Dear —
Two epiphanies this week…
1/ During the months of lockdown, some recollection has occurred to me almost every day about a mean-spirited or destructive thing I once said or did. Or if not destructive, at least embarrassing, or if not embarrassing, a missed opportunity. And about times I have been dishonest out of fear.
Each of these jabs from the past presents me with a choice. I ask: Is there anything I can do about it now? No. Does this train of thought encourage me? No. Does it strengthen me? No. Does it comfort me? Hell, no! Then it is false prophecy, as defined by the apostle Paul (1 Cor 14:3).
But Abdiel, doesn't prophecy apply to the future, or at least the present, rather than the past? Perhaps, but fear of punishment and condemnation, though arising from of the past, is a fabrication of the future.
So is there anything to be gained at all from such recollections? That depends on the spirit in which they come. They may affirm that I am not the same person I was then, that I would not behave the same way now, that I am better placed to serve someone who would. They may be a means to make amends. But if they are mere fodder for self-flagellation, then I declare, as I recently saw in another writer's Instagram post, "Let the past haunt itself!"
These are the kind of reflections I present in The Gourmet Gospel Collection.
2/ The other epiphany is about vaccines...
You may have already heard me likening Covid to the snake which Aaron, brother of Moses, brings forth when he throws down his staff at the court of Pharaoh (Exodus 7). This is because the brothers are there to demand the abolition of slavery, and Aaron produces this fear-evoking creature to demonstrate the power of God.
In the Disney version of this scene (The Prince of Egypt, 1998), it is Moses rather than Aaron who does this, but no matter for our purposes; after this act of a prophet, Pharaoh's magicians perform a conjuring trick of mimicry, throwing down their staffs from which snakes appear.
But here's the crucial follow-up when it comes to vaccines: that Aaron's snake EATS Pharoah's snakes, just as Covid is now on course to overpower and/or outwit the vaccines, products of a profit-seeking system of exploitation that Covid is here to overthrow.
Again, if you read this story in Exodus 7, or watch the Disney version, think: the prophets' snake, Covid; the conjurors' snakes, vaccines.
Yet I have heard commentators hail these fabrications of Big Pharma in the language of "miracle"! What do you call it when men put their faith in, and pay homage to, man-made things? Things made of wood or stone or serum? Things like golden calves, or statues of Dagon or Baal, or of CEOs or kings? Idolatry, of course! So if Moses and Elijah and Daniel and his friends refused to bow to such things, why should we?
These are the kinds of reflections I share in my book, The Covid Prophecies, now listed among 40 or so other titles—most priced between free and $2.99—at this promotion of Inspirational works.
Something for everyone in this line-up, including Poetry, Romance, Self-Help, Bible-Inspired Fiction, and Memoir. Of these, I have purchased and am thoroughly enjoying The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Heaven According to the Devil by Turkish author, Bedrettin Simsek. His prose, as translated by Sila Erol, is beautifully crafted, including a description of Eve as "such a priceless jewel that man can lose everything to possess her, and when he owns her, he becomes more destitute that before."
Hmm, reminds me of someone I dated once! Oh, and that's in another of my books, Dueling the Dragon (for which I am now re-recording the audiobook).
Finally, , I'll sign off by saying you may not hear from me for a few weeks. I came to the painful realization yesterday that I am exhausted from promoting my books, the battery is drained, and the joy has gone out of it. The last straw was a 2-star review that just appeared on Amazon for my newly released Verses Versus Empire Collection, an opus I have devoted love and labor to for 20 years.
This is the danger with putting a new book on Amazon. Sometimes, the trolls get there first, finding it a convenient place to wipe their boots before the allies arrive (and who have bothered to read the book before jumping to judgment). It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, merely a reflection of the slanderer's state of mind, seeking an easy target to vent their frustrations without having to answer for it.
But in the short term, it has a disproportionate impact on perceptions of readers new to my work. As an independent author, I don't have the resources of a traditional publisher to control how my books appear, and it can be thoroughly dispiriting when this happens. Suffice to say, if you are an ally and have read the book, the review link is here.
Anyway, as I said, time for some time off!
Love and Blessings,
Abdiel
0 comments