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Deacon Allen

Deacon Allen | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 27

On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Mar 05 2015
Love1

Riding My Bike with the Lord

Posted by | Everyday Life | One Comment

Tandem bicycle“When I decided to give my life over to the care of Christ it seemed as though I was riding a tandem bike with Christ pedaling on the back seat. I kept steering the bike as best as I could. It was a hard and rocky road. So I kept pleading for Christ to pedal harder to help me make it through the dangerous areas. There were treacherous corners, steep mountains, large rocks and deep holes on the road I was traveling. Because of the complexity of the path I kept crashing the bike and running off the road. I kept getting injured and I often lost hope that I could follow such a difficult path. After several serious mishaps, my Savior asked, ‘Might I steer for a while?’ Reluctantly, I agreed and climbed on the back of the bike and began pedaling as best as I could. I watched in wonder as to the new way that Christ maneuvered the bicycle through the obstacles on the path. He was able to navigate through every danger ahead. If I ever felt frightened He would lean back and touch me with comforting assurance. When I needed rest, He would stop pedaling to give me living water and the bread of life. He guided me to places and people who helped me gain knowledge, healing, acceptance and joy. Now I understand, the power of the tandem bike is to let Christ do the steering and when I think that maybe I can’t do it anymore, Christ always smiles at me and reminds me to keep pedaling.” ~Author unknown

Today, I want you to reflect on this question: do you trust in Jesus for all your needs, in every area of your life, and for anything you may encounter? If we trust in the Lord He will be there to help with decisions, temptations, illness, social situations, and whatever else we may encounter. We will find renewed trust, hope, love, and a deeper relationship with Him. In good times, in tough times, or in a year of drought, we can be like the tree by the waters that does not fear or worry; whose leaves are always green and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5-10)

As we continue on our Lenten journey, let us realize that it’s all about trusting God even when we can’t see what’s ahead for us. It’s about letting go of the handlebars of our lives and allowing God to take the lead. When we place our complete trust and confidence in the Lord, we will be blessed. That’s HIS promise! That’s OUR challenge!

Feb 26 2015
Love0

It’s Cold Outside (and maybe inside)

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

cold thermoI don’t know how it is where you call home, but here in the greater Chicagoland area, it is COLD!!! Seriously, it is extremely cold with wind chills dancing below zero. And on top of that, it is snowing. Yes, it’s wintertime here in Illinois. But let me make something perfectly clear: I am not complaining. Compared to what is happening on the East Coast, we here in the Midwest have nothing to complain about. But there’s simply no denying the fact: it’s cold outside!

But what about the temperature on the inside? Are we cold-as-ice or feverishly-warm? Read More

Feb 18 2015
Love0

We Need a Lenten “Unselfie”

Posted by | Everyday Life | 7 Comments

DeaconAllen selfieAh, the “selfie.” We just can’t seem to get enough of ourselves. So much so, that we need to constantly take pictures of ourselves in order to show everyone where we are, what we’re doing, and even what we’re wearing. We always seem to find new ways to make things all about us! The Urban Dictionary defines “selfie” in the following ways…

  • A picture taken of yourself that is uploaded to a social networking website.
  • The taking of a picture of yourself and posting it online because you have extremely low self-esteem and you need people to comment to tell you how good you look. In reality you just look desperate for attention. And no matter how attractive you might be, you still look pathetic.

And speaking of pathetic, reality TV star Kim Kardashian is slated to put out a selfie book in April fittingly titled “Selfish,” of 352 of the best photos taken by, well, her. I think that “Selfish” is the perfect book title and the perfect theme for our Lenten reflection. Read More

Feb 12 2015
Love0

All I Need is a Crumb!

Posted by | Everyday Life | 2 Comments

Does anyone have a need in their life? I think most of us have several important needs. I would even say that most people have one or more major needs in their lives and some may not see how their need can be met. Some people are looking at devastating family problems. Some are experiencing financial difficulty. Some are looking at a problem with a child. Some look at their lives and realize that they are lost. Some are facing a disease and wondering what lies ahead. Some are looking at their parents and realizing they won’t be here forever. I could stand here all day and not exhaust the list of problems that many of us are facing today. Read More

Feb 01 2015
Love0

Listening for the True Voice

Posted by | Everyday Life, Uncategorized | No Comments

Many years ago, I remember watching my sons play baseball and feeling sorry for the boys whose parents tried to outcoach the coach. I can still see the confused look on the boys’ faces when their mom or dad was on one side of the field yelling to them to do one thing and coach was on the other yelling the opposite. Many times, a boy would shake his head angrily toward his parent and then do what the coach said. That angry head shaking really meant, “You are not the authority here. You need to be quiet so I can hear my coach’s voice.”

Each of us encounter many voices in our lives, and we are constantly discerning which one to listen to. Sometimes, when there is a lot of noise around us and within us, that’s not always an easy thing to do.  Read More

Jan 22 2015
Love0

Our “Throwaway Culture”

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

We live in a throwaway society. We are trained to be wasteful consumers based on the messages we hear on a daily basis. From advertisements for new skinny jeans, to exotic perfume, to shoes that we really don’t need or even have room for, we are all persuaded to buy new and throwaway the old. For this reason, it’s important to challenge this throwaway mentality of always wanting more with appreciating and valuing what we truly have.

Today marks the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The more than 56 million lives lost to abortion since that 1973 decision reflect with heartbreaking magnitude what Pope Francis meant when he talked about a “throwaway culture.” Read More

Jan 15 2015
Love0

Hard as a Rock

Posted by | Everyday Life | 4 Comments

When I was younger, every time I heard the phrase “harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-14) I always visualized a human heart turning into a rock. Even to this day, this image still pops into my mind. And I was never quite sure why – until now. Read More

Jan 09 2015
Love1

Memories of Dad

Posted by | Family | 12 Comments

Over the past week, I have been watching my father’s old 8mm home movies. This was a project that was started months before his passing, where he was cleaning out his basement and wanted to get rid of all these old reels of film. Being the video buff that I am, I said that I would take it and capture on video all of the important parts so we had it as a memory of the past. So for months, this stuff sat here in my “things to do” pile. Well, I’m finally getting to it, Dad! Read More

Jan 01 2015
Love1

Prayer for a New Year

Posted by | Prayer | No Comments

Dear God,
On this day I ask You to grant this request.
May I know who I am and what I am,
Every moment of every day.
May I be a catalyst for light and love,
And bring inspiration to those whose eyes I meet.
May I have the strength to stand tall in the face of conflict,
And the courage to speak my voice, even when I’m scared.
May I have the humility to follow my heart,
And the passion to live my soul’s desires.
May I seek to know the highest truth
And dismiss the gravitational pull of my lower self.
May I embrace and love the totality of myself,
My darkness as well as my light.
May I be brave enough to hear my heart,
To let it soften so that I may gracefully
Choose faith over fear.
Today is my day to surrender anything that stands
Between the sacredness of my humanity and my divinity.
May I be drenched in my Holiness
And engulfed by Your love.
May all else melt away.
And so it is.

Composed by Debbie Ford

Dec 25 2014
Love0

My Christmas Greeting to You

Posted by | Everyday Life | 2 Comments

As my Christmas greeting to you this year, I wanted to send out the lyrics from one of my songs that I wrote back in 1984. I pray that you and your family have a wonderful and blessed Christmas. May the spirit of the season remain with you throughout the entire year. May God bless you always!

Deacon Allen

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