These books under construction are rich sources of ideas for talks.  This material may never see print, but is actively being 'written' in my life.  Please pray for the books that need to be written.  THANKS!

Souls at Work

In Souls at Work, I propose that the primary 'work' of man - the 'working out of his salvation', as Scripture puts it - is the formation, the education, of his soul in freedom.  He struggles to resolve tensions,  to look through frames, and to submit to forms. Amid these struggles of being,  he exercises his power to wield and to yield himself. He encounters reality and by responding to it, develops his capacity for freedom. Whereas Sabbath rest is concerned with his being - his essential humanity, work is concerned with his becoming - his effective humanity. Architecture, Healing Modalities, Lay Associations, Blastocysts, Bones, Culture, Dynamic Balance, The Veiled Self....these are some of the topics in Souls at Work.  Watch for progress on soulsatleisure.com.

In Souls at Play, I agree with Pope John Paul II that the human person is not fully himself until he experiences self-donation.  I explore some dimensions of communication - capacity for creativity, the  condescension of love, the destabilizing power of beauty, movement between self and culture, and the way God pours grace into the world through very particular persons. Watch for progress on soulsatleisure.com.

Confessions of a Saint Wannabe

Confessions of a Saint Wannabe - humorist meets spiritual mentor: though it comes as no surprise that I have my imperfections, it may surprise you to hear them shared out loud in full, soul-struggling honesty.  Some of my best lessons about getting things right have been learned by getting them very wrong!  I spoof myself to give you hope that Jesus can change anybody, and that even while he's working on you he's making you more and more truly yourself.

I have used my poems in workshops and retreats to open up new windows into the process of spiritual growth as I've experienced it.  There is a sense in which a poem becomes a place of meeting between myself and the women I speak to about the interior life, struggling toward wholeness, balancing tensions, living creatively, contemplating the ways of God.  Anyone can analyze a poem, but only its creator can really take you into its depths.  The poems I offer, and the accompanying essays about them, give you access to my own experience and the blessings that came with it.

My family and I were the beneficiaries of a nine-month sabbatical in Europe.  It was a life-changing experience, which deepened my understanding of so many things - genuine leisure among them.  Part travelogue, part farce (try searching for popcorn in a little German store, without speaking German!), part spiritual journal, this book should be a fun and uplifting read. 

One of the blessings of the trip to Europe was an extended stay with members of Focolare.  My later involvement with Communion and Liberation, and the Apostles of the Interior Life - all three Catholic apostolates begun in Italy - give me a unique perspective from which to share Convivenza: Lessons from Italy on Living in Community.

Sabbath Simplified

I've found that the things that are mine to say, I keep saying over and over again in different ways.  The irony of promoting Sabbath rest in today's world is that fewer and fewer people have the attention span for extended verbal communication.  My website is much too wordy, for instance, for the standards of internet marketing in these attenuated times.  I am currently writing a drastically simplified version of Souls at Rest in order to make the ideas accessible at a lower reading level.  Perhaps college students and teens will be attracted to the pithier style. They so desperately need the same message. Please pray for me to be able to reach more people with the news that genuine leisure is the key to human freedom.

Truth Can Comprehend Error

My kids have heard this phrase of mine so often they'll complete it for me knowingly at the slightest provocation.  We talk a lot about the fact that 'truth can comprehend error, but error cannot comprehend truth', because there is so much error all around us to work on comprehending!  Parents are often at a loss to know how to handle this kind of discussion, so I enjoy sharing my experience and approach.  Apologetics instruction often bypasses a singular aspect of truth: the truth about why lies are so attractive and compelling.  We can hammer in good doctrine all day long, but the experience of meeting 'lies' in the persons of very attractive, lovable, wonderful people can throw kids for a loop unless they are prepared to expect and understand it.  This is my contribution to the cause. 

I'm having some fun with fiction - looking for a publisher for Dance of the Scarecrows and The Crystal Queen, for kids; giving friends 'serial rights' to my Elizabeth of the Epiphany.  Please ask to begin receiving chapters, if you're up for an educational romp through a 'liberative arts university'.  Or you can download chapters at will.