From the desk of James Salimes (J. Ellis Blaise)

Spring 2026 Newsletter

Hello! It has been awhile, right?! My studies continue in Spiritual Direction training. I'm halfway through a three year program at the Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse. WI. The experience has been a kind of homecoming for me, returning to my Franciscan roots and exploring many lenses of faith and spirituality.

I've been anticipating the release of Sacred Weavings, Threads From an Earthy Mystic. I will have more details for you in the next couple months. The book is a memoir/rule in which I share my journey through disillusionment in my faith.

The cover is all I hoped it to be. Thank you, Drazenka Kimpel of Creative Dust. A reveal will be coming soon! (this isn't it!)

Since attending Moody Bible College, I felt constriction in my faith. It took many years to sort it out and find words to explain what was going on in my soul. I look forward to sharing my story. Here is a snippet of the introduction:

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Out of [the Father’s] infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God” (3:16-18). As I look back, it seems to me that at Moody and when I began working in church ministry, when we read a verse like this, we all showed up with tape measures. We said, “Here, let me give you the dimensions—the length, height, and depth of God’s love in Christ.” or “Let me show you where the lines are drawn, the fixed area of God’s love in Christ.” What I want to highlight in this verse is that the love of Christ is beyond all knowledge. It seems that Paul knew our human tendency to put up walls and to separate, to categorize and systematize. After all, he was a Pharisee. As the Apostle Paul says these words, even as hands are reaching for measuring tapes, he cries, “Hold up! Christ’s love is beyond all knowledge.” Paul’s words are an invitation to deeper, higher, wider spaces. It’s as if in this passage Paul is challenging us, “Go ahead, see if you can find the boundaries!” And with a twinkle in his eye, Paul opens up an eternal quest. When we think we’ve arrived, we find out there is another expanse to step into. When we think we made it to the highest peak, the clouds clear and another peak comes into view.[1] And it’s time to begin again.

[1] Susan S. Philips, Candlelight

In other news, Treasure In A Field, Book II continues to unfold! The first chapter opens with Francis Gaspard and how he went about purchasing the field.

You'll see some new appearance dates for 2026 on the home page. Maybe I'll see you at the Lakefly Writer's Conference, Block of Books, or even Pages and Pours in the fall. Other events and appearances are in the works!

Thanks, as always. Peace to you!

James Salimes (J. Ellis Blaise)