Welcome to Friday Fiction! Sharlyn is hosting today at Dancin'on Rainbows. Head on over to read more great fiction, or to add your own fiction to the the list

When my oldest child was a toddler, he would ask for his favorite soda pop by asking if he could have some "root beard." I would tease him that someday I was going to write a series of stories about a pirate that liked to drink root beer. When I started to write the story, Root Beard turned out to be a toy bear that loved to play dress up and loved root beer. I hope you enjoy the first story of the toys in Angie's playroom which my boys helped me to write.

Root Beard the Pirate
© 2009 Joanney Uthe, Gregory & Simon Miller

Dolly and Baby Doll, fresh out of tea, poured root beer at their tea party just as Root Beer Bear and Meow the Cat donned their pirate gear and set sail with the toybox as their ship. Root Beard the Pirate loved root beer more than any treasure buried on any forgotten island. He could smell it a mile away and didn’t care whose it was or how he got it. Root beer was his favorite and he was going to have some.

Sailing around behind the dolls, the two pirates planned their attack.

“Would you like some pie, Baby Doll?” asked Dolly as she rose to get some.

"Yes, I will help you get it.”

“With the dolls in the kitchen, this will be even easier than we thought,” said Root Beard to his matey. “You grab the cans while I finish off the cups.”

“Meow,” answered the cat.

“Where is our root beer?” asked Baby Doll when they came back with the pie. “It was here a minute ago.”

“Maybe Root Beer Bear stole it,” answered an angry Dolly.

“BINGO!” they heard a voice say. It was Root Beer Bear as he sailed away on his toychest ship.

“You…You pirates, you!” cried the dolls.

“That’s Root Beard to you!” responded Root Beer Bear. “We have come to plunder your root beer.”

“Meow,” agreed his matey.

***

“Land-ho” shouted Root Beard as they approached an inland. “We land here and seek our treasure.”

“Look, newcomers!” Dolly and Baby Doll hurried towards the pirate ship.

“Does this island have any root beer on it?” demanded Root Beard.

“Oh, yes!” replied Baby Doll, pointing east. “There is a whole lake of it.”

With that, Root Beard and his matey set off to the east. They got to the lake, really a punch bowl set on the floor of the playroom, and took a drink. “Yuk!” exclaimed Root Beard. “This is not fresh root beer. It is all sandy!”

“Meow!” agreed his matey.

“That’s because we dumped sand in the root beer,” said Dolly’s familiar voice behind them.

“Why’d you do that?” asked Mother Dog, returning from walking her puppies.

“Because we were having a tea party with root beer instead of tea and these pirates stole our root beer.” Baby Doll’s tears made it hard for her to finish.

“We would have shared with them if they had asked, but since they stole it, we got angry and ruined Root Beer Bear and Meow’s root beer.” Dolly finished.

“I see. Is this all the root beer that is left in the playroom?” Mother Dog often acted like a mother to all the toys.

“No, there is one can left. That one is yours.” Dolly handed her the last can of root beer, holding it as far away from Root Beer Bear and Meow as possible.

“Well, then, let’s all enjoy this can of root beer and be friends again.” Mother Dog lead her puppies, the dolls and the pirates to the playroom table where Dolly and Baby Doll still had their tea party set up. “And perhaps we can learn a little something about sharing.”

The Pain I'm Feeling

Welcome to Monday Manna. On the First and Fourth Monday’s of each month, we focus on one Bible verse that Joanne posts on the previous Thursday. Our contributions can be just a few thoughts, a picture you feel helps express it, a poem, a short story, a devotional. After reading mine, go on over to Joanne’s blog, An Open Book, read hers and then click the links at the bottom to the other participants.

This week’s verse is Psalm 72:18:
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things! (NKJ)

I often have the radio on at my desk or while driving without really listening to it. But there are times when God just draws my attention to a certain phrase during a teaching or a certain song every time that song plays. Lately, that has been happening with a song by Josh Wilson. God is constantly reminding me that “life is not a snapshot” and He will use this time of pain to bring greater joy in the end.

