Tag Archives: writing

by | June 17, 2016 · 10:31 am

Have Computer, Will Blog

It’s BAAACK!

The Lenovo has landed.

The Lenovo has landed.

You guys have no idea how much I’ve hated not having my computer! I mean, I love the technology of hand-held devices, but there is nothing like sitting down to a computer and making the keyboard smoke! Booyah!

Anyway, I finally go my computer back from the “shop” and it is running like a fine-tuned machine…which is what it is. Now, if I can manage to manage my time and keep my wife and daughters’ eyes from rolling back and searching their brains each time I sit down in my chair, things will be great! Woo Hoo!

Future Contemplations

Now that I am back at the keyboard, I feel the temptation to comment on the many, many items in the news. However, there is just so much, and so many other bloggers  – not to mention news sites – cover this stuff to the point of nausea. Therefore, I’ve got to choose my postings wisely.

Sure, I need to address a few issues floating about in the stormy media sea, but do I really need to comment on everything? Of course not. As a matter of fact, much of what is going on in the world right now is so depressing that I’ve begun to limit my exposure to it. For example, I’m going to vote in the next election, but I’m tired of politics; I’m only going to consume what I have to in order to get by.

Trump and Clinton are on my last nerve, and the election isn’t even in full swing.

Essentially, I only want to write about stuff that will allow me to express my uniquely unique writing style…nothing forced. Hopefully, if all goes well, those of you who read my posts will be encouraged to keep coming back. Hopefully, the stuff I unstuff from my brain will interest you, too.

Here are some things I do plan on covering in the near and dear future:

  • An impassioned and desperate plea for donations – I’ve GOT to get to Africa in August!
  • A look at the 1996 “Atlanta Covenant” from the Promise Keepers Clergy Conference. I was there, you know.
  • A melancholy-like happy reflection on life with an exchange student.
  • An answer to a question asked of me: “Why don’t Christians kill Muslims?”

In the meantime…

Enjoy one of my most favorite music videos and one of my most favorite songs – because I wrote it….and it’s funny.

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by | May 24, 2016 · 6:30 am

Guest Posts a Comin’!

Break Time!

As you well know – if you know anything about blogging – vacations, sabbaticals, and illnesses will absolutely KILL one’s stats! That is why it is mucho importento to find a way to keep those hits coming, even when you’re not able to post anything yourself.

But I need a break! I need to refill the imagination funnel! What do I do???

Logical Answer: Guest posts!

Guests

Starting tomorrow (Wednesday) The Recovering Legalist will be hosting several guest writers, a few of which are brand new to my audience. As a matter of fact, one blogger I just met this past weekend!

Be looking out for posts from the following friends:

daniel klemDaniel Klem – Daniel and Caitlin Klem are about the cutest couple you’ll ever meet. I’ll never forget for as long as I live the couple of days they spent with us here in Chattanooga. They live in Arizona, so when we were disappointed one morning to not be able to see the valley from atop Lookout Mountain – because of the low clouds – Caitlin said, “Hey! It’s still water! That’s something we don’t see very often.” Sweet!

David Welford – David has been a blogging friend for a long time – one of my first. We’ve never met, but I hope we will one day this side of heaven. Maybe, just maybe, one day before I die, I’ll see just a fraction of the places around the world he’s visited.

Dawn Liz Jones – Inspriation with Attitude, what more needs to be said? I mean, I’ve never met Mrs. Jones, but I sense in her a kindred sarcastic spirit. Attitude, I’m telling ya’.

Madblog – I’ll let you try to figure out her name, but she blogs at Messages from the Mythical. I don’t think she’s a favorite of the non-complementarians, but that’s my opinion.

Melissa Zelniker-Presser – What can I say about Melissa? Let’s just say she ain’t Baptist; she knows about real law (not just Moses kind); and for heaven’s sake, don’t call her a Gentile. Melissa is also a friend – so be nice or I’ll “unfriend” you.

FullSizeRender (5)Rachel Smith – I met Rachel and Richard Smith at their booth at Jfest 2016, a Christian music festival in the Chattanooga area. What immediately caught my attention was the name of her ministry…Transformed Wife. Then, there on the table, I saw a t-shirt which I was later given; it said, “Transformed Husband.” Rachel hasn’t been blogging that long, so why don’t you subscribe to her site? This couple has a heart for saving marriages.

