I’m Sending Emerging Kids to Hell

Don’t ask me how I ended up helping with the kids ministry at our church.

Our overall philosophy was that we wanted everyone as much a part of our main gathering as possible, figuring that we all learn from each other, grandparents, parents, and kids. Practically speaking, we ended up having a nursery but that left us with the question “what do we do with our 6 – 12 year olds?”

A guy who was visiting one of our elder meetings talked about a kids class where the kids essentially taught themselves. They speak each other’s language, pay attention more, and even handle keeping order in the class. They lead the songs, lead the prayer, prepare lessons, and prepare activities to flesh out the lesson.

Now, bright though our children may be, I don't think they'll be setting the stories they are learning within the context of the greater story of the Bible or tying everything back to Christ and kingdom work/living. So adults would be needed to help facilitate the discussions. Plus, I know our kids and left to their own devices, this would quickly turn into "Lord of the Flies ... In Jesus' Name" (replete with images of a lone adult tied up in a corner while the kids plotted).

This sounded so good in theory.

Still wanting to keep them in the service as much as possible, we stay in for the music and prayer, but when He Who Would Be Head Pastor begins speaking, we go back to our room. The first day’s class was made up of my two boys, my sister’s two kids, and one of our elders two kids. Maybe I shouldn’t have made the observation that I have license to beat two-thirds of the class. When it came to opening us in prayer, I turned to my eldest son, my name sake, jewel of my crown who comes back with “I don’t know how to pray. You never taught me.”

So after a rocky start (come to find out that some of our kids have some real control issues), we’ve been falling into a nice rhythm, to the point where my kids drag me out of bed to get to church on Sunday mornings. I’ve always wanted the kind of kids ministry where kids can ask any questions they wanted and the teachers would serious wrestle with their questions. So here’s the question of the day for my theologically minded friends (because no one warned me that our kids were so bright):

We’ve spent the last month or so going over the story of the Ten Commandments (we’ve spent three weeks on what “honor your father and mother” means). Anyway, the following discussion breaks out:

Emmi: Well, our baby sister died last year and she’s in heaven. When you’re a kid, God doesn’t hold you responsible for not knowing and obeying the Ten Commandments.

Me: You’re not seriously bringing up the age of accountability issue, right? How old are you?

Ian: Wait a second. If we’re not accountable until we’ve been taught the Ten Commandments and you’ve just taught us the Ten Commandments, if I die today, I could go to hell?

Me: This is your take home lesson? How old are you?

Maggie: I’m telling my mom you just taught us into hell.

Luckily, I have a co-conspirator in this (the elder/mother of the other two kids). I most certainly almost made He Who Would Be Head Pastor pull his sermon over to come back and talk to the kids. How would you answer this question?

(I actually did come up with something, after I let the kids wrestle with answering the question themselves--"That's a good question. We're going to go over it some more next week. Try not to die before then."--then being frightened at how smart they are. We discussed how best to live rather than living to stay out of hell. Each week is a reminder that we start asking very real and very important questions early on and that it’s good to have folks who not only listen and take you seriously, but wrestle with the questions alongside you. I STILL need that.)

There’s probably a book idea in here somewhere.


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Fear of Success

It’s that time of year when the Broaddus compound goes through our winter/spring tradition of watching American Idol. Last year I compared the auditions week to the writing business, first from a writer’s perspective and then from an editor’s. This year I’ve decided that the current status of my career is the equivalent of A.I.’s “Hollywood Week.” My stories are good enough to make it to the next round, the judges keep me around until the last round of cuts, and maybe, just maybe, I may make it to the final 24.

Fellow author, Chesya Burke, and my wife are convinced that I suffer from what could be described as an acute case of “fear of success”-itis. The symptoms can take a variety of forms and I thought it my duty to alert my fellow writers of the various ways this condition can sneak up on them.

Continued on Blogging in Black


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DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!!!

Orgy of Souls: A Deadly Seduction

New Novella by Maurice Broaddus and Wrath James White offers sex, gore, blasphemy...and the unrivaled power of brotherly love
March 15, 2008 -- Apex Publications announces the upcoming release of "Orgy of Souls," a new novella by Maurice Broaddus and Wrath James White, on June 14, 2008 (just in time for Mo*Con III). Pre-orders begin March 23.

How pretty would a man have to be for you to sign over to him your immortal soul? If you've never asked yourself that question, it's only because you've never read "Orgy of Souls."

A thoughtful look at the role of God in the tragedies of the world might not automatically bring to mind visions of beautiful party boys and orgiastic bloodbaths, but in the hands of Maurice Broaddus and Wrath James White, the melding of such opposites is the perfect backdrop for the story of two brothers, each trying to save the other from what he has become.

Samuel, a priest who questions his faith as he fights a losing battle with AIDS, struggles to retain his dignity and hide his doubts from those around him. His brother, Samson, a high-end fashion model who indulges in every excess and finds each one lacking, loves nothing in the world except for Samuel. As Samson sinks deeper into the darkness of violent rituals intended to barter for his brother's life, Samuel must face up to his own doubts and fears in order to stop Samson's growing lust for blood and souls.

Blood, sex, rage, repentance and otherworldly horror...all are invited to the "Orgy of Souls."

Better your blasphemy and preorder "Orgy of Souls" on Easter Sunday: March 23, 2008. For details and updates visit www.apexbookcompany.com. Available in signed, limited edition hardcover (350 copies, bound tip-in signature sheet) and trade paperback (released in Sept. 08) from Apex Publications.

About the Authors
Maurice Broaddus's work has appeared in Weird Tales, Horror Literature Quarterly, and a wide variety of anthologies. His story "Family Business" won first prize at the World Horror Convention Story Competition in 2003. Often known as the Sinister Minister, Broaddus says of the religious aspects of his writing: "As writers, our worldviews–from nihilistic to religious–are a part of us and thus a part of our writing. What we believe, why we believe, it's all in there."

Wrath James White is a professional fighter and writer, two pursuits that blend together to create unrelenting prose. His novels include Teratologist (co-written with Edward Lee), Poisoning Eros (co-written with Monica O-Rourke), and Succulent Prey. "If you have a weak stomach, a closed mind, rigid morals, and Victorian sexual ethics, then avoid my writing like the plague," says Wrath. If, on the other hand, you want hard-hitting fiction where nothing is taboo, you've found the right author.

