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The Catholic Post

Ideas for Christmas Gift Books to Inspire and Entertain

December 6, 2013 by Nancy Piccione

Following is my December column that appears in this weekend’s print edition of  The Catholic Post. I invite your feedback.

As I wrote in last month’s column, recommending books for gifts at Christmas—or any season—can be tricky. And yet books can be a great source of not just enjoyment and encouragement, but growth in discipleship and evangelization.

Well-designed and well-written books can foster or strengthen the “bridge of trust” that can lead to curiosity and beyond, planting seeds for future spiritual growth.

With that in mind, I’ve tried to select books that would appeal to a wide range of readers, especially those at a beginning level of trust or curiosity. .

Last month I shared books that would be good for younger readers, as well as some family books. This month, I share books for adults. Consider these a starting-off point if you are considering a gift book this Christmas.  You might also consider visiting my previous Christmas book lists (here and here and here and here  and here for other suggestions, or just search “Christmas” in the search box at the top of each page here); and be sure to visit your local Catholic bookstore for more ideas.

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*The Miracle of Father Kapaun: Priest, Solider and Korean War Hero by Roy Wenzl and Travel Heying. The title and subtitle of this book says it all; highly, highly recommended. Reading about Father Kapaun’s very natural, masculine and heroic Christian faith will make wonder why he hasn’t been canonized already. There’s already a growing awareness of his heroism—earlier this year he was posthumously award the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military’s highest honor.

The Korean War is often called “The Forgotten War,” and I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about this war and the heroic men who served there. This book would be of interest to Korean War veterans and their loved ones to give perspective and perhaps foster discussion. But it’s a great read for anyone interested in how ordinary people rise to the challenge in wartime, and the need to honor and remember them.

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*When Faith Feels Fragile: Help for the Wary, Weak and Wandering by Fr. R. Scott Hurd. I love the organization of this book, a series of short reflections/chapters in three areas: “All about Faith,” “Churchy Things to Do,” and “Practical Things to Do.”

But this book is not just for the “wary, the weak and wandering,” though that could describe all of us from time to time. It’s great for anyone who needs a boost of healthy, interesting meditations to renew faith and spiritual life.

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*Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan. I claim this as a “Catholic memoir” despite the fact that it’s a comedy book. That’s because Gaffigan is an unapologetic Catholic and father of five, and writes about faith and family in a gentle and mostly family friendly way (though he writes of hating that term, it fits… in a good way). Gaffigan is a worthy successor to Bill Cosby—he just needs his own sitcom. Read this book for some great laughs for moms, dads, young adults and teens for a reminder that Catholics can laugh with the best of them.

“Daybooks”—simple books with daily quotes and action ideas—can make great gifts. Two newer ones stand out:

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*Small Steps for Catholic Moms: Your Daily Call to Think, Pray and Act by Danielle Bean and Elizabeth Foss offers, from two well-known mother-authors, a way for moms to balance “action and contemplation in everyday life.” Each entry of this daybook offers a (often seasonal) Scripture verse or quote from a saint, a prayer for moms and a suggested action.

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*Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration by Melanie Rigney is a nicely designed daybook of female saints from the familiar to the obscure. It can be edifying to spend a few minutes each day learning about these holy women not just as holy women, but as real people with challenges.

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Musician and Pilgrim: An Interview with Matt Maher

November 21, 2013 by Nancy Piccione

Last week, I was privileged to interview Matt Maher, the best-selling and award-winning Catholic singer/songwriter.  Maher performed at a standing-room only concert, “An Evening of Worship” of more than 1,400 at Harvest Bible Chapel in East Peoria November 14, along with worship singer Meredith Andrews and Vertical Church Band.   Following is a longer version of our Q&A that will appear in The Catholic Post.  Tomorrow I will be sharing the “back story” behind the interview and more  about Matt Maher, including what books he’s reading these days.

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Q. The video of you singing “Lord, I Need You” during the Eucharistic Adoration Vigil at World Youth Day in Rio went viral among Catholics online. What was it like to sing at World Youth Day?

I’ve been to World Youth Day many times. The first was 2000 in Rome, and then 2002 in Toronto and then 2008 in Sydney. I missed Madrid because my wife was having our first baby.

