The Beginning

The Beginning

A new month.  A new school year.  A new friend.  A new book.  A new song.  A new story.  A new week. A new day.  A new attitude.  A new idea.  A new prayer.  That’s a lot of “news.” The last blog reflected on endings....
The End

The End

Another month dashed to its end.  Another summer hurries toward her conclusion.Time, refusing to slow, surges ahead. So these two words seem to fit: the end. The end of a season, the end of a year, the end of a story. What should we do? Choose to...
64 Years

64 Years

Sixty-four is the number. It is the number of years.  My years. Here on planet earth, collaborating with people and places and things, I’ve lived on this traveling circle.  Years ago sixty-four sounded old. Very old. Now that number feels not all that old....
Jon M. Sweeney’s Life and His Book About Books

Jon M. Sweeney’s Life and His Book About Books

A review by Chris Maxwell When I finally finished reading Jon M. Sweeney’s My Life in Seventeen Books: A Literary Memoir, I wanted to write my thoughts. But I was wrong. I wasn’t finished reading. I reread a few chapters several times, revisiting his stories, his...
Step by Step

Step by Step

Percussion. This morning I heard the tires on the road. Various vehicles, various speeds, various sizes, various stories. Tires turning over and over and over on the streets in various places. To work. Back home. Going. Coming. Percussion. My own steps taken at my...
Few Words

Few Words

I love words. Spoken or written, words. Heard or read, words. They inspire action, shift moods, sound alarms, raise volume, offer invitations, provide peace. They might arrive for a brief visit. They might stay for a long, long time. They show us what to notice. They...
Morning Walk with Friends

Morning Walk with Friends

Walking alone does not necessarily mean alone. During my early Saturday morning walk, I noticed many friends. I don’t know if any of them would consider me a friend, but that’s okay. The opinions or assumptions of others do not need to control our perspectives and...
Listening to Their Conversations

Listening to Their Conversations

Do you like to “listen in” as people around you talk? Maybe they’re at a table beside you in a restaurant. Maybe they’re in seats near you at a ball game. Maybe they’re in line before you at the grocery store. You won’t interrupt them. You...
The Number 12

The Number 12

What’s your favorite number? When did you select that number? Why is it your favorite? The number twelve has never been my favorite number. I’ve preferred eleven. Or one. Or ten. Or thirty-three. But now my mind is on number twelve. Why? My twelth book will be...
Think About It

Think About It

From Pause for Pastors: Finding Still Waters in the Storm of Ministry. Think about your struggles and your successes. Think about your strengths and your weaknesses. Think about your victories and defeats. Think about Jesus entering a dialogue with you and healing you...