Quote for the day: “A writer should strive to be a person on whom nothing is lost.”  -Henry James Readers:  Here is a link to an excellent blog by my friend, Dr. David Holder:   http://drdave3.blogspot.com/ Pickups and Real Men I often listen to Dave Ramsey and his excellent financial radio program.  Recently a female caller related, “Today, my husband sold …

“Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai.” -Numbers 1:1 (NKJV) It’s often easy to skip over a verse. I’m sure I’ve read the “book of Numbers numerous times.” (How’s that for alliteration.) There’s truth in this verse that simply states how the Lord spoke to Moses. God still speaks in the wilderness. The wilderness, whether it …

Praise the Lord & pass the ammunition “And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.” –Nehemiah 4:9 In this passage, the author Nehemiah shares his two-fold plan for dealing with an attack from enemies on his wall-building project. This plan includes the most important thing we can ever do when …

This is my current reading list: One Second After/William Forstchen The Victors: Eisenhower and His Boys/Stephen Ambrose Trusting God Even When Life Hurts/ Jerry Bridges I’ve learned that reading is one of the most important things I can do for growth as a writer and human being.  I’d love to hear what you’re reading.  Make a comment on this blog …

Little things… “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed…”  -Jesus in Matthew 13:31 Japan’s Nobunari Oda has probably never seen a mustard seed, but he would fully understand Jesus’ use of this metaphor. Oda stopped his free skate yesterday at the Vancouver Olympics with about a minute left because of a torn right skate lace. A torn skate …

A pause that refreshes. I took a break from the computer this week.  I spent the week with my grandsons, most of it outdoors in spite of the weather. I purposely gave my laptop to my friend, Mark Miller.  He worked on several glitches I have, including its slowness. It returned to me today a much faster and more cherished …

New Orleans… City I love, City I hate Now as He (Jesus) drew near, He saw the city and wept over it. Luke 19:41-42 NKJV   This story from Hearts across the Water, was written in 2005.  It’s still one of my favorites because it attempts to explain the unique relationship between New Orleans and the “rest of us” in …

Saints win! As the game wound down and the realization came that the Saints had won the Super Bowl, I thought back to Friday. I stood at the wooden coffin of Jimmy Arville as they closed his casket.  As an officiating minister it is my job to be there during that intimate personal moment when the coffin is sealed. Jimmy …

Gradual Miracles I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little, I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. Exodus 23:29-30 Often we define a miracle as something dramatic or wonderful that happens in a …

A few thoughts on legacy, finishing strong… and our New Orleans Saints. I remember well Sunday September 17, 1967. We rushed home from church and turned on the television to see the first regular season NFL game of the New Orleans Saints. I sat between my friends Paul and Ritchie Young. There was a huge crowd on hand (80,879 fans) …

“If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character, if there be beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the family home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation, when there is order in the nations, there will be peace in the world.” -From the home …

The following passage is from A Spent Bullet. The setting is a barn in Bundick, LA. in September 1941.  Our character, named XXXXXX, is a high school senior, country boy, wants to join the Army Air Corp and fly, and is fighting with his daddy over this.  I’m looking for just the right first name as well as a good …

Scroll down to read about Harry’s first creek baptism. Baptized in a Hot Tub in a Dry Creek I knew trouble was in the offing when I saw steam rising from the baptistery this past Sunday morning. Even the glass plate on the front of it was steamed. My buddies Mark and Frank were working frantically to cool it down. …

The following passage is one I wrote this morning on my upcoming novel, A Spent Bullet.  The novel is now at 80,000 words.  This selection takes place on a country road during the Army Maneuvers of September 1941 and is seen through the eyes of brothers Levon and Ben Reed. Air  Raid Ben walked beside Levon as they made their …