We’re Selling Indulgences Again and We Don’t Even Notice
A little Church history never hurt anyone. In this case, I think it's critical that we take a look at our past because it has become obvious to me and a few others that the Church has slipped right back into the very practices that necessitated the Protestant Reformation without batting an eye. Namely, the sale of indulgences. If you're not familiar with the concept, in a nutshell, sometime in the 1500s, Martin Luther and others in the Church grew weary and skeptical of the Catholic practice of selling indulgences. Priests would offer blessings, offer to pray for family members
What Is a Ministry, After All?
In light of recent scandals unfolding at places like Daystar Television, and even in the spirit of asking ourselves the tough questions like whether a vocational pastor needs a leer jet, I've begun to ask a bigger question: what is a ministry? And more importantly: what is NOT a ministry? I think we can all safely agree that a church, at its heart, is a ministry. In the 1828 Webster's Dictionary (the more accurate dictionary, let's be honest), we find the proper definition of the word: MIN'ISTRY, noun [Latin ministerium.] The office, duties or functions of a subordinate agent of any kind.
The Church’s Abuse Problem is a Theology Problem
When we find men and women of God who genuinely want to serve and be a part of something for the Kingdom of God, we often find a certain personality type. They're usually humble. They're usually meek. They're usually submissive. And unfortunately, these qualities make them ripe for manipulation, gaslighting, and abuse. I've seen it too many times to count. For a long time, I thought I had had one long, unlucky streak in my church and ministry experiences. It seemed like everywhere I went, I encountered narcissistic personalities high up in ministry, willing and eager to manipulate in the
The Lessons We Should Learn from Daystar
In recent days, news has begun to trickle in the Christian community about a budding scandal at Daystar Television Network. For the most part, this news has stayed fairly buried, only showing up on fringe X accounts and lesser-known journalists' websites. I have my suspicions about why that is, but I'll get into that in a bit. In a nutshell, the story that is emerging is a tale as old as time. Jonathan Lamb, son of the late Marcus Lamb, and his wife Suzy have come forward with claims of sexual abuse against not only Suzy, but their young daughter
We Have No Other Choice Now
It's time to fix what we've done to the Church. If we don't, God will, and I don't think anyone is prepared for that. Author's Note: To this point, in every article I've written, I have been careful NOT to mention names, dates, or locations of any of the churches I have been part of. My purpose has been to share systemic issues I've witnessed, not bring down any one entity or person. You will see a clear departure from that rule in this article. I will mention names, dates, and locations. The reason for the departure from my
With or Without You // U2 Cover
This is one of my favorite songs from one of the most-played albums in my Apple Music library. Once, in high school, I got to play this song for an end-of-year teacher talent show. My history teacher put together a band of students, complete with two drummers. I felt so freakin' cool that he asked me to play keys for that band and it 100% whet my appetite for playing music live. From that point forward, I have been insatiable. So in a way, I guess you could say this song birthed my love for playing in a
Protecting Abusers in the Name of Protecting the Brand
What happens when church leadership not only protects abusers but sets up a system to enable them? We Forgot How to "People"A friend of mine once lamented to me that her main grievance with the Church today is that we just don't know how to "people." For an institution that was created firstly to worship God and secondly, to make disciples, we have certainly forgotten that people are the key factor to both of those things. People are the heart and soul of a church because a church would not be necessary were it not for the existence of people. Perhaps
You’re Buying Into the Prosperity Gospel
I bet you believe some form of the Prosperity Gospel and don't even know it. It's a four-letter word in the Church today: Prosperity Gospel charlatans and their ilk have come to be known as the snake oil salesman of evangelicalism and the New Apostolic Reformation. They show up on Sundays in their $5,000 hoodies and $1,200 sneakers. They fly in on their private jets. They televise their services to millions each week. They tout their wealth and promise that you too can have it if you just have as much faith as they do. And millions fall for it.
