matt's journal

just details

matt tullos — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:37:01 +0000

Meeting tonight with the deacons. Excited to see God move in the
middle of my church. After experiencing such a difficult year
financially our giving has really turned around.
Budget Needs to Date this year: $77,700
Giving to date: 86,161.60

This is after a year where we all took temporary salary cuts. It was
a voluntary thing on the part of the staff and I think it was a real
gut check for all of us. So thankful for the ways we can put these
resources to work in ministry.

We are going to be taking up a special offering this Sunday for Haiti.
I'm praying for $6000 to send in the direction of World Vision and
"Churches Helping Churches"

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One of my all time favorite stories

matt tullos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:44:57 +0000

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Miniature Earth

matt tullos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:45:06 +0000

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Day before the big game

matt tullos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:21:49 +0000

Download now or listen on posterous

Memo.m4a (1191 KB)

Sent from my iPhone

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I love New Orleans

matt tullos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:59:04 +0000

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When prayer becomes a priority

matt tullos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:08:09 +0000

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Memo.m4a (1960 KB)

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Character Welcome

matt tullos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:27:26 +0000

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Memo.m4a (4529 KB)

Here's a little snippit of some writing I'm doing

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two churches

matt tullos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:34:08 +0000

(My apologies to Robert Frost.)
Two churches diverged in yellow wood,
And sorry i could not have pastored both
And be one pastor, long i stood
And preached down one as long as i could
Until the babies screamed in the crying room;
Then i accepted the call to the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it had no deacons there;
But as for the stewardship campaign
Had worn them down about the same,
And the other that moment equally lay
In debt, no budget in the black.
Oh, i accepted to my wife’s dismay!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
We settled in at the lowly shack.
i shall be telling this with a sigh
Some Southern Baptist Convention ages and ages hence:
Two churches diverged in a wood, and i,
i took the one that required no coat or tie,
And that has made all the difference.

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the drive home

matt tullos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:34:48 +0000

i circled back around to two years ago today
wondering if the choices i've made (baptized in prayer)
would feel the same as when i closed the door

but yesterday is always never and today is what we have

(until tomorrow)

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Jane Yolen: Writer's Tips

matt tullos — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:27:03 +0000

No exclamation points.
Easy on the adverbs.
Don’t let your characters float by giving them endless dialogue.
Have fun.
BIC – Butt in chair. HOP – Heart on Page.
P not F – Passion not fashion. Write what you like.
Remember your story does not have to have a happy ending – just a meaningful ending.
Fall through your story. Bury yourself in your work.
You don’t have to be the best, just be the best you can be,
Find the right word.
First lines should portend what is going to happen.
Exercise your creative muscle everyday. If you write one page everyday, you will have written 365 pages, more than you need for a novel or 73 picture books.
Every artist nurtures and nurtures create.
Truth – we all need an editor. Love the process. Don’t get caught up letting rejection get you down.
Money flows towards the author, not the other way around. Don’t pay for book reviews, agent readings, etc.
Don’t miss the small things in your writing. Don’t ignore the landscape.
Read what you have written out loud.
Writers block is all in your mind. Read newspapers, magazines – watch a movie, go shopping, don’t read someone elses book, because you can get stuck in their voice or characters.
Realize there are going to be projects you never complete.
Even while you are working on a project, write little things, doodle on artwork on paper. These can work like the sorbet between meal courses to cleanse your palette.

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