Celebrate the start of 2026 with the “Courage to Thrive,” a powerful series by Rev. Dr. Robert Flanagan
Listen to the podcast on Inkandescent Radio
Ep2: Courage to Thrive — Rev. Dr. Robert Flanagan interviews Karen Swallow Prior, Ph. D., who talks about the beloved hymn, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem, published in the 2025 book, "While Mortals Sleep"
While Mortals Sleep: "This book examines the spiritual and moral character of Phillips Brooks (1835–1893) as evidenced through his life and ministry," says Father Bob, who edited the volume’s eight essays.
January 2026: Happy New Year, Inkandescent friends! It’s a pleasure to start of the new year by introducing you to author Rev. Dr. Bob Flanagan.
In the first of his two books in the Courage to Thrive series, he writes: “When wrestling with depression and anxiety, getting out of bed is a courageous move. When panic attacks and suicidal thoughts strike, finding victories in the small things of life and reframing feelings can help a person flourish even in the midst of mental health struggles.”
Bob knows all about that. “I have spent two decades combating mental illness head-on,” he says.
Episcopal priest and psychotherapist, Dr. Charles Mayer
Celebrate Courage all year with Robert Flanagan:
Podcasts: Listen to Bob’s Courage to Thrive podcast series on InkandescentRadio.com, including Ep2 of his show where he interviews Karen Swallow Prior, Ph. D., who talks about the beloved hymn, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem, published in the 2025 book, “While Mortals Sleep.”
Videos: Learn how to rid yourself of nasty demons in 2026! On Ep3 of the show FatherBobTV, he interviews Episcopal priest and psychotherapist Charles Mayer. Their topic: Exorcism.
In his first-person spiritual journal, takes the reader with him as he traverses the dark and scary landscape of his mind and then the paths of faith that lead him to the Source of light and hope. Through a vulnerable look at the realities of a priest battling mental illness and still thriving, readers–whether dealing with similar mental health challenges or the stressors of everyday life–are left with a quiet confidence that assures them they, too, can thrive and enjoy the gifts God has given them. Each of the forty reflections concludes with a heartfelt prayer that revels in God’s healing mercies.
In his second book, Courage to Thrive: Discovering Your True Self, published in January 2025, Father Bob asks, “Do you long to know yourself, the world, and God better and thrive in all of life’s many transitions? We are here on earth not just to live but to thrive. We can know who we are and how to live in this “crazy, beautiful world as a follower of Jesus and a child of God.”
He knows that we do that by relating well to ourselves and others, the world and its various creatures and places—and God. “We thrive when we relate to who and what is around us in a healthy manner. We can discover ourselves—who we are—in beautiful, elegant, hope-filled, positive ways,” says Bob, who newest book gives us a unique, six-week Bible study has thirty-six lessons to help you know your true self and learn a new way of being as a child of God as you examine the family connections and relationships with others and the world. Self-discovery tools such as directed Bible readings with commentaries, daily prayers, and links to poems, art, and music will facilitate personal growth and provide fresh insights.
While Mortals Sleep
While Mortals Sleep: America’s nineteenth-century preachers and religious leaders moved public sentiment and shaped the nation’s moral character. Equally influencing events were America’s preachers and religious leaders who moved public sentiment and shaped the nation’s moral character. In that class of great religious figures is the Episcopal preacher and bishop Phillips Brooks. The Boston Brahmin and Harvard University graduate rose to heights as an anti-slavery clergyman and indefatigable pastor to congregations in Philadelphia and Boston. Yet, his many achievements must be balanced against his youthful arrogance and his shrewdness.
This book examines the spiritual and moral character of Phillips Brooks (1835–1893) as evidenced through his life and ministry. The volume’s eight essays recognize the most recent academic contribution, by Gillis J. Harp, Brahmin Prophet: Phillips Brooks and the Path of Liberal Protestantism (2003), but move beyond it in several crucial ways.
This new work seeks to reevaluate Brooks in light of early twenty-first-century social and racial conflicts and the subsequent cultural soul-searching. The contributors portray Brooks as a man filled at times with hubris, classism, and prejudices, and at other times with creative passion and pastoral concern for all peoples. While Mortals Sleep focuses less on the external influences upon Brooks and more on his actions and works within his historical context. The essays seek to show his legacy in a present-day light, illustrating Brooks at his best and worst. Click here to buy the book.
Learn more: robertdflanagan.com