A discussion about everything from quarantine to Thomas Merton.
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Things are Different: Grieve, Slow Down, Pay Attention, Stay Tender.
Things are Different: Grieve Our lives will be forever changed. The grief and loss we now face will forever change us. They already have changed us. They will continue to change us. As long as I keep letting it in, grief is tenderizing me in ways my body had yet to feel. Loss is softeningContinue reading “Things are Different: Grieve, Slow Down, Pay Attention, Stay Tender.”
A Monkish Friendship: Fr. Charles Cummings, OCSO (1940-2020)
“The monastic night watch is good practice in the art of waiting, as we patiently look for the coming of dawn. Monks and nuns wait in the dark, longing for the light of dawn but unable to hasten its coming. No one can force the dawn or bring it about in any way. It dawnsContinue reading “A Monkish Friendship: Fr. Charles Cummings, OCSO (1940-2020)”
New Year, Same Past
There is the place in my life, paradoxically, where mystery is conceived and the best of myself is birthed. It never seems to be a place of great joy, but it is a place of great truth.
Thomas Merton, 51 Years Later
Many of you know I’ve enjoyed the work of Thomas Merton for some years now. To a degree, I echo the words of John Jeremiah Sullivan: “I can’t remember a time when Thomas Merton wasn’t a piece of my mental furniture.” Enjoying the writing of Thomas Merton does NOT mean I enjoy ALL orContinue reading “Thomas Merton, 51 Years Later”
Finding Words Among Poets and Prophets
I just completed my first preaching course during my second year of seminary at CTS where I was surrounded by poets and prophets every single day. From the speakers amid breaks and smiling faces greeting me at the door, to the deepest dedication to growth I’ve ever encountered at a conference… I am truly foreverContinue reading “Finding Words Among Poets and Prophets”
New film teaser, DAY OF A STRANGER
Many of you know I’ve been working on my directorial debut film, Day of a Stranger: the first film about Thomas Merton’s final years in his own words. For this short film, Patrick Shen and I recently took a winter trip to the hermitage and The Thomas Merton Center for filming, and from that have piecedContinue reading “New film teaser, DAY OF A STRANGER”
Read, Pray, Write interviews Cassidy Hall
I had the honor of being interviewed by this new and important podcast created by my dear friend Jean Kelly: Read Pray Write, “Episodes that bring together music, an inspiring text, time for meditation, brief interviews with faith-filled creatives who share how sacred reading can provide soul food for us all” I was overjoyed to discuss andContinue reading “Read, Pray, Write interviews Cassidy Hall”
A New Year Offering
In Parker J. Palmer’s On The Brink of Everything, he writes, “I no longer ask what do I want to let go of and what do I want to hang on to… Instead I ask what do I want to let go of and what do I want to give myself to.” For me (like most ofContinue reading “A New Year Offering”
Merton’s Voice For Today
In a world of destruction, ignorance, and falsities—there is not only a place for love, but love is the only answer…
