There Is No Other

Understand this, my love
I want you
I desire you

You are not my wife because you were all I had
You are my wife because you are all I want

If I had other options, I would push them away
Because it is you whom I desire
You are my best friend
My compatriot
My confidant

Like any two friends, we argue
We get on each other's nerves
In the heat of anger
We say things that cut so deep
Things that should never have been said
Things that we both know aren't true
We love like no one else can love
So we can cause pain like no other as well
But even when I feel nothing
I have my promise to you

Even when our emotions make us want to
be anywhere but near each other
I know there is no other
I want you
I desire you
And only you
That will never change

But, God willing, I can
I must, and I will
I will be the man that you deserve, that you need
I will be the man that woos you back
With gentleness and fierce pursuit
I will become the man that you will want
That you will desire

For you are my wife
And there is no other

I Question

I question the choices that brought me here
Why do I live the way I do?
Why did I choose this life
When being like everyone else would have been so easy?

After all these years, what do I have to show for it?
I chose pain for the God I can't see
I chose the hard path for a future family I don't have
I chose to stay faithful to one woman I haven't even met yet

Everyone else can take the easy road
I cannot
Everyone else can live for the moment
I cannot
They say this makes me noble
It doesn't feel that way

Do I merely follow my God because of what He might give me?
Am I no better than those who go the world's way for selfish gain?
They say I am a good man
I feel like a hypocrite

So very tired
The narrow path is a long one
So very exhausted
Do you still see me?

At times, I resent this road
I resent being different
I resent fighting the good fight
I grow weary of a tunnel that seems never ending

Am I a fool?
Have I sacrificed for nothing?
Should I even be asking this question?
Shouldn't I follow my God simply because He is good?
I wish I had such faith

Meet me where I am
Speak to me, speak to my soul
What will You say?
Have I never stopped to listen?

I'm scared
And I question the road You've led me down

Don't leave me
For now, I don't need You to give me anything
I just need You here now
Maybe I've striven all these years in vain
Maybe I am a fool
But please, draw close to me now
I don't understand, and maybe I don't have to
Just please, comfort me now
Hold me in Your arms
And don't ever let go

The Father-Daughter Archetype - Writing Insights

I once heard that every story that will ever be told has already been told countless times before. While the specifics may change in keeping with the creativity of the storyteller, the same basic stories and characters that have resonated with us for generations continue to live on. One example of this is the concept of character archetypes. There are a number of archetypes (or classic types of characters) that are used over and over in stories.

One you might recognize is the archetype of the "mentor" character, like Gandalf from Tolkien's Middle Earth stories, Obi-Wan Kenobi from Lucas's Star Wars, or Rost from Guerrilla Games's Horizon: Zero Dawn video game (brownie points to those who know that one). Or perhaps the "god-man" archetype, embodied by characters like DC Comics' Superman, the Doctor from Doctor Who, or Marvel Comics' Thor.

And while I would love to (and perhaps may someday soon get to) get into these archetypes as well, you can probably learn all you need to know about these well-known archetypes in a quick google search or on YouTube. Today, I wanted to share my thoughts on an archetypal pairing that I have yet to see discussed: the Father-Daughter archetype.

As the name clearly suggests, the Father-Daughter archetype describes a pair of characters: one older male character fulfilling a mentor/father-figure role, and a younger female character in an apprentice/daughter role. While not required, usually the Father character is reluctant to teach the Daughter character, either out of being weary of the world, or perhaps doubting the Daughter character's capability. But the key is that both learn from each other by the end of the journey.

Now, this may sound similar to the Mentor-Hero archetype. But the two are different in some fundamental ways. Firstly, in a regular Mentor-Hero relationship, the two characters' interactions are typically devoid of any familial-like bonds. The Mentor is purely there to serve the Hero; giving advice, magical aid, or the like. In the Lord of the Rings, Gandalf is kind to Frodo, but is mostly there to give words of wisdom or to guard him from the odd Balrog or two. In the Original Trilogy of Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi trains and gives advice to Luke, but I have met few people who would consider Luke and Obi-Wan's relationship anything akin to father-son.

