A new season
I have not posted on this blog in a long time. I have written several articles in my head but never gotten around to putting them on “paper,” for various reasons.
Perhaps, primary, I have been working on a new book.
I am sick of writing books and then struggling to sell them. I thought it might be easier to write a proposal and a few sample chapters and then solicit responses to that. Save a little work, anyway.
However, I never could come up with an outline for this book that satisfied me until I finished the whole thing. So now it’s done, and I’ve again written a book that will have to find a publisher. Oh well. It’s done, and I’m mostly satisfied with it, so we’ll see how it goes.
Couldn’t I continue to blog while working on a book? Something I read recently featured a writer who said that while he was actively working a book he couldn’t do anything else. Any otherwise unoccupied moment he had, he was back at the keyboard, working on the book.
In a word, you become obsessed with the thing until it works its way out of your system.
So that’s one excuse for staying silent so long.
Another is the current political landscape. My wife and editor warned me against taking a public stand politically, and I ditched several columns dealing with politics. My only comment now: We are about to enter a period of unprecedented political and social chaos. Pray that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” and be prepared to stand up for it.
Short takes:
One: The movie “Conclave” is tense and exciting. It closely follows Robert Harris’ book, which is also tense and exciting. Some folks consider both as an attack on the Catholic Church. I can see why some hyper-defensive types would think so, but I can’t see it that way. If you thought the system for selecting a new pope (or any other leader of any religious group) was free of politics and intrigue, you are simply not being realistic. The Holy Spirit works in many devious ways.
Two: Linda and I really like the American version of the TV series “Ghosts.” The British version that started it all seems weaker in many ways, starting with the sketchy characters. Maybe it’s the difference between British and American humor, but the British version seems simply too mean-spirited to stomach.
Three: New TV series: “Matlock” is about a lawyer seeking vengeance by assuming a fake identity in a law firm. Even Kathy Bates cannot redeem such an unethical premise. “NCIS Origins” features an actor who is bigger and beefier than Mark Harmon and has a lantern jaw that Harmon lacks; another loser. Zachary Quinto is compelling in “Beautiful Minds,” but the soap opera backdrop and the flashbacks need to go. Meantime, the not-quite-new “Tracker” has gained real traction with me; it’s formulaic but nicely done.
Four: One good thing about a public library is that you can bail on a bad book without feeling guilty that you paid for it. Lately I’ve tried to read too many “literary” novels that are just pretentious nonsense. The last two books I checked out were popular fiction by popular authors. I got 30 pages into one and barely a dozen into the other before quitting. I’ve put my name on the list for several science-fiction titles of past decades. We’ll see how that goes. Yes, science fiction is often more down to earth than other literary endeavors.
Five: The Spring Hill branch of the Johnson County Library is great. Hard to imagine life without it.
Six: Resurrection Spring Hill, the seventh location of Church of the Resurrection based in Leawood, is going strong. Hard to imagine life without it, either. Christmas Eve services are at 3 and 5 p.m. Maybe I’ll see you there!
Seven: I should have hailed my pick for best book of 2024 when I read it months ago. Maybe I’ll get a review out by the end of the year.
Eight: Or maybe I’ll rail against a terrible blasphemy I just saw in an email ad from a major Christian publisher. Lord save us from such ignorance!
In any case, don’t forget why we’re celebrating. The Winter Solstice is Dec. 20. In Jesus’ day, it officially fell on Dec. 25. We don’t celebrate the solstice. We celebrate the birth of Jesus, on whatever day it actually occurred. Have a Merry Christmas!