SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

How Scrivener Helped Me Win My First NanoWrimo

For some you may be thinking what the heck is Scrivener, better yet what is NanoWrimo. As a writer they are indispensable ways to write your first novel or even fiftieth. Let me start by saying I am tired, worn out and whooped from competing in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)  a writing competition the entire month of November. I had to rely on some incredible bloggers to guest blog for me over the month as I wrote my first novel. OK well sort of novel, I wrote 50,350 words in a month and compiled it into a story. Is it finished? Not really, it is 50k more words written of my first novel than I would have had if I did not participate.  I struggled through fear, extreme mood swings, emotional turmoil and sheer exhaustion yet I kept writing. I wrote in the morning, lunchtime and night, words consumed me for days on end. I had been told for years that I needed to tell my story, I cannot claim the words I wrote to be my story per se, yet they are fiction inspired and based on truth like many books would be better to claim to be. Whether the work actually will make it to print remains to be seen, at least for public consumption. However without Scrivener it is quite likely is simply would be a bunch of words making little real sense. I purchased a license to Scrivener and even became an affiliate as I felt the software was made […]

When You Can’t See the Good in Things (Guest Post)

As I wrap up my month of November and the writing competition of NanoWrimo, first one has been quite an experience let me tell you. Anyway, I have been honored to have my blog taken over once again this time by my friend with a voice like the angels, Jordan Fortenboher. Jordan is a wife, soon-to-be-mom, blogger, and singer-songwriter. Her goal is to share hope with the world by writing honestly about her struggle with anxiety and how God is carrying her through it. You can read more of her writing or check out her music (including her latest album!) at http://jordanforty.com. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28, NIV) Sometimes, really hard things happen. Over and over, we see both worldwide and personal tragedies, struggles, and hardships. It can be easy to think life is cruel, especially in seasons when it seems like we deal with trial after trial after trial. Those difficult seasons are often when we wrestle with deep tensions: Is God really good? Why do bad things happen? Is God really Sovereign? Is He intervening, even when it doesn’t look like He is? In the middle of my own struggles, I’ve found myself wrestling with those questions and begging God to reveal why He would allow bad things to happen. And the verse above, Romans 8:28, was starting to bother […]

Take a Break (Guest Post)

Today’s Post Take a Break is a Guest Post by my friend Nic, this is his second guest post on SecondIron, where he talks about our need to take a break and getting much-needed rest. Nic is a geek dad, a professional nerd, and a pop culture junkie. He is drawn to any conversation about music, movies, theater, architecture, comics, and theology. You can follow his thoughts about parenthood, corporate life, and the intersection between faith and pop culture at his blog, The Faithful Geek. You can also find him on Twitter and Instagram. Enjoy his guest post Take a Break. Growing up in church with weekly Sunday school lessons, you grow accustomed to Bible stories. They become familiar enough that even people with little to no religious affiliation know how the stories play out. Noah’s ark, Moses and the exodus, David versus Goliath, the birth of Jesus, the crucifixion and resurrection. If your background is similar to mine, you can probably tell these stories without reading directly from scripture. Unfortunately, my favorite Bible story was not one I learned in Sunday school. It is not typically told by children’s workers or youth pastors. In fact, it is a story buried toward the end of Acts that most pastors skip over when teaching about the early church. I cannot remember hearing a single sermon referencing this passage. In case you missed it, I would like to share it with you. Acts 20 summarizes Paul’s travels through Macedonia and Greece after a riot in Ephesus. He caught up with his entourage […]