Secondly, in a Mentor-Hero relationship, the Mentor typically has a flat-character arc; in other words, the Mentor has little or nothing to learn by the end of the journey. He has already achieved wisdom, and is merely there to pass on said wisdom to the Hero.

Not so in the Father-Daughter archetype. Consider the characters of Lee and Regan Abbot from the horror/family-drama film "A Quiet Place." A literal father and daughter who learn from each other by the end of the story. Lee learns to be open with his emotions to his daughter, and not solely be concerned with his duty of protecting them at the cost of their relationship. Regan learns to trust her father's judgement and accept that he truly loves her unconditionally. Unlike the Mentor-Hero archetype, both characters learn from each other - often in unexpected ways.

An important point to make is that this archetype is not interchangeable with the Father-Son archetype. With a Father-Son pairing, the Son character is often trying to live up to the example of the Father character, and the journey is complete when the Son achieves becoming like his Father in some way (not necessarily becoming identical, as part of the journey is usually the Son character becoming his own man, while incorporating the positive qualities of the Father character).

In the Father-Daughter archetype, the journey is complete when the daughter becomes a capable woman. This may seem obvious, but it is vitally important. Daughters and sons are different, especially as it pertains to how the Father character goes about teaching his young charge. With a Son character, the Father character can draw upon his own history and lessons learned in an almost one-to-one fashion. He knows what it was like trying to become a man. He knows the journey and the destination, and there is a degree of confidence in knowing the road map.

What makes the Father-Daughter archetype interesting, is that the Daughter character is going towards a destination that the Father character does not and cannot know. He is a little out of his depth in teaching the Daughter character how to be strong, and how to be a woman. This mirrors real Father-Daughter relationships. The mother is usually the one showing the daughter how to be a woman, but it is usually on the father to show the daughter how to be strong and confident in a man's world. The father knows the man's world, but he has to adapt what he knows and what he has learned to a woman's journey - which can often be a difficult journey to navigate for the father.

In literary terms, the disconnect between the genders is often represented metaphorically by giving the Daughter character a special ability that the Father character does not have - and often does not understand. Going back to "A Quiet Place," Regan - the daughter - is deaf, while the rest of the family is hearing. She has a struggle that the father does not have, and Lee is trying his best to build a hearing aid for her, something he doesn't need for himself. Furthermore, (SPOILERS) the hearing aid is eventually revealed to be the means to defeating the monsters, giving Regan an ability no one else has either. And while the father can guide her and show her the way on her journey, the daughter inevitably must finish her journey (to womanhood, if you will) on her own. This is mirrored in the movie in the fact that while Lee created the hearing aid for her, she alone must figure out how to use it against the monsters.

*Spoilers over*

Another example is the movie "Dredd". Now, first up, do not take this as a recommendation of the movie "Dredd". It is a tremendously R-rated movie that you should not watch until you are at least 21 years old. And even then, if you are the squeamish type, avoid it (lots of blood and gore). But the relationship between the two main characters is a perfect example of the Father-Daughter archetype, so it's useful for our purposes here.

Judge Dredd is an experienced cop in a future dystopia where cops are judge, jury, and executioner in a mega city overrun by crime to a ludicrous degree. One day, he is tasked with evaluating a young female cop named Cassandra Anderson. Officer Anderson is idealistic, not confident in her abilities, but also quite unique. In this sci-fi future, she is a mutant with psychic abilities that allow her to read the minds of criminals - an invaluable skill in both combat and interrogation.

As the story progresses, Dredd takes her through a crazy mission to take down a drug lord. Anderson starts out shaky and unsure of herself, but by the end, she is confident and tough enough to protect herself even when separated from her mentor. Furthermore, her own beliefs on who does and doesn't deserve swift judgement deepen, and even Dredd himself learns (from her) to extend a degree of mercy that he wouldn't even have considered at the beginning of the movie. So Anderson learns how to be a tough and capable cop from Dredd, and Dredd learns to be more merciful and look beyond the letter of the law from Anderson (even if it's just a little).

