There's an interesting bit of linguistics in the famous 1 Corinthians 13 passage. Modern translations use the word "love" (like in verse 13, "faith, hope, and love, but the greatest is love"). Older versions, like the King James, use instead the word "charity." Now this discrepancy is no doubt the simple, inevitable drift of language. "Charity" meant "love" to a 17th century Britain, but it means something else to a 21st century American. When we say "charity," we mean the giving of something (food, clothing, shelter, money, whatever) to a person in need. I must say, though, that this particular semantic drift strikes me as especially significant. In today's episode, I want to explore the interplay between giving and loving. Despite what our secular age keeps telling me, I don't think that JUST ADD MONEY is the real answer to anything.

Satan's earliest tactic (and one of his favorites to this day): "Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?" Translation, "Stop focusing on God and start analyzing the lines God has drawn." Folks, knowing right and wrong is a wonderful thing, but there are two ways to go about it. 1) Studying "the lines" in order to know just how much you can get away with. 2) Studying the lines out of a pure and passionate desire to live righteously. Today's episode investigates this distinction, with special emphasis on the culture of our land and the school climate it creates.

C. S. Lewis once wrote, "You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down." Today's episode explores two similar phenomena: One, that you can only praise God in a slump if you are, in fact, in a slump. And two, you can only love an enemy if you, in fact, have an enemy. We also should remember G. K. Chesterton's line, "The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people."

By listener request, I'm reposting this archived episode. It's a fun one to revisit, now that Reaching Sol is in fact on shelves, which at the time of this recording was only a dream. Here goes: Storytelling is so much more than entertainment. This storytelling episode, “Live from Waleska,” gives a taste of my new novel as presented at Reinhardt University in Waleska, GA on July 9, 2020. You can find all my published work at www.wesyoungwriter.com.

By listener request, I'm reposting this archived episode. It's a fun one to revisit, now that Reaching Sol is in fact on shelves, which at the time of this recording was only a dream. Here goes: Humans tell stories as assuredly as we plant crops and drink water. This episode—a live lecture recorded at Limestone Baptist Church, Cochran, GA—investigates the role of story in the Christian walk and in contemporary culture. Find more about Wes Young’s own stories at wesyoungwriter.com.

By listener request, I'm reposting this archived episode. It's a fun one to revisit, now that Reaching Sol is in fact on shelves (see wesyoungwriter.com). Also, the essay that fueled this recorded lecture is currently (April, 2022) under consideration with Mythlore. Anyway, here goes: Who (or what) steers the ship of our culture? And how, exactly? This stand-alone bonus episode of East and Wes includes a recording of my recent lecture at Reinhardt University on allegory, literature, and C. S. Lewis. We need to wake up to the forces making us who we are.

After submitting some writings to a Christian devotional publication, and being rejected by the same, I've decided to share my three sample devotions here on East and Wes. Hey, it's better than letting them go to waste, and I hope they can be a blessing to someone, somewhere. 

This episode is an audiobook performance of the final chapter of Undine, by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. Chapter Ten beautifully concludes this classic fairy tale, gently lowering readers to a sense of closure after the harsh climax of Chapter Nine. In this episode, which is the finale of Season Four, I share a bit of my opinion on what Undine means and how it speaks to readers as a Christian allegory.

This episode is an audiobook performance of the ninth chapter of Undine, by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. (If you are joining us for the first time, I strongly advise starting Season 4 at the beginning, with S4-E1.) Chapter Nine holds the climactic scene of this little novella, and I dare not risk a spoiler—just listen and enjoy for yourself. I will add a special thanks to the students in my first period class who served as something like a “live studio audience” for this chapter’s recording. May they find inspiration in the experience to go out and explore their own creativity.

[*Music Credits—used by permission: Eternal Sleep by Darren Curtis https://www.darrencurtismusic.com/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/ Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/]

This episode is an audiobook performance of the eighth chapter of Undine, by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. (If you are joining us for the first time, I strongly advise starting Season 4 at the beginning, with S4-E1.) In Chapter Eight, Huldbrand, Undine, and Bertalda take a boating trip to explore the Danube. Things start off brilliantly, then steadily and rapidly dissolve into serious trouble. Undine’s courage and Huldbrand’s faithfulness are put to the test in ways equally dreadful and meaningful.