Amen, thank you for this reflection—it was a gift to be able to read it. I really resonated with what was available to read and with your point about perseverance in dryness. During a time of deep struggle for years in the psychiatric hospital, I went through seasons of both consolation and heavy desolation, and I came to see that what makes us children of God is not what we feel in prayer, but our obedience—remaining faithful to His Word no matter the season of the soul.
Psalm 1 reminds me that the blessed man is like a tree planted by streams of living water, while the chaff drifts aimlessly. In dryness, it’s easy to feel like chaff, but fidelity roots us in Christ, and even when unseen, that prayer bears fruit.
By the way—would you ever consider making all of your articles free to access, with perhaps a simple “buy me a coffee” link for those who want to support? I think it would remove a barrier of entry for people who sincerely want to grow in holiness and become saints. I would already be doing something like this myself if I could, but by law (as I’m still in psychiatric care, though thankfully healing and recovering), I’m not allowed to have extra income or outside financial sources yet and I barely making ends meet with the state allowances gives me each month.
Also—would you be open to me writing some companion essays in the future, riffing on and doing a bit of exegesis on your pieces at Saint Foundry? For example, on this article about dryness, I’d love to explore Psalm 1–2 that I read and know by heart alongside your insights, and show how they help us stay grounded in revelation even when prayer feels dry and barren.
I share this because I see your work is a real blessing—a seed already planted—and I believe that opening it fully and letting it flourish, while allowing others to build on it, could help even more people encounter Christ through it. I also really appreciated the dream you mentioned in your last podcast—it struck me as genuine and honest, and I want to support that because you point to Jesus. You have also a gift for communicating and articulating these truths so well and talking on the fly without a script.
On my end, I move and learn more slowly. The powerful dopamine blockers I have to take daily flatten my mind into a kind of “standby” baseline. Everything takes extra effort and willpower, like wading through molasses, and I need frequent rest just to keep going. Because of that, I’ve developed my own way of working: I transcribe what I can into notes, and then I use ChatGPT to help me shape those notes into articles. Over time I’ve built up a kind of database of books and reflections this way. It’s my way of articulating what I’ve seen, heard, and learned, even if it takes me longer—and sometimes it even helps me reach deeper insights.
(This message itself was written with the help of ChatGPT, based on what I wanted to say, because my mind often feels silent and blank, and I struggle to find and arrange words on my own. When I do speak at a normal pace, it’s usually because I’m following a sort of mental script that i have rehearsed countless times and use it during the day. But when real conversation requires improvisation, I slow to a crawl—and that’s when people often grow tired, impatient, or frustrated with me.)
Amen, thank you for this reflection—it was a gift to be able to read it. I really resonated with what was available to read and with your point about perseverance in dryness. During a time of deep struggle for years in the psychiatric hospital, I went through seasons of both consolation and heavy desolation, and I came to see that what makes us children of God is not what we feel in prayer, but our obedience—remaining faithful to His Word no matter the season of the soul.
Psalm 1 reminds me that the blessed man is like a tree planted by streams of living water, while the chaff drifts aimlessly. In dryness, it’s easy to feel like chaff, but fidelity roots us in Christ, and even when unseen, that prayer bears fruit.
By the way—would you ever consider making all of your articles free to access, with perhaps a simple “buy me a coffee” link for those who want to support? I think it would remove a barrier of entry for people who sincerely want to grow in holiness and become saints. I would already be doing something like this myself if I could, but by law (as I’m still in psychiatric care, though thankfully healing and recovering), I’m not allowed to have extra income or outside financial sources yet and I barely making ends meet with the state allowances gives me each month.
Also—would you be open to me writing some companion essays in the future, riffing on and doing a bit of exegesis on your pieces at Saint Foundry? For example, on this article about dryness, I’d love to explore Psalm 1–2 that I read and know by heart alongside your insights, and show how they help us stay grounded in revelation even when prayer feels dry and barren.
I share this because I see your work is a real blessing—a seed already planted—and I believe that opening it fully and letting it flourish, while allowing others to build on it, could help even more people encounter Christ through it. I also really appreciated the dream you mentioned in your last podcast—it struck me as genuine and honest, and I want to support that because you point to Jesus. You have also a gift for communicating and articulating these truths so well and talking on the fly without a script.
On my end, I move and learn more slowly. The powerful dopamine blockers I have to take daily flatten my mind into a kind of “standby” baseline. Everything takes extra effort and willpower, like wading through molasses, and I need frequent rest just to keep going. Because of that, I’ve developed my own way of working: I transcribe what I can into notes, and then I use ChatGPT to help me shape those notes into articles. Over time I’ve built up a kind of database of books and reflections this way. It’s my way of articulating what I’ve seen, heard, and learned, even if it takes me longer—and sometimes it even helps me reach deeper insights.
(This message itself was written with the help of ChatGPT, based on what I wanted to say, because my mind often feels silent and blank, and I struggle to find and arrange words on my own. When I do speak at a normal pace, it’s usually because I’m following a sort of mental script that i have rehearsed countless times and use it during the day. But when real conversation requires improvisation, I slow to a crawl—and that’s when people often grow tired, impatient, or frustrated with me.)
This came at an opportune time
Man that makes me really happy! Thanks for the feedback.