So, make sure you keep coming back the next several days…even though they don’t create monkey videos, I’m positive there’ll be some really great things to read!  😉

Seriously.

OH! Please check out each guest blogger’s blog, too!

OH! OH! … The Recovering Legalist (me) does not necessarily approve of everything on all the other blogs. So there, that’s my disclaimer.

That’s all. Seriously. 

 

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by | May 21, 2016 · 2:44 pm

10 Things Christian Bloggers Wished the Rest of the Universe Could Understand

The following was inspired by Dr. Dennis Culbreth and Alan Rogers, men who are obsessed with posting enumerated lists on Facebook.

The Audience

If you are reading this – evidently you are – it is probably because you are on some form of social media, like Facebook or Twitter. it is also possible you received an email notification as a subscriber, or you were forwarded a message from a friend who said, “You’ve GOT to read this!”

On the other hand, you may be a blogger who was surfing recent posts from followed sites or “suggestions”form WordPress (or some other inferior blogging platform). Those of you in this group – the bloggers – will understand what I’m about to write; the rest need help.

The following list will be less of a shocker than an affirmation of what Christian (and some pagan) bloggers already believe about themselves or others within their “community.” Therefore, the following list is meant more for the casual Facebook reader, the neglected child with a school project due, and the wife or husband whose eyes roll more often than a bowling ball.

10 Things Christian Bloggers Wished the Rest of the Universe Could Understand

1. The ability to write is a gift from God; the ability to write well takes work. Every post, if it’s worth posting, should be well-written. A poorly-written post is a poor reflection on the message we have to share. Therefore, don’t get upset if we spend 3 hours crafting a 500-word work of art.

2. Blogging is a form of worship. I know, it may sound crazy, but blogging can be a very legitimate means of giving praise and honor to God. Christian bloggers regularly speak of the goodness of God, praise Him in the midst of struggles, and challenge others to trust Jesus. Christian bloggers LOVE to praise God through computer screens all over the world!

3.  Christian bloggers are internet missionaries! You don’t have to travel the world to teach people with the Good News; you can do it from your kitchen! That’s right with a simple blog piece one person can instantly share relevant Truth in over 100 countries! Last time I counted, I’ve had readers in 126.

4.  Everything is fodder for a blog post. That’s right, everything from one’s recent trip to the mall to one’s battle with cancer – it’s all worth writing about, especially to the one who sees God’s hand working everywhere.

5.  Household chores will take care of themselves. Families of bloggers are usually the most stressed of housekeepers, but this need not be. Worse come to worse, dirty dishes, un-walked pets, and un-made meals can be used as writing topics (see point 4).

6.  Blogging is reporting. All bloggers wish the world would give us more respect. I mean, seriously, we deserve Press credentials! If you write a well-written blog you should be allowed into all political events, meetings, and all concerts for free. As for me, I think every blogger is a potential food and restaurant critic – we should eat for free.

7.  Christian bloggers don’t have selective hearing; we have selected focus. When I’m at the computer, don’t assume I hear anything you say. When I’m writing I’m in the “zone,” so voices outside the “zone” are muted. If you want my attention, offer food or show legitimate interest in what I’m writing.  Otherwise, don’t assume I heard you tell me to pay that bill.

8.  Donations are always welcome. Just because we Christian bloggers love doing what we do, that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t accept money. Money buys better computers, custom themes, and comfortable desk chairs.

9.  The Christian blogging “community” is a real thing with real people. Honestly, some of my best friends are bloggers I’ve met online. Several of us have met in person, prayed with each other, and shared in genuine Christian fellowship and worship. Bloggers love bloggers 🙂

10.  Christian bloggers come in all virtual shapes and sizes. Not every Christian is alike, and neither are our blogs. We are all unique and bring our own perspectives to the discussion of life. Don’t read just one.

So, what are your thoughts? Any points you’d like to share with the universe?

Kicked out of the house and in need of wifi, the blogger will do anything to maintain his habit of changing the world one post at a time.

Kicked out of the house and in need of wifi, the Christian blogger will do anything to maintain his habit: changing the world one post at a time.

