Strength in Every Situation: In Service to “Jane Doe” by Andrew L. Poole- Guest Blog.

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Happy Friday to all out there looking for a good word today Andrew L. Poole joins the blog If the name sounds familiar he is the brother of Matthew Poole.  Both men are Police Officers, but also gifted writers, in my opinion.  Which this is my Blog so my opinion counts.  Thank you, Andrew, for sharing this message with us.

Today, as I was working a patrol shift encumbered with calls for service, case reports and follow up interviews, I found myself blindsided and called upon by God.  I was sitting in a corner office, alone, typing 100 miles per hour on an important terroristic threat report, and suddenly a citizen of the community I serve is standing in the office I’m in without warning (this is the first time I’ve ever used this particular office). To make the matter more pressing, it seems to me that she is in distress.

Now this city, whom I will refer to as Jane (for privacy purposes) has issues with anxiety and has frequented the lobby of our Police Department regularly.  She usually sits in the lobby and is fine after being there a while, then she returns home.  She is also a “frequent flier” for our local EMS; however, she is a very sweet and amicable person.  I must be honest though, I have typically not shared many words with her besides the usual salutation and inference into how she is doing.

For the record, I know Jane’s name, but for some reason, at the time of her entering my office, I don’t want to commit to a formal greeting because I feel that I might have her name wrong.  I look at her and greet her with a simple “Hey, how are you today?”  Then I realize by her breathing that something is wrong.  She immediately replies that she is having an anxiety attack, while simultaneously grabbing my right hand as I’m sitting at my desk (this has never happened before).   I tell “Jane” that everything is going to be alright and that we will get through this.  I think to myself, okay, this is no big deal, I’ve had an anxiety attack before, I’ve done my research on this stuff and I’ve educated myself on handling this type of situation.  No problem…I’ll walk her through some tactical breathing exercises, talk to her about her day, get her mind focused on something else and so on and so forth.  But before I can get a word out she asks, “Can you pray with me?”

I look at Jane, a little caught off guard, tell her sure, and bow my head while still grasping her hand.  Then, with my head bowed and my eyes closed I hear Jane ask, “Will you pray?”  For a split second, I’m at a loss for words.  Here is this woman, having an anxiety attack, I can’t completely remember her name and she wants me to pray for her.  I didn’t know what to do. I told “Jane” that I didn’t know if I was necessarily good at praying.  So… I prayed for us both.  I prayed that God would be with us.  I prayed that God would help us to breathe and to make us of Him and not of this world.  That God would lead us, help us and remind us every day of the true beauty that surrounds us in this world that He created.  I prayed that God would give us the strength to give our burdens unto Him and that He would lift us up and make us strong.  Then I said Amen.  Jane, relieved, thanked me and walked out of my office into the lobby.

In all honesty, I am not an open prayer.  I am what some may call a “closet prayer”.  I even find it hard when called upon to pray at a family gathering.  I simply don’t feel like I am good at it.  Ask me to talk “cop shop” and I’m game.  In that split second between Jane asking me to pray for her and me delivering a prayer, I found myself silently calling to God to help me, and He delivered.

Before I went to work today I asked God to help me do my job and to have the right words to help people, and He did not disappoint.  He truly answered my prayer.  God called me out, He supported me, He helped me help someone else and myself, He gave me the strength and words to overcome what I thought was a weakness and I am truly glad.  All thanks be to God.

  • Andrew L. Poole

Book Review: “Living in times of Dragons: The Remnant King Book one” By John A. Pretorius

Living in Times of Dragons: The Remnant King Book One” by John A Pretorius.

I will start off by saying I love Dragons they elicit a certain sense of magic that feels otherworldly and also very true.  So, I was excited to get my hands on this book for that reason, what I found blew me away.

I have never read a book like this before. The way the Dragon Lore was presented and manifested into a real-world South Africa was astonishing.  John A. Pretorius did an unbelievable job of building a bridge between fantasy and reality.  And that is how it felt.

It felt as though the dragons were crossing the veil of a dream into the real world.

