Be Careful What you Pray For

So I got sick in November.
Nothing big, just a nasty cold.
So I canceled a youth event
that would have been to see a
presentation by Youth to Youth
Catholic Evangelization on the topic of
'Salvation History.'

I called everyone who I had RSVP'd,
but decided to go the church to make
sure no one else showed up.
A kid did. And I told him we canceled.
And he looked bummed.

It takes a lot for a teen to give up
everything this world offers him
to come to something at church.
I wanted to just take him, but my
body wouldn't let me.
Then, I prayed, "God please don't let
me lose him."

About a month later, he shows up
at a weekend retreat.
And yesterday, he said he had
"questions."

Like:
How do we even know if God exists?
How can we trust what the Bible says is true?
How do we know we're even worshipping God?
...
...

Now it's in my court.
But, if it were completely up to me
he'd get no answers at all.
Cuz I don't have them all.
Which is why I pray.
To get those answers.
"Ask and you shall receive."

Just be careful what you pray for.
You just might get it.

Family Center for Women & Children

I had the opportunity to take a few teens
to an emergency shelter for women and children.
We were scheduled to serve food, clean up,
and babysit while the moms attended a Bible study.

Their motto: "Meeting physical needs to bring
those with spiritual needs to Christ."

Most of the women were younger than me.
And most of the children were the same age
as Luci & Lijah.

And this shelter is only a few miles from my home.

It amazes me that I worry at times
about crap that just doesn't matter.
And these women and children
have hope in what tomorrow will bring.
Hope in finding employment.
Hope in finishing a GED.
Hope in getting an extension to stay at the shelter
so their children won't freeze outside.

Praise the Lord for the good people
who work at the Center to empower
the truly needy to help themselves.

But pray to the Lord
that we will never forget
that these women and children
are our women and children.

2007

2 years ago it was "Finish."
This past year it was "For the Kingdom."
This Year's theme for me is
"Disciple."

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
dis·ci·ple /dɪˈsaɪpəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show
Spelled Pronunciation[di-sahy-puhl] Pronunciation Key
- Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -pled, -pling.
–noun

1. Religion.
a. one of the 12 personal followers of Christ.
b. one of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.
c. any other professed follower of Christ in His lifetime.
2. any follower of Christ.
3. (initial capital letter) a member of the Disciples of Christ.
4. a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of
another; follower: a disciple of Freud. –verb (used with object)
5. Archaic. to convert into a disciple.
6. Obsolete. to teach; train.

Most people would tend towards definitions 1-5.
I agree, but I've always liked the fact that definition 6
ties in with the similarity between the words
"disciple" and "discipline."

Everything in life worth anything requires
a dying to oneself in order to achieve it.
I love my kids, but I really don't sleep anymore.
I love studying theology, but I gave up a basketball league
on Saturdays for 4.5 years.
I love power steering, but I'll take air conditioning on
a hot day every time (reference to my 11-year old car).

A sister asked her brother
how one becomes a saint.
He said, "you will it."
His name was St. Thomas Aquinas.

Think how much better the world would be
if we all just "willed it" to be.
I'm guessing that
we'd all have to die to ourselves
just a little bit.

Here's to being a Disciple.