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Category Archives: Personal Spirituality

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New Year’s Resolutions: Youth Ministry Style

By | January 2, 2012
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While many of us will make resolutions for the coming year for our personal lives, why not make some for our ministries as well? Here are some resolutions to pray about as you get ready to start a new calendar year of Youth Ministry.

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How to Pray: Back to the Basics

By | December 27, 2011
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A rhythm of prayer is absolutely necessary to get closer to God but it’s not going to be some specific formula and it’s not going to look the same for everyone. If you can find a way to incorporate all those prayers into your life then that’s amazing, but that’s not expected of everyone. Going from being a missionary to an office setting I had to change my rhythm to make sense according to my new role. But, there’s no better tool for ministry than a heart inspired by God.

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Time, Talent AND Treasure

By | December 6, 2011
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Eventually it was gut-check time. While giving time and talent is great, that’s only 2/3 of what I’m called to do, and I’m either going to be 100% Catholic or not at all. There are no fractions when it comes to living out the Catholic faith, so I began to offer up my treasure as well. And now, I can safely say that my wife and I do the same. I know this is not an easy topic for those of us in ministry.

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Put On The Parachute

By | November 28, 2011

Before you know, there will be nothing in your life that you are in control of; everything will be in the hands of God. Then, and only then, will He be your parachute. You will have put Him on and He will be guiding your movements. I would imagine you would experience the freedom that a skydiver experiences when they are slowly descending, trusting their life to their parachute.

Trust Him with your life!

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Are You A Wide Receiver?

By | November 21, 2011

During this fall football frenzy, stop and ask yourself a quick question: Am I a wide receiver?

I’m not asking if you can run a wicked slant pattern down the middle or whether you have the sweetest touchdown dance this side of the Mississippi after catching a 45-yard flea flicker pass. I am wondering if you are a wide receiver of God’s love and the many graces He desires to bestow on your life?

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20 Things I’ve Learned as a Veteran Youth Minister at a New Parish

By | November 9, 2011

Working in a paid youth ministry position for 8 years apparently makes me a “young veteran.” I recently started working at a new parish and as I reflect on my first 30 days there, I realize that much of the work I am doing has not changed with the new location. While there are differences in personal and procedure, there are a lot of universal truths to parish life.

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The Little “s” Saints

By | November 8, 2011

You and I most likely will never have a feast day in the Liturgical Calendar of the Church. Thousands of years from now, people may not carry around our prayer card in their Bible, and we may never be declared a patron of anything. But we have everything we need to get to Heaven. Every day, when we wake up, we can renew our answer to Jesus when He asks “come follow me.” And it is in our response to that question, in ordinary ways, that you and I can become Saints – with a little “s.”

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Lost?: You’re Never Alone

By | October 24, 2011

It wasn’t too long before I had a nagging suspicion that something was wrong. I’d been driving down this road for far too long, but I hadn’t seen my turn, so I kept going. The road was one of those two lane roads, winding through the woods. Occasionally I would see another set of headlights or a house set back in the trees. It was foggy and dark. Panic started to set in and improbable, yet fearful, endings began forming in my mind. Would I go around a bend in the road and end up in the river? Would I end up on someone’s land—the kind of people who hate trespassers? Would I ever see civilization again?

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Sneaking Quality Time

By | October 18, 2011

In spiritual direction on Friday, God revealed that I am restless. I have gotten caught up in the details and demands. I have chose to more or less lead myself – instead of allowing Him to lead. When life gets busy we (and by “we” I mean me) allow ourselves to go through the motions, instead of letting our Father lead us. We become restless and tired because we aren’t tugging at “daddy’s” leg allowing Him to give us the attention we are desperately in need of.

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Encountering God Through Being Present to Others

By | October 17, 2011

I have heard countless times in the past ten years how important it is to be present to teens. I have always understood and agreed that presence is essential in developing relationships centered on Christ. After all, Jesus was present to everyone he encountered, and this is the model that we should follow.