Enjoy!
Monday, May 23, 2011
New Blog!
I have created a new blog for those of you who have read my first book, Realms The Awakening. This blog will give you a sneak peak at the next book, Knights Fall and also give you a chance to give me feedback. To check out the first entry, go to www.eotto.blogspot.com
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Shadow Lessons
Shadow Lessons
I went for a long walk tonight and I noticed something very interesting. Like any neighborhood street, there are street lights, and these lights provide areas that are lit. But there are also dark areas between the lit areas. As I walked I began to watch my shadow, and I noticed that when I was closest to the street light, my shadow was in it's smallest form which was proportional to my regular body size. Then, as I moved away from the light towards the darkness, my shadow became larger and larger. My shadow grew to ten times my normal height before disappearing into the darkness. This stirred my curiosity and as I came into the next light, I turned to see what my shadow looked like coming out of the darkness. It was the same as going into the darkness. It was ten times my height as I came into the light. So the pattern was that my shadow was very large coming out of the darkness, then it shrank as I came directly under the light, and then it once again enlarged as I headed into the darkness.
Then it hit me; what a great analogy of our journey with God. When we are in His presence, we are so small yet so significant. Our significance comes from the fact that He created us and our normal size in His presence is proof that who we are is enough, He doesn't require anything more of us. Yet, our purpose is to go into the darkness of this world and carry His light and life. As we move towards the darkness He increases us, not so that we will be okay, but so that we will stand out, that there would be something about our lives that is attractive to those who don't know Him. Sometimes we may feel as if He isn't there when we are in the darkness, but as we come back into the light of His presence, we see that we are still just as big in Him as we were when we went into the darkness. It's in the total darkness that we are required to trust Him. Trust that He is there, that He has increased us, and that He has given us what we need to make it to the next spot of light.
When I look down my street, the areas of darkness are greater than the areas of light. This too is illustrative of our lives. I imagine the goal would be that the more I grow in God, the longer stretch of a dark road I can walk down without a light. For every step I take in the darkness, there is a soul watching. Those in the dark cannot come into the light unless they are drawn. There are those who choose to never leave the light. Such was the case with the servant who buried his masters talent and out of fear chose not to venture out. Jesus called him wicked and said that when the master returned he took that persons talent and gave it to the one who had risked the most.
What does your road look like? Are the street lights very close or very far apart? It doesn't really matter. What does matter is that you keep moving. Enjoy the moments in the light, but don't stay there, move so that others can see and follow. And when you come around the bend and all you see is a long dark road, do not fear, for He is with you. You may not be able to see it now but you will. There will be another light and there will be another time of reassurance, but for now just TRUST.
I went for a long walk tonight and I noticed something very interesting. Like any neighborhood street, there are street lights, and these lights provide areas that are lit. But there are also dark areas between the lit areas. As I walked I began to watch my shadow, and I noticed that when I was closest to the street light, my shadow was in it's smallest form which was proportional to my regular body size. Then, as I moved away from the light towards the darkness, my shadow became larger and larger. My shadow grew to ten times my normal height before disappearing into the darkness. This stirred my curiosity and as I came into the next light, I turned to see what my shadow looked like coming out of the darkness. It was the same as going into the darkness. It was ten times my height as I came into the light. So the pattern was that my shadow was very large coming out of the darkness, then it shrank as I came directly under the light, and then it once again enlarged as I headed into the darkness.
Then it hit me; what a great analogy of our journey with God. When we are in His presence, we are so small yet so significant. Our significance comes from the fact that He created us and our normal size in His presence is proof that who we are is enough, He doesn't require anything more of us. Yet, our purpose is to go into the darkness of this world and carry His light and life. As we move towards the darkness He increases us, not so that we will be okay, but so that we will stand out, that there would be something about our lives that is attractive to those who don't know Him. Sometimes we may feel as if He isn't there when we are in the darkness, but as we come back into the light of His presence, we see that we are still just as big in Him as we were when we went into the darkness. It's in the total darkness that we are required to trust Him. Trust that He is there, that He has increased us, and that He has given us what we need to make it to the next spot of light.
