for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)

This morning Rebekah and I got up early, watched the sunrise from the deck, then headed out for breakfast and some exploring in the coastal community of Beaufort. Beaufort is a cool town.

I can easily picture myself living and writing in one of the 1760’s era homes on Front Street down by the estuary. We were there too early for anything to be open – I kind of admire that pace of life. So we found coffee, and a biscuit, and then meandered some more.

In my experience as a writer, I’ve never found much success going fast and hard and charging into things. Maybe that’s why this kind of week away is so productive. Wake up; coffee; devotional time with God; dawdle around a sleepy town; enjoy being together; wait for the words to come.

A LITTLE ABOUT MY NEW BOOK: This new book is starting to gnaw at me. That’s a good thing. Because it means I’m going to see it through.

I love writing; I love the entire process – even the editing. But I’m also carrying a sense of responsibility with this one: I need to write my new book in a way that enables me to connect with more people than usual; substantially more.

What I want to say is – I believe – extremely important, and if I don’t reach a wider audience then I’m concerned that more and more men will fall into the trap that’s being set by those who confuse their social/political leanings with Christianity. In consequence, men in Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, Episcopalian and other moderate denominations are studying books for men that not-so-subtly promote the core values of the Evangelical Right.

Don’t misunderstand me, I believe that there’s room in the Christian world for a broad range of social positions. However, I’m convinced that too many guys are “being sold a bill of goods” when it comes to what the New Testament teaches about “being a man.” My new project, then, aims to open a more Bible-based discussion, and to counter some of the unhealthy stereotypes that are promoted so widely, and adopted so unthinkingly.

So I would value your prayers, friends in the world of blogging; this is a story that not only needs to be told, it needs to be heard and it needs to be understood.

– DEREK