Painfully Hopeful

Determined

This past fall my family and I travelled to see Amazing Grace on Broadway. I was saddened when Amazing Grace closed so quickly, even as I was grateful to be able to see it. This sadness was assuaged somewhat by the announcement of an impending National Tour and a confirmed cast recording. The album was…

The Future

I’ve reached the point in vocational life where the people who have been a big part of my development are either retiring or contemplating retirement. It’s a strange feeling, witnessing all the “grown ups” begin to step back and ask those they’ve mentored, “So what are you all going to do now?” 1 The truth…

A different “game”

Writing is a fascinating endeavor. Each time I put some of my thoughts into a blog post, sermon, or story I put a bit of myself on display for the world to see. It’s a process which is both liberating and terrifying. Putting oneself “out there” means being open to being wounded by the unthinking…

Unpacking Risk Assessment

The Capital Expressions chapter felt like it was beginning to drag, so I determined to move the story forward and change the scenery. This was a fun section to write with Walter and Jeremy, and it marks the first extended conversation a character besides Jeremy has had with Sheilak. Let’s unpack. Satal’s reaction I like…

Fiction Tuesday – Risk Assessment

Today’s blog is the continuation of, Welcome to the Valleys. If you would like to catch up with the tale, the first section can be found at this link “Well lad, I can’t say you have a timid heart. That’s for certain.” Shortly after their interview with Satal Jeremy and Walter had been escorted to a set of rooms…

Prepare

There is no such thing as a “blank slate.” When people come to a moment of creative action they have been preparing, consciously or unconsciously, for that work. Personal experience, emotional state, deliberate study, and the mental image of what “might be” all coalesce to be birthed as an artist’s creative endeavor. Life combines with…