I was actually on the fence about attending World Youth Day in Brazil, but the artistic director e-mailed me several times. The producer of the main stage events had heard “Lord, I Need You” and wanted to have the song sung there.

At first I thought I would be singing in the time before Adoration. I didn’t realize until about an hour and a half before that I was going to sing while the Blessed Sacrament was exposed.

Q. Did you plan to kneel?

Well, that’s interesting, because some people were kneeling and some people were standing in Brazil.

And I did parish ministry for 13 years, and in the work I did with LifeTeen, and leading music during Eucharistic Adoration, was big part of the ministry. I had almost always knelt. At first, there’s a challenge to it—how do I kneel and sing at the same time?

At World Youth Day, I was waiting to walk up the stairs to go on. I said a prayer and then I said a Hail Mary, and all of sudden I felt the Holy Spirit say, “You should kneel,” and I said, “Okay.” And I knelt.

There were two million people at the Vigil. The two thoughts I had during adoration were the Lord saying, “I am the same. There’s really nothing different.” There’s no way for eye to the comprehend two million people, and they were behind me, so I couldn’t see them. And so it was the Lord saying to me, “You’ve done this before.” And the miracle of it was rooted back in the fact that the Lord chooses to come to His people in this way.

The other human thought was, “Man, I really hope I’m not bothering the Holy Father, because that would be a real drag.”

Q. Did you get a chance to meet Pope Francis?

No, I didn’t, but someone sent me the freeze frame photo of us very close together, and I’ve thought of maybe sending it to him along with a note saying, “Hey, we were really close, but we didn’t get to meet. Let me know if you’d ever like to have lunch.” Some of my friends have joked that he might call me, since he likes to do that.

Q. Do you have thoughts on or a favorite quote from Pope Francis?

He’s so prolific. I’m like everyone else in that I’m constantly digesting it. Every morning I read the Vatican News Service and he is saying something really profound.

My favorite theme from Pope Francis, what I’m hearing, is how he wants a church that is poor.

God is using him; He is casting a different vision for how Catholics are how to engage in the world.

There are some areas of tension in the United States. While we’re part of such a wealthy country, we forget that we’re really a very small part of the global Catholic Church. When you are the vicar of Christ, you are thinking about the entire world—Europe, Africa, Asia. Sometimes in the West, we can fall into the temptation to be self-obsessed, and we need to change that.

Pope Francis talks about how we’re hospital workers on a battlefield, and if you’re treating the wounded, some of it gets on you. It’s always a challenge for us in Western culture (which itself is narcissistic) to wonder, “Is the Church being narcissistic?”

I think that’s what he is talking about when he is talking about getting away from being self-referential. It’s considering what do you think about first, are you thinking about yourself, or are you thinking about the people you are called to serve? It’s going to take time (to fully understand all that Pope Francis is teaching). [John Paul II] preached the Theology of the Body, and we’re still unpacking it, and we will be for a couple of hundred years.

Q. You’re open about your Catholic faith, but in a way that is accessible to all Christians—your music & ministry strike me as realistic and healthy ecumenism. What makes you successful at that, and what can the average person learn from you?

There’s a couple of things to remember. Our understanding of Christians from other denominations has changed so much since Vatican II, and needs to change further. Jeffrey Gros was one of the leading Catholic experts on ecumenism—he died recently. Last April I met him at Mundelein Seminary, and he said something there that was very profound. He said that when it comes to ecumenism, we have to realize that we are a pilgrim church and we are on a journey to the New Jerusalem. So when we meet other Christians on the way, it’s not about coming back home, as much as it is the destination.

Before ecumenism used to be an academic endeavor, done mostly by debating and writing papers.

What God is doing now— and maybe I get to be a small part of it— is missional ecumenism. It’s ecumenism ordered around developing understanding in the middle of a common work together.

Ecumenism is Emmaus. To me, Emmaus is the model for evangelization, but it’s also a model for ecumenism. Emmaus was when two people were walking together on “The Way” and Jesus encounters them. And as early Christians, we were known as “the people of the Way”. So as Christians together, we’re really about The Way.

