Choosing the Easy Route When Battling Temptation

Jack Handey, known for his odd sense of humor frequently expressed in an old Saturday Night Live segment titled "Deep Thoughts," wrote an equally ...

The Limits of the Human Will

Many of us act as if repentance is a matter of the will. [But] we can't "will" ourselves into change. We can't "will" ourselves ...

On Being Reactors, Not Actors

In our lives in the world, the temptation is always to go where the world takes us, to drift with whatever current happens to be running strongest. When ...

St. Francis's Extreme Embrace of Poverty

Among his many virtues, [St. Francis of Assisi] is known for his passionate embrace of poverty. Not only did he forbid his emerging Order to own property, ...

A Lesson About Spiritual Warfare from Alexander the Great

We can actually learn a lot about some of Satan's strategies in spiritual warfare by studying the military strategies of some of the warriors of old. ...

The Jekyll and Hyde Nature of Motherhood

Nancy Ortberg, in her sermon "The Jekyll and Hyde of Motherhood”:

A transformation occurred in me with the birth of my children. I traded in ...

Toxic Assets

The 2009 economic crisis brought an interesting phrase into the headlines: toxic assets. Toxic assets are one of the factors contributing to the trouble ...

How One Small Squirrel Is Causing Big Problems in England

Across northern England and Scotland, a do-or-die battle is being waged against an aggressive invader: the American gray squirrel.

Researchers have discovered ...

Outthinking Burglars or Playing into Their Hands?

If we knew the most likely place a thief might strike would we react differently? The front door and first-floor window are the most common places burglars ...

The True Power of Temptation

The power of temptation is not in its appeal to our baser instincts; if that were the case, it would be natural to be repulsed by it. The power of temptation ...