About Apex Publications
Apex Publications is a small press dedicated to publishing exemplary works of dark science fiction and horror. Owned and operated by Jason B. Sizemore, Apex publishes the critically acclaimed Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest. In 2006, Apex Publishing branched into producing novellas, collections, and anthologies, earning a Bram Stoker Award nomination for the Aegri Somnia anthology in 2007.


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How could you not see this coming? Wrath James White has guest blogged for me, I reviewed his Book of a Thousand Sins and I interviewed him (part I and II)

I already know that I’m going to get letters. You know it’s a bad sign when Wrath drops me a note saying “you may want to have a blog handy about how you can write horror and work in a church.” Luckily, I do.

Of course, I’m in a no lose situation:

Dear Mr. Broaddus, How can you call yourself a Christian and write … that “covenant” scene, to say the least? Sincerely, Pissed off, though well-intentioned, judgmental guy

Now, the simple response could go along the lines of

Dear fellow traveler, Wrath wrote that. In fact, he wrote every objectionable scene in the novella. Did you read Book of a Thousand Sins?!? Sincerely, Perfectly innocent co-writer

For those looking for my usual fare, save me the headache. Save yourself the headache. There are scenes where you can almost picture Wrath behind the keyboard trying to get me fired. Did I mention that I wrote none of those scenes? (Though Apex Publications does seem to draw out my darker, darker side. It should be noted, however, that my story appearing in Apex Digest #12 was written while under the influence of my collaboration with Wrath.)

I may have my church boycott the book.

Ignore Mark Rainey, too:

“ORGY OF SOULS is a gripping tale of two brothers whose lives have taken radically different paths — but those paths intersect via some surprising twists and turns. With raw prose, vividly drawn characters, and a chilling touch of the occult, Broaddus and White draw you in and belt you right in your emotional gut." --Stephen Mark Rainey, author of BLUE DEVIL ISLAND and THE LEBO COVEN.


“Better your blasphemy”?!? Not helping, Mr. Sizemore. I’m REALLY going to get letters.

Also available on Horror Mall.


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Dear Miss Ro – America’s Best Dance Crew

It’s sad that our relationship has hit a bumpy patch because of America’s Best Dance Crew. I know, I know. You’re still reeling over Kaba Modern (your second favorite crew) being voted off and the final two crews coming down to Status Quo (my favorite) and JabbaWockeeZ (your favorite). I recognize that Jabba and Kaba operate on a whole other level, but I thought I’d make my case for why I think the right two crews are going head-to-head.

There were three schools of crews in America’s Best Dance Crew: the technically brilliant (Jabba, Kaba, Iconic) , the more raw street style (Status Quo, Live in Color, Fysh n Chicks), and the other (BreakSk8, Femme 5). The other/novelty acts went as far as they could (BreakSk8 represent!), but the show rightly came down to the best of the two schools.

Sure, Status Quo is sloppy. Their choreography is a mess. They are like a three ring circus every time they perform, like short attention span theater for dancers. Their brand of barely controlled chaos reminds me of an NBA team: a bunch of individual stars who struggle to work together half the time. But they get credit for their creativity, their energy level, their stunts and their sense of humor. They are audience crowd pleasers.



JabbaWockeeZ are just. Plain. Stupid. Status Quo may be my favorite group, but that was taking Jabbawockeez (and Kaba Modern) out of the equation, because [those two groups] are sick. While both groups execute with near machine-like perfection, Jabba got the edge because they have a greater stage presence. Their choreography not only is creative, but they engage the crowd in ways Kaba hadn’t.


You knew at some point the competition was going to come down between Jabba and Kaba, we just wanted it in the final episode and not the penultimate one. Think of it this way, I understand the pain you are feeling: I still haven’t quite gotten over the first season of American Idol when I thought the showdown should have been between Kelly Clarkson and Tamyra Gray.

Anyway, I know you’ll be voting right up until the finale airs Thursday.

So you really don’t have to take your anger at me out on my message board. You know, not many pictures even exist of me in an Afro, so I know you had to go WAY back to find some (for those keeping score at home, I’m in the yellow shirt). You realize that not even our mother has pictures of me in any form of an Afro because I confiscated all such pictures when I moved out. But Of COURSE you manage to dig one up.

Come on over to my house. I’ll fix you dinner. We’ll lead up to the finale of America’s Best Dance Crew by watching the previous episodes. It’ll be okay.


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A Tale of Two Stories

Two magazines, featuring stories of mine, are available for order:

Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest #12 marks the first time I have made the cover of a magazine (this is like the twin coming out first being declared the older sibling - still, you never forget your first.) My story, “Broken Strand”, mixes religion, horror, and science fiction in a tale of a scientist who believes he can undo the "sin nature" of humanity via gene therapy. Hijinks ensue.

The issue also features new work by Brian Keene, Steve Shrewsbury, Alethea Kontis, Paul Jessup, and Michael West.

Here's a direct link to the issue in the Apex online store.

It's also available across the US and Canada in over 500 stores (namely B&N, Hastings, Chapters, and Joseph-Beth Booksellers) as well as the new Horror-Mall.com. Yes, I do plan on hunting down the issue at my local Barnes and Noble so that I can see my name on a shelf.


Doorways #5 features my story, “Just a Young Man and His Game.” This story takes place in the same universe as "Just an Old Man on a Bench" (first published on the Horrorfind web site back in the day).

Here's a video if you want to see what it looks like. Here's a direct link to the issue in the Doorways Publishing store.

If you want to order, it’s $6.75 + .75 for shipping ($1.50 if you’re outside of the U.S.) or a one year subscription is: (4 ISSUES) $20.00 + $3.15 for shipping ($6.31 if you’re outside of the U.S.)


You can send a check (if in the U.S.) to :

DOORWAYS MAGAZINE
247 N SYCAMORE ST
UNION CITY, OH 45390

Or send paypal payment to: bewisedesign@yahoo.com

Drop me a line and let me know what you think of the stories.


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Friday Night Date Place – Crap or Get Off the Pot

Relationships are about timing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know we hear about God’s timing, but that’s not what I specifically mean. I mean sometimes the timing of things, the timing of two lives coming together, isn’t always in sync.

