About this blog...

I never really wanted a blog. I still don't necessarily want a blog. So, why do I produce this blog?  

This blog is the means by which I share my poetry, some of my writing, and some of my art with the public. I do this with no expectation of response. I am not seeking popularity or a large following (which would be highly unlikely).

On the pages of this blog, you will find (in order of frequency) some of my...

• Poetry
• Hymns (lyrics only)
• Songs (again, lyrics only)
• Stories (just a few)
• Short articles (again, just a few)
• Some short "Just something to think about" posts
• Some examples of my art 

I will try to add posts on a regular basis. This will include recent work, as well as items I wrote years ago. In the right hand column of each page is a place to enter your e-mail address if you would like to begin receiving new posts by e-mail. (Note: Your address will not be used for anything else. If you sign up to follow by e-mail, be sure that my posts are not going to your spam folder.) 

So, why am I publishing my stuff? Good question...

First, I believe that everyone who is called or gifted to create should do so. Gifts are given to be used. Even if the product of such gifts would not be considered great by any usual standards, that creative expression should be given life. Whether it touches or inspires many or few, it should be given a life beyond the mind in which it was conceived. And so, I place the products of my creative work on the table for others to see, to hear, to consider, and to find what they may in that encounter.

Second, I contend that the thoughts, ideas, beliefs, feelings, and experiences I express in words and images are important. They are, at least, important to me. 

I never compose a poem or song, write an article or story, paint a picture, or create an image just for the sake of creating that particular type work. I never stop during the day and say to myself, "I think I'll write a poem." Or, "I think I'll create an interesting image." The starting point of any of my creative work is an encounter with some aspect of life that touches, inspires, moves, or troubles me. Not infrequently, the thoughts and feelings that spring from such an encounter coalesce to form a meaningful idea, question, proposition, understanding, or conclusion that I feel compelled to express. That compulsion to express almost always comes attached to a particular form of expression: a poem, a song, an essay, or an image. 

I then begin working with that expression, bringing together both the idea and the form, to create a coherent result. Note that when I say "working", I am not talking about the steady execution of a clearly defined set of steps. I am talking about creative work, which roams and explores, and which starts and stops with the ebb and flow of inspiration. This effort can take weeks, months, or even years of revisiting and revising. And, sometimes, the process can take just minutes or hours. I must confess, however, that the poem, the song, the story, or the image is nearly always an inadequate expression of the full set of thoughts, feelings, and experiences that have led to its creation. But, I come as close as I can. Sometimes, the result may be good; sometimes, not so good. Sometimes my efforts are entirely unsuccessful, and I set the effort aside never to return to it.

In my poetry and prose, I write about faith and life, victories and failures, hopes and fears. I write to both encourage and challenge, to acknowledge and confront, to celebrate and to cry out. Some pieces reflect my own challenges and struggles. Some poems and posts come from my empathy for the serious challenges others face. Some reflect tragedies that have touched me. And finally, some of my writing reflects the experience of hope and triumph. In any event, what you will find in my words is not all "easy listening". All of it is, however, an honest expression of my encounters with life.

I now offer my words and images for your consumption and consideration. I hope that they might prompt you to think, to weep, to smile, to consider, to be challenged, to be inspired, to be encouraged, to understand, to feel understood, to feel empathy, or just to reflect upon some aspect of life worthy of reflection.  I hope that you might enjoy some of what you may read.  But more importantly, I hope that you find something worth thinking about.