Eugene Peterson has gone to glory. He was an inspiration to me, like so many others. I loved his work on the Psalms of Ascent, "A Long Obedience." In 2010 I heard him speak at a Festival of Faith & Writing -- he inspired me to continue the pursuit of both pastoral work and ministry as two … [Read more...] about Inspired by Eugene Peterson
“A Story Is a Country Where We Can Both Stand For A While”
The title of this post is a quote from Brian Doyle, editor of Portland Magazine. I heard him speak at Festival of Faith & Writing in April 2012. I wrote down this comment because it struck me as expansive enough to fit memoir-writing and memoir-reading:?A story is a country where we can both … [Read more...] about “A Story Is a Country Where We Can Both Stand For A While”
Writers on Writing: Philip Yancey, Elie Wiesel
This weekend I'm getting ready to attend the Festival of Faith & Writing?at my alma mater, Calvin College, April 10-12. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, hearing profound and beautiful words, and meeting lots of like-minded folk. I know I will come home with a long reading list. To … [Read more...] about Writers on Writing: Philip Yancey, Elie Wiesel
Writers on Writing: 4 Images of God, Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson has been a frequent speaker at Festival of Faith & Writing. I have a special fondness for her because she's a sister Presbyterian, the daughter of missionaries. Which is your favorite of her?young adult novels??The most famous are perhaps "Bridge to Terabithia" and "The … [Read more...] about Writers on Writing: 4 Images of God, Katherine Paterson
Writers on Writing: David Duncan, James McBride, Anne Lamott, Chaim Potok
Every writer loves tidbits about writing, so here are quotes from my notes from writers I heard at Festival of Faith and Writing 2000. DAVID JAMES DUNCAN "The collision of faith & writing is a job description." ?Loving God?s world is like loving peanut M&M?s. Loving God is like loving the … [Read more...] about Writers on Writing: David Duncan, James McBride, Anne Lamott, Chaim Potok
Writers on Writing: Anne Lamott, Maya Angelou, Walter Wangerin
Next month I'll be attending the Festival of Faith & Writing at my alma mater in Grand Rapids, MI. I love this every-other-year feast. In preparation I'm?revisiting my notes from past FFWs, and thought I'd share. These are from FFW 2000. . . .? ANNE LAMOTT: "Writing is almost never … [Read more...] about Writers on Writing: Anne Lamott, Maya Angelou, Walter Wangerin
Writers on Writing: Scott Cairns
I heard some great lectures at the Festival of Faith & Writing. Here are a few choice bits from Scott Cairns, poet and essayist, raised-Baptist, now-Orthodox: "Tell the Calvinists they're not as bad as they think they are." "Writers are people who use their writing to figure things out, not to … [Read more...] about Writers on Writing: Scott Cairns
Got Acedia? Who cares.
Acedia is an ancient term for a sin which can be defined as apathy, or boredom, or more precisely, "why bother." I heard Kathleen Norris talk about acedia at the Festival of Faith & Writing. She quoted some very profound writers on the subject. Acedia was a big problem in monasteries in the 4th … [Read more...] about Got Acedia? Who cares.