A Year Without a Ding!

In June 2014 we purchased a new Prius C car, and I challenged myself to try and get through an entire year without a scratch or ding. I go to the gym almost every day where hundreds of members attend. The parking lot has narrow parking spaces to squeeze in as many parked cars as possible.

My previous car had numerous parking lot mishaps. You had to deal with adjacent car doors slamming against your car and people carrying oversize gym bags that scrape along the side of vehicles. I’ve now owned the new car for 9 months with no dings. Only three more months to go and then I can relax. Well, maybe.

My gym parking strategy is simple. I park next to islands and other barrier on one side that allow only having to deal with a parked car on other side. The logic is to reduce the potential incident rate by 50%. I know this sounds a bit obsessive-compulsive, but I always love a challenge even if I have to drive around the gym parking lot for 30 minutes to find the “perfect” spot.

I recall the movie Julie and Julia which chronicles the challenge of a young blogger named Julie Powell who aspired to cook all 524 recipes in Chef Julia Child's Art of French Cooking cookbook in 365 days. It was a fun movie in which I concluded the blogger had obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

The sad part about my car ding challenge is that I had a similar objective to read through the Bible in one year. I did not succeed. I skipped parts with names that were impossible to pronounce. I found myself wanting to read only the familiar parts or at least those that gave me comfort. I used apps. Reminders were sent to my email. Where was my obsessive-compulsive behavior when I needed it?

Lord, help me to be more obedient to the daily reading of Scripture. Dings are not critical! The Word of God overcomes all things … even a ding!

Robert Parlante
March 26, 2015

P.S. In three months I'll let you know if I got dinged!

The Road Map for the Walk of Faith

One of the most powerful, inspired, life-changing books of the Bible is the epistle of James. It is the road map for the walk of faith.

The author of the book is James "the Lord's brother," not James the Apostle. Like the other brothers of Jesus, James did not believe in Him at first (John 7:2-5). But after the Resurrection this brother became a key leader in Jerusalem and at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). One tradition nicknames James "camel knees," because of the calluses he was supposed to have developed from long hours spent in prayer.

The theme of the Book of James is "faith" ... but not saving faith, or justifying faith. James' theme is practical in that he looks at the lifestyle which is produced by faith in Jesus. True faith generates obedience, and so James encouraged the early church to live a life that was worthy of their profession of  faith in Jesus as the Christ.

The book of James is the practical application of all the doctrines of Paul sets forth on faith. It’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s where our faith is expressed in tangible ways through our actions. The epistle is indispensable to our understanding of what our faith is all about and how the Christian life is supposed to be lived. But living this out in reality is far from easy!

Here are several questions for you to consider:

What might have occurred to James to move him from a skeptic to a prayer warrior? How can we apply this to our own lives?

Why do we have such a hard time living out our faith today? What could make it easier?

 Why is it so hard to remain steadfast on our spiritual journey, especially during tough times?

We all have good and not-so good experiences with our walk of faith. Why not encourage and share your views?

Robert Parlante

March 2015

Five Things About Writing - Part 5

I believe I met an angel in Red Square on May Day while on route to my final destination in Siberia. A group of believers gathered spontaneously in a small circle in Red Square and decided to pray for the Russian people. Within a short period of time the prayer circle grew to an enormous size. The English-speaking prayer leader asked for a translator, and seemingly out of nowhere came a tall Russian woman who volunteered. She spoke perfect English, and her translation to Russian sounded like it could be heard across Red Square. At the completion of the prayer, she disappeared into the crowd. To me she felt like an angel. When I wrote the book Patch Town: A Letter From Miss Wingate I incorporated instances of random people coming into a person’s life to affirm their walk of faith. Was it coincidence or an angel? Only God knows!

Do you believe you ever encountered an angel? Won’t you share your story with me?

Robert Parlante

March 2015

One Year & Counting!

The end of February 2015 marks the one year anniversary of my blog "spaghettimanwrites.blogspot.com." It's been an interesting year with blogs covering a wide range of topics ... personal experiences, writing and my book Patch Town: A Letter from Miss Wingate. Hope you've enjoyed the experience.

At the one year mark , the number of reader hits is approaching 2700. 

Thanks for visiting my blog! Special thanks to my readers in France, Poland and the Ukraine.

As we look into the coming year I'd like to hear from you. What were some of your favorite blogs and why? What topics or directions would you like to see me take in the future?

Again, thanks! I always enjoy hearing from you. Your input is valued.

Robert Parlante
February 2015

Five Things About Writing - Part 4

I suffered a near-death event at age 9 when the worst possible nightmare happened. I don't know if it was an accidental bump or a purposed push by one of my playmates, but I fell off a second story porch railing while attempting a Superman stunt. I hit the ground with my left arm and shattered many bones. I spent weeks in the hospital, with multiple surgeries, and months of therapy to regain use of the arm. But that event was the genesis of my book Patch Town.

What if someone who hurt you deeply (real or perceived) in the past came forward after many years and asked you for forgiveness __ what would you do?

Proceed through that thinking process and consider the question. You may realize you have a short story or a novel simmering in the background of your mind. I know it worked for me ... hope it works for you, as well.

Robert Parlante

March 2015