If it doesn't feel good - do it.

     One of my favorite quotes from Justin Fatica, executive director of Hard as Nails Ministries, is..."Feelings and emotions will pass away, but the truth will set you free!" It's a commonly heard phrase at HANM, but every time it comes up it hits the convicted button in my stomach. In a world where feelings and emotions rule most decisions, this is so counter cultural, but in the Christian world it is just everyday life. In the Christian world it doesn't matter if you feel like bringing the Gospel. It doesn't matter if you feel like praying. It doesn't matter if you feel like staying up and talking with someone who needs you. It doesn't matter if you feel like working out and offering it up for people suffering. It doesn't matter what you feel like doing because you know what? Jesus probably didn't feel like being crucified. 

     If Christ followed His feelings or emotions on the day that He woke up and anticipated the crucifixion - He probably wouldn't have even got out of bed that day! Instead, He realized that it didn't matter how He felt, He knew that He had to die for us because the truth is that we needed Him and we were counting on Him. The truth set Him free - He was free to love us whole-heartedly without holding anything back. PS - remember how Jesus was human? Oh yea, so are we. What if we didn't let feelings or emotions get in the way of loving other people? It's possible to be like Christ. It starts with the small day to day things like getting up early to pray or holding your tongue when you want to put somebody down. So. If it doesn't feel good - do it. Are you ready? It will be good practice for when your crucifixion comes. 

New Heart

     So. It's been literally MONTHS since I've blogged, but it's not because I've been lazy and sitting on my butt eating chocolate. In fact I have never been this busy in my entire life, and haven't felt so fulfilled in my entire life either! I'm working towards becoming the Director of the Missionary program with Hard as Nails Ministries, and let me tell you...it has been a crazy ride!! I'm mostly writing right now so that I can externally process everything (because I finally accepted the fact that I am a raging extrovert) but hopefully you will find it encouraging too.  I'm anticipating it being a bit lengthy - but I know you've been checking my page every day to see if I've posted since July!  Ok, maybe not, but I can dream right? :)

     Authenticity. It's a word that is used in the Hard as Nails office on a daily basis and if your not being authentic, you simply won't survive here. That was blunt AND authentic - see, I'm learning! So. Like I was saying, we are all about authenticity here and we don't like fakes. So let's get real.

     Life is hard. The Christian life is even harder. Looking deep into how you're living your Christian life is, yes you guessed it, freaking harder!  It's easy to glide through life without any self reflection, but what I am realizing is that it is NECESSARY if you want to grow! We have to go back to those places in our hearts that we really don't wanna go - if we intend to heal.  This isn't a new concept, it's been going on in the Church for 2012 years - and it dates back to the Last Supper when Christ instituted the Eucharist.  He said "do this in remembrance of me."  This is what the Mass is. Going back to crucifixion, the suffering and death that Christ endured.  But why do we need to go back there, you ask?  Because without the crucifixion, suffering and death - there would be no resurrection! It is in the Mass that we go back to the pain and suffering that Christ felt for us and it is there that we receive new life through it!
 
     It is the same in our own lives.  I just got back from a 12 day trip in LA with Hard as Nails Ministries and almost every day that we were there I had to share my testimony - sometimes twice in a day.  At first I was afraid because I don't particularly like public speaking, but after sharing my story event after event after event after event - I realized that it wasn't the people in front of me that caused the anxiety.  It was the fact that I was going back to those places in my heart that hurt and that weren't easy to relive.  I was sharing a piece of my heart with thousands of people who I never met in my life - it's not easy to share your heart of hearts even with those closest to you. But it was on this trip that I realized that this is the exact way that we are called to grow.

     Just this week I was praying with a passage from the book of Ezekiel (36:26). It says, "I will give you a New Heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."  I have heard this verse many times, I even had it on a post-it note on my desk, but I don't think I have truly experienced it until began this journey with Hard as Nails. By going back to those places in my heart that hurt and sharing them with others - Christ was literally ripping out my stony heart and beginning to heal me.  I'm not going to lie, it's pretty painful, but I am seeing that it is worth the struggle so I can get that heart of flesh.  He is softening my heart so that I can love more freely.  Sometimes its a messy process, but a beautiful one for sure.