Have you ever been in a treading water or yo-yo-ing relationship? By treading water, I mean you have reached this comfortable spot, things don’t seem to be going either forwards (towards marriage) or backwards (toward a break up), but you have lost relationship momentum and find yourself in a steady-state position. It’s not a bad place, things are going along fine, yet, you can’t help but feel some sort of dissatisfaction. Like you aren’t where you want to be in the relationship or that you could seriously see your relationship in this same place a year from now. Two years from now. For the foreseeable future.

On the other hand, you have the yo-yo-ing relationship. You get together, things for fine for a time, then the relationship seems to come to a head. One of you may want more while the other isn’t ready to commit. You may want to get married but you can’t quite seem to take that final step. So the two of you break up, ready to go your separate directions and start anew with someone else. Time goes by, then you start to drift back together. It may start slowly: you still hang out with the same friends and thus bump into each other a lot; you attempt to just be friends and find yourselves calling each other and hanging out again; next thing you know, you’re talking about giving things another shot and the process starts all over again.

There comes a point where you have to decide the ultimate future of the relationship. Much like some people feel a biological clock (and that may factor into the decision) others feel a “lifetime commitment” clock. Think of it as a lemon law: once you’ve decided that this is the person you could spend the rest of your life with, how much time, energy, and emotion are you willing to invest in the relationship before you decide that things aren’t heading down the aisle?

This lag time will vary per couple; relationships have to go at their own pace. It is a time of discovery, of learning about your partner. So part of the decision making process may boil down to where you are in life. Financial reality may play a part in the decision, being in school, career decisions, family obligations. These are realities.

Indecision, not wanting to settle down just yet (if ever), “I don’t know”, “it doesn’t feel right yet”—you’re lying to yourself if you don’t believe these aren’t decisions every bit as real as a break up. And you know what? You should listen to those decisions. If one partner doesn’t know, don’t pressure them into a “yes”. You shouldn’t have to sell you or the relationship to them.

No one ought to force you into making a decision you aren’t ready to, but there comes a point where you are going to have to make a decision. Otherwise you really are holding up two people’s lives. Timing is a delicate thing (more delicate than the title of this blog).


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Ultimate Human – A Review

“Redemption Story”

Written by: Warren Ellis
Art by: Cary Nord
Published by: Marvel Comics

Bruce Banner (the Hulk) and Tony Stark (Iron Man) are the “two halves of the push to post-humanity.” Both brilliant scientist, yet one has a lifetime mired in failure as much as the other has had success. So, in Ultimate Human, Bruce Banner has come to Tony Stark in the hopes of finding a cure for his condition. Warren Ellis begins to do for the Ultimate version of the Hulk what Peter David did for the mainline version of him – explore what truly makes him the Hulk, psychologically and physically.

“I’ve been sick my whole life and had to fight for everything I ever wanted. And never got it. Never.” –Bruce Banner

Like Bruce Banner, part of us realize that we live in a “failure condition.” We largely sleepwalk through life, wondering what’s it all about, why we are here, what we’re supposed to do and be. The idea reminded me of the book New Way to be Human by Charlie Peacock and how we all begin with a Story, a Story that God steps into. The story has four major arcs:

Creation - The story of all that is right and good about people and the world. We were created in His image, related to God, in right relationship with Him, under His rule and agenda. We were his servant-representatives in the world, responsible for one another and stewards of creation. Made for community and unbroken relationships, we were also created not only with intelligence, but also with a free will to choose.

Fall - The story of what went wrong, what is wrong, with them. With our ability to choose, we were intolerant of mystery and the gaps in our knowledge. So we sought our own way, disconnecting ourselves from the rhythm of life set out by God, becoming alienated not only from each other, but God and creation. This turning away from God to your own assumption of living life is the very definition of sin.

“Save me.” –Bruce Banner

Redemption - The story of the mission to restore. God unfolds His relational Word, in conversation, in Laws, in history, and, ultimately, in Christ. He seeks to rescue His people and usher in His kingdom, a new way of living.
New Creation - The story of the completion of that mission. One day we’ll see the end goal of perfection, of new heavens and new earth. That is the hope in which we live.

So being the ultimate human begins with repentance, exchanging your old way of life for a new way. One where we know the story and then live out the mission, centering around one simple idea: “"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40).

Being the ultimate human is to participate in the story, embracing all aspects of life, but living with the goal of loving everyone and everything with holiness and imagination. It should impact how we work, how we play, and how we relate to one another; finding our redemptive mission in continuing the work He began to reconcile all of creation to Him.

Warren Ellis is great at playing in other people’s sandboxes. He respects the characters and fleshes them out even as he explores them in dark turns. The ultimate versions of these traditional heroes allows him to play with his full palette of science fiction tricks and jargon. The art mirrors the cinematic style that Ellis worked with during his run on The Authority, except this time it comes at the hands of a very capable Cary Nord. The book, like much of Marvel’s comic line these days, has the heady aroma of marketing opportunism (look for the trade paperback of this mini-series to come out in time for both the Iron Man and Hulk 2 movies), but Ellis keeps the story both interesting and relevant to the rest of the Ultimate universe.


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Ultimate Iron Man II – A Review

“Tech Run Amuck”

Written by: Orson Scott Card
Art by: Pasqual Ferry
Published by: Marvel Comics

Iron Man has never been one of those characters that especially appealed to me. He was a (drunk) rich guy in a tech suit and was rarely written in an interesting way. Most times, the character was only as interesting as his supporting characters. With Ultimate Iron Man II we have a darker take on the Tony Stark character.

For starters, this is a much more sci-fi take on Iron Man: Tony Stark’s mother infected herself, and her then fetus son, with a regenerative virus that turns every body cell into a neural cell capable of new growth. So his limbs can regrow and his brain is essentially distributed through his whole body. Plus, he has nanotech armor technology, the armor is a thin layer on top of the wearer’s skin, which allows him to control the Iron Man suit.

Under Orson Scott Card’s writing, we get to intricately explore the relationship between Tony and his father Howard. He weaves a tapestry of constant pressure and expectation as Tony has to live in the great man’s shadow with the burden of carrying on legacy. He attempts to both follow the example of his father while learning from his mistakes. It’s a delicate balance that can either free you to further greatness or it can spiral you into madness/self-destruction (and we see which way Tony is heading with his increasing dependence on alcohol).

