Well here goes.....

Real hope and change?  Why is this what I like writing about?  First of all 'hope'.  Many times we say 'hope' when we really mean 'wish' or 'want' or even 'cautiously optimistic'.  In other words if I say 'I hope I get a bicycle for Christmas', I am saying I want or wish I get a bike.  We all do this with the word 'hope', so what does hope mean?  The dictionary says:  'the feeling that what is desired is also possible or that events may turn out for the best; a person in whom or thing in which expectations are centered; to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence; to believe, desire, or trust;  the Archaic meaning:  to place trust, rely'.  And one of the scriptures passages that I find important is I Cor 13:13 'So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.' (RSV) Thus I've always seen these 3 working together, inextricably linked and intertwined.  Naturally I consulted the Greek N.T. meaning for 'hope' and wasn't disappointed:  to anticipate, usually with pleasure; expectation or confidence; faith.  So then for me, bottom line hope is to have this expectation that God really does want what's best for me and those I care about.   And so I can trust Him, believe Him, love Him, and worship Him.  Easy right?  Yes, as long as things are going the way I want them too. 
But what about when things don't go the way I think they should?   That's when hope may be more of a challenge to my thinking then a pleasant good feeling.  That's when hopes real value begins to show and to shine.  Difficult to maintain?  Yes, but worth the price, as it keeps me going, praying, desiring, longing to see God's goodness and then finally realizing that His goodness is always there; constant, never-changing, and everpresent.  Not to make light of the difficulties we all face, just to remind myself (and hopefully others), that God is the source, the sustenance, and the end-game of hope. 
Maybe that's why I like praying the Lord's prayer.  I think I pray it at least once a day, some days, several times.  I memorized it when I was a kid, and it has stuck with me.  When in difficulties, it's there, ready to be prayed.  When I don't know how or what to pray (especially in a difficult situation) I pray 'The Prayer'.  The part that often leaps out to me is 'thy kingdom come, thy will be done.'  I often add 'in my life' to the end of that, just to personalize it a bit.  By praying His kingdom and will be done in my life, I am accepting the situation I'm in.  I am handing the difficulty over to Him to be Lord of it.  And that helps me keep the hope alive, positive, and focused. 
And that is my mini-sermon on hope.  Next time, I believe I will tackle 'change'.  Or perhaps it will tackle me, and I will give you the insiders report.  Eventually I will get to the fiction I've written, but this will suffice for now.
In this Easter season remember what Job said: "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth;"  Job 19:25 RSV

Jonathan told me I should do this....

So you see, I like to write and have written a number of stories; short stories and I'm working on a couple of novels and some 'spiritual' type books.  What I realize I like to write about is hope and change.  Not as a political concept, but as a way to live every day, on a personal, self-actualizing level.  And by self-actualizing, I really mean cooperating with God.  Since without Him, we can do nothing. 
Jonathan told me that I should publish my short stories to Kindle, start a blog and talk about what I've written, and then open a Facebook account that would direct people to my blog and published works. 
We'll see if all of this happens.  I'm not a fan of Facebook.  But I do feel called to write.  So maybe this is the way to get started, at least for me.   Which really brings me to tonight.  I just wanted to comment on Doug Griffith's blog, but it seems to be making me create this account.  Maybe this is God's way of getting me started.  If it is, then great, and if it's not, then I just added more clutter to the internet.