There are some surprising parallels to preaching and being a published author. One is the sheer solitariness of those ventures. Besides preaching, the only other time I felt so naked, so vulnerable, so utterly alone, was when my debut novel released. Just think about the similarities… The preacher works in quiet, crafting his message, gathering [...]

Mocking American tastes and intellectual sloth is a bad habit of mine. Which is why, on occasion, I receive emails like this one: I always bristle when you start picking on the populace for what they watch on TV or choose to read or when you suggest that so many are idiots! I bet there [...]

Kevin DeYoung of The Gospel Coalition recently posted on the difference between storytelling and preaching. Using a quote from novelist, university professor, and National Book Award winner, Walter Wangerin, Young addresses an issue front-and-center among Christian novelists: Message-driven fiction. First, Wangerin on the meaning of a novel: [The m]eaning [of a novel] devolves from (and [...]

The holidays never pass without me remembering my father. He’s been gone nine years. This is my favorite photo of him. I think it captures both his wild side (mohawks anyone?) and his sweetness. He died of heart failure, mostly due to years of drinking and smoking. He was such an addict. But, in retrospect, [...]

One of the most common arguments for “clean fiction” — i.e., fiction that is not offensive, contains no morally objectionable elements, and is safe for the entire family — is that it doesn’t offend “weaker brothers.” That phrase, and the concept we import to this argument, is taken from several important sections of Scripture. Jesus [...]

I’m hopelessly addicted to messing with my blog header. And since some of you asked about my current one… This is the pic it was taken from. It was designed for me by Natalie Jost of Olive Manna back in 2006. I wanted something grungy, with parchment and script and dead flies. And Natalie dished [...]

There’s nothing like a catchy, memorable, unique blog title. Of course, you don’t want to get too weird or too fancy. (I’ve had my share of people squint suspiciously when I say my blog is named deCOMPOSE. But, hey, it definitely stands out!) On the other side, are those blog titles that are just blah. [...]

Our church is completing Monvee, a spiritual growth program, and I’ve been one of the small group facilitators. At a recent meeting, I asked the group what they’d have to sacrifice to reach their desired spiritual goal. It turned into a challenging, spirited discussion. Someone eventually confessed what many in the group felt: Were they [...]

I’d like to welcome Kat Heckenbach, author of the recently released Middle-Grade fantasy Finding Angel. Her writing spans the gamut from inspirational personal essays to dark and disturbing fantasy and horror, with over forty short fiction and nonfiction credits to her name. Finding Angel involves magic, an oft-debated subject among Christian authors and readers, which I [...]