Oh good, now I don't feel so bad.

I recently purchased a new toy; a tablet. One of the first things I did was to download a bunch of free stuff. One of those things was a complete set of Harry Potter. In spite of all the controversy that surrounded these books, they are very well written and tell a good story. So I settled down to read the Philosopher's Stone, which I haven't read for quite a while.

So now I am getting used to an e-reader. It does have its good points, like I can read without having to turn on a light, which makes my wife happy. If I get bored reading, I can always take a break and play a game, check my email or start another book without having to go to the library or book store.

But I was very surprised by the amount of typos this particular e-book contains. It was not just a couple here or there, but a lot. Some of them I put down to bad formatting. but there were quite a few typos in it like on several occasions reading about a character named Fitch instead of Filch. I didn't know there was a character named Fitch in the book.

But this does put it into a bit of perspective for my. I worry about one typo appearing in my work, even though I know they are there. I find that it doesn't matter how many times I read a manuscript and correct it, I will come across yet another typo that I didn't notice the first twenty times I read and edited the manuscript.

Of course it goes without saying that after you have approved the proof and your child is sent out into the world, you will discover several more typos or grammatical no-nos in it and you hang your head in defeat.

I am not saying we should not strive to present our work in the best possible light. The point I am attempting to make is there comes a point when you have to quite quibbling over minutia and let it go; warts and all.

OMG! 50! How did that happen?

The CW blog chain this month chose the theme of "savor." Even before the theme was chosen I had decided to pick today because it is my birthday. What was I thinking?

So now I have been racking my brains on how I could tie the two ideas together in a sort of "savoring turning 50." Still nothing.

There used to be a time when I thought 30 was old, until I turned thirty. Forty was ancient until I reached that milestone. Being fifty was inconceivable, but here I am.

So here I sit on a Saturday morning finishing up my hotcakes and sausage at Mickey D's, attempting to savor the thought of being 50 and what exactly that means. Don't worry, I am not going to wax philosophical about it. After all there is not much I can do to turn back the clock.

For many people this milestone is a shock. We are over the halfway point on our earthly journey. What kind of regrets do we have? Have we made any progress on our bucket list? Is arthritis strength Tylenol on sale?

I really can't take myself seriously. The idea of turning 50 often throws us for a loop. We are ready for the old age home, wheelchairs and dementia and other irrational thoughts. We tend to think that the better part of our lives are over; there is nothing left, and all the assorted self-inflicted mental tortures. But actually getting there is realizing, this is not so bad after all.

To put into perspective:

Dame Barbara Cartland died at the age of 98. She was writing well into her eighties and during her lifetime published over 700 titles. She also had several manuscripts which her son published after her death.

Anne Mcaffery, my favorite author, passed away last fall at the age of 85. her last book, co-authored with her son was published in June of last year. Well actually her second last, The last one is scheduled for release this year. She was the first woman to be on the New York Times best seller for science fiction.

Louis L'Amour was 80 when he died. He had over one hundred published works.

From the Bible:

Noah was 500 when he built the ark.

Jacob was around 100 when he wrestled with God.

Moses was over 80 when he was called to lead Israel to freedom. He was close to 120 when he wrote the first five books of the Bible.

Caleb was also in his eighties when he entered the promised land and fought for his inheritance.

So when you actually think about it, is 50 the beginning of the end or is it a stepping stone towards bigger and better things? It is something that only can be answered when we are at that particular milestone.

Happy birthday.

No, it is not me on the cover...

A few months ago I blogged about the release of book number ten; Xtreme Xianity. Well here is what it looks like.

Sometimes when you plan a project, it doesn't go exactly as expected. In keeping with my writing goals for 2011 I planned to write and publish this book in four months. It actually took 12.

Of course there was the obligatory pause mid way through writing it to give my mind a break from it. But as I worked on this book. I was surprised by how it affected me as I spent time studying the lives of people who made a difference for God.

I started to ask myself what I needed to do in order to make a difference for God. Did I need more faith, more commitment, more perseverance, more attitude.

I discovered the answer is yes. I need more commitment, commitment to carrying out God's plan and not my own. I need more faith instead of skepticism. I need more perseverance to not give up when the way looks hopeless. I need an attitude that reflects the decision to be totally sold out to God and not comfortable with the status quo.

The original idea came to me as I was watching an extreme motorcycle event. The question I asked myself at the time was, "What if I should the same commitment and dedication to God as these athletes do to their craft? How could I affect my world for God?"

I have to agree with Paul. I have not attained were I want to be, but I press on towards the goal; the high call of God in Christ Jesus.