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Open caskets tend to disarm me. There’s a disconnect in my mind when death takes the person and still leaves the body. There they are. There they are not. What if, when someone died, they just disappeared? What if they vanished, and the only things we had left were pictures or memories?

But in this case, my high school teacher Mr. Bassett’s body remained behind, and when I walked into the church and saw him lying there in his casket, it was…I don’t know what. Words do not easily escape me, but in this case seeing him there left me wordless. Continue reading “Of Caskets and Memories”

Anyone else out there love to be in control?

Most of the time I’d prefer to be driving any car I’m in – even last weekend, when I was showing a Navy SEAL around the area, it never occurred to me to let him drive (even though he had taken courses on driving backwards and stunt driving while shooting a pistol through the back window). Continue reading “Get in Over Your Head”

When I first met Jason, he had long curly hair and had already wallpapered his dorm room with Bob Marley posters. We couldn’t have been more different – he was a free spirit, a wild child, and I was pretty much a rule follower. But there was always something that drew me to him, some familiarity, like finding a long-lost brother (maybe it was simply the fact that we were born on the same day). Continue reading “Emails From a Christian in Exile: Christianity and Politics”

In moments of frustration I come back to one word:

Process. Continue reading “Writing 1,000,000 Words”

Last week I mentioned a difficult decision confronting me: should I, or should I not, run the Tough Mudder? I mentioned my lack of affinity for cold water, and the fact that I am in terrible shape. I took all of your feedback into account (extremely professional, by the way). I also spoke with various friends, a few of whom are going to be running in the event that day.

And I made my decision. Continue reading “The Verdict on Whether or not I Will Run the Tough Mudder”

The empty field grabbed my attention and slowed my jog to a walk. I couldn’t help but stare at the lush grass now watermelon green after the recent hurricane.

A few of the girls died outside the schoolhouse, I thought to myself. I wonder where?

But there’s no sign a schoolhouse ever existed there – only a large, warped tree, a few fences, a few grazing animals. Continue reading “The Most Costly Decision You’ll Ever Make”