Check this out…Job 25:2 “Dominion and awe belong to Him, Who establishes peace in His heights.”

To be in awe of God means to have ‘an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful…”.

I am in awe of God these days, and I’m loving it. Lately I see Him everywhere…in others…in the lives of the Saints…in the readings at Mass and in daily prayers…and most importantly to me, in my wife. God is revealing Himself to us everyday, we just need to list. Isaiah writes in chapter 29 verse 23:

But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

I encourage you to pray that you have the faith to see the work of His hands in your midst. I’ve been praying this for myself for sometime and it has just caught me off guard with wonder and awe. He is an awesome God. He is our King.

Not sure of how to do this? Or what it means to be in awe? Or if this is all just my mind playing tricks on me? All I have to say to you is this, God is more wonderful than we can ever imagine. And in my life I’ve seen things that cannot be explained. Last night I was talking with a friend at the Matt Maher concert about this and I told him that I read a book once that reasoned ‘faith is a belief in what we can reasonably expect to be true.’ I remember reading and liking the book very much until I shared the idea with my Pastor Fr. Ed. He quickly pointed out, correctly, that that premise lacks the “leap” necessary for “faith” in God. How true.

Faith is a belief in something that isn’t reasonable. I need to make the distinction here that I’m not talking about having faith in your wife doing the shopping, or that sun will shine tomorrow. Those are human things, keeping with the books premise. However when you consider the Supernatural, Godly things, faith cannot be a conclusion in what we can reasonable expect to be true, it Has to be a belief in the unexpected…the incomprehensible…

How is it likely that I, a complete degenerate, could be redeemed and form into the man I have become…husband…father…etc. Riddle me this…how is it reasonable…for a man who lived 2000 years ago become so loved by his friends and followers, that they would be willing to die horrible deaths simply to spread his message. That, is not likely. What if I asked you to sell a product, and the consequence for getting caught selling that product was immediate upside down crucifixion. If you are like me, monster.com would be my first stop after that conversation. I’d be out of there!

That my friends, is why I am in awe of God. See, he could choose to stop all of this, he could stop time, fix our brokenness and all the problems, and take us all to heaven….but instead, He loves us sooo much that He..God…The King…chooses to let us have free will so that we can fully love Him if we desire.

Well friends…I desire! Do you?

I hope that today you are in awe of Him. If you aren’t sure, take the leap. Pray for Faith. Faith is a gift of God the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The gift of faith will convict a person more than anything else we have ever encountered. I pray that we all have increased faith today. I pray we are more in awe of Him everyday. And I pray you are filled with His peace and joy.

If you still aren’t sure what to do next. Pray some more. He will guide you when the time is right.

God bless you and all those you meet. I pray you infect them with love, as He infects you.

This is simple to play.  Each chord is played for a full measure at a slow-moderate pace.  This is meant to be a prayerful song.

I pray you are blessed today.

“I Desire”

Verse 1

E          G#m     E          G#m

I desire Lord, I desire Lord

E          G#m          A

I desire Lord, for you

Refrain

A                               E

For you are my Hope

A

And you are my portion.

E

You are my Hope

B

I seek you Lord

Verse 2:

E                  G#m     E                   G#m

I am thirsting Lord, I am thirsting Lord

E                   G#m          A

I am thirsting Lord, for you

This scene in the Bible in which Pilot questions Christ our Lord has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve been stuck on the fact that our wonderful gift of free will is something that has to be chosen. We choose to be slaves of sin, or to be free from sin. Christ does the work of redemption and salvation, but it is our choice that he honors.

Pilot says to Christ, “Then you are a king?” (in some translations it says, “Are you the king of the Jews?” in both places). So basically we have man asking God, are you in charge here? Are you the king? Christ’s response is often overlooked and I think it is absolutely critical. Christ responds, “You Say I am a king.” Or in some translations, “You say so.” So what has captured my thoughts lately is this idea of “you say so”. Do you? Do I? Do we really say so? Do we honestly say to Christ You Are My King and I Will Follow You! I don’t think we do. I think for most people the response is more like this.

