I’m posting this against the wishes of the Decompose staff, but in the spirit of full disclosure. . . Coach’s Midnight Diner is hot off the press, and I received my copies this Monday. The mag looks terrific and I’m thrilled to have my story, Polly’s Muse, included in the mix. It’s being sold on [...]
If vampires are fictional constructs, then why can’t they be good? When I first began writing, I pondered the idea of a vampire novel. . . from a Christian perspective. The genre lends itself to great redemptive possibilities. Anne Rice, author of the Interview with the Vampire Chronicles, says as much. On her blog, in [...]
We love our dogs — boxers, to be exact. Zoe is our third, but the first we bred. Lo and behold, she had a litter of nine. That’s right, 9! As in Plan 9 From Outer Space and the Beatles’ Revolution #9. And, thanks to our crack staff, none of them died. I guess we [...]
Where do we stop at getting people into our churches? The release of the new Halo 3 video game has reignited the discussion. Last Sunday’s New York Times included a front page story entitled Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Popular Video Game in Church about how “hundreds of ministers and pastors desperate to [...]
There is some dispute as to when Reality TV actually began. As far back as the 1940s, people were being portrayed in unscripted situations. Candid Camera, which debuted in 1948, has been called the “granddaddy of the reality TV genre.” Whatever the actual source, it has spawned dozens of reality shows involving such diverse subjects [...]
She was our first, and Lisa and I were just giddy. But the joy of Melody’s arrival was quickly tempered. I still remember the day we sat in the doctor’s office and were told something was wrong with our daughter. Wrong? Only a week old and something was wrong? Didn’t they know she was God’s [...]
A list of Top 50 Dystopian Movies of All Time is making the rounds, and it’s quite good. The ranking was a bit odd, combining the scores of both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) to get an average approval rating (1 to 10, with 10 being best). As such, Metropolis, the 1927 [...]
I’ve been wanting to update you on a few blogging items, so here goes. . . Author, speaker, and unabashed bibliophile Mark Bertrand has recently launched a new site that I’m stoked about. I had a chance to briefly meet Mark at last year’s ACFW conference in Dallas and my first impression was he’s pretty [...]
Unlike heaven, stories have multiple inlets. The narrow road, Jesus said, leads to life. Thankfully, as a writer, there’s more than one way to usher my idea into the Promised Land. Whether one plots their way or wings it, the important thing is that we arrive at our destination. In the end, if the story [...]
I once attended a class on preaching and the teacher discussed the use of outlines versus spontaneity in preaching. Some traditions suggest that, when a person is studied up and filled with the Spirit, they should be able to take the pulpit and speak impromptu and inspired. In other words, the measure of a preacher’s [...]
