Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 7
There is a beautiful photograph of the Sisters of Carmel standing before a large wooden Crucifix, each of them holding a single candlestick burning brightly in the dark room. Their...
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 6
I watched my little boy run through the tall grass in our backyard. He laughed as he scooped up a fistful of dirt in his tiny hand, full of wonder,...
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 5
Snow covers the garden that surrounds the stone walls of Carmel. Within the walls, beyond the iron grille that separates the sisters from the outside world, Elizabeth is in agony....
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 4
I knelt slowly within the dimly lit church. Incense rose from the altar to the ceiling, filling the air with a smoky haze. Holy silence as we all watched the...
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 3
On July 18, 1880, the lively cry of a newborn rang out on a military base camp in Avor, France. Elizabeth Catez entered the world, as Chaplain Chaboisseau celebrated Mass...
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 2
There is a small garden surrounding the Adoration chapel by my home. All is quiet there, except for the gentle trickling of water from a nearby fountain. Amid the ever-present...
Living Simply in the New Year
The decorations are still up. And the carols are still playing in the background. It’s still Christmas, after all. But the explosion of wrapping paper and empty boxes has been...
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 1
Happy new year, friend! As we still soak in the Christmas season while looking at the year ahead, we are thrilled to be stepping into 2023 with you, in prayer....
They That Hope: The 2022 Prayer Pledge // Day 31
Friends, we have come to the end of our Prayer Pledge. Each year, this seems to sneak up on me, and I'm never quite ready for it to end (which is the goal!). Whether this year's Prayer Pledge went ideally for you or if you struggled through some days and weeks, we have persevered to our final day together.
They That Hope: The 2022 Prayer Pledge // Day 30
Sometimes hope looks a lot like perseverance.Â
I love the imagery in our Prayer Pledge's verse from Isaiah: when we hope we don't grow weary, we do not faint.Â
They That Hope: The 2022 Prayer Pledge // Day 29
It’s springtime in the Middle East and my 10-year-old recently planted seeds in our garden. He frequents the sun soaked ground for signs of life, but they are nowhere to be seen. We anticipate a bountiful harvest, but for now, the seeds are buried and there is "death."
They That Hope: The 2022 Prayer Pledge // Day 28
I couldn’t stop fidgeting from joint aches as I desperately searched for padded pews at Mass that day. My body needed Him. My body needed His Body.
