This is a short story I originally wrote on a 1946 Smith-Corona typewriter.

The former English major had one golden ticket out of his parents basement. His writings had to start bringing home the bacon. Bacon of course is code word for money. It takes a lot of money to escape the basement of youth. The heroic English major had yet to ever have a lot of money. His stories were beautiful and funny and charming and witty and amazing. Alas, no bacon had been brought home to fry up. Such are the woes of this 40 year old author.

The basement life was not without its perks. There was a record player down there. There were books enough for 20 years worth of reading. There was a pool table and a bar and a restroom and a TV and a computer and infinite fun to be had. A man…

Be yourself! The idea of being true to ourselves is an easy one to talk about. It’s far more difficult to successfully accomplish. Peer pressure doesn’t end after high school. The crowd doesn’t stop pressuring the individual in college. I will soon be 36 years of age and the crowd still goes one way and I still travel the opposite direction. I’ve become better over the years at being myself. Years of practice and perseverance and prayer and overcoming have led me to a better version of myself. Life has been an excellent adventure so far.

Jesus was a rebel and Christianity is a rebellious faith. It takes a rebel’s courage to take up one’s cross to follow Christ. Christ taught that people should lose their lives for the sake of Him and the gospel story in order to save their lives. A walk of faith was everything except for…