Featured

Have you noticed how hard it is to be open and honest with others? I’m not talking about social-media open. It’s easy to repost an article on Twitter or to leave a comment on Facebook. If you dislike someone's opinion, you can unfollow them. If you offend someone they can just "block" you. But it’s…

My kids got their good taste in music from me. They’re a little obsessive about it, though. Every time we get in the van, they want to listen to one particular bluegrass album over and over and over: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder’s Live at the Charleston Music Hall. One song, “A Simple Life,”…

Which is more important: Arriving at your vacation spot on time, or Making sure someone gets the treatment they need for a medical emergency? Don’t ask the woman who spit in the security guard’s face as she was escorted off the plane. Recently, I read about a flight that was unexpectedly…

The dreaded “sex talk.” I think this is a right of passage for every person who dares to embark on the journey of parenting. It wasn’t long ago that my wife and I entered into this awkward exchange of adult realities matched with our child’s innocent view of the world. Determined to beat his school…

Climate change. Global warming. Greenhouse gases. Rising sea levels. Dominion. Domination. Exploitation. Consumption. Tree Hugger. Eco-Friendly. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Let’s get this out of the way. Talking about care of creation is risky. Why? Because it can be political, polarizing, and…

In September 2015, a photograph of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi's limp body on a Turkish beach was a gut check to sophisticated societies, reminding them of the fragility of life for millions of people fleeing economic and political chaos and highlighting the stark causes behind such desperation.…

We want to acknowledge that Catholicism takes on various characteristics in different contexts. Regionally, it may be true that Roman Catholics in your area are not open to conversation or shared mission with non-Catholics. However, this need not stop us from trying, or at least avoiding speaking…

This morning my sleepy little coffee shop is abuzz with chatter about a big political speech given last night. Eavesdropping on the conversations at tables around me becomes my “water-cooler” perspective on recent events. A circle of retired gentlemen solve the problems of the world one expresso…

Most of us have had a “moment of truth” experience when a friend or loved one walks into the room and asks, “So, do you notice anything different?” The question itself tips us off that something has changed, and we begin scanning our memory banks to give the right answer. Did she get new glasses?…

What will you do when you discover that your new neighbor speaks a language unlike yours, dresses “strangely,” has a different skin color, cooks odd food, goes to another kind of prayer center, and is just not what you are accustomed to? Such a scenario is likely to occur these days, and we must…