Witnessing Truth

Confession: I am a huge Anne of Green Gables fan.  Period.  I love the books.  I love the movies.  I have dreams of going to Prince Edward Island.  I hope that one day I will meet my Gilbert Blythe.  I am a huge fan! I don't know who of you out there is an Anne of Green Gables fan, but whether you profess a love for Anne or not, I am certain you at least have a desire for friendship.  (Or at least an appreciation for it). I am blessed with some amazing friends, and have had some great friends throughout my twenty-five plus years of existence.  Nevertheless, I still learn new things about friendship all the time.  Just today I learned about friendship from my life-long fictional friend Anne Shirley Blythe.  (Sorry, that was a spoiler.  Anne and Gilbert do eventually get married). A little back story for whomever may not be as familiar with the Anne of Green Gables  series.  Anne Shirley, an orphan girl, is inadvertent...

I think I have left you all in suspense long enough.  It is time to answer those questions: How do I get out of this funk?  How do I break free of the chains of a life that is monotonous and tedious?  How do I find mission and zeal in the midst of a routine? At first, when I found myself beginning to flounder in this "tediousness," I began to brandish a crucifix as my weapon, and at the start of the day with a victorious yelp claim the day for Jesus!  (In my mind, not aloud, definitely not out loud).  I would valiantly suffer through each task in the name of Jesus! I will make these phone calls for Jesus!  I will book these rooms for Jesus! I will deposit these checks for Jesus! I will do this task for Jesus! Though seemingly the stuff that movies are made of, this tactic soon became lackluster.  There seemed to be nothing truly heroic in the measly daily tasks I was accomplishing and the circles I seemed to be going in.  Where was my St....

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...