Author Archives: Van Dalsem Alexa

Prayers for Artists

I had the opportunity to think about God’s creation and creative abilities during a recent Bible study meeting. I was astounded, probably again, by God’s awesome creative power. He created this entire world and everything in it–all that we see–but He did so with beauty and surprises.

In this time of advent,

The Professor and the Madman

I am a logophile. I love words, learning new words, playing with words, using words in my work. I especially love the written word. But I am a novice when it comes to a major authority on English words, the Oxford English Dictionary.

I have browsed the dictionary a few times, heard tell of how extraordinary it is, listened to news stories about additions to the OED. And then a few weeks ago, I happened to pick up a book on the making of the dictionary,The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester.

What Gigi Gave Me

My daily life is full of activities around the written word. In my professional work, I spend most of my time writing grant applications. In my mommy work, I spend ample time helping my children spell, make out words, reading (books, signs, movie credits), and taking trips to the library. I end most of my days with reading.

Seduced A Little Every Day

An old college roommate posted a link on Facebook to a short film about “The Sartorialist,” (see the video here ) a photographer named Scott Schuman who focuses on fashion. Every day, Schuman takes a new photograph of someone on the street whose fashion is intriguing and inspiring. He posts the photograph daily on his blog, also called “The Sartorialist.” The photographs of common people are uncommonly beautiful. In the film, Schuman talks about living “the visual life” and says: “It seems odd, but it’s almost like going out there and letting yourself fall in love every day, letting yourself be seduced a little every day.”

Inspiring Christmas Gifts for Writers and Readers

I have been inspired this year by a children’s church series focused on joy and by having three young children to slow down and ruminate on the many wonders of this season. As we put up our tree this last weekend, my six-year-old son said, “I wish that Christmas was every day and then we’d get toys every day.” That would indeed be wonderful, but I was also reminded that December goes by fast (at least for us adults), and Christmas has a tendency to come and go before we know it. This morning, I am savoring a cup of coffee and the smell of our Christmas and thinking over our gift list. I was inspired to think about some gifts that may be especially good for writers and readers.