The Last of the Mohicans. A tale of adventure, resolve . . . and scathing invective heaped upon the Hurons! Racial derogation isn’t easy to read. When some character in a novel slurs a people group, it makes you wince. That doesn’t mean the story isn’t worth reading. It means we need to know how […]
Category: Influence & leadership
Point of view is not what divides us
Let’s say we’re opposites. Faith, politics, morality, lifestyle. Does that make us opponents? I doubt it. I heard from three outspoken souls last week. Two shared my convictions; the other did not. Here’s what happened: — One ranted. — One criticized. — One engaged my interest and made me think. Even though we disagree. Our convictions don’t polarize us. […]
Characterization, Beowulf style
Whether rearing children, growing your soul, or writing a novel, it’s hard to beat this bright line from Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf: Behavior that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere (page 5).
When writing for young men
Society can give its young men almost any job and they’ll figure how to do it. They’ll suffer for it and die for it and watch their friends die for it, but in the end, it will get done. That only means that society should be careful about what it asks for.* When writing or publishing […]
Earned reputation
I sat in a meeting yesterday with three faculty members from Moody Bible Institute. We were exploring a complex, divisive issue. Each spoke with clarity, grace, and respect, and I felt privileged to partner with such fine and distinguished men. They left the room towering figures in my book.
