July 15, 2015

Barren But Priceless

My new magazine article, Barren But Priceless, released today in Broken But Priceless Magazine. Check it out by subscribing at this link. http://www.erinelizabethaustin.com  
July 11, 2015

Carrot Stick Encouragement

Some people talk about dangling the carrot before the horse. I don’t have carrots, but I do have Cheetos—at least they’re the same color. My family and I climbed Copperhead Summit in Black Mountain, NC. It took twice as long as it should have, because we took along my three-year old son, Carrick. His little legs churned so fast. I’m sure he felt like he […]
July 8, 2015

Guest Post – Spelunking Speculative Fiction: High Fantasy Rules!

My newest post Spelunking Speculative Fiction: High Fantasy Rules! is featured at A Little Red Inc. Please check it out! http://alittleredinc.blogspot.com/2015/07/spelunking-speculative-fiction-high.html
July 1, 2015

New Post Featured at Almost An Author

I posted at my monthly column on Almost An Author today. Please check it out! http://www.almostanauthor.com/2015/07/how-to-write-faster/
June 1, 2015

Cap Gun Evangelism

“I’m playing dead, daddy.” The words of my three-year old still bring a smile to my face. I shot him good—with a toy cap gun—of course. Recently, on a family vacation, I bought four toy cap guns. The kind that make a loud shooting sound when the hammer strikes a firing cap. They’re the “real” toy guns I remember playing with as a child. I’ll […]
May 23, 2015

Campfire Pentecost

Spring always reintroduces two important things back into my life—hot dogs and campfires. I love sitting outside on a cool night, listening to a crackling fire while, roasting hot dogs. Living in the Midwest, there’s nothing more exciting than the return of spring after a long cold winter. As a parent, I cherish spring. It brings ample opportunities to get the kids out of the […]
May 18, 2015

Leaping Lucy

I used an American Girl doll to extract my six-year-old daughters tooth. I removed it the old-fashioned way, by tying one end of the dental floss to her tooth and the other end to Lucy, the American Girl doll. I convinced my daughter to let Lucy assist with the delicate operation. I’ll be honest this genius idea only came after thirty minutes of negotiations during […]
May 13, 2015

Muddy Knees

My arms ached as I hefted around 30 pounds of a muddy grimy two-year old boy.  Even though my muscles burned, I relished every moment down the mountain. My son Carrick was worn out. Tired of stepping over roots, trudging through muddy trails, and slipping on slick wet stones, my boy succumbed to his tiredness. He was a champ. His little legs had carried him […]
February 13, 2015

Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

Who doesn’t love the lyrics from the movie Frozen? I’ll admit, I know every word of every song. But before you judge me, know that I have three children under the age of eight. As a dad, it is my job to be engaged with their world and their culture. Plus who doesn’t love Disney? I like living in Ohio. We get snow all winter […]
October 9, 2014

Child Evangelists

I recently moved with my family to a new house. My children love it because we have neighbors. Neighbors who are there age, children they can play with. Like any good pastor’s kids, my children quickly asked their new friends to come to church. We were proud of their initiative, but we shared in their frustration as the neighbors reported that they are not allowed […]