When I turned 30, it was a tough year. Somewhere along the line, I’d heard someone say, “If you’re not doing what you love by the time you’re 30, you’ll never do it.” Thirty meant that I had left my teen years and innocent 20s behind me, and had to become an adult. Thirty meant … More 60
I teach a class called Writing for Publication at my university, but for me, writing is writing. I never pass up the opportunity for my students to learn something new. Part of that is simply getting them to experience life–and to write–outside their comfort zone. And so this morning, I took my students to the … More Rest in Peace
This morning I posted something on Facebook that I am eager to see response to. It is “irrefutable evidence” that time traveling is happening around us, and has been for some time. Obviously, I don’t truly believe in time travel and the photos and video that are shown are either digitally manipulated or innocent items … More The Lie That Tells the Truth
Last night we recorded the memorial episode of “Glee” that focused on the death of Cory Monteith and his on-screen character Finn Hudson. I watched it this morning. Here are my reactions: I had wondered how they were going to explain his cause of death. Thankfully, and wisely, they chose to leave it unexplained. Rather, … More No Glee in Glee
I admire artists whose work is larger than they are. What made me start thinking along these lines was thinking about Mount Rushmore. Shelly and I have been talking about doing another road trip sometime in the next few months, and we have never been to Mount Rushmore or to the Black Hills of South … More Larger Than Life
As someone who grew up going to church, I have heard all kinds of stuff blamed on Satan. When I was young, I remember Flip Wilson’s famous line, “The Devil made me do it,” and even though we might not say it, sometimes we have that attitude. We think that if Satan tempts us, we … More Give the Devil His Due
In the past couple of years and several hundred entries into this blog, I have talked about how to come up with ideas, how to organize those ideas, how to write stories and novels, and how to get them published. But for me, writing is much more than a one-time thing. I am in it … More Getting Started in a Writing Career
The full moon lit the waters of the Caribbean as I looked over the railing of the S.S. Champion. Behind me one could hear the noise of celebration—people laughing and shouting, dancing and singing—as we drew closer to the midnight hour. But I was still caught up in my serious, sad reverie. More than once … More “Jesús Saves”
I have a lot of respect for Orson Scott Card. By linking his name with mine in the title, I am not presuming that my writing is the same caliber as his, at least not yet. But I admire him greatly because he has been able to do something that I am trying to do … More Orson Scott Card and Me
Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God by Dallas Willard. Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL (2012). My father attended church only occasionally, but he had a unique, personal relationship with God. His best time to commune with God was when he was tending his garden. He believed that one’s relationship with God was a … More Review: “Hearing God” by Dallas Willard
The Great Adventure 