Genesis 1

On a recent prayer/photography retreat I attended, participants were challenged to tell the creation story in photographs. There was a state park and a university campus nearby. Here's my attempt:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

And the evening and the morning were the third day.

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Interview with author of "Brilliant Disguises," Christian writer William Thornton

William Thornton's debut novel, "Brilliant Disguises," focuses on a man who pretends to be a Christian to get a coveted job with a famous philanthropist. A natural mimic, Cameron Leon, through his work and personal experiences, comes to see the evangelical Christian world from an outsider's perspective. I talked with Thornton, a co-worker and friend, about the book:

What inspired you to write this book?

Two things. I actually got some inspiration from a book I only saw the title to: "The Double," by Dostoyevsky. I've always been fascinated with the concept of identity -- how we assemble our own, how we change it, consciously and unconsciously. It's something that is a constant in literature. Think "The Great Gatsby." I saw the title and immediately, I had a rough concept for the main character.

And also, this novel grew out of a short story I had written about five years earlier about a man who is a mimic, and is asked by the widow of his late brother to imitate that brother's voice, just to get her through her grief. That is another part of the novel -- the idea that even when we imitate someone, a little of us shows through and seasons the mix.

Your main character, Cameron Leon, pretends to become a born-again Christian just to get a job, and fools everyone but himself -- and, of course, God. What was your thinking behind this device?

Part of the Christian experience, as Thomas à Kempis observed, is that we are supposed to be the imitation of Christ. I was interested in the idea of someone who was pretending to be a Christian. But I needed a motivation for the character, and holding down a job seemed like a good one. Occasionally, you'll read about people who are fired from jobs for failing to live by a morals clause in their contract. I thought I would take that a step further.

And, I liked the idea that Cameron is giving an insider's perspective of the evangelical world, per se, but he's doing it as an outsider. So things that churched people take for granted are new and alien to him. By seeing them through his eyes, it gives the reader a different perspective, or a new one, if they're coming from a secular background.

Which character in the book do you most identify yourself with and why?

There's no one character I identify most with, besides Cameron. I think everyone, on some level, feels they're "about to be found out." H.L. Mencken once defined self-respect as "the secure feeling that no one, as yet, is suspicious." And I took some inspiration from my life -- because like Cameron, I have an older brother who's much better at mimicry and imitations than I am. He's still alive though, thankfully. There's some minor characters I also identify with.

You sprinkle quotes from philosophers and other famous people throughout the book. Who are some of your favorite philosphers and how have they influenced you?

This was a device I chose to show that Cameron is so much of a mimic that even his ideas are somebody else's. I tinkered with this part of the manuscript for a long time because I didn't want somebody to read it and think, "Oh, this is Bill showing off his library." But I did want to give the impression that these ideas we carry around impulsively inside us actually come from somewhere and have been articulated before. Modern pop culture tends to leave us with the impression that "no one's ever gone through what I'm going through, and they've never had thoughts as profound as I have."

As for philosophers who have influenced me, in college I took several philosophy courses and studied under Dr. Richard Cohen, who was a student of Emmanuel Levinas. I managed to work Levinas into the novel, as well as Franz Rosenzweig. But strangely enough, the parts of the course that appealed to me the most were the Old Testament prophets. The book we studied, besides the original Scriptures, was "The Prophets" by Abraham Heschel. Great book.

The prophets don't dwell in concepts of time, space, the Other. They deal in the everyday, which is where philosophers and street people both live their lives. If you can't feed somebody, then it really doesn't matter whether our perception of time and reality is flawed.

Writing fiction is a bit like putting yourself in God's shoes -- creating your own world and populating it with whichever characters you choose. Did writing this book give you any insight into God's perspective on humanity?
Any writing does, just like being a parent does. I think we tend to see our lives as one narrative, with foreshadowing, key scenes, and an ending that we seem to race toward that's already foretold. Our minds help us do this. But life is much more complex and messy, and I think God sees our lives not necessarily as that one strand, but all the other possibilities that fall with each passing second.

It's like when you play chess with a computer -- the computer not only plots its moves, but plots ahead to every conceiveable move that you or it could make, based on the last move. I think that is how He sees it, and it gives us another window into just how ... the old English word would be terrible ... He is. That's a being of unimaginable, awe-inspiring power and complexity. And yet, He cares. With that kind of window, He not only observes but cares, interacts, shapes, steps aside, and blesses.

An author can see possibilities, but they're focused on that narrative, and on the demands of the story. It has to satisfy on some emotional level, which means that it can be manipulated, The key is being, like God, almost invisible. I think it was Raymond Chandler who said, "When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun." Sometimes, you have to step in.

What do you hope readers take away from "Brilliant Disguises"?
I hope they find it a satisfying read. I also hope they see it as something different. I think a lot of -- the market term is Christian fiction -- tends to try to satisfy some of the secular cravings we as readers have. The spy story. The romance. There's a lot of allegory and fantasy with some spirituality or Scripture leavened in for the market. And all that is fine. A good story is a good story.

But we run the risk sometimes, I think, of reinforcing what the secular world suspects -- that we live in a fantasy world, that we escape through our faith. And I don't see Christians as escapists at all. It takes a great deal of clarity to look at the world the way it is and look past all the grime and glitter, tune out the noise, and focus on finding the Almighty in the other person. Part of what Cameron does is make that journey, as we all must.

"Brilliant Disguises" by William Thornton is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, BooksAMillion and on the website www.brilliantdisguises.com. Thornton also has a blog, brilliantdisguises.blogspot.com, which deals with Christian themes in literature and contemporary culture.