The Main Character Roger Rommel finds himself caught between a dream and reality as the world around him starts to change in the most frightening ways possible.  Those dreams he thought were dreams of Dragons are in fact real.  And Rommel must learn why the dragons are after him while keeping himself and his son alive as they traverse into a Land of Unicorns and Dragons.

The use of different Dragon breeds and sects of dragons was something I had never seen done before along with the way Dragon Magic and Lore worked.  It was a lesson in Dragons and their history for me as well as an incredible tale of a man caught way past his assumed capabilities that not even God could save him from.

To me, this was also a story of a Father raised without a family trying to be the Father he never had while falling short of his mission to his son and to God.  Roger seemed to find himself through some of the most mind-bending and painful ways.  All the while trying to hold on to who he thought he was and the family he once had.

Learning that he is not as helpless as he once thought but possess a power that is key in the coming war of Man and Dragon.  Roger spends a great deal of time caught directly in the middle of the War not sure who he is fighting for or why a lot of the time.  As his character grows in power so does his sense of purpose.  I do not envy the man’s mission, I felt myself at times feeling for what a terribly horrific situation he was in and the sheer exhaustion he must have felt at the weight of his reality.

The description of the world and the characters were incredible, it all had such a visceral feel to it.  I felt myself running in panic from the Dragons in the Streets of South Africa, while I also felt the darkness, and isolation of the caves, and jungle that Roger Rommel and his son Ian must Traverse to overcome the threat of Dragons that want to end the reign of mankind, and take back the world that they believe is their rightful place.

The characters from human to dragon all brought a distinct voice that was profoundly different and brought to life in an incredible Narrative that you have to see to believe.  The Dragons are still speaking in my dreams actually.  Using their Pyric powers.

In Times of Dragon was not short of Action, gut-wrenching violent moments and mind-bending, heart aching realities.

If you are a fan of Dragon’s, high octane fast paced action, with an intelligently thought out world and characters.  Then this book is for you.

So, grab a bottle of liquid soap and jump into “Living in times of Dragons: The Remnant King Book One.”  You will love this beautifully detailed world of Dragons and Magic by John A. Pretorius I know I did.

 

Pick up your Copy today by clicking this Link

Living in times of Dragons

I AM DEPRESSED

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My oh my, am I a happy pie in the sky kind of joyful guy?

Is my life a full-on masterpiece, a grand experiment of the most epic beautiful proportions?

No, no it’s not.  And no I am not a joyful guy at the moment.

I hate how I feel right now, my lack of energy and positive outlook are enough to make me not want to get up in the morning.

I have struggled the past few days to make it out of bed.  Yesterday, I actually decided maybe I just need some rest and slept in and did not go to the gym.  I was hopeful that a day full of rest might help my woeful mental state but it did not.

Instead, I woke up again this morning at 5am with the same sense of dread and fatigue that I have the other mornings.

I made it to the gym, I ran multiple miles and I sweated profusely doing other forms of physical exercise.  I stretched and breathed, I listened to motivational speakers.  I meditated on being of service and living a joyful existence.

When I came out of the meditation the full-on exhaustion was still present.  In fact many times during my work out I felt like I was going to pass out.  I felt the sheer weight of existence mounting in my mind and body.

It felt like every muscle fiber was sick and needed to lie down that feeling you have while yawning or stretching first thing in the morning.

It has all been a strange sensation for me.  It is not an unfamiliar one, of course, I know depression well.  I lived with it all my life, however the majority of the time I was also in active addiction and relying heavily on Alcohol to cure any feeling I had, good or bad.

Now I always ask myself what is the point of writing this?  Why do I need to get it out of me and into a written form?

Well, the past couple of days I have not written anything.  I have felt too drained to even make the effort, and all though I did the other things that I have committed to in my life writing for my blog got pushed aside.

I had nothing to give I had a head full of rocks and a day full of work.  So, I focused every ounce of energy on the commitments I made to other people and decided that they are more important at the moment.

I made the choice to show up when I said I would be of service and so I did.  Monday, I went and told my story at a Meeting and I wanted to run away, I wanted to crawl into a hole.

