Songs Bring Things into Focus

So here's another song I thought you guys would like to here. I personally like it because  it reminds of a simpler time, yet it also tells us about how our relationship with God is and what He does for it and how it all compares. I hope you like it and once again, thanks for listening.




It's called "Preacher" by One Republic. You can copy the URL here and paste it in another tab to hear it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of0N_--eQlg

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Trust

Have you ever had a an embarrassing moment, or just a really crappy day and you need to tell someone about it, but you didn't everyone to know about? So, you tell your best friend, or your mom/dad, or one of your siblings? What makes you tell them instead of someone else? Why do you think they won't run off and tell everyone? It's simple - trust. Many people these days have forgotten how important it is to trust, whether it be with your significant other, your parents/sibling/friends, or even God. You need to be able to divulge yourself in people and do it without wondering if it's a good idea to do so or not. You need to be able to trust.


Relationships, whether they be marriages, simple gf/bf, or even with our friends, have been falling apart more than ever within the last 10 years simply because of trust issues. These days we have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and then you add the real world social experience and it's easy to see how things can get out of hand when it comes to trying to control who see what info about us we're willing sharing. Does this mean we can blame the technology? No! This is because the understanding of what trust is.


The dictionary definition of what trust means is one that is a "belief in someone or something that is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc. - ie: a charge or duty imposed on in faith or confidence or as a condition of some relationship; something committed or entrusted to one to be used or cared for in the interest of another." What does this mean? It means that you are able to tell someone something and have faith in the other to not simply spread it around. It means that you can know in your heart whether someone will be there for you or not when you're in trouble or when you need them the most. It means being able to make important decisions with someone because you have faith in them that they're looking out for you and helping by making the appropriate choices in order to better both of you.


So let's talk about what this means with God. So many of us have doubts everyday. It's ok to admit them, I do anyways. Doubts like whether He's real, or whether or not life will get better by His hand, or even whether or not He's even looking after us. It's understandable to have those kinds of doubts. If you don't, then great for you, you must have a stronger faith than a lot of us. For those of you who waver though, just know you're not alone. What makes the difference though? What makes a person stronger in their faith then? It's simple again - trust. If you can put the same, or even more trust (the same that you would give to your best friend, or significant other) to God when it comes to knowing whether He's looking after you or not, then I guarantee you will be a lot happier. Trust is the glue to what builds or faith in God, without it, we have nothing. Trust in Him and in return, He will grant you ever blessing and praise you could ever imagine. Afterall, our understanding of God is just like a relationship. He's put His trust in you, so now return the favor, otherwise you're going to fall apart from Him, just like any other relationship.


So trust in Him. Learn to have better trust with others. And most importantly, learn to trust yourself too.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Halloween & College Advice

So, last Friday was Halloween and since I'm in college, well, guess what that means. If anything like drugs, sex, alcohol, tons of parties, skimpy outfits, excessive makeup, etc. come to your mind, well, you wouldn't be wrong. However, not everyone celebrates like that. Some like to just hang with a couple friends in a Halloween themed hangout. Surprisingly, this is possible. Whatever your morals are, there is a place for you in college, don't worry. I go to the one of the nation's top party schools, yet I'm still able to find my niche here without getting high or drunk every other night, so you can too, don't worry.


Which brings me to my next point: don't think for a second that because you're in college all of the sudden that you have to change yourself, or drop any morals that you have in order to have a good time. What/who you were in high school, can still be you in college, but don't forget the becoming an adult thing too. Whatever is your thing, you can for sure find it in college, so don't worry about fitting in or standing out, everyone is unique and everyone is there own person.


