Pit Stop for the Spiritually BamboozledMy debut book, Do It Anyway: Deep Spirituality Meets Real Life, has been published by Patheos Press, and is now available on Amazon!
Book Synopsis
The book, written in a whimsical, engaging, and spunky style, is essentially an eclectic mix of chapter length reflections on topical issues such as climate change, the food industry, parenting, the digital age, warfare and so on. I do this through a mix of memoir, cutting-edge spirituality, social and scientific commentary, and philosophical reflection. To quote myself from the book:
From the outset it has been my intention to write a book that would be engaging, provocative, entertaining, personal, and inspirational. A book written in an unplugged, conversational, somewhat raw style: memoir interwoven with topical matters of public interest, world events and human idiosyncrasies filtered through a spiritual/moral lens; and a book with perhaps more existential questions for the reader to chew on than fabricated answers.
(Chapter 14 ‘Tools of Communication‘)
Praise for Do It Anyway: Deep Spirituality Meets Real Life . . . .
“In this his debut book, Gerard Murphy has created a unique type of autobiography. While he frequently refers to his Irish roots, he has long outgrown his insular life and faith and grown into an evolutionary being whose vision embraces both cosmic and planetary horizons. This is a narrative interwoven with pathos, joy and challenge, peppered throughout with a kind of mystical subversiveness that keeps you on the edge of your seat.” ~
Diarmuid O’Murchu, PhD (Best selling author & commentator on Evolutionary Spirituality & Science)
“In this engaging and wittily written book, Gerard Murphy takes us through the journeys of his life. Through his youth in Ireland, his time as a priest, parenthood and marriage, Murphy uses his experiences and his learnings to reflect on the human condition, climate change, technology and other planetary issues. A deeply spiritual book with an honest and often raw openness, Murphy mixes science, music and poetry to articulate a God who is the ‘One Eternal Flame’ behind all things. It is an exciting and full read, deeply personal and thought provoking. The spiritual quest of a journeyed man undertaken with compassion, humour and wisdom. Thoroughly enjoyable.”
Niamh Brennan (New Irish author in Cosmological Spirituality)
“Gerry Murphy’s book is a no-nonsense, earthy and witty reflection on a host of issues that challenge us in our contemporary world and church. He presents us with a not-so-veiled critique of national and global issues such as war, violence, retribution, religion etc. challenging old paradigms and posing new possibilities through a deeper consciousness. An easy but challenging read.”
“Wherever you are when you pick up Gerard Murphy’s Do It Anyway: Deep Spirituality Meets Real Life, allow your imagination to go back to a time when you gathered with good companions to listen to and tell stories—stories about youth, food, God, the elder years, and everything in between. You will come away refreshed and eager for one more story. A timely book, to be cherished and read well into the future.”
“Gerard Murphy is a very skillful storyteller and, being Irish, he’s not afraid to spice up the tales he tells with some earthy language. His range of interests and his ability to ground his thinking with good research and accurate data, make this book a very compelling read. It’s a cross between Aesop and Socrates! . . .Set within the loose framework of a semi-autobiographical series of musings, it has a flow and an evolution though the topics are disparate and legion. Like a true social commentator, he pokes fun at himself and the culture. The book is filled with naked emperors.”
Sean O’Laoire, PhD (from the foreword / Sean is an author, clinical psychologist, and director of Companions on the Journey in Palo Alto, CA)
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