Dean Nelson has published hundreds of articles and stories in his career. Featured in publications like the New York Times, San Diego Union Tribune, Relevant, San Diego Magazine, and many others, Dean’s writings have included investigative reporting, travel writing, current events, profiles, and humor.
For many of the articles below you can download a PDF copy..
(Alternatively, you can view Dean’s articles arranged by publisher here)
Travel Writing
Dean's travels have taken him to, among other places, Iceland, Ireland, Belgium, Guatemala, and all over the U.S. Stories about these travels are listed below.
- 2016, Westways: European Tour - Croatia & Montenegro (PDF)
- 2015, New York Times: In Iceland, a Literary Tour Explores Rich History (PDF)
- 2014, New York Times: In Haiti, Beauty That Plays Hard to Get (to) (PDF)
- 2014, Westways: Irish Adventure (PDF)
- 2010, Hummingbird Review: Cow's Head Revisited (PDF)
- 2008, San Diego Magazine: Flashback to Bruges (PDF)
- 2008, Westways: Waterworks: Serving Others Enriches a Father and Daughter’s Trip to Guatemala (PDF)
- 2007, Science and Spirit: Play it Again, Sammy (PDF)
- 2004, New York Times: Backpack Trek: The Next Generation (PDF)
- 2004, Science and Spirit: Tracking the Buddha (PDF)
- 2001, New York Times: A Fishing Trip With an Agenda (PDF)
- 2001, New York Times: Learning To Take It Seriously (PDF)
- 1999, New York Times: Finding Order Amid the Chaos (PDF)
- 1995, New York Times: Looking for America, Greyhound Style (PDF)
In Plain Sight
In this series of articles Dean Nelson explores how to recognize the presence and grace of God in the chaos and monotony of everyday life.
- 2016, Refreshed Magazine: Resolving to forgive and to love (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: Warm memories of near-tragic winter event (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: Setting a bigger table (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: Big lesson in serving small (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: Beware your message on the run (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: Married to selflessness (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: Feasting on fellowship (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: Don't miss the moment (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: On confident footing (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: A single red balloon (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: Finding the Presence of mind (PDF)
- 2015, Refreshed Magazine: Bread winner: Provoking harmony with an act of kindness (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: Living Bethlehem (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: Grace at work - even in tragedy (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: Feasting on humble pie (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: The high calling of selling dresses (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: Unconventional Communion (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: Tangerines as soul food? (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: Living beyond code compliance (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: It starts with water (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: A wild lesson in pursuit (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: In pursuit of the whole road (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: Pay attention: Our best stories are told in the details (PDF)
- 2014, Refreshed Magazine: Serving with simple tools (PDF)
- 2009, USA Today: 'Holy' moments surround us (PDF)
If you find these topics interesting, Dean's 2009 book "God Hides in Plain Sight: How to See the Sacred in a Chaotic World" explores this to greater depths.
Storyline Blog: Donald Miller
For the past several years, Dean Nelson has been a regular contributor on Donald Miller's Storyline blog. You can read any of those articles online below. Enjoy! Dean has interviewed Donald Miller twice at events in 2013 and 2006. If you'd like to see the interaction between Dean and Donald, you can watch those interviews online.
