Courage
“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means, at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful till it became risky.” ~C.S. Lewis
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Field Notes: Peace Under Pressure
Christian peace is not weakness, passivity, or avoiding conflict. Because Christ has made peace with us, we can confront, set boundaries, speak truth, and withstand hostility without letting fear, anger, or pride take command. Peace gives us the footing to remain strong, self-controlled, and faithful when pressure rises. Continue reading
16 Horsepower, Amy Arnsten, Anger, Apostle Paul, Armor of God, Augustine, Boundaries, Brother Lawrence, Charles Spurgeon, Christian Formation, Christian Peace, Conflict, Courage, Epictetus, Forgiveness, George MacDonald, Gospel of Peace, Jesus, John Mark Comer, Marcus Aurelius, Obedience, Peace Under Pressure, Peacemaking, Reconciliation, Ryan Holiday, Self-Control, Seneca, Sermon on the Mount, Shoes of the Gospel of Peace, spiritual warfare, stoicism, Strength, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas à Kempis, Watchman Nee, William Gurnall -
Avoidance, Agency, and the Hard Work of Engagement
Avoidance rarely looks like fear—it usually looks like tomorrow. Drawing from The Hardiness Effect, Scripture, Viktor Frankl, C.S. Lewis, the Desert Fathers, and timeless Christian wisdom, this field note explores how avoidance diminishes agency and how faithful engagement forms courage, responsibility, and resilient character one decision at a time. Continue reading
Acedia, Agency, Avoidance, C.S. Lewis, Character, Christian Living, Courage, Discipleship, Dr. Paul Taylor, Habits, John Mark Comer, Jordan Peterson, mental-health, Personal Development, Personal Growth, Resilience, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, The Hardiness Effect, Viktor Frankl, Virtue -
The Harder Road: Hercules at the Crossroads and the Path of Aretê
Hercules at the Crossroads gives mythic shape to an ordinary truth: repeated choices become a road, and the road forms us. Drawing on Paul Taylor, C.S. Lewis, John Mark Comer, Brother Lawrence, and Christian wisdom, this CTK essay explores Kakia, Aretê, grace, attention, and the harder path toward human wholeness. Continue reading
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Chosen Friction: The Wise Practice of Voluntary Discomfort
Chosen friction is the wise practice of small, voluntary discomfort before life brings hardship we did not choose. This CTK essay explores how fasting, silence, effort, honesty, and ordinary resistance train freedom from comfort, appetite, and avoidance, offering a seven-day challenge for practicing strength without recklessness. Continue reading
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Digital Distraction and Resistance: Reclaiming Attention in an Age of Noise
Digital distraction is more than wasted time. It is a formation system that trains attention toward interruption, escape, outrage, and impulse. In this CTK essay we explore how broader digital life weakens resistance, why attention matters for wisdom and courage, and offers three simple practices for reclaiming agency. Continue reading
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Comfort as Formation: How Modern Life Trains Us Away from Resistance
Modern comfort does more than make life easier. It quietly forms what we expect, avoid, and reach for first. This CTK essay explores how phones, algorithms, convenience, and constant stimulation train us away from resistance, and why recovered attention, chosen friction, and courage matter in an age of ease. Continue reading
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St. John the Evangelist
St. John the Evangelist bears witness through endurance rather than martyrdom. After love arrives and is tested, John shows what it means to remain. His faith is not dramatic, but faithful. Love abides across years, holding to what was true from the beginning and refusing to withdraw when the story grows long. Continue reading
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Sunday Evening Collective ~ October 26th Edition
This week’s Sunday Evening Collective explores the quiet strength of readiness. “The Practice of Preparation” invites you to align effort with purpose through rest, movement, and intentional rhythm — because what you prepare in private becomes your power in public. Continue reading
Advent Adventure Agency Albums Apostle James Apostle John Apostle Paul Aristotle Armor of God Art of Manliness Attention Benjamin Franklin Books Breathing Brother Lawrence C.S. Lewis Challenges Character Christianity Christmas Comfort Culture Courage Creativity Culture Dallas Willard Desert Island Music Discipline Dr. Paul Taylor Emerson Epictetus Faith Focus G.K. Chesterton George MacDonald Goals God Goodreads Grace Gratitude Habit Hardiness Health & Fitness History Honor Hope Humility Industry Interviews J.R.R. Tolkien James Clear Jesus John Eldredge John Mark Comer Justice Leadership Love Manliness Marcus Aurelius Mark Twain Mental Toughness Mindfulness Money Music Music 80’s Music 1980 Music 1981 Non-fiction Order Oswald Chambers Peace Personal Development Prophet Isaiah Quotes Recovery Resilience Resolution Rick Rubin Routines & Rituals Saint Augustine Saint Thomas Aquinas Self-Reliance Seneca Silence Spiritual Formation spiritual warfare Temperance The Choir The Hardiness Effect Theodore Roosevelt The Police Thomas A Kempis Tim Ferriss Training U2 Virtue William Gurnall Willpower Winston Churchill WODs Writers