Only 3 essential qualities for writers? Just 3? Actually no, there are probably about 100 but this morning, there are just 3 essential qualities for writers that pop into my head this morning: The ability to hold two paradoxical thoughts about just how well we write. Ceding control of the story to the characters. Extreme […]
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Us versus them: the deliciousness of moral outrage Moral outrage: Is there anything more satisfying? More captivating…even delicious? “Can you believe what he said?” “Did you see what he wrote?” “Can you believe what she is wearing?” It’s endless, isn’t it? Even before the advent of social media- if any of us can recall back
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The seduction of noise. Do an online search and you can see a 21st century way of conceptualizing our addiction to distraction: noise pollution. Researchers have studied the effects of noise pollution and discovered its surprisingly broad impact upon adults and children. But the subject of this piece is even more insidious. Truthfully, is there any
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Why do you pray? “Why do you pray?” “Because it is the only way I can figure out who I am.” My surprising response to my friend’s rhetorical question was heartfelt-perhaps too weighty to be understood by one who had not, like me, chosen to spend a large segment of their life without God. Being
Three seconds: time for worlds to end Three seconds, the time it takes to blink, yawn or for our whole world to end. I’ve been thinking, once again, about time. About how slippery it is, about how we tend, naturally, to think we have all the time in the world, preferring not to ponder the
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The four stumbling blocks to truth: For more years than I can count, these beautifully calligraphed four stumbling blocks to truth have been displayed prominently in a simple bronze frame, protected by glass. My friend Kathy and I memorized this list, making use of one or more during our frequent philosophic discussions. Laughing at the
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‘Seize the day’, ‘the paradox of Hollywood’ and ‘how dogs inspire’: Do those three phrases even relate to one another? No, of course they don’t. But every once in a while a newsletter format works because it permits thoughts on a few unrelated subjects. Like these. First up, Seize the Day: While driving home
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Here is the final teaser for Malthus Revisited, now available for purchase at Amazon and edited by Laura, my new editor and writing partner: Eighteen-year-old Morgan Gardner did not seem like someone who could save the world—unless you took the time to notice her eyes. And most people didn’t. Morgan’s exceptional gifts were known only
The correlation between change and Ecclesiastes is not an association I ever made. But then I’ve not considered the words in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes in any other than a superficial way: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time
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This author interview from a reviewer at Feathered Quill Book Reviews is one of the most interesting I’ve ever done. Anita Lock reviewed my book, Finding the Narrow Path and assembled a set of intriguing questions, so much so that I thought you might enjoy reading her rather provocative questions along with my replies. But
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