Category: Life
-
This morning’s blog-related “God moment”
I have a friend who calls explicit acts of providence in her life-the ones she recognizes as God reaching out to her–“God moments.” I had one today at Mass THE SET UP Yesterday, I wrote a blog post to release today, introducing the members of The Crimson League (the rag tap resistance group in my…
-
The Crimson League shows everyone has something to contribute
Each leaguesman IS needed. Each one is beautifully necessary as the story of the League unfolds–the quiet ones and the brash ones, the thinkers and those who rush to act, the sensitive ones and the hardened ones. So it is in real life. Each one of us is unique and irreplaceable. We fight different flaws…
-
My favorite street marker in Madrid
I’m a bit of a world traveler in my way, back from my days in graduate school, mostly. I almost got a PhD in Spanish literature, so I’ve spent a lot of time in Madrid. I actually finished my first draft of The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope there the summer after graduating with…
-
On courage
G. K. Chesterton (he’s just about the most quotable guy ever) says in Orthodoxy that: “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.” For YEARS now, I cannot think think of this quote without thinking that it would be a perfect…
-
On hope: why it’s worth fighting for
I find it intriguing that, as I work toward re-releasing my fantasy trilogy (and then a prequel), the publisher I’m working with suggested “The Fight for Hope” as a subtitle for the first installment. They suggested a few other subtitles, none of which I liked at all. “The Fight for Hope” grabbed at me, and…
-
Survival mode: trials make and reveal us
One of my favorite writers, Dr. Peter Kreeft, is fond of quoting Rabbi Abraham Herschel. The quote? “The man who has not suffered–what does he know, anyway?” This is a deep truth: the truth that our sufferings and trials make us, in a real sense, who we are. They reveal who we are. Dennis Prager…
-
When you’re stuck in survival mode
Survival mode is NOT fun. We’ve all been there. My most recent experience with survival mode was after leaving religious life. I was only there nine months as a postulant, but all my hopes and plans for my life collapsed. I’d say I was in survival mode for a good 18 months after that, until…
-
What writing and blogging are really all about
Three years after leaving religious life, I no longer feel necessarily like I am in survival mode. (I will write about survival mode soon.) Still, somedays, with an upcoming release, a full-time day job I am super blessed to have, even if makes me uncomfortable and frustrated–I’m constantly reminding myself that life isn’t about comfort–limited…
-
Endurance and discipline: the virtues of writing
I don’t think it’s controversial to propose that for each one of us, certain virtues come easier than others. Temperament as well as personal history probably play a role in this, but the fact is, we all find some virtues easier to practice than others. Some people can be naturally cheerful, even when they feel…
-
What writing fiction taught me about how God works with us
My journey with God has certainly has its ups and downs, from a whirlwind conversion experience in 2014, to entering the monastery, to deciding to leave religious formation nine months later. Now, my fiction is NOT, in explicit terms, Christian fiction. I write sword and sorcery fantasy, most of the time in an action/adventure vein.…
Creative Writing with the Crimson League 