   The other good news is that we have a name for the Hard as Nails Missionary program now - it's called "New Heart" missionary program.  It's because this same thing that is happening to my heart, is happening to all those who are involved in HANM - I think we have authenticity to blame for that.  Which is a good thing, because fakes are annoying and well...fake. It's tough to work with fake, but God blesses those who are real with Him.

I don't have time to proof read this, so you're gonna have to deal with my grammatical mistakes - deal with it, I'm just being authentic ;)  Oh ok, how about a shameless plug - please consider donating to the "New Heart" Missionary Program  - I still need $3,000 by January. Message me for more information. Thanks for your support, you're amazing!!!

Then the Lord said, "Get outside of yourself for once."

     You know those times when prayer is going great, Jesus is being nice and affirming you, and letting you just stay up on cloud 9 for a while, absolutely comfy and content just where you are? Well this is certainly not one of those times in my life right now.  Almost all of my very being is telling me to ask God to let me jump back up to cloud 9 again...until the words of Pope Benedict XVI  came to my mind.  He said, "You were NOT made for comfort, you were made for GREATNESS!"  The Lord is taking me through a time of purification (1 Peter 1:7) that, deep down, I know is good for me...but...shoot! It is SO uncomfortable!

     The Lord told me this - and these are His words, not mine - "Get outside of yourself for once, Teresa." 


     OUCH.

     Nobody likes to hear these words, especially from GOD!  When I first heard the Lord telling me this, I got so defensive.  I said to Him, "What do you mean for ONCE? Really? Get OUTSIDE of myself? Seriously? Lord, I dedicated my four years in college to you and now I'm a missionary. What else can I do?!"


     A little while after my defensive rant, God hit me with another 2x4.  He said to me, "I need you to be weak for once, Teresa." My first thoughts were, "This doesn't make sense. God, you've called me to work for your kingdom - I need to stay strong for You and for other people.  I can't be weak, I can do it if I just keep plowing through."  He showed me that my desire to be strong for Him was actually this huge pride thing that I have going on in my heart.  I always feel the need to fix everything on my own.  I have a hard time asking others for help - and if I do, I tend to like my way better.  My need to be strong, and perfect, and the best isn't because I want to do my best for God - it was because I want to do my best so that I don't make a mistake. Fear. Take a risk, "Get outside of yourself for once." 

St. Paul wrote about being weak in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10...
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong."


So I guess the point of this post is to follow the example of St. Paul and boast of my weaknesses, and maybe even encourage you to do the same and we can be weak together.

Jesus, be my strength during this time of purification.

Ladies: Don't settle

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man 

has to seek Him just to find her." 

- Max Lucado -

A musical analogy for the missionary

Have you ever read something that sticks out to you in the bible once, and then twice, and then like 20 more times within a month!? This keeps happening to me, and I think it must be the answer to a prayer that I say all too often asking God to be "ridiculously clear" when He's trying to tell me something because it takes me a while to actually catch on to the message that He's trying to get through to me.  Well here's the scripture verse that keeps coming up for me...maybe it's just me who needs to hear this message, but I hope you find it encouraging as well...


"and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28


So what does this mean?  It means that when we are doing God's work...He's going to take care of us!  That's all there is to it.  God will provide.  This is truth, when we lay down our will, our desires, and our entire lives for the sake of doing the work of the Lord...He. will. provide.  We all "have been called according to His purpose."  The fact that He created you means that He has a plan and a purpose for your life, and that purpose is to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him (yes...that was a reference to the Baltimore Catechism haha). Doing God's work takes a lot of trust that He is going to provide the means for us to do this.  Think about it, why would He send us on a mission without any supplies or instruction.  If He didn't provide what we needed, His work would not get done.

So here's the analogy: It would be like a piano teacher telling his students that they are going to have a concert for the whole town and that he wants them to play thirty songs that he couldn't remember the names of, and of which he lost the sheet music to.  He doesn't even tell them where the concert is, or what day or time they should show up.  But he keeps stressing the importance of the concert and the number of people who are counting on them to show up and perform for them...

