How does a white person write about what’s going on in our country with the epidemic of the shooting of black men by police officers? With the latest shootings in Minnesota of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, I feel overwhelmed and inadequate to the task. How do I express my grief and my anger? How can I be fair to the millions of police officers who do an amazing job while still standing up saying that we have... Read more
In his new book, Reviving Old Scratch: Demons and the Devil for Doubters and the Disenchanted, psychologist and professor Richard Beck describes a personal encounter with the devil: “I didn’t smell brimstone or see a horned shadow on the floor. But I do recall, in a way that haunts me to this day, love crashing into a wall…I’d run into something. And that something knocked me off my spiritual feet.” Beck had been leading Bible study in a prison, but... Read more
About a year ago, as I was growing more and more disillusioned with the reflection of Christianity in American culture, I discovered a podcast called Drunk Ex-Pastors. Christian Kingery and Jason Stellman both grew out of that American version of Christianity, which is, at its best, simple and shallow; at its worst, toxic. Stellman eventually became a Catholic, and Kingery lost his faith, but their friendship remains and the podcast, which tackles issues like doctrine, Hell, and, worse, politics, reaches... Read more
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah. thus says the LORD: Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent. As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort. When I was a practicing Protestant minister, I held a small service in our chapel for a family... Read more
Time to set our sights on what is amazing, what gives us joy – however small – in our daily grind. This shouldn’t be so difficult. Yet ennui is real. And overcoming it, even temporarily, is necessary. Hence our monthly post, Things Keeping Us Alive. It’s a goofy list, yet it’s important for all of us sick pilgrims to retreat from our gloominess and focus on the sunshine. We thrive in the dark and are even comforted by it, but... Read more
A few weeks ago, a friend called me a “blue collar writer” and then backtracked a bit, thinking he’d offended me. I smiled and said I took it as a compliment. I do. I didn’t major in English, nor did I get my MFA. The model for my writing career is my grandfather, who told the craziest stories. He was a working class Catholic who probably hadn’t read any Flannery O’Connor. All he cared about was entertaining his grandchildren... Read more
There has always been something unappealingly puritanical to me about getting up early. It’s so Midwestern. I’m a native of a strange territory, Southeastern Louisiana, where people like to stay up late and sleep past sunrise. Like my mother, I thrive in the late night and need a good 10 hours of unbroken sleep to function. Of course, I haven’t slept like that in the 10.5 years since my daughter was born. Mornings in our house are a horror show of kids... Read more
(As a part of The Conjuring coverage, we’re republishing this article from my blog The Rogue about some of the weird stuff that happened on the set of the first movie.) Some pretty weird things happened to the cast and crew of The Conjuring. For those of you who don’t know, The Conjuring is based on the true story of Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are asked to help a family in crisis. The problem? A demonic witch is terrorizing the Perrons, a family who... Read more
“On that day the mourning in Jerusalem shall be as great as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.” — Zechariah 12:11 While I was visiting my childhood church in Texas recently, I ran into an old friend. It’s been the year of family crises beginning with my dad’s cancer diagnosis last July, then my sister’s stroke, and finally, my grandmother’s death. My friend and I have known each other since we were young and though she was... Read more
I’ve been asked many times “why did you revert to the Catholic Church?” It’s a natural question, and I’ve given a variety of answers. But sometimes, I like to have a little fun with the whole convert/revert discussion. Very often, I’ll lean in and say, “well, it was because of the movie The Conjuring.” This isn’t true by any means, but it does bring out one of many legitimate reasons I made the switch. I’m an avowed believer in what... Read more
Sick Pilgrim
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