Author Archives: writinginoverdrive

Tracking the Star of Bethlehem

Posted on December 22, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney Last week, I wrote about J. R. R. Tolkien’s belief that the Birth of Christ is the great unexpected “plot twist” in human history, when our story turns from tragedy to triumph, from darkness to light. … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged Birth of Christ, C. S. Lewis, Christmas, Christmas Star, Frederick Larson, J.R.R. Tolkien, joy, Joy to the World, Jupiter, King Planet, King Star, Magi, Regulus, Star of Bethlehem | Leave a comment

The Christmas Eucatastrophe

Posted on December 15, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney J. R. R. Tolkien, the creator of The Lord of the Rings, once wrote that his goal as a writer of fantasy was to provide for his readers an experience he called “the Consolation of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged Atheism, C. S. Lewis, Christian conversion, Christmas, Eucatastrophe, Evangelium, Fairy Stories, Fairy Tales, G.K. Chesterton, Happy Ending, Incarnation, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Myth, Narnia, The Everlasting Man, The Hobbit, Tolkien | 1 Comment

Father Brown versus Father Brown

Posted on December 8, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Watching the BBC’s Father Brown on Netflix on my computer. Opinion by Jim Denney I’ve been reading G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown detective stories while also viewing the BBC television series Father Brown on Netflix. That’s probably a bad idea. … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged Atheism, BBC, Characterization, Chesterton, Cozy Mysteries, Detective Stories, Father Brown, G.K. Chesterton, Mark Williams, Militant Atheism, mysteries, Netflix, Richard Dawkins, Television Adaptations, Witchcraft | 8 Comments

The Proven Power of Prayer

Posted on December 1, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney, author of Answers to Satisfy the Soul: Clear, Straight Answers to 20 of Life’s Most Perplexing Questions Some years ago, my brother Tim was driving on a two-lane highway after dark, returning home from college in Southern California. At … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged answers to satisfy the soul, does prayer work, double blind, evidence for prayer, Faith, healing, Larry Dossey, power of prayer, prayer, protection, Randolph Byrd, scientific studies on prayer, unanswered prayer | 1 Comment

Death and Destruction in Paradise

Posted on November 24, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney I have visited Paradise. Years ago, we visited my wife’s brother and his wife in their home in the northern California town of Paradise in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Our kids played in the snow on … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged Bureaucracy, California, California Wildfires, Camp Fire, CPUC, Cronyism, Disasters, evil, Famine, Free Will, Good and Evil, Jerry Brown, Paradise, PG&E, San Bruno, SB 1463, State Government, suffering, Theodicy, Why Does God Allow Evil, Wildfires | 1 Comment

Angels and Space Aliens: An Unexplained Personal Account

Posted on November 17, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney In the summer of 1970, before my senior year in high school, I went with a high school youth group from California to a Young Life camp at Malibu, British Columbia. During the long drive up … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged alien life, aliens, angels, Atheism, C. S. Lewis, Coalinga, ETIs, God, Huffington Post, Jeff Schweitzer, Kepler-452, Lost in Cydonia, Mars, Nephilim, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, space aliens, Space Trilogy, Timebenders, ufo sightings, ufos | Leave a comment

Christian Unity in Times of Hate and Division

Posted on November 10, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney One of the great tragedies of the church today is the way Christians divide from each other and attack each other over politics. I’m not saying our political views are unimportant. As Christians, we are to … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney | Tagged Christian Love, Christian Unity, division, Donald Trump, forgiveness, Harmony, Hillary Clinton, King Jesus, Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven, love, politics, voting | Leave a comment

Citizens of Another Kingdom

Posted on November 3, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney I was reading a science-fiction story today by Fred Saberhagen. Titled “Stone Place,” it is a story in his futuristic Berserker series. The story contains this interesting exchange between two characters, a skeptical poet-warrior named Mitchell Spain … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged Berserker, Beserkers, Blessing, forgiveness, Fred Saberhagen, Jesus, Science Fiction, Sermon on the Mount | Leave a comment

Football and Faith: Remembering Reggie White, the Green Bay Packers’ Minister of Defense

Posted on October 27, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney The called him The Minister of Defense. Whether he was preaching or playing football, Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White always worked hardest on Sundays. In the spring of 1996, I spent several days with … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged football, God, Green Bay, Green Bay Packers, In the Trenches, Minister of Defense, NFL, Packers, Reggie White, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXXI | Leave a comment

Why I Read and Why I Write

Posted on October 21, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney [An apology: I should have posted this piece early this morning instead of late this evening, but I’ve been on the road this past week and just arrived home. Next week, I hope to post on-time. … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged A Dance with Dragons, A Wrinkle in Time, Battle Before Time, books, children's books, Doorway to Doom, Fiction. Fiction vs. NonFiction, George R. R. Martin, Joan Didion, Narnia, nonfiction, reading, stories, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Timebenders, writing | Leave a comment

A Holy Calling

Posted on September 8, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney “Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn’t matter. I’m not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn’t make us better, then what on earth is it for?” … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged Alcoholism, Alice Walker, Annie Dillard, art, artists, Camus, character, Drinking, Evelyn Waugh, Faulkner, Harlan Ellison, Humanitarian, Integrity, Paris Review, prayer, William Faulkner, writers, writing | Leave a comment

An Assault on the Bride of Christ

Posted on August 18, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

Opinion by Jim Denney Brace yourself. This is going to be different from the usual sort of post I write for this blog. Recent headlines have triggered memories and emotions from a long time ago. I don’t need to mention … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged inappropriate behavior by Pastors, misconduct in the church | 2 Comments

Write what you DON’T know!

Posted on July 21, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

By Jim Denney Saul Bellow once said, “A writer is a reader who is moved to emulation.” I know that’s true in my case. I’m a writer today because I wanted to emulate my literary heroes. Maybe you know that … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged Felisberto Hernandez, Imagination, Rules of Writing, Saul Bellow, Ursula K. Le Guin, Write What You Don't Know, Write What You Know, writing advice | Leave a comment

Blessed by Adversity

Posted on June 30, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

By Jim Denney I recently read a short story by W. Somerset Maugham called “The Verger.” If you’ve never read the story, here’s a SPOILER ALERT. That’s right, fair warning, I’m about to spoil the ending. But here’s a link … Continue reading →

Posted in Jim Denney, Uncategorized | Tagged adversity, Affliction, encouragement, Genesis, Jim Denney, Joseph, Potiphar, Short Stories, The Verger, W. Somerset Maugham | 1 Comment

Do You Have Lemon Juice on Your Face?

Posted on May 26, 2018 by writinginoverdrive

by Jim Denney Many aspiring writers assume that, because they’ve done a lot of reading, they know how to write. This is almost never true. Writing is a craft that must the mastered through intensive study and practice. The problem … Continue reading →