Well, I had been on a good run of posting on Mondays and I hope I can get this done by midnight tonight. I have been busy the last few weeks with painting the inside of one house and the outside of another. I have been blessed to have this work to pay off some of the balances of our personal bills before we head off to the Philippines. The Philippines!!! I think that it is finally starting to hit me that things will change once we lift off into the sky from Houston next Monday! Our last week at Big Woods in Louisiana.
Wow! I can't believe how time has flown by since we arrived here last September. That's almost 6 months ago! Six months ago I was saying my goodbyes to friends at work, family in Kansas, and fellow parishoners from St. Anthony's. It seemed like it was only going to be a short road trip. When we visited in December though it seemed like forever. It was SO good to see everyone again! It was so exciting to share how good God is and has been to us through our journey. This is just the beginning. I know from when I first heard His voice a little more than a year ago that this was for real. And now the time has come.
With all of the intensive studying and training done, the long hours of driving to the mission base in Mexico, and the awesome fellowship here with our new missionary friends it is time to let our Light shine to the ends of the world! Jesus has called us to build His Kingdom. We are happy and ready to follow where He leads us. We are willing to do whatever He asks of us. We are His!
In our last week, I cannot help but think of all the help we have received from our benefactors. It is with your support that this is starting to take shape. We are blessed when we receive your help and love to pray for your intercessions. We start off every day with the Liturgy of the Hours and include your prayer intentions as often as possible. For those of you who have turned in a prayer intention and have had it answered, could you please comment below. We should praise God in EVERYTHING we do!
It just dawned on me that next Monday I may have to be posting from the airport! There's still so much to do! We are planning a little "test run" with the kiddos sometime this week. We plan on only taking one backpack each and one suitcase for the whole family. The backpacks will mostly have clothes and maybe a few other things that we might need throughout our stops before getting to the island. The suitcase will mostly carry our books and other study material along with other things that we may need for our new home. Stacie has managed to reduce the weight of it to 40 lbs. So, after we all get suited up, we will walk from our house to the end of the road and back. It should be about a half-mile or so. Just a taste of what to expect with all of our gate changes at the airports.
Well, that's about all I have this week. Sorry it was a little short and very choppy but my eyes are getting heavy and I need to rest up. This last week is gonna go by fast! Pray for us, brothers and sisters. We definitely will keep you in ours. Peace be with you.
Ecclesiastes 3:6 "A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away."
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Christian Joy
Over the past week the word JOY has been popping up at me from Scripture. I have also been feeling joyful as our day of departure to the Philippines draws nearer. I remember feeling this way when we prepared to go for our mission training in Mexico last November. I have a feeling God has something SO much bigger than anything we've ever known or prepared for.
This time last year we were preparing for our trip to Big Woods for the "Come and See" event. We were so excited to see if this was for real and as the time got closer to go, the joy was overwhelming. The kids would picture all the "far away" places they would love to go. Their joy was infectious. Finally, the day came and within 13 hours we were in south Louisiana praying and singing praises to the Lord with strangers we had just barely met. It was awesome! It was for real!
Jesus was calling us to serve Him. My dream was coming true. It was not just a thought or some fantasy. It was more than that. He was calling us to serve Him in a deeper way. For some reason, I felt that there had to be more than what we were doing. We always went to Mass on Sunday and had our prayer time at home. I even volunteered my time to serve on the parish council for St. Anthony's in Wichita hoping to become a more "important" part of the Church. Still, my soul was thirsting for more.
Today's reading from Jeremiah 15: 15-16 in the Liturgy of the Hours we read "When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart..." In our last year in Kansas, we had started to regularly go to daily Mass. It was a very joyful time for me to hear the Word of Life. I never wanted to leave. I really believed that Heaven came to Earth and the more that I read the Bible the more I felt alive.
God's timing is perfect! From the time that we heard the call to missions, it seemed as if God was reassuring us. The priest would pray at Mass, "...for all missionaries in the field..." or the day would be the feast of a missionary saint. After this, I would look down the pew and all eyes were looking back to see if I caught the keyword. All smiles.
