Seth Haines's Blog, page 36

January 16, 2016

Weekend Review: Shakey Cuts and Smart Guns

That’s a wrap, folks!

Another week is in the books, which means I’m finished pushing paper from one side of the desk to another. A relief, especially for my left pointer-finger, which suffered from chronic paper-cut syndrome this week. If Band Aid’s were hundred-dollar bills, I’d have burned through my savings.

Speaking of sore subjects, this was the week of all things political–the President’s State of the Union Address, the Republican Debates–and political weeks leave always leave my soul b...

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Published on January 16, 2016 05:08

January 14, 2016

Recovery Room: My Favorite Fantasy (a Guest Post by Rebecca Reynolds)

I met a few good people in 2015, but among my favorites is Rebecca Reynolds. With a sharp wit, an uncanny knack for logic, and a voice as unique as any fingerprint, Rebecca is one of the writers I follow with regularity. You can (and should) follow her work atwww.thistleandtoad.com.

Rebecca has agreed to step into the Recovery Room today to share a bit of her story her. Let’s welcome her.

***

When Seth asked me to write something about addiction recovery I laughed, because I don’t have a lot...

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Published on January 14, 2016 04:13

January 12, 2016

Tuesday Reflections: The Problem of Pain

I’d like to begin the New Year with a series of reflections. I’ll post a new reflection every Tuesday for the next two or three months. I hope you’ll join the community of folks walking this road together.

(To keep up with this reflection series, signup for blog updates in the maroon box in the left sidebar.)

*****

“I am a southern male, and so all of this talk about pain, frayed nerves, poisoned souls, and therapists is somewhat difficult. Acquaintances, especially my more metropolitan ones,...

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Published on January 12, 2016 06:09

January 9, 2016

Weekend Review: Artisanal Wood, Artisanal Water, and a Coming Clean Steal

Welcome to the first non-holiday weekend of 2016. Non-holiday weekend, I say, which means a weekend to recover from family, from travel, from the thirty-pound-a-day sugar habit that’s been developing since Thanksgiving. It’s time to recover from vacation, maybe take a few baby steps toward your New Year’s resolutions.

Today’s a budget day for me, a day for running, a day for setting up that thing that I’ve been meaning to set up for the last six months. And as crazy as this may sound, I’m loo...

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Published on January 09, 2016 06:57

January 8, 2016

Guns, Trump, and the Theater of the People

Full disclosure: this piece is a repost from my Facebook page. I stumbled across the above photo of Donald Trump on Creative Commons, though, and it was too good not to share.Enjoy.

***

Politics drives this ship called America; where did all the people go?

The chief politician cried, lamented the death of child, after child, after child, after child (shall I go on ad naseum?) good and proper. His tears were criticized, some calling them showmanship,or theatrical, or brought on by a fingertip’...

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Published on January 08, 2016 04:34

January 7, 2016

Beginnings: A Guest Post by Steve Wiens

I bumped into the writings of Steve Wiens by some fortuitous, serendipitous, happy accident. If memory serves (and it sometimesdoes), a friend of a friend of a friend suggested that Steve send his new book my way. Steve followed that unction, and I’m glad he did. When I received his book, cracked the spine, and read the first words, I knew Steve’s work was something special.

I’m happy to welcome Steve Wiens to the blog today. I hope you’ll enjoy his words, and if you do, I hope you’ll visit h...

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Published on January 07, 2016 06:22

January 6, 2016

A Soft Return (Or Hitting the Digital Bricks)

I took a Christmas sabbatical, a time to clear my head and let the cobwebs spread across the old keyboard.Cobwebs don’t agree with electronics, or so my brother-in-law the IT maven says,so today I’m pulling out the canned air, spraying down my workspace. Today I’m hitting the digital bricks.

This is a sort of soft return, an easy reentry.And as any good book provides a little introduction, a preface, maybe a foreword, allow me a little space to introduce the roadmap for 2016.

I’ve been workin...

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Published on January 06, 2016 03:25

December 17, 2015

A Christmas Sabbatical

Twas the night before Christmas…

I suppose it’s actually the week before, but who’s counting.

It’s time for me to take a break, a short sabbatical, a respite. Christmas is a good time for recalibration (not to mention reading, eating, spending time with family; did I mention eating?), and so, I’m recalibrating.

Before I log off for a week or so, allow me to share a little good news?Coming Clean was selected for an Award of Merit in Christianity Today’s 2016 Book Awards! Check it out!I’m grate...

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Published on December 17, 2015 06:14

December 12, 2015

Weekend Review: Spies, Gamblers, and Coming Clean

It’s a muggy weekend here in the Ozarks. There’s a low, gray mist hanging over everything, and the temperature has spiked on the front-end of a coming cold front. It’s December, and if you were to ask me today, the answer would beyes, I do believe in global warming. It’s not beginning to look a lot like Christmas outside, which is just fine, I suppose. We have a couple of weeks to go, after all, and there’s time for Santa to bring the frigid frosty stuff.

Today, the low gray has chased me ins...

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Published on December 12, 2015 07:13

December 11, 2015

10 Gifts (A Christmas Micro-Giveaway)

If there’s anything I’ve heard about my book,Coming Clean, it’s this: “I bought this book for the alcoholic in my life, but as I read, I found it was actually a book forme.” Don’t take my word for it, though.

“When you open this book, your index finger may be pointing at someone else. By page 2, you realize its pointed directly at you.” ~Kathryn Stephens, via Amazon.

“When I first heard of Coming Clean by Seth Haines, I figured I wouldn’t connect with the book. After all, I’m not an addict. B...

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Published on December 11, 2015 06:43