Friends, I Rot!

When I was in junior high school, I published for the first time. I think I earned two bucks fifty for my piece in a teen publication known as HiCALL. My grandfather knew the editor and sent it in for me. It had been a class assignment; the topic, which became my published title, was “My Favorite Place,” a short free verse.

From the time I first learned how to make word sense on paper, I’ve had this desire to put into writing what I was thinking and reflecting, my passions and my causes. But aside from a handful of other magazine and academic journals, publishing eluded me until in 2011 I self-published Night Shift: Crossing the Cultural Line for the Kingdom and then in 2019 Wipf & Stock published my Ethics in the Age of the Spirit: Race, Women, War, and the Assemblies of God.

If you count posting blogs as publishing – and it is, just not necessarily for pay – then I have published multitudes of posts over the past 15 years, thanks to modern technology and some loyal readers. Some of those old posts are worth reposting, which I may do from time to time. Others are best shredded into useless digital bytes, never to be retrieved again.

The more I write, the more I want to write – and the more the writing flows. Thus, the launching of my new website, howardkenyon.com, and this current blogging effort, On a Journey in the Borderlands.

When you close in on your eighth decade – the 70s, they call it – something changes in your long-range perspective. There is a sense of clock-ticking in this final active chapter of life. I see those just ahead of me and wonder how long I have before I’m no longer able to put words to paper. We are not promised more than that and there is no guarantee as to how long the communication skills will last, so I’ll make the most of the time I am given.

If what I write is useful to you, you are welcome to it. Via my website, I offer three ways to gain access.

1. My blog posting, such as you are reading now, is released every Tuesday and Saturday. You can find it on my website at https://howardkenyon.com/blog/. I’ll share each new post on Facebook and occasionally elsewhere.

2. Subscribe to On a Journey in the Borderlands at https://howardkenyon.com/contact/. Not only will you receive each new post as it is released, I’ll send you my monthly newsletter – all directly to your email. In addition, I’ll send you bonus material from time to time. For Mother’s Day I sent out a composite of reflections I’d written about my own mother several years ago. Later this month I’ll be sharing a compelling article written by Dave Irwin, who passed away 40 years ago this summer.

3. On a new page on my website, https://howardkenyon.com/books/, I’ll be listing my published books as well as other resources. In my newsletter, I’ll notify you of any additions or you can check in directly at this link whenever you wonder if something new is on it.

As I was writing #2 above, I was tempted to add “all for the low, low price of $19.99.” Actually, all that stuff is for free, just by subscribing. What’s the catch? There is none that I can think of. It is just a way to build my readership base. The books are for sale, of course.

 And I hope what I write blesses you. It is what I am called to do in this season of life. As a friend of mine responded to one of my recent posts, “Howard, you always challenge me. In a good way.” Goal achieved!

For those of you who have not yet read my two books:

Ethics in the Age of the Spirit: Race, Women, War, and the Assemblies of God

Ethics in the Age of the Spirit was a decades-long project, beginning with my master’s thesis back in the late 1970s and through my doctoral dissertation in the 80s. Then around 2010 Dr. Martin Mittelstadt of Evangel University, Darren Rodgers of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, and scholar Jay Beaman tracked me down. Marty, whom I’ve never met in person, wanted my book in his series on Pentecostals, Peacemaking, and Social Justice and he wrote the beautifully crafted foreword. Darren wanted the book published so that when people asked him for the resources my work offered, they didn’t have to go through some arcane dissertation access. Wipf & Stock released the book nearly a decade later.

Reworking a dissertation for publication is not as complicated as researching and writing the dissertation in the first place, but it is still daunting – as is writing and publishing any book. Many of the people who helped me with the original work have now gone on to glory – Dr. Daniel B. McGee, Rev. Joseph R. Flower, Wayne Warner, Dr. Edith Blumhofer, and most recently, Dr. Murray Dempster.

The book is, as one friend described it, meaty, considering that I wanted to ensure that the research, much of it new to light, was preserved for academic scavengers who would follow. But there are some newer personal reflections, especially in the first chapter, and some additional material and fresh analysis in the final pages. It makes, if I am permitted to say so myself, a great resource.

I wasn’t sure how the reception would be to the published work, considering how upset some people were by observations I made in the original. So, I was thrilled with the endorsements I received from Bishop Walter Harvey, Dr. Beth Grant, and Dr. Cecil Robeck of Fuller Theological Seminary, as well as Bishop Tommy Reid, Dr. Paul Lewis, and Pastor Darius Johnston.

If you are interested in an historical review of how one denomination wrestled with some very big issues throughout much of its history, if you want to see how ethical analysis is done, or if you are interested in topics like racism, the role of women in ministry, or how Christians should deal with war, then check out this book. Last I saw on Amazon, it is $9.99 on Kindle or $37.14 in paperback. I think I get a couple of bucks for every copy purchased.

Night Shift: Crossing the Cultural Line for the Kingdom

Night Shift is a bit more accessible pricewise and a bit less academic. It is just not as easily available – it’s not on Amazon or in your local bookstore. You will find a used copy or two on Amazon occasionally, but I bet I can beat their price hands down – and with a new copy. With that $30 Amazon price, I don’t get a dime and you get a used book. I’ll share the price I am offering you in a minute, but first…

I wrote Night Shift because I wanted to share lessons I had learned serving in some exceedingly complicated and sensitive situations, so difficult that I’m not even open about names and places in the book. The book is for people who are working in what are called “creative access” settings, but really, I think it is useful for anyone trying to navigate a world where voices of faith are given less and less room for expression.

My friend from another assignment, Dave Bollenbacher, wrote an endorsement on the back cover, and I’ve heard from many people who have found this book helpful in navigating life in these crazy modern times as persons of faith.

Even my former junior high school algebra and French teacher, Luella Dreyer, now 104, gave it her ringing endorsement back when she was 91. I’d like to say the book has contributed to her long life, but I think it has been her insatiable and lifelong curiosity – thus the reason she enjoyed reading my book.

While I can’t say that reading this book will contribute to your longevity, I can say that studies have shown that curious people are likely to live longer, and curious people read my book. (Okay, at least one study with a small sample has shown this last point.)

As I’ve said, the book is no longer in print, but I still have quite a few paperback copies left and you are welcome to buy one for $15, including shipping (costs a bit more if you want it faster than snail mail speed). Maybe someday it will come out in print again or as an eBook, but don’t bet on it. Best to get it while supplies last right here.

***

Years ago, my wife Kim and I visited dear friends in Texas. We went out to a local cinema together. As the movie started, Karen turned to Kim and explained of a lead character, “She rots.” Kim finally realized Karen was telling her the character was an author. Well, friends, I rot.

Will I publish any more books? I’d love to. There are a handful of topics gnawing at the back of my brain. Nonfiction book publishing is a tough world to crack open these days, especially if you don’t have a lot of money or a significant platform – pastor of the world’s largest church or just being released from 30 years as a hostage in Iran. As I prefer a simpler life, such a platform is as likely to evade me as the lottery is. Not that I think much of the lottery, by the way.

So, for now, I’ll keep writing – and you keep reading and replying. I love hearing what you have to say even if you have a differing opinion. Don’t worry, I’ll monitor comments for trolls and screamers. Not meaning you, of course.

Thanks for supporting a starving artist – or at least a guy who believes what he writes. In a day when the world is topsy turvy, I pray that what I have to offer will be sensible and uplifting as well as challenging.

To check out the Books page on my website go to howardkenyon.com/books/. To subscribe to “On a Journey in the Borderlands”, click here.