I get annoyed with the zany new years parties and resolutions. It is like people mark the new year by pretending to want to improve, but in reality nothing changes. I know that health club memberships increase in January. I wonder what the actual rate of people who use them past January is…

In the past I have subscribed to the insanity myself and have even proclaimed 2012 as the “year of the foot” and am determined to run the St. Jude Half Marathon in December 2012. And yet, throughout this Advent and no Christmas season I have not run, nor completed a workout in preparation for my (deep voice with lots of commitment) Da Da Da DA “Year of the Foot”. So, am I really committed? Or am I too like the rest of humanity, only pretending to want to be better but actually comfortable in my apathy.

A couple of years ago I was telling my spiritual director that I just needed to get through the month and then everything would be okay. Financially, time management, work load, family responsibilities, and everything else was simply overwhelming me and I needed to get this one month over with. He looked at me and said, “explain to me what changes on the 1st day of next month.” I was stumped. My job was still there with lots of work to do. My wife would still need me to care for her and our children would still need a father. My relationship with God would still need time. My house and cars would need maintenance. And the number of hours in the day did not dramatically increase with the emergence of a new month. So…what changed?

This meeting with my spiritual director set in motion a dramatic change of events never before seen in human history, or at least Bob history which is slightly less lengthy but much more enjoyable…at least to me. I changed. I changed my priorities. Ultimately it is this conversation that would lead me to resign from my part-time job as Youth Minister, re-focus my relationship with my wife and children, and place my live in proper order. The reality is everything changed the next month, and yet nothing changed.

What is funny is that I started to write this post to discuss the Catholic New Year being the 1st Sunday of Advent. Apparently, what I really wanted to write about was change. Whether you decide to set a deadline of Jan 1, or the 1st Sunday of Advent, or any other day, the important thing is not what day nor what goal but rather what change do you want.

Recently i went to a management training conference. A high level manager commented that in any personal development plan you have to “own it” for change to occur. I think many times we Christians say we want to be like Christ because that is the right thing to do. But to you really own that goal? Or is it God’s goal for you? Between the two is a great difference. God wants you to join Him for eternity in heaven. God wants you to be a holy and blameless example for others. God wants you to love as He does. But do you? Change only occurs in you if you want it.

This New Years Eve, rather than drink away the last year and celebrate the beginning of another month in which everything changes if we could just make it, let’s own the true reality of our situations and honestly desire change. I will run the half marathon in December 2012 and I want to be held accountable to it. Putting it in writing here is terrifying because I know that my friends will hold me accountable…(that is if my friends actually read this, which is unlikely since they never listen to me anyway….). At least I know my wife will…I hope.

I pray that you make resolutions/goals that keep in mind your reality. Ask God to show you how He sees you, then work toward seeing yourself in the same way. Now there is change to be aspired to. Own yourself, no one else will.

Happy New Year.

I pray you are affected by this as much as I have been. Please visit their site and read about this amazing work they are doing.

And, maybe it is time we all stood at the wall more for others.

God bless…

I was blown away yesterday by something I heard that made me instantly cry. Cry for joy, cry for how unbelievable it was, and cry over my own convictions. Many of you know that Habitat for Hope maintains 2 apartments in downtown Memphis, TN. These apartments are given free of charge to families of children receiving medical treatment in Memphis.

One of our families was moving out this past week and I went down to say goodbye, pray with them and help send them on their way. The dad asked me if I had met the neighbors before. I had seen them, waved, but have never met them. The dad told me that a mother and daughter that lived in the apartment next door. The mom is 94 and the daughter is 72. The dad said that one day he was locked out of his apartment (the doors automatically lock) and he went over to ask to use their phone. As they started talking the daughter mentioned how her mother will go over the wall between the two apartments, put her hand on the wall, and pray for the for the family and sick child next door. And pray for over an hour every night.

We have had these apartments for 5 years and she has done this faithfully every day for years! Picture in your mind…a frail elderly lady taking the time every night to pray for your sick child and family…without you ever event knowing about it.

James 5:15 15 “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.”

In the history of the world there are great societies ruled by empirical governments headed by an emperor (yes I know it’s simple right.).  Today we have governments of many forms, and few empirical societies remain.

