Deacon Speakin'

Take a second and think about the boxes that you keep where you have placed your anger. Do you have many boxes? Are they categorized and alphabetized? Are they color-coated and sorted? Either way, there is a lot of work and effort in emotional storage, especially the angry and wrathful kind.

How do you treat the folks around you who think differently than you and maybe even disagree with your good ideas and suggestions? Here's a good one: how do you treat folks on, let's say FaceBook in this charged and ramping up political climate who post things that do not line up with your foundation? Yikes! Yes, let's go there.

Disagreeing can be a means to growth when performed civilly and respectfully. That is the very root of protest –to engage the other with whom we disagree in an attempt to come to a desirable outcome for all. Sounds easy right? Hardly.

Season 2 Episode 80 of The Catholic Deacon Podcast: As much as we like to fashion ourselves an advanced and forward moving population, I challenge you among all our political woes – who is more decent? Who is telling the truth? Who has our best interests in mind?

Season 2 Episode 79 So, what is it that we can make of traditions anyway? They are abundant in all cultures and we even see them in our own families. Sometimes it is just a way for folks to spend time together but in other ways they define who we are.

Season 2 Episode 78: The Break Shot Initiate the break shot. The opening move in most pool games where the cue ball is fired into the group sending the balls rolling and bouncing off of each other, ricocheting off the rails, and sometimes disappearing off the table down the pockets and out of play.

Season 2 Episode 77: We find that the people behind the masks are perhaps more profound than the people unmasked, because if you look at it in the right way you will realize that God reveals the most in all of us by showing us the least.

Season 2 Episode 76 "There has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you."

Season 2 Episode 75: Jesus is telling us how to survive a wretched world and reach the kingdom of heaven…this applies to everyone…as Jesus says "anyone with ears ought to hear…" Too bad he didn't say that "everyone with ears will hear."

Season 2 Episode 74: "The true measure of a man is how he treats God when no one is watching."

Season 2 Episode 73: We tend to look to others in amazement of the things they can do and their feats of incredibleness – of their bigger than life achievements. It's only natural, and when you think about it, these hero types are a dime a dozen. Everybody's got em!

Season 2 Episode 72: There are some big issues out there that folks deal with, and maybe you are dealing with a few yourself? I think it is difficult these days to not to be struggling with something, not to be outfitted with a cross that gets heavier and heavier by the minute – one that weighs more and more by the day – one that drains us of our energy and enthusiasm to be the fullness of that image and likeness of Christ.

While we are being drawn to God, we must be constantly trying to find the voice He intended for each of us whatever that may be. It may not be a singing voice, or a writing style, or a manner of speaking, but make no mistake – you have a voice that is only yours.

Season Two Episode 70: We tend to do what we always do and that's apply what we know on Earth to the things of God. Those things of which do not apply to God – like space and time, and the unknown. God doesn't fit in our neat little compartments that we want to put everything in!

Did you ever take road trips as a kid or drive to a destination as a family getaway or vacation? Do you remember when you passed from your hometown and into strange territory? Do you remember seeing sights you've never seen before and how excited you may have gotten during the entire trip…watching your world through the windshield; of the things that lay ahead…of all the TBDs?

No matter what stage you are in, eventually we all need go into the cocoon in order to come out and fly around a bit.

Our elderly and our very young are proven to be the most vulnerable in this pandemic while nursing homes, rehab centers, and hospitals are the greatest risks for them. Warming shelters in the colder months and the homeless are also at great risk. Where is God?

Why wouldn't we give Mom her own day? When you really think about it, who else in your life has had a greater impact on you than your parents and that lady has impacted your life in a huge way!

Season 2 Episode 65: Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God…so very valuable, so very much loved by the shepherd, so needed by everyone for sustainment, yet a sweet and pleasing sacrifice. That doesn't sound mindless to me at all...

What was your magnificence as a child and what is it now? In these days of quarantine and solitude, there is an opportunity to revisit that child who did not care what others thought of him or her; that child was curious and interested. There is a chance to be curious and interested today.

One is not steered off the path to righteousness in an abrupt 90 degree angle, but he is gradually veered in tiny nudges that result in the desired direction. Most times, we are oblivious to the nudges, or if we recognize them we quickly rank them as harmless and not threatening to anything obvious.

We will gather and celebrate…virtually. We will stream our worship in safety…we will ache individually...we will pain as a congregation for the comfort of our churches as we ask ourselves – what happened?

We feel like we are somehow cheated that we will not have that opportunity to jockey for a seat at church on Easter morning. We feel removed from the chance to celebrate together, strangers and friends, in God's house with God's people. And it hurts.

I believe as social creatures it is our call to get out and do God's work; to get our hands dirty and serve the needs of others. But how is that to be done when schools, and churches, and nursing facilities are closed. How can we be His hands and feet when the most vulnerable and needy cannot be reached due to social distancing and stay at home mandates?

When the smoke clears from all of this, we will have the scars to show, and the memories to share. We will say things like…"remember when we couldn't go to Church?" and "Where were you during the Corona outbreak?" and "I never want to feel that way again." The heartache is real and the agony and separation is great. But, until we gather again very soon – keep reaching for God.

