Mark WhittenSep 25, 2019Self-Publishing for LegacyI am recording little pieces of who I am for my posterity. I'm actually making history with my words.
Mark WhittenSep 25, 201921 Questions for Christian Self-Care "My brothers' anger scorched me; they made me work all day long in the vineyards, So I did not have time to care for my own vineyard, to...
Mark WhittenSep 24, 2019A Letter to My Friends [Part 3] (Or "The Sea, The Wilderness and the Harbor")[part 3] It took a fire. A force beyond my fear of the sea To wake me to the sea. And so we went With what children remained And walked...
Mark WhittenSep 24, 2019A Letter to My Friends [Part 2] (Or "The Sea, The Wilderness and the Harbor")[part 2] But plank and paddle found me, While I drifted towards the beach of a great wilderness. Upon landing parched And burnt, bearded...
Mark WhittenSep 24, 2019A Letter to My Friends [Part 1] (Or "The Sea, The Wilderness and the Harbor")[part 1] I left you. Some 14 years ago. To brave the sea and its wild hope. To colonize some portion That God owed me in my juvenile...
Mark WhittenSep 23, 2019Reflections and Lessons I Learned Last YearI began a new discipline a few years ago. At the beginning of each New Year, instead of making a list of Resolutions, I take some time to...
Mark WhittenSep 23, 2019End of the Year ResolutionsFacing the final quarter of the year may seem . But, it's actually good news! End of the Year Resolutions can be life-changing!
Mark WhittenSep 9, 2019Mary Oliver Rejected Me, So I Made My OwnMary Oliver rejected me. Well, sort-of. Fair use for poetry. Permissions for Mary Oliver poems. Copyright and poetry. Can I copy a poem
Mark WhittenSep 5, 2019Walter Mitty's ResumeIf you haven't seen The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, stop right now, pull up your amazon app and watch the whole thing, NOW! Okay, maybe...
Mark WhittenSep 4, 2019Copy Til CreateI've always been a thief. A copier. An impersonator. A mimicker. Borrowing from one source, mining ideas from another, mashing them...
Mark WhittenAug 8, 2019Vows For Now?For centuries, our monastic brethren have offered their strength, intellect, and physical bodies to be available for God's use. The most...
Mark WhittenAug 8, 2019The Re-Monk Rule"Every major monastic movement decided at some point that it needed a rule of life by which to work, serve and live. The Augustinian Rule...
Mark WhittenAug 8, 2019Real Help for Christians Desperate to Break Bad Habits or Start New, Good OnesVows can be an extremely powerful way to break negative cycles in our lives; they can also be employed as a catalyst for beginning new,...
Mark WhittenAug 8, 2019A New Monastic ManifestoThe following is taken from an old blog I used to write. I feel that the statements below still hold invaluable truths that need to be...
Mark WhittenJul 29, 2019Fully ManJesus got tired, hungry, thirsty, angry, and exasperated. He experienced loneliness, astonishment, disgust, and fatigue. He knew what...
Mark WhittenJul 25, 2019Creator's creatorsAs the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of God. ~Habakkuk 2:14 (The New Living Translation)...
Mark WhittenJul 17, 2019Jesus Shaves"Can Jesus enjoy a joke at his own expense? If not, what kind of person is he?" (John Eldredge, Beautiful Outlaw p.21) Well...? Can he? ...
Mark WhittenJul 17, 2019No.Jesus gives us permission to say no. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ (Matthew 5:37 NKJV) Even for churches this can be...