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Long-time readers here will know that I’m a big believer in goal-setting. Not because I’m super organized or structured in how I live, but because nothing helps me figure out what exactly it is I want out of my life, and how to try to achieve it, better than going through a big goal-setting project. … Continue reading On Intention: A Reflection on Abba Anthony 35

Christianity is about changed lives. Full stop. The depths of metaphysics and cosmology — questions about the nature of reality, the universe, and the divine — are completely irrelevant to us and to our faith. But, that doesn’t make those questions any less compelling to many of us. And so they have always been a … Continue reading First Things: A Reflection on Abba Zeno 4

A theme that has come up often in this series, most recently in Sunday’s post, is how there is no room in a genuine Christian life for judgmentalism. Again, this is very basic Christian teaching as it was one of the major themes of Jesus’ own teaching. We shouldn’t be surprised to see it come … Continue reading More on Judging Others: A Reflection on Abba Agathon 18

There’s an old saying that says ‘We stand on the shoulders of giants.’ While I applaud the proverb’s humility, something about it has always rubbed me the wrong way. What’s amazing about the great feats of the past — whether it’s standing up to Nazis, demanding Civil Rights, or the acts of creative genius in … Continue reading Against Golden Ages: A Reflection on Abba John the Dwarf 14

I once heard an old priest say that people are wrong to think that sin is titillating, exciting, and creative: There are so few ways to sin that it’s boring, but there are infinite ways to be holy, so that's where the real excitement, creativity and wonder lie. It’s something I’ve thought about often over … Continue reading On Discernment: A Reflection on Abba Joseph of Panephysis 8