 

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by | February 29, 2016 · 3:10 pm

iPost (Better than a Cigarette)

Smokers have long depended on those short breaks during which they light up and take a few puffs. Employers, if not smokers themselves, allow these little pauses in productivity for the purpose of worker morale, if nothing else.

“Smoke breaks” are the envy of the non-smoking, pink-lunged, over-worked world. Who else gets assigned special sections to indulge in expensive, unhealthy habits? Who else gets to arbitrarily select a time in which everything will come to a halt while one gets to relax and calm one’s nerves?

Well, I need a “writing break.” The only problem is that I’m not at home by my computer; I’m sitting on an empty school bus waiting for my next load of crumb crunchers to be released from their government mandated confinement. What to do?

I will write a post on my iPhone! I will write an iPost!

As a matter of fact, I think I’m going to start something new…I’m going to start posting short, non-graphically-enhanced, simply-fonted “iPosts.” When I can’t sit down to a computer, and when the thought is not so profound that it needs a lot of explanation or bullet points, I will simply “iPost.”

This is the first one.

Because I needed to write.

And too much about politics has been written already.

And it’s better than a cigarette. 

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by | October 29, 2015 · 9:37 pm

It’s Your Choice

I don’t have enough time, with all the other stuff going on this weekend, to write about everything of which I have an opinion. There’s just too much in the news.

Therefore, I want YOU to decide on what I write about next! You know, it’s sorta like a reverse of Fox News’ “We Report. You Decide.”

You decide. I will report.

Now, if you would like a few suggestions, just consider what has been in the news over the last few days and weeks. Maybe one of these topics would interest you.

  1. The Republican and Democrat Presidential debates in America.
  2. Policemen jerking unruly punk kids out of their desks in school.
  3. Policemen getting killed for being policemen.
  4. China ends one-child-only policy, but only ups it to two.
  5. Miley Cyrus and her upcoming naked concert.
  6. A football coach getting fired for praying after games at the 50-yard line.
  7. School shootings and gun-free zones.
  8. NCIS and Gibbs’ new look.
  9. Chinese and American tensions in the South China Sea.
  10. The possibility the Russians are going to cut internet cables in the Atlantic.

Then there are other things that aren’t in the news, but are nevertheless important – at least to some:

  1. Portlandia.
  2. NCIS compared to Castle.
  3. My DVR is full and erasing things I want to see but don’t have time to watch.
  4. Candy corn.
  5. How to keep trick-or-treaters away from your front door.
  6. The American public education system and Asian exchange students.
  7. Sharing the news of a missing pet on social media.
  8. Posting embarrassing photos of your teenage children when they were young.
  9. The horrors of being in the driver’s seat at a drive-thru with 6 other people in your minivan trying to tell you what they want, and all of them being females who can’t keep anything simple.
  10. Camera phones and legalism.
And then there's this.

And then there’s this. Aren’t you curious?

 

What do you want me to write about (excluding ending sentences with a preposition)?

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by | September 3, 2015 · 10:05 am

You Can Call Me “Illustrator” If You Want To

The Book

As many of you already know, last year Parson’s Porch published a little book of mine, Life Lessons From the School Bus. If you haven’t picked up a copy, then why not?? I mean, seriously! It’s a good little book!

Anyway…

Each little story in the book has an illustration attached. And guess what? I did all the illustrating! Yes, I can do more than write; I can draw…sorta.

Unfortunately, because of the size of the book, and because the publisher didn’t see things that way I did, the illustrations on which I had worked very hard ended up being very small. Had I gotten my way, the illustrations would have had their own pages. Maybe, if the book ever becomes popular enough, a reprint will include just that.

The Illustrations

So, my dear friends, including those who have not yet found $10 to buy my book, I want to share with you some of the illustrations I drew. This way you will be better able to see all the illustrious and creative detail my geniusness can create 😉

Should you be on a tight budget and need an illustrator, give me a call. Seriously. I could always use a little extra gas money.

