Author Tim George recently asked this question: To those who are writers – how difficult do you find it to strike the balance between preserving the story while cutting away all that hinders it? What do you find harder, fashioning characters and plot or chipping away at them through ruthless editing? There is a saying [...]
“We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall.” — Proverbs 16:33 NLT Getting published, you could say, is an act of Providence. We hone our craft, write our book, and then “throw the dice.” What happens after that is largely out of the author’s control. Christians typically entrust this process to [...]
Here’s another sample from my gargoyle collection. I unearthed this fella at the Santa Cruz swap meet next to some tools, tarnished silverware, and an old bronze Tiffany table lamp. He appears to be gnawing on a bone, which makes him exceptionally endearing.
A group of women in our church used to plan a Ladies Night Out. Those outings often coincided, rather conveniently, with the release of the latest Mel Gibson movie (back then, it was the Lethal Weapon series). You see, these 30-something housewives LOVED Mel. Frankly, I thought it was a little weird. Should I have [...]
Director Ron Howard recently found himself in the crosshairs of controversy, not because of something he said, but because of something a character in his new movie says. L.A. Times columnist Patrick Goldstein writes about it in Ron Howard on “The Dilemma’s” gay joke: It stays in the movie. Universal Pictures decided to pull a [...]
Many aspiring authors get trapped into incessantly complaining about the publishing industry. It’s easy to do. In fact, I’ve done it! Between fickle market trends and play-it-safe editors, the struggling writer can quickly lose heart and surrender to cynicism. Don’t get me wrong, the publishing industry deserves some criticism. But the writer who makes it [...]
I’ve known Dave Jacobs since 1980. Dave was the first “real” pastor I ever had — by that I mean someone who knew me personally, took interest in my family and my gifts, and mentored me along the way. After 30+ years in the ministry, Dave now ministers to other pastors. While mega-churches tend to [...]
DESTINY: (1) something to which a person or thing is destined: fortune; (2) a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency “Destiny” assumes that something is fixed, immovable, a “personal” cosmic plan that can’t be resisted, an “irresistible power or agency.” In other words, you can’t avert your destiny [...]
If you’re a novelist, there’s good reason to keep your opinions to yourself. I recently read an interview with John Grisham in which the author was asked, “Do you try to put Christian sentiments into your books?” He responded, I’m a Christian, and those beliefs occasionally come out in the books. One thing you really [...]
The Bible is supposed to be a book of answers. So it’s rather interesting how many questions it asks. I’m not referring to unanswered questions about the Bible, nor the philosophical or existential questions raised by the Bible. I’m referring to actual questions asked in the Bible, whether by God, angels, or men. While some [...]