Man: Are you the king to the Jews?
Jesus: You say so.
Man: You’re right. I do. So yeah sure you are the king, but only on Sunday’s from 10:30-11:30 unless Mass lets out early, then your reign ends concurrently with the end of the communion line. Should Mass go long, your reign as king ends when I decide to read the bulletin. And the rest of the week you are a convenient aside, not a king. Just remember your place Jesus.

This is of course a dramatization and no animals were harmed in the making of this manuscript (PITA stop sending me letters. The fly was asking for it.).

Where I think the Lord has been guiding me is to more firmly and clearly say that He is my king, everywhere and all the time.

The other piece of this is: Que Est Veritas? That means: What is Truth?

Pilot asks Christ, What is Truth? To me this is prophesy of what is to come. Doesn’t our whole ipod iphone blackberry dell LG flatscreen HD ESPN CNN CSPN NBC ABC CBS FOX Wallstreet porn invested society ask this question and search for the answer constantly? How many churches are there again? Why do we have over 33,000 dif Protestant Denominations? Why are there over 150 recognized world religions? Why are there 100’s of TV Preachers claiming to know the Truth of the Bible? How is it that each one of them seems to have it right?

Here are the hard questions….not suitable for readers with weak constitutions…..

How is it that within the Catholic Church, which is supposed to be universal we can have Priests and people believing such a wide range of theological and political ideals that contradict each other? Or worse, how can people like Nancy Pelosi say she is pro-choice and Catholic? How can Priests, who claim to be obedient to the Bishop who is in communion with the Holy See, preach ideas and teachings that are off the reservation?

Well my dear Watson, the answer is simple. We suck at finding truth. And in the absence of someone to make it easy, we just make it up. Yes, it IS that simple. I’ve heard Priests and Protestant preachers say things that just aren’t right. How do I know? Well, let me explain.

I have inside of me a very precise and much calibrated sensor. This sensor is something of a prototype as not many people seem to have it, or rather, turn it on. This sensor is something like the laugh-o-meter and other old game show scales used to measure the audiences approval of something. I like to call this particular instrument, The Heresy Meter.

Heresy is a scary word. “Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief, especially a religion, that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief.”

Sooooo, when I hear something that doesn’t keep with the Canon, that is the Bible, and the other foundation documents of the Magisterial Teaching of the Church (and YES that does include Vatican II for my a la cart friends) my Heresy Meter goes off.

So, Que Est Veritas is a simple question with a simple answer that we seem to constantly miss. And when missed, we often attempt to fill the void with junk that isn’t truth.

Christ is Truth. The Word of God is Truth. Those are our foundations. This pondering of these biblical scenes has caused me to discern and pray intently to God seeking my own freedom to proclaim Christ King of Me, and to seek His Truth in my life.

I know it may seem simplistic, but isn’t that the best way? When we complicate things they get muddy. The simply truth is that when we as a people place the King in His Throne, Truth becomes easy, and then so does everything else. Because when the King is in place and we follow His Truth, sin becomes undesirable, prayer becomes natural, and our worship of His Body and Blood becomes real.

Today I encourage you to pray and find those areas in your life where Christ isn’t the King. Kick the devil out of God’s chair and offer it to Christ. Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you Free, and all will know you are HIS. Jn 8:31-38

God bless.

Maybe it is because I am convicted and passionate.

Maybe it is because in society we get ahead by trampling, and I grew up with that image.

Or perhaps, it is simply because I am a fallen man. No matter the reason I lack enough charity and humility to handle every situation with grace, the result is consistently painful when I don’t. I often notice this phenomenon known as “bob being a jerk” in one of three places.

First, when my wife and I disagree and rather than choose to listen and love I choose to debate. This is perhaps the easiest time to recognize this phenomenon.

Second, while driving someone does something to annoy me and rather than just avoid putting my bumper into their seat, I also add words and anger to the situation. This is the second easiest time to recognize this phenomenon.

Lastly, when I learn that I have hurt someone through my words or actions without intending to do so. While the first two items are humorous rhetoric meant to engage you as a reader, this item is truly the downfall of the Body of Christ. We all, at times, forget that we belong to a community of friends. And while we are intentional or not, our words and actions all affect the whole body of Christ.

