Holy Hacks by Patti Armstrong

Do you wish there was a more practical way to live your faith in the midst of a busy life?

“Holy hacks” were created to help. This fun and fast-paced resource is full of concrete tips for living the faith right where you are. With about two-hundred simple and creative ways to grow in holiness, you can find something to help you engage your faith and grow in Christ every day.

This little book is a gold mine of simple ways to focus our lives on living our faith more fully and growing closer to God. We all practice little shortcuts to shore up our faith and that's part of what makes this collection so appealing.

Topics range from relationships, avoiding gossip, humility, and liturgical seasons like Lent and Easter. It isn't just lists of hacks. Each chapter has more in-depth commentary which is often broken into different sections — relationships, for example include family, friends, and marriage — with, of course, holy hacks for each.

I'm reminded of nothing so much as St. Terese's "little way" of living the faith fully by simple "hacks" like always smiling at someone she disliked or methods she used to ignore someone else's unconscious, continual pencil tapping.

A few of my favorite hacks:

• Say grace in public — even at vending machines.
• Make a prayer pick of the day for someone who makes your skin crawl, and pray for them. No matter how heroic you feel, remember that "the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you" (Mt. 7:2).
• Gossip Hack: Give a compliment about a person being attacked. It will stop gossipers in their tracks.
• Marriage Hack: When you are about to complain about something, stop and say a prayer for your spouse instead.
• Say a prayer and make a sacrifice, as a perfect go-together. Don't overlook little things, such as skipping a cookie and saying a Hail Mary. 
• Do not address the devil unless you are renouncing him; speak only to God and the angels and saints. (This is one I already follow ... there have been times when I've responded to a temptation with, "You've gotta be dreamin. Just get lost." And then I turn to my guardian angel and St. Michael.

This would be a perfect gift for confirmation or someone just entering the church. Though it is also great just for everyday living. I know it is a book I'll be picking up often.