So, to summarize, here are the traits that the Father-Daughter archetype typically has:

- Older male (father) mentor teaches younger female (daughter) apprentice.
- Both characters learn from one another by the end of the story.
- The Daughter character has an ability or skill that the Father character does not.
- The Father character teaches the daughter the skills to survive in a man's world (or just a tougher world)
- The Daughter character teaches the Father character wisdom of a more feminine nature (or just a more emotional nature).
- The Father character guides, but the Daughter character reaches her journey's end on her own (either literally or figuratively).

As a writer, of course, you may bend the rules a bit and add your own variations, but these are characteristics that I've seen over and over again. Try remembering some Father-Daughter pairings in the stories you know. You might be surprised how many share these characteristics I've mentioned here.

The Father-Daughter archetype is one of the more interesting and fascinating ones to me, as it opens up so many options for character growth and interaction. And it's not used too often in stories, so it comes across refreshingly original when it does show up.

I hope you enjoyed the dissection of this particular character archetype. If you have any suggestions for other archetypes or story elements that you'd like me to go over, please suggest some in the comments below.

Hope Deferred

We all wear masks
When we go to work, we put on the mask of professionalism, courtesy, and confidence
When we are with our friends, we put on the mask of having it all together, of easy social prowess, and witty dialogue
When we are at church, we put on the mask that suppresses anything of ourselves that might be judged, whether it actually would be or not
When we are with our parents, we put on the mask of wholeness, never letting it slip that we are struggling so very hard inside, because they have enough to worry about

So who then sees the real me?
To whom do I show my real face?
With whom do I toss aside all masks, all disguise?

To You, to You I show my real face
Not because I want to
But because I can show nothing else
Your gaze pierces my charade
And You see the real me
A broken mess
An accusing finger
A sobbing well of unfulfilled dreams
The anger over a life I thought was owed to me

I scream, "Where are You?"
And yet You see me
I yell with running tears, "Do You even care?"
And yet You listen to my cry
I accuse You of all that I know You are not
And yet You are there
I ask with trembling resignation, "Have You forgotten me?"
And yet You refuse to leave

Perhaps You would comfort me
If I didn't push You away
Perhaps You would speak reassuring words to my soul
If I didn't refuse to hear them
My anger consumes me
The pain is too much to bear
A kind word from You
Feels like salt on an open wound
For the gap between what You promise
And what I can see
Is a chasm far too wide
Is this a sick game to You?
Why create me to desire Your call
And then keep my dreams just beyond my fingertips?
The pain is too much to bear

God, why?

Just one more day
Just the thought of still being where I am today
After a year has passed
Makes me sick to my stomach
So give me strength
For just one more day
Sustain me
Hold me close
Be my Father
And never stop speaking Hope
Even when I scream at You to stop
You know what I need
You see my pain
Never leave
Be my Father

The Prophetess

I am in search of the warrior woman
The courageous spirit of noble character

I search not for a painting to be admired from afar
Nor an ornament to stir others to jealousy
I reject the flower that withers in the face of battle
The beauty that lives only for the days of sun
And shrinks back from the oncoming storm

I desire the one who shares the trenches with me
The one who guards my back as I guard hers

The war is long and the journey difficult
Who will bear with me in times of sorrow?
Who will not turn back when the giants advance?

I have yet to find such a warrior
I have yet to see such courage

This, this is the beauty I desire
The beauty of loyalty, of true friendship
The beauty of a vow unbroken
Of a love unyielding
Of a code uncompromising
Of a fighter's heart unbroken

The stories may prove mere hearsay
The legends nothing more than noble fantasy
And yet still
I am in search of the warrior woman

Regrets

People I've known, people I've loved

Those who knew me so well, and those who only thought they did

People I thought I understood, and those who rightfully know I never could

Those I've been there for, and those I wish to God I could do so much more for

The people I know will never abandon me, and those who drifted away

The people I would die for, and the people who have already forgotten my name

The choices that defined me, made me who I am

And the mistakes that haunt me, filling me with shame and regret

The people I've helped, and the people I've hurt

The people I never got the chance to thank, for they did more than they'll ever know

And the people I never got the chance to apologize to, for I am more sorry than I can say

The blood sister I never got to meet, and the friend who became like a brother

The days of tears, hidden from so many

And the days of purest joy, also hidden from those I love most

The terror of what lies ahead of me, and the ecstasy of daring to hope

Broken relationships that I have no idea how to mend

And restored brotherhood that I am not worthy of

Those I pray for every day, willing them to succeed and seize the day

Those whose hearts are now broken, the culprit not worthy of their love

Those who wait so very long, of their love who could be worthy?

