Breadcrumbs: A Collection of Spiritual and Philosophical Essays

Read any good stories lately? I am sure you have. They sent you on a journey-perhaps to another place, a different time...somewhere you have never been before. Tales, yarns, legends and fables fill our human history, and stories are as powerful today as they have always been. Have you ever wondered why you can’t resist going? It’s time to find out... Breadcrumbs invites you to further adventures. Traveling across time, along crooked paths, wooded trails, and on mountain tops, you will discover: - Why stories are critical to well-being and the hidden mystery you are searching to uncover - How to interpret the twists and turns of life and find the meaning that makes all the difference - How to identify the breadcrumbs that reveal the most important story of them all In this collection you will meet some familiar friends and perhaps make some new ones: - In Breadcrumbs, we are on the yellow brick with Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and in the woods with Hänsel and Gretel. Two seemingly very different stories, but could there be a key that unlocks both? - The King’s Gambit (longlisted for the 2015 Notting Hill Editions International Essay Prize) takes us on a very different journey-into the complex world of chess. All kinds of characters appear, and one makes a fateful decision that may have changed history - Next, we are with Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring. Sitting on the mountaintop, staring at Mt. Doom, there’s a Crisis in Middle Earth and it’s not only the one you imagine - Slowing it down, join me and Timothy the Tortoise, as we travel through time to answer a question-are we humans truly making progress? - Picture this-you have been found guilty of a crime. Your execution is only moments away and your one hope is a wandering preacher your executioners dislike immensely. Just what was The Sandman doing? - If you feel your story has come to a grinding halt, read The Butterfly Effect, as it’s all about you, the most important room where you live, and what you may need to do to get your story moving forward if you are feeling stuck - Finally, join me and genius, Albert Einstein. I promise no theoretical physics skills are needed, because what I went seeking was a Special Theory of Spiritual Relativity. Did I find it? Ready for some adventures? There’s no need to pack. All you need is what every story asks of us-to be open to all the possibilities, because whatever we seek on our journey-inspiration, healing, hope, purpose...our answers are waiting and all we have to do is keep turning the pages.

Francis was born and raised in London, England. He worked as a missionary living and working with the poor, homeless, and gangs in the United States. His fictional writing brings together a unique blend of history and spiritual story-telling in the style of parables, where he encourages readers to find their truths hidden in plain sight. His non-fiction presents thought-provoking insights into the mystical journey of life that summon us to pay attention to our own stories without judgment and to encourage one another with hope and acceptance.