Disqus - Latest Comments for Mark Goodyear

Re: I Am Legend: Isolated But Not Alone (by Becky Garrison)

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 11:51:30 -0000

Criticisms of the movie aside, it was a good popcorn flick. And it raised bigger questions without getting overly preachy.

The thing I kept thinking after I left: a lot of Christians act like zombies. We say that we have eternal life, but we go about it so mindlessly that we might as well be walking dead.

Re: How Can Christians Gauge the Culture Better?

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:53:05 -0000

Heather, I love Broadway too. In fact, I love cities. It's so fun that Revelation talks about the New Jerusalem being a city. I live in the country, but I love cities, too.

L.L., actually, I've read studies about how much lower comprehension is when you are reading on a screen. I look forward to seeing if that proves true for new screen reading devices like the Kindle.

kim, thanks for the encouragement about my spelling. The jury is still out. And I love your optimism. When we get back to our roots, Christianity is about Christ. I love the old medieval prayer, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ above me...

Steven, nowhere Texas? I always thought it was "now here" Texas. Now, I'm here, life is good. And I agree completely about looking forward to the new year of community with all of you wonderful folks!

Re: This Isn’t Really a Subscribe to Me Kind of Blog

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 10:29:18 -0000

Tim, we scifi fans have to stick together! It's good to know there are some others out there. Here in Kerrville, it feels pretty lonely sometimes. I've enjoyed reading your blog, lately by the way. It's one of my favorites on highcallingblogs.com. I'll try to comment more regularly.

Ted, good to hear from you again! I hope your Christmas was good. Mine was filled with kids and toys. That's a good thing, and hopefully proof that I'm not at all sophisticated. : )

Re: Science Fiction, Strolling Saints, and Fish Magnets

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 11:17:42 -0000

Henry, sorry for the delayed comment. What you said in your first comment makes a lot of sense.

For me, a good story is "Christian" if it presents a Christian world view. But I don't think that means we develop our stories backwards. For instance, we don't start with the message and find a story that preaches our message. We'll just end up with a preachy story. Which is no story at all.

Sermons disguised as stories are never good--whether it's a Christian sermon, an environmentalist sermon (eg. Happy Feet), or a political sermon (eg. Sicko).

Instead, a writer needs to remember the basic ingredients of a story. Character, setting, plot. Writers should create those three elements with integrity, then let things play out based on a Christian understanding of the universe.

That doesn't mean we reduce story-telling to rules about weapons, war, sex, or language. We tell stories that are true. We don't flinch about how ugly the truth can be, but we also remember to present the beautiful part of truth.

And we never forget the primary goal of stories: to engage and inspire the reader.

Re: This Isn’t Really a Subscribe to Me Kind of Blog

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:10:12 -0000

Thanks, ESI. Happy New Year to you as well.

Re: Science Fiction, Strolling Saints, and Fish Magnets

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:20:43 -0000

You go, Becky! I don't think we're in disagreement on this, I think we're just talking about it in different ways.

Since I was an English teacher for so long, I have come to believe that theme discussions are something for the critics to do.

Sure, theme is essential. But it also has to be something that is implicit in the characters, setting, and plot. In fact, I'd say the theme of a work is so intricately woven into those elements that it can't even be discussed apart from them.

But see, it sounds like I'm disagreeing with you. And I don't. Good stories engage and inspire. Spiritual themes are part of what inspires--but only when the characters, setting, and conflict also inspire.

Here's the big catch. It's easy to say all this. It's much harder to actually pull it off. The more we can honestly hold each other accountable to write works of the highest quality, the better. That's why I so appreciate what you do with the blog tours. Thanks.

Here's to another year of CSFF!

Re: Science Fiction, Strolling Saints, and Fish Magnets

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:31:09 -0000

Terri, thank you so much for your comments here.

I especially like what you said about emerging themes versus preexistent themes. The first process is inductive. The second process is deductive.

There are probably successful writers who do both. So much about writing is intuitive for me. I have a lot of trouble with the deductive process because I'm tempted to force the characters to address the theme.

It's all I can do to get them to pay attention to the conflict! I'm always reworking my outlines as I go...

Re: This Isn’t Really a Subscribe to Me Kind of Blog

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 10:09:12 -0000

Carl, I'm back. Removing the widget just happened to be the last thing I did before Christmas. I should have posted a signoff message, but I always forget to do that.

Happy New Year to you and Kim and Susan.!

And Eve, too! Congrats on finishing your manuscript!

Re: How Can Christians Gauge the Culture Better?

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:33:51 -0000

Charity, I've had the same worries about some of my friends. When the Christianity they know looks like some televangelists that I'll leave unnamed, I can't really blame them for thinking the entire thing is a sham. Shame on us for letting our faith be so degraded.

Jen, I have other friends who call themselves "followers of Jesus" rather than Christians. I'm a fan of fewer syllables myself, but the word--and alas the faith itself--has a lot of baggage.

Which is why it is so important to go back to the roots of what we agree upon. Since we all agree the text of the Bible is extremely significant, that's where I start.

Re: My Three Year Old Sings About Rum and Rock Monsters

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:50:02 -0000

Heather, try listening to the CD on loop as you drive across Texas. Then it will REALLY get stuck in your head.

Mark, your comment reminded me of this old post about Godzilla Jesus. Lo and behold, there's our same conversation. There's nothing new under the sun, I guess. And I'm reminded how thankful I am that you are on board now.

Gina, thanks for the reminder about WI. I forget to do my blog chores sometimes. My daughter was singing something like "Shake, shake your booty" just yesterday. I had nothing to do with that one.

Re: My Three Year Old Sings About Rum and Rock Monsters

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:53:16 -0000

Carl, thanks. It's good to be missed! Phil and I didn't talk much, but he seemed like a good guy.

Susan, no worries about the speling erors. This is al justg oode conversaations tuff, in the comments sectionss. I like the image of your kids giving the pastor a side-five. That's fun.

Eve, we have an interview with the head of Disney Parks coming up and I've heard that Disney is really committing to family movies again. Letting their independent film sections go, that sort of thing.

L.L., oh no.

Actually, it looks like I'll be spending the rest of my life trying to catch up.

Re: Good Words for High Calling Bloggers

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:00:19 -0000

You all are a wonderful encouragement to me! Mary, let's talk. I'll email you.

Heather, I love your new look for Chaim!

L.L., thanks for the confidence implied in your comment... that this will come together. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

spaghettipie, I'm curious to know where it will go too. We're thinking more and more of a retreat/church model. Which means soon we'll be asking volunteers to help take a leadership role in small groups.

Re: A Widget for Writers

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:27:31 -0000

Yea! It worked. Except the stupid blog software turned "8 )" into a smiley face with sunglasses. Oh well. That's what I get for not using an ordered list.

Re: A Widget for Writers

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:29:58 -0000

Also, Gina Conroy, notice that you can share it easily on Ning.

Re: A Widget for Writers

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:30:32 -0000

Hmmm. I'm not sure. Were you clicking on the gray RSS icon (so that it becomes orange)? Or were you literally clicking on the word "private." I should have been more clear that you click on the icon just to the left of the word "private."

Re: A Widget for Writers

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:00:08 -0000

L.L., would you believe I played viola for a year in the fourth grade? We scratched out a painful concert for parents after a handful of short afterschool lessons.

Mary, sharing the widget is the best! I love you!

Re: A Widget for Writers

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:04:58 -0000

Mary, do you want me to add "So You Want to Be Published" into the writing feed? I'd be happy to do so.

Re: A Widget for Writers

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:01:31 -0000

I knew you were referring to my víola. But I was thinking about your daughter's cello lessons and that old post many months ago that first got us connected.

Re: A Widget for Writers

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:16:53 -0000

Craver, good to hear from you! You're confused several words, though.

A wedgie is a) what happens to your shorts if you are a nerd in middle school and b) what you call a person who is suffering from definition a.

A wedget is the perpetrator of wedgies.

A widget goes back to 1931 (says the OED) when it already meant an indefinite mechanical gadget of some sort.

None of those to be confused with a widgie (or weegie): an Australasian teddy-girl; the female counterpart to a bodgie.

