Tag: soul

Christianity Is Not a Puddle, It’s an Ocean

Mrs Armstrong

St. Francis de Sales
“The measure of love is to love without measure.”

The latest horrors in the news made me stop and think about forgiveness.

People argue: Should unrepentant murderers be forgiven? Is that even possible?

I honestly don’t know if absolute forgiveness is possible for all of us. But the question reveals something deeper to me: how little most people actually know about Christianity.

Because the truth is this; Christianity is not a puddle. It is an ocean.

The Shallows

Before I converted, I thought I knew Jesus. I thought I knew Christianity. But looking back, I was only splashing in a puddle beside the ocean. I had the childish basics: “Be kind. Forgive. Love everyone. Be compassionate.”

But that’s not the fullness of Christianity by a longshot. That’s basic morality- the same lessons any parent might teach a toddler. It has depth, but only ankle-deep.

I have noticed that many cradle Catholics seem to live in this shallow place permanently, never going beyond their first lessons. They know about Mass, but not why it matters. They know they should pray, but they rarely do. They may even be devout in appearance but never venture beyond the shore. They believe that their catechesis, their Christian education and formation ended in childhood.

The Depths

Little by little I have begun to wade deeper.

Real catechesis and deep formation to Christ is like being swept out to sea…overwhelming at first, even frightening. The Jesus I discovered as I studied and prayed -more and more – was not the Jesus I had imagined as a spiritual infant. In fact, Christianity is infinitely richer, truer, more beautiful than I ever dreamed. It is a course of study on par with earning multiple PhDs over a lifetime, yet with one difference: it is Divine.

I am still at the high school level, if that – I have so much to learn. It is deeply humbling.

But the deeper I go, the more it transforms me. Virtues are no longer nice ideas but are like muscles that must be strengthened. Forgiveness, for example, is no longer me just saying “I forgive you.” As I grow in the virtue of forgiveness, I can feel myself stretching my childish understanding of it into what hopefully may someday become saintly forgiveness, where my soul learns to forgive as God forgives, as Jesus forgave on the cross. As Jesus forgives me every day.

This doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through grace, discipline, prayer, and daily practice. My formation to the Divine Logos may extend after my life here is over, in the purification of Purgatory – before I am purified enough to receive the Beatific Vision. I will be grateful for this should it be in my soul’s journey to meet God face to face!

Why Most Christians Stay Shallow

This age worships ease and comfort, and we blindly project this love of convenience onto our faith. Many Christians cling to the “once saved, always saved” idea of salvation -a spiritual shortcut that feeds sloth and makes prayer, regular repentance, confession, discipline and receiving the sacraments seem unnecessary.

Even many Catholics nowadays live as though comfort is the highest good. They skip confession for years. They go to Sunday Mass or Easter Mass- out of habit or tradition but rarely pay much attention to God, never try to deepen their prayer life or read the Bible, and never make an actual effort to train their souls in virtue.

This is why modern Christians look at forgiveness and virtue as impossible ideals instead of living realities. They never left the shallows.

How to Go Deeper (Even in the Novus Ordo)

Matthew 7:24–25
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock… and it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

Some Catholics despair, thinking the loss of the Latin Mass or the spirit of Vatican II has left us stranded. But that’s not true. You can be a traditional, devout Catholic even in the Novus Ordo, if you take the call seriously.

  • Go to daily Mass whenever possible.
  • Pray unceasingly. THIS IS KEY. Pray the rosary daily. Learn mental prayer to pray like the saints. Set a daily rhythm of prayer that cannot be broken.
  • Read Scripture as living Word, not as occasional inspiration. Let the Scriptures speak to your heart.
  • Go to confession regularly and receive the Eucharist as often as possible. Purification of your soul is not optional.
  • Fast and forsake worldly attachments. Sacrifice is part of being Christian. Carrying your cross is part of being like Jesus!
  • Live as though your vocation is to become a saint – because it is.

This is the saint’s journey. It is hard. It is not convenient. But it is the only way to move from puddle-splashing to swimming in the depths.

Hebrews 5:14
“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.”

The Ocean Awaits

When I look back at what I once thought Christianity was, I almost laugh. I thought I was in the ocean, but I was playing in a muddy puddle. And that is where way too many modern Christians still remain, arguing about things they don’t even understand, like children arguing physics with a PhD in physics.

But if we dare to dive deeper, if we who love God with all our hearts take up discipline, prayer, and the pursuit of virtue, we will discover that Christianity is not shallow at all. It is endless, infinite, and alive.

