Author: Rob

I Have No Words

All right, yes I do.

Eddie Diaz, age 26, died unnecessarily by falling under a train. Why?

Witnesses told police that Diaz realized he left his cellphone on a bench as the train left the station. Diaz then broke the glass of the emergency safety mechanism, pulled the emergency stop lever and exited through the front passenger door, police said.

What does this say about Mr. Diaz and his priorities? More than that, what does it say about the society we’ve fashioned for ourselves, that a person would come to see something so insignificant as worth his life?

  • Young people in Chicago shoot each other over a pair of gym shoes.
  • Women choose to kill their unborn child in favor of a relationship, career, or their “freedom.”
  • Men and women divorce after decades of marriage because the thrill is gone.
  • People of all ages abuse drugs and alcohol as a means to cope with life’s stresses.

As a species and a culture, our selfishness is staggering. Ironically, it’s that very selfishness that militates most against our own good and well-being.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.¹

 

¹ Eph 4:22-24 NIV

 

National Novel Writing Month

November is National Novel Writing Month. So take that musty old writers-blockmanuscript out of the shoebox in the closet and get to work!

When I tell someone what I do with my time, they usually get a suspicious look on their face and then ask:

“You wrote a book?”

“Yup.”

Then there are one of two responses:

“Ya know, I always wanted to write a book…”

or

“My sister wrote a book.”

One thing I’ve learned since The Good Thief came out, is that everyone has written a book or is thinking about writing a book. It really ain’t that big a deal anymore—if it ever was. Now, the landscape of publishing is changing. Traditional publishers are in the decline along with bookstores. The ones still alive and kicking are shrinking their catalogs, while simultaneously reducing support for new authors.

Meanwhile, self-publishing/distribution options are proliferating and the ubiquitous e-book is changing how people buy and read books. This is both a blessing and a curse for writers and readers alike, but that’s a different post.

Anyway, it’s time to release your inner-Faulkner. You too can join the ranks of the published. Just like the very literary folk of Iceland!

InPrint Book Fair

BookfairIf you find yourself in the Rockford area this weekend, c’mon out to the Barnes & Noble at Cherryvale Mall where I’ll be doing a book signing with my good buddy JoAnn Fastoff and other local authors.

Along with loads of good books, you can meet the authors, and enjoy some neat panel discussions afterward. Part of the proceeds from the event go to InPrint. Check the link for more details.

University of Notre Dame

Appearances to the contrary, I do have fond memories of ND. When I was a kid, my Dad did a lot of business with a fellow from Elkhart who held season tickets to ND football/basketball. Dad also had a good friend who was a rabid ND supporter, so I was immersed in ND lore from an early age. Hell, even my grade school and high school shared the same mascot and team name: We were the Fighting Irish.

Needless to say, I went to lots of ND games. We’d tailgate, go to the game, and then attend Mass at the Basilica before heading home. It wasn’t until I started my undergrad in East Lansing that my opinion of ND started to sour.

Founded by Father Edward Sorin, of the Congregation of the Holy Cross in 1844, Notre Dame grew into a world-renowned institution of higher learning along the Jesuit paradigm.

Truth be told, MSU alumni have a secret warm spot in their hearts for Notre Dame, as it was instrumental in getting MSU admitted to the Big Ten; against the strong protests, may I add, of the little school to our southeast!