The blog
Blog
Short essays on faith, story and the craft of telling the truth well — published several times a month.
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Achievement by the Right Measure
Writing is a journey, not a destination. When we get started on the writing road, we mistake milestones for destinations.
Direction: Why Human Plans Often Fail
How can the message of a “false prophet” be of any danger to a Christian? Don’t believe every voice when you first hear it.
Just Because You Asked
People keep asking how I’m doing, and with thousands of friends, readers, writers, and ministry acquaintances wanting an update, I figured I should say something now—before the rumor mill decides I’ve either moved to Tahiti or I’ve gone on to glory. My life has always been a miraculous journey. One of my great storytelling challenges is convincing people that there may be nothing better than walking through the “fire” with God. I’ve been doing that most of my life. What others might call tragedies keep turning out to be my greatest victories. That doesn’t mean I go looking for trouble. Apparently, trouble has no difficulty finding my address. But when it comes, I’ve learned that God is already there. And as long as he is with me, I’m convinced there is always something worthwhile happening—even when I don’t yet know what it is.
The Angry Writer at His Desk
It is emotion, rather than logic, that telegraphs meaning. Thus emotion is what your novel must be wired to transmit, straight from the protagonist to us.
The Fire of Ideas: Building a Bonfire for God
In our growth of knowledge and wisdom and our relationship with the Lord, does it matter how old we are? Why?
Writing in the Awareness of God’s Presence
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. — A. W. Tozer Every writer works from a place of presence. Some write from fear.
True Progress: Moving in the Right Direction with God
In what ways can our past help us? How can it hurt us? What is the value of focusing on our heavenly reward?
Walking the Narrow Road with God
When you commit to a practice, you will certainly have days when you don’t feel like it, when you believe it’s not your best work, when the muse deserts you.
Sensitivity: Hear the Heartbeat of God
How are we helped by knowing that God understands us? Our High Priest is easily touched with the feeling of our infirmities, because he was tested in every area just as…
Possibility, Impossibility, and the Writer’s Journey with God
Place your time in God’s hands. Rather than to-do’s, write out God-do’s. What does God want me to do today? How does he want me to spend my time?
Revelation: Learning to Hear the Right Voice
Since people often ask, see, and knock but don’t receive, what was Jesus asking people to do? Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find.
The Quickened Writer: When God Breathes Life into Your Words
The best hook or idea in the world won’t sway me if the sentences and the storytelling don’t inspire.