Guts on Page Two

It should come as no surprise to anyone reading that I have myriad titles. Father, husband, author, and patriot, just to name a few. Every single one of them requires loyalty, integrity, and hard work. And there's one role that ties them all together. Christ-Follower. I can't successfully be any of those other things unless I give them to God. Will, in fact, utterly fail. Why? Because I have human limitations. Human understanding. And human ambition. You know what else? I'm not alone. Everyone is in that boat. Including our politicians. This election season has been the most turbulent I've ever witnessed. Pretty terrifying, to be honest. Especially when I see people equating their candidate of choice with salvation. And then expecting everyone else to fall in line or else. That didn't work for the Israelites and it won't do for us. Don't believe me? Check it out: 1 Samuel 12:12-15, 24-25 English Standard Version (ESV) 12 And when you saw that Nahash the king...

So I met the wonderful Amy Brock McNew at Realm Makers last year. Within the first ten minutes we were family. She's a fantastic woman full of love for both people and Spec Fic. And best of all: she's not afraid to spill her guts all over the page! Amy's first book, Rebirth, is releasing May 24, 2016, and today is cover reveal day! Here's the back cover copy:      Liz Brantley has a gift she wants to return.      Able to see and fight demonic forces, she has spent her life alone, battling the minions of hell bent on her destruction, running from the God who gave her this curse. The demon Markus, drawn to her abilities, unleashes havoc on her hometown and pulls Liz further into the throes of battle.      She’s desperate for a normal life.      When she meets a mysterious man who seems unaware of the mystical realm that haunts her, the life she’s always wanted flits within reach. But her slice of normal sl...

I am pretty passionately against New Year's Resolutions. They seem to me like empty promises. And it's pretty clear that we're warned against such thing s. But I am  a big fan of new beginnings. One of the main holidays in my story world is called New Hope's Dawn. People recognize that the old has helped shaped them. But there is a new dawn ahead. With new ways to be Hope-criers. So I sit here two weeks after the Dawn with no resolutions. But a lot of hope. This is going to be the best year yet! I'm going to be the person that I'm called to be . God has made me to be. I'm going to pursue the end of my Work in Progress - and be teachable through it! I'm going to allow myself to be Beautifully Broken. New Years Resolutions mean nothing. But resting in the hope - the Shalom  - that God has for each of us? That's scary. That's powerful. That makes us history makers . What new hopes do you have for the upcoming months? Share below so we ...

Truth. Integrity. Sacrifice. From the Sword of Shannara to the hero behind the scoundrel we see in Han Solo, these traits are oft seen in speculative fiction. But it's not something that holds much value in the world we walk. There are many who claim to know what this elusive trait looks like. Some few of them actually do. But there's one thing they often lack: Guts on the Page. The willingness to not only face external truths, but those things we hide from ourselves. To let others see those dark things we keep deep inside. To surrender it all in order to make room for something better. The ability to give up the things that don't matter to find that which does. And the willingness to let that which was be a source of healing for others. The process isn't easy. It calls for support and courage from beyond ourselves. To that end, I've decided to live a #GutsonthePage life. I'll be joining with other creatives in order to find my beautiful bro...

I'll admit it: I don't like vampire tales. A vast majority of them are trite and quite frankly, boring. But the creatures themselves have always fascinated me. What must it be like to live in the space between life and death? To murder in order to sustain yourself? Does the person you once were no longer exist when you've changed? Fascinating stuff indeed! So let's talk about a vampire story that I actually really like. Ben Wolf wrote a fascinating tale set amidst real-world history: Blood for Blood . And it's wonderful. My review of the novel can be found here . (Be warned: it was among the first book reviews I ever posted.) As a lover of redemption stories with a twist, I can't recommend this highly enough. And I'm giving you all the chance to win a signed copy! How cool is that? All you've got to do to enter is put your favorite vampire tale in the comments. I'll draw a winner on this Sunday, October 25th. Thanks for tuning in! 

And now for something completely different! I recently had the chance to sit down and ask the fantastic John Otte some questions. Read on to discover more about him! You're a husband, father, author, and pastor. With all that on your plate, what's a typical day look like for you? Busy. I know, that's not exactly helpful, but there is no "typical" day for me, not really. I mean, I have a bit of a rhythm to my weeks. Tuesday through Thursday, I spend time working on my sermon for the weekend. And I'm responsible for getting my older son to and from school. And I try to make time to spend with my wife as much as I can. But the thing about being a pastor is that the schedule can change in an instant. For example, over the past two and a half weeks, I had four funerals, most of which came as a complete surprise. So my schedule can vary widely from week to week depending on what's happening. That means finding time to do the author thing can be tricky. I try ...

So, I just got back from my first spiritual retreat  Realm Makers conference. And I've got three words to describe the weekend: identity, shalom , and purpose. Let me explain: Robert Liparulo was the keynote speaker during this year's Realm Makers. He had a couple of words for us.  The first is stop . As in, stop allowing defeat in! We have been given incredible gifts. Passions and dreams that can change the world! And the shalom  - peace - that comes with knowing that He is before us! Our dreams are prayers to God! And He never  wastes dreams. So what are we to do with these gifts? That brings us to the second word: GO! Go with purpose. Go boldly. Walk securely in Him! Here's where it gets all guts-on-the-page-y: My identity has been worthless  since age eleven. That's been twenty-four years of me not knowing my identity in Him. So what did I learn on my trip to St. Louis? All sorts of incredible writing advice that I'll be unpacking - and sharing - ...