I think I was about 15 the first time I read Pet Sematary. I was terrified. I was grossed out. I was totally hooked. I remember holing up in the basement to watch the movie with some friends. It was ok. But nothing like the delicious thrill of the words on the page, and the invitation those pages offered into the macabre layers of my own imagination. Something about King’s brand of terror has never translated well to the screen…... Read more
It’s the oldest joke in our cultural lexicon: the father, casually cleaning his shotgun on the front porch as the daughter’s date comes to the door. Drop any variation of that scenario into a sit-com, meme or conversation, and you’ve got an instant LoL. A shared experience that some people will even say they’ve experienced firsthand, to some degree, whether as daughter, date or dad. You can say it’s harmless, JUST A JOKE. But given the power that guns wield,... Read more
Your birthday is not the best day to start a diet. So I’m not. However, I do know this to be true— 38 is going to have to be the year when I stop eating whatever I want. I have recently become victim to what my Mamaw has always called “the creeping weight.” It’s creeping because you don’t notice a pound here or two pounds there… until one day your jeans don’t fit, and you’re like ‘what just happened??” and... Read more
This was Sunday’s sermon for World Communion Sunday. As always, the table was filled with different kinds of bread from all over the world. I moved around the table during the sermon and between each story, broke a few pieces of the bread. I will answer now a question you are going to have later–yes, I broke some graham crackers too. *** In the weeks following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, international aid groups hit the ground with food, water... Read more
Nobody came into my place of work today and shot me. No enraged white man walked into my children’s school and enacted a deranged video game fantasy on multiple young lives. My husband did not get killed in a random interstate drive-by. None of this seems like anything worth reporting. But honestly, I count it as a small miracle. Every day that we walk through the world unscathed by gun violence, it is a gift that I don’t take lightly.... Read more
It’s done. Sort of. The story of a killer. It was one-part true crime, and one-part pure gospel. It was, at best, a true conversion story; and at worst, a glimpse of the dark side of our justice system. Kelly Gissendaner was sentenced in the murder of her husband. She persuaded her then-boyfriend to do the killing–but when all was said and done, the killer took a plea deal that afforded him life in prison, and landed her on death... Read more
Listen. Most any ‘change in privacy‘ notice you see on Facebook is a scam. Social media sites would completely implode on themselves if they started charging, and they know it. Or if everything suddenly became “public,” in the most basic understanding of the word. Furthermore, anything that says “if you copy and paste this into your status, then _____ thing will or won’t happen” is definitely a scam. Your status box has no magic power to create a force field... Read more
Maybe this week in U.S. news is no more embarrassing than any other. But I tell you what, I am feeling especially appalled by our collective bad behavior. Maybe it’s because the behavior has been especially…well, appalling. Or maybe it’s because the POPE IS IN TOWN, and, I don’t know, it seems like we should clean up the place a little. Use a napkin, at the very least, and not put our *^@%#^ feet on the table. It’s hard to... Read more
I was drinking a beer. That was her first clue that I wasn’t a real Christian. Read more
I recently posted a review of the new book “Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome.” Since then, I’ve had the privilege of a conversation with author Reba Riley. Here’s some of our discussion about writing, family, and what’s next. It’s the abridged version so YOU’RE WELCOME, because we both really love to chat. If you don’t already have this book on your ‘to-read’ pile, get on it. This is the book your nightstand has been waiting for… E: This book has got to... Read more
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