Re: Speaking of Widgets, How Is This Possible?

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:36:41 -0000

Note, it takes a bit to load. But still. Totally bizarre.

Re: I’m Not a Brand and Neither Is My Blog

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:31:27 -0000

L.L., you are such a nice person. I am really looking forward to presenting with you at Mt. Hermon. Thank you for asking me! In fact, you were the first person I met through blogs.

Randy, you are quite the gentleman to stop by here. And you sum up the problem well in your comment. Publishers are part of the problem when they tell writers to start a blog as if it is a magical cure-all for sales. I hope we can chat about fiction blogs in March. I'm thinking devices like the Kindle will open up that market. We'll see.

spaghettipie, thank you, ma'am!

Heather, you got it right. "Blogs are friends chatting." At least that is the most powerful effect of blogs. I also like your insight that people who read blogs as brands don't interact with them as much. Problogger and Copyblogger are case in point for me on that issue. I never comment there.

Robert, people like you are a good reminder of why I blog at all. How would we have ever met if not for the CSFF group?

Camille, thanks for coming over! I love the vivid imagery. It comes down to confidence for me. I don't try to sell anything here--unless I do it naturally the way I might tell a friend about one of my favorite movies. But otherwise, I try not to manipulate readers to do anything--unless I tell them upfront that I'm manipulating them just to see what would happen. Also, I wouldn't sell your own blog short. The first chapter posting struck me as particularly brave. I hope to take a closer peek at that later.

Sally, ditto on the comment to L.L. and Robert. We met via blogging. How cool is that? And you are absolutely right about voice. Because blogging provides such quick feedback, it is easier to learn what works and what doesn't. Even crickets in the comment section tells you something.

Eve, alas the vast majority of the millions of blogs out there exist solely to sell stuff. Thankfully, a huge chunk of them are automated and easily spotted from afar.

Re: A Widget for Writers

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:52:58 -0000

spaghettipie, Google Reader has a widget for your dashboard, but I'm sure Bloglines can organize your feeds too. No need to switch to Google just because I did.

Widget User, interesting promotional plug. Honest and on topic, so I appreciate it. The HighCallingBlogs.com staff are checking out Clearspring. We like the widgets we see others creating, but we're having trouble seeing how we can do the same.

RLP, that's my job dude. I'm not sure widgetbox is really that cutting edge. We've just finally organized our feeds well enough to use it. Thanks for all the work you're doing on HighCallingBlogs.com.

Re: CSFF Blog Tour Page One Review - Auralia’s Colors

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:13:37 -0000

valerie, thanks for stopping by. You are absolutely right about this having the stylistic integrity of something more literary. Also, you're fast. I had even finished the post before you commented! (And now I see a horrid layout problem with the excerpt that I must go fix.)

Re: CSFF Blog Tour Page One Review - Auralia’s Colors

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:47:32 -0000

L.L., are you judging the book by its cover?! I'm kidding, that's actually a great way to judge books in my opinion.

John, thanks for stopping by! If the book doesn't grab me on the first page, I don't bother reading to the second. And I bet many acquisitions editors don't either. It's a scary thought in some ways, but also just a reminder that each page has at least one primary purpose of getting the reader to keep reading.

Re: CSFF Blog Tour Page One Review - Auralia’s Colors

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:32:43 -0000

Eve, it's always good to hear from you--especially with such a wonderful book recommendation.

Robert, I was really intrigued by your comment about the lack of villains in your review post. Also, I'll add you to the feed.

kim, it's always good to hear from you! I liked that sentence too. It reminded me of Dune and the House Atreides, something Robert picked up on as well in his review.

Jenn, I wouldn't worry about it. There's no accounting for taste you know? And the literary nature of this book almost means it is less engaging. More artifice, less suspension of disbelief. I've heard other people say the same thing about Gene Wolfe, one of my favorite writers. But he's more Melville than Michael Crichton.

Mike, thanks! I'm glad you stopped by. Do you have a blog?

Kait, I'm so glad you liked the widget. By all means borrow away. That's the whole point--and the advantage of widgetbox over googles built in widgets. I'm looking into clearspring widgets as well--but they are so powerful that I left the site a bit confused.

Merrie, it is really quite simple to make a widget, it just takes a long time to load the RSS feeds into a reader. I saw Willow on the video rental shelf this past week and wondered when my kids would be ready for it. When you get published, I'll be more than happy to share all of my techno-genius with you. It will only take about two minutes.

Donna, I agree completely about a reader's intuition accomplishing reinforcing the logic of good editing. That's the difficulty of editing, though. Not getting so caught up in fancy logic that I forget to look at the piece intuitively as well. The sum is definitely greater than the parts with literature. I'm glad to hear you have a poet's mind! I wish more people did...

ForstRose, cool screen name. I applaud you for putting books down if you don't like them! It took me years before I was willing to give myself permission to do that. And you are absolutely right about the variety of readers' tastes. Which raises the big question of literary criticism. What makes a book good? Do we call Harry Potter a good book because it captures the world's imagination? Do we call Bleakhouse a good book because English professors assign it? (The answer to that last one is a resounding NO, by the way.)

And whoa. This comment is out of control.

Re: Trying to Figure Out Your Place in Life?

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:44:56 -0000

Robert, thanks. Donauwellen is a fantastic treat, but I have never been able to make it very well. If you can pull it off, let me know the secret.

L.L., wise? What are you talking about?

spaghettipie, thanks for asking me!

ESI, thanks for pointing that out. I think our capitalist society encourages us to gauge success in terms of dollars. If I can earn a living at my passion, then I have achieved success. The better living I can earn, the more success I've achieved.

But really, that kind of thinking doesn't acknowledge the realities of a free market system. No matter how good I am as a poet, I'm never going to make much money by publishing books of poetry. Nobody wants poets. Everybody wants good copy. Does that mean all poets should go to work for advertising agencies? Heavens no! I still follow my passion for poetry, but I'm not stupid about it. I rely on other talents to bring home the bacon. Otherwise we'd have nothing to eat. (Not the least because I'm not really that good at poetry!)

Re: Ignite the Average Joe, One Slob at a Time

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:05:07 -0000

L.L., yes, but getting on Oprah is not about being with an influencer. It's about having a moment of mass media influence--through the television show Oprah.

And thanks for giving me the title of my next book: Wet Noodle Marketing. It'll be the next Tipping Point!

Re: Ignite the Average Joe, One Slob at a Time

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:57:19 -0000

Mary, I think you are doing everything right. Sowing seeds. Building relationships with lots of folks. One big problem I think we have in publishing is the hit mentality.

We see someone who wrote a bestseller and we forget all of the regular books they wrote prior to their runaway hit. C. S. Lewis is a good example of this. We all point to Narnia's success, but we forget that he was 52 before the first Narnia book was even published.

Not any writer should plan on waiting until he or she is fifty before finding publication success, mind you... But our role as writers is to produce good stories. Good stories will eventually sell.

That's what I like about Thompson's article. He says the environment in which something goes viral is more important than the people who spread the virus. Instead of thinking about who can help our books go viral, we need to think about what books will speak to our culture.

Re: One of the Greatest Theologians of the Century Talks about Writing

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:19:18 -0000

Thanks for the encouragement, Shep. Packer wrote a book called Knowing God that got a lot of attention. He was also very involved in the New Revised English Standard version of the Bible for what it's worth.

Mary, thanks for dropping by! I'm glad you like the production value. That is one of the key things we were working on. How to keep costs down without appearing "cheap."

Video can get crazy expensive, you know.

Re: One of the Greatest Theologians of the Century Talks about Writing

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:22:07 -0000

Glad you dropped by, L.L. The water sounds were my idea. : )

I don't know what you are talking about us tempting people. That would be wrong! We're just trying to give a little short video that feels as close in spirit to Laity Lodge as possible. This video doesn't begin to capture what it is like to be there. But it's not a bad start.

Re: Ignite the Average Joe, One Slob at a Time

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:39:02 -0000

Heather, the thing about grassroots is that you can order a palate of pre-grown grass. Then some guy comes out and lays it down on top of dirt. Water it twice a day for a few weeks and viola-- grass. Is there some social media equivalent of that?

