Having big chunks of time to work on a creative project is a gift. It also brings problems. How do you keep at work with no looming deadlines, no timecard to punch, and no boss? As I move fully into writing, speaking, and other independent work, I’m facing those challenges daily. Of course I’m facing them my […]
Stay in Your Cell (The Writer’s Inner Life)
Here’s one of my favorite little stories from the sayings of the Desert Fathers: In Scetis a brother went to Moses to ask for advice. He said to him “Go and sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.” (Quiet, 8) Moses wasn’t talking about prison. The “cell” was a monk’s hut […]
Lent: Taking Stock with Evagrius Ponticus
Lent is a season for self-examination. It is not mainly about feeling guilty. It is more like a chance to check the GPS (that might be “God Positioning System” if you like acronyms) and figure out exactly where you have come and where you still have to go. We often describe this life as a spiritual journey, […]
“Be a Real Christian”: Charge to the Graduating Class, 2014
As you leave seminary behind, as you move into your calling as servants of Christ, please, I beg you, take care what you aim for. Think hard about the goal, the target at which you are aiming your life. You want goals for your work and your ministry of course, but think, more importantly, about the […]
How to Really Enjoy Your Summer Vacation: Advice from a Fourth Century Monk
Did you get to the end of vacation last year and wonder why you were disappointed? Big expectations of adventure and rest swallowed up by Angry Birds and email? Time think ahead, even though Memorial Day is weeks away. Classes are over for the semester (though a two-week Doctor of Ministry intensive is looming). Time to think about Summer before […]