Ineffectual prayers

Posted in Faith and Spirituality on 08. Jul, 2010

James, the brother of Jesus, was serious about his prayer. He used to go to the temple and kneel in prayer so often and for so long that his knees were reputed to be as calloused and tough as a camel’s. He was bishop of Jerusalem then and was martyred several years before the temple [...]

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What goes into a man

Posted in Random and Misc on 14. May, 2010

It’s no small mercy that one of the most elevated human undertakings can occur during one of the most humbling. Yes, I’m talking about reading on the john. Stop blushing. You know you do it. Everyone does. I only wonder if we’re maximizing the experience. Facebook on your cell phone, a hastily snatched magazine, or [...]

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Edifying fiction

Posted in Writing and Publishing on 14. Jun, 2008

Here’s a fact: The way to write edifying fiction is to write what is. Here’s another: The way to write bad fiction is to write what is edifying. I just read a line by Flannery O’Connor that explains why this is so: “what is written to edify usually ends by amusing.” The word “amusing” is [...]

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