The One whom I betray, who never sees me as a traitor

The One who I love, who I will always run back to

Justice for the oppressed, love for the lonely

Restoration to the truly repentant, forgiveness for those crushed by shame

Life to the lifeless, innocence to those longing to be made whole

Vision to the blind, purpose to those longing for a reason

Courage to the cowardly, longing to find redemption

Wisdom to those not satisfied, longing for all to be made right

And reward to the meek, the kind, to those who persevere

Let the Lion return, and let all who long for Him embrace with open arms

And tell this troubled heart to be still, bring peace to this troubled mind

Bring hope to this dying soul, pour water on this thirsty land

I need You

Christians - What We Could Be in the Music Industry

Thanks to the great people behind such radio stations as the FISH, K-LOVE, or Air1, Christians have no lack of clean, uplifting songs to listen to in the car, through our smart devices, or just on the computer while internet browsing. In addition, Amazon and iTunes are filled with Christian artists and their albums. (There's also streaming services like Spotify and Pandora, but I'm too old-fashioned to get into that. Streaming is a young man's game. Haha). My point is that we can access Christian music of varying genres very easily in this day and age. It wasn't always this way.

Prior to the 1980's, the only Christian music you would be able to buy would be hymns and gospel music (Any of your parents know the Bill Gaither Trio?). It wasn't until the 80's when the first modern Christian bands began forming. Bands like Petra, Stryper, and my personal favorite - Idle Cure (Any of you guys know "Breakaway"?). Most of these bands were formed by Christians or newly-saved Christians who used to play in secular bands. So they knew the coolest sounds and music, but had the message of Christ for their lyrics. And these guys didn't hold at all back with their lyrics. (Seriously, check out the lyrics to "Who Cries For Me?" by Idle Cure. Deep stuff).

Then came the 1990's, when Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) - and especially Christian Rock in the late 90's - took off. Bands like Skillet, Fireflight, Thousand Foot Krutch, Kutless, Relient K, you name it. I was very fortunate to be able to rock out to these bands' music as I grew up. I think we can all agree that anyone born after 1990 was spoiled when it came to getting Christian music as a kid.

So what am I getting at? Well, an interesting thing happened in the 1990's. Christian music labels were formed. Christian radio stations were established. Christian music festivals and award shows were created. An entire subculture of music, iconography, and lingo was born out of an untapped audience desperate for good music that aligned with their values. This was Christ-centered music that the kids could get behind. I'll never forget listening to "Invincible" by Skillet for the first time, or my first Relient K album.

With this subculture, a shield was formed. Up-and-coming Christian artists now had a path to exposure wherein they could develop as artists and wouldn't be attacked for their faith and values. It was the freedom to create great music that glorified the Father. And sure, Christian music started out pretty bad at first (I like to pretend that Skillet's first two albums don't exist), but because the artists had the CCM subculture shield of radio stations, sympathetic music labels, and fans that supported their message, they could go through the growing pains necessary to find their feet. And now, some of the best music out there - secular or not - can be found among Christian artists.

But I think - 20 years on - there has grown an unintended side effect of the CCM shield. The shield has become a bubble. Rather than being a way for Christian artists to safely develop their skills until they have achieved mastery, I feel that many new Christian artists are using the safe environment to settle for mediocrity.

I know this can seem a harsh criticism, but hear me out. Here's a few songs from some of the top Contemporary Christian Music artists of our day, all with over a million views of these songs on YouTube, some in the 10's of millions.

