Extremes sell. Conflict sells. Division creates interest. When I studied English Literature at the University of Oklahoma, we learned a lot about the movements of a story. The story arc creates a good story, by not neglecting some essential elements: Rising and Falling — The story isn’t stagnant, especially as…

Posted in Tags: Bible, Bible, Christianity, Esther, God, Old Testament, Poem, Poetry, Salvation Christian Life, Poetry A King’s call rings out Many are called, only one is chosen Just a girl, an immigrant, a refugee Chosen to be special, chosen to be queen Hatred grows for a people A command is…

We live in a dark world. We may hear other words used to describe it: lost, broken, evil, etc, but probably one of the most common ways to view the world is in terms of darkness and light. We see examples of this no matter where you look. If you…

Way back in the year 1994, when I was in graduate school, a friend and I went to see a new release opening weekend. We were both very poor at the time and I rarely remember going to a movie that wasn’t at the dollar theater (which had .49 …

Of all things in life I’ve had the privilege to be a part of, being a Father and working together with my wife to raise our three children is one of the greatest blessings I can imagine. I’m honored to have the opportunity to be a father. There are few…

The motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” …

Children are a treasure, a blessing to every family. That doesn’t mean that having them is always easy. Sometimes, it can be quite a challenge. As they get older, it is natural for parents to wonder if they are doing the right thing. …

We live in a world that is obsessed with status. Social media begs us to provide a status update. Sometimes it is about our relationships, or our successes and it has even been used to provide social pressure. We can add a banner saying that we stand with ’cause of…

Artists and creatives have sometimes (frequently? always?) made for strange bedfellows with the church. The artistic vision of the creative tends to push against the rigid nonconformity of religious tradition, creating a divide that often remains permanent. Artists that find themselves ostracized from other followers of their faith have been…