But I did it what I said I would do and spoke, and it was whatever. It was not the most exciting or amazing story ever told.  I was not on fire with passion or life I was simply there doing my service.

And that’s all, I felt worse when I was done actually.  The next day my sponsor decided to give me an ultimatum about making a financial decision or finding a new sponsor.  So I am now looking for a new sponsor.

I say that to say this.  I can be working my ass off in the name of recovery.  In the name of spiritual growth, well being and living a joyful existence, but sometimes no matter how much work you do for others or how hard you try, life just happens.

Here is what I am saying in all this.  I feel exhausted, depressed, worthless and like I can not keep going.

And guess what, I am ok with that feeling.  I am not running from it.  I am not hiding from life because of it.  I am not giving up on myself or anyone else because I do not feel good.

I am showing up and doing what I need to do regardless of my feelings.  Because I know they will change, they always change.  Everything always changes.  I am in a perpetual cycle of change.

I would be stupid to believe that I can somehow have joy without sadness.

There is only something because we can perceive Nothingness.  There is only Nothingness because we are aware of what something is.

I must trust in the inhale and exhale of life.

Life is in Essence what breathing is.  We breathe air in and feel good to have the oxygen in our lungs, but if I hold it in too long It starts to hurt and can actually kill me.  I must release the breath.  But, I can not stop there because if I sit too long without oxygen in my lungs I will die.  I must remember to breathe back in the oxygen.

I am in a perpetual cycle of receiving and giving, of letting in and letting go.  It is in everything I do.  It is in the most essential things I do.  I must be willing and able to let the air go so that I can live to take another breath.

If you are struggling and feeling like I am, I want you to take a moment and breathe.  I know it does not feel like it at this moment but I promise you it will get better.  It has been better before.  Know that we are simply breathing, keep breathing and let the new air into your life.

You are more than this feeling, you are more than depression, you are full of an eternal life-giving spirit that will never leave you because you are the spirit, YOU ARE THE BREATH OF LIFE.

BREATHE.

Accept where you are, how you feel and keep moving, it will change.  It always has.

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Let Me Make a Book Trailer For You. #writingcommunity @annikenHaga @ryMo89

Here are the two most recent book trailers I have made for a couple authors I met via Twitter @annikenHaga and @RyMo89.  If you are not already following these two awesome writers go say hi.

Here is what I did for there books.  First Up R. Tim Morris’s book “TO BE Honest”

 

Next Up Anniken Haga’s Book “Artificial Generation.”

You can see the book trailer I made for my book Trent Foster and the Council of 10 by clicking this link. 

And If you are interested in me making a Book Trailer for you.  Please shoot me an email on the contact page under the schedule interview.  Or find me on twitter @MattWhiteside3

My Prices are as low as you will find starting at $150 for a custom book Trailer.

To see all of the services I offer, spend a little time checking some of the tabs on my website.  I also do custom video book reviews.

Have a nice day.

Trouble In Our Day by Matt Poole – Guest Blog. #writingcommunity

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“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”- Thomas Paine

The other day my brother and I were talking about this very concept. This dilemma we both felt was encroaching like a dark hung vale over the canopy of a blue sky.

Out walking about 25 acres of creek, tree, and fresh plowed earth in search of fossils and artifacts, we spoke intently of our careers, our convictions, and the ugly truths that still lingered in our minds that often cause a sleepless night. We pondered the possibilities of conflict, a revolution of the country that would no doubt be labeled a “civil war”, the conception of which holds far more reality than I would wish to be certain of. But in the end we still both came to the same pronouncement, we did not want our children fighting our war for us.

I am a peaceful man, although I am not the same man I was 15 years ago. I know that I’ve made, even if through small motions, positive impacts in people’s lives. The atmosphere has changed though, I changed, and my understanding of true service changed, leaving me knowing that I’ve also left negative impacts in the wake of a career and lifestyle that are everlasting.

The truth is these days my heart is more open than the ocean. I have a better understanding of love, a better sense of peace. But, I will not stand by idle and let my convictions be silenced or burnt to dust.

