“Dear God, I am so afraid to open my clenched fists! Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands? Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but… Continue reading #BISbookstudy
Be dissatisfied. Be completely unsure why. Try to find ways to be satisfied. Some suggestions: achieve goals, get a new job, fall in love, buy new clothes, travel, go to concerts, drink, eat, decorate your house Continue to be dissatisfied. Start wondering why. Really wonder. Some suggestions: journal, read, trawl social media, sit in an… Continue reading so you want to change your life
Back in Lent, I posted about what practices I was taking on for the season and also gave a little update during Holy Week about how they had gone. Some of those I have retained and some of those have fallen away. For instance, my bed is currently not made. But as I am continuing… Continue reading what my spiritual life looks like right now [june 2015]
I have never really been a subscriber of the “bloom where you’re planted” philosophy. I’m more of the “change everything until it works” school of thought (that is not a real thing). In any case, though, I tend to be more willing to make change than to work through things. It’s not great, especially because… Continue reading standing where my feet are
I easily fall into having a diet full of garbage, both my actual diet and my media diet. I recently listened to a book that had some good takeaways, one of which was setting themes for 90 days at a time, like fiscal quarters. I decided in early April that my quarterly theme is “Cut the Clutter.”… Continue reading cutting through the internet clutter
Earlier this week, I had conversations with two of my friends about a topic that has been on my mind a lot – obedience. Obedience isn’t a popular concept, especially in our fiercely individualist, independent culture. I am very much a product of that culture. Even a year ago, I would have conflated obedience with oppression… Continue reading the flip side of handing god my problems
How is your Lent going? It’s Passiontide (which I only just really learned about by going to a Dominican event with chanting and lots of candles last night), which means we have two weeks to really buckle down and get serious about this Lent thing. It’s so nice we get all these chances, like Laetare Sunday… Continue reading lent 2015 final push check-in
Lent and St. Patrick’s Day are really contradicting each other this year. To be honest, I just want to make some soda bread, have a beer, maybe some Bailey’s, and watch Waking Ned Devine. Fortunately, I can still watch Waking Ned Devine. See here for the appropriate soundtrack to this post. (Yes, it’s the Waking Ned Devine version… Continue reading celebrating a different irish saint
Ugh, guys. Reminded of this right now. Kayla Mueller, Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammed, and Razan Mohammed Abu-Salha were all young, peaceful, engaged, faith-filled people. We need more of those kind of people in the world. It is tragic to lose even one of them, under any circumstances. I want to spend my Lent focusing on… Continue reading embracing lent in a bleak world
I’ve been struggling lately, and it’s not a secret. I feel unsettled, and no surprise why: since I graduated from college, I’ve lived in two cities, three apartments, and held four jobs, most of which have included upheaval within them. And now the relationship I have been in that whole time is ending, and I… Continue reading a little epiphany talk
cold pressed 