Several years ago, I had a plan, and I was living it out. I planned to work my second career for a Christian ministry until I retired and then enjoy a life of leisure. I was also writing as a side gig. Even I knew better than to quit my …
Recent Blog Posts
Faith
When Things Don’t Go My Way
What happens when things don’t go the way I want? And they frequently don’t. Traffic makes me late for an appointment. My favorite TV show is preempted by politics. The agent I want sends a polite yet form letter rejection. I don’t get the editing or ghostwriting contract I sought. …
Truth Through Story
Did you ever wonder why Jesus used parables so often to convey the basic truths he had come to teach? Stories like the faithful servant and the farmer sowing in different kinds of soil. Have you ever read a novel where the author’s agenda was so blatant the story suffered? …
I Went to Bed a Christian and Woke Up an Agnostic
Today, I’m excited to have my good writing friend, Jenny Snow share on my blog. Jenny has a heart for people and for God. I hope you are as moved as I was as Jenny shares some of her spiritual journey with us. I was raised in a Christian home with three siblings and loving …
Patience, NOW
There is a scene in Star Wars, Episode IV, where Luke is attacking the Death Star, about to drop a bombdown a chute to the core of the weapon. His wing commander tells him, “Wait for it. Wait for it. Did you know the Lord tells us basically the same …
Why Do I Keep Writing?
I began this blog a little over five years ago. My first post titled Why Do I Write. Click Here Now, so many years later—although they seem to have flown by—I ask myself why do I keep writing? In the face of rejections and in the crazy world of publishing …
Trust
Trust—in yourself and in your calling and in God—is the fourth pillar of the writing life. Years ago, my wife and I planned to drive from Rhode Island to Fort Worth, Texas so we acquired Trip Tics from AAA. These booklets plotted out every mile of the drive. When we …
Inspiration, Part I
One question readers frequently ask is what inspires me to write. And this goes far beyond the specific book they’ve been reading. What makes me sit at a laptop for hours on end, staring at a screen? Sometimes it’s blank and sometimes it contains a few random letters scattered here …
Meet Marissa Shrock
Meet Marissa Shrock Leave a Comment to be Entered in the Drawing for Marissa’s Novel, The First Principle. See my review of her novel at: http://www.henrymclaughlin.org/world-flipped-upside/ Marissa Shrock is a language arts teacher who enjoys working with her seventh grade students. Her young adult novel, The First Principle, will debut in …
Thanksgiving Reflections
Thanksgiving—a time of reflection, of appreciating and valuing, of acknowledging and expressing gratitude for all we have received. As this year winds its way into the holiday season, I find myself thinking of time. Eleven months ago, Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed so far away. How did they get here so …