One of my professors recently asked me what I thought about Chat GPT, an AI generator that, among other things, students could use to complete assignments (without actually completing them). I told him I thought it sounded creepy and not…
My two phone calls to Frederick Buechner
In 1978, someone gave me a copy of Frederick Buechner’s Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC. I read the first entry — “Agnostic: Some people all of the time and all people some of the time,” and we were off and running. By the time…
Frederick Buechner influenced millions with his insightful writing and quotable lines
One of the most prolific Christian authors and most widely quoted writers of the 20th century died Aug. 15 at age 96. Only the late C.S. Lewis might have surpassed Frederick Buechner in writings that made their way into sermons…
The one thing that most predicts a pastor’s success
Of all the things I’ve learned through a few decades of mentoring young writers and pastors, one predictor of success stands out above all. This one thing rises above raw talent, education or privilege — all of which may play…
Lessons from Karen Kingsbury on writing novels and living in faith
As a journalist, I thought I had learned what I needed to know about the Five Ws and the H — Who, What, When, Where, Why and How — the essential building blocks of writing a story. A conversation with…
Inside the spiritual life of Anne Lamott
I recently sat down with Anne Lamott, beloved and debated American novelist and non-fiction writer, to discuss her new release, Dusk Night Dawn. This book has all the trademarks that make Lamott a household name and New York Times best-selling author: Empathy,…
Funny when you think about it: serious reflections on faith
Writing a column for BNG forces me to pay attention. Once a month I get to ask, “What’s happening that people of faith want to read about?”
A case against the ‘Christian’ adjective
What does it really mean when we call something “Christian?”
You too.
Few things invite the kind of eyes-shut-grab-the-mic-and-bang-out-a-couple-of-quick-bars-of-life-is-a-highway quite like spending two weeks snowed-in under a suffocating pile of things entitled something along the lines of “5 ways to tell if your dog is hiding an addiction from whatever Harry Potter character…