I have this very small group of bands, for lack of a better term let’s call them Batting a Thousands (BATs). These are bands that invariably produce albums that I will love. It’s difficult in this day and age, where bands continually strive for reinvention. It’s hard enough for a...

This article originally appeared on Simple Living America’s blog on May 6, 2006, and is re-printed with the author’s permission. I think the idea of living simply has resonated with me since I was a child, when my dad started us as kids on collecting things. He loved to collect stamps and...

Brian McLaren opens the book with a series of questions–actually 22 questions. I don’t remember any of them, but later he has one worth remembering: “Is it possible that the message of Jesus was less like an advertising slogan–obvious and loud–and more like a poem whose...

When it comes to books, I’m pretty easy to please. Most of my reading comes from recommendations from friends, so the fact that I haven’t read a bad book in some time shouldn’t be a surprise. My most recent reading project was The Brothers K by David James Duncan, a book that has...

(Editor’s Note: The below article was edited for grammatical purposes. One hyperlink was also added.) BWC Staff, I would like to submit a few observations about Brent Bourgeois’s rant entitled “The Christian Bookstore.” Brent goes nuts after seeing a title called “Crushing...

To Our Dear and Cherished Readers, Welcome to the new and improved burnsidewriterscollective.com. A month ago, Don, David (our graphic designer) and I sat in a brewpub in Grand Rapids and, like mentally deficient versions of Bobby Fischer, plotted our next moves. Some of the changes we planned that day...

Like any young Midwestern boy, I spent most of my holidays at the race track. Ok, so there was a time when I found out that having a father who raced horses was a bit different. Nonetheless, horse racing remains a part of the fabric of my being. I grew up betting my allowance and reading race programs....

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” -2 Corinthians 12:9 It is 5:00 p.m. and the air is warm with spring sunshine. On 2nd Avenue I await the...