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.
I heard Kathleen Norris talk about "acedia" at the Festival of Faith & Writing. ?Acedia is an ancient term for a sin which can be defined as apathy, or boredom, or more precisely, "why bother." She quoted some very profound writers on the subject. ?It seems that in the 4th century acedia was a … [Read more...] about Got Acedia? Who cares.