A reader writes, I am emailing to ask you what particular practice of prayer you would suggest to someone starting out on the mystical path? I have a little experience…
Is the Liturgy of the Hours a Required Practice for Christian Contemplatives Today?
A reader writes, I’ve been leaning into a contemplative way of life for a couple of decades now… I’ve settled down into a daily pattern of Examen, Lectio Divina, and…
Teresa of Ávila: A Passionate Mystic of the Love of God
Visit the Cornaro Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome, and you will see a 17th century masterpiece of Baroque sculpture: Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s The Ecstasy of St….
Unteachable Hope, or, My Dream for Readers of My Latest Book
“What is your greatest hope for this book?” This question came to me the other day from my friend Colette Lafia, a spiritual director and the author of Comfort and Joy and Seeking…
The Point Behind “Be Still and Know”
One of the most popular verses in the Bible is Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” You can go into a Christian gift shop and find…
Biased Against Creative Work? It’s Easy to Do
Recently I went for a walk with a good friend of mine. We were chatting as we walked, and one topic that came up was the forthcoming movie adaptation of Little…
A Reason Why Liturgy Matters: "Like Staring Out Into Eternity"
So often, it seems to me, that people who are drawn to the Christian tradition of mysticism and contemplation are eager to learn practices like Centering Prayer or the Jesus…
Contemplating Dragon Con: Pop Culture, Creativity, and the Masks We Wear
Each year on Labor Day weekend downtown Atlanta hosts Dragon Con, one of the larger conventions for fans of science fiction, fantasy, comics, horror, gaming, and various other forms of…
Howard Thurman: With Head and Heart
So in reading Howard Thurman’s autobiography, I expected to bask in his deeply authentic humility, his compassionate heart, and his keen sense of God’s presence, justice and mercy. But what truly blew me away about the autobiography was the evidence of just how deep a mystic he was — and the continual delight of enjoying his rhetorical skill as a writer.
Remembering the Monk Who Wrote About Grace
Last week Father James Behrens, OCSO died suddenly. He was 71 years old. Father James had been a Catholic priest for 45 years and a Trappist monk for 25 years….
Advance Praise for “Unteachable Lessons”
One of the scariest moments for me, as an author, is when my editor and I have finished working on a book, and we then send the manuscript out to…
Is Mystical Spirituality an Appropriate Response to the Social and Political Crises of Our Time? Absolutely.
I am writing these words on a Monday morning following two mass shootings that occurred on the previous weekend — one in El Paso, TX, and the other in Dayton,…