Witnessing Truth

Before I begin, I must sincerely apologize to my readers and my supporters.  I have lacked faithfulness and fidelity to this blog, but I assure you my zeal for the mission has not waned in the least.  Rather, my zeal for the mission has only grown leaps and bounds, especially ever since my tenure with FOCUS officially ended in August 2014.  The mission lives on, and I aspire to live out this mission-- "to know Christ Jesus and to fulfill his Great Commission by first living and then communicating the fullness of life within the family of God, the Church"--every day. If I succeed, is a whole "nother" thing. But zeal seems to contradict the title of this blog post, doesn't it?  In fact, I would say that the "tediousness of life" is the antithesis of zeal, passion, and mission. (Feel free to argue with me). Cardinal Ratzinger, before he was Pope Benedict, once wrote, "The deepest poverty is the inability of joy, the tediousness of a life considere...

The lights were dimmed.  The candles lit.  The evening was brisk.  The smell of fall filled your nose.  Halloween approached.  As students were preparing for the upcoming All Hallow's Eve, a few decided to celebrate in a slightly different fashion with us, by stepping back to the year 303AD... The women as they entered the year 303AD As the twenty women gathered in the basement of Immaculate Conception Church, we handed them a character card, a prop, and some simple instructions--they were to discover who killed who at this Martyr Mystery Party!  It was a night to die for!  As they crossed the threshold from the hallway into the Gathering Room, the women entered into a different time--a time of Christian persecution, a time of martyrs, and a time of the Roman Empire... Stepping into character, the women gathered around the "concession stand" of a Roman arena, where the poor and rich a like would gather for gladiators and lion feastings!  ...

At a recent Upper Room, I had the privilege of casting the vision of FOCUS's Apostolate.  At the heart of our ministry lies a very simple pattern--win, build, send--that is accomplished in the hopes of Spiritual Multiplication.  Now I realize that I just threw a lot of FOCUS jargon at you, but allow me to explain... Upper Room - a gathering of FOCUS student leaders (individuals who have committed to running Bible Studies and leading other students), where the missionaries take time to get everyone on the same page with the mission Casting Vision  - the art of conveying to people why we do what we do FOCUS's Apostolate  - our mission of knowing Christ Jesus and fulfilling the Great Commission by first living and then communicating the fulness of life within the family of God the Church by inviting college students into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ centered evangelization, disciples...

You know the Missionaries are coming when you see four cars with out-of-state plates parked in a row!  Watch out, we might be coming for you next! My car (PA Plates), Steven's car (Arizona plates), Danielle's car (New Hampshire plates), Kevin's car (Minnesota plates)

While those five little words--"seek and ye shall find"--should probably draw to mind the Bible verse Matthew 7:7 (Ask, and it will be given you, seek, and you will find, etc.), the first thing that comes to mind is Ella Fitzgerald's "Someone to Watch Over Me."  If someone simply says, "Seek and ye shall find" automatically I hear the soft piano and the soothing pulsation of Ella's voice flowing between the words.  I hear her emphasize "seek" and "ye" and I begin to drift into the following lyrics, "So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind."  And the song continues to play in my head... Needless to say, every time someone at FOCUS's recent SEEK Conference in Orlando, FL, mentioned Matthew 7:7, and began to read, "seek and ye shall find," my mind had gone down the river of musical lyrics, not stopping until the song had ended.  (At which time I was completely lost as to what the actual...

This, my dear friends, is the parable that came to mind when I was discerning joining FOCUS Staff.  Now here I am jumping into holes with students...

Two and a half weeks ago, I embarked on one of the craziest adventures of my life.  I boarded a plane with a fellow FOCUS Team Director, Laura Scharmer, as we made our way to Rome, Italy, via Moscow, Russia.  No, this was not simply a pleasure trip, or what Southwest Airlines calls "Wanna Get Away" sojourn.  Rather, Curtis Martin, founder and president of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, invited the Team Directors from across the country to join him for the last week of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization at the Vatican, to pray, to fast, and to witness an important meeting of Bishops. Though we did not get to actually play in the game (metaphorically), we had amazing seats!  Sitting practically front row, we had the distinct honor and privilege of meeting with, dining with, and talking to a number of Bishops, Archbishops, and Cardinals.  They shared with us their insights on the Synod. Their thoughts on the state of the Church. ...