I’ve been reflecting on the charism of World Youth Day as pilgrimage. Prior to the Reformation, pilgrimage was a way that people to developed deeper in their faith and their relationships with each other, and learn about and connected to the history of the Church, literally through the ground by going to holy sites, and to the Holy Land.

And so missional ecumenism carries this whole pilgrimage spirituality of the “now” and the “not yet.” We’re building the kingdom of God, but it’s not finished. Because (all Christians) have a common goal of reaching culture, of helping bring restoration, you can start to dialogue about the differences.

Q. Some of the interviews with Pope Francis share how he felt a deep sense of peace, and absence of fear, when he was elected Holy Father. You seem to me similar in that you have no fear about sharing your faith or being open about it.

Sometimes I’ve gotten flack that I haven’t been “Catholic “enough, but I’m approaching from the part of the prayer of St. Francis, “not be understood, but to understand.” I’m not concerned primarily with trying to be right, as much as trying to understand the people I serve.

Q. I loved what you said on a radio interview before the concert (on a morning WCIC interview with Jill and Jeremy Tracey) in which you quoted St. Faustina and her vision of “the ocean of mercy.” Can you share that with readers of The Catholic Post?

Well, it comes from St. Faustina’s diary. Jesus talks about sinners, and he says, “bring them to my ocean of mercy.” I sort of elaborated on it by saying that God gives us an ocean of mercy and we tend to act like it’s a cup.

When we first encounter Jesus, we experience the ocean, and then we walk away from it. When we walk away from it, and then think, I can’t carry the ocean with me, so I guess I’ll carry a cup. But that size mercy would be exhausted rather quickly, on yourself and on others. Mercy is so needed.

I think there is a huge emphasis now in ministries in proclaiming the truth, standing for the truth. Some people amend this to say that you need to share the truth in love.

But before it all, in Scripture it says, “God’s kindness leads us to repentance.” The kindness that is talked about is God’s mercy, the mercy that he has shown us. And when you are walking in humility—which is a big aspect of this papacy— the reason you are humble is because you are aware of the mercy of God. There’s less time to cast judgment.

Q. You’re a new dad. How does parenthood affect your music, your faith, and your life?

My wife and I have a two-year-old son and a month-old daughter.

Marriage exposes all the things in you that are selfish, but you’re dealing with another adult so you don’t necessarily have to change.

Being a parent makes you realize that if you don’t, it will drastically affect the life of another human being, and they are counting on you.

So, first of all, marriage has changed my DNA, and then parenthood as well. Marriage is a sacrament and it changes you. It’s like the first time you go to confession or the first time you receive the Eucharist. Marriage is the same way. We need to help people understand that. And also, that the priesthood and marriage are mystically linked. You can’t have good marriages without the priesthood and vice versa.

For me, I think the parenthood thing is only settling in now, because my kids are so young.

Q. What’s next for you?

I’m working on something ambitious; it should come out in 2015. I’m just writing and reading and praying right now. The two things that I’m thinking about and praying about is World Youth Day in Krakow in 2016 and the fact that several years from now is 500 years from the Reformation.

I am so grateful to Matt Maher for being willing to do this interview.  He was very articulate and had much more to say than this Q&A.  I’ll share a few behind-the-scenes facts and more from our interview tomorrow, so be sure to check back.  Or you can just sign up to receive e-mail updates from Reading Catholic by using the box on the upper right of this page, and you’ll get updates when they appear here.

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A Great Read for Kids: The Mistmantle Chronicles

November 14, 2013 by Nancy Piccione

From the author’s website: “I think, if you like Narnia, you’ll like Mistmantle.”

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That pretty much sums it up this fantastic series our family has discovered in the last few weeks.

As I wrote on my GoodReads review, before I read Mistmantle #1,  Urchin of the Riding Stars, (but heard my kids raving about it), I said “it looks like a worthy and noble successor to Redwall.” But now that I’ve read the first book, I can now say the series is far superior to Redwall.

