Don’t read further unless you are open to being challenged yourself, as a shepherd, leader or follower of Jesus.   I saw a monk working alone in the vegetable garden. I squatted down beside him and said, "Brother, what is your dream?” He just looked straight at me.

Admittedly I was surprised to see nearly every student choose among four reading options for an assignment, this one: In the Company of Women by Brenda Hunter. Yet, as students discussed in groups and then in class plus turned in written assignments, it was obvious this book had made quite an impact. Hunter’s work begins with a focus on the powerful lasting impact of mother—on both women and men—virtually all of our lives.