Category Archives: writing
Sharing the link love
Blogs are changing the way we communicate and they provide a forum for everyone to have a voice and engage in a conversation about (literally) anything in a way that other mediums aren’t able to do.
I use Google Reader to keep track of all the blogs I follow (and so should you). It’s an easy program that has worked really well for me.
An important goal for anyone who writes is to actually have someone read what you’ve written (or in blogging language, generating traffic to a blog). So with that in mind, it’s “share the link love” day here on the blog. Here are a few blogs that make me think and that are definitely worth checking out…
Friends
A Thousand Miles from Calea Bakke
All We Need is Love from Katelin Fields
Craving More from Josh Woodlilef
Love Will Find a Way from Trina Daniel
Heart Questions from Lindsey Dye
Let There Be Love from Brandon Dragan
Pride and Prejudice Ruined Me from Jami Dragan
Ryan Millard
There is a Season for Everything from Samantha Woodlief
Writing and Writers
Apostrophe Abuse
Annie Blogs from Annie Downs
The Burnside Writers Collective
Donald Miller author of Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Faith, Culture, and Creativity
Asking Directions from Tom Tyndall
Be Deviant from Justin Wise
Blaine Hogan
Brad Ruggles
Finally Unfettered from Blake Bergstrom
Flowerdust from Anne Jackson
Harpooner of Thoughts from Jason Garris
History in the Making from Ben Arment
Leading in Shades of Grey from Jenni Catron
Jesus Needs New PR from Matthew Paul Turner
Swerve from LifeChurch.tv
The Mentor Me Project
Ragamuffin Soul from Carlos Whittaker
Thoughts About Nothing from Kyle Reed
Without Wax from Pete Wilson
Social Justice
Blood:Water Mission
Compassion International
Give a Damn? Documentary
IJM Institute
Mocha Club
Just really funny
Awkward Family Photos
Crazy Christian Clips
Emails from Crazy People
Fail Blog
The Customer is Not Always Right
People of Wal-Mart
Stuff Christians Like
What about you? What blogs do you read and would recommend?
Primal by Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson’s latest book, Primal, releases this week (December 22 to be
exact) and it’s well worth taking a look at.You may know Batterson from his blog or from his two other books, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase.
As Christ followers, we have a tendency to complicate what Jesus made simple. In this new book, Batterson tries to help his readers understand what it really means to love God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength…the things that Jesus said were of chief importance, not our religious rules and regulations.
“Love God with all your heart…” We’ve all heard that phrase over and over again but (at least to me), it’s always seemed like a good idea that, when repeated within my Christian bubbles, made me sound like a super Christian…I didn’t know what that really meant to love God with everything that I am.
In our churches today, we often talk about the Great Commission, in which Christ lays out the plan for His followers to share the power of the Gospel story with the world. And we should be talking about the Great Commission. If a church isn’t sold out to the Great Commission, they’re not worthy of being called a church. In Primal, Batterson suggests that while we need to remember the Great Commission, we can’t forget about the Great Commandment:
Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!
–Deuteronomy 6:5, The Message
Batterson goes on to explain…
My answer is simply this: we’re not great at the Great Commandment. In too many instances, we’re not even good at it. We can’t afford to be merely good at the Great Commandment. We’ve got to be great at the Great Commandment.
Batterson’s style of writing keeps the reader engaged and the 171 pages of the book are not hard to get through at all. Definitely worth an afternoon of your time.
Primal is available online and in bookstores everywhere December 22. (Of course, I know you’ll want to go to your local LifeWay store to get your copy…and support my paycheck in the process). Go get your copy today.
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
I’m a sucker for a good story–a story in which a character changes and 
grows from what he was to what he’s meant to be. Donald Miller‘s new book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a prime example. Miller describes the ups and downs of his life after writing his incredibly successful book Blue Like Jazz. With gut wrenching honesty, Miller chronicles part of his journey to live a better story with his life. Miller began to understand the elements of a good story. He draws the connection between life in Christ with an interesting character in a story:
A character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it is the basic structure of a good story.
From climbing the mountains of South America to signing up to be a part of the Ride:Well Tour across the U.S. with Blood:Water Mission, we get to see one chacter in a story struggle and wonder and grow and learn. Because as Miller says:
If a character doesn’t change, a story hasn’t happened yet.
I love the way Miller writes. I could hardly put the book down because he’s just so easy to follow along with. He’s honest about life–he’s real about the great and the crappy parts of life. It makes me want to be more transparent…because honestly, more often than not, I put up a front that says that I have everything together and I’ve got it all figured out.
