Showing results by author "James Nugent" in All Categories

This is an attempt to bust myths. There is a myth that we have no control of our personal happiness. The myth is that we are subject to the forces around us much like a stick in the tidal currents. We cannot control other people and things; and so we falsely believe that our personal happiness is just a matter of good fortune. So we falsely believe that some people are fortunate and have reasonably happy live and others are just destined to be miserable.

I am a devout Roman Catholic. There are at least 21 different sects of Catholicism which claim a union with the Pope. This means that they accept the Pope as the final authority as Christ's representative on Earth. Roman Catholics comprise about 1.2 billion people. I was baptized as an infant, raised in a Catholic home, pray daily, and will die with the Last Rites. It has been a good sacramental life filled with the joy of knowing my savior (Jesus) and the promise of spending an eternity with our loving creator.

My wife and I began this voyage of self-discovery about two years ago. Our kids were gone and we wanted to use our living space a little differently. We wanted to clean out some of the clutter we had accumulated from raising two teenage boys and generally clean out our home. Little did we know that before we were done, we would change our view of material belongings, and actually begin rejecting our cultural addiction to owning more stuff.

This is a story about what it is like to spend 40 days of your life with the "forty days for life movement." During the 40 days of fasting and praying out in front of Planned Parenthood; I tried to be there for some part of each day. Work and other distractions kept me away 6 days; but even when I wasn't downtown at the corner of Adams and Legion in Olympia WA, the pro-lifers were on my mind and in my heart from 8:00am to 8:00pm.

This is my story of how I became a Right Wing Fundamentalist Roman Catholic and of course a Republican. I eventually became politically incorrect, and finally at peace with my church and my politics.

Here is a frank discussion about sexual behavior and the consequences of that behavior. It is an argument for saving sexual intercourse for marriage. This short book proposes abstinence as a radical solution to the problems inherent in the now defunct sexual revolution.

With the popularity of the first book, The Good News About Being Catholic, I was destined to produce a second book. The first book was inspired by conversations I had during a two-week trip to a southern university in the US. The lack of accurate information and the bigotry I encountered by the well-meaning Christians and others along the way was shocking to me.

Be that as it may, I decided to write this short piece on the psychological healing aspects of the Sacrament of Confession, now called Reconciliation.

A recreational scuba diver visits Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo Florida. Reflections and adventures begin.

Imagine you are having the time of your life. You have a wife of ten years whom you adore, two grown and independent step-sons, and a teaching career that looks quite promising. Then you wake up one morning with a congested head and swollen tongue. A day later you see a doctor at urgent care. You find out you have had stroke and you are a walking dead man with blood pressure too high for the machines to read but they do show at least 224/118. A normal reading is 120/80. This is bad, very bad.

The fog is just beginning to disperse after sunrise but this is not a problem for navigation because you are just going to follow the western shore. You are the first person in when the gate opens at the West Bay Park and your hand launched vessel slides effortlessly into the water. You are off. You pass a tiny Island 50 yards from the launch. Islands no matter how small always excite my mind. The island is perhaps 20' wide and has one small stick like tree growing on it.

There is too much intentional and mistaken misinformation in our present culture about the purposes and practices of modern Catholicism. This had led to endless bigotry and needless hate speech and deeds against Christ's original Church. This little audiobook is an attempt to explain to fellow Christians what it really means to be Roman Catholic. It is not a debate. It's an honest attempt on my part to share. It is not an attempt to convert you to joining the more than 1.2 billion Christians who call themselves Catholic.

In Catholic tradition, there are numerous forms of prayer. All of them are valid and productive and suited to the temperaments of different people. There is a common denominator in many of these holy methods and techniques of prayer. We are spending time with our loving creator. We are trying to have a sacred conversation. And when we manage to slow up enough to listen; prayer becomes a two way conversation.

When one is doing what God wants us to do; God will turn all our problems into positive events. These converted events will actually support the mission that God has desired for us. When trouble befalls us, we must return to the Father and trust His bounty and love. We must trust that He will not waste the efforts of even one of His servants.

From time to time all of us have social conflicts. Sometimes we are invited to dance with people who have more external power than us, for example, a supervisor or an elder sibling or parent. Sometimes we might be invited to struggle with someone we don’t care so much about; like a stranger or acquaintance or a distant in-law. In either case the choice to engage or abstain is ours. If we engage, it is important to do our best to leave our dance partner some dignity and show some respect.

For twenty years I searched for my perfect true love. I failed miserably until I asked God to help. Miracles do really happen!

The far southern reaches of Puget Sound are a beautiful region for sailing, boating, and small craft adventure. Still, people who live there and work there are among the few who get to enjoy it. This alternative guide to the waters of five inlets tells you how and why you might choose to visit these sparsely visited treasures of natural beauty.

Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands are composed of an estimated 300 islands and 2,000 miles of shoreline. James Nugent takes us on a voyage into this complex and beautiful playground.

In the still and cool hours before sunrise I have learned a few things about myself and God. It is my hope to share them with you, as I share the experiences which take place in my orange 15' kayak. Take what you like and forget the rest.

For a modern culture that does not highly value life, it is paradoxical that we don't want to talk about the dying process or the possibility of an afterlife. Catholics sometime suffer from the same hesitation about talking about death. Yet the Roman Catholic religion and culture are a constant preparation for that moment when we must trust Jesus for our salvation. All the rituals and sacraments, prepare our minds and hearts for that thing from which there is no escape.