It is the ocean of God Himself.

Dive in, my friend, and see! “The water is fine.”

Grace

From Logos to Lunacy, What Happened to Education?

Mrs Armstrong

The Halls of Learning Have Become Temples of Inversion

I saw through the communist indoctrination in college back in the ’90s. It made me sick. I dropped out and got a job as a cocktail waitress at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe.

I went on to work many odd jobs singing, waiting tables, selling timeshare, selling other products, but I never settled on a career path. Nothing felt right.

I’ve watched ever since as that indoctrination machine only got more powerful, more invasive, more demonic.

Most young people then and now have been surrounded by well-meaning voices of family, friends, and mentors who subtly (or not so subtly) pressure them to prove their worth by going down the path of “higher education.”

But let’s be honest: Most of us can’t afford to send our children to the rare Christian or conservative colleges that still stand. And even those aren’t perfect.

The pressure to conform, to bow before the cult of the radical left, the one that controls almost every university and public institution, is suffocating. The options so few and frankly either intimidating and out of reach for most people – or demeaning, uninspiring, and miserably unpleasant.

And it is not neutral.

It is not kind.

It is not tolerant.

It is demonic. Full stop.

This is the upside-down spirit of the age: A loveless, cruel, anti-human, eugenic and sickly secular ideology that wants to tear our children from truth, from beauty, from natural law, and from God Himself.

If you don’t believe in God yet, fine. But you’d have to be blind not to see that something truly evil is loose in the world.

Something that hates the good.

Something that mocks and murders innocence.

Something that calls what is pure “hateful” and what is perverse “liberating.”

I believe it’s demons.

You may not believe in them, but they believe in you. They know how to invisibly influence you and harm you through your desires, your thoughts and emotions. Your vices. Your sins.

This is a spiritual war for your soul, and if you can’t see that yet, I beg you:

Open your soul.

Stop scrolling.

Get silent.

PRAY.

Because the Spiritual War is real, and our children’s souls are on the front lines, and ours are too.

How to Stay Human in the Age of the Machine

Mrs Armstrong

In a world that’s changing faster than we can process, a strange and non-human new “song” is rising ; one sung not by poets, artists or prophets, but by machines.

It sounds like the beginning of a sci-fi movie, and in fact, it was. Terminator gave us Skynet: a cold, calculating superintelligence that became humanity’s worst nightmare. And while today’s AI doesn’t march with metal skeletons (yet), the unease remains. Many still hear the word “AI” and picture a machine uprising, not a writing, tech or organizational assistant.

They call them LLMs, Large Language Models. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Bard, Claude, and others. These systems are trained on billions of words to write like humans, speak like us, and even sound wise.

People are using them for everything now- from writing songs to wedding vows, sermon outlines to school essays. Maybe you’ve used one yourself. I have. My knowledge is still limited, but I’m not avoiding AI. Maybe you’ve avoided them entirely. Maybe you haven’t decided if learning how to use LLMs is for you.Either way, since our world is rapidly integrating with these systems, I believe it is a good thing to understand what they are, and more importantly, how to stay grounded in a world where the use of AI is remaking our world.

What Is an LLM?

In simple terms, an LLM is a machine trained to predict language. It doesn’t understand what it says, but it knows what “usually comes next.”

It’s like a parrot who’s read every book ever written. It can quote Scripture, echo poetry, or imitate your favorite author- or even imitate you – but it doesn’t mean any of it.

You can ask it for:

  • A bedtime story
  • A job application
  • A haiku in the voice of Shakespeare
  • A prayer to soothe a hurting friend

And it will respond … in seconds.

But remember: It has no soul. No heart. No memory or experience of loss or love. And without the life that only God can give, it never, ever will.

Why Should You Care About LLMs and AI?

Because this isn’t just about technology. It’s about truth, beauty, and meaning, the things you were made for.

You’re not just a content consumer. You’re a creator, a mother, father, brother, sister, friend, HUMAN- a witness to something far deeper than algorithms. YOU ARE REAL.

And this moment in history is asking you:

Will you let the machine shape your voice? Or will you stay rooted in the true, good, beautiful, and holy? In real things that are a world away from artificial intelligence or artificial anything.

How to Stay Human in the Age of the Machine

1. Learn How It Works, Without Worshiping It

You don’t need to be a coder. But understanding that an LLM is just a glorified text predictor helps demystify the spell.
It’s not magic. It’s math. And once you see that, you can start using it wisely, if you want to, as a servant, not a master. Or you might choose to pass, but at least you will be making an informed decision, based on knowledge instead of fear.

