Habits exert enormous influence in our lives. For better or worse, they guide most of our daily activities, guiding us automatically through routine behaviors (like brushing our teeth), which frees our minds to focus on issues that require deliberate thinking (like, “Now what was it my wife told me she wanted for her birthday?â€) Over…(Read More)
Many of our habits are spiritually neutral, such as the way we brush our teeth or the route we drive to work. Other life patterns clearly violate spiritual values, such as being addicted to drugs, alcohol or pornography, or reacting to correction with automatic anger or blame shifting. There are also habits that may be…(Read More)
My wife seemed to be testing my resolve. A month ago I decided that it was time to do battle with my love for candy. That meant not slipping into the pantry two or three times a day to raid the jar of M&M’s we keep for our grandson. I was doing…(Read More)
I was sitting on the patio of an expensive restaurant in Beirut. Six young Lebanese were sitting at the table next to us, glued to their smart phones. Not a word of conversation between them for minutes on end, a shared agreement that people elsewhere were more interesting than anyone at their table. Each of…(Read More)
I’m ashamed to admit that I find it easier to bring the law to other people than I do the gospel. By “law†I mean all the “thou shalt†passages. You know, the ones we use to tell other people how they should live or how they’re falling short. Or better yet, to…(Read More)
My mother-in-law lived with our family for twenty years. For six of those years, my mother also lived with us. Corlette and I called them “the Two Treasures.†In all the years they lived in our home, I never heard one word of criticism, grumbling, or complaining from either of them. Really. They…(Read More)
