Showing results by author "James Nugent" in All Categories

In the fall of 2014, a friend ended up being involuntary committed for a two-week stay in a mental health treatment center. Since my friend's family knew that I had a background in mental health; they immediately enlisted my support and advice. I made it abundantly clear that I was no longer a practitioner but as a friend and fellow human being I could try to be supportive.

The ability to make a fire for warmth in cool and wet environments is critical for survival. Without fire you may die within a few hours. I have spent my life living and playing in the Pacific Northwest in the United States.

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.

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.

Kayaking at night has its rewards and hazards. I have noticed that when you master a sport, you eventually want to challenge yourself. Sooner or later you end up doing it at night. Low visibility takes a sport and turns it into an extremely isolating, yet empowering, experience. My life and joy for living are in only my hands. I must make peace with God, silence my personal fears, then embrace life to its fullest. This is the pleasure I have found in kayaking at night.

An Extraordinary Eucharistic Visitor is a lay minister who serves a unique ministry in the Roman Catholic Church. We are lay ministers whom are trained and commissioned to take the real presence of Jesus our savior to the homebound and the sick. In accordance with the guidelines and laws of the Roman Catholic Church; The Extraordinary Eucharistic Visitor takes custody of the Holy Sacrament.

This audiobook will examine a few of the beliefs in the Roman Catholic Church. I have no idea if I will be Catholic when I am done. Yet a faith untested is worthless.

I spent 22 years of my life in part-time private practice as a counselor. The entire time, I was amazed at how really smart people would make really poor choices over and over. One definition of crazy is when we do the same thing repeatedly and persist in the hope that something new will be the outcome.

This is not a book about how to use shot guns and other weapons when intruders evade your living space. There are plenty of books addressing the practical and legal aspects of that kind of defense. This is a book about more passive ways to be safe in your home. This book talks about strategies for keeping the bad guys out and what you might do if they get in.

In the beginning I used to let my Protestant friends off the hook. They would bash Catholicism while I would say nothing. Then one day after a friend made a particularly bigoted comment I realized that my friend really didn't know any better and he was being thoughtless and hurtful.

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

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 January 2014 I stumbled upon an announcement that the South Sound Estuary Association was looking for volunteer beach naturalist. For $50 I would receive training in beach ecosystems and marine biology. In return I was expected to provide 15 hours of volunteer service to the general public on the local beaches.

August 2014: I set my trusty 14-foot kayak in my lagoon. It was a rising tide heading south, and I had several hours before it reversed and dumped some 13 or more feet of water out of the inlet. Eld Inlet is approximately six nautical miles long. The southern two miles can be navigated only at high tide. It turns into a mud flat and a shellfish farm at low tide. At high tide it is a pristine water way of immense beauty.

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.

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.

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.

I was paddling hard with the wind and waves coming across my port bow. The storm had calmed down a bit and I was making a mile long mad dash from The Evergreen State College Beach to Young Cove. To the right inside Young Cove was my lagoon and my Madrona tree to which I tie up my various small water craft.