by John Ellis (Note: While combing through old files in search of something else, I stumbled across this article. I remember writing it but don’t remember if I ever published it. It was written right around the time I deleted my previous blog A Day In His Court and about two months before starting this … Continue reading Kingdom Ethics: Escaping the Trap of Poverty
Category: Memoir
18 Years and Counting: A Family Forged on the Road
by John Ellis “They say that the road ain’t no place to start a family.” It’s been a weird year. A good year, to be sure, but a good, weird year. Likely not as weird a year as the year when I turn sixty will be, though. When I’m sixty, I’ll be escorting my thirteen-year-old … Continue reading 18 Years and Counting: A Family Forged on the Road
The Ten Most Read Articles of 2022
by John Ellis At the end of every year on my old blog, I would list the ten most read articles for that year. At the time, besides my blog, I had an actual writing gig, for which I was paid. Self-promotion goes hand-in-hand with seeking out writing gigs, and I was constantly looking for … Continue reading The Ten Most Read Articles of 2022
The Melancholy of Curtain Calls: Our Time as a Family of Four Is Almost Complete
by John Ellis For twelve years, we’ve been a family of four. Twelve years of surprises, growth, tears, laughter, and adventure. Twelve years that feel like a lifetime. Parents often talk about how quickly time flies. Before they realized it, they dolefully confess, their diapered babies were headed off to college. I don’t relate. Our … Continue reading The Melancholy of Curtain Calls: Our Time as a Family of Four Is Almost Complete
Seventeen Years and Counting: Our Doomed (On Paper) Marriage
by John Ellis Seventeen years ago today, Danita and I married. From a human standpoint, there’s no way we should work. And that’s taking into account one of the most profound statements uttered in the late 20th century. In 1988, the oft overlooked philosopher Paula Abdul published her seminal treatise and taught us all that … Continue reading Seventeen Years and Counting: Our Doomed (On Paper) Marriage
A Tribute to My Mom
My mom with her her precious grandkids a few weeks before she met Jesus face-to-face. by John Ellis Years before the most recent financial crisis turned “staycation” into a buzzword, my mom was planning our family’s staycations. As a Christian schoolteacher married to an independent, fundamentalist Baptist pastor, she turned resourcefulness into a finely honed … Continue reading A Tribute to My Mom
Rules Do Not a Good Boy Make: My Year as a Sixth-Grade Terrorist
by John Ellis Spelling is not a forte of mine. As a writer, red squiggly lines are my friend. Words like “Wednesday,” “indubitably,” and “cornucopia” are beyond my ability to remember how to spell correctly. One word I’ll never misspell, though, is obedience. The spelling of that word was drilled into me via multiple performances … Continue reading Rules Do Not a Good Boy Make: My Year as a Sixth-Grade Terrorist
A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 18 “Saved by Grace”
(The previous chapters can be found by clicking on A Godless Fundamentalist under Topics on the right hand side of this page. To receive email notifications whenever subsequent chapters are published, hit the follow button.) by John Ellis Minus a rudely interrupted nap under a tree at a rest area in Nebraska, a couple hours … Continue reading A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 18 “Saved by Grace”
A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 17 “California”
(The previous chapters can be found by clicking on A Godless Fundamentalist under Topics on the right hand side of this page. To receive email notifications whenever subsequent chapters are published, hit the follow button.) by John Ellis It didn’t take long for my reason for moving to San Francisco to morph into my theatre … Continue reading A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 17 “California”
A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 16 “The Pigsty Part 2”
(The previous chapters can be found by clicking on A Godless Fundamentalist under Topics on the right hand side of this page. To receive email notifications whenever subsequent chapters are published, hit the follow button.) by John Ellis The apartment was unusually dark and quiet when I opened the door. No low hum from the … Continue reading A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 16 “The Pigsty Part 2”
Practically Known Theology 