I have been compelled by the Lord three times to write something. The first was when a family from my church lost a child. Thoughts about a story where they got to see him on the other side, in Heaven, were injected into my prayer life. It was not as if I were daydreaming and my mind drifted into these thoughts about a story, but rather something else happened. The thoughts, at least enough of them to have the framework of a story, were not my own. I say that I was compelled because I did not want to write it. Who would want to mess around with such raw feelings. Not being a writer but rather only a lowly carpenter I tried to get out of it, however God was in the story and He blessed it.
In much the same way the ideas of this story were impressed upon me. I have strong convictions anyway about young people and weapons. I believe that resorting to the use of weapons is a poor solution rarely necessary. Guns and knives are glorified in movies and television causing teens to get the wrong romanticized ideas about them. God wanted me to write about teens dealing with weapons in a high school and how the spirit world, both good and evil, use their own weapons (the spiritual kind) to manipulate our world for their own purposes. He also wanted very much for me to impress upon my readers that no matter the situation He was in control. Anyway this was all way beyond the twenty pages or so that I had originally written for the family, and I was very intimidated so I came up with the idea of a comic book. This was me trying to get out of an assignment once again. I had an artist friend who seemed willing and so the first chapter of this book began with mostly dialogue. The artist moved away and so the book in its present form took shape. That was fourteen years ago.
There is a story within the story which caused me much angst. The main spiritual protagonist and antagonist had a history in the town of Jericho. Allowing the work to shift into a bible story was not easy, and yet it I could not let it go. It seemed important to leave it in, even so I tread very softly. This more than any other reason caused me pause and delayed my finishing the story; moreover, every time I read what I termed a real book I would be shut down for a time, unable to see past my own inabilities, but He gives more grace.
I have always been fascinated by C.S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letter” and Frank Perettis’ “This Present Darkness”. What I believe about spiritual warfare is something in between what these two men expressed in their writings. I believe the demons know us better than we know ourselves and press all the right buttons at the just the wrong times; wrong for us that is. On the other hand God is in complete control and has twice as many of His servants (the angels) at His disposal to guard and protect us. I believe that nothing happens except by His express will. Are we just pawns in a bigger game? I think not. For whatever reason God has in His infinite wisdom decided to allow man to have a part in the mosaic He is painting. You have a part, and so do I.
The third thing I was compelled to write was recent and different. It was a letter written by a man going up to corporate headquarters. I left it in the updates section of this website. Maybe you will see yourself in the letter. I know I do.
Maranatha,
Sean Delaney