I wrote this prayer for my uncle who suffers from dementia and barely remembers us any more. If you’ve got someone in a similar place in life, then hopefully this gives you language to pray when words seem to fail us.
(via “Prayers for the Pilgrimage”)
How the times they are a'changing:
"When the Oscars aired on March 2, 2014, a total of 14 original streaming shows existed on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon’s Prime Video."
In 2025, 584 original shows appeared across all streamers.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
According to the latest @pewresearch.org survey, "even among Trump’s strongest supporters, relatively few people say they think he is very religious. Just 8% of Republicans and 5% of White evangelicals say this is the case." He is "somewhat" religious. Yep.
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
A Morning Prayer:
“O God, you who speak a mere word and things come to life, speak your word into my tired soul and breathe your life-giving power into my sluggish body, so that I might accomplish the work that you have established for me today. In your name. Amen.”
“Prayers for the Pilgrimage”
Bishop James Massa, chairman of U.S. Catholic bishops’ doctrine committee:
“When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel.”
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04...
“The pope needs to keep his business to leading his flock, leading the church, and stay out of the political arena." And yet the gospel is always political, in the truest sense of that term. So is the Kingdom of God. Even conservative pastors would agree.
www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
Words are never just words. Words always retain power. They have the power to bless and to curse.
"Which is why I’m troubled by the annihilationist rhetoric coming from the White House. It numbs our souls and corrodes our moral sensibilities."
firstthings.com/ethics-of-rh...
A prayer for those who go to bed this night weary of body, restless of heart or anxious mind.
(via “Prayers for the Pilgrimage”)
Today was the final day to make changes to my @BrazosPress book, "To Set the World Aflame." I kept thinking, “If I only had one more week, or just one extra day, I could make it better.” But the truth is: There’s no such things as a perfect book, only a done book. Off you go.
It sounds like Pope Leo XIV is just doing his job, as Saint Peter once outlined it in Acts 5:29: "We must obey God rather than any human authority."
“I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/u...
If you’re feeling stressed out by all the things you’ve got to get done today or this week, then this prayer is for you:
(via "Prayers for the Pilgrimage")
I love social media. It's the perfect place to learn all about wonderful Latin phrases that you probably studied in high school but promptly forgot, like "ad hominem" and "non sequitur." Social media is the place where you'll see these deployed in A+ fashion. Oh me.
The near-total silence from far-right conservative Christians on the president's genocidal rhetoric is damning. Glad there are a few exceptions.
"When a sitting president says that an entire civilization will probably die, he has done something morally serious."
firstthings.com/when-rhetori...
“I started to write when I was five, and as I look back on 50 years of this work, I am forced to see that my own continuing development involves pain...The power of God is to be found in weakness, but it is God’s power."
"Madeleine L’Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life"
My prayer book is on sale at a criminally affordable price! For only $5.99 you too can get a book that includes prayers for “Frigg’s Day,” “A Mid-Life’s Crisis,” “Justice,” “Sloth,” “Janitors,” “Single Parents,” “A Job Interview,” “Driving through Traffic” and “Pets.”
www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQV7Z42...
Galley copy of my book on the vocation of artists in hand. “This is Not Final Text.” But it’s almost final. Go, fight, win.
A Prayer for Resurrection Sunday: that our Risen Lord by his Spirit might make dry bones live, awaken deadened minds, revive barren hearts, and make streams appear in the wastelands of our lives this day and evermore.
(via "Prayers for the Pilgrimage")
“We tend to consider ourselves powerful when we dominate, victorious when we destroy our equals, great when we are feared.” -- Pope Leo XIV
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/w...
With “Days of Ash,” U2 sounded out the themes of Lent. With “Easter Lily” they give musical voice to the sounds of Easter. I already loved U2 plenty. Now I love them with the love of the church calendar—which is a lot!
open.spotify.com/album/1DY06Z...
A Prayer for Good Friday:
that our crucified Lord might take our own broken bodies and bless them, so that they might become agents of God’s healing to our broken world this day.
(via "Prayers for the Pilgrimage")
A Prayer for Maundy Thursday: that we might discover the freedom of serving others for Christ’s sake without notice or recompense.
(via "Prayers for the Pilgrimage")
A prayer for those who are tired of being embarrassed of their tears or ashamed of crying in public and who always feel the need to say, “I’m sorry,” if they start crying in front of others: a prayer, in short, for those who wish to be like Jesus, the truly human one.
Working on a brief reflection for this Good Friday that'll draw inspiration from detective Benoit Blanc’s exchange with Father Jud Duplenticy in Rian Johnson’s third “Knives Out” movie. What story does the story of Good Friday tell and how does it redefine all our stories of suffering & loss?
A Prayer for Holy Tuesday: for the comfort of the Holy Spirit when we feel unloved in any way.
(via “Prayers for the Pilgrimage”)
"The just war tradition has always recognized the sanctity of human life and the spiritual peril of taking it, which is one of the reasons “no mercy” and “no quarter” orders are traditionally a violation of the laws of war—and...also against American law."
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Therapy as the art and science of self-flattery: Or why your chatbot therapist will never ask you the hard question, demand something of you, no matter how painful, or piss you off by asking you to do the hard thing.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/o...
A Prayer for Holy Monday: that we might resist the temptation to resent or to become indifferent to the burdens of others.
(via “Prayers for the Pilgrimage”)
Robots as homeschool teachers? Nope.
"AI can patiently help children develop "deep critical thinking and independent reasoning abilities," achieve a "more well-rounded lifestyle" as they make time for other activities and become a "more complete person."
www.cbsnews.com/news/melania...
It’s finals week here at Fuller Seminary, which means that we’ve begun the marathon of grading research papers. And so we pray….
A Prayer to Resist Temptation:
O Lord, grant me the courage to resist all present temptations and protection against all evils to come, so that I might taste your life-giving power this day and commend your saving grace to those who face their own troubles and temptations. In your name. Amen.