I'm excited to be part of the the People of Hope month long series of formation opportunities sponsored by the Diocese of Bridgeport throughout the month of May. It was great to meet with the priests and deacons of the diocese to share about my new book Preaching with Children (LTP, 2022).  A follow up handout to that webinar can be found here.

Also happy to share with you an essay I wrote for NCR recently on conspiracy thinking called "Aquinas vs. QAnon."  This issue has been coming up more and more frequently when doing workshops on tough conversations, and I'll admit that it is one of the toughest conversations out there.  What can you do when someone you work with or--worse--someone you love seems trapped in conspiracy thinking?  This is my own attempt at thinking it through.  Happy to hear additional ideas you might have!

I will be taking the rest of the month of May away from email to do some vacation and focus in on a new book project on Christian use of power.  At this point I have many thoughts spinning around my mind on this topic.  Please pray that they find some order and are able to get themselves organized on paper!

Excited to announce that Let's Talk About Truth has been awarded second place in the 2021 Catholic Media Association Book Awards "Church Professional" category!  You can check out reviews of this book in both NCR and US Catholic.  Or are you a teacher?  Check out the free lesson plans related to this text (Note: You will need to scroll to the bottom of the page.)  

Also related to the topic of truth: I'm excited to be part of a grant funded by the John Templeton Foundation called "Preaching with the Sciences"  The grant pairs 11 preachers with 5 renowned scientists to see what sorts of sparks might fly when they enter into conversation with one another at the intersection of science and faith. It's a honor for me to be part of this cohort.  Our website is now live! My first contribution is for Pentecost.

My book #Rules_of_Engagement  came out last year and I've really enjoyed reflecting with others about the way social media and faith intersect in their lives. Of particular interest: Check out my recent webinar for Christian professionals who manage their ministry's website and/or social media presence.  Or, enjoy this fun conversation from May with Emily Sanna and Stephanie Clary of U.S. Catholic. 

I believe that as Christians we are called to be like leaven in the world, including the world of social media. Though we might feel small and insignificant (really, what difference do my posts make?) how we individually show up in this space has the power to be transformative. You can join Christians from around the world in making the #Rules_of_Engagement pledge and be part of changing the tenor of conversation on social media for the good. See the List of those who have already pledged publicly.