Mostly, the part of the story that intrigues me most is Tony Stark as a government munitions developer. He has always been a part of the morally murky world of weapon design, essentially profiting from war, yet rarely has this aspect of his character been as relevant as it is these days. And that dark, cynical tone has crept into both the Marvel as well as Ultimate Universe depictions of the character.

“Look, it was a lesson you needed to learn. You’re not stupid, you’re just young.” –Howard Stark

As human beings, we are hard-wired for relationships. We are relational creatures gifted with many of the ease of lifestyle that technology affords. Yet we face the constant danger of being isolated by that very same technology. Counter intuitive though it may seem, considering how instantly reachable we are now (with our cell phones and text messaging; always plugged in to instant message, check e-mail or surf the web). Blackberries, iPods, Game Boys – our lives have accelerated and we’ve become over-stimulated. Technology can become our armor against the world.

At the same time, we interact with the world in new ways. Form online communities (multi-player games and message boards), have virtual relationships (chat rooms), and we can communicate with those thousands of miles from us as if they were around the corner.

Technology is what you make of it, as we try to find meaning and make sense of our increasingly postmodern world. We are less socially connected, our social networks being tethers of 1s and 0s. We will still and always have a need for the real over the virtual. We still need a human connection.

Orson Scott Card keeps Ultimate Iron Man II light with plenty of witty banter. The art is serviceable, but I’m not a fan of Pasqual Ferry’s panel construction. Each panel focused so tightly on the person in the foreground, with little to no details in the background, it was like looking at a series of cameo photos. Still, overall, the story has a lot going on inside it, with layers of political and corporate intrigue. It will be interesting watching the story develop over time.


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Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – A Review

“O Mary Don’t You Shoot”

The latest trend in Hollywood has been to re-tread nostalgic favorites, thus the return of Transformers, Rocky, Rambo, and Knight Rider (which threatens to become a series in the Fall). It makes sense: the properties have immediate name recognition and a built in audience, however, that alone isn’t enough (see Bionic Woman). However, I don’t think Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles will be sharing the problems of Bionic Woman.

For a start, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has a well thought out mythology and the writers know where they are going with the show. It’s a simple premise: a mother and son on the run from robots from the future who are out to kill him before he grows up to become the rebel leader savior he’s destined to become. But the duo has their own robot protecting them in their travels.

Though the series picks up after T2, the second in the movie franchise, it avoids a lot of the continuity issues of T3 by time jumping ahead to present day 2007. This allows them to fulfill the words spoken in T2 about them writing their own destiny (and the show becomes the default T3).

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has a strong cast. Lena Headey (300) steps in as Sarah Connor, in the role Linda Hamilton made iconic. Add Thomas Dekker (Heroes) as John Connor and Summer Glau (Serenity) as the Cameron, the good Terminator, you have a cast that isn’t exactly a collection of strangers to genre work.

“Come with me if you want to live.” –Cameron

These are the first words the protective Terminator uses to introduce itself to either Sarah or John Connor. To draw a Biblical connection, we have the Terminator essentially functioning as the angel Gabriel in the story. He both announces Sarah and John’s role in the greater story of prophetic history, but serves as a guardian spirit.

“I’m not who they think I am. Some messiah.” –John

In a lot of ways, John’s story is parallel to that of Clark Kent’s in the series Smallville. Both are Messianic figures who have yet to come to terms with their future greatness and struggle with the idea of getting there. In the future, he will lead a war against a system programmed to destroy the world, so their present day adventures revolve around trying to prevent the future Fall of humankind, even though they know they won’t.

John constantly questions himself and his destiny (“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to be? A hero, isn’t that who I am? If it’s just going to sit inside me, if it’s just going to sit in my gut, then what are we doing? What’s the point?”) even as he slowly comes to terms with it. Hopefully John Connor having the initials J.C. wasn’t too subtle for people.

Also in a way, John communes with himself. His older self sits in some future realm, yet still aids his present self by sending messages, Terminators, and other rebel helpers to help him along his journey. Yet it is not John’s story that I think the biggest spiritual connection lies, but rather with his mother’s.

“Would he know my love runs through him like blood?” –Sarah

Sarah Connor assumes the role of Mary in the story of the one day messiah of humanity. She is the one who will teach him to become the soldier and leader he will become. She is the primary guiding force who helps him come to terms with his destiny. As much as she likes having no name, no story, as they move about in their adventures, it is her love, a mother’s love for her son—and her, in turn, fighting for him—that the show revolves around. Because she knows he has a destiny/mission/ministry to fulfill.

Debate rages around the issues of Mary (from her Assumption to her Immaculate Conception to her role as co-redeemer). In the Protestant rush to downplay her, we often overlook the vital role she had to have played in Jesus’ life, beginning with the fact that she carried the God-man in her womb. She was mother to the Savior. Hers was the voice that shaped him, taught him, disciplined him (we see that she at least got on him for tarrying too long at Temple), and helped him come to terms with his messianic consciousness.

Her role was huge in the Story we find ourselves in and she did play an important part in the story of redemption. So all respect is due.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is smart and entertaining, the epitome of how to reinvigorate a franchise. As both messenger and protector, Summer imbues Cameron with a likeability, warmth, and sly humor despite her robotic role. It’s not easy to raise a teenage boy these days, especially while being stalked in a battle between good and evil. And Sarah is one mother you don’t want to cross. Put simply, This. Show. Rocks.


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My Name is Earl - A Doubting Faith

“Bad Earl”

“After everything that happened, Karma had me pretty confused.” --Earl

Entering its third season, My Name is Earl spent much of the season following Earl’s misadventures in prison. A lot of his life prior to finding out about and following the ways of “Karma” were spent breaking the law and showing up on episodes of Cops. However, Earl was imprisoned for trying to do right by his ex-wife, Joy. This led to a string of largely mediocre episodes, but watching Joy and Darnell lead a church service (“Oh Jesus you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Jesus!”) was a series highlight. The episode “Bad Earl” follows Earl’s crisis of faith, what some call a “dark night of the soul.”

As a scientist, a writer, and a practical theologian, intellectually speaking, faith hasn’t come easy to me (the question of faith has always hiccupped my spiritual journey). Some days I find myself wondering if I’m even a Christian. You pour yourself into people, befriend them, only to have them turn on me and/or leave the faith. It can be disheartening and you wonder if maybe you’ve gotten everything somehow wrong.

