Southern Festival of Books This weekend I met Clyde Edgerton and got to ask him about his practices for writing. Our interaction was one of many joys I found at the 29th Annual Southern Festival of Books (2017)! On Sunday…
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Southern Festival of Books This weekend I met Clyde Edgerton and got to ask him about his practices for writing. Our interaction was one of many joys I found at the 29th Annual Southern Festival of Books (2017)! On Sunday…
Read MoreThis morning as we consider another major tragedy in real time, let’s consider how to do this with more grace and less sensationalism. When responding to tragedy… 1) Lift prayers for peace, love, grief & loss. It’s not the only…
Read MoreSeeking Pastoral Wisdom Part 1: Mentoring It is something most ministers want. And it can feel impossible to find. Yet seeking pastoral wisdom is vital for the work of the church and for leading people of faith. Becoming pastorally wise…
Read MoreAlmost simultaneously this summer I was invited to preach at three churches. My home church, Glendale Baptist would be first, and we spent the summer exploring the Beatitudes. So I took Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…
Read MorePlanning One of the harder tasks in the world of writing is the planning required. Yet, planning helps spread out all the other tasks, and makes getting started one step. Otherwise, all the overwhelming steps come at you at once. Even writers long…
Read MoreRecently someone asked me: Why did you feel compelled as a person of faith to march on Saturday? I’m a Love-God and Love-Your-Neighbor type of Christian. I believe that love is to be practiced with heart, mind, soul, and strength.…
Read MoreHow to Plan Your Writing Retreat Have you ever wished for an uninterrupted time of focused writing or editing? Yet you don’t want to sink back into binge writing that drains your life and energy, making you want to abandon…
Read MoreEagle’s Eye View When I began my dissertation some moons ago, I attended a workshop where I learned a few strategies and approaches that I still use today when I write. The workshop facilitator, Dr. Cynthia Ganote, a sociologist and life coach, is…
Read MoreReview: ‘The Calling’ a hopeful portrait of religious leadership* Becoming a pastor, priest, rabbi or imam is no simple matter. The Calling, a new four-hour documentary premiering on PBS, follows seven men and women on their paths to becoming religious…
Read MoreThe Body Remembers The grass was warm and dry under my bare feet. The labyrinth brought back the familiar feeling of rushing to the center, and long pausing at the middle, and dragging my feet with a desire to stretch…
Read MoreGo! Go! Gooooo! Sometimes the main thing holding us back from getting our writing done is simple inaction. We just need to go! Sit down. Open the document and go! We know what needs doing and simply need to do it.…
Read MoreDesk A clean desk invites fresh writing. And it can be a ritual or signal that it is the right time and place to write. Recently I visited a man who has started numerous Montessori schools. If he said to me…
Read MoreRecently I contributed to festschrifts honoring Molly T. Marshall and Carolyn Blevins. Academic mentors helped me find my way into studies of practical theology, history, and ministry. Many teachers encouraged me and pushed me to do my best. Recently I…
Read MoreToday at a shared meeting between the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion and Baptist History & Heritage Society meeting in Waco, Texas, we will honor Carolyn Blevins with a festschrift, which is an academic book that honors the writing and contributions of a scholar…
Read MoreConfidence Crisis This is part of the occasional series Wednesday Words for Writers. Check out previous posts on the letter A and the letter B. This post comes from a recent response I made to one of the academic writers that I…
Read MoreWhen the search committee from Monroe Corner Baptist Church first phoned, Martha said to herself, “This is never going to happen. They are not going to call a woman!” Nevertheless, she took a risk and entered the search process with them. To her…
Read MoreFestival of Young Women Preachers April 7, 2016 | Eden Seminary | St. Louis, Missouri A Blessing for the Preachers Bless these hands as they handle sacred Scripture, and sacred stories, and sacred moments of the preaching and pastoral life.…
Read MoreThese orchids from Thailand are endangered. Whole regions are absent their beauty although they used to grow wild in many places around the region. I took these photos as I walked the trails in an orchid farm near Chiang Mai.…
Read MoreI’m a little stunned by this… When I was testing out possible book cover designs last fall, I never dreamed that University of Tennessee Press would take my suggestions outright. But I’m so completely delighted that this will be my book…
Read MoreMartha Stearns Marshall Month* Six Stages of Why You Should Invite a Woman to Preach Why should you invite a woman to preach in your church during Martha Stearns Marshall Month, this February? Well, it depends on where your church is along…
Read MoreHOPE For Advent this year I’m taking up the invitation from the Anglican Communion to pray through the season with an #AdventWord each day and an accompanying photo or video. This post is the summary of Week 1 of Advent. Hoping…. #WAKEUP…
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