Real Live PreacherI had this funny picture in my head of a freak show barker shouting, “Come see a real, live preacher.”-- July 29, 2005 Click Here For Pictures I've put pictures from our trip to Galveston online. Caution, this page will take awhile to load if you don't have broadband.http://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2005/07/29.html#a537 A Listening Prayer- July 29, 2005 A Listening Prayer The idea for this essay came while I was sitting in this swing at Laity Lodge. I can't imagine absolute silence, neither can I hear it. Even when I'm in a quiet place, my mind produces its own ghostly, seashell sound. The noise in my head is a faint but high-pitched whine accompanied by a lower rumbling that sounds like an engine pulsing away in the distance. These seem to be the default sounds of my brain. It's what I hear when there is nothing else to hear. About the...http://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2005/07/29.html#a536 (Untitled)- July 29, 2005 I'm Back We got back to San Antonio this evening. Tomorrow I'll post a new essay, but for now I'm taking it easy after a long drive. Galveston was wonderful. We went to the beach and did a bunch of tourist stuff. I'm still getting used to seeing my older two daughters in their swimsuits. Yikes! Click here for pictures from Galveston. rlphttp://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2005/07/28.html#a535 Last Minute Vacation- July 24, 2005 Last Minute Vacation We had planned to go to Houston and Galveston in early August as our family vacation. Complications at my wife's job mean that she can't be gone at that time. So we are headed for Houston and the coast today and won't be back until Thursday night. I had planned on unveiling the new Real Live Preacher sitesoftware next week. Look for it in the first week of August. Matt Sturges of Correction, off again on again seminarian, published author, computer...http://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2005/07/24.html#a534 The Future of Real Live Preacher- July 21, 2005 The Future of Real Live Preacher In the late Spring of 2004, I met my dear friend Ben for lunch. The expressed purpose of this meeting was to have a serious conversation about my life. Specifically, how I was managing it. Ben is one of those people who really means it when he says, &147;So tell me, how are you doing&148; My answer was &147;Not very well, but I know why, and there&146;s nothing that can be done about it right now.&148; Though he knew most of the story, we...http://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2005/07/21.html#a533 Way Back When- July 20, 2005 Way Back When Clarence of "Can You Hear Me Now" has been a blogging friend since the early days of Real Live Preacher. He has a WONDERFUL story online about his life as a boy in the mountains and backwoods. This is a lifestyle that is just about gone. You better take every opportunity to hear from the people who lived it. It reminds me a bit of "Brother to a Dragonfly," by Will Campbell. He's the man who wrote the blurb on the back cover of my book. rlphttp://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2005/07/19.html#a532 Annie Dillard on The Spiritual Journey- July 19, 2005 Annie Dillard on The Spiritual Journey I will never forget the first time I read Annie Dillard&146;s work. The book was her Pulitzer Prize winning work of non-fiction, &147;Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.&148; &147;My God,&148; I thought. I&146;m falling in love with this woman&146;s mind.&148; I was hooked and have now read all of her major works. She is my favorite writer and the single greatest influence on my own writing. I was flipping through &147;For The Time Being,&148; looking at my...http://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2005/07/19.html#a531 |