{"id":1663,"date":"2010-12-31T11:19:13","date_gmt":"2010-12-31T16:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/?p=1663"},"modified":"2011-06-06T20:47:07","modified_gmt":"2011-06-07T00:47:07","slug":"the-windows-of-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/?p=1663","title":{"rendered":"The Windows of Heaven…"},"content":{"rendered":"

photo-2-small.JPG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts,
\nif I will not open you the windows of heaven, and
\npour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room
\nenough to receive it.<\/p>\n

—Malachi 3:10
\n____________<\/p>\n

I consider myself a pretty crusty guy. Mildly cynical. Healthily skeptical. Aspiring to eventual curmudgeon status, somewhere along the lines of my good friend, Fred,<\/a> whom I’ve long admired.<\/p>\n

I’m certainly not the kind of guy who jumps up and down, hollering \u201cPraise the Lord\u201d at the drop of a hat, or at the drop of much of anything. Not that there’s anything wrong with such up and down jumping, if that’s your thing. Just don’t holler in my ear, because that makes me irate. <\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not that I doubt what I know. It\u2019s just, well, somehow, it\u2019s always seemed wise to me to test things a bit, instead of spouting rote words at the slightest provocation, like a squawking parrot. But then, most of you already knew that about me. <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t babble incessantly. Anyone can claim anything. Words are cheap, especially rote words. Many praise the Lord with their lips, while their hearts remain vacant, and far from Him. Not everyone is like that, of course. But over the years, I’ve met far too many who were. <\/p>\n

This year, though, some of my firm (and healthy) skepticism has been deeply shaken. 2010 was a year that severely tested the resolve of this crusty old cynic to remain a crusty old cynic.<\/p>\n

2010. A twelve-month span of unbelievable events that have unfolded before my startled eyes. Events beyond anything I could have imagined. A wild year. An absolutely exciting year. A year when so much crap was washed away. An intense year, a frantically busy year. <\/p>\n

A year when the desires of my heart were granted, after a long slog down a tough and weary road.<\/p>\n

The year of Tyndale. The book deal. The year the book was written, in one long and intense summer. The year the Lord shone His face into my life and onto my efforts. A year that I probably worked harder than any before, ever, but also a year when that work was accepted, purchased, and edited by a major publisher. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s been done since late October, the manuscript. Turned in. I waited nervously for their edits. What would they do to my stuff? I couldn\u2019t wait, yet I feared the day of its return. And then, one evening, there it was in my email inbox. Five batches of edits, with queries. I quickly opened the first and scanned it. Almost collapsed with relief. <\/p>\n

They kept my voice. <\/p>\n

Edited a good bit, and cleaned up here and there, in some rough spots. But clearly my voice. I was amazed, astounded, and grateful. They had promised me they would. Assured me many times. Tried to calm me. <\/p>\n

Of course, I thought, that\u2019s what they promise everyone who\u2019s writing for them, that they\u2019ll keep the voice. And until that moment, I had my doubts. Anyone can claim anything. But they kept that promise. And I am grateful.<\/p>\n

I was actually pretty amazed, and still am. They took my raw stuff, and made it palatable. I’m just astounded at how I see slivers of different scenes and times (in my original draft), woven together into one seamless narrative. Reflecting the mood and intensity of the story in that moment. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a beautiful thing, the end result. Let\u2019s just say I\u2019m very happy with it. No, scratch that. I\u2019m ecstatic. <\/p>\n

Tyndale rocks. <\/p>\n

In the last three weeks, I have been working on the edited batches, responding to the queries. Adding some description here, another paragraph there. It was intense, but this time I enjoyed it. A lot. The original production was mostly sweat and toil. The second stage, the editing and querying, was dessert. And now it\u2019s mostly done. There will be one last round or so, I suppose. And then maybe a final check before printing. <\/p>\n

The book is scheduled for release in July. Around the first or so. Seems like a long time, yet, but there\u2019s a lot to be done on Tyndale\u2019s end. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m excited about it. Well, that\u2019s weak. I\u2019m whoopin\u2019 in-your-face freakin\u2019 excited about it. It\u2019s all a bit surreal. But it is real. <\/p>\n

