vocabulary

On this, the last day of National Poetry Month, the least I can do is offer a verse of my own. Peace, Milton

muffins as metaphor

I made English muffins today for the first time since last summer. Since classes are over at Duke, my work schedule and location has changed, putting me back on the lunch shift at the Durham restaurant, and making the muffins, which are our hamburger buns. The recipe has several steps

a quick plug

I'm excited because this coming weekend I'm headed to Jackson, Mississippi to help lead "A Writer's Conference" at Calvary Baptist Church, along with Tim Sean Youmans and Justin McRoberts. If you are anywhere in the area, the conference is free and runs

harbinger

It’s one of my favorite English words. I like the way it sounds, the way my mouth has to shape itself to say it, and what it means once it’s let loose from my lips. Harbinger: an indicator of what’s coming. When I was living in Texas,

tune my heart

“Sometimes a light surprises the Christian when he sings,” wrote William Cowper. And sometimes the surprise is in the listening. I sat down in church this morning, feeling renewed after a wonderful weekend (Friday and Saturday are my weekend), one day in Chicago with our nephew and the other wandering

eat, play, love

Ginger and I spent the day in Chicago on Friday. We’ve been planning it for some time. April 21st will mark our nineteenth wedding anniversary and the 23rd the twenty-first birthday of Scott, our nephew who is in school just o utside of Chicago, so a joint celebration seemed

time pieces

After walking through Lent to Easter, a journey in which time stretches out like a path leading us somewhere, I came across an interesting list yesterday of things that all happened on April 14, making time feel more like a totem or a sculpture where the different blocks are stacked

lenten journal: getting started

Yesterday, Ginger, Cherry, and I took part in an “urban hike” through our neighborhood of Old West Durham to learn our way around a bit more and to learn some of the history of our neighborhood. John Schelp, the president of our neighborhood association, led the hike and dispersed the

letnen journal: what's in a name?

I was one of the first to the farmer’s market this morning, determined to buy tomato plants before my day caught up with me. I was looking for heirlooms – seeds passed down from grower to grower, generation to generation, like stories worth repeating. Most have names like Mortgage Lifter

lenten journal: good friday

We have a fair number of pieces of furniture in our house that have come from those stores that provide the experience of allowing me to assemble the furniture once we get the box home. The furniture is usually made in Indonesia or Thailand, comes with instructions that are illustration

lenten journal: dishwashing service

I’ve never really gotten foot washing. When I was a youth minister in Texas, we had a foot washing service one Maundy Thursday and it was solemn and thoughtful and meaningful and, well, what I can say is I got more out of washing than being washed. Then again,

lenten journal: holy week

I realize my posts have leaned heavily towards the poetic, over the past several days in particular. Yes, it is National Poetry Month, but that’s not the reason. Part of the reason is it’s easily eleven-thirty before I even begin to write at night and I am finding