Each opening sentence of Uwem Akpan's short stories in his debut collection "Say You're One of Them" pull the reader into the story:
"Selling your child or nephew could be more difficult than selling other kids."
Or "Now that my eldest sister, Maisha, was 12, none of us knew how to relate to her anymore."
Each of these five short stories is told from the perspective of a child, and with the first sentence, Akpan demands your attention.
"When a person is at rock bottom, one is humbled. He or she finds him- or herself in a place where all one can do is depend on the grace of God."
Read MoreI don’t want to be afraid of looking different or of being made fun of anymore.
It’s time — for our sense of community, our sense of justice, and our Church to look completely different.
Read MoreJoy is the present tense, with the whole emphasis on the present. -Soren Kierkegaard
Welcome to Undaunted Joy!
The world seems to suffocate joy—but joy is not an indulgence; it is a way of life! Undaunted Joy offers the gift of bliss and wonder in weekly brief but glorious prose. I’ll share an unrestrained and delightful lens to view both the ordinary and mysterious, and I hope you will seek to see the world through this lens too.
Read MoreFear attached itself to our ability to experience happiness, as did a sense of guilt. Who am I to be happy when people are dying? When others are unhappy?
But who are you not to be?
Read MoreBenvenuto di Giovanni’s painting “Christ in Limbo” captures the split second before these faces realize who is standing before them. Who has come to save them.
Read MoreI’ve been spinning. Reacting. Getting caught up in things that are not important.
Maybe you have been too.
Read More“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,/ prone to leave the God I love.”
This line from the hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” rings true to me.
Read MoreShemaiah’s world fell apart when her fiancée left unexpectedly. The next day, she crossed paths with a work acquaintance who had the vision to see that she was in distress. His simple gesture was enough to help her return from the margins of grief.
Read MoreWe pray for light. We want to see what God sees. Or do we?
Read MoreWhen Catholicism and Ice Cube meet. My reflection on an iconic song. Come for the Fatburger, stay for the memento mori and finding the sacred in the ordinary.
My first publication with National Catholic Reporter.
Read MoreIn the New Testament, encouragement is always spoken of as a community event. We don’t need help being discouraged but we do need help being encouraged. We need each other. We cannot do it alone. It happens in community. We are to envelop, enfold, wrap each other in courage.
Read MoreI’ve been lonely lately.
This time has taken a toll on my relationships. I know I am not alone. I know many are feeling this pulling and pressing on their communities and relationships.
Read my reflection for Ignatian Spirituality
Read MoreJane Goodall once said, “It actually doesn’t take much to be considered a difficult woman. That’s why there are so many of us.” Author and writing professor at the University of California, Berkeley Kaya Oakes would agree and has written a new book, The Defiant Middle: How Women Claim Life’s In-Betweens to Remake the World, to tackle this very issue.
Read MoreThe Christmas song that always slays me, jolts me out of my secular complacency and reminds me that this is an absolutely sacred moment in the history of mankind we are celebrating here, is the carol, “O Holy Night.”
Read MoreThese names for the Christ are rich in theology and tell us exactly who he is, calling him with the imperative, “come,” or “O.”
Read More"When so many conversations on race build in tension or altogether end, Thomas’ work expands the story, giving it space to breathe and soar."
Read MoreMy reflection for Ignatian Spirituality on how extraordinary it is to live a quiet live of love and peace.
Read MoreThrives on moments where storytelling, art and faith collide.