The Not Exhaustive But Ridiculously Too Long List of Grievances
It seems like the Church today is prone to spiritual abuse. Whether Catholic or Protestant, mega or mini-sized, the Church is rampant with bad leaders acting selfishly, manipulating and lying for purposes that defy logic. Why? What is the pattern that facilitates this behavior? And how can we get better? Be better? Do better? This is the conversation I think we must have. Now. I've been a part of all kinds of churches, of all kinds of denominations and theological backgrounds, of all sizes. I've attended the little ol' country church on the county line and the mega-church with a
Is Marketing Jesus Killing the Church?
My last article, which several thousand of you read (thank you so much), apparently struck a chord. It's becoming undeniably clear that something is fundamentally broken about the modern Church movement in the West. Too many are leaving disenchanted, confused, hurt, broken, and even questioning their faith. If it were only me, I would have shrugged it off as some sort of personal deficiency or misunderstanding. But I have heard from hundreds of you over the last few days, reaching out (mostly anonymously) to tell me you've experienced the same things I did -- namely abuse and a woeful lack
Deconstructing My Deconstruction
I began writing this article in February 2023. Scratch that. I began wrestling with the content of this post in January 2020, but I hadn't been able to articulate it until now. Even so, you can see that it's January 2024 and I'm just now posting it. There are reasons for that, too, which I will get into later. I haven't really shared my story. I've held a lot back and there are lot of reasons for that. But it's time. 2023 brought for me and my family some huge changes -- from walking away from our church denomination of
O Holy Night // Official Lyric Video
This original version of the classic Christmas carol is arranged, performed, and produced exclusively by Morgan G Farris. When I decided I wanted to release a Christmas EP, I knew I had to include this song. The first time I paid attention to it I was a kid and, oddly enough, it was while watching Home Alone. That boy's choir singing it in the background as Kevin buys groceries alone in his town affected me in ways that have stuck with me all my life. Then sometime in my early teens, I attended a boars head festival at
All Hallow’s Eve Soul Cakes
I’ve heard of the tradition of soul cakes for years, but being an American, and more so, a Texan, they are not something that has ever been a part of my Halloween experience. But an English friend of mine posted a picture of the treats on social media, and I decided it was high time I found out what they’re like. The history of soul cakes Dating back to the Middle Ages, soul cakes began as a tradition in Britain and Ireland. These small, cake-like cookies (that’s what we Americans call them) were given to children as they went from
Lost Cause – Music FROM the Chalam Chronicles
Well, folks, the time has come. For years I have teased about music I've been working on. If you've been following closely, you know that I have something a little different in store for you: namely music from my books. That's right. Music. As in a soundtrack. A score. Like a movie. Being an author who is also a musician (or maybe a musician who writes novels, I can't decide), it was probably inevitable that I would write these scenes and characters and moments with a bed of music in mind. And yes, that's what I did. So I decided
The Live Oak and the Bradford Pear
For years now I've been wrestling with the Church. In the early months of that struggle, I thought I was struggling with my faith, but over time I've come to realize that my struggle has never been with whether God exists, whether I believe that, or whether that should affect me. (He does, I do, and it does, to be clear.) My struggle has been with the Church. And I've struggled with it for a long time. I've kicked around this proverbial can for years, vacillating between various versions of my own coping mechanisms, trying to avoid the pain I've
Music that Inspired The Song in the Shadows
If you've followed me for any amount of time, you know that music plays an important role in my writing process. Even when my fingers aren't on the keyboard, I'm listening to songs that remind me of moments in my books, characters, story arcs, and even emotions I experience writing certain scenes. Listening to these songs helped me to develop the story in my mind long before it ever hits the page. The Song in the Shadows was no exception to this process. So many of the songs on this playlist have become some of my all-time favorite songs,
Hand-Painted Whimsical Gothic Maximalist Wallpaper
There's a name for this... I never knew there was a name for my aesthetic until my sister (an interior designer) said to me once, "You're such a gothic maximalist." I had never heard the term maximalist. Minimalist? Yes, all the time. It's all the rage these days. But I suppose much like most extroverts assume introverts are just one social event from being converted (we're not), I think mainstream designers assume everyone is a minimalist. Hint: we're not. I can never find what I like in big box stores, mostly because big box stores focus on what's trendy and...