Wooly Willy nabbed in Florida killings

Thanksgiving murder suspect caught with help of "America's Most Wanted" and child's obsession with arranging metal shavings into facial hair.

The proverbial wisdom of Dilbert

"Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." -- Proverbs 17:28 (NIV)

Buy my e-book: The Easy Budget

It's time for resolutions, and one of of the best is wise money management. My new e-book, "The Easy Budget: How to Always Have the Money You Need" teaches you how to allot your income into various categories so that you always have funds when you need them.

There's a Food budget, a Clothing budget, Entertainment and more. You never spend too much on clothing and then don't have enough for food.

The 10 page e-book can be downloaded onto your computer or handheld reader, such as a Kindle or Nook. It costs only $3.50 -- and that's easy on your budget.

Resume for writer, copy editor, photographer Greg Richter

Objective
To find a position using my writing, editing and/or photography skills in a creative environment that will benefit the company and my own growth.

Contact
Greg Richter
grichter64 (at) yahoo (dot) com
734-6960 (area code is 256)

Work Experience
Copy editor
12/1995 - Present The Birmingham News, Birmingham, Alabama

• Go-to guy on tight deadline stories. Edit, write captivating headline and get it to the page designer super-fast. Create enticing headlines in increasingly skinnier column widths that sell the story in the print edition, and write Search Engine Optimization (SEO) heads for the online edition that bring in Google hits from outside our normal coverage area.

• Write feature stories and do a weekly compilation of what publications outside the state are saying about Alabama. Using eye-catching copy, this column has grown in popularity. Feature story on the worldwide popularity of the song “Sweet Home Alabama” is now supported by a blog, which brings in readers worldwide.

• Sweet Home Alabama blog: www.al.com/sweet-home-alabama

• Like It or Not, Now You’re Everywhere On the Web: http://blog.al.com/techcetera/2009/05/like_it_or_not_now_youre_every.html

• Outside Looking In: (Google “outside looking in” and “birmingham news” for recent examples.

Freelance writer, editor, photographer

• Wrote e-book on how to maintain a budget and live within your means under pseudonym Owen Tew. “The Easy Budget: How to Always Have the Money You Need”: www.lulu.com/content/e-book/the-easy-budget-how-to-always-have-the-money-you-need/8098563

• “Jesus in Alabama – And Everywhere Else: Images of the Name”: A photo blog on images of the name Jesus painted on the sides of businesses, as graffiti on roads, etc. (Also under pseudonym Owen Tew). http://jesusinalabama.blogspot.com/

• Edited copy on signs for Birmingham Civil Rights Trail.

• Photography can be seen at http://gregrichter.smugmug.com/

Copy editor, Page designer
10/1991 - 12/1995 The Decatur Daily, Decatur, Alabama

Reporter, Photographer
8/1988 - 10/1991 Daily Mountain Eagle, Jasper, Alabama

Reporter, Wire editor
5/1986 - 8/1988 The Cullman Times, Cullman, Alabama

Education
University of Alabama at Birmingham/Journalism, Birmingham, Alabama

• President's List

Southeastern Bible College/Biblical Studies, Birmingham, Alabama

Additional Info

• Multiple statewide writing awards from The Associated Press and the Alabama Press Association, including for deadline news, feature writing and headline writing. Won best headline of the year at The Birmingham News three times and best headline of the month numerous times. Received management training from current employer. Placed on a team assigned to find ways to cut costs, and many of our ideas were implemented.

• Board of directors for The Cullman County Historical Society. Started a blog for the group, which previously had no Internet presence, and have played a character in the Cemetery Tour for the past three years during Oktoberfest. Chairman of Bus Tour Committee. Member of Finance and Budget Committee and Cemetery Tour Committee.

References
I will be happy to furnish references upon request.

Website takes prayer requests, reminds you to pray

Wereprayingforyou.com, an Ozark, Alabama-based website, offers prayers for those who sign up. It also encouranges you pray for other members' requests.

The site is envisioned as a Facebook for prayer warriors, which sounds like a capital idea. But then there are the cheesy bracelets sold on the site. They're hooked to pagers and vibrate when someone you've agreed to pray for needs. it.

Emblazoned with "AGAPE," the Greek word for brotherly love, they come in Buzzing Black© , Royal Blue© and Perfect Purple© and are "designed to be worn by anyone, young or old, male or female, using a stylish, adjustable band."

Although the site charges $49.95 for a charm bracelet and $79.95 for the plastic vibrating pager bracelets, CEO Sam Pitts tells The Birmingham News, "You don't have to buy anything for the prayer. ... It's no different from publishers making money from printing Bibles. Nobody complains about that. How can a church operate if nobody gave?"

Well, OK. Just be forewarned that Pitts once owned National Credit Savers and National Credit Center, which The Birmingham News reports were cited as the subject of federal injunctions in the 1993 annual report of the Federal Trade Commission. Pitts paid $300,000 to settle allegations his companies deceptively marketed credit cards through direct mail and 900 telephone numbers, the newspaper quotes an FTC report.

Of course, all of us have things in our past we're ashamed of, but you should make your purchases with open eyes. You can close them as you pray if you wish.

We might want to pass along a note to the webmaster, too, about that pop-up video you watch when the site first loads. That first speaker's hand goes to an inappropriate place a few times vis-a-vis the photo of the praying young woman on the left. Perhaps they could scoot that guy down a bit.

And if you don't want your left hand to know what your right is doing, order one for each wrist.