Aaron Gardner

Articles

Faithful Quill •

From Argument to Intercession:

If you’re anything like me, this weekend you have been glued to the news, paying attention to what is being and isn’t being said about the attacks in Iran. I served for over 14 years in the military and still pay very close attention to the conflicts we are engaged in. I spent a deployment in the UAE just south of where Iran hit a hotel with a missile. The anxiety of conflict affects each of us differently. Some of us have kids in the military, or are serving in the military ourselves, and some...
Faithful Quill •

Love in the Air

What kind of February would it be if it wasn’t about love? First loves, puppy love, the loss of love, the gain of love. It is all something a part of the human experience. Something, I am sure, we have all experienced at some point in our lives. How often have you sat at a restaurant and seen the young man taking a girl out for the first time? You know it’s the first time because of the dizzying spell they both have. The awkward movements they make, seemingly stepping over each other in order to...
The Time Between •

The Courier

The man knocked on the driver’s side window of Mohammed’s Toyota truck, which he used as a makeshift RV. “Are you Mohammed?”

The man was seemingly sure of himself. “Who’s asking?”

Mohammed’s suspicion didn’t escape him. Nobody hand delivers a courier package to him. Drop box only to avoid breaking the seal of secrecy that the company vowed to keep.

“I was told I would find you here. This package has to be deliv–”

“I don’t deliver. Who told you I was here?”
Faithful Quill •

The Burning Bush I Missed

Have you ever wondered what it would look like if Moses had walked away from the burning bush? Of course not. The All-Sovereign God knows all and knew Moses was the leader He wanted to lead His people out of the hands of Egyptian rule, before Moses was born. Although the scenario is implausible, I often wonder if I did walk away from my “burning bush”. Of course, God knew I would, but I didn’t. Here’s what I mean. I walked away from my Catholic faith as a teenager. It wasn’t completely in my con...
Faithful Quill •

Compline Quill: January

This month has been an amazing journey toward the goal of writing twice a month. So much so that I have met some great authors in the community who have inspired me to do other things. One thing I want to incorporate into my writing habits is a monthly roundup. I got the idea from Lauren Montgomery, who writes The Catholic Commons. First, let me say, what an amazing, devout person she is. I had a conversation with her after she shouted out my article on sin and blessing my children. That is actu...
Faithful Quill •

Chipping Away at the Wax

Every night, our house settles into a sacred rhythm. The lights dim, the world quiets, and I sit with my youngest son. We make the sign of the cross, say a select litany of prayers, and then I kiss his forehead. It is a moment that should feel holy, a moment of peace. All too often, it is clouded by a single, crushing thought that rises up from the depths of my own soul. *Who am I to bless this precious gift from God?*I am a wretched man, a sinner, saying a blessing over such a fragile soul. Tha...
Photo by Jourdan Wee on Pexels
LinkedIn •

Your Mac Users Are Costing You More Than You Think.

Congratulations. The new hire is approved, and they need a Mac. You've budgeted for the hardware, but I bet you haven't accounted for the three hidden costs that are about to drain your team's time and your security budget.

It's not the price of the laptop. It's the friction.

It's the security patch that doesn't deploy automatically. The enterprise software license that suddenly requires a costly one-off purchase. The help desk ticket from a Mac user that takes three times longer to resolve.
Faithful Quill •

When Your Name Becomes the Cage

ShareIf you have been subscribed for awhile, thank you for your patience. If you’re new, welcome. You may have noticed this space has been really quiet since the first “soft” launch. I intended to build up a month’s worth of material before having an actual launch, but life had other plans. The original name “Brick by Brick”, was meant to capture the journey from deserts in Iraq as a skeptical deist back home to a devout Catholic. The truth is, that story, while it needs to be told, was too hea...
Faithful Quill •

From Brotherhood to Purpose:

