Points of Connection

A good friend who pastored in the Lancaster, PA area at one point in his ministry passed on the following after reading Patch Town – A Letter From Miss Wingate:

“I just finished reading the Patch Town book this week. It was great, and if you measure a good book by the way it touches hearts and lives, well, my real tears mixed several times with tears on the written page.

Few points of connection – I felt drawn back into our year ministering in Lewisburg and driving south down Route 15 through Sunbury, where I went to ask forgiveness from the owner of Sunbury Organ and Piano.

Your mention of Bloomsburg brought me back to our son’s birth at Bloomsburg Hospital.

Your mention of Willow Crest brings back many memories of Willow Valley – we still have one commemorative glass left; sole survivor.

Seems to me that Shanks Patch was some place out of Selinsgrove or Shamokin.

Even Old Philadelphia brought back a memory of me finding my great-great-grandparents wedding license that I found in the records building there.”

A fiction book should evoke reality to the reader. If it doesn't, then the work is simply words on a page. Let me hear from you. Share an experience when the words on a page spoke points of connection with your heart.

Robert Parlante

January 2015

Five Things About Writing ... Part 1

I agree with Mark Twain when he said: Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.  I have been writing for most of my life, but did not tackle a novel until I had retired. For the longest time I sat around planning a future in retirement, but it felt shallow compared to sitting at my computer writing. My counter arguments were age, time, health, or why? Mark Twain set me straight. Creativity is not bound by age or geographical constraints. It doesn't matter. Just write!

Robert Parlante

January 2015

Pennies From Heaven

Over the last eight years I've attended the same YMCA gym several times a week. It was doctor-mandated after facing some health issues. Thankfully, I’m doing well.

But almost every week I typically find loose pennies on the floor or inside the locker. Today was one of those days ___ I opened an empty locker and there were two pennies on the locker floor. I picked them up and dropped into my gym bag. When I get enough loose coins spilling around in the bag, I retrieve them and drop them into my coin jar in the bedroom. I always pick up stray coins on the sidewalk, in the gym, or any other places where loose change congregate.

As I fingered those two pennies today, I made a few observations about pennies and life. First, pennies seemed to have been trivialized as being almost worthless. I once read it costs more to mint a penny than the actual value of the penny. I tried to figure out why there are so many loose pennies in the gym locker room. Surely, some can slip out of one’s pocket when changing clothes. Maybe some people discard them because they are near worthless and take up too much room on one’s pocket.

It seem like people will not even stoop over to pick up a penny they may have dropped. It’s simply a waste of time and energy.

The second observation is more personal. Today as I entered the locker room I was thinking about a number of commitments and activities going on in my life … actually not “going well enough” is a better way to describe what I was thinking. Too slow. Not enough. Not good enough. Dissatisfied.

Back to pennies. Those two coins made me think about the old song “Pennies From Heaven” and more importantly, about the Lord. Seems like a stretch at first … but really, Heaven and the Lord are obviously connected.

The two coins reminded me of “Do not despise these small beginnings” which comes from Zechariah 4:10. Though the building of the temple was weak and poor, the people were reminded that the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.

Take Zechariah’s words to heart. When life seems like small steps or meager beginnings, if the Lord is in the effort and your work, He nevertheless rejoices even though we may not see it!

Do not despise pennies.  Some days the Lord uses trivial things to get our attention and to refocus on what is important. Today was one such day. May tomorrow be your day!

Robert Parlante

January 2015

The Age of Innocence

 If I had to give a sub-title to my first 2015 blog it would be When We Nailed the Windows Shut.

This past Christmas Eve we attended services at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, NC. Pastor Dr. Ross preached a heartfelt message from Luke 2:13-14:

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

The birth of Christ is supposed to usher in a peace to all on whom God’s favor rests. Dr. Ross pointed out that few, if any, are experiencing the peace they believe Christ promised. Why? The obvious answer is that the peace from Christ is not necessarily tranquility in our lives or having all we need or want. True peace comes from our trust in Christ and our best efforts to walk in His way despite the pitfalls of life.

Dr. Ross established a personal point in his life when everything changed for him. It was a time he realized tranquility in the world and our personal lives were fragile and could change in an instant. For him that moment was the assassination of our President John F. Kennedy. One’s world view changed from that point on. He referred to it as the end of “the age of innocence.”

As a young boy growing up in a coal mining town I recalled a defining moment when my worldview changed. The home we lived in had no locks on any of the windows or exterior doors. There was no need to be concerned about security. Everyone was at peace with each other. That changed one day when a convict escaped from the police who was transporting the individual to a state prison. The escapee was reportedly in the immediate area where we lived. That day before the sun went down my parents had nailed all the windows shut. In hindsight we were probably more in danger of escaping a fire than an intruding convict.

From that point on I no longer felt at peace. The words of Jesus in John 16:33 tell us: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." We cannot escape trouble. The best we can do is to decide to view our circumstances with a different set of eyes.

As we face the coming year reflect upon those moments in life where your worldview changed by problems, global conflicts and personal trials. Instead of spiraling downward out of fear and anxiety, look upward. When Simeon saw the Christ child being dedicated in the Temple he said, “I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people (Luke 2:30-31).

Use the defining moments of life as a reason to turn your eyes toward Jesus and find true peace.

Robert Parlante

January 2015