Some people find the prospect of doubt in one’s faith akin to leaving the faith entirely. They stand firm on “knowing” and “certainty” and “assurance” which can be understandable because people hate the idea of not knowing. Truth shouldn’t fear critical examination, and while there may be a point where you end up questioning for its own sake, every now and then it can be a healthy thing to question and re-evaluate our worldview.

Faith can be a relatively simple math problem: History/evidence + personal experience + intuition = faith. The personal dimensions to our faith, however, can be outlined in three phases: discovery (the kingdom of God/way of life), acknowledgment (this is true), and then reckoning (wrestling with it). Sometimes it seems like we chase after God and He’s playing hard to get. Paradoxically, or at least somewhat counter-intuitively, we can still draw closer to God through times of doubt and questioning.

“I’m pretty sure this Karma thing doesn’t exist.” –Earl

The Christian story on its face can seem ridiculous: God, this completely Other—sometimes seen as an imaginary friend, sometimes as the Creator—becomes flesh and blood, born of a virgin. This story unfolds in the context of angels, miracles, and fulfilled prophecy, only for him to die as so many had before and after on a Roman cross and then rise from the dead.

The journey of knowledge begins with an assumption: atheists begin with human reason (“I know through my reason, I know because I’ve reasoned that”); people of faith with theirs (“The Bible is the word of God because it says it is”). Oversimplified, I know, but minds of inquiry and genuine intellectual curiosity can journey together.

Doubting proves thought. How you arrive at truth, the contemplation of your own existence, demonstrates our ability to think and reflect. In the Christian tradition we typically draw on four sources: Scripture (the Bible), the historic church tradition (we learn in community, with time merely being a dimension to community), reason (both intuitive and deductive), and personal experience.

“I’m sick of people expecting more from me. How come I always have to act better than everyone else?” –Earl

Earl had certain expectations of his faith, a sort of “prosperity Karma”. Faith was almost like an investment scheme: after two years of doing good, things were supposed to be better, not worse. Things didn’t seem fair and we find ourselves (intellectually/behaviorally) spiraling. We can get so hung up on the possibility of missing the mark that we miss the point of being here. We end up asking the wrong questions (“Am I saved and thus ‘in’” vs. “Am I living in the way of Jesus?”).

The whole world is blessed and God is at work in all of us, working out His kingdom plan. Ironically, it’s Randy, Earl’s dimmer-witted brother, who stumbles over the secret to getting back on track: “Maybe you should go ahead and do something on your list. That always makes you feel better.” His list was his “Scriptural” guide for missional living. Living out one’s faith, the parts you clearly understand and know to be true, doesn’t make the questions irrelevant, but it certainly puts them in perspective. I may not be able to exegete every passage in the Bible, but I can grasp the concept of “love others as yourself” or “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
“I had no idea where I was going to, but I knew where I was going from … but Karma came looking for me.” –Earl

In the silence, God is there, or, in Earl’s words, “I thought Karma was dead, but she was just laying low.” You can turn your back on Him, but He won’t turn His back on you. And sometimes we need the silence in order to learn, if only to learn to listen. Having a life of faith means accepting the difficulty of living between paradoxes; it means getting rid of the arrogance and judgmentalism because you don’t have all of the answers. Having a doubting faith isn’t an easy road to walk. It can be filled with many dark nights and the weight of unanswered questions can sometimes be unbearable. But if you let it, a doubting faith can leads you to having to recommit to the journey daily. In the end, that’s all we can ask from our faith. As T.S. Eliot said, "Doubt and uncertainty are merely a variety of belief."


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Friday Night Date Place: Design a Singles Ministry

I have a lot of experience in singles ministry. When I graduated high school, I helped start a singles group at my then church. When I switched churches, I found myself in the singles group and inadvertently a leader there. Even now, the Broaddus household is the default hang out for many of the single folks in our church. Part of it is because my wife and I have a heart for single folks (the other part is because we have an open door policy, so folks are free to come by to eat and do laundry whenever they need to. I’m glad to see that even when those singles become marrieds, they still like to come by and hang out).

My question to you is how would you design a singles ministry? How would you want a church to minister to your needs and where you are in your life? What would you expect them to do and be about?

Personally, I wouldn’t have one. I don’t believe in segregating folks by where they are in life: Youth Groups, College/Career, Singles, Young Marrieds, Old Marrieds, Single Agains. Not my thing and I think it does a disservice to the idea of the church being the body of Christ (by the way we minister, we’d like all the thumbs over here, never associating with the toes. Feel free to imagine where your station in life places you as I avoid the easy jokes).

Your typical church singles group has a few key characteristics: 1) the average stay of the typical member is five years and 2) about every three years, the group has gone through a cycle of turnover. Why? Because it is one of the few ministries where the object is to get out of it. People date, and if they marry, they leave. People date, and if it doesn’t work out, they leave. People hang out, and if there are no prospects, they leave.

In my experience, the singles ministries of churches, despite their best efforts become more about the meat market. Singles are there mostly to meet other singles. The best groups realize that while they are busy searching, they ought to be forming relationships/friendships that will last long past their single days. At their worst, folks of the meat market can be (unintentionally) cruel: the church is a refuge, and sometimes the folks who take refuge there are … socially inept. They aren’t the coolest, the funniest, the most charming. Sometimes they are awkward and uncomfortable and every bit deserving and searching for love, acceptance, and community.

And what would the singles issues be? Well, that’s pretty much the point of Friday Night Date Place, but once you get past the big issues (loneliness, finding God’s will, learning patience) … actually, scratch where that thought was going – all singles issues are people issues, things that everyone struggles with. You think it’s tough being lonely when you’re single; try being lonely in your marriage. And single folks would know that and would have a better idea of what they were getting into when they get married, if we weren’t so busy setting up dating opportunities for them.

So, my singles ministry would be the absence of a singles ministry. If single folks wanted to get together on their own time, in their own small groups, I’m all for that, I’m a pro-(good) cliques sort of guy. However, on “church time” the body of Christ ought to be the mixed bag of nuts it needs to be. Diverse life stations learning from one another.

In the mean time, I guess I have a small group who is learning what it means to live life together. Doing laundry, having meals together (teaching some of them how to cook), and hanging out. That’s as close to a single’s group as I’m getting these days (though I’m still trying to figure out how so many of us ended up in the tranny comedy club that one time. We’ll chalk that one up to incarnational ministry).