Also, if you’d like a signed and personally touched up copy of any of these illustrations, I will send you one for $20 plus shipping (which shouldn’t be much). What a deal!!

photo 3 (4) photo 5 (4) photo (32) - Copy photo 1 (5) photo 2 (4) photo 3 (2) photo 3 photo 4 (2)

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by | February 24, 2015 · 9:40 am

I’m a Word Farmer

“A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.” – Proverbs 12:14

Word Farming

It should come as no shock to anyone that I use words on a daily basis. I talk, write, sing, preach, teach, and even give dating advice to second-graders on my school bus (but that’s a different story).

Image credit: Wikimedia.org

I am a word farmer, and my mouth could be compared to one of those big machine-thingys (non-farmer terminology) that spreads seed across a field. From morning till evening I am like a John Deere pulling a seed drill (farmer terminology), planting row after row of something that should grow.

The hope is that whatever I am planting will produce a good harvest. And if I am planting good seed, then I will be satisfied with the “good fruit.”

Don’t Work, Don’t Eat

But it is important that we pay attention to the negative side of this, not just  the “fruitful” positive. The New Living Translation of Proverbs 12:14 reads, “Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.”

What happens when we don’t plant? What happens when we don’t work? What happens when the farmer parks his tractor, sleeps late, and watches television all day? Plants don’t grow, no one is satisfied, and grown men end up watching the Lifetime Channel.

Rewards are the result of effort; harvests are the result of planting. To be satisfied with good from the fruit of your mouth, you’ve got to plant seed. If you don’t work, you don’t eat.

Just be careful of the seed you plant, “for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

“Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.” – Isa 3:10-11 ESV

This post was originally written for Proverbial Thought, 10/2012.

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by | February 4, 2015 · 3:17 pm

On the Fly Writing and Posting

I’m sitting on my school bus waiting for the kids to come running out to load up and go home. I’m writing this on my iPhone. Why am I telling you this? Because it’s raw, in the moment, unedited.

Like my last three posts, I’m doing something now that I want to try more often: writing on the fly. This way my emotions are fresh, my thoughts are still evolving, and I don’t have to worry about forgetting something.

And besides, sometimes long posts on Facebook seem more like grandstanding. Might as well write a blog post.

So, I hope you enjoy these “on the fly” iPhone entries. They won’t become the norm, but you’ll see them more often, for sure.

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by | December 5, 2014 · 7:10 am

The New Books Are In

It was reminiscent of the scene in The Jerk when Steve Martin exclaimed, “The new phone books are here ! The new phone books are here!” There, leaned ever so proudly against my screen door, was a cardboard box containing my new little books. My youngest daughter and I were excited!

So, here it is, finally in my hands – excerpts from nearly 15 years of bi-vocational bus driving. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like 15 years-worth. You’d think I could have written a novel-sized volume, not a 75-page baby book. Nevertheless, the idea was for it to be a quick and easy read, much like a blog post; something quick and to the point.

This is a funny book, but it’s meant to make a mark or two on the soul. My prayer is that it will have a part in changing at least a few lives for the better. Since God is known for working in the strangest ways, maybe He will work through this book.

Contact me if you’d like an autographed copy.

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by | November 24, 2014 · 12:55 pm

“Life Lessons” Now Available

Here’s a quick note to all my followers and subscribers.

If you will look down to the left in the widget column, there you will see the cover of my new little book, Life Lessons from the School Bus. You can click on that picture and find a link to where you can purchase it.

I really have high hopes for this new book. The feedback I’ve already gotten has been nothing but positive. One objective person who read the finished draft told me, “You did good; it hit the mark.”

A sample page - And yes, I did the illustrations :-)

A sample page – And yes, I did the illustrations 🙂

Life Lessons from the School Bus is not just for bus drivers; it’s for everybody. But let me tell you, if you have ever ridden on a school bus, driven a school bus, worked with kids, or even had a second job – this bus is definitely for you!

Inside the book you will find 20 different stories (Route Stops). Each true story is followed up with a “Life Lesson” and a few “Route Suggestions” to follow. The picture to the right is an example of one page.

In case you are wondering, I did do several posts on this blog a while ago entitled “Life Lessons from the School Bus.” However, the book includes stories not published on this blog. Even the ones that are included in the book that were originally written here have been modified or expanded.

I promise, you will find this book a fun, quick read that you will want to share with others – after you buy them their own copy, of course.

If you’d like to buy larger quantities for whatever reason, just make a note to the publisher.

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