...anybody else have a feeling that this concert has no chance of happening?

You see, God has not given us a mission and left us without any instruction like this piano teacher did. We don't always know the whole plan, but when the time is right, He gradually gives us the tools, or the "sheet music" along the way that we need for the mission in which He has called us. God is a good teacher, He knows exactly when we are ready for what He is going to put in front of us.  But in order for us to be able to handle whatever He puts in front of us...we need to be good "sight-readers." And to be a good sight-reader, we need the help of our model and teacher - Christ.  God wrote us a whole book (the bible) on how to live out the mission to which He has called us.  He has given us the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and confession, to give us strength for our journey and mercy for when we take the wrong path.  God is always intervening and guiding us by the work of the Holy Spirit so that He can give us what we need to do His work.  Trust that He will take you note by note, and page by page as he writes the song of your life! Trust that the Lord will provide exactly what you need, exactly when you need it, and don't forget to have fun while you do it!  Living a life dedicated to the work of the Lord is exciting and brings joy that can only be found in serving Him.  Don't forget to smile :)

Let go

"Offer fitting sacrifice and trust in the Lord." - Psalm 4:6

Are you willing to die?

     Yesterday I was commissioned as a Catechist at Franciscan University, in the words of Professor Bolster, "the finest Catechetical institute in the United States."  We were asked to make a profession of faith before receiving a blessing to be sent out to teach and preach the good news of Jesus Christ.  But the priest said that he only wanted us to stand up if we were willing to shed our blood for the faith.

     Pope Paul VI said that "modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he listens to teachers its because they were first witnesses."  It's not all about knowing the facts and quoting scripture, I need to be a witness.  I need to be living out what I'm teaching.  In Greek, the word for "witness" and "martyr" are synonymous.  So if I wanna be a witness then, well,  I have to be willing to shed my blood for the faith.  I thought I was ready to be commissioned before I realized this  - dang, I have a long way to go.  I hope that if it was necessary, that I would really be able to stand up for Jesus Christ even if it meant my own death.  But the good news is that Jesus called his disciples to go out and preach the gospel even though they all abandoned Him at calvary.  "Jesus doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called."  I am called to be a witness, and so are you.  Are you willing to die? May we be instruments and vessels of God's grace, love, peace and joy!

A quick thought on truth...

Truth be told:

Sometimes the truth hurts.  Sometimes truth doesn't feel good.  Sometimes the truth doesn't really make sense to those around you.  The good news is that life isn't about feelings or pleasing other people.  Life is about getting to Heaven and to do that you're gonna need to stand up for Truth, no matter the cost.  It's simple.  Just love.

Expecting pain

“If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great Sacrifice of boundless charity.” – St. Ignatius of Loyola


I know that we're still in the Easter season, but that doesn't mean that all of our suffering is over.  Yes. Christ rose from the dead, but He didn't do it to relieve us from suffering.  It was so that we would embrace our sufferings for the sake of eternal life with Him. If Christ is our model, then we have to follow Him to the cross - because without the cross there is no resurrection. Christ showed us by example that there is meaning and purpose for suffering.


The Holy Spirit has been bringing up a theme of finding "joy in suffering" in many ways in my life lately. It's kind of ironic because I'm not really going through any specific or concrete suffering in my life right now. In fact I'm feeling a little complacent. But I've been realizing that something tragic doesn't necessarily have to happen for suffering to occur.  Suffering can just be the day to day sufferings, or inconveniences rather, that we are to find joy in.  Suffering means finding joy in eating burnt toast when you don't want to, or saying hi to somebody that drives you crazy.  At the end of our lives, we're going to be judged not only on our actions, but where our hearts are in these actions.  What are your motives and intentions for offering up these sufferings as joy?  Are you doing it for yourself or for the greater glory of God? 