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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – A Review

"A Bloody Parable"

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, based on the Stephen Sondheim's 1979 musical, tells the infamous story of Benjamin Barker, who returns to London as Sweeney Todd to set up a barber shop in order to exact his revenge on those who wrongly imprisoned him. The legend of this partnership between love-robbed vengeance seeker and the widowed baker, Mrs. Nellie Lovett, who assisted him by grinding up dead customers into meat pies has been around for over 150 years.

This proves not so odd a subject/plot for a musical as it had a bit of a grand guignol vibe to it. And for director, Tim Burton, it combines a lot of his favorite elements: his life partners (figuratively) Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) and (literally) Helena Bonham Carter in the lead roles; the ghoulish and macabre, replete with 19th century London as an industrial Gothic backdrop ; the fantastic (forget the cannibalism, he has the entire cast doing their own vocals); and love, no matter how perverted. With their ghastly pale make up, the leading duo makes the movie seem like a live action Corpse Bride except with more blood. Much more blood.

Perhaps the grimness of the subject matter is simply easier to take with impassioned lyrics set to alternately sweeping and brooding melodies.

“That man is dead. The name’s Todd. Sweeney Todd and he will have his revenge.” –Sweeney Todd

As a barber framed for a crime he didn’t commit, imprisoned for 15 years, by a judge (Alan Rickman) who lusted after his wife, the story has parallels to the Biblical story of David and Bathsheba. In it, King David is struck with lust for the wife of one of his top lieutenants, Uriah. After bedding the man’s wife, David wrongly has him sent to the front lines of a war in order to have him killed. So, Sweeney Todd would be the equivalent of Uriah surviving the attempt on his life then going after David … if Uriah could give a proper shave.

In truth, Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a parable on forgiveness, or rather, how hate can consume you if you can’t find a way to move past it. Someone once said that “refusing to forgive someone is like drinking poison, and expecting the other person to die.” Sweeney Todd, consumed and twisted by hate, lives this out to the bitter end.

“The mystery of the world. Learn forgiveness and try to forget.” –Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd’s simple theology is laid out like this: “There’s a hole in the world,” “It’s man devouring man,” and that “we all deserve to die”. Though he recognizes the broken/fallen state we find ourselves in, as well as our own culpability for the choices that we make, in his paradigm, there is no hope for redemption. No color, no love, no joy in his gray, cruel world; a world without forgiveness. He is trapped in a prison of his own hatred and though he seeks to be free, both of his past and of his nightmare life. For him, there is salvation only in spilt blood, except that he who is spilling others’ blood.

The mystery of Christ’s work on the cross models the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness is neither easy nor simple. Through forgiveness we let go, we join with divine grace, and are called into a new life of wholeness. Forgiveness brings closure, allowing us to let go and begin the process of healing. Ultimately, forgiveness grants us peace, perhaps even getting to the point where we can even pray for our enemies and those who did us wrong. (Though there is something to be said for the not often talked about imprecatory prayers.) Forgiveness forms you into someone who is free, whereas, to not forgive, to hold onto the hate and the pain, continues to distort and punish you.

“Think on your sins.” –Judge Turpin

You’d think serial murders done to sweet ballads would be more disturbing than they are in this movie. With necks being slit, flesh ground into hamburger—all set to jaunty tunes, Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is perfectly suited for those who thought Friday the 13th would’ve been better as a musical. The movie has lush production, an exhilaration in the film-making, and acting so good—from the lust-frenzied judge to the huckster Italian barber, Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat)—it brings out the macabre humor underlying it. What happens must happen, we know that going into this dark revenge tragedy; but the pleasure, if that is the right word, lies in watching the melodrama unfold.


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Dexter – A Review

“Hannibal the series”

Many of us suffer from compulsions—from smoking to drinking to promiscuity—some more self-destructive than others. We look at a character like Monk and see the bundle of neuroses that leads to him trying to control his reality by trying to maintain a strict sense of order to it. On the opposite end f the spectrum from Monk is Dexter.

Put simply, Dexter is a serial killer that preys on serial killers. Based on a crime novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall, Six Feet Under) is the kind of witty, intelligent, handsome, oddly charming brand of serial killer we’ve become fascinated with every since the popularization of serial killers with the advent of Hannibal Lecter. The self-aware monster. At an early age, his father, then a cop, recognized his son’s sociopathic tendencies and developed what he dubbed the “Code of Harry”* which would allow him to function in day-to-day circumstances.

He works as a blood splatter analyst for a crime lab in the Miami-Dade police department (yes, essentially tucked away within C.S.I. Miami). While the police track the various serial killers, Dexter is along playing cat and mouse with them. Thus combining our insatiable consumption of both serial killers and police procedurals, especially of the C.S.I. variety. Originally developed for Showtime, the show has been slightly edited so that it can be broadcast on network television.

“I don’t know what made me the way I am but whatever it was left a hollow place inside.” –Dexter

Our culture has a fascination with serial killers, having long mythologizing them. Whether caught up by the charming face evil often wears or a simple fascination with the brutality we are capable of inflicting upon one another, within them we seek dark reflections of ourselves. Call it sin or our nature, it’s like we realize that there is something fundamentally broken about us. Sometimes this brokenness evidences itself in ways both sick and criminal. Evil has many guises, yet there are those who have to figure out the pattern of brokenness.

“I’m a very neat monster.” –Dexter

Dexter clearly is psychotic, incapable of human interactions and feelings, but he fakes them well. He remains ever guarded beneath his façade of relative normalcy, controlling the chaos his urges dispose him to. For him, the blood tells the story of seeking justice, balancing the world’s books.

The Code of Harry are the tenets of his belief structure that provide his moral compass, such as it is. However, they do point to the reality of his life: there is real, undeniable evil; and it must be recognized as well as confronted. The laws help him fight his urges, to not only channel them, but use them ostensibly for good. Depicting the dark side to our nature, serial killers specifically remind us that evil death is all around us in the form of each other, lurking in the ordinary.

What we identify with is a damaged person struggling to do the right thing (as close to the right thing as he knows), despite his nature/inclinations to do otherwise. Since he kills only those who “deserve” it, we are allowed to root for him and for his victory in his struggle.