The United States Army lives this verse out every day. In combat, we don’t debate the mission—we focus on completing it and keeping our brothers alive.The political back-and-forth in Congress doesn’t reach us in the field. What matters most is simple:“Stay alert. Stay alive.”And yet, every soldier I served with would give their life for the person next to them. That kind of loyalty—that brotherhood—is hard to come by anywhere else.Veterans will tell you—we don’t miss the weird rules: no hands in...
Faithful Quill •

🧱 Brick by Brick: The Long Walk Back to the Confessional

Image credit: Wikimedia CommonsShare Brick by Brick: Faith After the FireThe ReturnGoing back to the confessional for the first time in over two decades is quite the experience— almost like going for the first time as a child.That same mix of fear, excitement, and sorrow I felt as a third grader came flooding back.You never forget that early memory: a mysterious, looming feeling that you're about to do something extraordinary. As a third grader, I didn’t have the words to describe it (I was a li...
Faithful Quill •

Brick by Brick: Rebuilding Faith at 36

I turned 36 this past Sunday. That number carries weight—not just in years, but in lived experience. It marks a journey not just through time, but through faith, failure, and grace. A journey away from God… and back home again.I didn’t walk away from the Catholic Church in anger or rebellion. As a young teenager, I left in naivety—chasing connection and community like any kid might. A Baptist youth group came into my life at just the right time. It was energetic. The music was alive. The people...
Aaron Gardner •

Multiple Truths: a review of “Death Letter: God, Sex and War”

This short book came to me via a recommendation from the author himself. First, let me tell you that the author and I share a special connection through our military experiences. We have talked on numerous occasions about our military connection and about the short story I wrote, “Reflection“. His words were kind and inspiring toward my story– wanting more of the story behind “Reflection”. This book he wrote, Death Letter: God, Sex and War, has inspired me to continue the story that I have strug...

My Journey Through the Craft Pt. 3

Freemasonry is the oldest and the largest fraternal order in the world. It is a universal brotherhood of men dedicated to serving God, family, mankind and country. The focus of The Midnight Freemasons is primarily on subjects relating to Freemasons and Freemasonry.

However, any opinion expressed are those of the contributor alone, and are not meant to reflect in any way, shape, or form, implied or otherwise, the opinions or beliefs of the fraternity of Freemasonry as a whole.

All content, unle...

My Journey Through the Craft Pt. 2

Freemasonry is the oldest and the largest fraternal order in the world. It is a universal brotherhood of men dedicated to serving God, family, mankind and country. The focus of The Midnight Freemasons is primarily on subjects relating to Freemasons and Freemasonry.

However, any opinion expressed are those of the contributor alone, and are not meant to reflect in any way, shape, or form, implied or otherwise, the opinions or beliefs of the fraternity of Freemasonry as a whole.

All content, unle...

Fear

Freemasonry is the oldest and the largest fraternal order in the world. It is a universal brotherhood of men dedicated to serving God, family, mankind and country. The focus of The Midnight Freemasons is primarily on subjects relating to Freemasons and Freemasonry.

However, any opinion expressed are those of the contributor alone, and are not meant to reflect in any way, shape, or form, implied or otherwise, the opinions or beliefs of the fraternity of Freemasonry as a whole.

All content, unle...

Masters Wages

Freemasonry is the oldest and the largest fraternal order in the world. It is a universal brotherhood of men dedicated to serving God, family, mankind and country. The focus of The Midnight Freemasons is primarily on subjects relating to Freemasons and Freemasonry.

However, any opinion expressed are those of the contributor alone, and are not meant to reflect in any way, shape, or form, implied or otherwise, the opinions or beliefs of the fraternity of Freemasonry as a whole.

All content, unle...

Finding Oneself

Freemasonry is the oldest and the largest fraternal order in the world. It is a universal brotherhood of men dedicated to serving God, family, mankind and country. The focus of The Midnight Freemasons is primarily on subjects relating to Freemasons and Freemasonry.

However, any opinion expressed are those of the contributor alone, and are not meant to reflect in any way, shape, or form, implied or otherwise, the opinions or beliefs of the fraternity of Freemasonry as a whole.

All content, unle...