Brian Allain

Effort

From “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol S. Dweck, PhD From the point of view of the fixed mindset, effort is only for people with deficiencies. And when people already know they’re deficient, maybe they have nothing to lose by trying. But if you claim to fame is not having any deficiencies – […]

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Types of Idolatry

From “Embracing Your Second Calling: Find Passion and Purpose for the Rest of Your Life” by Dale Hanson Bourke A friend sent me the materials from a Bible study on Galatians she was doing in her church in New York, Redeemer Presbyterian. The study, by Tim Keller, was entitled “Idols of the Heart,” and I

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Because none of us desire a downward path to growth through imperfection

From “Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life” by Richard Rohr Because none of us desire a downward path to growth through imperfection, seek it, or even suspect it, we have to get the message with the authority of a “divine revelation.” So Jesus makes it into a central axiom: the “last”

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a pilates for piety

From “Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment” by J. Brent Bill One of my favorite stories is that of St. Ignatius. Born in Spain in the early fifteenth century, the young Ignatius was no model of sainthood. Ignatius was pompous and obsessed with desire to win glory on the battlefield. Rejecting his father’s wish

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