RLP, the ideas about birds and fish really intrigue me. If our community is developing a collective unconsciousness--or even a collective consciousness--what does that look like? And how does it change the way we lead the community?

Tom, it's always good to hear from you. The Berlin wall fell down just a few months before I went to live in Germany as an exchange student! It was a really exciting time. I like the success acronym. #2 was, well, unexpected.

Susan, I like your reminder of the miracle of feeding the 5000. Does that mean social networking is really an activity of faith? Are we really asking God for miracles of marketing when we do this stuff? Interesting idea.

Carl, thread-jacking is okay when the dumb blogger doesn't have a contact field anywhere on the blog. We fixed the problem. Thanks for pointing it out!

Re: Ignite the Average Joe, One Slob at a Time

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:01:43 -0000

David, your comment got caught by my spam filter for some reason. I just rescued it.

And it really struck a chord with me. I've often wished C. S. Lewis had written a book titled, "The Problem of Pride." Alas, he didn't.

My friend John Lewis pointed out something interested in Romans 12, though. It says, "Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought to think."

I've always read that to be another ego squashing edict, but John reads it a bit differently. We should think highly of ourselves. Just not too highly. We should view our God given gifts, talents, and responsibilities with sober judgment.

It sounds so easy, right?

Re: Ode on Business Travel - a poem for Friday

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:54:34 -0000

ESI and L.L., thanks. My poetry is so personal, I always hesitate a bit to post it. I'm glad it meant something to you.

Re: A White-Knuckle Topic - Genetics, Evolution, Creationism, and the Head of the Human Genome Project

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:07:29 -0000

L.L., I responded to your meme today.

Shep, the book really is amazing, you know? We're posting the interview in two parts, so be sure to come back in two weeks. : )

Brandon, great to hear from you! Let us know what you think of the interview after you take a look.

Re: Oulipo Style Meme - Christianity Is So Predictable

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:08:08 -0000

Everyone, I was away from the computer at meetings all day when this one from the queue went live. Your responses really overwhelmed me.

Mary, "meeting Jesus under an evergreen" is a beautiful thought.

L.L., so true about the deep and abiding inspiration of Christianity. That's what confounds me about corners of our faith that present something so shallow and materialistic.

ESI, to be fully known and fully loved. That's the most beautiful promise of all, isn't it?

Heather, first I loved your comment at Seedlings recently. Hilarious. I also really like the way you recast my question in terms of altar building. That's kind of what we're doing here, isn't it?

Brandon, what a powerful comment. It is convicting to me.

Craver, it is sad, but true. Our lives are often the only bible some people ever read. (I can't remember who said that.) And I like your newly coined heroic epithet for Elijah the butt-whooping prophet.

Shep, I'm personally very glad for you and your girlfriend. And having just come from Brandon's comment I have to wonder why God gave me the gift of such wonderful parents.

FishHawk, it's humbling how we forget, isn't it? How can we take it for granted that the creator of the universe cares about us? And yet I do all the time...

Lisa B, thanks for sharing the story about your marriage. If being Christians means I'm supposed to be prim and proper, I'm in big big trouble.

Re: Oulipo Style Meme - Christianity Is So Predictable

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:59:46 -0000

Eric, I'm glad this little post helped you remember to count your blessings.

chesnut, always good to hear from you! And you bring a good reminder that the natural world and the creative good of humanity can both be strong reminders of what God has done.

Also, your phrase "the ache of God's absence" is something I've been thinking about since I read your comment late last night. Powerful.

Re: Philanthropy 2.0 - Raise Money and Engage Volunteers Online

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:50:58 -0000

I can't believe it! I've reduced you to one word!

Re: Are You Average Like Me?

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:57:02 -0000

Whatever. You get this stuff more than most people. I'm always amazed at how well you understand the general concept of the net. It's not just publishing magazines on a screen! And yet so many people still don't get that.

You do.

Re: Philanthropy 2.0 - Raise Money and Engage Volunteers Online

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:02:12 -0000

Thanks, Perri. You are always so encouraging! More and more, I think there will be a significant cost to organizations that ignore social media.

And we didn't even get into the issue of email getting replaced by RSS.

Re: Philanthropy 2.0 - Raise Money and Engage Volunteers Online

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:23:27 -0000

Mary and spaghettipie, I'm glad you found it useful. The info doesn't all stand on its own without me explaining it, but I figured why let that stop me?

Sally, I just do what I can to help demystify web 2.0. With all of the flashy promises out there, I try to be a voice of reason if I can.

Re: Five Articles to Challenge the Way You Blog

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:40:36 -0000

I agree about the sub-communities, L.L. I imagine a large venn diagram with all of the overlapping communities that I'm part of. In each community, I create a way for them to connect with my site if people are interested. It isn't a hard sell or anything. I just share my site with others transparently and freely.

Re: Page One Review - CSFF - The Shadow and Night

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:33:50 -0000

Thanks, L.L. That about describes the quality of my limited foray into podcasting.

Re: Five Articles to Challenge the Way You Blog

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:16:42 -0000

Spaghettipie, you definitely brought sunshine to the morning. Nothing beats good kid videos in my book.

Christopher, that is high praise! Thank you so much for the encouragement.

Carl, you've convinced me! Now if I can just find the time to head over there and see if the traffic is sticky.

Ann, I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying your blog. And I'm always amazed that you don't have comments turned on.

Re: Time Is Relative, So Why Shouldn’t Faith Be Relative?

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:45:46 -0000

Heather, I'm still thinking about your statement that "quantum physics is a way of legitimizing philosophy." Do you mean the quantum understanding of time fully supports a view of an eternal and omniscient God or something like that? Or do you mean scientists pursued quantum theory as an unconscious way to support a philosophic stance?

Carl, thanks for the kind words! I'm not sure if I count as emergent, but I'm definitely not a supporter of relativism.

L.L., oh dear. Have I fallen into the trap of calling someone ridiculous? I hope I haven't, but I wrote this pretty quickly. I wouldn't consider a weak strawman argument to be ridiculous, just weak. Perhaps the wrestling metaphor was too strong? I couldn't resist.

Re: Time Is Relative, So Why Shouldn’t Faith Be Relative?

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:56:44 -0000

L.L., "decrying" is a good word.

real live preacher, thanks for sharing your personal experience. It had not occurred to me that the character herself was the main plausibility issue. It is especially interesting to me that you blame the man in the bed for refusing discussion. In some ways, that makes me happy. I hate the idea that I have to be a raving jerk in order to support absolute truth.

econ grad student, you're right of course. I was prodding you and Tom Gilson a bit. In hindsight, that wasn't very fair of me, since I don't know you well. But I meant it as a way to engage discussion not as an attack. I'm not sure we can truly satisfy the human desire for something greater than ourselves--at least not in this life. I believe in absolute truth and real answers, but any answers I present to others are going to be necessarily subjective--even if those answers are supported by history, scholarship, and 20 centuries of faith.

Tom, I'll be sure to email you. I take the weekend off of blogging as much as I can. And I should have clarified that I have a tendency to be patronizing myself. It's a beef I have with the man in the mirror as much as fellow Christians.

Carl, I understood what you mean. I have a lot of affinity with Emerging folks as well. As someone in an ecumenical organization, I have to be careful about full out endorsements of particular brands of Christianity.

Paul, I grew up in similar churches. My wife remembers her baptism with extreme anger because of the ridiculous guilt and fear tactics (along with sleep deprivation) that drove her to finally walk down. Much more powerful was the worship drama experience when her faith became real. As for your question what was Jesus life and mission really about... that's worth taking to the community.

Tom, thanks for reminding us of the context of this clip. The man was scared of hell specifically. While fear may drive people to ask questions, I don' t think we should use it to do drive people.

On the other hand, I'm a big fan of the horror genre. I just like to be scared and creeped out. And I like to write scary stories--and many of them raise questions exactly in the way you are suggesting.

Re: Time Is Relative, So Why Shouldn’t Faith Be Relative?

