On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Feb 07 2013
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Grieving Job Loss: Stage 2

Posted by | Work | No Comments

Yesterday, we looked at denial, the first stage of grieving job loss. Once you work your way through that first stage (which is not always easy), you find yourself entering a space where your attitude suddenly turns dark. You begin to become a person with a disposition – and not a pleasant one at that.

Stage 2: Anger
How could they do this to me? What on earth were they thinking? Were they even thinking this through? What a bunch of morons! Do they know they made a mistake laying me off? Read More

Feb 06 2013
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Grieving Job Loss: Stage 1

Posted by | Work | No Comments

In case you missed the news, I was laid off from my job on January 24th. This was just after celebrating my 25th service anniversary in December. You can only imagine the amount of emotions that were taking place in my head, in my gut, and in my heart. It has been nearly two weeks since that “event” has taken place, and I believe that I am finally ready to write about it.

In the coming days, I will begin walking through the Five Stages of Grieving Job Loss. It is based on the Five Stages of Grief described by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her book “On Death and Dying”. My hope is that by describing these stages (not only for others, but also for myself), it will help move us through this process more quickly and with less emotional strain.

Stage 1: Denial
This can’t be happening to me! I can’t believe they are letting me go! They will not be able to live without me! Read More

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

Posted by | Prayer | No Comments

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

Posted by | Prayer | No Comments

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