You may have a differing opinion on these songs, but they all sound a little bland to me. The instrumentation, the melodies, and the lyrics are all very similar. Nothing stands out to me. Don't get me wrong, I believe there is a place for simple songs. Some of my favorite worship songs have just a guitar and some drums, and a very anointed singer with a powerful voice full of conviction. But when all the songs on Christian radio sound like that, you have to wonder if we couldn't be doing more.

Let me put it this way. If - as an up-and-coming Christian musician - you know that your intended audience is so desperate for clean and Christ-centered music that they'll absorb everything that comes from Christian radio stations and music labels, you may not feel as much incentive to innovate or be creative in your music. Why should you? As long as your lyrics are clean, and you have a sort of catchy tune, Christian radio stations will play your songs, and likewise, the Christian music labels will sign you.

This may be enough for the Christian listening audience, but what about the rest of the world? Again, don't get me wrong. I love that we have music tailored just for Christians. Casting Crowns is one of my favorite artists. But remember the great composers born out of the Reformation? Handel, Bach, Beethoven, etc. wrote many beautiful compositions - many which praised Christ - and weren't just regarded as great Christian composers. They were regarded by everyone as great composers by any standard. Christians were at the top of their game. The masters of their craft.

Now, this isn't true for all Christian music, as I've already mentioned. But I do think that one subgenre of Christian Contemporary Music is enjoying more creative innovation than the rest. I am talking about Christian Rock. I know not all of you are fans of rock music, but just listen to these songs by Christian rock artists that are still around today, and compare them to the first video I showed you - in terms of quality of lyrics, instrumentation, and composition.

Did you notice the difference? Pianos, violins, electronics, guitars, drums, male and female vocals. All arranged masterfully around powerful lyrics. I know this is subjective, but I hope you found - as I did - that these songs felt more cinematic, more creative, more powerful.

And this motivates the question, why is only the rock subgenre of Christian Contemporary Music this good? My educated guess is that Christian rock is the only subgenre of CCM that has the potential right now to cross over to the secular realm. As such, after a Christian rock band develops under the CCM shield, it can move over to the secular scene, where there is no such shield. Those bands now have to compete on a level even with every other rock band, forcing innovation and creativity and mastery in order to survive.

And look at the results. Skillet is popular all over the world (especially in Russia for some reason), have reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (meaning they had a song that sold the 3rd best for a week out of all songs released that week), and have sold millions of albums. RED also enjoys similar international success, as well as were nominated for a Grammy award twice.

And if you suspect that these two bands have watered down their message to get where they are, I can say with complete confidence that they have not. I've been to live concerts for both of these bands. Skillet is never afraid to give credit to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on stage in between (and sometimes in the middle of) their songs. And I personally witnessed Michael Barnes, the main singer of RED - at a secular venue - get down on his knees on the stage and say a prayer out loud in the middle of his song before finishing the song in bombastic fashion. It was an awesome show.

So all that to say... we can do better. Christians can - and should - be the masters of their craft. Whether it be music, engineering, mathematics, photography, writing, filmaking, or whatever, Christians should exemplify excellence. Like the great painters and composers of old, Christ should show through the excellence of our work, and the conviction of our testimonies. Because when we as Christians inspire like no one else can, solve problems that no one else can solve, and speak truth when no one else will, people cannot help but be pointed to the God who gives us the strength and talent to accomplish it all.

Be excellent, fellow Christians. Be masters of your craft. Change the world.

~ Drew

CLO: Teaser Trailer - CQB Specialist

Here is a teaser trailer for one of the characters in our newest project: Combat Legends Online. One more teaser featuring a different character will be forthcoming. Comment below regarding any questions you might have.

CLO: Teaser Trailer - Modern Commando

Here is a teaser trailer for one of the characters in our newest project: Combat Legends Online. More teasers featuring different characters and revealing more of the story will be forthcoming. Comment below regarding any questions you might have.

CLO: Teaser Trailer - Assassin

Here is a teaser trailer for one of the characters in our newest film project: Combat Legends Online. More teasers featuring different characters and revealing more of the story will be forthcoming. Comment below regarding any questions you might have.