Jun 28
“Look Sir…Droids.”
Uncategorized No Comments »Yes, I find it necessary to display my full geekitude on the eve of the ultimate geek day! If you're going to Star Wars Weekends tomorrow, be ready… 
Jun 26
Make a Messenger Bag
Uncategorized 2 Comments »So I haven't posted in a while, mostly because I've had very little to say (that would be interesting). But tonight, while looking for a new messenger bag, I found this video on how to make your own! Granted, I don't have the talent it takes to actually do this, but I know some of you do (Hey, if you can make a duct tape wallet, you can make this)! I'm amazed at some people's creativity…
Jun 13
Can You Hear Him?
Uncategorized No Comments »One of today's readings offers a great example of why it is so important to quiet ourselves and listen for God. In 1 Kings 19:11-13, God tells Elijah to meet Him on the mountain. Elijah does so, and witnesses a great wind, an earthquake, and fire, but God wasn't in any of them. He came in a tiny whispering sound.
When we pray, how often are we waiting for God to reveal Himself (or His work in our lives) in a loud, grand fashion? How often are we waiting for some kind of huge, miraculous sign that shows how great our Lord is? If we are, we might be waiting for a while. We need to quiet ourselves and be ready to hear God and notice Him, or we could miss what He's trying to tell us. That's why it's so important to spend time in prayer every day…not just talking, but also listening. We have to put away our distractions and turn everything else off, and truly allow ourselves to be in God's presence. This isn't easy– trust me, I know. But God is worth our time and effort– as much as it takes! (And there are so many different forms of prayer! If one doesn't seem to "work" for you, try another. How about trying meditative or contemplative prayer? Or the Rosary? Or Lectio Divina?)
My prayers are with you, as always. If you ever have questions about prayer, just ask!
11And he said to him: Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord: and behold the Lord passeth, and a great and strong wind before the Lord over throwing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: the Lord is not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake: the Lord is not in the earthquake.
12And after the earthquake a fire: the Lord is not in the fire, and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air.
13And when Elias heard it, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold a voice unto him, saying: What dost thou here, Elias? And he answered:
Jun 07
Summer, Bible Study, and Doing Work!
Uncategorized No Comments »It's summer, which usually means life slows down for a little while…well, at least when we're still in school. For those of you living the lazy life right now, I hope you are loving it! For those that aren't, I feel your pain.
Summer usually means Bible study in our group, too. I'm not sure why…maybe the unreasonably hot weather creates a chemical reaction in our brains that makes us want to want to learn more about our Lord during the summer. (Granted, I can't prove this theory, but it works for me.) Anyway, I just wanted to thank all of you for the lively debate on chapter 6 of John's Gospel last week. I had fun listening, and had a hard time keeping my mouth shut (in case you didn't notice). I'm thinking maybe we should do something similar this week– what do you think? Anything specific you want to delve into?
And who can think of summer without thinking of Heart Workcamp? I'm getting really excited, and it's hard to believe it's coming up so soon. In preparation, I'm doing work (son!) to prepare myself. Or at least, I'm attempting to do work. If you didn't already know, we had a pipe burst a couple months ago. The leak was fixed and the walls were treated and dried, but there is still repair work that needs to be done. A lot of it is easy, like patching the walls, but I didn't think about the baseboard being a problem. Actually, it's not a problem yet since I haven't started on it, but the idea of trying to match the molding and then cut it at the proper angles is not motivating me to start. So if you see me wandering aimlessly around Home Depot, you'll know why. Maybe we could start Workcamp a day early at my house! 
Hope all is well with everyone! You're in my prayers.
11And he said to him: Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord: and behold the Lord passeth, and a great and strong wind before the Lord over throwing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: the Lord is not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake: the Lord is not in the earthquake.
12And after the earthquake a fire: the Lord is not in the fire, and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air.
13And when Elias heard it, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold a voice unto him, saying: What dost thou here, Elias? And he answered:
Jun 03
Amazed
Uncategorized No Comments »The last sentence of today's Gospel reading (Mark 12:17) is one I love: "They were utterly amazed at Him." (I doubt the Pharisees and Herodians were utterly amazed in the same way I am.) Christ amazes me so much, often in ways that I wasn't expecting. But sometimes it can be difficult to actually "see" what He's doing in our lives. Maybe it's because we look at what hasn't happened, or what we don't have, or we just ignore His intercession in our lives. Then again, maybe we don't see it yet because it is still unfolding. For example, when you read a book, you discover how the story unfolds through the whole book. Sure, there are revelations throughout as the author uses all of the characters and events, chapter by chapter, to lead us to the end. Imagine if the author revealed EVERYTHING right at the beginning of the book…would you still want to read it? Would it even make sense?
Maybe we should see our lives like books, and let the story unfold in God's time. Because just like a great novel, there are often many twists and turns that we must take to get to where we're going. Today, ask Jesus to amaze you, and then let Him do it! 
11And he said to him: Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord: and behold the Lord passeth, and a great and strong wind before the Lord over throwing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: the Lord is not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake: the Lord is not in the earthquake.
12And after the earthquake a fire: the Lord is not in the fire, and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air.
13And when Elias heard it, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold a voice unto him, saying: What dost thou here, Elias? And he answered:
17And Jesus answering, said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.