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It’s been almost a year ago now that I got an alert on my phone: “This is an automatic reminder. We are still missing your preaching for theWord for 03 Sept 2022, which is in about 3 days in New Zealand.” Any of you out there who also preach for this international Dominican website have probably gotten one of these messages at some point in time. Alas, I am probably someone who has gotten them more than others. I can tend to run close to deadlines. But this message left me befuddled. Had I signed up to preach for September 3rd? Clearly, I had.

Next week we’ll mark the feast of St. Lawrence (August 10). This summer, more than most, I feel l’ve been echoing his most famous quote from the fire pit: “You can turn me over now. I’m done on that side.” Geez, it has been a hot couple of weeks.

Ten years ago this summer I arrived in Flushing, MI for the first time. I was driving down Interstate 69 when all of the sudden my GPS told me to turn left down a narrow country road.

After some steamy weeks in Palm Beach and St. Louis, the Good Lord has seen fit to gift me with a couple of 70 degree days in San Francisco where I am remembering what it is like to go outside and not immediately want to run back inside. Mercy!

Aack. If you ever wondered what authors do minutes after finishing a book manuscript, you are looking at it. After a year of spending ten months thinking about “Redeeming Power” (still a tentative title) during every minute I wasn’t doing something else, I just finally hit “send” to my wonderful editor Eileen and ran downstairs to tell my husband who simply said, “I don’t believe it. You’ve said this before.”

This week I’ve been in St. Louis getting ready for Aquinas Institute’s baccalaureate and commencement on Friday the 12th. We’ve got a couple MAPS-CGS students who are finishing their degree with us and it is time to celebrate them. They’ve been an extraordinary group.

My goal this month is to reach the corners of the country. Last week found me with the wonderful people of the Garaventa Center at the University of Portland. Karen Eifler is not only a marvelous educator and writer, but host. I was able to meet with around 60 education leaders on the topic of Let’s Talk about Truth.

I know. I never send out newsletters on Saturday. We are all trying to step away for our computers for the weekend, and trust me, I’m about to do that, too. In fact, after an incredibly hectic last couple of months, I’m going to try to be offline for the whole coming Holy Week to do some retreat time for myself. In preparation, I have done a good amount of reading in the last couple weeks on Caiaphas and the many ways of understanding his statement: “You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed” (John 11:50).

So, once again I am trapped in the middle seat of a long flight. This one to Seattle where I will be working with the pastoral administrators of the Archdiocese at their annual gathering. I’ve had the privilege of working with them several times now and this time I’ll be sharing for the first time material from my current writing project on Redeeming Power. I’m a little nervous about this… and also very excited. Curious to see how the research I’ve done will intersect with their experience in parish life.

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.