Instead of asking, "Why, God?! Why me?!"...maybe a simple "thank you, I trust you Jesus" would be a better alternative.  Mother Teresa once said, "I know that God won't give me anything that I can't handle, I just wish He didn't trust me so much."  She said that because being a follower of Christ is hard. And you know what, nobody ever said that it was going to be easy!  It wasn't easy for Jesus to carry His cross to Calvary.  It wasn't easy for Jesus to be crucified.  It wasn't easy for Jesus to love His enemies.  And if we are going to follow Jesus, we should not expect it to be an easy road either.  Expect pain, because it is inevitable if you want to follow Christ. Don't be surprised when it comes.


Truth be told: Becoming a saint is going to be hard.  But it's worth it.  Accept your crosses with true joy, knowing "that produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint." (Romans 5:3-5) 


"Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, I shall say it again, REJOICE!" - Philippians 4:4

Humble Pie

On retreat last month, we were challenged to write our own litany of humility.  I just wanted to share some of what I came up with and encourage you to do the same, this can be a really powerful prayer if you really take it to heart.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me...

From the desire of being the center of attention
From the desire of being funny
From the desire of being the best
From the desire of being accepted and included
From the desire of being perfect
From the desire of being comfortable
From the desire of knowing Your plan for me
From the desire of being loved

From the fear of being wrong
From the fear of being alone
From the fear of not pleasing You
From the fear of letting people down
From the fear of being forgotten
From the fear of being inadequate

Deliver me, Jesus.

"That others may be loved more than I
That others may be esteemed more than I
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease
That others may be chosen and I set aside
That others may be praised and I unnoticed
That others may be preferred to me in everything
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should.

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it."

San Diego Mission: a quick update!

Hey everybody!  I just wanted to write a little bit about my mission to San Diego a couple weeks ago, and to say thanks to everybody who made it possible for this trip to happen.  So thanks to everybody who sent donation and/or prayers our way!  The trip was an incredible experience that I know I will never forget!  Here's a link to a quick video that we made as an intro to each event that we held for the teens in San Diego. Enjoy!  http://youtu.be/9sroEbz9d6M

We began the week by running a confirmation retreat for about 140 high school students, we helped out with two soup kitchens, lead mini retreats for both 7th and 8th grade Catholic school students, put on a night for high school students on chastity, we prayed outside of an abortion clinic, and put on living stations of the cross for the parish that we stayed at, and we even got to spend one day on the beach! 

It was such a beautiful experience getting to bring the love and joy of Christ to the people in San Diego.  I realized that I went into the experience in "Mission mode," ready to serve, but I ended up being spiritually fed by the experience and enriched by the service that I received.  So thanks again for allowing me to experience this mission and for your prayers and support!

San Diego Mission Team 2012

"Rejoice in the Lord Always, again I shall say it, REJOICE!" - Philippians 4:4

I dare you not to smile...

Truth be told: She's the best niece in the world!  

"Unless you become like children you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven" - Matthew 18:3

For all the graduating seniors...

"Have no fear of moving into the unknown.  Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well.  Do this in complete faith and confidence" - Blessed Pope John Paul II

Relax

Sometimes the Lord calls us to rest.  Even when it seems inconvenient in our busy lives.  There's never a time when he stops inviting us to this. "Come to me all you who are burdened and weary, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your souls." (Mt. 11:28)  Because I'm a little slow when it comes to hearing His voice, the past few days He's been calling me to rest by allowing me to come down with a cold.  I finally caught on today.  Thankfully He's patient.

"Why is it easy to work but hard to rest sometimes?" Audrey Assad says in her new song, Lament.  How true this is!  It's so easy to keep busy, but not always as easy to just relax, reflect and rest.

We need to be rested inside and out.  We need to take some time for physical rest every day, as well as a time to just quiet our souls and rest in Him.  My boy, St. Augustine, said that our hearts are restless until they rest in God.  

Ask the Lord to hold you in His arms while you take a break today, I know I'm going to.

What God and a cinnamon bun have in common

Yesterday at breakfast, a friend challenged me to somehow relate God to a cinnamon bun.  Needless to say I accepted the challenge, so let's not waste anymore time.  I am about to enlighten you about the wonders of sticky sweet goodness! Get psyched!

We'll start with the best part...the frosting of course!

