In January 1991, I began a newspaper internship at the Greenville Piedmont (now defunct) in Greenville, South Carolina. It was my senior year in college, and I was graduating in May with a BA degree in print journalism. One of the more unusual “adventures” (misadventures might be a better word) occurred the day the managing editor turned to me with an unusual assignment. “I’d like you to drive over to the Greenville Hilton and see if you can track down Shirley MacLaine. She’s doing a show in town, and I heard she’s staying there.” No joke. Now, many of us think of Shirley as a New Age guru, but actually she’s a pretty talented woman. (And no, this is no endorsement of her beliefs or anything else she represents.) I just sort of stared at him. I was a twenty-year-old journalism nobody who wrote feature stories about city volunteers and…
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For my birthday, I asked for a book several friends had recommended—and I’m so glad I did. Lately, I’ve become rather impressed with this little book (187 pages). Because each chapter is topical, focusing on a specific sin, I’ve been first going to the chapters that address areas I know are a struggle for me. The book is Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate by Jerry Bridges. If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend you go get a copy. Now and then you may find me referring to it here because that’s how impressed I am with it—and how much it has stirred my thinking about several key areas of my life. And how I love passing on its truths to others. Yesterday, I was reading the chapter about anxiety and frustration and came across this wonderful quotation from John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace.” “[One of the…
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Recently, a family member told me how much she liked the tagline “Meaning Suspense” I chose for my website. She asked me where I got the idea. While explaining my heart, I realized that others may also wonder about the two important words that not only define the novels I like to write but also embody my philosophy as a Christian author. Which is what exactly? I’m glad you asked. Let me answer that question by painting a picture in your mind. Imagine a crowd from all walks of life and worldviews crammed into the largest auditorium on the planet. Now, imagine you’ve been given a microphone and a request to tell them the most amazing story you can imagine. You have exactly one hour to speak. And no more. When the time’s up, you may never have opportunity to speak to these people again. If you’ve got only one shot, whatever you…
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See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. #9: Once I publish my novel, I’ll finally be someone people notice. Oh, this is a sad, sad way to live—to be a slave of others’ approval. When I was a child, I wrote stories simply because I enjoyed writing them. As I grew older and became more self-conscious, I realized that writing could be more than fun and games. I could actually get published and “be somebody” (as if I wasn’t somebody already). Someone important. Someone people would notice. Who knows? Maybe I’d even write best-selling books, and then people would know who I am, and I’d be famous. The Trap (Do you hear the pride ringing in those statements? Perhaps the pride of life described in 1 John 2:16?) In my opinion, the most genuine famous people I’ve ever met are the ones who never sought attention.…
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