Allen G. Bagby

The above video reminds of the bible verse Matthew 26:41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

I also think this frame of mind he refers to has something to do with addiction’s false narrative or hook in our lives, like porn or a blow-up doll in place of the intimacy of a real woman.

“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.… Read more

Noah’s flood is referred to many times in the biblical text. That said, in almost every ancient culture worldwide there is a reference to a worldwide flood. It’s not only the epic of Gilgamesh. There is also overwhelming geological evidence.

The other profound thing is WHY did God send a devastating flood? The beginning of the “why” is stated in Genesis 6:1-4. And the punishment for what happened is referred to in Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4.… Read more

I can’t become strong if I am primarily focusing on this debauched world and passing along that information to “raise awareness”. I stand on my platform and proclaim how awful things are to what end? This morning it hit me as I was listening to Mark Zuckerberg testify under the maniacal eyes of Maxine Waters (she is a nut). I watched her berate him, accusing him of all sorts of foul deeds. I don’t like either of these individuals.… Read more

Isn’t that what you’re supposed to aim for? Honing your craft? Improving your skills? Being better? I think the only “flaw” with Blood was the later than the average first plot point which, wasn’t really that late. I had a lot of set-ups to do. And as the Amazon and Goodreads reviews show Blood really gets going at 30%. The complexity of laying the groundwork falls away and a fast paced story emerges with moments of depth and relevance along with harrowing battle and fight scenes.… Read more

I thought I would miss Facebook. Not only did I deactivate Facebook, I canceled all notifications from my expansive social network. It’s been wonderful. I was a social network addict. I encourage everyone to take, at least, a break from it.

Even though I’ve not totally capitalized on the freedom it’s made a huge difference in my ability to focus on the main task at hand and all other tasks of life. It’s such a relief not hearing constant “dings” on my computer and phone.… Read more

Learning how to make your aim true is often about relearning the fundamentals. Great athletes and snipers must maintain the fundamentals. And so must every person that strives for excellence in any endeavor. I’ve reignited my mission to craft Out of Oblivion into a great book by re-reading the most inspiring book I’ve ever read on the craft of novel writing, Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. This is the book, of all the books I’ve read on story craft, that catapulted Blood & Soul out of my imagination onto the pages of Amazon.com… Read more

Just wanted to let my family, friends, colleagues, and followers know before it hits the Drudge Report that I’ll be deactivating my Facebook. I’ll reactivate when I’ve sent the completed draft of Out of Oblivion to my editor. Until we meet again.

Dang. Too late. It’s already up.

While driving through Colorado, Utah, and Arizona recently I had a long heart-to-heart with myself.  And, I listened (text-to-speech on Kindle) to Blood & Soul while driving.… Read more

I saw John Wick: Chapter 2 over the weekend. This movie has a lot of brains …splattered on the walls. Was it well done? Yes! Check out Keanu Reeves practicing for the role. That’s why it has 90% on Rotten Tomatoes (at this point anyway). As said before, I go to movies a lot. It’s a hobby. I study story structure. If the story structure is great, the odds are the movie will do well. Wick has GREAT structure.… Read more

It happened when she was ten years old. We were on vacation headed to the Grand Canyon. Father and daughter together on a truly special adventure. She was the cutest little thing. We laughed and listened to music for hours. Then I would spend hours in solitude driving while she slept periodically. I remember looking at her sleeping peacefully as shadows and sun rolled over her tiny face as we cruised down the highway.

We had been to White Sands New Mexico that day, a wonderland for a child and a man.… Read more