This summer has turned out much busier than I had expected or planned on, though it has all been good things. Visiting friends, enjoying various celebrations, working in ministry and being able to serve others; these are activities that bring great joy to my heart and soul. However, after the last few years of moving houses, planning a wedding, and settling into a new stage of life, I’ll admit that I’m looking forward to a reprieve from so much activity.…
A Canticle for Leibowitz was written by Walter M. Miller, Jr. and first published in 1959. In 1961, it won the Hugo Award for best science fiction novel, and, according to Wikipedia, it has never been out of print. However, if you’ve never heard of this book before, don’t be very surprised; I had never heard of it either until fairly recently. On the other hand, I feel like we should all be surprised that we aren’t more familiar with…
This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte. One of my favorite scenes in the Bible is when Jesus walks on the water of the Sea of Galilee and calls St. Peter to come out to Him. And Peter does it. He steps out of the boat and onto the water, and he walks toward Our Lord. But then he notices the wind and the storm around him, and he begins to sink. It’s easy…
I was finally able to get a batch of baby chicks at the new house! It’s been a bit of trial just getting the chicks in the first place. None of the local places could keep them in stock this spring, and even when they would get new shipments there was never much variety. I finally ended up ordering some online from a hatchery based out west. But while they all arrived seemingly safe, I ended up losing about half…
Life is starting to settle down a bit finally and I’m slowly getting myself unpacked and organized in my new home. This means access to and rediscovery of many things that have been in storage for the last year and a half; most importantly, my books. I still don’t have nearly enough bookcases, but when will I ever? One of my greatest delights these days is sorting and categorizing my books. Some books live in defined enough categories that they…
My deep affinity for Russian literature is often hard to explain, or even to understand myself. The Russians will lay bare the worst aspects of fallen humanity, even their “heroes” are shown to be flawed and weak, and yet there are always glimpses of hope and grace and redemption. I’ve been averaging about 75 total books each year for the last few years, and yet it took me five months to read the 700+ pages of Anna Karenina. Currently, I’m…
This past Easter marked ten years since I was baptized and received into the Catholic Church. This anniversary, combined with my recent wedding and the beginning of a new stage of life, has certainly been cause for a great deal of reflection. A lot happens in life in the span of ten years. Ten years ago, I was barely twenty-five years old, just two years past my college graduation, and barely knew what I was doing with my life. Working…
This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte. When one thinks of making a pilgrimage, it’s easy to think of such far off places as the Holy Land, Rome or Fatima. When you think of going to see great sites of religious history, it’s not surprising if the mind first ventures to the Middle East or to Europe, where great dramas of history have played out for so many centuries and in so many ways.…
This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte. I love to meditate on the many titles of St. Joseph. As I have grown in awareness and devotion to him over the last several years, his litany has become one of my favorite prayers. Different titles will resonate with me at different times and in different circumstances of life. I’ve also discovered that the litany can make for a good examination of conscious, drawing to the…
One of the things that I love about good books is how they can teach us about life and help to illumine the lessons that perhaps we have already learned. I recently finished re-reading the novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Anne is easily one of the most delightful and beloved of fictional characters; if you aren’t familiar with this imaginative little girl, I highly recommend checking out the book or the 1985 mini-series starring Megan Follows and…