Yes I write from the perspective of a police officer, but the message still applies to anyone reading this thread, as I am as much human as you. One of the nine principles of policing, attributed to Sir Robert Peel, was that the police maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.

In my book, Salt & Light I wrote “Should we find ourselves more apt to defend an Earthly institution, leading other believers to do things inconsistent with our duties to God and serving the personal interest of ourselves or Man, then we are nothing more than careerist. As Christian police officers we should be determined to perform our duties as disciples so that our actions reflect Gods message and our works are seen as labors of love lasting in perpetuity. The reflections of Proverbs 24:1-12 guide us to gain knowledge of God through wisdom and understanding, staying distant from the ways of the wicked. Saying 25 (Proverbs 24:10-12) reminds us that not only are we responsible for our own strength [ faith] but it is our duty to rescue follow brothers in Christ who are living lives that lead to death. We in fact find ourselves morally bound through the following words, “If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?” We also gain from this passage, an understanding of our calling to protect life, both physical and spiritual.”

We all fight personal battles, but what are we putting off today for others or our children to clean up tomorrow? We are fighting a war right now to win hearts and you have a chance, yes you, whether sworn by on oath or not, to stand in this time and be the face of hope, the face of love, and most importantly… the face of Christ.

 

Truly evaluating ourselves, a lot of us in Public Service get caught up on being the “sheep dog”  but it’s fair to say that all of us civilian and sworn forget the vital role of the Good Shepherd. Don’t expect your badge to be a symbol of compassion, let your life be evidence of it. Words are still just words until they are put into action, and sheep dogs are just another dog, unless they truthfully care for the sheep.

God bless. Stay Safe. – Matthew Poole

Follow Matthew on facebook@ https://www.facebook.com/authormattpoole and Twitter @https://twitter.com/MdpooleA

PSA to Writers and Anyone W/ a Story to Tell #writingcommunity

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You are allowed to write whatever you want however you want.

Whether it be riddled with grammatical errors or not as long as you are not simply writing hate speech.  Tell the story that you are meant to tell.

I actually got in an argument this morning about writing with a woman that claimed if you do not know all the rules of grammar and writing you should not be a writer.

I was upset with this mindset because it is the same small-minded perfectionist view of things that scare so many away from telling their story.

Knowing techniques, growing your skill and learning proper grammar usage is important.  However, it does not trump storytelling.

Do not get so caught up in the idea that everything has to be perfect.  We can get so lost by the idea of perfect that we die having never shared our story.

Grammar is made to enhance writing and storytelling, not to destroy it.

Stop running around with your grammar hammer and smashing people over the head with it.

We all want to get better at writing, but my God someone is not stupid or a bad writer because they used your instead of you’re in a tweet or FB post.

This has happened to me so many times, and it happened in a writing group on FB where one person believed that if you made these mistakes you should not be allowed to write.

We all make mistakes no one is perfect and it is a social media platform, not a published medical journal.

Please Get over yourselves and keep writing ur own work.  Then tell me when that shit comes out because I would like to leave a review.

Keep writing, you are not stupid.  Your story has a purpose, tell it to the best of your ability.

It’s Me. #writingcommunity #thursdaythoughts

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Fast forward to a time in the middle of nowhere, where space exists only as a reference to somethingness.

Where the wind blows past the point of dropping sound and a miniature planet swings on a spinning ground.

Move forward to a place of fatigue and depravity, where mankind begins with a handful of madness and a headful of sin.

“Ow, why the hell did you throw that?”

“You need to learn how to catch, your coordination is terrible.”

“Well, It helps to know that something is being thrown at you.”

“You are such a whiner, why can’t you just catch the ball when I throw it, and stop complaining that I didn’t tell you it was coming?”

“Are you crazy?  That doesn’t make any sense.  I am not a mind reader.”

“Well, this is why you are going to fail at life.”

“I’m going to fail at life because I can’t read your mind when you throw something at my head when I’m not looking?”