Even though animals, such as squirrels, otters and hedgehogs, are the characters (like in Redwall), the spiritual content of The Mistmantle Chronicles, by Margaret McAllister,  is more like C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. There’s a ton of action, mystery and virtue. These books are well worth reading if you have anyone in your house who has enjoyed Narnia or Redwall books.

That’s pretty much the important part—you can go order the first five Mistmantle books from the library or Amazon now, or you can continue reading about how I discovered this series.

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With the gajillion of children’s books published every year, you might find it strange (and I do, too) that I get genuinely surprised when I discover a great author or series previously unknown to me.  How did I not know that this person existed and was writing fantastic books?

Part of the reason is that while many books are published, it’s rare for one to stand out. Even among the many good books I review, there are only a few that I give as gifts to my own friends and family. (Some recent ones include Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell and anything by Colleen Swaim).

women-of-the-bible-2Women of the Bible was one of those books. Paraclete Press, a publisher I know and love for well-designed books, sent a review copy, and I was immediately enchanted. It was “highly recommended” in my November column for The Catholic Post).  I was so struck by the writing—it really wasn’t just run-of-the-mill, but lyrical.

I skimmed through most of it, and then I read to my older children one of the stories. I couldn’t get through it without tearing up. That has only happened to me a handful of times, and so I can recall them easily. The first time this happened to me was many years ago, when I first read to my then-preschooler the time in By the Shores of Silver Lake when Jack the bulldog dies. If you have ever loved a dog and tried to read that part aloud, you know what I mean.

Anyway, we all wondered if McAllister has written anything else. Turns out, Mistmantle!

I ordered the first in the series from the library, and we all LOVED it, to the point of putting it in the next person’s hands when you are finished, to the point where I ordered two copies of Book #2 from the library so that there wouldn’t be fistfights over it, and so on.

(Yes, sadly, we occasionally come to blows at our house over books, we are that serious about it—I might exaggerate a little, but this has nearly happened before with at least two of the Penderwicks books, and one of The Ranger’s Apprentice books.)

There are currently five in the Mistmantle Chronicles and I just hope and pray McAllister is planning to write more. Margaret McAllister, may you continue to be as wise as C.S. Lewis and may you be as prolific as Brian Jacques.

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Meet a Reader: Father Joseph Presley

November 11, 2013 by Nancy Piccione

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How you know me: I’m the parochial vicar (assistant pastor) at Corpus Christi and St. Patrick’s parishes in Galesburg and Sacred Heart parish, Abingdon. I am also a religious, a member of a small congregation named the Institute of Charity (Rosminians), founded by Blessed Antonio Rosmini, whose charism is universal charity.

Why I love reading: In the words of Francis Bacon, “Reading maketh a full man.” By reading we can have all of the wisdom and experience of the past as a gift without the labor of having to work it out ourselves; wisdom that is perennially valid. Bernard of Chartres used to say that we [the Moderns] are like dwarves perched on the shoulders of giants [the Ancients], and thus we are able to see more and farther than the latter. And this is not at all because of the acuteness of our sight or the stature of our body, but because we are carried aloft and elevated by the magnitude of the giants. “For whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4)

What I’m reading now:  Two books by Dietrich Von Hildebrand: Transformation in Christ and The Art of Living.

I became convinced that the personalistic philosophy of such original minds as Dietrich Von Hildebrand and John Paul II is the antidote to all the offenses against the life and dignity of the human person and a solid basis for constructing a civilization of life and love called for in Evangelium Vitae. I am reading Von Hildebrand because I find this philosophy to be extremely human(in the sense that God intended), rich and appealing, and I believe that this is the direction that God’s providence is leading humanity at this time.

I’m also reading Father Michael Gaitley’s The One Thing Is Three: How the Most Holy Trinity Explains Everything.

My favorite book: Apart from Sacred Scripture, my favorite book is The Imitation of Christ by Thomas á Kempis. It is like breathing the pure, clear air of heaven when I read it. I can dip into it anywhere at anytime and draw a profound lesson and strength and encouragement along with a clear vision of the truth. Moreover it never wears out. It never fails to re-center me on what is essential what is truly important. Definitely a book I would want to have with me on a desert island!

