Dear Friends,

I never thought that I would ever write an entire blog entry for the sole purpose of promoting a book.  I love to read, but I am also a somewhat picky reader.  Unlike my broad taste in music, my acceptance of literary works is much more selective.  I will not read a book if it doesn’t capture my interest in the first paragraph.  I will not read a book if I find it to be excessively detailed (I don’t need to know that she was drinking off-brand diet cola out of a blue glass containing a crack in the lip unless it is pertinent to the story), unapologetically morally offensive, unrealistic, or nonsensical.  Because of this, I seldom read fiction.  I think autobiographies are more captivating and more urgent.  There is something about the reality contained therein that serves to convince me of the worth of the story.  I find autobiographies compelling, endearing, and admirable for the simple fact that the author has made himself vulnerable to the masses—and once it is on paper and in someone else’s hands, there is no turning back.  I am impressed, I suppose, by the courage it takes to put one’s secrets out there for the world to inspect.  And I am inspired by the remarkable tales of overcoming some of life’s most difficult challenges against all odds.  Rarely do I come across a work of fiction that moves me in the same way. (continue reading…)

Dear Friends,

This past Sunday at church, a couple spoke about a ministry they are a part of.  The name of it was similar to a separate pro-life ministry I am familiar with, and at lunch that day, I brought up the pro-life ministry and what it is about.  It is active during the summer, when young adults from all over the country walk from the west coast to Washington, DC.  The groups stop at different towns and speak in churches about the pro-life cause.  I mentioned how a couple of my friends who participated in this ministry three summers ago faced a lot of angry responses from people who saw them walking down the road wearing white t-shirts bearing just seven letters:  PRO LIFE. (continue reading…)