On the Nightstand: The World Is My Cloister–Living From the Hermit Within

This book popped up in one of my social media feeds, and I’m sure you’re not surprised I ordered it right away. The title is taken from a beautiful quote for St. Francis of Assisi: “The world is my cloister, my body is my cell, and my soul is the hermit within.” However… It wasn’t… Continue reading On the Nightstand: The World Is My Cloister–Living From the Hermit Within

On the Nightstand: Be Bold in the Broken

Mary Lenaburg‘s had a journey few of us would envy, but one that definitely inspires: twenty-two years of caring for her daughter Courtney, who as an infant suffered a series of seizures from which she never fully recovered. Mary’s got a gift of transparency when it comes to sharing her story and struggles…. how how… Continue reading On the Nightstand: Be Bold in the Broken

Friends in Faith: Deborah Elliott-Upton

It was a hot west Texas day in Amarillo, and I was going to be teaching at a writers’ conference. I came in a day earlier to “play” with a writer friend, Deborah Elliott-Upton, who I’d met a couple years earlier at the same conference. We had hit it off right away the first time,… Continue reading Friends in Faith: Deborah Elliott-Upton

On the Nightstand: Jesuit and Franciscan Spirituality

The past few weeks have been crazy busy for me. So I’m grateful my friend Caroline Lawry gifted me Hearts on Fire: Praying with Jesuits. It’s a lovely collection of dozens of prayers, none more than a page long. It’s helped keep me remember faith is more important than any of the world’s noise. I’ll… Continue reading On the Nightstand: Jesuit and Franciscan Spirituality