2. Use It as a Tool, Not a Crutch

Let it help you brainstorm or polish. Let it assist, never replace, your voice.
If you’re an artist or entrepreneur, it can speed up the boring parts — but never outsource your soul.

3. Discern Between Echo and Truth

Let it help you brainstorm or polish stuff. Let it assist, but never replace, your voice.
If you’re an artist or entrepreneur, it can speed up the boring parts… but never let it outsource your soul.

An LLM can imitate wisdom. But it can also mix truth with falsehood, charm with flattery, darkness with light.
Keep your guard up. Compare its answers to Scripture. Check your sources. Don’t assume it’s right just because it’s articulate.

4. Teach Others the Difference

Your children, your friends, your readers, and many people are getting swept up in AI and LLMs and don’t know how to tell real from synthetic.
If you’ve taken the time to understand, you can help anchor others so they don’t get swept away. You can be the lighthouse instead of an echo chamber.

5. Ground Yourself in Silence and Sacrament

This one’s spiritual. LLMs talk endlessly, providing a constant stream of information and entertainment, while algorithms crave your attention, pulling you deeper into a digital abyss.
But your soul needs silence, a chance to breathe and connect with God. It needs moments of prayer, whether in a quiet space at home, in nature, or at Mass. In these spaces, you encounter real beauty and nourishment that is far deeper than what can be found in the fleeting allure of virtual reality. Take time to unplug from the noise and distractions, letting yourself be formed by Heaven’s grace, wisdom, and peace, rather than merely fed by the superficial offerings of the world. Prioritize these moments, and you’ll find that your soul is enriched and your perspective transformed, creating a deeper connection to the divine and the world around you.

The Bottom Line

AI can help you find the right words for a sonnet. But it cannot mourn. It cannot ache with loss or tremble with love. It cannot kneel in prayer, nor glorify God…not from the heart, because it has none. It cannot be sanctified, cannot receive grace, cannot return affection with a soul behind it.

Yes, it can echo your voice. It can predict your rhythm, your phrasing, even your sorrow.But it cannot mean what you mean. Because it was never wounded. Never forgiven. Never saved.

And that, dear reader, makes all the difference.

On Becoming Peace in a World of War

Mrs Armstrong

For most of my life, I’ve worn the identity of an anti-war activist like a badge stitched into my soul. Since the ’90s, that was how I saw myself before almost anything else. After 9/11, I even created a blog (which was fairly popular I might add) called Evolutionary Means, where I shared thoughts under the motto: “Peace is a constant, even as the bombs fall.”

But as the years have gone by, I’ve come to see things a bit differently.

Peace…true peace…is not the constant.

War is.

As sad as my heart is to realize this, this thing that I hate more than anything, war – has always existed in this world of men, and it will exist until the very end. Isn’t it written into the ancient cracks of this broken earth?

Sometimes we try to resist it, to stop the dark and evil depths of the human soul, but the older I get, the more I understand: this world itself is not really ours to control.

It often feels like we are but vanishing whispers on the wind, unseen specks of dust on the back of something so much larger and more terrifying than any of us small people can even fathom.

A beast, if you will, and it devours us without apology. And it’s such a constant, and such a constant background noise, that we are unaware of it. We cannot see the beast that enslaves the world.

But still…still, I believe we are called to become peace…to become like Jesus.

To carry His peace within our hearts. To offer it in our homes. To sing it, speak it, and live it the very best we can …even as the bombs fall. Even when they are falling in our own back yards..

It’s not easy. In fact, it might be the hardest thing of all. But I believe it matters more than anything, to carry the peace of Christ within our hearts..This is what we’re here to do, first and foremost. To go so deep within the heart of Jesus, that we come to embody His peace in a realm where unfathomably dark and evil things exist. Like war.

Even as the world keeps on turning with sorrow and despair, there is true beauty in the soul who chooses gentleness and peace. Who chooses love. Who chooses Jesus.

Even now, especially now, I want to be that soul, childlike in my trust in God, and full of His Peace, even as the bombs fall.

Praying for peace in the hearts of all men and women.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

Risen

Mrs Armstrong

RISEN

There’s a tear in the veil,
as small as a pin,
but through it, I see
what others keep in.

Death tried to grab me.
I was left with the sight
to glimpse the unseen,
and seek truth in the light.

I can’t see the ghosts
or their spirits aflame.
But I carry a whisper
that I can’t yet name.

