Because we all—men and women alike—need recalibration, I believe it is wrong to call our spouse names. Even if he has a weakness, he also has achievements. He might enjoy alcohol, yet excel in business administration. She might be a compulsive buyer, yet still be a hardworking housewife. I am not advocating drinking alcohol or... Continue Reading →
I would place this wide range of misbehaviors into an even broader category—those that arise when issues slip beyond an individual’s control. While there are explicit religious regulations concerning sexual conduct, there are none for compulsive buying disorder. Yet both involve people unable to govern themselves. Is a sex addict worse than a compulsive buyer?... Continue Reading →
To understand the education of children, we might look at how someone tends to his own land. When we see a beautiful garden, we must remember—it did not appear out of nowhere. That plot may once have been overrun with weeds, unstructured and chaotic—or in danger of becoming so. But a wise gardener begins with... Continue Reading →
Correct Discernment Requires Spiritual Formation We often observe that when someone acts differently from the crowd, they are quickly labeled a fool. If someone is not chasing wealth, he is a fool. If he doesn't sit in a pub and get drunk, he is a fool. If he refuses to commit the same sins as... Continue Reading →
Only God is capable of delivering a person from his sinful condition, through what the Puritans called “strong grace.” They used to say that “strong sins argue strong grace,” meaning that deep moral failure requires an equally powerful divine intervention. Once a person receives such grace, he enters a fragile equilibrium—capable of living according to... Continue Reading →
Dreams are not important only because they may foretell future events. They are also meaningful because they reveal something deeper about our inner life—especially our true spiritual strength when confronted with “personalized” temptations. Spiritual authors such as Zenon have noted that resisting temptation in a dream can be a strong indication that we are progressing... Continue Reading →
Not only are behavior modifiers dangerous, but so are distractions. The essential elements of life that deserve our attention and respect include: time with God, with one’s spouse, with children and grandchildren, with the community, and with others beyond these immediate circles. There is a wide range of distractions—partying, watching or playing games, going on... Continue Reading →
There are several aspects of sin that deserve closer attention. One of them is its function as a modifier of behavior and thought. When a person is immersed in a particular category of sin, they become unable to manifest themselves fully, as God intended. Sin, as someone once said, is the opposite of freedom. Those... Continue Reading →
The Deeper Diver 