In 1984, I got a “C” in my ninth grade typing class. It probably should have been a “D,” but the teacher saw that I was trying hard. I had no choice. I wanted to be a writer and my handwriting was (is) atrocious. Turned out that I sucked at typing, too, but it was better than my penmanship....

Whether it’s a blogistential crisis or just writer’s block, I’ve been thinking. Teaching humanities at a local community college evokes the spirit of Jean-Paul Sartre, the great French existentialist philosopher. He explored the nature of being. I consider my being a writer. What...

Usually I get pretty excited about my birthday.  It’s a chance to reflect on the past year, a chance to set goals for the year to come, and a chance to thank God (again) for sparing my life. This year I decided to celebrate my 32nd birthday by taking a personal retreat.  I booked a room in an old-fashioned...

God has a funny way of encouraging us sometimes. I do believe that he uses people to share the good word, but not always in the smiling, here’s something good to read and/or a little cash so you can buy yourself something nice sort of way. Sometimes it’s chance meetings, and sometimes it’s...

Which is worse: The fear of being misunderstood or the fear of being understood? For Mark Twain, it was the latter. I’m working my way through the first volume of Mark Twain’s autobiography. Clemens had the worst time getting his autobiography on paper. He struggled with the issue of how...

“All children are born artists; the trick is to remain one as you grow up.” – Pablo Picasso My most memorable creative moment happened when I was a small child of about five or six. It was a significant point in my life as an artist, but unfortunately, it’s all been pretty much downhill from...

Our Principal, Ron Gorman, called an emergency meeting one day in March. I didn’t think anything of it, really. The last time a Principal called an emergency meeting it was Kurt Johnson telling us that he would no longer be our Principal. Secretly, we were all cheering and many went out for drinks...

Last month I flew out to Michigan to represent Burnside at the Festival of Faith and Writing (FFW).  I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Midwest.  I mean, I’m from Manhattan.  My perception is that the Midwest must be so cold, flat, and boring that anyone with any shred of culture wants...

Mount Si A cold blue hangs on the deck and drips off the flowers falling from the verandas. The sun is far from rising above the Cascades and the raccoons are far, miles miles miles, from the mess they made with the trash by the steep street earlier that night. The mug in his hand holds...

[Editor's Note: As we were ramping up to launch Burnside, Donald Miller suggested we syndicate any of his blog posts we deemed appropriate.  In all likelihood, our readership is already familiar with Don's blog, but how could we pass up that opportunity?  Plus, now you can read his posts without the...