I absolutely love the Christmas season, and one of my favorite things to do during December is watch all the classic, beloved Christmas movies I can. It’s been a bright spot in the middle of wrapping up the Fall semester! While my favorites are probably ones you’re familiar with, there are a couple of somewhat …
Thanksgiving Post 2024: Hope
Earlier this Fall, my brother and I checked off a bucket list item: going to our first Imagine Dragons concert. We road-tripped out to middle-of-nowhere Missouri with a plan for my brother to drive us through the night so I could make it back home in time to teach my 8am class the next morning. …
So, Let’s Talk About Rings Of Power
As a Tolkien fan, maybe it’s surprising I haven’t brought up Rings of Power yet. The truth is, I haven’t talked about the showbecause I didn’t think I had anything to add to the conversation that wasn’t out there. But as I’ve considered the series—and the conversation surrounding it—I finally landed on something I want …
On Tolkien and Encouragement
This year, I finally finished The History of Middle-earth series, a 12-book dive into the development of Tolkien’s writing of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings across the span of his life, edited and with commentary from Tolkien’s son Christopher. It took me ten years to read through them all; as much as …
The Gospel & Gaming: Xenoblade Chronicles
As a Christian, I’m wired to view things through the lens of the Gospel. Every book I read, every movie I watch, whatever content I engage with, I’m looking for the redemptive qualities—the Gospel Truths I believe—reflected in media. So it’s only natural that I do the same with video games, including one of my …
How Video Games Changed My Novel Writing
(Or, A Chance To Gush About Xenoblade Chronicles 3) Once upon a time, I used to be a “story purist.” In other words, I used to believe that books were the unquestioned superior form of storytelling, and dismissed movies, TV shows, and video games as inferior stories. I never thought those visual mediums could come …
Writing Update September 2024: Where I’ve Been
I didn’t intend to take a six month break from the blog, but here we are. In a nutshell, after writing my series “Confessions of a Christian Writer,” I felt led to take a hiatus from writing (including for the blog) for some time to pray and continue to reflect. I picked up novel-writing again …
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A Christian Writer’s Confession, Part 3: Worship and Delight
The final piece I need to confess regarding my writing: I have not worshiped the Lord through my writing in recent months, at least not often. This is the product of both pursuing the Kingdom of Self as well as idolizing publication as the end goal. I’m burning out on projects quickly. I’m only writing …
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A Christian Writer’s Confession, Part 2: Productivity or Stewarding Talents
I am a very self-driven, Type-A person. I do very little that isn’t practical. And right now, it’s choking my writing. Now, I believe Scripture is very clear that we are not to be lazy people and should work diligently, as unto the Lord, while also balancing that with our need for Sabbath rest. What …
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A Christian Writer’s Confession, Part 1: Kingdom of Self versus Kingdom of God
Confession is a lost rhythm of modern life. In modern American culture, we’re quick to ignore our own faults and shortcomings, justify vice or less-than-good behaviors, and not cast judgment on others’ mistakes—unless we disagree with something they stand for. I’m grateful to be a part of a church that regularly practices confession, and it …
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By Madelynn Orion 