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:03:32 -0000

One final thought, Tom says "We dare not make Jesus into a preacher of comfortable love." That's true.

Love isn't fuzzy bunnies and colorful butterflies and peppy Beatles tunes. (Though I like the Beatles.) In fact, the best picture of love that I've seen in awhile is Edward Bear.

Of course, the love of Jesus was hardest for the religious establishment. That's us. God help us take down our money tables and put down our stones.

Re: Time Is Relative, So Why Shouldn’t Faith Be Relative?

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:26:56 -0000

Heather, thanks for clarifying. This is one of the inconsistencies in science (and media, actually). In science, we have to allow for the subjectivity of our hypothesis. In media, we must must must not pretend that we are somehow objective reporters of information presenting material without bias.

Maybe to have bias is human.

And if we ignore our bias, we err.

Re: Finding God in Heifetz and Porcelein Life Jackets

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:38:45 -0000

real live preacher, I assume you mean the poem's title, not the title of this post.

It's John Donne. Great great poem. One of the best Christian poems in the English language, I think. It made me happy to see my dad reprint it this morning.

Re: Writing about Faith, Aliens, and Winnie the Pooh

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:37:25 -0000

Hopper, so what did you think?

Cree, you have no idea. I had another piece last night. I'm obviously biased about my wife's cooking, but it really is the best piece of chocolate pie I've ever had in my life. And it's not even as good as her coconut cream pie.

Re: Writing about Faith, Aliens, and Winnie the Pooh

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:33:55 -0000

econ grad stud, interesting quote. I think that is from one of the introductions to his podcast, but I'm not sure.

Whether he's a Christian or not, many of the stories he features at Escape Pod are an inspiration to me. They help me think about my faith--and often because they are good stories and so they express universal truths and common grace.

Re: Finding God in Heifetz and Porcelein Life Jackets

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:58:40 -0000

I loved the story Friction. (Other readers, you can hear it here if you're interested.)

Re: Looking for Inspiration? Writers Take Note

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:58:18 -0000

Speaking of Auralia's Colors, Jeffrey Overstreet is speaking at Laity Lodge next week!

Re: A White-Knuckle Topic - Genetics, Evolution, Creationism, and the Head of the Human Genome Project

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:00:43 -0000

You're welcome, Ann. Speaking of white knuckles. I always comment at Jesus Creed with great fear and trembling!

Re: Good Words from Emerson

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:59:42 -0000

That is an interesting idea--that we can be stung by our own words. That happens in the blogosphere sometimes. I fire off a comment or a post and regret it later.

It has happened in my current fiction project as well. I had to take a break at one point when it got too dark for me. Strange how my own ideas can be too dark, isn't it?

Re: Jesus Creed Takes on Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:29:34 -0000

Mary, your comment made me so happy. Why do we forget to ask ourselves those questions most of the time?

Dan, good to hear from you, man.

Re: Jesus Creed Takes on Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:31:39 -0000

Heather, good to hear from you. Powerful comment. At the end I was left wondering--do you think Christians regularly decry scientists, artists, CEOs, teachers, etc.? Or that we hear traditional professions and daily work belittled from the pulpit?

Susan, I thought of you as I was doing the Collins interview. I'm glad you've found a way to reconcile faith and science in your own work!

Re: All the Top Religion Stories in One Place

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:31:18 -0000

Mary, can you tell everyone why you're headed to Ghana? Not all of the readers here may know.

Re: CNN Talks About Faith in the Workplace

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:48:56 -0000

Karl, good to hear from you, man! Great post about Gutenberg over at Bold Enterprises.

Spaghettipie, I always enjoy hearing from you too. HR at TI, huh? That sounds very interesting. Your comment reminds me of a comment I read at Jesus Creed this morning from John Frye: We in the evangelical camp have turned witness into â€œteller of all things Gospel.â€ I believe witness is the â€œstoryâ€ we have about meeting God through Jesus. In many ways, John is beginning to get at something very important to TheHighCalling.org. Witness has as much to do with the quality of our work as it does the quantity of our Jesus talk. Maybe more.

Re: CNN Talks About Faith in the Workplace

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:50:46 -0000

Also, spaghettipie mentioned "High Calling and your philosophy of work and faith." I wanted to clarify that philosophy originated with our President Howard Butt, Jr. I'm just glad that I got pulled into serving his vision.

Re: All the Top Religion Stories in One Place

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:51:18 -0000

The Theory of Book Burning? That does sound interesting!

Re: CNN Talks About Faith in the Workplace

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:03:12 -0000

Heather, you said, "Why on earth... did he physically raise from the dead?" So now, I'm wondering why I've never really asked that question. Why did the resurrection need to be physical?

You know, this is one of the reasons I love zombies. Not that Jesus was a zombie mind you, but the inversion of resurrection helps clarify the idea of resurrection.

Re: Off to Mount Hermon

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:04:46 -0000

Robert, looks like I can post some while I'm here. Becky and I were talking about you just before dinner. We both were sad that you weren't with us.

Arly, we live in Kerrville... Also, this is work. But you're right. We need to visit you.

Re: Hello from Mount Hermon!

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:38:13 -0000

Brandon, thanks! That will encourage me to post them.

Papa Poet, what is sleep?

Susan, we would never let you be a fly on the wall. You'd be in the thick of it.

Mary, I'll mention your name next time I run into them.

spaghettipie, I'm in the espressocart RIGHT NOW, waiting for her to open up and give us some coffee. Er, sell us some coffee, at least. There's no such thing as free coffee.

Or maybe that's free lunch?

Re: Trying to Get Home

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:19:27 -0000

Merrie et al, thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Merrie and another person whose name I didn't know actually prayed for us all in the airport!

The delay ended up working out ok, it was just really long. I got in late last night at 10:30. Ugh. Exhausting.

I'm going to take a few days off here.

Come back next week for slideshows about marketing books with social media!

Re: Why Would I Claim to Fly?

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:18:39 -0000

Heather, I agree with you about the theology of flying away. On the other hand, I love that old song, "I'll fly away, O Glory."

Since Philip is a pilot, I take his imagery of flying away to be quite literal and physical, rather than the Platonic separation of evil flesh and good spirit.

Those of you who have been with me for awhile know that I'm quite a fan of fleshy stuff--whether zombies or earthy poetry or whatever. I just like bodies and all the great wonderful gross things they do.

Re: Easter Poem - Surprised by a Styrofoam Jesus

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:33:30 -0000

It's always good to hear from you, L.L. I'm working on another inspired by Mt. Hermon. Amy says it's close to being ready.

Re: Easter Poem - Surprised by a Styrofoam Jesus

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:48:28 -0000

Susan, Sally, L.L., and Heather, thanks for the encouragement all. I hope you had a wonderful Easter.

Re: Hello from Mount Hermon!

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:29:54 -0000

Steve, thanks for dropping by! You are the man. Thanks also for the reminder that numbers are just a guideline. So many writers are looking for success formulas... including me more often than I'd like to admit.

As a Christian, I have to constantly check my definitions of success. First of all, love God through my work. Then, love my neighbors through my work. The real grace is God's love, not book sales. It's funny how hard is to remember that sometimes.

Re: Hello from Mount Hermon!

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:00:57 -0000

Merrie, that's fair. I did post about it. I don't know who the writer was, but I gathered that the person was spending too much creative energy in blogging rather than writing to a deadline.

It's one of the big dangers of blogging. The instant feedback can be a real temptation.

In fact, I've thought of pulling out of blogging completely for just that reason. It can be very hard to set boundaries. And yet.... it really is one of the keys to the future of publishing I think. We just don't know what it is going to unlock yet.

Re: Once Upon A Time I Was a Guinea Pig

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:36:33 -0000

Shalen, I never read my bible while I was standing around. Those were dark times for my faith.

Heather, you didn't talk too much. I've been there too. Tried to organize with Habitat only to find them completely impossible to work with my schedule. I'm still open to service like that, but mostly I try to serve in ways that are immediately in front of me. (And I try to make sure that I take myself places where there will be opportunities to serve. This blog is one of those places.

Arly, good to hear from you coz! I still have the book mark Uncle Dan made at the reunion. Where's your blog gone?