Also, don't fall for the peer pressure. I don't drink, I don't sleep around, and I for sure don't do drugs. Those are just my personal morals and such, but I have been asked to do several of those things multiple times. I've said no multiple times. Sure some people will call you a coward or mess with you because of how you want to live your life, but it's your life. How you want to live your life, is your choice. You don't have to change your morals for others, or for yourself in order to have friends or even to have fun. I'm friends with people who do those things, but I also have friends that don't and are a little more like me. The key is to know where your values lie and to know what you really want to get out of the experience of college. It's all up to you. You're parents aren't going to call everyday and make sure you're not getting into trouble. College is the time that you're own your sort of. You have to learn who you are as a person and then how to make yourself a better version of that through education and simply experience.


I personally looked into some of the catholic stuff here on campus and found several opportunities to still stay connected to my faith. Therefore, so can you. I promise you that.


I hope that all helps and that you can rest a little easier if you're worried about college.

I'm Back!!!

Hey guys, sorry that I have been so quiet for so long there (what, 4 months now?), college is a busy thing sometimes. But I promise to start posting more from now. So look forward to more coming through from me!!! :)

1 Thessalonians 2:9

"For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God." 

My Mission Trip

So last week I went on a mission trip with my youth group. We drove 10 hours to go to Moore, OK and be apart of a Catholic work camp that was set up to help residents affected by the tornado that ripped through their town last year. Although most of the houses were either rebuilt or moved and rebuilt elsewhere, there was still a lot to be done. Schools start in about a month or so out there, yet the grounds still needed to be cleaned up. There were still residents that needed new fences and their yards cleaned out. And finally there were food pantries, homeless shelters, and thrift stores that needed help organizing and aiding help to those less fortunate. Our mission? Help as many people as we could.

We left Sunday morning, July 6th. We were all excited and ready to get on the road and get there soon, so we could start working, however, we needed to pick up a few extra cars from another parish nearby that was caravaning with us. We had arrived to the meeting place early and the other parish was also running late, so it was about an hour before they met up with us. I think it was then I started feeling a surreal moment coming over me. Yeah I was joking around with my friends and we were laughing and such, but in the back of my mind I started thinking about what we were really getting ready to do. We were going to do work, but what kind of work? With whom would we be working with exactly? Was there decent food and shelter? Who was going to be in charge? How many people will there be? How badly damaged is the town? Will we have to build any homes or do landscaping? Etc, etc, etc. All these questions and more were running through my mind at the time, but one thing was for certain. We were going to be helping people and by doing so, we were all being servants of God. 

We all had summer plans and if not, I'm sure most of us wouldn't have minded just laying back by the pool or hanging out with friends, or possibly even going to work to get some cash, but the difference we didn't do any of that. No, we worked throughout the past school year to raise money, prepare ourselves, and clear our schedules so that we could all come on this trip. How cool is that? It wasn't until we actually arrived at the church we were basing camp at that I realized that being a servant of God was more than just the title. In fact, the camp leaders changed that thought for me by saying we were all being "Servants of C.H.R.I.S.T.". What does that mean, you're probably wondering? I didn't figure that out till our last day nearly. It was Thursday night and then we were finally told. "C.H.R.I.S.T." stood for "Chosen Heros Rising In Service & Truth". That's right. 

We were out there, whether painting a classroom for a teacher, replanting and putting up fences for a resident, or even restocking the church's food pantry, we were out there all serving Christ in some way or another. That is because we brought the Truth, the word or action of God to people in need. They needed help, although some of them did't want to admit it. They needed to see that people still care. They needed to feel that someone is still out there watching over them and that someone is God. Although some had damaged homes and yards, others were damaged financially and couldn't afford help. Yet still more so, others were damaged emotionally because they couldn't begin to comprehend what had happened. The Truth tho? God loves all His children and He will not abandon any of them. We were called to rise up and be servants of Christ to help others. Our Service reinforced the Truth through our actions, our words, and our feelings. What we did gave people an understanding of God they hadn't seen before. To able to see over 200 teens and young adults hearing the call of Christ and stepping up to do their part to help out a community not even theirs, is astounding. When I found out how many people were helping out, I was floored. I've never seen that kind of power of God and  I could see it in each one of those people I met while on my trip. 