Considering the level of gross out currently seen on network television (see Bones or Criminal Minds), the graphic nature of Dexter isn’t nearly as shocking as it should be. A few things lost in translation, such as the occasional jarring epithet, “mother lover”. Watching Dexter juggle the relationships that give him the veneer of humanity—his love for his sister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) and his just as broken, except in a different way, girlfriend, Rita (Julie Benz)—makes for compelling television, both gruesome and gripping, with a leavening dose of dark humor.




* “Remember this forever: you are my son, you are not alone, and you are loved.”

The Code of Harry basically boils down to six points: 1. Killing must serve a purpose, otherwise it's just murder. Killing innocents is never allowed. 2. Always take time and make sure you have the right person. Be sure. 3. Blend in -- maintain appearances. Fake emotion and normality to fit in. 4. Control urges, and channel them. 5. Be extremely careful with the killing and more importantly the preparation. Preparation is vital, no detail can be overlooked 6. Most importantly, never get caught.


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The New Adventures of Old Christine – A Review

“The Passion of Christine”: The Hole of Intimacy

Traditional sitcoms have a built in “seen that” quality to them that often acts as a black hole for ideas, originality and performances. Thankfully, some sitcoms break, or at least stretch, the mold (Arrested Development, Scrubs, The Office, even It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) while others do the best they can within genre expectations (The Big Bang Theory). The New Adventures of Old Christine falls into the latter category.

The not-nearly-as-old-as-we’re-led-to-believe Julia Louis-Dreyfuss portrays an older (all of 45!) mom suddenly single again and navigating the changed landscape of the singles scene. Rounding out the ensemble of tropes, I mean, stock characters are her ex-husband, Richard (Clark Gregg); the “new” (READ: younger) Christine (Emily Rutherfurd); 8-year-old son, Ritchie (Trevor Gagnon); and her live-in brother (Hamish Linklater). The show is a love letter to an undervalued demographic: fortysomething women (read: the Desperate Housewives demo).

“I wish I could take credit, but God did that.” –Marley (Tricia O'Kelley)

The adventure that Christine is most often on is the one to fill the hole of intimacy inside her, to quell the stabbings of loneliness. True intimacy is often elusive. Let’s face it, we have this need, this void, for intimacy that our culture has taught us to fill with all sorts of things that fall short of truly filling it. Money. Marriage. Sex. Parenthood. Success. Food. (Don’t tell me you haven’t tried to fill the pain of a break up with a cheeseburger or some ice cream. Or both.) All because the desire to know and be known is a universal desire, one hard-wired into us.

We are hard-wired for intimacy; we’re relational beings. Augustine spoke of a God-sized hole within each of us - essentially it is that built-in need for intimacy. Just as there was an intra-Trinitarian intimacy within the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) before creation, so–as His image bearers–do we share this need for intimacy. The pursuit of intimacy is similar to our pursuit of God. We seek that communion, that connection with him as well as with others. God created us with a yearning for relationships from the beginning (Genesis 2:18), from the moment He said “‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’”

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss carries Christine’s litany of foibles like proud armor, on the one hand a dervish of physical comedy on the other, a “more urbane than thou” devilish wit. Tormented by gossiping moms, her own self-image, and, well, the “new” Christine, The New Adventures of Old Christine mines its share of laughs. However, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is so much better than the scripts, she alone makes the show better than it ought to be. Brief stints by Wanda Sykes (Evan Almighty) and Blair Underwood, the instant fixer uppers of shows, demonstrate a willingness to get behind the show and lighten her comedic load. This is good because there are a lot of “Christines” out there.


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Road to Mo*Con III: Interview with Bob Freeman Part I

One of the dangers of being my friend is that not only am I prone to playing cell phone lottery, but when I have questions I’m likely to call you just as randomly ... and I take notes. In this case, my friends have no one to blame but themselves: Louise Bohmer and Bob Freeman were talking about their spiritual beliefs on a message board, so I had to stick my nose in it and ask Bob some follow up questions. One of the great things about having conversations with people is that you can find a lot of common ground with them. First, go read Bob defining his beliefs and then you’ll be caught up (then suppress your urge to go see Beowulf and 300 again and read my interview):


Would it be right to say that you embrace the principles represented by the pantheon rather than worship the pantheon itself?

One of the more appealing aspects of Odinism is that it is not enabling... Odinists are free to shape their lives to the extent allowed by their skill, courage, and might. There is no predestination, no fatalism, and certainly no limitations imposed by the will of any external deity. An Odinist does not need salvation. All they need is the freedom to face their destiny with courage and honor. An Odinist does not fear the Gods, or consider themselves their slaves. We do not bow or cower before them. On the contrary, we share community and fellowship with the Divine. We break bread with them and join them in drink because we are family... of shared blood. The Gods encourage us to grow and advance to higher levels because we are their offpring... We are the Children of Odin. Odinism/Asatru is often referred to as "the Folkway". We see ourselves as being connected to all our ancestors. They are a part of us as we in turn will be a part of our descendants, but we are also linked to all our living kin - to our families and to every man and woman rooted in the tribes of Europe. They are, in a very real sense, our "greater family." The Gods are an intregal part of that family. It is Odin who sits at the head of our table He is our All-Father, and we are his children.

Could you go over the relationship of the Asatru to your beliefs?

Asatru is reconstructionist Norse polytheism. The word itself is Old Norse meaning "Belief in the Gods". My problem with modern Asatru stems from the fact that our numbers are small. Add to that an even smaller element of the White Power crowd who have filtered into our ranks. This vocal minority sounds even louder when you consider we are a fledgling movement.

I am constantly at odds with this, one part of me wanting to remain more or less solitary, exploring my spirituality outside the politics of the movement... While there's another part of me that thinks I should be screaming from the rooftops, shouting down those who dishonor the names of our Gods. It's the one thing that weighs most heavily on my soul.

Part of your religion being defined by a loud minority that embarrasses most of you? Can't relate to that at all. I understand where you’re coming from: part of my spirituality is quite personal (the spiritual disciplines like prayer and fasting for example), which appeals to my introverted nature. YetIi have to balance that against the calls for community, for learning, worship, and fellowship (which appeals to my extroverted self). Is there a "scripture" that informs your faith or do you hold to the ancient Norse stories? How do your ancestors inform you today?

Probably the most important source would be the Havamal which is an epic poem that comes to us in four parts.

