Commotion in the Pews

I’m in the studio working on our devotional REASONED RESILIENCY: A RATIONAL DEVOTIONAL FOR FIRST RESPONDERS and it dawned on me that some of you would like a free audio book. 

Actually, I have several to share, and all I ask is that you 1. Immediately download it when you get the code 2. Do a fair and honest review on Audible 3. Share it on your social media that you liked it. Or that it was the worst thing ever. (I am confident in the former.)

If you would like to review a couple of audio books for me, I have a handful that are new with no reviews, and a couple of older ones that are selling well  but not a lot of review activity has taken place 

Reviews are priceless, as they change the algorithm for Audible/Amazon and boost the work in the search engines.

How can I give away all these books?  Simple: every book I narrate has at least 25 free downloads so that I can publicize it. I WANT to give these out to get reviews. You get them free, they cost me nothing except time, and everyone wins.

So, here are the books you might get (The devotional isn’t ready yet, RAIN will be out next week, and the others you can have today.)

Put in a comment and they will all be sent to you shortly. I very much appreciate the help!

 

Joe

 

 

 

 

This past Saturday I walked the Ave Maria 1/2 Marathon. I finished with a time of 4:45:09, a blistering 2 seconds faster than my time last October in the Sebring 1/2 Marathon. (Although, I did finish first in my division for age in Sebring. Nobody else 60-64 Male was entered….)

Big deal, right? Yeah, it is. It was freaking hot by the end of the race, about 88 degrees. I don’t know about most of you, but that’s at the upper limit of what I can handle. During my daily walks, I cut the temperature off around 80-82. Anything more makes me sick.

And…. well, today I look like I drank an entire bottle of tequila and have end-stage alcoholic bloat. I am not a pretty vision as a result of becoming completely dehydrated and then filling the tank back up. It goes well with the blister on my right foot – about four inches wide and two inches across. The entire ball of the foot to be precise. 

However, and this is important to me, it was way hotter than expected, and until I hit the 1/2 way point, I was burning along at a 20 minute/mile pace. For an old guy who walks, that’s fast. The speed fell off as the temperature passed 80 and by race end it was a chore to schlump along to the finish. 

But I did. I set the goal of doing the race and did it. I even trimmed a little time off of last fall’s race in much warmer conditions. I practiced what I preach in Navigating Adversity. (I missed my time goal by less than 16 minutes, so pretty happy still!)

The best part of the race? Justin Morris, a young friend (who is a fire fighter) from church was running his first marathon and told me his goal was 5 hours. I told him I’d wait for him at the finish line and cheer him on as my goal was 4:30. He lapped me three times during the race. He finished an hour ahead of me, and took 3rd place in the standings! Now that’s one heck of a first marathon. 

I got to the finish line and he and his cousin, a young lady from my church named Codie, were there cheering loudly as I crossed the timing strip. 

I’ve finished countless 1/2 marathons – I mean, I literally lost track at around 20 of the things. And of all those 1/2 marathon finishes, I don’t remember a sweeter experience than seeing those two there at the finish line. It was a complete, and wonderful, surprise. 

And here we are at the finish. I love doing this, I love my wife, my church, my work, and these two friends. Life is good. 

 

 

 

First, today is the anniversary of my friends death on Ranger 12. I’ve talked about it before. Seems like yesterday. Here’s the link to a great version of the story. 

Next, I was rucking past the Sheriff’s range today when the gaggle of SWAT team types ran by on their way to the weight sets in the parking lot. I smiled and thought about how I once was young and shaped like that group. I hadn’t remembered my friends anniversary until I got home. It was kind of an impact, remembering that they were also at the peak of their young lives physically. 

I came home and talked to a potential client about a new audio book. Then headed into the studio to work on the current one. A rush job was waiting in the queue of my email, and I blasted that out. The audio book is next. I’m very thankful for that work. I decided to keep my head small and went to read the negative reviews on Audible. It’s not clear if I’m truly the worst narrator ever, because the people that accused me of that leveled it at other narrators. So I have that going for me. I’m content with an overall 4.5 rating on all the books I’ve done. Works for me.

The voice is strong, and the work rewarding. I’m excited about all the books I’ve got lined up for the next two years. Yes, that much work waiting for me out there. It’s going to be a busy 2023 and 2024. 

Now back to the old: the rucking has been paying off, and there’s less of the old me and more of the new me. I’ve gained core strength, muscle mass and lost some fat. It feels pretty darned good. 

Well, thanks for wandering by, but I’ve got to get editing: those books don’t do themselves.