For years I've been trying to figure out how to reap the benefits of new technology without having texting and internet use become black holes that suck in too much time and attention. I'm far from having it all figured out (and am occasionally reminded of that fact, like when the kids were clamoring to do something last week, and I said "Yeah, yeah, whatever" because I was texting with a friend, and found out a few minutes later that they had been asking if they could open the jumbo box of popsicles in the living room). However, I have tried taking all sorts of steps to find balance in this area of life, and have stumbled across a few that have actually led to lasting, positive changes....READ MORE

Well, my grand plans to do absolutely nothing this summer have not played out like I had hoped. Between swim lessons, birthday parties, playdates, travel plans, and that "small" freelance project I took on (that, of course, ended up being not all that small), my lazy and laid-back summer is shaping up to be anything but lazy and laid-back.

Starting about a week ago, I knew that I was getting too maxed out. I knew that I needed to take steps -- drastic ones, if need be -- to clear off our schedule to give us a little breathing room, but I could never seem to break free from the momentum of our crazy days to think clearly enough to make changes. Then, yesterday, I got a wakeup call that...READ MORE

I recently had the honor of being on the radio show Deep in Scripture, a great weekly program run by The Coming Home Network International. When we were first making arrangements, the producer asked me to choose two Scripture verses to discuss on the theme of The Verses I Never Saw.

It was a daunting assignment. The show is known for fascinating Scriptural exegesis from both host Marcus Grodi and his guests, in which they expound on various passages from the Bible based on personal experience and years of formal study (Grodi's own essay about the verses he never saw is excellent). Though I've been immersing myself in the Bible as much as possible since my conversion, there was no way I...READ MORE

Word on the street is that author Emily Stimpson has a new singles column here at the Register. I'm thrilled to hear it. I plan on reading everything she writes on the subject because I think that Catholic singles have a crucial role to play in modern culture. In fact, I've recently become convinced that the world needs to hear their voices now more than ever. Here's why:

I recently wrote a post over at my personal blog about Catholic teaching and homosexuality, in which I recounted a conversation from a dinner I recently had with a friend and his partner. I've received hundreds of passionate replies, both from those who agree and those who disagree, but none have been more intense than...READ MORE

One morning in 2002 I was eating breakfast with my laptop open on the table. I pulled up my email program, and the first few items that came in were auto-notices from my new website that alerted me that someone had used the built-in email feature to tell a friend about the site (every time the form was used I'd get my own email that said "Someone Told a Friend About Your Page," so that I could make sure everything was working). It was a brand new site, so I was delighted that people were finding it. Then a dozen more alert emails came in. And a dozen more. My inbox was filled with the bolded "Someone Told a Friend About Your Page" notices -- and my new mail was only 10% downloaded. I...READ MORE

In my part of the country, it's common to raise your kids to be "open-minded about religion." I know quite a few parents who are taking this route, and it seems to be a more and more popular choice every year. I've always respected the sentiment that drives this decision. The parents I know who want their children to be open-minded in this area typically seem to do so out of a desire to respect different viewpoints, and a hope that their children will think for themselves rather than blindly believing what their parents tell them to believe. The sentiment is admirable, but recently I've started to wonder:

Is such a thing even possible?

If being in a state of open-mindedness means that...READ MORE

Exciting news from the Catholic tech world: Lighthouse Catholic Media and Flocknote announced last week that they are entering a formal partnership. I've been watching both companies with great interest over the past couple of years, and I'm very excited about this turn of events.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Flocknote, the company is doing really interesting things in the intersection of the Catholicism and modern technology. Founded by the Register's own Matthew Warner, the company offers parishes a way to communicate with their members in a streamlined, efficient, customized way. For example, the adult faith formation director could use Flocknote to send an email...READ MORE