The idea of living a better story is something that is a central theme through
out the book and I can’t get that idea out of my head. What kind of story am I telling with my life right now? Is it that I’m just surviving, trying to make it through another week or am I telling a story filled with passion and faith that pushes me out of my normal circumstances to be where God has really made me to be? I’m afraid that more often than not, I’m just surviving, just coasting through another week without trying to live that better story that I know I’m called to live. Miller struggles with the same idea when he talks about what he imagines heaven to be like:
And we’ll sit and tell him our stories, and he’ll smile and tell us what they mean. I just hope I have something interesting to say.
I’m seeing very clearly that the story my life is telling has me as the main character. And that just doesn’t work out very well most of the time. So I’m determined to live a better story. I’m starting to learn to say no and not commit myself to so many things that I don’t have time to actually pursue my Creator and the things that He’s created me to do.
I want to start living a better story with my life.
I want my life to be one that is similar to what Miller describes as his hope:
We’ll sit and remember my story together and then he’ll stand and put his arms around me and say “Well done” and that he liked my story. And my soul won’t be thirsty anymore. Finally he’ll turn and we’ll walk toward the city, a city he will have spoken into existence, a city built in a place where once there’d been nothing.
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is in bookstores and Amazon today. Go get one. Right now. Start living a better story.
Passionate Life
Sometimes I get so busy with life that I get sidetracked from following the passions that God has placed in my heart to chase after. But I’m learning to let go and just live. Here are some things that I’m passionate about, in no particular order…
- The church–learning and growing together to be what we’re called to be and changing the world.
- Creativity–finding new ways to share with a hurting world the Story that has changed us and continues to change us everyday.
- Relationships–seeing friends become family and God moving in relationships to give us a clearer picture of how He loves us and what He wants the church to be.
- Radical grace–a grace that loves first and asks questions later. Grace that comes alive in people and is communicated in a powerful way.
- Missions–seeing that radical grace and mercy come alive in the life of someone who’s realizing for the first time that they are loved by their Creator…you just can’t beat that.
- Writing–there’s a lot of power in the written word and I’d like to think that I’m learning how to do it a little better everyday.
What about you? What are you passionate about?
Donald Miller Book Giveaway
I’m a big reader…I wish I was more consistent about it sometimes but I love a good book. One of my favorite authors right now is Donlad Miller. You may have seen some of his books around before…Blue Like Jazz, Searcing for God Knows What, Through Painted Deserts to name a few.
I really like Miller’s books because he honest. He doesn’t try to preach at you or assume the position of a theological scholar. He’s transparent about his life and what God teaches him through all the highs and low of life.
Miller’s latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, releases on September 29. You could preorder your copy from Amazon and wait another three weeks to get it, but why would you want to do that when I’ve got a free advanced copy to give away for free from Thomas Nelson?
Just be the first person to comment on this post telling me you want the free copy and it’s yours. Now, that’s got to make your day better.
Writing
Writing is like letting someone into your brain. For better or worse, welcome to my brain. It’s an act of transparency.
Writer’s block
I like to write…I really do. I think the written word is filled with power and potential. I’ve come to see that writing helps me gather my thoughts and put them together in a understandable way. But recently, I’ve been infected with a bad case of writer’s block. So what do you do when you’ve got a good case of writer’s block? You just write about anything to alleviate the writer’s block.
God is teaching me a lot right now and He’s stretching me. He’s asking me to look at things differently and dream about what could be.
I just don’t know how to put that into words right now. Maybe you can identify with this. So much is just running through my mind right now but it’s just hard to put that down into words that somewhat make sense.
So as I try to figure out how to put my thoughts into a coherent piece of information, here are some not-so-deep-or life-shattering facts and observations about life right now…
- I’ve started running…yes that’s right…running. I don’t know if I’m half crazy or what but I’ve found that I actually almost enjoy it. I’ve decided that I am going to run in the Country Music Half-Marathon next year. So all the running advice/encouragement/accountability would be greatly appreciated.
- I’ve also found out that listening to Coldplay while running greatly increases an individual’s desire to run faster. For real. It’s a scientific fact.
- I’ve come to the conclusion that Honey Nut Cheerios are about the best food in the world. End of story.
- I tried chicken wonton soup for the first time the other day and I have to say that I’m a fan.
- My brother recently introduced me to Chacha. Kinda cool idea.
- I’ve found a new church to get plugged into: CrossPoint Community Church in Nashville. It feels really good to be plugged into a community of faith again. You should come check it out with me sometime.
- While this semester was a really good one (I really did learn a lot and actually enjoyed going to class as much as someone can do that) I’m glad that everything’s done. Summer break is so good.
Success
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to ear
n the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
Living
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life…living is so dear. I wished to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with a song still in them.”
-Henry David Thoreau
