Discernment Basics When we talk about discernment, we usually mean taking the time to make a thoughtful decision or judgment. It usually involves a careful evaluation of different factors, looking at all our options, and trying to weigh possible outcomes. We try to...
Transformation Christianity spread rapidly in its early days primarily through personal conversions. This process was often called repentance (μετάνοια). The Greek means a change of mind and heart. It is the interior change that led to personal transformation in...
The Gospel most people know is just a tame, domesticated version of the real thing. That Jesus is not demanding or incompatible with their already established hierarchy of values. Christianity can quite comfortably fit in a small box on the shelf, ready to be pulled...
Every year I turn into the Grinch. “I must stop Christmas from coming…” till the 25th anyway. Advent has been entirely pushed out by holiday celebrations that start even before Thanksgiving leftovers can be put away. There’s still the chocolate countdown calendar and...
There’s a point when we grow up, leave childhood, and find ourselves wandering in the desert. We open our eyes and look around. We really see this big world for the first time. It’s full of beauty and goodness, but also ugliness and danger. Some people may be shocked...
One Last Goodbye The last time I visited my grandparents’ house was right after they passed away. There’s no other place on earth more etched into my memory, since I lived there in my early teens and had visited so often the rest of my life before and after. Stepping...
