We chose beauty.

I'd been sitting with someone in the publishing world talking about a next book. His words perhaps should've excited me, but instead they gutted me.

"Chuck, why don't we capitalize on the success of your narcissism book with a follow-up on spiritual abuse?"

I left the meeting only to return to the typical full inbox of survivor stories, women mostly looking for good therapeutic care amidst profound harm, churches looking for consultation amidst accusations, and so much more. I felt a deep sadness and powerlessness to help, and had no sense that yet another book would be the answer.

Later that day I had coffee with Andrew. Andrew is a stunning soul. Maybe you know Simone Weil's words: "Beauty and affliction are the only two things that can pierce our hearts." Andrew knows both. He knows deep heartache and sees beauty in places most of us can't. His photography and music sear my heart. So, I said to Andrew something like:

"Do you want to make something beautiful together?"

Andrew leapt at the prospect. I told him that I'd been doing teaching on St. Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle for more than a decade, and wanted to put words to a visually and musically stunning short film. He said, "I can figure that out!" And he did. We did.

A friend of mine often says, "There is so much pain in the world." The great 19th c. novelist Dostoevsky wrote, "Beauty will save the world." We chose beauty.

There is a lot of pain. A free and democratic country (Ukraine) being decimated, but no longer making headlines because of mass shootings and court rulings and gas price brooding here in the U.S. Major reckonings with abuse in churches and denominations. A culture war ripe with such deep suspicion and paranoia that fear's grip on us won't seem to let go.

Beauty will save the world.

The other night, Andrew delivered the final 1 hour and 10 min film. Tears streamed throughout as I watched. What he sees and captures is extraordinary. St. Teresa's own journey amidst abuse, racism, inquisition, chronic pain, and more is a story for our day. But amidst her own despair, even deconstruction as we popularly call it today, she found hope, she discovered beauty, she experienced transformation.

SUBSCRIBERS OF MY NEWSLETTER will be the first to know when we're ready to release it in August, along with the full script, study guide, and more. You'll be able to simply enjoy it for beauty's sake, or watch it and process it through each of its seven unique stories with a small group of friends, a church or therapy group, or in some other way.

I'm so excited to share it with you. It's so beautiful. And I pray it offers you hope, beauty, a vision for transformation.