Deacon Michael Halbrook

Deacon Michael Halbrook

Faith, family, work, and life - all intertwined.

Permanent deacon of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Husband, father of four sons, builder of Catholic technology, and writer of essays, fiction, and homilies.

The Exhausted Middle
Faith & Life

The Exhausted Middle

On the quiet majority, the parish, and where healing actually starts

Aligned
Faith & Life

Aligned

Three days at Disney World with Joseph

What I'm Not Doing This Week
Ad Alta ↗ Reflections

What I'm Not Doing This Week

Last week I promised a new offering would open for booking today. It isn't. Here's the decision behind the delay - and why the delay is itself the essay.

The Modern Steel Mill
Another Voice ↗ Essays

The Modern Steel Mill

Granite City has lived next to industry for 130 years. Data centers are the industrial technology of our era, and we already know how to do this - if we're willing to negotiate instead of refuse.

The One Who Stays
Faith & Life

The One Who Stays

A reflection on Luke Burgis's "The One and the Ninety-Nine"

The Long Middle
Ad Alta ↗ Reflections

The Long Middle

Last week I wrote about the two ways honest people answer the identity question wrong - the role trap and the wound trap. A lot of you wrote back. Some of you s

Four Sons, One Week
Faith & Life

Four Sons, One Week

On seeds, stages, and the rare gift of watching them bloom at once

What I Couldn't See Then
Ad Alta ↗ Reflections

What I Couldn't See Then

When I first took a Director role at Adobe, I thought I knew what I was saying yes to. I didn't. On the two traps that catch honest people in a career transition - and what the identity question actually wants.