That awkward moment when Plan B kicks Plan A's butt

Truth.

Life is full of decisions and situations: some that we can control - others that are absolutely out of our control.

Most of us come up with a plan for our life, we set goals for our lives and we do our best to accomplish these goals so that we can have the best life possible. Some of us might not plan for our entire lives, but maybe for just our weeks or our days. We come up with a "Plan A",  shooting for the best possible outcome in our lives. But more often than not, these plans turn out completely different than we could have ever imagined and all of a sudden we need to come up with a Plan B. But if you're anything like me, you can hardly wrap your mind around Plan A, never mind having the time or the brain capacity to even come up with an idea for Plan B. So naturally, my whole world comes crashing down (at least in a figurative way, inside of my own head and having no actual truth to it).

So, it’s bound to happen - but what do we do when Plan A comes crashing down? Do we give up? Do we just screw it and stop making plans? Do we start assuming that Plan B is going to come around? 

You see the thing about Plan B is that you never see it coming. Plan B is always a surprise. Plan B comes out of left field every time. You can’t plan for Plan B. We never see it coming because Plan B isn't ours to plan. 

Plan B is Plan Believe

This is how it works: God envisioned a perfect plan for our lives when He created the world and all that’s in it. Then Adam and Eve came along and sinned and the whole deal. They messed it up for all of humanity (a perfect example of a Plan A crashing down, like I talked about earlier). But what does God end up doing? He does something completely unexpected. He literally sends His son down to the earth to die for all of humanity so that they can live with Him for all eternity in Heaven. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin we get to have eternal life...Didn’t see that coming!

After they “screwed it up” for all of humanity, Adam and Eve were probably thinking that their whole life was going to fall apart. They probably felt hopeless and guilty. They probably felt horrible about themselves. But God came through like He always does. He worked with the evil that they put upon themselves and made a Plan B for Adam and Eve and for all of us. And guess what - it’s actually better than Plan A,  because Plan B - Jesus Christ who is alive in an intimate way in our lives through His mercy and grace - would not have happened without it.

“O Happy Fault that gained for us so great a redeemer.”

So the next time your Plan A falls apart, the next time your hope is lost, the next time you feel like your whole life is crashing down - hold on tight because God is waiting to surprise you with Plan Believe, and you’re not going to see it coming.

"Therefore we have this hope as an anchor for the soul." - Hebrews 12:1

Get your hands a little dirty

"We don't win souls by standing on top of some ivory tower, we call them down to the world and tell them to come up." 

- Chris Stefanik

Today is an incredible day for the Catholic church. It's the feast of the North American Martyrs, and four of these are our patron saints here at Hard as Nails.  I came across this video today and it's absolutely worth the five minutes. Check out this video ---> North American Martyrs <--- in honor of the saints who have gone so courageously before us.  We always complain about how hard our lives are as christians but...

"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." - Hebrews 12:4

The Hard as Nails Team at the North American Martyrs Shrine 

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

St. Issac Jogues

St. Rene Goupil

St. Jean DeLalande

Pray for us!

Some things just need to be shared

So I just sat down to work on a workbook that I'm writing for the ministry (I know, you're probably wondering how I have time to write a book when I can't even keep up with my blog!) ...when I suddenly got writers block - (you're probably also wondering if you should even continue to read this if that is the state that my brain is in right now. No but really, don't go!).

"I say to myself, I will not mention Him, I will not speak of His name. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart." - Jeremiah 20:9 

I've seen and heard a lot since being on the road with Hard as Nails Ministries this past year. I can't hold in what God has done, because like Jeremiah,  it becomes like a fire  burning inside of me. God's work is meant to be shared. So I wanted to share a few grace-filled moments that I encountered while on the road this year as a way of saying thank you to everyone who has helped me out along the way. I hope you find these encouraging!

1.  I had a girl come up to me telling me that her dad committed suicide just 2 weeks prior to this particular event.  By the end of the event she told me "I don't know how I'm going to forgive him for killing himself and leaving my family alone here, but I know its what I have to do."

2.  I ran into a woman in Times Square in NYC who told me that it had been 18 years since being sober after being an alcoholic for 30 years. Her date of sobriety was the same day that my brother was killed by a drunk driver in that same year. We prayed together in the busy street and thanked Jesus for being faithful.

3.  I met a boy who struggled with pornography for 11 years and went to confession at one of the events and cried because of all the women he had taken advantage of.  He is on the path to freedom.

4.  I spoke with a girl after an event for an hour who struggled with depression, loneliness, self harm, anxiety, and an abusive family for her whole life.  No one ever told her that she was amazing until that day. 

5. I met a senior boy who never had a good relationship with his dad growing up.  He had so much pent up anger that he fell apart and cried in my arms. After, he told me that because of my testimony he had the courage to let his emotions out - he hadn't done that for 10 years.

These are just 5 of the thousands of stories I heard this year. You see, there is a lot going on out there in the world - but if we only focus on the pain we will miss the blessings that come from the pain.  Life if filled with so many struggles and hardships but we are meant to share them with others to encourage them and build them up. Please know that all of you are in my prayers as I continue my mission.

Check out these pics from the road and please consider donating to our online campaign, we have just hours left!  After Monday, July 15 please send donations to...

Hard as Nails Ministries 

P.O. Box 1085 

Paramus NJ 07653

"Above all, let your love for one another be intense, 

because love covers a multitude of sins" - 1 Peter 4:8

Love a jerk today

Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.

This is how I used to look at this:
1) I dont really have a lot of enemies - doesnt effect me.
2) I will work on that later, I have a bunch of other sins ans vices that I can work on first
3) Why would I love someone who acts like a jerk?

The short answer is that jerks need more love than anyone.

But the extended answer is that God has been teaching me a lot about loving others no matter what. The way that I used to look at Christianity was that if we were good people and were nice to others, then we'd be fine. But Jesus has a funny way of always taking it to the next level. Not only are we called to be more than just NICE we are called to love one another with an intense love! And not only are we called to love one another intensely... We are called to love the people who are hardest for us to love with that same intensity!  This is so crazy!

Seriously, think about it. Anyone can love someone who loves them back... But how much more does it mean when you love someone who isnt going to give you anything in return except maybe some curses and a punch in the face! We have to look at why we choose to love. If its for a response, then its not love at all. If we care for people when no one is looking just because we simply care...I think thats love.

Jesus certainly didnt love for a response! He hung out with the sinners and the ones who didnt love him back. He loved the people who crucified Him. Yea, He even loves us when we crucify him every time we sin. Romans 5:8 says, God proves His love for us in that while we were still ainners, Christ died for us." Here's the kicker - would you die for someone who was set out to crucify you? Or would you only die for those who love and accept you?  This is a question that we need to start thinking about because everybody has people who are easy to love as well as people who are not so easy to love in their lives. So today lets choose to love the person who treats you the worst. Its worth a shot because in the end, love always wins.