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The 11th Commandment

So often we want people to arrive. We want them to know.

We have our heritage of modernity to thank for this, our obsession with facts and figures, statistics and scientific methods. And lists, endless lists. Many churches have articles of knowing faith that say in relatively plain language, “Here it is. This is what we believe. These are the theological rules that we play by. Disagree with these and we might kick you out.”

And slowly, subtly, the 11th Commandment oozes into view.
Continue reading “The 11th Commandment”

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Help Determine the Future of my Blog

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the focus of this blog and where I’d like to go with it in the near future. Would you mind answering these three questions in the comments section below? Feel free to also let me know any other thoughts you have on the content. Thanks!

1) Which type of post do you prefer reading on my blog?
a) Posts on writing (posts like Five Writing Lesson I’ve Learned in the First Half of Writing a Novel)
b) Posts on postmodern religion (stuff like What’s Wrong With John 3:16 or The Opposite of Love is not Hate)
c) Creative pieces (posts like Hiding Under His Bed, Reading a Wrinkle in Time)
d) Something else I’ve written

2) Which type of post do you typically skip?
a) Posts on writing
b) Posts on postmodern religion
c) Creative pieces
d) Something else

3) Which of the following would you prefer?
a) I only post about writing
b) I only post about postmodern religion
c) I continue doing two or three of each every week

Thanks! I have this sense that my blog is about to shift direction, but I’m not sure why. Your input is helpful and appreciated.

 

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My First Bicycle, or The Ugly Brown Bike Meets the Thorn Bush

The little boy sat by the window, staring through the dusty screen. Flies twitched up against the mesh, their jerky flight eventually finding a way through. The boy lifted the fly swatter slowly. He was a ninja, or perhaps The Karate Kid.

Wax on, wax off.

Smack. Another dead fly. Another penny. Then he went back to waiting. Continue reading “My First Bicycle, or The Ugly Brown Bike Meets the Thorn Bush”

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What Are You Waiting For?

I wait quietly for a book contract; my hope is in that.

I wait quietly for money; my hope is in finances.

I wait quietly for retirement; my hope is in that day.

I wait quietly for a spouse; my hope is in that.

I wait quietly the S&P to raise our rating; my hope is in the economy.

I wait quietly for my party to change the country; my hope is in politics.

I wait quietly for the day that I finally lose this weight; my hope is in being skinny.

I wait quietly for my spouse to change; my hope is in that.

I wait quietly for a new car; my hope is in that.

I wait quietly for success; my hope is in that.

I wait quietly for my health; my hope is in feeling better.

I wait quietly for things to change; my hope is in that.

I wait quietly for the day that I can start my own business; my hope for life is in that.

I wait quietly for the day that I can do what I want to do; my hope is in my dream.

 

 

I wait quietly for God; my hope is in Him.

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When Your Dream Requires Waiting…and a Teeter Totter

Andi is a good friend of mine from college who, just a few weeks ago, was gracious enough to give my family a tour of the estate of which her father has been the caretaker for many, many years. She is a fabulous writer working on a project that I think has huge potential to be very important and very good.

If you are interested in guest-posting here about your journey towards your dream, let me know. I’d like to start a weekly series, if there are enough of you who want to write about it. It can be based around the dream you want to live, the dream you are living, how your dream has affected your life, or anything in between.

If I’m honest, I must admit that the hardest thing in life for me to do is wait.  I’m not talking about waiting for a light to change or waiting for a doctor’s appointment.  I can do those things without a problem (After all, I can listen to a great novel or read a great collection of essays while waiting.). No, it’s the big things – the relationships, the jobs, the plans, the promises – those are things that are so tough for me to wait for.
Continue reading “When Your Dream Requires Waiting…and a Teeter Totter”