Hey guys! Let’s welcome Kadee Carder to the blog today. Her book, Earthshine, was released this week. I met Kadee through our publisher, Clean Reads, and I just love seeing her inspirational posts on Facebook! Today, she’s going to share one of those posts with us. So, here is her post, Rule of Three and an introduction to Earthshine.
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Rule of Three
All people own a cup of wrath, a yoke, and a cross to bear. Let’s start with the cross to bear. You’ve got some great, burning desire that you cannot turn away or quell. It’s some kind of creation, some kind of sturdy resonating within your chest. That’s your thing that you’re here to do. Maybe you understand the end goal for that cross, but I think most of us continually pursue that cross. The cross alludes to Jesus dying on the cross—he came to earth to seek and to save what was lost. He came to free us. He came to give us life. By fulfilling his purpose on the cross, he set the prisoners free. He faced the ultimate fear and loosed the bliss of humanity. Will your cross be painful? Yes. Will it be absolutely 100% worth it? Absolutely. Don’t think about the pain of it—focus on the bliss it fulfills. Focus on the good that cross does. All good things cost. The best work comes after high costs from the creator. That’s the hero plotline.
The yoke is the actual job and task of doing the work. The yoke includes the people you must deal with in order to accomplish your tasks. Your yoke consists of your family, your neighbors, your peers, every life you touch. The yoke consists of the means to doing and accomplishing your work.
The cup of wrath simply means that because you are alive, you will face trials. BUT! “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus said. “But take heart! I have overcome the world!” Where you can see trouble, challenge, or frustration as a chance to whine, face it with gratitude. Instead of asking “Why isn’t this easier?” ask, “How can this make me better?” Here you have every opportunity to become the hero.
These three things every human possesses, the cross, the yoke, the cup, are the beautiful trinity of why we’re here. Why are you here? What’s your rule of three? “Life happens for you, not to you” (Byron Katie). Can you see how it’s a fulfillment of your best life?
Believe in yourself, your Alliance, and seeing failure as an opportunity for growth. In my books, the Alliance Military Guard serves as a rally point, deploying soldiers across the globe to serve and protect. They’re a privatized group whose board of directors got a little off track and divided up—half operated on the goal of achieving power, while the other half sought service, research, and the advancement of human capability. Saylor had to decide if she trusted her Commander to guide and guard her. She had to decide to follow orders and what directive she needed to take. So do you. Can you trust your Commander? Who is your Commander? You have one. Can you trust your Alliance? Your alliance aligns with your yoke. While you’re doing your work, do you believe in all that of which you are capable? You are powerful. You are loving. You have an intellectual mind. You can walk among giants.
And when we fall down? When we sigh in frustration? When my arms fall to my sides under the weight? When my knees slam against the dirt? I listen to it. I study the stumble. I analyze the instigator of the darkness. I listen to the shadows and seek the truth. Then I go back to the important “rule of three” and decide how I can do better next time. Did I focus on my business? Did I focus on my cross? Did I stay humble? Did I do my best? How can I do better next time?
“Life happens for you, not to you” (Byron Katie). Life serves you, for your hero journey. We know this, because God’s got his business, and his business put you here in your time and space. He’s given you your yoke, your cup, and your cross. He’s your Alliance, your Commander, who gave you marching orders. He wants you to be the hero. Remember he said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). He’s right there beside you, the iron in your bones, helping you do that good work. It’s quite beautiful and exciting, isn’t it? Now, get back to the mission. Adventure awaits.
An excerpt from Earthshine:
I accepted the document, two sweaty palms reaching, tentative, unprepared. I scanned the words, reading them aloud. “I’ve got this deep wrestling within my dark soul. A hunger for the oppressed. An almighty beckoning for the broken and bent, a writhing which cannot be tamed by silence. No; the silence, the hush, the hustle, cannot squelch the fire to share light for those trembling in the depths. I cannot stop giving of myself for my mission, for to stop is to suffocate. To quit, impossible. To surrender, unattainable. My wrestling therefore occurs not in the loss, but the gain. Loss no longer exists. All movement, all attempts, fulfill the mission. My mission.
“For I have been redeemed, and I defeat the darkness within me by each lent hand and rescued soul whom I reach. I am Alliance. I defend freedom, defy injustice, and deepen creative productivity to enhance mankind’s survival. In living victory, I bear my burden, a warrior for my objective: Be powerful. Be consistent. Never quit. Finish the mission.”
My eyes glanced up from the words to my father, then back down, reading, re-reading. Recoiling. Rerouting. “I guess with this kind of mission statement, there’s no room for fear.”
“There’s no need for fear. It’s not part of the mission.”
“I am Alliance. I like it.”
“I am Alliance.”
“Hoo-rah.”
***
About Earthshine:
Fear may be a liar, but hope can be a monster.
Saylor single-handedly saved the world from a devastating solar flare…and it nearly killed her. Now her father’s Alliance Military Guard must track down pirated tech, missing ships, and a rogue billionaire, and they’ve requested a reluctant Saylor’s help.
Tucker spent a year training the rookie Guardsmen. They call themselves Dragons. He calls them defiant. Dispatched across the ocean on a mission to retrieve AMG’s bootlegged tech, he rallies Saylor to overcome her fears and return to the field by his side.
Working together wielding unprecedented tech and determined to defy their destinies, the two wrangle missing ghosts, brunt force betrayal, and the swagger of power. What lies beneath the earth just might save it.
EARTHSHINE is the final book following the McConnell clan and Alliance Military Guard, a standalone for the seeker of YA Sci Fi Action Adventures.
Purchase EARTHSHINE on amazon in paperback or ebook.
Kadee Carder Bio:
Fierce yet sparkly, I rally seekers to thrive in their stories. The goal is magic, the medium
is ink, and the fuel is coffee. And sometimes pizza. I teach English on the university level when I’m not dancing around the living room with my family, lifting heavy at the gym, traveling the planet, or binging superhero shows.
INSURRECTION, INCOMPLETE, INDELIBLE, HERE BE DRAGONS, EARTHSHINE and non-fiction inspirational KINGDOM COME roll out perilous motives, twisty plots, and daring protagonists. Grab some real estate and your copy of my latest adventure, and follow along on KadeeCarder.com.
Visit http://www.kadeecarder.com for inspiration, encouragement, freebie codes, and more!
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And please feel free to subscribe for encouraging blogs! Kadeecarder.com
I’m giving away a free, empowering e-book to those who subscribe to my email list at kadeecarder.com/subscribe. Titled IGNITE, the 60-page book offers a serving of inspiration, a dash of hope, and a cup of grace to help you get kickin’ on those challenging tasks you’ve got to do!
**Grab Book Three, INDELIBLE, for only $.99 this week!**
Dreaming Awake 