Back in the day, the comment Pat Robertson made regarding Haiti would have infuriated me. Robertson essentially blamed the devastation that took place in Haiti on the idea that, generations ago, people in Haiti sold their souls to the Devil and are now paying for it. I’m reminded of a similar comment made in a debate on CNN, in which yet another religious figure blamed the devastation in New Orleans following Katrina on the debauchery that took place [...]

My friend Randy Williams circulated an e-mail last night that he received from his friend Mark Stuart who is the lead singer of Audio Adrenaline. Mark and his parents started an organization called Hands and Feet working with the people in Haiti. Mark was there when the earthquake hit. If you’re a person who prays, do bow in for them and the people they love. Humbling.

Hi everyone….
Our internet is working finally. So I’m sending this to a [...]

Lets get 2011 off to a good start with something more rock-oriented than my usual singer/songwriter sensibilities provide. Here are my friends The Daylights. Good Sunday morning, America!

Rogue Machine (Don’t Say That You Want Me) from The Daylights on Vimeo.

New Years Resolutions – All Things Converge Podcast preview from All Things Converge Podcast on Vimeo.

Next week I’ll be launching a video podcast called All Things Converge in which I interview scholars and entertainers on various subjects. I’ll give you more information soon about where you can sign up for the podcast, but for now I wanted to share with you a bit of an interview I did with Dr. Henry Cloud in which he talks about [...]

As you set out to live a great story in 2010, remember to create memorable scenes.

In movies and in novels alike, you’ll notice writers tend to place characters in visually (or imaginatively) stunning scenes. When we were working on the screenplay for Blue Like Jazz, I’d often recommend our characters talk about something over coffee or in a dorm room, and Steve and Ben (the other two principle writers) would shake their heads to say no. Scenes in [...]

I have several friends who love the show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I think it’s funny and creative too, if not shocking and appalling because it’s a show about twenty and thirty somethings who seem to do everything wrong and by the end are made to pay for their mistakes, meanwhile they hardly realize they are paying for them. It’s formula for media, to be honest. Movies like The Pineapple Express or Superbad and to some degree shows like [...]

I’ve a friend named Stacey Gorton (guy) who started dating a girl years ago. I asked him how he was feeling about it, whether he thought she was going to work out. He said he hadn’t thought much about it, that it wasn’t time yet. What do you mean, I asked. Of course you’ve thought about it. He admitted he had, but that he wasn’t going to evaluate the relationship for another month. Instead, he was just going to enjoy [...]

I’ve written my goals for the year: to eat healthy and exercise, to pay down my home, and to dig deeper into friendships. But while those are great ambitions, if I left them as just ambitions, or resolutions, chances are I wouldn’t get them done. Most people don’t stick with their new-years resolutions. But it’s not because they lack the resolve. It’s because their goals aren’t embedded in the context of a narrative.

I’ve discovered something better than resolutions. If you’ve [...]