Allow me to extend a hearty welcome and appreciation for you stopping by to visit another new blog of the hundreds going active every day (not to mention the thousands of blogs already in production). Somewhere between two and three thousand years ago the Preacher of Ecclesiastes evaluated the publishing industry of his day: “There’s no end to the excessive production of scrolls” (Eccles 12:12 CEB). Can you imagine the Preacher’s reaction if he miraculously rose from his grave (a shocker in itself) and you took him to Barnes and Noble©? And just to be cruel you gave him a tour of a major city or university library before putting him back in his grave holding a Kindle© and Nook©.

To say the least, the Preacher was right: there has been no end to the excessive production of “scrolls.” So why produce or read one more blog? If I can’t answer this question it would be best for us to close the blog today and all ride off into the sunset. But, please, before you do…

1. I want to offer an improved site for posting psalms and prayers that I have written and will write in days to come. From the beginning of my “blog space” on Facebook© I have been frustrated with its limitations: the inability to format lines – an indention here, extra white space there – all important for poetry, especially free verse.

2. I am learning to embrace a new identity: “writer” (as opposed to “disabled professor”). As a “full-time” writer I hope to have one book project on the front burner at all times, another simmering on the back burner, and use this space for the microwave. I confess, I don’t cook and metaphors can only go so far. So please let me try again. I want to use this space for exploring topics related to current or future writing projects, trying to work out ideas or test material. Most entries, however, will stand independent from my books as I pursue thoughts stirred up by reading or current events; ideas that jump up and down with both hands in the air, screaming, “Look at me! Write about me! Please, please, please!” I’ve learned that these topics will not leave me alone until I write about them, even if no one else sees what I write. So this new blog provides an outlet for me to share these essays about God, the life of faith, and how my life (and chronic pain) relates to both.

Finally, to begin, I invite you to join me on a beautiful summer afternoon in the Colorado Rockies. Follow me as I scrambled up loose rock to a small peak on the Continental Divide. What a spectacular view – east, west, north, south – and the view down! I’d don’t know about you, but I am trying to remember why I thought this was such a good idea? You have only yourself to blame for following me up here. The rock field is so steep – so much steeper than I had realized on the way up. If you noticed, you should have said something. I begin to search the plateau for another way down. A snowfield blocks a route to the northwest, and to the south and east the first step down drops at least two thousand feet. I have some bad news: I think we are stuck.

Until we meet again,

Glenn

P.S. While you have free time waiting until we find a path down you might check out two other features of this blog site. First, I (with help) have selected "fan favorite" prayers and psalms along with my own and republished at the preceding link. Second, the webmaster for these pages has provided a page with my written works with short blurbs and links to Amazon for purchase.