Non-Fiction Convert

I once heard the opinion that everyone should read at least one non-fiction book every month or whatever time period the opinionate person felt necessary (I don’t honestly remember how often it was.) As a result, I made a New Year’s Resolution to read a chapter of non-fiction every day. I did very well with that for as long as it lasted … about January 3. I love to read and I love to learn, but for the most part, I find non-fiction to be boring. As I get ready to go back to school, I envision hours of reading non-fiction textbooks.

Elementary teachers and experienced parents alike will tell you that to get a child to read, introduce them to books that interest them. For some, that means only reading books about horses, or knights fighting dragons, or princesses, or sports. My youngest son checked out every non-fiction book the local library had on medieval history, later moving to books on WWII. My oldest reads every Sci-Fi book he could get his hands on. The same concept applies to reading non-fiction.

When I was pregnant and when my boys were young, I read a lot of books on pregnancy and parenting. Thankfully, I did not need to use all of the information that I read, like warning signs that a child is developing meningitis, but the information was important to me at that stage of my life. When my mom was diagnosed with a genetic heart condition in which Mayo Clinic told her to have all of her siblings and offspring tested, I read a lot about Idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS). In the last few months, I have read more non-fiction than I have fiction in order to learn more about a situation in my life. As I look at the text books that I have bought for Fall Semester, I feel anticipation rather than dread.

Just as our reading habits with both fiction and non-fiction reflect our interests, so does our level of discipline in reading Scripture. There have been times in my life when reading Scripture was a chore that may or may not get done. But as I grew in my relationship with Christ, it has become a joy. My level of enjoyment in the Word is a spiritual barometer of my relationship with my Savior. When my eyes are on myself, I tend to dread and put off reading the Word. When my life is Christ-focused, I cannot get enough of the Word. At times like these, my structured Bible Study lessons (like BSF) become like when my son got a low grade in English because he did not do the assignments before reading further in the book. It is hard to pull out the clues in a mystery if you cannot put down the book long enough to write them down before you know where they lead.

Reading non-fiction makes for a well-rounded, intelligent person. Especially when that non-fiction is the Greatest Book Ever Written, the very Word of Truth Himself. And when we really get into the Word, there is nothing boring about it.

Procrastinator's Club: Cardholding Member

A friend posted the following as her status on Facebook: “I don't know if there is such a thing, but I am a member of the procrasinator's club. Can anyone relate?” I have seen similar threads on Facebook and on the forum that I frequent, with various fun answers.

 I thought about joining, but put it off.
 Your membership dues are late
 When is our next meeting? I think we should put it off for a few more days, don't you?
 Yeah I still have the application lying on my kitchen table... One of these days....
 I was going to, but then I thought of something else to do first
 I haven't had the time to get around to it yet. I'll try to squeeze it in....
 I'll join when all the flowers in this vase are wilted... (*Places a vase of fake flowers on the table*)

While it is fun to joke about procrastination, for some of us, it can get us into serious trouble. I am by no means an expert on how to overcome procrastination, but I do recognize a few things in myself in this area.

I tend to procrastinate on some things and not others. I can find all sorts of reasons to procrastinate on housework, yet find plenty of time to communicate with friends via the computer. I can clean a room that I want to start using in a different way, when the most commonly used room in the house needs to be cleaned also. This selective procrastination is proof of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So, where really is my heart? Are my priorities in order? Do my actions match what I say is important to me?

When I find myself procrastinating on things that I claim are important to me, I need to realign my priorities. For the most part, the key is motivation. I need to find within myself the motivation to do the things I want to do. Someone once asked me which came first, motivation or action. I found it an interesting question because one needs motivation to take action but once started, the progress itself is motivation to keep going and to finish. The person who had asked me said that his psychology classes taught that motivation comes from the action. People are motivated once they start. In order to get motivation to do something, one must first start it. I am not sure I totally agree with that. As a cardholding member of the procrastinator’s club, I need motivation to start. Yet I have often found the very concept of action creating motivation to be the motivation that I need. I can convince myself that by simply starting, I will gain the motivation I need to continue and to finish.

