Thoughts on Writing a Book and Work

Lately I've been considering writing a book. Mainly this is because I have a lot of time at work and don't know really what to do with it. My job is right where I want to be and I plan to make a career out of working for the Department of Health (at least I may -- James cautions us to say "I will" about the future so I won't). But nonetheless, right now I have lots of down time in my thankfully steady eight-hour job.

I read books and the Bible, work on my bills, journal sometimes, and try to gab with my co-workers even though I'm not a great conversationalist when it comes to small-talk. I even bring my computer into work and do some iTunes stuff like making songlists, etc. But you can only do so much sometimes without starting to go mad. I'm not there yet and want to take action before I get there.

So I'm plotting my next career move within the DHS and thinking about starting to write. The career move is simple: it involves sending in an application to become a Public Health Microbiologist. The certification program people will then say, "Well, Jason, you need to take this class and this class and that class at such-and-such a location and then you'll qualify for the program to get the certification." Easy and it won't take a lot of time. They even tell me where I can take the classes I need. And taking those classes will provide me with something else to do at work and probably eliminate this fanatasy (only temporarily, though) of writing a book.

I've had this fantasy for sometime now, like since college. I've always had a gift for writing. I was one of those kids in high school and college that wrote his paper the night or a day or two before the due date and got an A, rarely without exception. People have told me I should write. They have prayed over me and prophesied things like "You have a book within you." Yeah, my life could easily be a book, but I'm not sure anyone would read it.

Anyway, the problem is I never have any ideas. I just like to write about what interests me and that is life, observing people and how they go about life with or without God, and what I am learning about life and about trying to be as real and spiritually alive in Jesus as I can be. Sometimes I only want to write about Jesus and what I'm learning from the Bible and prayer. That is disappointing somewhat to me, though, because I'd rather write for somewhat large of an audience than the evangelical or fundamentalist Christian crowd. Not because I want to be famous, but because it seems so narrow. And there's so much more to life than just Jesus and the Bible.

Now that I'm 32, I guess I think I might have something to say. That is, some good observations about life. I've seasoned enough by hardship, difficulties, and struggles (most often by my own creation and screw-ups), and seeing God do miracles in my life to bring me goodness that there is a story that can be told about Jesus and about being spiritual. And hopefully some other things, though I have no idea what.

My first idea for writing isn't about me at all, though, it's all about Jesus. Well, it's more about Jesus "for me". Here's the idea:

One of the things that fascinates me about Jesus is that He is fully God and fully man. This is just incredible and mind-blowing all at once. I can't comprehend it. But I like that Jesus was a human and especially a man (sorry gals) because He can identify with me so much. I'm sure he can identify with the ladies a lot too and quite a lot. He was the total guy, I think. Maybe that is generally why girls seems to be so much more spiritually active, sensitive, and engaged in their faith. We men are often afraid of being real and transparent. I used to not be but now I really am. I'm ashamed to even admit that, but there it is.

The fact of Jesus being all God and all man gives truth and clarity to the Scriptures in Hebrews that say how Jesus was tempted in every way were were, yet without sin. This means he felt what we felt, thought what we think, was tempted (possibly to the point of consideration?), and yet emerged victorious over sin.

While that makes him totally approachable, it makes him formidable at the same time. He was the perfect guy, that is he didn't do anything wrong. He didn't sin. Other people couldn't see that and it looked like He was doing plenty wrong -- that is what got Him killed, besides God predicting it and being in control of everything to make it happen that way.

So my idea is to just share (and this is mainly for me but I guess others could benefit too) about how the human Jesus is so able to identify and support us. I want to do this by showing how Jesus dealt with all those things we struggle with -- loneliness, temptation, anger and frustration, desires to be loved and accepted, death and loss; being an orphan, an outcast, misundrstood, hated, despised, mocked. These are all very real emotions and experiences I have gone through that Jesus identifies with. And the strength of His connection with His heavenly Father was what got Him through and it is the same strength and comfort that He offers me.

This is not a book about how to fight temptation. Go look to Neil Anderson or any number of authors about books about that. We don't need another book to tell us about that. I just want to know the real human Jesus and get in touch with how He is soooooooooooo able to comfort and idetify with me and then pray for me before God's throne. That is a real good way, I think, to study and connect with an aspect of God's love.