The Day of - NaNoPrep Assignments

Character: Protagonist Interview

JOT: "Well, Solomon, that was quite some quest. Have you had time to process much of it since you've returned home?"

Solomon: "Not much. I still feel a bit in shock from the magnitude of everything I've experienced, but I would be willing to do a little 'out-loud processing' with you right now."

JOT: "Fair enough. What seems to be your biggest takeaway from this journey?"

Solomon: "The idea, that success in life, is not what I used to think it was. Success is in large part, being made whole, and in tune with the Lord Jesus. Anything else, that it might be, flows out of this SHALOM, He bequeaths to make the heart and life complete, whole, and joy-filled."

JOT: "So, you're saying, that Success is not a destination, it is the fulfillment of a person in relationship with Jesus Christ, HIStory's Only Messiah."

Solomon: "Yeah. That's it in a nutshell."

JOT: "Okay, then let's dive deeper into your life. Can you give me a before and after of this quest? Who were you before you started as compared to who you are now?"

Solomon: "Do we have that much time? It might be easier for you to just read this book of my memoirs, titled, The Day of."

JOT: "Better for me, maybe, but our radio audience only has an hour to get a plain idea of who Solomon is."

Solomon: "Nice. I see what you did there. The plain idea about Solomon Plain. Smooth."

JOT: "You got me. Now, can we get the fly-over, top-down view of Solomon Plain? Just a few minutes. Make it simple."

Solomon: "Before I went on my journey to really connect with God, I was an overbearing, foul-mouthed, and yet depressed Son-of-a-B---, even though I called myself a Christian. Oops. Sorry. Old habits die hard. I will try to keep it clean for your audience."

JOT: "It's okay. No worries. I have read your story. You had a really troubled background as a child, but a lot of people have had that. What makes you unique?"

Solomon: "My family had the reputation for being a Christian family, but we dealt with emotional and mental illness. We could present to the world as having it all together but inside our four walls was screaming, crying (bellowing, actually,) slapping faces, overmuch paddlings, and then silence for days."

JOT: "How did that affect your relationship with the LORD?"

Solomon: "O, that was on again, off again. I believed in Heaven and Hell. I knew that I would have to spend Eternity in one or the other of these places, but when God was called my Heavenly Father, I just couldn't comprehend that. My Dad was often busy with his secular job, and his part-time pastorate. Did that mean, that God didn't have time to talk with me, either? My Mom was volatile, emotionally. I learned to shut down in order to stay safe. I've sometimes heard that the Holy Spirit is compared to the mother in the family, but with a mother, like mine, how does that even compute?"

JOT: "I'm really sorry, Solomon. How did your trip, journey, or quest change you into the man you are, today?"

Solomon: "That was probably the hardest portion of my life to date. It seems like God made life harder for me in order to make me better. I spent 30 days in jail in Toronto for verbally assaulting a border officer, while giving him totally unacceptable hand gestures."

JOT: "WOW! What did you learn in there?"

Solomon: "I learned, that I was not the center of the universe. If I wanted my freedom restored, then I had to learn to police myself, starting with my words and actions."

JOT: "You, obviously, were released to continue your quest. What next?"

Solomon: "My wilderness wandering with the sled and dog team, plus newly learned, but inexperienced survival skills taught me, that I needed others. I was nearly killed several times by bears, and exposure to the elements, but every time a fellow, who went by the name 'The Good Shepherd' showed up just in time to save me. Ultimately, after going searching for God, I finally found out, that He was the God I was searching for."

JOT: "Solomon, are you able to wrap up this interview with a thought, that can help me, and our audience this evening?"

Solomon: "I think so. If we search the world over without ever learning, that it is our heart needing the change, then we will miss the very Person we are searching to find. If, however, we begin to see the person we are without Christ, then the grief we experience in that knowledge is sincerely the tool He uses to show us Christ is ever near and needs only to be received, and embraced. (Romans 10:9-10,13, Philippians 2:13, John 6:37,44; John 3:16)"

JOT: "Very well put, Solomon. Thank you for being my guest, tonight. Well, that's a wrap, folks. 'Search for the Lord in our own strength, and miss Him. Grieve over the person we each are without Him, and find, that He is only a breath away.' You've been listening to Prep Talk, where I always try to give you a Pep Talk by interviewing engaging guests every week. With the Lord as my Helper, I'll be here next week at this same time for Prep Talk. May the Lord always bless you. I am your host, Jay O'Toole."

by Jay O'Toole
on October 24th, 2022