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Gift Book Ideas for Children & Families

November 8, 2013 by Nancy Piccione

Following is my November column that appears in this weekend’s print edition of The Catholic Post.  I invite your feedback here as well as any book suggestions you have.  A few more great books have arrived since I wrote this column, so that I may need to do an update.  December’s column will feature books for adults.

Recommending books for gifts at Christmas—or any season—can be tricky. And yet books can be a great source of enjoyment and encouragement, and, at the right time and the right place, evangelization.

In the must-read Forming Intentional Disciples (my review of that book is here), Sherry Weddell writes of the thresholds that people cross on the journey towards Christ. Before any other step, a person must have a “bridge of trust” in either someone in, or some part of, the Catholic faith, before curiosity, openness, or truly seeking a relationship with Jesus can take place.

Well-designed and well-written books can foster or strengthen that “bridge of trust” that can lead to curiosity and beyond, planting seeds for future spiritual growth.

With that in mind, I’ve tried to select books that would appeal to a wide range of readers, especially those at a beginning level of trust or curiosity.

This month, the books column features books for children, and also more general “coffee table” type of books suitable for all ages. Next month’s column will feature books for adults.

women-of-the-bible-2*I was drawn to Women of the Bible by Margaret McAllister because of Alida Massari’s expressive and lovely watercolor illustrations. But after reading several of these enchanting stories, in which McAllister beautifully imagines vignettes based on women described in the Bible, I can confidently say the writing is even better. This is a delightful read-aloud for children of all ages. Highly, highly recommended.

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*Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing by Amy Welborn, illustrated by Ann Kissane Engelhart. This is the latest of three picture books by Welborn and Engelhart, and their best collaboration so far. (Here’s hoping the two do many more in future years.)

It’s a story of a boy learning from his grandfather that “Love brings all the pieces together,” even when those pieces are broken. The book is also a charming introduction to the real-life newer tradition of Bambinelli Sunday, when Italian children gather on Gaudate Sunday (the third Sunday of Advent) to have the baby Jesus figures from the family creche set blessed by the Holy Father.

822438The “Saints & Me!” series of books from Liguori Press, with clever illustrations and approachable text for younger readers, is authored by Barbare Yoffie, and illustrated by Katherine A. Borgatti.. Added this year were four new saints–Damien of Molokai, Rose Philippine Duchesne, Andre Bessette, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, as well as a Saints of North America Activity Book (pictured above), with coloring pages, word puzzles and other goodies to keep little hands busy.

91d609_b164ad51c1fba59ea03b4ea3b716549f.jpg_srz_471_726_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srzFor more mature young readers, Nancy Carabio Belanger’s newest novel, The Gate, is beautifully written story of a teen boy’s struggle through the death of his father and accidental friendship with a nursing home resident. I’ve loved and highly recommend Belanger’s other award-winning novels—Olivia and the Little Way for middle-grade readers, and Olivia’s Gift for slightly older readers (review here and author interview (with a twist) here).

Because the narrative is told by an adult looking back, there’s a certain melancholy and maturity that would be most appealing for readers further along in their faith journey; I would say a slightly older audience than Olivia’s Gift. But’s its a great read for older children and adults.

Here are some “coffee table” style books suitable for all ages:

HOLY-LAND-BOOK-full*If you’ve ever had a desire to do a Holy Land pilgrimage (raising my hand here), Fr. Mitch Pacwa’s The Holy Land: An Armchair Pilgrimage offers a lush virtual tour in a handsome, well-designed book with tons of photos and many old illustrations and maps of Holy Land sites.

The book is substantial but not oversized, so it’s perfect for couch perusal, meditation, prayer and perhaps a little dreaming about your own Holy Land excursion.

item3834_250_x_250*Three new gorgeous books offer introduction to paintings well-known and obscure, all with religious themes: Sister Wendy on the Art of Mary; Sister Wendy on the Art of Christmas (pictured above), and Sister Wendy on the Art of Saints.

Sister Wendy Beckett, who became justifiably well-known in the 1990s for her BBC art history documentaries, is the author of these slim but powerful volumes. Each section offers a reproduction of artwork, plus Sister Wendy’s prayerful and educated—but never stuffy—commentary about the work and its religious meaning.

