When I saw the notice from the Society of St. John the Evangelist inviting people to add a contemporary dimension to the watching and waiting of Advent, I jumped on board. “Pray through Advent. Pray through your phone camera. Create a Global Advent Calendar. Sign up and receive the daily Adventword. Tweet or Insta an image for each day’s #Adventword. Watch…

I’m a sucker for all the year-in-review lists that pop up at this time of year. I’ll read with glee those wry month-by-month summaries of the past year like Dave Barry’s annual column, or those annual lists of the worst movies of the year (or ever made, which will no doubt be rejiggered to include this…

I was contracted to write a small Advent prayer booklet at the beginning of this year. I’ve done a good measure of devotional writing over the years, and rarely expect to hear from those reading the words I’ve penned. My job is to behold Jesus, then share using imperfect, broken words what I’ve witnessed. I…

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”, and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with…

I’ve always loved reading old cook books. My mom hated to cook, so our weeknight dinners when I was growing up were usually broiled steaks with iceberg lettuce salads and Green Giant frozen vegetables in rotation with Chinese take-out, McDonald’s, or pizza. Long before I was first introduced to cooking in my middle school Home Economics…

He told them a story. Then he told them another one. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed,” he said. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast kneaded into dough.” Jesus told them stories meant to help their souls awaken to the life to which he came to invite them. He told them…