Dan, thanks for stopping by. Your avatar always makes me smile.

Merrie, I'm so so so glad we met at Mt. Hermon. About the waiting, I go back to Acts. Paul had a really active and bold way of waiting. Trying to get into cities that were closed by the spirit. My goal is always to have God hold me back like he did Paul. Not that I can shake a stick next to Paul, mind you...

Robert, thanks for stopping by! I loved your 4x4 meme. I'm working on a response now.

Otto, you should write that up on your blog and enter it in our meme. Seriously. Also, you are a natural at blogging.

Camille, at conferences I always aim to learn just one new thing from each session. The best sessions teach several new things. Randy opened my eyes to a new way of understanding story and plot. He's a saint in my book. The saint of, um, Physics and Science Fiction.

Re: Once Upon A Time I Was a Guinea Pig

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:38:07 -0000

Hey, everyone, this is a little test comment to see if cocomment is working now.

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:15:59 -0000

You lose a lot without the context, and this book is certainly what I'd call literary. Still, Dietrich's philosophical discussion is really amazing.

Flynn gives us dialogue from a man who lives pre-Algebra (al-jabr).

Then, when Dietrich sees the Kratzer write down an algebraic equation Distance=1/2(speed X time), his response is to rejoice. He considers algebraic equations to be a fruit of the Spirit--which confuses the Kratzer to no end.

Later on in the book one of the aliens says something to the effect of "Dietrich, you are either quite ignorant or quite brilliant."

Re: Tor Published the Best Christian Dialogue I’ve Read

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:53:04 -0000

Becky, I'd chalk that up to Flynn being literary rather than Flynn being SciFi. I think PW called him "Hard SciFi" which is when things can get string theory complicated. I like that kind of stuff, though.

Heather, thanks for the links! That idea about sentimentality is worth mulling over quite a bit.

I'll skim through the book to find another passage that isn't quite so complex. I liked this one because it was so rich. But that makes it hard outside of the larger context.

Re: 4 x 4 - Farmers, Ferries, Fools, and Faithless Chihuahua Dogs

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:28:03 -0000

Thanks for all of the comments, everyone.

Re: Gotta Love Google

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:42:02 -0000

Yeah, they got me good this time. When you log in to gmail it shows up as a new option in red at the top New! Gmail Custom Time

Re: Gotta Love Google

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:08:19 -0000

Brandon, I liked the flux capacitor reference myself. But the general scifi theme of the joke made me happy.

Merrie, glad you like the widget! We keep losing the graphic, so I'll see if I can install it again by saving the image on my own site.

Re: The First Ten Odd Jobs

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:10:27 -0000

L.L., that's a good question. For now, I'm compiling all of the links in one place. But I should probably think about some way to measure success beyond the number of participants.

I welcome any thoughts on that from readers...

Re: It Was the Best of Blogs, It Was the Worst of Blogs

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:01:42 -0000

I'm not sure I get it either. That's partially why I posted something here, hoping others would understand what it means "build a vertical" of bloggers rather than the "Standard Oil Trust of bloggers." These people are just too smart for me, I guess.

Re: High Concept Means Death and Flying Ninjas

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:08:23 -0000

Thanks for the great comments, everyone!

@Keanan, you have a really good point. The stakes are more about how much we care. It is almost an issue of characterization rather than plot.

Re: Bloggers Can’t Be Trusted

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:23:00 -0000

Oh no, Heather! I would never dream of giving financial advice. In my mind, money is just something to worry about. The more money I have, the more I worry. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

That was Steven Purcell that you saw at the arts conference. He's the director of Laity Lodge and a great guy.

Re: Bloggers Can’t Be Trusted

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:06:09 -0000

Thanks for the great comments, everyone. This study is a no-brainer to me, but mostly it reminds me that people still don't quite understand social media--even social media experts like emarketer who separate "people like themselves" from "bloggers."

I wonder if Christian bloggers have a leg up on social networks, though, since we are used to entering communities based solely on trust?

And, Robert, alas, I had to choose between SOBcon 08 and Mt. Hermon. Since Mt. Hermon was new and I had a chance to present... I'll think of you guys, though!

Re: NarniaWeb Picked up Our Interview!

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:07:14 -0000

It is cool, you know! And Robert, rumor has it, there's a sneaky link to part two of the interview already live at http://specfaith.ritersbloc.com/

Re: My Exclusive Interview with Prince Caspian Producer Micheal Flaherty of Walden Media

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:08:20 -0000

All you need is love. And some widget serfs to rule with an iron fist.

Re: Once Upon A Time I Was a Guinea Pig

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:55:36 -0000

Mark, doing desk work while standing was pretty brutal that first week. I think the study showed that sitting is better for your back in the long run... Far be it from me to question Mr. Yoder's interesting habit, though.

Re: NarniaWeb Picked up Our Interview!

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:16:00 -0000

L.L., I think commerce is just one way of being accountable to readers.

RLP, thanks!

Re: Mount Hermon Reminds Me Who Walks on Water - a poem

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:50:28 -0000

L.L., Peter is three. The real person was a girl. Her name was probably not Peter. : ) She was also not three. But I like the number three.

Re: Mount Hermon Reminds Me Who Walks on Water - a poem

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:01:39 -0000

Ann, you are kind. Thanks.

Re: My Take on Writing - a poem for Friday

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:13:01 -0000

L.L., don't take my word for it. I'm just quoting Mr. Wilde.

Re: My Take on Writing - a poem for Friday

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:43:05 -0000

My wife sent me a funny email, but I had to pass it on here. She said, "That poem was not very playful."

Yeah. Well, it was for me! : )

Re: Black Jack! Lessons from Odd Jobs Hits 21

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:41:43 -0000

It's one of my favorite movies...

Re: Lots More Odd Jobs on the Way

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:03:04 -0000

Thanks, Tim! It's been a busy morning.

Re: My Take on Writing - a poem for Friday

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:10:30 -0000

I knew. It was intended.

Re: Thomas Nelson Leaving Christian Booksellers Association? Not Exactly.

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:20:36 -0000

Mary, I guess I was too subtle. I'm more poet than journalist. Anyway, I changed the title to emphasize that it was supposed to be a question--the answer to which is no. And I changed a few other things in the post to--adding a second hypothetical question.

Michael, thanks for dropping by--especially in clarifying what it means to have a supplier's membership. Sorry if I was less than clear. In my excitement to post about this, I rushed it. I have a lot of respect for what you all are doing at Nelson, from getting rid of imprints last year to this decision.

Re: Thomas Nelson Leaving Christian Booksellers Association? Not Exactly.

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:08:33 -0000

Kevin, you make me laugh. On the other hand, as someone who spends 2 hours writing alone each morning, I can imagine that a full-time writing career would be awfully lonesome.

Re: Thomas Nelson CEO Is Excited About Christian Retail

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:49:48 -0000

Papa Poet--I know what you mean. I didn't post this because of the retailing advice, although that interests me in a hobby kind of way.

I posted it because I really enjoy watching leaders who have passion and authenticity. Hyatt's got both.

Re: When Poetry Walks on Water

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:54:23 -0000

Ann, I look forward to meeting you more often across various blogs. Have fun at Calvin!

Re: Nobody Wants to Advertise Next to Crap

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:13:53 -0000

RLP, you crack me up.

LL, it sounds like you're talking about niche marketing and niche advertising. That's essentially the direction we're thinking for HighCallingBlogs.com. We hope it will gradually represent the niche of bloggers interested in issues of Christianity and the workplace.

Re: Nobody Wants to Advertise Next to Crap

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:15:49 -0000

Also, this new article from eMarketer "projects US user-generated content ad revenues of $824 million in 2012, up from $162 million in 2007."

But then it qualifies that this revenue will likely come from video-sharing sites and social network sites like youtube, facebook, and myspace (do people still use MySpace??)

Re: When Poetry Walks on Water

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:50:54 -0000

Thanks for the comments, everyone. Lately, I've been doing little more than lurking here myself. Hopefully, I'll be back with regular posts soon.

