I grew up in a very traditional family. My father was a veteran of WW II and was a blue collar worker. My mom, a new Christian, worked extra hours to put the four of us children through Christian schools. My father had high expectations of me, the only boy, but they were based on … More Sins of the Father
1988. I’m a graduate assistant, teaching my first class at California State University, Chico, and I’m petrified. I wait out in the hallway as the students file into the classroom, afraid to look them in the eye. Then when class is about to begin, I go in, sit down at the desk in the front, … More School’s Out…Forever
One of the things I noticed during my 24 years of teaching at our university is a common problem that many intelligent, gifted students have. Usually, when someone is talented in one area, they also have talents in other areas as well. And then what happens is that they get to college and they find … More Two Roads Diverged
Yesterday we had the first day of Colloquium, our official meetings to signal the beginning of the school year for our university. And I started my 23rd year of teaching at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas. It will also, for all intents and purposes, be my last year of teaching. Unless the unforeseen happens, … More The Last Year
People say that the Root of All Evil is the love of money. But I’ll wager that it’s just money, period. The fact that we need it, and most of us don’t have it. Right now, it’s pretty much running my life. And I’m sick of it. I’m not writing right now. Okay, I’ve admitted … More The Root of All Evil
It’s amazing how much of my life is motivated by guilt. When I’m not writing, I feel guilty for not doing so. Then when I start writing, I usually get obsessive about it, and I neglect something else, like getting ready for classes, which start here in four weeks, which makes me feel guilty again. … More Still Alive. Still Kicking. Still Writing.
Tomorrow marks the twentieth time I will have sat through colloquium at Southwestern Adventist University. For those of you who don’t know, colloquium are the meetings that mark the beginning of another school year for the faculty of our university. Last night was our opening “banquet” (hot dogs and beans at the local ballpark), tomorrow … More Colloquium X 20 and My Latest Project
For those who don’t know much about me, I’m a novelist who makes a living as a university professor during daylight hours. I’ve been doing this (the professor part) for 19 years now, and before that I was an editor. I teach in the communication department of Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas, and consider … More Storytelling 101: Why It’s All About Worldview
One of the perks of being a college professor is getting to enjoy spring break just like my students do. Of course, there’s still lots of work I could be doing, but just like my students, I choose to ignore it, at least for a week. But for me, spring break is what used to … More Spring Break, 2017
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” –Ecclesiastes 1:9 Another school year has started–the 19th for me as a university professor (amazing!)–and I have classrooms full of students who are eager … More Old Wine in New Wineskins
The Great Adventure 