Growing up in the days of AIM, one family computer in the middle of the living room presented challenges. Not only did my siblings and I need to compete for coveted screen time, but we also faced a test requiring catlike reflexes and a ninja’s hyper-awareness of their surroundings - the parent over the shoulder. “Who is QTpie87?” “Are any of those chats with boys?” “Why does that say ‘bitch’?” We mastered the art of minimizing screens, of keeping more innocuous chats up long

The following letter was originally posted by The Catholic Woman. Dear Sister, I’ve been attracted to women since I was 15. Men were a little earlier. Everybody’s got something, eh? I was raised in the Catholic Church, encountered Christ in the Eucharist as a teen, and have chosen formation and community ever since. On my last birthday, more than 1/2 my life had been spent intentionally following Jesus. Next birthday, 1/2 my life has included attraction to women. Sister

When I was five years old, my family took a trip to Dollywood. If you don’t know what that is, it’s essentially an amusement park named after - you guessed it -Dolly Parton herself. As we meandered throughout the park, my nose was consumed with dingy chlorine from log rides and the sweet smell of fried funnel cakes. My mind, however, was set on a hermit crab stand. Enamored by the creatures, I walked straight to them. My family, unfortunately, didn’t notice I had wandered off

This blog was originally published by NET Ministries. You know the feeling. The abyss that stretches in your chest in the silent places. We’ve all felt it. Sometimes the ache is cast in a halcyon glow, like when the sun rises over the water in a riot of color or we stand before the staggering expanse of mountain peaks. It’s those moments when beauty threatens to carry us out of our chest. But sometimes the ache feels like something else. It’s not a bursting out. It’s a cavin