The Birth of the Chalam Chronicles
One thing I get asked a lot is, "Where did you get the idea for your books?" I think somewhere back in the annals of history (read: one of the past acknowledgments) I mentioned that these books started in my brain when I was a kid. That is absolutely true. I remember lying in the clover patch in my backyard next to my dog, looking up at the sky and imagining a fantastical world beyond ours. I wondered if I could ever visit it; I wondered if it would have the same redemption story as ours. Over the years, that
Stand By Me // Ben E. King Cover
My latest cover is live on YouTube. Whenever I listen to this song I'm immediately transported to my childhood, dancing on my father's toes in the formal dining room in front of our massive '80s stereo, listening to Motown on his collection of 45s. Aside from the fact that this is an incredible song, it also happens to be quite possibly the world's most perfect. So here's my love letter to those days. Enjoy!
The Music that Inspired The Stag at Hand
As many of you know, I always make a playlist for the book I'm writing. It's a way of inspiring me to write certain scenes, to get me in the mode, and to connect more deeply with each character and their respective journeys. As a musician, I suppose it was inevitable that music would play an integral role in my writing. So today, I wanted to share with you the playlist I listened to ad nauseam during the writing of The Stag at Hand. Each song has particular meaning for moments in the book, or characters themselves. But I
Why Book 6 is the Most Difficult Book I’ve Ever Written
I think some of you are going to be a bit taken aback by this next book. There are reasons for that, namely that the content is a lot darker, the subject matter is a lot heavier, and the imagery is a bit bleaker. No, I'm not going through an existential crisis that I projected onto these pages. The truth is, I pushed myself to write something more honest than I've ever written. I took off some of the dampers I had self-inflicted and allowed myself to explore some of the darkest themes I have personally faced. Abuse. Neglect. Fear.
The Music That Inspired The Chalam Færytales
I listen to music when I write. It helps set the mood for certain scenes, helps me to get my mind and soul into the moments I'm creating. It's my own version of method acting, I suppose. I have a playlist for each book from the series* which you can find on Apple Music. Some of the songs that particularly inspired these books are below. If you don't know of them, you need to. They are epic and breathtaking and a story unto themselves. Inspiration There are many songs that inspired me while writing these books, but these are a
The Most Wonderful Time // Christmas EP NOW AVAILABLE
Guys, I've been wanting to do this for years. Transitioning into working for myself full-time has been such a sweet process, affording me the opportunity to do things I've been wanting to do for years. This Christmas EP is a work of love and a fun project that I am so excited to share with you. It's available across all digital distributors and it includes two original Christmas songs, as well as a rather dramatic and over-the-top version of O Holy Night. (You're welcome.) All songs are written, arranged, composed, and performed by moi (except of course, I did not
The War and the Petrichor // Official Trailer
I've been writing this series for more than five years now. And this book is the culmination of Ferryl and Adelaide's story. While it's not the end of the series, it is the end of this particular storyline. And it feels surreal to be releasing it into the world. Thank you all so much for joining me on this journey. I hope you love this book as much as I do. The War and the Petrichor The Chalam Færytales Book V Get it Here
In Egregious Lapse in Judgment, Christian Author Includes Sex in Her Novels
Dear Mom, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. Sex has never been a comfortable topic for me. Partly because of my upbringing, and partly because of my faith, sex has been, for the majority of my life, somewhat of a taboo. Even after marriage, there were aspects of my sexuality that I could not bring myself to terms with (because God forbid a woman should not only enjoy it but... you know... want it). But here I am, writing this, knowing that people I know will read it. Knowing my MOM will read it (good lord in heaven). Maybe even
