Love Actually

Two men sitting on a bench in front of a house.

Until recently, I had never really thought about being straight—if you asked me who I was, I would tell you I was someone who adored books, talked a lot, wanted to move to Europe, and enjoyed gourmet cooking long before I even thought to mention that I liked boys. I experience straight privilege—I am allowed…

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The Revelation Within

Pope john paul ii walks with his back to the crowd.

I remember a conversation I had soon after I left the monastery. I’d been a monk in a Roman Catholic religious order for a few years, and once I was back in the real world, a family member asked me what I wanted to do with my life. “I guess I’d like to be a writer,”…

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The Double Feature

A man and a woman sitting on a couch.

There are movies that I can watch again and again with pleasure because they conjure up for me the “olden” times of my life. The Birds and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? take me back to a quaint California of the early 1960s, my native state. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Heart Is a…

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Beyond Our Comfort Zones

A pink flower on a branch in front of a brick wall.

We all have our comfort zones. Sometimes we decide it’s time to step out, and we just take a leap and hope for the best. Sometimes we’re so afraid of stepping outside of these comfort zones that we never really experience all that life has to offer us. There are even times that we don’t…

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When World Vision Blinked

A child sits at a table with a drawing of a truck.

I didn’t go to church much growing up, but that didn’t stop church ideas getting into me. They were just there, like an invisible, odorless gas that you couldn’t help but breathe in until they became part of you, blood and bone. It’s how I learned the Golden Rule, and also how I learned that…

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Lenten Friendship: Reflecting On The Life Of Oscar Romero

A mural of a man with glasses on a wall.

As we journey through this reflective time of Lent, reflecting on love, sacrifice, transfiguration, pain, fear, and redemption, we also take the time to ponder our friendships, especially around death. March honors the legacy and witness of Archbishop Óscar Romero, a prophetic voice who called for change in church and society—a voice for peace in the midst…

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My Loneliness Led Me To God

A boy smiling for a picture.

Simply writing the title makes me feel over-exposed. Just now walking our dog, Hobbes, I found myself contemplating my lifetime need for God. I felt extremely lonely as a child. Hard to believe in a loving household of a family of five with pets living in a small tract house with a single bathroom, sharing…

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Banned: A Prayer For St. Patrick’s Day

The chicago river is dyed green for st patrick's day.

By now many of you will have heard that the organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston and New York have banned LGBTQ folks from marching “openly” in the event. I’m not sure if this would please Patrick one bit. When he brought the Irish nation to Christ, I do not remember any reference…

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