The frosting is the sweetest part, nobody wants a cinnamon bun without the warm melted frosting that gets stuck to your fingers! There's just no denying that. 

Well, the word of God is actually pretty sticky too. In fact if our daily life is rooted in Scripture, then God's word should "stick" in our heads throughout the day.  Everything that comes out of our mouths should reflect what we've been putting in our heads from Sacred Scripture.  The book of psalms says, "How sweet are Your words to my taste.  Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103)...and I would add, sweeter than the best cinnamon bun you've EVER eaten!  The sweetness of our faith is found in the word spoken from the mouth of God.  His word is truth, it is beauty, and it is our life.

Next comes the fluffy dough!

If it weren't for the fluffy dough, where would we put the frosting?!  The dough is the foundation on which the frosting rests.  I think you might know where I'm going with this - but in case you don't, I would like to propose that the dough represents the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith.  The Eucharist is the foundation upon which everything else rests.  The dough from the cinnamon bun is what fills us up (especially if you're like me and can't just eat one!).  The Eucharist is the same way...but on a supernatural level...it's what nourishes us! In John 6:35, Jesus says, "I am the bread of life, he who comes to me will not hunger." The Eucharist is what gives us strength, keeps us going, and brings us closer to the Creator (the chef, if you will). 

The Cinnamon

The cinnamon is an essential part of a cinnamon bun...without it, well...it's just a bun.  Boring!  Although we don't always see each and every particle of cinnamon while we're eating, we can taste the effects of it.  Likewise we can't see the Holy Spirit in our lives, but we can definitely see the effects of His movements in our daily lives!  Every good and Holy act that we do or think is the work of the Holy Spirit.  Even if a person is not aware of the Holy Spirit acting in their lives, they can still be guided by His light of truth by choosing to love in every moment.  

Luke 4:18 says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed" What a mission!! It's the movement of the Holy Spirit is what makes life exciting!  Living every step of our lives for the Lord is the greatest adventure of our lives!  St. Augustine once said, "To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances, to seek Him the greatest adventure, and to find Him, the greatest human achievement."  If you wanna spice up your life, get some more cinnamon in your life!

Finally, the burnt bottom, because I always forget to take it out of the oven on time...

Nobody's perfect, often times we lose track of time and burn the pastries :/  We've all done it, just like we've all sinned.  Yep, you guessed it: The burnt part on the bottom represents all of the sin in our lives.  Nobody wants a burnt bottom...although sometimes we might think that we can live with it...the cinnamon bun is always going to taste better without it.  Sometimes we burn it so badly that you can't even taste the rest of the cinnamon bun, it just tastes like charcoal.  Um...nasty!!  Nobody wants that.

Matthew 5:29 says "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell."  In a similar way, (Yes, that was a New Roman Missal Reference) nobody wants to eat that burnt stuff on the bottom, so cut it off and enjoy the sweetness of the cinnamon bun!

Well, that's about all I got on this tasty topic. My hope is that you never look at a cinnamon bun the same way ever again and that you're hungry for more ;)

Being loved

A lot of times we're told that we need to love other people more.  This is true.  But how often do we recognize that we all have a need to BE loved?

Knowing that you are loved has the capacity to change the way that you live your entire life if you let it.  It makes you a more confident, joyful, bold, and driven person. Knowing that you're loved gives your life meaning and purpose.  I just want all of you to know that you are incredibly loved by love Himself, Jesus Christ.  He loves you so much that He was crucified for you so that He could spend eternity with you.  Don't ever think that nobody loves you, because that is not the truth.

 Let the Lord love you today. 

Are you ready?

This morning, as I was walking into the Church, I ran into the priest who was celebrating.  He looked at me, gave me a high five and simply said, "Are you ready?"

That's it. That's all he said..."Are you ready?" At first I just thought, "Ready for what?"  But wow, what a loaded question.  This could have meant anything...

