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Everyday Life

On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Feb 26 2015
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It’s Cold Outside (and maybe inside)

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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
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We Need a Lenten “Unselfie”

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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
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All I Need is a Crumb!

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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
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Listening for the True Voice

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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
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Our “Throwaway Culture”

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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
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Hard as a Rock

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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

Dec 25 2014
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My Christmas Greeting to You

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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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Dec 21 2014
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Behold!

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Photo Credit: http://kathyschiffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/The-Annunciation-John-Collier.jpg

Photo Credit: http://kathyschiffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/The-Annunciation-John-Collier.jpg

Our Gospel today was “the Annunciation”, the same Gospel we used for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Very often, you will see Annunciation in a painting or stained glass window, and it’s depicted with one striking detail: Mary, holding in her hands or reading an open book. One artist has said this is to show Mary reading Isaiah, learning that a virgin would give birth to the savior. Another artist said that it shows her devotion to The Word – the Word that she would one day bring into the world as Jesus Christ.

However you interpret this, it remains a compelling way of thinking of Mary, especially as we near Christmas, and as we think more deeply about The Word Made Flesh. And as we reflect on today’s Gospel, I want to focus on one word in particular that recurs in this passage. It’s a word Luke uses again and again in the story of the Nativity, three times alone in just this short passage. That word is: “Behold.” In literal terms, it means: “to see,” or “observe.” But in scriptural terms, it goes much deeper. Read More

Dec 11 2014
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Fear Not, I Will Help You

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20130621_194225It’s been three weeks since my father passed away – and life hasn’t been the same. I’ve been riding an emotional roller coaster without a safety harness, and the journey has been very bumpy, to say the least.

Honestly, I am an emotional wreck! At one moment, I appear to be fine; but then suddenly, I am not. I cry quite frequently, and it often strikes without warning. It is very difficult to explain, and I cannot even tell you how, when, or why it happens. I can’t even define what triggers these emotional outbursts. It just happens at will.

And my mind is constantly moving in multiple directions at warp speed. I find it very difficult to sleep; and when sleep comes, it is a very light sleep at that. I worry. I’m trying to be there for my mother to help as much as I can. There are phone calls to make, financial decisions to be made, and on and on. There is just so much to do!

To be completely honest, I am filled with fear. I’m afraid of how my mother is taking all of this. I’m afraid of not being able to help her when she needs me the most. I’m afraid of letting her down in her time of sorrow and need. And, I’m afraid of living the rest of my life without my father near me. Read More

Dec 10 2014
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We Need A Little Advent Now!

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I was running errands the other day, and when I walked into one of our local stores, I heard these familiar words of this Christmas song:

“Haul out the holly; put up the tree before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the stockings, I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now.
For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute, candles in the window, carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute. We need a little Christmas now.” Read More