Photo by Marian Kroell on Unsplash “But sometimes we actually need our world to be shaken up. It can be part of what saves us.” Michael T. McRay Disruption. I recoil from the experience of it. In the interest of transparency, I confess that I avoid it like the plague. On purpose, I wake up…
Tag: chaos
Say “Yes” to the Mess
As we kick off Advent 2020 today, I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to retell an old story in a new way that was published in this month’s edition of Christ is Our Hope Magazine. I invite you to join me this Advent in saying “Yes” to the Mess and finding Love…
The Beginning of Freedom is to Call Things by their Right Names
When I was still too young to have learned words to express what was happening within my inner life, there were times I felt myself to be absolutely trapped in a sense of utter terror, seemingly without warning or understanding and without the ability to ask for help. It took until I was almost 20…
2019: Goodbye Melancholy; Hello Lovely!
I have to admit I’ve never been a person who was captivated by systems of government or put much faith in politics. While I believe it is a legit calling for many a brave soul, it has never interested me. Long ago, during the early years of marriage, I found myself in exasperation over my…
Hardness of Heart is No Match for Bold Love
Yesterday morning, after a long hiatus, I stopped by sacredspace.ie to hang out with the Irish Jesuits. Since 1999, they have hosted a website which guides users through a wee bit of daily prayer. Not only does it offer to me a quick connection with my God, but it does double duty–it connects me…
Cherishing the Wait for the Fulfillment of Hope: What the Chicago Cubs Taught Me About Advent this Year
There have only been four times in the last twenty-two years when Christmas landed on a Sunday. The reason I take notice of this is because in my twenty-two year career working for the Catholic Church, that is the number of occasions when I had four complete weeks of Advent in which to complete the…
The Lifeless Backdrop for a Glorious Unfolding
We are in that time of year in the Midwest when referring to the month of March, it is said, “It comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” This year has been no exception to that old saying. And let me tell you, there have been times during this month when we’ve glimpsed the…
Say “Yes” to the Mess
About a six weeks ago, I was running along the river pondering how life had been relatively smooth, as of late, mirroring the state of the water that was my companion on that run. In fact, the river was so smooth, I could see in it a perfect reflection of the trees that hang so gracefully over its banks….
An Oblivious Amen
This past week I was delighted to find out that a local Catholic church was hosting one of my new favorite recording artists, Matt Maher (http://www.mattmahermusic.com/), in concert at a venue close to my home. Even though I really wanted to go, with the looming deadline of a rather large quarterly tax payment due in just days,…
EYES WIDE OPEN 