While we were on our trip, our camp leaders told us to try and find Christ in at least one thing each day. I found too many to count. The camaraderie we had with each other, and the willingness to help others no matter what the job was screaming God's name in themselves. There was one moment however in which I found god speaking to me the most while on the job. The last day we were given a special task (our whole youth group and a couple other small groups) to go about 50 miles south and help a group called "Rebuild Ministries" start the foundation for a new house and green house. There was only one welder and only one or two of us could help him, so I volunteered. I watched the guy first blow torch (basically) a couple holes in a piece of metal and then he gave me a chisel and a hammer and said, "you see the metal that's sticking up around the sides of the holes; I need you to chisel that off". I was glad to and started right away. 

This took awhile and so my mind started wondering. The night before we had adoration and reconciliation and I started thinking about what the monk (who was from a nearby monastery) told us at the beginning of it all. He said, "while we try and drown out the voice of God and our own voice even, we soon come to realize that it is in the silence sometimes that God can actually heal us the most. That is when we take time to think of our wrongs, to ask God for forgiveness, and try to reexamine our lives so as not to commit those sins again. So take some time to just sit still, look at God upon this altar, and if there is something you want from Him, don't hesitate to ask. This is because He is all forgiving and wants us to be happy and He will never give up on you because of your wrongs, because He is stronger and bigger than them."  Thinking about what He said made me think about how we were like the piece of metal I was trying to fix and clean up. Our sins were like the metal that was twisted and built up on the sides of the holes and God was like me. He was there, taking a chisel and a hammer and cutting and smoothing our sins away and just like I didn't give up every time the welder handed me another piece of metal to clean, neither does God. He continues to fix us, to heal us, to make us clean and whole again no matter what the cost is. All we need to do is ask for His grace and mercy to help.

So, while that was my moment of seeing Christ in the work that I was doing, the overall message was that we were there. We helped people and we acted in Christ's name, so that the people there could see that they were not alone. They had not been abandoned and that they can receive God's grace and love to heal and strive on. I personally think this was one of the best experiences of my life and I hopr to do it some day again.

Matthew 6: 1-34

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Time is of the Essence

What kind of person are you when it comes to dealing with time? Are you a down to the last minute get everything done as quick as possible? Or are you the type that takes their time and carefully executes every detail of the plan? What gets you motivated? Can you relax and work or do you have to constantly move? 

It seems that we're always moving now in days, but what are we moving towards? That appointment? That game? What about moving towards God? Many of us don't really think about it, since we typically only go to church once a week, but time is of the essence. How much time do you think you have left on Earth? How much time do you think you have to change your ways? How much time do you think you have to make things right with your past?

Several times a week I personally have to stop and remember that this world isn't here for long. Sure it seems that life will be forever, or that it will move on without us, but what happens when it's too late? What happens when you can't go back and apologize for a mistake or rude comment? What happens even you realize you weren't the nicest of a person to that elderly lady driving on the road because you were late and thought you were more important? What happens when you realize you don't have enough time to make up for the lost time of not spending enough with your kids and they're all grown up? 

Sometimes we need to realize that we won't live forever. We have to realize also that our lives aren't more important than others. We need to sometimes slow down and relax. God didn't say that we should work on Sunday, but rather to keep the holy day Sabbath. We need to slow down and fix our wrongs. Pray a little more for help from God. We need to help others and treat our neighbors like we wanted to be treated. Love them, care for them, and pray for them. 

After all, when we're called from this Earth, to you really think God is going to judge you on how well you work or how you get your projects done well? No, He's going to judge you on your character. Were you nice to your neighbors even even you had a rough day? Were you ok to that elderly lady in traffic and not cutting her off? Did you decide to stop your work for some time to spend with your kids? You're character is what will weigh more than anything because character is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

So what are you going to differently from now on? What are you going to go back and apologize for or try to make right? After all, you might have more limited time than you think. So remember, time is of the essence.