Re: I Just Want God to Cut Through the Crap

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:14:48 -0000

@Heather, I find that I return to St. John over and over and over. Some people have the spiritual gift of encouragement. Sometimes I think I have the gift of melancholy.

So true about needing Christian community with some flesh.

@Ted, it's good to reconnect. You may be right that I've gotten sidetracked in my thinking. Perhaps "sharing God with each other" is a better way to find God--in my peripheral experience, almost. I also like the way you recast my title here. The crap is in my life and perspective--not in God's coyness.

@Karl, good to see you here. I gave away my dignity a long long time ago. I seem to remember exchanging it for an orange.

@spaghettipie, thanks. After I posted this, I worried that it was a big mistake. I still worry that. But honest mistakes are the only kind of honesty I know sometimes.

Re: My Son Reads the Pirate Gospel

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:45:47 -0000

@bt, thanks. I hadn't thought of church as joining a crew exactly, but you're right.

@Heather, it will be a few years before I get to watch Donny Brasco with Lyle. I hadn't linked pirates and mafia before.

@Michael, thanks for stopping by! 826 Valencia is affliated with McSweeney's, an old haunt of mine. Haven't been there in awhile, but they have some good nuggets if you don't mind sifting through the edginess.

Just visited there and found First Drafts of the Parables of Jesus. So you'll see what I mean about edginess.

Re: My Son Reads the Pirate Gospel

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:59:48 -0000

@LL, it's ok to laugh. The poem was originally intended to be even funnier, but that bitter edge came out anyway.

Re: I Just Want God to Cut Through the Crap

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:05:42 -0000

@LL, thanks for picking up on my attempt to lighten things up here.

@Merrie, I hear you. As trite as it sounds, I'm sure I don't get on my knees enough.

@Becky, I hear you, too. Thanks.

Re: My Son Reads the Pirate Gospel

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:13:07 -0000

@spaghettipie, Thanks for the silliness. It's been somewhat lacking of late.

Verily, verily, I dub your daughter "Princess Malaprop."

Re: My Son Reads the Pirate Gospel

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:23:46 -0000

Gordon, you crack me up.

Re: I Just Want God to Cut Through the Crap

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:26:02 -0000

RLP, I learned honesty from the best, man. Thanks for being a good friend.

ESI, I understand the things you're saying with my head. And yet sometimes it just leaves me feeling empty, you know? We're very active our church for exactly the reasons you mention. And I love the people there. But sometimes... empty.

Christa, great comment! What would God scissors look like, I wonder? What wonderful--and horrible things he could cut with them...

Re: I Just Want God to Cut Through the Crap

Mark Goodyear — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:16:34 -0000

Nancy, he "may"? Let's hope.

Re: I Dig My Job

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:31:29 -0000

Alright, everyone. It's up. Have fun! More to follow.

Re: Retreat and Find the Glory of Creation

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:24:47 -0000

Thanks, Hon. She keeps me honest, everyone.

Re: Retreat and Find the Glory of Creation

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:15:29 -0000

Sam (who is not my Hon), I do have an uncle John, but he's a preacher in Oregon not Beaumont. Maybe they're long lost twins?

Folks do fly in from out of state for retreats...

Re: What I Learned From Writing…

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:57:18 -0000

Thanks, Bob. You have your own kind of poetry of colloquialisms.

Elizabeth, we're going to get our Laity Lodge podcast if it kills one of us.

L.L., like most poetic images, it was a slight exaggeration to mention DAILY funerals. But they are common and brief. Lyle says, "Look Dad. This bug's dead now." The end.

Re: What I Learned From Writing…

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:46:28 -0000

L.L., exaggeration is the greatest joy of language.

spaghettipie, that picture doesn't begin to do justice to the bugness of the car. I washed it yesterday and had to go to one of those super wash places. I literally could not get the bugs off with regular rags, soap, elbow grease.

Robert, we use match boxes if its a favorite bug. (Not really. That's exaggeration, L.L. In Texas, we call it imagination.)

Re: Last Chance to Win a FREE Retreat!

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:56:59 -0000

Just so everyone knows, we're working on the drawing right now. Should we do a fancy, silly video, or just say who won?

Re: And we have a winner!

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:33:14 -0000

Sam, sorry. Sent you an email. You didn't win. : (
Maybe there'll be another one!

Monica, would you believe my wife gave me that shark fetus when we were dating? Guys, if your girl gives you a dead shark for a gift... marry her!

Mary, I'm certified to teach in Texas public schools. That's what you meant right?

Re: What Was That Super Cool Music?

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:08:52 -0000

Are you trying to tell me something, Sam?

Re: What Was That Super Cool Music?

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:16:55 -0000

Sam, the first amendment gig sounds really neat. I hope you get to go.

Spaghettipie, weird that you had to post three times! I didn't even know I had a seedy underbelly.

Re: Twitter Church, I Love Your Stinky Kind of Beauty

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:22:45 -0000

spaghettipie, I'm sorry that I do not have the technical expertise to prevent exposing my underbelly. Thanks for being patient and continuing to try... I wonder if that's why comments are down a bit?

Gordon, my editorial philosophy is probably worthy of a whole post. I'll have to think about that some more.

Sam, only another editor would appreciate you pointing out the error in use of the subjunctive mood.

Ah, subjunctive. It's my favorite mood. After a nice date, dim the lights, make some good coffee and dance with your significant other in the living room to the slow jazz of "what if" and possibility. An occasional conditional statement adds spice and variety... Grammar love.

Re: I’ve Never Blogged Like This Before

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:13:44 -0000

OK. Y'all. Flock is seriously cool. This could be a really neat thing.

Re: Looking for Intimacy with God?

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 24 May 2008 10:10:43 -0000

Somebody gave me five stars on this poem in feedburner! Thanks whoever did that.

LL, I aim for visceral responses. Sometimes things like this walk a fine line between getting a cheap rise and being good. Personally, I always enjoy the gross-out factor. : )

Camille, oh my. You are hilarious!

Re: Happy 125 Years, Brooklyn Bridge. This Poem’s For You.

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:01:26 -0000

Two things. First, I'm still learning about podcasting. Playing around with audio. That's why the sound levels here go up and down and stuff. Sorry about that. The technician responsible has been shot.

Also, you'll notice that I'm on YET ANOTHER podcasting service. Testing driving all of the options trying to figure out which might be a good investment for us at TheHighCalling.org and LaityLodge.org.

Re: Honoring God with Stories That Scare Your Pants Off

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:01:54 -0000

Oh. Well. Lookee that. It embeds some kind of RSS feed that plays the last several podcasts you've done.

It ain't the prettiest embed I've ever seen, but it's got some niftiness.

I'll be out of the office Thursday, so I probably won't pop in for comments until I get back Friday morning.

Re: Happy 125 Years, Brooklyn Bridge. This Poem’s For You.

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:08:50 -0000

Sam, I've been on the Waco suspension bridge! It's a neat thing!

Real Live Preacher, Whitman is really really amazing. And he was thinking about you, man.

Re: Honoring God with Stories That Scare Your Pants Off

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:35:53 -0000

spaghettipie, thanks for setting up the interview with Mike. Listen up, everyone! spaghettipie, aka Tina, is a great blog tour person if you're looking for help with that.

LL, hmmm. It works for me, though I did have some audio mixing problems. Which means you may have to turn the sound up REALLY loud to hear me read the poem.

Re: Michael Hyatt, Stephen Mansfield, Tony Jones, and Me and You Talk Politics in Hell

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:13:33 -0000

Brandon, the distinction between ideology and theology was all Tony Jones. The high calling stuff was all me.

Susan, it all matters--but the yoke is easy and the burden is light. At least it's supposed to be. Sometimes it doesn't feel light at all.

I agree with you completely about making it personal first. That's why I wonder if we can even talk about this stuff without being pompous jerks.

And that's also why I linked to the song "Be the change you want to see" despite it's barely veiled political agenda to promote the democratic candidate.

There's something "high calling"-ish about taking responsibility for holy living by being it rather than talking about it.

Re: My Blog Was Lost But Now It’s Found!

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:31:18 -0000

Nancy, it's always nice to be noticed--even when I'm missing.

