb? Examining the maiden I conclude there is nothing I can do for her. She isn’t

dead but merely sleeping. I don’t know how to wake her, so it’s best to leave her be. Besides the

Flower is calling to me. I could borrow it to find my father before returning it to the king.

     As I stretch out my out my hand to pluck the golden flower from the orb, the girl shoots up,

suddenly very awake. She stares at me with green eyes like the color of soft grass. “You idiot!

Don’t touch it.”

     I’m too shocked to speak. All I can get out is a mumbled, “Why not?”

     “You’re a stupid boy. I bet your not even a knight. You should have kissed me, that’s what

knights do. That dumb orb can’t help you.”

     At first I’m surprised by her attitude but who knows how long she’s been cooped up in here.

When I regain my voice I ask, “Who are you?”

     “My name is Joanna,” she pauses. “I found out about the orb the hard way. I touched it.”

Joanna is about to explain then her face crinkles in curiosity. “Who are you and why are you

here?”

     I quickly explain who I am and about my quest hoping to impress her. When I mention the

Flower of Eternity, she bursts into a round of laughter. I hate that she’s not taking this seriously.

All I want is the flower but Joanna is keeping me from it and in doing so she is keeping me from

my father. I show her the scroll to prove my quest but once again she is humored by me.

     “Exactly what is so funny?”

     Joanna points to the orb, “That’s not your flower.”

     I don’t understand. How couldn’t it be the Flower of Eternity? I see the golden flower as plain

as day. She see’s I do not comprehend, so she adds it can’t be the Flower because it’s not real.

The orbs shows what the heart of the person looking desires most. It’s not magical, it’s a curse.

     “I found it and it showed me a knight. When I touched it the maze grew around me. I’ve been

stuck here ever since.”  Joanna gives me her full story. She wanted to be like a fairy-tale

princess. The orb gave Joanna her wish but she can’t leave unless a knight comes to rescue

her.

     “I’m only the son of a knight,” I say sadly.

     “But you have the heart of one,” she nods towards the orb, “it sensed it. Besides I’m not a

princess.”

     I turn my attention back to the orb and am surprised to find the golden flower has been

replaced by the face of my father. To find him is what I want more than anything in the world

but I won’t let it trick me. Learning the truth of the orb, I think maybe there isn’t a Flower of

Eternity after all. Perhaps the king has been fooled by his own selfish desires. It could be that his

other knights realized this too.

    I think the important thing isn’t finding the flower or reaching the end. It’s the journey itself

and what you take away from it. My father must have known this. He must be off somewhere

 doing good. I decide to abandon the kings impossible quest. It’s no longer important and neither

is the glory or fame. Instead I’ll go in search of my father. If can’t find him then at least I’ll have

made good friends in Bo and Alba, and maybe love in Joanna.

     “I could rescue you, if you’d like.”

     “Well, you’re certainly not a knight in shining armor,” she says. “But I suppose the son of a

knight is better than no knight at all.”

     I smile, “You’re not a princess. We could make a good pair.” That’s that, not a fairytale but

almost.

Here's to the world around me

Life is fast and we move slowly.

Breath each breathe like it'll be the last. There's no such thing as being to greedy for air, there's only greedy living.

Drink to a cup of cheer because yesterday is gone but we're still living. Tomorrow may never come. I'm stuck in the moment, it's how I live. Because once it's gone I can never get it back.

Here's to living, moving, breathing.

Here's to the world around me.