- The Storms We Can’t Predict (2016)
- Where Do you go to heal a broken heart? (2015)
- When all that you have is exactly what someone needs (2015)
- Plotting Revenge feels so good until it doesn't (2015)
- Travel Advisory: Don't Jump to Conclusions (2015)
- The One Question We Should all ask of each other and ourselves (2015)
- What are Friends For? Sometimes it is Easier than you Think (2015)
- Reaching for the Sky (2014)
- Another Reason Why I'm Not an American Ninja Warrior (2014)
- Was I Prepared to Hike the Grand Canyon? Uhh, Sort Of... (2014)
- Don't You Love It When You're Right? Except When You're Wrong (2014)
- Sometimes My Headaches Bring Out The Best in My Friends (2014)
- Hey Cellphone User! Oh, Never Mind (2013)
- Evicting Rats, Digging Up Memories (2013)
Random Essays and Stories
- 2022, Head to Steelville to mark major anniversaries with The Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Wildwood Springs Lodge (PDF)
- 2022, The Christian Century: Evolutionary Science Meets Evangelical Faith (PDF)
- 2020, San Diego Union Tribune: Commentary: The gift with the quarantine (PDF)
- 2020, Cincinnati Enquirer: Sam Wyche Became My Coach For a Painfully Brief Time (PDF)
- 2017, San Diego Magazine: The Prestigious Kyoto Prize Comes to San Diego (PDF)
- 2017, Missouri Life: Laser Beam in my Dream (PDF)
- 2017, Missouri Life: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils are Still Shining (PDF)
- 2013, Golf Getaways: Poetic Justice at Torrey Pines(PDF)
- 2013, San Diego Magazine: My Father the Hero(PDF)
- 2013, Hummingbird Review: While Preparing to Interview Billy Collins(PDF)
- 2012, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Yes you can go home again(PDF)
- 2011, Beliefnet: Test Everything(PDF)
- 2009, Burnside Writers Collective: How the Minnesota Twins Made the Spin of the Ball, and the World, Make Sense(PDF)
- 1996, San Diego Union Tribune: Relaxed dad glad he left driving to them (PDF)
Interviews & Profiles
What do the former President of Mexico Vicente Fox, Rob Bell, and Anne Lamott have in common? While many people talk about and have opinions on them, Dean Nelson has actually talked with them. Below you will find some of Dean's interviews that have been published in magazines like Relevant and Science and Spirit Magazine. Click on any of the titles below to download a PDF copy of the article. If you are interested in watching videos of some of Dean's interviews with writers such as Ray Bradbury, Phillip Yancey, Paul Farmer, and Rachel Held Evans, you can watch them here.
- 2022 In her new novel, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni rediscovers India’s long lost queen (PDF)
- 2021 Destin Daniel Cretton: the calm in the eye of the Hollywood storm (PDF)
- 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 'I owe this man everything' view online or view PDF
- 2017, Sojourners: The Paradoxes of Mother Teresa (PDF)
- 2017, Quill: No Danger With Strangers - Conduct and Prepare for Interviews That Will Get Even the Haters to Talk (PDF)
- 2016, The Christian Century: Riffing on a Prayer, Jazz Vespers Every Week in San Diego (PDF)
- 2014, San Diego Magazine: Q&A: Anne Lamont (PDF)
- 2014, Outreach Magazine: Soulfires: Guatemala’s Healing Waters (PDF)
- 2012, Relevant: Vicente Fox The Former President of Mexico is Turning the Tide for Mexican Youth (PDF)
- 2012, San Diego Magazine: The Fantastic Mr. Fox: The former President of Mexico looks to San Diego for help in fixing his country (PDF)
- 2011, North County Times: Father Joe continues his 'hustle' even into retirement (PDF)
- 2011, Outreach Magazine: Herbert Cooper: People’s Church, Oklahoma City (PDF)
- 2011, North County Times: Author argues we've evolved beyond need for religion (PDF)
- 2011, Risen Magazine: Rob Bell: The Preacher who kicked the hornet's nest (PDF)
- 2011, Risen Magazine: Tom McCarthy: Small Moments become Big Decisions (PDF)
- 2011, Risen Magazine: Richie Furay (PDF)
- 2010, Risen Magazine: Davis Guggenheim: More Truth, Even Less Convenient (PDF)
- 2009, Risen Magazine: Molly Jenson: Oh my gosh its me (PDF)
- 2007, Science and Spirit: An Unforgivable Act? (PDF)
- 2007, Science and Spirit: The Healing Waters (PDF)
- 2007, Science and Spirit: Braving the Awful Truth (PDF)
- 2007, Christian Single: Hitting the Right Notes (PDF)
- 2007, Relevant: Q&A: Eugene Peterson (PDF)
- 2007, Relevant: Raw Christianity: A Conversation with Anne Lamott (PDF)
- 2007, San Diego Lawyer: Bob Goff and Restore International: Bringing Hope to Those in Need (PDF)
- 2002, Science and Spirit: Words to Live By (PDF)
- 1996, New York Times: Political Newcomer Wins Plum Role at a Convention (PDF)
- 1986, San Diego Union Tribune: Diving to the Titanic…first there were the ‘oohs and ahs’ (PDF)
Current Events and Editorials
Dean Nelson has written extensively covering events of local and national interest, including investigative journalism into the inner workings of San Diego city hall, Hurricane Katrina, and the Heaven's Gate mass suicide in 1997. You can explore any of those articles by clicking the titles below to download a PDF copy.
