When you pull at the thread of questions woven into the fabric of institutionalized thinking, you get a collection of short fictional stories called The Hope and Melvin of Humanity and Other Surprising Short Stories. In the title story, Hope must consider what she believes as she uncovers common denominators between the powers of big business and big religion. It's a story that might offer a more expansive image of love, a more interesting picture of God, and a better way to be human. In The Wrong Side of the Tracks, after an unexpected visit from the father of the young man she is seeing, LaDasia finds herself in the absurd position of choosing between two very different endings. In Golden Point, King Theogad inherits a kingdom built upon surrogate victimization. Will he play the game or attempt to set a new standard? These stories and others are written from a worldview influenced by open relational theology and mimetic theory.