Are you ready for Mass?  Did you prepare for God to come in your midst through the Eucharist?
Are you ready to be open to how God is going to use you for His glory today?
Are you ready for Heaven if today is your last day?
Are you ready to battle the temptations of the day?
Are you ready to encounter Christ in that annoying person that drives you nuts?
Are you ready to use every opportunity of the day to get yourself and those around you to Heaven?

We don't know what God's got in store for us for the day, so we need to be ready for anything that comes at us.  This is why constant prayer and conversation with the Lord is so important!  We need to be on our guard for any temptations that lead us away from the Lord.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." - 1 Peter 58

Are your ready?

No? Me neither.

That's why it's a journey.

What are we doing to get ready?

Make a commitment today to take a step towards Heaven.

I'm beginning to understand the introverts.

Have you ever felt like you are so incredibly surrounded by noise that you can't even think straight? Well, I have.  Many times.  And all these years I've been talking to the Lord and trying to figure out how I can quiet down my life.  Little did I know that the answer was hanging up on my wall for the past two years.  I found it while I was in Austria...

"You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet." - Franz Kafta

I'm finally realizing the importance of taking silence out of every single day, and how beautiful it is to hear the voice of God during these times.  Sometimes, though, that means quieting our thoughts as well.  How can we listen during prayer when our minds are racing a mile a minute?  If we want to be His servants, then we have to learn the art of quieting our minds and hearts in order to hear what the Master is saying.  And this is not only for the designated times that we have taken out of our days for prayer, but even throughout the entire day.  


Holiness Challenge: 
Practice having conversations with God as if He is walking next to you through every situation of your day.  He's always having the conversation, but are we listening? Maybe we're texting or maybe, if you're an extrovert like me, you're even talking right over Him?  Give Him a chance to speak, He's got a lotta wisdom to share...I mean, He's been around for well...at least all of eternity ;)


Seek peace.

Learning to become a fool

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written:  "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate" - 1 Corinthians 1:18-19

Here I am, studying Theology and Catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville - we've got the best program there is for this stuff...and Christ has called me to foolishness.  Um...what???

I've worked my tail off for the past four years and God never ceases to surprise me with His infinite wisdom.  He said, "This is all well and good.  Yes get your degree.  But do you know me yet?"

BOOM.

I found myself recollecting the words of the infamous St. Thomas Aquinas, who after studying theology for years and year, declared on his death bed - "All is straw."

So what if I can tell you the 4 pillars of the Catechism and exactly what's in each of them off the top of my head.  If I am not in a relationship with the Lord, then what good is this truth?  This is what St. Thomas was saying...he studied his whole life and barely touched the surface.  What is most important is that we know Christ, as a PERSON, a friend.

Yes, we should learn as much as we can about the Lord while we are on this earth, because to know IS to love.  But we must realize our motives.  Is it just to make ourselves look intelligent?  Or do we want to know Christ on a deeper level?  Do we truly want to bring others to a relationship with Him?

The road to holiness is not dependent on how battered and used your catechism is...but it is however, dependent on how whether or not you are in LOVE!

The world tells us to be the best, to do it all on your own, to know it all.  But Christ tells us to be foolish.   Not in a way that is a cop-out in our studies...rather a stepping-out-of our comfort zones foolishness.  It's about not being afraid to look like a goober if it means that you fall more in love with God or bring another to His love.

Go out on a limb today!  Tell somebody that Christ loves them, no matter what's going on.  Throw out the good 'ol PTL in conversation (Praise the Lord, that is =] ).  Don't be afraid to use the name of Jesus.  There is power in the name of Jesus and we should never be ashamed to use it!

Last thing:

Have you ever seen a couple who are just absolutely and completely in love?  Have you ever SEEN the way they act?  It's like nothing else in the world matters...they look like total goofs!!  They don't even realize that there's a world around them. They're just fixed on each other's eyes.  If we are truly in love with Christ, we should have that same look in our eyes.  Because the truth is that NOTHING else is more important than falling in love with Jesus Christ.  Don't be afraid to seek foolishness, if it means attaining holiness.  This life is too short to not risk being foolish if it means our salvation.  Let's just learn to become a fool for the sake of the Gospel.  Who's with me?! 

Remember that time we walked around on earth?