I have often stated that I believe the United States to be a cultural empire ruling the world’s societies.  It is not hard to imagine.  Our music, clothing, political ideology, material desires, opportunities, etc. are coveted by the world over.  Our citizens are the most sought after servants of any empire.  Simply watch the television for an hour and see how much the world wants you…you to own this kind of car, and that pair of pants, to lust after this, and covet that.  Watch a football game and see how beer manufacturers quite literally transform your life into one of a soft porn star instantly.  You too can hang out with these women right!?

The title of this blog simply points to this ideology.  We, not the world, but “We” or more importantly “I” rule this empire.  I am the king.  I am the God.  My opinion, my desires, my lusts, my images are what drives this society.  “I” of course being the individual.

This blog, chronicles my journey toward destroying this empire.  The empire of Me.

Many Christian faiths teach these days that man is nothing but dung and God’s Grace covers us with a white sheet to make us beautiful.  Yet at the core we are still dung.

I believe that humans are created by God as Holy.  Originally in the Garden of Eden when man was created God saw him to be good.  Man is not dung!  We have covered ourselves in sin, but at the core we are good.  We are created in likeness to God and He Is Holy!

By destroying the empire of myself, I tear away the sin and desires for things not of God…so that only His likeness remains.

We all “rule” our own little world we call reality.  I invite you to de-throne yourself and allow Christ the King to reign supreme in your empire.  Let your empire be a sovereign nation in the Kingdom of God…rather than an island ruled by the blind.

“Do I really Glorify God?”

What does that mean exactly?  To “glorify”? 

Well Mr. Webster says this:

 Taken from: www.webster.com  (content edited)

Main Entry: glo·ri·fy 

1. a : to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration

   b : to elevate to celestial glory

2 : to light up brilliantly

3 : to represent as glorious : extol

4 : to give glory to (as in worship)

Read those definitions closely.  Very closely.

Do you bestow honor, praise, or admiration on God?  Do you light Him up brilliantly? 

Do you represent Him as glorious? 

That one hurts.  This is where I cried enough!  Honestly, when you say to someone that you are a Christian, do you then represent Him as GLORIOUS!  Consistently?

1 Cor 6:20 says, “For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” 

I can do that.  I am modest, have worked really hard to respect the dignity of others.  Have rooted out and continue to root out any objectification of others from my mind and heart.  I am not perfect, but I think I do this pretty okay.

But then I read this…

O LORD, you are my God, I will extol you and praise your name; For you have fulfilled your wonderful plans of old, faithful and true. For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; The castle of the insolent is a city no more, nor ever to be rebuilt. Therefore a strong people will honor you, fierce nations will fear you. For you are a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in distress; Shelter from the rain, shade from the heat. As with the cold rain, as with the desert heat, even so you quell the uproar of the wanton.   Is 25:1-5

What gets me is verse 3. “Therefore a strong people will honor you…”

Am I strong people?  Are you?  Are we? Check out what Paul writes to the Romans in 15:5-7

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.

I don’t know about you, but that describes a place I desire to be.  A Church.  Not a brick and mortar place, but a people “set apart” for one purpose.  TO GLORIFY!  For me, bringing God glory has been about learning to Love.  I have and continue to learn not judge or berate or belittle; but instead to love, to commend, and to build up. 

Yesterday on the plane back from MI I sat next to a lady who is searching.  She is married, her husband sat across the isle with their 2 beautiful kids.  They live an average American life.  But something is missing.  We talked and she lit up as I shared my conversion story with her and talked about faith.  She took notes when I said things like “persistence is what sets apart the successful from the not”.  (The Saints were persistent.  Think about it. I have another post on this coming soon).  All in all, this was an amazing conversation, one divinely scheduled by the Master Carpenter.

The beautiful thing is that after we parted off the plane I thought I missed an opportunity.  We shared a great conversation; her husband is the one that really needs to learn that he is loved by God.  And I didn’t seek him out to tell him or to talk with him.  And as I began to tell God I was sorry I didn’t do everything in my power to Love this man….there he was, standing in front of me waiting for his wife.  Now keep in mind I went to the restroom, and took my time wandering because I knew it would take a while for the luggage to be unloaded, etc.  This is an airport, there are hundreds of people.  How is it that I almost run into the one person I so desperately wanted to Love.

