Today I was having lunch at a local Burger King, a new one that has a flat screen TV. CNN was on, and it was showing the country’s split reactions regarding the healtcare bill having just passed.
At the table beside me were four young men arguing about the legislation. Two were clearly in favor of the bill, two clearly against. I couldn’t help overhearing their arguments, and what struck me most, was how superior each person felt about his position.
Minutes later, a young couple and their four-year-old son walked up to a neighboring table. The boy was trying to get his parents attention, but they were busy maneuvering their trays and getting the young boy’s place situated. Finally, the mother asked the boy what he wanted.
“It’s so sad,” he said.
“Huh?” his mother asked.
“It’s just so sad,” he repeated.
“What’s sad, sweetheart?” his mother said.
The boy pointed back across the room in the direction of the soft drink fountain. “They don’t have any Coke Zero.”
And as he said this, though we clearly weren’t intended to be part of this exchange, I laughed out loud, as did the four men who’d been arguing politics. And I was instantly reminded of the Bible passage that says unless we become like small children, we will never inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Here, amid all the complexities of life, a major tragedy was a drink fountain not having Coke Zero.
Oh, that we could be like kids again.
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Posted 4 months, 1 week ago at 9:29 pm.
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Every now and again, we are reminded of wonderful moments in our lives.
Above is a picture of me and a young boy named Jona playing guitar together on an island in Indonesia. I was the speaker for his school’s spring retreat. He was a 14-year-old kid who liked Jesus and liked to laugh and liked to play guitar.
A beautiful moment, and a beautiful picture.
And I’m touched that, three years later, this boy— now, young man— felt compelled to put this picture on his facebook page… and then tag me in it.
Grateful,
Austin
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Posted 4 months, 1 week ago at 10:55 pm.
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I arrived in Los Angeles last evening and spent some time with my friend Brett Clouser, who is going to be hanging out with me as I do the various dates on my California tour. Currently, we are in a Coffee Bean in Santa Monica and I have been prepping some notes on a lecture I will be giving tonight at Chapman University. The lecture is framed around the pioneering work of Anne Lamott— one of my favorite writers— in the spiritual essay genre.
Tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday, I will be lecturing at Azusa Pacific University, and then Saturday I will be doing a reading/signing at Book Soup in West Hollywood.
Then it’s on to Saddleback church, where I will be speaking to the youth services, alongside my friend Doug Fields, on Saturday evening and Sunday.
As always, the weather out here is beautiful, and I’m enjoying the escape from the cold that dominated my southeast leg of the tour.
More to come soon…
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Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago at 4:08 pm.
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Sorry for the long delay in updating. Things have been crazy out here on the road.
Our next stop was in Oxford, MS, where I spoke at Ole Miss and read at Square Books. I still can’t believe that we were able to get these gigs on my schedule. Ole Miss is one of the most prestigious English writing and literature institutes in the country, and it was an absolute honor to get to lecture there. Meanwhile, Square Books is one of the most renowned independent bookstores in the world. Such a thrill seeing my books in the store’s window when we arrived!
Without question the best part of being in Oxford— and Oxford, by the way, has undoubtedly been the best stop on the whole tour— was getting to visit Papa Faulkner’s grave. Being a huge fan of Southern Lit, I’d been wanting to visit Faulkner’s grave for quite some time. Faulkner being a notorious Bourbon drinker, this is how his grave is memorialized:
In Tupelo we arrived just in time for my signing at Reed’s Gumtree Books— undoubtedly the coolest name of any bookstore in the country. And living up to its cool name, they have one of the coolest booksellers in the country handling their events. Her name is Emily Gatlin and trust me, homegirl is fu-nny. After our event, we ended up at Emily’s house, where I signed the store’s stock at her kitchen table.
Among the many highlights of my time in Tupelo was getting to meet my literary agent, Mary Beth’s, family, as Mary Beth is a Tupelo native. In Tupelo, I was able to speak to both the youth and the adult service at Calvary Baptist Church. Wonderful people and wonderful times. Many thanks to Greg Morgan for organizing the event for me.
After Tupelo, it was on to Jackson.
Jackson was a great stop because it allowed me to stay with my buddy Collin, one of my best friends in the world. I lectured at Mississippi College on Monday and spoke at their chapel service on Tuesday.
After Mississippi College, we quickly shot down to Fairhope, AL where I got to sign at another one of the most prestigious independent bookstores in the country: The Page and Palette. We were only able to stay in Fairhope for two hours, because we had to get on the road for Montgomery, where we stayed with another of my buddies: Survivor heartthrob Bobby Jon Drinkard. I was on both the CBS and NBC affiliates in Montgomery the next morning…
… and then spoke that evening at Troy State University. Bobby Jon introduced me at the event, which was a real treat for me.
This morning we leave for Snellville, GA, where I will read and sign at the Borders at 7PM. Then, it’s finally back to NC, where I will roll into Charlotte and read and sign at the Huntersville Barnes and Noble at 7PM on Friday. I’m looking very forward to seeing old friends from Lake Norman and very excited about meeting some new ones.
The California leg of my tour begins on Wednesday the 10th.
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Posted 4 months, 4 weeks ago at 1:23 pm.
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