Month: October 2023

  • Commonplaces: Superbia

    “11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” Luke 18:11, ESV Among the different church traditions there is an inclination to identify sin as an infraction of God’s law and, historically, “God’s law,” “the law,” and “law” are…

  • Takeaways: Of Things Past

    As an aspiring writer, first in New York and later in Los Angeles, I worked on a number of projects, most never seeing the light of day. There were historical dramas, romantic comedies, ensemble comedy/dramas, and experimental plays. I still have the rejection letters from major studios and production companies for a pet project that,…

  • Water & Word: Understand and believe

    I’ve been asked why I wanted to write Water & Word, the novel I’ve just completed. Although I’ve attended church most of my life, off and on, I wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of American churches for at least forty years. At some time in the early 2000’s I found a companion in the White…

  • Takeaways: The Last Payphone Before the Forest

    While driving with my son to Nuccio’s Nurseries in Altadena, CA I happened to notice something interesting on Google Maps. It was referred to as the Historic Working Payphone of Altadena. Up in the Verdugo Mountains, alongside Chaney Trail, not terribly far from Jet Propulsion Labs and in the broad general vicinity of Mt. Wilson…

  • Field Notes: Nuccio’s Nurseries

    In March of this year I was able to offer some assistance to my younger son as he took on landscaping his home in SoCal. He had done the research, drawn up a design, soaked up information from the locals, and was ready to clear out the old, revive the planting beds, and welcome the…