INFINITE REALITIES
By R.L. Copple
Published by Double-Edged Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9793079-6-6
Barely a book by most standards, less than 100 pages, Infinite Realities is amazing.
Mr. Copple tackles the issue of our God-given gifts and our ability to misuse and
abuse them as we learn to let them operate correctly. What a thorny subject that
can be! Ever been prayed for by someone who is just positive you've received
something at his or her hands? Maybe you did receive something, but it wasn't
what they thought it would be. And have you ever felt "blamed" because you didn't
receive what they expected you to? Misused gifts – a hot topic for such a short
book, but Mr. Copple dishes out lessons so subtly, you hardly register that you are
learning anything until – BAM! – it hits you between the eyes.
Sisko is a young boy of fourteen, the age when a boy becomes a man in the eyes
of the village. The rite of passage is the local steam room. Within it's misty
chambers, people become on the outside what they hold within their hearts. The
grasping, covetous man goes from lithe and fit to a lumbering mass of blubber. The
amorous adventurer grows bark and roots; the gentle man with a kind heart and
portly form leaves with a sleek, well-muscled body. Sisko discovers he has a heart
for helping people. When he leaves the steam room, he finds a ring on his hand, a
gift of God to be used only in praying for others' needs. If he uses it for his own
selfish ends, he is warned, it will lose its virtue.
The rest of the chapters in this book chronicle the travels of Sisko and his ring, his
mishaps and his successes, lessons learned – both good and sad. Mr. Copple's
stories cover eleven years of Sisko's life. The years leap by with each chapter, and
much too soon, the journey ended. I finished the book in one sitting, a rare
accomplishment in my household. As I set the book down, I wished for more of the
story. (Perhaps a sequel, Mr. Copple?)
The journey was so profound I didn't want it to end. Sisko learned about true
friendship, seeing beyond the physical form, looking at the heart and not the
appearance, giving all creatures the benefit of a doubt, and most of all, the value
of love. He also found within himself anger and the possibility of violence, things he
didn't expect in his own life. He found fear and questions, and most heartbreaking
of all, a lack of faith. At some point we all experience that moment when we say,
"Thanks, God, but if You aren't going to do something right now, I'll handle it
myself." Been there? I know I have. And invariably we do – as Sisko does – the
wrong thing.
Hold this book in your hand with a touch of awe. Sisko's world is apt to mirror your
own, and the view won't always be comfortable, but it will reflect truth. God is
God, whether we believe or not, whether we trust or not, whether we succeed
or blow it royally. And there is always a miracle around the corner. It might not be
the one you expect. But it will be a gift from the Heart of God. Infinite Realities is
one of those gifts.
Reprinted with permission from Deborah Cullins-Smith at MySpace
By R.L. Copple
Published by Double-Edged Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9793079-6-6
Barely a book by most standards, less than 100 pages, Infinite Realities is amazing.
Mr. Copple tackles the issue of our God-given gifts and our ability to misuse and
abuse them as we learn to let them operate correctly. What a thorny subject that
can be! Ever been prayed for by someone who is just positive you've received
something at his or her hands? Maybe you did receive something, but it wasn't
what they thought it would be. And have you ever felt "blamed" because you didn't
receive what they expected you to? Misused gifts – a hot topic for such a short
book, but Mr. Copple dishes out lessons so subtly, you hardly register that you are
learning anything until – BAM! – it hits you between the eyes.
Sisko is a young boy of fourteen, the age when a boy becomes a man in the eyes
of the village. The rite of passage is the local steam room. Within it's misty
chambers, people become on the outside what they hold within their hearts. The
grasping, covetous man goes from lithe and fit to a lumbering mass of blubber. The
amorous adventurer grows bark and roots; the gentle man with a kind heart and
portly form leaves with a sleek, well-muscled body. Sisko discovers he has a heart
for helping people. When he leaves the steam room, he finds a ring on his hand, a
gift of God to be used only in praying for others' needs. If he uses it for his own
selfish ends, he is warned, it will lose its virtue.
The rest of the chapters in this book chronicle the travels of Sisko and his ring, his
mishaps and his successes, lessons learned – both good and sad. Mr. Copple's
stories cover eleven years of Sisko's life. The years leap by with each chapter, and
much too soon, the journey ended. I finished the book in one sitting, a rare
accomplishment in my household. As I set the book down, I wished for more of the
story. (Perhaps a sequel, Mr. Copple?)
The journey was so profound I didn't want it to end. Sisko learned about true
friendship, seeing beyond the physical form, looking at the heart and not the
appearance, giving all creatures the benefit of a doubt, and most of all, the value
of love. He also found within himself anger and the possibility of violence, things he
didn't expect in his own life. He found fear and questions, and most heartbreaking
of all, a lack of faith. At some point we all experience that moment when we say,
"Thanks, God, but if You aren't going to do something right now, I'll handle it
myself." Been there? I know I have. And invariably we do – as Sisko does – the
wrong thing.
Hold this book in your hand with a touch of awe. Sisko's world is apt to mirror your
own, and the view won't always be comfortable, but it will reflect truth. God is
God, whether we believe or not, whether we trust or not, whether we succeed
or blow it royally. And there is always a miracle around the corner. It might not be
the one you expect. But it will be a gift from the Heart of God. Infinite Realities is
one of those gifts.
Reprinted with permission from Deborah Cullins-Smith at MySpace
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