The Valiant Calling of Spiritual Fatherhood

I was having a particularly busy and overwhelming day. By 9 PM I closed my laptop, having just completed the last thing on my to-do list, and looked around the empty cafeteria room where I snuck away to get my last bit of work done. At that moment I felt the burdens of the day…

Can I be beautiful? Thoughts on modesty…

I was walking towards the school in my embroidered jean dress, platform sandals, and straightened hair. NOTHING could stop me. I kept thinking: Is this what it’s like? Is this what it’s like to feel beautiful? I was 13 years old entering the 8th grade. For years I felt so inadequate with my appearance. I…

Well, what makes them different?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1536585282446{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]I love religion. In college, I changed my major to Religious Studies so I could learn about what other people believe. Did I have a career path in mind? Not exactly, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t gain anything from it. Now, I’m not here to harp on…

What Should I Do If I Receive a Sext?

Last week I was standing before a group of high school students, answering questions about chastity. One brave student raised her hand amidst a room full of her peers. “This question might be stupid, but, what should I do if a guy friend of mine sends me nudes, but, he’s my friend. How do I…

June Summer Orientation – Week 1

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1528652337254{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Dear Culture Project Family, “If you are wise, you will be reservoirs and not channels. Channels let their water flow away, and do not retain a drop. But, the reservoir is first filled, and then, without emptying itself, pours out its overflow which is ever renewed over the field it waters.” St.…

I Don’t See Myself Changing, But…

“I don’t see myself changing, but how can I still get to what you guys are talking about?” This question was asked by one of the students we recently spoke to about living out sexual integrity. At first glance, the question seems to suggest the student was not particularly receptive to the virtue of chastity…

Into the Silence

A couple of years ago I drove my sister and her date to the prom. The venue was about an hour away from our house so I figured, instead of driving back I’ll make this a nice little ‘treat-yo-self’ evening. After dropping them off I found a highly rated Thai place. “Perfect!” I thought, “I’ll…

Shame vs. Guilt

“We all like sharing scars received in battle, the wounds of ergastulum, less.” An ergastulum was a Roman underground building with long, dark, dreary corridors used to house and work slaves. The wounds and scars received while in the ergastulum filled the enslaved with a grave sense of shame. ‘ C.S. Lewis speaks of his…