Don’t get me wrong. I am a strong advocate of Christian fiction. Most of what I write is Christian fiction. Although conservatives in my church often look down their noses in disapproval of anything with the word “fiction” associated with it, writers within my church have been writing fiction for generations. And I believe there … More The Trouble with Christian Fiction
I believe that we limit God much more than He limits himself, and that our understanding of God is limited because we are afraid to test the boundaries of our understanding. My writing will intentionally challenge those boundaries, and even though I may make mistakes in how I view and present Him, will continually pursue … More An Infinite God: #5 in The Great Adventure Manifesto
My students today are always surprised when they discover that I used to be a singer, actually a pretty good singer. All through college and the first 15 years of my career, I sang solos, in duets and trios, and in larger groups. I also wrote music for quite a while. I chose my college … More The Bravest Thing I Ever Did
The Great Adventure Belief #6: I will present the idea that science and faith need each other, and that each can provide Truth in its own way. I also believe, and will communicate, that in the end we will discover that there was no disagreement between science and faith, that all that needed correcting was … More Meeting In the Middle: #6 in The Great Adventure Manifesto
Life is what happens while you’re making other plans. –John Lennon I started teaching college level sixteen years ago after a two-decade career as an editor. My goal was to train–and motivate–future Christian writers. Most of the students I deal with find writing a bore, a chore, and would rather be playing basketball. Once … More …And Then Life Happens.
Well, I have a couple of bits of good news that I would like to share today. Actually three. After three weeks of just trying to get started on a new school year, I am back to working on my new book about Jonathan. I am using the working title Chosen, but I am not … More Good News
Point #2 from The Great Adventure Manifesto: In the time I have left upon this earth, I will do my best to share my view of what it means to have a personal God and a daily relationship with Him. My writing will—in large part or small—reflect what I believe is an honest portrayal of … More What Really Matters
It’s time to revisit The Great Adventure Manifesto, in which I try to spell out what I believe, and my marching orders for my writing from this point on. Item one is: I believe in the power of stories. Jesus shared stories because He could share Truth in ways that struck deep into the … More The Power of Story
I’m currently teaching two classes that are unintentionally vexing my students to death. One is intended to make them into editors, the other one into reporters. What vexes them is the simple fact that they can’t seem to come up with stories to write. Well, that’s not exactly correct. We have planning sessions where I … More I Hear Voices….
Once upon a time there were three bears: a Mama Bear, a Papa Bear and a Baby Bear…. We learn the art of telling stories at an early age, and in the process of learning to tell stories, I believe we actually do ourselves a disservice. For as writers, our job is not to tell … More Why You Should Get Rid of Exposition
The Great Adventure 