Recent Posts

In the winter of 1971, I was back at Dartmouth after discharge from the Army the prior Christmas Eve. Contrary to the experience of many Vietnam vets, I was received well–not as a hero but simply as someone who had experienced the most significant event of our generation. As I shared stories with the curious, […]

You voted for Trump even though you didn’t like him. Doubted his character. Questioned his fitness for the job. Yet, your aversion to Hillary was even greater

Most of us remember where we were when the Twin Towers were attacked on 9-11. For folks my age or older, we remember the Kennedy assassination. Fifty years ago, Apollo 11 roared into history as I arrived in Vietnam. I wrote about those days in my embellished autobiographical novella entitled “Gonna Stick My Sword in […]

If you’re a Trump supporter, here’s a quiz for you in the quiet of your own thoughts. Don’t be defensive; dare to think long and hard and ponder the questions seriously. 1)  Why did Russia want Trump to win? 2)  Why do black voters overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump? Hispanics? LGBTQ? Women? 3)  Why does Trump […]

Colleen Kwong is a pastor and an artist (potter). We began bumping into each other and exchanging our work a few years ago at church conventions. My fingers trace her clay labyrinth that sits on my desk. I sent her a proof copy of Wormwood and Gall, and she soon replied that she “devoured” it […]

A pair of new reviews have been posted on Amazon. I asked Pastor Phil Eaves and Susan Troselius to review advanced reader copies of Wormwood and Gall, knowing that they had earlier expressed appreciation for A Wretched Man. On one hand, it is fair to say that these are cherry-picked reviewers for that reason, but […]

The ELCA Church Council meets today at the Higgins Road headquarters in Chicago to consider a document entitled Trustworthy Servants as a replacement for a prior document entitled Vision and Expectations. The proposed document comes to the Council following recent action by the Conference of Bishops. To be sure, the current document purports to be […]

Folks who received advance reader copies of Wormwood and Gall have posted five-star reviews on Amazon. Pastor Wesley White has penned his own book centered in Mark’s gospel, entitled, Slow Reading the Gospel of Mark, a reflective, meditative, and introspective invitation into the gospel narrative.  Pastor White’s review of Wormwood and Gall lauds the historical […]

A few years ago, I participated in a Saturday morning men’s group over coffee and Panera pastries. Mike Allen was another participant. Recently, he responded to my request for an early review and quickly downloaded a digital copy, and he has now sent me his review. First, he contrasts light Christian fiction with heavy theological […]

The Hollywood screenwriter who hopes to bring A Wretched Man to a movie screen near you, once complimented me on my imaginative, and sometimes provocative, book titles. So, where does Wormwood and Gall come from?