Monica, I hadn't upgraded wordpress in a million years because, um, I just didn't. So I was running a particularly old and vulnerable version.

Chris, you were one of my best friends before, so I can't say you're my new best friend. But... you're my new best friend. Thank you thank you thank you!

Re: All Your Barns Are Belong to Us

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:02:35 -0000

The real issue is whether dogs can twitter.

Re: I Want to Pray Like the Oak Ridge Boys

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:50:10 -0000

Cheryl, thank YOU. Last time I shared this in a comment on a blog, I was thoroughly condemned by other commenters who lamented that I was a father. Ouch.

Christa, lately I've realized that sometimes prayer feels like I'm leaving a voice mail message somewhere, hoping God will check his messages and wondering if he'll ever ever return my calls.

Shep. Man, I loved that video. Good to see you here again.

Nancy, I believe what you're saying. I have to believe it because the evidence of my experience feels awfully lonely. But it is good to hear it from others. The "we believe" takes away some of the sting of loneliness.

Re: I Want to Pray Like the Oak Ridge Boys

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:52:43 -0000

B. Currant. Thanks! Here's my original interview with the head of Disney Parks. Here's the link to the Orlando Sentinel.

Re: Anatomy of a Blog Tour - Startling Stats from Mary DeMuth’s 6 Week Tour

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:47:59 -0000

Yvonne and Tom, you all made my day. Thanks!

Re: Meet Andre Yee the Wiki Moses

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:44:26 -0000

Andre, thank YOU for dropping by. I know you're not Moses, but what's a little hyperbole between friends? Besides, it makes a good title. And if there were such a thing as the Wiki Moses--well, then, it would be you.

Re: Do We Really Want Our President on Twitter?

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:32:58 -0000

Thanks for the great comments everyone. I especially appreciate that you all have shared your opinions here without attacking each other. Politics can be so sticky.

Funny. I wrote this post so quickly after reading the article over breakfast. You just never know what will inspire comments, you know?

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:27:19 -0000

Arly, I agree completely that explosions are fun. That alone is a point in the big bang column for me. (I'm sort of kidding there.)

I think you're onto something important in that last paragraph. I'm all for observing our universe and recording what we observe. I even trust that the people trained to do this are honest people. But every statement of faith should not get too far from the humility that we don't know anything for sure--whether we're making a traditionally religious statement or a scientific hypothesis that can then be tested.

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:27:32 -0000

L.L., I'm really a coward about these sorts of things most of the time. But I figure it's time to start talking reasonably--on all sides. I don't know what we'd talk about other than what we believe and why.

And maybe think through the implications of what we believe.

Maybe this is just a big ol' jar of meal worm salsa like I ate at the New Orleans Insectarium. Mmmmm. Meal Worm Salsa.

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:40:53 -0000

jp, thanks for raising that issue. For folks new to that concept, I'd have to say wikipedia has a good introduction and overview of punctuated equilibrium. I have to say, I barely understand it.

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:50:31 -0000

Monica, I'd have to say that it seems plausible to me.

Does it bother you that humans might have evolved from apes?

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:17:14 -0000

Carl, your comment reminds me of another reason to talk about this. Some of my best friends are atheists. They live in communities of atheism almost--and their picture of the evangelical world is skewed by the media. It makes me sad.

Monica, I'm sorry you're sad too! I guess it is just a sad issue. Why is that? At any rate, I'm sure the Lord will set me straight on a lot of points! And I look forward to it.

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:27:25 -0000

Karen, thanks for weighing in. There's no doubt in my mind that God could have created the world in six days if he'd wanted to.

And I think it's great that you're reading what folks say about it all! Be sure to read Francis Collins' book The Language of God if you haven't already.

I also agree that how God made the world shouldn't be a concern. So why was I so scared to post this?

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:12:36 -0000

Heather, I had not heard that argument before about evolution requiring death before the fall. So you think the fall led to physical death specifically? You weren't too Genesis-y. It's a good book and always worth thinking about.

LL, about the apes. I've been thinking about it, and I wonder if our vision of the Imago Dei isn't troubled by the thought of us being genetically connected to apes.

Monica, I'm middle born too! Yea! Go us. You are absolutely right about my fear. I hope you don't think I'm crazy. I'm not. But neither are you.

Sam Van Eman, you make me laugh. I wasn't thinking of this as an entrance, but I guess it was. You raise an important issue (as did Tina) in thinking about Moses' role (or a similar person) in the authorship of Genesis. Given what others were saying at the time, Genesis was ground breaking in its picture of God and creation. So why do we get stuck on 6 days?

Christa, technically evolution isn't about us evolving from apes at all, I think. At best, humans and primates have a common ancestor. Still I was very surprised to see the discussion go there so quickly.

spaghettipie, the word theory is tricky. What scientists mean by theory is quite different than what the word means in common usage. It has to do with peer review and something worthy of building a hypothesis on.

I'm with you 100% on the dimensions argument. I highly recommend people try to read Brian Greene's Fabric of the Cosmos. Or else watch the PBS video series on The Elegant Universe. (Or read it.)

Creation theory is a funny phrase. For me, its like we're taking apples from one basket of knowing and oranges from another basket of knowing and arguing over whether all fruit is apples or oranges. Maybe that makes no sense.

mch3snut, it's always good to hear from you here. You're as spunky as ever! I think you're onto something when you reduce the problem to this: We're in danger of robbing a potentially profound story of its message.

Of course, that's been the problem for awhile. We can't agree on the details of that message--and we assume our disagreements are incompatible. Some are, naturally. But others maybe not.

Ted, thanks for making that point. I should have discussed that earlier, but I hadn't gotten around to it until this comment. I wanted to see where it led. Again, I was very surprised to hear that come up.

And I like what you say that science itself is ever evolving. That's what peer review is all about.

B. Currant, thanks!

Everyone, feel free to keep commenting. I'll pop in and out, without addressing each commenter from this point on.

Re: Fill Your Hearts With Joy and Gladness

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:48:01 -0000

I have no recollection, Senator. The archives are available upon sub poena.

Er.

I just thought we might be on the verge of beating a dead horse.

But if folks really want to talk about it more, I guess we can.

Re: Fill Your Hearts With Joy and Gladness

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:22:53 -0000

Sam, I'm guessing not. But there's no telling.

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:49:34 -0000

I'm with you on that, David. Sorry L.L. I just love meat too much to be a vegetarian. Mmmm. Sausage.

To my credit I really like fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products too.

Basically, I just like food. Food that moos as well as food that makes amber waves across our Great American plains.

Re: Rush Out to Nature, Rush Back to Work

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:28:57 -0000

Whoa, JP. That's high praise coming from you! I think you just made my week.

Re: Rush Out to Nature, Rush Back to Work

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:02:09 -0000

Oops. Earlier versions of this post referred to the poem as a sestet which is six lines. Apparently, Math Boy (me) can't count to 8. Duhr!

Also, isn't that branded gabcast player cool? I'm playing around with gabcast as an option for the Laity Lodge podcast. You can get much simpler than gabcast in my opinion. (And I've tried them all!)

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:27:23 -0000

Joffan, great point that we ARE primates. And the issue of self-awareness is interesting. I've read popular science pieces (in MIT's Tech Review, I think) summarizing research about this. Turns our that chimps and other primates have a surprisingly high level of self-awareness.

Put them to sleep, draw on their forehead with a marker, then show them a mirror and they will try to rub the mark from their head. They know the chimp in the mirror as themselves. Self-awareness.

Dolphins have it too, I've heard. I'm guessing there are levels of self-awareness, but still. We're hardly the only species that has it.

All of this should end with the caveat that I'm no scientist.

And another caveat for L.L. When I say I love sausage, I really mean it. I've been known to drive two hours for good sausage.

Re: Out of the Closet - I Believe in Evolution

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:52:41 -0000

RLP, thanks for that.

Re: I Ignore My Family to Read Poetry

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:57:43 -0000

L.L., I don't think you can order direct from John. Just the publisher. Though ordering from Amazon.com helps raise his ranking there, so I don't know what's best.

