2 months ago in Strength, Suffering, Virtue

Fail Forward: 7 Blessings of Falls in the Lives of Men

We are living in a time when men are besieged from all fronts. Men have a suicide rate three times higher than women which many attribute, at least in part, to men equating asking for help with portraying vulnerability in a society where vulnerability is equated with weakness and not being a real man. As followers of Christ, we have...

6 months ago in Peace, Strength, Suffering

Overcome Evil with Good: The Temptations of Our Time and the Spirit of Christ

A glance at the news headlines gives the very real impression that the world is in flames. Who can deny that we are in a tremendous state of turmoil, reeling from one crisis only to enter another one? I've refrained from commenting on the unfolding events we are seeing because the world does not need more opinions or commentary right...

6 months ago in Combat, Courage, Strength, Suffering, Worship

A Pilgrim on the Way: My Journey on the Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago changed my life entirely and the experience continues to bear fruit. There are a myriad of events speak to me, but three faces rise up from the depths of my heart, from shadow to light. These seem to hold the essence of my sojourn: the Child, the Old Man, and the Son. I would call them...

3 years ago in Strength

Falling Upward: Dealing With Failure in the Spiritual Life

Men do not like to fail. We find much of our identity in our ability to not be a failure. Yet, if we are honest, our spiritual lives are often characterized by the very thing we dread---failure. Our resolutions and our aspirations simply do not align with reality. Habitual sins plague us and enslave us, leading to shame, confessions that are numbingly...

3 years ago in Discipline, Strength, Virtue

Cross Fit: 10 Ways to Stay Spiritually Healthy

Healthy organic foods, physical health centers, taking various vitamin pills, exotic vacation resort getaways, and many others are all attempts to maintain good bodily health. No doubt, all of this can be good for this simple reason: our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we should be responsible guardians and custodians of this gift of our body...

4 years ago in Saints, Strength

Patience and Perfection

As many of you know, we recently moved. Moving is hard work, and unpacking is only the beginning. After all of your belongings are unpacked, you must begin the arduous process of making the home your own. Finding a place for everything, painting, hanging pictures, arranging furniture, fixing and perhaps even building. It can take a very long time. The problem...

6 years ago in Courage, Persecution, Strength

Fearless: The Holy Boldness of Jesus and the Saints

"I do not care very much what men say of me, provided that God approves of me." - St. Thomas More "Be brave! Do not be led by what others think or say." - St. John Bosco "You snakes! You brood of vipers!" Jesus thundered, "You whitewashed tombs!" His followers were aghast. Didn't Jesus realize who he was speaking to?...

6 years ago in Discipline, Strength

Relentless Forward Progress: What running 100 miles taught me about the spiritual life

Whenever someone finds out I’ve run a 100 mile race, they usually ask two questions; “why?” and “how?” The first question is hard, if not impossible, to answer. If it isn’t immediately obvious why someone would want to do this, then I probably won’t be able to explain. For most people who run these things, it’s about finding your limits...

7 years ago in Gentleman Saints, Strength

St. Joseph, Pray for Us

Pull out your highlighters. What word stands out most when you read Matthew 1:24? Isn’t it that small, overused, three-letter word our English teachers told us to avoid? “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded.” Joseph did. It’s that simple. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of workers and fathers, a simple carpenter who obeyed...

7 years ago in Faith, Lifestyle, Strength

Get Your Beard On: A Call to Untrimmed Spirituality in a Clean-Shaven World

The following is a guest post from Tyler Blanski---a writer who possesses a beard of medieval proportions. Tyler is the author of When Donkeys Talk and Mud and Poetry. From bearded indie rockers to hipster barkeeps, facial hair is in. And with it come rumors of a holy renaissance. Men and women everywhere are rediscovering the hairy lore of church history, the...

7 years ago in Strength, Virtue

Putting the Gentle in Gentleman

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength." - St. Francis de Sales If we're honest, most of us would have to admit that gentleness isn't high on the list of manly qualities we hope to possess. We want to be tough, we want to be strong, we want to be resilient---we want to be anything but...

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