Yesterday I drove to San Diego to have lunch with a friend, but I got there an hour early so I could have some fun taking pictures. I spent the hour in Balboa Park and got some decent shots, then spent another hour or so playing with a few of them on Photoshop. I hope you enjoy them!

The deadline for my book manuscript was February 1, but I turned it in twice before that. On Friday I used whatever fumes were left in my tank to write the conclusion, spicing it up with a quote from Yoda, the Jedi Master. I sent the file to my editor, who wrote back and said that if I came up with any fresh ideas in the next couple of weeks, I could tweak the manuscript.

No, I thought, I'm done.

My wife and I went out for a celebratory dinner. Then, as we were walking through the mall after dinner, it hit me: I quoted Yoda! You know your brain is mush when you end a book about Jesus by quoting Yoda. I got up early on Saturday morning and wrote a new Yoda-less conclusion, sending it in before breakfast.

The discarded Yoda quote: "Do or do not. There is no 'try.'" If you were doing the writing, how might you use that quote to help people follow Jesus? Give me your thoughts, and may the (true) force be with you.

I'm back among the living after spending the last two months at my desk, writing a 40,000-word manuscript that will eventually be a book about trading risk-free Christianity for red-letter discipleship. Its working title is "Follow Me", but I don't yet know what the actual title will be. Revell (a division of the Baker Publishing Group) will be releasing the book one year from now (February 2011) after a year-long editing and printing process.

So now that I have a little break from writing, I think I'll ... write ... about writing. Here is some of what I have learned.

• Writing is lonely. In order to write well, I need a distraction-free environment. That means sitting at my desk, alone, staring at the wall, day after day after day. If not for the pressure of the deadline, I'd be calling friends and heading for Starbucks every day. And now that the deadline has passed, I'm playing catch-up on social time. If I look a little unkempt and wild-eyed, give me a break—I've been inside for the past two months.

• Writing is work. I've read from many excellent writers that their words do not come as easily as readers imagine, and to that I say amen. Writing is like trying to create a masterpiece from modeling clay. You manipulate it tirelessly, then stand back and say, "How ghastly." And you smash it with your fist and start over. And over again. I am tired at the end of the day.

• Writing is fulfilling. For me, anyway. You know the feeling you get when you put your heart and soul into something that you know God made you to do, and you feel His Spirit working through you? I get that feeling every once in a while when I write. And there is a feeling of accomplishment standing on top of a 40,000-word mountain.

• Writing is humbling. There have been times when I have been paralyzed, unable to write anything because I know that I won't get a second chance to say what I want to say. There is a permanence to it that makes me want to be a better writer than I am. But at some point I have to just do what I do, trusting God to somehow use my flawed expressions to help people connect with the One who has no flaws. But isn't that what we all have to do?

When in the last two months have you been humbled by God's working through you?

I've added a new film to my Top Ten list: Slumdog Millionaire. It's not because the story is compelling (although it is), nor because the soundtrack is terrific (although it is). It's because there is sound theology in the film that is deeply encouraging. The film answers the question, "Are the details of our lives random, or will the day come when we see that they were part of a divine master plan?" All of us endure circumstances that are painful and disillusioning, and we wonder how they could possibly work together for our good. But the truth is, what happens to us is indeed "written", and for those who follow Jesus, the story always has a happy ending.

(Warning: The film is Rated R for violence, disturbing images and language.)

What has happened in your life that feels unscripted and purposeless now, but by faith you believe it will someday make perfect sense?

In my farewell message to Sunridge Community Church, I spoke of the residue I will carry with me from my 14 years at Sunridge, and the residue I hope to leave behind. You can watch the video here, listen to the audio here (or on iTunes), or read my manuscript here.