- 2016, The Christian Century: Encounters with a Saint (PDF)
- 2016, San Diego Union Tribune: Mother Teresa: a Myth, a Celebrity, or a Hero? (PDF)
- 2016, San Diego Magazine: Get Inspired by the New Documentary Janey Makes a Play (PDF)
- 2012, San Diego Magazine: Inside Miles McPherson’s Rock Church (PDF)
- 2009, San Diego Union Tribune: Holding the Powerful Accountable (PDF)
- 2008, San Diego Magazine: Who You Gonna Call? (PDF)
- 2008, San Diego Union Tribune: Some Perspective on Political Satire (PDF)
- 2007, San Diego Magazine: The Uncivil War at City Hall (PDF)
- 2007, San Diego Union Tribune: Citizen journalism: With all those cell phones out there, who needs journalists? (PDF)
- 2007, Science and Spirit: Craving a Discourse (PDF)
- 2007, Christian Single: Sex and the Single (PDF)
- 2007, Frum Forum: No Need for Christians to Fear Science (PDF)
- 2006, Sojourners: A Cup of Life (PDF)
- 2006, Sojourners Magazine: Singing for Clean Water (PDF)
- 2006, Utne Reader: Saffron Robes and Lab Coats (PDF)
- 2006, Youth Worker Journal: Predators Among Us: Teens And Youth Workers Confront Internet (PDF)
- 2006, Theology News and Notes: Media as Extension of Ministry (PDF)
- 2005, Christianity Today: Admissions Rejected (PDF)
- 2005, San Diego Union Tribune: Religion, science converge at conference - Dalai Lama a guest at Stanford (PDF)
- 2005, San Diego Union Tribune: Covering Katrina ...And some things they didn't (PDF)
- 2005, Sojourners Magazine: The Apocalypse Next Door (PDF)
- 2004, San Diego Lawyer: Centralized Courts: Do Unification and State Funding add up to a loss of control? (PDF)
- 2003, Christianity Today: Do Drink the Water (PDF)
- 2003, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Fire and Grace in California (PDF)
- 2002, San Diego Union Tribune: Unspeakable act; loving response (PDF)
- 2002, San Diego Union Tribune: The media gag: Order likely to fuel speculation, rumor-mongering (PDF)
- 2000, San Diego Union Tribune: A free press and an informed public (PDF)
- 1999, San Diego Union Tribune: The lessons we are teaching our children (PDF)
- 1997, New York Times: Families Learning of 39 Cultists Who Died Willingly (PDF)
- 1997, New York Times: In Serene Setting in California, A Suicide Investigation Unfolds (PDF)
- 1997, San Diego Union Tribune: Aid to China’s poor comes from Heart (PDF)
- 1997, Christianity Today: To Heaven on a UFO? (PDF)
- 1996, San Diego Union Tribune: Sing elders’ praises while they live (PDF)
- 1995, New York Times: Engineer's Ice Plant Helps Power County (PDF)
- 1992, New York Times: San Diego Newspaper Adjusts to Merger (PDF)
- 1989, Boston Globe: Some want US to ditch plan for border barrier (PDF)
- 1987, Boston Globe: Conner's Homecoming Captivates San Diego (PDF)
- 1987, Boston Globe: Rejoicing, reservations abound at Conner's club (PDF)
- 1986, Boston Globe: An 'open door' on the border (PDF)
- 1985, Boston Globe: Desperados meet high tech along US border with Mexico (PDF)
- 1985, Boston Globe: Fires are a personal matter to volunteers in California (PDF)
- 1985, Boston Globe: The US border agents' challenge (PDF)
John Polkinghorne
Dean's interest in John Polkinghorne and the intersection between faith and science culminated in his 2011 book Quantum Leap: How John Polkinghorne Found God in Science and Religion. You can explore some of the other articles Dean has published on John Polkinghorne's life and works below.
- 2013, Outreach Magazine: Physics, Faith and the Myth of Intellectual Suicide (PDF)
- 2011, USA Today: Why certainty about God is overrated (PDF)
- 2011, The Saturday Evening Post: God vs. Science (PDF)
- 2011, KPBS: The Quantum Leap Between Religion and Science (PDF)
- 2010, The Christian Century: Unseen Realities (PDF)
- 2010, North County Times: Physicist and priest, Polkinghorne balances science and faith (PDF)
- 2009, Beliefnet: Physics and the Body of Christ (PDF)
Book Review