The thing that got me more and more though was the way the words jumped out from the book. Had I read this before? What version is this? Yup, Jesus was opening my eyes and my heart to listen to that reading on that day for a reason. Here are some of the verses that were read during that time of waiting:
Mathew 19:21 "Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide."
Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation."
Luke 12:22-23 And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing."
Again, this is not like we had never heard these verses before. These were the same words over and over through the years but with a new meaning and with a new energy. We felt God's presence ever nearer. God's Word was coming alive and jumping out to reach us. God was calling us now. We had to answer and jump for JOY!
Jesus calls everyone every day. He wants you! He loves you! Answer Him today and invite Him into your heart. Be sincere and be ready to listen. I know that what you hear will make you feel more alive than ever! Trust Him!
This time last year we were preparing for our trip to Big Woods for the "Come and See" event. We were so excited to see if this was for real and as the time got closer to go, the joy was overwhelming. The kids would picture all the "far away" places they would love to go. Their joy was infectious. Finally, the day came and within 13 hours we were in south Louisiana praying and singing praises to the Lord with strangers we had just barely met. It was awesome! It was for real!
Jesus was calling us to serve Him. My dream was coming true. It was not just a thought or some fantasy. It was more than that. He was calling us to serve Him in a deeper way. For some reason, I felt that there had to be more than what we were doing. We always went to Mass on Sunday and had our prayer time at home. I even volunteered my time to serve on the parish council for St. Anthony's in Wichita hoping to become a more "important" part of the Church. Still, my soul was thirsting for more.
Today's reading from Jeremiah 15: 15-16 in the Liturgy of the Hours we read "When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart..." In our last year in Kansas, we had started to regularly go to daily Mass. It was a very joyful time for me to hear the Word of Life. I never wanted to leave. I really believed that Heaven came to Earth and the more that I read the Bible the more I felt alive.
God's timing is perfect! From the time that we heard the call to missions, it seemed as if God was reassuring us. The priest would pray at Mass, "...for all missionaries in the field..." or the day would be the feast of a missionary saint. After this, I would look down the pew and all eyes were looking back to see if I caught the keyword. All smiles.
The thing that got me more and more though was the way the words jumped out from the book. Had I read this before? What version is this? Yup, Jesus was opening my eyes and my heart to listen to that reading on that day for a reason. Here are some of the verses that were read during that time of waiting:
Mathew 19:21 "Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide."
Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation."
Luke 12:22-23 And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing."
Again, this is not like we had never heard these verses before. These were the same words over and over through the years but with a new meaning and with a new energy. We felt God's presence ever nearer. God's Word was coming alive and jumping out to reach us. God was calling us now. We had to answer and jump for JOY!
Jesus calls everyone every day. He wants you! He loves you! Answer Him today and invite Him into your heart. Be sincere and be ready to listen. I know that what you hear will make you feel more alive than ever! Trust Him!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Down But Not Out
I'm sitting in the living room typing this up after just finishing the Super Bowl game on television. It doesn't get bigger than this game. It beats the baseball and basketball best of seven series. Only one game for the championship. It's win or lose. I grew up with football. I love it. I sometimes hate it. I love the sport because of the toughness, the teamwork, and the strategy on both sides of the ball. I hate it because I get so wrapped up in it with stats, anxiety, and a lot of times anger when something doesn't go right for my team. Football was, for a lot of years, a false god I worshipped.
As a kid, I remember Sundays being a day where we all gathered at Grandma's and planned out the day of BBQ, family, and fun. There's nothing at all wrong with any of this except for the most important part of Sunday--the most holy sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus. Oh, yes, we did go every Sunday, but keeping the sabbath holy was definitely not on my mind for the rest of the day. When I moved to Kansas at age 12, the Mass and Jesus were almost completely removed as part of my life. The one thing that I did do was football. And even more of it. I was addicted.
The early 1990s was more of a temptation to keep me hooked as my team was winning a lot more and was suddenly more competitive. I was definitely riding a high when the Dallas Cowboys won 3 Super Bowls in four years. It was not easy having losing seasons after that and knowing that we had bad teams with little to no chance of winning. It was so hard knowing that the only thing that I thought was constant on that day could bring me such pain. I was in deep.