"You are my refuge and shield; in your word I hope." - Psalm 119:114

C.S. Lewis once said, Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic or the Lord.  That the fact that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God was either as crazy and ridiculous as someone claiming to be a poached egg, or that it was a complete lie, or that He was in fact the Son of the Living God - the Word became flesh.

I don't want this to be a theological debate, you can do more research on this topic if you'd like...but let's break it down:

A lunatic would not have had so many followers...people don't follow crazy people to death.
And a liar wouldn't have taken his lie so far as to be crucified for it.

That leaves us with one last option...Truth be told:  Jesus Christ is the son of God, the second person of the Trinity.

My second proof: They don't even make Jesus is "lunatic or liar" t-shirts.

Assuming you're on board with me at this point (if not, I cannot wait until you are), then we as Christians better get our act together.  If everything that Jesus taught was true...then why don't we place our hope and trust in Him in every aspect of life.  Why do we still sin?  Why haven't we properly trained our conscience to follow this God?  The One who flat out told us, only some 2,000 years ago that He was "the way, the truth and the life", that He was the way to happiness, fulfillment, and love - no, that He is love!

Why is it not a big deal when sin enters a conversation or a situation. And why is it such a big deal that we don't get involved in other's business, when we know that people are trapped in such massive sin?  Why don't we stand up for the truth Himself, He who was un-deservedly crucified for us?  Why don't we speak up?

Let us hope in the Lord, and keep this life and the next in proper perspective.  My friend and I were joking about how funny it's going to be when (God-willingly) we are in Heaven and we say to each other, "Remember that time we walked around on earth?"  This life is too short not to speak up in these situations, because it could literally determine our eternity. We have two options: Heaven or Hell.  That's right, we choose.  We will not only be judged by the sinful actions that we commit, but by the loving actions that we omit.  And if we truly believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, our Savior, then why aren't we shouting it on the rooftops for all the world to hear!  St. Francis said, "preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words."  I think a lot of us take this as a cop-out...because there are SO many times that we keep quiet, when words are necessary!  Wake up call: We need to start first of all living out our faith boldly, and secondly speaking it. Out loud. In situations that aren't comfortable.  Pope Benedict XVI said, "you are not made for comfort, you are made for greatness."  Truth be told again: We must stand up for truth.

"You are my refuge and shield; in your word I hope."

Be you. Follow Him

A lot of people think that in order to completely give their life to Christ and become a saint, they need to become the pope or the next mother Teresa.


The truth is that if you try to become somebody that your not, your gonna go backwards.  In order to attain sainthood, what needs to happen has nothing to do with the saints that have gone before us.  Sainthood means embracing everything that God has given YOU.  Every single person on this earth has unique gifts to offer to the world, but few people really find them.  


Most people just go through life trying to be successful, but in order to do that they think they need to compare themselves to the guy in the cubicle next to them. Newsflash!  Success has nothing to do with that guy in the cubicle!!!   Success - holiness - is found when you find YOUR unique gifts and let the Lord work with them. Trying to be something that you're not is wasted time.


Take Peter for example: He was a simple fishermen, who just went about doing his job day in and day out.  Until one day the Lord asked him to do things a little differently. Here's what the Gospel of Matthew says...




As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who      was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him - Matthew 4:18-20


Peter had a gift for fishing.  God didn't just abandon that gift that he had given him in order to make him holy. No. He took that gift and used it to bring others to Himself, through Peter. And Peter didn't hesitate.  How many times do we hesitate when God asks something of us...The Lord saw something that Peter didn't see in himself. He was not only a fisherman, but a fisher for men - for souls.  In fact, the Lord made him the first Pope!  If the Lord can multiply Peter's gifts to build up the kingdom of God, what more can He do with our gifts?

What's your gift?  


Whatever it is...I promise that if you let Him, God's going to use these gifts to make you a fisher of men...


or a basketball player for men
or a coin collector for men
or an actor for men
or a musician for men
or a comedian for men
or a people person for men
or an introvert for men
or an artist for men




So take a risk. Let the Lord show you your gifts.  He'll take you places.