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Beach Struggles, Hugh Hefner, and Teaching Our Kids to Navigate a Sex-Saturated World
This past week, Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy enterprise, died. May God have mercy on his soul and on all the souls who have been hurt by his legacy. Though I don’t dare suggest I know Hugh Hefner’s motives, I found it surprising that some people have tried to raise this man up as a sort of hero. Are you kidding me? Please somebody tell me any good that has come from Hugh Hefner and the pornography industry? Porn isn’t about helping people — it’s about enslaving people for selfish gain. Men, women, and children are being bought and sold as commodities to feed the insatiable thirst it creates…
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San Sebastian: Walking the Camino and Fighting Resistance
Somebody please explain to me why anybody would be tempted to skip a beatiful hike through the the Spanish mountains, surrounded by views like these: For me, it came down to resistance. Resistance: it’s become a popular term among Catholics, but it’s roots reach all the way back to the earliest days of Christianity. Perhaps St. Paul put it best, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Rom 7:15) I often face resistance in my own life: resisting evil, yes — but even more so, I resist doing the good. Maybe it’s because I…
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San Sebastián: Facing our Fears, Weddings, and Finding Hope Again
It’s hard to describe that feeling after making it onto the train. As we stumbled into our seats and the train pulled away from the Barcelona Sants Station, John and I both looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like we had dodged a bullet — and in some way, maybe we had. Within a few hours of our departure, Barcelona experienced a terrible terrorist attack. Thank goodness we had run our tails off to make that train! As we looked at our baby laughing with our oldest son — with Barcelona fading into the distance — we could only feel grateful. Grateful for everything we didn’t…
