On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Feb 05 2013
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The Importance and Power of Prayer

Posted by | Prayer | No Comments

This article comes from fellow blogger Fr. Dwight Longenecker. I am re-posting this because it is very powerful and very pertinent to the scenes that are playing out in my life. Enjoy!

What do you mean by ‘Prayer’ to start with? If you thought it was asking God for stuff you’re not completely wrong. We’re supposed to ask God for our needs, and I think it’s just fine to ask God for the particular things like, “Dear God, please heal my son.” or “Please  God we need money to pay the bills.” Read More
Jan 29 2013
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Shortest Sermon Ever!!!

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Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke (Luke 4:14-21) is a hard text to get your head around from preaching. There is no dramatic story for me to break down, no wise and confusing parable for me to explain, nor is there a dramatic miracle that takes place that I can talk about. This is a simple short story about Christ’s first sermon. Read More

Jan 24 2013
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Be At Peace

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This has been quite the roller coaster of a week for me, with a variety of highs and lows. Unfortunately, the lows seem to keep coming.

With today being the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, I turned to him for some words of peace. No matter where you are in your life, these words should provide some comfort. Read More

Jan 21 2013
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The Ultimate Wedding Speech

Posted by | Hodgepodge | No Comments

Being a professional musician and playing my share of weddings over the years, I have seen what seems like thousands of wedding speeches and toasts. Most were very dry and boring, but some were quite entertaining. But none have even come close to this – for this is truly amazing… Read More

Jan 18 2013
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Prayers to Start Your Day

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I often hear from people that they struggle with praying on a daily basis. Like anything else, you need to make prayer something that you do everyday until it becomes a habit. But the question I always get is, “How do I get started?”

Here are a few examples of how to start your day with prayer. Once you continue to do this, you will find yourself going deeper and doing more spontaneous prayers. I hope these help you grow your prayer life. Read More

Jan 09 2013
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Beautiful Prayer

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Here is a prayer often attributed to Oscar Romero, but actually written by the late Bishop Ken Untener:

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith. Read More

Jan 03 2013
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All in the Family

Posted by | Family | No Comments

Family is a wonderful blessing! (Archie Bunker may not agree with me on this, but it is the honest truth!) Spending time with all of them around the holidays was truly a special event. However, when you talk about family, especially if you are referring to overall size, my family is dwarfed by my wife’s family. In other words, my family is very small, while hers is very big. Read More

Dec 24 2012
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Merry Christmas to All!!!

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“I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come around, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
~Charles Dickens Read More

Dec 23 2012
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Leaping with Joy

Posted by | Emotions/Feelings | No Comments

How do you express your joy? Do you clap your hands, laugh loudly scream out, or react with a gesture? In our Gospel today, the infant John “leaped for joy.” John, in his mother’s womb, expressed an emotional and physical reaction.

Elizabeth experienced a jump in her womb and Luke relates it to John’s recognition of Jesus. This beautifully captures the emotion and feeling of that meeting between the two pregnant women. Read More