“When you look at the pictures in this book, really look, opening your heart to take in what is there before you, you are not only responding to a particular work of art, you are practicing the habit of openness to the beauty of God as he illuminates every moment of your every day…. it changes us.”

Looking at even one picture a day, and reading the short but rich narration, is a beautiful way to introduce yourself or anyone in your family to the delight of reflecting on beauty. Gorgeous artwork made richer by Sister Wendy’s commentary makes these books well worth having and cherishing.

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Revenge of the Nerds: How Geekiness can Strengthen the Family

October 11, 2013 by Nancy Piccione

Yesterday I posted the first half (read that here) of my column that appears in this weekend’s edition of The Catholic Post.  Today is Part 2 of this.

 GeekPriest: Confessions of a New Media Pioneer has much to share about what’s positive about the Internet and connecting online.

But as we can see from the news, or even from our own interactions online (exhibit A in three words? Facebook during elections) or trying to parenting children in the digital age, it’s not all sunshine and roses.

Parents and kids can find it difficult to strike a good balance between being super-connected online, sometimes to the detriment of those around us, or to becoming a neo-Luddite, forbidding all tech altogether. There are myriad books and articles about this topic, but few are worthwhile.

In the last few years, I had two go-to books on this subject:

*Talking Back to Facebook: The Common Sense Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Age by James P. Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media. As Steyer writes: ”Both the perils and possibilities of this rapidly evolving digital age needed to be explained in pretty simple terms for the average family.”

*The other is Plugged-In Parenting: How to Raise Media-Savvy Kids with Love, Not War by Bob Waliszewski. This book, by the director of Focus on the Family’s Plugged In Online, offers a realistic and practical challenge to parents of faith to be involved in their kids’ media choices.

But now I highly recommend a new book, The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age by Catherine Steiner-Adair, as a must-read.

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The Big Disconnect is not just great as information, but also as a springboard for discussion in families about technology’s promise and limits for healthy individuals and families. Steiner-Adair is a psychologist and professional, so it’s full of the latest research, along with many individual stories and case studies, showing the pitfalls of technology, especially for younger users, and what families can do about it.

In particular, she offers sobering and graphic evidence of the wide online prevalence of both bullying and porn, and life-damaging consequences of these for young people.

The finest chapter of The Big Disconnect is “The Sustainable Family: Turning Tech into an Ally for Closeness, Creativity, and Community.” Rather than a “one size fits all” approach for a family tech policy, “The Sustainable Family” offers healthy principles for considering how to be mindful and proactive.

Consider this great quote, which in many ways sums up the chapter, and the book, and can apply not just to families, but to individuals within a faith community:

“Tech can be a tool that strengthens family connection, or it can dilute family connection. When family members ‘fly solo’ too much and spend time too much time pursuing their singular lives online with their out-of-family social networks, family cohesion erodes. Family ties loosen. Today’s family must develop a relationship with technology without losing sight of the primacy of family relationships, because it is in protecting and cultivating these relationships that we make a family sustainable.”

It’s a tall order for families, especially parents, but for Steiner-Adair, it’s worth the effort for the health of the family and its individual members, as well as the wider society.

That is the end of my print column, but I’ve been discovering, via what people share on Facebook and elsewhere, even more sobering realities about online life.  Here are just a few for parents, especially:

“Friends Without Benefits” from Vanity Fair — corrosive, misogynistic teen culture online.  “Social media is destroying our lives.” “Then why don’t you get off it?” “Because then we would have no life.”

“Porn is the Most Pernicious Threat Facing Children Today” this is unbelievably depressing. 

And just so I’m not leaving things completely hopeless, here is an interesting take on “How Tech is Not Ruining Your Mind” .  Love the discussion of “cognitive diversity” and how adults, along with kids, should not spend all their time on screens.

I don’t care if I sound like an oldster when I say that so much of this truly makes me grieve for many young people and the culture.  But it also increases my desire to pray for their spiritual, physical and emotional safety and well-being. What I like so much about The Big Disconnect is that it didn’t leave me depressed, but hopeful about making a difference.

What about you? Are you hopeful or depressed about the state of culture and online life?

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