This is precisely why the Sacrament of Confession has two purposes. We are first reconciled with the Father and second, we are reconciled with the Body of Christ, whom we have also sinned against. The two are necessary to bring a person fully back into the fold. Let me give you an example.

Recently a close friend told me that some things I had said to someone came back to her through his wife. Now in and of them alone my words were not hateful, harmful, or intended to do any harm. However due to the “translation” of my words they brought pain/harm to my friend whom I care very much about. Essentially I gossiped without manifest intent.

At first I was very upset with the man and his wife for doing this. My response was ”I can’t believe they would do that. Who do they think they are?” Note the use of the word “they”. They did something wrong. They did it. They.

Friends, when something happens and our first reaction is to blame another, I call that pride. To blame another is not to take responsibility for our role and behavior in the body of Christ. So, needless to say, I have to revise that statement.

I can’t believe I did that. Who do I think I am. What kind of friend am I that I would speak words about a friend that could be used against them. What kind of Christian am I gossiping in this way.

This post is not an attempt at an apology (because writing one is like breaking up over the phone, not good enough). This is my attempt to share with you a lesson and a message.

Jesus Christ called us His friends.

Jesus Christ told us that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The next time you are in conversation consider how your words will affect the body of Christ. Are you building the Kingdom of God? Or are you tearing it down?

St. Joseph pray for us.

 My dad showed me how to honor his wife, even when he disagrees.

My father-in-law has been the greatest example of trust in the Lord and of how to love without judgment.

Father Ed. pointed me to Christ more times than I can remember however one time in particular he said (paraphrase), “If you aren’t seeking the gifts, then you are fighting the evil”.  He also says at the beginning of most Masses, "we are here because Jesus is here."  Amen.  That is all I need to know.

Monsignor said in a Homily; “Faith is personal but Religion is communal.” He is also an example to me of how to love without judgment.

Fr. Kenny told me, when I needed it most, that I didn’t have to be perfect and that we all go through seasons in life so don’t freak out when your prayer life is a little rocky, it’ll work out.

My friend Paul once told me that Sarah (my wife) is like his sister, and should I hurt her he’d have to kill me. That is the first time anyone held me accountable for how I treated a girl…which until that point wasn’t acceptable.

My friend Tom said to me while I was struggling with the decision for Sarah and I to have more children, “I get a glimpse of God every time we have another baby.”

My brother-in-law told me after I converted, got married, and had a son; “your sister and I are proud of you.” That has been a source of strength and confidence for me.

A Baptist preacher quoted Romans 1:17 at a youth camp I attended with my friend Josh Matthew. “The just shall live by faith…” That statement has carried me through some dark times in my life.

My friend Deacon Mick said to me once that believed I could have handled a situation better than I had, and felt as though I knew the right thing to do if I only just believed.

A mentor and former boss told me that whether or not I intended harm when saying things was irrelevant because the perception was already set….now I only had to pick up move forward and recover. Which I did because he believed I could and I would not let him down.

My friend Deacon Jeff once said in a homily that we have to “check yes” I believe in those Truths that are unchanging if we truly want to live a Catholic life.

My former spiritual director and friend Rick told me to pray the Psalms.  Simple as it sounds, it will change your life.

Whether he coined it or not my friend Bish lives the rule: “make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ,” and for that I am thankful.

My friend Father John told me once that no matter how much I felt pulled to do more ministry, work harder, or do more, if I neglected my vocation as a husband and father then I wasn’t being true to God.

And lastly, my sons all tell me that I am their hero, and that is more motivation to be a good Catholic man than anything I have ever heard.

Do not let the workers in the vineyard go hungry by not sharing your faith with them and showing them the fruit their labors have born. For too long we sit back and reflect on the nice things that happen to us. Rather we should not only be paying it back, we should be passing it on.

Be a Man today. Tell someone important to you what they really mean to you and your life by giving them a call or simply saying, thank you.

To my friends, mentors, fathers, parents, and those who have touched my heart, you are forever in my prayers and I thank you for the seeds you planted for the fruit of my life is a joy to me.

Going forward I'm going to post the little things and the big things people say to me that make me think of plant seeds.  Feel free to email me quotes from those that plant seeds in your life.  I'll include them and post them too.

God bless