I walk through these rooms
so silent with sound,
like a ghost in a garden,
barely unbound.

It’s a gift, my cross,
this soul I’ve been given…
to see through the veil
towards the one who is risen

Ain’t No Grave; A Gospel Session from Foundog Wilson

Mrs Armstrong

There are old songs that rise up from deep Southern roots, from church porches, country fields, and tired hands in prayers of mourning.
Ain’t No Grave is one of those songs.

This version was recorded by Foundog Wilson, a gathering of family and fellow musicians I’ve played with for years. This is a heartfelt tribute to grief, memory, and hope that (hopefully) defies the grave.

I believe in the kind of music that remembers.
That honors the dead, and points to our living God.

“O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?”
— 1 Corinthians 15:55

Watch the full video below. And stay tuned …more Gospel Sessions are coming soon.

The Survival Mindset Is Starving Our Souls

Mrs Armstrong

The older I get, the more I realize how essential beauty is to a life well-lived. I’m not even talking about surface-level beauty, the kind that sells products or feeds vanity. I mean the kind of beauty that nourishes the soul; early morning sunshine through the trees, music that makes you cry, a baby’s laughter, the sacred quiet of a Sunday morning. That kind of beauty is what makes life rich and meaningful.

I’ve never been driven by money. That’s just not who I am. But the hard truth is that when you don’t have money…or even when you’re just constantly scraping by, it becomes much harder to experience beauty. Not because beauty is expensive, but because poverty or financial struggle keeps the soul in a cage. 

"I wasn’t made for clocks and noise,
for traffic jams and plastic toys,
for screens that steal our light away
for years and years of grinding days.

I was made for life that's slow,
for meadows where wildflowers grow,
for nights that turn the sky to gold,
for stories that my daddy told."

When you’re locked into survival mode, your mind takes over, worry and planning and analyzing takes over. The mind becomes so focused on bills, food, deadlines, the next task, the next problem, that we lose access to our beauty seeking eyes. And the soul, the part of us that yearns for beauty, for meaning, for God-goes dormant. It falls asleep.

This world engages us on the level of fear. The economic system we’re in was not built for us in our most natural and whole state. It demands constant hustle, constant striving. It’s too expensive, too demanding, too artificial. Most people I know are bone tired. Everything is such a grind.

"My life it grips with cold demands,
with bills and debts and tired hands.
Life has taught me to live in fear,
to ignore the wonders year by year.

My mind takes hold, sharp and bright,
it drives me through this endless night.
While deep inside, my soul I keep
laid down her head and fell asleep.”

We weren’t meant to live like this…chained to devices, trapped in traffic, juggling rent, insurance, groceries, all while trying to be gentlemen and gentle-ladies, genuine, good and loving people who thrive on deep connections and regular experiences of awe and grace. There’s barely any room left for anything like that.

But I don’t think poverty itself is what kills the soul. I’ve seen people who have nothing, or even less than nothing, who are sick or dying, but still marvel at the stars. I’ve read stories of beautiful moments, beautiful wisdom, even in war zones, natural disasters and the poorest places on earth. Beauty, love, grace and goodness finds a way. God finds a way!

What truly blocks us is fear; the fear of not having enough, the chronic exhaustion of just trying to keep our heads above water. That fear -or even just stress over those things, hardens us. It narrows our gaze. And it tricks us into thinking beauty is a luxury, when in fact, it’s a necessity.

"And still I know, when all is still,
my soul stirs soft against my will.
I hear the birds and knows the trees
and hear angels singing in the breeze.

So I commit each day anew,
to hear my soul, to seek what's true..
to feed my heart that’s gone unheard 
to marvel at God's every Word."

We don’t need jet setter vacations, fancy cars, or designer clothes to experience beauty. 

We need peace. 
We need time. 
We need to be freed...even briefly...
from the grind. 

Because beauty speaks to the soul, and the soul doesn’t shout. It whispers. And if we are too busy surviving, we simply can’t hear it.
Beauty is as essential to our souls as water is to our bodies, learning is to our minds, and love is to our hearts!

This whole modern setup; it’s all kinds of wrong. The rat race is not only exhausting, it’s dehumanizing. It deadens the very part of us that makes life worth living: our souls. The world doesn’t need more efficiency or opportunities for worldly success. It needs more God. More grace. It needs more stillness. More beauty. More love and more loving connections. And more people with the courage to step out of survival mode and remember that the soul is not a machine. It was made to sing!

I pray we all find beautiful moments that make our souls sing.

God bless,

Grace Armstrong