I have sometimes heard drug addicts say they started to realize how bad it was when they hit rock bottom. One day changed my life for good-- thank God! My family and I were watching a game that was coming to a last-second field goal. Make it and Dallas wins. How hard can this really be? He better make this or else.....The kick was up....wide right! For those of you who know me, I am pretty much a cool/quiet guy. Not that day. I grabbed the remote control and slammed it very hard on a pillow that was on the floor. The remote bounced off and hit my oldest daughter on her face and made her cry. I hit rock bottom. I immediately began to feel very embarrassed as all eyes were on me. The room emptied out slowly and my heart was burdened. This was totally unacceptable. I obviously didn't mean to hurt my daughter but it still happened. Stacie had pulled me off to a side and we talked. The hardest part for me to understand was how to let go.
Nowadays things are more calm. I'm not stressed out and yelling at those in the TV. I love life. I have learned about moderation. I don't HAVE to watch every single game. I don't HAVE to watch every single play. My priorities are more in order and I thank God that He has shown me the joy of keeping His commandments. I remember putting ALL of my energy into a game that would be decided by the players not by what I did. I also like to think of my life now and what Jesus has for me if I put all of my energy towards Him! Yes, I sometimes fail (and sometimes miserably) but it doesn't end there. No matter how many times Satan knocks us down we have to dust ourselves off and get right back up and in the game. We are on the Lord's team. Jesus wins!
Vince Lombardi (Green Bay Packers Head Coach-1960s) quote on life: "After all the cheers have died down and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been written, and after you are back in the quiet of your room and the championship ring has been placed on the dresser and after all the pomp and fanfare have faded, the enduring thing that is left is the dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live."
As a kid, I remember Sundays being a day where we all gathered at Grandma's and planned out the day of BBQ, family, and fun. There's nothing at all wrong with any of this except for the most important part of Sunday--the most holy sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus. Oh, yes, we did go every Sunday, but keeping the sabbath holy was definitely not on my mind for the rest of the day. When I moved to Kansas at age 12, the Mass and Jesus were almost completely removed as part of my life. The one thing that I did do was football. And even more of it. I was addicted.
The early 1990s was more of a temptation to keep me hooked as my team was winning a lot more and was suddenly more competitive. I was definitely riding a high when the Dallas Cowboys won 3 Super Bowls in four years. It was not easy having losing seasons after that and knowing that we had bad teams with little to no chance of winning. It was so hard knowing that the only thing that I thought was constant on that day could bring me such pain. I was in deep.
I have sometimes heard drug addicts say they started to realize how bad it was when they hit rock bottom. One day changed my life for good-- thank God! My family and I were watching a game that was coming to a last-second field goal. Make it and Dallas wins. How hard can this really be? He better make this or else.....The kick was up....wide right! For those of you who know me, I am pretty much a cool/quiet guy. Not that day. I grabbed the remote control and slammed it very hard on a pillow that was on the floor. The remote bounced off and hit my oldest daughter on her face and made her cry. I hit rock bottom. I immediately began to feel very embarrassed as all eyes were on me. The room emptied out slowly and my heart was burdened. This was totally unacceptable. I obviously didn't mean to hurt my daughter but it still happened. Stacie had pulled me off to a side and we talked. The hardest part for me to understand was how to let go.
Nowadays things are more calm. I'm not stressed out and yelling at those in the TV. I love life. I have learned about moderation. I don't HAVE to watch every single game. I don't HAVE to watch every single play. My priorities are more in order and I thank God that He has shown me the joy of keeping His commandments. I remember putting ALL of my energy into a game that would be decided by the players not by what I did. I also like to think of my life now and what Jesus has for me if I put all of my energy towards Him! Yes, I sometimes fail (and sometimes miserably) but it doesn't end there. No matter how many times Satan knocks us down we have to dust ourselves off and get right back up and in the game. We are on the Lord's team. Jesus wins!
Vince Lombardi (Green Bay Packers Head Coach-1960s) quote on life: "After all the cheers have died down and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been written, and after you are back in the quiet of your room and the championship ring has been placed on the dresser and after all the pomp and fanfare have faded, the enduring thing that is left is the dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live."
"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."
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