There is a common denominator in most scars and that is human suffering. We know we will suffer on this earth during our short time here, and I believe that suffering should be used for something…and as something.

Fireballs happen during Lent and carry on all the way through to Easter. Fireballs are those nasty distractions and set-backs that hit us out of nowhere and get in the way of all our attempts to humble ourselves and make ourselves very small.

What battle are we engaged in? The relentless and unending battle for souls. The age old fight between good and evil of which we find ourselves; men, women, and children – all of mankind as the subject and prize. It's time to man up!

What do we do when we can't reach those in need? Maclean says that we love them – unconditionally. That sounds familiar. And it should because that is a rather Christian approach to help – we try to love unconditionally. Easy right?

Under a basket, your light still shines as brightly as you want it to, but no one sees it. No one is inspired, and no one has the chance to see what God can do through us and with us. But remove that basket and watch what happens. God will do things with you that you cannot even imagine. God will work and move in you and bring others to the faith through you, He will use you as the salt to flavor the flavorless.

Looking at the reasons we turn to a dirt digging varmint to predict our arrival of spring is quite curious and believe it or not – rather biblical in nature.

The most downloaded podcast in 2019 is the Bob Dylan Sermon! Here is a repost and a "Thank you" for all those who listen and share!

The idea that we can live a fruitful and holy life that God deems worthy of salvation, yet it is lost on another soul because of their separation from God is, to me, tragic.

The long dark night comes to all of us in some way. We will face our challenges and be confronted by fears and feel that God is nowhere to be found. Maybe our doubt grows such that we simply can't see the light for all of the darkness we throw up in front of us.

Are you listening to God or are you listening to yourselves as another day goes by while you depreciate your value.

What is truth? It is not so very easy to recognize these days is it? There are so many resources for information and so many opinions on the topics of today that truth can become hidden. But we know that truth is non-negotiable, that a fact is a fact, so why is it so very hard to recognize it and why do we struggle with it?

Regardless of the many feelings and experiences that we all have leading up to this moment – here we are. All of us, in our diversity; in this one space…in this one holy space. Regardless of what led us here or how we got here; or where we are in our current place in life – we share this space as one body raising our voices together in praise.

There are many trials in this life and many challenges that will test and prove us. There will be much grace and peace wrapped in these trials – we must only endure…and persevere…and stand up…and accept it…accept the grace that will be poured out to you, and when it does…maybe it is like opening a box of oats and finding cookies inside.

No matter what you put on a pedestal, it will always reach for something higher. You meet people where they are everyday and those people are wanting and needing just like everyone else; celebrity or not. Do you have the courage to be the vehicle to being them to God?

Anyone who speaks truth is dangerous because those who do not want to hear the truth will try to silence it. Those who do not want to accept truth will likely be condemned by it because truth cannot change.

The George Bailey Sermon. In the movie It's a Wonderful Life an angel tells George Bailey, "You've been given a great gift, George: a chance to see what the world would be like without you." Wait. What? A great gift? George sees hate and sadness all around, how is this a gift at all?

The world is full of opportunities for thanks, whether we are saying it or hearing it. Both ways are a healthy start on the way to salvation. Here's a few questions for you!

There is no doubt to me that a thankful person is a satisfied person; and a satisfied person is a peaceful soul. Do you find yourself barking at your reflection just hoping to get something that you don't have? Here's a simple solution...

If you look at your relationship with God and what you do for Him and because of Him, does anything change when you grow tired of the color of your walls? Do you find yourself evolving in your relationship and love for God when fashions around you tell you otherwise?

Sitting in church, surrounded by all those sinners. That is what you see because that is what you focus on. Because of that, you miss the celebration...you miss the party because you are too busy reading the invitations list.

Living without may just be the hardest thing we do in our life. And living with loss may be the most complicated. Pearls are not made without the oyster first receiving something that it didn't ask for. Instead of rejecting it - it makes it better.

There will be times when the battles we fight seem unwinnable, and maybe we feel defeated - keep fighting anyway and rest your arms on the angels and saints...on the army of heaven. Success over life's battle can be won on faith and sometimes faith is a team event.

Those are the yesterdays that are laced with evil. Those are the things that we just will not let go, even though the past is distant; these are the yesterdays that we carry like a stone weight around our necks and they weigh us down – they drag us to the point that we are ashamed and disappointed with ourselves. They make us doubt – they make us lose faith.

When we think fondly back on the "good ole days," were we all really this busy? I may risk sounding like an old codger here, but when I was a kid we didn't have travel ball and we certainly didn't have games or meets or matches on the weekends. If you wanted to see my mom have a fit in the 80s, then schedule a practice or track meet on a Sunday...Sundays were reserved for one thing and we really only went to church and rested.

Being true to yourself is an opportunity to reunite with God's intention for you. Before that reunion, all else is only temporarily satisfying and then you are reaching for the next unattainable - it is a self-gratification and a staple in our modern society. It is also a great lie. Your roots are truth.