Category: Faith

200 Quick Words on Community

~ plainswriter ~ 2 Comments

A week removed from my time at AWP ’15 (with all 14,000+ people), I find myself missing a particular community of writers of faith that I’ve come to know to and love these last few years. I find myself thankful to be a part of a community wherein there’s encouragement, humor, generosity, and fellowship.

I’ll admit to feeling inadequate and embarrassed at times because everyone (it seems to me) is so much more accomplished and skilled than I. They write prose so rich, lineation so heartbreaking, metaphor so overwhelming–I feel awed to even know them.

If I’m forthright, there’s also jealousy, envy, and covetousness that I battle. And yet at the same time I am learning to rejoice in the success of others (without bemoaning my perceived lack thereof), as well as to mourn with those who mourn.

As I write this on a Sunday evening, the sun not yet set in my west-facing office window, I think of these lovely people across the country, having read today, having written today, having worshiped today, have spent time with or apart from family, and I wish them well on the journey we share, waiting for when I will next experience their genuine fellowship.

On Directing a Writing Conference

~ plainswriter ~ Leave a comment

In my position as an assistant professor of English, I have the privilege of directing the Windhover Writers’ Festival. I already serve as editor of Windhover: A Journal of Christian Literature, and the festival is an extension of the journal, a festival held every February at my school: University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

This is my second year at the helm of the festival, and my third year editing Windhover. The festival is a time-consuming responsibility that involves a year of planning before the intense three days of the actual festival. I enjoy serving as director for many reasons, but I’ll list just five here:

1) Bringing great writers to the campus to give readings and lead workshops. It’s a treat to read the works of talented writers and then meet them in person.

2) Seeing my vision for the festival become a reality. It’s one thing to edit a journal and bring together different voices in print, and it’s another to bring together different voices and hear them read aloud.

3) Watching my students interact with the festival attendees and featured writers. It’s special to read students’ responses, to hear their reactions, to participating in such an event.

4) Meeting the festival attendees, some who have attended for years, others who are attending for the first time. It’s exciting to meet new folks just as it is encouraging to see the familiar faces.

5) Experiencing an event wherein both writing and faith are taken seriously. It’s stating the obvious, but I’d say there are not many places where this occurs.

And even as I’m processing those intensely joyful three days, I’m already thinking ahead to next year, making plans.

Learning Rest

~ plainswriter ~ 1 Comment

The last year in my PhD program has made me sympathetic to those individuals who are a part of these statistics: 1) roughly 50% of people who begin doctoral programs do not finish them 2) roughly 50% of people who make it to the ABD (all but dissertation) stage do not complete their degrees 3) the average time for completion of a PhD is seven years.

This year has probably been the most challenging of my life.  Attempting to be a dedicated Christ-follower, a good husband and father, an excellent teacher and colleague, while taking a last doctoral class, two written exams, an oral defense, and completing a dissertation has been overwhelming.  Throughout the last nine months, I’ve often felt as though I’m skimping on my commitments in these areas, but now that only one final hurdle remains (a dissertation defense in six weeks), the business has lessened, and I’ve begun an experiment, stemming from the idea of “Sabbath.”

For the last four Sundays, beginning with Easter, I’ve declined from doing any work for my job.  As a college professor, I can always be doing work–“normal” workday hours (9-5, 8-4, etc.) are not a possibility.  Nonetheless, my experiment so far resulted in many benefits, of which I’ll name three: 1) More energy for Monday, and the rest of the week 2) more time with my wife and son 3) more time for leisurely reading.

I’m not concerned with creating a list of “approved” and “unapproved” activities/tasks for my Sundays; I am, however, concerned about honoring God, devoting time to my family, and allowing myself to “rest.”  See, when I first met my wife, I did not have the world’s strongest work ethic.  But from the time I finished my MFA, I began to change, such that when I entered my PhD program in 2007, I had the important skills of a dedicated “workaholic,” and for the first three years of my program, I worked hard, harder than I’d ever worked in my life.  I missed out on far too much valuable time with my wife, my friends, and (later) my son.

Now my weekly day of rest is part of a larger plan to develop a better balance between the extremes of laziness and overwork.  It’s working thus far.  I’d like to think I’m a better Christ-follower, a better husband and father, a better teacher, a better writer.  And in case you were wondering, I don’t view writing blog posts as work.