Franciscan Life
Franciscan life is a love story — with God, with the poor, with the earth, with the stranger. Rooted in the spirit of Francis and Clare of Assisi, these posts explore what it means to embrace simplicity, kinship, and courageous countercultural choices in a world that constantly pushes the other direction. From returning land to Indigenous communities to the spirituality of dumpster diving to what the feast of St. Francis has to teach us today, this is a space for anyone drawn to the Franciscan way — whether you’ve taken vows or are just beginning to feel its pull.
Finding common ground in the din of debate
Debate divides this nation, and democracy is in disarray. On one hand, we enjoy light, good-natured disagreements: — Is the dress blue and black or…
Beyond lonely scrolling
Sitting alone in a living room on a dark winter night, I am staring at a screen once again. With a TV buzzing in the…
Change isn’t linear
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know…
The mess of 2018 in five posts
Happy New Year, Messy Jesus Business readers! As the calendar pages turn, it is a good time to pause and consider how God’s graces have…
How Do Words Become Flesh?
This womb of mine will not know the pangs of pregnancy. My skin will not tighten when another body becomes part of my flesh. My…
O Come Emmanuel: Free us prisoners
Sitting next to me in another hard, plastic chair is a good-hearted man wearing brightly colored scrubs — colors that label him as guilty of…
Entry into Advent: the pacing of discovery
Psalm 80 is often read in churches all over the world during the Advent season. Throughout this psalm of yearning we pray, “restore us, O…
Most wonderful time of the year
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Except, for you, this holiday season is anything but. Maybe you are moving through the annual…