Thanksgiving Traditions
The title of this blog may have you thinking about planning the logistics for the traditional Thanksgiving meal. On the contrary, this blog is about ways to start family traditions that celebrate our joy and gratitude on Thanksgiving Day. This year, perhaps more than other years, we have all faced challenges–financial challenges, health challenges, relationship […]
Trusting in God
It’s easy to say we trust God when everything is going our way. When life is good it’s effortless to think God is on our side. If everyone we love is safe and healthy, and our routines are normal and predictable, we feel like we are in tune with the world, including God. But do […]
Humility is an Under-Rated Virtue
Do you consider yourself a humble person? Some people think that humility is having a low opinion of yourself. Being humble, however, does not mean having a poor opinion of yourself. It does mean accepting yourself and your many good qualities, as well as your limitations, and recognizing that others also have good qualities and limitations. Humility is […]
Knee Mail—Prayer is the Answer
With the Internet at our fingertips, we have the ability to find a prayer about anything we can think of. Has your cat gone missing? There’s a prayer for that. Do you need to do well on an upcoming test? Look up that prayer too. Are your finances off track this month? You guessed it—you […]
Is Your Relationship with Jesus a One-Way Street?
Have you ever been in a relationship that seemed particularly one-sided? Maybe you’ve had a friend who got upset when you didn’t call, but never thought of calling you first. Perhaps you know someone who is clingy when they need you, but don’t have much time when you need them. Maybe your dinner invitations, phone […]
Do You Trust God?
Spring has officially sprung in Florida. Even Minnesota has temperatures above freezing. On beautiful spring days, it’s easy to throw all of our cares away. With this lovely warm weather and a clear, cloudless sky, God’s blessings and beauty are abundant and apparent everywhere we look, making it easy for us to sing God’s praises […]
Blake Bortles of the UCF Football Team
Living in Central Florida, we’ve been following UCF (University of Central Florida) football this year. It was an amazing season, with lots of school records: The Knights finished 7-0 on the road for the first time in school history and were rated as one of the top 10 football teams. First wins over Big Ten […]
Honor Your Country
On April 25, 1976, Rick Monday was playing right field for the Chicago Cubs in a game between the Cubs and the LA Dodgers. William Thomas and his 11-year-old son, ran into the outfield and tried to set fire to an American flag. Monday, playing with the Cubs, dashed over and grabbed the flag to […]
Seminary Numbers Increase
Scandals in the Roman Catholic Church are apparently not deterring men from choosing the priesthood. A rising number of candidates have enrolled in St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Bean, FL and in seminaries nationwide. This counterintuitive trend has not gone unnoticed by church leaders, who are rejoicing at the news and making […]
Rend Your Hearts and Not Your Clothing
Pope Francis’ 2013 Lenten letter to the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. To the priests, consecrated men and women, and the laity of the Archdiocese. Rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in mercy. Little by little we have become accustomed to […]