Songs Bring Things Into Focus

I thought this video might be perfect for getting a better picture of what we're all up against these days. Listen to the lyrics carefully, and enjoy! :)

Matthew 5:14-16

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."

My Battle Cry, What's Yours?

So during this weekend's youth group retreat, our theme was "This Means War". We got to learn about what the war is truly and what it means to fight it. We also learned what armor or weapons we have already been given that we have the ability to use at any time we want. Then on the last day, we had a prayer circle and individually came up with a battle cry for ourselves that would help ourselves to continue the fight and to remind us what we're fighting for. This is mine:

"Although the Devil may press
Although the temptations build

You're Stronger Anyways

Although they might rebel
Although they may not want to listen

Make Them Anyways

Although the end may seem so far 
Although the light at the end seems so small

Lead Them Anyways

So shod your feet in the gospel of peace, wrap the belt of truth around you,
Put on the breastplate of righteousness, put on the helmet of salvation, 
pick up your shield of faith, and wield your sword of the word of God

And finally, always Pray"


Now, what's your battle cry?

This Means War

There's a battle being waged right now. It's not always visible. It's not specific to one person or another. Each one of us have felt it. Have gone through it. Everyone'e outcome is different. Some are even still stuck fighting it. What's this battle you say?

Good vs. Evil
God vs. Satan
Heaven vs. Hell

The Devil has infiltrated us in almost every aspect in our society these days. Whether it be what you see in the media, or what you hear through the gossip at the lunch table. The Devil is nearly everywhere. He tempts us. He lies to us. He tries to make us feel good about doing bad. And it almost seems like he's been winning recently with the raise in the our crime rates, the violence in our politics, and the wrong messages in our media. 

Now I know what you're thinking, "How can I possibly win against him in this battle then?"

Well, here's some good news:

1) God has already won the battle. He's taken dominion over Satan and the Devil can never touch Him again. God gave His only begotten Son for us in order to be able to conquer death and save us from our sins, so that we could go to Heaven with Him. 

2) God has given us the ability to fight against sin and temptation by giving us the Church. That is our home base of resistance against Satan. He gave us a rock to hold onto when the tides get to high.

and

3) God has given us the 7 pieces of armor to defend ourselves against Satan and his demons.

What are these 7 pieces of armor you ask?

Ephesians 6:13-17 reads
"Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil fay and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed in righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances hold faith as a shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take up the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

I know what you're thinking, I only counted 6 there. That's because the 7th one isn't really a piece of armor. its the Power of Prayer. Prayer is an amazing thing that can help bring everything together and keep the connection open to the Lord. Just as a soldier must keep the communication lines open for the commander, we must do with the Power of Prayer.

So God has given us armor and weapons to battle against the Devil, but you might still be asking why? If God has already won, then why do I need to fight? It's over, right?

Not exactly. God gave His only begotten Son for us because He wanted to even the playing field. He could've easily gotten rid of Satan, but instead He decided to let us participate in our own salvation. So the Devil tries to tempt us. He lies to us and tells us things that we get confused about. He twists the truth to make something bad sound/seem good.He wants us to forget the true king. He wants us to leave our allegiance to him, not God. And everyday is a battle. That's the fight you fight through everyday and God can't force you to want Him or listen to Him for that matter.

So it comes down to choice. Look at your options. Look at the consequences of your actions. Decide who you want to swear your allegiance to in this battle, because in the end; God is still going to come and He is still going to judge the living and the dead. That judgement decides whether you go to Heaven or Hell, so choose wisely. That's all this battle is truly about. The choices we make and the consequences  of them. So now it's your turn. You still get to decide. God is always going to be there and He's willing to always help you to Heaven, but you have to want it. So talk to Him. Ignore the temptations of sin from the Devil. It's your turn to rise and fight for your eternal life. Give it all, or lose it all. 

It's your choice.