The folks at Tyndale, too, seem cautiously excited. Carol Traver, the guru of my publishing world, sent me a very complimentary note after it was all done. Which, coming from her, was just huge. Prior to that, I had little true grasp as to what she was really thinking. After each monthly submission, she always emailed back, \u201cGood job. Keep it coming.\u201d But who knew what she really thought? Only at the end did I truly believe her. <\/p>\n

And then she did something really wild. Something pretty much impossible. She submitted my name and got me accepted as a speaker at the Munce Group. A convention of book retailers in Hershey, PA, in mid January. On the morning of the 17th, I will address the attendees, several hundred of them. People who buy books, thousands of different books each year, and sell them in their stores. <\/p>\n

I’m one of only a handful who was accepted for that honor from hundreds of potential applicants. Carol must have submitted one outstanding application\/proposal. I\u2019m grateful, excited, and nervous.<\/p>\n

And no, you can\u2019t come hear my speech. The convention is closed to the public. Which is actually a bit of a relief to me. I\u2019d much rather address strangers, who know nothing of me. <\/p>\n

How Carol got that done, got me in at the last minute, is a source of wonder and awe to me. But she did. Like I said, Tyndale rocks. <\/p>\n

Lately, now that I\u2019ve had time to catch my breath, I\u2019ve thought of things. Of how it was, these past four years. And how it went. The long road from there to here. <\/p>\n

In 2007, after my world collapsed and I started writing, I cast about for a verse that would reflect my traumatized state. I found it, short, cryptic, and to the point. And posted it on this site as my new favorite verse: Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord<\/em>. <\/p>\n

And frankly, I deeply longed for the wrath of His vengeance to be unleashed in furious waves upon the lives of those who had wronged me, betrayed me. Those who had hurt me so deeply. <\/p>\n

And that was an OK verse, I guess. OK for me at that time, because that\u2019s where I was. <\/p>\n

But it could not remain my favorite verse, not long term. If it did, it would reflect a heart that could not heal. A heart focused primarily on vengeance, even the Lord\u2019s vengeance, is not a heart that is truly free. <\/p>\n

Not free to live life as it can be lived, as it should be lived. Not free to absorb and be thankful for the blessings, the miracle of life in each new day. Not free to be productive with the gifts God has granted. And not free in a host of other ways. <\/p>\n

The months rolled by, then the years. Then, late last year, something stirred inside me. Like a still small voice inside my head. Nudged me to change that verse. It was time<\/em>, said the still small voice. <\/p>\n

And so, after some thought, I settled on another verse, the one that remains today under the personal info<\/a> page. The verse I have since claimed as my own: Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart<\/em>. <\/p>\n

There are many ways to delight in the Lord, other than rote words, however spoken, claiming such delight. One such way is to use the talents, the gifts He gave you. I have tried my best, these last few years, to use those talents, especially that particular one I had ignored for most of my life. In His own way, in His own time, the Lord called me back to claim that talent. And honor Him, by honoring it as the gift He gave me. <\/p>\n

And in 2010, He granted me the desire of my heart. I\u2019m very excited about 2011, and all that it might hold. <\/p>\n

The Lord has opened the windows of heaven and literally poured out His blessings all around me. Blessings I could not have imagined, even twelve short months ago. <\/p>\n

He may choose to do what He will with my efforts. Make them successful. Or not so much. I’ll know, in time. In the next year, I suppose. <\/p>\n

Either way, I will have had the opportunity. For that, I am truly and humbly grateful. Both to God, and to Tyndale. <\/p>\n

Either way, I will have done my best. And that is my gift to the Lord. <\/p>\n

*****************************
\nHappy New Year to all my readers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2026prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. —Malachi 3:10 ____________ I consider myself a pretty crusty guy. Mildly cynical. Healthily skeptical. Aspiring to eventual curmudgeon status, somewhere […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1663"}],"version-history":[{"count":133,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2485,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1663\/revisions\/2485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irawagler.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}