While housework and other tasks are important in the here and now, there is one area that it is extremely important to not procrastinate, our spiritual life. When my kids mention dying, I remind them that we will all die unless Jesus comes back first. The thing is, none of us know which will happen first or when. We may have a few decades or a few minutes left on this earth. Are we prepared for what comes after, whether in death or in His Second Coming?

For those of us who do know Him as our personal Friend and Savoir, how often do we spend time talking with and listening to Him? Can we really consider Him to be Lord of our lives if we never converse with Him, never seek His Wisdom in our everyday circumstances? If we never read His Word? Can we consider Him our friend if we never talk to Him? These are the areas in which I never again want to find myself procrastinating.

I have to go. I have housework to do and dinner to make...

Monday Manna for July 19 -- He is Near

This is my first time joining in on Monday Manna. The purpose of Monday Manna is to get together and get to know Christ more through His Word. Please visit Joanne Sher's blog at An Open Book to read more on Monday Manna entries. This week's verse is Psalm 34:18.

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18 NKJV

Last Halloween my friend’s husband left her and their two sons to move in with his girlfriend. She was devastated and angry. As I watched her through the next several months, I saw a wonderful strength in my friend that she had not had before. She was learning to depend on God in a new way: her faith was becoming more real and more personal.

About six months later I entered a personal crisis in my own life. Nothing I had ever experienced prepared me for the level of pain brought about by that crisis. I now know why they use the expression of ripping out one’s heart.

Like my friend, I learned to lean on the only One with all of the answers. Yes, there are a few good friends who have walked me through the worst of the pain, but ultimately, it was God’s wisdom in these woman that brought comfort.

My prayers have changed from a list of praises and requests to pouring my heart out to God. All of my confusion, hurt, and anger in the situation, I discuss with Him and lay at His feet. He is the source of my strength, my comfort, my perseverance to endure. He has become my Lifeline.

I still turn to my core group of friends, perhaps more than I should. But ultimately, even their input pales to the peace that envelopes me when I lean on my Savior.

Humble Circumstances

The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.

James 1:9-10

I grew up on the wrong side of town -- if a town of 750 people can have a right or wrong side. Although I won't say anyone in our town was rich, the railroad tracks basically divided the haves and the have-nots and we lived on the wrong side of the tracks. My parents struggled to keep food on the table for their eleven children, even with a huge garden, food stamps and a business that allowed them to buy food at wholesale prices. We were poor and the entire town, perhaps the entire county, knew it.

Yet I remember as a kid thinking that while I was not good enough for most of my classmates, I was still better than certain families in town. At least my parents worked to put food on the table and our family didn't need Special Ed for any, let alone most of our kids.

I am pretty sure this is not the kind of pride in humble circumstances that James is recommending in his letter. When we compare ourselves to others, we will always find someone to make us look good and someone to make us look bad. Our standard needs to be set higher than other people -- it needs to be Christ.

Human interpretation of what is a high or low position does not match God's. We tend to look at circumstances, actions and other outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.

We have all experienced circumstances where we may wonder where is God in this. Sometimes I can even convince others that I am humbly walking with God through the difficult times, when in reality, my pride is preventing me from doing so. Yet, in each of these circumstances, I know that God still walks beside me, holding me up. It is when I rely fully on Him that I am truly in the high position of true humility.


Heavenly Father, help me to be humble in all things, whether the world sees me as in a high position or a low position. I know that my worth comes solely from You and Your Son's sacrifice on the Cross. I want to live my life in a way that points to You and not to me. Help me to be a witness to all those around me by my life. I pray this in the name of Your Precious Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.