So, I stopped, stunned for a moment, and then as if I knew what I supposed to do, I handed him my book and said, “Here, God wants you to read this.  I think you will enjoy it.”  He said thank you.  And I went on my way.  Almost to the sound track of some chick flick with a happy ending.  The whole thing was surreal.

What does this have to do with glorifying God?  Well, honestly, everything.  The book has nothing to do with it, nor does the circumstance.  To me, I repented and He saw fit to give me a chance to say Yes again.  That is glorifying God. 

Repenting and saying yes Lord.

It IS that simple.

Take some time to review the definitions of Glorify and see if you fit.  If not, perhaps it’s time to take stock in who God is, and who you are called to be.  Here is a simply examination to help.

-          Do I bring praise, honor, and admiration to God?

-          Do I elevate my soul to the supernatural in prayer and attention to the Holy Spirit daily?

-          Do I allow Christ to light up my life “brilliantly”?

-          Do I, in my words and actions, represent God as glorious?

-          Do I give God glory in worship often?

If you answered no to any of these, then you are like the rest of us….human.  God writes in Is 43:4, “Because you are precious in my eyes and glorious, and because I love you…”  Do not be discouraged by imperfection, rather be hopeful.  If you recognize that you are imperfect then you are willing and open to receive the Grace from He who Is perfect.  There is no such thing as imperfect Grace.  Every time we pray we become more like Him, and that is enough. 

Tonight I pray that I will glorify God with all my being.  I pray for you the same.  I am blessed to be in Church with others and to see Him in them.  I leave you with this.

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” – MT 5:16

PS: I should note, the book was “Be A Man” by Fr. Larry Richards.

In the early Church, Christians lived in community, often sharing everything for the betterment of the whole (see Acts 2:44).  This is the first image of the body of Christ, of the Church.  Even today there are Christian communities attempting to emulate this model. 

In the Catholic Church we have the Sacrament of Penance, or Confession.  In this Sacrament there are 3 realities of forgiveness.  First, we are reconciled with God.  Second we are reconciled with the Church, the Body of Christ.  And lastly, we are reconciled with ourselves.  The mechanics of these 3 realities is mute; the point is that all are necessary for full and complete reconciliation.

I wonder why Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father”.  Is there meaning there?  Is there a purpose for His teaching? 

The Catechism has some beautiful teaching on this idea in paragraph 166 and 167. 

CACC 166: Faith is a personal act—the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself. But faith is not an isolated act. No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone. You have not given yourself faith as you have not given yourself life. The believer has received faith from others and should hand it on to others. Our love for Jesus and for our neighbor impels us to speak to others about our faith. Each believer is thus a link in the great chain of believers. I cannot believe without being carried by the faith of others, and by my faith I help support others in the faith.

CACC 167: “I believe” (Apostles’ Creed) is the faith of the Church professed personally by each believer, principally during Baptism. “We believe” (Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed) is the faith of the Church confessed by the bishops assembled in council or more generally by the liturgical assembly of believers. “I believe” is also the Church, our mother, responding to God by faith as she teaches us to say both “I believe” and “We believe.”

I know this appears to be a broken post, as there are various points above…however consider this…When one believes that faith is only personal or one dimensional, they are depriving the body of Christ.  The fact is that if faith is only “my” or “I” then there is no Faith.  The Faith, with a capital F, is Ours…something we are called by Christ to pass on.

Again, I know this may seem like a small divide, or some insignificant ideology…but this is really a fundamental problem.  This is a break in the body of Christ.  There are believers who don’t think they are a part of the body!  That’s a problem!

It goes further…  The reason I brought up Confession before is because forgiveness is directly tied to this idea.  If I sin against you, I sin against God (Read 1 Cor 8).  If I sin against you, but only ask God for forgiveness, have I not still left the body of Christ broken and bruised?  Have I not left a division among us?  I think this mentality, that of only needing to confess our sins to God, is what causes gossip, hatred, and judgment in the body of Christ.  This is not to say that Catholics do not struggle with these things, there are many Catholics who don’t take advantage of Confession, nor do they seek to live out the teachings of the Church. 

Again, I’m not trying to single out any denomination, or group, because I don’t think this division is that easy.  It’s more about how we see others, and how we see God. 

That’s just my 2 cents….