1. The Gestapatrr's main focus is that of hospitality, offering up maxims on good manners and how to treat guests.

2. The Loddfafnismal deals with morality and the code of ethics one is expected to adhere to.

3. The Runatal instructs us in the history of and use of the Runes, the sacred alphabet brought to us by Odin's self-sacrifice.

4. The Ljodatal deals with the deeper mysteries and of magick.

The Havamal is but one part of the Eddas which is the collection of stories and myths of our gods and heroes. These include The Ring Cycle, popularized I guess by Wagner...And we mustn't forget Beowulf. I learn from these works, but more importantly I trust in the guidance of that inner voice, which is the voice of my line of ancestors that stretches back through time, back to the beginning.

Again, the focus of one of Odin's Children is being true to one's orlog, which is one's True Will (hence my Thelemic leanings). We all have a "special purpose" (cue The Jerk) ... Our journey is divining that purpose and being true to our wyrd (think non-predestination fate), which we cultivate and examine as a unfathomable mystery, as it ebbs and flows like the tides, forward and back through time.

Confused yet? The concepts make more sense in one's heart than they do when writ out... lol... It's the great Northern Mystery Tradition

[to be continued]

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Road to Mo*Con III: Interview with Bob Freeman Part II

To catch up, go here for part I of this conversation. So we also share an appreciation for mystery. What sort of traditions and rituals do you have?

As a solitary practitioner I lean toward a more eclectic approach. I perform a personalized ritual during full and new moons, the eight holy days of the wheel, Leif Eriksson Day (which is also my son's birthday) and my birthday. I also perform a libation and sacrifice during each of the twelve days of the Yuletide honoring Odinn and the Wild Hunt.

Additionally I honor Aleister Crowley's birth and death, the nativity of the Scarlet Woman, and the anniversary of the three days of the writing of the Book of the Law.

What are the best ways for you to connect/commune with your ancestors?

Meditation. Trance. Ascending to the Astral Plane... Every ritual I perform, I invite my ancestors into my circle. They are always with me. Blood will have blood.

Is it too personal to ask how your faith journey is worked out practically? Like what a worship time would look like?

Generically speaking, at midnight I would purify my sacred space, conjuring a magic circle about me and whatever tools I might be working with. By will and sacred word I would cast out negative energies and invite in my ancestors and whatever gods I intend to work with that night. Then I'd go to work, either reciting poetry or weaving magick... Most often it is a relaxed atmosphere, unless I have a major undertaking planned.

I know you've said that you practice your religion in a solitary way, but are there occasions where those who share faith similar to yours can gather as a community?

Asatruar gather locally in Kindreds (think Covens, though they would balk at that comparison) while nationally, Kindreds are invited to The Althing, which is akin to a "gathering of the clans". Non-solitary Thelemites can join, for example, the Ordo Templi Orientis, or Kenneth Grant's Typhonian OTO...

Does your family hold to your religion or is it just you? How do you pass it down/along or do you?

My wife is a Christian, though she doesn't attend Church or read the Bible. She believes what she was taught by her mother and that's good enough for her. She thinks I'm a nutter, as my British friends say.

My son is only four so everything is still a mystery to him. He believes in everything... from Santa Claus to Giant Alien Robots. I have read to him some of the Norse myths, just as I've told him the Nativity story. He will get to find his own path. It is my job as a father to lead by example. His mind is his own, and if he comes to view the world as I do, then I will be thrilled, but it is his journey. All I can do is show him where the road begins...

Could you explain "the nativity of the Scarlet Woman" a bit more? It reminds me of a passage in the Book of Revelation.

The Scarlet Woman, or Babalon as she is known in Thelema, represents the liberated woman and the full expression of the sexual impulse. From Chapter I of The Book of the Law:

15. Now ye shall know that the chosen priest & apostle of infinite space is the prince-priest the Beast; and in his woman called the Scarlet Woman is all power given. They shall gather my children into their fold: they shall bring the glory of the stars into the hearts of men. 16. For he is ever a sun, and she a moon. But to him is the winged secret flame, and to her the stooping starlight. —AL I:15-16

How do you (or do you see yourself doing this at all) work out your faith in your fiction?

I cut my teeth on Robert E. Howard and bought into the whole "barbarism is the natural state of man" that was such a large part of his fiction. What I try to impart in my work is a sense of wonder, coupled with, at times, a savage brutality that is often but a heartbeat away. I always try to look at the light and the dark and how they dance with one another, the beauty and the beast, if you will. I think you'll find that, in my stories, I bring an air of "power, mystery, and the hammer of the gods" to every tale. And that is indicative of the conflict that rages inside of me, and my faith in the elder gods, the primal forces, are played out in my characters more often than not, because that's what's boiling inside of me, seeking release. If my writing were a stew, the ingredients would be comprised of the sword and sorcery of Robert E. Howard, the paranormal mystery of Algernon Blackwood, the gothic romance of Dan Curtis, all tied together with the historical resonance of Katherine Kurtz. But in the end, the defining ingredient, the spice, if you will, is the heart of my ancestors that is beating strong inside my chest.

Speaking of similarity, one of the rituals of Kwanzaa, the pouring of libations, is about remembering my ancestors.

I've always felt it important to meet over the common ground, rather than to become mired in our differences. Those differences are, more often than not, superficial at best.

That's my guiding philosophy. That and mutual respect and you can have meaningful dialogue about religion and spirituality. I thought I’d leave you all with a peek at a book trailer for his latest project, Keepers of the Dead. What else can we be looking forward to from you?

The sequel to Shadows Over Somerset, Keepers of the Dead, will be released this coming Spring by Black Death Books. I'm very excited about the Indiana Horror Writers anthology, Dark Harvest, that we're both a part of. It's very strong, filled with some truly fantastic fiction. I'm honored to be a part of it. You can also read a non-fiction article on my paranormal investigations of the Eastern Woodland Carvers Building that will be in the March issue of Doorways magazine (which also features a short story by a certain "sinister minister", if I'm not mistaken). You can also catch me in a few upcoming anthologies, including Michael Knost's Legends of the Mountain State 2 (which again, you're a part of). I also have some artwork gracing the covers of two of Dr. Kim Paffenroth's works, Orpheus and the Pearl (published by Magus Press) and Dying to Live 2: Life Sentence (published by Permuted Press), as well as some art that has found its way into various private collections by some rather prestigious Occult Orders that I have become associated with.


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