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Yes, it’s either feast or famine. Sometimes you don’t hear from me for weeks on end and then sometimes I write only a few days after you last heard from me. Perhaps it is because I am trapped on a plane in the wee hours of the morning en route to Denver for the Mennonite Health Assembly. I always think that I am going to do some major thinking whenever I have a long flight. Here I am undisturbed for four hours with noise-blocking headphones. I could write a whole chapter! Maybe half a book! And yet, there is something about having to get up at 4:45 a.m. combined with reduced oxygen levels in a very cramped space that make it difficult to have grand thoughts. Instead the best my brain is able to pull off is a short announcement about a major spring sale of books already written.
Each Lent Ave Maria Press chooses a number of books to sell at an extra low price so that they would be easy to get in bulk for a class, a book study group, or perhaps gifts. This year, I have two titles in the list:
Let’s Talk About Truth – My book on… well, truth. I wrote it in response to the confusion we often experience in modern conversation: What is truth? How can tell if something is true? Why does it matter? How do I talk about what I hold as true with others, especially if they don’t agree? I look at four different ways that we use the word “truth” in daily life and include a wide range of reflections on truth based on different scripture passages. Each chapter ends with a couple of questions that could be great for personal reflection or to use with a book group. Online there are a set of free lesson plans that teachers could use in their classroom to introduce the next generation to this topic. For the coming month, it is on sale for $5. The book would be particularly great for:
- a seminary preaching course
- study group for priests or deacons
- your favorite high school religion teacher
- your favorite Dominican (since it draws deeply on Dominican spirituality)
- anyone who finds themselves pondering questions around truth and trying to have tough conversations on this topic with others!
#Rules_of_Engagement – My book about showing up Christian on social media. Recognizing that more and more of us are spending at least a portion of our days on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc… this book calls us all to help create a healthier environment online by following eight simple practices: Clarify your purpose. Know your sources. Understand bias. Value the person. Lead with curiosity. Talk about intent and impact. Privilege face-to-face encounter. Manage your energy. The book was written with the “everyday Christian” in mind – i.e. you don’t need a theology degree or work in church ministry to read it. At the end, the book offers readers the opportunity to make a public commitment to follow the practices in fellowship with others from around the U.S. and beyond. For the coming month, it is on sale for $4. It would be particularly great for:
- a parish book discussion (free facilitator and participant guides online)
- a PTO or school parents’ association book discussion (free facilitator and parent guides online)
- an organization’s communications’ office to share with organization members
- all your social media friends
- a personal Lenten examination of conscience
I always think of writing a book as an opportunity to get a discussion started on a topic that means a lot to me. The money I earn on royalties means much less to me than people reading the books and perhaps also getting involved in these concerns. As an author, such super sales can be a great opportunity to get one’s work into many more hands than who might pick up a book on their own. Could you please help me in getting more people involved in the causes of truth and healthy behavior on social media?
Thank you!
(PS - This week's picture is from the Our Lady of Florida Passionist Retreat Center in Palm Beach, FL where I stayed while doing CGS formation for the diocese. One of the Passionist associates described this place to me as his place of "spiritual fireworks in the middle of a consumerist playground". Thank you to the Passionist community for hosting me all week and opening their beautiful chapel for me at all hours of day and night.)