When I look down my street, the areas of darkness are greater than the areas of light. This too is illustrative of our lives. I imagine the goal would be that the more I grow in God, the longer stretch of a dark road I can walk down without a light. For every step I take in the darkness, there is a soul watching. Those in the dark cannot come into the light unless they are drawn. There are those who choose to never leave the light. Such was the case with the servant who buried his masters talent and out of fear chose not to venture out. Jesus called him wicked and said that when the master returned he took that persons talent and gave it to the one who had risked the most.
What does your road look like? Are the street lights very close or very far apart? It doesn't really matter. What does matter is that you keep moving. Enjoy the moments in the light, but don't stay there, move so that others can see and follow. And when you come around the bend and all you see is a long dark road, do not fear, for He is with you. You may not be able to see it now but you will. There will be another light and there will be another time of reassurance, but for now just TRUST.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
How deep do I go?
As a boy, I loved to travel deep into the woods around my home in search of areas I had never seen. When I happened upon a new place I would pause and make that all important decision; how deep do I go? The lure of exploration begged me to come deeper. It whispered my name like a lover, tickling my ears, and pulling me closer. Then I would go as deep as I could while still being able to see the path that led me to this new place. Eventually, you reach the point where you can no longer see the path that lead you to this new adventure. Now your heart begins to beat harder and your eyes become wild with fear and anticipation. Will you get lost? Will you stumble upon some terrible thing that means you harm? What if you don't make it out before it gets dark?
The thoughts and emotions create an adrenaline filled cocktail that pushes you forward with unfamiliar courage. Every sense is heightened, as you push deeper and deeper into the unknown. You know that there is a level of danger here, but you can't turn away from the temptation to loose yourself in this great adventure. Why? Because we were made to explore, to face danger, to be threatened, to be challenged, because we were made to overcome. It's in our DNA, it's how God made us. We were made to go forth and subdue all the creatures of the earth and rule over the land. That is our original design and even in our fallen nature, the original DNA begs to be heard; come deeper, push into the unknown, let go of what's safe.
Safe is our enemy. When we are "safe", the deepest part of our DNA, who we really are, slowly becomes lethargic and begins to die. It may feel like the life we want, but there is no life in it. A "safe" life is a subtle fragrance that lures us into a deep sleep from which we may never awaken. How safe is your life? What areas are you pushing into that are unfamiliar and dangerous? Have you stopped exploring? Maybe you came to a new place and experienced the thrill of the exploration and then "settled in", mistaking this place for a new home. In this life, there is no home. We are meant to be ever exploring, ever pushing into our own unknown area of adventure because that is what makes us stronger and wiser and more alive! Wake up! It's time to break camp and begin to once again explore the unknown!
How deep will you go?
The thoughts and emotions create an adrenaline filled cocktail that pushes you forward with unfamiliar courage. Every sense is heightened, as you push deeper and deeper into the unknown. You know that there is a level of danger here, but you can't turn away from the temptation to loose yourself in this great adventure. Why? Because we were made to explore, to face danger, to be threatened, to be challenged, because we were made to overcome. It's in our DNA, it's how God made us. We were made to go forth and subdue all the creatures of the earth and rule over the land. That is our original design and even in our fallen nature, the original DNA begs to be heard; come deeper, push into the unknown, let go of what's safe.
Safe is our enemy. When we are "safe", the deepest part of our DNA, who we really are, slowly becomes lethargic and begins to die. It may feel like the life we want, but there is no life in it. A "safe" life is a subtle fragrance that lures us into a deep sleep from which we may never awaken. How safe is your life? What areas are you pushing into that are unfamiliar and dangerous? Have you stopped exploring? Maybe you came to a new place and experienced the thrill of the exploration and then "settled in", mistaking this place for a new home. In this life, there is no home. We are meant to be ever exploring, ever pushing into our own unknown area of adventure because that is what makes us stronger and wiser and more alive! Wake up! It's time to break camp and begin to once again explore the unknown!
How deep will you go?
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