I begin with a story by musician Steve Bell, who for some time had been asking God the question, “Who are You?” Eventually the Lord answered—not in words but in an experience. Steve writes:
Author Archives: Mike Mason
Delighting in God: Catherine Doherty on Joy
Catherine Doherty is a writer I’ve kept returning to for four decades, ever since I read her wonderful book Poustinia: Encountering God in Silence, Solitude, and Prayer.
The Bible’s Other Beatitudes
Last week I wrote about an answer to prayer I received, when God spoke to me through Isaiah 30:18: “Blessed are those who wait for the Lord.”
Zorba the Greek & Me: An Answer to Prayer
A year ago I finished my first adult novel, a blend of realistic fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi entitled Angels & Aliens. Ever since then I’ve been trying to get it published, sending it everywhere I can think of and getting one rejection after another. I’ve been very patient throughout this process, thinking it was only a matter of time. But finally one day I lost patience and began complaining bitterly to God.
I Like Youngsters: Revisiting Michel Quoist
I’ve been enjoying a book that was a big bestseller back in the 1960’s: Prayers by Michel Quoist.
The Rich Young Ruler: A Second Look
A rich young man knelt before Jesus, asking how to obtain eternal life. He’d always obeyed the commandments. What else should he do?
Flying, Falling, Catching: A New Henri Nouwen Book!
A new book by a favorite writer who died 25 years ago is a great occasion. Flying, Falling, Catching: An Unlikely Story of Finding Freedom is Henri Nouwen’s account of a great passion he developed, in the final years of his life, for the flying trapeze. Who knew?
Touching Jesus: The Five-Fingerhole Bethlehem Cross
In the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built over the cave where Jesus was born, there is also an arresting reminder of His death.
Writing at Night: Lewis Carroll, John Milton, and Me
Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, was a chronic insomniac who often felt the urge to write at night. Living as he did before electric lights were common, he invented what he called a nyctograph, or night-writer, along with a notation system of nyctography for writing without the aid of a light.
Wake Up Into My Love: The Trauma of New Fatherhood
What are the elements of good spiritual writing? First, obviously, a deep and vibrant faith in God, such that the writing fairly glows with His presence.