-
Pouring out a thousand graces…
What do you do when the grace runs low? When my son called from Phoenix, he asked, “How was your Father’s Day?” I told him the truth: I took a long walk in…
-
A New Image of the Father
A year ago, I was walking the beach at sunrise. The sky was glowing orange, the waves brushing the sand, the birds gliding overhead. Then I saw something that stayed with me: a…
-
How God answers prayers in surprising ways
Some days God answers prayers in ways I would never choose. Driving to the homeless shelter recently, I prayed an unusual but heartfelt prayer: “Lord, please let there be no police officers…
-
Finding God in the Liturgical Dissonance
I returned to a beautiful little church in the Blue Ridge mountains after nearly a decade away, and felt a quiet disappointment. The church itself remains as striking as I remembered—perched on a…
-
When quiet fails, discover God in the noise
I planned to write last week about Saint Teresa of Ávila’s “Prayer of Quiet.” Instead, at 8:30 a.m., the Terminix truck pulled up, someone arrived to install skylights, and a crew of carpenters…
-
Suscipe: A beautiful prayer when Jesus is silent
I was meeting with a man in the middle of an ugly divorce. All he wanted—desperately—was reconciliation with his wife. Each attempt to reach out, however well-intentioned, was reported as a violation of…
-
The Holy Man on the Bluff
Brené Brown gives this advice about facing difficult situations: Don’t shrink. Don’t puff up. Stand your holy ground. Here’s a story that illustrates all three, and might be helpful if you sense some…
-
How to enter the silence needed to hear God
Sunday was a beautiful Fall day. I sat outside to pray in solitude and silence. I gazed upon the trees around the lake, soaked up the beauty of the blue sky, and felt…
-
What’s spiritual “food insecurity” and how to avoid it?
Sunday, I participated in Catawba County’s Hunger Walk through the quaint little downtown area of Newton, NC. Three local charities provide food for the hungry: Ashure Ministries, The Corner Table, and the Hickory…
-
How to sing “Happy Birthday” to Mother Mary
A scene I witnessed at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City filled my heart with wonder. Among the hundreds of people milling about this most visited Catholic shrine in the…
