Why I Put It Down
R. L. Copple, Dec 31, 2013
Here are my top eight reasons, in descending order, why I’m likely to put a book down and stop reading.
Winter Challenge Winner; Fiction Goals
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Dec 30, 2013
Special thanks to all who participated in the 2013 Spec Faith 2013 End-of-the-Year Writing Challenge–those who entered, who voted in either or both first rounds, who gave feedback to the writers, and who were part of choosing our winner.
On Tolkien’s ‘Letters From Father Christmas’
E. Stephen Burnett, Dec 27, 2013
In which the “Lord of the Rings” myth-maker “lies” to his own children.
Don’t Ditch Santa, Part 2
Timothy Stone, Dec 26, 2013
St. Nicholas began as a Christian symbol. Let’s celebrate him, not shun him.
Merry Mythmas
Yvonne Anderson, Dec 25, 2013
I sat in the pediatrician’s waiting room with a sick child browsing a dog-eared parenting magazine. It was a glossy holiday issue full of colorful pictures of luscious goodies, glittering decorations, and happy families. The magazine contained an article by […]
The Twelve Weeks Of Christmas
R. L. Copple, Dec 24, 2013
Christmas tends to be celebrated in the twelve weeks leading up to December 25th.
Final Vote – End Of The Year Winter Writing Challenge
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Dec 23, 2013
The entry receiving the most votes will be the winner of the 2013 End Of The Year Winter Writing challenge, and the author will receive a $25 gift card from either Amazon or B&N.
Will The Real Master Stand Up?
Scott Appleton, Dec 20, 2013
A hundred years and more before Tolkien and Lewis were born, children were reading fantasy stories. Stories of magic. Stories of the very evil versus the innocent or the very good. And stories of epic battles between men and strange creatures.
Don’t Ditch Santa, Part 1
Timothy Stone, Dec 19, 2013
Scripture and history prove pagans don’t own Santa. The early Church does.
A Little Spec Silliness In Your Stocking
John Otte, Dec 18, 2013
Okay, so my last post two weeks ago probably made me sound a little . . . haughty, maybe? A little stuck up? I’m sorry. My bad. It’s not that I don’t like Christmas. I do. But for a pastor, […]
Ghostwriters In The Sky
R. L. Copple, Dec 17, 2013
That revelation changed how I viewed the book. I still love it, but some of the luster dulled in the feeling of having believed a lie.
2013 Winter Writing Challenge Round 1 Voting Redo
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Dec 16, 2013
I’m re-posting the entries below in the order in which they were originally posted (alternating font color to make it easier to identify the beginning of each entry). As before, you may like (vote for) as many as you wish
Science Fiction Author Connie Willis
Matt Mikalatos, Dec 13, 2013
Connie Willis is the most-awarded writer of science fiction ever, with seven Nebula wins and eleven Hugos. Crazy, right? Three of those Hugo wins are for her novels in the time travel series.
‘The Hobbit’ Story Group 12: Inside Information
E. Stephen Burnett, Dec 12, 2013
Two hundred pages into the story, Bilbo Baggins finally “burglarizes” the lair of Smaug the Terrible.
In Which You Eavesdrop on A Conversation With Myself
Yvonne Anderson, Dec 11, 2013
Speculative fiction is sometimes defined as a fanciful story based upon a what-if scenario. What if there was intelligent life on other planets? What if mankind could travel through time? What if dragons were real? Of course all fiction involves […]
Fictional Christianity
R. L. Copple, Dec 10, 2013
If it sounds right and they like the speaker, many will not blink an eye and drink the koolaid.
Winter Writing Challenge Entrty Phase Drawing To A Close
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Dec 9, 2013
Today is the last day to post an entry to the 2013 Spec Faith Winter Writing Challenge, but it is not the last day of the Challenge.
The AViS Effect
Kerry Nietz, Dec 6, 2013
Yes, give the gift of “Amish Vampires in Space” this Christmas, but this breakout novel could help boost the entire Christian fantasy/scifi genre.
‘The Hobbit’ Story Group 11: On The Doorstep
E. Stephen Burnett, Dec 5, 2013
“Stop dragging and get to the dragon,” silly critics may cry; but Tolkien takes his time as his heroes finally reach the Lonely Mountain.
‘Tis The Season (But Not Quite Yet)
John Otte, Dec 4, 2013
Don’t say Merry Christmas to me. I’m a bit of a crumudgeon when it comes to the annual celebration of Christ’s Birthday (Observed). When I’m out shopping before Thanksgiving, I get angry if I see any sort of Christmas swag […]
Science Of The Gaps
R. L. Copple, Dec 3, 2013
Science can help explain the how of things, it cannot theorize about why or who that is responsible. Yet people continue to use science to fill in the gaps of atheism and agnosticism.
End-Of-The-Year Winter Writing Challenge
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Dec 2, 2013
Feedback continues though the Challenge is now closed to new submissions.
Lewis on Reason and Imagination In Apologetics
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Nov 29, 2013
Alister McGrath has produced a short series of videos on Lewis’s apologetic works. In the one featured today he considers Lewis’s rich weaving together of reason and imagination in his apologetics.
‘The Hobbit’ Story Group 10: A Warm Welcome
E. Stephen Burnett, Nov 28, 2013
Tolkien tests his modified genre’s limits when The Hobbit’s road trip turns into political intrigue and even archetype parody.
For The Love Of God
Yvonne Anderson, Nov 27, 2013
I met the Lord the summer I was sixteen. A November or two later, I visited a local Baptist church for a Thanksgiving Eve service. That was forty years ago, and I no longer remember how I came to be […]
Why God Created Us
R. L. Copple, Nov 26, 2013
The question of why God created us felt as unanswerable as “Can God make a rock so big He can’t lift it?”
Thankful Characters
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Nov 25, 2013
Despite privation, death, dangers, and concerns for the future, the settlers found reason to rejoice. They exhibited a degree of contentment, a gratitude for what they had rather than resentment for what they had lost.
Dystopian Cliche: Are The Arts Firing Literary Flare-Guns?
Frank Creed, Nov 22, 2013
The challenge for the artist creating an optimistic near-future piece is connecting most readers’ perceptions of the world around them to a positive vision of the world their children and grandchildren will inherit.
‘The Hobbit’ Story Group 9: Barrels Out Of Bond
E. Stephen Burnett, Nov 21, 2013
You’ll see Bilbo and the Dwarves escape in the new film version, yet Tolkien’s escape is much less visible.
Can A Geek Be A Good Christian? Part IV—Geeky Idols
John Otte, Nov 20, 2013
This may or may not be the last post in this series. We’ll see. Once again, I want to reiterate that I’m not saying that the geeky tendencies I’ve been discussing are, in and of themselves, inherently sinful. I believe, […]