Heather, wordfarm published a book of poems called Tabloid News (on their homepage, I believe) by John Leax. Hilarious and awesome poems. You can read an excerpt here: http://www.wordfarm.net/books/0974342769/

As an aside, John Poch also edits one of my favorite journals: 32 Poems. While John Leax has a fun online journal called Stonework Journal.

Re: I Ignore My Family to Read Poetry

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:03:06 -0000

LL, that's how I got it too.

Nancy, the cave of covers is merely factual. It's where I do most of my reading. When the *&?!#*$&! book light works.

Re: Pirate Ship Tree House Is Finally Done

Mark Goodyear — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:28:07 -0000

Thanks, Rich. I have to admit: Several times throughout the process, I thought, who am I kidding? This thing is for me.

Re: Pirate Ship Tree House Is Finally Done

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:13:17 -0000

Monica, yeah. We had the perfect tree, and the kids like pirates. So.

Paul, hopefully. And I love them too. There's a tree house B&B; outside of Austin:
http://www.cypressvalleycanopytours.com/lofthav...

Robert, we ran the kids out close to bed time for the "first day" pictures. But believe me, they have pirate costumes galore.

Re: Pirate Ship Tree House Is Finally Done

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:58:27 -0000

Nancy, that is a fun site! Thanks for sharing.

Re: A good book about grace

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:39:42 -0000

Nancy, I love you too! You just made my day!

Re: The Faith of Barack Obama… Is Pretty Solid

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:49:36 -0000

Hey everyone. I'll be teaching a poetry workshop at Laity Lodge this weekend. We have very limited net access out there, but I'll try to pop in to address comments as I can. No promises.

In the meantime, feel free to discuss amongst yourselves. But BEHAVE!

Re: Writing Is a Road Trip So Get a Good Map

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:14:00 -0000

Karl, you've challenged me to rethink what I mean when I use the word plot. So. I'm thinking.

Mark, good point. For me poetry is often more like taking off to drive around the hill country with no goal except to use up some gas. It is "quite useless" as Wilde said. But for me essays, books, and stories need a definite trajectory or else I end up with something that is going to be a complete bear to revise.

L.L., just keep your self in the chair and write. You can do it.

Re: Writing Is a Road Trip So Get a Good Map

Mark Goodyear — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:24:26 -0000

Sam, I really like the dinner party metaphor. I have to say that I'm not sure an excellent host could serve nasty food. That would make the person not an excellent host, right?

Re: Writing Is a Road Trip So Get a Good Map

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:17:17 -0000

Robert, I agree completely that both are important. I'm wondering about this from a writer's perspective, though. How does a writer emphasize both? Or which one do you emphasize more in your own writing?

Sam, I have to confess that I've only read excerpts from "On the Road" and "Travels with Charley"! I hope that doesn't make me a bad person. And I boycotted "Bridge to Terabithia" (sorry, Walden) because I hated the book so much as a kid. Mean, mean spirited book.

I should probably give it another chance.

But, I'd say The Road is a good example of plot/character--emphasizing character. As well as Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell--which has a great plot, but ultimately emphasizes characters as the title suggests.

So I guess I'm a character man.

Re: Writing Is a Road Trip So Get a Good Map

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:07:27 -0000

Mmmm. Chicken pancakes. Why doesn't IHOP have that on their menu yet?

Re: How do YOU prepare for a conference?

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:45:24 -0000

Kate and Tara, you win the secret contest I was running to see who was paying attention.

Customer service is so important.

Alas, the contest prize is nothing more than this little note of encouragement to you that you are doing a good job with making your customers/users feel valued.

Re: Ahoy, It’s Blog Like a Pirate Day!

Mark Goodyear — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:28:42 -0000

Dean, thanks for the trackback! When it comes to Carolinian sports, I'm pretty clueless--though I hope your smackdown smacked the direction of your preference yesterday.

Sam, funny what a two guys can do with the internet and a little vision. That's the power that will always be here. If you get the right idea, it can take off like crazy.

B. Currant, careful there. Me own lady fires a blunderbuss with deadeye accuracy!

Re: Headed into BlogWorld Today - Why Do I Apologize for My Faith?

Mark Goodyear — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:19:18 -0000

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm just trying to engage folks here as an excellent blogger. I figure if I can earn credibility that way, I'll be on the right track.

I'm just trying to work with excellence and integrity in the industry. (If the blogosphere can be called an industry.)

Re: Ultimate Las Vegas Smackdown – Technorati vs. Tall Skinny Kiwi

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:08:59 -0000

Monica, the gift economy thing is really important to me too.

Merrie, if you figure it out, let me know. I think more and more I do it on compulsion. Is that bad?

Ann, thanks for the encouragement. Sometimes publishing poetry here feels like an odd thing to do.

David, it was INCREDIBLY great to hang out in Vegas.

Re: How to Edit Poetry and Meter

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:05:32 -0000

No worries, L.L. Gerard Manley Hopkins (the guy I quoted for the spondee) developed his own style of meter that doesn't count unstressed syllables at all. It's called Sprung Rhythm--and the only syllables that matter are STRESSED.

: )

Re: Headed into BlogWorld Today - Why Do I Apologize for My Faith?

Mark Goodyear — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:45:52 -0000

Paul, sorry about the confusion.

I should have made it clear that Paul is also a Christian. He made it clear that he was not at all threatened by "Godbloggers."

Paul is a great guy. VERY encouraging--and doing a good job of living out his faith without necessarily wearing his faith on his sleeve.

Shep, you mentioned the generalization of being "one of those Godbloggers." The conference set up actually encouraged this. All of the Godbloggers had a special colored ribbon under our names to distinguish us from the others.

The point here was not to criticize Paul. I was just struggling with my own issues and found it so odd that even another Christian recognizing me as a "Christian blogger" bothered me somehow. Not because of what Paul had done but because of what we Christians do to encourage that kind of thinking.

Wearing special purple ribbons. Calling ourselves Godbloggers. Etc.

I think it would bother me just as much to be a Manblogger or something.

Re: Watch out for the Halloween Train!

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:25:03 -0000

L. L. , let's just say I never out grew play.

Amy, oh goody! I can't wait to see it!

Re: Random Act of Poetry - Where We Live

Mark Goodyear — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:40:18 -0000

Erica, thanks for that comment.

L.L. dark whimsy is my special interest, I suppose.

Re: My Guest Post at Tapestry: Genesis Is Fuzzy

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:10:49 -0000

Heather, so true. I've always been a sucker for kettle drums. Oddly, though, I don't like kettle corn at all.

Re: Poem – Eve’s Second Garden

Mark Goodyear — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:28:02 -0000

Thanks, Lance. Actually, I wrote the first draft of this while on vacation. So that was hardly a light time. But going through my old journals after a particularly hard day, looking for some kind of goodness to salvage, I found those lines and worked on them again.

My heart is lighter today.

Re: wordless wednesday :: dying of malaria in africa

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:33:00 -0000

This breaks my heart.

Re: Twenty Items of Interest (v. 23)

Mark Goodyear — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:46:55 -0000

What a fascinating list of stuff! Regarding #16, I agree that we sometimes emphasize success too much. The success stories--whether they are business success or more traditional ministry success--encourage us to make the false conclusion that such stories imply a formula for success. Of course, they rarely do. Maybe never.

Give me stories of failure--and redemption any day. The trouble is getting people to share their stories of failure. People don't like to think about the times when they were complete morons. Even if they learned valuable lessons.

Re: Deuterocanonical Books - In or Out?

Mark Goodyear — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:41:31 -0000

Does it matter? The books are at least as helpful as the latest crop of stuff from Christian presses.

Mark Goodyears last blog post..Meet Andre Yee the Wiki Moses

Re: Do You Fear Death?

Mark Goodyear — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:06:32 -0000

This is a tough question. Love that last quote--a bitter cup with sugar at the bottom. Of course, I love coffee and bitter drinks anyway.

For me, the fear of death is tied up with my family. I fear the pain my wife and children would experience.

Thanks for your interest in HighCallingBlogs.com. I can tell we're going to need to create smaller logos in order to fit in with your current blog communities!