“Yes…”

“…”

“Oh, you want me to explain.  Well, yeah you are going to fail at life.  In fact, I bet you already are.  I can bet that everything in your life is a surprise.”

“What are you talking about.  My life is not a… a…”

“See, I bet you were surprised to wake up sad this morning and were surprised by the traffic you were sitting in.”

“I think surprised may be the wrong word to use, but I certainly wasn’t hoping for or expecting it.”

“You don’t expect to wake up sad and expect to sit in traffic?  You do it every day.”

“Well, yeah but its always a surprise because I have been wishing something different would happen.”

“See that’s your problem.”

“That’s my problem, wishing?”

“No, wishing is fine it’s kinda useless but whatever.  Your problem is awareness.”

“You are so unaware that the ball is flying at your head that even if I shouted hey catch, it would still hit you in the head and you would still be upset and have a bump on your head.”

“So stop wishing? Great got it, thanks, Guru.”

“No, start becoming aware.  How can you spend your life doing the exact same thing every day wishing for a different outcome yet still remaining surprised when you the same things keep happening.  You are like a bird with its head in the sand.”

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“Realize that your life sucks because you are forcefully unaware of it.   pull your head out of the sand and catch the ball.  You are making a life out of hiding from life.  And every day is the same miserable surprise because you are unwilling to become aware of the fact that it is not me or the balls fault for hitting you in the head.  It is up to you to see the ball catch it or move out of the way.”

“I hate hanging out with you, Joe.”

“Because you hate yourself.”

“Hahaha…”

“hahahaha…”

 

 

 

Assume the position By Matthew Poole- Guest Blog #writingcommunity #Wednesdaythoughts

Matthew Poole joins the Blog again with another thoughtful piece.

Follow Matthew on facebook@ https://www.facebook.com/authormattpoole and Twitter @https://twitter.com/MdpooleA

His Book “Salt and Light: Being the Hands and Feet of Christ” is available this Septemeber.

 

Black, white, yellow, red; straight, gay, pans, trans. No matter the great the number of differences there are among us, there are also many things that we have in common. One of those is our uncanny, almost irresistible disposition to be or act as creatures of habit. Believe me, the habitual nature of our solutions and decisions transcend the gambit of most personalities, cultures, education, and belief systems. We don’t like our norms (social or private) being broken or messed with, even when those norms become devastating to us or those around us.

 

The truth is, once we’ve made a conscious decision, it’s easier for us to continue repeating it, consequences or not.

 

I can’t speak for the battered spouse, but as an officer I can attest to the number of times I or others have viewed or responded to the same residence over and over, time after time for domestic violence situations wondering “why doesn’t he/she just leave him/her?” “Why do they keep putting themselves in that situation?” I know the answer would take longer than one would want to explain, and there are a number of different ones, so I won’t delve too deep into it.

 

I had a District Attorney once tell me it was as easy as picking a chair. I’m sure anyone of you would fit in this story as well, but let’s just pretend you’re a cop right now.

 

You show up to class, walk into the room, look about to size it up, pick a good chair with a tactical view, adjust to your settings, and set to work. You break for lunch and upon coming back…what do you do? You sit in the same chair. It was that easy, and don’t tell me you wouldn’t have been thrown off if someone else was in your spot.

 

Now I’m not trying to compare domestic violence to picking a chair, so let’s maintain our knee jerks to a minimum, but what she was trying to relay was how easy it is to get set in our ways, even if they are temporary.

 

What positions are we assuming everyday because we are comfortable with them, even when they hurt us?

For me, I had many, but the main one was drinking. Long tough day at work, come home, pop the cork, pour four fingers, assume the position.

 

With the help of a Godly inspired, beautifully tragic set of circumstances, I no longer find myself assuming the day to day position of a lonely and lost person trying to fix spiritual problems with chemical solutions. Instead I assume the position on my knees and relay on the strength of my Heavenly Father.

 

Psalm 31 1-5 says, In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

 

You can’t defeat your demons while you still enjoy their company. Don’t let your vice/position define you. Pick a good chair. – Matthew Poole

 

saltandlight