If it’s not fiction, it’s a note or an essay, and this is the place. Choose a recent post, scross down to choose a category, or scroll further for a much longer list of posts — er, notes and essays. Thanks for reading!
Most Recent Notes & Essays
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Writing What I Believe, Writing What I Love (Part 3)
The writerly thrills I chase are quotidian. It’s fine with me if others fill their books with the magic of wizards, castles, and all things speculative and paranormal. For my part, I want to tease the magic – and light and darkness – out of ordinary moments. read this now
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Writing What I Believe, Writing What I Love (Part 2)
This may sound shallow or Pollyannish. But lately I am drawn more to questions of how we live together in families, neighborhoods, and communities – including religious communities – and less to similar queries on a larger scale. We navigate these things throughout our lives, but with special intensity during adolescence, so perhaps it makes sense to write of youth. read this now
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Writing What I Believe, Writing What I Love
I want to enjoy a novel in all the usual ways – laughing, savoring the building suspense, shedding the occasional manly tear. But I especially want to think. I want to think new thoughts and test and rearrange old ones. I want to see and understand the world, myself, and other people in new and unexpected ways. I want to finish the book with a sense that there are still things for me to learn from it, by pondering it or even reading it again. I want a book with a heart and a mind. read this now
Or Choose a Category
- David Rodeback's Fiction (12)
- Miscellany (2)
- Notes & Essays by David Rodeback (113)
- Christmas (7)
- Easter (3)
- Faith, Religion & Scripture (73)
- Family History (2)
- High School Bands and Marching Bands (9)
- History and Biography (3)
- Misc. Essays (2)
- Thanksgiving (5)
- Writing, Language & Books (32)
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All the Notes & Essays
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About Me
Not all my notes and essays are about faith, religion, or scripture. Not even remotely. But when they are, it’s relevant that I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I won’t complain if you use the nickname Mormon. By my definition (not everyone’s) I’m a Christian. Whatever you call yourself, you’re welcome here. I write to explain and inspire, if I can; to discuss and explore — not to proselyte.
My religious writings are sometimes apologetic, in the sense of reasoned argument justifying or defending my faith by explaining it. But I make no apologies (in the conventional sense) for having faith, for having a faith, or for presuming to discuss and ponder.
While we’re on the subject, James said, “Faith without works is dead.” I’ll buy that. Here are some other postulates:
- Faith without brain cells is mostly dead, too, but probably doesn’t know it.
- Yesterday’s faith is of little use today.
- Faith and action are not contradictory concepts.
- Thinking and believing are not mutually hostile activities. They are the most natural and necessary partners in the universe.
- Sometimes Latter-day Saints (Mormons) need to be translated, before what they do or say makes much sense to other people, even other believers. I do some of that here.
Favorite Links
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Disclaimer
Disclaimer: I am in no way or degree an official spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or its leaders. They don’t tell me what to write. They don’t tell me what not to write. I’ll take credit for any errors here. If you find any truth here and care to give proper credit, please aim it far, far above my pay grade, where it belongs.
From the Author
Comments are always welcome, within the bounds of common civility and relevance. There’s a place for them below.
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And if you’re interested in my published fiction, which mostly isn’t about politics, check out my two published collections at 60 East Press.
